CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



receives from the Dyaks the name of Mias. The 

 genus Troglodytes contains the Chimpanzee and 

 the Gorilla. The latter, which is excessively 

 strong, and extremely ferocious, is a native of 

 New Guinea, and is now regarded as the most 

 human of all the anthropomorphous apes. It 

 attains a height of fully five feet, and when erect, 

 the arms reach to the middle of the leg. The 

 two hinder limbs are not intended by nature 

 to serve as a support to the entire weight of the 

 animal. It only puts the outside to the ground, 

 and seems awkward and insecure unless it has 

 the fore extremities also employed in its support 

 or in progression. 



By Linnaeus, the Quadrumana and Bimana 

 were united under one order, the Primates, and 

 this arrangement is followed by some eminent 

 modern zoologists, but chiefly by the advocates of 

 the theory of progressive development. 



ORDER 12. Bimana. At the head of the Mam- 

 malia, and consequently of the entire Animal 

 Kingdom, stands the order BIMANA, implying 

 Two-handed Animals, but in reality composed of 

 but one genus MAN (Homo). In this place we 

 have to consider man solely as a part of the Ani- 

 mal Kingdom. The study of man's psychical endow- 

 ments and his physical structure belongs to other 

 departments of science. Zoologically considered, 

 man is distinguished by his habitually erect pos- 

 ture, and by the two hinder limbs being devoted 

 solely for support and progression, while the two 

 anterior extremities are fitted for prehension alone. 

 By the upright position, his upper extremities are 

 left at entire liberty, whilst his organs of sense 

 are most favourably situated for observation. The 

 hand of man is adapted to a far greater variety 

 of purposes than that of the monkeys, in which it 

 is most perfect ; its power consists chiefly in the 

 size and strength of the thumb, which can have 

 its tip brought into opposition with that of any of 

 the fingers ; and all these are capable of being 



193 



moved separately. In none of the monkeys can 

 the thumb be opposed to the fingers with any 

 degree of force ; and in many, their tips cannot be 

 brought into contact; so that, though admirably 

 adapted for clinging round bodies of a certain 

 size, such as the small branches of trees, their 

 hands can neither seize very minute objects, nor 

 support large ones. In man, also, the toes of the 

 fore and hind limbs are covered by nails, but in 

 the hind-limbs the great toe is not opposable to 

 the other digits. The foot is broad, and the whole 

 sole is applied to the ground in walking. 



The dentition consists of thirty-two teeth in 

 an even and uninterrupted series, without any 

 interval, the dental formula being : 



I 2 ~ 2 C I ~~ I P 2 ~ 2 M 33 _ ,2 



! * \^ i . IVlt sZ 



22 I I 22' 33 



The brain of man is much more highly devel- 

 oped ; its convolutions are more numerous, more 

 pronounced, and its size is greater relatively than 

 in any other mammal. He is the only terres- 

 trial mammal whose body is not furnished with a 

 covering of hair. Man is distinguished from other 

 mammals not so much by his anatomical and 

 structural qualities as by his high psychical 

 endowments. He may be comprehensively de- 

 scribed as a being fitted to live upon almost all 

 kinds of food, and in every part of the earth 

 except those constantly under snow ; of an extra- 

 ordinary intelligence, and tendency to social life ; 

 eminent in power over all other animals, and 

 endowed with the greatest ability to turn the 

 objects and forces of physical creation to his 

 own benefit Besides all this, we believe there 

 is a spiritual being within us, vouchsafed to no 

 other species, by which we are brought into pecu- 

 liar relations to the Divine Author of nature, and 

 which will survive the frail tenement in which we 

 live. 



Flying Fox or Roussette (Pteropus ritbricollis). 



