58 



THE MONKEYS OF THE OLD WORLD. 



company; but there did not seem to be more than 

 three or four full-grown males. At first only one 

 baboon at a time came to the water's edge, and 

 having taken its draught retired to the rest; but 

 when about ten of them had thus ventured sep- 

 arately, they began to come in small groups, leaving 

 the others rolling and jumping on the sand. . . 

 It was not long before two males — the same, I 



had no doubt, which we had noticed before, came 

 and squatted themselves one on each side of the 

 little creek, which certainly was not more than two 

 feet across. When they stooped to drink, their 

 heads could not have been four inches apart. 

 Here was my chance. Crack went my rifle. But 

 instead of either of them dropping, the two baboons 

 started up; by a mutual instinct they both clutched 





Fig. 12. — The Common Baboon (Cynocephalus Bahuin). page 57. 



their noses, gave a ringing bark and scampered off. 

 The whole herd took the alarm, and joining in the 

 shrieking clamour, were soon lost to sight. One or 

 two, however, of the larger animals seemed to lag 

 behind and to look inquiringly, as if to ascertain 

 the true condition of affairs. 



We went down and examined the spot where the 

 baboons had been drinking, and could come to no 

 other conclusion than that the bullet had passed 

 exactly through the narrow interval that had parted 

 their heads; it had lodged just about three feet 

 behind them." — Holub,5^^^« Years in South Africa, 

 vol. i. chap. iii. 



The following account of the behaviour of baboons 



among the upper tributaries of the Nile is given by 

 Sir S. Baker: — 



"Troops of baboons are now exceedingly num- 

 erous, as, the country being entirely dried up, they 

 are forced to the river for water, and the shady 

 banks covered with berry-bearing shrubs induce 

 them to remain. It is very amusing to watch these 

 great male baboons stalking majestically along 

 followed by a large herd of all ages, the mothers 

 carrying their little ones upon their backs, the latter 

 with a regular jockey-seat riding most comfortably, 

 while at other times they relieve the monotony of 

 the position by sprawling at full length and holding 

 on by their mother's back hair. Suddenly a sharp- 



