pbant. And it is worthy of remark, that this is th# 

 only animal that makes use of any -other weapons 

 than such as are natural, in the island -of Borneo, 

 where the ourang-outang chiefly abounds, it is hunt- 

 ed by the inhabitants in the same manner -as the liori 

 and the elephant, and.even.the king and his courtiers 

 Folloxv the chase of this animal with great eagerness ; 

 for although its resemblance t.o the human form lol^ht 

 be supposed to procure it pity and protect i ">>:, we, 

 shall scarcely wonder that it should not meet with ei- 

 ther, when we Consider the fierceness of its disposi- 

 tion, and its formidable hostility to maru 



This singular animal has been described by seve- 

 ral naturalists aru-l travellers, particularly by Batte'l 

 Bosnian, Schouten, M. LaBrosse, M. Grose ami Py- 

 rard. Their descriptions are all interesting, but too 

 long for insertion in this letter, especially as yotl 

 know, my dear Sir", that my design is rather to give 

 you that gtmeral knowledge of nature, which every 

 gentleman ought to possess than to direct your at- 

 tention to those minutiee which arc more p'ariU'Vlarly 

 guitud to tlU3 investigations of siu'h as luake these 

 t mlies thyir p^euliuv pr^eMUmi 1 Mimll t&\] 

 tiiat all these uccouiUs of the ourang'-outuug, dithough 

 they somewhat differ in certain minute particulars, 

 agree upon the whole, and the differences discover- 

 able in the relation of~ travellers, are only such as 

 may reasonably be supposed to exist between differ- 

 ent individuals of the same species in the endless di- 

 versity of nature's ever-varying form* 



I have, my dear Sir, been somewhat particular in 

 exhibiting the external structure and characteristic 

 disposition of this extraordinary creature ; since it 

 must be considered as one of the wonders of nature, 

 which shews how nearly the animal may approach 

 to the human form, and how much instinct may, in 

 some respects, imitate intellect, in the latter com- 

 parison, however, we cannot but perceive an immense 

 disproportion. The ourang-outang soon attains to the 

 perfection of its imitative operations, and arrives at a 

 |>oitnaary which it cannot pass. Instinctive sagacity 



