43 
considered trustworthy, while resident at Cape Palmas, at 
the north-western limit of the Bight of Benin. 
The adult Chimpanzees, measured by Dr. Savage, never 
exceeded, though the males may almost attain, five feet in 
height. 
“When at rest, the sitting posture is that generally 
assumed. They are sometimes seen standing and walking, 
but when thus detected, they immediately take to all fours, 
and flee from the presence of the observer. Such is their 
organization that they cannot stand erect, but lean forward. 
Hence they are seen, when standing, with the hands clasped 
over the occiput, or the lumbar region, which would seem 
necessary to balance or ease of posture. 
“The toes of the adult are strongly flexed and turned 
inwards, and cannot be perfectly straightened. In the 
attempt the skin gathers into thick folds on the back, shew- 
ing that the full expansion of the foot, as is necessary in 
walking, is unnatural. The natural position is on all fours, 
the body anteriorly resting upon the knuckles. These are 
greatly enlarged, with the skin protuberant and thickened 
like the sole of the foot. 
«They are expert climbers, as one would suppose from their 
organization. In their gambols they swing from limb to 
limb to a great distance, and leap with astonishing agility. 
It is not unusual to see the ‘old folks’ (in the language of 
an observer) sitting under a tree regaling themselves with 
fruit and friendly chat, while their ‘children’ are leaping 
around them, and swinging from tree to tree with boisterous 
merriment. 
* As seen here, they cannot be called gregarious, seldom 
more than five, or ten at most, being found together. It 
has been said, on good authority, that they occasionally 
assemble in large numbers, in gambols. My informant 
asserts that he saw once not less than fifty so engaged; 
hooting, screaming, and drumming with sticks upon old 
logs, which is done in the latter case with equal facility 
