OF THE MAN-LIKE APES 



239 



" The gait is shuffling ; the motion of the body, which 

 is never upright as in man, but bent forward, is somewhat 

 rolling, or from side to side. The arms being longer than 

 the Chimpanzee, it does not stoop as much in walking ; 

 like that animal, it makes progression by thrusting its 

 arms forward, resting the hands on the ground, and then 

 giving the body a half jumping half swinging motion 

 between them. In this act it is said not to flex the fingers, as 

 does the Chimpanzee, resting on its knuckles, but to extend 

 them, making a fulcrum of the hand. When it assumes 

 the walking posture, to which it is said to be much inclined, 

 it balances its huge body by flexing its arms upward. 



" They live in bands, but 

 are not so numerous as the 

 Chimpanzees : the females 

 generally exceed the other 

 sex in number. My infor- 

 mants all agree in the 

 assertion that but one adult 

 male is seen in a band ; that 

 when the young males grow 

 up, a contest takes place for 

 mastery, and the strongest, 

 by killing and driving out 

 the others, establishes him- 

 self as the head of the 

 community." 



Dr. Savage repudiates the stories about the Gorillas 

 carrying off women and vanquishing elephants, and then 

 adds : 



" Their dwellings, if they may be so called, are similar 

 to those of the Chimpanzee, consisting simply of a few 

 sticks and leafy branches, supported by the crotches and 

 limbs of trees : they afford no shelter, and are occupied 

 only at night. 



" They are exceedingly ferocious, and always offensive 

 in then- habits, never running from man, as does the 

 Chimpanzee. They are objects of terror to the natives, 

 and are never encountered by them except on the defensive. 

 The few that have been captured were killed by elephant- 

 hunters and native traders, as they came suddenly upon 

 them while passing through the forests. 



" It is said that when the male is first seen he gives 

 a terrific yell, that resounds far and wide through the 



FIG. 11. Gorilla walking (after 

 Wolff). 



