274 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



Distribution. Arabia, from the plains up to 9,000 feet ; 

 Abyssinia, and the Soudan. 



Habits. The Arabian Baboon, or " Tartarin," as it is often 

 called, is gregarious like its allies, occurring in troops of from 

 two hundred and fifty to three hundred individuals. When full- 

 grown, they are very bold and ferocious. They feed on fruits, 

 berries, and the tubers of an edible grass ; but their chief food 

 consists of insects, and such small animals as they find under 

 stones, or among the rocky cliffs and ravines, where they 

 usually dwell, for they seem to avoid the wooded country. 



They have a loud voice, uttered as a grunting bark. They are 

 said to be extremely intelligent, "astonishingly clever fellows," as 

 one traveller records : having chiefs whom they obey implicitly, 

 and possessing a regular system of tactics in war, with the post- 

 ing of sentinels on pillaging expeditions. They have variously 

 modulated cries, to warn, to indicate safety or false alarm, or 

 to direct the general movements or conduct of the troop. 

 " The old males," as Mr. Blanford narrates, " are always 

 most conspicuous animals, all the fore part of their body being 

 covered with long hair. They usually take the lead when the 

 troop is moving ; some of them also bringing up the rear ; 

 others placing themselves on high rocks or bushes and keeping 

 a sharp look-out after enemies. A troop collected on a rocky 

 crag presents a most singular appearance. I several times saw 

 large numbers assembled around springs in the evening in the 

 thirsty Shoho country. ... On such occasions every 

 jutting rock, every little stone more prominent than the rest, 

 was occupied by a patriarch of the herd, with the gravity and 

 watchfulness befitting his grizzled hair, waiting patiently until 

 the last of his human rivals had slaked his thirst and that of 

 his cattle. Around, the females were mainly occupied in taking 



