ORDER II. QUADRUMANA. 21 



Genus Cvxoceptialus — Tlio Baboons. The Cynoccpluili exceed hi 

 size all (juadruiiKinoiis animals with the exception of the ourang-outaiig. 

 Their generic name — Oi/uoa'p/ia/ns, i. e., dug-heailed — well indicates 

 the most striking peculiarity of this class of animals. They have tails of 

 various length ; some have them longer than the body. They are largo, 

 powerful, and extremely ferocious brutes, and, with one exception, — the 

 Tartarin Baboon, which is found in Arabia, — are confined to Africa. Tiicir 

 resemblance to man is most striking, and yet it is of such a character as to 

 create the most disagreeable impression. The Anubis Baboon (C. anubi.^), 

 a large Cape species, and the Sphynx Baboon (C. sp/n/nx), arc the most 

 dangerous and mischievous. It is said that the iidiabitants hunt tliem with 

 dogs and guns to destroy them, because of their depredations in fields and 

 gardens. They arc more than a match for dogs, and can only be overcome 

 by fire-arms. 



There are seven species of this group, besides the Mandrills, wliich 

 constitute a suljgenus, of which there are two species. The ^Mandrill 

 Baboon (tSimia muimon) is a most extraordinary looking animal. Its 

 tail is very short. In color it is variegated hi a. remarkaljlc manner. 

 The body is grayish-brown, tinged with olive above ; tlie cheeks arc blue ; 

 beard citron-yellow ; nose red, with a scarlet tip, and buttocks violet. Its 

 great strength and size, — which nearly apjiroachcs tliat of man, — mal^e 

 it an object of terror to the people where it abounds. A more hideously 

 disgusting animal can scarcely be conceived of; and yet in the admirable 

 economy of nature it has its use and purpose, to which it is singidarly 

 adapted. On this subject the editor of the last edition of Cuvier's xVnttnul 

 Kingdom appropriately remarks, "Hideous as the animals of this genus 

 appear, and disgustingly deformed to those who have only seen them in 

 captivity, tlieir adajitation to a peculiar mode of lil'e is of course as exquisite 

 as that of any other animal, and rcrpiires only to be iniderstood to command 

 an amount of admiration which must lessen, to a considerable extent, the 

 abhorrence with whidi we are apt to regard them. It has lately liccn dis- 

 covered that they chiefly inhabit barren, stony places, where they subsist 

 for the most part upon scorpions, to procure which they employ their hands 

 to lift up the numerous loose stones, under most of which one or more of 

 these creatures commonly lie concealed ; their stings they extract with great 

 dextcrit}-. Accordingly they are expressly modified for traversing the 

 ground on all-fours, and are furnished with efficient hands ; their eyes are 

 peculiarly placed, directed downwards along the visage." 



Xotwithstanding the savage and apparently imtamable disposition of 

 baboons, some of them have been tolerably broken and brought into a 

 state of subjection, when they have shown a remarkable talent for imita- 



