OF THE MAN-LIKE APES 229 



serving as the chief support. The fingers are then bent 

 out in such a manner that their foremost joints, especially 

 those of the two innermost fingers, rest upon the ground 

 by their upper sides, while the point of the free and straight 

 thumb serves as an additional fulcrum. 



The Orang never stands on its hind legs, and all the 

 pictures, representing it as so doing, are as false as the 

 assertion that it defends itself with sticks, and the like. 



The long arms are of especial use, not only in climbing, 

 but in the gathering of food from boughs to which the 

 animal could not trust his weight. Figs, blossoms, and 

 young leaves of various kinds, constitute the chief nutri- 

 ment 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 melancholy. The Dyaks affirm, 

 that when the old males are wounded with arrows only, 

 they will occasionally 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.* 



* Sir James Brooke, in a letter to Mr. Water-house, 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 con- 

 ceived, 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 unfortunate 

 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 off 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 a female Mias, on a durian tree, 

 kept up for at least ten minutes a continuous shower of branches and 

 of the heavy, spined fruits, as large as 32-pounders, which most 

 effectually kept us clear of the tree she was on. She could be seen 

 breaking them off and throwing them down with every appearance 



