Evening journal., 1889-09-12
4 COUNTING cHlMPANzEE.


Remarkable Exploits of an Ape-nesuhts
Of Experiments.
Nature prints an interesting paper read be-
fore the Geological society OF London by Pro
lessor George J. Romanes, f. r. S., and from
it the following extracts are mnde:
"A year or two ago it occurred 20 me that
might try. some psychological experiments
"a the intelligence Of this animal The cir
rtlnstancoe IN which she is placed, however,
lid not prove favorable for anything lilse
svstefnatic instruction. Being constantly eek
posed TO the gaze of a number of people oom-
lns and going and having had attention easily
distracted by them, the apo was practically
available for purposes of tuition only during
the early hours of the morning. before tiss
menagerie is open TO the public, and, rs
rule did not find It convenient at that TINA
Therefore the results which ! am about TO
describe do not, in my opinion, nepresent
what might fairly have been expected under
more favorable conditions; II the chimpenzee
could have been kept as domestic pet for a
few months las l kept the cebus kindly lent
me for the purposes of psychological Observe
ton by this society, there can be 10 doubt
that many much more interesting results
might have been obtained. Nevertheless, it
appears 10 me that even those which have
thus far been obtained are worthy OF hsdng
placed on record.
Having enlisted the intelligent eo-opeca-
tson OF the keepers, ! requested them % nsk
the ape repeatedly for one straw, two strowA
or three straws These she was 10 pick up
| and hand out from among the hitter tn her
| nAge. No constant order was 70 be observed
IN making these requests, but, whenever she
handed a number not asked for her odfcr was
refused while If sho gave the proper nam
bor, her offer was accepted, and she reoerN1ed
a pieoe Of fruit as payment. In this way the
| apo was eventually taught to associate these
| three numbers with their names. Lastly, II
| two gtraws or three straws were demanded,
| she was taught to hold one straw or two
straws in her mouth until she had picked up
the remaining straw, and then 20 hand the
| two straan on the three straws together. This
| prevented any possible error arising from hor
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 10 associate
these three numbers with their names, sha
never failed to give the number Of straws
asked for. Her education was then extandel
| Ia similar manner from thr 10 four and
| from four to Eve. Here, for reasons TO be
| presently stated ] allowed her education e
| terininate. But. more recently, one Of thu
| keepers has eDdeavored 70 advance hef 10
/ strnctiou as far as ten. The result, hOwvvtT
| is what might have been anticipated Al
though she very rarely mases any mistake IN
handing out one, two three four On FIVE
stlaws, according 20 the number asked tE,
and although she is usually accurate h
banding out as many as six or seven, when thA
| numbers eight, nine or ten are named, the ~
suit becomes NOSE and more uncertain. 80 a
20 be suggestive OF guesswork. II Is evkbeot
however, that she understands the wuwdi
seven, eight, nine and ten TO betolaen nam
hers higher than those below tlsem; for II shs
| is ASKED for any of these numbers q. a.
asovo six) she always gives souse nnrnbaa
| thAf IS above SIX and not more than ben; bui
there Il no snch constant accuracy disTaayef
/ 10 htading out the exact number named IA d
the case below six On the whole, then
while there is no doubt that this aniInaa ON
accurately compute any number of strsvvH ~
% Ave, beyond five the accuracy Of her oun
gmtotion becomes progressively diminished.
1T is not necessaJy--indeed 1t would b
Understandable suppose that IN this prooo'
OF counting the ape employs any syssem O
Notation We know from our oXn experienc
that there Is counting and counting, l. q, dii
tingqNing between low numbers BY dirootll
| dpIaociating The difference between tw
quantities Of sensuods perception and AZ
tingushing between numbers 81 any amour
| BY marking each perception with q saparat
sign, Tho extent 70 which the former kind O,
computation can be carried Ia the case Of mar
has been made the subject Of a careful 10
search by Professor Preyer, q Jena Lis ag
, III. aouEysfd III 6s06Staining the mum
bef q Objects such as dots on pleoe 9.
paper which admit Of being siInl,sssl1Sousss
estimated with accuracy, and IL was founG
that tho number admits OF being largely IN
creased by practice until in tho csae OF sorni
persons, II may rise to more than twenty
But, Of course. in the case OF brute il Is No
10 be expected that such high degree O
proficiency, oven Ia this non-notative kind q
counting, should be attainAbla. The utmn'
that could here DO expected is that brut
shonld exhibit some such level of abiiHy a.
presented by young child or by thoes ssy
ages whose powers Of accurate compOtAtSs
do not appear to extend further than nu1n
hers which we write as units. Il VUa in vae'
Of such considerations that did not atterng
TO carry the education Of this ape beyond n
number five, and the result which has na
tanned subsequent enlboavors 70 teach he
numbers as high as ten is, as previously ~
marked, exactly what might have been OK
ticipated 10 may here be adied that in tn
only records with which | am acquainted Z
I animals exhibiting any powers of nnusSco
computation these powers have mob extende
a Al. ~ fst..n