THE BABOON. 



BABOONS live together in small colonies of 

 one or more families, generally presided 

 over by some hoary-headed, grave old patriarch. 

 He preserves order in his little community by 

 the most summary methods ; restraining the ju- 

 venile members from any unseemly tricks, and 

 awing them into silence by the dignity of his 

 presence, assisted in some degree by the inflic- 

 tion of sundry buffets and bites. 



They are bold and cunning and frequently 

 commit great ravages in the gardens and corn- 

 fields that may be in the vicinity of their accus- 

 tomed abodes. The plundering parties are 

 formed and led with great skill ; sentinels keep 

 watch to apprise the busy thieves of the approach 

 of unwelcome intruders, and the fields are strip- 

 ped of their crops with great rapidity, and the 

 booty carried away. Eatable articles are not the 

 only things they seize upon. 



An instance is recorded of a number of Ba- 

 boons having carried an infant off to some 

 neighboring mountains. On being pursued they 

 were found seated gravely in a circle round the 

 child, which was rescued without having sus- 

 tained an injury. Doubtless they were having a 

 seriotis consultation over the new acquisition to 



their numbers, and debating whether or not it 

 would make a creditable addition to their family. 



These animals are generally very much afraid 

 of Snakes, and avoid them on every occasion by 

 getting upon some limb of a tree or on a high rock 

 at a safe distance, where they chatter forth their 

 anger and disgust at the crawling reptile be- 

 neath them. 



Once upon a time a native of one of the Afri- 

 can tribes possessed a tame Baboon, and for 

 amusement twisted a dead Serpent round its neck. 

 The animal sat for a long time motionless, trem- 

 bling in deadly fear, not daring to touch the re- 

 pulsive necklace that encircled it in many folds ; 

 and it was only when the object of its terror was 

 removed that it crept timidly into its master's hut 

 and hid itself away in a corner. On being called 

 to scratch its owner's head, as it was in the habit 

 of doing, the animal refused to move, and when 

 struck for its disobedience, flew at the native. A 

 severe struggle ensued, and nothing could be seen 

 of either combatant through the clouds of dust 

 that were raised, and the cinders that were struck 

 out of the fire which was burning in the centre 

 of the floor, until suddenly the Baboon ap- 

 peared outside the hut, and immediately betook 

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