Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
188
The Speech of Monkeys
·
R. L. Garner
87
[Sidenote:
JAVA
MONKEYS]
Among
the
Java
monkeys
are
several
varieties
which
make
very
good
pets.
They
show
a
fair
degree
of
intelligence
and
docility,
and
are
not
generally
very
vicious.
I
have
not
succeeded
in
making
any
very
good
records
of
these
monkeys,
although
I
have
observed,
without
the
aid
of
the
phonograph,
that
they
have
one
or
two
very
distinct
and
well-marked
sounds.
I
have
not
up
to
this
time
attempted
to
differentiate
their
sounds,
but
in
a
general
way
have
interpreted
the
meanings
of
one
or
two
groups
of
them,
especially
those
of
a
friendly
character.
I
may
with
propriety
remark
here,
that
in
all
the
different
tongues
of
monkeys
there
appear
to
be
certain
words
which
are
much
more
significant,
of
a
much
better
phonetic
type,
than
the
others,
and
occur
much
more
frequently
among
their
sounds.
This
appears
to
be
true
of
the
speech
or
sounds
of
all
the
lower
animals.
[Sidenote:
MONKEYS
RECOGNISE
BY
SIGHT]
In
a
former
chapter
I
have
described
the
happy
little
family
in
Central
Park,
which
consisted
of
the
five
little
brown
cousins,
only
a
few
months
ago;
but
death
has
reduced
their
number
to
two.
In
this
connection
I
shall
mention
a
very
important
fact
concerning
the
use
of
the
natural
senses
of
these
animals.
I
have
several
times
been
assured
that
monkeys
depended
more
upon
their
sense
of
smell
than
upon
that
of
sight
as
a
means
of
recognition,
and
that
in
this
respect
they
were
very
much
like
the
canines.
I
have
made
frequent
tests
of
the
power
of
their
senses,
and
am
prepared
to
say
with
certainty
that
such
is
not
the
case.
When
I
visit
the
Park,
I
frequently
enter
at
Sixty-fourth
Street
and
Fifth
Avenue,
at
which
place
there
is
a
flight
of
stairs
leading
from
the
street
down
to
a
large
plazza
in
front
of
the
Old
Armoury;
and
something
more
than
a
hundred
feet
from
the
foot
of
the
stairway,
and
nearly
at
right
angles
to
it,
is
a
window
opening
into
the
monkey-house
by
the
cage
occupied
by
these
particular
monkeys.
When
I
descend
the
stairway
and
come
within
view
of
this
window,
they
frequently
see
me
as
I
reach
the
plazza,
and
the
keeper
always
knows
of
my
approach
by
the
conduct
of
the
monkeys,
who
recognise
me
the
instant
I
come
in
sight
at
that
distance.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
