THE MAN-LIKE APES. 67 



Bearing in mind what is known regarding the Orang 

 and the Gibbon, the statements of Dr. Savage and Mr. 

 Ford do not appear to me to be justly open to criticism 

 on d priori grounds. The Gibbons, as we have seen, 

 readily assume the erect posture, but the Gorilla is far 

 better fitted by its organization for that attitude than are 

 the Gibbons : if the laryngeal pouches of the Gibbons, as 

 is very likely, are important in giving volume to a voice 

 which can be heard for half a league, the Gorilla, which 

 has similar sacs, more largely developed, and whose bulk 

 is fivefold that of a Gibbon, may well be audible for twice 

 that distance. If the Orang fights with its hands, the 

 Gibbons and Chimpanzees with their teeth, the Gorilla 

 may, probably enough, do either or both ; nor is there 

 anything to be said against either Chimpanzee or Gorilla 

 building a nest, when it is proved that the Orang-Utan 

 habitually performs that feat. 



With all this evidence, now ten to fifteen years old, 

 before the world, it is not a little surprising that the asser- 

 tions of a recent traveller, who, so far as the Gorilla is 

 concerned, really does very little more than repeat, on his 

 own authority, the statements of Savage and Ford, should 

 have met with so much and such bitter opposition. If 

 subtraction be made of what was known before, the sum 

 and substance of what M. Du Chaillu has affirmed as a 

 matter of his own observation respecting the Gorilla, is, 

 that, on advancing to the attack, the great brute beats his 

 chest with his fists. I confess I see nothing very improba- 

 ble, or very much worth disputing about, in this state- 

 ment. 



"With respect to the other man-like Apes of Africa, M. 

 Du Chaillu tells us absolutely nothing, of his own knowl- 

 edge, regarding the common Chimpanzee ; but he informs 

 us of a bald-headed species or variety, the nscJiiego 



