the civil authorities declining to interfere. These, however, were difficulties which time and patience might have overcome. The real cause of failure lay in the fact that he tried to carry out his experiment on a scale quite disproportioned to his skill, capital, and experience. It was an undertaking which required and presupposed a thorough knowledge of manufactures, men, and business, in which, to use his own words, he was deficient in the same proportion as such knowledge was indispensable to him in the direction which he had given to his undertaking.' 'I who so entirely disapproved of hurrying on to the higher stages of instruction before a thorough foundation had been laid in the elementary stages, looking upon it as the fundamental error in the education of the day,—allowed myself to be carried away by illusions of the greater remunerativeness of the higher branches of industry, without knowing even remotely the means of teaching, or even of learning them, and to commit the very faults in training up school children to spin and weave, which I so strongly reprobated and denounced, and which I considered dangerous to the domestic happiness of all classes.' There never was a more candid confession of incapacity, but still he struggled on, his noble wife assisting his endeavours, determined to share his last crust with his children rather than turn them adrift. He lived like a beggar to teach beggars how men live.' He laboured night and day to raise others from the misery into which he had himself fallen. At last, however, all was spent, and, in addition to that, he became deeply involved in debt; his own small fortune and his wife's considerable one had melted away. In 1780 the Neuhof School was closed, and Pestalozzi found himself in 'his elegant country house' all but penniless, with a wife whom trouble had thrown into a lingering illness, and the wolf at the door. 'When my experiment went to wreck,' he writes, the blind confidence which people had reposed in me changed into just as inconsiderate a distrust. All belief in the qualifications which I really possessed was now lost, along with the belief in those which, in my self-deception, I gave myself credit for, but had not. My friends now only loved me without hope, and in the whole of the surrounding neighbourhood it was everywhere said that I was a lost man, and that nothing more could be done for me.' (To be continued.)

Anecdotal Natural History.

BY REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S.

Author of Homes without Hands,' 'Nature's Teachings,' etc.
AND THEODORE WOOD,

Joint Author of 'The Field-Naturalist's Handbook.'
No. XIII. THE MONKEY TRIBE.
PART I.

THE grotesque resemblance borne by the larger apes towards the human form has given rise to various conjectures regarding the relationship between man and the monkeys. Without, however, touching upon these speculations, with which we need not concern ourselves, we will examine the chief points of structure in which the two beings resemble, and also those in which they differ from, one another.

As a type of the tribe we will take the Gorilla (Troglodytes gorilla), as standing first in the family, and compare the respective skeletons of that animal and of a human being.

No second glance is needed to see the wonderful difference which exists between the bony framework of the man and that of the beast. The clumsy, brutal head of the ape, with its low, receding forehead, protruding cheek-bones, and massive jaws, is quite unlike the rounded skull of the man, with its upright forehead and small jawbone. Then the almost total absence of neck; the long, ungainly arms, with their enormous hands; the short, bowed legs, all insufficient to support the body upright; and the peculiar structure of the feet, suffice to prove, even without entering into further details, the immeasurable distance which separates the two beings.

As we proceed in our examination, this conviction is still more strongly forced upon us, every part of the frame bearing witness to the nature and habits of the beast, as opposed to those of the man.

Let us now examine the structure a little more closely.

We notice, in the first place, the great size and strength of almost every bone in the body, which at once informs us that the muscular power is proportionately developed.

This is the case to a singular degree in all the larger apes, the strength, more especially of the arms, being perfectly astonishing. M. Du Chaillu tells us that a gorilla has been seen to bend a gun-barrel double by means of the hands alone, grasping the weapon in the huge paws, and bending it without apparent exertion. He also remarks that, unlike most wild animals, the gorilla possesses scarcely more tenacity of life than man. The surest mode of killing this ape is, when it has turned to bay, to allow it to approach within two or three yards, and then to aim at the centre of its breast. It succumbs at once to the shot, and falls dead on its face, almost without a struggle.

The hinder limbs, too, are powerful in their way, the grasp of the foot, in particular, being very great. But when called upon to sustain the weight of the animal upon level ground, they are of comparatively little use.

This is not so much owing to the want of the requisite strength, as to the structure of the opposite extremities of the body, namely, the head and the hinder paws. Both of these are formed in such a manner that an upright carriage is impossible, the animal, even when at rest, being quite unable to assume a perfectly erect attitude.

When the structure of the head and feet is examined, this inability is easily accounted for.

In the former, the occipital foramen,' or in plainer language, the orifice in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes to the brain, is placed so far back that the whole weight of the head is thrown forward, tending, of course, to overbalance the body. In man, this orifice is placed almost in the centre, so that the head is evenly poised upon the spinal

column.

With regard to the feet, the cause is evident without the need of dissection, for these organs are formed almost exactly like hands, being provided with thumbs and fingers instead of toes. They are, in fact, almost identical in form with the hands themselves. Naturally, as they can possess no heel, and as there is no 'calf,' i.e.,

the set of powerful muscles below the knee, which are required for the working of the foot, these hinder hands cannot be placed flat upon the ground; an erect position is therefore rendered impossible.

In fact, when an ape endeavours to stand upright, the feet can only be placed sideways upon the ground. The movements are consequently so awkward and uncertain that the animal is obliged to assist itself in its progress by its arms, which are of such length that the fingers almost touch the ground when their owner is standing in as erect a position as he is able to assume.

The Orang-outan, indeed, one of the large apes, always uses these long arms as crutches when walking

easy grace and agility which are as much opposed to its former ungainly motions, as are the evolutions of a swan when swimming from the movements of the same bird when it essays to travel upon dry land. In both cases, one would hardly recognise the awkward, clumsy animal for the agile, graceful creature which it subsequently proves to be; and even Caliban and Ariel are hardly more widely different both in movements and appearance, than is the monkey upon land from the monkey in the trees.

With the large apes, however, the difference is not so noticeable as with some of the smaller animals of the group-such, for example, as the Gibbons, their

upon a level surface, placing the knuckles of the hands upon the ground, and swinging the body between them.

The

Unfitted as is this structure, which is common in a greater or less degree to nearly all the monkeys, for locomotion upon land, it is not so for their movements in their natural home, namely, the forest. immense strength of the arms, the hand-like structure of the hinder feet, and even the very form and attitude of the body, are as much adapted to an arboreal life as they are unsuited for an existence spent upon the ground.

Look at a monkey upon a level surface, for instance, as it travels awkwardly along, seeming, indeed, scarcely to know what to do with its limbs. Look at the same creature when it has gained the branches of some tree, and is making its way from bough to bough with an

huge weight and clumsy form debarring them from progressing among the branches with the speed and agility exhibited by monkeys more delicately and gracefully formed.

The structure of the head, more than all else, bears witness to the wide gulf separating the man from the beast. The jaws form the most prominent feature, protruding far in advance of any other part of the face; the teeth are more aptly to be described by the word 'tusks'; the nostrils are placed flat upon the face, the nose, which gives so much expression to the human countenance, being altogether wanting; and, more especially, the brain is very small in proportion to the other parts of the frame.

Naturally, the reasoning powers are developed only in a corresponding degree.

and even endeavour to strike with it. But he will have so little notion of using his strength, that the force of the blow given will be far less than if the arm and hand only had been used.

Again, their power of hurling missiles is very slight, and indeed by some travellers has been altogether denied. The late Mr. Charles Waterton was one of these, and indignantly repudiated the idea that any monkey could hurl or throw any object whatever in any possible manner. Here, however, he was wrong. That monkeys both can and do hurl missiles can be easily proved by any visitor to the monkey-house at the Crystal Palace. In one of the large cages there is, or was a short time since, a baboon, together with several monkeys considerably inferior in size to himself. In order to check his propensity for subjecting his smaller comrades to severe bodily castigation, this baboon is fastened by a chain around his body, which obliges him to confine his perambulations to a part only of the cage.

Naturally enough, his companions know to a fraction of an inch the reach of the captive animal when at the full stretch of his tether, and never venture inside the charmed circle. Unable, however, to resist the temptation of insulting the prisoner, they are accustomed to eat nuts, etc., presented by the visitors, an inch or so without the magic line, knowing that the sight of the coveted dainties will goad the captive to madness.

In the course of a few seconds their anticipations are fulfilled, and the infuriated animal attempts to revenge himself by hurling the straw from the bottom of the cage at his tormentors, plying them with armful after armful until the supply is exhausted. An exhibibition of this nature can be generally produced by offering some little dainty to one of the smaller monkeys in sight of the captive baboon.

Mr. A. R. Wallace, also, the well-known traveller and naturalist, states, in his work upon the Malay Archipelago, that he has, upon three occasions at least, known the orang-outan to hurl down dead branches, etc., upon the heads of its pursuers. Other travellers also have made similar statements, so that the power of monkeys to hurl projectiles, although not perhaps with any great force or accuracy of aim, can no longer be doubted.

One mode of annoying foes upon the ground is a very curious one.

Taught by instinct, monkeys will never trust themselves upon dead branches. But when they have wished to drive away foes beneath them, they have been seen to hang from a sound branch by their hands, and swing themselves repeatedly towards a dead branch, striking it violently with their feet at every swing, and repeating the process until the branch was snapped and fell to the ground.

To return to our gorilla.

The size of this ape, like that of the elephant, has been greatly exaggerated by many travellers. Six, seven, and even eight feet have been mentioned as the height to which the animal attains, whereas the average is little more than five feet, even a large male seldom reaching five feet six inches in height. However, a monkey only five feet high is a very large animal, and when the breadth of body and length of arm, and the almost herculean strength of its limbs, are taken into account, it may easily be imagined that an infuriated gorilla is by no means an insignificant foe.

The hair is almost black in colour, appearing less

dark, however, in some lights, and becoming of a greyish hue upon the cheeks and the top of the head. Upon the arms it is arranged in a very curious fashion, the hair from the shoulder to the elbow growing in a downward direction, while from the elbow to the wrist the exact reverse is the case. This arrangement is probably intended to prevent the long hair of the wrist from being included in, and so hindering the grasp.

The hand of the gorilla is of tremendous dimensions, often attaining to a breadth of nine or ten inches. To outward examination the fingers appear to be very short in comparison with the size of the hand. This, however, is easily accounted for by the fact that they are connected by the flesh as far as the base of the third joint, instead of to that of the second only, as is the case with ourselves.

The thumbs of the hands themselves are comparatively small in proportion to the size of the fingers, and are not of very great service to the animal. Upon the feet, however, the corresponding members are of far greater dimensions, their power of grasp being extremely great.

The gorilla is an inhabitant of the thick forests of that part of Africa known as the Gaboon, where it is far from uncommon. In spite of its numbers, however, several causes have prevented any great knowledge being gained with regard to its life and habits.

In the first place, so wary and cautious an animal cannot be approached without great difficulty, more especially in the dense forests in the gloomiest recesses of which it loves to dwell. The snapping of a twig would be amply sufficient to alarm the suspicious animal, and acquaint it with the vicinity of an intruder.

Then, again, the fierce and savage nature of the animal causes it to be held in such dread that none but the most courageous and experienced hunters will venture to penetrate into its haunts. Little information, too, is to be gathered from the natives, who look upon the animal with far greater fear than upon the most infuriated lion.

The prevailing idea of the native inhabitants appears to be that the large apes are not monkeys, but wild men, who retire to the woods and feign dumbness in order to avoid being taken captive and made to work. Some tribes also consider that the gorillas are animated by the souls of former savage kings, whose ferocity and love of slaughter continue undiminished.

The disposition of the gorilla alters very greatly at different periods of the animal's existence. While still young, before the savage instincts have had sufficient time to become fully developed, the character of the ape is comparatively mild and gentle. Gena," the last gorilla brought to England, for example, was of a fairly peaceable disposition, the chimpansee who bore her company being far more prone than herself to fits of passion. 'Gena,' however, was quite young, and had she lived, would probably have become terribly morose and sullen by gradual degrees, just as has been the case with all the other apes which have been taken while young, and bred up in captivity. As the bodily powers increase, the mental attributes proportionately diminish, the intelligence of the baby ape being far superior to that of the adult animal.

Like many animals of the monkey tribe, the gorilla seldom lives for very long when kept in captivity. Its constitution seldom enables it to withstand the change of climate, and it inevitably succumbs, before many

months are over, to the great foe of the monkey race in this country, namely, consumption.

As to the habits of the gorilla in its purely wild state, it is not likely that we shall ever know much about them.

Its instinctive wariness enables it to detect the approach of an enemy at a considerable distance, and, like the elephant under similar circumstances, it can slip away so quietly that a traveller might pass through a spot which was tenanted by the apes only a few minutes before, and fancy that not a gorilla could be found within miles around.

Moreover, like the monkey tribe in general, the gorilla is ever on the move, so that a colony of these apes is an impossibility. The gorilla seems to live in families, and the whole family moves about together, led by the parents until the young are old enough to leave their parents and set up in life for themselves.

Again, the districts which these creatures inhabit are of such a character that no white man could live long enough to make trustworthy investigations, even if he succeeded in evading the vigilance of the apes. The pure West African negro might do so, but his intellect is quite inadequate to the task.

Nor is there much likelihood of watching their habits in captivity, as the European climate is quite unsuitable to the gorilla. It requires a temperature far above that which is needed by most monkeys, and it must have plenty of space and abundance of warm and constantly changing air.

The chimpansee Tommy' who lived for some years in the Crystal Palace, retained perfect health during his captive life, simply because Mr. F. W. Wilson, who took charge of him, fulfilled both these conditions. Had he not perished in the fire which consumed the tropical department, he might have been alive at the present time.

The gorilla, however, requires much more care than the chimpansee. When the young gorilla, 'Gena,' was at the Crystal Palace in August, 1879, she never seemed to be warm enough. Even at night, when put into her travelling cage and placed near a stove, she always pressed herself against the bars, and held her little black paws as close to the stove as they could reach.

The only plan whereby there would be any hope of preserving the life of a gorilla in this country would be to build a large and thick-walled house expressly for the purpose. An equable temperature of not less than 75° Fahr. would be required, and there must be an ample supply of air constantly driven through it. Equability of temperature is a necessity. Once, at the Crystal Palace, while Gena was there, a sudden shower came on. A sharp N.E. wind was blowing, and the evaporation over the immense roof cooled the air so fast that the temperature fell more than 20° in a very short space of time.

Gena seemed to be quite paralyzed by the change, against which no one could have guarded, and indeed she never seemed to recover the shock. I had the opportunity of inspecting her after death, and saw that one lung was entirely useless and the other nearly so.

ANOTHER African ape is the Chimpansee (Troglodytes niger), which inhabits the same parts of Africa as the gorilla. Except in inferiority of size, it is by no means unlike that animal; for which, especially while young, it might easily be mistaken. Indeed, for many

years the gorilla was thought to be nothing more than an adult chimpansee.

An unfailing point of distinction, however, may be found in the ears. These, in the gorilla, lie close to the head, and are as small and well-shaped as those of many a human being. In the chimpansee, however, these organs are of far greater size, and stand out boldly from the head, giving an expression to the face which at once distinguishes it from that of the gorilla.

Similar as they are in appearance, however, in habits they are very different. The gorilla is an inhabitant of the forest, like nearly all the members of the tribe, spending almost the whole of its existence among the branches, and only descending to the ground when obliged. But the chimpansee forms an exception to the general rule, and is a dweller upon the ground, taking up its abode in rocky and precipitous neighhoods. The title' Troglodytes' has been applied to the genus on account of the dwelling-places selected by this animal, that word signifying a diver into caverns,' and therefore being very appropriate.

Like most animals which congregate together for mutual protection, the chimpansees post sentinels at intervals round the camp, in order to give early warning of the approach of any foe. Should an enemy be seen, the nearest sentry gives notice of the impending danger by means of a sharp, shrill cry, the meaning of which is perfectly understood by every member of the band. A conversation is then kept up, in the peculiar barking cry of the animals, until the onslaught takes place, or the foe listens to the dictates of prudence and retraces his steps.

According to the reports of the natives, the chimpansees construct huts for themselves, which are inhabited by the females and the young, the males keeping guard upon the roof. These stories have not as yet been verified; but as the orang-outan, a closely-allied ape, is known to weave similar structures in the trees, there is at least a likelihood that such may be the case with the chimpansee. One species of chimpansee certainly does construct a roof, under which it sits.

The food of the chimpansee seems to be entirely of a vegetable nature, the animal subsisting chiefly upon fruit of various sorts. Consequently, it is a terrible foe to agriculturists who are unfortunate enough to possess plantations near the haunts of the animal, the apes stripping them of their produce as soon as the fruit ripens.

The chimpansee appears to be a somewhat longlived animal, as it does not attain to maturity until after attaining the age of nine or ten years. A speci