Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-03

work of art. 1t was stuffed and set Up by
the famous naturalist and taxidermist Mr.
William T. Hornaday. Two males are rep
resented fighting, one being engaged in bit
ing finger from the hand Of his adversary
while female is gazing alarmed on the
conflict from the family nest, a young one
clinging to her body. OF course, these
creatures do all their fighting aloft. and it
Is great fun to see them drop the armfuls
of fruit they have gathered while engaged
in conflicts for the possession of the spoil
Owing to their method of battle, II Is al
most impossible to procure a skin which
does not lack some of the fingers. The
hi man beings of an inferior type. Tor
similar reason it was, for a long time,
found impossible to get hold Of an entire
gorilla skin, because the African savages
considered 1t religiously necessary to cut
off the hands and feet Of the animals when
they killed them, just as they do with
their enemies, possibly for the purpose OF
rende ring them harmless in case they
should, by any chance. come to lite again.
The nests of orangs are utilized for the
purpose of repose. All over those regions
Of the Island of Borneo which are occupied
by these apes one observes great numbers
or such primitive arrangements for dwell
ing. They consist commonly of q quantity
OF leafy branches. broken of and piled
loosely in the fork of a tree. The animal
usually selects a mere sapling and builds
MS nest In its top. even though his weight
causes 1t to sway alarmingly. The hest
is only two or three feet in diameter. There
is no weaving together of branches. which
are simply piled crosswise. In fact, the
beast builds a nest precisely as a man
would build one for himself, were he
obliged to pass a night in a tree top, and
mad neither ak nor knife. l have seen one
or two such nests made by men in the
forest, where the builder had only his
bare hands with which to work, and they
were in all respects like the nests of one
OF these apes. Upon this leafy platform
the orang lies upon his back, with his long
arms and short legs thrust outward and
upward, firmly grasping while he sleeps
the nearest large branches within his
reach.
An orang never uses a nest after the
leaves become withered and dry. AS soon
as this happens he deserts it and builds a
fresh one somewhere else. That is the
reason why so many of these nests are to
be seen among the trees of Borneo. They
are nearly all old ones which have been
abandoned. 1t is believed that the nests
are constructed partly for the sake of pro-
lection against flies, by which the apes are
greatly annoyed. They are able to protect
the front parts of their bodies with their
hands. but they cannot keep the insects
from biting them in the rear and so they
gather quantity of leaves and branches
and make them into couches to repose
against among the boughs. A protection
OF this sort serves very well for a while
but presently its material begins to de-
compose 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 lake the
to adorn the tree tops in which he swings
himself about.