ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



757 



All of our apes have btt-n 

 taught to sit at a table, and 

 dine in quite dignified fasli- 

 ion. It takes not more than 

 a week's time to teach an 

 orang or a chimjianzec liow 

 to properly mani|)ulate a fork 

 and to handle a cup. Tlie 

 spectacle of a number of apes 

 dining at a round table is in- 

 structive in illustrating some- 

 thing more than mere ani- 

 mal training. These creatures 

 are not mechanically driven 

 througli this performance. The '^ j^ shown in 



dinner party proceeds without 

 cues or orders from the keepers, and the s)3ec- 

 tator realizes that a considerable amount of 

 memory and reasoning jjower dominates this ex- 

 liibition — rather than the dumb obedience of a 

 trained animal that lias been driven througli 

 its paces for many weeks, or months. Almost 

 needless to sa}', these exhibitions are immensely 

 popular with the children. 



With the coining summer, however, we intend 

 to exliibit to our visitors a far more interesting 

 series of demonstrations than the dinner jjarties 

 of last year. Three wonderful apes are now on 

 exhibition in the Park. These are Baldy and 

 Susie, chimpanzees, and Mimi, a large orang- 

 utan. The writer believes these animals are 

 among ' the most intelligent apes ever exhib- 

 ited in captivity. As our experiments with 



GREAT APES IN THE ZOOIOGICAI. PARK 



The entire colleclion of nine specimens 



is shown in tlie photograph. 



the individual sjiecimens have 

 been along widely different 

 lines, the possibilities of pre- 

 senting varied exhibitions are 

 great. 



Baldy is an exceptional- 

 ly vigorous chimpanzee, al- 

 ways mentally alert, and has 

 required little teaching to be- 

 come a wonderful animal. 

 Without liuman suggestion he 

 learned tlie principle of the 

 lever, and has damaged sec- 

 tions of his front by prying 

 the bars apart with his trapeze 

 rod. He thoroughly under- 

 stands the action of a lock, and can select the 

 proper key for the feed-room closet, from a batch 

 of a dozen or more other kevs. When out of his 

 cage lie jirefers to walk erect. He opens and 

 closes doors, handles various utensils witli an 

 apparent knowledge of their use, and will |)ound 

 on the sides of his cage with emphatic good-fel- 

 lowship as he recognizes — in the crowd of visit- 

 ors — any member of the Zoological Park staff 

 with whom he is personally acquainted. Baldy 

 is now about seven years old. 



Susie was recently added to the collection. 

 She was purchased from Prof. Richard L. Gar- 

 ner, who obtained her in Africa while on a trip 

 during which he was engaged in the study of 

 the habits of the gorilla and the chimpanzee. 

 Susie was captured about 130 miles inland 



