THE MANDRILL. 
69 
This addition to the nsnal form of the skull, adds greatly to the brutish, appearance of the 
animal, and gives it a less intelligent aspect than that which is seen in most of the monkey tribe. 
Only the male Mandrill possesses these strange adornments in their full beauty of size 
and color, the females being only gifted with the blue tint upon the muzzle, and even that is 
of a much less brilliant hue than in the male. The cheek-bones are but little elevated above 
the face, and are without the deep furrows that give so strange an appearance to the male sex. 
Even in the male animal, these ornaments do not fully develop themselves until the 
creature has attained maturity. Not until the task of dentition is fully accomplished does the 
Mandrill shine out in all the glory of his huge azure nose, his crimson month, and carmine 
termination. 
Of all the baboons, the Mandrill appears to be the most hopelessly savage, though exam- 
ples are not wanting of individuals which have been subjected to kind treatment, and have 
proved tractable and gentle — that is, for baboons. 
The adult Mandrill is liable to terrible gusts of passion, during which it seems to be bereft 
of reason and possessed with an insane fury. That which in other monkeys is a hasty petu- 
lance, easily excited and soon passing away, becomes in this animal a paroxysm of wild and 
blind rage, to which the anger of an ordinary monkey is but a zephyr to a tornado. 
When thus infuriated — and but small cause is needed for its excitation — the animal seems 
to be beside itself with fury, heedless of everything but the object of its anger. A demon 
light glares from the eyes, and it seems verily possessed with a demon’s strength and malignity. 
With such violence do its stormy passions rage, that the vital powers themselves have been 
known to yield before the tempest that agitates the mind, and the animal has fallen lifeless in 
the midst of its wild yells and struggles. 
u Sudden and quick in passion” as is the Mandrill, it bears no short-lived anger, after the 
custom of most quick-tempered beings, but cherishes a rancorous and deeply-rooted vengeance 
against any one who may be unfortunate enough to irritate its froward temper. It will often 
call in the aid of its natural cunning, and will pretend to have forgotten the offence, in order 
to decoy the offender within reach of its grasp. 
The power of this animal is very great, and more than might be inferred from its size 
alone, though its dimensions are far from trifling. 
Unless they travel in large numbers and well armed, the natives shrink from passing 
through the woods in which these animals make their residence. 
For the Mandrills live in society, and their bands are so powerful in point of numbers, 
and so crafty in point of management, that they are about as formidable neighbors as could 
be imagined. It is said that wherever they take up their abode they assume supreme sway, 
attacking and driving from their haunts even the lordly elephant himself. 
These animals are also affirmed to keep a watch over the villages, and, when their male 
population is dispersed to field labor, that they issue in large companies from the woods, enter 
the defenceless villages, and plunder the houses of everything eatable, in spite of the terrified 
women. Some of the female population are said to fall victims to the Mandrills, which carry 
them away to the woods, as has been related of the Chimpanzee. 
This latter assertion may be untrue, but it is strengthened by much collateral evidence. 
The large male baboons, when in captivity, always make a great distinction between their 
visitors of either sex, preferring the ladies to the gentlemen. Sometimes they are so jealous 
in their disposition that they throw themselves into a transport of rage if any attentions be 
paid to a lady within their sight. 
This curious propensity was once made the means of re-capturing a large baboon — a 
chacma that had escaped from its cage in the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris. 
It had already baffled many attempts to entice it to its home, and when force was tried, 
repelled the assailants, severely wounding several of the keepers. At last a ready-witted 
keeper hit upon a plan which proved eminently successful. 
There was a little window at the back of the cage, and when the keeper saw the baboon 
m front of the open door, he brought a young lady to the window, and pretended to kiss her. 
The sight of this proceeding was too much for the jealous feeling of the baboon, which flew 
