The morning call., 1894-03-26
THEY CAN TALK.
Professor Garner'S Study
of GOrillas.
is LEARNING THE LANGUAGE.
In a Steel Cage He Watched the
Strange Animals.
IS LEARNING THE LANGUAGE.
HABITS OF A VERY FUNNY SET
They Are Polygamists and Have a
Patriarchial Form of Govern
ment of Their Own.

NEW YORK, March R6.-Professor
Richard L. Garner, whose efforts to learn
the language which he avows belongs to
the gorilla and the chImpanZee, and which
has earned for him the pseudonym Of the
"Monkeymap," returned from his invest-
cations in Africa on the Etruria to-day.
The professor said tonight his journey
had been an absolute success.
81 left here" said he, sin July, 1892
After considerable difficulty in securing
funds and making preparations for my
journey, got away from Liverpool in the
following December. l went through the
lake regions enough to get information
about the animals, inhabIt ,nts and con-
dldon Of The country for my purpose.
After this journey l returned TO Lake
FOranVaZ, through which l had already
passed. There found a suitable place to
erect my cage. / located one mile from
the lake in dense jungle, for the gorilla
will not live in an open country"
1t was on the south side of the lake,
about two degrees south of the equator. l
Go not know the longitude, but II was one
days journey to the sea coast in direct
line. | had been advised by the natives
that il was the best situation in South
western Africa to find gorillas. In this
locality many had been captured by white
hunters.
Il slung my cage with the assistance of
three natives. The cage consisted of
network of steel rods, fve-sixteen hs of an
inch thick. l brought it with me in eight
sections. zach SIX feet six inches long.
l anchored it with three heavy chains
passed over the roof. As precaution a
network of steel wire was thrown around
the rods as guard. Tie roof was made
of bamboo, and 1 had with me canvas
tarDaulin in case OF rain. My effects con-
sisted Of household utensils, two revolyers,
one magazine rife, one airgun and hollow
arrows filed with prussic acid, which /
discharged with olowguns.
"The best safeguard 1 had was device
of my own zion. II was a bag like
large canteen filled with concentra ted
ammonia, tn which was attached a hose
thirty inches long with a nozzle through
which i could force the ammonia, which
would suffocate a gorilla ten feet away.
"Th9 cage stood on a foundation three
or four feet from the ground. I had no
phonograph, as the one ordered from Edi-
son on May 5. 1888. never reached me.
had the invoice and was very much disap-
pointed at not receiving It, as it would
have aided me very materially in my ex-
perments. Unfortunately my photograph
ic apparatus failed to work also.
Il went into the cage alone on April %,
1898. and remained in it until August 6.
but. of course. l came out for short inter-
walls.
"For my young cbimpanZee. Moses,
which | had with me, built hut outside
the cage. We dined together, and on these
occasions Moses was not confined, but
went in and out at will. On some occasions
be behaved very badly, for the etiquette of
the race is not always perfect. l think
can safely say more than any other white
man living. My position was such that
gorillas would come very close and could
sit calmly and study every detail of move
ment and expression. l never had oc-
casion to use my gun but once. Then
cooked it and aimed al gorilla to rescue
my pet dog. but before / fired the gorilla
became frightened and ran away. l have
seen only two or three gorillas while out
side of the cage.
MANY things which have heard before
and since my researches In magazines and
natural history about the gorilla are
fiction.
81 have learned not more than six or
eight words of the chimpanzee language.
These | cannot give you, for they are not
amenable to any known etymology OF
orthograpby. l cannot pronounce them.
Ii l could would willingly give them to
you. l think there are about forty or
fifty words or utterances in their language.
The gorilla certainly has marital relations,
but no ceremony. l learned from the ma
tives that they are polygamists. However,
am quite satisfied that they keep the
same female as wife for many years. I
have seen groups of three or four in which
are always one male only. 1t is very
clear TO me that they have a patrlarchial
form of government. l was assured by q
man whom believe to be truthful that he
had seen gorilla sitting on the ground
eating plantains. They were brought by
other male gorillas to his supposed majesty
after being gathered by females. The
only thing which lnclines me to doubt the
story is the fact that the gorilla rarely eats
tho plantain itself, but lives on the meat
OF the plantain tree, which he tears to
pieces.
"The gorilla are at full maturity when
they reach the age of s or 10 years. They
do not build houses and are not carnlyer-
ons bnt omniyeEous. Their vocal organs
are almost exactly like those of man.
They are not nearly go vicious as de-
scribed. When they would approach my
cage. they would take one peep and turn
away wholly unconcerned. The natives
tnld me If l blackened my face they might
attack me. / had nine attacks of fever.
The natives, like myself. are firmly con-
vinced the gorilla and chimpanzee tribes
have language.
L brought back to London with me two
chimpanzees. They died soon after their
debut into civilization. / preserved their
skins and skulls. / also brought the, vocal
organs of four chimpanzees and three goril-
las and the brain of ons gorilla. The
brain OF the chimpanZse which died in