Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-09-24
A COUNTING CHIMPANZEE.



Prof. George Romanes, f. X. s., and from
1t the following extracts are made:
"The female chimpanzee which has nov
been in the society's menagerie for si1
years has attracted general notice, not only
on account Of her peculiar geological charac
ters, but perhaps still more on account oi
her high intelligence. This is conspicuous
ly displayed by the remarkable degree
In which she is able to understand the
meaning Of spoken language-a degree
which is fully equal to that presented by an
infant few months before emerging from
infancy, and therefore higher than that
presented by another brute, 80 far, at least,
as have met with any evidence to show.
Nevertheless, the only attempts that she
makes by way Of vocal responses are three
peculiar grunting noises-one indicative OF
assent or affirmation, another very closely
resembling the first) OF dissent or negation,
| and the third quite different from the other
two Of thanks or recognition Of favors. In
disposition she is somewhat capricious.
though on the whole good-humored, fond of
her keepers, and apparently never tired of
a kind Of bantering play which, off and on,
they keep up with her continually.
"a year or two ago it occurred to me that
might try some psychological experiments
on the intelligence Of this animal. The
ClTCuUlSJhuCcS III WHICH SIG Is DldCGu, now
ever, did not prove favorable for any thing
like systematic instruction. Being constant
| ly exposed TO the gaze of number of peo-
pie coming and going and having her atten-
ton easily distracted by them, the ape was
practically available for purposes of tuition
only during the early hours of the morning
before the menagerie is opened to the pub
lie, and, as rule, i did not find it con-
venient to attend at that time. Therefore
the results which am about TO describe do
not, in my opinion, represent what might
fairly have been expected un Ter more
favorable conditions; if the chimpanzee
could have been kept as domestic pet for
few months (as / kept the Cebus kindly
lent me for the purposes of psychological
observation by this society there can be
no doubt that many much more interesting
results might have been obtained. Never
theless, it appears to me that even those
which have thus far been obtained are
worthy Of being placed on record.
"Having enlisted the intelligent co-opera.
tion Of the keepers, requested them to ask
the ape repeatedly for one straw, two
straws or three straws. These she was to
pick up and hand out from among the litter
in her cage. No constant order was to be
observed in making these requests, but,
whenever she handed a number not asked
for her offer was refused, while, il she gave
the proper number her offer was accepted,
and she received a piece of fruit as pay
ment. In this way the ape was eventually
taught to associate these three numbers
with their names. Lastly, If two straws or
three straws were demanded, she was
taught TO hold one straw or two straws in
her mouth until she had picked up the re-
naming straw and then to hand the two
straws or three straws together. This pre-
vented any possible error arising from her
Interpretation OF vocal tones-an error
which might well have arisen If each straw
had been asked for separately.
"As soon as the animal understood what
was required and had learned to associate
these three numbers with their names, she
never failed to give the number of straws
asked for. Her education was then ex-
tended in q similar manner from three to
four and from four 10 five. Here, for rea-
sons to be presently stated, l allowed her
education TO terminate. But more re-
Gently one of the keepers has endeavored to
advance her instruction as far as ten. The
result, however, is what might have been
anticipated. Although she very rarely
makes any mistake in handin z out one, two,
three, four or five straws, according to the
number asked for, and although she is
usually accurate in handing out as many as
six or seven, when the numbers eight, nine
or ten are named, the result becomes more
and more uncertain, so as to be suggestive
Of guesswork. 1t Is evident, however, that
she understands the words seven, eight,
nine and ten to betoken numbers higher
than those below them for il she is asked
for any OF these numbers q. C., above six
she always gives some number that Is above
six and not more than ten; but there is no
nah ,ata mt a lia,Nla ,.AA L.,
ing out the exact number named as is the
case below six. On the whole, then, while
there Is no doubt that this animal can ac-
curately compute any number of straws up
10 five, beyond five the accuracy of her
comp Itation becomes progressively dimin
ished
at Is not necessary-indeed 1t would be
unreasonable-to suppose that in this
process Of counting the ape employs
any system Of notation. We know
from our own experience that there
Is counting and counting, l. g., dis
unguishing between low numbers by d |
rectly appreciating the difference between |
two quantities OF sensuous perception and |
distinguishing between numbers Of any |
amount by marking each perception with a |
separate sign. The extent TO which the |
former kind OF computation can be carried |
In the case Of man has been made the sub |
ject of careful research by Prof. Preyer, |
OF jena HIS experiments consisted in as
ccrtaining the number of objects (such as
dots on piece OF paper) which admit OF /
being simultaneously estimated with ac-
curacy, and it was found that the number
admits Of being largely increased by prac-
tice until, in the case of some persons, il |
may rise TO more than twenty. But OF
course In the case Of brute it is not TO be
expected that such high degree of pro
hcency even in this non notative kind OF
counting should be attainable. The ut
most that could here be expected is that
brute should exhibit some such level OF
ability as is presented by young child, or
by those savages whose powers OF accurate
computation do not appear to extend further
than numbers which we write as units. 1t
was IN view Of such considerations that |
did not attempt to carry the education OF
this ape beyond the number five, and the
result which has attained subsequent en-
deavors 10 teach her numbers as high as
ten Is, as previously remarked, exactly