61 
and better leverage. (The bones of the hands and feet were 
not shown, being at present with tire skin.) The femur was 
shorter than the humerus, the reverse of what we find in 
man. The leg bones were also short, and the lower ex- 
tremities had altogether the appearance of being less fully- 
developed than the upper. The fibula was considerably 
shorter than the tibia, while in man the two bones are 
as nearly as possible the same length. The lower end of 
these bones formed a very imperfect socket for the ankle joint 
compared with the same parts in man, where it is most per- 
fectly adapted for sustaining the erect position. 
As to the habitual attitude of the gorilla deduced from an 
examination of the bones, the characters of the ankle joint 
just alluded to show that though the creature might stand 
erect it could have but little stability in that position, and 
progression on the hind legs alone would be difficult and 
could not be long sustained. Important evidence on the 
same point was also furnished by the character of the lower 
part of the vertebral column and the position of the pelvic 
bones with regard to it, for, as might be seen, there was no 
deep hollow behind, as in man, for the attachment of the 
erector spinse muscles, the sacrum in this case being even 
placed further back than the iliac bones; the form of the pelvis 
too, and its direction with regard to that of the backbone, 
showed that it was fitted for the support of the contained 
viscera in the horizontal rather than in the erect position ; and 
all these points led to the same conclusion, namely, that the 
gorilla habitually uses the front as well as the hind legs in 
progression. 
