IN CAPTIVITY IN LOWER BENGAL. 5 



in his hand. She would at other times cling tightly to him, — a boy 

 of fifteen or sixteen years, — folding her long slender arms round 

 his neck ; while he was busy elsewhere she would occasoinally venture 

 on an exploration, but the slightest movement of a bear or other large 

 animal in the neighbourhood was enough to frighten her, and send 

 her scampering and bewildered to search for her keeper or her dwelling, 

 whichever she could find first. 



A special residence was subsequently made for her, in the shape 

 of a house in miniature with brick walls and thatched roof and 

 windows, and a raised platform inside to keep her off the damp 

 ground. A small compound was enclosed in front of the house and 

 laid out like a garden. After a day or two in her new house, 

 Jennie developed a tendency to mischief, and commenced pulling 

 the straw out from inside the thatch, so that it became necessary to 

 substitute a wooden roof. In the rains Jennie required special care ; 

 a slight exposure to wind and rain caused an attack of cold ; she had 

 to be carefully nursed at nights, fed with chicken soup, and have her 

 chest fomented. As she grew older, other things such as bread, 

 boiled sweet potatoes, &c, were added to the milk diet. When hungry 

 she would scream loudly and show temper, rolling on the ground 

 like a spoilt child ; and no amount of attention or coaxing on the part 

 of the keeper could soothe her till food was forthcoming : her hunger 

 satisfied, she would attempt to put bits of bread and other remnants of 

 food into the keeper's mouth instead of her own. 



Another orang, a young male, was obtained about this time to 

 share her captivity, but the new animal was never in sound health, 

 and, in spite of every precaution, soon died. To console herself for 

 the loss of her temporary companion, Jennie soon grew attached to a 

 domestic cat. The milk supplied to Jennie attracted the cat, but 

 the cause of the reciprocity of the sentiment was never discovered. 

 It may have been Jennie's instinctive longing for companionship or 

 her fondness for anything hairy. The cat would patiently allow 

 herself to be subjected to any petty torments which it pleased Jennie 

 in her demonstrativeness to inflict upon her. Qne of her favourite 

 fancies was to climb up the nearest tamarind tree with her feline 

 companion, oftentimes pulling it up by the tail, and the cat showed 

 no resentment for such treatment. With good food and handling 

 Jennie's appearance altogether improved ; her hair became cleaner 

 and brighter ; she lost the scared and chilly look she had at first ; 

 she seemed to adopt pleasant and elegant manners with the visitors 

 to the garden ; she would gladly submit to be brushed and combed 

 by her keeper, and would at times sit cross-legged on the ground with 

 a hand looking glass in front, making faces at herself. During the 

 winter a flannel suit was given her, but she soon tore it to pieces. 

 In the summer of 1878, the Committee, having received an 

 urgent application from the London Zoological Society for a young 

 oraug-outang, sent Jennie to England, accompanied by her favourite 

 cat. 



For further information regarding orang-outangs the following 

 books may be consulted : — Malayan Archipelago — Wallace ; Man's 

 Place in Nature—Huxley ; Anthropoid Apes — Hartmanu. 



