124 CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



movement of the enemy, so that it is extremely difficult to get 

 within shot of them. If one stands still, or does not go any 

 nearer, merely passing by, they employ themselves, as they sit 

 unconcernedly, in scratching in the usual monkey fashion ; but 

 still never losing sight of their object of suspicion. 



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 

 underneath. It is striking thus to see monkeys roaming about 

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

 properly realised 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 evidendy crawled into the cave to die. 



Everywhere amongst the rocks lives the Rock-Rabbit {Hyrax 

 capensis). The Rabbits 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 inquisidve, 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 different 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. 



Amongst the heath are partridges and a few quails, at some 



