730 PRIMATES 
branches lower on the slope, and take another mighty swing down- 
wards. They also ascend with great rapidity, swinging themselves 
from tree to tree. When walking on the ground the Hoolock rests 
on its hind feet alone, with the sole flat on the ground, and the 
great toe widely separated from the other digits. The arms are 
usually held upwards, sometimes horizontally, their great length 
giving the animal a very peculiar aspect. Gibbons walk rather 
Fic. 351.—The Dun-coloured Gibbon (Hyloletes exteloides). From Archiv. dy Mustum, 
vol. ii. pl. 29. 
quickly, with a waddling gait, and can easily be overtaken by men 
when on the ground. The food of these Apes consists of fruit, 
leaves, young shoots, spiders (of which they are very fond), insects, 
birds’ eges, and almost certainly of young birds, if not of any birds 
they can capture. Anderson found that small birds were killed 
and devoured by Hoolocks in confinement with a method and 
eagerness that showed this prey to be the natural food of the Apes. 
The Hoolock drinks with its lips, putting its head down to the 
water as Monkeys do. All species of Hylobates have a powerful 
