MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED i6i 



— the nearest living relative, and the highest of all known animals — 

 is, on the other hand^ remarkably adapted for a many-sided exist- 

 ence, of which examples need not, of course, be detailed. 



Feeding for the most part upon young leaves, juicy fruits and 

 buds, the Orang spends a pleasant time in its forest home ; it rarely 

 needs to come to the ground for water, as the moisture of its 

 tropical environment supplies it with the necessary sustenance by 

 means of the succulence of its food, and the rain which descends 

 from above. Then, living high up out of reach, what enemies has 

 this inhabitant of the aboriginal forest to contend with ? The Python 

 appears to be its chief aggressor in the forest, and when its food- 

 supply does fail it in the tree-tops, the Ape comes to ground, 

 proceeds to some luscious river-bank, and there encounters the 

 Crocodile. Both these enemies are, it appears, more often than not 

 successfully overcome. The huge Snake is pounced upon, held 

 securely by the powerful hands, and bitten to death, whilst the 

 Crocodile is beaten both with the hands and feet, the flesh is torn 

 from the body, and the animal killed, or, as sometimes happens, 

 the jaws and throat are torn asunder, which, of course, means instant 

 death. 



It has a strong voice, for it is one of the chief sentinels of the 

 jungle, and Man is rarely able to emerge successfully from a close 

 contact with such a powerful adversary. 



The female is a solicitous mother, and produces one young one 

 every year. That this is not a lazy beast is proved by the fact that 

 "every evening the Orang-Utan builds a nest out of branches and 

 leaves in the fork of a tree, in which it passes the night." 



HOOLOCK GIBBON.— The Gibbons represent the last genus of the 

 Man-like Apes, but they are to be distinguished from the species so 

 far considered by reason of their smaller stature — the largest of all 

 only attains a length of about three feet — less powerful build, and 

 longer arms. They are also able to walk on the ground in an upright 

 position, either with or without the aid of their long arms. 



Gibbons are inhabitants of the warmer parts of South-Eastern 

 Asia, and whilst there are several species, it will be sufficient for our 

 present purpose to deal with the Hoolock Gibbon (Fig. 121). 



This, like its other relatives, is an arboreal Ape, and is also 

 known as the White-Browed Gibbon, from the prominent band of 

 white or grey on the forehead. The specimen figured came from 

 India, and it is the only Gibbon there found. The general colour 



