HABITS OF THE GORILLA 



215 



within themselves a nation. There do not appear 

 to be any social relations between different families, 

 but within the same household there is apparent 

 harmony. 



The gorilla is nomadic, and rarely ever spends two 

 nights in the same place. Each family roams about 

 in the bush from place to place in search of food, and 

 wherever they may be when night comes on they 

 select a place to sleep and retire. The largest 

 family of gorillas that I have ever heard of was 

 estimated to contain twenty members. But the 

 usual number is not more than ten or twelve. The 

 chimpanzee appears to go in larger groups than 

 these, and sometimes in a single group two or 

 even three adult males have been seen. When the 

 young gorilla approaches the adult state, he leaves 

 the family group, finds himself a mate, and sets out in 

 the world for himself. I observed that, as a rule, 

 when one gorilla was seen alone in the forest it was 

 usually a young male, but nearly grown ; it is probable 

 that he was then in search of a wife. At other times 

 two only are seen together, and in this event they 

 are usually a pair of male and female, and generally 

 young. Again, it sometimes occurs that three adults 

 are seen with two or three children ; often one of the 

 children two or three years old, and the others a year 

 younger, whickjB^ld indicate that the male had had 

 one of his wi^^^^ich longer than the other. In 

 large families^^^Bones of all ages, from one year 

 old to five or^^^^^rs old, are seen ; but the fact is 

 plain that the^Ker children are much fewer in 



