MAMMALIA. 223 



most singular appearance. I several times saw large 

 numbers assembled around springs in the evening in the 

 thirsty Shoho country between Komayli and Senafd. 

 On such occasions every jutting rock, every little stone 

 more prominent than the rest, was occupied by a patri- 

 arch of the herd, who sat, with the gravity and watchful- 

 ness befitting his grizzled hair, waiting patiently until 

 the last of his human rivals had slaked his thirst and 

 that of his cattle. Around, the females were mainly 

 occupied in taking care of the young, the smaller 

 Monkeys amusing themselves by gambolling about. 

 Occasionally, if a young Monkey became too noisy or 

 interfered with the repose of one of his seniors, he 

 "caught it" in most unmistakeable style and was dis- 

 missed, with many cuffs, a wiser if not a better Monkey. 



Cynocephalus hamadryas feeds on small fruits, 

 berries, and seeds, and often on buds of trees, and on 

 young shoots. On the highlands I frequently saw 

 troops of them in the fields, engaged in searching for 

 the "quentee," the small tubers of Cyperus esculentus, 

 which appeared also to be a great resource of the half- 

 starved people in Tigrd. 



This species is very rarely seen on trees. It appears to 

 avoid woods, and to keep mainly in the open country, pre- 

 ferring, as already mentioned, vocky precipices. Hence its 

 habits differ entirely from those of all the Indian Monkeys, 

 which are tree-loving animals, and indeed from Monkeys 

 in general. It climbs heavily and clumsily for a Monkey, 

 and when moving quickly on the ground has a steady, 

 regular gallop instead of the bounding movements of a 



