HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 



39 



ordinary soil this would not have been possible, 

 but here, en the crusted, sandy mud, conditions 

 were ideal. We followed the spoor for a quarter 

 of a mile, examining, measuring, and comparing 

 it with human tracks. 



As a result of my observations I obtained 

 the following data : — 



(1) The animal is a biped. 



(2) The print had been made by a pad 

 and not by a hoof, except that, at the point, 

 a deep and sharp hele demonstrated the pres- 

 ence of a large nail or single claw. 



(3) A thumb mark of considerable dimen- 

 sions was a special feature; there was no 

 trace of toes, except in one case, where very 

 slight indentations by such seemed to have 

 been made. 



(4) A heel was observed; but the weight 

 of the animal was usually cast forward on 

 to the main portion of the foot and thumb. 



(5) Its weight was judged to be at least 

 twice that of an average man, and probably 

 more. 



(6) A certain part of the spoor showed 

 the animal to be walking very slowly; there 

 the stride measured 18 in. from tip of the 

 toe of one foct to the heel of the other. It 

 had also> taken several gambols at one place, 

 and crossed its legs when doing so. When 

 travelling at what I should imagine to be a 

 jog-trot the stride measured 8 ft. ; two strides 

 were found to be 9 ft. ; whilst a considerably 

 greater distance, at is presumed, cculd be 

 covered when at top speed or jumping. 



Since the publication of the above, the follow- 

 ing note from the author has come to our hands : 

 "The game ranger at Nairobi thinks the spoor is 

 that cf an ostrich. ... It is curious — but only 

 by this mail I have heard from the A.D.C. at 

 Lamu that which makes it seem more probable 

 or at least possible that the spoor I saw was really 

 that of a Ngoloko. I have shown my original 

 copy of it to many natives, and some think it 

 that of an ostrich and some emphatically do not. 

 Personally I am inclined to think that the game 

 ranger is mistaken." 



THE "HUMAN "BABOON. 



A Rhodesian reader sends the " Morning 

 Post" a note on the "almost human intelligence 

 shown; by -South African baboons." A troop of 

 baboons has its own particular district, on which 

 no other troop will encroach.' The baboon -is a 

 great pest, owing to its habit of raiding ripening 



crops. Scouts always- precede a raiding party and 

 send back warning if the field is guarded. Sen- 

 tries are posted in trees round the spot chosen 

 for the raid, while the troop gets to work en the 

 grain. The sentries are relieved from time to 

 time to enable them to join in the feast. Meet- 

 ings of the patriarchs are held in the evenings on 

 the rocks at the top of the home kopje. These 

 eld fellows sit round in a solemn circle, apparently 

 discussing the affairs of the tribe. Youngsters 

 butting in are promptly cuffed and sent about 

 their business. Baboon mothers put their naughty 

 babies across their knees and spank them, just 

 as a human mother spanks her troublesome off- 

 spring, and the cries of the punished ones greatly 

 resemble those of human infants. Our corres- 

 pondent, adds the paper in question, frequently 

 found himself imagining that he was witnessing 

 a scene from the lives of our old cave ancestors. 



-©- 



BORN WITHOUT EYES. 



A WONDERFUL ANIMAL. 



An example of the physical defects of one 

 of the parents being handed down to> its progeny 

 in a much more accentuated form is owned by 

 Mr. R. F. Chambers at his farm " Blaauwtjes 

 Drift," beyond the Brook, in the shape of a cow. 

 The animal was born, not only blind, but desti- 

 tute of any eye balls. It was thought that an in- 

 cision beneath the eye lashes, just after birth 

 might prove effective, but on the operation being 

 performer the operator and the owner were sur- 

 prised that the young calf had no semblance of 

 eyes. The little animal, however, from birth 

 thrived as well as any normal healthy occupant 

 of the byre and in the course of time develcped 

 its senses of hearing and smelling to> a remarkable 

 degree and grew up into a strong, healthy heifer. 

 The most wenderful thing is that it has developed 

 an instinct which we do not think is apparent in 

 a human being born blind, and that is that it 

 has never been known to run into an obstacle of 

 any kind, whether it be a fence, tree or a more 

 substantial object. It finds its grazing as well 

 as any other cow by its keen sense of smell and 

 has always been in the p ; nk of condition. It 

 has reared a family of four. Its mother at the 

 time it was calved was stone blind, but the dam 

 herself had been normal at birth and had devel- 

 oped blindness in the adult stage. Whether this 

 defect had a prenatal effect we. leave it to the 

 people versed in animal heredity, but the lay man 

 who knows little of the workings of nature, would 

 come to. the conclusion that it had. 



