THE TRUE BABOONS 135 



that the country is studded with these tabular or anvil-like masses of wood, whose 

 flat tops, pitted with the scars of old flower stems, never rise to more than a foot 

 above the ground, but vary, according to age, from a few inches to upwards of five 

 or six feet in diameter. Even those which are not more than eighteen inches in 

 diameter are supposed to be fully a century old, although still retaining their 

 original seed leaves, which, albeit torn and tattered by the wear and tear of time, 

 are, when entire, fully six feet in length. It is upon the stems and exposed por- 

 tions of these extraordinary plants that the anubis baboons feed ; tearing and rip- 

 ping the woody tissue with their powerful tusks. 



THE YELLOW BABOON (Cynocephalus babuin) 



Our next example of this group is the yellow baboon, represented in the figure 

 on the next page, and also on p. 64. This species may be distinguished from the pre- 

 ceding by the absence of a crest of hair on the nape of the neck, and likewise by its 

 coloration. It takes its popular name from the pale brownish-yellow hue of the fur, 

 which is rather darker on the sides of the back than elsewhere, while it tends to a 

 whitish tint on the cheeks. The hair on the crown of the head is somewhat 

 elongated. As in the anubis baboon, the hairy parts of the hands and feet agree in 

 color with the body ; but the naked parts of the face, hands, and feet are, as in the 

 other members of the group, of a deep black. 



It was long thought that the yellow baboon came from Nubia and the Sudan ; 

 it is now known to occur on the West Coast ; but according to Mr. H. H. Johnston, 

 there is a baboon found in the neighborhood of Kilima-Njaro, on the Bast Coast, 

 which he provisionally identifies with this species. He states that these baboons 

 generally frequent the outlying parts of the plantations of the natives, subsist- 

 ing largely on the maize and other products stolen therefrom. In certain locali- 

 ties they are extremely numerous, going about in troops composed of about 

 fourteen individuals of both sexes and of all ages. They have but little fear of 

 man, and instead of running away will turn round and face an intruder, with 

 threatening gestures, at a distance of only a few yards. The natives are in the 

 habit of driving them away from the crops, when the baboons retreat in a leisurely 

 manner, with their cheek pouches crammed full, and often dragging off some of the 

 plunder in their hands. In one instance it is related that a troop of these animals 

 pursued a native lad for some time, until he had placed a river between himself and 

 his pursuers. On another occasion Mr. Johnston relates how he killed a female out 

 of a troop of baboons he encountered in these districts, who received him with 

 snarlings and other expressions of hostility. After taking the carcass home, he 

 proceeded to cook and eat a portion of it, and although he states that he found the 

 flesh succulent and palatable, we venture to think that his example will not be 

 generally imitated by those who follow in his footsteps. As we shall see later on, 

 the natives of Guiana are in the habit of eating roast monkey or at least they were 

 so in the time of Humboldt. 



