The 100th Monkey -
The 100th Monkey: Fact and Fiction - By Dr. Norman Allen
I came across this and found it interesting. Dr. Allen is a noted homeopath as well as practicing a broad range of other modalities. His writing is a joy. He can be found at http://www.normanallan.com . The following is one of many interesting and well researched pieces he has written. I have edited it for use on VancouverHypnotherapy.org
I think it was Lyall Watson who coined the term "the 100th monkey".
Koshimo Island: In the 1950s, in order study the behaviour of macaque monkeys on Koshimo Island, some Japanese ethologist ( footnote "ethology" is the science of behaviour. Konrad Lorenz, he whom the greylag geese followed, was the father of ethology, the study of the natural behaviour of animals, mankind included ), left out food, yams, on an observable beach to draw the monkeys there. So they weren't exactly observing behaviour in the wild, but they thought it would be the next best thing.