The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-11-01
From the PHILADELPHIA Ledger.

u oRNEo, the orang-outang, which
N DR.. William Henry Furness of
- Wallingford had educated to a
high degree of intelligence is dead. Bet
tina, the companion of Borneo, also is
dead.
DR.. Furness learned of his loss upon
his return from a summers vacation in
Europe. The. intrinsic loss is estimated
at $4,000; the scientific loss is immense.
The animals died in September-captivity.
voracious appetites and the absence of
their master caused death.
The eyes of the psychological world We're
fixed upon the remarkable mental progress
made by Borneo. Even Peter" the vau-
deville chimpanzee, never attained the
status of Borneo.
The animal probably did more to trace
the marked similarity of the human and
monkey brain than any of the Darwin
| experiments. Borneo was the one animal
which thought, reasoned, understood and
even spoke, few words. The psycholog-
ical principles showing that monkeys
could distinguish color, master the alpha
lbet and utter words were evolved from
| the experiments with Borneo
Borneo and Bettina were purchased on
the Island of Borneo by DR.. Furness in
1908. The animals were tanned, made FAM
! lily pets and then the tedious task Of
teaching began.
| Bofneo. years old. was the best pupil.
She readily learned to pick from a bunch
certain key with which to open lock-
To turn off a water faucet, to play
tricks on Bettina and Mimi, the educated
chimpanzee; to- thread needle and to
pick pockets, soon became daily accom-
plishments. Then she learned the al
phabet. The monkey could pick out any
designated letter. or start at the first
and go through the alphabet to the last
letter without an error. Wooden letters
were used.
After learning the alphabet. she began
to speak. The words cup" and papa"
were perfectly pronounced. The animal
then learned to distinguish colors and
could pick any color in a room or from
box of blocks She readily understood
DR.. Furness in many of his commands.
The experiments were purely scientific.
The secrets of the laboratory were zeal
ously guarded Only scientific and per-
sonal friends knew of the progress made
in the Investigations. The mental life of
Borneo will probably be subject matter of
an extensive book.
Bettina, a mere child of years was not
brilliant She was sympathetic and af-
fectionate, according to Dr. Furness, but
never was an apt pupil. The comparison.
however, between the two animals was
of great scientific valu@
Mimi, the chimpanzee alone remains.
! When Dr. Furness walked into the great
observatory last week, the lonely occu-
pant threw her arms about his neck,
Rugged him tightly and kissed him re-
peatedly Her cries of delight could be
heard over the entire estate. Today, while
not the equal of Borneo, she is the
! most intellectual animal in captivity, and
the one which DR.. Furness will continue
studying and teaching.
| A reporter was permitted recently to ac-
company the psychologist into the cage.
! Mimi who stands about four feet high,
extended her hand in greeting. She fairly
beamed. DR.. Furness took her by the
4 hand and walked into the garden. There
little black dog began romping with the
animal. brown dog, an enemy of the
F.; chimpanzee. approached. Mimi went for
him. DR.. Furness handed the chimpan1ee
a stick and with this she continued the
! attack. The dog disappeared
Mimi then was braceted and attached
to long cord. This is taken as pre-
| cautionaTy measure as the animal enjoys
| climbing trees. While she always re-
turns, even an educated chimpanzee. with
/ a champanzee face, has no charm for a
| stranger, particularly when an unfriendly
grasp of her hand might break an arm
Mimi. however, is docile, tender hearted
and kind.
! tour of the estate was then made.
Mimi called on the cook, did little
dance for her, picked up chestnuts on the
lawn, a few apples screamed at a hired
man and again chased the brown dog
Part of the time she walked erect, part
| of the time on all tours.
/ In the cage-the size of little house
Dr. Furness showed some tests of the
mental powers of the creature One of
the first of these took the form of a
sleight- of-hand pickpocket performance in
which the gloves of the visitor were re-
moved from his pocket and placed on
Minis hands. Then came the wooden
letters Mimi picked out the whole alpha
bet, and, while she made one or two err