130 Journal of Comparative Neurology 



of the watching, 1 again lay down to sleep, during which time 

 elfin voices sounded in my dreams. About midnight one of 

 the little imps sprang across my face in so violent a way as to 

 partially waken me, and thus, as good fortune had it, I was 

 awake sufficiently to recognize the meaning of a sharp crack 

 over head and sprang out of my bed m time to see it occupied 

 by a massive tree-trunk which the fire had burned off not far 

 from the ground. " — Mammals of Minnesota, p. 41. 



In the case of these shrews, the notes vvere veiy high, as in 

 the bats, but quite musical and evidently expressive of pleasure. 



From the musical expressions it is but a step to the lan- 

 guage of animals. The mo_st important recent addition to our 

 knowledge of this subject is afforded by R. L. Garner in his 

 "Speech of Monkeys." ^ This volume combines in a pleasant 

 manner interesting anecdote and suggestive data which seem 

 destined to prepare for genuine advance in the investigation of 

 the laws of communication of animals. I'hat such communica- 

 tion exists no one familiar with animals can doubt, but our 

 author seems to identify a number of specific elements in what 

 may be legitimately termed speech. The nature of this evidence 

 may be gathered from the following extract. 



"The sounds which monkeys make are voluntary, deliberate, 

 and articulate. They are always addressed to some certain in- 

 dividual with the evident purpose of having them understood. 



"The monkey indicates by his own acts and the manner of 

 delivery that he is conscious of the meaning which he' desires to 

 convey through the medium of the sounds. They wait for and 

 expect an answer, and if they do not receive one they frequent- 

 ly repeat the sounds. They usuall}- look at the person ad- 

 dressed, and do not utter those sounds alone or as a mere 

 pastime, but only at such limes as some one is present to hear 

 them, either some person or another monkey. They understand 

 the sounds made by other monkeys of their own kind, and usu- 

 ally respond to them with a like sound. They understand these 

 sounds when imitated by a human being, by whistle, or phono- 

 graph, or other mechanical devices, and this indicates that they 

 are guided by the sounds alone, and not by signs, gestures, or 



(i.) Charles I.. Webster and Co., New York. 



