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THE STORY OF THE GORILLA. 
A full-grown male, if standing in a perfectly upright position, will gen¬ 
erally measure rather more than six feet in height; and since his body is 
much more bulky, and his limbs afe longer than those of a man, he is con¬ 
siderably the largest representative of his kind. As in the chimpanzee, there 
are distinct eyebrows on the. forehead and lashes to the lids of the eyes. The 
nose has a relatively long bridge, and its extremity is high, conical, and 
widely expanded. The upper lip, is remarkable for its shortness; and the 
whole of the dark skin in -the region of the nose, cheeks, and mouth is 
marked by a number of wrinkled folds. The massive jaws are extremely 
projecting, and with their huge tusks, or dog teeth, complete the repulsive 
aspect imparted to the expression by the overhanging eyebrows. The ears 
are comparatively’small and appear to be fastened above and behind to the 
sides of the face. The head is joined to the trunk by a very short and thick 
neck, which gives the appearance of its being set into the shoulders; and 
the term “bull-necked” is therefore strictly applicable to the creature. This 
great thickness and power of the neck is largely due to the backward pro¬ 
jection of the skull, and the tall spines surmounting the vertebra of the neck. 
The muscles of the shoulders and chest are equally powerful, as is essential 
for the movements of the mighty arms. 
Although when driven to close quarters the gorilla is doubtless one of 
the most terrible of foes, yet it appears certain that very exaggerated 
accounts have been given of the natural ferocity. Herr yon Koppenfels 
informs us that so “long as the gorilla is unmolested he does not attack 
men; and, indeed, rather avoids the encounter.” And when these creatures 
catch sight of men, they generally rush off precipitately in the opposite 
direction through the underwood, giving vent at the same time to peculiar 
guttural cries. It appears that many gorillas are killed by the natives with 
the aid of a weighted spear suspended by a cunningly devised system of 
cords in the creature’s path. Others are, however, undoubtedly shot by the 
negroes, although it would seem that, at least in many instances, such 
animals have been accidentally met by the hunters as they travelled through 
the forest rather than deliberately sought out and tracked. 
