The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-12

the exact number named as is the case be-
low SIX. On the whole then, while there
4 Is no doubt that this animal can accurately
compute any number Of straws up to Tive,
{ beyond five the accuracy Of her computa-
/ ton becomes progressively diminished.
! 1t IS to be noticed that the ape exhibits
| some idea OF multiple ton; for she very
frequently especially when dealing with
| hunters above five doubles over long
straw 50 as to make It present two end. aud
thus appear as t#o straw5. Any of The
/ comparatively rare errors which she now
/ maks IN dealing with Numbers belO y six
are almost invariably due TO her thus en-
! deavorlng to duplicate her sfraws. In this
connection 1t IS to be remembered that,
/ owing TO tho method above described
| whereby the ape Is required to place each
/ straw separately in her mouth until the
| sum asked for is completeD, wien an high
| number Is demanded a nsideTable tax is
| imposed upon her patience and, as her
/ movements are deliberate while her store
| OF pate &c Is but small. 1t is evident
| 70 all observers that the d ubllng Of the
straws IS intended to save trouble by getting
| the sum completed VITA greater rapid ty
tnan IS possible when every straw Is picked
| up separately. of cOuree we do not recog-
| nIze these doubled straws as equivalent TO
! two Straws, and therefore the persiStency
| with which she endeavors to palm them off
| as such Is the more noteworthy as evidence
| of ner idea of multiplication. Moreover, l
am disposed TO thi-k that the certainty
/ which attends her dea ing with The num-
| bers six AID sevel is mo. larg .ly due to
her losing patience than to her losing count ::
although after seven believe that her COM
putatlon of the numbers themselves becomes
| vague, or merged IN merely general idea
of many. 1t may also be stated that, while
picking up the straws and placing them in
her mouth, she looks only at the straws
themselves and not at the pc son who asks
for them; therefore she is certainly notact-
uated IN her responses by interpreting
facial expression, unconscious gesture, etc
as Is no doubt the case with many dogs
which on this account are sometimes &C
credited by their owners with powers or
thought reading 1t is needless to add
that after asking for the mum Der Of straws
requl ed, we remain silent till the ape mas
b tnded them out.
ut Is not neCessary-indeed it would be
unreasonable-to suppose that III this proc
ess OF counting the ape employees any sys-
tenn of notation We know from our own
| experience that there is counting and count
ing, l. e., distinguishing between low num-
ers by directly approaching the difference
| betwee two quantities OF sensuous percep-
ton and distinguishing between numbers of
| any amount by fnarKIIg eacl perception
I with separate sign. The extent to which
tue former kind Of computation can lie
carried in the case of man has been made
| the SUBJECT of a careful research by Prof
Pieyer of jena. His experiments consisted
IN ascertaining the number of objects
such as dots on a piece of papeD
which admit of being simultane-
ously estimated with accuracy, and it was
found that the number admits of being
largely increa ed by practice until, in the
case of some persons, it may rise to more
tIan twenty. But, of course, in the case If
a brute it is not to be expected that Sucn a
high degree of proficiency, even in this nom
notative kind. of counting should De a.
tainable. The utmost that could here be
expected is that brute should exhibit some
such level of ability as is presented by a
young child, or by those savageS whose
powers of accurate comput alton do not
appear to extend further than numbers
which we write as units, 1t was in view
of SUCH considerati rs that | did not at
tempt to carry the education of this ape BE-
You'd the number five, and the result that
has tanned subsequent endeavors to teach
her numbers as higu as ten is, as previously
remarked. exactly what might have been
anticipated. 1t may here be added that in
the only records with which am acquainted
of animals exhibiting any powers of numer-
ical computation, these powers have not e1-
tended beyond the nu .nber five"