OBSERVATIONS ON TEE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS. 539 



A tliird miss has come to capture his affection ; and when he has 

 been left asleep, or resting in his cage, he has always the same 

 word, but different in the inflection, wheedling, angry, or nearly 

 indifferent, as either of the three persons comes near him. Jaco's 

 pronunciation is scanned in many metres. Only one young stu- 

 dent has had the privilege of retaining his affection unmarred. 



Jaco had been left in the country for a whole week in the 

 winter. Alone and isolated, he was taken care of by a person 

 who was not constantly with him. The young student, accom- 

 panied by a tutor, came to pass a few days in the house. At the 

 sight of the youth, Jaco, surprised, called out, " Momon ! Mo- 

 mon ! " " It was affecting," they wrote me, " to see so great signs 

 of joy." I have also myself witnessed similar signs of joy at the 

 coming of the student. Jaco's speech at such times is always in 

 harmony with his feelings. In the pleasant season Jaco's cage 

 is put outdoors ; and at meal-times, knowing very well what is 

 going on within, he keeps up a steady course of suppliant appeals 

 for attention. His appeals cease at once if I go out with fruit 

 in my hand, and if I go toward him he utters a prattle of joy that 

 sounds like musical laughter. These manifestations indicate that 

 he is happy at seeing that he has been thought of. 



I close these anecdotes, as I began them, by repeating that 

 animals communicate their impressions, and the feelings that 

 move them, by various modulations of their inarticulate cries, 

 which are incomprehensible to us unless we have succeeded by 

 attentive observation in connecting them with the acts that fol- 

 low or precede them. We have also seen that the articulation of 

 a few words learned by parrots aids us greatly in learning the 

 meaning of these different inflections. 



The extension of these studies would furnish much of interest ; 

 but further observations should be made upon the same animals 

 for a long time continuously, relating especially to their peculiar 

 instincts as manifested by their various cries. We might then, 

 by comparing and relating acts and cries, reach the point of com- 

 prehending and perhaps fixing the meaning in many cases where 

 we are now in ignorance. Every one has noticed a few facts, and 

 has interpreted and related them, but much is still wanting for the 

 co-ordination of them in the point of view of the signification of 

 the language and communication of animals among themselves. 

 It has not been made in a general sense. — Translated for The 

 Popular Science MorUhly from the Revue Scientifique. 



AocoBDiNG to Prof. G. Brown Goode, the United States is taking a "splendid 

 load " in the investigation of deep-sea fishes, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, 

 and India have all suspended their investigations, and the United States steamer 

 Albatross represents the whole work of the world in that direction. 



