THEIR HABITS. 
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twenty to fifty feet from the ground, probably because it is warmer and less exposed to wind than 
higher up. Each Mias is said to make a fresh one for himself every night ; but I should think that is 
hardly probable, or their remains would be much more abundant; for though I saw several about the 
coal-mines, there must have been many Orangs about every day, and in a year their deserted nests 
would become very numerous. The Dyaks say that when it is very wet the Mias covers himself over 
with leaves of Pandanus, or large ferns, which has, perhaps, led to the story of his making a hut in the 
trees. The Orang does not leave his bed till the sun has well risen and has dried up the dew upon 
the leaves. He feeds all through the middle of the day, but seldom returns to the same tree two days 
running. They do not seem much alarmed at man, as they often stared down upon me for several 
Wkv 
ilU'i.W ■, 
Jr ■ AH 
A FAMILY OF ORANG-UTANS. 
minutes, and they oidy moved away slowly to an adjacent tree. After seeing one, I have often had to 
go half a mile or more to fetch my gun, and in nearly every case have found it on the same tree, or 
within a hundred yards, when I returned. I never saw two full-grown animals together, but both 
males and females are sometimes accompanied by half-grown young ones, while, at other times, three 
or four young ones were seen in company. Their food consists almost exclusively of fruit, with 
occasional leaves, buds, and voting shoots. They seem to prefer unripe fruits, some of which were 
very sour, others intensely bitter, particularly the large red fleshy arillus, or rind of one, which seemed 
an especial favourite. In other cases they eat only the small seed of a large fruit, and they almost 
always waste and destroy more than they eat, so that there is a continual rain of rejected portions below 
the tree they are feeding on. The Durion is an especial favourite, and quantities of this delicious 
fruit are destroyed wherever it grows surrounded by forest, but they will not cross clearings to get at 
them. It seems wonderful how the animal can tear open this fruit, the outer covering of which is so 
