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188
The Speech of Monkeys
·
R. L. Garner
21
[Sidenote:
IMITATING
SOUNDS]
On
one
of
my
visits
to
the
Chicago
Garden,
I
stood
with
my
side
to
a
cage
containing
a
small
Capuchin
and
gave
the
sound
which
I
had
translated
"milk."
It
caused
him
to
turn
and
look
at
me,
and
on
repeating
the
sound
a
few
times,
he
answered
me
very
distinctly
with
the
same,
picking
up
the
pan
from
which
he
usually
drank;
and
as
I
repeated
the
word,
he
brought
the
pan
to
the
front
of
the
cage,
set
it
down,
and
came
up
to
the
bars
and
uttered
the
word
distinctly.
I
had
not
shown
him
any
milk
or
any
kind
of
food,
but
the
man
in
charge,
at
my
request,
brought
me
some
milk,
which
I
gave
to
him.
He
drank
it
with
great
delight,
then
looked
at
me
and
held
up
his
pan,
repeating
the
sound.
I
am
quite
sure
that
he
used
the
same
sound
each
time
that
he
wanted
milk.
During
this
same
visit,
I
tried
many
experiments
with
the
word
which
I
am
now
convinced
means
"food"
or
"hunger."
And
I
was
led
to
the
belief
that
he
used
the
same
word
for
apple,
carrot,
bread
and
banana;
but
a
few
later
experiments
have
led
me
to
modify
this
view
in
a
measure,
since
the
phonograph
shows
me
slight
variations
of
the
sound,
and
I
now
think
it
probable
that
these
faint
inflections
may
possibly
indicate
a
difference
in
the
kinds
of
food
he
has
in
mind.
However,
they
usually
recognise
this
sound,
even
when
poorly
imitated.
I
am
impressed
with
the
firm
belief
that
in
this
word
I
have
found
the
clue
to
the
great
secret
of
speech;
and
while
I
have
taken
only
one
short
step
in
the
direction
of
its
solution,
I
have
pointed
out
the
way
which
leads
to
it.
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