5 6 APES AND MONKEYS. 



in its mouth, but in the course of a few days two of the lower incisor teeth were 

 cut. There was at the time unfortunately no means of attaining a supply of milk 

 for the little ape ; but Mr. Wallace overcame this difficulty by feeding it with rice- 

 water sucked from a bottle with a quill through the cork. The animal soon 

 managed to suck comfortably enough from this contrivance ; and when sugar and 

 cocoanut milk were added to the mixture it thrived well enough on the diet. If 

 its owner introduced his finger into the creature's mouth, it first of all sucked away 

 vigorously, but soon found out its mistake, and pushed the finger away with angry 

 screams like those of a disappointed child. When caressed this ape was contented 

 and happy, but when laid down soon began to scream ; and for the first two nights 

 of its captivity was very noisy and restless. It was kept in a kind of cradle, made 

 of a box, with a soft mat at the bottom. The little orang seemed to appreciate a 

 frequent bath ; and, indeed, when it required one announced the fact by loud 

 screams. The process of drying and rubbing after each bath seems to have been a 

 source of great enjoyment; and this was likewise the case when its hair was 

 combed and brushed. At first it clutched vigorously by all four limbs at any object 

 in its neighbourhood, so that its owner had continually to be on his guard to save 

 his beard. When it could find nothing better to do, it would nurse its own foot. 

 Little by little the strength of the tiny creature's grip decreased, probably owing to 

 the want of sufficient exercise. In order to remedy this, Mr. Wallace made a short 

 ladder, from which the ape was suspended by its hands and feet for a quarter of an 

 hour at a time. This exercise seemed at first to afford it pleasure, but afterwards 

 it loosed its hold, first with one limb, and then with another, till it finally fell to 

 the ground. These tumbles did not appear, however, to do it any material harm. 



Mr. Wallace endeavoured to construct a kind of artificial mother out of buffalo 

 hide, which the baby orang might fondle. For a time this appeared to afford satis- 

 faction, but eventually was discarded, as the animal was nearly choked with the hair 

 it had torn off the skin and swallowed. After a week's captivity, the young ape was 

 fed from a spoon, containing a mixture of soaked biscuit, egg, and sugar, or, at other 

 times, sweet potatoes. This food was swallowed readily, and with apparent satis- 

 faction ; the creature making droll grimaces to express either pleasure or the reverse. 

 When it had swallowed anything which appeared grateful, it drew in its cheeks, and 

 screwed up its eyes ; while, when the food was distasteful from want of sufficient 

 sugar or other cause, the creature, after turning it about in its mouth for a short 

 time, finally ejected it. If this rejected food were again offered to it, the animal 

 displayed marked displeasure by loudly screaming and throwing its arms about. 



After three weeks a young macaque monkey was introduced to the orang, and 

 the two, although very different in demeanour, soon became fast friends. Mr. 

 Wallace particularly noticed the helplessness of the young orang when compared 

 with the macaque ; and it appears that this character distinguishes the young of 

 all the Man-like Apes from those of the lower monkeys. Even after the young 

 orang had been about a month in captivity, it was very unsteady when placed on 

 its hands and feet, and would frequently overbalance itself ad topple over. When 

 it required attention, it would cry loudly for a time, but if this met with no reply, 

 the young creature would remain quiet till a step was heard approaching, when its 

 calls would be at once renewed. Although at the end of four weeks the two upper 



