TAILLESS TREE-CLIMBERS OF THE WILDS. 247 



by the reports of this unknown monster, I was deter- 

 mined to penetrate to its haunts and see with my own 

 eyes. It has been my fortune to be the first white man 

 who can speak of the gorilla from personal knowledge ; 

 and while my experience and observation prove that many 

 of the actions reported of it are false, I can also vouch 

 that no description can exceed the horror of its appear- 

 ance, the ferocity of its attack, or the impish malignity of 

 its nature. It lives in the loneliest and darkest portions 

 of the dense African jungle, preferring deep-wooded val- 

 leys and also rugged heights. 



2. " It is a restless and nomadic beast, wandering from 

 place to place, and scarce ever found for two days to- 

 gether in the same neighborhood. In part this restless- 

 ness is caused by the struggle it has to find its favorite 

 food, which consists of berries, pineapples, and other vege- 

 table matter. The gorilla, though it has immense canine 

 teeth and though its vast strength fits it to capture and 

 kill almost every animal which frequents the forest, is a 

 strict vegetarian. The common walk of this animal is 

 not on its hind-legs, but on all-fours. In this posture the 

 arms are so long that the head and breast are raised con- 

 siderably, and as it runs the hind-legs are brought far be- 

 neath the body. The leg and arm on the same side move 

 together, which gives the beast a curious waddle. It can 

 run at great speed. It is a pretty sight to see a mother 

 with the baby gorilla sporting with it. I have watched 

 them in the wood till I had not the heart to shoot. "When 

 the mother runs away from the hunter, the young one 

 grasps her about the neck and hangs beneath her breasts 

 with its legs about her body. 



3. " In all my hunts and encounters with this animal 

 I never knew a grown male to run off. Sitting for a mo- 

 ment with a savage frown on his face, he slowly rises to his 



