The Red Cloud chief., 1888-02-17
PET GORILLA.
fhe Baby from the Tropics Proves to he &
gloomy little Fellow.

fhe Baby from the Tropics Proves to he .
gloomy little Fellow.
The unpleasant idea that must arise
in the mind of u visitor to the gorilla
which has been comfortably housed in
the Geological Society's gardens.
Regents Park. will probably be that
he ought to be spoken Of rs u young
relation. The missing link. it is true.
may yet be wanting. but it is hnmiliat-
ing 10 be forced. 1fter watching the
newcomer, and the Chimpanzee Sally.
III the next cage. To the conclusion that
the hairy creatures behind the bars
and the nineteenth-cen;ury people in
front Of them have much in common.
Our young gorilla is. Of course. at
present. the curiosity par excellence at
the Zoo. This is his indisputable right,
because Of his rarity.
The successful proIOngation of Chin
panzee Sally's life to the fourth year
gives hope that the gorilla may also he
kept in the land of the living to be
petted. admired. argued about and to
be called Ito its faee) great troglo-
dyte and IN anthropomorphous ape.
Our young gorilla does not. SD far. iin-
press us as being of =: happy or con-
tented disposition. Small wonder. in
deed. is there for his melancholy. He
vOvaged from The Gaboon in a wretched
box with scarce room to move. and
arrived from Liverpool at the Zoologi-
cal Gardens terribly knocked about,
and. Of course suffering from a cold
that it was feared would be the fore
runner of that pulmonary disease
which so generally proves fatal to the
trOpic-born anthropoidA The CHM
panzee. coming also from gorilla land.
had been very good practice for Mr..
Bartlett. who accordingly nursed the
gorilla with almost parental care. and
has had the satisfaction Of seeing him
recover health and in some measure
become r~ecouciled to his captivity. The
anir.al has ali the characteristic marks
Of the true gorilla, aud it is 4 great
advantage TO the natural-hiStory
student TO have the opportunity Of
making comparisons bet"een him and
the chimpanzee. Which of the two is
most human in appearance will
probably be n matter Of opinion.
Sally is tame. and even playful. She un-
derS,ands what her keeper say to her,
and has been taught by him to count
up to five. She is fond Of being
noticed and will thrust out her paw.
with lis long tiibert nails. to grasp the
hand Of a stranger. The gorilla as
Vet will make friends with one but
he will occasionally be tempted at the
sight of 4 bunch of grapes to come
forward and sulkily pick up and eat
the fruit, thrown in among the straw. By
and by he may emerge from his su!len
tit and permit himself to be handled
like his distant relative next door.
After all. he is. being three years Of
age. but \ baby. and there is ample
time for tho ameliorating influences Of
kind treatment mot to mention the
Of bananas. grapes. and NJ
occasional pineapple to which he is
meanwhile treated) to scothe his savage
and remarkably broad breast. Sally is
more human. at least in her diet. than
the gorilla. for she has no objection to
meat, and will tear to pieces and make
very short work with a pigeon. The
gorilla's appetite has naturally to lie .
good deal humored in these early DAYS.
when the luscious fruit, and berries u
his native forests have not been quite
The atmosphere of the
house in which these large apes reside.
which is on the porth sile Of the
gardens Opposite the kangaroos). is
kept ut about seventy degrees. and the
cages of both gorilla and chimpanzec
are roomy apartments. furnished Is
appropriately As can be expected
under the circumstances. The gorilla
will mostly be found c~rouched upon
the straw ut the remote end Of his
house. with his arms clasped behind
his head. and the stolid expression Of
his fiat face and dark eyes expressive
Of a settled gloom. There is in his
at such times = real touch
of nature that makes him kin with ali
who have been unhappy. Tho young
~na;uralis: who studies this young
specimen should supplement his visit
to the gardens by another to the
Natural History Museum. where a
adult specimen will be found.
Daily NeUs.