Apes and Monkeys: Their Life and LanguageGarner, R. L. (Richard Lynch)
Science
Apes and Monkeys: Their Life and Language
Garner, R. L. (Richard Lynch)
Apes; Monkeys; Sound production by animals; Speech
Among the simians, erroneously called monkeys, are the four kinds
that constitute the anthropoid, or manlike, group of apes. In certain
respects they differ from each other as much as any one of them differs
from man. The four apes here alluded to and named in the order of
their physical resemblance to man are: the gorilla, the chimpanzee,
the orang, and the gibbon; but if placed in the order of their mental
and social characteristics they stand as follows: the chimpanzee,
which is next to man, the gorilla, the gibbon, and, last, the orang.
It is possible, however, that it may yet be found that the gibbon is
intellectually the highest of this group.
As the skeleton is the framework of the physical structure, it will
serve for the basis upon which to build up the comparisons; and as, on
the whole, the chimpanzee is the nearest approach to man, we select and
use him as the standard of comparison. The skeleton of the chimpanzee
may be said to be an exact duplicate of that of man. The assertion,
however, should be qualified by a few facts of minor importance; but
since they are facts, they should not be ignored. The general plan,
purpose, and structure of the skeletons of man and chimpanzee are the
same. There is no part of the one which is not duplicated in the other,
and there is no function discharged by any part of the one that is not
discharged by a like part of the other. The chief point in which they
differ is in the structure of one bone. To this we shall pay special
attention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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