Examination of Living Primates.
Anthropoid Apes.
Eight of these I examined during life at the London Zoological Society’s gardens in 1908, four chimpanzees, two orangs and two gibbons. These afforded the opportunity of ascertaining by means of touch the presence, and in a minor degree the size and efficiency of the main subcutaneous bursa, just as one can do this in a human subject. The chimpanzees were A, aged thirteen; B, aged seven; C, aged three; and D, aged two-and-a-half years; the orangs E, aged thirteen; F, aged three years; the gibbons G and H both two to three years.
These eight specimens possessed good examples of the leading subcutaneous bursæ over the olecranon process, the styloid process of the ulna, the patella and both malleoli.
The smaller and less definite bursæ gave the following results.
Chimpanzees.
A. Hand. Bursæ on all the metacarpal and first phalangeal joints; none on the second phalangeal joints of D 2, 3, 4, 5.
Foot. Bursæ well marked on the five metatarsal first phalangeal joints; none on D 2, 3, 4, 5 joints, but one on that of D 1. None found on second row of phalangeal joints.
B. Moderate development of bursæ on metacarpo- and metatarso-phalangeal joints of D 1; doubtful on those of D 2, 3, 4, 5.
On hand and foot first phalangeal joints, bursæ present, on second row absent.
C and D were similar.
Metacarpo- and metatarso-phalangeal joints, none in C and scanty in D.
No bursæ on any phalangeal joints of hand or foot.
Orangs.
E. Metacarpo- and metatarso-phalangeal joints, bursæ ill-developed, first row of phalangeal joints of hand and foot moderate, second row none.
F. Metacarpo- and metatarso-phalangeal joints more marked than in E., and well developed on all phalangeal joints.
Gibbons.
G. Metacarpo- phalangeal and metatarso-phalangeal joints poorly developed on D 2, 3, 4, 5, and none on those of D 1. Absent on all phalangeal joints.
The digits of the gibbons were very long and evidently efficient in action, but were never flexed to any great degree.