20 THE CHIMPANZEE. 



countenance. Even in that very large-nosed animal, the Proboscis Monkey, the nostrils are 

 only oval orifices for the conveyance of air, and seem as devoid of character as those of a 

 wax doll. 



Just as man is the only being that possesses two hands and feet, so is he the only inhabi- 

 tant of earth who Can lay claim to a nose. All the Mammalia have nostrils, and some species 

 are endowed with wonderful powers of scent, such as the dogs, the deer, and others. Some of 

 them carry a proboscis more or less elongated, such as the elephants and the tapirs. Then 

 there are some, such as those of the porcine group, which possess snouts ; but not one of them 

 has a nose. 



So in the Chimpanzee and its relatives, the muzzle projects exceedingly, and the nostrils 

 lie almost flatly upon the projecting mass. Herein lies one of the chief characteristics of the 

 simian countenance, which is not so conspicuous when the face is viewed directly from the 

 front, as when it is turned with the profile towards the observer. In front, the flattened and 

 divergent nostrils, together with the projecting muzzle, are not forced on the notice, and might 

 escape a hasty observation ; but if the animal turns its head, then the simian character shows 

 itself in all its repulsive brutality. 



Even in the young Chimpanzee, this preponderance of the face and jaws over the brain- 

 skull is very considerable, and, as we have already seen, continues to increase as the animal 

 draws nearer to maturity. The distinction is even more clearly shown if the lower jaw be 

 removed, and the skull examined from below ; for then, the disproportion between the animal 

 and reflective parts shows itself most forcibly. 



In its native country, the Chimpanzee lives in a partly social state, and at night the united 

 cries of the community fill the air with their reiterated yells. If we may credit the reports 

 given by the natives of Western Africa, the Chimpanzees weave huts for themselves, and take 

 up their residence in these dwellings. Now it is a well-known fact that the orang-outang, 

 which comes next in our list, can rapidly frame a kind of platform of interwoven branches, 

 and so it is not beyond the bounds of credibility that the Chimpanzee may perform a work of 

 similar character. Only, the chief difference between- the customs of the two animals seems to 

 be, that the one lives upon the structure or roof, if it may so be called, and the other beneath ; 

 it. Some travellers say, that although the huts are actually inhabited, yet that only the 

 females and young are permitted to take possession of the interior, and that the male takes up 

 his position on the roof. 



The latter supposition derives more force from those habits of the Chimpanzees with which 

 we are acquainted, and which have induced naturalists to give to the entire genus, the name 

 of troglodytes. This term is compounded from two Greek words, signifying a "diver into 

 caverns," and was applied to this ape, because it seems to prefer rocky and broken ground to 

 the forest branches, which form the refuge of nearly all quadrumanous animals. 



This compound word is not of modern invention ; for in the works of Aristotle, Pliny, and 

 other writers on the subject of natural history, much mention is made of a race of men who 

 lived in rocky caverns, and who earned, by their burrowing habits, the title above mentioned. 

 The language and costume of these people were as barbarous as their habitations, for the f ormer 

 characteristic was said to resemble the hissing of serpents, rather than to bear any likeness to 

 articulate speech, and in the latter accomplishment they were totally deficient in the hotter 

 months. It is possible that the Bushman tribes may have given rise to these descriptions, 

 which, indeed, would not be very erroneous if they had been used in depicting the " Digger" 

 Indians of the New World. 



Be this as it may, it is a remarkable fact that the Chimpanzees are groundlings, and are 

 not accustomed to habitual residence among the branches of trees. Although these apes do 

 not avail themselves of the protection which would be afforded by a loftier habitation, yet they 

 are individually so strong, and collectively so formidable, that they dwell in security, un- 

 harmed even by the lion, leopard, or other members of the cat tribes, which are so dreaded by 

 the monkey tribes generally. Even the elephant yields to these active and ferocious animals, . 

 and leaves them undisturbed. Yet a Chimpanzee would not dare to meet a panther in single 

 combat, and depends for safety upon the assistance that would be afforded by its companions. 



