Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-08-02
NO @XXXIlI..ss !"
An African Wild Animal.

GABooN RIVER, April 81, 1859.
i Having been for these last four years hunting
in the immense wlds of Western Central Afr-
ca, and having bad many times the opportunity
of hunting after that most formidable animal,
the Troglodytes Gorilla, or African NgiDa, fsi-
Ia, or Ngis, and having met with many and kill
ed 8 few, have tried to study, to the best my
abilities, It's habits, mode oflyng, and other pc.
culiarities And without pride may count my.
self as the first white man who has seen alive,
met and killed this wild animal; ard ! have
sent off lately the largest and best preserved
specimen in America or, Europe. More than
two years ago sent perfect specimens OF adult
Gorilla females to Philadelphia; and six months
ago sent to the same Academy the specimen
of the largest Gorilla ever seen. No bigger one
can be possibly found or killed; It's size was
great object OF wonder to the natives. ibis an
imal belongs in some degree to the Ourang Out
sng Chimpanzee family, bat is far more formida'
BILE than any Of tbem Below is the measure
ment of two sent to Philadelphia: One male
measured. from the extremity of one arm to the
other. seven feet and four inches; his height
was six feet and half; the circumference Of his
big toe was five inches and half The other
measured, from the extremity of one to the 9TH
or, nine feet and four inches his height was al
most seven feet and half and the circumference
of his toe six inches and q half. Yon may judge
by these measurements of the immense size Of
these animals. r as
The jaws of the Ngna are immensely power
full, especially In the male, the head OF which Is
also defended By crest, rising gradually from
the forehead up. This peculiarity makes It quite
different from the skull of q man. The hair Is
short, and is of redish-brown color; the hair
of the body in the female is black. / have kill
ed one, of which the lower part of the back was
of redish-brown also. Among the males the
hair is shorter, grayish and. thin in the middle Of
the back; many have long black bair on thearms;
the face, hands, and feet are intensely black the
eyes are gray The muscular power Of their
arms and the size of their fingers indicate q
prodigious force. have seen tree three or
four inches in diameter broken by them. Their
arms are much longer in proportion than their
legs but the bones of the latter are much strong
er and thicker; and the capacity of the chest
shows also the immense power of the animal
The skeleton of man is very slim and delicateJin
comparison. The intensely exaggerated features
of the face, its large ard deep eye-balis give to
the animal, especially the male, an expression OF
savage ferocity seen, think, in no other animal.
From the immense canine teeth by which the
Jaws of the male are defended, one would Datu-
rally suppose that the force Of the animal lay
principally In its jaws, and that its principle
means of defence was there. But this is q mis-
take the prodigiouss strength of the monster
lies more in his hands and feet, which hs uses
unfortunately. One of my hunters, who
wounded male, paid for his temerity with bis
life the animal seized him with one hand, took
hold of his abdomen and tore the fesh and in
testine with the other, and with his teeth strip
ped his right arm of all the flesh. 1 have sue
ceeded in getting, at different times, five young
Gorillas, captured after the killing of the moth
or. observed that when they wanted to bite
Inc they used to take hold of me first with their
feet have never been able to tame any of
them, or to accustom them to eat anything but
wild nuts and berries OF the forest. In this par.
ticuIar the Gorilla is quite unlike the Chmpan.
zee, which is easily tanned.
Though one would naturally suppose, from the
canine teeth Of the Ngins, that he sometimes
lives on meat, must say that never met in the
stomach of any specimen anything else than
vegetable matter, such as nuts, wild berries, and
fruits aud leaves. Although skeletons of this
animal have been taken to Europe or America,
have seen but very incorrect and exaggerated
accounts concerning it. The too confding ship
captains or others have been too apt TO take for
granted the stories related to them by the ma
tives of the coast concerning this really wonder
fu animal, which is to them an object Of great
terror In their superstitous fear, the natives
OF the interior say that bad men are changed
sometimes in Nginas. The one who. killed my
huuter was said to be Ngina that had been
man first, and no gun could kill him.-Corr. AZ.
Y Tribune.