94 THE ORANG-OUTANGS, OR 



upon crabs, oyfters, and other fliell-fidies. There 

 is a fpecies of oyfter called iaclo'uo, which, weighs 

 feveral pounds, and commonly lies open on the 

 fhore. The ape, when he wants to eat one of 

 them, being afraid left it fhould clofe on his paw, 

 puts a ftone into the flaell, vv'hich prevents it 

 from {hutting, and then eats the oyfter at his 

 eafe. 



' The apes along the banks of the river Gam- 

 bia,' fays Froger, ' are larger and more mif- 

 chievous than in any other part of Africa : The 

 Negroes dread them, and cannot travel alone 

 in the country, without running the hazard of 

 being attacked by thefe animals, who often 

 preient them with a ftick, and force them to 

 fight. I have heard the Portuguefe fay, that they 

 have frequently feen them hoilt up young girls, 

 about feven or eight years old, into trees, and 

 that they could not be wrefted from them 

 without a great deal of difficulty. The moll 

 part of the Negroes imagine them to be a fo- 

 reign nation come to inhabit their country, 

 and that they do not fpeak for fear of being 

 compelled to work.' 



* We might difpenfe,' another traveller * re- 

 marks, ' with feeing a number of apes at Ma- 



* cacar ; becaufe a rencounter with them is often 

 ' fatal. It is necell'ary to be always well armed 



* to defend ourfelves againft their attacks. . . . 



' They 



* Defcript. hiftoriquc du royaume de M.icacar, p. yr. 



