BABOONS. 



59 



eyed youngf ape discovers a bush well covered with 

 berries, and his greedy munching being quickly 

 observed, a general rush of youngsters takes place, 

 and much squabbling for the best place ensues 

 among the boys; this ends in great uproar, when 

 down comes a great male, who cuffs one, pulls an- 

 other by the hair, bites another on the hind-quarters 

 just as he thinks he has escaped, drags back a would- 

 be deserter by his tail and shakes him thoroughly, 



and thus he shortly restores order, preventing all 

 further disputes by sitting under the bush and quietly 

 enjoying the berries by himself." — Nile Tributaries 

 of Abyssinia, chap. x. 



The sensual and ill-natured beast in its 

 most revolting aspect is chiefly exhibited to 

 us In those baboons which have only a short 

 erect stump in place of a tail, and among 





Fig. 13. — The Mandrill {Cynocephalus Maimon). 



which the Mandrill (C. or Mormon Maimon), 

 fig. 13, a native of the interior of Guinea, has 

 been frequently, and the Drill (J/. {Cynoce- 

 p/ialus) le7{cop/ia'ns), a native of the same region, 

 but seldom brought to Europe. Of their 

 family life we know nothing beyond this, that 

 they are very much dreaded by the negroes. 

 In youth the mandrill is a highly likable and 

 thoroughly comical fellow; when grown up 

 he becomes ill-natured and treacherous, yet 

 he has at times been completely tamed. He 

 is specially distinguished by the striking 

 colours of the naked parts and the singular 

 form of the face. Even in the drill we 

 can detect a slight swelling of the region 



between the eyes and nose. In the mandrill 

 the cheek region is spongy and elevated, and 

 marked with oblique furrows even on the 

 young animal, and this form of feature becomes 

 more marked with age. The head is large, the 

 ridge on the crown covered with a stiff tuft 

 of hair; the coat is olive-brown on the back, 

 brighter on the under side, the moustache 

 yellow, the ears black with a white spot be- 

 hind. The high, swollen, and furrowed cheeks 

 are sky-blue, the nose red, the large and 

 swollen ischial callosities blue and red. the seat 

 and the neighbouring parts bright red, and 

 these parts the mandrill is fond of exhibiting to 

 spectators as if he were proud of the colours. 



