24 A spear fitted with an axe circa 15th- and 16th-centuries. [Ed.]
25 A now extinct giant mammal of the Pleistocene, and relative of the armadillo. [Ed.]
26 A poisonous, pungent gas which burns with a purple flame. [Ed.]
27 A type of bacteria responsible for, amongst others, cholera, septicemia and seafood poisoning. [Ed.]
28 “Good day, Madam!”
29 This fictional creation is probably a hybridization of the mystic/occult idea of a “Golden” or “Hermetic” Chain, the medieval, philosophical idea of the “Great Chain of Being,” and Ernst Haeckel’s “Chain of the Animal Ancestors of Man” which is then unfortunately proposed to be a “counterpart and complement” to Darwin’s environmental adaptation thesis of natural selection. In fact, what it does is substitute adaptation with competition, putting a spin on the term “survival of the fittest.” It is then a short step from this view of Nature as competitive and hierarchical to the transposition of these terms on to the components or forms of Nature themselves. Hence the ape-man links the ape to the human on the basis of shared “race” characterized by competition and hierarchy, and mutatis mutandis, the existing “races” of humankind itself are now in competition and conflict over (human) status. In 1950, UNESCO issued an emphatic and widely supported “scientific critique and moral condemnation of the notion of race” (Claude Lévi-Strauss) suggesting that the term “ethnic group” be used instead. [Ed.]
30 “In a moment.”
31 See previous footnote on racism. [Ed.]
32 “The trees, the trees!”
33 According to don Felix d’Azara, some people say that the caraya, a monkey, which according to him belongs to the family of the howler-monkeys, when surprised far from their lair and finding no place of refuge, lay on the ground, join their hands and seem to plead for mercy. Essays on the Natural History of the Quadrupeds of the Province of Paraguay. ~This capacity to express through facial expressions and gestures its various emotions can also be seen in monkeys of smaller species: “When one has frightened a coaita monkey with a gunshot,” states Mr. Audebert, “he extends his arms towards his enemy, stares at him, shifting his jaws back and forth seemingly begging for his life. Such gestures, and the intent gaze of a creature so similar to man, have often troubled the soul of hunters little accustomed to such game, this emotion being sufficiently strong that many have given up this type of hunting…Indeed, let us imagine a monkey laying in the grass stained with its own blood, fighting to stave off death, extending its little hands towards the one who has injured it, and turning towards him its almost human face; imagine the dying animal’s eyes, which by their touching appeal seem to reproach to its enemy the pain it experiences and its coming demise.” Histoire [Naturelle] des Singes, Coaita. Such a scene convinced the traveler Stedman to no longer hunt these animals. The chevalier Foucher d’Obsonville in a note to Mr. de Buffon speaks with complaisance of how pleasantly disposed was a small loris he had raised. “The indications of his sensitive nature,” he states, “consisted in taking the end of my hand and holding it tight to his breast while locking his half-open eyes on mine.” Nat. Hist., addition to art. Loris.
34 “All of the orang-outang’s teeth, even the canines, are simi-lar to those of man.” Buffon, Nat. Hist., art. Orang-outang.
35 Naturalists generally agree that the pongo or orangutan of the largest species is about the height of an average man. G. Cuvier, Tableau élémentaire de l’histoire naturelle des animaux.
36 “There exists,” states Linnaeus, “so little difference between apes and man that one has yet to find a sufficiently subtle observation to determine the border which separates them.” Syst. Nat. Indeed, it would be rather difficult, at first glance, to differentiate between man and the monkeys of Guinea to which Peiresc assigns the name of barris, whose combed white beards and slow, measured pace lend a venerable air. See Gassendi, Vita Peiresc. “Were one to judge strictly on the basis of the way they are formed,” observes Mr. de Buffon, “apes could be taken as a variety within the human species.” However Pliny adds that the ape differs significantly from man in its temperament. “Man,” he states, “can live in all climates; he lives and thrives in those of the far North and under a Mediterranean climate; the ape has trouble surviving in the temperate zone and can only thrive in the warmest countries.” Nat. Hist., art. Monkeys.
37 As is well known, the word “orangutan” meaning wild man is only a generic term. “This name of wild man,” states Mr. Relian, “arises from their external resemblance to man, particularly with regards to the way they move about, and of a way of thinking which is specific to them and which one does not find in other animals. Letter to M. Allamand, Batav, 1770, cited by Mr. de Buffon, Nat. Hist., addition to art. Orang-outang. One has long recognized this strong resemblance between the orangutan and man. “The different species of monkeys,” states Pliny, “are, of all the animals, those which by their body’s conformation most resemble man. They can be distinguished among themselves by their tails. Monkeys are of a remarkable agility… Mucianus writes that monkeys have even been seen to play chess, once taught to distinguish the different chess pieces.” Pliny, Nat. Hist. Mr. de Buffon did not fear to state that “the orang-outang could be considered the greatest of apes and the last of men.” Nat. Hist. art. Monkeys. “The orang-outang,” states M. Ch. Bonnet, “is so similar to man, that the anatomist comparing the two, thinks he is comparing two individuals of the same species, or at least of the same genus; and struck by the strong and numerous similarities between the two, he will not hesitate to place the orang-outang immediately after the savage Hottentot.” The Contemplation of Nature. It is not only in its outward conformation that the orangutan offers a striking resemblance to man, he approaches the latter no less by his gait and behavior. “I have seen,” states Bontius, “a few individuals of each sex walking on two feet, particularly a female who in modesty would escape the stares of men she did not know by covering her face with her hands (if one can term them such), shedding abundant tears, moaning pitifully, indeed undertaking all the actions one might expect to see from a human, such as one would have thought her only lacking in speech… It is named orang-outang, or man of the woods.”
38 This ape, known as a chimpanzee in some parts of Africa, and jocko or enjocko by the inhabitants of the Congo, is according to the observations of Mr. Ans. Desmarets, much more similar to man than the orangutan with respect to the proportion of its limbs to its body. See Dictionnaire raisonnée universel d’histoire naturelle.
39 According to Andrew Battell and some other travelers, “the pongos cover their dead with leaves and branches, which the local human inhabitants view as a form of burial.” The pongo, which is as tall as the tallest man, is remarkably strong and such that, if one believes travelers’ accounts, capable of holding their own against ten men. Thus do they have the advantage against men which they meet in remote locations. Armed with a club they will even attack elephants which they sometimes defeat. They are frequently seen to abduct villagers, particularly women, but are treated well. Battell, whom I cited above, speaks of a young boy in his employ who was abducted by a pongo: this child spent an entire year [sic Battell says a month] amongst these apes. Upon his return he assured him that he had in no way been harmed.
40 “Monkeys,” states Mr. de Buffon, “will not eat anything without firsthand having smelled it.” Mr. Virey has also made the observation that the sense of smell and taste are highly developed in the monkey. “These two senses,” he adds, “take precedence over the others and direct their appetites.” In his Voyage en Afrique, vol. II, Mr. Levaillant writes of a monkey he has celebrated under the name of Kees. “It was,” states this traveler, “a monkey of a species extremely common on the Cape and known as bawian (baboon or papió). He was very friendly and became attached to me in particular. I made him my taster. When we found fruits or roots unknown to my Hottentots, we never touched them until my dear Kees had tasted them; if he discarded them we jud
ged them to be unpleasant or dangerous and we left them behind.” Mr. Levaillant cites a number of other instances of the sagacity and keen sense of smell of Kees, his monkey, amongst which the following: “The water,” he states, “was getting low… I see Kees suddenly come to a stop, and turning his eyes and nose into the wind that came from the side, took off running, with all my dogs in tow, without any of them barking…How surprised was I to find them assembled around a lovely fountain, over 300 feet from the place they had run off from.” Ibid.
41 “Monkeys,” states Linnaeus, “are generally suspicious; they remember being treated well or poorly, etc.” Syst. Nat. Allamand observed that “a monkey named Rolloway, loving towards his master, was suspicious of strangers, and would take on a defensive posture when these tried to approach or touch him.” Addition to Buffon’s Nat. Hist.
42 Monkeys express their affection by very quiet little cries, which among the capuchin monkeys (sapajous) resembles the sound of a flute; it is only when they are angry that their raucous screeching voice is heard.” Audebert, Histoire [Naturelle] des Singes. This soft modulated cry is found in a number of other monkeys or analogous creatures, such as the tamarin, the thévangue or loris, etc. Mr. Foucher d’Obsonville states with regard to an animal of the latter species, “that he sometimes uttered a kind of modulated call or soft whistle. I could easily distinguish,” he continues, “a cry of need, of pleasure, of pain, and even one of impatience.” Note sent to Mr. de Buffon.
43 According to Inigo de Biervillas’ Voyages, the monkeys of Calcutta know full well how to break open a coconut, to eat its seed and to drink the milk it bears. He recounts that the locals take advantage of these circumstances to capture these animals alive. Small holes are made in the coconuts; the monkey doesn’t hesitate to stick his hand into them in order to finish opening the coconut, and the hunter then captures them before they have had a chance to get rid of the coconut.
44 Monkeys, like almost all quadrumanous animals, are omnivorous. They happily consume nuts, acorns, bulbs, leaves, lettuce, bread, eggs, etc. However, accustomed to living in large trees in hot climates, fruit are among their favorite foods. They pick them and bring them to their mouth in the manner of men. Mr. Fréd. Cuvier, in his description of an orangutan observed in Paris in 1808, reports that “this animal ate almost indiscriminately of fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, meat; he very much enjoyed,” he added, “bread, coffee and oranges.” “When the orang-outang,” states Ch. Bonnet, “can no longer find fruit in the mountains or in the forest, he will go to the seashore to find a large kind of oyster weighing several pounds, which often remains open on the shore. However, the circumspect ape, fearing that the oyster in suddenly snapping closed will catch his hand, skillfully tosses a stone into the shell, not allowing it to close, leaving him to eat it at his leisure. Among the true monkeys, there are females who will place their long tails between the pincers of large crayfish, and as soon as these pinch it they draw our their tail quickly, take them off and go and eat them some way off.” The Contemplation of Nature.
45 It is a most amusing spectacle to witness,” states M. Virey, “to see, in those vast, ancient forests of the torrid zone, monkeys leaping from tree to tree, hanging suspended from branches, jumping and frolicking, taking on thousands of ridiculous poses, annoying each other, fighting or having fun together, etc.” Art. Singes, Dict. d’hist nat.
46 Orangutans and other monkeys such as capuchins, etc. will happily drink wine, brandy or other strong liquor. See Buffon, Natural History. Guillaume Rubruquis reports that to capture Cathay monkeys one places at the entrance of the cave where they sleep strong intoxicating liquor. “They come all together,” he states, “to taste this beverage, calling out chin-chin, and get so drunk that they fall asleep, such that the hunters can easily capture them.” A story translated by Bergeron in his Voyages in Asia: The orangutan of which Tulpius speaks drank quite competently from a vase he held with one hand on the handle and one hand underneath; and when he was done drinking, he never failed to properly wipe off his lips. The female individual seen in Paris in 1808 also drank from a glass held with two hands; she would then sometimes take a lady’s companion’s handkerchief to wipe off her lips and hand it back after having used it.
47 Everybody knows that the monkeys known as Barris (simia troglodytes, Linnaeus), orangutans, pongos and jockos are conformed such as to be able to stand upright with ease. “Dressed in a suit,” states Gassendi, “the monkeys known as Barris will immediately begin to walk on two feet.” However, according to the observations of Mr. Daubenton, “the orang-outang’s heel resting more awkwardly on the ground than man, it runs more easily than it walks and would need artificial heels taller than those of our shoes if one wished to allow it to walk easily and for any length of time.” Encyclopédie méthodique, art. Orang-outang. “I have seen,” says Mr. de Buffon, “an orang-outang present its hand to lead someone in who had come to visit him, and to walk about with them in a staid manner, as with company.”
48 “The long-legged baboon eats beetles, flies and other insects which it catches most dexterously on-the-fly.” Buffon.
49 The most highly accredited travelers attest that the orangutan and apes of that family generally have a stronger sense of decency than other animals. One can read in Henri Grose’s Voyages aux Indes-Occidentales, that two orangutans given to Mr. Horne, governor of Bombay, could not bear to be stared at by the curious, and would hide their privy parts with their hands. Mr. Relian, surgeon in Batavia, speaks of a pair of orangutans, one male, one female, which he had had a chance to observe. “They were all embarrassed when one stared at them too much. The female would then throw herself into the male’s arms and would hide her face in his chest, which resulted in a truly touching spectacle.” This natural sense of decency was apparent in the case of the little Jocko seen in Paris in 1808. “She is,” said the editors of the Journal de Paris, “covered with a redingote in the manner of our ladies, and when someone enters her room, she takes on an air of reserve, assuming a very decent posture, and covering her legs and thighs with the panels of her redingote.”
50 As one has seen above, the orangutan, the pongo, the chimpanzee or jocko walk on two feet like man. The most celebrated travelers agree that in order to stabilize their walking in such a position, they often carry in their hand a staff which serves them at the same time in defense and in attack. [In Greek Mythology a thyrsus is a staff usually made from the giant fennel bush, most commonly associated with the Dionysians. [Ed.]
51 It is pointless to repeat here all that has been reported regarding the jealousy of monkeys, not only towards those of their own species and of the opposite sex, but also towards those of our species. “The baboons one sees in our menageries,” states Mr. Audebert, “cry out horribly when a spectator pretends to caress a woman in their presence.” ~“I saw in Martinique,” states the late Mr. Moreau Saint-Méry, “a medium sized baboon who had developed a violent passion for his master’s daughter…To this unfettered love was combined a furious jealously of any man who might approach her. He seemed to know that there was one amongst them whose advances she favored. One day, to put the baboon’s discernment to the test, she allowed her hand to be kissed; the creature’s screams tore through the air and it made every effort to break the double chain which held it back, showing such a frightful anger that he who had raised his ire was allowed to escape, and the decision immediately taken to sell the baboon to someone who wished to take it to France.” D. Fél. d’Azara, Essays on the Natural History of the Quadrupeds of the Province of Paraguay. Mr. Edwards in a letter to Mr. de Buffon, tells how a man who had been with a young lady to see a baboon locked up in a menagerie, had given her a kiss to excite its jealousy; the animal became furious, picked up a pewter pot which was at hand and threw it at the young man’s head, causing him a large wound. See Buffon, Nat. Hist. Female monkeys are no less jealous of women.
52 A number of writers have no difficulty ascribing to the orangutan the facult
y of thought. “If one is to believe travelers,” says Linnaeus, “the wild man or orang-outang, makes a whistling sound which passes for speech amongst them: gifted with reason, he believes that the world was created for him, and that one day he will again be its master, etc.” Syst. Nat. Indeed, monkeys have an excellent memory, remembering good and ill treatment for a long time. Mr. de Grandpré tells of a young chimpanzee, which was aboard a ship, where it proved to be of great intelligence, helping the baker to make bread, etc. etc., dying during the crossing, a victim of brutality at the hands of the second mate, who had unfairly and harshly mistreated him. This interesting creature meekly received the abuse targeted at him, showing a moving resignation, extending its hands to beg the blows that rained upon him to be stopped. From then on he continually refused to eat, and died of hunger and pain, mourned as a man might have been.” Voyage à la côte occidentale d’Afrique, vol. I.
53 The mococos, or mococo lemurs have a rather singular natural habit: it is to frequently take up an attitude of worship or pleasure before the Sun. They sit, as travelers tell it, gazing towards this celestial body with arms extended, repeating such demonstrations on several occasions each day, taking up hours of time, following the Sun’s orientation as it rises or sets.” Buffon, Natural History.
54 Male monkeys’ unbridled lust for women is a fact long attested to by naturalists and travelers of all nations. See Gassendi, Vita Peiresc. One has seen (above) how violent monkeys can become, even in captivity, towards men who incite them to jealousy.
55 “More industrious than elephants, orang-outangs know how to build shelters out of woven branches, suited to their particular needs.” Ch. Bonnet, The Contemplation of Nature. “One assures me,” states Mr. Audebert, “that pongos build huts which they cover with leaves, and that the females and little ones live within these sorts of nests. Histoire naturelle des singes.
The Missing Link and Other Tales of Ape-Men Page 34
