24 APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS 



much in individuals that it is difficult to lay down any rule for its average size. 

 The skin of the chimpanzee is frequently of a light, yet muddy flesh color, which 

 sometimes verges upon brown. Spots, varying in size and depth of color, sometimes 

 isolated, sometimes in groups, and of a blackish-brown, sooty, or bluish-black tint, 

 are found on different parts of the body of many individuals, especially on the face, 

 neck, breast, belly, arms and hands, thighs and shanks, and more rarely on the 

 back. The face, which, soon after birth, is of a flesh color, merging into yellowish- 

 brown, assumes a darker shade with the gradual development of the body. The 

 hairy coat is sleek, or only in rare cases slightly curled, and the coarser and bristly 

 hair is generally stiff and elastic. The parting on the forehead is often so regular 

 that it might have been arranged by the hairdresser's art. Close behind that part 

 of the head at which the projecting ridges over the eyes of the gorilla generally 

 meet there is in the chimpanzee (as is well shown in our figure of the head) an alto- 

 gether bald place, or often only a few scattered hairs. Round the face the growth 

 of hair streams downward like a beard. On the neck it is of considerable length, 

 and it falls in the same long locks over the shoulders, back, and hips. The hair on 

 the limbs is not so long, and takes a downward direction on the upper arm, and an 

 opposite direction on the fore-arm, while there is often a longitudinal parting on the 

 centre of the inner surface of this part of the limb. On the back of the wrist the 

 hair grows in a kind of whorl ; the upper hairs turn upwards and backwards, 

 the middle ones turn backwards, the lower ones backwards and downwards. The 

 backs of the hands and the roots of the fingers are hairy. On the front of the thigh 

 the hair takes a downward direction, while behind it grows backwards. On the 

 shank it grows downwards in the region of the tibia, and turns back on the inside of 

 the leg. The back of the foot and the roots of the toes are likewise hairy. There 

 'is a shorter growth of these hairs on the face, chin, and ears. In other cases the 

 hair of the true chimpanzee is of a black color. Short whitish hairs may be 

 observed on the lower part of the face and chin, as well as round the posterior ; 

 and sometimes the color of the hair is shot throughout with reddish- or brownish- 

 black." 



The foregoing description applies to the true chimpanzee, Anthropopithecus niger. 

 Many varieties of this species seem to exist, some of which have been regarded as 

 distinct species : but with the exception of the bald chimpanzee, to be mentioned 

 immediately, it does not appear that any of these can be satisfactorily distinguished 

 as true species. The natives of Africa have many names for chimpanzees in the 

 various districts. In the Gabun region they are known as N'Schego, in Malimbu 

 as Kulu, in Manyema as Soko, and in the Niam-Niam district as Ranja ; while to the 

 Arab traders they are known as the Bam or M'Bam. 



In his Equatorial Africa Du Chaillu gave a description of a chimpan- 

 Chimpanzee zee ' wll ^ c ^ ^ e sa ^ was kn wn to the natives as the N'Schego M'Bouve, 

 and which he proposed to call Troglodytes, or as it should properly be, 

 Anthropopithecus calvus. For a long period zoologists were in doubt whether this bald- 

 headed chimpanzee was really a distinct species. In the autumn of 1883 a young 

 chimpanzee was, however, purchased by the Zoological Society of London, which 

 Mr. Bartlett, the superintendent of the Society's Gardens, recognized as being very 



