Genre:

News-Commentary, Drollery

Subjects:

Religion, Animal Behaviour, Zoology

    Discusses a lecture on 'that popular monster the gorilla' given by Charles H Spurgeon at the 'Newington Monster-Tabernacle'. Notes Spurgeon's claim that 'the worst Gorillas were bachelor Gorillas' (a reference to Paul B Du Chaillu's controversial claims regarding the aggressive nature of gorillas) and that such bachelors would benefit from the 'softening influence of female society', and by 'taking under his sheltering wing one who could give him more than he could give her'. (150) Reflects on some of the reasons why the latter remarks met with laughter.