Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
two days running. They do not seem much alarmed at man, as they often stared down upon
me for several minutes, and then only moved away slowly to an adjacent tree. After seeing
one, I have often had to go half a mile or more to fetch my gun, and in nearly every case
have found it on the same tree, or within a hundred yards, when I returned. I never saw two
full-grown animals together, but both males and females are sometimes accompanied by
half-grown young ones, while, at other times, three or four young ones were seen in com-
pany. Their food consists almost exclusively of fruit, with occasionally leaves, buds, and
young shoots. They seem to prefer unripe fruits, some of which were very sour, others in-
tensely bitter, particularly the large red, fleshy arillus of one which seemed an especial fa-
vourite. In other cases they eat only the small seed of a large fruit, and they almost always
waste and destroy more than they eat, so that there is a continual rain of rejected portions
below the tree they are feeding on. The Durian is an especial favourite, and quantities of this
delicious fruit are destroyed wherever it grows surrounded by forest, but they will not cross
clearings to get at them. It seems wonderful how the animal can tear open this fruit, the out-
er covering of which is so thick and tough, and closely covered with strong conical spines. It
probably bites off a few of these first, and then, making a small hole, tears open the fruit
with its powerful fingers.
The Mias rarely descends to the ground, except when, pressed by hunger, it seeks for suc-
culent shoots by the river side; or, in very dry weather, has to search after water, of which it
generally finds sufficient in the hollows of leaves. Once only I saw two half-grown Orangs
on the ground in a dry hollow at the foot of the Sim¯unjon hill. They were playing together,
standing erect, and grasping each other by the arms. It may be safely stated, however, that
the Orang never walks erect, unless when using its hands to support itself by branches over-
head or when attacked. Representations of its walking with a stick are entirely imaginary.
The Dyaks all declare that the Mias is never attacked by any animal in the forest, with
two rare exceptions; and the accounts I received of these are so curious that I give them
nearly in the words of my informants, old Dyak chiefs, who had lived all their lives in the
places where the animal is most abundant. The first of whom I inquired said: 'No animal is
strong enough to hurt the Mias, and the only creature he ever fights with is the crocodile.
When there is no fruit in the jungle, he goes to seek food on the banks of the river, where
there are plenty of young shoots that he likes, and fruits that grow close to the water. Then
the crocodile sometimes tries to seize him, but the Mias gets upon him, and beats him with
his hands and feet, and tears him and kills him.' He added that he had once seen such a
fight, and that he believes that the Mias is always the victor.
