556 WILD ANIMALS. 



man is a more formidable enemy to them than he is to the gorilla 

 or chimpanzee. Next to him probably the boa-constrictor is the 

 most dreaded, for these snakes seem to have a partiality for eating 

 the young animals. In confirmation of this fact a large tooth of 

 one of these snakes was found buried in the skin of the back of a 

 young ourang-outang which was sent over to this country some 

 years ago. 



In common with the other anthropoid apes, when captured 

 young, the ourang-outang soon becomes domesticated, and exhibits 

 a partiality for human society; but it has none of the liveliness 

 characteristic of the chimpanzee and common monkey, for it moves 

 about sluggishly and appears to have a melancholy disposition. 



Dr. Miiller, an accomplished Dutch naturalist, who lived for 

 many years in the Eastern Archipelago, and who is an authority 

 quoted by Professor Huxley in his book, "Man's Place in 

 Nature," had a large male, four feet high, living in a state of 

 captivity under his observations for a month. He gives the 

 animal a very bad character, for he states : " He was a very wild 

 beast, of prodigious strength, and false and wicked to the last 

 degree. If any one approached he rose up slowly with a low 

 growl, fixed his eyes in the direction in which he meant to make 

 his attack, slowly passed his hand between the bars of his cage, 

 and then extending his long arm, gave a sudden grip — usually at 

 the face." 



Professor Huxley writes : " This animal's intelligence was very 

 great, and Miiller remarks that though the faculties of the orang 

 have been estimated too highly, yet Ouvier, had he seen this 

 specimen, would not have considered his intelligence to be only a 

 little higher than that of the dog. 



" His hearing was very acute, but the sense of vision seemed to 

 be less perfect. The under-lip was the great organ of touch, and 

 played a very important part in drinking, being thrust out hke a 

 trough, so as either to catch the falling rain, or to receive the 

 contents of the half cocoa-nut shell full of water, with which the 

 orang was supplied, and which, in drinking, he poured into the 

 trough thus formed." 



The few young ourangs that have from time to time been 



