ORANGS. 
49 
menagerie that belonged to the Prince of Orange; and this example was in that 
year described and depicted by a naturalist named Yosmaer. Subsequently to this 
the identity of Wurmb’s pongo with the orang was fully demonstrated; and from 
that period our knowledge of the structure and habits of this ape has gradually 
increased. Among those who have especially contributed to advance our know¬ 
ledge of the orang in its living condition we may mention “ Raja ” Sir James 
Brooke, of Borneo, and Mr. A. R. Wallace, the latter of whom has given us such 
graphic accounts of the creature’s habits, in his fascinating work, the Malay 
Archipelago. 
In the uncongenial climate of Europe, orangs are as difficult to keep for any 
lengthened period in confinement as are the large Man-like Apes of Western Africa. 
The case is, however, very different in the moist subtropical climate of Calcutta, 
where adult orangs have thriven well in cages exposed to the open air, and have 
taught us many facts in relation to their habits. 
The leading; or, as zoologists say, generic characters distinguish- 
Charactenstics. . ® ■ ■ ’ . ■ ® J ® # ° 
ing the orang from the chimpanzee and gorilla are to be found in the 
proportionately greater length of the arms—which in the upright position reach to 
the ankles—in the form of the skull—which is elevated almost into a point at the 
summit—as well as in a difference in the number of the joints in the backbone and 
of bones in the wrist. Thus there are sixteen (instead of seventeen) vertebrae in 
the backbone between the neck and the sacrum; twelve of these carrying ribs, as 
in man. In regard to the number of bones in the wrist, we find that the orang 
possesses the central bone which is wanting in man, the chimpanzee, and the 
gorilla; and thus has nine, in place of eight, bones in the wrist. In this respect the 
Bornean ape agrees with the lower members of its order; but in the absence of 
callosities on the buttocks it shows its kinship with the gorilla and chimpanzee. 
All these characteristic features clearly indicate that the orang is decidedly 
lower in the scale than the two Man-like Apes of which we have already treated ; 
but before going further we must examine more closely into its structure and 
appearance. 
An adult male orang stands about 4 feet 4 inches in height 
when in an upright position, in which posture it can almost touch the 
ground with its fingers. The legs are extremely short and thick, and are twisted 
in such a remarkable manner that the knees are turned outwards, and the feet 
consequently set very obliquely to the line of the leg. From the peculiar structure 
of its legs and feet the orang walks entirely on the outer sides of its feet, of which 
the soles are turned inwards, so as to almost face one another. Although this 
arrangement is ill-adapted for walking rapidly on the ground, it is one admirably 
suited for climbing, in which these animals excel. 
As shown in our illustration of the adult, the orang has a tall, elevated forehead, 
very different from the retreating one of the chimpanzee; and the whole aspect of 
the face is curiously flattened, with an oval contour. Not unfrequently there is a 
well-marked prominence in the middle of the forehead. Although there are slight 
ridges over the eyes, these are much less developed than in the chimpanzee, and 
have, therefore, no sort of resemblance to the enormous ones of the gorilla. The 
VOL. i.—4 
