244 
THE MONKEY TRIBES 
drawn up to give them battle. Of course, they soon discovered that 
they were only monkeys, and then they laughed at their fright. 
Probably you have already noticed that what we commonly call 
a monkey has a long tail, which assists him in his movements in the 
trees, while many of the gorillas or apes have no tails. 
The Baboon. —Of all the wild creatures that dwell amidst the 
dense forests or rocky fastnesses of tropical lands, none are more 
interesting than the species of monkeys known as the baboons. 
Nothing escapes the scrutiny of these most imitative animals; and 
they follow faithfully, with a ludicrous gravity that is exceedingly 
comical to witness, the actions of anyone who has attracted their 
attention. Baboons live together in small colonies of one or more 
families, generally presided over by some hoary-headed, grave old 
patriarch, who preserves order in his little community by the most 
summary methods, restraining the juvenile members from any un¬ 
seemly tricks, and awing them into silence by the dignity of his 
presence, assisted in some degree by the infliction of sundry buffets 
and bites. They are bold and cunning, and frequently commit great 
ravages in the gardens and corn fields that may be in the vicinity of 
their accustomed abodes. The plundering parties are formed and led 
with great skill; sentinels keep watch to tell the busy thieves of the 
approach of unwelcome intruders, and the fields are stripped of their 
crops with great rapidity, and the booty carried away. Eatable 
articles are not the only things that they seize upon. An instance is 
recorded of a number of baboons having carried an infant off to some 
neighboring mountains. On being pursued, they were found seated 
gravely in a circle round the child, which was rescued without having 
sustained any injury. Doubtless they were having a serious consul¬ 
tation over the new acquisition to their numbers, and debating whether 
or not it would make a creditable addition to their family. The 
baboon is very bold, and fights desperately when attacked. The old 
males are very savage, and inflict terrible wounds with their long 
canine teeth, which project considerably beyond the jaws, and have 
the inner edges sharp as a knife. They strike these into any animal 
that provokes them, and grasping it with their arms, thrust it away 
from them, making a long deep gash. Some of the long-armed apes 
