iQ THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



and lives in the depths of the thick, dark forests of Central Africa, 

 where the footstep of man is seldom heard. A fully-grown gorilla, 

 when standing upright, is a little more than six feet in height. 

 As its body is so stout and broad, and its great hairy arms so long 

 and powerful, it is even larger than Man himself; that is, it is 

 the largest of the Primates. 



But a gorilla cannot, without aid, stand quite upright. Its feet 

 are not made like ours, with soles that can rest flat upon the 

 ground, but are like huge hands, with thumbs instead of great toes. 

 Like nearly all other apes, it lives principally in trees, and has feet 

 which can firmly grasp the branches. 



For climbing, its thumbed feet are very useful, and can be 

 employed just like a second pair of hands. But when the gorilla 

 walks upon the ground, it can only tread on the sides of its feet, 

 and hobbles along as awkwardly as if it were lame. 



We do not know much about the habits of the gorilla, for 

 the forests in which it lives are so thick, that it is not easy to watch 

 it. It is such a savage animal, too, that, even if we could do so, 

 it would not be safe to approach it. The natives of the countries 

 in which it lives are very much afraid of it, and say that it is more 

 to be dreaded than even a lion. And it is so active and so strong, 

 that a fully-grown gorilla has never been taken ^live. 



Young gorillas have, however, often been captured, and several 

 have been brought to England. One of these, called "Gena', 

 lived for nearly three weeks in the Crystal Palace. She was quite 

 a timid little animal, only about two years old, and lived in a large 

 cage with a chimpanzee, which was her companion and playmate. 



When " Gena " was alarmed, she always tried to hide herself 

 behind the chimpanzee, who took great care of her, and \\-ouId not 

 allow anyone to interfere with her. And at night the two animals 

 used to sleep curled up together. 



For some time it was hoped that " Gena " might live to grow 

 up; for she ate well, and seemed to thrive in her warm cage. But 

 one chilly day she caught a bad cold, which settled upon her 

 chest; and in a very few days poor "Gena" was no more. This 

 has been the invariable fate of some half a dozen young gorillas 

 that have been brought to Europe. 



