34 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
metatarsal bones, which give the human foot its beauty of form, strength, and ability to sustain the 
weight of the body fiat oil the sole. Compare the hinder grasping (so-called) hand of the Gorilla with this. 
At first sight there is a great difference, for the great toe and its metatarsal bone form an angle 
with the bones of the other toes and their metatarsals. Instead of the toes and their slender bones 
being parallel and fixed in this position, the great toe of the Gorilla has a power of moving so as 
to cross the foot more or less below, as the human thumb can cross the palm. It has also the 
capacity of being stretched out from the foot, so that its movements greatly resemble those of a 
thumb. In fact, we want a word to express a toe-thumb. 
On examining the foot more carefully, it will be found that each of its bones may be compared 
and identified in position and office with one of man. There is a lieel-bone with a great projection 
behind, for the fixing on of the Achilles tendon, and this is jointed on to a bone above, like 
the human die-bone or astragalus, and to one in front, like the cuboid. The astragalus resembles 
that of man, but the upper and outer surfaces on which the lower ends of the leg-bones move, are 
slightly different, so as to admit of greater turning in of the ankle. The wedge-shaped bones are 
there, and the inner one, with its joint for the slender bone of the great toe, is shorter and broader 
than in man, so as to allow of great movement of the toe-thumb in front of it. The slender bones, or 
metatarsals, are larger and longer, but their shape and direction, with the exception of the first, are 
singularly like those of man. As a whole the foot of the Gorilla, for thus it must be called, is 
broader in front of the ankle-bones and longer everywhere than in us, but. it has a sideway and almost 
club-foot look about it ; its position is “turned in,” like the foot of a young child before it walks. 
This is owing to the conformation and easy jointing of the bones of the ankle and foot, and also to 
the action of a front muscle of the leg which pulls the very movable bones inwards. The structures 
allow of a very ready turning in of the ankle and foot, and such as would render climbing easy with 
the aid of the toe-tluimb ; but they evidently interfere with the steadiness in walking. It is a huge 
foot, and it is only half an inch or so shorter than the leg below the knee; it is unwieldy as afoot, but 
is a capital foot-hand, which cannot readily have its toes stretched out straight, for their usual position 
is that of being slightly bent in the direction of the sole. 
Mr. Walker purchased from a native a line healthy male Gorilla, apparently about two years of 
age, and shipped it. for England. Being under the impression that he had taken too much care of all 
the other living ones which lie had obtained at different times, lie determined to let the new acquisition 
have its own way, and only take care that it did no mischief. When purchased, the animal was by 
no means strange or spiteful, but rather what may be termed shy, and suspicious of strangers. At 
the expiration of about a week, however, it became sufficiently tame and confiding to admit of its 
being allowed to run about loose, and to do as it liked. At the same time its food, instead of being 
confined to the fruits on which it is supposed to feed in its wild state, consisted in general of fragments 
from the table, and beside these it had anything edible it could lay its hands on, and occasionally a 
basin of condensed milk and a raw egg beaten up in it was given. it liked amoraum fruit, but 
this produced diarrhoea, which had to lie treated with chlorodyne and raw egg. Finding that the 
animal became restive, it was left entirely to its own devices, and especially as every one in the ship 
was at the same time so very busy as not to be able to pay much attention to it. It soon became 
quite at home, alternately eating, sleeping, and playing with a large bull-terrier (of by no means the 
most amiable disposition), which had a most decided dislike to negroes, but nevertheless took very 
kindly to the Gorilla, so that the two animals became constant playfellows. By allowing the Gorilla 
to rough it, instead of watching it, and appointing someone to take care of it, in which case these 
animals become so much attached to their keeper or attendant, that a separation from him almost 
invariably causes these affectionate Apes to pine away and die, and by habituating it to such food 
as is generally to found on shipboard, it was hoped that it might be brought to England. But 
accidents will happen, even to Gorillas. It came down to dinner one day, and ate scraps with the 
dog, and went to sleep. When looked for, some hours afterwards, it was missing, and must have 
fallen off the taffrail into the sea. Strangely enough, this young one was not given to climbing. It 
will be noticed that these remarks are totally at variance with those of M. Du Chaillu, who was 
impressed with the untamable character of the Gorilla ; so we must wait until further evidence is 
produced, and probably until a little Gorilla is safely lodged in the Regent’s Park. 
