122 
PROFESSOR OWEN 
CH. IV. 
Museum. There was in this animal a marked 
characteristic in the organisation of the innermost 
digit — the thumb — which was found on both 
feet and hands, and showed it to be a creature 
of the forest. The trunk of the animal was the 
trunk of a giant. The chest was girt with thir- 
teen pairs of ribs — one pair more than ours — and 
the lungs were well developed, a development 
that was always in accordance with the physical 
powers, and which was nowhere greater than 
in this singular animal. The arms were very 
long in proportion to the height of the animal ; 
but, with regard to the brain, it was not one-fourth 
the bulk of the brain of the lowest form of the 
human species. The brain, like the eye, was 
an organ that very rapidly attained its full size 
in all creatures. In the gorilla, as he had said, 
it was small compared with that of the human 
race. The animal had formidable teeth, corre- 
sponding with the character of the skull, but the 
development of the canine teeth was almost 
peculiar to the males. With the immense 
strength he possessed, the gorilla could combat 
the lion, and it was certain that the lion never 
went near the forest where the gorilla dwelt. 
He could strangle the leopard, and he was 
able to defend himself and family from all 
enemies except man and his rifle. The gorillas 
had acquired a certain range of rich country 
on the equator of Africa, and they held their 
