Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05
THIS is the story of monkey that became


stood, in the first place, that the narrative is
fact, not fiction or nature fake, and, secondly,
that it is related merely to illustrate a
natural history proposition, the question
being, What do animals think about?
The monkey in this case was a macaque,
and occupied quarters not long ago in the
National Zoo, at Washington. One day, by
mischance, it got Brazil nut wedged IN one
of its cheek pouches, and could not pull 1t
out. Cheek pouches Tin which these crea-
lures store surplus provender for future use),
by the way, are possessed only by the simian
tribes of the Old World; just as prehensile
tails, which serve the purpose of a fifth hand,
as one might say, are peculiar to the quad
rumana of the New World.
This monkey, then, soon began to suffer
severely though nobody suspected that
anything was the matter with him. The
distension of one of his cheek pouches did
not seem otherwise than normal, to the
casual observer, and no notice was taken of
the matter, until its external surface began
to exhibit marked discoloration, due to
inflammation. An examination was there
upon made and Mr.. Blackburne, head
correctness of this story, cut open the
pouch with lancet from the outside, and
removed the nut, afterward closing the
wound with stitches.
The macaque lost no time in picking out
the stitches, and, having thus opened a hole
in his face, proceeded to make experiments.
He found, to start with, that peanut con-
tributed by passing visitor, if put into his
mouth, could be taken out through his
cheek; and, as a corollary to this physio-
logical proposition, that the same peanut, or
another, could be inserted into his cheek and
taken out of his mouth
never accomplished by monkey before.
Indeed, his companions in the cage gathered
about him as he went through the perform
ance again and again, and gazed at him
with such awe as human beings of an earlier
and more credulous epoch might have
evinced in beholding something in the line
of an undoubted and unquestiOnable miracle.
To them he was magician, and their
amazement may well be imagined when
they saw him, in the execution of his final
and supreme achievement, take stalk OF
hay, and with conscious air, as if to say,
@No deception, Ladies and Gentlemen! Just
watch me closely while l do it," put the
stalk into his mouth, draw it out through
his cheek, and then, reversing the process,
pull it back and out of his mouth again.
Unfortunately, this sort OF business, how
ever interesting spectacularly from simian
point of view, had the effect of preventing
the wound from healing; and Mr.. Black
burne was obliged to put the macaque into
cage by himself, supplying him with soft
food only, and denying him hay or straw for
bedding, until his cheek was well.
THE intense interest in the phenomenon
shown by other occupants of the cage, no
less than the inclination to experimental in
quiry exhibited by the monkey magician
himself, was Enthusiastically expressive of
those processes which in human beings would
be termed thinking. There could not even
be any question of what both performer and
spectators were thinking about. And yet
there are many naturalists who would have
us believe that the lower animals do no
thinking at all; in other words, that they
are mere automatic
This marionette theory of animal crea-
ton, which meets with acceptance surpris-
ingly general, is rejected in toto by no less
an authority than DR.. Frank Baker of the
Smithsonian Institution, who is one of the
foremost living psychologists. He is super
intendent of the National Zoo (Which is con-
Quoted by the Smithsonian, and, acting in
that capacity, has had the advantage of in
innate acquaintance with wild animals for
many years.
That animals think, Dr. Baker has no