Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-08

remained ON all fours. He saw gorillas stand
erect only in the brief moment recorded in his
motion picture film when the female and the
young gorilla rose to beat their chests.
1t is hard to imagine that the gorillas short
weak legs could long support his bulky trunk
in an upright position Moreover, in this
mountainous region, where man himself Is fire.
u,Iently forced to climb with both hands and
feet it seems illogical to find an animal that
walks like a man.
7 >e great weight of the gorilla's body argues
again : the hypothesis that he is TO any extent
a tree dwelling animal With the aid of the
gorilla guide Mguru, located the large tree
in which my husband had made the motion
pictures of gorillas. These gorillas, established
in the low forked branches Of this tree were
the only ones he saw above the ground.
went through the forest in all directions from
this snot where nearly all of the tree trunks
were SO covered with moss and other vegeta-
ton that they would surely carry the marks II
gorillas were in the habit OF climbing them,
but 1 saw no evidence anywhere that trees nao
been climbed by gorillaS. From these ndlca-
lions it is difficult to believe that these slug
giSh creatures are any more arboreal than man.
DERSCHEID had 80 encounters with gorlllas.
~ Five of these encounters were with lone
adult males 2 with couples and 26 with
families or bands varying in size from to
As individuals. In all Of these close-range
experiences only gorilla charged Der
scheld provoked the charge when he sur
prised at very close range a band OF males ana
mothers with young carried on their necks He
had been travelling down the slope of Karis!mbi
in high unbroken vegetation and had plunged
suddenly into the gorilla family startling them
as they fed. The males stood their ground
while the mothers and young made good their
escape. Then one old male challenged his pres
ence and charged. To stop the gorilla 1t was
ckNnnt IIn TaI U
grazed the gorilla's shoulder, when the animal
turned Immediately and followed the band, now
well out Of range.
Once when Derscheid was en- route from his
Lake Rukumi camp on KariSimbi TO his camp
on Bishoke he found in low valley between
the two volcanoes a large area where gorillaS
had been feeding an hour before. Two hundred
yards farther his guide stopped him because
he heard gorillas. He ordered the safarl to
stop and went forward with the guide. He had
progressed SO PAGES when he saw gorillas feed
ing SO yards ahead. Climbing to higher ground
for a better view, he saw band of more than
20 scattered about a space of less than 100
yards long and feeding on wild celery. He
approached to within 20 yards of them and
one barked. This band had progressed only
about 800 yards in one hour.
It was late in the afternoon and DerScheid,
wishing to make camp, returned to his safari.
His boys then made noise to induce the
goras to let them continue on their way. The
goras were not frightened, but went slowly
up one slope of the valley and stopped on
small hill 60 yards away, where they watched
the Safari pass. Three or four seemed inter
ested in the safari, but were not at all alarmed.
Less than a mile away from this little valley
Derscheid made camp at Kashidi on Bishoke.
Three-quarters of an hour later, as he went up
q little stream to get water, he found evidence
of another band of about IA gorillas and saw
males and several others. Two days later"
says Derscheid, II met the same gorillas within
100 yards of the spot in which first saw them.