158 GUIDE TO THE 
it heard a feu de joie . The Giraffe is a native of Africa, 
south of the desert of Sahara, and also of Nubia. 
Continuing south-east-wards and again passing the 
Abdool Gunny House, keeping it on the left hand, the 
Bridge should now be crossed, when the visitor will observe 
a circular house in front of him, and, to his left, under a 
tree 
The Hamadryas Baboon Cage 
and this he will first visit. It contains a magnificent male 
of the famous Sacred Baboon, Thoth , the God of Letters 
of the ancient Egyptians, Cynocephalus hamad}'ayas , 
peculiar to North Eastern Africa, and very numerous 
on the highlands of Abyssinia and on the Western 
shores of the Red Sea. The unfortunate failing that some 
monkeys have for spirituous liquors, and this baboon 
amongst them, is taken advantage of by the natives of 
Africa for its capture, and Professor Duncan relates that 
“ the natives fill some vessels with strong beer, and put them 
out in places where they look particularly tempting to the 
thirsty. The Baboons, ever on the watch for something new 
and to steal, see the pitchers and pans, and of course just 
taste their contents. Feeling happy and enlivened, after 
a while they try again, and finally drink long and 
deeply, becoming in a short time decidedly tipsy, and 
unable to take care of themselves. Unfortunately 
for the tipplers their punishment is greater than the 
crime ; and not only do they suffer all the miseries 
of headache, thirst, and bodily depression, but they 
lose their liberty also, and not for a time only. The 
natives, knowing that after a few hours they may ex¬ 
pect to find the Baboons incapable of biting, fighting, or 
running away, go out and search for their victims, and 
