414. HISTORY or 



signs for the cabin-boys expr'jssive of their wants ; and vvh«*n- 

 ever these neglected attending upon them as they desired, they 

 instantly flew into a passion, seized them by the arm, bit them, 

 and kept them down. The male was sea- sick, and required at- 

 tendance like a. human creature : he was twice bled in the arm, 

 and every time afterwards, when he found himself out of order, 

 he showed his arm, as desirous of being relieved by bleeding. 



Pyrard relates, that in the province of Sierra Leona, in Africa, 

 there are a kind of apes, called Baris, which are strong and mus- 

 cular, and which, if properly instructed when young, serve as 

 very useful domestics. They usually walk upright ; they pound 

 at a mortar ; they go to the river to fetch water, this they carry 

 back in a little pitcher on their heads ; but if care be not taken 

 to receive the pitcher at their return, they let it fail to the ground, 

 and then seeing it broken, they begin to lament and ci-y for their 

 loss, Le Compte's account is much to the same purpose, of an 

 ape which he saw in the Straits of Molucca. " It walkid upon 

 its two hind feet, which is bent a little, like a dog that had been 

 taught to dance. It made use of its hands and arms as we do. 

 Its visage was not much more disagreeable than that of a Hot- 

 tentot ; but the body was all over covered with a woolly hair of 

 different colours. As to the rest it cried like a child ; all its 

 outward actions were so like the human, and the passions so 

 lively and significant, that dumb men could scarcely better ex- 

 press their conceptions and desires. It had also that expression 

 of passion or joy which we often see in children, stamping with 

 its feet, and striking them against the ground, to show its spite, 

 or when refused any thing it passionately longed for. " Although 

 these animals (continues he) are very big, for that I saw was 

 four feet high, their nimbleness is incredible. It is a pleasure 

 beyond expression to see them run up the tackling of a ship, 

 where they sometimes play as if they had a knack of vaulting 



displayed a decided partiality. During his last illness, and at liis death, 

 his piteous appearance, which seemed to hespeak his entreaties to those 

 about him for relief, did not fail to excite the feelings of all who witnessed 

 them, an excitement evidently heightened by the recollection of human 

 siifl'ering under similar circiunstauces, which the sight of this animal so 

 strongly brought to mind. He was shedding his teeth at the period of his 

 death, which was probably promoted, if not caused by it. This was suf- 

 ticient evidence of his nonage, and as he increased both in stature and 

 general bulk during his residence here, this individual may be siiid to sup. 

 port the c'oiyectiue that the adult oran-outang is no other tlian the Pongo. 



