Miscellaneous. 347 



these people are notorious anthropophagi, no one attempts to deny ; 

 but the * piles of human ribs, legs, hand-arm bones, and skulls,' are 

 inventions of M. Du Chaillu. 



" Again, the statement of the untameability of the young of the 

 Gorilla, or N'Jina, is untrue. In proof whereof, let me ask M. Du 

 Chaillu, whose memory, usually so very good, seems to have failed 

 him signally in this particular instance, if he has forgotten the young 

 female Gorilla, of from two to three years of age, called Seraphine, 

 which lived at my factory for four months in 1859, and which he 

 repeatedly saw there 1 I assert, without fear of contradiction by M. 

 Du Chaillu or any other person (and I could name scores of Euro- 

 peans who saw it), that this animal was perfectly tame, docile, 

 and tractable — far more so, indeed, than many negro children of the 

 same age. Not only was she on perfectly good terms with all grown- 

 up people in and about the factory, but was exceedingly attached to 

 her keeper Curtis, whom she could not bear to be out of her sight, 

 but regularly accompanied him about the factory and in his walks in 

 the town and neighbourhood. She was familiar and quiet with 

 myself and clerks, and was only displeased when children approached 

 her ; and for these she seemed to have, in common with most large 

 apes and monkeys, a very great disUke. She was seldom tied up, 

 and even then only by a very small cord, which she could easily have 

 broken, or cut with her teeth, had she felt so inclined. She allowed 

 herself to be clothed, seeming to like it ; and actually went to break- 

 fast with a friend of mine, M. Barbotin, commandant de 1' aviso a 

 vapeur, le Renaudin, upon which occasion she conducted herself to 

 ■the admiration of everybody. When at times put on the table, or 

 amongst vessels of glass or earthenware, she was most careful not to 

 break anything. She finally died from dysentery and chagrin, — the 

 latter caused by her keeper being prevented by his other occupations 

 from paying her so much attention as she had been in the habit of 

 receiving. 



" M. Du Chaillu ignores totally the presence of M. Duval, who 

 accompanied him in his trip overland to Cape Lopez, and likewise 

 omits all mention of an American trader living close to him on the 

 Fernan Vas, to whom he was under many obligations. 



" The species of Ant to which he gives the name of ' Barhekouay ' 

 (a word unknown in Mipongwe, and probably invented by himself) is 

 the insect commonly known as the * driver,' of which there are two 

 kinds, called here respectively Ntyounou and Ntyounou sakoa. I need 

 scarcely say that his description is a gross exaggeration ; the insect, 

 although sufficiently troublesome, being by no means so formidable 

 as he represents it. 



" In the Appendix to his work, M. Du Chaillu mentions a visit paid 

 by him to a French emigrant ship at Cape Lopez : no ship of the 

 kind ever shipped a single emigrant there, or even called there. The 

 vessel to which he alludes was the ' Phoenix,' Capt. Chevalier, on 

 board of which he accompanied me ; and it was through me that he 

 obtained permission to go, when he heard of my intention. So far 

 from his being there able to hold iatercourse with the people on board. 



