16 APES AND MONKEYS 



accomplish the end he looked upon the novel feat as a 

 new step in the science of speech. 



Having secured a phonograph, I repaired to the animal 

 house then adjoining the Smithsonian Institution. At 

 that time there were but two live monkeys there, and 

 these were the nucleus around which has grown the 

 present National Zoological Park at Washington. These 

 two monkeys were of different species, but had for some 

 time occupied the same cage. I had the female removed 

 from the cage and carried into another room. Then the 

 phonograph was placed near her cage, and by various 

 means she was induced to utter a few sounds which were 

 recorded upon the wax cylinder. The machine was then 

 placed near the cage containing the male and the record 

 repeated to him. His conduct plainly showed that he 

 recognized the sound and understood the nature of it. 

 He searched the horn from which the sounds proceeded 

 and appeared to be perplexed at not finding the monkey 

 that had made them. He traced the sound to its proper 

 source, but, failing to find his mate, he thrust his arm into 

 the horn and felt around the sides of it in the vain hope 

 of finding her. The expression of his face was a study 

 worthv of the best efforts of the physiognomist. 



Then a few sounds of his voice were recorded upon 

 another cylinder and were delivered to the female, who 

 showed signs of recognition ; but as this record was very 

 indistinct it did not evoke from her the interest which the 

 other had evoked from him. 



This is doubtless the first instance in the history of 

 speech that an attempt was ever made to reduce the 



