242 THE BABOONS 



in provoking a band of baboons to the point of 

 attacking him and injuring him most seriously. 



Baboons, although usually to be found in the 

 granite hills of which so much of South Central 

 Africa consists, are frequently met with in forest 

 country. In the thickly tree-covered plains 

 bordering the Zambezi they are very numerous, 

 and do a great deal of damage to the native gar- 

 dens, the attack upon which is conducted with the 

 nicest regard for well-thought-out detail. Thus, 

 on approaching the scene of the raid, the troop 

 takes open order, so to speak, the females, with 

 their babies clinging round their necks, or with 

 those of slightly riper growth following behind, 

 advancing directly but noiselessly upon the scene 

 of the robbery, whilst several of the " old men " 

 take up positions, by either climbing trees or 

 getting upon an adjacent rock or ant-hill, which 

 enable them to observe and signal the approach 

 of danger. This they do by the utterance of a 

 gruff bark, whereupon, snatching all they can 

 lay their hands upon, and with cheek-pouches 

 stuffed to their utmost capacity, they tear away, 

 uttering the curious " glazier's diamond " sound 

 to which I have referred above. Should the in- 

 terruption be caused by the appearance of one or 

 two women, however, they will frequently turn 

 en hande, literally mob them, and usually put them 

 to flight, promptly appropriating anything of an 

 edible character which they may have been carry- 

 ing at the time. There can be no doubt what- 

 soever that baboons discriminate readily between 

 the males and the females of the human species. 



