OF NATURAL HISTORY. 44<^ 



* injury to any perfon : He even approached company with 



< circumfpeftion, and prefented himfelf as if he wanted to be 



* carefTed. He was very fond of dainties, which every body 



* gave him : And, as his breaft was difeafed, and he was 



* afflicted with a teazing cough, this quantity of fweet meats 



* undoubtedly contributed to fliorten his hfe. He Hved one 

 "fummer in Paris, and died in London the following winter. 

 « He eat almofc every thing ; but preferred ripe and dried 

 « fruits to all other kinds of food. He drank a little wine *, 

 <but fpontaneouily left it for milk, tea, or other mild li- 

 « quors*.' 



M. de la Brofle purchafed two orang-outangs from a Ne- 

 gro, whofe age exceeded not twelve months. * Thefe ani^ 



* mals,' he remarks, < have the inftincl of fitting at table 



< like men. They eat every kind of food without diftinc- 

 « tion. They ufe a knife, a fork, or a fpocn, to cut or lay 



* hold of what is put upon their plate. They drink wine 



< and other liquors. We carried them abroad. At table, 



< when they wanted any thing, they made themfelves be un- 

 « derftood by the cabin-boy : And, when the boy refufed to 



< give them what they demanded, they fometimes became en- 



* raged, feized him by the arm, bit, and threw him down. 

 « The male was feized with licknefs on the road. He made 



< himfelf be attended as a human being. He was even twice 

 *bled in the right arm : And, whenever he found himfelf 

 « afterwards in the fame condition, he held out his arm to 

 ' be bled, as if he knew that he had formerly received bene* 

 « jit from that operation/ 



We are informed by Francis Pyrard, ^ that, in the pro- 



< vince of Sierra-Leona, there is a fpecies of animals called 



< l^aris, (the orang-outang,) who are flrong and well limbed, 



< and fo induftrious, that, when properly trained and fed, 

 « they work like fervants ; that they generally walk on the 



* BuiTon, vol. 8, page 86. tranf. 



