1896. THE STUDY OF THE GORILLA. 29 



The muscles ought to be treated in functional groups, their actions 

 and nerve supplies being also noted. 



Ligaments. — -Ligaments have been described by Duvernoy, 

 Deniker, Hartmann (39), and Macalister (55). 



The Skull. — There are over 250 gorilla skulls in the museums 

 of Europe and America. More or less partial records of over 100 

 of these are to be found in literature. Owen's descriptions are, 

 perhaps, the best (64, 65, 66) ; others are given by Virchow (84), 

 Bischoff (3 and 8), Deniker (17 and 18), Duvernoy (22), GiglioH (31), 

 Halford (34), Hamy (35), Hartmann (40), Herve (49), Torok (80 and 

 81), Turner (83), and Wyman (87). Duckworth (20) has made an 

 important contribution on the variations found in the gorilla skulL 

 It may be safely said, by way of postscript to this list, that the skull 

 has been the most sadly abused structure of the animal body. The 

 present manner of description by angles and indices is a method that 

 leads only to the accumulation of a mass of most useless, cumbersome 

 material. The describers seem to have lost all sight of the skull as a 

 functional organ, with its form adapted for its two main uses, as a brain 

 cover and a tooth carrier. Its description, to be of use, must be 

 given in relation to these two functions. 



The Skeleton. — For a general description of the skeleton the 

 text-books of Flower, Huxley, and. Owen are still as good as any. 

 More elaborate descriptions are given by Aeby (i), Deniker (17)^ 

 Duvernoy (22), Halford (33), Hartmann (40 and 43), Heckel (44), 

 and Mivart (61). Struthers has dealt with the variations in the 

 vertebral column (74). Kneeland (50), Lucae (54), Slack (73), 

 Swayne (75), and Wyman (87) have also made smaller contri- 

 butions. From the elaborate and expensive lithographs of bones 

 which are sometimes given with these papers, one would conclude 

 either that the scientific societies had a superabundance of funds, 

 w^hich is unlikely, or that these lithographs are more permanent and 

 convenient for reference than are the bones themselves. On the 

 ossification and fixation of the epiphyses to the shafts nothing is 

 known beyond Deniker's w^ork. 



The Teeth. — In the text-books of Tomes, Huxley, and Owen 

 general descriptions of the teeth are given. Topinard has dealt with 

 the cusps and fangs of the molars and premolars (82) ; Magitot (56 

 and 57) treats of the dentition of the gorilla. Duvernoy and Heckel 

 also give a description of the teeth, while abnormalities are reported 

 by Magitot (57), Gervais {Jouvn. ZooL, vol. iii., pp. 164-166; 1874), 

 Bateson {Pvoc. Zool. Soc, 1892), and in the Trans. Odont. Soc, 1887, 

 p. 266. Little is known of the dates at which the teeth cut the gum 

 {see Famelart, 26). 



The Alimentary System. — The mouth, tongue, and pharynx 

 have been figured or described by Ehlers (23), Bischoff (7), Duvernoy 

 (22), Chapman (13), and Deniker (17). The viscera of the abdomen 

 have never been thoroughly described. The liver has been dealt 



