ORAN OTAN. 
9 
but it also very willingly drank all sorts of wine* 
and particularly Malaga. After drinking* it 
wiped its lips ; and after eating* if presented with 
a tooth-pick* would use it in a proper manner. 
I was assured* (continues this writer*) that on 
shipboard it ran freely about the vessel* played 
with the sailors* and would go* like them* into 
the kitchen for its mess. At the approach of 
night it lay down to sleep* and prepared its bed* 
by shaking well the hay on which it slept* and 
putting it in proper order ; and lastly* covering 
itself warm with the coverlet. One day, seeing 
the padlock of its chain opened with a key* and 
shut again, it seized a little bit of stick* and 
put it into the key hole* turning it about in all 
directions* endeavouring to see whether the pad- 
lock would open or not. This animal lived seven 
months in Holland. On its first arrival* it had 
but very little hair* except on its back and arms : 
but on the approach of winter it became extreme- 
ly well covered ; the hair on the hack being three 
inches in length. The whole animal then appear - 
ed of a chesnut colour ; the skin of the face* &c„ 
was of a mouse colour* but about the eves and 
round the mouth of a dull flesh colour/' It came 
from the island of Borneo, and* after its death* 
was deposited in the museum of the prince of 
Orange. 
Gemelli Carreri gives an instance of something 
very analogous to reason in these animals. He 
tells us that when the fruits on the mountains are 
exhausted* they frequently descend to the sea- 
coasts* where they feed on various species of 
shell-fish* but in particular on a large species 
of oyster* which commonly lies open on the shore : 
*' Fearful," he says* “of putting in their paws* 
lest the oyster should close and crush them* they 
insert a pretty large stone within the shell ; this 
VOL. i. c 
