44 APES AND MONKEYS 



species. This instance alone was sufficient to cause me 

 to recede from a conclusion thus rendered untenable ; and 

 the short time in which the feat was accomplished would 

 indicate that the difficulty is not so great as it had been 

 regarded. As a rule, monkeys do not learn each other's 

 speech ; but the rule is not without exceptions. I had 

 previously observed, and called attention to the fact, that 

 when two monkeys of different species are caged together, 

 each one learns to understand the speech of the other, but 

 does not try to speak it. When he replies at all, it is in 

 his own vernacular. Monkeys do not essay to carry on a 

 connected conversation. Their speech is usually limited 

 to a single sound or word, and it is answered in the same 

 manner. To suppose that they converse in an elaborate 

 manner is to go beyond the bounds of reason. In this 

 respect, the masses fail to understand the real nature of the 

 speech of monkeys or other animals. 



