The Portland daily press., 1894-03-28


was consistent with his safety, and for
this purpose he set up stout cage, open
on all sides. Thlsscage was six inches
square, and was made of stout steel rods
five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter.
Over the outside of the cage was
stretched a stout steel wire network, so
that the gorillas, if so inclined, could
not get at him.
This cage was placed on a solid foun-
dation about three feet from the sground
and was anchored by three chains to the
ground. In the cage were all his camp
necessaries. For defence he had two re-
volyers. magazine rife and some
arrows filled with prussic acid, designed
to be shot at the go-illas if necessary.
Then. too. he had bag shaped like an
exaggerated canteen filled with COM
nj essed ammonia and provided Win a
short rubber hose and nozzle, with Whlch
he intended to make the immediate
vicinity of the cage unpleasant Tor .the
gorillas.
He had expected to have phonograph
for recording the different sounds which
he hoped to formulate into sort OF
language. and he had also expected to
have camera. This apparatus did not
arrive in England in time, however, and
SO he left without it.
prof Garner said he went into the cage
late in April and lived there until early
in August. He left the cage frequently,
Going out for short expeditions into the
Jungle. and also to a native village and
a Roman Catholic mission not far away.
part Of the time he mad native boy
living in the cage with him. For other
company ne had dog. Not far from
his cage he built a shelter for young
chimpanzee named Moses; ns SOON go'
scouainted with Moses and then began
to study the sounds Moses uttered. This
he was able 70 do very we'll, for he had
Moses in his cage good deal, and they
took dinner together. Moses made some
progress in table manners, and in turn
Prof. earned studied the sounds Moses
gave voice to. AS a result OF his obser-
vations Prof. Garner says he learned SIX
or eight words in the chimpanHee Ian
onaoe. He believes that the vocabulary
Of the chimpanzee may include forty OF
Prof. Garner said he could not put
| these words into tangible form for the
public. They are unspellable in any
| alphabet, and an attempt to spell them
| results only in confusion.
| The gorillas were not slow IN n, hndine
l Il
ouently. approached the cage, and Prof.
Garner SAYS he saw more than any white
man has ever seen. All told he saw
| twenty-three or 5wenty-four.
His first experience with the gorlllas
was about 4 O'Clock one morning. Al
| that time gorilla came within about
one hundred feet of the cage and began
| a loud series of screams. They reused
| Prot. Garner and his native boy.
| TT ~ .pI bout that time ham
| pened to send his boy out to get some
| water. The boy left the cage and dis
appeared so rapidly and thoroughly that
| Garner never saw him again. he dlo
not learn much from this gorilla except
| the terrific quality of goriila's scream.
| After the gorillas had become some
what accustomed to the cage they got II
the habit OF going quite close TO IL. a.
| times they came within few yaros
and sitting in his cage with his weapons
| close at hand Prof. Garner says ne wa!
| able to observe all their movements anc
| expressions and to pick out the dlstlnc
| tive sounds which he says are the words
| in their language. AS a result OF MI
| sitting in the cage for nearly .foul
months he says he learned nve OF SIX o
| the porilIa's sounds. The gorlllas 1nevel
aave him any serious trouble, and onl.
| On one occasion did he attempt to shoe
| ono and that was when gorilla go
1
prof Garner said that many of tn
| tbinos about gorillas that are recorded
in hooks do not tally with his observa
tions. Much has been based on asser
tions made by natives, and the natives
Statements about gorillas are in line will
what he considers the explorer wants t.
| know. ne
The gorilla is polygamous. Prof
| Garner saws and has a way OF retaining
| a number of females for several years
| They are seen in grouas-one adul
| with several adult females. Prof: darne
| said they seemed to have sort OF practl
| cal way of keeping order.
| One man told that twice he had seer
| a king gorilla sitting on the groun'
eating plantains which were brought t.
| him by other gorillas. Prof. Garner oil
| not think that was true.
| During his stay in the jungle Prof. Gar
ner got possession of young gorilla
about year old, whom he name
| Othell. He kept him chained, for th
beast was inclined to be vicious for sew
eral weeks.
Before he left Africa Prof. Garner Sc
cured the brains and vocal organs G
several gorillas and chimpanzees, som
of which he presented to the UnIverslt
CoIlege.at Liverpool. A brain which n
left there is to be examined at Oxforc
| Prof. Garner says he may go back
Africa to continue his studies. Me-