400 QUADRUMANA. 



Unless when roused, his movements are slow and indolent ; but, when at- 

 tacked, he performs the most astonishing feats among the forest branches ; 

 and if at last driven to extremity, he defends himself with determined reso- 

 lution. His bodily powers are prodigious ; and his prowess and activity 

 are strikingly exemplified by Dr. Abel's narrative of the death of the 

 individual killed at Ramboom, to which we have already alluded. 



A boat's crew having landed to procure water, at a place called Ram- 

 boom, on the north-west coast of Sumatra, where there were but few 

 trees, they discovered, on one of them, a gigantic animal of the Monkey 

 tribe. On their approach, he came to the ground, and when pursued, 

 sought refuge in another tree at some distance, exhibiting, as he moved, 

 the appearance of a tall, man-like figure, covered with shining, brown 

 hair. On being driven to a small clump of trees, he gained, by one 

 spring, a very lofty branch ; and so rapidly did he bound from one bough 

 to another, that, had the country been covered with wood, it would have 

 been almost impossible to have prevented his escape. Even among the 

 few trees that were on the spot, his movements were so quick that it was 

 very difficult to obtain a settled aim at him ; and it was only by cutting 

 down one tree after another, thus confining him within a very limited 

 range, that his pursuers were ultimately enabled to destroy him. Having 

 received five balls, his exertions relaxed, and reclining, apparently ex- 

 hausted, on one of the branches of a tree, he vomited a considerable 

 quantity of blood. The ammunition of the hunters being by this time 

 expended, they were obliged to fell the tree in order to obtain possession 

 of their victim, and did this in full confidence that his power was so far 

 gone that they could secure him without further trouble ; but they were 

 astonished, as the tree was falling, to see him effect his retreat to. another, 

 with apparently undimished vigour. In fact, they were obliged to cut 

 down all the trees before they could drive him to combat his enemies on 

 the ground, against whom he still exhibited surprising strength and 

 agility ; until, at length, he was overpowered by numbers, and destroyed 

 by the thrusts of spears and the blows of stones and other missiles. 

 When nearly in a dying state he seized a spear, made of a supple wood, 

 which the strongest man could not have broken, and shivered it to pieces. 

 Those who assisted to destroy this fine animal, have stated, that the 

 human-like expression of his countenance, and piteous manner of placing 

 his hands over his wounds, distressed their feelings, and almost made 

 them question the nature of the act they were committing. (See Asiatic 

 Researches, vol. xv. p. 489.) 



Respecting animals of such high interest, and of which so little is 

 really known, every authentic fact that tends to illustrate any trait of their 

 habits or disposition, is doubly valuable. For this reason, the following 

 account of the destruction of another specimen, in the same locality, is 



