i6 



The Living Animals of the World 



Plioto hy C. Rtid] [ WMiaw, N.. 



RHESUS MONKEY. 



A young sjiecinien oi the common Bengal monkey. 



Like all monkeys, this creature has the power of 

 springing instantaneously from a sitting position ; and 

 its bite would cripple anything from a man to a 

 leopard. The cluicmas live in companies in the kopjes, 

 whence they descend to forage the mealie-grounds, 

 river-beds, and liush. Thence they come down to steal 

 fruit and pumpkins or corn, turn over the stones and 

 catch beetles, or eat locusts. Their robbing expedi- 

 tions are organised. Scouts keep a look-out, the 

 females and young are put in the centre, and the 

 retreat is protected by the old males. Children in 

 the Cape Colony are always warned not to go out 

 when the baboons are near. When irritated — and 

 they are very touchy in their tempers — the whole 

 of the males will sometimes charge and attack. The 

 possibility of this is very unpleasant, and renders 

 people cautious. 



Not many years ago a well-known sportsman 

 was shooting in Somaliland. On the other side of 

 a rocky ravine was a troop of baboons of a species 

 of which no examples were in the British IMuseum. 

 Thouo-h he knew the danger, he was tempted to shoot 

 and to secure a skin. At 200 yards he killed one dead, which the rest did not notice. Then 

 he hit another and wounded it. The baboon screamed, and instantly the others sat up, saw 

 the malefactor, and charged straight for him. Most fortunately, they had to scramble down 

 the ravine and up again, by which time the sportsman and his servant had put such a 

 distance between them, making "very good time over the flat,'" that the baboons contented 

 themselves by barking defiance at them when they reached the level ground. 



They are the only mammals which thoroughly understand combination for defence as 

 well as attack. ]5ut Erehm, the German traveller, gives a charming story of genuine courage 

 and self-sacrifice shown by one. His hunting dogs gave chase to a troop which was retreating 

 to some cliff's, and cut off a very young one, which ran up on to a rock, only just out of 

 reach of the dogs. An old male balioon saw this, and came alone to the rescue. Slowly 



and deliberately he descended, 

 crossed the open S2:)ace, and 

 stamping his hands on the ground, 

 showing his teeth, and backed by 

 the furious barks of the rest of 

 the baboons, he disconcerted and 

 cowed these savage dogs, climbed 

 on to the rock, picked up the 

 baliy, and carried him back safely. 

 If the dogs had attacked the old 

 patriarch, his trilie would proljably 

 have helped him. Burchell, the 

 naturalist after wliom IJurchell's 

 zebra is named, let his dogs chase 

 a troop. The baboons turned on 

 ' •' them, killed one on the siiot by 



Photo hy A. S. Rudlaiid tk Sons. i ... ,i 1,1 i 1 1 



bitmg through the great blood- 



RIIKSUS JIONKKY AND SOOTY MAKGABEY. , p,, , ,,.,, 



vessels ot the neck, and laid bare 



The sooty niangabey (to tlie light of the pieture) i« gentle and companionable, but petulant .i -i p 



and active. the riDs ot another. The Cape 



