Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-11-12
A COUNTING cHIMpANzEs.
Remarkable Exploits Of An Inmate os r.oo
danta Znalonlcal n..<l~-

khVAneHAsOho GAP Phoitb On An lnmAt0 M In
don's Geological Garden.
Nature prints an interesting paoer read
before the Geological Society Of London bv
Prof. George Romanes, F. X. T.. and from
it the following extracts are made:
"The female chimpanzee which ba. ro,D
been in the society's menagerie for air
years has attracted general notice. not only
on account Of her peculiar geological charac.
ters, but perhaps still more on account of
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, so 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 (yery CLOSELY
resembling the first) of dissent or nepation
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
kind OF bantering play which, of and on,
they keep up with her continually.
IA year or two ago it occurred to me that
might try some psychological experiments
on the intelligence Of this animal The
circumstances in which she is placed. how.
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 q rule, did not find it con-
venlent 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 under more
favorable conditions; If the chimpanzee
could have been kept as domestic pet for
a 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-
ton 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 number not asked
for her offer was refused, while, if she gave
the proper number her offer was accepted,
and she received q piece Of fruit as pay
ment. In this way the ape was eventually
taught to associate these three numbers
with thar ,,o oofl fxx,o efv
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 70 five. Here, for rea-
sons to be presently stated, 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
Although she very rarely
makes any mistake in handin g 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. It is evident, however, that
a. kko do
nine and ten to betoken numbers higher
than those below them; for if she is asked
for any of these numbers g. g., above six)
she always gives some number that Is above
six and not more than ten; but there is no
such constant accuracy displayed in hand
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 &C
curately compute any number OF straws up
to five, beyond five the accuracy OF her
computation becomes progressively dlmin-
Shed.
"It is not necessary-indeed 1T would be
unreasonable-to suppose that in TINS
process of counting the ape employs
any system of notation. We know
from our own experience that there
is counting and counting, T. g., dis
tinguishing between low numbers by di-
rectly appreciating the difference between
two quantities of sensuous perception and
distinguishing between numbers OF any
amount by marking each perception with
separate sign. The extent to which the
former kind of computation can be carried
in the case Of man has been made the SUD
ject of q careful research by Prof Preyer,
OF jena HIS experiments consisted in as
certaining 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 persops, II
may rise to more than twenty. But OF
course In the case of brute 1t is not 10 De
expected that such q high degree OF pro.
feiency even in this non-notative kind OF
Counting should be attainable. The Ut
most that could here be expected Is that 2
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 iurtneI
Al una Urit