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man, though he may soon be overtaken. The very long arms 
which, when he runs, are but little bent, raise the body of the 
Orang remarkably, so that he assumes much the posture of a 
very old man bent down by age, and making his way along 
by the help of a stick. In walking, the body is usually 
directed straight forward, unlike the other apes, which run 
more or less obliquely ; except the Gibbons, who in these, as 
in so many other respects, depart remarkably from their 
fellows. 
The Orang cannot put its feet flat on the ground, but is 
supported upon their outer edges, the heel resting more 
on the ground, while the curved toes partly rest upon the 
ground by the upper side of their first jomt, the two outer- 
most toes of each foot completely resting on this surface. 
The hands are held in the opposite manner, their inner edges 
serving as the chief support. The fingers are then bent out 
in such a manner that their foremost joints, especially those 
of the two innermost fingers, rest upon the ground by their 
upper sides, while the point of the free and straight thumb 
serves as an additional fulcrum. 
The Orang never stands on its hind legs, and all the 
pictures, representing it as so doing, are as false as the 
assertion that it defends itself with sticks, and the like. 
The long arms are of especial use, not only in climbing, 
but in the gathering of food from boughs to which the 
animal could not trust his weight. Figs, blossoms, and 
young leaves of various kinds, constitute the chief nutriment 
of the Orang; but strips of bamboo two or three feet long 
were found in the stomach of a male. They are not known 
to eat living animals. 
Although, when taken young, the Orang-Utan soon becomes 
domesticated, and indeed seems to court human society, it is 
naturally avery wild and shy animal, though apparently slug- 
gish and melancholy. The Dyaks affirm, that when the old 
males are wounded with arrows only, they will occasionally 
