Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Mammalia).djvu/45

Rh says that it ranges as far north as the northern limit of Pegu, but not west of the dividing range between Pegu and Arakan; whilst Anderson states that it is found both in Arakan and Lower Pegu. I doubt the occurrence of this species in the latter countries, and I can find no satisfactory evidence of its existence in the Irawady or Sittoung valleys, although it very probably inhabits the hills east of the Sittoung. Farther information as to the range of H. lar and H. hoolock in Burma is desirable.

Habits. The white-handed Gibbon is said by Tickell, who observed both species in their native forests as well as in captivity, not to be nearly so light and active as the Hoolock, and to walk less readily. The voice, too, is quite distinct, according to the same observer, in the two species. The cry of H. lar has been rendered in musical notation by Tickell, who has given, in the paper quoted above, an admirable account of the animal's habits. It is usually found in parties of from 6 to 20, composed of individuals of all ages.

The present species is said to drink by scooping up water in its hand, and not as the Hoolock does. So entirely does it depend on its hands for locomotion amongst trees, that it carries anything in its feet. Tickell, from whom I take these details, says that he has seen a party of H. lar escape thus with their plunder from a Karen garden in the forest.

In all other respects the habits of this species, so far as they are known, resemble those of H. hoolock. The young, almost always one in number,—twins being as rare as amongst human beings,—are born in the early part of the cold season, and each sticks to the body of its mother for about seven months, after which it begins gradually to shift for itself.

According to Helfer (J. A. S. B. vii, p. 858), the Siamang (Hylobates syndactylus) is found in Southern Tenasserim; but several of Helfer's identifications were incorrect, and as no one has since heard of the animal in the Tenasserim provinces, I agree with Blyth in believing that Heifer must have been mistaken. The Siamang is larger than the other species of Gibbon, standing about 3 feet 2 inches in height, and is perfectly black in colour throughout. It is doubtful if the Siamang occurs elsewhere than in Sumatra, though Wallace states that it is found in the Malay Peninsula, where the only species, except H. lar, noted by Cantor (J. A. S. B. XV, p. 173) is H. agilis. In Siam H. leucogenys (figured P. Z. S, 1877, pl. lxx) is said to occur.

At the same time there appears to be a large, not yet identified, Ape in the mountains of Tenasserim, but whether it belongs to the anthropoid Apes, or is a large tailless or nearly tailless Macacus, it is impossible to say. The only observers who have seen this animal, so far as I am aware, are Mr. W. Davison and Captain C. F. Bingham. The former writes to me that when collecting birds for Mr. Hume, on Muleyit, a mountain about 7000 feet high, east of Moulmain, he came suddenly on a number of Monkeys feeding on the ground in a very dense part of the forest. He had a good