BABOON OR DOG-HEADED MONKEYS.
The Baboons and the Mandrills are sometimes placed in separate classes by Naturalists because of the difference in the length of their tails, but they both belong to the same family—the Cynocephali, which is derived from the words cyon, cynos, a dog, and cephale, a head, and means dog-headed.
In these creatures the teeth and the cheek-pouches, which are similar to those of the majority of the Monkey family, are combined with a long nose and the nostrils situated like those of a dog. The Baboons have longer tails than the Mandrills, and although their forms are very clumsy, they climb trees easily, and even display much agility when they are sporting among the branches; yet they seldom select the forest as their place of residence. They are found almost exclusively in Africa, although a single species is found in Asia.
The Baboon was known to the ancient Egyptians, on whose monuments it often appears, and as it symbolized the god Thoth, the inventor of the alphabet, it was held in great veneration in those days of long ago, and numerous mummies of this animal have been found in Egyptian burial places.
The Baboon prefers to walk on all fours like a quadruped, and instead of living in forests, they choose the mountainous districts, and rocky places covered with bushes and brush wood. They live in troops, and each troop takes possession of a certain district, which they defend against all intruders. If men approach, the alarm is instantly raised, the whole troop gather together, and endeavor both by their cries and their actions to drive them away. And if not successful in this they will attack such visitors with sticks, or throw stones and other missiles at them. Even firearms will not frighten the Baboons and a troop will not retreat until many are left dead upon the ground.
If a traveler is unfortunate enough to encounter one of these troops when alone, he is soon surrounded by numbers of the infuriated beasts, and literally torn to pieces. Rather than encounter such a death an Englishman once killed himself by leaping from a cliff, where he had been hemmed in by a multitude of these ferocious creatures.
Their canine teeth are almost as formidable as those of the Tiger, yet they are said to live entirely on vegetable diet, and to be so fond of fruit that they sometimes seriously destroy orchards and gardens.
It is usually during the night that they make their thieving excursions, and they take great care to ensure the success of their stealing. When the troop arrives at the scene of action, it divides into three companies, one enters the orchard or garden, while those of the second division place themselves as sentinels to give warning of the approach of danger, while a third division establishes itself in the rear and forms a long line extending from the other troops to their home in a neighboring mountain. When all these arrangements are completed, those who have broken into the orchard or garden throw the produce of their thieving to the nearest sentinels, who pass it on to those behind, and thus in a very short time it is handed along the line and stored in a safe place at the end, until there has been enough secured to make a feast for the entire troop. While thus engaged, if one of the sentinels raises a cry of alarm, the whole body will scamper off to their hiding places.
MANDRILL.
The Mandrills are distinguished by their very short tails, and by deep wrinkles on each side of the nose which are often brilliantly colored. There are two species living in Western Africa which are known as the Mandrill and the Drill.
The Drill is very much like the Mandrill except that its face is completely black instead of being striped with color; and it also inhabits Guinea.
The Mandrill has a very peculiar appearance when the colors of its face are bright. In some instances the entire face is streaked with bright red and blue and black bands, and what seems still more curious the upper part of the thigh is sometimes of a bright red mixed with blue, giving the Monkey a very peculiar appearance. And what seems even more strange, these colors are not permanent, but often disappear after or during disease, and they even change when the animal is strongly excited.
The Mandrill when old is deceitful and malicious. Even when taken quite young and supposed to be tame, it should not be trusted, for taming does not seem to improve its character.
Besides these changeable colors that stripe the face and tint the thighs of the Mandrill, their permanent colors are very bright and striking. The hair upon its body is a brownish grey, with olive upon the back; the chin is surrounded by a beard of bright lemon yellow; its cheeks are either striped or of a brilliant blue, while the nose is red, especially towards the tip where it becomes scarlet. It would be difficult to find an animal more gaily decorated and yet so hideous. And as it grows to be almost as large as a man, it is not surprising that the negroes of the Guinea coast, where it is commonly found, should have a superstitious fear of so dangerous a creature.
The Monkeys belonging to the group known as Macaques, or Macacus, nearly all have tails; some quite long, others short, and still others of medium length, and Naturalists sometimes divide them into different groups according to the length of the tail. Others classify in different ways, making a great many distinct groups or Genus of this particular tribe of Monkeys, but the three main groups—the Wanderoo, the Barbary Ape and the Bonnet Monkey—are the most important and include the main characteristics of all the others.
The Wanderoo is commonly found in the island of Ceylon. These Monkeys have cheek pouches like the others of this family. They do not grow much larger than an English Spaniel Dog and are of a grey color with black faces and great white beards reaching from ear to ear, making them look like old men. They do very little mischief, keeping in the woods, and eating only leaves and buds of trees; but when they are tamed they can be taught to eat anything.
The other Monkeys have great respect for this species, looking upon them as their superiors; and they are usually considered by mankind to be much more intelligent than the rest of the Monkey race.
The Barbary Ape is the only Monkey found in Europe, and differs from almost all others belonging to the Macaques, in being without a tail. When full grown it is from three to four feet high. Its general color is olive green and grey; the face is of a dirty flesh color, with brown spots, very much wrinkled, and surrounded with dirty grey hair.
It usually goes on all fours. The young animals are very intelligent and gentle, and they are well known throughout Europe as objects of exhibition and amusement.
The Barbary Apes prefer to live in rocky places and on the mountains. In their native home they live upon pine cones, chestnuts, figs, melons, nuts and vegetables which they carry off from gardens near their homes, although great care is taken to exclude these mischievous animals. While they are committing their thefts, two or three mount to the summits of the trees, and of the highest rocks to keep watch, and as soon as these sentinels see any one, or hear a noise, they utter a cry of warning, and immediately the whole troop take to flight, carrying off whatever they have been able to lay their hands on.
BONNET MONKEYS.
The Bonnet Monkey is frequently caught for exhibition. It is about the size of a large cat, greenish grey above and white below, with a long tail. The face is naked and wrinkled; the hair of the crown is long and dark, and spreads in all directions, lying upon the surface of the head like hair in a scalp-wig. On this account the animal is sometimes called the Scalp Monkey.
In its native country the Bonnet Monkey is almost as much venerated as the Hoonuman in Bengal, and although it does great injury to fields and gardens, the natives forbid any one to kill it. Or if this has been done through mistake, they demand from the culprit enough money to pay for a grand funeral.
When young, the Bonnet Monkey is very amusing as a pet, performing all his tricks with a comical gravity. When two or three are kept together, they are constantly hugging and nursing each other. When a Monkey of this kind has no companions of its own species, it will make friends with some other animal, and will often pet and hug a kitten with great gravity and all the fondness of a child, at a great risk of choking it. When full-grown, however, the behavior of the Bonnet Monkey changes, and it becomes sullen and savage and spiteful.