CHACMA BABOON 11 



the Etpproach of anybody. He eventually allowed him- 

 self to be caught by his own particular "boy," who 

 had arrived on the scene, and led home like a lamb. 

 When irritated by the public he used to throw stones 

 at them while he was located on the old pole-stand, 

 which was on the natural ground floor, but after the 

 new stand had been built on a concrete floor he resorted 

 to dashing water over his tormentors, and many a man 

 and woman has, been justly rewarded for teasing with 

 a sudden and unexpected ducking. 



Choiropithecus porcarius. Chacma Baboon. Baviaan. 



This animal is subject to a large amount of variation, 

 and whether two or more sub-species exist is at present 

 'not clear. Mr. Pocock has recently separated the Trans- 

 vaal form from that of the Cape, but so far I can see no 

 reason for so doing. The Chacma is usually of a dark 

 olive-brown colour, darker on the lower half of the limbs 

 — the hands and feet being generally black. Muzzle 

 elongated. 



Some individuals are yellower, others greener in tone. 

 The length of the hejtd and body is about 3 feet, tail 

 1| feet. This animal is known to the Boers as the 

 Baviaan, and is pretty evenly distributed all over the 

 sub-continent. The Baboon with its dog-like face and 

 sharp barking howl, is well known to nearly every 

 resident in South Africa. It inhabits rocky hillsides 

 and kranzes all over South Africa, being even found on 

 Table Mountain. They go about in groups of various 

 sizes, and are so depredatory in some districts that the 

 farmers organize hunting parties to rid themselves of 

 a few of the brutes. They live on fruit, vegetable 

 matter, insects and spiders, and pillage the farmers' 



