One Of My Chief Objects In Coming To Stay At Simunjon Was To See
The Orangutan (Or Great Man-Like Ape Of Borneo) In His Native
Haunts, To Study His Habits, And Obtain Good Specimens Of The
Different Varieties And Species Of Both Sexes, And Of The Adult
And Young Animals.
In all these objects I succeeded beyond my
expectations, and will now give some account of my experience in
Hunting the Orangutan, or "Mias," as it is called by the natives;
and as this name is short, and easily pronounced, I shall
generally use it in preference to Simia satyrus, or Orangutan.
Just a week after my arrival at the mines, I first saw a Mias. I
was out collecting insects, not more than a quarter of a mile
from the house, when I heard a rustling in a tree near, and,
looking up, saw a large red-haired animal moving slowly along,
hanging from the branches by its arms. It passed on from tree to
tree until it was lost in the jungle, which was so swampy that I
could not follow it. This mode of progression was, however, very
unusual, and is more characteristic of the Hylobates than of the
Orang. I suppose there was some individual peculiarity in this
animal, or the nature of the trees just in this place rendered it
the most easy mode of progression.
About a fortnight afterwards I heard that one was feeding in a
tree in the swamp just below the house, and, taking my gun, was
fortunate enough to find it in the same place. As soon as I
approached, it tried to conceal itself among the foliage; but, I
got a shot at it, and the second barrel caused it to fall down
almost dead, the two balls having entered the body. This was a
male, about half-grown, being scarcely three feet high. On April
26th, I was out shooting with two Dyaks, when we found another
about the same size. It fell at the first shot, but did not seem
much hurt, and immediately climbed up the nearest tree, when I
fired, and it again fell, with a broken arm and a wound in the
body. The two Dyaks now ran up to it, and each seized hold of a
hand, telling me to cut a pole, and they would secure it. But
although one arm was broken and it was only a half-grown animal,
it was too strong for these young savages, drawing them up
towards its mouth notwithstanding all their efforts, so that they
were again obliged to leave go, or they would have been seriously
bitten. It now began climbing up the tree again; and, to avoid
trouble, I shot it through the heart.
On May 2nd, I again found one on a very high tree, when I had
only a small 80-bore gun with me. However, I fired at it, and on
seeing me it began howling in a strange voice like a cough, and
seemed in a great rage, breaking off branches with its hands and
throwing them down, and then soon made off over the tree-tops.
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