142 



NATURE 



[Dec. 14, 1876 



some flexible material CFig i, b, b'). A second rod ex- 

 hibits its longitudinally fibrous woody body bound round 

 transversely with a difterent bark (Fig. 2, b). Prof. 

 Schwendauer, who has made a microscopical examina- 

 tion of these interesting rods, confirms the fact cf their 

 having been subjected to artificial treatment. He sup- 

 plies in Fig. 4 an enlarged view, showing how the arti- 

 ficially-produced section cuts across the structure of the 

 wood. We can hardly doubt that we have here portions 

 of a piece of the rude basket-work, the construction of 

 which is among the earliest practised of the arts of 

 savage peoples. 



With regard to the mode of occurrence of the Wetzikon 

 lignite deposit, in which these singular remains were 

 found, two woodcuts, which we transfer from Dr. Heer's 

 book, will suffice to make the matter perfi ctly clear. The 

 first is an ideal section across the Valley of Utznach, 

 which shows the lignites in question {h) resting on up- 

 turned Miocene strata {a) and covered by beds of pebbles 

 (f) and erratic blocks id). From this section it appears 

 that a vast amount of denudation has taken place since 

 the formation of the beds of lignite and their being 

 covered up by deposits showing signs of glacial origin, 

 for the outcrop of the lignites occurs at a height of 100 

 yards above the bottom of the valley. The second section 

 shows the nature of the stratified materials, sand, loam, 

 and pebble- beds {c, d, f, g) with which the lignites {b, e) 

 are interstratified and covered — anumter of erratic blocks 

 (//), evidently derived from the Alps, surmounting the 

 whole mass. 



That these lignites of Wetzikon with their relics of human 

 workmanship are of great antiquity there is the plainest 

 proof; that they are, however, of more recent date than 

 the principal mass of the glacially-derived materials 

 occurring in the great Swiss valley is rendered clear by 

 their undoubted superposition to these deposits, which is 

 seen at a number of different points ; but that moraine 

 matter and erratic blocks have been deposited above 

 them, either by glaciers or icebergs, there seems to be no 

 room for doubting. We would venture to suggest, in 

 conclusion, however, that the greatest possible caution 

 ought to be exercised in attempting to correlate these 

 Alpine deposits with the glacial beds of our own country. 



J. W. J. 



THE BRAIN OF THE GORILLA 



'T^HE anatcmy of the brain of the gorilla has been 

 -■■ hitherto absolutely unknown. From the valuable 

 photographs published by Dr. Bolau in his recent memoir 

 on the anatomy of the gorilla, which was referred to in 

 last week's issue of this journal (p. 127), I am enabled 

 to give a brief account of its external anatomy, to re- 

 produce the illustrations of its form, and to compare it 

 with the brain of man and the o her anthropomorpha. 

 There are three views of the brain, the upper, the outer, 

 and the inner surfaces, figures of which are here given, 

 and a careful description of the sulci, by Dr. Ad. Pansch, 

 is appended. 



When seen from above the brain presents a broad ovoid 

 figure, the greatest transversediameter opposite the supra- 

 marginal convolutions, and very nearly two-thirds of its 

 length from the anterior extremity ; the frontal lobes are 

 broad, and show a remarkable approximation to the square 

 form of the human brain. In the lateral view it has 

 moderate depth, the arching of the upper surface is but 

 slight, and the highest point would seem to be about mid- 

 way between the centre of its length and the broadest 

 part. The dimensions are given, length = 100 mm., 

 breadth = 87 mm., and the depth = 70 mm. ; but the 

 last certainly includes the cerebellum, for which an allow- 

 ance of one-fifth may very properly be made, which will 

 reduce the depth to 56. in the orang the three propor- 



tions are respectively 100, 78, and 50 ; in the chimpanzee 

 100, 84, and 66 ; in the bushwoman 100, ']']^ and 62. The 

 breadth of the gorilla's brain here is notable, but in con- 

 nection with this it may be pointed out that the bush- 

 woman has as great a relative breadth of brain as the 

 European, in whom the numbers are 100, ']'], and 69, and 



Fig.7. 



Upper view of tTie brain of the Gorilla. i. Sulcus, prse-central ; li. Fis- 

 sure of Rolando ; ni. Intra-parietal sulcus ; s.o. External perpendicular 

 fissure. 



that the great and more valuable contrast is to be found 

 in the depth ; in the case of the orang (from Dr. Rolleston's 

 paper) it would seem that it must be too low, probably 

 from the flattening that follows removal of the brain from 

 its natural cavity. 



Hence conclusions drawn from the shape of the brain 



Fi^.Z. 



f.S.r.a. 



Outer surface ot the brain of the Goiilla- i- n. ni- s.o. as before; iv. 

 Parallel fissure ; f.s. Sylvian fissure, posterior branch ; f.s.r.a. Ant. 

 branch of the same. 



itself are from this very circumstance liable to error, and 

 for this purpose casts of the interior of the cranium are 

 the only rehable guides. Referring to those in the Hun- 

 terian Museum, that of the gorilla as compared with man 

 is seen to be characterised by want of height, flatness of 

 the vertex, and narrowed frontal obes ; compared with 



