Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1879 — NATURAL HISTORY. [ARTICLE]

NATURAL HISTORY.

A paper of unusual interest was presented to the anthropological section by Judge Henderson, or Illinois, on Friday afternoon, concerning the superstitions attached to the rabbit among North American Indians. In nearly all the languages the syllable wa is the prefix of the Indian name for rabbit, wiiile the word for white is wab or wap, indifferently. The writer mentioned many examples, as wap-me-me, “white pigeon.” The Illinois name wabos was probably applied to the Lepus Americans, whose winter coat is white, and hence the connection. The root word wab, however, forms a portion of words of seemingly totally different meaning, but Judge Henderson thought a key was to be found to the whole diversity. White is an emblem of purity and a sacred color, and with it is associated the idea of light, which is of such fructifying power in the earth, and calls forth so many beauties. With it is also associated the idea of heaven and angels of goodness. Black has a contrary significance. Among the Cherokees, Leni-Lenape, and other tribes white was an emblem of peace, friendship, prosperity and holiness; and the Iroquois sacrificed white dogs to the Great Spirit, aud consecrated to him all other albino animals. Among the Apaches of the W est white birds were regarded as possessing souls of divine origin, and to the Plains Indians the white buffalo is a sacred object, like the white elephant of Siam; while some of the California tribes consider a white wolf skin a badge of chieftainship. This was carried to a great extent in the robes of the high priest of the Cherokees, and they also wrapped their dead in pure white deer-skius. Various Estern tribes sent white warn-' pum, feathers and other objects as symbols of peace, just as red was a sign of war; aud tney had “imperial standards” of feathers from the white tail of the bald eagle. Among the Southern Indians the white laurel was the tree of peace, and they spoke of it as spreading its branches over the white ground. Light or white being sacred, therefore it is easy to understand why white animals should also be regarded so. The third brother of the Great Spirit, Wabasso, who fled to the north as soon as be saw the light, and was changed into a white rabbit, under that form became canonized. The name of the great central Deity himself in many languages lias the root “white” in it, as also the word for heaven, and the word for sorcery or “medicine.”

The sacred regard which it was known was paid to the serpent, also, is shown in the fact that in Algonquin the syllable wa occurs in many of the names of reptiles. The three most to the Indians were the hare, the owl, and the serpent, and they are the ones around which cluster a host of myths iu the Old World. The ancient inhabitants of Ireland killed all the hares they found among their cattle on Mayday, believing them witches who had designs on the butter. A Calmuck regards the rabbits in the same light, and many primitive people used them for divination, and refused to eat their flesh. The remaius of the lake-dwellers of Switzerland aud the ancient Danes show no bones of the hare, for example, thus supporting Ctesar’s account of the awful horror in which the animal was held by the Britons of his ‘day. Our Eastern Indiana seem not to have eaten it, but those in the West and North did so. Another curious fact is that the animal was sculptured on the sacrificial stone in ancient Mexico, and was the “sign” of the divine years in the Mexican calendar, while the celebrations aud sacrifices in its honor were the most numerous of all. Superstitions, therefore, seems to have been attached y> this little beast from the lowest stage of primitive savagery up to the present height of civilization. A lively paper, Illustrated by stuffed and live-looking specimens mounted

on trees and placed on the platform, was read by Mr. William F. Harnaday. He reviewed the characteristics of the higher apes, and described perticularly the ourangs of Borneo. The points iu which the anatomy of the various sorts of anthropoid apes approach the structure of the human body were spoken of and compared with each other. The man-like features of the ourangs were well understoDd by the audience, since the speaker had beside him a well-mounted specimen of an adult male of this species grasping the branches of a tree in an upright attitude. He pointed out the ornamental callosi-

ties of the cheeks, peculiar to the male, the bigness of the neck, the baggy skin under the chin, the length ana great strength of the arms, the breadth of the chest, and small pelvis aud w’eak legs. The fingers are usually clenched and the most natural position of the hand, therefore, is a grasping one, so that the orang sleeps safely. The skin in the youbg orang is light-brown in color, hut deepens to black in old specimens, the face and the palms of the hands being of a lighter tint. The hair is brick-red in adults, aud is coarse and long The faces of orangs show as individuality as those of the Mallays or Chinese—each one has as an expression of his own, and very intelligent one. A drawing was shown of a pet infant orang, owned by the speaker, an account of which was given to the audience. This little fellow behaved in all respects like a human baby,exhibiting every .emotion of fear, delight, anger, etc., just as a child would do. The male orangs fight a great deal. All the old ones are covered with scars Inflicted by the formidable canine teeth which these animals use wholly for defense and offense, since they are fruit-eating and hence do not employ them in chewing. Their effort is always to seize the arm or head of an enemy, and draw the fingers or lips into their mouth instead of advancing their own heads to bite.

The genus Simla, to which the orang belongs, inhabits Sumatra and Borneo. A map was shown,and the main haunu were designated. Borneo was chose as the speaker’s hunting-ground and an expedition made into the interior in August. At this season the orangs were along the river courses in the for est and Mr. Homaday’s party pursued them in boats, the banks of the great river being e verwhere flooded. The method was to shoot them on first sight, otherwise they would escape. The presence of these apes was indicated by their nests, of which many were seen* These nests occupy the tops of small trees, into which the orang climbs, breaks the branches out of the center, and piles them upon a thick platform,upon which he sleeps. His pastime is to lie flat upon his back, with his arms a nd legs extending upward, firmly grasping the nearest limbs. The same* nest is occupied several nights, or until the leaves have famn from the branches. This explorer had never seen anything like the huts which these apes have been reputed to build, but he thought it probable that the orangs oovered themselves with leafy branches in stormy weather. His "pet orang, he had noticed, used straw for the same purpose at such times, even when a a roof was overhead. The orang cannot possibly stand erect, never steps

is unable to swim? He is not active or graceful, and Is the most helplew of qaadnunana. His favorite mode of progress Is by swinging along underneath the branches like a gymnast, many entertaining incidents were mentioned in this part of the pap®. The length of the male has never been known to exceed four foot six inches, and It is usually not more than four feet. The reach of the extended arms varies from seven to eight feet, but it does not always happen that the tallest individuals nave the longest arms. The female is much smaller, and the duration of life is thought to be from twenty to twenty-fl ve years. The speaker clewed by insisting upon the very close resemblance to the human race which an intimate acquaintance with these intelligent creatures forces upon

the attention.

W C. W.