i6 



The Living Animals of the World 



Photo by C. Reid] [Wihaw, N.B. 



RHESUS MONKEY. 

 A young specimen of the common Bengal monkey. 



Like all monkeys, this creature has the power of 

 springing instantaneously from a sitting position ; and 

 its bite would cripple anything from a man to a 

 leopard. The chacmas live in companies in the kopjes, 

 whence they descend to forage the mealie-grounds, 

 river-beds, and bush. Thence they come down to steal 

 fruit and pumpkins or corn, turn over the stones and 

 catch beetles, or eat locusts. Their robbing expedi- 

 tions are organised. Scouts keep a look-out, the 

 females and young are put in the centre, and the 

 retreat is protected by the old males. Children in 

 the Cape Colony are always warned not to go out 

 when the baboons are near. When irritated and 

 they are very touchy in their tempers the whole 

 of the males will sometimes charge and attack. The 

 possibility of this is very unpleasant, and renders 

 people cautious. 



Not many years ago a well-known sportsman 

 was shooting in Somaliland. On the other side of 

 a rocky ravine was a troop of baboons of a species 

 of which no examples were in the British Museum. 

 Though he knew the danger, he was tempted to shoot 



and to secure a skin. At 200 yards he killed one dead, which the rest did not notice. Then 

 he hit another and wounded it. The baboon screamed, and instantly the others sat up, saw 

 the malefactor, and charged straight for him. Most fortunately, they had to scramble down 

 the ravine and up again, by which time the sportsman and his servant had put such a 

 distance between them, making "very good time over the flat,'' that the baboons contented 

 themselves by barking defiance at them when they reached the level ground. 



They are the only mammals which thoroughly understand combination for defence as 

 well as attack. But Brehm, the German traveller, gives a charming story of genuine courage 

 and self-sacrifice shown by one. His hunting dogs gave chase to a troop which was retreating 

 to some cliffs, and cut off a very young one, which ran up on to a rock, only just out of 

 reach of the dogs. An old male baboon saw this, and came alone to the rescue. Slowly 



and deliberately he descended, 

 crossed the open space, and 

 stamping his hands on the ground, 

 showing his teeth, and backed by 

 the furious barks of the rest of 

 the baboons, he disconcerted and 

 cowed these savage dogs, climbed 

 on to the rock, picked up the 

 baby, and carried him back safely. 

 If the dogs had attacked the old 

 patriarch, his tribe would probably 

 have helped him. Burchell, the 

 naturalist after whom Burchell's 

 zebra is named, let his dogs chase 

 a troop. The baboons turned on 

 them, killed one on the spot by 

 biting through the great blood- 

 vessels of the neck, and laid bare 

 the ribs of another. The Cape 



Photo ly A. S. liudland J: Sons] 



RHESUS MONKEY AND SOOTY MANGABEY. 



[London. 



The sooty mangabey (to the right of the picture) is gentle and companionable, but petulant 



and active. 



