312 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



as they attack each other, — ^by biting the face and neck, and 

 the hands, shoulders and arms. The fighting ape always reaches 

 out, seizes the arm or wrist of the person to be harmed, drags it 

 up to his mouth and bites savagely. As a home illustration 

 of this method of attack, a chimpanzee named Chico in the 

 Central Park Menagerie once bit a finger from the hand of 

 his keeper. In April, 1921, Mr. Ellis Joseph, the animal 

 dealer, was very severely bitten on his face and neck by his 

 own chimpanzee, so much so in fact that eighteen stitches were 

 required to sew up his lacerations. 



One excellent thing about the manners of chimpanzees 

 and orang-utans in captivity and on the stage is that they do 

 not turn deadly dangerous all in a moment, as do bears and 

 elephants, and occasionally deer. The ape who is falling from 

 grace goes gradually, and gives warning signs that wise men 

 recognize. They first become strong and boisterous, then they 

 playfuUy resist and defy the keeper's restraining hand. Next 

 in order they openly become angry at their keepers over 

 trifles, and bristle up, stamp on the floor and savagely yell. 

 It is then that the whip and the stick become not only useless 

 but dangerous to the user, and must be discarded. It is then 

 that new defensive tactics must be inaugurated, and the keeper 

 must see to it that the big and dangerous ape gets no advan- 

 tage. This means the exercise of good strategy, and very 

 careful management in cage-cleaning. It calls for two cages 

 for each dangerous ape. 



There is only one thing in this world of which our three big 

 chimps are thoroughly afraid, and that is an absurd little toy 

 gun that cost about fifty cents, and looks it. No matter how 

 bad Boma may be acting, if Keeper Palmer says in a sharp tone, 

 " Where's that gunt" Boma hearkens and stops short, and if the 

 "gun" is shown in front of his cage he files in terror to the top 

 of his second balcony, and cowers in a corner. 



Why are those powerful and dangerous apes afraid of that 

 absurd toy? I do not know. Perhaps the answer is — instinct; 



