THE OUftANG ODTANG. 183 



Attacks on the human species Manners in confinement. 



who have offended them ; and if a negro be unfor- 

 tunately discovered by them in the woods, they ge- 

 nerally attack and kill him. Bosnian informs us, 

 that behind the English fort at Wimba, on the 

 coast of Guinea, several of these animals fell upon 

 two pf the company's slaves, overpowered them, 

 and were about to poke out their eyes with some 

 slicks, when a party of negroes fortunately ar- 

 rived in time for their rescue. There have, also, 

 been instances of their stealing the negresses, 

 and carrying them off into the woods. A negro 

 boy was carried off by an ourang outang, and 

 lived with them upwards of a year ; on his return 

 he described many of them as being as tall and 

 more bulky than a man, and he declared that 

 they did not attempt to injure him in any res- 

 pect. The young are said to hang on the belly 

 of the dam, with their hands fast clasped about 

 her ; and whenever the females are killed these 

 will always suffer themselves to be taken. 



The manners of these quadrupeds, when in 

 confinement, are gentle and harmless, perfectly 

 devoid of that disgusting ferocity so conspicuous 

 in many of the larger baboons and monkeys! 

 They are also very docile, and may be taught to 

 perform a variety of entertaining actions. 



Dr. Tyson, who gave a very minute descrip- 

 tion of a young ourang outang exhibited in Lon- 

 don, about a century ago, assures us, that, in 

 many of its actions, it seemed to display a very 

 high degree of sagacity, and its disposition was 



