ii8 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



the Old World. By Old World we mean Europe, Asia, 

 and Africa, because these countries were discovered long 

 ago. When humanfolk discovered America, they thought 

 it a different world altogether, and so they called it the 

 New World. So when you read in books about the New 

 World monkeys, you will know that it means the monkey- 

 folk who live in America. When you hear of Old World 

 monkeys, you will know it refers to the monkeyfolk of 

 Africa, Europe, and Asia. 



I suppose you humanfolk often wonder why it is that 

 monkeyfolk are spread nearly all over the world. Well, 

 long ages ago the New World and the Old World were all 

 joined together by land, and the creatures of the earth 

 were able to roam all over it. Then there were great 

 earthquakes, and the bottom of the ocean in some places 

 rose up and in other places the dry land sank, and when 

 the earthquakes finished jumbhng up the crust of the world, 

 the animalfolk, including you humanfolk, found themselves 

 cut off by the ocean. As the ages rolled on the monkey- 

 folk in the different parts of the world changed very much 

 in shape, colour, habits, and intelligence, owing to their 

 surroundings all being different. You see, every creature 

 in order to Uve must adapt itself to its surroundings. If 

 there isn't any of the food which it is accustomed to, then 

 it must eat whatever there is to be had. If enemies beset 

 it, then it must find out how to escape from them. There 

 is just as much difference in the colour, shape, and in- 

 telligence of you humanfolk as there is amongst monkeyfolk. 



DIFFERENT KINDS OF BABOONS 



Although we have a good many relations, none of them 

 live in South Africa. The country is ours by right of 

 first occupation. Long ages and ages ago, our ancestors 

 came down from the north and took possession of this 



