16 
HABITS OF THE GORILLA. 
Annon, as Ms name is sometimes given) considered these Gorillas to be the veritable savage 
human inhabitants of the island ; perhaps rather more savage and powerful than ordinary, 
and rather less given to clothing ; wMch latter deficiency, however, was supplied by the 
natural covering of hair. 
Imperfect as is his description, yet it is of much interest, as it proves the existence of 
extraordinarily huge apes hitherto unknown even to the Carthaginians, the stuffed skins 
being visible tests. 
For two thousand years nothing was heard of the Gorilla except certain floating rumors 
of satyr-haunted woods, and of wild men who used to make their appearance at distant inter- 
vals and then to disappear ; “of which kind,” it is said, “there are still in Ethiopia.” But 
by degrees the truthfulness of the narrative was made clear ; detached bones were discovered 
and sent to Europe, and at last the complete animal made its appearance. Indeed, we are 
much indebted to this straightforward and simple-minded sailor, for his unadorned narrative, 
which forms such a favorable contrast to the travellers’ tales of later voyagers, who on some 
small substratum of truth raised such enormous fictions as the monopods, the pigmies and 
cranes, the acephali, and other prodigies. For a vivid description, and graphic though rude 
figures of these and many other monsters, the reader is referred to the “Nuremberg Chronicle.” 
P erhaps it may be of this animal that the following history is narrated : — 
“A certain ape after a shipwreck, swimming to land, was seen by a countryman, and 
thinking Mm to be a man in the water, gave him his hand to save him, yet in the meantime 
asked him what countryman he was, who answered he was an Athenian. ‘Well,’ said the 
man, ‘dost thou know Piraeus f ’ (which is a port in Athens). 
“ ‘Very well,’ said the ape, ‘and his wife, friends, and children ;’ whereat the man being 
moved, did what he could to drown him.” 
At present we have but a very slight acquaintance -with the mode of life adopted by the 
Gorilla in a wild state, or even with its food. For a knowledge of the habits of animals is 
only to be gained by a long residence in their vicinity, and by careful watching. With some 
creatures this is an easy task, but there are some which are so wary, so active, and so fierce, 
that a close inspection is almost an impossibility. Among the worst of such objects is the 
Gorilla. In the first place, it is only to be found in the thickest jungles of the Gaboon, far 
from man and his habitations. Then, it is wary, as are all the apes, and is said to be so fero- 
cious, that if it sees a man, it immediately attacks him, so that there would be little time for 
gaining any knowledge of the creature’s domestic habits, and scarcely any likelihood of 
surviving to tell the result of the investigation. 
To judge by the structure of the skeleton, and of the entire form, the strength of an adult 
male must be prodigious. The teeth are heavy and powerful, and the great canines or tusks 
are considerably more than an inch in their projection from the jaw. The jaw-bone, too, is 
enormously developed, and the strength of the muscles that move it, is indicated by the deep 
bony ridges that run over the top of the skull, and in different parts of the head. As is usual 
among such ammals, the tusks of the male Gorilla are nearly double the size of those of the 
female ape. 
Although the body is comparatively small, as are the hinder legs, yet the breadth of 
shoulder and length of arm are singularly great ; while an ordinary human hand placed on 
that of the ape, dwindles down to insignificance before the huge muscular paw. The thumb 
of the hinder paws is enormously large, as is<well shown in the engraving. 
There is a treacherous and cruel aspect about this hind foot, with its enormous thumb ; 
and if all tales be true, the foot belies not its character. The natives of the Gaboon country 
hold the Gorilla in great dread, fearing it even more than the lion itself, on account of its 
furtively murderous disposition. 
Concealed among the thick branches of the forest trees, the Gorilla, itself unseen, watches 
the approach of the unsuspecting negro. Should he pass under the tree, woe betide him ; for 
the Gorilla lets down its terrible hind foot, grasps its victim round the throat, lifts him from 
the earth, and finally drops him on the ground, dead. 
Sheer malignity must prompt the animal to such a deed, for it cares not to eat the dead 
