~ 
144 
He soon afterwards sailed for Surinam ; 
and this animal arrived in perfect bealth 
at Paramaribo, where the Oran Otan, 
above-mentioned, was then living.” 
He was greatly surprised to find that 
the two animals were of the same spe- 
cies, and that there was no other differ- 
ence betwixt them than that of size. 
This, however, was very considerable, 
the Oran Otan being about five feet.and. 
a half in height, whilst his animal scarcely 
exceeded the height of tweive or fourteen 
inches, 
The old Oran Otan could walk 
equally well on four and:on two feet; it 
was very strong and powerful. M. May, 
says, that he has seen it take its master, 
(a stout man) by the midde of the body, 
raise him with the greatest ease from 
the ground, and then throw him to the 
distance of a pace or two. M. May was 
assured, that this animal one day seized 
a soldier, who happened carelessly 
to pass near the tree to which it was 
chained, and, if its master had net been 
present, would have actually carried the 
man up into the tree. 
At the time when M. May saw it, it 
had been in Surinam twenty-one years, 
and yet it did not appear to have attained 
its full growth.’ In confirmation of this, 
he was informed, that in the preceding 
year it had increased considerably in 
height. 
A captain of an English vessel offered 
the ownera hundred guineasforit. This 
sum, great as it was, he refused ; and two 
days afterwards, the animal died. 
In the beginning of July,1776, a female 
of this species was brought from the 
Cape of Good Hope, and deposited in the 
Museum of the Prince of Orange. She 
arrived in good health,; M. Allemand, 
soon afterwards went to see her. The 
keeper had chained her by the neck, toa 
block of wood, in such manner, as greatly 
to constrain her movements. M. Alle- 
mand, by giving to her sweet-meats, and 
fruit, soon insinuated himself so far into 
her good graces, that the animal suffered 
him, without difficulty, to examine every 
part of her body, ii aineh Cae 
This animal was so young, that she 
measured only two feet and a half in 
height, from the sole of her foot to the 
top of the head. She was a native of 
the istand of Borneo, whence she had 
been carried first to Batavia, and after-° 
wards to the Cape of Good Hope. At 
the latter place, she was kept about 
twelve months before she was sent to 
Holland, She died in the Museum of 
sinecdotes of the Oran Otan, and Chimpanzee. [Sept. ty | 
the Prince of Orange, in the, month of 
January, 1777. _ . 
She exhibited no symptoms whatever 
of ill-nature, and would voluntarily hold 
out her paw to any person who was ins 
clined to shake hands with her. The 
food she was chiefly fond of was bread, 
fruit, carrots, and other roots; and these 
she would eat without that appearance. 
of voracity, which is common to most of 
the animals of her tribe. She would eat 
meat that was cooked, but she was not 
fond of.raw flesh. She would take in one, 
hand avessel containing water, and, car- . 
rying it to her mouth, in the same man- 
ner asa child or a man, would tranquilly 
drink the contents. 
Her motions were slow and languid, 
and she indicated at no time any great 
degree of vivacity; but in general seemed 
to be somewhat melancholy. She would 
frequently play with the blanket, which 
served her for a bed; and sometimes 
seemed pleased at tearing it. The usual at- 
titude of this animal, was asitting posture 
with her knees and thighs elevated: and 
even when she walked, it was somewhat 
in the same posture, with her haunches 
very, little raised from the ground, M. 
Allemand informsus, that she wasseldom 
seen to stand perfectly upright, except 
when she wanted to seize something 
that she could not otherwise reach, 
From these circumstances, he wasinduced 
tc believe, that Oran Otans, in a wild state, 
do not, like men, walk in an upright pos- 
ture; but that, in the manner of other 
quadrupeds, they go on all-fours~ He 
considers, that the hand-lhke conforma- 
tion of their fore-feet, is given to them for 
the purpose of enabling them to c. nb. 
This anima! would often amuse herself in 
the room, where she was kept, by cliimb- 
ing upon the bars of the window, as high» | 
as the length of her chain would allow. 
She was so good-tempered, that she 
would allow any persons to put their fin- 
gers even into ber mouth, without at- 
tempting to bitethem, She was fond of 
company, without any distinction. of sex, 
but always shewed a decided preference 
to those persons who had the care of her. 
When they retired, she would sometimes 
throw herself on the ground, uttering at 
the same time the most doleful and la- 
mentable cries, as if in despair, and tear= 
ing in pieces any linen that happened to 
be within her reach.* 
* See a further account of this interesting 
animal, in Dr. Shaw’s General Zoology, and 
in Animal Biography, thire edition, vol. i. 
Pe 46. ” ” . i i 
i sas An 
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