38 APES AND MONKEYS. 



Relationship Here we may make a brief digression to explain what zoologists 



to Man. niean by the connection and relationship of these apes with man. A 

 great deal of nonsense has been written about the impossibilitj' of man being de- 

 scended from the chimpanzee, a gorilla, or an orang. No one, however, who knows 

 what he is talking about, can ever suppose for a single moment that such was the 

 case. What zoologists do contend for is that, supposing some kind of evolution to 

 be the true explanation of the origin of animals, — and all the available evidence 

 indicates that it is so, — man is so intimately connected, so far as his bodily 

 stmctui'e is concerned, with the higher apes that, in this respect at least, he 

 cannot but be considered to have had a similar origin. And on this view both 

 man and the Man-like Apes are regarded as diverging branches descended from a 

 common ancestor, — " the missing link," — long since extinct, and as much unlike any 

 living ape, as such apes are unlike man himself. The gorilla and chimpanzee 

 are presumed to be descended from apes which diverged from the common ancestral 

 stock, subsequently to the assumption of the human attributes of seventeen 

 veAebrae between the sacrum and the neck, and the loss of the central bone in the 

 wrist. 



With these few words on this deeplj^ interesting and important subject, we 

 proceed to a more detailed examination of the gorilla. 



A full-grown male gorilla, if standing in a perfectly upright 

 structure. .. .^ ° '^ Y . . 



position, will generally measure rather more than six feet in height ; 



and since his botly is much more bulky, and his limbs are longer than those of a man, 

 he is considerably the largest representative of tlie Primates. As in the chimpanzee, 

 there are distinct eyebrows on the forehead and lashes to the lids of the eyes. The 

 nose has a relatively long bridge, and its extremity is high, conical, and widely 

 expanded ; the whole length being divided by a distinct furrow running down the 

 middle line, and becoming more marked as age advances. The upper lip is remark- 

 able for its shortness ; and the whole of the dark skin in the region of the nose, 

 cheeks, and mouth is marked by a number di rugose folds. The massive jaws 

 are extremely projecting, and ^vith their huge tusks, or canine teeth, complete the 

 repulsive aspect imparted to the expression by the overhanging eyebrows. The 

 lower jaw has scarcelj?^ any indication of the prominent chin which is such a 

 characteristic feature in the human countenance, but it slopes rapidly away from 

 the middle line in front, so as to assume a somewhat triangular contour. The 

 whole skin of the face is of deep black colour, of a glossy appearance, and sparsely 

 sprinkled with coarse hairs. The ears are comparatively small, with their hinder 

 border shai-ply angulated in the middle, and appear to be fastened above and 

 beliind to the sides of the face. Like the face and lips, the ears are of a deep black 

 hue. The head is joined to the trunk \>y a very short and thick neck, which gives 

 the appearance of its being set into the shoulders ; and the tei-m " bull-necked " is 

 therefore strictly applicable to the creature. This great thickness and power of 

 the neck is largely due to the backward projection of the occipital region of the 

 skull, and the tall spines surmounting the vertebrae of the neck. In con-elation with 

 the great development of this region, we find the muscles of the shoulders and chest 

 equally powerful, as is essential for the movements of the mighty anus. On the 



