I24 APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS 



THK TRUE BABOONS 

 Genus Cynocephalus 



With the true baboons we come to the most hideous and repulsive-looking 

 members of the order of Primates ; their repulsive appearance being only equaled 

 by the fierce and untamable disposition of several of the group. A party of these 

 creatures is shown among their natural surroundings in our colored plate. 



All the baboons are confined to Africa and the countries lying on the north of 

 the Red Sea, so that they are totally absent from the Oriental region. They are 

 found over the whole of Africa ; but, as is so generally the case, are represented by 

 a greater variety of species on the west coast than elsewhere, and it is also in that 

 region that the most hideous representatives of the group are to be found. Next to 

 the Man-like Apes, the baboons include the largest members of the Primates, some 

 of the species being as large as a pointer dog. 



While agreeing with the gelada baboon in the great length of their snouts, the 

 true baboons are readily distinguished from that species by the nostrils being placed 

 at the very extremity of their snout ; indeed, in the Arabian baboon they actually 

 project slightly beyond the upper lip, as is the case in most dogs. This canine form 

 of countenance led the ancient Greeks and Romans to apply the name Cynocephali 

 (dog-headed) to these animals ; and it is this name which has been adopted in 

 scientific phraseology as the distinctive appellation of the group. This great pro- 

 longation of the snout shows that the baboons are the lowest of the Old World mon- 

 keys, and they bear the most marked signs of relationship with the inferior orders 

 of Mammals. 



In addition to their long snouts, baboons are likewise distinguished by the 

 large proportionate size of their skulls, this being most markedly the case with 

 some of the West African forms. Moreover, the bones forming the upper jaws are 

 greatly inflated, so as to give a swollen look to this part of the face in some of the 

 species. They may also carry prominent oblique ridges, which form the support 

 for the peculiar fleshy tumor-like structures occurring in certain West African 

 examples. 



In all the baboons the callosities on the buttocks are unusually large, and may be 

 very brightly colored. The tail is never very long, and may be short. The arms 

 and legs, or, as they may be better termed, fore and hind-legs, are nearly equal in 

 length, and thus far better adapted for progress on the ground than for climbing. 

 Indeed, none of the baboons appear to be adepts at climbing, and many of them pass 

 almost their whole time on the ground. As we shall have occasion to notice more 

 fully later on, several species of this group show an especial predilection for rocky 

 ground, and are accustomed to go in large troops this association being probably 

 necessary for defense against the attacks of leopards and other carnivores, to which 

 their terrestrial habits render them peculiarly liable. 



Their defense does not, however, rest solely on the strength of numbers ; for the 

 male baboons, which are considerably superior in size and strength to their consorts, 



