THE BABOON. 63 



"Lying down on his side as though perfectly prepared for the worst, he would remain 

 as though dead. But as soon as the snake was taken away, the mercurial temperament 

 of the creature instantly showed itself ; for he would then jump on the shoulders of any 

 person who might happen to be near, and would play off some practical joke as a retaliation. 



"Although evidently alarmed whenever snakes were brought near him, he still appeared 

 perfectly to understand that nothing more than a joke was intended. 



"His treatment of small dogs was very quaint. 



" If by chance a young pup came near him, he would seize hold of it and cuddle it in his 

 arms in a most affectionate and maternal way ; not being very particular, however, whether he k 

 held the animal by the ear, the tail, or a leg. 



"If the pup, as sometimes happened, objected to this treatment, and endeavored to escape 

 or to misbehave, Jacob would catch hold of its hind leg or tail, and would swing it round at 

 arm's length, and at last fling it from him. 



"The morning of life is decidedly the period of light-heartedness with the baboon ; when 

 the weight of years has been accumulated upon the shoulders of a veteran he becomes staid 

 and philosophic, and sometimes rather quarrelsome, objecting strongly to the presuming man- 

 ners of his juniors, and taking every opportunity to punish them should they be caught taking 

 liberties with him." 



The Chacma is supposed to be rather a long-lived animal, and with some reason. For 

 although it is not easy to follow the course of a Chacma' s existence from birth to death, and 

 there are not as yet any official registers among the quadrumanous tribe, there are certain 

 registers which are written by Nature's hand, and not subject to erasion, forgery, or alteration. 

 One of these official registers, is the proportion that exists between the time which is passed 

 by an animal before it attains its adult state, and the entire term of its life. It is found that 

 the Chacma arrives at its full development at the age of eight or nine years ; and, therefore, 

 its lease of life may be calculated at about forty years. 



The chief, and most legitimate food of this baboon, is the plant which is called from this 

 circumstance, Babiana. It affords a curious example of vegetable life existing under trying 

 circumstances, as it only gets rain for three months in the year ; and during the remainder of> 

 the twelvemonth is buried in a soil so parched, that hardly any plant except itself can exist. 

 The portion that is eaten is the thick, roTind, subterraneous stem, which is neatly peeled by 

 the more fastidious baboons, and eaten entire by the less refined and more hungry animals. 



The number of species belonging to the Dog-headed Baboons is very limited. All of them 

 seem to be possessed of very similar habits and modes of action. The species which is repre- 

 sented in the accompanying engraving presents characteristics that are typical of the entire 

 race, and is therefore called the Baboon, par excellence. There is some difficulty about 

 the precise distinctions between several of the species, a circumstance which, although to 

 be regretted, is almost inevitable from the great external changes which are occasioned 

 by age and sex, and the impossibility of keeping a close watch on these animals in their 

 wild state. 



The most interesting portion of natural history is that which relates the habits and 

 manners of the creatures observed ; and in the majority of instances the narrations are given 

 by persons who, although fully alive to the little traits of temper, humor, or ingenuity, are 

 unacquainted with the more recondite details of systematic zoology. 



Consequently, an act perf ormed by a baboon is considered by them in virtue of the deed 

 itself, rather than in relation to the particular species of the animal who achieved it ; and the 

 intellectual power displayed by the animal is thought to be of more real value than the number 

 of projections iipon its molar teeth. This uncertainty is very great among the baboons, and 

 as long as an act of theft or cunning is performed by a baboon, the narrator seems to care little 

 whether the species be the Chacma, the Baboon, the Papion, or any other member of the same 

 genus. 



There are many most curious and interesting anecdotes on record which admirably illus- 

 trate the baboon nature, and yet which are not to be attributed with absolute certainty to 

 any one species. 



