The Shasta courier., 1859-09-17
The Gorilla.

In Dickens All the Year Round" we find
said to be more closely allied to the human form
than any of the brute creation:
The gorilla is of the average height of man,
five feet six uches, and with deep ead-colored
skin, much wrinkled, prominent jaw with the
canine teeth lin the nales) of huge size, reced-
ing chin and we have an exaggeration OF the
lowest and most forbidding type of human phys
iognomy. The neck is short the head pokes
forward. The relative proportions of the body
and limbs nearer those of man, yet they are
of more unganly aspect than in any other of
5lse brute kind. Long Shapeless arms, thick and
muscular, wi scarce any dmnution of size
deserving the name of wrist. flor at the smallest
they are fourteen inches round, while strong
mans wrist is not above eight wide thick
hand, the palm long, and the fingers short
swollen and gouty-ooking; capacious chest;
broad shoulders legs also thick and snapeless,
destitute of calf and very muscular, yet short :;
a ts,ndle-like foot, with a thumb in it of huge
dimensions and potentious power of grasp. No
wonder the lion skulks before this monster, and
even the elephant is baffled by his malicious
cunning activity and strength. The teeth ndi-
cate vegetable diet, but the rep1st is sometimes
varied with eggs, or a brood of young bir Is
The chief reason of his enmity to the elephant
appears TO be, not that 1T ever Intentionally in
ilres him. but merely that it shares his taste for
certain, favorte fruits. And when, from his
watch tower in the upper branches of tree, he
perceives the elephant helping himself to these
delicacies he steals along the bough, and strik-
ing its sensitive proboscis violent blow with
the club with which he is almost always armed
drives off the startled giant, trumpeting shrily
with rage and pain. Towards the negroes, the
gorilla seems to cherish an implacable hatred
he attacks them quite unprovoked. If party
of blacks approach unconsciousy within range
of tree haunted by one of these wood ddemons
swinging rapidly down to the lower branches,
he clutches with his thumbed foot at the nearest
of them his green eyes fash with rage, his hair
stands on end, and the skin above the eyes,
drawn rapidly up and down, gives him a 6endsh
scowl. Sometimes during their excursions in
quest of ivory, in those gloomy forests, the ma
tives will first discover the proximity of goril-
la by the sudden mysterious disappearance oi
their companions The brute, angling for him
with his horrible foot, dropped from tree
while his strong arms grasp it firmly, stretches
down his huge hind hand, seizes the haplesS
wretch by the throat, draws him up into the
boughs and, as his struggles have
ceased drops him down, a strangled corpse. A
tree is the gorllas sleeping place by night, his
pleasant abode by day, and his castle of defence
From that coigne of advantage he waits his foe
should the latter be hardy, or foohardy enough
20 pursue No full-grown gorilla has ever beer
taken alive. A bold negro the leader of an ele
Fhant hunting expedition, was offered hundred
dollars for live gorilla. If you gave me thu
weight of yonder hill In gold, would not do it,
he said