River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-18
Hunting the Ourang.Outane..
Prof.. Hornaday to Saratoga Science conyenti

In Borneo the ourang-outang inhabits
that wide belt of low forest-covered
swamps which lies between the sea-
coast and the mountain ranges of the
interior, extending entirely around the
western half of the island. Last year
while ON a collecting expedition for
Prof. I'll. A. Ward, had ample oppor-
tunities to study the habits Of the
ourang- outang in its native forests.
visited Borneo in August, 1873, for the
sole purpose of obtaining specimens of
the Bornean simia, and to study the
specimens. | visited the Territory of
Sarawak, and for two and a half months
devoted my entire time hunting the
ourang-outang along the River Sadong
and its tributary, the Simujan. This
whole region is one vast swamp, cover
ed everywhere with dense growth and
lofty virgin forests. Daring the fruit
season from the middle of January to
May /, the food of the ourang is the
durion, mongasteen, and the rambuton.
During the hot months of May, June.
and July they retire far into the depths
of the forest, and are exceedingly diff
cult to find. But during the season of
the heaviest rains, from August to
November, when the forests are flood
ed, the ourangs are found in the vIcin-
ity of the rivers. soon found that the
only way to reach them would be to
watch for them in the tree-tops.
Near the source of the Simujan
River and far beyond the last Dyak vii
lage we found great numbers of old
hot
The nest consists of a number of leafv
branches broken off and piled loosely
into fork of tree. The ourang usu-
ally selects saplin and builds his nest
in the top though his weight causes it
to sway alarmingly. He often builds
his nest within twenty-five feet of the
ground and seldom higher than forty
feet. Sometimes it is fully three feet
in diameter, but usually not more than
two, and quite fiat on the top. There is
no weaving together of branches. In
short, the ourang builds nest precise
ly as man would build one for him.
self. were he obliged to pass a night in
tree-top and had nothing to cut
branches with. l have seen one or two
such nests of men in the forests, where
the builder had only his bare hands to
work with, and they were just as rudely
constructed of just such materials, and
in about the same position, as the aver
age ourangs nest. Upon this leafy
platform the ourang lies
prone upon bis back. with his long
arms and thick short legs thrust outward
and upward, firmly grasping, while he
sleeps, the nearest large branches with
in his reach. On several occasions |
surprised these animals npon their nests
and once had the opportunity to watch
an ourang while it constructed his rest
ing place. l never heard of or saw any
house building by ourang outangs.
We found the animals most namer
Gus along the Simujan River near its
sourse. Our manner of hunting was to
make trips up and down the river in
our boat, padding slowly and silently
long keeping careful lookout. Some
times in rounding bend in the river
we would come full upon huge black
faced, red-haired animalreposing quite
ly or feeding. / aimed to shoot them
through the chest and thus either kill
them at once or disable them so that
they wonld be unable to get away. On
several occasions | succeeded in killing
a large specimen. with a single bullet.
1t would at all times have been an easy
matter to haye shot them through the
head but it would have ruined their
skulls.
| think we may fairly consider the
ourangs the most helpless of all quad
rumana. Owing to the great weight of
their bodies and the peculiar structure
of their hands, they cannot run nim-
bly, over the largest branches, and ney-
er dare to spring from ore tree to an
other. The weight of the male ranges
from 100 to 160 pounds. Upon the
ground ourangs are a picture of the
most abject helplessness and in their
native forests they are seldom known
to descend to the earth. They are
utterly incapable Outstanding fully erect
without touching the ground with their
hands, and for them to be represented
in drawings and museums as standing
erect is contrary to nature.