NATURAL HISTORY. 



CYNOCEPHALUS. (Gr. KVUV, a dog; Kf^a/l//, a head.) 



Mormon (Gr. Mo^oj; 1 , a bogie), fAe Mandrill. 



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We now arrive at the BABOONS. This tribe is principally 

 distinguished from the apes by their short and insignificant 

 looking tails. The baboons are the only mammalia which 

 exhibit brilliant colours ; on these, however, nature has 

 bestowed vivid tints hardly to be surpassed even by the 

 gorgeous plumage of the tropical birds. 



The Mandrill, which is the most conspicuous of the baboon 

 tribe, is a native of Guinea and western Africa. It is chiefly 

 remarkable for the vivid colours with which it is adorned. 

 Its cheeks are of a brilliant blue, its muzzle of a bright 

 scarlet, and a stripe of crimson runs along the centre of its 

 nose. These colours are set off by the purple hues of the 

 hinder quarters. It lives principally in forests filled with 

 brushwood, from which it makes incursions into the nearest 

 villages, plundering them with impunity. On this account it 

 is much dreaded by the natives, who feel themselves incapable 

 of resisting its attacks. It is excessively ferocious, and easily 

 excited to anger ; indeed, Cuvier relates that he has seen 

 several of these animals expire from the violence of their fury. 



