156 A NATUBALIST'S WANDERINGS 



its embrace, to all appearance dead also. Both of them he 

 brought home slung on a pole. Cutting their thongs, he threw 

 them down on the verandah and went off again. Being 

 very busy, I had taken no notice of them till a movement 

 caused me to look up, when I saw the young ape quietly 

 making tracks for the stairway ; but I quickly secured him, 

 despite his screams and vigorous attempts to bite. It had 

 been only stunned by a pellet on the head, and had no bones 

 broken. In a very short time it tamed down and became 

 a most delightful companion. Its expression of countenance 

 Avas most intelligent, and at times almost human ; but in 

 captivity it often wore a sad and dejected aspect, which quite 

 disappeared in its excited moods. With what elegance and 

 gentleness it used to take wliat was offered it with its delicate 

 taper fingers, which, like its head, are more anthropoid (except 

 for their hairiness) than any other ape's ! It would never 

 put its lips to a vessel to drink, but invariably lifted the water 

 to its mouth by dipping in its half-closed hand and awkwardly 

 licking the drops from its knuckles. The gentle and caressing 

 way in which it would clasp me round the neck with its long 

 arms, laying its head on my chest, uttering a satisfied crooning 

 sound, was most engaging. Every evening it used to make 

 with me a tour round the village square, with its hand on 

 my arm, enjoying the walk apparently as much as I did. 

 It was a most curious and ludicrous sight to see it erect on its 

 somewhat bandy legs, hurrying along in the most frantic haste, 

 as if to keep its head from outrunning its feet, with its long 

 free arm see-sawing in a most odd way over his head to 

 balance itself 



That they can leap the great distances from tree to tree 

 ascribed to them is, I think, incorrect ; for during the. felling 

 of the forest near the village, when a little colony of Siamangs 

 got cut off from the branches of the nearest trees by some 

 thirty feet only, they scampered up and down the tree 

 howling in the most abject terror at every stroke of the axe, 

 yet without venturing to leap the intervening space, and 

 even when it was falling they did not attempt to save 

 themselves by springing to the ground, but perished in the 

 crash of the tree. The Siamang and the Ongka {Hyalohates 

 variegatus), an allied but smaller ape, are the ijiost interesting 



