5 6 
APES AND MONKEYS. 
in its mouth, but in the course of a few days two of the lower incisor teeth were 
cut. There was at the time unfortunately no means of attaining a supply of milk 
for the little ape; hut Mr. Wallace overcame this difficulty by feeding it with rice- 
water sucked from a bottle with a quill through the cork. The animal soon 
managed to suck comfortably enough from this contrivance; and when sugar and 
cocoanut milk were added to the mixture it thrived well enough on the diet. If 
its owner introduced his finger into the creature’s mouth, it first of all sucked away 
vigorously, but soon found out its mistake, and pushed the finger away with angry 
screams like those of a disappointed child. When caressed this ape was contented 
and happy, hut when laid down soon began to scream; and for the first two nights 
of its captivity was very noisy and restless. It was kept in a kind of cradle, made 
of a box, with a soft mat at the bottom. The little orang seemed to appreciate a 
frequent bath; and, indeed, when it required one announced the fact by loud 
screams. The process of drying and rubbing after each hath seems to have been a 
source of great enjoyment; and this was likewise the case when its hair was 
combed and brushed. At first it clutched vigorously by all four limbs at any object 
in its neighbourhood, so that its owner had continually to be on his guard to save 
his beard. When it could find nothing better to do, it would nurse its own foot. 
Little by little the strength of the tiny creature’s grip decreased, probably owing to 
the want of sufficient exercise. In order to remedy this, Mr. Wallace made a short 
ladder, from which the ape was suspended by its hands and feet for a quarter of an 
hour at a time. This exercise seemed at first to afford it pleasure, but afterwards 
it loosed its hold, first with one limb, and then with another, till it finally fell to 
the ground. These tumbles did not appear, however, to do it any material harm. 
Mr. Wallace endeavoured to construct a kind of artificial mother out of buffalo 
hide, which the baby orang might fondle. For a time this appeared to afford satis¬ 
faction, but eventually was discarded, as the animal was nearly choked with the hair 
it had torn off the skin and swallowed. After a week’s captivity, the young ape was 
fed from a spoon, containing a mixture of soaked biscuit, egg, and sugar, or, at other 
times, sweet potatoes. This food was swallowed readily, and with apparent satis¬ 
faction ; the creature making droll grimaces to express either pleasure or the reverse. 
When it had swallowed anything which appeared grateful, it drew in its cheeks, and 
screwed up its eyes; while, when the food was distasteful from want of sufficient 
sugar or other cause, the creature, after turning it about in its mouth for a short 
time, finally ejected it. If this rejected food were again offered to it, the animal 
displayed marked displeasure by loudly screaming and throwing its arms about. 
After three weeks a young macaque monkey was introduced to the orang, and 
the two, although very different in demeanour, soon became fast friends. Mi-. 
Wallace particularly noticed the helplessness of the young orang when compared 
with the macaque; and it appears that this character distinguishes the young of 
all the Man-like Apes from those of the lower monkeys. Even after the young 
orang had been about a month in captivity, it was very unsteady when placed on 
its hands and feet, and would frequently overbalance itself and topple over. When 
it required attention, it would cry loudly for a time, but if this met with no reply, 
the young creature would remain quiet till a step was heard approaching, when its 
calls would be at once renewed. Although at the end of four weeks the two upper 
