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Disposition and Intelligence of the Chimpanzee. 



W. Henry Sheak — Philadelphia, Pa. 



I shall not, in this brief paper, attempt to prove aught of the dis- 

 position and intelligence of Antliropopithecu^ troglodytes by force of 

 argument. I shall merely set forth a few of my own personal observa- 

 tions. You may draw your own conclusions. 



The chimpanzee is a native of tropical Africa, ranging from about 

 twelve degrees north of the equator to ten degrees south of this line, and 

 from the Atlantic Ocean on the west, to the Blue Nile on the east. But 

 these interesting animals seem to be much more abundant in the westei'ii 

 part of their range than in the eastern; at least, most of the specimens 

 we get in captivity come from near the Atlantic. The chimpanzee is 

 not nearly so large as the gorilla, and possibly not quite so large as 

 the orang-utan, but there is not much difference in size between the 

 chimpanzee and the orang. The adult males reach a height of about 

 four feet five inches and a weight of from one hundred and forty to 

 one hundred and sixty pounds. The females are not quite so large. The 

 color is black, both the hair and skin being black. In some specimens, 

 however, the face is quite light in color, and in others there may be 

 found considerable ashy-gray hair among the black. 



The chimpanzee is the most friendly and docile of the great apes, 

 differing in this way from his near relative, the gorilla, which is savage 

 and morose, refusing to make friends with man. I have seen a young 

 chimpanzee fresh from the jungles, on being taken from the shipping- 

 box in which he came to America, throw his arms about a man's neck 

 he had never seen ten minutes before, and hug him affectionately. To 

 me, one of the most interesting things about these great apes is that 

 they know how to express affection and gratitude by hugging and kissing 

 without being taught. A few years ago I had a big chimpanzee called 

 Mike, who insisted on kissing me, and kissing me on the lips, when- 

 ever I came near him. This was not the most delightful of experiences, 

 because Mike's lips were not always clean. Joe, a smaller specimen. 



