THE TEETH. 
19 
The ridges and crests on the top and back of the Gorilla’s skull are larger than those of any of 
~fche great flesh-eating animals of the cat tribe, and it has therefore been thought that they were 
& proof of the occasional bad habits of the great Ape, and of his indulging now and then in 
negro flesh. Large as are the crests in the old males, they are barely present in the females and 
young, and they must be regarded partly as of use to the larger animals, and partly as ornamental ; 
for in animal nature, as a rule, the gentlemen are more beautiful than the ladies, the idea of beauty 
being, of course, very much a matter of taste. They are evidently protections against falls, and they 
•also give origin to muscles. The back crest, when looked at from behind, is almost fan-shaped, the 
bone being broad, and the great muscles of the neck and back are attached to it. They pull the 
head backwards, and the single, long crest on the top gives origin to the muscles, which pass down- 
wards on the temples to the lower jaw. Indeed, the energy of the muscles of the side of the 
head is principally devoted to the lower jaw, to its crushing, crunching, and masticating offices, 
for the food, although often soft enough, is occasionally inside the sugar-cane, and several harder 
woods. The powerful upper jaw is, of course, attached to an equally strong lower one, which 
forms the front and lower part of the face. The upper jaw reaches out far in front of the eyes 
and nostrils, and is straight rather than bulged, and appears narrow, from side to side, in comparison 
with the great, wide cheek-bones, but it looks formidable with four strong front teeth, projecting 
only slightly, and a large, long, eye tooth on each side, sticking out rather far below the others. 
On looking at the under siuface of the roof of the mouth and palate, the cause of the length 
of the front of the face is seen. Instead of the back teeth forming an open curve around the 
roof of the mouth, as in men, they are placed in a long, and almost parallel straight row. Five 
great teeth on each side thus form with the bone, into which their fangs are planted, a long side 
to the face. In front of these is the large eye, or dog tooth (canine tooth), mentioned above. 
The palate and roof of the mouth are long and comparatively narrow, and hence no Gorilla 
•could speak distinctly, or use his tongue glibly enough to talk as a child. Howling and a kind of 
bark may, on the contrary, be done to perfection. 
But although of no use as regards speech, the long roof of the mouth, with its wide ranges 
of teeth, is of great importance to a vegetable-eating creature, which does not want the sugary 
juices of its food to run out of the corners of its mouth, and which spends the greater part of its 
time in filling its capacious stomach, * The lower jaw fits the upper one, and when its teeth 
clench with those above, the cavity of the mouth is nearly shut, and it is quite closed by the 
lips and cheeks outside. 
As might be expected from the great muscles which unite the lower jaw to the skull, it is 
large and strong, but it has no projecting chin, and this slopes in a retiring manner. The side of the 
jaw which supports the teeth is, as in man, curved upwards behind at what is called the angle. The 
jaw is very movable, and can act sideways in munching, or up and down, as in biting ; and 
having these powers — thanks to the action of different sets of muscles — it has teeth fashioned to 
bite, and to crunch, and to chew. They greatly resemble those of the upper jaw, on which they 
work, and a superficial view of them all leads to the opinion that they greatly resemble those of 
man ; there are, however, many differences. As in the upper jaw, the front and eye teeth are 
nearly straight in front, the last-mentioned projecting outwards, and the front teeth biting inside 
the upper ones ; and the back teeth are in straight rows also. 
The following story is told by Du Cliaillu to illustrate the cause of the wearing of the front 
teeth of the Gorillas. He had gone into the interior, and was suffering from hunger, so went 
out into the forest for game. Not finding any, he -was about to retrace his steps, when he heard 
the unmistakable roar of a Gorilla. He writes, “ I plunged forward into the thick of the forest, 
breaking, as I went along, small boughs to enable me to find my way back, and tearing my clothes 
in the thorny underwood. The roar became nearer, and seemed to shake the ground under me. 
I heard the rustling of the branches, and fancied there must be more than one. The excitement 
of the moment was great, and was increased by the prospect of obtaining food for all our party. 
* The back edge of the hard, bony palate, with which the soft palate and uvula are continuous, forms a wide concave 
notch, whilst that of man projects in the centre of the notch. 
