UNGKA APE. 145 



row, fingers long and tapering ; thumb sliort, 

 not reaching farther tlian the first joint of the 

 fore-finger ; the palms of the hands and soles of 

 the feet are bare and black ; the legs are short, 

 in proportion to the arms and body ; the feet are 

 long, prehensile, and, when the animal is in a 

 sitting posture, are turned inwards, and the toes 

 are usually bent. The first and second toes are 

 united (except at the last joint) by a membrane. 

 From this circumstance, the animal has derived 

 its specific name. He invariably walks in the 

 erect posture, when on a level surface ; and then 

 the arms either hang down, enabling him some- 

 times to assist himself with his knuckles ; or, 

 what is more usual, he keeps his arms uplifted, 

 in nearly an erect position, with the hands pen- 

 dent, ready to seize a rope, and climb up on the 

 approach of danger, or on the obtrusion of 

 strangers. He walks rather quick in the erect 

 posture, but with a waddling gait, and is soon 

 run down if, whilst pursued, he has no oppor- 

 tunity of escaping by climbing. 



On the foot are five toes, the great toe being- 

 placed like the thumb of the hand : the form of 

 the foot is somewhat similar to that of the 

 hand, having an equal prehensile power ; the 

 great toe has a capability of much extension out- 

 wards, which enlarges the surface of the foot 



VOL. II. L 



