808 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Let us now consider another species of animal, and one nearer 

 to man viz., the apes, more especially the strongest and most 

 savage of their kind. Here, again, it is permissible to assume that 

 no variety of ape has succeeded in forming a clear idea of death 

 and of the means of inflicting it. Thus, if the gorilla were pos- 

 sessed of the idea of death, and the way in which his formidable 

 arms can cause it, never would man escape from a struggle with 

 such a creature ; for, as Brehm points out, a single blow from the 

 huge claw- armed foot of a gorilla can rip up a man, break open 

 his chest, or cleave his skull. And yet many do escape from these 

 encounters with the great simian, maimed and mutilated indeed, 

 but with their lives. Brehm narrates that he has met in Africa 

 with many such horribly mauled survivors. Now, it is evident 

 that if so strong and formidable an animal whose human foes are 

 absolutely at his mercy, once they have discharged their firearms 

 frequently fails to kill them, it can only be because he strikes 

 blindly under the influence of rage, without directing his blows 

 in such a way as to indicate that he possesses any consciousness 

 as to the spots in which the blows would produce the most vital 

 effects. The gorilla, therefore, has no idea of death and of the 

 means of inflicting it. 



This view is strengthened by all we know concerning the con- 

 flicts which take place among the gorillas themselves. The male 

 gorilla fights savagely in the mating season, and yet no one has 

 ever found a dead gorilla which could possibly have perished in one 

 of these skirmishes. On the other hand, gorillas have been seen 

 bearing scars or jagged rents undoubtedly produced by the teeth 

 of some rival in love, an obvious indication that in these conflicts 

 the animals confine themselves to biting as chance directs, and 

 that their frightful capacity for slaughter is not set in motion from 

 any predetermined idea of destroying the life of an adversary. 



The orang-outang likewise uses its teeth as sole weapon of 

 offense and defense; and that also on impulse. "When it is 

 wounded or pursued," says Brehm, " it can defend itself well ; the 

 hunter should then be on his guard. The animal's arms are 

 strong, and its teeth most formidable; it can easily fracture a 

 man's arm and its bites are horrible." 



Let us follow the same author's description of a fight be- 

 tween a dog and a baboon, which is the largest simian after the 

 orang-outang and the gorilla : " The dog follows its foe and en- 

 deavors to seize it ; but the baboon suddenly turns and springs 

 upon the dog with an appalling howl, grips it with all its claws 

 at once on breast and throat, bites it deeply on those spots several 

 times, rolls with it over and over on the ground, biting again and 

 again, and at last leaves it prostrate, covered with wounds and 

 blood. The baboon then makes for the rocks, uttering yells of 



