Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-06-20
THE GORILLA NH, N.rIyE Wins

criptiOn Of life in Western Africa gives some
graphic sketches Of the gorilla in his native
wilds. The "What is It2" is a decidedly
formidable fellow. We give an extract re.
1sting his first experience with the gorilla
" Then the underbrush swayed rapidly lust
ahead, and presently before us stood an i'm
mense male gorilla. He had gone through the
jungle on his all-fOurs, but when he saw our
party he erected himself and looked us boldly
in the face. He stood about dozen wards
from rs, and was sight think shall never
forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved four
inches shOrtsr), with immense body, huge
chest, and great muscular arms, with iercely-
glaring large deep gray eyes, and heIlish
expression Of face, which seemed to me like
some nightmare vision, thus stood before us
this king Of the African forest
" He Was not afraid Of US. He stood there
and beat his breast with lis huge fists tiI'it
resOunded like an immense brass drum, which
is their mode of Offering defiance, meantime
giving vent to roar after roar.
- Tne roar Of the gorilla is the most singular
and awful noise heard in these African woods.
It begins with sharp bark, like an angry
dog, then glides into q deep bass roll, which
literally and closely resembles the roll Of dis
tant thunder along the sky, for which have
sometimes been tempted to take it where did
not see the animal. So deep is it that it seems
TO proceed less from the mouth and throat
than from the deep chest and vast paunch.
His eyes began to fash fercer FIRE as we
crest Of short hair which stands on his forehesd
began to twitch rapidly up and down while
his powerful faRgs were shown he again
sent forth thunderous roar. And now truly
he reminded me of nothing but some hellish
dream creature-a being of that hideous order
half-man half beast, which We find pictured
BY old artists in some representations Of the
internal regions. lie advanced few steps
then stopped to utter that hideous roar again
advanced again, and finally stopped when at
distance Of about six yards from Us. And
here, just as be began another of his rosrs
beating bis breast in rage, we fred and killed
him.
With a groan which had something terri
bly, human In 1t, and yet was full of british
ness, he fell forward on his face The body
shook convulsiyely for a few minutes, the
limbs moved about in a struggling way, and
then all was quiet-death had done its work
and had leisure to examine the huge body
1t proved to be Eve feet eight inches high, and
the muscular development of the arms aRd
breast showed what immense strength it had
possessed"
Subsequently to this Du Chsillu saw a fe-
male gorilla sucking her infant, and the
mother having been shot, he endeavored to
rear the little one, but without success as he
had no food for it. He remarks that this
seemed more docile than the other, and, in
fact, it Is premature to conclude as yet that if
the gorilla is caught sufficiently young he is
altogether beyond the influence Of humanity
There is skeleton Of the Caucasian man on
page $40, who Is pointing rather contemptu-
ously at his gorilla companion, but il is not so
certain that the differences between them, as
estimated by the superior anatomy, are not at
present little exaggerated. The writer Just
refers to these perplexing questions, which are
now the province of rival Psychologists He
has one chapter on the anthropoid apes of Af-
rica, and another on the boDy structure of the
gorilla and cOgnate species, which is accom-
panied by the symmetrical skeleton so superior
In its Own cOnceit. After summing up the os-
seous peculisrities upon both sides, he comes
TO the conclusion that there is a great dssm-
ilarity between the bony frame of man and
that Of the gorilla, but that there is also, he
says, " an awful likeness, which in the gorilla
resembles an exaggerated caricature Of q hu-
man being" Moreover, to such an extent is
1t evident that he WAS impressed by the native
stories, that he mentions that he searched con-
tlnually to ascertain whether an intermediate
lace, rather several intermediate races or
links, between the natives and the gorilla
might net be found. AS he could get no nearer
10 man than the gorilla himself-thst is to say,
as no intermediate relatives were forthcoming,
We admit that Du Chaillu's human skeleton
has so far reason for cOmplaceney that, if his
ungalnly companion is connected with him in
any degree, cousin so very distant can hardly
expect 10 be acknowledged at this time of day
and In the presence of good society.
On another occasion some natives brought
he" describe the emotions with which saw
the struggling little brute dragged into the
village All the bardships had endured in
Africa were rewarded in that moment" The
little fellow was between two and three years
old and two feet six inches high, a gorilla p1-
min, who was fierce and stubborn as bis
full grown relatives. The hunters had shot
his mother, and had secured the orphan by
throwing cloth over his head while he was
making hostile demonstrations. As the lit
al l.
est baby Tor age, was sstonishingly strong and
by no means good-tempered, they could not
lead him. He constantly rushed at them So
they were obliged to get a forked stick, in
which his neck was inserted in such q way that
he could lot escape, and yet could be kept at
safe distance. In this uncomfortable way
he was brought into the village" Though be
was there secured in q hutch, and every effort
made to tame him, he proved to be incurably
morose and ill-tempered, so that we must infer
either that the gorilla babies are not born
good, or that this one resented the circum-
the first occasion getting into Du Chaillu's
apartment, where he examined the furniture
with evident surprise; and when the negroes
threw q net over him he roared, kicked and
struggled, and though held by four negroes,
gave as much trouble as drunken Irlshmsn.
Il never" says the writer, 'saw so furious a
beast in my life as be was. He darted at every
one who came near. but the bamboos of the
house, glsred at us with venOmous and sullen
eyes, and IN every motion showed q temper
thoroughly wicked and malicious He at
once appreciated any arrangement for his
comfort, but without exhibiting any signs Of
reconciliation to those who tended him. In
fact, the upgrsteful little rufian died after a
few weeks captivity, and finally treated his
guardians as the obstinate Pauper treated
Bundle. q
Respecting the history of the msn-monster,
ID is observed that Hanno and his Carthaginian
comrades, in the course Of their periplus sbOu.
the coast Of Africa, found certain wild and
hsiry men and women. who bore the name Of
gorille, and who were certainly monkeys Of
some sort; and being unable, ON account OF
their excessive violence, to retain some OF the
women whom they captured, they killed them
and carried their skins 10 Carthage, whore
they were hung up as curiositics in the
Temple Of Juno. The presumption is that these
may have been the ancestors Of the very brutes
whom Du Chaillu found lording 1t over creation
In the Africsn forests; but the writer interpO-
ses some reasons for conceivipg they were