104 APES AND MONKEYS 



peat bed, which, being porous, acts as a resonance cavity 

 and intensifies the sound. This constitutes a kind of 

 drum. It yields rather a dead sound, but this is of con- 

 siderable volume. 



This queer drum is thus made by the chimpanzees. 

 They secure the clay along the banks of some stream 

 in the vicinity. They carry it by hand, deposit it while in 

 a plastic state, spread it over the place selected, and let 

 it dry. I have placed in the museum of Buffalo, X. Y., a 

 part of one of these drums that I brought home with me 

 from the Xkami forest. It shows the finger-prints of the 

 apes. They were impressed in it while the mud was yet 

 soft. 



After the drum is quite dry, the chimpanzees assemble 

 by night in great numbers and the carnival begins. One 

 or two of them beat violently on this dry clay, while others 

 jump up and clown in a wild and grotesque manner. Some 

 of them utter long, rolling sounds, as if trying to sing. 

 When one tires of beating the drum, another relieves him, 

 and in this fashion the festivities continue for hours. I 

 know of nothing like this in the social system of any other 

 animal, but what it signifies or what its origin was is quite 

 beyond my knowledge. They do not indulge in this kanjo 

 in all parts of their domain, nor does it occur at regular 

 intervals. 



The chimpanzee is averse to solitude. He is fond of the 

 society of man and is, therefore, easily domesticated. If 

 allowed to go at liberty, he is well disposed, and is strongly 

 attached to man. If confined, he becomes vicious and 

 ill-tempered. All animals, including man, have the same 



