5/6 THE PONGO OF BATTEL chap. 



Apart from tlie doubtful " Pongo " and " Engeco " of Andrew- 

 Battel, our tirst intelligence concerning tlie Gorilla is due to Dr. 

 Savage, after whom, indeed, the late Sir liicliard Owen called the 

 anirnal T I'OfjUuJytes savagei, a name which has to be abandoned 

 in favour of an earlier name. 



The (rorilla is limited in its distribution to the forest tract of 

 the Gaboon. It goes about in families, with but one adult male, 

 who later has to dispute liis position as leader of the band with 

 anotlier male, whom he kills or drives away, or by whom he is 

 killed or driven away. The animal is said to make a nest in a 

 tree like tlie Orang ; but tliis statement has been questioned. 



It feeds upon tlie berries of various plants, and upon other 

 vegetable substances ; there is apparently not so marked an 

 inclination "for animal food as is exhibited by the Chimpanzee. 

 In search of their food they w^ander tlirough tlie forest, walking 

 partly upon the bent hand, and progressing with a sliuffling gait. 

 It is notewortliy tliat tlie Gkirilla has been said to walk upon the 

 palm of the hand and not upon the back, as is the case with the 

 Chimpanzee. It can readily assume the upright posture, and, 

 in this case, balances itself largely with its arms. Professor 

 Hartmann, however, states that the back of the hand is also used. 

 Unlike most or many wild beasts, the Gorilla exhibits no desire 

 to run away when he views a human enemy. Dr. Savage 

 remarks that " when the male is first seen, he gives a terrific yell, 

 that resounds far and wide through the forest, something like 

 kh-ah ! kh-ah ! prolonged and shrill." This is accompanied by 

 offensive tactics, which the natives do not willingly encounter. 

 When making an attack the Gorilla rises to his feet, and as a 

 full-grown animal reaches a height of some five feet, he is a most 

 formidable antagonist. The attack of one of these animals is said to 

 be made with the hand, with which he strikes his adversary to the 

 ground, and then uses the powerful canines. The beating of the 

 breast which heralds an attack is a statement made by M. du 

 Chaillu. It has been denied wdtli a vigour and asperity quite 

 incommensurate with the importance of the matter.^ 



The Chimpanzees, genus Anthro2)02nthecus (or Troglodytes), are 



^ For accounts of the liabits of the Gorilla, compiled from various sources, see 

 Hartmann's " Antliropoid Apes," International Scient. Ser. London, 1885 ; H. 

 O. Forbes, " Monkeys," in Allen's Naturalists' Series, London, 1894 ; and Huxley, 

 " Man's Place in Nature," vol. vii. of Collected Essays, London, 1894. 



