I THE ORANG 53 



constitute the chief nutriment of the Orang ; but 

 strips of bamboo two or three feet long were found 

 in the stomach of a male. They are not known to 

 eat living animals. 



Although, when taken young, the Orang-Utan 

 soon becomes domesticated, and indeed seems to 

 court human society, it is naturally a very wild and 

 shy animal, though apparently sluggish and melan- 

 choly. The Dyaks affirm, that when the old males 

 are wounded with arrows only, they will occasion- 

 ally leave the trees and rush raging upon their 

 enemies, whose sole safety lies in instant flight, 

 as they are sure to be killed if caught. 1 



1 Sir James Brooke, in a letter to Mr. Waterhouse, published 

 in the proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1841, says : 

 "On the habits of the Orangs, as far as I have been able to 

 observe them, I may remark that they are as dull and slothful 

 as can well be conceived, and on no occasion, when pursuing 

 them, did they move so fast as to preclude my keeping pace 

 with them easily through a moderately clear forest ; and even 

 when obstructions below (such as wading up to the neck) allowed 

 them to get away some distance, they were sure to stop and 

 allow me to come up. I never observed the slightest attempt 

 at defence, and the wood which sometimes rattled about our 

 ears was broken by their weight, and not thrown, as some 

 persons represent. If pushed to extremity, however, the 

 Pappan could not be otherwise than formidable, and one un- 

 fortunate man, who, with a party, was trying to catch a large 

 one alive, lost two of his fingers, besides being severely bitten 

 on the face, whilst the animal finally beat otf his pursuers and 

 escaped." 



Mr. Wallace, on the other hand, affirms that he has several 

 times observed them throwing down branches when pursued. 

 " It is true he does not throw them at a person, but casts them 

 down vertically ; for it is evident that a bough cannot be thrown 

 to any distance from the top of a lofty tree. In one case u 

 female Mias, on a durian tree, kept up for at least ten minutes 

 a continuous shower of branches and of the heavy, spined fruits, 



