1892.] Recent Literature. 1019 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
The Speech of Monkeys.'—For a number of years Mr. R. L. 
Garner has been engaged in a series of observations and experiments 
with a view of proving the truth of his theory that monkeys possess 
an articulate language comparable with that of man. Thinking that 
his investigations may be of interest and perhaps induce others to 
take up a similar line of work, he has published in a small volume of 
217 pages a report of his progress. The author first gives in detail a 
number of experiments to illustrate his method, and secondly, a defi- 
nition of speech followed by the deductions made from his experi- 
ments. 
Mr. Garner’s general plan of procedure is to obtain phonographic 
records of sounds madeby monkeys under varied stimuli. These 
records were studied with care by Mr. Garner until he could recognize 
and perfectly imitate many. Having accomplished this the next step 
is to repeat the sound to the monkey and observe its effect on its 
action. In this way Mr. Garner has determined with a fair degree of 
certainty nine sounds used by the Capuchins, and also the sound for 
food, and the sound of alarm in the Rhesus dialect. The following 
is one of many experiments to decide the meaning of the sound sup- 
posed to mean milk in Capuchin language: 
“On one of my visits to the Chicago garden I stood with my side to 
a cage containing a small Capuchin, and gave the sound which I have 
translated “ milk.’ It caused him to turn and look at me, and on 
repeating the sound a few times he answered me very distinctly with 
the same, picking up the pan from which he usually drank, and as I 
repeated the word he brought the pan to the front of the cage, set it 
down and came up to the bars, and uttered the word distinctly. I 
had not shown him any milk or any kind of food; but the man in 
charge, at my request, brought me some milk, which I gave to him. 
He drank it with great delight ; then looked at me and held up his 
pan, repeating the sound. I am quite sure that he used the same 
sound each time that he wanted milk. During this same visit I tried 
many experiments with the word which I am now convinced means 
“food” or “ hunger.” 
1The Speech of Monkeys, by R. L. Garner, in two parts. New York, 1892. 
Charles L. Webster & Co., publishers. 
