THE GORILLA AT CLOSE RANGE

Evening Star, Issue 18052, 21 August 1922, Page 5

THE GORILLA AT CLOSE RANGE

The American Society of Mammalogists recently completed an inquest on the body of “ the kite John Daniel.” John was a gorilla in the show, whose body on his decease a year ago was turned oyer as a gift to the Museum of Natural History for examination and preservation. A score of experts, with the zeal and enthusiasm of the real scientist, studied every part of John from every angle of interpretation. They found the brain of the gorilla was closer to the human brain in development and power than were the brains of chimpanzees and other similar animals. Dr Tilney pointed out in a lecture that tho proportion of the fore biain increased continuously from that of the fish through tho higher forms of animals —tho antelope, the deg, tho chimpanzee and John Daniel.

Expressing tho size of the brain of a two-year-old child as ninety-one, John assayed eighty-seven, a nearer approach to the human brain than is shown by any other animal, the chimpanzee coming next at eighty-four. Many evidences bf the gorilla’s higher brain power were given. The spinal column, the feet, the teeth, the hands or forepaws show close analogy and approach to those of man. It is strange how general and ineradicable is the belief that the evolutionary theory of Darwin may bo summed up in a sentence : Man descended from a monkey or an ape. No scientist in the world believes this. Animals of the highest type, grouped together because of certain common qualities, are considered together as primates. In this group is man, and lower primates like tho gorilla, the gibbon, the orang-utan, and the chimpanzee. Science believes not that man descended from any of these, but that at come time back in the dawn, of time they all had some common ancestor; tho descent •is not direct, but collateral.— ‘ Wjh' N.ftrk Herald.’