254 ANTHROPOID APES 



which exudes from the bark of certain trees, such 

 as the acacia and others, which it varies oc- 

 casionally when tempted by a nice, fat night 

 moth. It is probable that many of these small 

 creatures, particularly before reaching maturity, 

 fall victims to the various types of owl which 

 their cries must attract. 



As I remarked at the commencement of this 

 chapter, it is a somewhat curious circumstance 

 that in no part of East Africa, so far as we are at 

 present aware, do we find any representatives of 

 the great, and in some cases almost humanly in- 

 telligent man-apes, or ape-men — I do not know 

 which may be regarded as the more appropriate 

 term — which exist in Equatorial and certain other 

 portions of West Africa. Chief among these is 

 the gorilla, that enormous terrible type, standing 

 in many cases over 6 feet in height, and prac- 

 tising the power of walking erect to a greater 

 extent perhaps than any other of the diverse 

 families of what are in India so picturesquely 

 designated the " monkey-people." Then another 

 interesting absentee is the chimpanzee of Sierra 

 Leone, Liberia, and other West African geo- 

 graphical divisions. The " chimp," as he is in- 

 variably called there, is so human, and recognises 

 so quickly hip relationship to the white man that 

 at times, even it is said when newly captured, 

 he has been known to make the greatest dis- 

 tinction between the native and the European, 

 regarding the latter, almost from the commence- 

 ment of the acquaintanceship, with the utmost 

 confidence, and forming for him an affection as 



