1883. ] The Kindred of Man. 125 
other or let go altogether. Latterly the contrast in the disposition 
of these animals has been made very striking by the presence in 
one cage of specimens of each species. A second pair of chim- 
panzees, about the same size as the orang, were placed with her, 
and with their natural liveliness at once made overtures of ac- 
quaintance, which were as promptly repulsed, and during the first 
week she suffered so much fright and uneasiness from their per- 
fectly good-natured attempts to induce her to join in their play, 
that it became necessary to partition off with wire screens a cor- 
ner of the apartment, and there, hour after hour, while the two 
chimpanzees are climbing, swinging and tumbling about the cage, 
never at rest except to plan some new scheme of amusement, the 
orang lies flat on her back, fingers and toes closely interlocked in 
the air, enjoying a dolce far niente, the relish of which she seems 
to intensify by quiet wonder at the reckless prodigality of force 
indulged in by her neighbors. 
This stolidity is characteristic of the species in a wild state; 
there they live mostly in the tree tops, cautiously crawling from 
branch to branch, testing every limb before resting their weight 
upon it, moving only to satisfy the demands of hunger, and when 
that stimulus to action céases, subsiding into a half-sitting posi- 
tion with the trunk or branch of a tree to hold up the back, head 
bowed on the breast, hands hanging down—not asleep—it can 
be nothing but laborious thought that produces such perfect 
bodily repose. Who can tell how deeply the meditative orang 
has penetrated into the mysteries of the cosmogony of which 
he is a part? how many systems of philosophy have dawned, 
-after hours of reflection, into his weary brain ? how deeply he 
has pondered on the origin and destiny of his race, and to how 
many metaphysical final causes has his speculative career traced 
Its way ? 
The Orang is really not so stupid as appearances would have it, 
and it is an interesting fact that the actions of the one in ques- 
tion once gave evidence—and the only evidence the writer has 
ever observed among the lower animals—of what seemed to be 
some understanding of death. Another orang had been pro- 
cured as a mate, and arrived in bad health; it was exceedingly 
irritable, and though weak from disease, managed to appro- 
Priate the only blanket in the cage, and fought off the rightful 
Propri etor whenever she approached. This, with other grie- 
