Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-11-02
GIANT APES OF soRNgo.

MY acquaintance with apes has been |
chiefly made in Borneo," said Prof
Henry A. Ward, the famous natural |
science collector, the other dav THAT |
great island is the home OF the orang, |
which is the most arboreal of all |
monkeys. The animals live in trees |
altogether rarely if ever visiting the i
ground. 1t takes two good marksmen |
to shoot one, because they dodge |
around the trunks They do all their
fighting aloft, and it is great iun to see |
them drop the armfuls of frait they |
have gathered in contests for lis posses !
sion. They are plentiful in the low
lands near the coast. 1t is rarely chat !
anybody ventures into the interior, be-
cause there the head-hunting natives
prowl. Among them each man is re-
quircd to have secured head before he
is permitted to marry, and on this ac-
count the young gentlemen savagcs are
continually looking about for some
body to kill This makes travelling dis
agreeable.
Zone of the most noticeable features
of the landscape of Borneo is the nests
of orangs which are scattered about
thicllly among the tall trees. From
their number one might get greatly
exaggerated impression of the plenti-
| fulness of the species, unless it were
understood how aud for what purpose
these roCsting places are constructed.
The beasts are greatly annoyed by
flies, from which they are able to pro-
tcct the front part OF their bodies with
! their hands, but they cannot keep the
vicious insects from biting them in the
rear and so they gather quantity Of
| leaves and branches and make them
| into uches to repOse against among
the boughs. a protection of this sort
serves very well for awhile, but pres
emily its material begins to dccompose
and the decaying leaves attract the
flies which the orang is so anxious to
get rid Of. Then he is Obliged to make
another nest of fresh stuff and so he
may require dozens of them in the
course Of year. Inasmuch as he does
not take the trouble to remove the old
ones, they remain to adorn the tree top
in which he swings about.
"Orangs have a very curious method
Of lighting. In their conflicts among
themselves, which are frequent, their
| effort is always 70 seize the fingers of
their adycrsaries and bite thcm. A
very beautiful groupor these animals at
the National museum, mounted by Mr.
Hornaday, admirably illustrates Il typic-
al encounter of the sort 1t is owing t.
this method Of battle that it is almost
Impossible to procure a skin which docs
not lack some Of the fingers. If deierl-
ing itself against q man the beast viii
always attempt to grab the arms Of his
human opponent SO as to chew Oft his
fingers. For this purpose its jaw is cN-
ccllently adapted, being enormously
powerful and equipped with huge in
cisors.
] The favor;te food Of the orangis tie
'durion' fruit, which is, perhaps, the
l most delicious in the world, uniting, as
l it does, the flavors of the peach, the
= pear and the straw bcrry. Like most
things nearly perfect, however, this
i fruit has a draw back, namely, that it
, leaves a bad taste in the mouth the
! next day after it is eaten which is moro
} abominable than can either be de-
scribed or conceived. TO protect itself
I from the rain TIE oranG crooks its arms
} over it's head. The hair on the orang's
} upper arm points downwards, while on
] the lower arm it points upward, the
=, apparent purpose being to shed the
Y rain like a thatch when the attitude
> have described is assumed.
n "'The other great ape which makes
+ is Il small animal compared with tho
: orang, weighing only about forty OF
5 fifty pounds. 1t is very frail in its
: bodily makeup. The head is Sc
: squarely upon the shoulders and i
f looks upward. When walking on tbs
~ ground it balances itself alons
like a walker on the tight rope. Its re
, marlzabie power of grasp and dcXterity
in using its hands is equally with th(
shape OF its Uranium an index Of its SUI
+ pcrior intelligence, perhaps because it il
able to take hold Of Il greater mum Der o
things and examine them. The gibbol
~ is a natural acrobat It's trlpezc per
=, formances i'll trees arr simply marvc!
4 Gus.
- The animals go in drovea, whorea
orangs live by families, and one ii tn
I most interesting spcctaclCs imagina bl
/ is to see a troop Of them crossing
i great gap i'll the forest by THROWN!
| themselves in succession through tn
| air, each one taking a swing or two t
gather momentum before launchin
/ himself. So great is their agility tina
\ in executing feats of this sort They seen
! like birds.
4 Natives in the countries inuaIitet
Il 10y great apes, regard them alWa y
as human beings OF inlCflOf types, an
I it is for this reason that for Il long tim
Y IL was found impossible to gea hold {
8. an entire gorilla skin, because til
.. savages considered it rtiigiously ncccs
l sary to cut off the hands and feet Of ii
: animals when they killed them just ;
s they do with their enemies, possibl
1 for the purpose OF rendering thcl
Il harmless in case they should by an
chance come to lie again. "-Eochest.
IN. W Star.
N Proud OF Mis- Miss.
MY speech at the meeting last nigl
was my maiden effort" said the your
CHI orator, proudly.
M Yes" cynical}y replied his friend,
b. noticed it was something Of Z miss. ''
n Baltimore AincricoD,
~ '-ToRemoyo Miidew from Cloth.--p
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