The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-03-16
ANIMALS AND HUMAN SPEECH.
Intelligent Dogs and :Parrots--Po ssibilities
ofthe Future.

Intelligent Dogs and :Parrots--Posslbilities
ofthe Future.
The Manchester (England) Quar-
dian says: A writer in the Journal
Of Science deals with the interesting
subject Of the attempts of certain Of
the lower animals to acquire human
speech. At the outset the observer is
struck by the curious fact that the
most successful attempts of this ma
ture have been made not by the ami
mails that are usually held to rank
nearest to humanity, but by certain
birds. M. A. Roujon tells of dog
that can pronounce the words "ma
maman." Considering the intelligence
of dogs, it is perhaps matter of sur
prise that such stories are not COM
moner. 1t has been suggested that
the cause may be in the difference in
structure of the vocal organs. AT all
events, the lower mammalia as rule
do not learn human speech. 1t is the
parrot and not the monkey that learns
to talk. This has struck the observ-
ant negro, who is said to have the
DRY that the monkey can speak but
will not do so, lest he should be made
to work. If the monkeys had arrived
at this generalization, they would soon
find that even the mutes must do
something in the complex organiza-
ton of civilized life. 1t is clear,
however, that in addition to the
possession of certain physiology
cal and mental characteris-
tics an animal must be in
close contact with man before he can
be expected to become familiar with
his speech. 1t is evident that the ami
mails that would appear most prom
Using for such an experiment are not
available for the purpose. They do
not increase in captivity, and hence
the hereditary influences of selective
development carried on for generations
is entirely absent. 1t is gravely doubt
ed by some whether the birds that
initiate the speech of man have any
perception whatever Of the meaning
of the words they use. Do they EN-.
ploy their phrases with definite pur-
pose or intention, or do they merely
reproduce what they hear, as boy
may initiate the quack of duck OF
the grunt of pig? The writer of the
article mentioned recites the case of
parrot which always preferred the pc.
tition, "Give Polly a bit, if you
please" when she saw that food was
being prepared, but did not offer that
observation at any other time. He
also mentioned a magpie at Stow
market that knew and used with ac-
curacy the names of several members
of the family. The Able Gras has
two parrots that use general phrases
with appropriateness. When a sup
ply of seeds is given to Coco she
cries: "Here is something good"
If her companion screams, he
says: "Come, Cocotte, don't scream;
sing" If her request is complied with
she patronizingly observes You
sing well-oh, very we'll" NJ. Gras
was giving some directions to his
housekeeper, when Coco interjected:
"How, don't you underestimate" In
telligent parrots occasionally vary
their phrases, and like children who
are learning to talk, never speak of
themselves in the first person. The
child calls itself Baby" as the parrot
styles itself "Polly." The bird and
child alike puzzle and blunder in COM
ing over a new phrase, and have es-
pecial difficulty in mastering the final
part of the sentence. Considering
what an individual bird can accom-
plish, it would be rash to limit the pos
sibilities of that which might be if
generation after generation of clever
parrots were matched. Perhaps"
says the writer, in these days of cram
and of the equal rights of animals, we
may in five centuries have magpies in
the fifth and sixth standards. macaws
preparing for the examination of the
science and art department, and cock
atoos-sweet bird graduates taking
their degrees at the University of
London"