8 THE AGILE GIBBON. 
All the Gibbons are gifted with voices as powerful as their limbs, and the 
creatures seem to lose few opportunities of exercising lungs or limbs. The 
cry which these animals utter is a singular one, loud and piercing, and has 
been represented by the syllables “ wou-wou,” which duplex combination of 
intonations is often used as a general name common to the whole family. 
Some writers express the sound by the words “ oa-oa,” and others as “ woo- 
woo,” among which the reader is left to choose. 
Of the habits of the Gibbons in a wild state very little is known, as they 
are shy in their nature, and by means of their wonderful agility escape among 
the trees ina manner that baffles pursuit or observation. As to the species 
which is represented in the accompanying engraving, it seems to be the most 
active of this agile family, and well deserves the name that has been given to 
it. Rather more has been noticed of this wonderful creature, and a further 
insight into its habits has been gained, by means of a female specimen, which 
was captured, and brought safely to London, where it lived for some time. _ 
In their native woods, these animals are most interesting to the observer, if 
he is only fortunate enough to get near them without being seen by the vigi- 
lant creatures. A good telescope affords an excellent mode of watching the 
customs of animals that are too timid to permit a human being to come near 
their haunts. 
When startled, the Agile Gibbon flits at once to the top of the tree, and 
then, seizing the branch that seems best adapted to its purpose, it swings 
itself once or twice to gain an im- 
petus, and launches itself through 
the air like a stone from a sling, 
gaining its force very much on the 
same principle. Seizing another 
branch, towards which it had aimed 
itself, and which it reaches with 
unerring certainty, the creature re- 
peats the process, and flings itself 
with ease through distances of thirty 
or forty feet, flying along as if by 
magic. Those who have seen it 
urging its flight over the trees, have 
compared its actions and appear- 
ance to those of a bird. Indeed, 
these creatures seem to pass a life 
that is more aerial than that of 
many birds, putting out of ques- 
tion the heavy earth-walking birds 
which have not the power of rais- 
ing themselves from the ground 
even if they had the will. 
The colour of this species is ex- 
tremely variable, and as may be 
seen by reference to the figure the 
offspring is not necessarily of the same colour as the parent. This differ- 
ence of tint is not solely caused by age, for it frequently happens that a 
cream-coloured mother has a dark infant, and vice versdé. Of the specimens 
in the British Museum, hardly any two are alike in the tint of their soft 
woolly fur. Some are nearly black, some are brown, and some are of a light 
cream colour. 
A VERY different group of animals now comes before us, separated even by 
the outer form from the ares, 
AGILE GIBBON.—(Avlobates agiiés.) 
