Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-05-24

u
/ lecture.
He began by saying that on the West
ern coast of Africa, there was a vast tract
of country near the equator which he
/! had been the first to explore. Here was
I the principal home Of the gorilla
This animal was entirely unknown
until the invasion of the interior of Afri-
ca by a Carthaginian warrior of some
centuries ago, who, while he was off
duty, shot several specimens, and after
wards took their skins home with him,
and hung them up in the temple OF
Juno.
The lecturer was in Africa for a period
Of twelve years, and was accompanied
in all OF his explorations exclusively by
natives.
One afternoon while camping with his
party in a dense forest, he was startled
by a sound that shook the very earth
beneath his feet, aud closely Tesem-
bled The beating Of a drum. Looking
round him he saw 4 monster, half brute
and haIf human in appearance, slowly
approaching through the trees, and ex-
hibting tokens. of anger by beating its
breast with its bands. He awaited until
it was within twelve yards Of him, and
shot it dead. It measured six feet in
height, and five feet eight inches around
the breast. When extented, its arms
measured fivie feet in length, and its
fingers measured seven inches in cir
conference.
The second gorilla that he had shot
was even larger than the first He heard
its voice-as he termd it-at the dis
tance of three miles. One of his party
was killed by this gorilla, and his gun
was discovered afterward snapped en-
tireIy asander
The gorilla is q gregariOus animal,
living in companies of about half a
dozen. sSUme of the males weigh four
hundred pounds, and consume a barrel
of food per diem. The males average
from I've to six feet in Iength-the fe-
males from four TO five feet only The
male sleeps at the bottom of a trce-the
female at the top. The male always
advances to the attaek-the female pur-
sues a policy that is quito the reverse.
The gorilla is perfectly untameable.-
It viii perish Of starvation before il will
partake of food other than the wild
fruits of Africa. 1t Itpossesses the power
in its teeth of swapping asunder trees {
measuring six inches in diameter. Its
skin is black, and-covered with hair, ex-
.eepting on its head. Ie hands and feet
are of enormous size, and as hard as iron.
It's eyebrows and eye-lashes are of an {
angry gray, and sunk deep in the sock
cts. It's nose is very fiat, and closely
resembles that of the black man. It's
arms reach to the knees. Its skull is al ,
most exactly similar to that of human.
The number of cubic inches of brain
averages twenty in the gorilla, fifty
eightin some African races, eighty-five
in the Caucasian race. The maximum
number in the gorilla is thmty-four, in
the Caucasian one hundred and tem.-
Mentally, the african races are as nearly
allied to the gorilla aS they are to Hc
Caucasian! -a
The gorilla has thirteen pairs of ribs
Man has but twelve but the Bible ae-
counts for the diGorcuge
Judging from the tenor of his whole
lecture, NJ. Du ChailIu evidently believes
that the gorilla is "the connecting link
hetyypon man and boast
In the above synopsis have cndeav- /
Ored to give every remarkable statement
Of the lecturer as nearly as possible in
his own language.-Ann Ar6or Mich. }, !
. Correspondent of B.tey'us Ohio Forum. /