42 ■ QUADRUMANA. 



a long tail, a small head, a hairless face, a short muzzle, and very 

 slight callosities. Twenty-nine Species are known. 



The hands have long fingers, but the thumb on the fore limbs is very 

 short, and of no use for grasping. Their hair is fine, and often very long 

 on the head. The conformation of the stomach is peculiar, and distantly 

 resembles that of the Kangaroo. All species possess an air-sack. 



They are natives of the mainland of Southern Asia and the islands 

 of the Indian archipelago. They live in troops in the forests, usually 

 near running water, and near villages and cultivated ground. Wallace 

 gives a very vivid description of them in their native haunts. The 

 traveler generally finds them in companies of twenty or thirty, busily 

 engaged in seeking food. They seldom are seen on the ground, unless 

 when picking up some fallen fruit. They pay no attention to the natives, 

 but avoid Europeans. When alarmed they hide in the trees, or fly with 

 extraordinary rapidity, springing from bough to bough. It is amusing 

 to witness the attempts the less agile make to follow their leader ; very 

 often some of the last of the company hesitate about taking a daring leap, 

 till the foremost are almost out of sight ; then they are filled with despair 

 at the prospect of being left, jump wildly into the air, and often fall to 

 the ground. Their usual food consists of fruits of all sorts, buds and 

 leaves ; they seem to prefer the buds of the red Hibiscus even to bananas. 



THE HULMAN. 



This species, the Hulman or Hunemanof the Hindoos, Scmnopitliccus 

 entcllus, is the Sacred Ape of India. As it is carefully protected by the 

 natives, it is very common in lower India. The tail is usually about 

 three feet long, the body about two. The hair is of a yellowish white, 

 the hairless parts dark violet. The face, hands and feet, as far as they 

 are hairy, and a stiff rim of hair projecting over the eyes, are black; the 

 short beard is yellow. 



The Hulman or Huneman monkey occupies a high place among the 

 thirty million deities of the Hindoos, and has enjoyed this honor for 

 countless ages. Huneman is said in their mythology to have liberated 

 Sita, the wife of Rama, from the giant Ravan, and to have brought from 

 the garden of the giant the luscious Mango. For the theft of the Mango 

 he was condemned to be burnt at the stake, but Huneman extinguished 

 the fire, burning thereby his face and hands, which have remained black 



