Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-01-01
MONKEYS In SUMATRA.
VARiETiES SEEN
BY A TRAVELLER.
THE Intelligent Little Ones and the Du'l and
Htapld Big Species - Some of Them
Attain the I'm ,rmous sizes Of
six Feet Or More.

years in Sumatra, tn It country OF
which so little is known, writes for
Chambers journal n most entertain
ing account OF the animals be saw
there. OF monkeys, which throug
the land. he says tho cOmmOnest
species is the black nacaque. but an
other. almost equally plentiful, is the
pig-tailed macaque. the ''brok" OF the
Malays. This monkey is about the
size of bull terrier, and at IL distance
is not unlike one. from its habitual
walk being on all-fours and its general
dog-like carriage. This is. believe.
the most artful and intelligent OF all
monkeys, and is the one trained by
tho M.lays to gather cocoanuts and
durians. But. like Nll their race they
are spitcful. "unchancy" brutes. and
never safe 10 handle. You can never
trust monkey however tame he
appears. as the late Frank auckland
found to his cost on more than one
occasion. l have several times seen
monkey. which after being some time
in captivity had made au excursion in
to the Jungle. set upon by his wild
relatives. and ANONYMOUSLY hunted
back to the abodes OF men. / don't
know how to account for this. Did
they think that his morals or manners
had deteriorated in the society OF the
anthropoids who couldn't climb trees
and didn't know how to screech?
Then there are the gibbons. these
marvellous trapeze and horizontal bar
performers, with their almost bird-likoa
flights from tree top to tree top, and
their chorus Of melancholy hootings
at morning and evening, l only saw
one specimen of the siamang in cap.
tivity, at the house OF a Malay chief AT
Sirdang. 1t was about feet high,
but the stretch OF its arms was over
5 feet. A sad-looking. depressed crea-
turo it seemed. as it moved awkwardly
about the floor tripping itself with its
own arms; but once among the raftcrs
OF the roof it moved with the agility
OF a spider. OF its gigantic relative.
the orang-utan, l am able to give IA
few particulars. But may at least
observe that it is rather ludicrous to
any one who has smattering OF the
Malay tongue to sec him so frequently
styled orang- outang. which signifies
literally "a man in debt utang being
in Malay debt" while ''utan'' is for
est. or jungle. But l always found the
name incomprehensible 20 the Deli
Malays, whose name for the animal is
'mewas." The Sumatran species APP
pears to be totally different in its hab-
its from that of Bornco, which ap.
proaches human dwellings. and even
plumbers gardens. In Deli at all
events. it inhabits only the denset rat
tan swamps, OF such n nature that any
attempts ut observation Of its habits
would DO impossible; and it makes off
instantly at the approach OF man. 1t
is certain. however, that it attains an
enormous size. fully equalling the much
debated African gorilla. Those speci-
mems which have reached Europe alive
are mere pigmies. have seen skins
in the possession of natives (Bataks)
whose original owners must have beer,
something terrible to behold: one in
deed could not have been less than
feet high and 2 across the shoulders,
though the arms and legs had not been
preserved.
: also saw at Batak house skull
OF mowas, evidently a very old speci-
| vvh
whit inferior in strength to that of a
tiger. 'ried to buy it. but the owner
would not part with il, and told "A Ion.
story as to how it came into his pos
session. From his want of front teeth
and his defective Malay. he was al.
most unintelligible; but made out
,. that it had been slain either by his
, father or grandfather. after u desper.
/ ate encounter; and. indeed, the deoI
cuts in the bone must have been done
BY strong arm.
) One or two small specimens saw il,
captivity. but they seemed TO have
less intelligence than any animal
= ever saw. and reminded me in all their
actions OF Chinese coolies after an over.
dose OF opium. 1t is very possible
that their captors ''hocussed" them
: with that or something similar to keel
them from escaping. There is be.
lief among certain of the Sumatrar
natives Of the existence OF Il creature
! half ape. half demon. which feeds OF
' human flesh, and decoys its victims
into the Jungle by initiating tho
laughter OF women. What foundation
t there is for this l don't know. probably
4 none. except the cannibal practices 0
the Bataks; but it Is not ut all tn,
n kind OF thing 10 remember in tn.
r depths OF those gloomy. nightmarish
t swamp jungles. with only two or thre,
chicken-hearted Javanese in company