i THE GORILLA. 67 



arms forward, resting the hands on the ground, and then 

 giving the body a half jumping, half swinging motion be- 

 tween them. In this act it is said not to Hex the fingers, 

 as does the Chimpanzee, resting on its knuckles, but to 

 extend them, making a fulcrum of the hand. When it 

 assumes the walking posture, to which it is said to be 

 much inclined, it balances its huge body by flexing its 

 arms upward. 



" They live in bands, but are not so numerous as the 

 Chimpanzees; the females generally exceed the other sex 

 in number. My informants all agree in the assertion that 

 but one adult male is seen in a band; that when the 

 young males grow up, a contest takes place for mastery, 

 and the strongest, by killing and driving out the others, 

 establishes himself as the head of the community." 



Dr. Savage repudiates the stories about the 

 Gorillas carrying off women and vanquishing ele- 

 phants and then adds — 



" Their dwellings, if they may be so called, are similar 

 to those of the Chimpanzee, consisting simply of a few 

 sticks and leafy branches, supported by the crotches and 

 limbs' of trees: they afford no shelter, and are occupied 

 only at night. 



" They are exceedingly ferocious, and always offensive 

 in their habits, never running from man, as does the 

 Chimpanzee. They are objects of terror to the natives, 

 and are never encountered by them except on the defen- 

 sive. The few that have been captured were killed by 

 elephant hunters and native traders, as they came sud- 

 denly upon them while passing through the forests. 



" It is said that when the male is first seen he gives 

 a terrific yell, that resounds far and wide through the 

 forest, something like kh — ah! kh — ah! prolonged and 

 shrill. His enormous jaws are widely opened at each ex- 

 piration, his under lip hangs over the chin, and the hairy 



