APE 



169 



which depends solely upon grasping. The following 

 figure will give some idea of its climbing attitude : 



The Wouwou. 



But though this animal is so Heet in its motions, it 

 19 by no means handsome in proportion. It has 

 scarcely any forehead, except a projecting ridge, 

 which overshadows and enfonces the eyes. These 

 organs are closer together than even those of the 

 siamang ; and though its nose is not quite so flat as 

 the nose of that animal, the nostrils, which are 

 oblique lateral slits, give the termination of it a de- 

 formed and mutilated appearance. The face of the 

 male is bluish black, and that of the female has a 

 tinge of brown. The male has long white whiskers, 

 which conceal the ears, meet in a narrow band over 

 the eyes, and give the head a wigged appearance. 

 The female is without these appendages. The 

 covering approaches more nearly to the texture of 

 fur than that of any of the apes that have been 

 hitherto noticed ; and the colours are more variable, 

 not only on different parts of the same animal, but 

 at different ages, and in the different sexes. The 

 young are all over straw colour. The adults are 

 generally dark brown on the head and the under 

 part, and very dark on the backs of the hands; but 

 the neck and shoulders are lighter, and the colour 

 passes into dull whitish on the loins and hips. 



This species is not so social as the siamang, being 

 found only solitary or in pairs; and from the rapi- 

 dity of its motions it very speedily gets out of sight. 

 Few animals gain the top of a tree with more celerity ; 

 and it appears to make use of the elastic branches 

 in giving effect to its leaps, as, by the help of these, 

 after it has once brought them into proper swing, 

 and itself into proper balance, it can contrive to 

 project itself to the distance of forty feet, and seize 

 the branches after its spring with the most unerring 

 certainty. M. Duvaucelle, to whom we are indebted 

 for almost all that w r e know respecting it, does not 

 seem disposed to give it much credit for " intellect ;" 

 but, as even he seems to ground his opinions of this 

 matter upon the form of the skull rather than the 

 displayed sagacity of the animal, his opinion is, of 

 course, mingled with a portion of that prejudice 

 which some consider inseparable from the whole 

 doctrines of phrenology. It appears tliat this animal 

 is not difficult to tame ; and though, like all apes, it is 



perfectly useless in a domesticated state, it is playful 

 and active. We omitted to mention, in its proper 

 place, that it is without the pouch or sac on the 

 under jaw, which gives so goitered an appearance to 

 the orang-utan and the siamang ; but the absence of 

 that unseemly appendage does not appear to prevent 

 it from crying as lustily in proportion to its size as 

 either of those animals. 



The OUNKO (P. Rafflesii), is another species, the 

 know ledge of which we owe to the same observers. 

 It is more rare than even the wouwou, or if not, it 

 is at all events more rarely seen ; and M. Duvaucelle 

 remained among its haunts, and even crossed the 

 woods in all directions, for fifteen months, without 

 being aware of its existence. In its form and man- 

 ners it, has a considerable resemblance to the wouwou ; 

 but it is smaller, and the colour inclines more to 

 black. There is no pouch, or dilatable skin, under 

 the chin of the ounko ; and otherwise its external 

 characters are a sort of combination of those of the 

 siamang and the wouwou. The colour approaches 

 that of the siamang, except on the loins and some 

 other parts, where the points of the hairs are glossed 

 with brown. The texture of its covering more 

 resembles that of the wouwou ; but the hair is more 

 produced on the back and shoulders, forming a sort 

 of mane. The male has the same white whiskers 

 as the wouwou, and, as in that animal, they unite and 

 form a white band over the eyes. The female is 

 without these appendages, and has only two slight 

 brownish marks over the eyes. It is smaller than 

 the male, and according to the accounts it has the 

 first and second toes of the hind feet united as in the 

 siamang, while those of the male are free. This 

 species has, however, been so rarely seen that its 

 history is far from perfect. 



The BLACK GIBBON (P. //.). The darkness of its 

 general covering, the white round the face, and the 

 demure look of this animal, give it a more solemn 

 appearance than most, of the other apes. It is nbout 

 the same size with the ounko, arid lias sometime? 

 been confounded with that animal ; but in its internal 

 structure it has a rib fewer on each side, and exter- 

 nally the paws and lingers are grey, while those in 

 the ounko are black. The manners of the two spe- 

 cies, from what is known of them, appear to be 

 similar. They inhabit the close forests ; and as they 

 are lighter they resort more to the extreme brandies 

 than the larger apes, and make considerable use of 

 the more flexible ones in swinging themselves from 

 tree to tree. Though gloomy in its looks, the black 

 gibbon is said to be gentle in its manners, and slow 

 in its motions, as compared with some of its con- 

 geners. None of the toes on its hind feet are united. 



The ASH-COLOURED GIBBON (P. leuciscu.t) is a 

 much more energetic animal than the former, and 

 bears some resemblance to the wouwou, which name 

 is sometimes given to it by the Malays, no doubt in 

 imitation of its cry. Its general colour is ashen grey, 

 lighter round the face, and with the ears at top of the 

 head, and all the feet dark brown. The callosities 

 and buttocks are much larger than in any other of 

 the gibbons ; and the walk along the ground is said 

 to be generally erect. In that posture of the spine, 

 it is described as being capable of using all the four 

 feet with equal effect, the fore ones being considera- 

 bly longer in proportion than in any other of the 

 genus. It is described as being u very adroit climber, 

 and as showing great address while balancing itself 



