Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-15
WILL CAGE HIMSELF.
Prof. Garner, Of Monkey Language
Fame, Will Visit the Gorillas.
A LITTLE FORTRESS OF IRON
VIII Be Set Up in Africa's Forests Where
BE Can Talk to Apes
PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE EQUIPMENT

rsrrcIAL rELEoRAM TO THE SAsPAroH.l
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1A-ProE R L.
Garner, who has achieved Q recent celebrity
in connection with the study Of monkey
language, is in Washington consulting with
scientific men respecting an expedition
to Africa which he proposes to make. For
some years past he has devoted at
tention to the analysis Of simian
speech, his purpose being to produce lexi-
con thereof Once having established an
understanding of few of the simpler words
used by these arboreal cousins Of mankind,
he believes that 1t will be easy enough to
communicate with them intelligently.
Thus they may be educated In limited de-
gree, and may be taught to be Of some
service to the world.
Prof Gamers present intention Is to
learn something Of the speech Of gorillaA
These great apes represent an elevated type
among the anthropoids; they are rapidly
diminishing in numbers, and 1t Is desired
to secure few last words from them, at all
events, before their kind becomes extinct.
Accordingly, he proposes to sail . few
weeks hence for the west coast Of Africa,
whence he will make his way into the
Gaboon country, where are vast forests,
which afford homo to the greatest num-
bers of gorillas to-day.
VIII Shut Himself In Caee.
He will take with him large iron cage.
constructed In sections SO - to be readily
transported. This cage Is not intended to
catch gorillas in. On the contrary. 1t IL
meant to keep them out Prof. Garner pro-
poses to occupy 1t himself, having set 1t up
in the midst of the forest It will be big
enough to provide him with room to sleep
and to study. The sections will be conveyed
by carriers into the bowling wilderness,
where they will be put together. Neces-
sarily, the cage will have to be massively
built, in order to defeat any efforts that may
be made by aggressive gorillas to pull it
apart
In that region the forests at night are
kept in an uproar by the howls Of gorillas.
There are the bachelors Of the species,
which are naturally disposed to postpone
going to bed until morning, while the males
that have families keep an unrestful guard
at the foot of the trees where their wives
repose among the branches, in the intervals
of tho squalling Of the youngsters for lack
of ipecac and soothing syrup. Here Prof.
Garner will establish his roost and try to
catch BY ear a few suggestions of the
language employed by these wild creatures
in shouting to one another. He anticipates
that the study he has already made of
monkey talk will be help.
VIII Flirs with tho Femalea
After acquiring by guess the meaning Of
q few words, he will make use of them by
taking part in the howls himself By day
as well as by night he will make responses
to the yells and cries of gorillas that he
hears in the woods, and he thinks that in
this way he will be able to attract certain
individuals, especially females, about him.
Presumably they will be favorably pre-
possessed with so agreeable an anthropoid
a. the professor, and intimacies may result