Chapter 12

Ateles ater(Le Caijou), F. Cuvier, Mamm., i., pl. xxxix. (1823); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 5; Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 42 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 170 (1876).Sapajou ater, Slack, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1862, p. 510.

Ateles ater(Le Caijou), F. Cuvier, Mamm., i., pl. xxxix. (1823); Sclater, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 5; Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 42 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 170 (1876).

Sapajou ater, Slack, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1862, p. 510.

Characters.—Entirely black; fur silky, and longer on the head and tail than on the body; fur on top of head directed from behind forwards, falling over the forehead, meeting the backwardly directed hairs of the forehead and forming a tuft. Face black, the upper part naked; chin with stiff black hairs mixed with a few white ones. Ears oval and human-like in form, the upper part movable at will. Thumbs entirely wanting. Length of body, 19 inches; tail, 26 inches.

Distinguished fromA. paniscus, which it closely resembles, by the black colour of its face, and the direction of the hairs on the forehead.

Young.—Lighter in colour than the adults; sometimes brown on the back and the outer side of the limbs.

Distribution.—The Black-Faced Spider-Monkey ranges from Panama, through the United States of Colombia to Eastern Peru.

Habits.—Entirely arboreal, living in large troops, and feeding on fruits.

VII. THE GRIZZLED SPIDER-MONKEY. ATELES GRISESCENS

Ateles grisescens, Scl. MSS.; Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 732; id. Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 42 (1870); Scl., P. Z. S., 1871, p. 223; Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 168 (1876).

Characters.—Hair of forehead elongate. Fur in general moderately long, black, with greyish-white hairs intermingled, giving it a grizzled appearance; under side of tail grey. Similar toA. aterandA. paniscus, but distinguished by the intermixture of grey hairs, and by the colour of the under side of the tail. Thumbs absent.

Young Male.—Rather lighter in colour, especially on the under side of body; tail black above, grey beneath. Length of body, 14 inches; tail, 16 inches.

Distribution.—The habitat of this species is not certainly known. Dr. Sclater considers it probable that it will turn up in some part of the Central American or the Colombian coast.

VIII. THE BROWN-HEADED SPIDER-MONKEY. ATELES FUSCICEPS.

Ateles fusciceps, Fraser MSS.; Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 733; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 663, pl. lv.; Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 42 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 173 (1876).

Characters.—Fur thick. Hairs long, shining, crisp, deep black above, the hairs of the back with brownish tips; the under side of the body and inside of the limbs black; crown of head deep coffee-brown. Length of body about 20 inches; of the tail, 26 inches, according to the dimensions taken from the skin of a young animal by Dr. Sclater. Thumbs entirely wanting.

Distribution.—In 1860, when Mr. L. Fraser returned from Ecuador, he spoke of a large Monkey he had seen, but had not obtained, in the valleys of Western Ecuador. It remained unknown until it was shot, and brought to England by Mr. Buckley some ten years later. It was the only Monkey, he says, except aMycetes, which he saw in Trans-Andean Ecuador.

Habits.—These, doubtless, do not differ from those of other Spider-Monkeys.

IX. THE HOODED SPIDER-MONKEY. ATELES CUCULLATUS.

Ateles cucullatus, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 733; id. Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 42 (1870); Murie, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 739; Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 169 (1876).

Characters.—Hairs of body long, but thin on the head, body, limbs and tail; hair of crown very long and projecting over the face and the sides of head, forming what has been called a "hood." Face nude, flesh-coloured; cheeks and lower jaw nearly nude also, but the skin of a blackish hue. Hair on back black, intermingled with numerous others which are yellowish-grey in colour; crown and back of head, hands, and feet black—the hairs black throughout. Nude part of tail flesh-coloured. The hands have a rudiment of a thumb in the shape of a small tubercle. Length of body, 14½ inches; of tail, 27½ inches.

Distribution.—The Hooded Spider-Monkey is very rare, and very different from any other member of its group in regard to the hair of its head. Its native country is still a matter of uncertainty. Dr. Sclater, however, remarks in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society" for 1881: "I have some reason to supposeit may be from the northern coast of Colombia, as I am told that a black Spider-Monkey, with long hair over its head, is occasionally brought for sale into Cartagena."

X. THE LONG-HAIRED SPIDER-MONKEY. ATELES VELLEROSUS.

Ateles belzebuth, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., vii., p. 27, pl. xvi. (1806); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 44 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 178 (1876).Le marimonda, Humb. Obs. Zool., p. 325 (1811).Ateles frontatus(nec Gray), Sclater, Nat. Hist. Rev., 1861, p. 509.Ateles vellerosus, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 733; Reinh., P. Z. S., 1872, p. 797; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1873, pp. 5, 798, pl. ii.; Alston, in Godman and Salvin, Biol. Centr. Amer. Mamm., p. 10 (1879).Ateles fuliginosus(nec Kuhl), Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 179 (1876).Ateles pan, Schl., t. c. p. 180 (1876).

Ateles belzebuth, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., vii., p. 27, pl. xvi. (1806); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 44 (1870); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 178 (1876).

Le marimonda, Humb. Obs. Zool., p. 325 (1811).

Ateles frontatus(nec Gray), Sclater, Nat. Hist. Rev., 1861, p. 509.

Ateles vellerosus, Gray, P. Z. S., 1865, p. 733; Reinh., P. Z. S., 1872, p. 797; Sclater, P. Z. S., 1873, pp. 5, 798, pl. ii.; Alston, in Godman and Salvin, Biol. Centr. Amer. Mamm., p. 10 (1879).

Ateles fuliginosus(nec Kuhl), Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 179 (1876).

Ateles pan, Schl., t. c. p. 180 (1876).

Characters.—Closely allied toAteles geoffroyi. Hair abundant, long, soft, and flaccid. Face flesh-coloured, except for a black bar from the corner of the eye to the cheek; forehead black, its hair short, reflexed, and uniting, so as to form an erect, crest-like ridge, with the fur on the top of the head, which is directed forward. General colour above black to reddish-brown; the head, back, outer side of the entire fore-limb and of the lower part of the hind-limb, hands, and feet, and upper surface of tail deep black; sides of body, loins, and thighs yellowish-brown or dull black washed with rufous; whiskers, throat, whole of under surface of body, inside of fore- and hind-limbs, and under surface of tail (this sometimes black) yellowish-cream colour, but very variable, sharply defined fromthe dark colour of the upper parts. Thumb entirely wanting. Eyes dark yellowish-grey. May be distinguished from the dark form of Geoffroy's Spider-Monkey by the sharp definition of the colours of the upper and under sides of the body.

Distribution.—This species, also spoken of as the Mexican Spider-Monkey, is known to occur right across Guatemala; it is by no means uncommon, Mr. Salvin says, in the forest country on the northern part of Vera Paz, and he also saw a troop at the summit of the ridge of mountains which connects the Volcan de Fuego with the main Cordillera, at about 8,000 feet above the sea.

The late Prof. Liebmann, the Danish botanist, obtained a specimen, according to Prof. Reinhardt, "in the neighbourhood of the small place Mirador, situated not far from the volcano of Orizaba, in the State of Vera Cruz.... He met with it also in the eastern parts of the State of Oaxaca.... But at the same time he expressly states that he never met with thisAteles, nor, indeed, with any other Monkey, on the Pacific slope of the Great Cordillera in Oaxaca, and that, as far as he could learn, Monkeys are to be found on the western coast only south of Tehuantepec." This species is the only Spider-Monkey certainly known to range as far north as Mexico. According to M. Sallé, the most northern locality for Monkeys with which he was acquainted, was in the State of San-Louis Potosi, about 23° N. latitude, on the upper part of the basin of the Tampico river. (Alston.)

Habits.—The Mexican Spider-Monkey is, like the foregoing members of the genus, arboreal, consorting together in small troops, and feeding on fruits. Prof. Liebmann observed it in small troops in the deep barrancas, up to an elevation of 2,000feet above the sea, on the Orizaba volcano, and in the forests of Oaxaca, to 4,000 feet. Mr. Salvin, on the volcano of Atitlan, in Guatemala, at a height of between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, met several troops of this species on the tops of the higher trees of the forest. These parties of Monkeys were usually about twenty in number and of all ages. On approaching them they did not evince any alarm, but kept uttering a constant querulous sort of bark, and moved from time to time so as to get a better view of the intruder. A few days afterwards, during an excursion to the same volcano, when the summit, 11,800 feet above the sea, was reached, numerous troops ofAteleswere seen in the forest, from an elevation of 7,000 feet to as low as 2,500 feet on the outskirts of the coffee plantations of San Agustin.

Now that we have passed in review the whole of the Anthropoid species inhabiting the New World, a short account of the regions to which they are confined will be of some interest. The most northern limit of Monkeys is, as mentioned above, the State of San-Louis Potosi, about the latitude of 23° North. Their most southern limit attains to nearly 25° of South latitude. They are now confined to the Mexican and Brazilian sub-regions of what has been defined as the Neotropical Region, by Dr. A. R. Wallace, in his great work, "The Geographical Distribution of Animals." The Mexican sub-region belongs to the Neotropical Region, one of those six great areas into which the globe has been divided off by Dr. Sclater on the basis of the geographical distribution of the animals that now inhabit it—the final product of the slowly-changing features of the earth's surface, and of the form, structure, and habits of its animal and vegetable life.

The Mexican sub-region forms the northern part of theRegion, and, to condense Mr. Wallace's account of it, it is of comparatively small extent; but the whole of its area is mountainous, being, in fact, a continuation of the great range of the Rocky Mountains. It varies in elevation above the sea from 6,000 to 18,000 feet. "With the exception of the elevated plateaus of Mexico and Guatemala, and the extremity of the peninsula of Yucatan, the whole of Central America is clothed with forests; and as its surface is much broken up into hill and valley, and the volcanic soil of a large portion of it is very fertile, it is altogether well adapted to support a varied fauna, as it does a most luxuriant vegetation." In this region only species of Spider-Monkeys (Ateles), of Howlers (Alouatta), of Capuchins (Cebus), of Night-Monkeys (Nyctipithecus), and of Squirrel-Monkeys (Chrysothrix) are found. The Spider-Monkeys and the Howlers alone extend so far North as Mexico, and the Night-Monkeys reach to Nicaragua, while the Squirrel-Monkeys and Capuchins have penetrated no further than to Costa Rica.

The Brazilian Sub-region includes all the open plains and pasture lands, surrounded by, or intimately associated with, the forests. Its central mass consists of the great forest plain of the Amazons, from the north-east coast of Brazil to high up in the Andes on the west, a stretch of more than 2,000 miles; and from the mouth of the Orinoko to near La Paz in the Bolivian Andes, a distance of 1,900 miles, of continuous forest in both directions. Within this area are some open "campos" or patches of pasture lands, along several of the tributaries of the Amazon, and Llanos—open flat plains generally flooded in the wet season—on the northern bank of the Orinoko. Unbroken forest also covers the country from Panama southwards by the Magdalena Valley along the western aspect of theAndes to Guayaquil. There is a very arid tract on the northeast coast of Brazil; but south of Cape San Roque the coast forests extend to 30° south latitude, "clothing all the valleys and hill-sides as far inland as the higher mountain ranges, and even penetrating up the great valleys far into the interior. To the south-west the forest country reappears in Paraguay, and extends in patches and partly wooded country till it almost reaches the southern extension of the Amazonian forests. The interior of Brazil is thus in the position of a great island plateau, rising out of, and surrounded by, a lowland region of ever-verdant forests." Of its Anthropoid life the Woolly Monkeys (Lagothrix), the Sakis (Pithecia), and the Uakaris (Brachyurus) are confined to its Amazonian forests. The Woolly Spider-Monkeys (Brachyteles) keep to the wooded coast-regions of South-east Brazil, while the Titis (Callithrix) do not range out of the tropics of South America. The Howlers (Alouatta), the Spider-Monkeys (Ateles), and the Capuchins (Cebus) roam nearly over the whole region—the first and last ranging from Costa Rica to Paraguay as well. The Spider-Monkeys indeed extend over to the west side of the Equatorial Andes, and in Guatemala across to the Pacific coast. No species of Monkey, however, is known to inhabit the western side of the Andes, to the south of the Gulf of Guayaquil.

THE BABOONS, GUEREZAS AND LANGURS. FAMILY CERCOPITHECIDÆ.

With the following account of the numerous species of the genera of this family, we come to consider the first section of the Old World, or Catarrhine[14]Monkeys. These aredistinguished from their New World cousins, described in the previous pages, by many important and obvious characters. The partition dividing the nostrils is narrow, instead of broad, and the openings of the nostrils themselves are directed downwards and outwards. Certain genera possess also sacs formed by distensible folds of the skin in the cheeks. These "cheek-pouches" serve as a storing-place by the side of the jaws, for food which they cannot masticate at the moment. When this store is disposed of, the folds of skin come together again and give no indication of the presence of the pouch, which, moreover, when full does not interfere with the mastication of other food in the mouth, or with the utterance of the animal's usual cries.

The hind-limbs are never shorter than the fore-; they may be equal in length, but they are generally somewhat longer, the animal being more or less quadrupedal, or very partially erect in gait. Their thumb is not invariably present, but when it is, it is always opposable to its fellow digits. The great-toe is never rudimentary, and is never, as it is in Man, the longest, but is the shortest digit of the foot, and it is capable of free motion to and from the others. All of the digits possess nails. The length of the foot among this group approximates more to the proportions of the foot in Man. The hairs on the arms and fore-arms are directed downwards from the shoulder to the wrist.

The tail in this family varies very much; it may be long or short, or even externally absent, but it is never prehensile. All the species, however, possess "callosities," or hard fleshy pads—often of large size—on the buttocks or seat, which, like the naked skin of the face, are usually brilliantly coloured and often of large size. The perineal region and organs are at certain periods, especially in the females, subject to great turgescence and brilliant coloration.

Besides these external characters, we find, on examining their bony structure, much variation in the skull. Some have a rounded forehead, the ascending portion of the lower jaw being high, broad, and flat, with a large facial angle; in others, we have great production of the upper jaw (the horizontal part of the lower jaw being greater than the ascending portion), and a low facial angle. The cerebral portion of the skull is long and flattened, and the palate long and narrow. The dental formula is I22, C11, P22, M33= 32, that of the milk-teeth I22, C11, M (the forerunners of the permanentpre-molars)22= 20, exactly the same as in a Man. The outer lower incisors are equal to, or sometimes smaller than, the inner pair. The permanent canines—which are long and sharp—come in before, or with the posterior molars of both jaws. Between them and the incisors above, and between the canine and the anterior pre-molar below, occurs a gap (or diastema). The anterior upper pre-molar has its outer cusp modified and sharpened; the anterior lower pre-molar has the anterior margin of its crown so shaped as to work "as a scissors'-blade against the posterior edge of the upper canines." (Henley.) The crowns of the molar teeth are long from before backwards, and their fore and hind cusps are united by transverse ridges, a third being present in the same genera, on the posterior lower five-cusped molar.

The nasal bones are often ossified together to form one bone. The surface of the skull is in general oval and smooth, but in some of the Baboons there appear strong ridges over the eyes (hiding the forehead) and along the top of the head, being stronger, when present, in the male than in the female. The external orifice to the ear has a considerable bony tube, or meatus, a distinguishing character which is absent in the NewWorld Monkeys; their tympanic (or ear) cavity being close to the outer wall of the skull. The line of junction (or suture) between the upper jaw-bones, the pre-maxillary and the maxillary, remains unclosed until long after the permanent teeth have come in. Sometimes it remains unclosed throughout life. The foramen for the passage of the spinal-cord, and the condyles for the articulation of the skull with the neck, lie far back.

In the spinal column there are nineteen dorsal and lumbar vertebræ together. The number of caudal vertebræ varies greatly; in some there are as many as thirty-one, in others only three. The posterior ends of the ischiatic bones of the pelvis are rough, flattened, and broad, for the attachment of the fleshy callosities mentioned above.

The bones of the thigh and leg (femurandtibia) together, are longer than those of the arm and fore-arm (humerusandradius) together. The bones of the thumb are modified more for support and progression than for the actions of a true hand; by these modifications the movements of rotation (pronation and supination) are much restricted.

The ankle (tarsus) does not exceed one third of the length of the foot.

The stomach is simple, or but very slightly sacculated, in those genera which possess cheek-pouches; but is tripartite—the middle compartment being sacculated—in those that have not store-pockets in their mouths, "a groove with raised edges leading from the gullet-entrance to this middle compartment." The intestine has a cæcum, or blind diverticulum. "When laryngeal air-sacs are developed, they are formed by a single sac, with a median aperture—immediately beneath the epiglottis. This median air-sac is very large, extending downover the front of the neck, and sending [in some genera] processes into theaxillæ" or arm-pits. (Huxley.)

The main brain (or cerebrum) covers the cerebellum in all the members of theCercopithecidæ; and in them the principal convolutions and fissures found in the human brain are more or less developed.

The familyCercopithecidæincludes all the Old World Monkeys except the Anthropoid or true Apes, and Man, these latter constituting the two remaining families of theAnthropoidea, namelySimiidæandHominidæ. TheCercopithecidæhave been again divided into two Sub-families, theCercopithecinæand theSemnopithecinæ. The first contains the Baboons (Cynocephalus), the Gelada Baboons (Theropithecus), the Mangabeys (Cercocebus) and the Guenons (Cercopithecus), all of which inhabit the African continent; and likewise the Black Apes (Cynopithecus) from Celebes, and the Macaques (Macacus), which are almost exclusively confined to the Asiatic continent. In the second Sub-family are included the Nosed-Monkeys (Nasalis) of Borneo; the Langurs (Semnopithecus) of India, Malaizia, and the Sunda Islands; and the Guerezas (Colobus) of Africa.

THE BABOONS, MANGABEYS, AND MACAQUES. SUB-FAMILY CERCOPITHECINÆ.

This Sub-family is characterised by the presence, in all its members, of cheek-pouches, and a simple stomach. The tail is variable in length, being long or externally invisible. The callosities on the ischiatic bones are large; in many species they become very turgescent at certain seasons, the enlargement extending sometimes to the tail. The hues of the skin on and round the face also become more vivid periodically.Many of the species of this Sub-family are arboreal; some, however, are found only in barren rocky regions; others in low jungle in the neighbourhood of villages, water-tanks, and cultivated patches. Fruits and insects form their principal diet.

THE BABOONS. GENUS PAPIO.

Papio, Erxleb., Syst. Regne Anim., p. 15 (1777).Cynocephalus, Lacép., Mem. de l'Inst. iii., p. 490 (1801). Type,P. sphinx(Geoffr.).

Papio, Erxleb., Syst. Regne Anim., p. 15 (1777).

Cynocephalus, Lacép., Mem. de l'Inst. iii., p. 490 (1801). Type,P. sphinx(Geoffr.).

The members of this genus may easily be recognised by their very Dog-like face, their muzzle being greatly elongated and truncated at the end, with the nostrils set in the truncated termination. Their eyes are directed downwards along the visage. In form and massiveness of body and in length of tail they vary very much. Their fore- and hind-limbs are nearly equal in length, and consequently they progress on all fours, with the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet flat to the ground. Their "fore-paws" are, however, very efficienthands, which some species use very dexterously in turning over stones in their search for food. Their feet are long. Their hair is grizzled or ringed with various colours.

The facial region of the skull is more developed in this genus relatively to the flattened brain-case, than in other Monkeys. In several of the species longitudinal osseous ridges are developed on the bones of the upper jaws, especially in the adult males, adding to the hideousness of the countenance of these animals. The neck is elongated. Theradiusis longer than thehumerus(or arm-bone), and the elbow projection of theulna(of the fore-arm), named theolecranonprocess, is prolonged upwards beyond what occurs in Man. The thumb, though relatively shorter than in Man, is muchlonger proportionately than in other Monkeys, reaching to the middle of the first joint of the forefinger.

Both halves of the liver are much sub-divided.

Gestation lasts seven months, and the young are suckled for six months.

The Baboons are the lowest of the Catarrhine or Old World Monkeys. Most of them are large, ferocious, dangerous, and gregarious animals, and when disturbed or alarmed they give utterance to screams, barks, and guttural murmurs.

Both Dr. Emil Holub and Sir Richard Burton have spoken of the ferocity of the Baboons. "The South African farmers," says the first-named naturalist, "complain of these animals as a great and perpetual nuisance." They were always on the look-out, and no sooner was a field or a garden left unguarded than they would be down at once, breaking through the hedges and devouring the crops. They were likewise very destructive amongst the Sheep. If a shepherd happened to leave his post for ever so short a time, or even to fall asleep, the Baboons, who had been watching their chance from the heights, would be down upon the flock in the valley, and, seizing the Lambs and ripping up their stomachs with their teeth, would feast upon the milk they contained, then leaving the poor mangled victim writhing on the ground. Then they would lose no time in repeating the terrible operation upon another. "About the middle of the morning," says Dr. Holub, "we started eastwards in the hope of catching the herd at their drinking-place.... When we had advanced some distance along the hill we found ourselves approaching the pool ... and could distinctly hear the hoarse barking of the Baboons. Looking across to the opposite side, about 300 yards away, we caught sight of a herd of seven, only four of them full-grown;they seemed to pause and scan us carefully before they decamped to a glen on the right. With all speed we followed them.... As one of our party had only small shot, and the other nothing but a stick, I insisted upon their remaining close at my side, knowing that a full-grown Baboon, when infuriated, is as dangerous a foe as a Leopard.... Behind one of the embankments we took our position. Only a few minutes had elapsed when we could distinctly recognise them as a herd of Baboons. The boy said he was quite sure that they were on their way to the water; but to our surprise they did not make any further advance. A quarter of an hour passed—half an hour—still no symptom of their approach. All at once, as if they had started from the earth by magic, at the open end of the pond, not sixty yards from our place of ambush, stood two huge males.... Being anxious to watch the movements of the animals I refrained from firing, and determined to see what would follow next. Both Baboons sprang towards the water, and leaning down, drank till they were satisfied; then, having gravely stretched themselves, they stalked away solemnly on all fours in the direction of the herd. There was little doubt, therefore, that they had been sent forward to reconnoitre; for as soon as they got back, the entire herd put itself in motion, and made its way towards the pond. There were mothers taking care of their little ones; there were the half-grown animals, the boys and girls of the company; but there did not seem to be more than three or four full-grown males. At first only one Baboon at a time came to the water's edge, and having taken its draught retired to the rest; but when about ten of them had thus ventured separately, they began to come in small groups, leaving the others rolling and jumping on the sand.... It was notlong before two males—the same, I had no doubt, which we had noticed before—came and squatted themselves one on each side of the little creek.... Crack went my rifle. But instead of either of them dropping, the two Baboons started up; by a mutual instinct they both clutched their noses, gave a ringing bark and scampered off. The whole herd took the alarm, and joining in the shrieking clamour were soon lost to sight."

On another occasion Dr. Holub and his servant had arencontrewith a herd of Baboons. He writes:—"We caught sight of them in one of the glens. They were on the further side, and being anxious to obtain a specimen of their skulls, I fired and killed one Baboon; but unfortunately for me, the creature fell into the river. At my second shot I wounded two more. This induced the right wing of the herd to retreat; but the main body kept their ground, and the left flank, moreover, assumed the aggressive, and commenced pelting us so vigorously with stones, that, remembering that I had only one cartridge, I considered it far more prudent to withdraw than to run the risk of a hand-to-hand encounter." On a still further occasion the same well-known traveller says: "I was turning to leave the ravine when some stones came pattering down the rocks in my direction. I soon became aware that the stones were being designedly aimed at me; and, looking up, I saw a herd of Baboons."

"The Nyanyi or Cynocephalus," writes Sir Richard Burton in his "Lake Regions of Central Africa," "in the jungles of Usukuma attains the size of a Greyhound, and, according to the natives, there are three varieties of colour—red, black and yellow. They are the terror of the neighbouring districts; women never dare to approach their haunts; they set theLeopard at defiance, and when in a large body, they do not, it is said, fear the Lion."

"Baboons often show their passion," as Mr. Darwin has related, "and threaten their enemies in a very odd manner, namely, by opening their mouths widely, as in the act of yawning. Mr. Bartlett has often seen two Baboons, when first placed in the same compartment, sitting opposite to each other, and then alternately opening their mouths; and this action seems frequently to end in a real yawn. Mr. Bartlett believes that both animals wish to show to each other that they are provided with a formidable set of teeth, as is undoubtedly the case. As I could hardly credit the reality of this yawning gesture, Mr. Bartlett insulted an old Baboon and put him into a violent passion; and he almost immediately thus acted.... Baboons likewise show their anger, as was observed by Brehm with those which he kept alive in Abyssinia, in another manner, namely, by striking the ground with one hand, 'like an angry man striking the table with his fist.' I have seen this movement with the Baboons in the Zoological Gardens; but sometimes the action seems rather to represent the searching for a stone or other object in their beds of straw.... With several species of Baboons, the ridge of the forehead projects much over the eyes, and is studded with a few long hairs, representing our eyebrows. These animals are always looking about them, and in order to look upwards they raise their eyebrows. They have thus, as it would appear, acquired the habit of frequently moving the latter. However this may be, many kinds of Monkeys, especially the Baboons, when angered, or in any way excited, rapidly and incessantly move their eyebrows up and down, as well as the hairy skin of their foreheads."

Baboons are confined to the African continent and to Arabia, to the region, indeed, termed Ethiopian, as defined by Sclater and Wallace. They live chiefly on the ground, especially in rocky and barren hills, and less frequently among trees, for which their equally long front and hind limbs are not so well adapted. Mr. H. H. Johnson, C.B., now H.M. Commissioner in Nyasa-land, found, however, on his Kilimanjaro Expedition, that Baboons were singularly abundant in the big trees at Taveita, on the rise to that mountain. Their food consists of fruits and Lizards, but principally of insects, which they search for under stones, turning these over with their hands. They are, indeed, nearly omnivorous, as the reader will have gathered from Dr. Holub's observations.

I. THE MANDRILL. PAPIO MAIMON.

Simia maimon, Linn., Syst. Nat., p. 35 (1766).Simia mormon, Altstr., Acta. Noem., p. 144, pl. 3 (1766).Papio maimon, Erxl., Syst. Regne Anim., p. 17 (1777); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 130 (1876).Cynocephalus mormon, Fr. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. Mammif., pp. 143, 146, pls. 52, 53 (1807).Papio mormon, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 104 (1812).Mormon maimon, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 36 (1870).

Simia maimon, Linn., Syst. Nat., p. 35 (1766).

Simia mormon, Altstr., Acta. Noem., p. 144, pl. 3 (1766).

Papio maimon, Erxl., Syst. Regne Anim., p. 17 (1777); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 130 (1876).

Cynocephalus mormon, Fr. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. Mammif., pp. 143, 146, pls. 52, 53 (1807).

Papio mormon, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 104 (1812).

Mormon maimon, Gray, Cat. Monkeys, Brit. Mus., p. 36 (1870).

Characters.—Male.—Body massive and strong; trunk declining backwards; head disproportionately large; muzzle much elongated and protruding, with large longitudinal rugose swellings along each side when full grown; mouth large, and with very animal-like lips; brows strongly projecting over the base of the nose and the small, approximated, deep-set eyes;ears black, naked, and pointed; under-jaw heavy; tail carried erect, very short, two inches long, and naked beneath; limbs short and powerful; the Dog-like nose shorter than the upper lip; nostrils large. Hair rising from the ridge on the lower edge of the brow to a crest on the top of the head, descending into a mane on the back of the head and neck; hair of the body bristly; chin bearded; whiskers proceeding from over the cheek-bones and from under the outer corner of the eyes, long, and directed from the face; the very large callosities, parts of the rump in their neighbourhood, and the inside of the thighs naked. Hands and feet naked.

Skull very massive, having numerous strong muscular crests; the jaws and teeth very powerful, especially the canines, which are huge; the forehead flat and the brain-case small, and further reduced by the great projection backward of the orbits. The cheek-bones enormously swollen along the side of the nose; in the neck a large air-sac. The back-bone has to some extent the peculiar double curve characteristic of the human vertebral column but in the conformation of certain of their vertebræ a similarity to the lower quadrupeds, especially to the Carnivora, is seen in the Mandrill, in accordance with their quadrupedal mode of progression. The metacarpal bones, except that of the thumb, are all of the same length, while in the Man-like Apes they are unequal. The thumb is much restricted in its motions on account of the disposition of certain of the muscles of the hand. The pectoral and pelvic muscles are strongly developed.

Face-ridges bright blue, with purple in the intervening furrows. The bridge of the nose (after the development of the permanent teeth) red, the tip scarlet; lips greyish-black.General colour of fur black, fringed with yellow; centre of the crown of head, crest, nape (extending down the back), and sides of the body black; beard citron-yellow; callosities and surrounding naked skin violet; genital and anal regions scarlet.

Female and Young Male.—Facial rugosities less marked outwardly, as well as on the skull, than in the adult male, and the purple colour of the grooves wanting. The nose is black, not scarlet.

A hybrid between a female of this species and a male Macaque (M. cynomologus) was born in the Zoological Gardens of London in October, 1878.

Distribution.—West Africa, from Senegambia to the Congo.

Habits.—These hideous and extraordinary animals live together in large companies, and are a terror to the natives. They are less ill-dispositioned when young, but when adult, they are very savage. They are nearly omnivorous, but fruits and insects form their chief food. When the Mandrill is in any way excited, the brilliantly-coloured naked parts of the skin are said to become still more vividly coloured.

II. THE DRILL. PAPIO LEUCOPHÆUS.

Simia leucophæa, F. Cuvier, Ann. Mus., ix., p. 477, pl. 37 (1807); id. Hist. Nat. Mamm., livr. iv., p. 637 (1807).Papio leucophæa, Gray, List Mamm., Brit. Mus., p. 10 (1843).Chæropithecus leucophæus, Gray, Cat. Mamm., Brit. Mus., p. 35 (1870).Papio leucophæus, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 131 (1876).(Plate XXII.)

Simia leucophæa, F. Cuvier, Ann. Mus., ix., p. 477, pl. 37 (1807); id. Hist. Nat. Mamm., livr. iv., p. 637 (1807).

Papio leucophæa, Gray, List Mamm., Brit. Mus., p. 10 (1843).

Chæropithecus leucophæus, Gray, Cat. Mamm., Brit. Mus., p. 35 (1870).

Papio leucophæus, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 131 (1876).

(Plate XXII.)

PLATE XXII.

Plate XXII.THE DRILL.

THE DRILL.

Characters.—Somewhat similar toC. maimon, but body less robust, the limbs more slender. Face-swellings with only two furrows; crest and mane less prominent; whiskers encroaching on the face less than in the Mandrill; beard slightly shorter; ears naked, pointed; tail very short, erect, covered with hair all round; the hair round the head, shoulders and sides of body, in a band below the chin, on the under surface of the body, and the outer surface of the limbs, long and fine; muzzle long and truncated, the nostrils placed at its extremity, and somewhat tubular; fingers and toes naked.

Face entirely black, without bright coloration; general colour of fur brown, approaching that of the Mandrill, but washed with greenish on the upper parts, and the shoulders darker. The hairs on the top of the head, on the back, and wherever the greenish colour appears, are grey at the base, alternating with black and yellow, thus producing the greenish coloration; a band from the throat to behind the ear greyish; the whole of the under surface and inner side of the limbs greyish-white; beard and whiskers greyish-white, washed with greenish; hands and feet reddish-purple; callosities bright scarlet.

Young Male.—Smaller; face-swellings less marked; fur and beard more washed with greenish; neck-band paler grey; whiskers paler; callosities not scarlet.

Female.—Like the young male, but the head shorter, and the callosities scarlet; the head and shoulders less haired; the grey neck-band absent; fur in general paler; the greenish hue less marked except on the head and limbs; the fur predominating on the lower part of the back and flanks.

Distribution.—The Drill is confined to West Africa.

Habits.—Little is known of the habits of the Drill. It hasthe reputation of being good-tempered when young, and of being, when old, ferocious, like the Mandrill.

III. THE DOGUERA BABOON. PAPIO DOGUERA.

Cynocephalus babouin, Rüpp., Neue Wirb. Säugeth., i., p. 7 (1835, in part).Cynocephalus doguera, Pucher. et Schimp., Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 1856, p. 96, 1857, p. 57.Cynocephalus porcarius, Fitz. et Heugl., Syst. Uebers., 1866, p. 6; var. Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 64 (1870).Papio doguera, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 126 (1876).

Cynocephalus babouin, Rüpp., Neue Wirb. Säugeth., i., p. 7 (1835, in part).

Cynocephalus doguera, Pucher. et Schimp., Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 1856, p. 96, 1857, p. 57.

Cynocephalus porcarius, Fitz. et Heugl., Syst. Uebers., 1866, p. 6; var. Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 64 (1870).

Papio doguera, Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 126 (1876).

Characters.—Face naked; tail moderately long,terminatingin a tuft of hairs. General colour of fur olive-brown, or yellowish-olive, the hairs being ringed alternately with black and orange, or brownish-yellow, bars, for their outer third; body and outer surface of hind-limbs and tail olive-brown, the brown predominating; sides of head, under surface of body, and inner surface of limbs pale yellow; hands and feet dark brown or black—Length of body, 38 inches; of tail, 20 inches.

The canine teeth are very large, and the lower jaw very heavy. Distinguished fromC. porcariusby its much lighter colour.

Distribution.—The interior of Abyssinia.

Habits.—This very rare Baboon, of which only a very few specimens are known, was brought by Schimper from Central Abyssinia. He states, according to Dr. Slack, that these animals are gregarious, as he met with them in troops of from one to two thousand individuals. They hunt their prey, which consists mainly of small Ruminants, in a manner similar to that of a pack of Hounds, following the quarry till it is exhausted by fatigue, and then capturing and devouring it. Itis also stated that the Lion and the Leopard are unknown in the region inhabited by this Baboon. A glance at the animal under consideration would convince anyone that it is of a most ferocious disposition. Mr. Schimper also informs us that it wages continual war against the Gelada Baboon (Theropithecus gelada) which inhabits the same locality.

IV. THE CHACMA BABOON. PAPIO PORCARIUS.

Simia porcaria, Bodd., Naturf., xxii., p. 17, figs. 1, 2 (1787).Cynocephalus porcarius(Le Chacma), F. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mamm., p. 132, pl. 47 (? 1807); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 34 (1870).Papio comatus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 103 (1812).Papio porcarius, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 102 (1812); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 124 (1876).Cynocephalus ursinus, Schinz, Synops. Mamm., i., p. 64 (1844).

Simia porcaria, Bodd., Naturf., xxii., p. 17, figs. 1, 2 (1787).

Cynocephalus porcarius(Le Chacma), F. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mamm., p. 132, pl. 47 (? 1807); Gray, Cat. Monkeys Brit. Mus., p. 34 (1870).

Papio comatus, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 103 (1812).

Papio porcarius, Geoffr., Ann. Mus., xix., p. 102 (1812); Schl., Mus. Pays Bas, vii., p. 124 (1876).

Cynocephalus ursinus, Schinz, Synops. Mamm., i., p. 64 (1844).

Characters.—Face and ears naked; muzzle protruding, the nose extending beyond the upper lip; the hair of the body long and shaggy, lengthening on the shoulders and the neck, but not forming a conspicuous mane; whiskers small and directed backwards; tail slightly exceeding half the length of the body, elevated at its base, and then descending perpendicularly; callosities small; hands and feet naked. Sense of smell acute.

Skull flattened, the cranial portion smaller than the facial; ridges above and at the sides of the close-set orbits very large; nasal bones long and prominent; canine teeth very large and triangular.

General colour dark brown or nearly black, washed with green, especially on the forehead, the hairs being grey at the base, then ringed alternately with black and green; some ofthem, however, lighter. Head, arms, and legs black; face, hands, feet, and ears dark blue; a white ring encircling each eye; upper eyelids white; whiskers grey.

Female and Young Male.—Similar to the adult male in wanting a conspicuous mane; head rounder; nose less protuberant; cranial portion of skull less conspicuously disproportionate to the facial portion.

Distribution.—This species inhabits South Africa; and in the Cape Colony it is found in large troops.

Habits.—The Chacma, which is the largest of all the Baboons, lives, like the others, in troops, consisting of nearly a hundred individuals. They inhabit rocky places, and apparently prefer country broken into steep cliffs and rocky crags, very often in the neighbourhood of the sea. The Chacmas are very ferocious and dangerous, and in captivity, when fully adult, extremely jealous, but when young they are said to be playful and well-dispositioned. They are, moreover, very intelligent. Their sense of smell, especially for hidden water-springs in dry and arid districts, is said to be remarkable. "An animal," says Le Vaillant, in his "Travels in Africa," "that rendered me more effectual services; which, by its useful presence, suspended and even dissipated certain bitter and disagreeable reflections that occurred to my mind; which, by its simple and striking instinct, seemed to anticipate my efforts; and which comforted me in my languor—was an Ape, of that kind so common at the Cape, under the name ofCawiars. As it was extremely familiar, and attached itself to me in a particular manner, I made it my taster. When we found any fruit or roots unknown to my Hottentots, we never touched them until my dear Kees [the Chacma] had first tasted them; if it refused them, wejudged them to be either disagreeable or dangerous, and threw them away." The food of the "Chacma," an Anglicised form of the Hottentot name for this Baboon, consists of Lizards, Scorpions, Centipedes, and all manner of insects; birds' eggs, gum, and honey are particularly relished by it. When these are difficult to find, it searches for the bulbous roots of certain liliaceous plants, of which it is very fond, and which it very ingeniously disinters. As Le Vaillant has recorded of the same individual to which we have just referred: "He laid hold of the tuft of leaves with his teeth, and pressing his four paws firmly against the earth, and drawing his head backwards, the root generally followed; when this method did not succeed, he seized the tuft as before, as close to the earth as he could, then throwing his heels over his head, the root always yielded to the jerk he gave it."

V. THE YELLOW BABOON. PAPIO BABUIN.

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