Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-10
So Keeper Says, But Public Is
SkepticaI Yet.
BALDY Is AN APT PUPIL
Peach, Reach, Screech Are Words He
Has Learned to Say.
SIMIAN EXPERIMENTS AT zoo
Linguistic Lessons Conducted by
Ambitious Guardians Bear
Results.


NEW YORK, August lO.-The investiga-
ton by Melvin Haggerty. along the gen.
eral lines of monkey psychology at the
Bronx Park zoo. have spurred the keep
ers of the Central Park zoo to unwonted
activity of late. Two of them are now
busy with an experiment by which they
say they hope TO beat the Harvard expert
at his own game
While Mr.. Haggerty has devoted all his
energies to trying to teach the monkeys
new tricks. thereby creating an oppor-
tunity to see just how important a part
suggestion and imitation play In their
daily life, the keepers at the Central Park
zoo have gone farther. They are trying
In a modest way to teach the monkeys
under their care to realize the signifi-
canoe of spoken words.
Monkey Is Linguist.
They say that the result of their ex-
periments has been surprising. One mon
key has not only learned the significance
of several words, but has developed a
limited vocabulary Of his own. apparent
ly realizing what the words mean. The
keepers have had difficulty. however. in
getting any of the visitors to take
serious view Of their labors.
Patrick Canaan. keeper Of the Central
Park monkey house. Is the leading spirit
in these recent experiments. He has been
assisted by Keeper Robert Hurtin. Head
Keeper William Snyder, and, in fact, all
the keepers In the Central Park zoo, have
assisted in a small way and all are deep
~ interested.
The most likely of all the monkeys In
the Central Park monkey house is Badly.
There is also Badly in the Bronx Park
ZOO on which Mr.. Haseerty has expert
Badly is a chimpanzee. Of the black-faced
species. The Central Park Badly is
ring-tailed monkey and got his name from
is a noisy little chap. His chattering Is
louder than all the other monkeys. His
righteousness Is his strongest character
istic-that and his agility on the swinging
bars.
Keeper Canaan learned of Mr.. Hagger-
tvs experiments through the press. He
paid a visit to the Bronx Park Zoo to
see for himself just what the man from
Harvard proposed doing; He had talk ak
suggestions. Then he went back to
Central Park and had a talk with
Keeper Hurtin. Next day the expert
ments with Badly began.
Going to Lead in Experiments
We do not mean that any monkey
experimenter shall get ahead of u.s."
said Keeper Canaan yesterday.
Acting upon this principle, Canaan and
Hurtin determined to create a new era
in monkeydom. They had read OF the
work of Prof. Garner in Africa and his
observations of monkey language while
living in a cage in the jungles.
They noted that Prof. Garner an
nounced after long experimentation
that the monkeys had language OF
their own. The keepers determined to
could not do even better than talk in
their native tongue.
Keeper Canaan had noticed that sew
erai of the ring-tailed monkeys In their
which seemed to end in ''ch.' Most of
the sounds made by the monkey tribe
sounded. in fact. like each
They made that sound when excited
food. They made It at play and some
times when In deep mood. There was
different intonatiOn. but nearly always
the sound "ech" was noticed by Canaan
and Hurtin.
why not teach the monkeys the sig
nifcance Of English words ending with
'ch'?' said Canaan to his fellow keeper.
Hurtin said he saw no reason Whv they
couldn't, with little painstaking ef-
fort.
How It Was Done.
That was a month or more ago. The
words selected by the two keepers were
peach reach and "scroech." With
these words they set to work. The first
few lessons were devoted to trying to
teach Badly the Significance Of peach"
And this is the way they worked:
Canaan would take a nice ripe peach to
the cage where Badly was kept. He
would stand In front Of him. and. hold
ing out the peach. would say peach
many times
~ vor doy, hafora Paldv seemed to
realize what the keeper was driving at.
He would make grab for the fruit.
Canaan would quickly withdraw his
hand and Badly would jump about the
something which ended with "ch." but
was certainly not peach"
But one morning. after repeating the
says he thought he detected a sound like
peach from Badly. He kept up his
repetition of the word. and after a while.
he says. Badly made a sound which was
as much like peach" as monkey could
the peach and ate 1t with relish.
Later in the day Canaan offered an
other peach. Badly appeared delighted
he says seemed to understand. and after
q little walt the keeper heard the sound
from Badly which. he says. was near
enough to peach" so again he gave him
After that says Canaan. 1t was not nee
essary to speak at all when he offered
Raldy a peach. for the monkey upon see
ing the fruit always FASTENED to say what
the keeper expected him to say. and he
always got the peach.
Next Lesson.
Screech was the next lesson word Sc
lected by the keeper. And with this he
had more trouble. he says. In this he
used banana, which. by the way. Is an
impossible word for a monkey.
Canaan began the new lesson by Offering
the fruit. withdrawing it when Badly
grabbed. and then saying "screech."
And there was no doubt that Badly did
as told, whether he knew what he was
doing or not. Canaan kept on saying
screech." Finally. he says. the monkey
made a sound which sounded like some
foreign way Of saying the word ''screech"
Every time Baldy said what Canaan is
sure was "screech" the keeper would
say: Well, screech. then" and Badly
would do some screeching which could be
heard all over the zoo.
The experiments had reached this stage
when all the keepers became interested.
Canaan then began on the third word he
had Selected-''reach" He studied lonu