Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-12
The Language of Animals.


and well arranged museum.
->H>-
The Language of Animals.
From the New York Evening Post.
In the June number Of the New Review Prof.
r. L. Garner publishes the results Of some ex-
periments made by him at the National Zoolog-
ical Garden at Washington. with a view to de-
termining the meaning OF the sounds uttered by
apes. These experiments are fascinating in
their suggestiveness as to deserve more atten-
ton than they seem to have received in this
country. Prot. Garner entertained the theory
that every sound uttered by an animal had
meaning that could be understood by every
other animal of the same kind, and it occurred
to him that If he could learn to initiate these
sounds he might be able to establish his theory.
To this end, with the cooperation of DR.. Baker,
the director Of the geological garden. he placed
In separate rooms two monkeys that Ind been
Gagged together and then arranged phono-
graph near the cage Of the female, recording
the sounds uttered by her upon the cylinder.
'.The machine was then placed near the cage
containing the male, and the record repeated
to him, and his conduct closely studied. The
surprise and perplexity Of the male we're evil
dent He traced the sounds to the horn from
which they came, and, failing to find his mate,
he thrust his hand and arm into the horn quite
up to his shoulder. withdrew it, and peeped into
the horn again ana again. He would then re-
treat, and again cautiously approach the horn,
which he examined with evident interest. The
expressions of his face were indeed study"
Similar experiments were made with other mon
keys. and having thus acquireda fund OF speech,
Professor Garner devoted his time to initiating
the sounds as they were repeated by the phono-
graph until he attained considerable degree
Of perfection.
Having satisfied himself that certain sound
was the name employed for milk in the ape lam
guage no uttered this sound TO capuchin
monkey. The monkeys attention was at once
arrested. and the sound being repeated three
or four times to him he presently repeated it
himself and then turned to n small pan kept in
the cage for him to drink from. The sound be-
ing again repeated by Prof. Garner, the mon
key brought the pan to the front of the cage
and repeated his previous utterance. Milk was
given to him, which he drank, and holding up
the pan repeated the same sound o number Of
times. From other experiments of this char
acter it appeared that the sound stood for any
liquid used for satisfying thirst and probably
for the ideas both OF thirst and drinking. An
other series of experiments gave sound stand
ing for food or eating and hunger, and still
Others gave sounds for pain and sickness, and
probably for storm or weather. Prof. Garner
describes the sounds at some length. but as the
consonant elements can barely be detected,
they are not very articulate.
Another sound was thought by Prof. Garner
to be mote of alarm, and he satisfied him
self of the correctness Of this theory by utter
ing the sound tC a monkey that he was feeding.
The monkey at once sprang to the top OF tho
cage and as the sound was continued became
almos. franti; with fright. The terror inspired
was indeed great that Prof Garner was not
afterward able to approach the creature, al
though they had previously beea on very good
terms. Altogether the simian tongue, accord
ing to Prof. Garner, has eight or nine sounds
which may be changed by meditation into
three or four times that number. All OF these
sounds cord with + sharp on the piano, having
a range Of four octaves, and seem to be half
way between whistle and pure vocal sound.
There is, Of course, nothing novel in the idea
that animals converse with each other aud Sir
John LubbOck's Investigations convinced him
that ants have some means of communication
that answers the purpose of speech. Indeed,
it Is an old saying among the Hindus, we be-
heve, that monkeys know how to talk, but alb
stain from practicing the art, knowing that il
they did men would make them work. Nor is
there anything new in the imitation Of the Ian
guage Of animals by man, q device resorted to
by hunters from time immemorial, and very
possibly more perfectly understood by animal
tanners than is commonly supposed: But this
imitation has not involved the definite deter
mails and Prof Garner seems to have taken a
real step in advance in the classification which
he has introduced among these sounds. The
else of the phonograph imports an element Of
scientific precision that will be Of great value.
II it be possible as Prof Garner thinks, to
animals 1t is evident that very fruitful field
will be opened to philosophers. Prof. Garner
10 so sanguine as to think some faint approx
nation to ape language may be detected in the
speech Of the negroes of the United States, and
believes that ''if we could apply the rule Of
perspectives and throw our vanishing point far
back beyond the chasm that separates man
from his simian prototype We should find one
unbroken outline, tangent to every circle Of
life from man to protocol, In language, mind
and matter" 1t ID not necessary to accept
this proposition, but, of course, if apes and
men are descended from q common ancestry,
there is no improbability in the development
Of their languages from common type.
1t is conceivable that careful atudy
Of the sounds made by apes may dis
close some analogy with the roots of
our language, but it is to be feared that
Prof Max Muller will regard these evidences
| of reasoning power in brutes with little favor.
Evidently those philosophers who maintain that
| reasoning Is impossible without language will
| not be able to limit reason to man, and the old
dispute US to whether names were primarily Of
general ideas or particular objects will take on
| o new interest At all events the genus homo
may feel assured that 1t has obtained such a
| start in the arts and sciences that 1t need not
dread the competition Of the "blue ape without
u TAIL" rs Sidney Smith said, or begrudge to
these humble relatives of ours the possession Of
such fragments of mind and tatters of under
standing" as they prove to be endowed with.
i