The Anubis Baboon

These chacma baboons and their relations, the anubls baboons, are sametimes used to discover water in dry seasons, which they can do when even the bushmen fail to find it, says tha CornhiU Magazine. A single monkey ts taken oot thirsty and let loose, when it quajters the ground like a pointer, enufflng in all the llkely places, until it stops and beglne to dig wlth lts hands, and if the eand be dug away water soon oozes into the hollow. Tai? feat, wlüch has been seea both in South África and in Angola, on the western coast, is not so wonderful aa It seems, because it is only done ia the country where the water collepts in hollows on a rocky bottom, whicn is 6oon blown over and covered by sand. The surface becomes dry and sbifting, though lower down the water and sand lie mixed upon the rocky bed. But no other animal seems to have elther the scent or the power of uslng it possessed by the baiboon. Even if they cculö detect the water, the want of hands to scoop away the sand and procure it would make their knowledge as unprofltable as discovering water in a well which had no bucket. An anubie baboon kept in Upper Bgypt was ueed as a house dog, being kept chained at the door. It knew all the usual visitors to.the house, but prevented others from entering by walking up and down across the doorway. In medieval times numbers of these animáis were brought to Europe and kept as pets and there is hardly a nation of southern and western Europe among whom stories have not survived o' their cleverness, sociability and courage. The most familiar to us ia tb e story of the baboon which rescued the child of the Fitzgerald family from the burnlng castle.