^Almost 3fuman 
Reminiscences from Rlelbourne Zoo 
MOLLIE, THE ORANG-UTANG 
It is fairly safe to say that no visitor willingly leaves the Melbourne 
Zoological Gardens without having watched Mollie, the splendid specimen 
of an orang-utang. Many animals hold the affection of various sections 
of the public; but for one admirer before other cages, there will always 
be found ten watching Mollie. More stories are told of her than of any 
other individual captive there; and the daily agreement of surprised 
spectators is that she is “almost human.” 
RESENTING A LIBEL. 
Orang-Utang means “The Wild Man of the Woods,” and this name 
is sufficiently descriptive to make it comprehensible why the creatures 
are very difficult to keep alive in captivity. Mollie has established a 
world’s record in living in a cage for sixteen years, and present indica- 
tions are that she will live there for a very much longer period. She 
was brought to the Zoo when a baby a few months old, and she has 
always taken very kindly to her restricted life, enjoying the many good 
things that come her way, and resenting and avenging any insults that 
may be offered to her. The determined way she persists in doing any- 
thing she sets her mind upon may be understood from the story of how 
she tore down the label that described her as “The Wild Man of the 
Woods.” 
Mollie was interviewed for the Press. Occasionally she had been 
photographed before, but this was the first real interview she had been 
asked for, and naturally, she was somewhat elated by it. She was far 
too proud to go through her repertoire of tricks so that the interviewer 
could describe them at first hand, but she had no objection to listening 
to a detailed account of her cleverness, and she sat gravely watching the 
note-taker with such a comical attempt at being very dignified that it 
was easily guessed she thought her behaviour perfect under a somewhat 
trying ordeal. She must have revolved the problem in her mind after- 
wards: Why was she called “The Wild Man of the Woods,” when she 
acted like a perfect lady? Supposing it was published to the world 
that she was correctly labelled, notwithstanding all her good manners? 
Half-an-hour’s thinking convinced her that she had endured the 
insult long enough. She therefore put her hand through the bars and 
