chap, iv.] MY LAST 311 AS. 89 



that I could not do it without their help. I looked about 

 for a place to skin him, but not a bit of dry ground was to 

 be seen, till at last I found a clump of two or three old 

 trees and stumps, between which a few feet of soil had 

 collected just above the water, and which was just large 

 enough for us to drag the animal upon it. I first measured 

 him, and found him to be by far the largest I had yet seen, 

 for, though the standing height was the same as the others 

 (4 feet 2 inches), yet the outstretched arms were 7 feet 

 9 inches, which was six inches more than the previous one, 

 and the immense broad face was 13J inches wide, whereas 

 the widest I had hitherto seen was only 11| inches. The 

 girth of the body was 3 feet 7^ inches. I am inclined to 

 believe, therefore, that the length and strength of the arms, 

 and the width of the face, continues increasing to a very 

 great age, while the standing height, from the sole of the 

 foot to the crown of the head, rarely if ever exceeds 4 feet 

 2 inches. 



As this was the last Mias I shot, and the last time I 

 saw an adult living animal, I will give a sketch of its 

 general habits, and any other facts connected with it. The 

 Orang-utan is known to inhabit Sumatra and Borneo, and 

 there is every reason to believe that it is confined to these 

 two great islands, in the former of which, however, it 

 seems to be much more rare. In Borneo it has a wide 

 range, inhabiting many districts on the south-west, south-* 



