1021 



CHIMPANZEE. 



CHIMPANZEE. 



1023 



now however well made out that there are two species of Chimpanzee 

 inhabiting the Gaboon, and the larger of the two has not been seen 

 alive in Europe, it is probable the habits of the two animals have 

 been confounded. 



In a state of captivity its manners have been the theme of many a 

 tale and much admiration ; and as most of the individuals described 

 have died very young, conjecture has been busy as to the progress the 

 animal might make if its education were continued to the adult state. 

 " Deductions," says Professor Owen in his paper above referred to, 

 " in favour of the anthropomorphous character of the orangs have 

 been derived from observation of the living habits of young orangs ; 

 but these cannot be regarded as affording a type of the nature of the 

 adults, since it is well known that the docilitjr and gentle manners of 

 the young ope rapidly give way to an unteachable obstinacy and 

 untameable ferocity in the adult ; at least of those species to which, 

 as I shall afterwards show, the full-grown orangs have the nearest 

 resemblance in the form of the head." 



Chimpanzee (Troglodytes niyer}. 



Captain Payne thus describes the manners of the animal which 

 formed the subject of Dr. Traill's paper. " When our animal came 

 on board," says Captain Payne, " it shook hands with some of the 

 Bailors, but refused its hand with marks of anger to others without 

 any apparent cause. It speedily however became familiar with the 

 crew, except one boy, to whom it never was reconciled. When the 

 seamen's mess was brought ou deck it was a constant attendant ; 

 would go round and embrace each person while it uttered loud yells, 

 and then seat itself among them to share the repast." It sometimes 

 expressed its anger by a barking noise like a dog; at others it would 

 cry like a froward child, and scratch itself most vehemently. When 

 any favourite morsel was given to it, sweetmeats more especially, it 

 expi eased its satisfaction by a Bound like 'hem/ in a grave tone. 

 The variety of its tones seems to have been small. It was active and 

 cheerful in warm latitudes, but languor came on as it left the torrid 

 zone ; and on approaching our shores it manifested a desire for warm 

 covering, and would roll itself carefully up in a blanket when it went 

 to rest. It generally progressed on all fours, and Captain Payne 

 particularly observed that it never placed the palms of the hands of 

 its anterior extremities on the ground, but closing its fists rested on 

 the knuckles. This mode of progression noticed by Tyson was con- 

 firmed to Dr. Traill by a young naval officer who had been for a 

 considerable time employed in the rivers of Western Africa, and had 

 "I'p'.rtunities of observing the habits of this species. Captain Payne's 

 animal did not seem fond of the erect posture, which it rarely affected, 

 though it could run nimbly on two feet for a short distance. In this 

 case it appeared to aid the motion of its legs by grasping the thighs 

 with its hands. It had great strength iB the four fingers of its 



superior extremity ; for it would often swing by them on a rope 

 upwards of an hour without intermission. When first procured it 

 was so thickly covered with hair that the skin of the trunk and limbs 

 was scarcely visible until the long black hair was blown aside. It ato 

 readily every sort of vegetable food ; but at first did not appear to 

 relish flesh, though it seemed to have pleasure in sucking the leg-bone 

 of a fowl. At that time it did not relish wine, but afterwards seemed 

 to like it, though it never could endure ardent spirits. It once stole 

 a bottle of wine, which it uncorked with its teeth and began to drink. 

 It showed a predilection for coffee, and was immoderately fond of 

 sweet articles of food. It learned to feed itself with a spoon, to drink 

 out of a glass, and showed a general disposition to imitate the actions 

 of men. It was attracted by bright metals, seemed to take a pride in 

 clothing, and often put a cocked hat on its head. It was dirty in 

 its habits, and never was known to wash itself. It was afraid of fire- 

 arms; and on the whole appeared a timid animal. It lived with 

 Captain Payne seventeen weeks, two of which were spent in Cork and 

 Liverpool. At the former place it was exhibited for the benefit of 

 the soup-kitchen for a few days, but seems to have been there 

 neglected. On coming to Liverpool it languished for a few days, 

 moaned heavily, was oppressed in its breathing, and died with con- 

 vulsive motions of the limbs. 



T. Gorilla, Savage (T. Savagei, Owen), the Gorilla, or Great 

 Chimpanzee. In the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society" for 1848 

 a description is given by Professor Owen of the skulls of adult and 

 aged male and female Chimpanzees from the Gaboon River, much 

 exceeding in size, and specifically distinct from the previously known 

 T. niger. At that time Professor Owen proposed to call the species 

 T. Savagei, in honour of Dr. Savage, an American missionary, who 

 had first obtained specimens of this Chimpanzee, and described its 

 character and habits. In a letter to Professor Owen, dated " Protestant 

 Mission House, Gaboon River, West Africa, April, 1847," Dr. Savage, 

 after describing the existence of this Chimpanzee, says, " As yet I 

 have been unable to obtain more than a part of a skeleton. It belongs 

 to the Simiadce, and is closely allied to the orangs proper. It reaches 

 nearly, if not quite, the height of five feet in the adult state, and is 

 of a large size. I am considerably in doubt in regard to its identity 

 with an animal said to have been known to Buffon as a large species 

 of orang-outan under the name of Pongo." After the receipt of Dr. 

 Savage's letter and specimens, Professor Owen received skulls from 

 Mr. Stutchbury, of Bristol, which had been collected by Captain 

 Wagstaff, who shortly after died. " The only information which Mr. 

 Stutchbury was able to obtain from him was, that the natives, when 

 they succeed in killing one of these chimpanzees make a ' fetish ' of 

 the cranium. The specimens bore indications of the sacred marks in 

 broad red stripes, crossed by a white stripe, of some pigment which 

 could be washed off. Their superstitious reverence of these hideous 

 remains of their formidable and dreaded enemy adds to the difficulty 

 of obtaining specimens." 



The following are, the points by which the T. Gorilla is distinguished 

 from T. niger : 



" 1. By its greater size. 2. By the size and form of the super- 

 ciliary ridges. 3. By the existence of the large occipital and inter- 

 parietal crests in the males, and by rudiments of the same in 

 females. 4. By the great strength and arched form of the zygomatic 

 arches. 5. By the form of the anterior and posterior nasal orifices. 

 6. By the structure of the infra-orbital canal. 7. By the existence 

 of an emargination on the posterior part of the hard palate. 8. The 

 incisive alveoli do not project beyond the line of the rest of the face, 

 as in the chimpanzee and orang. 9. The distance between the nasal 

 orifice and the edge of the incisive alveoli is less than in the 

 chimpanzee. 10. The ossa nasi are more narrow and compressed 

 superiorly." 



Professor Owen concludes his paper on the anatomy of this creature 

 by the following remarks : " The analogy which the establishment 

 of the second and more formidable species of chimpanzee in Africa 

 has brought to light between the representation of the genus 

 Troglodyte* in that continent and that of the genus Pithecus in the 

 great islands of the Indiau Archipelago, is very close and interesting. 

 As the T. Gorilla parallels the Pithecus Wurmbii [PITHECUS], so the 

 T. niger parallels the P. morio ; and an unexpected illustration has 

 thus been gained of the soundness of the interpretation of the 

 specific distinction of that smaller and more anthropoid orang. It 

 is not without interest to observe that as the generic forms of the 

 Quadrumana approach the Bimanous order, they are represented by 

 fewer species. The Gibbons (Hylobatei) scarcely number more than 

 half a dozen species ; Pithfcus has but two species, or at most three ; 

 Troglodytes is represented by two species. 



" The unity of the human species I regard as demonstrated by the 

 constancy of those osteological and dental characters, to which my 

 attention has been more particularly directed in the investigation of 

 the corresponding characters in the higher Quadrumana, and the 

 importance of the comparison will justify the minuteness with which 

 they have been detailed. 



" Man is the sole species of his genus, the sole representative of 

 his order ; he has no nearer physical relations with the brute kind 

 than those which mark the primary (unguiculate) division of tho 

 placenta! sub-class of Mammalia." (' Trail. Zool. Soc." vol. iii.) 



