The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-09-02

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FIGHTING eABooNs.
Fhsy March Like Soldiers and Are Brave
When Attacked.
The reports Of explorers who have re-
Gently journeyed through Africa confirm
in large measure the stories OF sagaclsy
and organized movements among the
balloons Of the country that used to be
regarded as exaggerations, to say the
least. On authority that can now hard
II be questioned it would seem that the
African baboons organize their defensive
and other movements with an inteill-
gence scarcely inferior to that shown BY
q number of savage tribes OF human
beings.
The baboon is slow moving animal,
with little of the agility found among
most of the monkey tribes, but never
theless is comparatively safe from the
usual dangers which menace him as
long as he stays among the rocks and
woods. But it is his habit to spend
much time in the open country, and
upon these excursions his sagacity IN
organizing for a combined defense is
chiefly shown. They have been known
to attack the natives when IN small
numbers, but their natural enemies
when thus exposed are the leopard, the
lion and in South Africa the Cape wild
dogs. To the attack of the leopard they
oppose numbers and discipline. No en-
counter between the baboons and wild
dogs has been witnessed and described,
but their defensive operations against
domesticated dogs were seen and record
ed by the German naturalist Brehm.
On one occasion. he says, the baboons
were ON fat ground, crossing valley,
when his dogs, Arab greyhounds, accus'
toned to fight successfully with hyenas
and other beasts Of prey, rushed toward
the baboons. Only the females took to
fight. The males, on the contrary,
turned to face the dogs, growled, beat
the ground with their hands, opened
their mouths wide and showed their
elitte-ing teeth and looked at their ad-
yersaries SO furiously and maliciously
that the hounds, usually bold and battle
hardened, shrank back.
By the time the dogs were encouraged
to renew the attack the whole herd had
made their way, covered by the rear
guard, to the rocks, except 6-months-
old monkey, which was left behind.
The little monkey sat on low rock,
surrounded by the dogs, but was rescued
by an old baboon, who stepped down
from the cliff near, advanced toward
the dogs, kept them in check BY gestures
and menacing sounds, picked up the
baby monkey and carried it to the cliff,
where the dense crowd Of monkeys.
shouting their battlecry, were watching
his heroism. The march Of the balloons
is not mere expedition Of the predatory
members of the community. The whole
nation s'treck" together and make war
on the cultivated ground in common.
Their communities are numerous enough
to reproduce in miniature the move
ments of troops. The tribe often num-
bers from $50 to 800 individuals. OF
these tho females and young are placed
in the center when ON the march, while
the old males march in front and close
the rear. Other males scout upon the
fanks. 1t has been noticed that these
remain On guard and do not feed dur
ing the whole time that the rest are
gathering provender.
II disturbed by men, the old males
form q rear guard and retire without
any haste, allowing the females and
young to go ahead, carrying the plum
der. Their retreat is, as rule, deliher-
ate and orderly, the baboons being quite
ready to do battle with any animal on
the plain, and instantly becoming the
assailant of man himself when they get
the advantage Of position. Brehm was
stoned out of a pass in few minutes
hy the DOG faced baboons. "These self
reliant animals" he writes, "are a
match even for men. While the scream
ing females with young ones fed with
all haste over the crest Of the rock be-
yond the range of our guns, the adult
males, casting furious glances, beating
the ground with their hands, spfang
upon stones and ledges, looked down on
the valley for few moments, continu-
ally growing, snarling and screaming,
and then began to roll down stones on
Us with so much vigor and adroitness
that we Immediately saw that our lives
were in danger and took to fight The
clever animals not only conducted their
defense on q definite plan, but they
acted in cooperation, striving tor
common end, and exerting all their
united strength to obtain it San
Francisco Examiner.