THE CHACMA AI

otherwise the pig-like one, C: porcarius. The chacma
is not a foe to be despised. According to Mrs.
Martin, no vegetable poison has the slightest effect on
his iron constitution ; and, indeed, if there exists any
poison at all capable of killing him, it is quite certain
that, with his superior intelligence, he would be far
too artful to take it; and where the fiat for his de-
struction has gone forth, a well-organised attack has
to be made on him with dogs and guns. He can
show fight, too, and the dogs must be well trained
and have the safety of numbers to enable them to
face him ; for in fighting he has the immense advan-
tage of hands, with which he seizes a dog and holds
him fast while he inflicts a fatal bite through his
loins. Indeed, for either dog or man to come to close
quarters with Adonis (as the chacma is ironically
called by. the Boers) is no trifling matter. ‘One of
our friends, travelling on horseback, came upon a
number of baboons sitting in solemn parliament on
some rocks. He cantered towards them, anticipating
seeing the ungainly beasts take to their heels in
grotesque panic; but was somewhat taken aback on
finding that, far from being intimidated by his ap-
proach, they refused to move, and sat waiting for
him, regarding him the while with ominous calmness.
The canter subsided into a trot, and the trot into a
sedate walk, and still they sat there ; and so defiant
was the expression on each ugly face that at last the
intruder thought it wisest to turn back and ride igno-
miniously away.’

But the baboons have another side to their nature.
Not long ago there was at the Iondon Zoological