OTHER CHIMPANZEES 



169 



the instrument, but whether he can distinguish 

 between writing and drawing I am unable to say. 



The only abstract thing that his keeper has tried 

 to teach him is to select the letters of the alphabet. 

 He has learned to distinguish the first three. These 

 are made upon the faces of cubical blocks of wood : 

 each block contains one letter on each of its faces. 

 He selects the letter asked for with very few mis- 

 takes, and this appears to be from indifference more 

 than from ignorance. 



Consul is very fond of play, and makes friends 

 with some strangers on sight, but to others he takes 

 an aversion without any apparent cause, and while 

 he is not disposed to be vicious when not annoyed, 

 he resents with anger the approaches of certain 

 persons. He is the only one I have seen that can 

 use a knife and fork with very much skill, but he 

 cuts up his food with almost as mCich ease as a boy 

 of the same age would do, and uses his fork in 

 eating. He has been taught to do this until he 

 rarely uses his fingers in the act. He is fond of 

 coffee and beer, but does not care for spirits. 



There is nothing that so much delights Consul as 

 to get into the large cage of monkeys and baboons 

 kept in the garden. Most of them are afraid of him. 

 But one large Guinea baboon is not, and on every 

 occasion he shows his dislike for the ape. The 

 latter, however, takes many chances in teasing him, 

 but always manages to evade his attack. He dis- 

 plays much skill and a great degree of caution in 

 playing these pranks upon the baboon when at close 



