The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1895-05-23
A COUNTING cHnMpANzet.
Remarkable Exploits 81 an Inmate of I,o,-
alnu.a ZnnLnnl.-I ll.---l..-

remarkable Exploits of an Inmate OF Lo.-
don's geological Garden. "a
Z Nature prints an interesting paper read
before the Geological Society OF London bv
Prof George Romanes, II. X. T., and from
= the following extracts are made. -
The female chimpanzeo which has now
| been in the society's monagorio for six
I years has attracted general notice, not only
on account OF her peculiar geological charac-
I tors, but perhaps stiil more on account OF
her high Intelligence. This is Conspicuous
4 " displayed by the remarkable degree
In which she Is able TO understand the
meaning OF spoken languages degree
which Is fully equal 10 that presented by an
infant few months before emerging from
Infancy, and therefore higher than that
presented by another brute, so far, at least,
as have met with any evidence TO show.
Nevertheless, tho only attempts that she
makes by way Of vocal responses arc three
peculiar granting noiscs-ono In iicative Of
assent or affirmation, another very closely
resembling tho frsD OF dissent or negation,
and the third quite different from tho other
two OF thanks or recognition OF favors. In
disposition she is somewhat capricious,
though on the whole good-humored, fond q
her Keepers, and apparently never tired o.
akind OF bantcring play which, of and On.
they keep up with her continually. ... 4
"a year or two ago II occurred to mo that
might try some psychological experiments
on the intelligence OF this animal. Tho
circumstances In which she Is placed, how
ever, did not prove favorable for any thing
like systematic instruction. Being constant
ly exposed to the gase Of number OF peo-
pie coming aud going and having her atten-
ton easily distracted by them, tho apo was
practically available for purposes OF tuition
only during the early hours OF tho morning,
before the menagerie Is opened to tho pub
lie, and, as rule, l did not find 1t con-
venlont TO attend at that time. Therefore
the results which l am about TO describe do
not, In my opinion, represent what might
fairly have been expected under moro
favorable conditions; II tho chmpanzeo
could have been kept as a domestic pet for
a fow months (as kept the Cebus kindly
lent me for the purposes OF psychological
observation by this society there can bo
no doubt that many much moro interesting
results might have been obtained. Never
theless, IL appears to mo that oven those
| which have thus far been obtained are
worthy OF being placed ON record. -eia-ssxz>t
Having enlisted the intelligent co-opcraS
ton OF the keepers, requestedthem 10 ask
tho ape repeatedly for ono straw, two
straws or three straws. These she was to
pick up and hand out from among tho litter
In her cage No constant order was to be
observed In making these requests, but,
| whenever she handed a number not asked
for her ofYer was refused, while, II she gave
the proper number her offer was accepted,
and she received pieco OF fruit as pay
ment In this way the ape was eventually
taught TO associate these three numbers
with their names. Lastly, II two straws or
three straws were demanded, she was
taught TO hold one straw or two straws IN
her mouth until she had picked up tho 70.
naming straw, and then TO hand tho two
straws or three straws together. This pre-
vented any possible error arising from her
Interpretation OF va tones-an error
which might well have arisen II each straw
had been asked for separately. 4
"As soon as tho animal understood what
was required and had learned TO associate
these three numbers with their names, she
never failed TO give tho number of straws
asked for. Her education was then cx-
tended in similar manner from throe to
four and from four 10 FIVE. Hero, for rea-
sons TO DO presently stated, allowed her
education 10 terminate. But moro re-
Gently one Of the keepers has endeavored 70
advance her instruction as far as ten. Tho
result, however, Is what might have been
anticipated Although sho very rarely
makes any mistake In handin z out one, two,
three, four or Ave straws, according TO the
number asked for, and although she Is
usually accurate In handing out as many as
I six or seven, when the numbers eight, nine
or ten arc named, the result becomes moro
: and more uncert ain, so as 10 DO suggestive
Of guesswork. IL is evident, however, that
sho understands the words seven, eight.
nine and ten to betoken numbers higher
than those below them; for II she is asked
for any Of these numbers q. C., above slx)
IL al.
six and not more than ten; but there Is no
such constant accuracy displayed in hand
ing out the exact number named as Is the
case below six. On tho whole, then, whllo
there Is no doubt that this animal can ac-
curately compute any number Of straws up
10 Ave, beyond five tho accuracy OF her
computation becomes progressively dimin.
ished. =. .uas'ss, -sx.sspsasax
SIT Ia not necessary-indeed IT would be
? unreasonable-to suppose that In this
process OF counting the ape employs
any system OF notation. , We know
{ from our own experience that there
counting and counting, G. C., dis
tinguishing between low numbers by di
rectly approaching the difference between
two quantities Of sensuous perception and
distinguishing between numbers OF any
a amount by marking zach perception with q
! separate sign. The extent 10 which the
former kind OF computation can be carried
y In the case OF man has been made the sub
ject of a careful research by Prof. Prcyer,
Of jena. HIS experiments consisted In US
pertaining tho number Of objects (such az
/ dots on "A piece OF paper) which admit OF
being simultaneously estimated with &C
curacy, and it was found that the number
admits OF being largely increased by prac
tice until, in the case Of some persons, II
3 may rise TO more than twenty. But OF
course In the case Of brute II is not 10 be
expected that such high degree Of pro
fciency even In this non.notative kind Of
counting should DO attnnable. The ut
most that could here 10 b. pocted is that
e brute should exhibit some such level o
ability as is presented by young child, o.
by those Bavages whose powers Of accurate
/. computation do not appear 10 extend furthe
. thas numbers which we write as units.
y was In view Of such considerations that
y did not attempt TO carry the education o
this ape beyond the number five and tn
result which has attained subsequent en-
= deavors to teach her numbers as high a
ten Is, as previously remarked, exactl
" what might have been anticipated. 1t ma
y here be added that In the only records witt
u. which 1 am acquainted Of animals exhibit
ing any powers OF numerical computation
these powers have not extended beyond tn
-v=sha- fve.n lss.1sesis
QUEER BAROMETERS.