128 THE NATURAL HISTORY OP 



head taller than any man on board, measuring seven 

 feet in what might be called his ordinary standing 

 posture, and eight feet when suspended for the purpose 

 of being skinned. 



" It seems probable that the animal had travelled 

 from some distance to the place where he was found, 

 as his legs were covered with mud up to the knees, 

 and he was considered as great a prodigy by the 

 natives as by the Europeans. They had never before 

 met with an animal like him, although they lived 

 within two days' journey of one of the vast and 

 almost impenetrable forests of Sumatra. They seemed 

 to think that his appearance accounted for many 

 strange noises, resembling screams and shouts, and 

 various sounds, which they could neither attribute 

 to the roar of the tiger, nor to the voice of any other 

 beast with which they were familiar." 



The following measurement was made by Dr Abel, 

 from the remains of the animal, which were deposited 

 in the Asiatic Society's Museum. " The skin of the 

 body of the animal, dried and shrivelled up as it is, 

 measures, in a straight line from the top of the shoul- 

 der to the part where the ancle has been removed, 

 five feet ten inches ; the perpendicular length of the 

 neck, as it is in the preparation, three inches and a 

 half; the length of the head, from the top of the fore- 

 head to the end of the chin, nine inches; and the 

 length of the skin still attached to the foot, from the 

 line of its separation from the leg, eight inches ; we 



