ORAN OTAN. 



which this species is supposed to grow : it was of 

 a black colour, and, consequently, belonged to the 

 black variety of this species ; or that described in 

 a young state by Dr. Tyson. 



It is remarkable that the large hand represented 

 in professor Allamand's edition of the Natural 

 History of the Count de Buifon, as that of an 

 Oran Gtan, proved, according to Camper, who 

 examined it accurately, to have been an artificial 

 preparation, made by distorting and otherwise al- 

 tering the fore -foot of some large quadruped ; 

 most probably that of a bear, in the opinion of 

 Camper ; and the nails were glued into the places 

 where the claws had been. Such are the deceptions 

 to which even the most experienced naturalists 

 are sometimes liable ! This hand became the sub- 

 ject of private controversial correspondence be- 

 tween professors Allamand and Camper. At length 

 its proprietor, Mr. Vink of Rotterdam, permitted 

 it to be opened, when the opinion of Camper was 

 found to be just; the whole preparation being 

 composed of bones, hair, skins, &c. nicely ag- 

 glutinated and compacted, with the addition of 

 nails at the extremities. 



The hand, however, which was brought from 

 Sierra Leona, was undoubtedly genuine, and the 

 whole skin of the animal is, at present, in the pos- 

 session of Mr. A. Afzelius, demonstrator of bo- 

 tany in the university of Upsal ; but its full de- 

 scription and figure having never been published, 

 it is impossible to pronounce, with certainty, the 

 species to which it belongs. 



