any extra provision which the animal may not at the moment require. The Semnopitheci alone, of all the other monkeys of the old world, resemble the apes in this respect, and hence arise some of the most striking resemblances which the characters and habits of these two genera present. In other respects they are sufficiently distinguished from one another, by the long tails of the Semnopitheci, not to mention their extremities of nearly equal length, and the peculiar structure of their stomachs and teeth. The nature of the influence which the possession of these cheek pouches exerts upon the characters and economy of animals will be explained under the articles MONKEY, BABOON, &c.; it is here sufficient to observe that they are wanting in the apes. Another character which is common to all the other known quadrumanes of the old continents, is found in some species only of the real apes, and absent in others: this is the possession of callosities, which are naked callous parts of the buttocks, upon which these animals sit, when fatigued by the violent and rapid movements which they habitually execute. Illiger and some other zoologists have considered this circumstance of sufficient importance to warrant the separation of the apes into two distinct genera, the one characterized by the absence, the other by the presence of callosities; but it is to be observed that, even where these organs do exist in the apes, it is always in a rudimentary form; they are never developed to such an extent as to influence the habits of the animals, and are, consequently, unfit to be considered as generic characters. In other respects, except in these diminutive callosities, the gibbons do not differ from the orangs and chimpanzće: they have the same system of dentition, the same organs of sense, and the same singular modification of the locomotive organs; their manner of life also is precisely the same: both equally take up their habitation in the thickest and most solitary forests, inhabit the same countries, and live upon the same food. judged from the young subjects usually brought to Europe, their most essential difference in this respect consists in certain modifications of the extremities, which diminish their power of walking with ease on a level surface, but which are admirably adapted to increase their faculty of climbing and grasping. The arms are so long as almost to touch the ground when the animals stand erect on their hind legs; but the legs themselves are scarcely one third of the entire height. The legs, moreover, are not in the same line with the thighs; the knees are turned outwards, and the feet are articulated at the ankle in such a manner that their soles turn inwards so as to face or be opposed to one another. By these means the apes are enabled to embrace or grasp the trunks and branches of trees with much greater force than if their members were constructed like our own: they thus become essentially sylvan or arboreal animals, and never voluntarily abandon the forests, where they find at once the most congenial food and the most perfect security. Their whole organization peculiarly adapts the apes to these habits. Besides the conformation of the extremities just noticed, the fingers and toes are long, flexible, and deeply separated from one another, and the thumb, or interior finger, is completely opposable to the other four, as well on the posterior as on the anterior extremities; thus, their feet and hands are equally formed for prehension. They are not quadrupeds, as Buffon has justly observed, but quadrumana; not four-footed, but essentially four-handed animals. One part of their organization renders them intermediate between the bats and ordinary mammals; another, makes them the connecting link between man and the inferior animals. The great length of the fingers and anterior extremities, compared with those behind, are precisely what we observe among winged mammals, only that the fingers are not connected by a flying membrane; and their economy and habitat equally correspond with this intermediate structure. They are neither confined to the surface of the earth like the generality of mammals, nor do they possess the power of elevating themselves into the air, like the bats: but they choose a middle habitat, the forests, where they habitually reside, and where they move about with an ease and velocity which can only be compared to actual flight. On the other hand, when compelled by circumstances to traverse any part of the earth's surface, their pace, properly speaking, is neither that of a biped nor of a quadruped: they do not walk upright like a man, nor yet do they walk upon all fours like the lower animals. The great length of their arms prevents them from adopting either of these modes of progression in its simple form, but they avail themselves of this very circumstance in another manner; their long arms serve them instead of crutches, and their pace is precisely that of a lame man who walks with the assistance of these instruments. From the oblique articulation of the posterior extremities, they rest only on the outer edge of the foot, but the wavering equilibrium thus occasioned is secured by the long fore-arms, which can easily touch the ground in all directions; and, when an advance is to be made, it is accomplished by resting the weight of the body upon the half-closed fists, and then swinging the hinder extremities forward, precisely like a man on crutches. In their native forests the extreme length of their fore-arms is turned to the greatest advantage: here it acts upon the principle of the rope dancer's balancing pole, and completely secures their equilibrium even with the most precarious footing. Thus it is that travellers have seen the apes poised at the very extremity of the slender trunks of the bamboo, waving their long arms from side to side, with the most graceful and easy motions. The teeth of the apes, as indeed of all the other monkeys of the old world, are of the same number as in man: nor, as far as the incisors and molars are concerned, do they present any difference in form; but in the adult animals, and more especially in the old males, the canines are developed in the same relative proportion as in the carnivora; the tusks of the full-grown orang-outang are at least as large as those of the lion, and are most formidable weapons. Unfortu nately we know but little of the manners of these animals in their adult state; but this circumstance gives us strong reason to suppose that the extreme gentleness and placidity observed in the young individuals usually brought into Europe do not always continue to characterize them in their native climates, but that their disposition alters in proportion to the development of their muscular force, and that in their adult state they are as formidable and mischievous as the baboons themselves. In all other respects their anatomical structure so closely resembles that of man, that it is only of late years, and from such trifling discrepancies as the existence or non-existence of a small intermaxillary bone, of a very small perforation in the vertebra of the os sacrum, &c., that anatomists have ascertained that the dissections of Galen were performed not upon the human subject, but upon the magot, or, as it is usually called, the Barbary ape; so perfectly conformable are his descriptions to the structure of the human frame. The characters and habits of the apes present differences which will be noticed in speaking of the several species. As far, however, as their general manners have been ob served, they appear to be of a grave and gentle disposition, totally free from that petulance and mischievous curiosity which so strongly characterize the monkeys, properly so called, very affectionate towards those who treat them kindly, solemn and deliberate in all their actions, extremely circumspect and intelligent, seldom moved to violent passion, but peevish and fretful when crossed or disappointed. They never walk on two legs except when they have occasion to use the fore-hands in carrying something. Nearly, or altogether deprived of callosities, they do not repose in the manner of ordinary monkeys, on their hams, but stretch themselves on their sides, like human beings, and support their heads upon their hands, or by some other means supply the use of a pillow. Another circumstance in the structure of the apes, in which they differ from most other quadrumana, has considerable influence upon their habits; this is the entire want of a tail. Though the presence of this organ does not always indicate a corresponding function, and though its absence is not confined to this group of quadrumanous animals, yet a long tail would seriously embarrass the nearly erect motion of the real apes; whilst its use is in other respects superseded by the length of the fore-arms, which supply its place in adjusting the proper balance of the body, the only function which the tail performs in the common monkeys. But another character of still greater importance distinguishes the real apes from the rest of the A remarkable singularity in the organic structure of cerquadrumana, viz., the want of cheek-pouches. These are tain species of apes has been observed by Sir Stamford sacks or cavities in the cheeks, which open inside the mouth Raffles and M. Duvaucelle, to whose researches in the between the cheek and the lower jaw, and serve to hold Sumatra we are indebted for the greater part of UNIVERAGE OF DONACIÓN A VOL. II.-U BIBL our knowledge regarding the gibbons, or that section of the genus which approaches the lower tribes of monkeys by the possession of rudimentary callosities. It consists in the connexion of the index and middle fingers of the hind hands, which are united as far as the last or nall joint, and are, consequently, incapable of separate or individual motion. The species in which this singularity was first observed has even been named by Sir Stamford Raffles Simia syndactyla, from this circumstance; but if the observations of M. Duvaucelle are to be relied on, it would appear, that the conformation is by no means peculiar to this species. It was the opinion of that naturalist, that the females of most, if not of all the gibbons, partake of the same structure, whilst it is supposed to exist in the male of the Simia syndactyla alone. Now it must be observed with regard to this opinion, which certainly does not appear to be wellfounded, that besides the physical improbability of the males and females of the same species differing in so important a point of their organic structure, a difference of which there is no other known instance throughout the entire class of mammals, M. Duvaucelle's opinion amounts, after all, to a mere conjecture, since he infers the identity of the species to which he attributes this sexual difference, only from the circumstance of having procured his specimens at the same time and in the neighbourhood of one another. The female of the Simia lar, also described by the accurate Daubenton, and supposed by MM. Duvaucelle and Frederick Cuvier to be the same as the ounko of the former naturalist, was certainly devoid of this character, expressly assigned to the female ounko, and differed in many other respects, as will appear in the sequel. If, therefore, we admit on the one hand, that M. Duvaucelle's observations establish the existence of this organic singularity in other species besides the Simia syndactyla, it appears probable on the other hand, that this gentleman was led into error in attributing it to the females only, from having too hastily considered as sexual differences merely, distinctions which are in reality the characters of different species. This view strips the case of its most serious difficulties; for, as far as the mere union of the fingers is concerned, though it is certainly a remarkable circumstance in the organization of animals so high in the scale of existence as the apes, that modification is by no means peculiar to these animals. The greater number of the marsupial quadrupeds of New Holland, the kangaroos, pottoroos, koalas, phalangers, petaurists, perameles, and phascolomes, possess the same formation, and it is well known that the entire order of incessores or perching birds are principally distinguished by the same character. In no known instance, however, has it ever been observed to mark a sexual distinction. 1. The Chimpanzee (P. troglodytes, Linn.) is that species of ape usually placed next to man in the scale of animal existence; though Baron Cuvier has contested its right to occupy this rank in favour of the orang-outang. M. Cuvier's preference of the latter species arises simply from the greater development of the region of the brain, and the comparative height of the forehead, as exhibited in the very young individuals usually brought to this country; but it is to be observed, that these marks of superior mental powers are completely obliterated in the adult animal; and that, in other respects, both the organic structure and intellectual capacity of the chimpanzée appear to be of a higher order than those of the orang-outang. The African species, for instance, has nearly the same proportion between the anterior and posterior extremities that is exhibited in mankind; nor has it the deformed neck and high shoulders of its Indian congener. These circumstances probably produce a greater facility of walking upright, as this species is commonly reported to do, and which is greatly impeded, by the long and disproportionate arms of the orang-outang. But no adult specimens of these animals have ever been brought alive to Europe; they are very seldom met with even in their native forests; and we are not aware that the full grown chimpanzée exists in any museum. Our information is, consequently, derived either from the observation of very young specimens, or from the reports of travellers often detailed at second hand, and, therefore, to be admitted with caution. The nead of the chimpanzée, even in the young individual, is flattened above, with a retiring forehead and a prominent bony ridge or crest over the eyebrows. In this respect it is certainly inferior to the young orang-outang, which exhibits a remarkable elevation of forehead, and a rotundity of the cranium much greater than even in the human infant, but its mental capacity does not correspond with these external appearances, and the great development of the face and muzzle degrade it to a close approximation with the lower animals. The face of the chimpanzée, on the contrary, is not relatively more prolonged, in proportion to the capacity of the cranium, than that of the human subject; the proportions of its different parts also more closely assimilate it to the human face, and the mouth, even in the adult animal appears to want the enormous canine teeth which characterize the Indian species. The mouth itself is wide, the ears remarkably large, the nose flat, and the arms and legs in about the same proportion as in man; the fore-fingers not quite touching the knees when the animal stands upright. In the orang-outang they nearly touch the ground, in similar circumstances, and the ears of the latter species are remarkable for their very small size and deformed appearance. The body of the chimpanzée is covered with long, coarse, black hair, thickest on the head, shoulders, and back, but thinly furnished on the breast and belly; the face is of a dark brown colour, and, like the ears, naked: the cheeks, however, are furnished with long black whiskers. Finally, the hair on the fore-arms is long and directed back towards the elbows, meeting that of the arms which is directed downwards in the usual manner, and forming a small ruff about the joint. African travellers assure us that the adult chimpanzée attains the ordinary stature of man, and is endowed with a degree of intelligence much superior to other quadrumana. It inhabits the countries from Sierra Leone to the southern confines of Angola, perhaps even from the Gambia to Cape Negro. Chimpanzée is said to be its name about Sierra Leone, but farther south it is called smitten and pongo, according to Battel and Bosman. Buffon and his copiers have strangely confounded the habits, and even the external form and description of the mandril, a large species of baboon inhabiting the same countries, and called mandril, barris, &c., by the natives, with those of the chimpanzée. It is of importance to bear this circumstance in mind, in reading common works on natural history, as nothing is more productive of error than the confusion thus introduced into the history of individual species, by forming a purely fictitious being, out of two or more really natural animals. Linnæus upon this, as on all other subjects, judged with greater accuracy than Buffon; yet the great author of the Systema Natura, with all the profound knowledge, acuteness, and calm unbiassed spirit of inquiry by which he was so eminently distinguished, long hesitated whether to consider the chimpanzée as a second species of the genus homo, or the first among the apes. It was only, indeed, in his last edition that Linnæus finally adopted the latter opinion, and learned to consider this extraordinary animal as generically distinct from man himself. That the stories of the pygmies, cynocephali, and other strange and deformed people, supposed by the antients to inhabit different parts of Africa, arose from vague reports of different species of apes and monkeys, appears to be highly probable; but the term troglodytes, which some authors have supposed to refer to the animal at present under consideration, denoted in reality a race of barbarians, as is well known to those who interest themselves in antient geography. [See TROGLODYTE.] All travellers agrec in assuring us, that, in a state of nature, the adult chimpanzeés live in society in the woods, where they construct huts to protect themselves against the sun and the tropical rains, by intertwining the leaves and branches of trees; that they walk upright, arm themselves with clubs, and unite to defend themselves against the attacks of wild beasts, compelling the elephant himself to abandon the districts in which they reside. It is dangerous for men to enter these forests, unless in companies and well armed; women, in particular, are often said to be carried away by these animals, and one negress is reported to have lived among them for the space of three years, during which time they treated her with uniform kindness, but always prevented any attempt on her part to escape. When the negroes leave a fire in the woods, it is said that the chimpanzées will gather round and warm themselves at the blaze, but they have not sufficient intelligence to keep it alive by fresh supplies of fuel. The chimpanzées generally brought to Europe, and whose manners have been observed by naturalists, were all of immature age. A specimen exhibited some years ago at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, in company with a young orangoutang of about the same age, afforded a very favourable opportunity for comparing the form and habits of these two animals. The chimpanzee, though in a declining state of health, and rendered peevish and irritable by bodily suffering, exhibited much superior marks of intelligence to his companion; he was active, quick, and observant of everything that passed around him; no new visiter entered the apartment in which he was kept, and no old one left it, without attracting his attention. The orang-outang, on the contrary, exhibited a melancholy and a disregard of passing occurrences almost amounting to apathy; and though in the enjoyment of better health, was evidently much inferior to her companion in quickness and observation. On one occasion, when these animals were dining off potatoes and boiled chicken, and surrounded as usual with a large party of visiters, the orang-outang allowed her plate to be taken away, without exhibiting the least apparent concern: not so, however, the chimpanzée; we took advantage of an opportunity, whilst his head was turned to observe a person coming in, to secrete his plate also: for a few seconds he looked round to see what had become of it, but not finding it, began to pout and fret exactly like a spoiled child, and perceiving a young lady, who happened to be standing near him laughing, or, perhaps, suspecting her to be the delinquent, he flew at her in the greatest rage, and would have probably bitten her had she not got beyond his reach. Upon having his plate restored, he took care to prevent the repetition of the joke by holding it firmly with one hand, while he fed himself with the other. Orang-Outang. is even remarkable for the flatness of its retiring forehead, the great development of the superorbital and occipital crests, the prominence of its jaws, the remarkable size of its canine teeth, and the whole form of the skull, which from the globular shape of the human head, as it appears in the young specimen, assumes all the forms and characters belonging to that of a large carnivorous animal. The extraordinary contrasts thus presented in the form of the skull, at different epochs of the same animal's life, were long considered as the characters of distinct species; nor was it till in termediate forms were obtained, exhibiting in some degree the peculiarities of both extremes, that they were finally recognised as distinguishing different periods of growth only. 2. The Orang-Outang (P. Satyrus, Lin.), the most celebrated of all the apes, is a native of the most remote and unfrequented forests in the interior of Borneo, Java, and Sumatra: perhaps also of the southern provinces of China and the Malayan Peninsula, but the authorities upon which these latter habitats rest, are by no means unquestionable. Though exhibiting in early youth a rotundity of the cranium and a height of forehead altogether peculiar, and accompanied, at the same time, with a gentleness of disposition and gravity of manners which contrast strongly with the petulant and irascible temper of the lower orders of quadrumanous mammals, the orang-outang in its adult state These characters of the adult animal, as well as the disproportionate length of the arms, the short, thick neck, deformed by two large membranous sacks, which give a peculiarly shrill and hollow tone to the animal's voice, and other details of its general organization, debase the orang-outang in the scale of existence when compared with the chimpanzée. The great length of the arms is certainly the most striking peculiarity about this animal, more particularly when compared with the shortness of the body and legs: when standing perfectly upright, the fingers can almost touch the ground, and hence it arises that the biped station is by no means so convenient for this species as for the chimpanzée. It is seldom, therefore, that the orang-outang attempts to walk on the hind feet alone; but when it does, the hands are invariably employed for the purpose of steadying its tottering equilibrium, touching the ground lightly on each side us it proceeds, and by this means recovering the lost balance of the body. Like the chimpanzée, this species is destitute of callosities; the muzzle is considerably prolonged, the mouth large and ill-formed, the lips thin and protuberant, the chin almost wanting, the ears remarkably small, and the nose so flat as to be recognised only by the nostrils. The face. ears, and hands are naked, and of a reddish brick colou.; the fore parts of the body also are but thinly covered with hair, but the head, shoulders, back, and extremities are very thickly clothed with long hair of a dark vinous red colour, directed forwards on the crown of the head, and upwards towards the elbows, on the fore arms. The nails of the hind thumbs are sometimes wanting in young individuals of this species, but the character is by no means general, much | figure, covered with shining brown hair, walking erect with less universal, nor is it a specific distinction, as some writers a waddling gait, but sometimes accelerating his motion with would have us believe. his hands, and occasionally impelling himself forward by the bough of a tree. His motion on the ground was evi dently not his natural mode of progression, for even when assisted by his hands or a stick it was slow and vacillating; it was necessary to see him amongst the trees to estimate his strength and agility. On being driven to a small clump, says Dr. Abel, he gained by one spring a very lofty branch, and bounded from one branch to another with the swiftness of a common monkey, his progress being as rapid as that of a swift horse. After receiving five balls, his exertions relaxed, and reclining exhausted against a branch, he vomited a quantity of blood. The ammunition of the hunters being by this time exhausted, they were obliged to fell the tree in order to obtain him, but what was their surprise, to see him, as the tree was falling, effect his retreat to another, with seemingly undiminished vigour! In fact, they were compelled to cut down all the trees before they could force him to combat his enemies on the ground, and when finally overpowered by numbers, and nearly in a dying state, he seized a spear made of a supple wood, which would have withstood the strength of the stoutest man, and broke it like a reed. It was stated by those who aided in his death, that the human-like expression of his countenance, and his piteous manner of placing his hands over his wounds, distressed their feelings so as almost to make them question the nature of the act they were committing. He was seven feet high, with a broad expanded chest, and narrow waist. His chin was fringed with a beard that curled neatly on each side, and formed an ornamental rather than a frightful appendage to his visage. His arms were long even in proportion to his height, but his legs were much shorter. Upon the whole,' adds his biographer, he was a wonderful beast to behold, and there was more about him to excite amazement than fear. His hair was smooth and glossy, and his whole appearance showed him to be in the full vigour of youth and strength.' The relations which Europeans have maintained with India, ever since the end of the fifteenth century, have afforded frequent opportunities for observing this animal, and many young specimens have been at different times introduced into England, Holland, France, and Portugal. In youth it is principally remarkable for its gentle and affectionate disposition, but the cold and moist character of our northern climates always prevents the development of its faculties, and terminates its life in a very few months. The following account of the habits and manners of a specimen, observed by Dr. Clarke Abel in Java, exhibits the animal in more favourable, because more natural, circumstances. Whilst in Java,' says Dr. Abel, 'he lodged in a large tamarind tree near my dwelling, and formed a bed by intertwining the small branches and covering them with leaves. During the day, he would lie with his head projecting beyond his nest, watching whoever might pass under, and when he saw any one with fruit, would descend to obtain a share of it. He always retired for the night at sun-set, or sooner if he had been well fed; and rose with the sun and visited those from whom he habitually received food. On board ship he commonly slept at the mast-head, after wrapping himself up in a sail. Sometimes I pre-occupied his bed, and teased him by refusing to give it up. On these occasions, he would endeavour to pull the sail from under me, or force me to quit it, and would not rest till I had resigned it. If all the sails happened to be set, he would hunt about for some other covering, and either steal one of the sailors' jackets, or empty a hammock of its blankets. His favourite amusement in Java was in swinging from the branches of trees, or climbing over the roofs of houses; on board, in hanging by the ropes, or romping with the boys of the ship. He would entice them to play by striking them with his hand as they passed, and then bounding from them, but allowing them to overtake him and engage in a mock scuffle. Of some small monkeys on board he took little notice whilst under the observation of the persons of the ship. Once, indeed, he openly attempted to throw a small cage containing three of them overboard; but I had reason to believe that he was not so indifferent to their society when free from observation. On one occasion I observed him, lying on his back, partially covered with a sail, contemplating with great gravity the gambols of a young monkey which was bounding over him: at length, he caught him by the tail and tried to envelope him in his covering. The monkey seemed to dislike the confinement, and broke from him, but again renewed its gambols, and though frequently caught, always escaped. The intercourse, however, did not seem to be that of equals, for the orang-outang never condescended to romp with the monkeys as he did with the boys of the ship. Yet the monkeys had evidently a great predilection for his company, for whenever they broke loose, they took their way to his resting-place. But though so gentle when not exceedingly irritated, the orang-outang could be excited to violent rage, and on one or two occasions committed an act which, in a rational being. would have been called the threatening of suicide. If repeatedly refused an orange when he attempted to take it, he would shriek violently, and swing furiously about the ropes, then return and endeavour to obtain it; if again refused, he would roll for some time like an angry child upon the deck, uttering the most piercing screams, and then, suddenly starting up, rush furiously over the side of the ship and disappear. On first witnessing this act, we thought that he had thrown himself into the sea; but, on searching, found him concealed under the chains.' It is very seldom that the adult orang-outang has come under the observation of Europeans. An interesting paper, relative to the capture of an individual seven feet high, likewise from the pen of Dr. Clarke Abel, is contained in the fifteenth volume of the Asiatic Researches. This animal was discovered by the company of a merchant ship, at a place called Ramboon, on the north-west coast of Sumatra, on a spot where there were but few trees or much cultivated ground. It was evident that he had come from a distance, for his legs were covered with mud up to the knees, and the natives were unacquainted with him. On the approach of the boat's crew, he came down from the tree in which he was discovered, and made for a clump at some distance, exhibiting, as he moved, the appearance of a tall man-like [The Siamang.] 3. The Siamang (P.syndactylus, Raffles) is an interesting species of ape discovered in Sumatra by the combined researches of the late Sir Stamford Raffles, and the French naturalists, Diard and Duvaucelle. It is the largest of the subdivision of gibbons, or apes distinguished by the possession of small rudimentary callosities, and in this respect, as well as in its intellectual acquirements, is considerably inferior in the scale of natural beings to the chimpanzée and orang-outang. Its skull is small and depressed; its face naked and black, a few red hairs only marking the forehead and chin; the eyes deeply sunk under large pro jecting brows; the nose broad and flat, with wide open nostrils; the mouth opens almost to the articulation of the jaws; the cheeks are sunk under high cheek-bones, and the chin almost rudimentary. The hair over the whole body is extremely thick, long, and of a glossy black colour, much closer on the shoulders, back, and limbs, than on the belly, which, particularly in the females, is nearly naked. The scrotum of the males, also, is furnished with a tuft of very long straight hair, which descends to the knee, and readily distinguishes this sex from the females, which, on the other hand, are easily recognised by their naked breasts and bellies, and prominent mamma terminated by large nipples. The ears are entirely concealed by the hair of the head; they are naked, and, like all the other naked parts, of a deep black colour. Beneath the chin there is a large bare sack, of a lax and oily appearance, which is distended with air when the animal cries, and in that state resembles an enormous goitre. It is in all respects similar to that already described in the orang-outang, and undoubtedly assists in swelling the volume of the voice, and producing those astounding cries, which, according to M. Duvaucelle's account, may be heard at the distance of several miles. Nor is this the only point in which these two species resemble one another. The siamang, like the orang-outang, has the hair of the head directed forwards so as to shade the forehead, as in the human species, and that of the fore-arm directed upwards towards the elbow; where, encountering the hair of the humerus, which grows in the contrary direction, it forms a prominent ruff. But the most extraordinary part of the organization of this species, consists in the union of the index and middle fingers of the posterior extremities, from which it derives its specific appellation of syndactylus, and which, being connected together as far as the nail-joint, are altogether destitute of separate or individual motion. The habits and character of the siamang are so vividly painted by M. Duvaucelle, from observations made upon this animal in his native forests of Sumatra, that we cannot do better than translate his account as communicated in a letter to M. F. Cuvier. This species,' says M. Duvaucelle, 'is very common in our forests (those, namely, in the neighbourhood of Bencoolen, in Sumatra), and I have had frequent opportunities of observing it as well in its wild state, as in bondage. The siamangs generally assemble in numerous troops, conducted, it is said, by a chief, whom the Malays believe to be invulnerable, probably because he is more agile, powerful, and difficult to attain than the rest. Thus united, they salute the rising and the setting sun with the most terrific cries, which may be heard at the distance of many miles, and which, when near, stun, when they do not frighten: this is the morning call of the mountain Malays, but to the inhabitants of the town, who are unaccustomed to it, it is a most insupportable annoyance. By way of compensation, they keep a profound silence during the day, unless when interrupted in their repose or their sleep. These animals are slow and heavy in their gait; they want confidence when they climb, and agility when they leap, so that they may be easily caught, when they can be surprised. But nature, in depriving them of the means of readily escaping danger, has endowed them with a vigilance which rarely fails them; and if they hear a noise which is unknown to them, even at the distance of a mile, fright seizes them, and they immediately take flight. When surprised on the ground, however, they may be captured without resistance, either overwhelmed with fear, or conscious of their weakness and the impossibility of escaping. At first, indeed, they endeavour to avoid their pursuers by flight, and it is then that their mal-address in this exercise becomes most apparent. Their body, too tall and heavy for their short slender thighs, inclines forward, and availing themselves of their long arms as crutches, they thus advance by jerks, which resemble the hobbling of a lame man, whom fear compels to make an extraordinary effort. ⚫ However numerous the troop may be, if one is wounded it is immediately abandoned by the rest, unless indeed it happen to be a young one; then the mother, who either carries it, or follows close behind, stops, falls with it, and uttering the most frightful cries, precipitates herself upon the common enemy with open mouth and arms extended. But it is manifest that these animals are not made for combat; they neither know how to deal nor to shun a blow. Nor is their maternal affection displayed only in moments of danger: the care which the females bestow upon their offspring is so tender, and even refined, that one would be almost tempted to attribute the sentiment to a rational rather than an instinctive process. It is a curious and interesting spectacle, which a little precaution has sometimes enabled me to witness, to see these females carry their young to the river, wash their faces in spite of their outcries, wipe and dry them, and altogether bestow upon their cleanliness, a time and attention that, in many cases, the children of our own species might well envy. The Malays related a fact to me, which I doubted at first, but which I believe to be in a great measure confirmed by my own subsequent observations: it is, that the young siamangs, whilst yet too weak to go alone, are always carried by individuals of their own sex, by their fathers if they are males, and by their mothers if females. I have also been assured that these animals frequently become the prey of the tiger, from the same species of fascination which serpents are related to exercise over birds, squirrels, and other small animals. 'Servitude, however long, seems to have no effect in modifying the characteristic defects of this ape, his stupidity, his sluggishness, and his awkwardness. It is true, that a few days suffice to make him as gentle and contented, as he was before wild and distrustful; but, constitutionally timid, he never acquires the familiarity of other apes, and even his submission appears to be rather the result of extreme apathy, than of any degree of confidence or affection. He is almost equally insensible to good or bad treatment; gratitude and revenge are sentiments equally strange to him. All his senses are dull and imperfect; if he regards an object, it is manifestly without any intention-if he touches it, it is involuntarily. In a wood, the siamang exhibits an absence of all intellectual faculty; and if animals were to be classed according to their mental capacities, he would certainly occupy a very inferior station. Most commonly squatted on his hams, with his long arms twined round him, and his head concealed between his legs, a position which he also occupies whilst sleeping, he is seldom roused from his lethargy, nor does he break silence, unless at intervals to utter a disagreeable cry, which in sound approaches to that of a turkey-cock, but which appears to be expressive of no sentiment, nor to declare any want, and which in reality expresses nothing: hunger itself is insufficient to excite, or divest him of his natural lethargy; he takes his food with indifference, carries it to his mouth without avidity, and sees himself deprived of it without testifying either surprise or resentment.' 4. The Wouwou (P. agilis, F. Cuv.) has a bluish-black face, slightly tinged with brown in the female: the eyes are approximated, and deeply sunk in the head, owing to the prominent brows which surmount them; there is scarcely any forehead; the nose is not altogether so flat as in the siamang, and the nostrils open by large lateral slits; the chin is provided with a few hairs by way of beard, and the ears are almost concealed by long white whiskers, which, uniting into a narrow band, cross the forehead immediately over the eyebrows. It is difficult to give a precise idea of the colours of this animal, particularly as they are liable to considerable variation on account of age and sex. The fur itself is of a softer and more woolly quality than in the other species: it is of a very dark brown colour on the head, breast, belly, and inner surface of the arms and thighs, becomes insensibly lighter on the neck and shoulders, and finally assumes a blond hue almost white, on the loins and hips. The posterior face of the thighs is a mixture of brown, white, and red; and the backs of the hands and feet are very dark brown, like the belly. The female is not so hairy in front as the male, her eyebrows are less prominent, and her whiskers smaller. The young are of a uniform straw colour. It is likewise to M. Duvaucelle that we are indebted for the knowledge of this species, and for the only account which we possess of its habits and economy. It inhabits the same countries and localities as the siamang, but is less frequently seen, as its surprising agility enables it easily to elude observation or escape pursuit. These apes,' says M. Duvaucelle, which live more frequently isolated in couples than in families, are the most rare of the genus found in the neighbourhood of Bencoolen. Very different from the siamang in its surprising agility, the wouwou escapes like a bird, and like it can only be shot flying: scarcely has it perceived the appearance of danger, when it is already far distant. Climbing rapidly to the tops of the trees, it then seizes the most flexible branches, and |