18C NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Boldness in their native woods. 



the banks of the river Gambia, in Africa, these 

 animals sometimes assemble in herds of three or 

 four thousand, inarching in a rank, the larger 

 ones acting as leaders. On these occasions 

 they are excessively impudent and mischievous; 

 and our author says, that whenever his party, in 

 sailing along the river, passed their stations, they 

 mounted the trees and gazed upon the men ; 

 sometimes they would shake the trees with their 

 hands, which they did with vast force, at the 

 same time chattering and making a loud noise. 

 At night when the party were at anchor, the ani- 

 mals often took their stations on the rocks and 

 heights above. When the men were on shore 

 and met any of them, the great ones generally 

 came forward and seemed to grin in their faces, 

 but they always fled with precipitance when an 

 attack was made. One of them was killed from 

 the boat with a gun, but before the boat could 

 be got ashore the others had carried it off. 

 Their habitations were found in some of the 

 woods, composed of plants and the branches of 

 trees, so thickly interwoven as to protect them 

 from the heat of the sun. 



The ourang outangs exhibit little or none of 

 that frolic and vivacity which are the distinguish- 

 ing characteristics of the monkey; but all their 

 actions are more deliberate and sedate. They are 

 able to drive off the elephant, with a piece of wood 

 in their hands, or only with their fists; they have 

 sometimes been known to throw stones at those 



