OF WILD ANIMALS 257 



The long-armed yellow species makes very little trouble, and 



The small golden baboon is the best-behaved of them all. 



Courage in the Great Apes. After forty years of ape 

 study, with many kinds of evidence, I am convinced that the 

 courage and the alleged ferocity of the gorilla has been much 

 over-rated. I believe this is due to the influence upon the 

 human mind of the great size and terrifying aspect of the animal. 



Of all the men whom I have known or read, the late R. 

 L. Garner knew by far the most of gorilla habits and character 

 by personal observation in the gorilla jungles of equatorial 

 Africa. And never, in several years of intimate contact with 

 Mr. Garner did he so much as once put forth a statement or 

 an estimate that seemed to me exaggerated or overcolored. 



In our many discussions of gorilla character Mr. Garner 

 always represented that animal as very shy, wary of observation 

 by man, profoundly cunning in raiding in darkness the banana 

 plantations of man's villages, and most carefully avoiding 

 exposures by daylight. He described the gorilla as prac- 

 tically never attacking men unless first attacked by them, and 

 fleeing unless forcibly brought to bay. He told me of a re- 

 doubtable African tribesman who once captured a baby gorilla 

 on the ground by suddenly attacking the mother with his club 

 and beating her so successfully that she fled from him and 

 abandoned her young. " But," said Mr. Garner, " there is only 

 one tribe in Africa that could turn out a man who would attempt 

 a feat like that." 



That the gorilla can and will fight furiously and effectively 

 when brought to bay is well known, and never denied. 



Of the apes I have known in captivity, the chimpanzees are 

 by far the most aggressive, courageous and dangerous. A 

 vigorous male specimen over eight years of age is more dan- 

 gerous than a lion, or tiger, or grizzly bear, and far more anxious 

 to fight something. I think that even if our Boma were muzzled, 

 no five men of my acquaintance could catch him and tie his 

 hands and feet. 



