THE OURANG OUTANG. 185 



Favourite food Propriety of behaviour. 



walk erect. One morning it got unchained, and 

 we beheld it with wonderful agility ascend the 

 beams and rafters of the building; it was not 

 without some pains that it was retaken, and we 

 then remarked an extraordinary muscular power 

 in the animal ; the assistance of four men being 

 necessary in order to hold it in such a manner 

 as to be properly secured. During its state of 

 liberty it had, amongst other things, taken the 

 cork from a bottle of Malaga wine, which it 

 drank to the last drop, and set the bottle in its 

 place again. It ate almost every thing that was 

 given to it; but its chief food was bread, roots, 

 fruits, aromatic plants, and. the leaves and roots 

 of parsley. It also ate meat, both boiled and 

 roasted, as well as fish. It was not observed to 

 hunt for insects, like other monkeys ; was fond 

 of eggs, which it broke with its teeth, and sucked 

 completely ; but fish and roasted meat seemed its 

 favourite food. It had been taught to eat with 

 a spoon and a fork. When presented with 

 strawberries on a plate, it was extremely pleasant 

 to see the animal take them up, one by one, with 

 a fork, and put them into its mouth, holding, 

 at the same time, the plate in the other hand. 

 Its common beverage was water, but it willingly 

 drank all sorts of wine, and particularly Malaga. 

 After drinking, it wiped its lips; and after 

 eating, if presented with a tooth-pick, would 

 use it in a proper manner. On ship-board 

 it ran freely about the vessel, played with the 



NO. IV. 2 A 



