Classification. For convenience in study the Animal kingdom is divided into seven Sub-kingdoms, each of which is further divided into classes. These Sub-kingdoms are known as: I Vertebrata, II Arthropoda, III Mollusca, IV Echinodermata, V Vermes, VI Cœlenterata, and VII Protozoa. Sub-kingdom I, Vertebrata, includes all animals distinguished by the possession of Vertebræ or back-bones, and its classes are I Mammalia:—animals that suckle their young; II Aves:—Birds; III Reptilia:—Reptiles; IV Batrachia:—Frogs, Toads, etc.; and V Pisces:—Fishes. Sub-kingdom II, Arthropoda, includes the Insect families, etc., which it also divides into classes. Sub-kingdom III, Mollusca, animals of the cuttle-fish order, including limpets, oysters, and slugs. Sub-kingdom IV, Echinodermata, a large number of marine animals, such as the star-fish and the sea-urchin. Sub-kingdom V, Vermes, the various classes of worms. Sub-kingdom VI, Cœlenterata, corals and sponges, etc., etc., and Sub-kingdom VII, Protozoa, protoplasms and the lowest forms of animal life. This volume is devoted to the illustration of the first of these sub-kingdoms, the Vertebrata, with its five classes, Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Batrachia and Pisces.
The Gorilla
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
SUB-KINGDOM I—VERTEBRATA.
CLASS I—MAMMALIA.
ORDER I. PRIMATES. The most perfect of all animals is man, for besides having a marvellous animal organism he possesses reason, which so far transcends the highest instincts of other animals, that it places him in a category by himself.
SUB-ORDER I.
Man-shaped Animals. Next to man it is convenient to deal with man-shaped animals, (anthropoidea)—those animals which most resemble him in external appearance and internal organism. This brings us to the order called Quadrumana or four-handed animals which include Lemurs and their allied forms, and manlike monkeys. Monkeys are divided into five families, one at least of which has to be further divided into sub-families to accommodate its variety. These families are: I The Apes; II The Sacred Monkeys; III The Cheek-pouched Monkeys; IV The Cebidae, with its several sub-families, and V The Marmosets. The first three of these families inhabit the old world, the last two belong to the new.
The Ape Family. The family of the Apes includes the Gorilla, the Chimpanzee, the Orang-utan or mias, the Gibbons or long-armed Apes, and the Siamang; of these the Gorilla and the Chimpanzee belong to the West of Africa, the Orang-utan to Borneo, the Gibbons to Assam, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Cambodia and Hainan, and the Siamang to Java and Sumatra.
The Gorilla. The gorilla is the largest of the ape family, and sometimes attains to the height of six feet. It is also the fiercest, if not the strongest, of man-shaped animals. It belongs to the genus Troglodytes of which the chimpanzee is the only other species, and it inhabits a somewhat limited range of Equatorial Africa, where it makes for itself nests of sticks and foliage, among the lower branches of trees, and lives upon berries, nuts and fruits. Though apparently a vegetarian the gorilla has enormous physical strength. His arms bear much the same proportion to the size of his body as those of man do relatively, but his lower limbs are shorter, and have no calves, the leg growing thicker from the knee downwards. The hands are broad, thick, and of great length of palm, and are remarkable for their strength; the feet, broader than those of man, and more like hands, are very large and of great power. The gorilla uses his hands when walking or running, but as his arms are longer than those of other apes, and his legs shorter he stoops less than they do in moving from place to place. The gorilla herds in small companies, or rather families, one adult male being the husband and father of the band. The females are much smaller than the males.