626 THE HIGHER ANTHROPOIDS 



Habits oi the Gorilla 



Some six or sc'\en species and subspecies ol gorilla ha\e l)een idenlilied; 

 although much is still to be desired in the matter ot exact classifrcatiun. 

 The animal here described is Gorilla gorilla, also known as Troglodytes 

 gorilla. Its hal:iitat is in the Gaboon of West Africa. This gorilla is also know n 

 to inhabit regions m the southern and northern Camaroon ol West Airiea, 

 near the border of the French Congo. It also has been discovered m localities 

 about the Belgian Congo. 



Ancient rumor spread abroad the report that there lived in Africa a huge 

 ape of most ferocious and savage disposition. Around this rumor fabulous 

 stories concerning the great strength ol this monster as well as its predatory, 

 man-like behavior were soon built up. Indeed, gorillas were first spoken 

 of as w ild, hair\ men. It was Hanno who appears to have been the lirst to 

 encounter them during his famous voyage to the Pillars of Hercules. Coming 

 upon a grou]) of these wild people he was able to capture three ol the women 

 but all of till' men managed to make their escape. The females, however, 

 fought so sa\agel\- that it was necessary to kill them. Their skins were 

 preserved and brought to Carthage where they were placed in the temple 

 of Juno and were still there when that city was destroyed. The noted 

 ex])lorer, Paul Du Chaillu, in his "Adventiirt's in Equatorial Alrica," 

 describes the gorilla as gregarious, going m companies ol eight to ten. 

 Sometimes when the older males becM)me superannuated, they li\e solitar\- 

 lives apart from these small communities, and when thus grown old, aj:)pear 

 to be actually grizzled w ith age, their hair becoming almost w hite. 



DU CHAILLU'S DESCRIPTION OE THE GORILLa's HABITS 



Du (Chaillu probablx was the lirst European to kill a gorilla in its iiati\-e 

 forest. His dt'seript ion ol their habits is no doubt more accurate than it was 

 at lirst belicNC'd to be. It was his opinion that the gorilla tlid not, as olten 



