The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

IV.] BORXEO—THE ORAXG-UTAN. 35after many vigorous jumps that the monkey could make hisescape.It was curious to observe the different actions of these twoanimals, which could not have differed much in age. The Mias,like a verj^ young baby, lying on its back quite helpless, rollinglazily from side to side, stretching out all four hands into theair, wishing to grasp something, but hardly able to guide itsfingers to any definite object ;and wdien dissatisfied, openingwide its almost toothless mouth, and expressing its wants by amost infantine scream. The little monkey, on the other hand,in constant motion ; running and jumping about wherever itpleased, examining everything around it, seizing hold of thesmallest objects with the greatest precision, balancing itself onthe edge of the box, or running up a post, and helping itself toanything eatable that came in its way. There could hardly bea greater contrast, and the baby Mias looked more baby-like bythe comparison.When i had had it about a month, it began to exhibit somesigns of learning to run alone. When laid upon the floor itwould push itself along by its legs, or roll itself over, and thusmake an unwieldy progression. When lying in the box it wouldlift itself up to the edge into almost an erect position, and onceor twice succeeded in tumbling out. When left dirty, or hungry,or otherwise neglected, it Would scream violently till attendedto, varied by a kind of coughing or purajDing noise, very similarto that which is made by the adult animal. If no one was in thehouse, or its cries were not attended to, it would be quiet aftera little while, but the moment it heard a footstep would beginagain harder than ever.After five weeks it cut its two upper front teeth, but in allthis time it had not grown the least bit, remaining both in sizeand weight the same as when I first procured it. This was nodoubt owing to the want of milk or other equally nourishingfood. Eice-water, rice, and biscuits were but a poor substitute,and the expressed milk of the cocoa-nut which I sometimes gaveit did not quite agree with its stomach. To this I imputed anattack of diarrhoea from which the poor little creature sufferedgreatly, but a small dose of castor-oil operated well, and curedit. A week or two afterwards it was again taken ill, and thistime more seriously.The symptoms were exactly those of intermittentfever, accompanied by watery swellings on the feetand head. It lost all ajipetite for its food, and, after lingeringfor a week a most pitiable object, died, after being in mypossession nearly three months. I much regretted the loss ofmy little pet, which I had at one time looked forward to bringingup to years of maturity, and taking home to England. Forseveral months it had afforded me daily amusement by itscurious ways and the inimitably ludici'ous expression of its littlecountenance. Its weight was three pounds nine ounces, itsheight fourteen inches, and the sjiread of its arms twenty-threeD 2