40 BORNEO— TRE ORANG-UTAN. [chap. iv. 



utau, or Mia.i " as it is called by the natives ; and as this - 

 name Is sliort, aud easily pronounced, 1 sliall generally uaa 

 it in preference to Simia satyrus, or Orang-utan. 



Just a week after my arrival at tlie mines, 1 first saw 

 a Mias. I was out collecting insects, not more than a 

 quarter of a mile from the house, when 1 heard a rustling 

 in a tree near, and, looking up, saw a laige red-haired 

 animal movin*^ slowly along, hanging from the branches by 

 its arms. It passed on from tree to tree till it was lost in 

 the jungle, which was so swampy that 1 could not follow 

 it. This mode of progression was, however, very unusual, 

 and is more chamcteristic of the Hylobates than of tlio 

 Orang. I suppose there was some individual peculiarity in 

 this animal, or the nature of the trees just in this place 

 reudered it the most easy mode of progression. 



About a fortnight afterwards I heard that one was 

 feeding in a tree hi the swamp just below the house, and, 

 taking my gun, was fortunate enough to find it in the same 

 place. As soon as I approached, it tried to cnnceal itself 

 among the foliage ; but I got a shot at it, and tlie second 

 barrel caused it to fall down almost dead, the two balls 

 having entered the body. This ivas a male, about half- 

 grown, being scarcely three feet high. On April 26th, I 

 was out shooting with two Dyaks, when we found another 

 about the same size. It fell at the fii-st shot, but did not 

 seem nmch hurt, and immediately chmbed up the nearest 

 iree, wIk-u 1 lired, and it again feU, with a broken arm and 

 a wound in the body. The two Byaks now ran up to it, 

 and each seized hold of a hand, telling me to cut a pole, 

 and they would secure it But although one arm waa 

 broken and it was only a lialf-gi'own animal, it was too 

 strong for these young savages, drawing them up towards 

 its mouth notwithstaiiding all their elibrt^, so that they 

 were again obliged to leave go, or they woidd have been 

 seriously bitten. It now began climbing up the tree again ; 

 and, to avoid trouble, I shot it through the heart. 



On May 2d, I again found one on a very high tree, when 

 1 had only a small 80-bore gun with me, Ilowever, I fired 

 at it, and on seeing me it began howUng in a strange 

 voice like a cough, and seemed in a great rage, breaking otf 

 branches with its hands and throwing them down, and 



