The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-04-06


considering the bulk of the body of a
gorilla, and the nature of the move
rnents Of climbing, it is to be expected
that those muscles and bones which are
connected with the blade-bone should be
large and strong. This is remarkably the
case. On examining the back of
gorilla one is struck with the great pro-
lection of the back-bones in the neck. In
man each backbone or vertebra has
protection or spine, which sticks out
backwards more or less. These are small
in the region of the neck, but in the
gorilla these spines are very long there
and give peculiar hump-necked ap-
pearanee Their size, however, is in
exact relation with the size and strength
of the muscles attached to them, and
some of these 90 to the blade-bone to
assist in the act of climbing.
1t is this hump-neoked appearance,
and the reund-backed look produced by
the great size of the blade bones which
makes gorilla so ugly about The chest
and head, but beauty is of much less use
in an African forest than good, stout
bones and active muscles. The hind
part of the neck does not form a graceful
curve as in 8. weIlmade man, but pro-
jecting which gradually slopes into the
line of the back Moreover, the shoulders
of the gorilla do not slope from the neck
--on the contrary, their direction is that
which renders the hand-Over-hand move
ment of climbing the readie3t of com.
mencement. They are "high," as the
term is, the head and neck being, as il
were, sunken between them, so that the
chill, instead of being on a much higher
level than ths top of The breastkbone is
naturally lower than it.
The front of the neck is thus hidden
by the huge lower jaw. Gorilias have
collar-bones which are in the same po-
sition of those of men, but they are
straighter, stouter and stronger; they
are not placed almost horizontally be
tween the front OF the blade bone and
the breast bone, rs in Us, but as the
shoulders are high" they slant down
ward to the breast bone. BY placing
the hand on the upper part of the OPP
posite side of the chest, the collar-bone
may be felt, with the tips OF the fingers,
like 3 ridge and it is one which many
know to their cost is very readily broken
By fall on the end of the shoulders.
Tie bone is something like the letter 7
in outline without the crossbar, and it is
fixed at both ends; so that when force
acts on one end in the direction of the
length OF the bone, it tends to bend, and
often cracks and breaks across.
Now, fractured collsr-bone would he
serious thing for gorilla. He could
no longer lift up his arm, and he would
bein constant peril and difficulty; here
nature has given him, not only very
strong and straight bone, but has by the
'tigh" shoulder posture, rendered q fall
on the top of it almost impossible. \
fall would probably injure the upper
part of the arm, which is we'll protected
the by thick cushion of muscle, flesh and
hairy skin which covers the bone. TRAY.
elers and hunters have noticed the
rapidity and ease with which the gorilla
moves Sben off the ground, and when
the size and the weight of the animal
are considered, it becomes evident that
not only must it have great muscular
power, buta stout heart, good circulation
and capital "wind." 1t must be re-
membered, also, that it is a great eater o.
vegetable food, and that it has 10 con
sumo large quantity to obtain a sup
ply OF n9urishment; IN other words, /
has a very capacious stomach, which ha
10 be carried ahOut and kent very wei
filled CdsselPs National History.