+6 



BORNEO— THE ORANG-UTAN. [cuaf. iv. 



vvei-e but a poor substitute, and the expressed luilk of the 

 coGoa-But wliich I sometimes gave it did not quite agree 

 vvitli its stomach. To this 1 imputed an attack of diavrhtt'a 

 from which tlie poor little creature sufteretl greatly, but a 

 small dose of castor-oil operated well, and cured it. A 

 week or two afterwards it was again taken ill. and this 

 time more seriously. The symptoms were exactly those 

 of intermittent ftiver, accompanied by watery swellings on 

 the feet and head. It lost all appetite for it5 food, and, 

 after lingering for a week a most pitiable object, died, 

 after being in my possession nearly three months. I 

 much regretted the loss of my little pet, which I had at 

 one time looked forward to brinj^ng up to yeare of 

 maturity, and taking home to Eogland. For several 

 months it had afforded me daily amusement by its curious 

 ways and the inimitably ludicrous expression of its little 

 countenance. Its -^veight was three pounds nine ounces, 

 its height fourteen inches, and the spread of its arms 

 twenty-three inches. I preserved its skin and skeleton, 

 and in doing so found that when it fell from the tree it 

 iimst have broken an arm and a leg, wliich had, however, 

 united so rapidly that I had only noticed the hard swell- 

 ings on the limbs wliere the irregidar junction of the 

 bones had taken place. 



Exactly a week after I had caught this interesting little 

 animal I succeeded in shooting a fuli>grown male Orang- 

 utan. I had just come home from an entoniologising 

 f.xcursion when Charles^ rushed in out of breath with 

 running and excitement, and exclaimed, interrupted by 

 gasps, " Get the gun, sir, — be quick, — such a large Mias 1 " 

 "Where is it?" I asked, taking hold of my gun as I spoke, 

 which happened luckily to have one barrel loaded with 

 hall. " Close by, sir — on the path to the mines — he can't 

 get away." Two Dyaks chanced to be in the house at the 

 time, so I called them to accompany me, and started ofl', 

 telling Charley to bring all the ammunition after me as 

 soon as possible* The path from our clearing to the mine.s 

 led along the side of the hill a little way up its slope, and 

 parallel with it at the foot a wide opening had been made for 



1 Charlss Allen, an English lad of Bizteen, (U!coini«mieJ. mcas an assistant 



