206 LESSONS FEOM NATURE. [CHAP. VII. 



rocks, and with mouths widely opened roared so fearfully 

 that the dogs precipitately retreated. They were again 

 encouraged to the attack ; but by this time all the baboons 

 had re-ascended the heights, excepting a young one, about 

 six months old, who, loudly calling for aid, climbed on a 

 block of rock and was surrounded. Now one of the largest 

 males, a true hero, came down again from the mountain, 

 slowly went to the young one, coaxed him, and triumphantly 

 led him away the dogs being too much astonished to make an 

 attacJc.&quot;* The last words are truly puerile ; the whole we 

 have no hesitation in characterizing as an audacious ro 

 mance, though possibly &quot; founded on fact.&quot; The statement 

 that &quot; the dogs,&quot; which had not hesitated to attack &quot; the 

 great troop of baboons,&quot; were too much overcome to assault 

 one, even while &quot; slowly &quot; returning, or when again retreat 

 ing and &quot; leading away &quot; with him the infant of six months, 

 will form a good &quot; pendant &quot; to the weak-winged eagle of the 

 preceding tale. 



Again we readf of a &quot;troop of the Cercopithecus griseo- 

 viridis&quot; having rushed through a thorny brake, after which 

 &quot;each monkey stretches itself on a branch, and another 

 monkey sitting by conscientiously examines its fur and 

 extracts every thorn or burr.&quot; In those who know monkeys, 

 even at the Zoological Gardens, the process of extraction 

 will create no surprise, but the epithet &quot; conscientiously &quot; 

 and the word &quot; every &quot; reveal the animus of this too willing 

 witness. 



Again we have a romance on only second-hand authority 

 (namely a quotation by Brehrn of Schimper) to the follow 

 ing effect : 



&quot; In Abyssinia, when the baboons belonging to one species (C. ydada) 

 descend in troops from the mountains to plunder the fields, they some 

 times encounter troops of another species (C. Itamadryas), and then a 

 fight ensues. The Geladas roll down great stones, which the Hama- 

 dryas try to avoid, and then both species, making a great uproar, rush 

 furiously against each other. Brehm, when accompanying the Duke 



Italics ours. f Op. cit. p. 75. 



