GIBBONS. 



39 



If the same food was continued, it would set up 

 a scream and kick about violently, exactly like a 

 baby in a passion. 



After I had had the little mias about three 

 weeks, I fortunately obtained a young hare-lip 

 monkey (Macaais cynomolgus), which, though small, 

 was very active, and could feed itself. 1 placed it 

 in the same box with the mias, and they imme- 

 diately became excellent friends, neither exhibiting 

 the least fear of the other. The little monkey 

 would sit upon the other's stomach, or even on its 

 face, without the least regard to its feelings. While 

 I was feeding the mias the monkey would sit by, 

 picking up all that was spilt, and occasionally 

 putting out its hands to intercept the spoon; and 

 as soon as I had finished would pick off what was 

 left sticking to the mias' lips, and then pull open 

 its mouth and see if any still remained inside; 

 afterwards lying down on the poor creature's 

 stomach as on a comfortable cushion. The little 

 helpless mias would submit to all these insults with 

 the most exemplary patience, only too glad to 

 have something warm near it, which it could clasp 

 affectionately in its arms. It sometimes, however, 

 had its revenge; for when the monkey wante.d to 

 go away, the mias would hold on as long as it 

 could by the loose skin of its back or head, or by 

 its tail, and it was only after many vigorous jumps 

 that the monkey could make his escape. 



It was curious to observe the different actions 

 of these two animals, which could not have differed 

 much in age. The mias, like a very young baby, 

 lying on its back quite helpless, rolling lazily from 

 side to side, stretching out all four hands into the 

 air, wishing to grasp something, but hardly able to 

 guide its fingers to any definite object ; and when 

 dissatisfied, opening wide its almost toothless 

 mouth, and expressing its wants by a most in- 

 fantine scream. The little monkey, on the other 

 hand, in constant motion; running and jumping 

 about wherever it pleased, examining everything 

 around it, seizing hold of the smallest objects with 

 the greatest precision, balancing itself on the edge 

 of the box or running up a post, and helping itself 

 to anything eatable that came in its way. There 

 could hardly be a greater contrast, and the baby 

 mias looked more baby-like by the comparison. 



When I had had it about a month, it began to 

 exhibit some signs of learning to run alone. When 

 laid upon the floor it would push itself along by its 

 legs, or roll itself over, and thus make an unwieldy 

 progression. When lying in the box it would lift 



itself up to the edge into almost an erect position, 

 and once or twice succeeded in tumbling out. 

 When left dirty, or hungry, or otherwise neglected, 

 it would scream violently till attended to, varied 

 by a kind of coughing or pumping noise, very 

 similar to that which is made by the adult animal. 

 If no one was in the house, or its cries were not 

 attended to, it would be quiet after a little while, 

 but the moment it heard a footstep would begin 

 again harder than ever. 



After five weeks it cut its two upper front teeth, 

 but in all this time it had not grown the least bit, 

 remaining both in size and weight the same as 

 when I first procured it. This was no doubt owing 

 to the want of milk or other equally nourishing 

 food. Rice-water, rice, and biscuits were but a 

 poor substitute, and the expressed milk of the 

 cocoa-nut which I sometimes gave it did not quite 

 agree with its stomach. To this I imputed an attack 

 of diarrhoea, from which the poor little creature suf- 

 fered greatly, but a small dose of castor-oil operated 

 well, and cured it. A week or two afterwards it 

 was again taken ill, and this time more seriously. 

 The symptoms were exactly those of intermittent 

 fever, accompanied by watery swellings on the feet 

 and head. It lost all appetite for its food, and, 

 after lingering for a week a most pitiable object, 

 died, after being in my possession nearly three 

 months. I much regretted the loss of my little 

 pet, which I had at one time looked forward to 

 bringing up to years of maturity, and taking home 

 to England. For several months it had afforded 

 me daily amusement by its curious ways, and the 

 inimitably ludicrous expression of its little coun- 

 tenance. Its weight was three pounds nine ounces, 

 its height fourteen inches, and the spread of its 

 arms twenty-three inches." Wallace, Malay Archi- 

 pelago, chap. iv. 



Gibbons (Hylobates). 



Tailless Asiatic arboreal apes, with extraordinarily long arms 

 and hands, and small naked spots on the buttocks. 



These are the dwarfs among the anthropoid 

 apes, for they never exceed 3 feet 3 inches 

 in height. The arms are so long that even 

 in the upright position they must be bent 

 at the elbows in order that the wrists may 

 touch the ground. 



The round well-formed head, the face with 



