tj3# Obfervatio>is on the Orang Outang. 



in which are united,, befides the character ifing marks pro* 

 per to it, and which are not to be found in any other of the 

 mammalia, fome others very extraordinary which belong to 

 animals extremely diffimilar. To bring forward then to 

 public notice a differtation almoft unknown, and on an 

 animal, which, though defcribed fome time ago, has not yet 

 been comprehended in the catalogues or fyftems of natural 

 beings, is rendering a real fervice to fcience. But this is 

 not enough: it is neceflary to prevent that confufion of 

 names which is always followed by a confufion of ideas ; 

 for the defcription of Wurmb, which is not fufficiently 

 ample, and which befides is unaccompanied by a figure, 

 does not afford naturalifts the means of afcertaining whether 

 the animal defcribed be rather a new fpecies than the pongo; 

 and I have been able to determine this point only by com- 

 paring the fkeleton of Wurmb' s ape with thofe of different 

 orang outangs preferred in the collection of the Mufeum of 

 Natural Hiftory. This fkeleton of Wurmb's ape, one of the 

 mod curious and molt valuable in the national colleftion, 

 will furnifh us with very important obfervations, that may 

 ferve to give a better idea of the fpecies in queftion, than a 

 defcription of the external parts. (See Plate XI.) 



This animal, in the fcale of beings, occupies almoft the 

 laft rank in the numerous family of the apes. The lingular 

 conformation of its head places it between the mandrils 

 (Jimia mdimon et mormon l) and the allouates (fnn'ia feni- 

 culus). However, if, without fixing on this charafterifing 

 mark, though of great importance, we adhere to thofe ac- 

 cording to which fyftematic authors have formed for apes 

 genera and divifions, the want of a tail will make it an 

 animal nearly related to the gibbons and orang outangs. 

 Put I do not think it neceflary to endeavour to prove that 

 the latter mark is very infufficient to point out the real 

 affinity of beings. A tail is a fuperfluous appendage, and 

 almoft foreign to the bodies of animals. This organ can in 

 no cafe have any influence on their economy, nor even on 



their 



