61 On M. Du Chaillu's 'Adventures in Equatorial Africa.' 



described by Mr. Waterhouse ; but this is just the character of a more 

 adult animal. 



Sciuras minutus is Sciurus palliatus, Peters, 1852. 



Manatus Owenii is only Manatus senegalensis. The skull is 

 exactly like M. De Blainville's figure of the skull of that species in 

 the French Museum. 



The African species is known from the American one by having 

 the malar bone produced below into a more or less broad rounded 

 lobe, instead of being straight and without any such lobe, as is the 

 case in the American skull. The lobe appears to increase in size as 

 the animal increases in age. 



It would thus appear that there is only one new animal out of the 

 sixteen, and that is referred to a wrong genus, and so described that 

 it could not be recognized. 



A true naturalist — an accurate observer and recorder — may add 

 much to our knowledge, without procuring any new species, if he 

 bring information about the habits, maimers, and localities of the 

 animals he observes. Unfortunately, nothing can be more unin- 

 teresting and unsatisfactory than the information on this head in 

 M. DuChaillu's paper on "the new Mammalia," or in the 'Adven- 

 tures,' except as to the Gorilla ; and there the author has given his 

 imagination full swing, and the specimens he brings contradict his 

 statements. Thus, in his book the Gorilla is represented as advancing 

 on its hind legs to meet its foes, and it is stated that it was always 

 shot in the breast ; but the skins and skeletons show that they were 

 shot in the back or the neck, as the animal was retreating on all- 

 fours, or else in the trees, — which is more consistent with our know- 

 ledge of its habits, as those who have seen them alive inform me that 

 they never willingly leave the trees ; and I am sorry to say that the 

 observations on the other animals appear to me equally apocryphal. 

 The habitat given in the essay as of a most general kind, such as the 

 head-waters of such or such a river, and the habitat given in the 

 description of the beast or bird, is often not consistent with that given 

 in the ' Adventures.' Thus, we are told that Barbatula Duchaillu 

 is found on the Moonda River ; and in the ' Adventures ' it is said 

 to be found in Ikoi Creek, which is on the Gaboon. 



The number of animals collected by M. Du Chaillu, as given in 

 his list, is very small compared with those collected by Messrs. 

 Rendell, Whitfield, Thompson, Stanger, and Fraser, at different 

 stations on the west coast of Africa. Each of these naturalists brought 

 sundry new species of Mammalia, as well as many new birds, from a 

 much more limited district than M. Du Chaillu professes to have 

 examined ; and some of them were only amateur collectors : Mr. 

 Rendell sent skins of birds in such abundance as to render them 

 quite a drug in the market for years. 



M. Du Chaillu is not a good preserver of skins. As soon as the 

 skin was taken off the larger animals, even the Gorillas, it was stuffed, 

 as full as it could hold, with straw, dried leaves, and other substances, 

 and then sewn up : the outer surface dried, but there being no means 

 by which the internal moisture could escape, many of the skins have 



