240 THE BABOONS 



white beneath to a paler continuation of the 

 general hue. It has been stated by other writers 

 that this animal does not extend to the north of 

 the Zambezi, but this is incorrect, as I have seen 

 the chacma and shot several specimens in the 

 Quelimane district and in the rocky, mountainous 

 highlands of the Lugella Prazo, but without 

 achieving anything in the nature of a new variety. 

 In little-frequented districts, and by that I 

 mean, of course, those little frequented by the 

 man with a gun, baboons grow extremely bold. 

 So much is this the case that not infrequently 

 they display considerable reluctance to give way 

 before one, especially where they appear in large 

 troops. South of Shupanga Forest, and on the 

 little-known eastern foothills of the Cheringoma 

 mountain range, I have seen them in bands of 

 nearly a hundred strong. I have a very vivid 

 recollection of one particular evening in Shupanga 

 in 1909. I was encamped for the night in the 

 outskirts of a native village, and, accompanied by 

 a hunter carrying a rifle, had been out for a stroll 

 with my shot-gun, looking for guinea-fowl and 

 pigeons. On the way back we had to cross a 

 small glade of ten to fifteen acres wherein I could 

 see in the longish grass a number of chacmas 

 strolling very slowly in the same direction as 

 ourselves, some on the path and some parallel 

 to it. From time to time they would look at us 

 over their shoulders, stop for a second or two to 

 examine a grass root for insects, and then stroll 

 on again. In this way we continued until I was 

 not more than fifty yards from the outlying score 



