78 ANIMAL SKETCHES. 



taken in a trap the little baby baboon may be caught and 

 tamed. So long as they are young they are pleasing and 

 intelligent pets. One at Ceres surprised me by dropping 

 on to my shoulder from the tree which stood before the 

 inn. It was quite a little fellow, very tame and friendly. 

 To one of the visitors at the inn, however, it had taken a 

 violent dislike : but doubtless he had ill-treated or teased 

 the little fellow. 



The baboons are inhabitants of Africa and Arabia and 

 have tails of moderate length, projecting dog-like snouts, 

 and huge canine teeth as you may have an opportunity 

 of observing if, as is often the case, a captive baboon at the 

 Zoo, overcome with ennui, should yawn immoderately. 

 They are terrible weapons those teeth. If attacked by a 

 dog the baboons will seize him with the great canines and 

 thrusting him away with their hands will tear him horri- 

 bly. Darwin tells how a great savage baboon once at- 

 tacked the keeper at the Zoo and would certainly have 

 done him a serious injury had not a brave little monkey, 

 in spite of his own great fear of his big cousin, sprung on 

 its neck, and turned on himself the rage of the angry 

 creature. Brave little monkey ! May we not fairly be- 

 lieve that he was impelled to this courageous deed by his 

 love for the keeper for whose safety he feared ? Perhaps 

 so. I would not deny it. But nothing is harder to get at, 

 in apes and men, than the motives of their acts and deeds. 



Closely allied to the baboons and members of the dog- 

 headed group, are the drill and mandril. They have short 

 stumpy tails and are quaintly decorated. I saw a splendid 

 mandril the other day at the Dusseldorf Gardens. His 

 snout was brilliantly tinted sky-blue and vermilion ; 

 and he seemed mightily proud of these and sundry other 

 decorations. 



Turning now to the American monkeys the broad- 



