THE DOG-SHAPED MONKEYS— BABOON. 



43 



as a straw fire is kindled ; but it passes away by no 

 means as quickly. A single word, a mocking smile, 

 €ven a cross look, will sometimes throw the Bab- 

 oon into a rage, in which he loses all self-control. 

 Therefore these animals are always dangerous, as 

 their brutality may break out at any moment. As 

 enemies they are really terrible. 



Baboons The Baboons shun Man, but in case of 

 and their necessity they enter into combat with 

 Enemies. hjm as they do with a beast of prey. 

 The Leopard seems to be their chief enemy, though 

 he oftener attacks the little ones, having reasons for 

 considering whether his fangs and claws are strong 

 enough to cope with the teeth and hands of an adult 



SACBED BABOON, OB HAMASBYAS. The sacred Ape of the Egyptians. Native of Abyssinia, and a 



most extraordinary looking animal, with its curious adornment of hair, the head, neck, shoulders and all the fore 

 parts of the body being covered with a long and shaggy coat ; that of the back of the head and neck being more than 

 a foot in length. It is about the size of a Pointer Dog and the jaws are possessed of great strength. (Cynocephalus 

 hamadryas.) 



Baboon. Dogs, as a rule, cannot successfully fight 

 with the Baboons, and yet these noble and brave 

 animals know of no greater treat than a Baboon- 

 hunt. With the exception of the Dog, the Leopard 

 and the Lion, the Baboon has no enemies that 

 are very dangerous to him; still it is to be sup- 

 posed that his tribe have had some very disagree- 

 able experiences in connection with the poisonous 

 tooth of Serpents. A Baboon never rolls away a stone 

 or iovestigates a bush without first making sure that 

 no Snake is lurking there. Scorpions they do not 

 fear, as they break off their poisonous tails with great 

 skill and they enjoy eating these animals as much as 

 they do insects or Spiders. 



The usefulness of the Baboons is very slight. 

 They ajre taught a great many tricks, and in South 



Africa they are said to be made use of in searching 

 for water in the desert. They are tamed and taken 

 along into those arid regions, where even the Bush- 

 men only know how to get water by drops. When 

 the supply of the liquid is running low, the Baboon 

 is given some food containing salt and a few hours 

 later he is turned loose at the end of a line. The 

 poor animal, crazed with thirst, runs hither and 

 thither, sniffs the air, tears out plants and examines 

 them, and finally either finds a place at which to 

 begin digging for hidden water, or hurries forward to 

 where he is sure of finding a running stream. 



The first animal that we will consider in connec- 

 tion with this group, is a Monkey that by some is 

 _- counted among the Bab- 



oons, by others among the 

 Macaques. In his habits 

 he is a true Baboon, 

 but in his structure he dif- 

 fers from it considerably, 

 and this is what gave rise 

 to the difference of opin- 

 ion among naturalists. 

 We must consider him as 

 a connecting link, possess- 

 ing the peculiarities of 

 both species. Those who 

 count him among the Mac- 

 aques cannot be accused 

 of error ; while those who 

 believe him to be a Baboon 

 are also in the right. 

 The Black The Black Bab- 

 Baboon oon ( Cynocepha- 

 Described. lus niger) dif- 

 fers from the others in 

 having only the rudi- 

 ment of- a tail and also in 

 his muzzle. His snout is 

 broad, flat, and short, and 

 the nose does not project 

 over the upper lip. Baboon- 

 fashion, but ends about 

 half way back on the up- 

 per part of the shout. For 

 these reasons this Monkey 

 is considered the repre- 

 sentative of a special kind, 

 the' Dog-headed Monkeys 

 proper {Cynocephalus). 

 Face and buttocks are de- 

 void of fur, while the rest 

 of the body is covered by 

 long, woolly hair, which is 

 the longest on the head, 

 and so arranged as to form a crest. The color of 

 the fur and face is black, while the callosities are 

 red. In size this Monkey is inferior to all his rela- 

 tives. His length is only about twenty-five inches, 

 the tail bieing a little over an inch long. 



He is a native of the Celebes, and though he is 

 found there in numbers, his life in the wild state is 

 very little known. 



Lately he has been shipped to Europe [and Amer- 

 ica] and has lived for a considerable time in cap- 

 tivity. The Black Baboon which I saw in the 

 Amsterdam Zoological Garden seemed to enjoy life 

 very much. He was daily brought over to the Gue- 

 nons ; if these latter had been timid creatures, the 

 imperious and haughty black Monkey would have 

 tyrannized over them, but the agile crowd of Guenons 



