98 
VERTEBRATA. 
the mother, who, however, would not allow them to touch the young one. They seated them- 
selves in a circle, and moved their lips as if felicitating the happy couple on the arrival of the son 
and heir, and perhaps finding in it a marvelous resemblance to either the father or mother. This 
scene was very much like what often takes place in the human family on similar occasions, except 
that we suspect the felicitations were more genuine and heartfelt on the part of the brutes than 
on that of their more favored prototypes. 
''AH the baboons wished to caress the young one; but no sooner did one of them put forward 
his hand, than a good slap from the mother warned him of his indiscretion. Those who were 
placed behind her stretched their hand out slily, slid it under her arm, and succeeded sometimes, 
to their great joy, in touching the little one without the mother perceiving it, particularly when 
she was engaged in conversation. But a smart correction soon taught them that their indiscretion 
was observed, and they quickly retreated. It was evident that the monkey mother, thoroughly ac- 
quainted with the requirements -of her position, knew perfectly well how to divide her attention 
between her guests and her infant charge. 
" When the young baboon became old enough to exercise his infant limbs in climbing the iron 
trellis of the cage, the mother's eyes followed him with anxiety, watchmg him as he ascended and 
descended, and stretching her arms out to catch him in case of a misstep. At the same time she 
evidently encouraged him to effoi't, and applauded his success. From that time she did not cease 
to extend her care over him, until he was large enough to try his fortunes in the world alone." 
The Mandrill, 0. Mormon or C. Maimon, is the largest of the whole genus, and may be 
readily distinguished from all the other baboons by the enormous protuberance of its cheeks, and 
the bright and variegated colors which mark them, as well as by its short, stumpy tail. The full- 
grown mandrill measures above five feet when standing upright : the limbs are short and power- 
ful, the body thick and extremely robust, and the head large and almost destitute of forehead ; 
the tail not more than a couple of inches in length, and generally carried erect ; the callosities 
large, naked, and of a blood-red color. The general complexion of the hair is a light olive-brown 
above, and silvery gray beneath. The muzzle and lips are large, swollen, and protuberant : the 
former is surrounded above with an elevated rim or border, and truncated like the snout of a 
hog — a characteristic more conspicuous in this than in other baboons, and which leads us to sus- 
pect that the mandrill is the species that Aristotle incidentally mentions by the name Chcero- 
piihecuSy ro Pig-faced Baboon. Altogether, the mandrill is a hideous combination of brutalities, 
rendered exceedingly striking by its strength, intelligence, ferocity, and gaudy coloring. 
The mandrill is a native of Northern Africa : it is often mentioned by travelers, and bears the 
diflferent names of Smitten^ Choras, Boggo^ Barris^ &c., according to the language or dialect of 
the tribes in whose territories it is found. In a state of nature, his great strength and malicious 
character render him a truly formidable animal. As these creatures generally march in large bands, 
they prove more than a match for any other dwellers in the forests, and are even said to attack 
and drive the elephants away from the districts in which they have fixed their residence. The 
inhabitants of those countries are themselves afraid to pass through the woods unless in large 
companies and well armed ; and it is said that the mandrills will even watch their opportunity, 
when the men are in the fields, to plunder the negro villages of every thing eatable, and some- 
times attempt to carry off the women into the woods. 
The Drill, C. leucophceus, is a native of the coast of Guinea, and like the mandrill is distin- 
guished .by a short, erect, stumpy tail, scarcely two inches in length, and covered with short 
bristly hair. The cheeks are not so protuberant as in that species, neither are they marked with 
the same variety of colors, and the size and power of the animal are much inferior. Nevertheless, 
it is frequently confounded with the mandrill in its native country. 
The WeoD Baboon, the Cinereous Baboon, and the Yellow Baboon, are all referable to 
this species, .and differ only from the difference of the age and sex of the specimens from which 
descriptions of them have been drawn. 
The other species of baboons are the C. Oelada of Abyssinia ; the Papion, C. sphinx, of Western 
Africa — a very intelligent and interesting species, frequently seen in menageries; the C, babouin, 
whose natural history is little known ; the C. Anubis of Nubia ; and the C. olivaceus of Guinea. 
