158 STUDIES, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL 



as large as that of a stout man, and with enormously long 

 and powerful arms. 



More is known of the habits of the Orang-utan than of 

 any of the other large apes, which are probably not very 

 different ; a few particulars may therefore be of interest. 

 The Orang-utan, or " Mias," as it is called in Borneo, is 

 essentially an arboreal animal, only coming to the ground 

 occasionally to drink or to seek juicy shoots on the banks 

 of streams when fruit is scarce, or when desirous of 

 crossing any opening in the forest. It lives among the 

 tops of the lofty forest trees, on the fruits of which it 

 feeds. The old males are often solitary, but groups con- 

 sisting of a female with two or three young, and some- 

 times even a whole family, are seen together. Once I saw 

 tw^o half-grown orangs on the ground playing together. 

 They were standing up with their arms outstretched, and 

 holding each other as if wrestling. The moment I saw 

 them they saw or heard me, and got up the nearest tree 

 out of danger. This was the only time I saw them 

 standing on their legs nearly erect. The old ones build 

 a kind of nest, or rather a platform of branches to sleep 

 on. Numbers of these nests are to be seen in the forests 

 where orangs are numerous, and they probably build one 

 in any place where fruit is abundant, and where they are 

 likely to remain some time. The orangs move very 

 deliberately about the trees, especially when they have to 

 pass from one tree to another. To do this they choose a 

 place where the branches of two trees touch or rather 

 intermingle, and moving very carefully along the branch 

 they have chosen and holding tight with their feet, they 

 stretch out their long arms one after the other, binding 

 together the twigs of the two opposing branches in their 

 hands, and then swing themselves across till they can 

 grasp the further branch with their feet, then they 

 gradually move on till they get a secure hold of the 

 other tree. This cautious procedure is often necessary in 

 order that the slender branches may not be broken by 

 their great weight, causing a dangerous fall. 



While shooting these animals in Borneo for their skins 

 and skeletons, I often saw them pass from tree to tree in 



