smallest and most perfectly anthropoid arboreal ape having long arms and no tail; of southern Asia and East Indies English historian best known for his history of the Roman Empire (1737-1794)
smallest and most perfectly anthropoid arboreal ape having long arms and no tail; of southern Asia and East Indies
A gibbon is an ape with very long arms and no tail that lives in southern Asia. a small animal like a monkey, with long arms and no tail, that lives in trees in Asia. Any of about six species (genus Hylobates) of lesser apes (family Hylobatidae), found in Indo-Malayan forests. Gibbons use their long arms to swing from branch to branch. They walk erect on the ground, live in small groups, and feed on shoots and fruits, as well as on some insects, birds' eggs, and young birds. They have long hair and are about 16-26 in. (40-65 cm) long. Their coats vary from tan or silvery to brown or black. They have large canine teeth, and their voices are noted for their volume, musical quality, and carrying power. Gibbon Edward Wakefield Edward Gibbon Gibbons v. Ogden Gibbons Orlando
born May 8, 1737, Putney, Surrey, Eng. died Jan. 16, 1794, London British historian. Educated at the University of Oxford and in Switzerland, Gibbon wrote his early works in French. In London he became a member of Samuel Johnson's brilliant intellectual circle. On a trip to Rome he was inspired to write the history of the city. His Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 6 vol. (1776-88), is a continuous narrative from the 2nd century AD to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Though Gibbon's conclusions have been modified by later scholars, his acumen, historical perspective, and superb literary style have given his work its lasting reputation as one of the greatest historical works
born March 20, 1796, London, Eng. died May 16, 1862, Wellington, N.Z. British colonizer of South Australia and New Zealand. After viewing the problems of the penal system, including the forcible removal of convicts to British colonies, he wrote A Letter from Sydney (1829) and proposed colonization by the sale of small landholdings to ordinary citizens. He influenced the founding of South Australia as a nonconvict settlement. As organizer and manager of the New Zealand Company (1838-58), he sent colonists to settle New Zealand and forced the British government to recognize the colony. As an adviser to the earl of Durham, he influenced the report that led to the union of Upper and Lower Canada. He founded a Church of England settlement at Canterbury, N.Z. (1847)