208 THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. 



longed to the white-face tongue, and on investigation 

 found out that he had occupied a room with a white-face 

 for about four years. 



So far we must admit that there is no intrinsic differ- 

 ence between the vocal sounds of man and simian. Their 

 voices differ in compass, pitch and flexion, but not in 

 their mode of producing sound. In fact, there is no doubt 

 that if human speech were divested of the accretions of 

 social culture and contact, it would not be so unlike the 

 simian speech as popular belief regards it. 



In order to find out particulars about that, Mr. Garner 

 has proposed to go, or rather has gone to Africa, to study 

 the language of the more distinguished of the simian 

 race, the gorilla, also to take down the speech of the 

 lowest specimens of the human tribe, the bushmen, and 

 to compare results. If there be family resemblance, and 

 structural relationship, between the rhesus monkey, the 

 chimpanzee, and the lower grades of humanity, there 

 may be correlation of speech, philological kinship, and 

 then — andth^n the origin of man's talk may be found. 



As a detailed description of this trip does not really 

 belong within the realm of this paper, it may be said 

 only that Mr. Garner has taken with him to the Gaboon 

 country at the west shore of Africa, a large iron cage 

 constructed in sections so as to be readily transported. 

 This cage is not intended to catch gorillas in, on the con- 

 trary it is meant to keep them out. Prof. Garner pro- 

 poses to occupy it himself, having set it up in the midst 

 of the forest. His idea is to lure (if he can) a gorilla in 

 the proximity of the phonograph, and to get him, with- 

 out knowing it, to talk into the funnel. At the same 

 time he will try to catch by ear a few suggestions of the 

 language employed by these wild creatures in shouting 

 to one another, and then, as the study he has already 

 made of monkey talk will be a help, he proposes to make 

 use of the words he has acquired md take part in the 



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