On the Natural History of the Malayan Peninsula. 395 XLIX. — Observations on the Natural History of the Malayan Peninsula. By Capt. P. J. Begbie, Madras Artillery. Com-municated by H. E. Strickland, Esq. During a recent exploration of the riclily-furnished shelves of the RadclifFe Library at Oxford, I met with a small volume en-titled 'The Malayan Peninsula, embracing the History, Man-ners and Customs of the Inhabitants, Politics, Natural History, &c.,' by Capt. P. J. Begbie ; printed at the Vepery Mission Press, 1834. As this volume is almost, if not entirely, unknown to British naturalists, and as the zoological obseiTations appear to be made by a careful and original observer, they may perhaps be interesting to the readers of the * Annals^, notwithstanding occasional inaccui'acies in the scientific nomenclature. — H. E. S. Begbie' s Malayan Peninsula, p. 497 et seq. The first species of the Ape tribe which is to be found in the peninsula is the Troglodytes niger of M. Desmarest*, and the Simla troglodytes of Linnseusf, better known to English readers as the Chimpanse. This animal presents a striking similarity in external confor-mation to the human figure. It stands about three feet high, and is covered profusely with long black hair, that on the hind head and shoulders being considerably longer than the rest. The head rounded and skin of the face dark. The facial angle, or that formed by a line drawn from the forehead to the muzzle, and another from the muzzle to the bottom of the ear, is 50°. The Chimpanse is destitute of a tail, cheek-pouches, and inter-maxillary bones. The haunches are naked, but not callous. The arms reach nearly to the knees, so as to be nearly pro])ortioned to the legs when the animal goes on all-foui's. The hair on the fore-arm is reversed, pointing to the elbows instead of to the wrist. The hands and legs from the wi'ists and ankles are co-vered with light brown hair, the terminal line of the black hair being well-defined, so as to give an appearance of white gloves and stockings. The face is encircled with a white beard. The Chimpanse is capable of receiving a considerable degree of education, and can make use of a stick to assist its steps. It is met with in troops of about 100 each, in various parts of the Malayan archipelago : those in the peninsula generally delight in the deep w^oods which clothe the sides of the various ranges of hills, and are extremely shy and difficult of access. It is very rarely that they are taken alive, — a circumstance perhaps to be * Stark's Elements of Natural History, vol. i. p. 41. '\ Turlon's System of Nature, vol. i. p. 10. 3E3
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