Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Now it seems to me probable, that a wide extent of unbroken and equally lofty virgin
forest is necessary to the comfortable existence of these animals. Such forests form their
open country, where they can roam in every direction with as much facility as the Indian on
the prairie, or the Arab on the desert; passing from tree-top to tree-top without ever being
obliged to descend upon the earth. The elevated and the drier districts are more frequented
by man, more cut up by clearings and low second-growth jungle not adapted to its peculiar
mode of progression, and where it would therefore be more exposed to danger, and more
frequently obliged to descend upon the earth. There is probably also a greater variety of fruit
in the Mias district, the small mountains which rise like islands out of it serving as a sort of
gardens or plantations, where the trees of the uplands are to be found in the very midst of
the swampy plains.
It is a singular and very interesting sight to watch a Mias making his way leisurely
through the forest. He walks deliberately along some of the larger branches, in the semi-
erect attitude which the great length of his arms and the shortness of his legs cause him nat-
urally to assume; and the disproportion between these limbs is increased by his walking on
his knuckles, not on the palm of the hand, as we should do. He seems always to choose
those branches which intermingle with an adjoining tree, on approaching which he stretches
out his long arms, and, seizing the opposing boughs, grasps them together with both hands,
seems to try their strength, and then deliberately swings himself across to the next branch,
on which he walks along as before. He never jumps or springs, or even appears to hurry
himself, and yet manages to get along almost as quickly as a person can run through the
forest beneath. The long and powerful arms are of the greatest use to the animal, enabling it
to climb easily up the loftiest trees, to seize fruits and young leaves from slender boughs
which will not bear its weight, and to gather leaves and branches with which to form its
nest. I have already described how it forms a nest when wounded, but it uses a similar one
to sleep on almost every night. This is placed low down, however, on a small tree not more
than from twenty to fifty feet from the ground, probably because it is warmer and less ex-
posed to wind than higher up. Each Mias is said to make a fresh one for himself every night;
but I should think that is hardly probable, or their remains would be much more abundant;
for though I saw several about the coal-mines, there must have been many Orangs about
every day, and in a year their deserted nests would become very numerous. The Dyaks say
that, when it is very wet, the Mias covers himself over with leaves of pandanus, or large
ferns, which has perhaps led to the story of his making a hut in the trees.
The Orang does not leave his bed till the sun has well risen and has dried up the dew upon
the leaves. He feeds all through the middle of the day, but seldom returns to the same tree
