Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/74

* GORILLA. 52 drained by tho Ogove. Oabun. and upper Benito rivers — probably less tlian 1000 square miles of territory. This is a hilly region of comparatively open, yet damp and shady, forest, with thickets •of scitamines and tree-ferns, which abounds in trees bearing fruits that ripen at various times, affording the animals food the year round ; in ad- dition to which the gorillas occasionally raid the plantations of sugar-cane, rice, etc., cultivat- ed about the native villages. It appears that these animals remain in the forest, and are most common in the Sierra de Cristal, between the Ogove and Muni rivers. They spend most of their time in the trees, where they move about with surprising agility, considering their bulk, and swing and leap like the huge monkeys they are. They wander dur- ing the day in .search of food in family parties, consisting of two mates and offspring of various ages; but at night are wholly stationary. Sev- eral writers assert they make nests only for the lying-in of pregnant females; but Herr Koppen- fels declares that each night the female plaits the branches of a tree-top into a platform, and adds to this sticks and leaves, or moss, until she has a comfortable sleeping place for herself and her young ones ; and that this is sometimes returned to for three or four nights in succes- sion, but not longer. The male is said to sleep curled up at the foot of the tree, prepared to guard his family against leopards — almost the only foe he need fear. The gorilla's food consists mainly of fruits, especially the undeveloped sp,athe or 'cabbage' of the oil-palm, bananas, paw- pa.ws, several plum-like fruits, and nuts, the hard- est of which, allied to the kola-nut, he cracks with a stone ; but his great back teeth are well adapted to nut-cracking and to crushing tough rinds. The gorilla also eats insects, honey, birds' €ggs, and fledgelings, and he is said to take flesh when he can get it, though he is not known to seek to kill other animals for the sake of eating them. These animals are mainly arboreal, and when they go upon the ground usually walk on all fours, as their tracks constantly show, always turning the fingers of the hands imder, and sometimes also the toes of the hind limbs. They walk erect with some difhculty, unless they can steady themselves by grasping something. They are shy, and even timid, usually retreating from man, and are rarely seen, even by the silent and stealthy natives of the forest, except by acci- dent. When surprised, they run away screaming with fright; but if wounded or cornered make a temble fight, using much the tactics of a bear, by rearing up and endeavoring to seize and inill the enemy near enough to tear it with their great teeth. Young gorillas are occasionally captured by the ■negroes, and several have reached Europe, the first as early as 1860, when it was carried about Great Britain for several months, no one regard- ing it as anything but a chimpanzee until after its death. Since then four or five have been seen in Berlin and London; but none, in spite of "the greatest care, siu'vived more than eighteen months before succumbing to lung disease. Each of these was of a gentle, docile disposition, show- ing traits and an ability to learn very similar to those of the chimpanzee, eating all sorts of food, and having a childish fondness for his friends and for noise-making and amusements. GORKUM. BiBLiOGKAPiiY. The books alread.v mentioned, and such general works as Standard Natural Histori/ (6 vols., Boston, 1885), and the Royal yatiiral Histonj (G vols., London, 1895), contain much of what is known of the subject. Cassell, yatiiral Hiatorn (London, 1880-83), gives a very long, illustrated account, but includes much that is not verified. The best information is contained in Hartmann, Anthropoid Apes (New York, 1880), which also furnishes a complete compara- tive account of the animal's structure, and an extensive bibliography. See Plate of Anthropoid Apes, under Ape. GORINCHEM, gO'ren-Kem. See GoRKUM. GOR'ING, Georoe, Earl of Norwich {e,1583- 1663 ), See NoRW'icii, George Goring, Earl op. GORING, George, Lord (1008-57). An Eng- lish Royalist, son of George, Earl of Nonvich. (See Norwich.) He married Lettice, daughter of the Earl of Cork, by whose influence he re- ceived a post in the Dutch service. He was wounded at Breda (1037), was appointed Gover- nor of Portsmouth (163S1), and served in both Scotch wars. He took part in the first Army plot, hoping to become lievitenant-general : but played the conspirators false as sooij as he saw that his advancement was not certain. But he was never really allied with Parliament, and in 1041 had made his peace with the King. He tried to get money both from the King and from Parliament; but in the fall of 1042 declared openly for the King. A month later Portsmouth was captured, and Goring lied to Holland, and there tried to advance the King's interest. In 1043 he landed in England, and after defeating Fairfax at Seacroft IVIoor was captured by him at Wakefield, and sent to the Tower; but was finally exchanged. In 1044 he commanded the left wing at Marston Moor, and was in the sec- ond battle of Newbury. His intrigues against Rujjert, to win himself a command and to make himself indispensable, were grave factors in the defeat of the Royalist cause. He went so far as to quarrel openly with Prince Charles's coun- sel when the Prince came to take command in the west. He was forced to leave the siege of Taunton to meet Fairfax, after Na,seby, and was defeated by him again at Longport (1045). Gor- ing retreated to the north, and left the Parlia- mentary Army without opjiosition. Soon after he went to France on a plea of ill health, but probably hoping to get eonnnand of an army which was being raised by the Queen. He served in the English regiments in the Netherlands, but later tried to get some help for Charles II. in Spain, and died there. He was a good officer, but famed more for flashes of ability and insight than for steadiness and application. GORITZ, ge'rits. See GOKZ. GOR'KUM, GOR'CTJM, or GORINCHEM, go'ren-Kfm (Lat. Gorcoiitiiim). A town in the Netherlands, situated on the Merwede, 28 miles east-southeast of Rotterdam (Map: Netherlands, C 3). The town has fortified gateways of the seventeenth centurj', and interesting specimens of Dutch brick and tile mosaic architecture. It is famous for its salmon fisheries, and carries on a trade in grain, hemp, and cattle. The town is the terminus of the Merwede Canal to Amster- dam. Population, in 1000, 11,000.