144 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



Once I came across a troop on a sudden, on looking over a 

 low cliff. They dashed off at a tremendous pace, galloping on all 

 fours, till far out of shot, when they climbed up on to a rocky 

 eminence, and calmly sat down to watch me. The baboons 

 live on roots, which they dig up, and on fruits, and they turn 

 over the stones to search for insects and such food under- 

 neath. It is striking thus to see monkeys roaming about on 

 open moorland, where there are no trees. I had never properly 

 realized the fact before. 



The track of the baboons in the sand is unmistakable. The 

 foot makes a mark where the animal has been galloping, just 

 like that of a child's foot ; the fore-limb makes a mark not half 

 so deeply indented, the hand being used merely to touch on, as 

 it were, to prepare for a fresh spring with the feet. I found the 

 skeleton of one of the baboons in a cave at Cape Point. The 

 animal had evidently crawled into the cave to die. 



Everywhere amongst the rocks lives the Bock-Babbit (Hyrax 

 ccvpensis). The Babbits live in large crevices in the cliffs or under 

 huge masses of rock, which have fallen and lodged on some 

 ledge. In the places frequented by them the rock ledges are 

 covered with bushels of their dung. They come out to feed in 

 the mornings and evenings, but also bask sometimes in the hot 

 sun at mid-day. 



They are very inquisitive, and sit up on a rock, and look at 

 one, and then suddenly dash into their hiding-place. After a 

 time, if one remains quiet, they come out for another look, and 

 afford a good chance for a shot. Their cry of alarm is a sort of 

 short hissing noise, not a whistle like that of the marmots, of 

 which animal they immediately remind one, though so widely dif- 

 ferent in structure, their nearest living ally being the rhinoceros. 



They had young at "the time of our visit, and I met with two 

 litters, each of three young, which were about the size of very 

 large rats, with soft chocolate-brown downy hair. The young 

 play about on the rocks together like kittens, chasing one 

 another, and darting in and out amongst the clefts. I shot two at 

 one shot. One of these, when dying, made a regular squeal very 

 like that of a rabbit. The old ones are hard to kill, carrying off 

 a considerable charge of shot, and they bite very fiercely. 



