From akriman@darwin.helios.nd.edu Thu Aug 16 13:45:31 2001
Received: from mxu101.u.washington.edu (mxu101.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.14])
	by lists.u.washington.edu (8.11.2+UW01.01/8.11.2+UW01.04) with ESMTP id f7GKjU0124304
	for <classics@lists.u.washington.edu>; Thu, 16 Aug 2001 13:45:30 -0700
Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8])
	by mxu101.u.washington.edu (8.11.2+UW01.01/8.11.2+UW01.04) with SMTP id f7GKjUu31366
	for <classics@u.washington.edu>; Thu, 16 Aug 2001 13:45:30 -0700
Received: FROM mailspool.helios.nd.edu BY mxu1.u.washington.edu ; Thu Aug 16 13:45:29 2001 -0700
Received: from darwin.helios.nd.edu (darwin.helios.nd.edu [129.74.250.114])
	by mailspool.helios.nd.edu (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id PAA29714
	for <classics@u.washington.edu>; Thu, 16 Aug 2001 15:45:23 -0500 (EST)
Received: (from akriman@localhost)
	by darwin.helios.nd.edu (8.10.1/8.10.1/ND-cluster) id f7GKjOj23612
	for classics@u.washington.edu; Thu, 16 Aug 2001 15:45:24 -0500 (EST)
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 15:45:24 -0500 (EST)
From: Alfred M Kriman <akriman@darwin.helios.nd.edu>
Message-Id: <200108162045.f7GKjOj23612@darwin.helios.nd.edu>
To: classics@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Talking About the Trogs/Bushmen and other critters

Richard Ratzan wrote

> apropos Bushmen and tricks to catch animals, i too saw
> a special on bushmen a while back and they have an
> ingenious way to use baboons (i think it was) to find
> water: they put salt into a tree with a small hole,
> wait until the baboon puts its fist into the hole and
> then walk up to catch it/rope it, since the baboon
> will not release the fistful of salt, remaining stuck.
> then they use the roped animal to lead them to the
> water!

This general technique seems to be widespread.  I always heard
that this was the way monkeys were captured (for food) in Amazonia.
Looking on the web now, however, I find limited mention of it; the
main source of stories is India, where a half-coconut is used.
Also, Lev Tolstoy used it as a metaphor in _War and Peace_ to
describe the French army leaving Moscow.  I suspect the technique
is not used with baboons or other apes because (1) they're not as
stupid, and (2) an angry ape on a rope is trouble like the similar
metaphor involving a tiger by the tail: you daren't let go.  (Don't
let the scrawny-looking limbs fool you; a chimp can exert greater
force with its bare hands than a man can, and won't neglect to bite.)

AMK
.