Man's Place in Nature, and Other EssaysHuxley, Thomas Henry
Science
Man's Place in Nature, and Other Essays
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Apes; Ethnology; Human beings -- Origin; Indo-Europeans
seem to require a gradual abatement of her movements. In
the very midst of her flight a branch is seized, the body
raised, and she is seen, as if by magic, quietly seated
on it, grasping it with her feet. As suddenly she again
throws herself into action.
"The following facts will convey some notion of her
dexterity and quickness. A live bird was let loose in her
apartment; she marked its flight, made a long swing to a
distant branch, caught the bird with one hand in her
passage, and attained the branch with her other hand; her
aim, both at the bird and at the branch, being as
successful as if one object only had engaged her
attention. It may be added that she instantly bit off the
head of the bird, picked its feathers, and then threw it
down without attempting to eat it.
"On another occasion this animal swung herself from a
perch, across a passage at least twelve feet wide,
against a window which it was thought would be
immediately broken: but not so; to the surprise of all,
she caught the narrow framework between the panes with
her hand, in an instant attained the proper impetus, and
sprang back again to the cage she had left--a feat
requiring not only great strength, but the nicest
precision."
The Gibbons appear to be naturally very gentle, but there is very good
evidence that they will bite severely when irritated--a female
_Hylobates agilis_ having so severely lacerated one man with her long
canines, that he died; while she had injured others so much that, by way
of precaution, these formidable teeth had been filed down; but, if
threatened, she would still turn on her keeper. The Gibbons eat insects,
but appear generally to avoid animal food. A Siamang, however, was seen
by Mr. Bennett to seize and devour greedily a live lizard. They commonly
drink by dipping their fingers in the liquid and then licking them. It
is asserted that they sleep in a sitting posture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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