Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-23
The Missing Link.


Through the courtesy of Mr.. Farini, |
have had private interview with this
curious little waif, which lie is now cx-
hibiting at the Royal Aquarium, West
minister, and for which he claims the dis
tinction of being the long sought-for
"missing link" between man and the an
thropoid apes, Krao certainly presents
some abnormal peculiarities, but they are
scarcely of n sufficiently pronounced type
to justify such claim. She is, in fact, "A
distinctly human child, apparently about
seven years old, endowed with an average
share of intelligence, and possessing the
faculty of artculate speech. Since her
arrival, about ten weeks ago, i'll London,
she has acquired several English words,
which she uses intelligently, and not
merely parrot fashion MS has been stated.
Thus, on my suddenly producing my
watch at the interview, she was attracted
by the glitter, and cried out, "COck
Cock." that is, ctOck, clock This show
ed considerable powers of generalization,
accompanied by somewhat defective ar
ticulation and 1t papears that her pho
netic system does not yet embrace the
liquids and =. But in this aud other
respects her education is progressing
favorably, and she has already so far
adapted herself to civilized ways that the
mere threat to be sent back to her own
people is always sufficient to suppress any
symptoms of unruly conduct.
Physically, Krao presents several pecu-
liar features. The head and low forehead
are covered, down to the bushy eyebrows,
with the deep-black, lanli and lustreless
hair characteristic of the Mongoloid races
The whole body is also overgrown with Il
far less dense coating of soft black hair,
about quarter of an inch long, but nc
where close enough to conceal the color
of the skin, which may be described rs OF
dark olive-brown shade. The nose is
extremely short and low, with excessively
bro Dad nostrils merging in the full pouch
ed cheeks, in which she appears to have
the habit of stuffing her food monkey
fashion. Like those of the authropoids,
her feet are also prehensile, and the hands
so flexible that they bend quite back over
the wrists The thumb also doubles COM
pletely back, and OF the four fingers all
the top joints independently bend at plea
sure inward. Prognathism seems to be
very slightly developed, and her beau
tiful round black eyes are very large and
sion is, on the WHOLE far from unpleasing
anu Hpt nctIiy So "Pc-iho "o ehue Va 'iic
many Negritos, and especially of the Ja-
vancse "Ardi," figured by me in Nature
of December 30, 1880 But it should be
mentioned that, when in pet Krao's lips
are said to protrude SO far Us to give her
"quite chimpanzee look"
Apart from her history, one might feel
disposed to regard this specimen merely
rs u sport" or lusus nature, possessed
| C n ,,otln looipol than of atriptl u
meteorological interest. Certainly. iso-
lated cases Of hairy persons, and even OF
hairy families, are not unknown to science.
Several were figured in a recent number
of the Berlin ZeitschriH .fur Ethnoiogie ;
and, if / remember, both Crawiurd
("Journal of an Embassy to SIAM and
Colonel Yule ("Mission to the Court OF
Ava") speak Of hairy family resident foI
, two OF three generations at the Burmese
capital. This family is reported to nave
come originally from the interior of the
; Lao country and in the same region We
are now told that little Krao and her pa
rents, also hairy people, We're found las
year by the well-known Eastern explorer
Mr.. Carl Book. Soon after their capture
the father appears to have died of choleri
and the mother was detained at Bangkol
} by the Siamese Government, SO that krat
3, alone could be brought to England But
before his death, photograph OF thu
father was taken by Mr., Book, who des
a him as completely covered with thicl
hairy coat exactly like that of the anthro
Q poid apes. On his face not only had he
e heavy bushy beard and whiskers simila
g i'll every respect to the hairy family at tn
I Court Of the King of Burmah, who ais
came from the same region as that il
e which Krao and her father were found
$ but every part was thoroughly envelope
= in hair The long arms and the rounde
/ stomach also proclaimed his close allianc
II to the monkey form, while his power q
speech and his intelligence were so ia
y developed that, before his death, he wa
" able to utter II few words in Malay
II Assuming the accuracy of these state
g ments and Of this description, little Ira
l. of course at once acquires exceptions
's scientific Importance. She would mt II
q events be living proof of the presenc
Ii of hairy race in Farther India, rcgio
e at present mainly occupied by almo,
IL hairless Mongoloid people.
# At the last Cincinnati Industrial cxhibitC
II 22, 1856 men and women were weighed II