Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-02-20
~ AN APE THAT COUNTS. =
Mr.. Romaine's Letter a. to tho Abound.
ing Learning OF q Chirnpanzee.

ADou' year ago DeSans Win tho
assistance Of the keeper, to instruct the
chimpanzee of the Geological Gardens
in the art of computation. The method
adopted was to ask her for one, two,
three, four Or five straws, which she
was to pick up and hand out from
among the litter in her cage OF course
no constant order was observed in max.
ing these requests, but whenever she
handed a number not asked for her Of
FER was refused. In this way the ami
NAL learned to associate the numbers
with their names. Lastly, if more than
one straw was asked for, she was
taught to hold the other in her mouth
until the required number was COM
plete, and then to deliver the whole at
once. This method prevented any
possible error arising from her inter-
probation of vocal tones-an error
which might we'll have arisen if each
straw had been asked for separately.
After few weeks continuous instruc-
ton the ape perfectly well understood
what was required Of her, and up to the
time when l left town, several months
ago, she rarely made a mistake in
handing me the exact number of straws
that named. Doubtless she still con-
'$inued to do so for her keeper. For
instance, if asked for four >straws
she successfully picks UP three and
puts them in her mouth; then she picks
up fourth and hands over all the four
together. Thus there can be no doubt
that the animal is clearly able to dis
, tlnguish between the number |, 2, 3, 4
and D, and that she understands the
name for each. But as this chimpanZee
is somewhat capricious in her moods,
even private visitors must not be dis
appointed if they fail to be entertained
: by an exhibition of her learning-a
caution which it seems desirable to add,
as this is the first time that the attain
ments Of my pupil have been made
known to the public, although they have
! been witnessed by officers of the society
and other biological friends.
have sent these facts to you, sir, be-
cause | think they bear out the psychic
/ logical distinction between scnsuous es-
| timatiOn and intellectual notation. ANY
child year after emerging from infan-
| cy and not yet knowing its numerals,
! could Immediately sec the difference be-
| tween five pigs and six pigs, and, there
fore, as your writer indicates, it would
be an extraordinary factif a savage were
unable to do SO. But if the savage had
| to deal with a larger number CT pigs,
| the insut1iciency Of his sensuous esti-
| nation would increase with the increase
| of numbers until a point would be
reached Mt which, if he were to keep
count at all, he would be obliged to re-
sort to some system of notation-that
IS, to mark off each separate unit with
q separate nota, whether by fingers,
notches, or words.
Thus there is counting and counting
distinguishing between low numbers
by directly approaching the difference
between two quantities of sensuous re-
captions, and distinguishing between
numbers of any amount by marking
each sensuous perception with sepa-
| rate sign. Of course, in the above in
stances of animals counting, it must be
the former method alone that is eul~
| ployed, and, therefore, have not
sought to carry the ape beyond the
number five, lest should spoil the re-
suits already gained. But careful re-
search has been made to find how far
this method can be carried in the case
of man. The experiments consisted in
ascertaining the number of objects
| (such as dots on piece Of paper)
which admit Of being simultaneously
estimated with accuracy. 1t was found
J that the number admits of being largely
increased by practice, until, with an
exposure to view Of one seconds durG-
: ton, the estimate admits of being cor.
rectly made up between twenty and
thirty objects.
In the case Of the ape 1t Is astonish-
ing over how long n time the estimate
endures. Surprising, for instance, that
she is requested to find five colored
straws. She perfectly well understands
what Is wanted, but, as colored straws
! are rare in the litter, she has TO seek