4 



GORILLAS AND CHIMPANZEES 



resemble man in so many essential details that they 

 are called anthropoid," or man-like apes." They 

 differ from each other in certain respects, almost as 

 much as any one of them differs from man. The 

 four apes alluded to, are the chimpanzee, the gorilla, 

 the orang and the gibbon. 



As the skeleton is the framework of the physical 

 structure, it will serve as the basis upon which to 

 build up the comparison, and as the chimpanzee is 

 the nearest approach to man, we select him as the 

 highest type of the simian, and use him as the 

 standard. 



The skeleton of the chimpanzee may be said to 

 be exactly the same as that of man, but the assertion 

 must be qualified by a few facts which are of minor 

 importance, but since they are facts we cannot ignore 

 them. 



The general plan, purpose and principle are the 

 same in each. There is no part of the one that is 

 not duplicated in the other, and there is no function 

 discharged by any part of the one that is not dis- 

 charged by the like part of the other. The chief 

 point in which they differ is in the structure of one 

 bone. 



Near the base of the spinal column is a certain 

 bone called the sacrum. It is a constituent part of 

 the column, but in its singular form and structure 

 somewhat differs from the corresponding bone in 

 man. The general outline of this bone in the 

 plane of the hips is that of an isosceles triangle. 

 It fits in between the two large bones that spread 



