190 GORILLAS AND CHIMPANZEES 



I know of no valid reason why he should be con- 

 fined so strictly within the limits mentioned, unless 

 it be from a condition of climate which seems 

 peculiar to this district. South of it the climate 

 along the coast is much cooler, and the country back 

 of it is hilly and barren ; north of the Equator is a 

 land of perpetual rain, while to the eastward, it is 

 mountainous. Within this district the rainy and dry 

 seasons are more fixed and uniform. 



The gorilla appears to be an indigenous product 

 which does not bear transplanting ; he thrives only 

 in a low, hot and humid region, infested by malaria, 

 miasma and fevers. It is doubtful if he can long 

 survive in a pure atmosphere. 



The only single specimen that I have ever heard 

 of north of the equator, was one on the south side 

 of the Komo River, which is the north branch of the 

 Gaboon. The point at which I heard of him was 

 within a few miles of the equator. I also heard of 

 five having been seen a few miles south-west from 

 Njole, which is located on the Equator on the south 

 side of the Ogowe, a little way east of the Nguni, 

 and they were said to be the first ever seen in that 

 part within the memory of man. 



As to their being found between Gaboon and 

 Cameroon, I can find no trace along the coast of one 

 ever having been seen in that part. Certain writers 

 have mentioned the fact that in 1851 and 1852 they 

 came in great numbers from the interior to the coast. 

 From such a statement it might be inferred that 

 they were seen in herds or armies together, while 



