38 



THE MONKEYS OF THE OLD WORLD. 



about in all directions in the keyhole. As 

 against that of the highly excitable, always 

 active chimpanzee, ever inclined to fun and 

 frolic, the school-certificate of the orang would 

 run something like this: A quiet reflective 

 child, serious and meditative, even tedious. 



The particulars regarding the young mias referred 

 to above as having been captured by Wallace will 

 be read with interest A female mias having been 

 shot, the young one was found close by " face down- 

 wards in the bog. This little creature \\as only 

 about a foot long, and had evidently been hanging 

 to its mother when she first fell. Luckily it did 

 not appear to have been wounded, and after we had 

 cleaned the mud out of its mouth it began to cry 

 out, and seemed quite strong and active. While 

 carrying it home it got its hands in my beard and 

 grasped so tightly that I had great difficulty in 

 getting free, for the fingers are habitually bent 

 inwards at the last joint so as to form complete 

 hooks. At this time it had not a single tooth, but 

 a few days afterwards it cut its two lower front 

 teeth. Unfortunately I had no milk to give it, as 

 neither Malays, Chinese, nor Dyaks ever use the 

 article, and I in vain inquired for any female 

 animal that could suckle my little infant. I was 

 therefore obliged to give it rice-water from a bottle 

 with a quill in thecork, which after a few trials it 

 learned to suck very well. This was very meagre 

 diet, and the little creature did not thrive well on 

 it, although I added sugar and cocoa-nut milk occa- 

 sionally to make it more nourishing. When I put 

 my finger in its mouth it sucked with great vigour, 

 drawing in its cheeks with all its might in the vain 

 effort to extract some milk, and only after per- 

 severing a long time would it give up in disgust, 

 and set up a scream very like that of a baby in 

 similar circumstances. 



When handled or nursed it was very quiet and 

 contented, but when laid down by itself would 

 invariably cry; and for the first few nights was very 

 restless and noisy. I fitted up a little box for a 

 cradle, with a soft mat for it to lie upon, which was 

 changed and washed every day; and I soon found 

 it necessary to wash the little mias as well. After 

 I had done so a few times it came to like the 

 operation, and as soon as it was dirty would begin 

 crying, and not leave off till I took it out and carried 

 it to the spout, when it immediately became quiet, 

 although it would wince a little at the first ru.sh of 



the cold water, and make ridiculously wry faces 

 while the stream was running over its head. It 

 enjoyed the wiping and rubbing dry amazingly, and 

 when I brushed its hair seemed to be perfectly 

 happy, lying quite still with its arms and legs 

 stretched out while I thoroughly brushed the long 

 hair of its back and arms. For the first few days 

 it clung desperately with all four hands to whatever 

 it could lay hold of, and I had to be careful to keep 

 my beard out of its way, as its fingers clutched 

 hold of hair more tenaciously than anything else, 

 and it was impossible to free myself without assis- 

 tance. When restless, it would struggle about with 

 its hands up in the air trying to find something to 

 take hold of, and, when it- had got a bit of stick or 

 rag in two or three of its hands, seemed quite happy. 

 . . . Finding it so fond of hair I endeavoured 

 to make an artificial mother, by wrapping up a 

 piece of buffalo-skin into a bundle, and suspending 

 it about a foot from the floor. At first this seemed 

 to suit it admirably, as it could sprawl its legs about 

 and always find some hair, which it grasped with 

 the greatest tenacity. I was now in hopes that I 

 had made the little orphan quite happy; and so it 

 seemed for some time, till it began to remember 

 its lost parent, and try to suck. It would pull itself 

 up close to the skin, and try about everywhere 

 for a likely place; but, as it only succeeded in 

 getting mouthfuls of hair and wool, it would be 

 greatly disgusted, and scream violently, and, after 

 two or three attempts, let go altogether. One day 

 it got some wool into its throat and I thought it 

 would have choked, but after much gasping it 

 recovered, and I was obliged to take the imitation 

 mother to pieces again, and give up this last attempt 

 to exercise the little creature. 



After the first week I found I could feed it better 

 with a spoon, and give it a little more varied and 

 more solid food. Well-soaked biscuit mixed with 

 a little egg and sugar, and sometimes sweet potatoes, 

 were readily eaten; and it was a never-failing 

 amusement to observe the curious changes of coun- 

 tenance by which it would express its approval or 

 dislike of what was given to it. The poor little 

 thing would lick its lips, draw in its cheeks, and 

 turn up its eyes with an expression of the most 

 supreme satisfaction when it had a mouthful par- 

 ticularly to its taste. On the other hand, when its 

 food was not sufficiently sweet or palatable, it 

 would turn the mouthful about with its tongue 

 for a moment as if trying to extract what flavour 

 there was, and then push it all out between its lips. 



