M. DU CHAILLU. 283 



of the habits of the Gorilla ; and it will readily be allowed that, 

 whether reliable or not, it was of a character greatly to stimulate 

 the appetite for farther information on the subject. 



No wonder, therefore, that a great sensation was produced 

 when, in February last year, an American gentleman, who had 

 actually seen and hunted the Gorilla, and who, moreover, was 

 able to display unmistakeable proofs of his prowess in vanquish- 

 ing the terrible beast, made his appearance at a meeting of the 

 Eoyal Geographical Society to tell the story of his adventures. 

 Nor is it at all strange that the appearance of the volume in which 

 these adventures are fully narrated should have excited such a 

 lively interest in all classes of society ; for as it has truly been 

 said, " we must go back to the voyages of La Perouse and 

 Captain Cook, and almost to the days of wonder which followed 

 the track of Columbus for novelties, of equal significance to the 

 age of their discovery." 



In presenting now a brief resum/ of the discoveries of M. du 

 Chaillu, in so far, that is, as they relate to the Gorilla, it may 

 be as well to say at once, that notwithstanding the severe 

 criticism to which his book has been subjected, bringing out, 

 as it undoubtedly has, several discrepancies as to the dates 

 of his journeys, and errors of other kinds, we have yet no 

 reason whatever to doubt the general trustworthiness of the 

 narrative as a whole, or those portions of it in particular which 

 relate to the habits of the monstrous Ape with which we are 

 here alone concerned. Backed by the authoritative approval of 

 men like Sir Roderick Murchison and Professor Owen, M. du 

 Chaillu may well be content to disregard the imputations which 

 have been cast upon him, the more especially as he cannot but 

 know that he does but share the common lot of all who have 

 made any large and important additions to human knowledge. 



It is only what might reasonably have been expected, that the 

 account vvhich M. du Chaillu gives of the habits of the Gorilla 

 contradicts much that has previously been received on the 

 authority of the natives themselves. In the first place, he dispels 

 what he calls the " agreeable delusion," that the huge beast lurks 

 in trees by the road side, and catches up unsuspicious passers-by 

 and chokes them. He admits that this story is universally 

 believed by the natives, but he regards it as one of the extrava- 

 gances into which they have been led by the horror of the monster. 



