OLD MAN OF THE SEA. 95 



of the sea" and a "man of the forest/' for both are of the same 

 stock; and it is equally easy to make a mistake between the 

 aboriginal and the ape, for both are known by the same name. 

 And this is the mistake that I think has been made. The 

 positionTmay be briefly put thus : — what the merchant said to 

 Sindbad was " you've met an orang utan : " what Sindbad has 

 recorded is " you've met orang laut." 



If this is conceded, it would appear that Borneo is the 

 island of the adventure with the " Old Man," (Lane suggested 

 Sumatra, where the orang utan is also found) and that Sind- 

 bad's tale and Hugh Clifford's tale are but slightly different 

 versions of the story (founded perhaps on fact) which is told 

 by the Dyaks regarding the gigantic ape that, to this day, 

 is the most typical inhabitant of their forests. 



Postscript. I have, since this note was set up in 

 type, come across a mistake which is exactly similar but even 

 more extraordinary. On page 175 of Volume II. of " Asiatick 

 Eesearches " will be found a curious confusion between the 

 Thibetan Yak and the manatel or dugong. Two more dis- 

 similar animals could hardly be imagined; but one is the 

 " Mountain-Cow " and the other is the " Sea-Cow ; " and 

 " Mountain-Cow " and " Sea-Cow " have been confused in 

 exactly the same way that " Forest-Man " and " Sea-Man " 

 have (I suggest) been confused. 



W. G. M. 



R. A. 8oc., No, 60, ISM. 



