20 
THE CHIMPANZEE, 
countenance. Even in that very large-nosed animal, the Proboscis Monkey, the nostrils are 
only oval orifices for the conveyance of air, and seem as devoid of character as those of a 
wax doll. 
Just as man is the only being that possesses two hands and feet, so is he the only inhabi- 
tant of earth who can lay claim to a nose. All the Mammalia have nostrils, and some species 
are endowed with wonderful powers of scent, such as the dogs, the deer, and others. Some of 
them carry a proboscis more or less elongated, such as the elephants and the tapirs. Then 
there are some, such as those of the porcine group, which possess snouts ; but not one of them 
has a nose. 
So in the Chimpanzee and its relatives, the muzzle projects exceedingly, and the nostrils 
lie almost flatly upon the projecting mass. Herein lies one of the chief characteristics of the 
simian countenance, which is not so conspicuous when the face is viewed directly from the 
front, as when it is turned with the profile towards the observer. In front, the flattened and 
divergent nostrils, together with the projecting muzzle, are not forced on the notice, and might 
escape a hasty observation ; but if the animal turns its head, then the simian character shows 
itself in all its repulsive brutality. 
Even in the young Chimpanzee, this preponderance of the face and jaws over the brain- 
skull is very considerable, and, as we have already seen, continues to increase as the animal 
draws nearer to maturity. The distinction is even more clearly shown if the lower jaw be 
removed, and the skull examined from below ; for then, the disproportion between the animal 
and reflective parts shows itself most forcibly. 
In its native country, the Chimpanzee lives in a partly social state, and at night the united 
cries of the community fill the air with their reiterated yells. If we may credit the reports 
given by the natives of Western Africa, the Chimpanzees weave huts for themselves, and take 
up their residence in these dwellings. How it is a well-known fact that the orang-outang, 
which comes next in our list, can rapidly frame a kind of platform of interwoven branches, 
and so it is not beyond the bounds of credibility that the Chimpanzee may perform a work of 
similar character. Only, the chief difference between the customs of the two animals seems to 
be, that the one lives upon the structure or roof, if it may so be called, and the other beneath 
it. Some travellers say, that although the huts are actually inhabited, yet that only the 
females and young are permitted to take possession of the interior, and that the male takes up 
his position on the roof. 
The latter supposition derives more force from those habits of the Chimpanzees with which 
we are acquainted, and which have induced naturalists to give to the entire genus, the name 
of troglodytes. This term is compounded from two G-reek words, signifying a “diver into 
caverns,” and was applied to this ape, because it seems to prefer rocky and broken ground to 
the forest branches, which form the refuge of nearly all quadrumanous animals. 
This compound word is not of modern invention ; for in the works of Aristotle, Pliny, and 
other writers on the subject of natural history, much mention is made of a race of men who 
lived in rocky caverns, and who earned, by their burrowing habits, the title above mentioned. 
The language and costume of these people were as barbarous as their habitations, for the former 
characteristic -was said to resemble the hissing of serpents, rather than to bear any likeness to 
articulate speech, and in the latter accomplishment they were totally deficient in the hotter 
months. It is possible that the Bushman tribes may have given rise to these descriptions, 
which, indeed, would not be very erroneous if they had been used in depicting the “Digger” 
Indians of the Hew World. 
Be this as it may, it is a remarkable fact that the Chimpanzees are groundlings, and are 
not accustomed to habitual residence among the branches of trees. Although these apes do 
not avail themselves of the protection which would be afforded by a loftier habitation, yet they 
are individually so strong, and collectively so formidable, that they dwell in security, un- 
harmed even by the lion, leopard, or other members of the cat tribes, which are so dreaded by 
the monkey tribes generally. Even the elephant yields to these active and ferocious animals, 
and leaves them undisturbed. Yet a Chimpanzee would not dare to meet a panther in single 
combat, and depends for safety upon the assistance that would be afforded by its companions. 
