THE HABITS OF THE YOUNG. 
69 
Several young Orang-utans have been brought to Europe and exhibited, to the delight of every 
One who saw them, but Mr. Wallace was fortunate enough to obtain one in its native haunts, and to 
observe it in its own climate. After shooting a female Mias, he found a little tiny one, lying face- 
downwards, in the swamp where they were. “ It was only about a foot long,” writes Mr. Wallace, 
“ and had evidently been hanging to its mother when she first fell. Luckily, it did not appear to have- 
been wounded, and after we had cleaned the mud out of its mouth it began to cry out, and seemed 
quite strong and active. While carrying it home it got its hands in my beard, and grasped so tightly, 
that I had great difficulty in getting free, for the fingers are habitually bent inwards at the last joint' 
so as to form complete hooks. At this time it had not a single tooth, but a few days afterwards it cut 
its two lower front teeth. Unfortunately, I had no milk to give it, as neither Malays, Chinese, nor 
Dyaks ever use the article, and I in vain inquired for any female animal that could suckle my little- 
infant. I was therefore obliged to give it rice-water from a bottle, with a quill in the cork, which, 
after a few trials it learned to suck very well. This was very meagre diet, and the little creature did 
not thrive well on it, although I added sugar and cocoa-nut milk occasionally, to make it more- 
nourishing. When I put my finger in its mouth it sucked with great vigour, drawing in its cheeks, 
with all its might hi the vain effort to ex- 
tract some milk, and only after persevering 
a long time would it give up in disgust, and 
set up a scream very like that of a baby 
in similar circumstances. When handled 
or nursed, it was very quiet and contented, 
but when laid down by itself would in- 
variably cry ; and for the first few nights 
was very restless and noisy. I fitted up a 
little box for a cradle, with a soft mat for 
it to lie upon, which was changed and 
washed every day ; and I soon found it 
necessary to wash the little Mias as well. 
After I had done so a few times, it came to 
like the operation, and as soon as it was 
dirty would begin crying, and not leave off 
till I took it out and carried it to the spout, 
when it immediately became quiet, although 
it would wince a little at the first rush of the 
cold water, and make ridiculously wry faces 
while the stream was running over its head. 
It enjoyed the wiping and rubbing dry amazingly, and when I brushed its hair seemed to be perfectly 
bappy, lying quite still, with its arms and legs stretched out, while I thoroughly brushed the long hair 
of its back and arms. For the first few days it clung desperately with all four hands to whatever it 
coidd lay hold of, and 1 had to be careful to keep my beard out of its way, as its fingers clutched hold 
of liair more tenaciously than anything else, and it was impossible to free myself without assistance. 
When restless, it would struggle about, with its hands up in the air, trying to find someth ing to take 
hold of, and, when it had got a bit of stick or rag in two or three of its hands, seemed quite happy. 
For want of something else, it would often seize its own feet, and after a time it would constantly 
cross its arms, and grasp with each hand the long hair that grow j ust below the opposite shoulder. 
The great tenacity of its grasp soon diminished, and I was obliged to invent some means to give it 
exercise and strengthen its limbs. For this purpose I made a short ladder of three or four rounds, on 
which I put it to hang for a quarter of an hour at a time. At first it seemed much pleased, but it 
could not get all four hands in a comfortable position, and, after changing about several times, would 
leave hold of one hand after the other, and drop on the floor. Sometimes when hanging only by two 
hands, it would loose one, and cross it to the opposite shoulder, grasping its own hair ; and, as this 
seemed much more agreeable than the stick, it would then loose the other and tumble down, when it 
would cross both, and lie on its back quite contentedly, never seeming to be hurt by its numerous 
A YOU XG OUAXG. 
(From Wallace, by permission oj the Publishers.) 
