The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-09-09
BRU'rES IN MILITARY ORDER.
Fightng Organizations Among the Dumb
Animals.
London Spectator.

London Spectator.
Evidence of the astonishing sagacity
and military organizations of the Afri-
can babboons increases with the recent
explorations of their favorite haunts.
due to the troubles in Central Africa
and A.byssinia. The English, German
and Italian travellers and emissaries,
who have been employed in various
missions on the fringes Of the Abys-
sinian plateau, have corroborated many
stories which have hitherto been sus-
pected to be exaggerations Of fact. 1t
now appears that their methods and
discipline are far in advance of those
of any other vertebrate animals, and
not inferior to some of the negro tribes
themselves.
The conditions of life Of these mon
keys n Africa are sufficiently curious
without reference to their acquired
habits, though these are undoubtedly
due to the dangers to which the nature
of the country in which they live ex-
poses them. The different species Of
babboons, which are found commonly
over the whole African Continent, are
all by nature dwellers in the open
country. They find their food on the
ground, and, whether this be insects
or vegetables, it is usually in places
which afford little shelter or protec-
tion. Though strong and we'll armed
with teeth, they are slow animals
when on the ground, and not particu-
larly active even when climbing
among rocks. In the rocky "kopjes"
of the South or the cliffs and river
sides of Abyssinia and the Nile tribu-
taries they are safe enough. But they
often abandon these entirely to invade
the low country. During the Abys-
sinian expedition conducted by Lord
Napier, Of Magdala, they regularly
camped near our cantonments on the
coast and stole the grain on which the
cavalry horses and transport animals
were fed. When on expeditions OF
this kind they often leave their strong
hold for days together, and the means
of joint defence from enemies in the
open country are then carefully or
ganized. Their enemies when thus
exposed are the leopard, the lion, and
in South Africa the Cape wild dogs.
To the attack of the leopard they op-
pose numbers and discipline.
No encounter between the balloons
and the wild dogs has been witnessed
and described, but their defensive
operations against domesticated dogs
were seen and recorded by the German
naturalist, Brehm. The following
account appears in the translation Of
his travels by Mrs. Thompson, just
published: The baboons were on the
fat ground, crossing valley, when
the traveller S dogs, Arab grey-hounds,
accustomed to fight successfully with
hyenas and other beasts Of prey, rush
ed toward the baboons. "Only the
females took flight; the males, on the
contrary, turned to face the dogs,
growled, beat the ground with their
hands, opened their mouths wide and
showed their glittering teeth and look
ed at their adversaries so furlously
and maliciously that the hounds, usu-
ally bold and battle hardened, shrunk
back" By the time the dogs were
encouraged to renew their attack the
whole herd had made their way, COW
cred by the rear guard, to the rocks,
except a six-months-old monkey, which
was left behind. The little monkey
sat on low rock, surrounded by the
dogs, but was rescued by an old ba-
boon, which 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 battle cry, were watch
ing his heroism. The march Of the
baboons is not mere expedition of
the predatory members of the com.
munity. The whole nation "trek'
together, and make war on the cultl-
waited ground in common. Their
communities are numerous enough to
produce in miniature the movements
of troops. The tribe often numbers
from ESQ to 900 inhabitants. Of
these the females and young are plac-
ed in the centre when on the march,
while the old males march in front
and also close in the rear. Other
males scout upon the fanks. 1t has
been noticed that these remain on
guard and do not feed during the
whole time that the rest are gathering
provender.
If disturbed by men the old males
form a rear guard and retire without
any haste, allowing the females and
young to 60 on ahead carrying the
plunder. Their retreat is, as a rule,
deliberate and orderly, the balloons
being quite ready to do battle with
any animal except man on the plains,
and instantly becoming the assailant
of man himself if they get the advan-
tage of position. Brehm was stoned
out of a pass in very few minutes by
the dog-faced baboons. These self
reliant animals" he writes, "are a
match even for men. While the
screaming females, with young ones,
fed with all haste over the crest OF
the rock beyond the range of our guns,
the adult males, casting furious G Ian
ces, beating the ground with their
hands, sprang upon stones and hedges,
looked down on the valley for few
moments, continually growing, snar-
ling and screaming, and then began to
roll down stones on us with SO much
yigor and adroitness that we immedl-
ately saw that our lives were IN dan
ger and took to flight. The clever
animals not only conducted their
defence on definite plan, but they
acted in cooperation, striving tor a
common end, and exerting all their
united strength to obtain it. One OF
our number saw one monkey drag his
stone up tree that he might hurL it
down with more effect. | myself saw
two combining to set heavy stone
rolling
The wars of the Constantinople
street dogs are cminently satisfactory
from the point of view of the inquirer
into animal politics. Theoretically,