THE BABOON. 21 



and encamped there for the night. The next morning, when 

 the army was about to proceed on its march, the soldiers 

 saw, at some distance, an enormous number of baboons, 

 drawn up in rank and file, like a small army, with such 

 regularity, that the Macedonians, who could have no idea 

 of such a manoeuvre, imagined at first that it was the enemy 

 drawn up to receive them." 



The The chackma lives among the mountains of 



Chackma the Cape of Good Hope, where he attains about 



Baboon. tne s j ze o f an English mastiff and even greater 



strength. He descends to the plains on foraging expeditions, 



and, when not attacked, will usually make off on the approach 



of danger, but if aroused to anger can both show and use 



his teeth, and is far superior to the average English boy in 



throwing stones. 



The Baboon's Le Vaillant gives an interesting account of 

 Utility. a chackma baboon which accompanied him 

 through South Africa, and which bore the name of Kees. 

 He says : " I made him my taster. Whenever we found fruits 

 or roots, with which my Hottentots were unacquainted, we 

 did not touch them till Kees had tasted them. If he threw 

 them away, we concluded that they were either of a dis- 

 agreeable flavour, or of a pernicious quality, and left them 

 untasted. The monkey possesses a peculiar property, wherein 

 he differs greatly from other animals, and resembles man, 

 namely, that he is by nature equally gluttonous and inquisitive. 

 Without necessity, and without appetite, he tastes every 

 thing that falls in his way, or that is given to him. But 

 Kees had a still more valuable quality,--he was an excellent 

 sentinel ; for, whether by day or night, he immediately sprang 

 up on the slightest appearance of danger. By his cry, and 

 the symptoms of fear which he exhibited, we were always 

 apprized of the approach of an enemy, even though the dogs 

 perceived nothing of it. The latter, at length, learned to rely 

 upon him with such confidence, that they slept on in per- 



