MAMMALIA 



75 



the happy possessor of a wide range of mental characteristics, 

 has been variously described as "a comedian" and "the philo- 

 sopher among the monkeys". It should be noted that all the 

 Macaques, with the exception of the Barbary Ape, are Asiatic 

 forms. 



The familiar Baboons, which live chiefly on the ground and 

 have dog-like heads, are for the most part natives of Africa. 



Fig. 44. The Mandrill (Papio mormon] 



The Arabian Baboon (Papio hamadryas), which once lived in 

 Egypt also, was the prototype of Thoth, the old Egyptian God of 

 Letters, and in this capacity, as well as in the humbler one of a 

 simple ape, is often represented upon the ancient monuments of that 

 country. It is a large and powerful creature of greyish colour, and 

 the adult male, with his pinkish face, large mane on neck and 

 shoulders, and bright -reel swellings of large size on the hind- 

 quarters, is by no means a prepossessing object. The West 

 African Mandrill (Papio mormon] (fig. 44), however, is even more 

 hideous. Its adornments are of a vivid nature, for there are blue 



