THE OURANG-OUTANG. . 561 



sixteen, and of some little children. Tuan was charmed with our 

 residence. He spent his days in play with the little Tagal girls, 

 and robbing the mango women who were imprudent enough to put 

 their merchandise within his reach 



" The custom of wearing clothing is generally considered the 

 result of climate; some moralists pretend that it is connected 

 with the innate sentiment of modesty. Whilst observing in the 

 ourang-outang a manifest fondness for wearing clothes, I was able 

 to convince myself that he obeyed neither of these impressions. 

 Tuan took possession of all the pieces of stuff he found, and either 

 threw them over his shoulders or covered his head with them. 

 Handkerchiefs, napkins, shirts, or carpets which came in his way 

 were indiscriminately used for this purpose. In those burning 

 countries, with thirty-two degrees of heat, it was most certainly 

 not the temperature which led him to wrap himself up ; it was 

 not a feeling of decency either, for he only protected the upper 

 portions of his body with these varied draperies." 



Many people have taken a singular prejudice to the anthropoid 

 apes because of their approximate resemblance to man in con- 

 struction, and in some of their actions when seen in a captive 

 state. For the benefit of those sensitive people who see something 

 humiliating in being classed with these brutal creatures, even in the 

 remote manner implied by the liberal interpretation of Professor 

 Darwin's hypothesis, a remark made by Professor Mivart ' may be 

 quoted. While stating that although fully recognizing the truth 

 of Mr. Darwin's appreciation of man's zoological position, which, 

 he writes, " I have ever maintained, and indeed laboured to support, 

 I none the less completely differ from him when I include the 

 totality of man's being. So considered, science convinces me that 

 a monkey and a mushroom differ less from each other than do a 

 monkey and a man." 



The anthropoid apes are ranked in their relation to man accord- 

 ing to the degree of the similarity their skeleton bears to his. By 

 this criterion the gorilla holds the highest position, and although 

 some scientists place the chimpanzee first, yet others, and among 

 them Professor Owen, pronounce this classification as incorrect. 



' See Nature, vol. for 1874. 







