Evening star., 1937-12-23
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r HENRY
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

A study Of mountain gorillas in a
part of tho world which they have all
to themselves is reported by Capt. C. S.
R. Pitman, British zoologist. in the an
nual report Of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton.
The only humans who ever penetrate
the dense forests on the Uganda border
of the Belgian Congo, where these ami
mails are found. are pigmies, with whom
the great apes live on the best of terms.
The British scientist is one of the few
white men ever to have entered the area.
The mountain gorilla is probably the
highest OF all animals, next to man.
One OF the two or three ever in cap
tivity was An infant kept at the National
Geological Park here and whose brain
was the largest ever found in an mira
human creature. 1t almost matched the
smallest normal human brains. Capt
Pltman found the gorilla quite lik-
able and peaceful animal He says:
Around the male gorilla, on account
OF its enormous size and strength,
coupled in recent years with frequent
lapSes from grace provoked by unneces-
sary and undue interference, there has
been woven and unfortunately published
a fantasy Of inaccuracy and exaggera-
t1on-so much 50 that the very homely
old male Is visualized as an object of
dread. The male gorilla. as the family
head, is most solicitous for the welfare
OF his wives and children-a very human
trait. On the threat OF danger, un-
needing Of his own safety. he accepts
full responsibility for the well-being Of
his charges.
IF the danger is real the females and
young are sent of, while the father
waits to take on all comers until salts
fled that the remainder Of the band
are out of harms way. Sometimes, when
the danger is sudden and overwhelming
the youngsters are sent up trees to hide
until the trouble Is over. 1t is strangely
reminiscent of the records of some OF
the early African explorers relative to
tribal customs. When the womenfolk
were to be seen busily engaged in their
usual vocations in the precincts Of a
village all was well and no hostility con-
.templated on the part Of the local in
habitants.
But an absence Of women and chill
dren was interpreted as unfavorable.
signifying that they had been removed
to a safe place to enable the warriors
to light unhampered. And so it is with
the old male gorilla, for as soon as he
plds his family seek safety he is out for
mlschlef, although without direct provo
cation he is unlikely to attack. There
are black sheep in every fold and soli-
tary examples both male and female,
which probably have been outlaws for
very good reason, have been known to
be abnOrmally AGGRESSIVE
The father Of band Is liable to be
most demonstrative when it contains
very small juveniles. The demonstra-
tlon must be truly fearsome and nerve
wrackang. Eye witnesses, who have had
the strength of mind and temerity to
STAND nrm to q so-called charge, and
refrain from shooting, have described to
me now the gorilla suddenly pulls up and
STANDS upright and seemingly towers
ABOVE the intruder. A pause-he turns
and shufled away"
In the same region Capt. Pitman made
close observations of troops of chimpan-
zees ana notes one curious similarity be-
tween tneir behavior and that of natives
OF the region. Several times during the
night, ne says, the chimpanzees will
set up weird, ear-rending bowling and
screaming from the trees to which they
have retired to sleep. This continues
Tor several minutes before it subsidies into
chattering and then into silence.
He noted almost precisely the same
phenomenon among his native porters