ZOOLOGY 
287 
Monkeys are not abundant in British Central Africa, nor are they numerous 
in species. The most remarkable among them is the grey baboon ( Papio 
pruinosus) recently discovered on the south coast of Lake Nyasa. The first 
specimen of this animal was shot by Dr. Percy Rendall, a medical officer in 
the service of the Administration. He was not at first much struck with the 
novelty of the creature’s appearance, however, and had I not been passing at 
the time and observed the body of the beast as it lay dead on his verandah, 
it might have been thrown away, but it struck me as being very remarkable in 
the colouring of its fur, and I induced him to let me forward it to the British 
Museum, where it turned out to belong to a new species. Its fur is a pale 
bluish-grey above and a dirty white below and is well illustrated by the plate 
which appears in the Proceedings for April 1st, 1897, of the Zoological Society. 
The common yellow baboon is the other cynocephaline species which is found 
in the Protectorate. It is extremely common everywhere, 1 2 very bold and very 
cunning. It is constantly robbing the natives’ plantations, and the women 
profess to go in terror of the large male baboons (which grow to the size of a 
big mastiff dog) as they say that these latter will attempt to outrage them if 
they see no man accompanying the party. I do not myself believe there is 
any truth in this idea ; I think all the baboons want to ravish are the contents 
of the baskets of food the women are carrying ; it is quite certain that they 
will come down and endeavour to rob women and children if they see them 
unaccompanied by persons armed with weapons. 
When the baboons descend to raid the plantations one or more of their 
number (a half-grown baboon generally) invariably stands sentry to warn the 
rest of the troop when danger is approaching. The baboons are not very shy 
of approach unless one is armed with a gun. Not infrequently when I have 
been riding alone between Blantyre and Katunga a number of baboons have 
come down to the road to look at me as I went by and have even trotted along 
on the road in front of my horse. On one occasion their demeanour was 
distinctly threatening. Several of them were waiting for me on either side of 
the road making hideous grimaces and grunts. They dispersed, however, when 
I rode straight at them and showed that I had a switch. The young baboons 
become quite tame after a few days’ captivity and are most amusing though very 
impudent pets. 
The two commonest Cercopithecus monkeys are the white-throated and the 
red-rumped ( C. albigularis and C. pygerythms'). The Colobus monkey ( Colobus 
palliatus) is the white-thighed species. This animal is rare in British Central 
Africa, and is so far as I know only found in the high mountains west and north 
of Lake Nyasa. Its skins are much valued by the natives who use the long 
black and white hair to make capes and mantles and anklets for their war 
dresses. 
The Lemuroids are represented by the great Galago 1 and the small Moholi 
Galago. The big species is a beautiful animal about the size of a cat. The 
colour of the fur (at any rate in the Nyasa variety) is quite a light whitish-grey 
and the tail is exceedingly bushy. This creature when captured full grown 
is rather intractable and difficult to tame. It can and will bite savagely. When 
brought to bay it stands up on its hind legs and boxes with the fore paws, 
partly to repel an assault and partly to seize and bite the assaulter. 
1 The yellow baboon ( Papio babuin) is found nearly all over tropical Africa south of the Equator. 
It is in some respects the most generalised of the baboons. 
2 Otogale Kirkii. 
