The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-03-06
Man and the Gorilla.

In New York, few days ago, NJ. Paul B. Du
Cbaillu, the celebrated African explorer, gave
the first of a course of lectures in that city OIL
African exploration. He had o full house, and
his subject was "The Gorilla and its habits,
the Gibbon, Orang- Outang, Chimpanzee, and
the Affinity of these to Man."
The lecturer, in his Introductory remarks,
said that the region of Africa through which
he had travelled, and of which he proposed to
speak, lay on each side OF the equator two or
three degrees, and extended to point not II Tar
from fifteen degrees east longitude. The
innrney Law principally through dense for
ts. which we're travelled for miles with
ont hearing the voice OF bird or any
thing to break the awful silence that
ro;encd supreme. Nuts and berries were
tbere in abundance, end tit was soon learned
that this was the country OF the gorilla. III.
DuChaillu then recounted his hrst adYenture
with one of these animals. There were fiye
persons in the company ut tho time, and CON-
inr suddenly into the presence OF q huge
male corilla, they fired upon him, but were
so greatly excited tnat they oil missed hlm,
and the animal escaped. subsequently he
killed thirty-one Gorlllas ut dhefSno onn S,,s ;s
4 popular superstition OF the Africans Is,
that the porilias have once been men, but
have changed in some unaccountaDle man.
ner 10 their present condition. The roar OF
the Gorilla is terrible to hear, sounding a1
first like distant thunder. Sometimes !t Is
like the sharp, quick bark OF an lnIuIlatHu ,ll
dog. only great deal louder, anu gradualiy
osS1,mes the character oil deep, rumpIne
noise. reminding one CT the PARKWAY thun,
der before a great storm. When enraged
tTo animal beats his breast furlously with
h;s hands III. DuChail,u's former impress
sion that the gorilla was not gregarious, has
beon wholly changed by what he observed ID
yery recent explorations. AS many as ten nave
leen seen together at one time, living IN pairs.
At night the female sleeps IN the top OF Tree,
and the male, as her protector, on the ground
Mt ihe foot of the tree They cannot be tanned
He tried the experiment eight times and failed
They seem to hate the sight of man, and cannot
be made to eat our food. One day he shot
female, and took from her company little GO
rIlla, with white complexion, and smooth,
straight hair. Little "Tommy," as the captive
was called, remained with inc company ioa
some time, and became SO far civilized that he
would get drunk whenever an opportunity
Was afforded. He seemed to acquire sors
of notion OF the rights OF property; for II
any one took his little red cap, or pillow, he
would cry loudly and piteously until they
were returned to him. Chaillu made an
elaborate discussion of the affinity OF the
various species OF apes to man. In dong 80,
he said that the arms OF the gibbon reach 10
the ground; those Of the orang-outang to the
ankles. of the chimpanzees little below the
| knees. Of the gorilla little above the knees,
ard of man to the middle OF the thighs. These
apes all have thirteen ribs, while man has but
twelve. There are nineteen bones In human
| hand. and the same number IN those OF the
apes. The thumbs of the latter are joined to
the first fingers. The hand Of the gorilla is
shorter than his foot, and in the latter, which
is nothing but great hand, there are the sam {
number of bones as in a mans foot. The teeth
of the gorilla, chimpanzee, &C., are thlrty 1.-TWO
in number, aud after the canine teeth have
Lcen worn down, they appear much like the
teeth OF a human being. When the gorilla
grows up, ridge, an inch or TWO in height,
grows out Of the skull, and runs directly from
q point above the nose back to level with the
top OF the ears. With reference to the brain
capacity, NJ. Du Chaillu said that the average
in the gorilla is t. tsenty-eight cubic inches
with very little growth from infancy and tho
| highes thirty-four cubic inches, while IN man
the capacity of the lowest average IS sixty.
three cubic inches, and that of the highest
civilization one hundred and fourteen cubic
inches. The head of man sits far easier uPor
the yertebral column than that or the ape
The structure OF the vertebral column OF man
shows that he was from the first intended te
walk erect. while that of the ape shows al
adapta.ion to the use of s'all-fours" in locomo
tion. NJ. du Chaillu closed his able lecture
with the most emphatic declarations OF MS 5:s ne
lief in the superiority OF man to, ana ms qis az:
tinct difference from, the animals OF tne ATT
can forest OF which he had spoken.