Lower coast gazette., 1913-12-27
Balloons at Home.

|St49 WV S0A Why WI VAS
disposition of an animal like the ba-
boon from a study Of it's behavior in a
wild state. Few persons ever have a
chance for such study, and according
|ly an intelligently observed account
of the animals actions becomes Of in.
terest. The author of "Animal Life in
Africa" Maj. j.. decentralization,
furnishes the following results Of his
personal npestigations:
1t is most interesting and instructive
to watch, from some concealed posi-
ton, the social life of a troop Of ba-
Blooms, who fancy themselves unob-
served. Perched about at intervals
among the rocks r some Of the old
er males, evidently on the lookout for
danger. Behind them walk and squat
a heterogeneous mass Of females and
of young animals. The females employ
themselves in various family tasks,
and the youngsters, playing and SQUAD
bling, chase one another round to a
shrill accompaniment Of chattering
| screams.
Possibly two Of the latter, in the
course Of a rough-and-tumble, jostle
against one of the older males. Imme-
diately the latter's attitude of digni-
fed quiscence vanishes, and he turns
with a roar upon the imprudent juve-
niles, who hastily retreat with shrieks
of fear. Now and then a mother finds
it necessary to chastise her offspring,
or to wreak vengeance upon one or
other of the unattached hobbledehoys
who, she guesses, meditates imposing
upon or injuring 1t. The air resounds
with shrieks, shrill cries, and occasion
al bass grunts.
Suddenly from one Of the guards
comes a single deep, hoarse bark. The
females catch up their young off.
spring; the rest of the band, with one
accord, scuttle out right and left, and
in a moment there is nothing to be
seen except one or two Of the larger
males, who walk quietly off, now and
then stopping to glance back, and to
utter their resonant warning barks.
If you run quickly forward and clint
to some coign of vantage you will per
haps be in time to see the whole band
scampering off. The infants cling tx
their mothers backs, the unattached
juveniles race ahead, and the three o.
four fathers of families bring up The
rear at a more deliberate pace.
Apparently, however, the cunning o.
the baboon has limits, as the occa
sional success of one OF the methods
of catching them alive proves. The
practise is to put a few mealies, OF
some similar delicacy, inside an or
binary gourd, and leave an opening
only large enough to admit the oper
hand of the animal.
The first party that comes along
!, soon discovers the hidden treasure
! Some of the smaller ones are prob
ably wrangling over 1t, when a BIZ
males steps up, drives them all away
and begins to examine the gourd OF
his own account. After turning !
round and round, and inspecting !
from all sides, he at last squeezes hi
/ hand into the hole, and grasps tn
, prize. Presently, to his annoyance, b
finds that, although he could put hi
hand In with a struggle, it is quite In
Y possible to withdraw it, clenched an
4 full Of mealies. He gets angry, an
struggles furiously, but Intellectually
until the watchers arrive and max
him an easy prisoner. It never occur
8 to him to open his hand and let tn
mealies go, but growing and roarin