The reason why the Gorilla flourishes in Western Equatorial Africa is probably because the great Carnivora, or beasts of prey, are not found in the dense forests and open prairies which cover the country. The jungle begins where the sea ceases, and then comes the virgin forest, extending some degrees north and south of the equator, and reaching unknown distances inland. There are no Lions, and but few Leopards, Hyenas, and Jackals to be met with; the great African beasts--the Rhinoceroses, Giraffes, Zebras, &c.--are absent. Snakes, Lizards, and a vast insect world abound, and there are birds of prey. The Elephant is scarce, and, indeed, miles and miles may be traversed without hearing or seeing any signs of large animal life. But of all the mammals the Monkeys are the most numerous, and the Gorilla reigns supreme. He has the forest to himself, and but few enemies. He has companions, however, nearly of his own size, and whose description we owe to Du Chaillu, and they are so constructed, anatomically, that they link on, as it were, this greatest of all Apes with the well-known Chimpanzee, which is also indigenous to the Gorilla land. The new Apes are the Nschiego Mbouvé, or Tschiégo, and the Koolo-Kamba. CHAPTER II. THE MAN-SHAPED APES (_continued_)--THE NSCHIEGO MBOUVÉ--THE KOOLO-KAMBA--THE SOKO--THE CHIMPANZEE. THE NSCHIEGO MBOUVÉ--Its Nests and Habits--A Specimen Shot--Differences between it and the Gorilla--Structural Peculiarities--THE KOOLO-KAMBA--Meaning of the Name--Discovered by Du Chaillu--Its Outward Appearance and Anatomy--THE SOKO--Discovered by Livingstone--Hunting the Soko--THE CHIMPANZEE--In Captivity--On board Ship--A Young Chimpanzee--The Brain and Nerves--Anatomical Peculiarities--General Remarks upon the Group. THE NSCHIEGO MBOUVÉ.[8] This great Ape, which attains the height of four feet, and has a spread of arms of seven feet, was discovered by Du Chaillu in the Gaboon district. It is remarkable for building very comfortable shelters, and this led to its being found; for Du Chaillu, in one of his excursions, was trudging along, rather tired of sport, when he saw a most singular-looking shelter built on the branches of a tree. He thought it had been made by the natives, and asked whether the hunters had the habit of sleeping in the woods, but was told, to his great surprise, that it was a nest built by the Nschiego Mbouvé, an Ape. Moreover, one of the natives told him that it was a curious creature, which had a bald head.