Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-26
THE ORANG-UTAN AT HOME.
Hunting in Borneo.
From Once a Week.

quaiuted with 5he natural history of the
man-lilze apes, should study Professor HuX-
ley admirable essay upon this subject In
'.Man's Place in Nature. In this essay
the Professor gives an historical sketch OF
the knowledge of these animals from 1898
when Pigafet:a's Description of the
History of Congo" appeared to the present
date, when wereceghize four distinct kinds,
namely, the gibbons and the orangs of the
East. aud The chimpanzees and the gorillas
which are found only in Western Africa;
fact which 1t has taken naturaiists nearly
two centuries to establish. For a long
time there was a" great confusion between
the apes If Africa and the Eastern Arch
ipelagO-pOngos. mandrills, boggoes. pyg-
mics, joc1os, and orangs being regarded as
more or less Synonymous.
The first true orang that was ever brought
alive to Europe WAS one that was sent from
Borneo TO Holland in 1779. L. was we'll de-
scribed and figured by Vosmaer, and after
Its death. which occurred less than year,
it was dissected by the famous Dutch anat
omist Camper.
A couple Of years latter, NJ Palm. the
Dutch resident at Rembang, gave 2 graph
ic description Of an erang hunt. After
offering IN vain hundred ducats to the
natives for an orang of four or five feet
high, he heard that a live one had been
seen In his neighborhood. 'eFor a long
time, indeed, We did our best to take the
frigntful beast alive in the dense forest half
way to Landox. We forgot even to eat,
what can mo clearly express the inten-
sity of a Dutchman's feelings y so anxious
were we not to let him escape. This game
lasted from o'clock in the morning
to 5 0 clock IN the afternoon, when we
determined to shoot him, in which I sue
ceeded very well, for the bullet went just
into the side Of his chest. We got him in
to the Prov still living and bound him fast,
but next morning he died of his wounds.
His length from the head to the heel was
fofty-nine inches; and his body was semitic
Europe in brady, but unfortunately the
ship was wrecked.
This is probably the earliest authentic
histocy OF an oIang hunt There are few
animals whose habits and mode of life are
so hard to study as the different kinds of
man-like apes. They inhabit + gions i'm
pregnated with jingle fever, and bounded
for the most part by highly malarious
coasts; and as Professor Huxley eloquently
observes:
Once in q generation Wallace may be
found physically, mentally, and morally
Cuaiifie to wander unscathed through the
tropical wilds OF America and of Asia; to
form magnificent collections as he wanders,
sad, Vithsi TO think ont sagaciousIy the
conclusions suggested by the collections" :"
Even with all his physical qualifications
Mr.. Wallace explored only an lnfinitesimal
quantity of the great surperfcies ofBorneo,
as may be seen by reference to the map of
his travels; and what natural history Won
ders may be dIscovs red when another Wal
lace arises aud penetrates fairly into the
interior it is impossible to conceive.
The following IS Il very brief abstract Of
Mr. Wallaces game-book. during his resi-
dence among the 0rang-utans. Just
week after his arrival at the coal-rnines, as
he was collecting insects about a quarter of
a mile from his house, ne saw his first Mas.
It was. a large, red-haiFed animal, hanging
from the branches Of tree under which
he was standing. 1t passed on from tree
to tree until it was lost in the jungle. On
this occasion the traveller seems not to
have had his Gun with him. About q fort
night afterward he was told that one was
feeding on q tree, in q swamp just below
his hoas e, and got shot at it, the second
barrel causing it to fall almost dead. It
was a male aboat half grown, and scarcely
three feet high.
On April 25, when he was out with two
Dvaks. he found another of about the same
size, which, when he fred, fell with bro
ken arm aud wound III its body. The
two Dfaks attemgted TO secure it alive, but
even in its wounded state, and although it
was only half grown, lit was too strong for
these young savages, drawing them toward
its mouth, notwithstanding all their efforts,
so that they were obliged to leave go, or
they would have been seriously bitten. 1t
was then shot through the heart.
On May 2 he found one on the top of a
very high Tree, and fred at but did not
kill it.
On May u, he secured full grown fe-
male, three feet six inches high, and with
a width of arms of six feet SIX inches. She
required five Shots but at last fell dead on
the fork of a tree, from whence she was
brought down by an agile Dyak.
Only four days afterwards a rather large
female was reported as seen, and was kill
ed after three shots. When preparing to
carry It home, they found a young one face
downwards in the bog, and apparently un-
hurt.
Exactly week after its capture, ION May
23) Mr. Wallace succeeded in shooting g
full-grown male orang-utan. The history
of his capture occupies several pages, and
it was not till he had received six shots that
he fixed himself on the branches of a tree
'.in such a position that he could not fall
and lay in 4 heap as ii dead or dying
messenger was sent for two Cinnamon with
axes to cut down the tree; in his absence
plucky Dyak climbed towards the Mas
who then moved to = neighborinS tree, IN
the dense branches and creepers of which
he almost completely hid himself The
tree was luckily a small one, and when the
axes arrived Its stem vas soon cut through
but it was SO braced by jungle-ropes anC
climbers to adjoining trees that 1t wOulC
not fall into more than a slOping position
st last a long aud strong pull at the creep
ers caused it to shake very much, ''ani
when we had almost given up all hope
down he came with n crash and thud like
the fall Of a giant. And he was giant
his read and body being full as large as
mans His outsiretched arms measured
seven feet three inches across, and his
height, measuring fairly from the top o.
the head to the heel, was four feet two
inches. The body just below the arms was
as mans the legs being exceedingly short
IN proportion. He had been dreadfully
wounded; both legs were broken, one hip
joint and the root of the spine completely
shattered and two buliet4 were found fat
tened in his neck and iaws Yet he was
still alive when he fell" His skeleton and
skin nov adorn the museum at Derby.
Nearly q tortnlglt after this adventure
(Jnne Al some Dyaks killed very fine full
grown male with spears and choppers, g
few miles from the mines. The anima-
seized it's first assai.ant's arm in its mouth
ssnaking his teeth meet in the flesh abov,
the elbow. which Re tore and lacerated in
dreadful manner"
On June is Mr. Wallace shot another fin,
adult male in the act Of feeding on an oya
green fruit having a tIne red nriilus, hk,
the mace which surrounds the nutmeg, anl
which alone he seemed to eat, biting OF
the thick outer rind, aud dropping it IN
continual sh0Wer
On the 21s5 ne secured an adult female
on the 24th he killed a male OF the larges
SIZE, who, after am arm had been broker
reached the very highest part of an I'M
mense tree, and Immediately began break
ing of heughs all around, aud LAYING then
hciosa ana across to make a nest, SO that il
lew minutes 1t had formed compac