The or an otan, 5t 



much resembled the grotesque female faces I had 

 seen among the Hottentots at the Cape. She made 

 her bed very neatly every day, lay upon her side, 

 and covered herself with the bed-cloths. She often 

 bound her head up with a handkerchief^ and it was 

 amusing to see her thus hooded in bed. I could re- 

 late many other little circumstances which appeared 

 to be extremely singular ; but I by no means ad- 

 mired them so much as most other persons did, be- 

 cause, as I knew the design of bringing her to Eu- 

 rope to be exhibited as a shew, I was inclined to 

 think that she had been taught many of these 

 monkey-tricks, which the people considered as 

 natural to the animal. She died in our ship, about 

 the latitude of the C:ipe of Good Hope *." 



Gemclli Carreri gives an instance of something 

 very analogous to reason in these animals. He tells 

 us that when the fruits on the mountains arc ex- 

 hausted, they frequently descend to the sea coasts, 

 where they feed on various species of shell-fish, 

 but in particular on a large species of oyster, which 

 commonly lies open on the shore : fearful, he says, 

 of putting in their paws, lest the oyster should close 

 and crush them, they insert a pretty large stone with- 

 in the shell, this prevents it from closing, and they 

 then drag out their prey and devour it at leisure *. 



Pere Carbasson brought up an Oran Otan, which 

 became so fond of him, that wherever he went it 

 always seemed desirous of accompanying him : 



Voy. de Fr. le Gnat, in Duff. Quad. vlii. 92. t ^ufT. Q.uad. 



Yiii.93. ])aibot V. 101. 



E2 



