Chap. XYIII.] POWERS OF HIGHER BRUTES. 3*27 



degree of Intelligence which they are capable of displaying 

 in their adult condition.* 



We labour under the same disadvantage in regard to 

 the Gorilla, though Mr. Moore, the Curator of the Free 

 Public Museum, Liverpool, has given us some interest- 

 iug particulars concerning a young male, three feet high, 

 and between two and three years old, which was brought 

 to that city by the German African Society's Expedition.! 



" Could it have graced," says this observer, " our Zoological 

 Gardens, it would have been, the lion of the day ; for in addition 

 to the great scientific interest of the species, the abounding Ufe, 

 energy, and joyous spirits of this example would have made it 

 a universal favourite. Courteously received at Eberle's Alex- 

 andra Hotel by the members of the Expedition, I found the 

 creature romping and rolling in full liberty about the private 

 drawing-room, now looking out of the window with all becom- 

 ing gravity and sedateness, as though interested but not discon- 

 certed by the busy multitude and novelty without, then bounding 

 rapidly along on knuckles and feet to examine and poke fun at 



* The importance of Attention as one principal factor in the 

 intelligence of animals is illustrated by the following interesting 

 facts communicated to Darwin by Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoological 

 Gardens : — " A man who trains Monkeys to act used to purchase 

 common kinds from the Zoological Society, at the cost of five 

 pounds each, but he offered to give double that price if he might 

 keep three or four of them for a few days, in order to select one. 

 When asked how he could possibly so soon learn whether a par- 

 ticular Monkey would turn out a good actor, he answered that it 

 all depended upon their power of attention. If, when he was 

 talking and explaining anything to a Monkey, its attention was 

 easily distracted, as by a fly on a wall or other trifling object, the 

 case was hopeless. If he tried punishment to make an inattentive 

 Monkey act, it turned sulky. On the other hand, a Monkey which 

 carefully attended to him could always be trained." The tendency 

 to imitation which Apes and Monkeys often manifest in a high 

 degree, doubtless much facilitates their acquisition of new motor 

 accomplishments. 



t Quoted in Cassell's " Nat. Hist/' vol. i, p. 35. 



