Mr, A. R. Wallace's Account of an Infant Orang-Utan. 389 



that that would support it much better than the stick, would 

 leave hold with the other haud and conic tumbling down on to 

 the floor, when it would immediately cross its arms and lie 

 quite coutented, for it never seemed hurt by any of its numerous 

 tumbles. I then tried to make a kind of artificial mother for 

 the little creature by wrapping up a piece of buffalo-skin into a 

 bundle with the long woolly hair outside, and hung it up about 

 a foot from the ground. This suited it much better, as it could 

 sprawl its legs and arms about wherever it liked, and always find 

 some hair to catch hold of, which its little fingers grasped with 

 the greatest tenacity. But the very success of this plan led to 

 its speedy disuse ; — it was too natural ; and the poor little crea- 

 ture thinking it had recovered its mother was continually trying 

 to suck. It would pull itself up close by the strength of its 

 arms and try everywhere for a likely place, but only succeeded 

 in getting mouthfuls of wool, when of course it would be greatlv 

 disgusted, scream violently, and if not rescued would soon let 

 itself fall. One day it got so much wool into its throat that I 

 thought it would have been choked, but after much gasping 

 it recovered, and this plan of giving it exercise had to be dis- 

 continued. 



After I had had it about a mouth, it began to exhibit some 

 little signs of learning to run alone. When laid upon the floor 

 it would push itself along by its legs, or roll over, and thus make 

 an unwieldy progression. When in its box it would lift itself 

 up to the edge into almost an erect position, and once or twice 

 succeeded in tumbling out. AVhen left dirty or hungry, or any- 

 way neglected, it would scream violently till attended to, varied 

 by a kind of pumping noise very similar to that which is made 

 by the adult animal. If its cries were taken no notice of", or no 

 one was in the house, it would lie quiet, but as soon as it heard 

 a footstep near it would recommence with great violence. 



In five weeks it cut its two upper front teeth, but in all this 

 time it had not grown the least, remaining both in dimensions and 

 weight the same as when I first procured it. This was no doubt 

 owing to want of milk or other equally nourishing food. Rice- 

 water was a miserable substitute, and cocoa-nut milk, which I 

 sometimes gave it, did not quite agree with its stomach. To 

 this I imputed an attack of diarrhoea which the poor little ani- 

 mal suffered, for which I gave it a small dose of castor-oil which 

 operated very well, and it afterwards soon became better. It 

 was however again taken ill, and this time more seriously. The 

 symptoms were all those of intermittent fever, accompanied with 

 watery swellings of the feet and head. It lost all appetite for 

 its food, and after lingering for a week a most pitiable object, 

 died, after being in my possession nearly three months. » 



