NOTES FROM THE SCOTTISH ZOOLOGICAL PARK 63 
NOTES FROM 
THE SCOTTISH ZOOLOGICAL PARK 
A Basoon’s INTELLIGENCE.—The intelligence and reasoning 
powers of a Baboon were well seen in the Zoological Park one day 
recently. The Baboon, a fairly large male Chacma, has always 
seemed to be above the ordinary standard of Baboon intelligence. 
He has, for example, been able to carry the expression of displeasure 
beyond the customary screaming and grimacing, and has become 
adept in throwing things at people who offend him; so that many 
a visitor, detected in committing the crime of giving food to 
another monkey, has been astonished to find himself a target 
for a double handful of potatoes, boiled rice, or, if no more 
satisfying missiles were available, sawdust. With astonishing 
strength he even one day wrenched up a large stone, weighing 
about 20 lb., from the floor of his outside enclosure and hurled 
it at the wire front. From time to time he has snatched open 
pocket-knives from visitors, either because they have been offered 
to him without realisation of his quickness and strength, or merely 
because he has been able to seize them from the hands which 
were cutting up fruit to feed him with; and his practice has been, 
when he obtained possession of an open knife, to go to a particular 
chink between two of the square tiles which cover the floor of his 
cage, stick the blade in and snap it off—a performance which 
seemed to afford him much pleasure. On the particular occasion 
referred to he had managed to snatch from a visitor, who supplies 
the information, a knife longer and stronger in the blade than 
the average pocket-knife, and he proceeded to carry out his usual 
amusement of snapping the blade in the chink in his floor. The 
blade of the knife, however, did not snap, and in applying pressure 
to it the Baboon slightly moved one of the tiles. This he per- 
ceived, and continuing his pressure for a little while succeeded 
in lifting the tile. Quickly he realised that the operation might 
be applied to others. In a short time a second tile had been 
lifted, and the work then went on merrily until before long he 
had removed about a couple of dozen tiles, each a foot square, 
forming nearly half the floor of his cage. Then, fortunately 
perhaps, the knife blade broke and the game was stopped. The 
incident, showing as it did the rapid perception of a result follow- 
ing a cause, and the immediate application of the idea, seems 
