THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. 9 



cult to find any formula of human speech equiv- 

 alent to it. While the Capuchin uses it relating 

 to food and sometimes to drink, I was unable to 

 detect any difference in the sounds. He also 

 seemed to connect the same sound to every kindly 

 office done him and to use it as a kind of " Shib- 

 boleth." More recently, however, I have de- 

 tected in the sound slight changes of inflection 

 under different conditions, until I am now led 

 to believe that the meaning of the word depends 

 somewhat, if not wholly, on its modulation. 

 The phonetic effect is rich and rather flute-like, 

 and the word resembles somewhat the word 

 "who." Its dominant is a pure vocal "u," 

 sounded like u oo" in " too, " which has a faint 

 initial " wh," both elements of which are sounded, 

 and the word ends with a vanishing "w." The 

 literal formula by which I would represent it is 

 "wh-oo-w." The word which I have translated 

 "drink" begins with a faint guttural "ch," 

 glides through a sound resembling the French 

 diphthong "eu," and ends with a slight "y" 

 sound, as in " ye." 



So far I have found no trace of the English 

 vowels " a, " " i, " or "o," unless it be in the sound 



