Richland beacon., 1877-04-07
STKENG TIT or THE GORILLI.

Considering the bulk of the body of n
gorilla, and the nature OF the move
ments 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 a
gorilla one is struck with the great pro-
lection of the back bones in the neck. In
man each backbone or vertebra has a
projection, 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 a peculiar humpnecked ap-
pearance. Their size, however, is in
exact relation with the size and strength
of the muscles attached to them, and
some of these go to the blade-bone to
assist in the act of climbing.
1t is this hump-neCked appearance,
and the reund-backed look produced by
the great size of the blade bones which
makes gorilla so ugly about ,he chest
and head, but beauty is of much less use
in an African f,rest than good, stout
bones and active muscles. The hind
part of the neck does not form graceful
curve as in a weil-made man, but a pro-
iecting 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 i. that
which renders the hand overland move
ment of climbing the readie-t Of COM
mencement. They are 'high,' as the
term is, the head and neck being, as it
were, sunken between them, so that the
chin, instead of being on a much higher
level than the top of The breast-bOne, is
naturally lower than it.
The front of the neck is thus hidden
by the huge lower jaw. ierillas have
collar bones which are in the same pO-
sitiOn of those OF men, bus they are
ssraighter, stOuter and stronger they
are not placed almost horizontally be-
tween the front of the blade.bOn and
the breast bone, as in us, bat 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 tAe fingers,
like ridge, and it is one which many
know to their cost is very readily broken
by fall on the end of the shoulders.
The bone is something like the letter ],
in outline without the crossbaY, and it is
fixed At both ends; 10 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 collar-bone would lie
serious thing for gorilla. He could
no longer lift up his arm, and ne would
be in constant peril and officially here
nature has given him, not only very
strong and straight bone, but has by the
"high" shoulder posture, rendered fall
on the top Of it almost impossible. A
fall woald probably injure the upper
part Of the arm, which is well protected
the by shick cushion of muscle, flesh and
hairy sk in which covers the S0ae. Trav-
elers and hunters have noticed the
rapidity and ease with which the gorilla
moves when 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 great eater of
vegetable food, and that it has to con-
sumo large quantity to obtain a sup
ply of neurishment; IN other words, it
has very capacious stomach. which has
to be carried about and kept very well
| fi'led.-Cosselrs National Historn.
REMEDY FOR DRUNKENNESS.