The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-07-14


A female gibbon has been known tt
throw herself at a window across pass
age twelve feet wide, and catching tho
narrow framework between the pane;
with her fingers, to spring back into hel
cage, and this without any injury to the
glass. Though gibbons refuse most an.
imal food, they will eat insects; they
drink by dipping their fingers into
liquid and then licking them. 1t is
affirmed, but the statement requires
veriiication, that the females carry their
young to the watcrside in order to wash
their faces. The young ones are said to
cry and resist the operation, an event
not at all uncommon among the juven-
lies OF the highest vertebrate. Be the
washing story true or not, this is certain,
that young gibbons in captivity are gen.
tie and affectionate, and, when teased,
cry like children. They have also a
sort of conscience thus, it is related of
tame gibbon that he was very fond OF
deranging the knicknacks in his mas
ter's cabin, like kitten playing with
ball of string. When corrected he
would do it on the sly,glancing furtive.
lya about to see whether he was being
watched. The moment he found he was
observed, he would replace any article
he had in his hand, and pretend, like
the boy laden with snowballs in front
of broken window, that at wasn't
him."
Gibbons take readily to the erect pos
ture; when erect, they keep the elbows
and wrists bent, and the arms raised to
the back of their heads, to throw the
centre of gravity back, or they hold
their arms uplifted and their hands
pendant, to balance themselves, as q
pole balances a rope. walker. They walk
with quick, waddling gait, and at
higher speeds they place the knuckles
of their enormously long arms on the
ground, using them like crutches, and
rather swinging forward than running.
They place the whole length of the sole
of their feet fiat on the ground, and
have consequently no elasticity of step.
The orang- outangs live in the dense
and most sombre forests. They are gen.
orally met with in twos and threes, ex-
cept the old males, who live alone. In
their movements they are as unlike as
possible to the gibbon. They never
make the smallest jump, are slow and
sluggish, and are only stirred to exer.
tion by the presence of hunger or of
danger When not disturbed they re.
main in one spot, for hours together,
and inhabit one tree for many days.
When they move they crawl rather
than climb from one tree to another,
moving slowly and cautiously, climb.
ing hand over hand like man, and
drawing both feet together after them.
In climbing they take the greatest care
of their feet, any injury to that part
seeming to affect the animal seriously.
Even when closely pursued, the phleg-
matte circumspection Of the orang does
not desert him; he shakes the branches
to assure himself that they will bear
him, before vcnturing to trust his weight
to them. The orang is immensely pow
erful. He is said to fight crocodiles,
beating them to death and ripping up
their throats by pulling their jaws as.
sunder. This is probably fiction, par
allel to the native story, that the gorilla
has pugilstic encounters with elephants
in which the elephant comes off second
best. Notwithstanding his great
strength the orang rarely defends him
self especially ifattacked with firearms.
He seems to hold the opinion that dis.
discretion is the better part of valor,
and endeavors to escape from man by
hiding himself. When brought to bay,
however, he becomes very energetic /;
he flies into a desperate rage, uttering
loud, pumping grunts, and throwing
down branches and other missiles at his
pursuers. One animal, on being hunted
intoa Gurian tree-a tree bearing heavy
spinod fruits as large as thirty.two
pounders-threw these at his pursuers
with such precision and force as effect.
ually to make them keep clear of the
tree he was on.
Like the gibbon the orang descends
late in the day to the ground, returning
to his tree to sleep, ,choosinga firm place
among the lower branches, ten or twen-
ty feet from tho ground, for his bed.
Here he constructs a sort of large nest,
two or three feet in circumference, with
small boughs, drawn together and bent
across each other with leaves for q mat
tress to make the bed soft and comfort
able. This is the hut which these ami.
mails are said to build it is nothing
more than bed of leaves, having no
perpendicular walls, and no roof. On
cold nights the orang covers his body
with leaves, and is especially careful to
wrap his head in them. The motto of
the orang seems to be early to bed and
late to rise; he retires to his couch about
five O'Clock in the afternoon, and does
not get up till nine o'clock next morn
ing, by which time the sun has dissi-
pated the mists. This fact will no
doubt carry great comfort and consola-
ton to people who are fond Of lying in
bed in the morning. Some folks con-
slider it unhealthy and unnatural, but
that cannot be when animals in a state
of nature do not rise till the day is aired.
In confinement, the orang is false and
wicked to the last degree, though, when
taken very young, he can be domesti.
Gated, and made to behave tolerably
well to persons he knows. On the ap.
pearance Of strangers, he will slowly
approach them and insinuate his hand
with apparently friendly intentions,
through the bars of his cage. On a sud.
den, he will extend his long arm, and
make a grippe at any portion of the
dress or person of the beholder that
happens to be within reach, taking the
face for choice. Orangs never bite, theil
organs of offence are the hands; in this
they differ from the gibbons, who bite