THE MANDRILL. 69 



This addition to the usual form of the skull, adds greatly to the brutish appearance of the 

 animal, and gives it a less intelligent aspect than that which is seen in most of the monkey tribe. 



Only the male Mandrill possesses these strange adornments in their full beauty of size 

 and color, the females being only gifted with the blue tint upon the muzzle, and even that is 

 of a much less brilliant hue than in the male. The cheek-bones are but little elevated above 

 the face, and are without the deep furrows that give so strange an appearance to the male sex. 



Even in the male animal, these ornaments do not fully develop themselves until the 

 creature has attained maturity. Not until the task of dentition is fully accomplished does the 

 Mandrill shine out in all the glory of his huge azure nose, his crimson mouth, and carmine 

 termination. 



Of all the baboons, the Mandrill appears to be the most hopelessly savage, though exam- 

 ples are not wanting of individuals which have been subjected to kind treatment, and have 

 proved tractable and gentle — that is, for baboons. 



The adult Mandrill is liable to terrible gusts of passion, during which it seems to be bereft 

 of reason and possessed with an insane fury. That which in other monkeys is a hasty petu- 

 lance, easily excited and soon passing away, becomes in this animal a paroxysm of wild and 

 blind rage, to which the anger of an ordinary monkey is but a zephyr to a tornado. 



When thus infuriated — and but small cause is needed for its excitation — the animal seems 

 to be beside itself with fury, heedless of everything but the object of its anger. A demon 

 light glares from the eyes, and it seems verily possessed with a demon' s strength and malignity. 

 With such violence do its stormy passions rage, that the vital powers themselves have been 

 known to yield before the tempest that agitates the mind, and the animal has fallen lifeless in 

 the midst of its wild yells and struggles. 



" Sudden and quick in passion" as is the Mandrill, it bears no short-lived anger, after the 

 custom of most quick-tempered beings, but cherishes a rancorous and deeply-rooted vengeance 

 against any one who may be unfortunate enough to irritate its froward temper. It will often 

 call in the aid of its natural cunning, and will pretend to have forgotten the offence, in order 

 to decoy the offender within reach of its grasp. 



The power of this animal is very great, and more than might be inferred from its size 

 alone, though its dimensions are far from trifling. 



Unless they travel in large numbers and well armed, the natives shrink from passing 

 through the woods in which these animals make their residence. 



For the Mandrills live in society, and their bands are so powerful in point of numbers, 

 and so crafty in point of management, that they are about as formidable neighbors as could 

 be imagined. It is said that wherever they take up their abode they assume supreme sway, 

 attacking and driving from their haunts even the lordly elephant himself. 



These animals are also affirmed to keep a watch over the villages, and, when their male 

 population is dispersed to field labor, that they issue in large companies from the woods, enter 

 the defenceless villages, and plunder the houses of everything eatable, in spite of the terrified 

 women. Some of the female population are said to fall victims to the Mandrills, which carry 

 them away to the woods, as has been related of the Chimpanzee. 



This latter assertion may be untrue, but it is strengthened by much collateral evidence. 

 The large male baboons, when in captivity, always make a great distinction between their 

 visitors of either sex, preferring the ladies to the gentlemen. Sometimes they are so jealous 

 in their disposition that they throw themselves into a transport of rage if any attentions be 

 paid to a lady within their sight. 



This curious propensity was once made the means of re-capturing a large baboon — a 

 chacma — that had escaped from its cage in the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris. 



It had already baffled many attempts to entice it to its home, and when force was tried, 

 repelled the assailants, severely wounding several of the keepers. At last a ready-witted 

 keeper hit upon a plan which proved eminently successful. 



There was a little window at the back of the cage, and when the keeper saw the baboon 

 in front of the open door, he brought a young lady to the window, and pretended to kiss her. 

 The sight of this proceeding was too much for the jealous feeling of the baboon, which flew 



