Zoological Society. 377 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



January 11, 1859.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., Y.P., in the Chair. 



On the Gorilla (Troglodytes gorilla, Say.)*. 

 By Prof. Owen, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., &c. 



Before referring to earlier indications of the truly extraordinary 

 animal of which an entire specimen has now been obtained, — indications 

 scarcely more instructive or convincing to the naturalist than those 

 afloat on the Unicorn or Succatyro, — the author proceeded briefly to 

 recapitulate the steps which led to the determination and full know- 

 ledge of the great anthropoid Ape of Africa called Troglodytes 

 gorilla. 



The first authentic information he had received of its existence 

 was by a letter from Dr. Savage, dated ' Gaboon River, West Africa,' 

 April 24, 1847, inclosing a sketch of the cranium, and recpiesting 

 that the results of Prof. Owen's comparison might be communicated 

 to him. That letter and those results are given in the ' Proceedings 

 of the Zoological Society' for February 22, 1848; together with 

 the description of three skulls, two of male and one of a female, 

 which had been transmitted from the Gaboon to England, and 

 which established the distinction of the species (Troglodytes gorilla) 

 from the Chimpanzee (Troglodytes niger)-\-. 



The skulls obtained by Dr. Savage, at the Gaboon, were taken by 

 him to Boston, U. S., and were described by the Doctor and Prof. 

 "Wyman, in the ' Journal of the Natural History Society of Boston, 5 

 vol. v., 1847, and the name Troglodytes gorilla was proposed for the 

 species, the discovery of which is due to Dr. P. S. Savage. 



Translations of Dr. "Wyman' s and Prof. Owen's papers being pub- 

 lished in the ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles', the attention of 

 Continental Naturalists was strongly excited toward this unexpected 

 addition to the Mammalian class ; and the inducements held out for 

 the collection of specimens speedily led to the acquisition of the 

 requisite materials for completing the zoographical history of the 

 animal which it seems now agreed to call ' Gorilla.' The additional 

 materials which reached London, enabled the author to communi- 

 cate to the Zoological Society (' Proceedings of the Zool. Soc' for 

 Nov. 11th, 1851. )% a description of the entire skeleton of the Trog- 

 lodytes gorilla ; of which, however, owing to the number and cost 

 of the illustrations, two parts only have yet appeared in the 'Trans- 

 actions of the Society' (vol. iv., pt. in., p. lh, pis. 26-30 & pt. iv., 

 p. 89, pis. 31-36.): but the main facts are recorded in the au- 

 thor's Catalogue of the ' Osteological Collection in the Museum of 

 the Royal College of Surgeons,' 4to, pp. 782-804. Entire skeletons 



* This paper will be printed in the ' Transactions,' illustrated with several 

 plates. 



t ' Transactions of the Zool. Soc' vol. iii., p. 381, pis. 58-63. 

 % See also ' Literary Gazette,' Nov. 15, 1851. 



