QUABRUMANA. 



TiiK OuRANG-oUTANG* i^'imia satiirufi, Lin ) 



Of all animals, tliis is reputed to bear the nearest resemblance to Man in the form of its head, the magnitude of 

 itK forehead, and volume of brain ; but the exa^i; iterated de;scriptioris of some anthers respecting this similarity 

 arise i'''»-rtly from the circnmstance of only yonn^i; individuals having; b(.'en observed, as there is every reason to 

 believe that, with ai?e, the muzzle becojnes much more prominent [a fact now ascertained]. Tlie l)ody is covered 

 fvith coarse red hair, the face is bluish, and the hinder thumbs very short compared with the toes. The lips are 

 capable of a sinfTutar elon2,'ationt, and possess !?reat mobility. Its history has been much confounded with that 

 of the other laro^e Apes, and especially of the Chimpanzee ; but, after subjecting- it to a rigorous analysis, 1 have 

 ascertained that it inhabits only the most eastern countries, such as Malacca, Cochin China, and particularly tiie 

 f^'rcat island of Borneo, whence it has been sometimes brong-ht by the route of Java, thoug'h very rarely. \\ hen 

 yomiff, and such as it has been seen in Europe, it is a very mild animal, that is easily rendered tame and attached, 

 and which, by its conformation, is enabled to imitate many of our actions ; but its intelli;:i;ence appears to ba 

 lower than has been asserted, not very much surpassing that of the Dog-. Camper discovered, and has well dis- 

 cribed, tw-o membranous sacs w-liich communicate with the glottis of this animal, and oIistrLict its voice ; but 

 he is mistaken in supposin;;^ that the nails are always absent from the hinder thumbs. 



There is an ape in Borneo, at present only known by its skeleton, called the Pongo, which so closely resembles 

 the Ouran^-outang- in all its parts, and by the arrangement of the cavities and sutures of its head, that notwith- 

 standing; the great prominence of its muzzle, the smallness of the cranium, and the height of the branches of the 

 lower jaw, we are inclinerl to consider as an adult, if not of this species of Ourang, at least of another very nearly 

 allied to it. The length oi its arms, and of the apophyses of its cervical vertebrje, together with the tuberosity of 

 its calcaneum, may enable it to assume the vertical position. It is the largest of known Apes, appi'oaching to the 

 si-/,e of Man. 



[The Pongo has proved to be a second species of Ourang, covered with black, relieved with dark red hair, and which 

 at present is known only to occur in Borneo, where the Ked(.)urang- has not been ascertained to e,\ist. Doth attain 

 the same large dimensions, and are distinguished as the Pitheciis IVannhii aiidP. Abclii. They ditfei- somewhat 

 in the configuration of the cranium, and considerably in the profile of the face, as seen in the h.kull. A third 

 species, also from Borneo, has more recently been determined by Prof. Owen, of which only a single aJult skull has 

 been received; it announces a smaller animal, which has been named P. morio. The adult males of this genus 

 have an immf use projecting; tuberosity on each cheek. ± 



Those Ouranp;s do not ordinarily assume the upright attitude, to maintain which they are obliged to raise, and 

 throw their long arms backward, in order to preserve a balance ; the outer edges only of their feet ai'e applied to the 

 g-round, where they commonly progress by resting on the knuckles, and swinging the botly forwanl between the 

 arms. Their structure is more designed for tra\Trsing the forest boughs ; and they are said to inhabit the ut>laud 

 forests of the interior of their native countries. The old males are reported to be savage and solitary, and much 

 dreaded Ijy tlie Alfourou inhabitaTits of their native region ; each appropriating a particular district, into which 

 it resents inti'usion. There is reason to suspect that they are not exclusively vegetable feeders, but sulisist 

 in part on the eggs and callow young of birds. They are sedentary and inactive animals, possessed uf gieat 

 strcEigth. 



So e.-ccessive is the degradation of the adult from the characters -H-hich it exhibits in youth, tliat our author, 

 in his first edition, arranged the Pongo next to the Baboons, allowing them the precedence. Aecurduig 

 to M. Geoflroy, " the brain of the young- Ourang bears a very close resemblance to that of a child ; and the 

 skull, also, might be taken, at an early ao;e, for that of the latter, were it not for the developement of the bones 

 of the face. But it hapjiens, in consequence of its advance in age, that the brain ceases to enlarge, while its case 

 continually increases. The latter becomes thickened, but in an unequal degree ; enormous bony ridges appear, 

 and the animal assumes afrig;htful aspect. When we compare theerfectsof a;ein I\Ian and the Ourang, the difference 

 is seen to be, that in the latter tliei-e is a super-developement of the osseous, muscular, and tegiimentary systems, 

 more towards the upper part than the lower, while the developement of the brain is entirely arrested." It is only 

 in the male sex, however, (hat the cranial ridg;es appear, the canines, also, of the females being much smaller. 

 M. Geofl'roy thus describes the skull of the Pongo, before its identity as an Ourang had been ascertained: — 

 " AVhat is most remarkable," he observes, "is the excessive elongation of the muzzle; and as this con- 

 idderable volume of the muzzle cannot be gained but at the expence of the other adjoining parts, we accord- 

 ingly find that there is scarcely any apparent forehead, that the bnny box which contains the brain is 

 unconimfinly small, and that the occipital foramen is situated as far as tbe posterior part of the head. The 

 immense nuizzie, morco\^er, is remarkable, not only for the enormous thickness of the g-mns, but also for the 

 extraordinary size of the canine and incisor teeth with which they are provided ; the incisors exceed in 

 magnitude those of a Lion, and the canines do not ditier much in dimensions from those of the same 

 animal: the occiput also is elevated at its point, and forms a quadrilateral protuberance, very large and 

 thick, where three bony crests are produced, not less apjiarent nor less solid than those of the Lion. Two of 



'urtinff is a MnUf woril, siu'Tiifvinj^ nil ion "I //rhiff, M'hich is 

 ril to MfLfi, tlic Ourruiy-ouliuig. ;md the P'.lepliaut. Oi'l.nf); 

 Hcs ici/rf, or oj the woods : lience OiiruJig-ontiing. 

 ^.ititi'iibk, to a. certain extent, in tlie lluUeJilut race of ninn- 



t [18-JS) a j'ouiie m.ilc and h-i 



•A I 



Oarniii: (P. nMmhii), in the meiirii;eriL' of tlie Zotilo^'ie.-il SoL-itty, 

 wiiiuh tiavL- tn.Lti[iiic.l now for beviTnl monih,-, in a very thrivi,,;^. luu- 

 •iition, and afford reasonable grounds for expeetution that tiiey will 

 live to attain uiiiturity. IMost uf thuse previouilj impurteU liave beeu 

 ilcak and mlKIj. — Cli. 



