Dr. C. Abel on the Sumatran Oiang Outang. 215 



to another, with apparently undiminished vigour. In fact 

 they were obliged to cut down all the trees before they could 

 drive him to combat his enemies on the ground, ao-ainst whom 

 he still exhibited sui'prising strength and agiHty, althou'di he 

 was at length overpowered by numbers, and destroyed by the 

 thrusts of spears and the blows of stones and other missiles. 

 When nearly in a dying state, he seized a spear made of a 

 supple wood which would have withstood the strength of the 

 stoutest man, and shivered it in pieces ; in the words of the 

 narrator, he broke it as if it had been a carrot. It is stated 

 by those who aided in his death, that the human-like expres- 

 sion of his countenance), and piteous manner of placino- bis 

 hands over his wounds, distressed their feelings, and almost 

 made them question the nature of the act they were commit- 

 ting. Vv^hen dead, both natives and Europeans contemplated 

 his figm-e with amazement. His stature at the lowest compu- 

 tation was upwards of six feet ; at the highest it was nearly 

 eight ; but it will afterwards be seen that it was probably 

 about seven. In the following description, which I <rive in 

 the words of my informant, many of my readers will detect 

 some of those external conformations which distino-uish the 

 young eastern Orang Outangs that have been seen in Europe. 

 The only part of the description in which the imagination 

 seems to have injured the fidelity of the portrait, re<>-ards the 

 prominence of the nose and size of the eyes, neither of which 

 are verified by the integuments of the animal's head. " The 

 animal was nearly eight feet high, and had a well-proportion- 

 ed body, v/ith a fine broad expanded chest and narrow waist. 

 His head also was in due proportion to his body ; the eyes 

 were large, the nose prominent, and the mouth much more 

 capacious than the mouth of a man. His chin was frin"-ed 

 irom tlie extremity of one ear to the other, with a beard that 

 curled neatly on each side, and formed altogether an orna- 

 mental rather than a frightful appendage to his visao-e. His 

 arms were very long even in proportion to his heiglit, and in. 

 relation to the arms of men; but his legs were in some re- 

 spects much shorter. His organs of generation were not very 

 conspicuous, and seemed to be small in proportion to his size. 

 Tlie hair of his coat was smooth and glossy when he was 

 first killed, and his teeth and appearance altogether indicated 

 that he was young and in the full possession of his pliysical 

 powers. Upon the whole," adds liis biographer, « he was a 

 wonderful beast to behold, and there was more in him to 

 excite ama/A;ment than fear." 



That this anunal showed great tenacity of life is evident 

 from his ;unviving so mruy dreadful wounds; and his pecu- 

 liarity 



