1905.] NOMEJTCLATURE OF THE ANTHROPOID APES. 73 



genei-al description of the Pithekoi delineates very distinctly an 

 Anthropoid Ajje, and reads as though it was derived from a 

 generalised knowledge of the Chimpanzee, a knowledge obtained 

 no doubt from specimens which had been brought down the ISTile 

 from the Egyptian Sudan (in tlie southern parts of which the 

 animal still exists) to Lower Egypt. A good summary of 

 Aristotle's description of the Pithekoi is given in Dr. Tyson's 

 celebrated book " On the Anatomy of a Pygmie, sire Homo 

 si/lvestris," which, as before stated, was published in 1699, and of 

 which there are copies in two or three of the principal libi-aries 

 of London. 



I think I am cori-ect in saying that in an Egyptian fresco or 

 papyrus which is exhibited in the Egyptian collection of the 

 Museum at Naples, a Chimpanzee is depicted amongst othei- strange 

 animals brought to Egypt from the Sudan. I believe also there 

 is a representation of the Chimpanzee on one of the Roman 

 mosaics recently brought to light at or near Carthage, and now 

 presei'ved in one of the Museums, either at Carthage oi- Tunis. 



The Byzantine Greeks, who, after Alexander's conquests, ex- 

 tended their trade to India, and the Arabs of west, south, and 

 east Arabia, who maintained commercial relations with Sumatra, 

 the Malay Peninsula, North-west Borneo, and the ports of the 

 Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, may have introduced some 

 knowledge of the Orang utan to Constantinople, to Egypt, and 

 to the Mediterranean world between 100 B.C. and the fall of the 

 Byzantine Empire. 



Sir Walter Scott in his novel ' Count Robert of Paris ' introduced 

 somewhat fantastically a captive Orang utan into the story. I am 

 not aware what foundation he had for this incident ; and I think 

 it somewhat impi'obable that an Oi'ang utan could at that period 

 have survived the overland joui-ney fiom the Persian Gulf to the 

 Mediterranean, or the transit through Egypt. 



Marco Polo, the Venetian, in 1296 or thereabouts, travelled 

 overland from Asia Minor to China and the Malay Peninsula,, and 

 reached Sumatra and possibly Borneo, bringing back with him 

 stories of man-like apes, some of which certainly referred to the 

 Gibbons, while one or two may be attributed to the Orang utan. 



Odoric, a friar of the Order of St. Francis, travelled overland 

 from Constantinople to India during the first half of the 

 14th Century, and from India reached Sumati"a by sea. He 

 brought back distinct accounts of both Gibbons and Orangs. 



Ibn Batuta, a Morocco Arab, also journeyed to those parts about 

 the same time, and described the Orang utan in his records. 



Friar Giovanni dei Marignolli, a Franciscan like Odoric, also 

 ti'avelled overland from France to China and thence to the Malay 

 Archipelago during the fii'st half of the 14th Century, and brought 

 back from Sumatra, or more likely Noi'th Borneo, very distinct 

 accounts of the Orang utan. 



At the commencement of the 16th Century the Portuguese 

 conquistadores reached Malacca and Sumatra in their ships, and 



