THE AFRICAN GUEREZAS 
thumb. The ten species are found in equatorial Africa, 
and may be called guerezas, after an Abyssinian one long 
known. They vary in length of body from twenty- 
one to about thirty inches, and have tails a tenth 
or more longer than the body and more or less tufted at the 
end. Their habits are similar to those of the langurs, and it 
has rarely been 
possible to bring 
one away from its 
native hills. Thei- 
dense, long-flowinz, 
beautifully colore | 
hair, however, has 
made their skins 
highly valued by 
the natives and so much in demand in Europe that all these 
monkeys are likely soon to be exterminated. Some are shining 
black, some white and black, some bay or a mixture of these 
tints. The guereza proper is a most striking little animal, for 
its head, body, and limbs are covered with jet-black hair, while 
on each side of the back there arises a line of long white hair 
which hangs down below the flanks, forming a kind of mantle 
of pure white; and the dark face is surrounded with a fringe 
of white hair which forms long Dundreary whiskers on each 
cheek. With these skins the Masai and other East African 
warriors decorated themselves for battle and covered their 
shields. A variety inhabiting the lofty mountains east of Vic- 
toria Nyanza has the tail heavily fringed with long white hair 
that glitters like spun glass, and it is said by the Arabs to take 
great pains to keep this plume and its mantle perfectly clean. 
H. H. Johnston ** says that besides making headdresses from 
the skin the Mandara warriors affix the flowing yaklike tails be- 
hind their belts as if they grew there. These pendent white 
fringes serve their wearers as a screen against the annoyance 
27 
Guereza. 
THE MOUNTAIN GUEREZA. 
