22 A NATURALIST IN BORNEO 



sequence of this equipment Galeopithecus is enabled to 

 traverse a greater space than could an animal without 

 any apparatus to buoy it up. Dr. H. Gadow, in his 

 delightful book Through Southern Mexico (1908), draws 

 attention to the fact that in the tropical American forests 

 a striking characteristic of the arboreal animals is the 

 prehensile tail, whereas amongst Malayan forest animals, 

 instead of the prehensile tail, all sorts of contrivances 

 for securing a parachute flight are developed. In sub- 

 sequent pages of this book attention will be called to 

 some of these contrivances. 



On the ground or any flat surface Galeopithecus is 

 very helpless ; the limbs are weak and the animal 

 cannot stand on all-fours, but rests on the fore-arms 

 and shins ; it can scramble along in a shuffling sort 

 of way, but cannot be said to walk, the parachute 

 membrane appearing to hinder the free movements of 

 the limbs considerably. The claws are sickle-shaped 

 and very sharp, admirably adapted for sticking into 

 the bark of trees, and when the animal is placed on 

 the trunk of a tree far too large for it to embrace with 

 its arms, it can nevertheless " swarm " up the trunk 

 at a good pace, the sharp claws acting like climbing- 

 irons. The animal can also hang back downwards for 

 long periods of time ; in fact, when the female is 

 carrying about her single young one, the normal posi- 

 tion of rest appears to be this pendulous attitude ; the 

 young one clinging to the breast of the mother is 

 then almost as completely shrouded and protected as 

 if it were lying at the bottom of a bag. The mother 

 carries her young one about with her until another is 

 almost ready to be born. 1 



1 I have twice found Galeopithecus resting by day clinging flat to 



