24 



QuADRUM-VNA. JIAIIMALIA. Sijiiad^e. 



which also occurs in the smaller males. Mr. Wallace 

 also heard the Dyaks mention a third kind of orang 

 under the name of'il//as liambi, which is said to equal 

 the large species in size, but to be destitute of the check- 

 excrescences, and clothed with very long hair. Mr. 

 Wallace supposes it to be founded on specimens of the 

 large orang, in which the excrescences have been but 

 little developed. The other described species of the 

 genus Simia appear to have been established on insuf- 

 ficient characters. 



Tliat we have devoted so much space to the natural 

 history of the preceding large apes — the chimpanzee, 

 the gorilla, and the orang-outan — is to be attributed 

 to tlie interest which attaches to these creatures, as 

 forming, next to our own species, the highest members 

 of the animal kingdom. This circumstance, and the 

 exaggerated notions frequently entertained of the extent 

 to which these creatures approach man, both in their 

 structure and endowments, have led us to dwell upon 

 them at far greater length than will be necessary in 

 treating of the rest of the Quadrumana, and also to 

 confine ourselves principally to their history in a state 

 of nature, in which, alone, their true character can 

 come freely into play. 



THE GIBBONS, or Losg-Armf.d Apes (Genus 

 Ili/lohalex). — Tlie remainder of the true apes all 

 belong to the genus Hyhbates, the species of which arc 

 now commonly known as Gibbons ; they are the Lour/- 

 armed Apes of the older writers on zoology. They are 

 all inhabitants of the region of the East Indies — a few 

 living on the continent of Asia, whilst the majority 

 are confined to the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, 

 especially Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. 



Pliny's reference to satyrs living in the East Indies 

 is probably founded partly upon the imperfect accounts 

 of gibbons which had reached him. Thus he says, 

 that " Tauron mentions a savage tribe, under the name 

 of Choromandw, which have no speech, but utter 

 horrid screams ; they have hairy bodies, fiery eyes, 

 and teeth like dogs ; " and adds that " Megasthenes 

 relates that amongst the nomade Indians there is a 

 tribe which, instead of a nose, have only two holes ; 

 they have bandy legs, which they can twist about like 

 snakes, and are called Scyritm." Marco Polo states 

 that the inhabitants of Java were in the habit of shav- 

 ing and embalming the bodies of gibbons, which they 

 then sold as pigmies to the merchants who visited their 

 coast in search of drugs and spices. This was pro- 

 bably done in still more ancient times, and it may have 

 been by such means that the ancients became aware 

 of the existence of these so-called satyrs. 



The gibbons have the arms still longer in proportion 

 than the orangs, but, like them, have the hairs of the 

 fore-arm turned up towards the elbow. They have the 

 palms of all the hands naked ; the thumbs of the fore- 

 hamls are cleft very low down, so that the metacai-pal 

 joint of the thumb is not included in the palm of the 

 hand, and the thumbs thus appear to consist of three 

 joints ; the first and second toes are more or less united, 

 and this is also sometimes the case with the second 

 and third. The skull is .smaller than in the orangs, 

 and the brain is smaller, and presents a greater resem- 

 blance to that of the monkeys, and less likeness to that 



of man than the same organ in the chimpanzee and 

 orang. The intelligence of these apes is also inferior. 

 A further difference from the other apes is to be found 

 in the presence of callosities upon the buttocks of the 

 gibbons — a character which is of importance as indi- 

 cating an approach to the monkeys. With one excep- 

 tion — that of the siamang — they appear to be quite 

 destitute of the large sacs appended to the wind-pipe, 

 which occur in the orangs, and also, but rather lcs3 

 developed in the chimpanzee and gorilla, and even 

 in some of the lower monkeys. The number of ribs 

 varies from twelve to foiu'teen. 



The general habits of the gibbotis appear to be 

 rather sedentary than otherwise. Their movements 

 are slow ; their nature gentle, and rather melancholy ; 

 and they do not appear to lose their mildness of dispo- 

 sition so much as the other apes, as they increase in 

 age. Tliey live in troops in the forests, and usually 

 raise a tremendous bowling noise in concert in the 

 morning and evening. Of the rather numerous species 

 of gibbons described, we need only refer to a few of 

 the best known. The first species that was accurately 

 described and figured was — 



THE WHITE-HANDED GIBBON [Hylohatcs Lav) — 

 the Grand Uihhon of BulTon, which was placed by Lin- 

 naius, in the earlier editions of his " Systema NaturK," in 

 tlie same genus with the orangs and the human species. 

 This animal, which is between two and three feet in 

 height, is of a uniform black or brownish-black colour, 

 with the exception of the backs of the four hands, and 

 a broad band encircling the face, which are whitish. 

 The black hair of the body and limbs is erect and 

 woolly ; the white hair of the hands is coarse, harsh, 

 straight, and depressed. It is an inhabitant of the 

 peninsula of Malacca, of Siam, and probably also of 

 some neighbouring regions. The living specimen 

 observed by Buflbn is described by him as being " of a 

 tranquil natuie, and of gentle manners. Its move- 

 ments were neither very lively nor very precipitate. 

 It received gently what was given it to eat ; and it was 

 fed on bread, fiuit, almonds, etc. It had a great dread 

 of cold and moisture, and did not hve long out of its 

 native counlry." 



THE HOOLOC {Ilijlohaks Hooloc) is another con- 

 tinental species, found principally in the district of 

 Assam, as far north as the 28th degree of latitude. It 

 is one of the largest species, measuring, when full grown, 

 upwards of four feet in height. It is covered with 

 harsh, shining, black hair, with a broad white or gre3'ish 

 band across the forehead, above the eyebrows. 



Their food consists principally of fruits; but they also 

 eat some kinds of grass, and the young shoots and 

 leaves of the peepul and other trees, which they chew, 

 swallow the juice, and then reject the indigestible part. 

 They are said to go in herds of from one hundred to one 

 hundred and fifty individuals, raising a howling noise, 

 which may be heard at a great distance. Dr. Burrough, 

 who forwarded an account of the habits of this species 

 to Dr. Ilarlan, says that " they are easily tamed, and 

 when first taken, show no disposition to bite, unless pro- 

 voked to anger, and even then manifest a reluctance to 

 defend themselves, preferring to retreat to some cor- 

 ner rather than to attack their enemy;" but, according 



