BOOK III. CHAP. I. 359 



man. Mr. BiiflTon, who has examined this curious fubjeft with great 

 attention, defcribes them thus ; " The oran-outang has no pouch, tail, 

 nor callofity, on his hind parts ; thefe parts, and the calves of his legs, 

 are plump and flefliy, differing intircly from the ape and monkey. All 

 his teeth are the fame as the human, his face is broad, naked, and taw- 

 ney, his cars, hands, feet, breaft, and belly, arc likewifc without 

 hair, and of the fame tawney complexion ; the hair of his head is like 

 that of a man, ami defcends in a forelock on each temple ; the hair on 

 his back and loins is thin, and in fmall quantity ; he grows from Jtve 

 to fix feet in height." 



The nofe is flat, the breaft of the females furnifiied with two paps, 

 and they are fubjeft to the periodical flux. The latter charafteriftic, 

 which is common alfo to the monkey-clafs, was not unobferved by 

 the ancient Egyptians, who drew a fingular advantage from it in 

 their aftronomical regifters ; for they kept the cynocephalus, and other 

 monkies, in their temples, in order to know, with tol rable certainty, 

 by this means, the periodical conjunftions of the fun and moon. 



Lewis le Compte, in his Memoirs of China, aflerts, that in the 

 llraits of Molucca he f.iw fome of four feet \n height, that walked 

 erect, and had fices fhaped like thofe of the Hottentots at the Cape. 

 They made a noife like a young child ; their paffions appeared with 

 a lively expreffion in their countenances ; they feemed to be of a ten- 

 der difpolition, and would kifs and embrace thofe they weie fond of. 

 Doftor Tyfon, giving an account of a young male brought from An- 

 gola (afterwards differed), obferves, that he pofTeffed the like tender- 

 nefs of difpolition towards the Tailors on board fliip. He would 

 not affociate with the morikies bi'ought in the fame fhip, but fhunned 

 their company. He ufed to put on his own cloaths ; or, at leaft, 

 whenever he found a dilHcult}' in managing any part of his drefs, he 

 would take it in his hand to' fome of the company, fignifying (as it ■ 

 were) his deiire that they ihould help him. 



Mr. Noell fpeaks of apes, which he faw in Guiney, and calls barris 

 (which Mr. Buifon takes to be a fynonym of the oran-outang), who 

 walked ereft, and had more gravity, and appearance of undcrfland- 

 ing, than any ether of the ape kind, and were paffionattly fond of 

 women. ^ 



t I /uuiteus, 



