xii FOREWORD 
virtues. For this untruthful picture Akeley substi- 
tutes a real gorilla, chiefly a quadruped in locomo- 
tion, not seeking combat with man, ferocious only 
when his family rights are invaded, benign rather 
than malignant in countenance. Thus he explodes 
the age-long gorilla myth and we learn for the first 
time the place in nature of this great anthropoid and 
come to believe that it should be conserved and 
protected rather than eliminated. In other words, 
the author shows that there are good grounds for the 
international movement to conserve the few remain- 
ing tribes of the gorilla. 
Akeley has come into closest touch with all these 
animals in turn, even at great personal risk, always 
leaving with increased rather than diminished admi- 
ration for them. This quality of truthfulness, com- 
bined with his love of beauty of the animal form— 
beauty of hide, of muscle, of bone, of facial expres- 
sion—will give permanence to Akeley’s work, and 
permanence will be the sure test of its greatness. 
Henry FAIRFIELD OSBORN. 
July 27, 1923. 
American Museum. 
