- EASTERN HINDOOSTAN'. 93 



" the human a<5lions ; they ma^e their bed very orderly in the 

 *' cage in which they were fent up, and on being viewed would 

 ** endeavour to conceal with their hands thole parts that mo- 

 ** defty forbids manifcfting. The joints of their knees were 

 " not re-entering like thofe of monkies, but falient like thofe 

 ** of men, a circumftance they have (if I miftake not) in com- 

 ** mon with the Ourang Outangs in Sumatra^ Jai'a-, and the 

 *' Spice lllands, of which thefe feem to be the diminutive, 

 *' though with nearer approaches of refemblance to the human 

 *' fpecies. But though the navigation from the Carnatic coaft 

 " to Bombay is a very fliort run, of not above fix or feven de- 

 " grees, whether the fea air did not agree with them, or that 

 " they could not brook their confinement, the female ficken- 

 " ing firft, died, and the male, giving all the demonftrations of 

 ** grief, feemed to take it to heart, fo that he refufed to eat, 

 " and in two days followed her. Upon this the governor wrote 

 *' afrefii to Vencajee, and delired him to procure another couple 

 *' at any rate, as he fliould grudge no expence to be mafter of 

 " fuch a curiofity. Vencajee'^ anfwer was, he would very wil- 

 *' lingly oblige him, but that he was afraid it would not be in 

 " his power ; that the creatures came from, a foreft about fe- 

 " venty leagues up the country, where the inhabitants would 

 " fometimes catch them on the fkirts of it, but that they were 

 " fo exquifitely cunning and fliy, tliat this fcarcely happened 

 " once in a century." 



Here may be mentioned the large black cattle of this coaft, 

 with fmooth hair and even backs ; thofe with lumps on their 

 backs being rather uncommon- 



Thjk 



