710 MAMMALIA—ORANG OUTANG. 
one half of the rest of the visage. The face is bluish. There are neither 
pouches in the cheeks, nor callosities on the posteriors. The hinder thumbs 
are remarkably short. This celebrated ape resembles man more nearly 
than any other animal, in the form of the head and the volume of the brain. 
The natural history of the orang outang has been miserably disfigured by 
the mixture of it with that of other apes of the larger size, more especially 
with that of the chimpansé. Upon a critical examination, (says Cuvier,) 
I have ascertained that he inhabits the most oriental countries only, as 
Malacca, Cochin China, and particularly the great island of Borneo, whence 
he has been brought to Europe by way of Java, though but rarely. He is 
gentle, easily tamed, and capable of attachment. From the character of his 
physical conformation, he can arrive at some facility in the imitation of 
several human actions; but his intelligence by no means equals the exag 
gerated accounts we have received of it, nor does it appear to surpass iauch 
that of the canine species. Camper has discovered, and ably descrived, two 
membranous sacs, which produce a thickness and hoarseness in tae voice; 
but he was wrong in believing that the nails. are always ww.'img on the 
hinder thumbs. 
We are in possession of some very minute and labored d«ss,-iptions of this 
animal, especially by M. Cuvier, Professor Camper, Tilest4s, and Dr Abel. 
The last we shall present to the reader in the author’s 0 #« words, as scien- 
tific, useful, and highly interesting. . 
“The hair of the orang outang is of a brownigh red color, and covers his 
back, arms, legs, and outside of his hands and feet. On the back it is in 
some places six inches long, and on his arms five. It is thinly scattered 
over his hands and feet, and is very short. It is direzted downwards on the 
back, upper arm, and legs, and upwards on the fore arm. The face has no 
hair except on its sides, somewhat in the manner of whiskers, and a very 
thin beard. The shoulders, elbows, and knees, have fewer hairs than other 
parts of the arms and legs. The palms of the hands and feet are quite 
naked. = 
“The prevailing color of the animal’s skin, when naked, or seen through 
the hair, is a bluish gray. 
“The head, viewed in front, is pear-shaped, expanding from the chin 
upwards, the cranium being much the larger end. The eyes are close 
together, of an oval form, and dark brown color. The eyelids are fringed 
with lashes, and the lower ones are saccular and wrinkled. The nose is 
scarcely raised above the level of the face, except at the nostrils, which are 
but little elevated: their openings are narrow and oblique. The mouth is 
very projecting, and of a roundish mamuillary form. Its opening is large 
and when closed is marked by little more than a narrow seam. The lips 
are very narrow, and scarcely perceptible when the mouth is shut. The 
chin projects less than the mouth: below it, a pendulous membrane gives 
the appearance of a double vhin, and swells out when the animal is angry 
