126 
APES AND MONKEYS. 
(dog-headed) to these animals; and it is this name which has been adopted in 
scientific phraseology as the distinctive appellation of the group. This great 
prolongation of the snout shows that the baboons are the lowest of the Old 
World monkeys, and they bear the most marked signs of relationship with the 
inferior orders of Mammals. 
In addition to their long snouts, baboons are likewise distinguished by the 
large proportionate size of their skulls, this being most markedly the case with some 
of the West African forms. Moreover, the bones forming the upper jaws are greatly 
inflated, so as to give a swollen look to this part of the face in some of the 
species. They may also carry prominent oblique ridges, which form the support 
for the peculiar fleshy tumour-like structures occurring in certain West African 
examples. 
In all the baboons the callosities on the buttocks are unusually large, and may 
be very brightly coloured. The tail is never very long, and may be short. The 
arms and legs, or, as they may be better termed, fore- and hind-legs, are nearly equal 
in length, and are thus far better adapted for progress on the ground than for 
climbing. Indeed, none of the baboons appear to be adepts at climbing, and many 
of them pass almost their whole time on the ground. As we shall have occasion to 
notice more fully later on, several species of this group show an especial predilection 
for rocky ground, and are accustomed to go in large troops—this association being 
probably necessary for defence against the attacks of leopards and other Carnivores, 
to which their terrestrial habits render them peculiarly liable. 
Their defence does not, however, rest solely on the strength of numbers; for 
the male baboons, which are considerably superior in size and strength to their 
consorts, are armed with tusks of the most formidable dimensions. Indeed, a bite 
from one of these animals must be almost, if not quite, as severe and dangerous as 
a leopard’s ; and there are instances on record where leopards have been successfully 
attacked and mastered by a few old male baboons. 
The great size of the head, coupled with their general bodily conformation, 
renders all the baboons much less capable of assuming and maintaining the 
erect posture than any of the other Old World monkeys. They are, indeed, 
accustomed to go almost invariably on all-fours ; and when on tolerably flat ground 
can gallop at a pace that requires a horse to overtake them. When brought to 
bay, a baboon will, however, stand on its hind - quarters to defend itself more 
readily. 
In the wild state scarcely any kind of food comes amiss to baboons ; 
Habits ^ ” 
and although the bulk of their nutriment may take the form of seeds, 
fruits, roots, and the gum which exudes from the stems of many of the African acacias, 
they also search for and eat insects, lizards, and birds’ eggs. In regions where culti¬ 
vated lands exist much harm is done by the nocturnal excursions of baboons. During 
such raids most travellers agree in saying that a certain number of the troop are 
selected to act as sentinels and to give timely warning of the approach of an enemy. 
How much credence is to be given to the statements that on these occasions the 
marauders are accustomed to range themselves in long lines leading from the 
cultivated ground to their homes, and to pass the stolen plunder from hand to 
hand, it is not for us to decide. 
