38 
APES AND MONKEYS. 
Relationship Here we may make a brief digression to explain what zoologists 
to Man. mean by the connection and relationship of these apes with man. A 
great deal of nonsense has been written about the impossibility of man being de¬ 
scended from the chimpanzee, a gorilla, or an orang. No one, however, who knows 
what he is talking about, can ever suppose for a single moment that such was the 
case. What zoologists do contend for is that, supposing some kind of evolution to 
be the true explanation of the origin of animals,—and all the available evidence 
indicates that it is so,—man is so intimately connected, so far as his bodily 
structure is concerned, with the higher apes that, in this respect at least, he 
cannot but be considered to have had a similar origin. And on this view both 
man and the Man-like Apes are regarded as diverging branches descended from a 
common ancestor,—“ the missing link,”—long since extinct, and as much unlike any 
living ape, as such apes are unlike man himself. The gorilla and chimpanzee 
are presumed to be descended from apes which diverged from the common ancestral 
stock, subsequently to the assumption of the human attributes of seventeen 
vertebrae between the sacrum and the neck, and the loss of the central bone in the 
wrist. 
With these few words on this deeply interesting and important subject, we 
proceed to a more detailed examination of the gorilla. 
Structure. 
A full-grown male gorilla, if standing in a perfectly upright 
position, will generally measure rather more than six feet in height; 
and since his body is much more bulky, and his limbs are longer than those of a man, 
he is considerably the largest representative of the Primates. 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 whole length being divided by a distinct furrow running down the 
middle line, and becoming more marked as age advances. The upper lip is remark¬ 
able 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 rugose folds. The massive jaws 
are extremely projecting, and with their huge tusks, or canine teeth, complete the 
repulsive aspect imparted to the expression by the overhanging eyebrows. The 
lower jaw has scarcely any indication of the prominent chin which is such a 
characteristic feature in the human countenance, but it slopes rapidly away from 
the middle line in front, so as to assume a somewhat triangular contour. The 
whole skin of the face is of deep black colour, of a glossy appearance, and sparsely 
sprinkled with coarse hairs. The ears are comparatively small, with their hinder 
border sharply angulated in the middle, and appear to be fastened above and 
behind to the sides of the face. Like the face and lips, the ears are of a deep black 
hue. 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 projection of the occipital region of the 
skull, and the tall spines surmounting the vertebrge of the neck. In correlation with 
the great development of this region, we find the muscles of the shoulders and chest 
equally powerful, as is essential for the movements of the mighty arms. On the 
