ANECDOTE OF AN ORANG UTAN. 79 



the heel to the top of the head ; those, the heights of 

 which have been often given to the public as exceeding 

 this, have been measured to the toes, the foot being of 

 very great proportionate length. 



In the jungle they are indolent animals, never jump- 

 ing from tree to tree, as do the more active monkeys, 

 but carefully securing their safety by previously 

 catching hold with their hands ; they do not make 

 houses or huts in the jungle, but live in every respect 

 as other large monkeys. Fruits are their food, and. 

 during the fruit season many of them are destroyed 

 by the Dyaks stealing the, to them, prohibited food ; 

 they also occasionally do injury to the sugar-cane of the 

 Dyaks. A story was once related to me of this animal 

 by a Malay, which, though I cannot vouch for its truth, 

 may perhaps amuse the reader : 



" A Dyak, whose farm had been visited every 

 night by the orang utan, watched for him carefully on 

 a clear night, armed with a spear. Soon after night- 

 fall the niias came, and, while seated on the fallen 

 trunk of a tree masticating and extracting the sweets 

 of the sugar-cane, was carefully approached by the 

 Dyak, who succeeded in wounding him with the spear ; 

 but, as these animals when wounded fight desperately, 

 he was also provided with a sword, which, however, 

 in this instance, was not necessary, as the mias on 

 turning to see by whom or what he was wounded, 

 perceived coming down the trunk of the tree towards 

 him, a bear, probably with the intention of only 

 sharing his meal ; but the mias, who did not see the 



