ORDER OUADRUMANA GENUS PITHECUS. 
148 
Orang is a '.vord in the Malayan language signifying reasonable 
creature, and applied equally to Man, the Orang-Outang, and the 
Elephant. Outang -[or rather iZtora, according to Mr Marsdeii] 
signifies wild, or belonging to the woods, and thus the earlier navi- 
gators, translating these words, gave the anifnal the name of Man-of- 
the- Woods. 
The Orang-Outang, of all animals, is the most similar to Man 
in respect to the shape of its head, the size of the forehead, and the 
volume of its brain. Yet the exaggerated expressions of some 
writers on those points seem to originate in the circumstance that 
only young individuals have been examined by them, and every 
thing leads us to believe that their muzzle becomes more elongated 
with advancing years. 
The body of the Orang-Outang is covered with thick red hair, 
the face is blueish, and the thumbs of the hinder limbs are very 
short in comparison to the remaining fingers. Its lips are suscepti- 
ble of a singular elongation, and enjoy a groat facility of motion. 
The fore-hands of the Orang-Outang are sliaped exactly like those of 
Man, excepting that the thumb is very short, reacliing only to the first 
joint of the index or first, finger. The hinder-hands have likewise five 
fingers, but the thumb is placed much lower than in the human species, 
and in its ordinary position, instead of lying parallel to the fingers, it forms 
a right angle with them. The fingers of the hinder-hands have the same 
structure as those of the fojre-hand, and are equally free in their move- 
ments, and all, without e.xception, have nails. The calves of the legs 
as well as the buttocks are but slightly prominent. 
It is highly probable that the Orang-Outang has the same number of 
teeth as Man ; yet this cannot be stated positively, until the adult has 
been carefully examined. All the descriptions hitherto given of its 
teeth apply merely to the milk or first teeth of the young animal. If it 
be true that the Pongo is really the adult Orang-Outang, then they are 
precisely of the same number as in the human species. In the upper jaw, 
the first incisor is very broad and wedge-shaped ; the second terminates 
likewise in a line, but its inner surface is inclined towards the first in- 
cisor, by the action of the very large canine tooth next to it. This canine, 
which is separated from the second incisor by a small interval, is very 
long, strong, thick, and hollow beneath, from the action of the opposite 
tooth. The first and second false mol.irs are divided by a longitudinal 
furrow into two portions, worn off obliquely, and presenting two blunt 
tubercles, one on the inner margin, and the other on the outer. The 
three re.-d molars which follow are nearly of equal size, their crowns flat, 
and apparently worn down by constant use. In the lower jaw, the two 
incisors are equal in size, but the first terminates in a straight line, and the 
second in an oblique one, bijginning towards the first incisor, and ending 
towards the canine. The latter is very strong, long, and sharp, yet some- 
what less than the canine of the upper jaw, and its shape is rendered tri- 
angular by an elevated crest on its internal surface, partly formed by the 
action of the canine and of the first incisor of the opposite jaw. The 
first false molar is cut off obliquely before and behind, forming a very thick 
conical tubercle, presenting an oblique plane to the upper canine, and 
strongly supported, against wliich the animal can exercise great force in 
cutting and tearing. - The other molars resemble those of the upper jaw. 
The neck of the Orang-Outang is very short; the tongue smooth ; the 
nose wholly flattened at the ba.se, and on a level with the- rest of the face 
at this part, but projecting slightly at its extremity ; the nostrils open be- 
neath, as in all other Apes of the Old Continent. The eyes resemble 
those of other Apes; the iris is brown, and the ears are exactly similar 
to those of our own species ; the nails are black. 
Almost the wdiole body is covered with hair, which is darker and 
thicker in some parts than in others. The colour of the skin is generally 
a blueish slate ; but the ears, the circles around the eyes and mouth, and 
the inside of all the four hands, tend towards a flesh copper-colour. The 
hair of the head, fore-arm, and legs, is of a deeper red than elsewhere. 
It is thickest on the head, back, and upper part of the arm; but very 
scanty on the belly, and still more- so on the face. The upper-lip, nose, 
and palms of all the four hands, are the only parts entirely naked. The 
hair of the whole body is rather woolly, and of the same nature through- 
out ; on the fore-arm it points upwards towards the elbow, while on the 
upper-arm the points are directed downwards. The skin, especially that 
of the face, is thick and shrivelled, while beneath the neck it hangs so 
loosely as to appear like a goitre, when the animal lies on its side. 
Camper discovered, and accurately described, the two mem- 
braneous sacs which communicate with the ventricles of the glottis 
of this animal, and render its voice hoarse ; but he was wrong in 
stating that the nails are always wanting on the thumbs of the 
hinder hands. 
The Orang-Outang is entirely formed for climbing and residing in trees, 
as it walks with great difficulty. When ascending a tree, it seizes the 
trunk by all the four hands, and uses neither arms nor thighs as a Man 
would do in similar circumstances. It passes easily from tree to tree, 
when the branches touch, so that in its native tropical forests there 
can be but little occasion to come near the ground. In general, all its 
movements are slow, and seem to be executed with pain, when performed 
on a fiat surface. It first rests the fore-hands firmly on the ground, raises 
itself on its long arms, and throws the body forwards ly passing the hinder- 
hands between the arms, and carrying them beyond the fore-hands ; then, 
resting on its hinder-hands, it advances the upper part of the body, sup- 
ports itself again upon the wrists of the fore-arm, and repeats the same 
movements. It is only when supported by its fore-hand that it ventures 
to walk on the hinder-hands ; sometimes it rests upon the palms, but most 
usually upon their external margins only, as though it wished to preserve 
the fingers from all contact with the ground. Whenever it ventures to 
rest upon the entire palm,.it holds the last two phalanges of the fingers 
curved up, excepting the thumb, which remains open and at a distance. 
When resting, it sits down on the thighs, with the legs crossed, according 
to the Oriental custom. It reposes indiscriminately on the back or the 
sides, drawing up the legs towards the body and crossing the arms on the 
breast. When about to sleep, it is fond of being well. covered, and for 
this purpose makes use of every kind of clothing placed within its reach. 
When young, such only as it has hitherto been seen in Europe, 
it is rather a gentle animal, easily tamed, and readily becoming 
attached. From its conformation it is capable of imitating a great 
number of our actions; but its intelligence does not appear to hold 
so high a rank as has been reported, or even much to surpass that 
of the Dog. 
The Orang-Outang makes use of its fore-hands in the same manner in 
general as we do, and it seems only to require experience to be able to 
do so in nearly all instances. It often raises its food to the mouth bv 
means of its fingers, but sometimes also seizes them with its long lips, and 
drinks by sucking up, as all animals with long lips usually do. It makes 
use of the sense of smell to distinguish the nature of its food, and seems 
to trust greatly to this sense on all occasions. Fruit, pulse, eggs, milk, 
and meat, are eaten by the Orang-Outang indiscriminately. It is very 
fond of bread, coffee, and oranges, and on one occasion swallowed the con- 
tents of an inkstand without experiencing any injury. It seems* to have 
no stated hour for its meals, but, like a child, is ready for its food at 
all times. Both the sense of sight and that of hearing are very acute. 
Music produces no effect upon this animal. 
When molested, the Orang-Outang strikes its opponent with the hand, 
and attempts to bite ; but these actions apfiear in getieral to jiroceed r.a- 
ther from impatience than ill-nature, as it is commonly mild, affectionate, 
and very fond of society. It delights in being caressed ; gives real kisses 
to the object of its attachment; and seems fond of sucking the fingers of 
the persons who approach, yet it never sucks its own. Whenever it is 
very anxious for anything, its cry is sharp .and guttural. Then all its 
signs are very expressive : it inclines the head forward to show its disap- 
probation ; pouts when its wants are not immediately satisfied ; and when 
in a passion, cries out very loudly, rolling itself on the ground, and its 
neck, at the same time, swelling out in a singular manner. 
The history of the- Orang-Outang has been rendered very obscure 
by the earlier authors, from its having been confounded with the 
remainder of the l.trger Apes, and e.specially with the Chimpansee. 
After submitting their writings to a severe criticism, it has been 
found that the Orang-Outang inhabits only the most eastern portions 
of the Old World — such as Malacca and Cochin-China, and especially 
the great island of Borneo, whence it has been transported, though 
rarely, to Java. 
There is so strong a resemblance between the Orang-Outang 
and an Ape of Borneo, which is yet only known by its skeleton, 
and by the name of Pongo, ‘ in the proportions of all its parts and 
the disposition of the fossm and sutures of its skull, that we can 
^ Audeh. Singes, pi. anat. II. — This name* of Popffo, corrupted from th.Tt of Boffpo, vhich is given in Africa to the Chimpanzee and Mandrill, was applied by Iluffau 
to a pretended large species of Orang-Outang, which was iiothmg more thjin the product of his own imagination. Wurmh, a naturalist of Batavia, applied it to the animal, 
described by him for the fir.st time, of which Rnlfon had not the smallest idea (See the Memoirs of the Batavian Society, tom. ii. p. 24.‘>). The idea that it might he nothing 
more than the adult Orang-Outang occurred to me on seeing the head of a common Orang, with its muzzle projecting much more forward than that of the young indivitlval® 
hitherto described, and I made my views public in a Memoir read at the Academic rfes Science in 18IP M.M. Tilesius and Rudolphi appear also to have made the same 
conjecture. See the Memoirs of the Academy of Berlin for 1824, p. 131 — i\ole nfthe Huron Cuvier. 
