SI AMAN— ORANG-UTAN 209 



Among the man-like apes, the first to be noticed is the gibbon 

 locally known as the siaman (Hylobates syndactylus), which is 

 restricted to Sumatra, where it inhabits forests up to a height of about 3000 feet, 

 and is distinguished from others of its kind by the presence of a web between the 

 second and third toes, and of a kind of pouch on the throat, as well as by the hair 

 of the fore-arm pointing towards the elbow instead of towards the wrist. The 

 siaman, which is about 36 inches in height, and measures 66 inches across the 

 arms, has rather long hair of a black colour, except the whiskers, which are grey 

 or whitish. On account of its exceedingly long arms, it walks awkwardly on the 

 ground, but among the tree-tops, where it spends most of its time, it moves with 

 great agility, often taking long leaps, especially when in danger. By the Malays 

 the siaman is considered dull and stupid, and it is very wary and difficult of 

 approach. Throughout the day it is silent, but at morning and evening, as the sun 

 rises or sets, it indulges in terrific cries, given with the full strength of the troop. 

 Another gibbon, H. agilis, is found only in Sumatra and Siam, while a third kind, 

 the wou-wou, or silver-haired gibbon (H. leuciscus), is peculiar to Java and Borneo. 



The most remarkable of the man-like apes of the Malay Islands 

 is the orang-utan (Simia satyrus), which is peculiar to Sumatra and 

 Borneo. This ape, the mias of the Dyaks and the " man-of-the-woods " of the 

 Malays, attains a height of about 4 feet, and, when standing erect, touches the 

 ground with its finger-tips on account of its long arms. The legs are very short, 

 the calves thin, and the long slender feet carry a short and opposable great toe 

 which is often without a nail, and in old age seems in some cases to lose its 

 terminal joint. Like the feet, which touch the ground only on their outer sides, the 

 long slender hands are horny and wart-like on both sides, with the thumb relatively 

 smaller than the great toe, and a slight web between the fingers. The skull tapers 

 almost to a point at the crown, the forehead is high, the oval face flat, and the 

 nose pressed into the face, while the jaws are projecting, and the long lips broad, 

 smooth, and flexible. In the males each cheek carries a protuberance which almost 

 covers the ear, and the front part of the neck is furnished with a loose pouch of skin 

 communicating with the windpipe. The shaggy reddish hair, a foot or more in 

 length, is very sparse on the front of the body, although somewhat more abundant 

 than on the face, ears, hands, and feet, which, except for the whiskers and beard, 

 are almost entirely bare, and bluish or brownish in colour. 



The mias inhabits the primeval forests of the plains, where, with the aid of 

 its long powerful arms, it moves amid the foliage so easily and rapidly that a man 

 walking in the same direction on the ground is scarcely able to keep up with its 

 progress. At a height of some 25 feet from the ground it builds of branches a sort 

 of nest or platform on which it sleeps, and where it stays until the morning 

 dew has disappeared from the leaves. The food of the mias consists mainly of 

 certain fruits, among which the evil-smelling but tasty durian seems to be the 

 favourite. Orang-utans live in small family parties, consisting of the two parents 

 and their offspring. The young, which are very much like human infants in their 

 ways, signify their wants by crying, but cease their wailing when they find them- 

 selves alone, to resume their crying when they become aware of the return of their 

 parents. In captivity they enjoy being caressed to such an extent that they cry 



vol. 11. — 14 



