474 THE ORANG-OUTANG. 



summits of the trees in quest of food, for they subsist exclusively 

 upon leaves, young shoots, tender bark, and fruits. At nightfall they 

 conceal themselves amid the foliage of some moderately tall tree, or 

 in the great tufts of orchids which flourish about the arboreal giants. 

 There they make for themselves a couch like an even floor or plat- 

 form, garnish it with leaves and interwoven branches, and stretch 

 themselves upon it, or sit crouching, to enjoy their slumbers. It is said 

 that when the necessity arises they spread over themselves a similarly- 

 fashioned canopy as a shelter from the rain. 



The Orang-Outang is timid and inoffensive ; he rarely engages in 

 a combat with his enemies. At times, however, when driven to 

 extremities, he resorts to his great muscular strength in self-defence, 

 and if he can succeed in grappling with his antagonist, he rends him 

 to pieces with his tenacious hands ; never using his teeth, although 

 his jaws are very powerful, and armed with canine teeth capable of 

 inflicting dangerous wounds. In general, when he feels himself sorely 

 stricken, he hurriedly climbs to the summit of the loftiest tree within 

 his reach, and if he finds himself still pursued, he passes on to another. 

 Meanwhile he utters the most dolorous cries, and vents his impotent 

 rage upon the tree which serves him for a refuge. One after another 

 he breaks the greatest branches ; but they immediately escape from 

 his grasp, and fall to the ground. It is this circumstance which has 

 originated the assertions of many travellers, that the Orang defends 

 himself by hurling boughs at his aggressors, and even by striking 

 them heavy blows with a stick. The truth is, that far from pro- 

 tracting his defence by the expedient his fury prompts him to adopt, 

 he does but expose himself the more fully to the projectiles directed 

 at him. The stripped tree is no longer available as a shelter. The 

 Malay hunters, therefore, take no heed of all this fracas, but patiently 

 wait until the Orang has exposed himself, to aim their arrows or rifle- 

 balls with the greater certainty. 



Several tribes of Borneo manifest a strange partiality for the flesh 

 of the Orangs, and eat it as a great dainty, either roasting it over a 

 fire, or cutting it into steaks and drying it in the sun. The Indians 



