The eye of the young male gorilla which was kept alive in the Berlin
Aquarium from 1876–77 was carefully examined by me in June, 1877.
I found that the sclerotic membrane of the eyeball was whitish,
surrounded by a dark brown ring. A second darker ring, sharply defined,
surrounded the cornea. The iris was of a yellowish brown. The sclerotic
membrane, however, gradually deepens in colour so as to give the effect
of a uniform dark brown. The iris retains a light brown colour for a
longer period, but it darkens with age. In an aged animal there is no
brightness in the eye, except from reflected light. In the chimpanzee
the iris is light brown, verging on yellow; and this is also the case
in the orang.
The expressionless, indifferent look of anthropoids has often been
observed, and undoubtedly chimpanzees and orangs generally gaze
placidly before them. I have, however, observed an animated expression
in the eyes of the former species, and W. L. Martin has also observed
a flash and brightening of their eyes. I shall never forget the
expression of malicious anger in the eyes of the female animal Mafuca,
at Dresden, as soon as she was teased. The expression of the eyes of
the gorilla in the Berlin Aquarium also changed frequently, especially
when he was about to perform some mischievous trick, or when he was
provoked to anger. The expression of this animal was very human, but
necessarily it could only recall the darkly coloured eyes of negroes
and other black races. In 1876 there were two very young orangs in the
Berlin Aquarium, one hairy and the other hairless. These animals clung
together in a close embrace. If they were separated, their eyes became
bright and restless, and they again sought to embrace each other while
uttering plaintive cries. On tickling one of the animals under the
chin, it made a most absurd grimace, and its eyes brightened, as Martin
has observed in similar cases. The eyes of the gibbons which I have
observed had a thoroughly mild and placid expression, rarely animated
by any fire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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