(;I;M:KAL /OOLOGY ,S> 'STKM.triC /\ :/7Y /t/A HISTORY by (;i:oiu;i: SHAW, M.D. F. K.S.SL-o. WITH PL.ITKS from ih«- first Am Inn-it irs and most select spccim<-ns // ~f s/tcs/t f//fy f't/ ) M* I IK ATI I. VOL,. II. Part A M M A I, I A London I'l-intrd f or ( , . Kr.-n-slcv. 1'lrrt Street. - 18O1. GENERAL ZOOLOGY. VOLUME II. PART II. MAMMALIA. LONDON. PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVTSON, WHITE-FRIARS. 1801. CONTENTS or VOL. II.— PART II. ARGALI 379 Antilope, Springer Ritbock ANTILOPE GENUS 308 • Barbary Antilopc, common 336 • flat-homed • Egyptian . 3" white-faced ' • white . 315 • Corine — — — Algazel 316 Sumatran • Indian . 319 blue — - — Ourebi . . 320 Gnou » Klipspringer 321 — Nanguer • harnessed . 322 red — — — Guinea . . 3H Pygmy . 326 Ass . . . Nilghau . 327 • Indostan 3*9 Axis, middle . — — — Cervine . 33' • spotted . — — striped 334 — — Gambian . 338 BAL^NA GENUS . Saiga . 339 • Chinese . 34* BOS GlNtM — Guldemtedt'0 343 344 348 349 35° 35' • 353 • 354 • 355 • 357 • 359 . 361 . 429 . 286 • 478 • 393 IV CONTENTS. Beluga 515 Dolphin, Porpesse • 504 /-»„__ • 5*3 Cachalot 497 • 5i5 CAMELUS GENUS 229 Dromedary . *39 CAMELOPARDALIS GENUS 3°3 Eauus GENUS . 419 CAPRA GENUS 364 Giraffe • 303 CERVUS GENUS . 261 Goat, common • 369 • 374 Camel, Arabian . 229, • 375 Bactrian 239 African • 475 ^ Glama . 241 • 377 • Vicuna . *43 — — Capricorn . • 377 • Paco . 245 Whidaw •• Guanaco . 246 Ibex • 364 1 Chilihuque . 248 Caucasan • 367 Deer, fallow . 282 Glama . . • 241 Virginian . 284 porcine . 290 Guanaco . 246 — — rib-faced . 301 grey 302 HOG GENUS • 458 Elk , , 261 common • 459 Stag •• • Rein . . M 276 269 — — ^Ethiopian CapeVerd . *\J^ . 466 — — Roe -— tailless . • Mexican 291 287 289 Babyroussa " Pecary , . 467 . 469 — — Indian . , 289 Hippopotamus , ' 443 DOLPHIN GENUS 5°4 Horse, common . . 410 • narrow-snouted 5 '4 5'4 Jickta . ~ y . 427 . 429 CONTENTS. Hone, Zebra . 438 Ox, Tinian . . 400 ' Quagga . . 440 Arnee . . 400 < cloven-hoofed 44' Buffalo 401 Muek . . 407 Ibex . 3<54 Yak . 411 ••• Caucasan 3*7 — — Cape . 416 Mo NO no V GENU8 472 Pccarjr 469 MoSCHUS GENUS . 249 Porj>esse 504 Musk, Tibetian . 249 PHVSKTF.K GKNUS 497 « Indian . . »53 497 • Pygmy • 254 50' • Meminna 256 50* 257 U'rt-U £nrt 1 5«>3 American 258 •• Leverian • ^59 Pudu .... 39* My?ticete', great . 478 SHEEP GENUS 379 £ \ \, A 490 379 ..:i._ ^,.0 u i 490 38j u..^«u«,r 494 385 495 Cretan 388 • «»„»_»„,! 496 388 • African 389 Narwhal, Unicorn 473 389 474 \ fat-rumjjcd . 390 horniest . 39» OX GENUfl 393 Pudu 39* — — Bifon . . 393 •• common . . 397 Tapir . • 449 • Indian . . 399 Zebu 399 Vicuna • • 243 . loose-horned • 399 — — Boury . . 400 Whales 47 « Directions for placing the Plates ui \<>l. II. part II. The Vignette to Part II. * -Pygmy Antelope. — P. 336. 166 to face page 339 Plate 199 to face page 375 379 38.3 388 389 393 394 395 397 399 400 401 407 411 419 422 429 438 440 442 449 459 463 4*4 473 4/8 490 497 5°4 5<>5 1 34* yO - 1- T "°3 / * *4y irt * • — 173 - ^ i-A ZOj 25° »)^— .^ , ._ . 30/ 2O8 • J75 , - .. , 170 1*5*7 i **A 1 Id — « .%_.. 177 t-8 . 9711 a8i I/O - 18" 1/9 tRn ^OJ f T ^ . . _ iRi 2 J3 TQ_ 3Q3 214 ^OO 13 3ia 51 T • . iRe . 3r5 217 105 iSrt . 319 322 219 .CO , 324 ifio 320 ^27 190 329 * 191 1^1* __ 192 344 - - > • in^i , 347 J94 ' *94 353 " r f *o6 355 aa9 ifn — _ 9° 357 108 . 359 231 333 Note to the Article PLATVPUS, TO/. J.p. 231. On laying open the parts beyond the base of the bill, it appears that the Platypus, like the Ant-Eaters, is furnished with small bony processes resembling grinding-teeth, imbedded in the gum, but not fastened or rooted in the jaw : of these processes there are two on each side both of the upper and under jaw. — See a paper on tkis subject by Mr. E. Hwne, in the poM volume of the Philoso- phical Transaction*. ERRATUM.— PART II. P. 171. 1. 5. Tne figure here said to be taken from Ridinger, is in reality from Button only ; Rldingcr's figure representing the animal in a gal* loping posture, which is not its natural one. QUADRUPEDS, ORDER P E C O R A. CAMELUS. CAMEL. Generic Character. Cornua nulla. Denies Primores inferiores seX) spathiformes. Laniarn distantes; superiores trcs, inferiorcs duo. Labimn superiui fissum. Horns none. Front-teeth in the lower jaw six, somewhat thin and broad. Canine-teeth distant ; in the upper jaw three, in the lower two, Upper Lip divided. ARABIAN CAMEL. Camelus Dromedarius. C. Topho dvrsi unico. Lin. Sytt. Nat. p. 90. Camel with a single dorsal bunch. Camelus. Gesn. Quadr. 172. Junst. Quadr. 95. t. 41, 42, 43. Aldr. bisulc. p. 908. Le Dromadaire. Ruff. n. p. iii.p/. 9. Arabian Camel. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 129. A H E Camel, which, from the earliest ages of the world, has constituted the riches of Arab! found in the warmer parts of Asia and in the v. ii. p. ii. 16 230 ARABIAN CAMEL. upper regions of Africa. In Asia it is said not to be found farther north than Persia, and in Africa not farther south than Ethiopia. It is common in most parts of India. The general height of the Arabian Camel, mea- sured from the top of the dorsal bunch to the ground, is about six feet and a half, but from the top of the head when the animal elevates it, not much less than nine feet : the head, however, is generally so carried as to be nearly on a level with the bunch, or rather below it, the animal bending the neck extremely in its general posture : the head is small ; the neck very long, the body of a long and meagre shape, the legs rather slender, and the tail, which is slightly tufted at the end, lies to the joints of the hind legs : the feet are very large, and are hoofed in a peculiar style, being divided above into two lobes not reaching through the whole length of the foot, and the ex tiemity of each lobe is guarded by a small hoof: the under part of the foot is covered with an ex- tremely strong, tough, and pliable skin, which, by yielding in all directions, enables the animal to travel witli peculiar case and security over dry, »tony, anil sandy regions. On each leg are six callosities, viz. one on each knee, one on the in- side of each fore-leg on the upper joint, and one on the inside of each hind-leg at the bottom of the thigh. On the lower part of the breast is also a large callus or tough tubercle, which is gra- dually increased by the constant habit which th<£ animal lias of resting upon it in lying down. ARABIAN CAMEL. Though the Camel has even an elegant and pic- turesque appearance, in some particular attitudes, yet its general aspect, at first sight, is apt to im- press on the mind the idea of deformity ; and the dorsal bunch in particular has the appearance of some accidental monstrosity, rather than a truly natural conformation. This idea seems to have operated so powerfully on the mind of Buffon, that he has not scrupled to advance an opinion, that this part, as well as the pectoral bunch, was originally produced by ill usage, in constantly loading the animal with heavy burthens; and that, having once arisen, it has been transmitted by de- scent, and continues to form a permanent charac- ter. In confirmation of this theory he obsei that from the attestations of those who have dis- sected the Camel, it appears that these parts are often filled with a quantity of pus ; the effect of previous inflammation. Upon the same principle he also conceives that the remarkable structure of the stomach, which is furnished with a peculiar apparatus of cells or receptacles for containing a great quantity of water, has originated from a similar source; " the animal, after suffering thirst for a long time, by taking as much, or perhaps more, water than the stomach could easily con- tain, the membrane would be gradually extended and dilated, in the same manner as we have seen the stomach of a sheep extend in proportion to the quantity of its aliment." The Count de Buf- fon, however, allows that these conjectures would be either fully confirmed, or destroyed, if we ARABIAN CAMEL. had wild Camels to examine and compare with the domestic ; but these animals can hardly be said to exist any where in a truly natural state, or if tin y,do, no one has accurately observed and de- scribed them *. The march of the Camel through the burning deserts of Arabia, and its signal services to the Arab, &c. &c. have been described with peculiar animation and elegance by this agreeable author, whose wayward and mistaken theories and nume- rous errors should not be allowed to prejudice us against the real merit of his writings. Figure to yourself a country without verdure and without water, a burning sun, an air always iied. Mindy plains, mountains still more adust, which the eye runs over without perceiving a sin- gle animated being ; a dead earth, perpetually d with the winds, and presenting nothing but bones, scattered flints, rocks perpendicular or turned; a desert totally void, where the tra- \elltT never breathes under a shade, where no- thing accompanies him, nothing recals the idea of animated nature ; absolute solitude, more dreadful than that of the deepest forests ; for to man, trees are, at least, visible objects; more soli- tary and nuked, more lost in an unlimited void, he every where beholds space surrounding him as n tomb : the light of the day, more dismal than * The Ractrian. or two-bunched Camel, is, however, said to be found wild in the desert parts of Asia, between India and China, ind to be larger than the domesticated animaJ. AHAIUAN CAMLL. 233 the darkness of night, serves only to give him a clearer idea of his own wretchedness and impo- tence, and to conceal from Ins view the barriers of the void, by extending around him that im- mense abyss which separates him from the habit- able parts of the earth; an abyss which in vain he would attempt to traverse ; for hunger, thirst, and scorching heat haunt every moment that remains to him between despair and death. " The Arab, however, by the assistance of hi^ Camcl, has learned to surmount, and even to ap- propriate these frightful intervals of Nature. They serve him for an asylum, they secure hi.- repose, and maintain his independence. But man niver uses anything without ahu.se. This same independent, tranquil, and even rich Arab. instead of regarding his deserts as the rampart > of his liberty, pollutes them with his crimes, lie traverses them to carry oft' gold and slaves from the adjacent nations. He employs them for per petrating his robberies, which unluckily he enjoys more than his liberty; for his enterprises are al- most ahvnys sur< r^ful. Notwithstanding the vi- gilance of his neighbours, and the supcriorii their strength, he crimes oft* with impunity, all that lie ra\ ages from them. An Aral), who g himself up to this kind of tci retrial pirac\ . early acciiAtomed to the fatigues of travelling, to want of sleep, and to endure hunger, thiist, and heat. With the same view he instructs, rears, and exercises his Camels. A few clays after their birth, he folds their limbs under their belly, forces them 234 ARABIAN CAMEL. to remain on the ground, and in this situation i them with a pretty heavy weight, which is r removed but for the purpose of replacing a greater. Instead of allowing them to feed at plea- , and to drink when they are dry, he begins with regulating their meals, and makes them gra- dually travel long journies, diminishing, at the e time, the quantity of their aliment. When they acquire some strength, they are trained to the course. He excites their emulation by the example of horses, and in time renders them equally swift and more robust In fine, after he i tain of the strength, fleetness, and sobriety of his Camels, he loads them both with his own and their food, sets off with them, arrives unperceived at the confines of the desert, robs the first passenger he meets, pillages the solitary houses, loads his els with the booty, and if pursued, he is ob- liged to accelerate his retreat. It is on these oc- casions that he unfolds his own talents and those of the Camels ; he mounts one of the fleetest, and conducts the troop, and makes them travel night and day, without almost either stopping, eating, or drinking; and in this manner he easily performs a journey of three hundred leagues in eight days. During this period of motion and fatigue, his Ca- mels are perpetually loaded, and he allows them, each day, only one hour of repose, and a ball of paste. They often run in this manner nine or ten days, without finding water; and when, by chance, there is a pool at some distance, they scent the water half a league off. Thirst makes ARABIAN CAMF.I. rhem double their pace, and they drink as mueh at once as serves them tor the time that is ( and as mueh to come ; for their journey often nil weeks, and their abstinence continues an equal time. " In Turkey, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, llarhary, ill the articles of merchandize arc carried by Camels. Of all carriages it is the cheapest and most expeditions. The merchants and other pas- sengers unite in a caravan, to prevent the insults and robberies of the Arabs. These caravans are 11 very numerous, and are always composed of more Camels than men. Each Camel is loaded in proportion to his strength ; and when over- loaded, he refuses to march, and continues lying till his burthen is lightened. The large CamcU generally carry a thousand, or even twelve hun- dred pounds weight, and the smallest from six to n hundred. In these commercial traveU their march is not hastened : as the route is often se- ven or eight hundred leagues, their motions and jonrnies arc regulated. They \\alk only, and perform about from ten to twelve leagues each day. Every night they arc unloaded, and al- lo\ved to pasture at freedom. When in a rich country or fertile meadow, they eat, in less than an hour, as much as serves them to ruminate the whole night, and to nourish them during twenty- four hours. But they seldom meet with such pas- tures; neither is this delicate food necessary for them. They even seem to prefer wormwood, thistles, nettles, broom, cassia, and other prickly 2:36 ARABIAN CAMEL. vegetables, to the softest herbage. As long as they find plants to brouse, they easily dispense from drink. " Besides, this facility of abstaining long from drink, proceeds not from habit alone, but is ra- ther an effect of their structure. Independent of the four stomachs, which are common to rumi- nating animals, the Camels have a fifth bag, which serves them as a reservoir for water. This fifth stomach is peculiar to the Camel. It is so large as to contain a vast quantity of water, where it remains without corrupting or mixing with the other aliments*. When the animal is pressed with thirst, and has occasion for water to macerate his dry food in ruminating, he makes part of this water mount into his stomach, or even as high as the throat, by the mere contraction of certain muscles. It is by this singular construction that tlu- C'umcl is enabled to pass several days without drinking, and to take at a time a prodigious quan- tity of water, which remains in the reservoir pure and limpid, because neither the liquors of the body nor the juices of digestion can mix with it. " If we reflect on the dissimilarity in this ani- mal from other quadrupeds, we cannot doubt that hi-, nature has been considerably changed by con- btraint, slavery, and perpetual labour. Of all * Thi» particularity is well known to Oriental travellers, who have sometime! found it necessary to kill a Camel in order to ob- tain a supply of water thus preserved in its receptacle. In Mr. Bruce's travels may be found instances of this. ARABIAN CAM I T. 237 animals the Camel is the most antient, the com- pit-test, and the most laborious .slave. IK- is the most antient slave, because he inhabits those cli- mates where men were first polished. He is the most complete slave, because in the other species of domestic animals, as the horse, the dog, the ox, the sheep, the hog, &c. Me still find indi- viduals in a state of nature, and which have not submitted to man. But the whole species of the Camel is enslaved ; for none of them exist in their primitive state of liberty and independence. • .y, he is the most laborious slave; because he has never been nourished for pomp, like most horses, nor for amusement, like most dogs, nor for the use of the table, like the ox, the hog, and the sheep: because lie has always been made a beast of burthen, whom nun have never taken the trouble of yoking in machines, but have regarded the body of the animal as a living carriage, uiiich they may load, or overload, even during sleep ; for when pressed, the load is sometimes not taken off, but the animal lies down under it with his legs folded, and his body resting on his sto- mach. Hence they perpetually bear the marks of servitude and pain. Upon the under part of the breast is a large callosity, as hard as horn, and similar ones on the joints of the limbs. Though these callosities are found on all Camels, they ex- hibit a proof that they are not natural, but pro- duced by excessive constraint, and painful la- bf-ur; for they are often filled with pus. The ARABIAN" CAMEL. breast and legs are, therefore, deformed by callo- sities; the hick is still more disfigured by one or two bunci The callosities, as well as the bunches, are perpetuated by generation. As it is obvious that the first deformity proceeds from the constant practice of forcing these animals, from their earliest age, to lie on their stomach, with their limbs folded under the body ; and in this situ- ation to bear both the weight of their own bodies, and that of the load laid on their backs, we ought to presume that the bunch or bunches have also originated from the unequal pressure of heavy burthens, which would naturally make the flesh, «/ and skin swell ; for these bunches are not osseous, but composed of a fleshy substance re- sembling a cow's udder. Hence the callosities and bunches should be regarded equally as de- nt ics produced by continual labour and bodily constraint; and though at first accidental and individual, they are now become permament, and common to the whole species. We may likewise presume that the bag which contains the water, and is only an appendix to the stomach, has been produced by an unnatural extension of that vis- cus. The animal, after suffering thirst for a long time, by taking in at once as much, and perhaps .itcr than the stomach could easily contain, this maul. i. mi would be gradually extended and ililatrd, as we have seen the stomach of a sheep ililaud in proportion to the quantity of its ali- ment. In slurp fed with grain the stomach is BACTRIAN CAMEL. 239 very small ; but becomes very large in those led with IK rbage alone. " These conjectures would be either confirmed or destroyed, it' we had wild Camels to com- pare with the domestic ; but these animals no where exist in a natural state, or it' they do, no one has described or observed them. \\ c ought, therefore, to suppose that every thing good and beautiful belongs to Nature, and that \\liatevi r is detective and deformed in these animals proceeds from the labour and slavery imposed on them by the empire of man." The general colour of the Camel is an uniform dusky brown, more or less tinged M'ith ferrugi- nous. Its hair is fine and soft, and serves for the - of several kinds of stuffs. There are several varieties of this animal, differ- ing in sixe, M length, &c. analogous to the dif- ferent breeds of horses BACTRIAN' CAMEL. Camelus Bactrianus. C. top/us dorri duobus. Lin. Syst. Net. p. go. Camel with two dorsal bunches. Camelus. Gesn. Quadr. 163. Aldr. bisuU: 907. Dromcdarius. Jw*t. (±uadr. p. 42. 43, 44.^". I. Lc Chameau. Bujf. 11. p. 21 1, 246. pi. 22. Bactrian Camel. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 132. IN its general appearance the Bactrian Camel so much resembles the Arabian, that it might ra- 240 BACTRIAN CAMEL. ther seem a permanent variety of that animal, than a distinct species; differing only in being somewhat larger and in having two bunches on the back instead of one. It is said to be found wild in the northern parts of India, and in the deserts bordering on China, and is more esteemed for swiftness than the Arabian Camel. In Arabia it is kept chiefly for the use of the great, being not a native of that country, but im- ported from India, &c. Of this animal, as well as of the Arabian Camel, there are several races or varieties, differing, like those of horses, in strength, size, swiftness, and elegance of form. A breed of peculiar swiftness is said to be reared in China, and to be distinguished by the expressive title of Fong Kyo Fo, or Camels with feet of wind. A white variety occurs in some parts of Siberia, and lastly, a hybrid or mixed breed is said to be occasionally obtained between the Bactrian and the Arabian Camel. J66 241 GLAMA. Camelus Glama. C. dorso Lrvi, topko pcctorati. Lin. Sytt. Nat. p. 91. Pale ferruginous Camel, whitish beneath, with smooth back, and pectoral bunch. Camelus Peruvianus Glama Uictus. Ruj. Quadr. 145. Ovis Peruana. Chariet. exer. p. 9. Jorut. Quadr. t. 46. Le Lama. Buff'. 13. p. 16. and Suppl. 6. p. 204. pi. 27. Llama. Ptnnant Quadr. I. p. 133. THIS animal, described by some of the old na- turalists, under the name of Ovis Peruviana*, or Peruvian Sheep, is a native of South America, and is particularly plentiful in Peru, where it inhabits, in a wild state, the highest and coldest parts of mountains, feeding in numerous herds, and flying with great rapidity on the sight of mankind. It was, however, completely subdued and domesti- cated by the antient Peruvians, being the only beast of burthen known to that people, to whom it answered the same purposes as the Camel and Dromedary in the eastern regions of the old con- tinent. The general size of the Glama is nearly that of a stag ; measuring about four feet and a half in height to the top of the shoulders, and about six feet in length from nose to tail. The neck is of a great length ; the head small ; the back slightly elevated, and the whole animal bears some resemblance to a Camel on a smaller scale. lt^ * This name has alto been applied by some authors to the . £4£ GLAMA. general colour is a light ferruginous brown, paler or whitish on the under parts ; and sometimes it is said to be varied or patched with darker and lighter shades on different parts, and to have a black stripe running down the back to the beginning of the tail. The hair, in the wild animal, is long and shaggy : in the domesticated smoother and closer. On the breast is a protuberance, from which is observed to exude a kind of oily secretion. The voice of the Glama resembles the shrill neighing of a horse. When angry or attacked, it strikes with its feet, endeavours to bite, and at the same time ejacu- lates from its mouth a quantity of saliva, which is said to be of a caustic or acrimonious nature, and to excite a slight inflammation on the skin. The Glama is said to be able to carry a burthen of about a hundred and fifty pounds Mreight, and to travel at the rate of three German miles a day for three or four days together. When resting, it leans on its breast in the manner of the Camel, which it also resembles in the faculty of abstain- ing long fr6m drink ; sometimes four or five days ; and, like that animal, may be supported by very coarse and trifling food. Its flesh is said to re- semble mutton in flavour. The individual described in the 6th supplemen- tal volume of Buffon, was remarkable for the mildness of its manners and the docility of its dis- position. 143 VICUNA. Camelua Vicugna. C. corporr lanato ten, roa/ra tino obtwo, cauda e recta. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmcl.p 171. Purpliih-brown Camel, whitish beneath, with smooth woolly body, obtuse snout, and upright tail. Camelus Janiger. Klein. Quadr. 42. Vicognes ou Vicunas. Frez. roy. i.p. 266. La Vigogne. Buf. Suppl. 6. p. 208. pi. 38. Vicunna. Vennant QuaJr. i p. 136. THE Vicuna, as may be perceived by consulting the annexed representation, hears an cxtrenn neral resemblance to the Glama ; but is of a lighter and more delicate aspect, and of smaller sixe : the head is smaller and shorter in proportion : the remarkably large "and full: the ears some- what sharper, and the limbs more slender: the tail has a somewhat erect appearance, contrary to the character given in the (Jmelinian edition of the Systema Naturae ; but perhaps too great a de- pendence is not to be placed on a character like this, which may vary somewhat in different indi- viduals, and which ought never to be assumed as a discriminating character, except where the appearance is peculiarly marked and striking. The prevailing colour of the Vicuna on the upper parts is a reddish brown, or approaching to wine- colour, and the remainder of an Isabella colour: the breast, belly, insides of the thighs, and under part of the tail, are white. The hair of this ani- mal is of a very soft, wavy, and woolly nature ; that on the breast is nearly three inches long ; on the other parts not more than one inch : the 244 VICUNA. end of the tail is furnished, like the breast, with long woolly hair. The individual described in the sixtli supplemental volume of Buffon was of a somewhat fierce disposition, and often attempted to bite those who examined it. It was never ob- served to drink, and seemed to have the same ge- neral habits and manners as the Glama. The Glama, the Paco, and the Vicuna, have sometimes been considered as the same species, and what seems to have been a principal cause of confusion among naturalists with respect to these Peruvian animals is, that the word Lama or Glama is used among the Peruvians as a general name rather than a particular one. In the provinces of Cusco, Potosi, and Tucuman, we are assured that three species of Lamas are distinguished by appropriate titles. The Vicuna seems to afford the finest wool of any, and it is wrought into cloths of most ex- quisite silky softness and beauty, which are said to be too warm for common wear, unless made peculiarly thin. The Vicuna, as well as the Paco or next species, is sometimes taken by the Peruvians by the sim- ple artifice of tying cords, with bits of wool or cloth fixed to them at certain distances, at three or four feet from the ground, across the narrow passes of the mountains ; and when the animals have been hunted or driven that way, they are so terrified by the fluttering of the rags, that, instead of attempting to pass, they huddle together in heaps, and thus afford their pursuers an opportu- PA co. 245 nity of killing with their slings as many as they plea This circumstance of being terrified, and as it were fascinated, by a cord drawn across any par- ticular space, is, however, by no means peculiar to this animal, but takes place, as is well known, in several of the Deer tribe, and particularly in the common Fallow Deer, which may be easily confined in a similar manner. PACO. Camclus Paco. C. tophis nvlTu, cot-pore lanato, rottro oblongo. Lin. Syxt. Xat. Gmel. p. 171. Purplish-brown woolly Camel, white beneath, with oblong snout Paco. I ad. amtr. p. 405. Paco. Alpaco. Motin. Chd. 296. Ruff. 13. pi. 16. Pacos. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 137. THIS species is said to be entirely confined to Peru, where the natives keep vast flocks of them for the sake of the wool, of which they prepare cloth of silky lustre and softness. Like the Vi- cuna, it is found in mountainous districts in large herds, but is never observed to associate with those animals. Ir is of a more robust make* than the Vicuna, and is covtud with very long wool, which is, in the wild animal, of a dull purple co- * Gmclin, in his edition of the System* Nature, says it is smal- ler ; but I am not without my suspicions that the I'icvgna of Gmclin is the Pacos of Pennant, and rice vtn4. V. 11. P. 1L 17 lour, resembling that of dried rose leaves, but in the domesticated kind is often varied with black, white and rufous : the belly is white. Like the two preceding species, it has sometimes been named the Peruvian Sheep. Those concretions, known by the name of Bezoars, are often found in the stomach of this as well as of other species. GUANACO. Camclus Huanacus. C. corpore piloso, dorso gibbo, cauda erccta. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 170. Molin. Cliil. p. 281. Tawny Camel, white beneath, with gibbose back, and upright tail. Guanaco, sivc Huanacu. Lact. amer. p. 406. Ullua Toy. i. ^». 366. t. ^^.f.f. Cervo-Camelus. Jonst. Quadr. t. 29. ? Camel us Huanacus. Sclireber saeugtk. t. 306. ? Guanaco. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 138. Allo-Camelus. Gesn. ic. Quadr. p. 43. THE Guanaco is a native of Peru, and is found in similar situations with the Glama and the Paco. It is the largest of all the Peruvian animals of tliis kind, and is said sometimes to grow to the si/e of a horse. Its back is pretty much arched, and it is covered, not with wool like the other smaller species; but with long, smooth hair : the- head is round; the nose somewhat pointed; the ear* strait, like those of a horse ; and the tail short, and turning upwards. It appears to be more iy allied to the Glama than to any other spe- Init is said never to associate with that ani- ' GUANACO. 247 mal. Its general colour is tawny above and white below. In summer it inhabits the tops of the mountains, but in winter descends into the vallies. It runs with extreme swiftness, and from the length of its hind legs, prefers descending the hills, which it does by leaps and bounds, in the manner of a buck. When young it is said to be hunted with dogs, and when old to be chased on i wift horses, and caught with nooses dextrously thrown. The flesh of the young animals is said to be excellent ; and that of the old is preserved with salt. I must here observe, that the figure published by Mr. Schreber, under the title of Camelus Hu- anacus, contradicts the specific character given by Molina and others, having a pendent tail in- stead of an elevated one. The figure is evidently copied from Gesner, who calls the animal by the name of Allo-Camelus, and mentions it as having been sent from South America into Europe, in the ye.ir 1558, and called an Indian Sheep. It was six feet high, and five in length : the neck was as white as that of a swan ; the rest of the body red- dish, or purplish ; and the feet shaped like those of a Camel. This figure is introduced into the nt publication, together with a plate of the Cuvo-Camelus, of Johnston (which is generally quoted by authors for the Glama), and to which the first mentioned figure is evidently much allied. Upon the whole, I cannot avoid expressing mjr suspicion, that no great dependence is to be placed $48 CHILIHUQUE. on the specific characters hitherto given of some of these animals, and that if the subject were ac- curately investigated, it might perhaps be disco- vered that they are rather varieties than species truly distinct. CHILIHUQUE. Camelus Arcucanus. C. corpoie lanato kcci, rostro superne cuno, cauda pendula. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gtnel. p. 170. Molin. Cldl. p. 279. Camel with smooth woolly body, curved snout, and pendulous ears and tail. Aries moromorus. Nieremb. Hist. Nat. p. 182. Moutons de Perou. Frez. toy. i.p. 264. t.22. A. Chilihucque. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 138. THIS species, which inhabits Peru and Chili, is described as measuring about six feet in length, and about four in height. It is covered with woolly hair, and in its general appearance is not unlike a ram. The ears are flaccid or pendulous, the neck and legs long, the tail like that of a sheep, but shorter in proportion : the wool is very soft, and the colour of the animal is said to vary in different individuals, being either brown, black, ash-coloured, or white. This animal was em- ployed by the ancient inhabitants of Chili as a beast of burthen, as well as in ploughing : its wool was also used in the manufacture of a fine silky cloth or stufY; but this is now said to have given place to the introduction of European wool, as being stronger and more serviceable. TIBETTAX MUSK •l~ J~- 1 L~l~ n+lfhl t, aKHvaitr. Href StoHC. 249 iMOSCIIUS. MUSK. Generic Character. Corntia nulla. Denies Primores inferiores octo. Latiiarii superiores solitarii cxserti. Horns none. Front-teeth in the lower jaw eight. Tusks solitary, in the upper jaw, exserted. TIBETIAN Ml'sK. Moschu* Moschiferus. M.follicvlo umbilicali. IM. Syst. Nat. p. 91. Grey-brown Musk with umbilical follicle. Moschus. Sc/irvcch. hist, mosch. t. 44. Animal moschiferum. Nicremb. hl^t.mit. p. 184. J. G. Gmclin nor. comm. Pctrup. 4. p. 393. Raj. Quadr. t. 127. Capra mosch i. Aldr. bisuk. p. 743. Gem. Quadr. p. 786. Le Muse. Buff. 12. p. 361. and Suppl. 6. p. 221. pi. 29. 111!, Mu.sk is one of those quadrupeds whose triu- form and natural history appear to have con- tinued in great ohscurity long after the introduc- tion and general use of the celebrated perfume which it produces. To the ancients it was un- 250 tIBETIAN MUSK. known, and was first mentioned by the Arabians*, whose physicians used the drug in their practice. The animal was by some considered as a kind of Goat, by others as a species of Deer, or Antelope, and was, of course, supposed to be a horned ani- mal ; nor was it till about the decline of the se- venteenth century that a tolerably accurate de- scription or figure was to be found. The size and general appearance of this animal not ill resemble those of a small Roebuck. It measures about three feet three inches in length ; about two feet three inches in height from the top of the shoulders to the bottom of the fore-feet, and two feet nine inches from the top of the haunches to the bottom of the hind-feet. The upper jaw is considerably longer than the lower, and is furnished on each side with a curved tusk about two inches long, and consequently exposed to view when the mouth is closed. These tusks are of a different form from those of any other quadru- ped ; being sharp-edged on their inner or lower side, so as to resemble, in some degree, a pair of small crooked knives : their substance is a kind of ivory, as in the tusks of the Babyrussa and some other animals. The ears are long and narrow, of a pale yellow on the inside, and deep brown on the outside : the chin of a yellowish cast ; the ge- neral colour of the whole body a kind of deep iron- grey ; the tips of the hairs being of a ferruginous cast, the remainder blackish, growing much paler * In the eighth century it was described by Serapion. TIBF.TIAN MUSK. 251 hitish towards rlu- roots: each hair is some- what \\a\cd or undulated throughout its whole th; and is <>f a strong and elastic nature, growing somewhat upright on the animal, and thick. In some specimens the checks are whitish, and the sides of the neck marked by a itudinal whitish hand or stripe, descending to the hreast ; while the flanks and side* are obscurely striped hy a few waved whitish streaks: in others the colour is uniform, or as at first described: the hoofs are long and black : the tail extremely short, and so eoncealed hy the fur as to he scarce, if at all, visible on a general vi: The female is smaller than the male, and wants the tusks : it has also t\\'o small t< These animals are principally found in the king- dom of Tibet ; the province of Muliiing Meiig, in China; Tom/tun, and llmttuii. They are also found about the lake />V//'/.w/, and near the rivers Jrficsea and .Irgnn. Their favourite haunts are the tops of mountains covered with pines, where they tic- light to wander in places of the- most difficult ac- lesembling, in their manners, the Chamois and other mountain quadrupeds, springing with t celerity, and, when pursued, taking refuge ainonir the highest and most inaccessible summits. They are hunted for the sake of their well- known perfume; which is contained in an oval •tacle about the size of a small egg, hanging from the middle of the abdomen, and peculiar to the male animal. This receptacle is found con- filled with a soft, unctuous, brownish sub- 253 TIBETIAN MUSK. stance, of the most powerful and penetrating smell ; and which is no other than the perfume in its na- tural state. As soon as the animal is killed, the hunters cut off the receptacle or musk-bag, and tie it up ready for sale. The animals must of ne- cessity be extremely numerous in some parts, since we are assured by Tavernier, the celebrated merchant and traveller, that he purchased, in one of his eastern journeys, no less than seven thou- sand six hundred and seventy-three musk-bags. This receptacle or follicle containing the musk is covered externally with short brown hair, and is more or less full according to the age, health, &c. of the animal : the contained substance or musk is, when dry, of a dark reddish brown or rusty black colour, somewhat unctuous, and of a more or less granulated appearance : it has a bit- terish subacrid taste ; and a fragrant smell, agree- able at a distance, but so strong as to be highly unpleasant when smelt near to. So violent in- deed is the smell of musk, when fresh taken from the animal, or from quantities put up by the mer- chants for sale, that it has been known to force the blood from the nose, eyes, and ears of those who have imprudently inhaled its vapours; and we are assured by Chardin, that whenever he was engaged in making purchases of musk, he always found it necessary to cover his face with several folds of a handkerchief, in order to be sufficiently secure against the sudden effects of the smell. As musk is an expensive drug it is frequently adulterated by various substances, and we are INDIAN MUSK. 25$ a>Miivd that pints of lead have been found in some of the receptacles, inserted in order to in- r the weight. The smell of musk is so re- markably diffusive, that every thing in its neigh- bourhood becomes strongly infected \\ ith it ; and what has once received it, is apt to retain the scent for a great length of time : even a silver cup that has had musk in it does not easily part with the scent, though other odors are in general very readily discharged from metallic substances. As a medicine it is held in high estimation in the- eastern countries, and has now been intro- duced into pretty general use among ourselves, especially in those disorders which are commonly termed nervous; and in convulsive and other cases, it is often exhibited in pretty large doses with great success. INDIAN MUSK. Moschus Indicus. M. supra riifus, yublut albidus imicolor, ttngv- Us succenturiatis, cauda vnicolore. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 173- Rufeus Musky whitish beneath, with spurious hoofs, and some- what lengthened tail. Tragulus Indicus. Bms, regn. onan. p. 95. ft. i . THIS species is said by Mons. Brisson, who seems its first describer, to be rather larger than the common or Tibetian Musk, of the colour mentioned in the specific character, with the head 254 PYGMY MUSK. shaped like that of a horse, upright oblong cars, and slender legs. It is a native of India. PYGMY MUSK. Bloechus Pygm;t 1:5. .17. »upra fusat-ntfus, subtv* afbu-i, vngn- lis succcuturiuti* nullis. Lui. Syst. Xat. GmeL p. 173. Erxl. namm. p. $'ii. n. 3. Reddish -bro\vn Musk, white oeneath, without false hoofs. Mnschus Pjrgmattt. M. jiedibus digito humnno angustioribiis. Lin, Si/fit. Xat. 12. cu. p. 92. . Cerva parvula Atiicana, &c. Sti. iiiu*. i. p. 70. t. 43. j. i, 2, 3. Le Chevrotain. Eiiff". 12. p. 341. pi. 42, 43. Guinea Musk. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 127. Tins most elegant little animal is considerably smaller than a domestic cat, measuring little more than nine inches from the nose to the tail. Its colour is bright bay, white beneath and on the vJ *• ' insides of the thighs. Its shape is beautiful, and the legs are so slender as not to exceed the dia- meter of a swan quill : -the head is rather large, the ears and eyes large, and the aspect mild : in the upper jaw are two tusks: the tail is about an inch in length, and the feet are remarkable for having no appendieular or false hoots, by which mark this species may be distinguished from some others, not only of this genus, but of that of An- felopc, to which it is nearly allied in size and ge- neral appearance. It is a native of many parts of the Kast Indies and the Indian islands, and is Raid to be most common in Java, where the natives 172 PYGMY MUSK. 255 catch prcat numbers in snares, and carry them to the markets in cages for sale. According to Mr. Pennant they may be purchased at so low a rate as two pence halfpenny a-piece. The Pygmy Musk has been very elegantly figured by Seba and others, but has often been confounded with some other species, as well as with the Royal Antelope, an animal equally beauti- ful and diminutive, and which will be described under its proper genus. It is necessary to observe, that our present animal is improperly supposed by M. Brisson and others to be a native of Guinea. I must also add, that the elegant specimen in the Leverian Museum, particularly referred to by Mr. Pennant, in his History of Quadrupeds, as well as described by myself in the Naturalist's Mitcellany, is in reality a different species, viz. the Moschus The legs of the Pygmy Musk have been fre- quently capped at the upper joint with gold or silver, and in that state used by way of tobacco- stoppers. Specimens thus prepared may be seen in most museums, and are also engraved in the works of Seba and Buffon. A leg of this animal is also described by Grew in his Museum of the Royal Society, under the highly improper title of a leg of a Greenland Stag. Sjtf MEMINNA. Moschus Meminna. M. supra cinereo-olivaceus, subtus albus, lattribus albo-maculatis, vngulis succenturiatis nvllis. lAn. Sygt. Nat. GmcL p. 1 74. Olivaceo-cinerrous Musk, white beneath, with the sides spotted with white, and no false hoofs. Meminna. Knox Ceyl. p. 21. Chevrotain a j>eau marquetee1 de taches blanches. Buff", la. f-3i5- M6mina ou Chevrotain de Ceylan. Buff. Svppl. 3. p. iQ2.pl. 15. Indian Musk. Pennant Quadr. i.p, nj. THE Meminna is a native of the Indian islands, and is chiefly found in Ceylon and Java. It is readily distinguished, by its remarkable colour and spots, from the rest of it congeners. It seems to have been first acknowledged as a dis- tinct species of this genus by Mr. Pennant, who described it from a drawing communicated by Governor Loten from Ceylon. Its length is about seventeen inches ; its colour a cinereous olive, with the throat, breast, and belly, white, and the sides and haunches spotted and barred transversely with white : the ears are large and open, and the tail very short. The weight of this species is about five pounds and a half. The Count de BufYon, in his third supplement- ary volume, has figured this animal, but seems to consider it as a variety rather than a distinct spe- cies, and confounds it with the Moschus pyg- mxus. • 273 tv *»• c rii r i r>«r JAVA MVSK. M-mm ; -'- ij f tip. Le Trili • i first described Inr Dr. PlaftB, ia tyidlcgi* Zuitgitm. Its BK is its 258 AMERICAN MUSK. The Count de Buffon considers it as a variety only of the Meminna before described. AMERICAN MUSK. Moschus Americanus. M. rufo-fuscus, ore nigro gula alb*. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 174. Erxl. mamm. p. 334. n.^. Rufous-brown Musk, with black muzzle and white throat. Brasilian Musk. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 116. THE American Musk is confined to the South- ern parts of that continent, and is principally found in Guiana and Brasil. Mr. Pennant de- scribes it as of the size of a Roebuck, with ears four inches long ; the veins very apparent : eyes large and black ; nostrils wide ; space about the mouth black : hind legs longer than the fore ; tail six inches long ; white beneath : hair on the whole body short and smooth : head and neck tawny, mixed with ash-colour: back, sides, chest, and thighs, of a bright rust-colour : lower part of the belly and insides of the thighs white. Marcgrave says the throat and under side of the neck are also white. This animal, says Mr. Pennant, is excessively timid, and most remarkably active and swift, and can stand, like a goat, with all the four legs to- gether on the point of a rock. They are said to be often seen swimming rivers, and are at that time easily taken. The Indians hunt them, and their flesh is esteemed very delicate. The French i. r v F. R r A \ M i £.59 of Guiana rail them 1'irhcs or 1 )<• iuse, notwithstanding their ic-M-miilum-i- to I)crr. both ! arc without horns, Both Mr. IVnnant and (imclin, in his edition of the SyMcma Naturae, i to consider a small spotted .sprcii s li^ured h\ .Vba a> the same \\itli this: hut it appears, at least so far as sixe and colour eau eoji-.titute a dif- r'erence, to be very distiiu I ./ VERIAN MUSK. Mo«chus Delicatulus. M.fvsco-ferrugincus, svpra maculis aUkt notatus. Museum Inerianuin, vol. i.j>. 149. /. 36. Ferruginous-brown Musk, spotted above with white. Small spotted Musk. Muxcum Lercrianum i. /;. i$i.pl. 36. Cervula Surinamensis subrubra albis maculis notata. Stb. mm. . i.p. 7i.f.44./. a. THIS species, if such it really In1. seem> to have hec-n lirst figured hy Seba, \\ho assures us that it native of Surinam, and describes it as of a ferruginous colour, thickly spotted \\ith white, except on the head, breast, and belly. He is not very clear in bis expressions relative to its size, but it seems to rank among the \n\ v!nall spe- cies, such as the Javanicus, Pygma^us, &c. The animal described and figured in the first volume of the Museum Leverianum under the title of .-hus dclicatulus or small spotted J///.vA\ appears so very nearly allied to that of Seba, that it is in all probability the same. It is, however, whitish beneath the neck and breast, and the tail is a 260 LEVERIAN MUSK. trifle longer and thinner than in Seba's figure, and not so well covered with hair. In size it scarcely exceeds that of the Pygmy Musk. The figure given in the Museum Leverianum is introduced by Mr. Schreber into his work on Quadrupeds under the same title, viz. Moschus ddlcatulus. I must, however, confess myself to be not without some suspicion, from the fineness and closeness of the hair, in the above-mentioned specimen, that it is rather a very young animal than of its true size : it must consequently be considered as doubtful. In the form of its teeth it nearly re- sembles the M. Javanicus and some others, having the two middle cutting-teeth very broad. For the satisfaction of the reader, the figure is copied from the Museum Leverianum into the present work. 262 ELK. served to arrive at a greater magnitude in Asia and America than in Europe. In its shape it is much less elegant than the rest of the deer tribe, having a very short and thick neck, a large head, horns dilating almost immediately from the base into a broad palmated form, a thick, broad, heavy upper lip, hanging very much over the lower, very high shoulders, and long legs. Notwith- standing its awkward proportions, it is, however, of a noble and majestic appearance. It is also a mild and harmless animal, and principally sup- ports itself by brousing the boughs of trees in the vast and dreary forests of the frozen zone. The colour of the Elk is a dark, greyish brown, much paler, or inclining to whiteness- on the legs and beneath the tail. The hair, which is of a strong, coarse, and elastic nature, is much longer on the top of the shoulders and on the ridge of the neck than on other parts, forming a kind of stiffish mane : beneath the neck the hair is also of consi- derable length, and in some specimens of the ani- mal, a sort of caruncle or pendent excrescence, covered with long hair, is seen hanging from be- neath the throat * : the eyes and ears are large ; the hoofs broad, and the tail extremely short. The greatest height of the Elk is, according to Mr. Pennant, about seventeen hands, and its * This indeed forms a part of the specific character, as given by Linnaeus j yet it seems not to take place in all individuals, and may probably be more visible or protuberant at some particular seasons than at others. ELK. £69 great, ;ht about 1229 pounds. The horns been known to weigh fifty-six pounds, and to measure each thirty-two inches in length. The le is rather smaller than the male, and has no MS. In Europe the Elk is found chiefly in Su-eden, .•ay, and some parts of Russia. In Asia it occurs in the woody tracts of the Russian do- minions and in Siberia in particular is found of gigantic magnitude. In America it seems to be most common in Canada, and the country round thf great lakes, and is called by the name of -e-l)cer. The Elk chuses its residence in the midst of forests, for the convenience of brousing the boughs of trees ; for it grazes somewhat diffi- cultly on account of its short neck and long legs. Its general pace is described to be a high, sham- bling, but very swift trot, the feet being lifted up very high, and the hoots clattering* much during their motion, as is the case also with the R( iii-l)ecr. They feed principally by night, and whenever they graze are observed to chusc an as- cending ground, for the greater convenience of naching the surface with their lips. The Elk, though naturally of an inoffensive and peaceable disposition, displays a high degree of courage, and even ferocity, when suddenly at- tacked ; defending himself with great vigour, not * This clattering of the hoofs is denied by tome authors, but it la particularly affirmed of the Moose by Mr. Pennant in his Arctic Zoology. 264 ELK. only with his horns, but also by striking violently with his fore feet, in the use of which he is so dextrous as easily to kill a clog, or even a wolf, at a single blow. The chace of the Elk or Moose forms an impor- lant occupation among the natives of North Ame- rica, and is performed in different methods. First, before the rivers and lakes are frozen ; when mul- titudes of the savages assemble in their canoes, and form with them a vast crescent, each horn touching the shore. Another party perform their share of the chace among the woods ; surrounding an extensive tract, letting loose their dogs, and pressing towards the water with loud cries. The animals, alarmed by the noise, fly before the hun- ters, and plunge into the lake, where they are killed by the persons in the canoes, prepared for their reception, with lances and clubs. The other method is more artful. The savages o enclose a large space with stakes, hedged with branches of trees, forming two sides of a triangle: the bottom opens into a second space completely triangular. At the opening are hung numbers of snares made of slips of raw hides. The Indians, as before, assemble in great troops, and with all kinds of noises drive into the first in closure not only the Mouses, but the other kinds of deer which abound in the country : some in forcing their way into the farthest triangle are caught in the snares by the neck or horns ; and those which escape the snares, and pass the little opening, find their fate from the arrows directed at them from all quarters. FLK. 265 They arc also often killed with the gun. When first dislodged, the animal falls down or squats, as if dUahled, for a moment or two, at which in- stant the sportsman fires : if he misses, the Moose sets oft' in a most rapid trot, making, like the rein- . a prodigious clattering with the hoofs, and will run perhaps twenty or thirty miles before it comes to bay, or takes to the water. But the iiMial time tor this diversion is the winter. The hunters avoid entering on the chace till the sun is strong enough to melt the frozen crust with which the snow is covered ; otherwise the animal can run over the firm surface : they wait till it becomes soft enough to impede the flight of the Moose, M'hich sinks up to the shoulders, flounders, and gets on with great difficulty. The hunter pursues at his ease on his broad rackets or snow- shoes, anil makes a ready prey of the distressed animal. The figure of the Elk given in the 12th vol. of the Count de Button's Natural History, is so un- like the animal, that I can hardly conceive it to represent the real Elk, but rather the large Ame- rican Deer or Orignal, since the neck, instead of being very thick and short, as in the Elk, is, on the contrary, represented as of a slender and highly elegant shape, and pretty well represents that of the animal before mentioned. In the 7th supplemental volume is, however, given a tole- rable figure of a young Elk ; but the animal at that period differs considerably in its appearance from that which it assumes when full grown. 266 ELK. We are informed on the authority of Mr. Oed- man, as communicated to Mr. Pennant, that the Elk is now become very rare in the southern parts of Sweden, though by no means uncommon in the northern districts. An ancient superstition has prevailed in many parts of the European world, that the Elk is natu- rally subject to the epilepsy ; and that it finds its cure by scratching its ear with the hoof till it draws blood. In consequence of this notion, the hoof of the Elk forms an article of the ancient materia medica. This absurdity seems to have originated from the circumstance which is said often to take place when the Elk is first started, viz. that the animal, through sudden fear or sur- prise, falls down, as if disabled, and does not re- cover the complete use of its limbs tiil some se- conds have elapsed. A piece of the hoof was anciently set in a ring, and worn as a preservative against the complaint above mentioned ; and sometimes the hoof was held in the patient's hand, or applied to the pulse, or put to the left ear, or suspended from the neck in such a manner as to touch the breast, &c. &c. &c. In Josselyn's Voyages to New England* the American Moose is mentioned as being sometimes * This book, which is written in an odd, rambling, quaint style, was published in 1674. The account of the Moose is as follows: " The Moose or FJke is a creature^or rather, if you will, a mon- ster of superfluity ; a full grown Moose is many times bigger than. an English Oxe, their horns as I have said elsewhere, very big (and brancht out into palms) the tips whereof are sometimes found to FI.K. seen thirty-three hands, or t wel\e feet high, and other writers have said that its horns haxcbrcii known to weigh between three and tour luindnd pounds ; but these are accounts which MVIII to de- serve but little eredit, and are probably owing to the vague and uncertain descriptions communi- cated by the Indian tribes. That some animal, however, of the deer kind, -npcrior in size to any at pp-M-nt known, does cither exist, or has at least existed, is sufficiently proved by the enormous fossil horns Mhich are often found at a considerable depth in the bogs of Ireland, as weil as in America and other par the world ; and which have l>\ many been sup- posed to belong to the Elk or Moose. Their ap- pearance, however, fliffrrs so considerably from be two fathom asunder, (a fathom is six feet from the tip of on* finger to the tip of the other, that is four cubits,) and in height from the toe of the fore-feet to the pitch of the shoulder twelve foot, both which hath been taken by some of my serpt'ujuc readers to be monstrous lyes. If you consider the breadth that the beast carrieth, and the magnitude of the horns, you will be easily in- duced to contribute your belief. And for their height since 1 came into England I have read Dr. Schroderus his chymical dispensatory translated into English by Dr. llmi'land, where he writes that vhem he liicd in Finland under Gnstarus //•/»•«, he taw tat Elkc that wot kdkd and prnrntcd to Customs kit mother, Ktentcm spans high. Lo you now sirs of the gibing erne, if you have any skill in men- suration, tell me what difference there is between seventeen *pans and twelve foot. There are certain transcendent ia in every crea- ture, which are the indelible characters of God, and which discover GcJ ; there's a prudential for you, as John Rhode* the fisherman used to say to his mate Kitt lMx"—Accmmt of'tuo truyogu to Alrw England, $c. ly JOHN JOISILYM, gcnt.p. 88. 268 ELK. the horns of these animals, that it seems now pretty generally agreed among naturalists, that they must have belonged to some species either quite extinct or hitherto undiscovered. They are much longer and narrrower in proportion than those of the Elk, and are furnished with brow antlers ; and the processes or divisions into which the sides and extremities run are much longer, sharper, and more distant in proportion. These horns have been sometimes found of the length of eight feet each ; and have measured fourteen feet between tip and tip, when adhering to the skull. The whole skeleton is said to have been sometimes found also. Specimens of these horns occur in most of our museums, and are justly considered as some of the most interesting examples of fossil zoology. It is, indeed, impossible to view with- out astonishment such immense productions, and at the same time to recollect that they were annu- ally shed and reproduced. It was probably some specimen of this kind that gave rise to the lines of Waller : " So we some antique heroe's strength Learn by his lance's weight and length ; As these vast beams express the beast Whose shady brows alive they drest. Such game, while yet the world was new, The mighty Nimrod did pursue. What huntsman of our feeble race, Or dogs, dare such a monster chace ? Resembling, at each blow he strikes, The charge of a whole troop of pikes. O fertile head I which every year Could such a crop of wonder bear ! ]76 HTUT A*.' ,»„ J*S,. L-ul., AiffM K HtJS^f,. flirt Jtrrf. REIN DEER. 269 The teeming earth did never bring So soon, BO hard, no huge a thing: Which, might it never have been cast (Each year's growth added to the last), These lofty branches had supply'd The earth's hold son's prodigious pride : Heav'n with these engines had been scal'd, When mountains heap'd on mountains fail'd." REIN DEEK. Cervus Tarandus. C. cornibus rainosit recvrratis tcretibiu; tvm- ntitatibus pnlmatis. Lm. Sytt. Nat. p. 98. Deer with branched, recurvate, round horns, with palmated ex- tremities. Tarandus. Pliit. Hist. Nat. 8. c. 34. Aldr. bisulc. p. 859. and Jig. p. 86 1. Jonst. Quadr. p. 90. t. 37. 36. Rangifer. Gem. Quadr. p. 950. ic. Quadr. p. 62. Cervus rangifer. Hay. tyn. Quadr. 88. Le Renne. Buff. u. p. 79. and Suppl. 3. p. 131. pi. 18. Rein Deer. Pennant Quadr . i.p. in. THE Rein Deer, like the Elk, is an inhabitant of the northern regions. In Europe its chief re- sidence is in Norway and Lapland. In Asia it frequents the north coast as far as Kamtschatka, and the inland parts as far as Siberia. In Ame- rica it occurs in Greenland, and does not extend farther south than Canada *. The height of a full grown Rein Deer is, according to Mr. Pennant, four feet six inches : the body is of a some -what thick and square form ; and the legs shorter in proportion than those of the stag. Its general * Pennant. 270 REIN DEER. colour is brown above and white beneath, but as it advances in age, it often becomes of a greyish white, and sometimes almost entirely white : the space about the eyes is always black : the hair on the under part of the neck is of much greater length than the rest, and forms a kind of hanging beard in that part : both sexes are furnished with horns, but those of the male are much larger and longer than those of the female : the hoofs are long, large, and black, as are also the false or secondary hoofs behind ; and these latter, while the animal is run- ning, make by their collision a remarkable clat- tering sound, which may be heard at a consider- able distance. No animal of this tribe appears to vary so much in the form and length of its horns as the Rein Deer, the individuals of which, according to age and other circumstances, present so different an appearance in this respect, that a person inconver- sant in the history of the animal, would, at first sight, hardly suppose them to belong to the same species. In general the horns are remarkable for their great length, and proportional slenderness, and arc furnished with a pair of brow antlers, with widely expanded and palmated tips directed for- wards : towards the middle part of the horn rises another large branch, directed upwards, and branched at the tip ; the remainder of the horn runs on to a great length in a backward direction, and is more or less branched at the end. In the young and middle aged Rein Deer the horns are remarkable for their slender form ; but as the ani- mal advances in age they are of a stronger appeai> REIN DEER. 271 ance, as in the annexed figure of the male, which was first given by Gesner, and which is pronounced by Linnaeus a good representation : the figure of the female is taken from the celebrated work of Ridinger, and has also been published in the third supplemental volume of the Count de Buffon's Natural History. The Rein Deer is celebrated for its services to the simple and harmless inhabitants of Lapland, who, undisturbed by the sound of war, or the troubles of commerce, lead a kind of pastoral life, even within the frozen limits of the Arctic circle, and have no other cares than those of providing for the rigours of their long winter, and of rearing and supporting their numerous herds of Rein Deer, which may be said to constitute almost their whole wealth, and which are used not only for the purposes of food, but for travelling occa- sionally over that frozen country during the win- ter season. Linnaeus, in his Flora Lapponica, gives a very flattering description of the felicity of a Laplan- der's life ; '* O felix Lappo! qui in ultimo angulo mundi sic bene lates contentus et innnccns. Tu nee times annomu caiitatcm, IRC Martis prirlia, qua; ad tuas oras pervenire nequeunt, sed florentissi- mas Europaj provincias et urbes, unico memento, saepe dejiciunt, delent. Tu dormis hie sub tua pelle ab omnibus curis, contentionibus, rixis liber, ignorant quid sit invidia. Tu milla nosti ni>i tonantis Jovis fulmina. Tu duels innocentissi- 2/2 REIN DEER. mos tuos annos ultra centenarium numerum cum facili senectute et summa sanitate. Te latent myriades morborum nobis Europxis communes. Tu vivis in sylvis, avis instar, nee sementem facis, nee metis, tamen alit te Deus optimus optime. Tua ornamenta sunt tremula arborum folia, gra- minosique luci ; tuus potus aqua crystalline pel- luciditatis, quae nee cerebrum insania adficit, nee strumas in Alpibus tuis producit. Cibus tuus est vel verno tempore piscis recens, vel zestivo serum lactis, vel autumnali tetrao, vel hyemali caro re- cens rangiferina absque sale et pane, singula vice unico constans ferculo, edis dum securus e lecto surgis, dumque eum petis, nee nosti venena nos- tra, qua latent sub dulci melle. Te non obruit scorbutus, nee febris intermittens, nee obesitas, nee podagra, fibroso gaudes corpore et alacri, ani- moque libero. O sancta innocentia, estne hie tuus thronus inter Faunos in summo septentrione, inque vilissima babita terra? numne sic prsefers stragula hsec betulina mollibus serico tectis plumis ? Sic etiam credidere veteres, nee male." Of this eulogy the English reader must be con- tent with the following somewhat abbreviated translation, or rather imitation. O favour'd race ! whom partial Heav'n design 'd To free from all the cares that vex mankind! In life's mad scenes while wayward nations join, One silent corner of the world is thine j From busy toil, from raging passions free, And war, dire stain of laps'd humanity ! Far from thy plains the hideous monster roves, Nor dares pollute thy consecrated groves. REIN DEtR. 273 Indulgent Nature yields her free supplies. And bids thy simple food around thee rise. Along thy shores the scaly myriads play, And gathering birds pursue their airy way. Gurgles to quench thy thirst the crystal spring. And ranging herds their milky tribute bring. No fell disease attacks thy hardy frame, Or damps with sullen cloud the vital flame ; But flies to plague amid their tainted sky The sick'ning sons of full-fed luxury. Thy aged sires can boast a cent'ry past, And life's clear lamp burns briskly to the last. In woods and groves, beneath the trembling spray. Glides on, in sweet content, thy peaceful day: Gay exercise with ruddy health combin'd, And, far beyond the rest! the freedom of the mind. Here stands secure, beneath the northern zone, O sacred Innocence, thy turf-built throne: Tis here thou wav'st aloft thy snowy wings, Far from the pride of courts and pomp of kings. It is true there arc some drawbacks on this scene of felicity. The winter may be said to con- tinue nearly nine months, and i.-> of a rigour un- known in the more southern regions of the world: the sun i> invisible foraceitain period, and the moon and stars, with the frequent coruscations of the aurora borealis, and the reflection from the snow, constitute the only light afforded by Na- ture. During this season, therefore, the inhabi- tants must of necessity experience all the horrors atendant on a northern winter. The short sum- mer, on the contrary, \\lun once fairly com- menced, is scarce less oppressive, from the innu- merable legions of musquitoes, which abound to 274- REIN DEER. such a degree in the marshy districts, as to oblige the inhabitants, in order to walk abroad with com- mon comfort, to anoint their faces with a mixture of tar and milk, which composition is in univer- sal use at that season ; men, women, and children, being alike smeared with the black cosmetic, as Linnaeus quaintly terms it. In reality, therefore, the great happiness of the Laplanders consists in being free from the calamities of war, from most of the diseases of Europe, and in being ignorant of the wants of luxury, arising from the more artificial life of polished nations. Their manner of travelling in sledges, drawn by Rein Deer, has been described by various au- thors. There are in Lapland two races of Rein Deer,. the wild and the tame. The latter are far preferable to the former for drawing the sledge, to which the Laplander accustoms them betimes, yoking them to it by a strap, which goes round the neck, and comes down between the legs. The sledge is ex- tremely light, and covered at the bottom with the skin of a young deer, the hair turned to slide on the frozen snow. The person who sits on this guides the animal with a cord, fastened round the horns, and encourages it to proceed with his voice, and drives it with a goad. Some of the wild breed, though by far the strongest, are yet found refractory, and often turn upon their drivers, who have then no other resource but to cover them- selves with the sledge, and let the animal vent its REIN DIKIt. 87$ upon that. But it is otherwise with those that are tame; no creature can be more active, patient, and willing: when hard pushed, they will nine or ten Swedish miles, it is said, or be- twern fifty and sixty Knglish miles, at one stretch; but in such a case the poor obedient creature fa- tigues itself to death; and it' not killed immedi- ately by its owner, will die in a day or two after. In general they can go about thirty miles without halting, and without any great or dangerous efforts. This, which is the only way of travel- ling in Lapland, can be performed to advantage only when the snow is glazed over with ice: and though it be a speedy method of conveyance, yet it is inconvenient, dangerous, and troublesome. The chief food of the Rein Deer is a species of Lichen, commonly called the Rein-Deer moss, which co\t is N ast tracts of the northern regions, and on which these animals particularly delight to brouze. In summer they readily obtain it in \ ast plenty, and in winter dig with their horns through the snow to arrive at it. With the Laplanders this animal is at once the substitute of the Horse, the Cow, the Sheep, and Goat. Those innocent people have subdued it to vari- ous uses, and reclaimed it from its wild state. They devote their whole care to its management; occasionally housing and nursing their herds dur- ing the winter, and attending them during the summer to the tops of their mountains, and to the sides of their clear lakes and streams, which are 276 STAG. said to be often bordered with native* roses. They understand all the arts of the dairy, and from the milk of their deer prepare many of their most nourishing and agreeable repasts. STAG. Cervus Elaphus. C. cornibus ramosis, totis teretibus recurvatis* Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 98. Rufous-brown Deer, with cylindric, recurvate, branching horns. Cervus. Plin. Hist. Nat. 8. ch. 32. Gem. Quadr. p. 354. Aldr. bisulc. p. 769.^. p. 774. Joiist. Quadr. p. 82. t. 32. 35. Le Cerf. Buff. 6. p. 63. pi. 9, 10. Stag or Red Deer. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 35. No. 6. Stag. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 114. The Stag, Hart, or Red Deer, male. The Wind, female. THE Stag, says Buffon, is one of those innocent and peaceable animals that seem destined to em- bellish the forest, and animate the solitudes of Nature. The elegance of his form, the lightness of his motions, the strength of his limbs, and the branching horns with which his head is decorated, conspire to give him a high rank among quadru- peds, and to render him worthy the admiration of mankind. * This remarkable circumstance is mentioned by Maupertuis in bis work on the figure of the earth. He assures us that on the banks of the river Tenglio in Lapland he saw roses f of as bright a red as he had ever observed in gardens. f I know not wliat kind of roses these could be : Linnxus comroemoutfs no such in his Flora Lapponica. J77 STAG. 277 The Stag varies both in size and colour in dif- ferent countries, but is generally about three feet and a half high ; and of a reddish brown colour, whitish beneath. Sometimes it is of a very dark or blackish brown ; sometimes, of a pale or yel- low-brown, and lastly, instances occur of Stags entirely white. The horns vary as to size and number of ramifications according to the age of the animal, and, as in others of this genus, are annually ca>t. The general number of branches in a well grown Stag seems to be six or seven, but they are sometimes far more numerous*. The Stag is a native of almost all the; temperate parts of Kurope, as well as of Asia. It also oc- curs in North America, where it occasionally ar- - at a larger^ size than in the old continent, ;>t in Siberia, where, according to Mr. Pen- nant, it is found of gigantic magnitude. In Ame- rica the Stag, like many other native animals, has gradually receded from particular regions in pro- portion to increased cultivation. We are informed by Kahn, that an old Indian, who was living in the year l/4s, had killed several Stags on the spot where the cit\ of Philadelphia now stands. The Stag i.s supposed to have been originally in- troduced into our own island from 1'iance, where it i.s very common. Mr. Pennant remarks, that * Many curiuus varieties of this kind may be found in the •• of Ridinger. f Lawson, on the contrary, say* the American stag U smaller than the European, though fatter. V. II. P. ii. 19 278 STAG. it is still found in a state of nature in the High- lands of Scotland. In reality it has been in a great degree expelled from most parts of the king- dom to make way for the common or Fallow Deer, the venison of which is far superior to that of the Stag, and the animal itself of a more placid and manageable disposition. The Stag, like some others of this tribe, is na- turally gregarious ; assembling in herds in the forests, and brousing the leaves of young shoots of trees, &c. " The size and stature of these animals (says BufYon) differ according to the places tht%y inha- bit: those which frequent the valleys, or hills abounding in grain, are larger and taller than those which feed upon dry and rocky mountains. The latter are low, thick, and short : neither arc they equally swift ; though they run longer than the former : they are also more vicious, and have longer hair on their heads : their horns arc com- monly short and black, like a stunted tree, the bark of which is always of a darker colour ; but the horns of the stags which feed in the plains are high, and of a clear reddish colour, like the wood and bark of trees which grow in a good soil. These little squat stags never frequent the lofty woods, but keep always among the coppices, where they can more easily elude the pursuit of the dogs. The Corsican appears to be the smallest of these mountain stags. He exceeds not half the height of the ordinary kind, and may be re- STAC. garded as a terrier among stags. His colour is brown, his body squat, and his legs short ; and what convinces me that the size and stature of stags in general depend on the quantity and qua- lity of {heir food, is, that having reared one at my house, and fed him very plentifully for four years, he was much taller, thicker, and plumper at that age than the oldest stags in my woods, which are, however, of a very good size. " The Stag appears to have a fine eye, an acute smell, and an excellent ear. When listen- in «-. he raises his head, erects his ears, and hears from a great distance. When going into a cop- pice or other half covered place, he stops to look round him on all sides, and scents the wind, to discover it' any object be near that might turb him. He is a simple, yet a curious and crafty animal. When hissed or called to from a distance, he stops short, and looks steadfastly, and with a kind of admiration, at carriages, cattle, or men ; and if they have neither arms nor dogs, lie moves on unconcernedly, and without flying. He appears to listen with great tranquillity and delight to the shepherd's pipe*, and the hunters i mploy this artifice to encoura^v and deceive him. In general he is less afraid of men * In Play ford's Introduction to Music, u the following passage: •• Myself, as 1 travelled some years since near Royston, met a herd of Stags, about twenty, on the road, following a bag-pipe and vio- lin ; which, while the music played, thcf went forward, when it ceased, they all stood still j and in this manner they were brought wut of Yorkshire to Hampton-court.' 280 STAG, than of dogs, and is never suspicious, or uses any arts of concealment, but in proportion to the dis- turbances he has received. He eats slow, and has a choice in his aliments ; and after his stomach is full, he lies down and ruminates at leisure. He seems to ruminate with less facility than the ox, and it is only by violent shakes that the stag can make the food rise from his first stomach. This difficulty proceeds from the length and direction of the passage through which the aliment must pass : the neck of the ox is short and strait, but that of the stag is long and arched, and consequently greater efforts are required in rumination. " In winter and spring the stag does not drink, the dews and tender herbage being sufficient to extinguish his thirst ; but during the parching heats of summer he frequents the brooks, marshes, and fountains, and in autumn is so over-heated that he searches every where for water to bathe and refresh liis body. He then swims easier than any other time on account of his fatness, and has been observed crossing very large rivers. He leaps still more nimbly than he swims, and when pursued, can readily clear a hedge or pale of six feet high. The food of stags varies according to the season. In autumn they search for the buds of green shrubs, the flowers of broom or heath, the leaves of brambles, &c. During the snows of winter they feed on the bark, moss, cScc. of trees, and in mild weather they bronze in the corn fields. In the beginning of spring they go in quest of the catkins of the trembling poplar, STAG. 281 willow, and hazel ; the flowers and buds of the cornel, £c. In summer, \\lu-n they huvc great choice, they prefer rye to all other grain, and the black benryrbearing Alder (Khainnus i'rangula) to all othir wood. The fle->h of the fawn is very good : that of the female or hind not bad, but of the stag is strong, and of an unpleasant fla- vour: the skin and the horns are the most use- ful parts of the animal ; the former making a pliable and durable leather, while the latter are used by cutlers and other artificers for various purposes of manufacture." Stags in general cast or shed their horns sooner or later in the month of March, in proportion to their ages. At the end of June they are full- grown, and the animal rubs them strongly against the boughs of trees, or any convenient object, in order to free them from the skin, which is now become useless, and by the beginning of August they begin to assume the full strength and con- sistence which they retain throughout the re- mainder of the year. It is hardly necc.vsiry to add, that the longevity of the Stag, which became proverbial among the ancii . in .some degree, a vulgar error ; for though the animal, compared \\ith many other quadrupeds, may be justly considered as long- lived, since it i> Mi|>|>»»e means posseted of the longe\ it\ anciently attributed to it, which is merely a popular preju- 282 FALLOW DEER. dice, sufficiently contradicted by the experience of later ages. Indeed it should not be forgotten that Aristotle opposed the common prejudice, and contended that the nature of the animal afforded no probable argument in favour of its longevity. FALLOW DEER. Cervus Dama. C. cornibus ramosis recnrvatis compressis, tate palmata. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 98. Yellowish-brown Deer, with slightly recurvate, compressed, branching horns, palmated at the top. Platyceros. Plin. Hist. Nat. n. c. 37. Cervus platyceros. Raj. Quadr. p. 85. Dama vulgaris. Gesn. 335. Aldr. bisulc. 741. Le Daim & La Daine. Bujf. 6. p. i6j.pl. 27, 28. The common Buck and Doe. Fallow Deer. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 113. THE Fallow Deer is considerably smaller than the Stag, and is of a brownish bay colour, more or less deep in different individuals ; whitish be- neath, on the insides of the limbs, and beneath the tail, which is somewhat longer in proportion than that of the stag, and is commonly bounded on each side by a descending streak of black, but the principal mark of distinction between this spe- cies and the stag, is the form of the horns, which, as in the stag, are peculiar to the male, and are dilated at the upper part, and palmated, or di- vided into processes which are continued to a considerable distance down the outside of each FALLOW DEEM. 283 horn. An antler or simple slender process rises from the lasc of each, and a similar one at some distance ahove the first; both pointing somewhat forwards. In its general form the animal greatly resemhles the stag, having the same elegance of aspect, with a more gentle disposition. The Fallow Deer is not so universal as the stag, and is even a rare animal in some parts of Europe, as in France and (imnany, hut in Spain is said to be found nearly equal to the stag in size. It oc- curs, according to Mr. Pennant, in the woods of Lithuania and Moldavia, as well as in Greece, Palestine, and the northern parts of China. In America it has never been found, the aniinaN sometimes called American Fallow Deer bel« ing to a different species, peculiar to that conti- nent. The manners of the Fallow Deer resemble- tl. of the stag, but it is observed to be less delicate in the choice of its food ; eating a variety of ve- {.< fable-, which are refused by the former. It ar- rives at full growth and perfection in about three years, and is said to live about twenty. The horns are annually shed, as in the stag, but at a somewhat later period. At their first ap- pearance they resemble a pair of soft tumid knobs or tubercles, and arc covered with a villous and very \.iMiilar skin: they gradually enlarge, lengthen, and widen at their tops ; and when at full growth, the skin, with all its apparatus of Is, which had served to nourish tile hoins grown u>elcNs. is rubbed oft" by the animal. 284 VIRGINIAN DEER. the impressions of the blood- vessels still remaining on the complete horn in the form of so many ramified furrows. VIRGINIAN DEER. Ccrvus Virginianus. C. cornibus ramosis antrorsum versis paru m palmatis. Liti. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 179. Pale-brown Deer, with slender round branched horns, bending forward, and slightly palmated at the top. Dama Virginiana. Raj. Quadr. p. 86. Fallow Deer. Laws. Carol, p. 123. Catesb. Carol, app.p. 28. Virginian Deer. Pennant Quadr. i p. 116. THE Virginian Deer is a native of the northern parts of America, where it is found in vast herds, and is an animal of great importance to the Indian natives, who dry its flesh for their winter provi- sion : the skin also constitutes a great article of commerce, vast numbers being annually imported from the colonies ; in the year 1764 not fewer, according to Mr. Pennant, than 2,5, 027 from New York and Pensylvania. The size of the animal is that of the Fallow Deer : its colour a light cinereous brown ; the head of a deeper cast, and the belly, sides, shoul- ders, and thighs, whitish, mottled with brown : the tail is about ten inches long, and is dusky above and white below : the horns slender, bend- ing very much forwards, with numerous branches on the interior sides, and no brow antlers. Tliis species appears to occur in almost all parts J30 BEER . ^. Jmult Lvulm nMjfhX fr & JOfrtb*. Flfrt .-Yrrvf. SPOTTED AX : 285 of North America, except Canada, and is found in the £i cutest abundance in the vast savannas contiguous to the Missisipi ;ui and hutalocs. They are some- tinu > tamed, and used by the Indians, after bcin«; properly Trained, to decoy the wild deer within shot. They are of a. restless and wandering dispo- sition, and in hard winters are observed to feed much on the different species of Usnca or strinij- iiio^, which hangs from the trees. They are also fond of re-sorting to places impregnated with salt, and in such spots may be seen in great n umbel's, licking the earth. Such spots are called in Ame- rica by the name of Licking-places, and the hun- tic sure of finding plenty of game there; the animals, though so frequently disturbed, still con- tinuing to frequent their favourite haunts. SPOTTED AXIS. Ccrvus Axis. C. cornibtts ramotia teretibtu erect it, summit ate fci- fila, corpore albo-maculato. Lin. Sytt. Nat. Cmel. p. 179. Erxl. mantm. p. 3 1 a. Pale rufous brown Deer, spotted with white, with slender trifur- cated horns. Axis. Plin. Hist. Nat. 8. c. ai. Raj. Quadr. p. 8y. L'Axis. Buff. 1 1. p. 397. pi. 38, 39. Spotted Axis. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 117. Tin. Axis is one of the most beautiful animals of this genus, and is commonly known by the 286 MIDDLE AXIS. name of the Ganges Stag. Its size is nearly that of the Fallow Deer, and its colour an elegant light rufous-brown, distinctly and beautifully marked with very numerous white spots : the un- der parts are paler, and a line of white generally separates the colour of the upper from the lower parts : the tail resembles that of the Fallow Deer, and is reddish above and white beneath. This species is .said to be very common in some parts of India about the banks of the Ganges, and in the island of Ceylon. It is described by Pliny among the animals of India, and is said to have been sacred to Bacchus. It has been introduced into Europe, and is occasionally seen in parks and menageries. It is readily tamed, and seems to suffer but little from a change of climate. MIDDLE AXIS. WHETHER this be a variety of the former or specifically distinct does not appear perfectly clear. It is, according to Mr. Pennant, of a middle size, between the Spotted Axis and the Great Axis, or following kind. In the colour of its hair it re- sembles the first sort, but is never spotted. It, however, is said to vary into white, in which state it is considered as a great rarity. It inhabits dry hilly forests in Ceylon, Borneo, Celebes, and Java, where it is' found in very numerous herds. Its flesh is much esteemed by the natives, and is dried and salted for use. 287 GREAT AXIS. THE existence of this species, or variety, is as- lined from ;i pair ot% horns in the British Mu- seum, resembling tlie former kinds in shape, but of larger size : they measure two feet nine inchrt in length, are of a whitish colour, and are very strong, thick, and rugged. Mr. Pennant con- jectures that they were brought from Ceylon or Borneo, having been informed by Mr. Loten, who had long resided in the former of these islands, that a very large kind of stag, as tall horse, of a reddish colour, and with trifmcated horns, existed there as well as in Borneo. In Borneo they are said to frequent low mai^iiy tracts, and to be called by the name of Water Still. TAILLESS ROE. Cervus Pygargus. C. cauda nvtta, cornibus trifurtis. Lm. Sysi. Nat. Gmcl.p. 175. Pall. it. i.p. 97. Tailless brown Deer, yellowish beneath, white behind, with tri- f urea ted horns, and nose surrounded with black. Cernu Aha. 5. G. Gmtlia it. 3. p. 496. f. 56. Tailless Deer. Pennant Quadr. i. p. I3i. THIS species is described in die first volume of Dr. Pallas's Travels, and is a native of the moun- tainous parts of Hircania, Russia, and Siberia; inhabiting the loftiest parts of those regions, but 288 MEXICAN ROE. in winter descending into tlie plains, the hair at that season assuming a hoary appearance. In its form it resembles the Roebuck, but is larger. Its colour is brown, with the outsides of the limbs and under parts of the body yellowish : the hinder parts of the thighs are white, forming a large bed or patch of that colour on the back part of the animal : the space round the nose, and sides of the lower lip, are black, but the tip of the lip itself white : the horns are strongly tuberculated at the base ; the ears lined within with short white hair, and the orbits of the eyes surrounded with long black hairs. The whole coat of the animal is excessively thick, and in the spring grows re- markably rough and erect. It has no tail, but a mere broadish cutaneous excrescence. MEXICAN ROE. Cervus Mexicanus. C. cornibus ypice trifurcatis antrorsum "ccrsis, rufus. Lui. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 179. Rufous Deer, with rough trifurcated horns, bending forward. Chevreul d'Amerique. Buff". 6. p. 210. 243. Teultal machine. Hernandez An. Mexic. 3 24. Mexican Deer. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 122. OUR chief knowledge of this species is derived from the information of Hernandez, who in his history of Mexico informs us that it is a native of that province ; but it is also found in Guiana, 13ra- sil, &c. It is about the size of the common or European Roebuck, and of a reddish colour, but, INDIAN ROE. 2S9 when young, is often spotted with white. The horns are thick, strong, and rugged : they bend for- is, and are about ten inches long, and trifur- cated on the upper part ; but they sometimes vary in the number of branches or processes : the head is large ; the eyes large and bright, and the neck thick. The flesh is said to be far inferior to the- venison of Europe. 77/r.f INDIAN ROE. MR. Pf NN'AVT describes, from the Museum of the Royal Society (now translated to the Briti.sli Museum), a pair of horns of some animal of the Roebuck kind, styled by Grew, in his description of the above-mentioned Museum, Horns of an In- dian Ruthuck. They are sixteen inches long, and the same between tip and tip : they are very large, thick, strong, and rugged ; and near the base of <-nrh is an upright forked branch; the ends bend forwards, and divide into two branches, each fur- nished with numerous snags of processes. PORCINE DEER. Cervus Porcinus. C. cornibus gradlibus trifurds, supra fuscus, subtus cinereus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel.p. 179. Brown Deer, ash-coloured beneath, with slender trifurcuted horns. Porcine Deer. Pennant Qiiadr. i.p. 119. Cerf-Cochon. Bitjf. Suppl. 3. p. 122. pi. 18. ? THE Porcine Deer of Pennant has slender tri- furcated horns, thirteen inches long and six inches distant at the base : the head is ten inches and a half long : the bod}7, from the tip of the nose to the tail, three feet six inches : the height, from the shoulders to the hoof, two feet two inches ; and about two inches higher behind : the length of the tail is eight inches : the body is thick and clumsy ; the legs fine and slender: the colour, on the upper part of the neck, body, and sides, is brown ; the belly and rump lighter. The specimen described by Mr. Pennant was in the possession of the late Lord Clive, and was brought from Bengal. It is also said to be found in Borneo, and to be called Hog Deer, from the thickness of the body. Of their feet, Mr. Pennant says, are made tobacco-stoppers, in the same man- ner as of those of the smaller kind of Antelopes and Musks. SPOTTED PORCINE DEER. THE animal described and figured by Button, under the title of Cerf-Cochon, or Hog Deer, is COMMON ROE. 291 spotted ni a similar manner with the Axis : the nadcr will find it figured in the present publica- tion on the same plate with that animal. COMMON HOK. Cervus Capreolus. C. cornibut ramosu tfretibus crectu, sttmmi* fate bifida, corporcfusco-rufo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 180. Rufous-brown Deer, with branching upright cylindric horns, bitid at the top. Caprca. 1'lin. Hint. Nat. 8. c. 53. Aldr. bisvk. 738. Jvrut. Qitadr. p. 77. /. 31. Capreolus. Gem. Quadr. 324. 1098. Le Chevmiil. Buff. 6. p. 198. pi. 32, 33. Roe. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 120. THE general history of the Hoe has been so ex- cellently detailed by the Count de Huffon, that I shall not scruple to insert without any ma- terial alteration, his description of its man? &C. premising only that its colour is a reddish brown, and that it is the smallest of the Kuropeaa animals of this genus. " As the Stag (says this author) i.s the noblot inhabitant of the wood, he occupies the deepest shades of the forest, and the most elevated ridges of those mountains which are covered with lofty > The Hoe, as if inferior in species, contents himself with an humbler residence, and generally duclls among the thick foliage of young brush- wood. But if he is interior t<» the stag in dignity, strength, and stature, lie is endowed with more J292 COMMON ROE. gracefulness, vivacity, and courage. He is su- perior in gaiety, neatness, and sprightliness. His ligure is more elegant and handsome. His eyes are more brilliant and animated. His limbs are more nimble, bis movements quicker, and he bounds, seemingly without effort, with equal vi- gor and agility. His coat or hair is always clean, smooth, and glossy. He never wallows in the mire, like the stag. He delights in dry and ele- vated situations where the air is purest. He is likewise more crafty, conceals himself with greater address, is more difficult to trace, and derives su- perior resources from instinct : for though he has the misfortune to leave behind him a stronger scent than the stag, which redoubles the ardour and appetite of the dogs, he knows how to with- draw himself from their pursuit, by the rapi- dity with which he begins his flight, and by his numerous doublings. He delays not his arts of defence till his strength fails him ; but as soon as he finds that the first efforts of a rapid chace have been unsuccessful, he repeatedly returns on his former steps ; and after confounding, by these opposite movements, the . direction he has taken, after intermixing the present with the past ema- nations from his body, he rises from the earth by a great bound, and retiring to a side, he lies down tlat on his belly, and in this immoveable situation, he allows the whole troop of his de- ceived enemies to pass very near him. " The Roe differs from the stag and fallow deer in disposition, temperament, manners, and almost COMMON ROE. '.\')3 every natural habit. Instead of associating in herds, they live in separate families. The father, mother, and young go together, and never mix with strangers. They are constant in their amours, and never unfaithful, like the stag; and, as the females generally produce two fawns, the one male and the other female, these young ani- mals, brought up and nourished together, acquire M» strong a mutual affection, that they never quit each other, unless one of them meets with a mis- fortune, which never ought to separate lo\ " During the period in which they are engaged in the task of nursing a new family, they drive off the former hrood as if to oblige them to yield their place to those \\hich are to succeed, and to form new families for themselves ; but when this season is past, the fawns again return to their mo- ther, and remain with her some time; after which they separate entirely, and remove to a di- stance from the place which gave them birth. The female goes with young live months and a half, and brings forth about the end of April, or beginning of May. The hinds or female st. on the contrary, go with young above eight months : and this difference is alone sufficient to prove that these animals are so remote from each other in species, as to prevent their ever intermix- ing or producing an intermediate race. I>y this difference, as well as that of figure and size, they approach the goat as much as they recede from the stag; for the goat goes with young nearly the same time, and the Roe may be regarded as a wild v. ii. p. ji. 'JO t.94 COMMON ROE. goat, which, feeding solely on wood, carries wood* instead of horns. The female, when about to bring forth, retires to the deepest recesses of the forest. In ten or twelve days the fawns acquire strength sufficient to enable them to follow her. When threatened with danger, she hides them in a close thicket, and to preserve them presents her- self to be chased. But, notwithstanding all her care and anxiety, the young are sometimes carried off by men, dogs, or wolves. This is, indeed, the time of their greatest destruction. Of this spe- cies, which is not very numerous, I know, from experience, that more are destroyed in the month of May than during all the rest of the year. I often live in a part of France where the Roe is greatly esteemed (Montbard'm Burgundy). Many fawns are annually brought me alive by men, and others killed by dogs, without reckoning those which are devoured by wolves : and I have observed, during the space of more that twenty - five years, that, as if there was a perfect equili- brium between the causes of destruction and re- novation, their number is always nearly equal in the same districts. It is not difficult to count them ; for they are no where numerous, and they * The Count de Buftbn entertained a singular theory, that the horns of the Deer tribe were a kind of reproduction, as it were, of the trees, &c. on which the animals broused ; the nutritious organic moleculae arranging themselves, in some degree, according to their former figure ! ! ! Under the article Stag, in that agreeable writer's natural history, the reader may find this extraordinary notion main- tained at some length. COMMON ROE. 295 live separately in distinct families. In a coppice, for example, of an hundred acres, there will be one family, or from time to five individuals; for a female which generally produces two fawns, sometimes brings forth but one, and sometimes, though very rarely, three. In another district, of double the extent, there will be seven or eight ; that is, two families ; and I have remarked, that each district always harbours an equal number, except when the winters have been extremely ri- gorous and long ; in which case the whole family is destroyed ; but it is replaced by another the fol- lowing year ; and those districts, for which they have a predilection, are always inhabited nearly by an equal number. It is alledged, however, that in general their number is diminishing. There are whole provinces, it must be acknowledged, in France, where not one of them is to be found. Though common * in Scotland, there are none in England. They are very rare in Italy ; and they are now scarcer in Sweden than formerly. But this may have proceeded from the diminution of fo- rests, or from some very severe winter, like that of the year 1709, which almost destroyed all the Roes in Burgundy ; so that several years elaj before the species was recruited. Beside, they are not equally fond of every country ; for, in the same countries, they prefer particular places. They love hills, or plains on the tops of mountain*. * Not very common; being found only in the northern parti or Highlands. 296 COMMON ROE. The)' never stay in the deepest recesses of the fo- rests, nor in the middle of extensive woods ; but give the preference to the skirts or projections of woods, which are surrounded with cultivated fields, and to open coppices which produce the berry-bearing alder, brambles, £c. " The fawns continue with their parents eight or nine months, and, when separated, about the end of the first year of their age, the first horns begin to appear, in the form of two knobs, much less than those of the stag. There is still a greater difference between these two animals. The horiis of the stag are cast in the spring, and are renewed in summer ; but those of the Roe fall off at the end of autumn, and are replaced in winter. When the Roebuck has renewed his horns, he rubs them against the trees, like the stag, in order to free them from the skin with which they are covered ; and this commonly happens in the month of March, before the trees begin to shoot. Hence it is not the sap of the wood which colours the horns of the Roe. The horns, however, are brown when the animal is brown, and yellow when he is red. The second horns of the Roe have two or three antlers in each side : the third three or four; the fourth four or five, and they seldom have more. We distinguish the old ones by the thickness of their steins, the largeness of the bur, of the pearlings, &c. As long as the horns con- tinue soft they are extremely sensible. Of this I have had a striking example. The young shoot of a Roebuck's horn was carried off by a ball. The COMMON ROE. anim.ll was stunned, and fell down as if he had been dead. The shooter, who was near, sc him by the foot; but the Roebuck suddenly reco- vering his SCUM'S and strength, dragged the man, though he was strong and alert, thirty paces into the wood. After killing him with a knife, MC disco\ cred that he had received no other wound. Besides, it is well known that flics are very trou- blesome to the stag : when his horns are growing, lie retires to the deepest parts of the wood, where the Hies are less numerous: because, when they fix up, >n the tender horns, the irritation they cause is insupportable. Thus there is an intimate com- munication between the soft parts of the horns, and the whole nervous system of the animal. The Roebuck, having nothing to apprehend from the flies, because he renews his homs in winter, never retires in this manner ; but he walks with caution, and carries his head low, lest he should touch the branches. " As the female Roe goes with young only five months and a half, and as the growth of the fawn is more rapid than that of the stag, the duration of her life is much shorter; seldom extending, I imagine, beyond twelve or fifteen years. I have reared M vcral of them ; but could never prt them above five or six yens. They are very deli- cate in the choice of their food, require a i; deal of c . fine air, and much room, which is the reason why they are unable, except in tin- first year of their growth, to resist the incr niences of a domestic life. To make a pair of t 298 COMMON ROE. animals live comfortably, they must have a park of an hundred acres. They may be tamed, but can never be rendered obedient or familiar. They always retain a portion of their natural wildness, are easily terrified, and then run with such force against the walls that they often break their limbs. However tame they may be, they cannot be trust- ed ; for the males particularly are subject to dan- gerous caprices ; they take an aversion to certain persons, and make furious attacks with their horns, the blows of which are sufficient to throw a man to the ground, after which they continue to tread on him with their feet. The Roebuck bellows not so frequently, nor with so loud or strong a voice, as the stag. The young ones utter a short or plaintive cry, mi, mi, by which they indicate their want of food. This sound is easily imitated, and the mother, deceived by the call, will come up to the very muzzle of the hunter's gun. " In winter the Roes frequent the thickest coppices, and feed upon brambles, broom, heath, the catkins of the hazel, willow, &c. In spring they repair to the more open brushwood, and eat the buds and young leaves of almost every tree. This warm food ferments in their stomachs, and intoxicates them to such a degree, that they are easily surprised. They know not where they are going, and not unfrequently come out of the wood, and sometimes approach flocks of cattle, and the habitations of men. In summer they dwell in the more elevated coppices, from which they seldom depart, excepting in very dry weather, COMMON i; 299 when they go to drink at some fountain ; tor when tlie dews abound, or the leave- air moist- ened with rain, they never drink. They are deli- cate in the choice of their food ; they eat not v, itli avidity, like the stag, and they seldom appront h the cultivated fields, because they prefer the bt n s - bearing alder and bramble to grain or pot herbs of any kind. " Though the flesh of these animals be excel- lent food, yet it admits of much choice. The quality of the venison depends chiefly on the country they inhabit ; and even the best countries produce good and bad kinds. The flesh of the brown Roe is finer than that of the red. All the males, after the age of two years, liave hard and ill-tasted flesh ; but that of the females, though farther advanced in age, is more tender. That of the fawns, when very young, is loose and soft ; but at the age of eighteen months, it is in the highest state of perfection. Those which live in plains and vallies are not good ; those which come from moist countries arc still \\or>e: those brought up in parks are insipid ; and, lastly, there are no good Hoes but those of dry elevated coun- tries, interspersed with hills, woods, cultivated and fallow lands, where they enjoy plenty of air, food, ficedom, and solitude ; for those which have been often disturbed are meagre, and the flesh of those that have been often hunted is dry and insipid." The Roe, like other quadrupeds, is sometime*, found perfectly white, an instance of which is re- corded in the Count de Button's Natural History. 300 COMMON ROE. We are also informed by Count Mellin, in a letter to the Count de Buffon, that a race of coal black Roes exists in a very small German district, called the Forest of Lucia, in the dominions of the King of England as Duke of Lunenberg. This variety is said to be constant or permanent, and in size and all other particulars, except colour, to resemble the common kind. Mr. Pennant informs us that the Roebuck was formerly very common in Wales, in the north of England, and in Scotland, but that it no lopger exists in any part of Britain, except in the Scottish highlands. They first occur in the woods on tne south side of Loch Rannoch, in Perthshire, and the last that are found are in the woods of Langwal, on the southern borders of Cathnefs ; but they are most numerous in the beautiful forests of Iivcer- cauld, in the midst of the Grampian hills. They are unknown in Ireland. The common or general measure of the Roe is three feet nine inches from nose to tail ; the height before, two feet three inches ; but behind two feet seven inches, and the tail is about one inch long : the horns are about six or eight inches long, and are strong, upright, rugged, and tri- furcated : the general colour of the animal is reddish brown, more or less deep in different in- dividuals, and the rump is white. It is an inha- bitant of most parts of Europe, as far as Norway ; it also occurs in some parts of Asia, but is not to be found in Africa. Whether it be a native of America seems somewhat doubtful, though RIB-FACED DEER 301 some species nearly allied to it are found in that continent. RIB-FACED DEER. Ccrvus Muntjac. C. connbut tcretibtu jiilosis rttrvcrrsis trifurci$t apice tuptriorc uncinatu. Lm. tyst. Nat. Gmcl. p. 180. Deer with trifurcatcd horns rising from a cylindric hairy base, and with the upper fork hooked. Le Chevreuil des Indes. Bittf'. Suppl. 6. p. 195. pi. 26. Rib-faced Deer. Pennant Quad r. i. p. 119. THIS species is a native of Java and Ceylon, and is somewhat smaller than the common Roe- buck, and of a thick form, like the Porcine Deer. The horns arc trifurcated, and the upper fork is hooked : they art- placed on a bony process, like a pedestal, elevated three inches from the skull, and covered with hair; hut what seems princi- pally to distinguish this animal is the appearance of three longitudinal subcutaneous ribs extend- ing from the horns to the eyes. J'roin each .side of the upper jaw hangs a tusk, so that this spe- cies differs, in that respect, from most of the genus. It was first described by Mr. Pennant, who informs us that it is called in the Malave I tongue by the name of KidaHg, and by the Ja- va ns, Munt-Jak. Mr. Pennant also add*, that the pi <• or pillars on \\Jiich the horns stand, grow thicker as the animal advances in age, and the margin swells out all round ; so that if the horns ai d off 302 GREY DEER. the pedestals, the surface of the last has the ap- pearance of a rose *. GREY DEER. Cervus Guineensis. C. gristus, subtus nigricant. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 94. Mus. Ad. Fr. i.p. 12. Grey Deer, blackish beneath. Grey Deer. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 181. THIS obscure species is described by Linnaeus, in his work entitled Musceum Adolphi Friderid ; but, as the horns were wanting in the specimen described, it remains doubtful whether the animal should most properly be considered as a Deer, Musk, or female Antelope. Its size is that of a Cat : the colour grey, with a line of black between the ears, a large spot of black above the eyes, and on each side of the throat a line of black, pointing downwards : the middle of the breast black ; the fore legs and sides of the belly, as far as the hams, marked with black ; the ears rather long ; the under side of the tail black. It is said to be a native of Guinea. * In Mr. Allamand's description of this species, in the sixth supplemental volume of Buffbn, we are informed that its colour is a greyish brown, paler beneath; that the breast and insides of the thighs are whitish, and that the tongue is extremely long, so that tb< animal can extend it even beyond the eyes. J31 *f UJKarthKFIfa SOrrf . SOS CAMELOPAJIDALIS. CAMELOPARDI. Generic Character. Cornua pcllc setosa tccta, apice fascicule pilorum ter- minata. Denies Primores inferiores octo, spatulati, extimo ex- tcrne profundc bilobo. Horns permanent, bony, co- vered with a bristly skin. Front-teeth in the lower jaw eight; the exterior one on each side deeply bilobate. GIRAFFE. Camelopardalis Giraffa. C. albida, macul'u tvbquadratu fusco- jcrrugineis, cornibus testosis apice truncatis. Whitish Camelopardi, with squarish ferruginous-brown spots, and bristly horns, truncated at the tip. Cervus Camelopardalis. Ijn. Sytt. Nat. p. 92. Camelopardalis GirafFa. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 181. Camelopardalis. Gem. Quadr. p. 160. Aldr. bituk. p. 927. Camelus Indicus. Jonst. Quadr. t. 40. Gyraffa. Bellon. obt.p. nS.f.p. 119. Giraffa. Nitremb. Klein. Brut. Src. Giraffe. Buff. 13. p. i. and Svppl. 3. p. 320. pi. 64. and Sitppl. 7. p. 345. pi. 81. Camclopard Giratfe. Pennant Qua Jr. i.p. 6$. pi. xi. IF height alone constituted precedency among quadrupeds, the Giraffe, as Mons. Vaillant, one of its latest and most accurate describers, has well observed, would undoubtedly claim the lirst rank; 304 GIRAFFE. measuring, when full grown, near seventeen feet from the top of the head to the fore feet. The female, however, is lower than the male, and the measure above-mentioned must be understood to relate to the animal when arrived at the utmost limits of its tallest growth ; the generality of those described by travellers not exceeding fifteen or sixteen feet. Notwithstanding the unusual pro- portions of this animal, its general form is in the highest degree elegant and picturesque ; the head being small, the aspect mild, the neck extremely long and tapering; the fore-parts much higher than the hinder, and the disposition of the colours singular and pleasing. At first view, the fore- legs seem nearly twice the length of the hind ; but this difference, on accurate examination, ap- pears to result chiefly from the extraordinary height of the shoulders, compared with that of the thighs : accordingly, among the old writers who have described this animal, Petrus Gyllius * perhaps approaches nearest to the truth, when he affirms, that all the legs, or tibiae, of the Camelo- pardi are of nearly equal length, but that the fore- thighs (femora anteriora) are so long in compari- son with the hind, that the back appears inclined like the roof a house. The horns of the Camelopardi differ in texture from those of all other horned quadrupeds ; form- ing, as it were, a part of the skull, and consisting of a porous bony substance covered externally with * Hist. Animal, chap. 9. GIRAFJE. short coarse bristly hair : they terminate abruptly, in a tlattish or slightly convex head, but little u ider than the other part of the horn, and edged with stiiV bristles all round the outline. On the middle of the forehead rises a considerable protu- berance, owing to an elevation or bony rising on that part of the skull. From the head to the mid- dle of the back runs a short stitVish mane. The tail is of moderate length, and is of a cylindrical form, gradually tapering towards the end, and terminat- ing in a t uft of long hair. The hoofs are moderately large, and black. The fore part of the body is thick and muscular, and the hind part thin and meagre. The ground-colour of the animal is whitish, variegated on all parts with numerous, moderately large, and somewhat squarish spots, which in the male are brown, and in the female ferruginous. In the younger animals they are sometimes of a bright reddish-yellow. These marks or spots are of a somewhat less regular shape on the sides than on the neck and shoul- ders. The C'amelopardi is a native of Kthiopia, and some other parts of Africa*, where it is chiefly fou ml in forests, living on herbage of various kinds, but principally on the foliage of tree- particularly on some species of Mimosa. When grazing on the surface of the ground, it is ob- ved to spread its fore-legs very considerably, in order to enable it to reach the ground with * It is also said tq occur in some part* of Asia. 306 GIRAFFE. greater facility. It is an animal of a mild and harmless disposition, and when attacked, endea- vours merely to save itself by flight; running, according to Mons. Vaillant, with great swift- ness, though in a somewhat peculiar and awkward style, on account of the length of its neck and breadth of its fore-parts compared with the hind. Mons. Vaillant, informs us that he chased one on full speed on horseback, but the animal, on turn- ing a small hill, was soon out of sight : the dogs, however, came up with him, and he was obliged to stop and defend himself, which he endeavour- ed to do by kicking in a forcible manner; and M. Vaillant was so fortunate as to kill the animal at a single shot. The male and female Camelopardi resemble each other when young ; but as the animal ad- vances in age, the spots on the male become dark- brown, while those of the female continue of a fer- ruginous cast. In both, however, some occa- sional differences of shade take place, and the fe- male, when very old, is said to acquire the dusky shades of the male. The female has also a less conspicuous tubercle on the forehead, and has four teats, as in a cow. According to Mons. Vaillant, the number of teeth in the Camelopardi is as follows, viz. six grinders on each side, both above and below : no front teeth in the upper jaw, but eight in the lower. He adds, that the head is beautiful ; the mouth small ; the eyes large and animated. The flesh is said to be excellent food, and the marrow white and firm. GIRAFFE. The general pace of the Camcloparcli, on being pursued, is a very brisk trot * ; so rapid, that a horse cannot without difficulty overtake it. These animals are sometimes seen in small groupes, to the number of six or seven together, and when disturbed run off with great celerity. When seen in front, at some little distance, the animal might be mistaken for a decayed tree, and thus be easily passed by without particular notice. The Camelopardi was known to the ancient Romans, and was first exhibited, according to Pliny, in the Cireiran games by Caesar the Dicta- tor. It was afterwards more frequently introduced, and we are told, that in the time of the Emperor Gordian no less than ten were exhibited at once. Aurelian also exhibited it among other remarkable animals in his triumph on the conquest of Pal* m\ ra. It is represented, among other rare ani- mals, on the Praenestine pavement, made by the direction of Sylla, and is r\i>u->sed both in its grazing and brousing attitudes. In later times it appears to have been brought into 1 .11 rope about the \ear 1559, when the Sultan of l!:ibylon is said to have sent one as a present to Fridei icus (Eno- barbus, Kmpcror of (lermany. Another was -sent bv the King or Dey of Tunis to I^aurentius de Medicis, in whose possession it was seen by Poli- tian. These latter anecdote-* are on the authority or' Gesner and Aldrovanck • Some writer* insist that it is a gallop rather than a trot. SOS ANTILOPE. ANTELOPE. Generic Character. Cornua concava, sursum ver- sa, teretia, annulata vel spiralia, persistentia. Denies Prlmores inferiores octo. Laniarii nulli. Horns hollow, seated on a bony core, growing ep- wards,annulated orwreath- ed, permanent. Front- teeth in the lower jaw eight. Canine-teeth none. JL HE Antelopes constitute a very numerous race, of which the species have hut lately been clearly ascertained : few, except the common Afri- can Antelope appear to have been very distinctly known to the more ancient naturalists ; and even in the twelfth edition of the Systema Naturae of Linnaeus not more than six are mentioned : these Linnaeus included under the genus Capra or Goat; but later observations have conspired to prove, that in reality the Antelopes ought to constitute a distinct genus ; having characters sufficiently appropriate. Their general habits or manners are extremely well described by Mr. Pennant, who A N'T ELOPE* 509 has prefixed them to his particular description of the species. " They inhabit (says this author), two or three species excepted, the hottest part of the globe; or, at least, those parts of the temperate zone that lie so near the tropics as to form a doubtful cli- mate. None, therefore, except the Saiga and the Chttmoi*, are to be met with in Europe; and not- withstanding the warmth of South America is suited to their nature, not a single species has yet lieen discovered in any part of the new world. Their proper climates seem, therefore, to be those ,M;I and Africa, where the species are very nu- merous. " As there appears a general agreement in the nature of the species that form this great genus, it will prevent needless repetition to observe, that the Antelopes are animals generally of a most ele- gant and active make; of a lestless and timid dis- position : cxtruncly watchful; of great vivacity ; remarkably swift and agile, and most of their bounding* M> light, so elastic, as to strike the • itor with astonishment, \\hat is \ci\ gnlar is that they will .stop in the midst of their ruur.se, ga/c for a moment at their pursuers, and then resume their flight. " As the chare of these animals is a favourite amusement with the eastern nations, from that may be collected proofs of the rapid .speed of the Antelope tribe. Tin- gicy hound, the fleetest of is usually unequal in the course, and the sportsman is obliged to call in the aid of the v. ii. p. ii. 91 310 ANTELOPE. Falcon, trained for the purpose, to seize on the animal, and impede its motions, in order to give the dogs an opportunity of overtaking it. In In- dia and Persia a species of Leopard is made use of in the chace : this is an animal that takes its prey not by swiftness of foot, but by the greatness of its springs, by motions similar to those of the Antelope ; but, should the Leopard fail in its first essay, the game escapes. " The fleetness of the Antelope was proverbial in the country it inhabited, even in the earliest times : the speed of Asahel (2 Sam. ii. 18.) is beautifully compared to that of the Tzebi, and the Gadites were said to be as swift as the Antelopes * upon the mountains. The sacred writers took their similies from such objects as were before the eyes of the people to whom they addressed them- selves. There is another instance drawn from the same subject : the disciple raised to life at Joppa was supposed to have been called Tabi- t/ia, i. e. Dorcas, or the Antelope, from the beauty of her eyes ; and to this day one of the highest compliments that can be paid to female beauty in the eastern regions is Aine d Czazel, ' You have the eyes of an Antelope. ' " Some species of Antelopes form herds of two or three thousands, while others keep in troops of five or six. They generally reside in hilly coun- tries, though some inhabit plains : they often brouse like the goat, and feed on the tender * Improperly translated Roes. ANTELO?> 311 shoots of trees, which gives their flesh an excel- lent flavour. This is to be understood of those which arc taken in the chace ; for those which an fattened in houses are fur less delicious. The flesh of some species is said to taste of musk, which pah, ips depends on the qualities of the plants they teed upon. " This preface (says Mr. Pennant) was thought necc-^aiv. to point out the diileiencc in nature between tin's and the Goat kind, with which most •inutic writers have classed the Antelopes: but the Antelope forms an intermediate genus, a link between the Cio;;t and the Deer; agn< with the former in the texture of the horns, uhich ha\e a core in them, and arc never cast ; and with tin latter in elegance of form and swiftness." To the above introduction it may be. added, that in detailing the particular history of the An- telopes, very little more can be done than copy- ;he d'-M'riptions already given by Dr. Pallas, Mr. Pennant, Mr. Allamand, &c. I must, how< acknowledge myself not entirely convinced that every animal described in the following enumera- tion is in reality a distinct species. 319 Antelopes with strait or nearly strait Horn*. EGYPTIAN ANTELOPE. Antilope Oryx. A. cornibus rectissimis subulatis argute wgosis, corpore griseo, striga dorsali nigricantc, pilo postico contrario. Lin. Sust. Nat. Gmel.p. 189. Grey Antelope, with black and white face, dusky dorsal stripe, and very long, strait, tapering, sharply- annulated horns. Capra Gazella. C. cornibus teretibus rectissimis longissimis, basi unnulatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 96. Le Pasan. Bujf. 12. p. 2 12. pi. 33. f. 3. and Suppl. 6. p. 155. pi. 17. ^Egyptian Antelope. Pennant Quadr* i.p. 75. . THE Egyptian Antelope, or Pasan, is more easily distinguished than many others in this extensive race ; the horns affording a character perfectly clear and constant : they are almost entirely strait, nearly three feet in length, very slender in pro- portion to their . length, annulated at the lower part or towards the hase, the remainder smooth, and gradually tapering to the point. The size of the animal is somewhat superior to that of a deer. Its natural history has been of late years greatly elucidated by the observations of Dr. Forster and Mr. Klockner, whose accounts have been copied by the Count de Buffon in his sixth supplemental volume, as well as by Mr. Pennant in his His- tory of Quadrupeds. From these accounts it ap- pears that the Pasan is nearly four feet high, measured from the top of the shoulders to the ground; that it is found about the Cape of Good 183 KIJP SPRINGER EGYPTIAN ANTELOPE, EGYPTIAN ANTELOPf. 313 Hope, as Mill as in other parts of Africa; that in the female the horns are smaller than in the male, and that the animals do not associate in troops or herds, but only in pairs. The head is \\hite, marked in a singular manner with blaek, which latter colour tonm a kind of triangular patch on the top of the forehead, the point running down between the eves, and then dilating into a similarly formed patch in an opposite direction, situ on the upper part of the nose, and these two patches are united on each side by a streak or hand of black running from the roojt of each horn, through the eyes, down the chirks : the end of the nose is milk white. It is observable, sa\ s Mr. Klockner, that there are but very few instances in quadrupeds of a black or other co- loured hand running across the i yes and cheeks; the IJadgerand the Coati-Mondi furnishing almost the only examples *. The neck and upper part of the body are of a pale blueish grey, with a slight tinge of blossom-colour; the belly and insides of the limbs are white, but along the lower part of the sides runs a dark or blackish chesnut-colouicd stripe, separating the colours of the tipper and lower parts: a dark stripe runs along the hack to the tail, and a large patch of similar colour is d on the upper part of the outside* both of the fore and hind legs, and is continued down the front of each leg in form of a stripe, which again * The Antilope Lncoryr, or White Antelope, the Myont Dryai, or Wood Dormouse, and some others, might be added to the list. 314 EGYPTIAN ANTELOPE. dilates into a patch or spot at some distance above the feet : the tail is brown, covered with slightly flowing black hairs resembling in some degree those of a horse's tail : the length of the tail from base to tip is about two feet and a half: the hoofs* and horns are black : the hair under the throat, along the ridge of the back, and over the shoulders, is longer and rougher than in other parts. This species is said to be found in Egypt, Ara- bia, about the Cape of Good Hope, &c. It is also supposed to occur in India. It is considered by the Africans as a very dangerous animal, the form and sharpness of the horns rendering it a very formidable adversary ; and, like others of this genus, when it makes its attack, it bends down the head, and rushes forward with great violence, thus presenting the points of its sharp and long horns immediately forwards. The Hot- tentots, when they have wounded it, are said to be careful of approaching it till they are well as- sured that it is totally deprived of life. The length of a skin of this animal, measured by Mr. Pennant, was above six feet six inches ; by which we must understand from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. * The shape of the feet differs in some degree from that of other Antelopes; each segment or division of the hoofs being of the figure of a very long isosceles triangle ; whereas in most other clo- ven-footed quadrupeds it is nearly of the form of an equilateral triangle. This configuration of the feet, it is pretended, gives the animal a greater degree of strength or security of foot than most nthcrs. J84 ANTELOPE, WHITE AXTELOPE. 315 Though this species has but lately been well de- scribed. \ ct it> ln)rns, like those of several ot I have been long since known to naturalists, and i to have been pretty well figured in Aldro- randus. WHITK AXTELOPK. Antilopc Lcucoryx. A. cornibus subulatis rectis can-ccxe annulat'u, corpore lacteo. Lin. Si/st. b'at. Gtnel. p. 190. Milk-white Antelope, with very long, nearly strait, tapering slightly annulatcd horns. Leucoryx Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 76. IT has already been observed in the introduc- tion to tli is genus, that some few species are of a far less elegant and light form than the rest : of this the Leucoryx or White Antelope seems the most remarkuble instance-; the body being thick and heavy, and the head very large. In the dis- position of colours on the face there is a rt mark- able approach to those of the I'usan or Egyptian Antelope, before described ; and bad the ligurc alone of this animal been given, without its de- scription, one would be almost tempted to suppose it a bad representation of the former species. The Leucoryx, however, is entirely milk white, ex- cept the markings on the face and limbs, a.ssl: in the engraving: these are described as ot' .1 ud colour, and not black, as in the Pasan : the nose is thick and broad, like that of a cow: the ears somewhat slouching ; the body heavy ; the limbs 316" ALGAZEI. somewhat less so : the horns very long, very slightly incurvated, slender, and annulated about half way upwards ; their colour is black, and they are sharp-pointed : the hoofs are black, and the tail somewhat flocky, or terminated by loose hairs. The size of this species is compared by Mr. Pennant to that of a Welch runt. It is an inhabitant of an island called Gow Bahrein in the gulf of Bus- sora. Mr. Pennant's figure, which is here repre- sented, was from a drawing preserved in the Bri~ tish Museum, said to be taken from the life in the year 1722, by order of Sir John Lock, at that time agent to the East-India company at Ispahan. They were preserved as rarities by Shah Sultahn Houssein, Emperor of Persia, in his park at Cas- sar, about eight leagues from the capital. ALGAZEL. Antilope Gazella. A. cornibus subulatls subarcuatis rugosis. Lin. Syxt. Nat. Gmel. p. 190. JJay Antelope, with slightly bowed, tapering, wrinkled horns. Capra bezoartica. C. cornibus teretifais arcuatis totis annulatis, gula barbata. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 96. Hircus Bezoardicus. Aldr. blsulc. p. 756. Algazel. Ruff. 12. p. 211. t. 33. f. i, 2. Algazel Antelope. Pennant Qvadr. i.p. JJ. THIS species is a native of India and Persia, and is also found in many parts of Africa. It is about the size of a Fallow Deer, and is of a red- dish or bright bay colour, with a white breast : ALGAXEJ.. 317 tin limns arc very long, thin, and black, nearly upright, bending inuaids at their extremities; they are ncaiiy smooth ; the rings with which they air marked being very slight, except near tlic base, where they are somewhat more distinct: they arc- almost tluee feet in length. In celerity and general manners this species :igrce«, \\ith many others of its tribe, and is said to -ily tamed. A> this Antelope is also supposed to afford a IF of the best and finest kind, it may not be improper here to give some general account of the celebrated concretes thus named, and which Mere once of such high reputation in the materia me- dica, on account of various virtues which the su- j>er>tition of former ages seems to have bestowed upon them. Jit- wars are smooth, oval, or roundish, and ge- nerally slightly flattened, solid concretions, which are formed in the stomachs of several quadrupeds; chiefly of the order Pccora or Kuminants. Those found in the eastern regions have always bun considered as far superior to any others. The genuine oriental be/oar of the shops is commonly about the size of a kidney-bean, but often far larger; of an extremely smooth surface, and of a dark olive-colour. When broken, it is found to be composed of a number of concentric coats or lamella?, each almost equally smooth with the exterior: in the middle is either a cavity, or eUc some powdery or fibrous matter, or some small piece of a vegetable stalk, leaf, £c. which seems 318 AIGAZEL. to have operated as a nucleus, on which the be- zoar inclosing it has been gradually formed. The bezoar has, in general, no particular taste or smell *, and when reduced to powder, retains its usual colour. It was formerly considered as a most powerful alexipharmic, insomuch that other substances sup- posed to be possessed of alexipharmic virtues have been often denominated Bezoardics. It is allowed, however, by modern physicians, that its virtues were imaginary, and its effects entirely insignifi- cant, and it has been accordingly discarded from rational practice. It seems to have been first in- troduced into physic by the Arabians. It is in Aldrovandus that we must look for a full enumeration of all the virtues of Bezoar. He informs us that it is a sovereign remedy against the bites of poisonous animals ; that it cures me- lancholy, pestilential fevers, faintings, vertigo, epilepsy, and worms ; that it dissolves the stone, Sec. Sec. He relates a case from Monardes, in which a certain licentiate, who had swallowed something poisonous, and was in consequence af- flicted with most grievous symptoms, and appeared to be in danger of speedy death, was so wonder- fully relieved by taking only three grains of Ori- ental Bezoar, that he was freed from all his dan- gerous symptoms in less time than the Apostles Creed could be thrice repeated ! passed a very to- * In the eastern regions, however, it is said to be sometimes found of a highly aromatic taste and smell. /85 ABTTKLOTE. '. i^Lorulon Putli+H'd bv fi. futrfiey. FJeet Jfr-rct. INDIAN ANTELOPE. 319 Irrable night, and tin' next morning was restored to his usual health ! ! ! Tlu- Occidental Bezoar is said to he found in certain species oi' deer, &c. in America. It is !i larger tlian the Oriental, having hern BO times .seen of the size of a hen'.s e<^-, and even far er. It is gux or brown, rather than olivc- ::«!, and of a looser texture when broken. of several other kinds are occasionally (I in the stomachs of many animals, and even, a* it is said, of Monkeys. IN'DIAN ANTELOPE. Ant Hope Oreas. A. cornibvt suMatis rcctit carinato-cuntortit, carport griseo. Lin. Syrt. Nat. Gmel. p. 190. Slate-coloured Antelope, with rufous head, black mane on the neck and breast, and strait, tapering, wreathed horns. Antilopc Oryx. Pall. Misc. Zool. p. 9. »pic. zool. i.p. 15. Lc Coudous. Buff'. 12. p. 557. /. 47. Lc Canna. Suppl. 6. p. 116. pi. 12. Indian Antelope. Pennant Quadr. I. p. 78. THE Oreas or Indian Antelope is one of the largest of the whole genus, and is found both in India and Africa, living in numerous herds: it is not much inferior in size to a cow, and is of a hlueish grey or slate-colour, with the head of a bright hay : along the upper part of the neck, and a part of the back, runs a coarse black mane : on the breast is a very large pendent tuft of hair, as in the Nilgau : the tail is also tipped with long 320 OUREBI. black hairs : the horns are extremely stout, strait, sharp-pointed, and marked with two very thick prominent wreaths or spires * : they are sometimes above two feet in length, and are of a blackish colour. The Oreas is said to be an animal of great strength, and it has been thought not im- practicable to train it to agricultural purposes, in the same manner as the horse or ox. It is said sometimes to grow extremely fat, so as to be easily run down. The flesh is reckoned extremely good ; and the skin is very strong and serviceable for the purpose of leather. The female is said to be horned like the male. OUREBI. Antilope Ourebi. A. fusco-ferruginea, pectore abdomine dunibus- qu.e albis, cornibus rectis. Ferruginous-brown Antelope, with the breast, belly, hind part of the thighs, and insides of the limbs, white, and small strait horns. Ourebi. AUam. Suppl. Buff. 5. p. 33. pi. 12. Ourebi Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i . p. 79. THIS, which seems much allied to the Ritbock or A. arundinacea, is thus described by Mr. Pen- nant, from Mr. Allamand's Supplement to the Count de Buffon's History of Quadrupeds : * These are scarcely expressed with sufficient strength and full- ness in the annexed plate. KLIPSPKIXCER. 321 " Antelope with small strait horns, small head, long neck, long pointed ears. Colour above a deep tawny, brightening towards the sides, neck, head, and legs ; lower part of breast, belly, but- tocks, and inside of thighs, white. Tail only three inches long, and black. Hair on the body short ; under the chest long and whitish; on each knee a tuft of hair: the females are hornless: length three feet nine inches to the tail. Inha- luK the country very remote from the Cape of I Hope. Seldom more than two are seen to- gether: they ucncrally haunt the neighbourhood of fountains surrounded with reeds. Are excel- lent venison." I am not without some suspicion that this may be only a variety of the Ritbock, described among the Antelopes with curved horns. KLIPSPRINfJER. Antilope Oreotragus. A. cornU>u» rectistimu subulatis, ban pi- rum nigofii, cajritc rnfo, corpore e x Jlaro-vircfctntc tubtut ex albocmerto, camla brevushna. IM. Syat. Nat. Gmcl. p. 189. Yellowish- tawny Antelope, whitish beneath, with very strait up- right tapering horns, slightly wrinkled at their base. Antilope Oreotragus. ScAreb. Quadr. t. 259. Le Klippspringcr, ou Sautcur tU-s Rochcrs. Huff. Svppl. 6. pi. 32. Klipapringer Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 80. THIS species i.s to be numbered among the late acquisitions in natural history ; having been first described by Dr. Turner. 322 HARNESSED ANTELOPE. It is a native of Africa, and is known to the Dutch residents at the Cape of Good Hope by the name of Klipspringer. It inhabits the high- est and most inaccessible parts of the rocky moun- tains beyond the Cape ; leaping with surprising agility, from crag to crag, over the most tremen- dous abysses. Its size is that of a Roebuck, and its colour pale yellowish tawny, accompanied with a very slight greenish tinge : the horns are quite strait, slender, upright, and sharp -pointed : they are slightly wrinkled at the base, and are about five inches in length. The female is said to be desti- tute of horns, and has the head marked by some black or dusky streaks : the tail is extremely short, so as to be scarce visible. The flesh of the Klip- springer is much esteemed as an article of food. The Count de Buifon, in his sixth supplemental volume, seems to consider this species as a variety of the Nagor or Red Antelope. HARNESSED ANTELOPE. Antilope Scripta. A. cornibus subulatis rectis cantortis, carporis strigi'i, albis decussatin. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel.p. 191. Chesnut-coloured Antelope, with white crossed stripes on the sides, and strait tapering wreathed horns. Le Guib. Buff. 12. p. 305. 327. pi. 40, 4 1./. 1. Harnessed Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 81. THIS, which is numbered among the smaller Antelopes, is of an elegant tawny chesnut-colour both above and below; each side of the body HARNESSED ANTELOPE. IK ing marked by two longitudinal hands of white, crossed, at nearly equal distances, by two trans- verse ones : the rump is also marked on each side by two white descending stripes ; and the thighs are variegated \\ith seven or eight roundish white spots; the clmks have a white spot or patch be- neath the eye, and the under part of the throat is of the same colour: the tail measures ten inches, and is covered with long and rough hair: the horns point backwards, and are nine inches long, of a black colour, and marked by two spiral ribs or wreaths. This elegant species is a native of Senegal, living in woods, in large herds. It is said to be known by the Dutch at the Cape under the name of Bonte Bock, or Spotted Goat. It sec ins to have been first mentioned by Kolben, in his account of the Cape of Good Hope ; but was first distinctly described, as well as elegantly figured in the Count de Button's History of Quadrupeds, under the title of Guib. The description was drawn up from a skin, brought over in good pre- servation by Mons. Adanson from Senegal, and which measured about four 1'ret and a half from nose to tail, and about two from the hind feet to the top of the back. The hair was very short, glossy, and close set. 324 GUINEA ANTELOPE. Antilope Grimmia. A. corntirus conicis coinpressis rcctissimi* rugoso-striatis, hinc detritis, fossa suboculari atra. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmcl. p. 191. Pall. Misc. Zool.p. 8. n. 14. Spk. Zool. i. p. 15. 12. p. 18. n. 18. Yellowish-bay Antelope, with short strait horns, and black bristly tuft on the forehead. Moschus Grimmia. M. capite fasciculo tophoso. Lin, Syst. Nat. p. 92. Capra sylvestris Africana. Grimm. Misc. Nat. Cur. dec. a. a. 4. p. 13 1./. 13. Guinea Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 81. THIS species is named in memoiy of its first de- scriber, Dr.' Grimmius, to whom we owe an ample and accurate account both of its form and man- ners. 13y Linnaeus it was arranged under the genus Moschus, the specimen described by Dr. Grimmius having been a female, and destitute of horns. The Guinea Antelope, or Grimm, is consider- ably smaller than a Roebuck, and is of an ele- gant and lively aspect. Its colour on all parts, except the throat, abdomen, and insides of the thighs, where it is pale cinereous, is a beautiful light yellowish or tawny brown : like most other quadrupeds, however, it differs as to the inten- sity of its colour; and the specimen described by Mr. Vosmaer, at the Hague, had a black stripe on the forehead, and a blackish or dusky cast 011 the upper parts of the body. The horns are very CHAMOIS. GUINEA ANTELOPE. 325 short*, thick at the hase, very slightly annulatcd to a small distance beyond, and are sharp-poir smooth, and black : the limbs are slender ; the tail rather short, blackish above, white below, and is somewhat ilocky or loose-haired ; but what prin- cipally distinguishes this species is an uprjght pointed tuft of strong black hairs rising from the top of the forehead, between the horns, to the height of about two inches and a half: the sinus lachrymalis, as in many other antelopes, is ex- tremely conspicuous. The Grimm is found in several parts of Africa, extending, according to Dr. Pallas and Mr. Pen- nant, from Guinea to the Cape of Good Hope; residing principally in places overgrown with brushwood) into \\hich it may retire on the ap- proach of danger. In the Level -Jan Museum is a very beautiful specimen of this animal, M-hich is elegantly figured in the Museum Leverianum, and is introduced into the present work. * Dr. Gmdin, in his edition of the Systema Naturae, speaks of the horns as being eighteen inches long; probably mistaking Mr. Pennant's expression, "height 18 inches," by which he means the height of the animal itself. v. ii. p. ir. *'.' 326 PYGMY ANTELOPE. Antilope Pygmaea. A. cornibus breribus contcxis bast rugosu. Ijn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. igi. Bay Antelope, with strait short convex horns, wrinkled at the base. Cervus juvencus perpusillus. Seb. Mus. i. p. 70. t. 43. f. 3. Le Chevrotain de Guine6. Bujf. 12. p. 315. pi. 43. f- 2. (the horns.) Royal Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p.82. THIS beautiful and diminutive species appears to have been frequently confounded with the J\It>s- c/iuft pygimeus, or Pygmy Musk, which it resem- bles in size as well as in colour and manners. It is a native of the hottest parts of Africa, and is easily tamed, but is of so tender a nature as not to ad- mit of being brought in a living state into Europe. So remarkable are its powers of activity in its na- tive regions, that it is said to be able to leap over a wall of twelve feet high. Its colour is a bright bay, paler beneath, and on the insides of the limbs ; and its height not more than nine inches. The horns are strait, short, strong, sharp-pointed, smooth, and perfectly black. The legs are scarcely thicker than a quill, and have been used for simi- lar purposes with those of the Moschus Pygmasus, The female is said to be hornless. PYGMY AYTELOPZ . malt .;,.~ ~r II 'ith curved, bent, or twisted Honu. NILGHAU. AiitiIi)|K- 1'irta. A. comibus antrorswn wcunis, cercict collogue j abatis, cauda Innga Jioccosa, pedibus albo nigroque annulatu. Ijn. Syst. Nat. Gmcl. p. 184. Slate-coloured Antelope, with the back of the neck and breast manctl, the feet barred with black and white, and subtriangu- lar tapering horns bending forwards. Njl-ghau. Hunter. Phil. Trans, vol. 61. p. 170. pi. 5. Xil-Gaut. Huff. SuppL 6. p. ioi.pl. 10, n. itc-footed Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 83. TIIK Xilgau, or White-footed Antelope, is a large and beautiful species, known only within the .space of a few years past. Its height, as given hv Dr. William Planter, in the Philosophical Transactions, is four feet one inch to the top of the shoulders, and its length, from the bottom of the neck to the base of the tail, four feet. The colour of the Nilgau is a fine dark grey or slate- colour, with a large spot of white beneath the throat, and t\u> white bands or marks abo\e each foot : the ears are large, white within, and edged with the same colour; and marked internally by two black stripes : along the top of the neck runs a slight mane of black hair, which is continued to some distance down the back ; and on the breast is a much longer mane or hanging tuft of a similar colour: the tail is moderately long, and terminated by a tuft of black hair : the horns arc short, pointed, smooth, triangular at their base, 328 NILGHAU. distant from each other, bent very slightly for- wards, and of a blackish colour. The female re- sembles the male in general appearance, but is considerably smaller, of a pale brown colour, and is destitute of horns : the mane, pectoral tuft, and ears, resemble those of the male, and the feet are marked above the hoofs by three transverse bars of black and two of white. The Nilgau is a native of the interior parts of India. According to Mr. Pennant, it abounded, in the days of Aurengzebe, between Delli and Lahor, on the way to Cashmire, and was called Nyl-Gau, or the blue or grey bull. It was one of the objects of the chace with that might}- mo- narch during his journey : they were inclosed by his army of hunters within nets, which being- drawn closer and closer, at length formed a small precinct, into which the King and his Omra/is and hunters entered, and killed the Nilgaus with arrows, spears, and musquets ; and that some- times in such numbers, that Aurengzebe used to send quarters as presents to all his great people. The Nilgau has of late years been often im- ported into Europe, and has bred in England. In confinement it is generally pretty gentle, but is sometimes seized with iits of sudden caprice, when it will attack with great violence the objects of its displeasure. When the males fight, they drop on their knees at some distance from each other, and gradually advance in that attitud.e, and at length make a spring at each other with ilieir heads bent low. This action, however. i> CHINESE ANTELOPE, \\ 8fe£ «&>•&: ANTELOPE, ,801. Jtwf if London Pubti.rh'it by (•'. J&oJ-jiev. Flee* Street INDOSTAN ANTELOPE. 329 not peculiar to the Nilgau, but is observed in many others of the Antelope tribe. The Nilgau is si id to go with young about n i in1 months, and to produce sometimes two at a birth: the younu 's of t lie colour of a faun. The elegant figure of this animal in the Philo- so])liieal Transactions is represented in the pr< voik. A good figure holh of the male and fe- male may also l)e found in the sixth supplemental volume of the Count de Burlbn'b History of Qua- drupeds. JXDOSTAX ANTELOPE. Antilope Tragocamelus. A. curnibus antrorsum incurrti, cerrice jubata, durso gibbo, cauda longa Jloccosa. Un. Syst. Aflf . Gmtl. p. 184. Grey Antelope, with maned neck and breast, dorsal protube- rance, long tiocky tail, and tapering horns bending forwards. Quadruped from Bengal. Varsons, PM. Trans. JVo. 476. p. 465. pi. 3. f- 9- Biggel. Mandcklds Vuy. Harris » Colkct. i. Indostan Antelope. Pennant Qimdr. i.p. 83. THJ Indostan Antelope appears to have been first properly described by Dr. James Parsons, in the Philosophical Transactions. It is of a far less elegant appearance than the rest of the Ante! and seems to partake, in *on,i degree, of the form of a Camel, having a strong, binding neck, ami a large elevation or protuberance over the should- ers. Along the neck runs a >hort mane; and the protuberance before-mentioned . rared 330 INDOSTAN ANTELOPE. or tufted with long hair : the breast is furnished with a kind of dewlap, or loose pendent skin, re- sembling that of a cow : the hind part of the ani- mal is small in proportion to the fore : the limbs are slender, and the tail is nearly two feet in length, and terminated by a hairy tuft. This highly singular animal is a native of India, and in its habits and manner of lying down is said to resemble a camel. The height of the spe- cimen described by Dr. Parsons was thirteen feet to the top of the shoulders : the horns were seven inches long, bent slightly forwards, and the eyes were black and lively. Its colour was a light grey, with a dusky tinge on some parts : on the forehead was a black rhomboidal spot or patch : the lower part of the breast and under part of the tail white : its voice is said to be hoarse and croaking. 331 CERVINE ANTELOPE. Antilope Bubalis. A. lurnibta crauu lyrato-co*tortu nigotu, apice dircctis, capite caudmjuc tlongatu. Lin. Sytt. Nat. Gmcl. p. 188. Reddish-brown Antelope, with large elongated head, thick, strongly-wrinkled, lyrated * horns, and longisb tail. Busclaphus. (.if xn. Quatlr. 121. Vache dc Barbaric. Mem. tie fAcad. i . p, 205. Le Bubale. Ruff', i a. p. 294. pi. 37, 38. (the hums) and Suppl. 6. p. 133. pi. 14. Cervine Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i. p. loa. THIS species is said to he common in liar- bary, and in all the northern parts of Africa. It is also found, though less frequently, in many other parts of that continent, and even extends as far as the Cape of (iood Hope. It is supposed to have heen the Buhalus of the ancients, instead of the common Buffalo, as sometimes erroneously imagined. In its general form it seems to par- take of the stag and heifer, having a large hc-ad, like that of an ox ; and a thick broad nose. The height of the animal, when measured to the top of the shoulders, is about four feet ; the general co- lour a reddish brown, white about the rump, in- sides of the limbs, and lower part of the belly : the upper part of the fore legs is marked in front by a dusky patch ; as is also the hind part of the thighs ; and on the upper part of the back is a stripe * Meaning such as when viewed in front bear a greater or lo§ resemblance to the form of the ancient lyre. 332 CERVINE ANTELOPE. of the same colour. The horns bend outwards and backwards, and are very strong, and black, thickly or coarsely annulated, towards the base, and seated pretty close to each other on the head : they are about twenty inches in length, and ele- ven inches round at the base : the teeth are large, the lower lip black, with a sort of tuft of bristles on each side : along the snout and forehead runs a black band, terminated at the forehead by a tuft of hair between the horns. Dr. Forster surmises this animal to be the same with the Koba of Buf- fon, or at least very nearly allied to it : indeed it must be confessed that some of the species of this genus seem not very clearly ascertained. Dr. Forster mentions dark or black stripes on each side the head in this animal ; but of these there is no appearance in the figure given in the sixth supplemental volume of the Count de Buf- fon's Natural History. Mr. Allamand, in his description, says the face is divided into two equal parts by a black band or stripe running from the nose to the top of the forehead. The figure given by Mr. Allamand is selected for the present work : the horns seem to differ considerably from those represented in a figure published by Buffon, having a remarkable interval or smooth space about the middle of the horn, which is annulated above and below it. This figure, however, having been taken from the living animal, may be supposed the most faithful of any yet published. The female has been represented in the Anatomical History of Animals, published in the Memoirs of the French CERVINE AXTF.LOri . :, .;/> lemy, where it is called by the title of /ferr- bury CV/u1, / Wt7/f ixc of a cow. The learned Dr. Cains, who flou- rished in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, lias given a good description of this animal under the name of Butdapkut. His description was transmitted to (it-i-.u-, and may be found in that author's M'ork on (jnadrnpeds. Mr. Pennant's figure MODI to be taken from a young or half grown specimen of the female, in which the horns had not arrived at their full size. Mr. Pennant, however, is of opinion, that the animal described by Dr. Pallas and Mr. Allamand, under the title of Antilopc Bubalis, and which, as before-mentioned, is in- troduced into the present publication, is in reality a dirterent species, which he deM-ribcs in the fol- lowing manner, under the title of SEXLGAL A\- •B TELOPE. " Antelope with horns almost close at the I a little above bending greatly ; then approach again toward* the ends, and recede from each other towards the points, which bend backwards ; the distance in the middle six inches and a half; above that four inches ; at the point six ; length ntcen inches; circumference at the bottom eight ; surrounded with fifteen prominent rings; the ends smooth and sharp: the head I. clur. jhticn inches long: car* .srxcn : : and body of a light reddish brown: do\vn the hind part of the neck a narrow black list : rump 334 STRIPED ANTELOPE. a dirty white : on each knee, and above the fet- locks, a dusky mark : hoofs small : tail a foot long, covered with coarse black hairs, which hang far beyond the end. Length of a whole skin seven feet. Inhabits Senegal, where the French call it La grande Vache brune." It is to this animal that Mr. Pennant supposes Dr. Caius's description in Gesner to refer, as well as that of the Koba of BuiFon. STRIPED ANTELOPE. Antilope Strepsiceros. A. cortnbus spiralifnts cat'maii* subrvgosii, corpore strigis transiersis fy spinati albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel.p. 192. Rufous-grey Antelope, with compressed spirally ridged horns j white longitudinal dorsal and transverse lateral stripes. Strepsiceros, Gesn. Quadr. p. 293. 333. ie. 31. Bos Strepticeros. Aldr. bisulc. p. 368. Jig. p. 369. Le Condom a. Buff. 12. p. 301. pi. 39. f. i, 2. (the horns) Suppl. 6. p. 124. pi. 13. Striped Antelope. Pennaut Quadr. i.p. 88. THE Striped Antelope is a native of the country about the Cape of Good /lope, where it is said to be called Coedoes. It is one of the larger kinds of Antelopes, measuring near nine feet in length, and being four feet high. Its colour is a rufous- grey with the face brown marked by two white lines, each proceeding from the corner of the eye, and uniting in a pointed form on the top of the nose, which is smooth and black : down the fore- head runs a broad dusky stripe, and a streak of STRIPED AN'TELU 335 the same colour is continued do\\u the upper part of the neck : the lower part of the h;ick is marked by a white stripe, from which j eed m others, each about an inch hroad, down the sides or' tlie animal, three or four of them falling over the. upper part of the thighs : along the top of the neck and back runs a kind of loose mane or ridge of hair of greater length than on other parts, and a much longer one proceeds from the throat down the breast : the tail somewhat resembles that of an ass, aue which are generally seen in Museums appear to have been rubbed or smoothed, so as to appear with a polished surface: they are nearly four feet long, and are very close at their bases, and alxmt two feet and a half distant at the tips. The female of this species is said by Mr. Pennant to be destitute of horns, but Dr. Pallas atiirms that it is horned like the male. The number of white stripes in this animal seems to vary. In that ligured in the work of Mr. Schrcbcr there are only four stripes on each side the hotly ; while in that »»f .Mr. Pen- nant are nine : two \\hite stripes also run on ( side the cheek in the former figure, while in the latter are merely a few interrupted a lower or secondary stripe : indeed Mr. Kiockiur, in his description of the animal, informs us that he 336 COMMON ANTELOPE, had observed the stripes to vary considerably both in number and disposition on different skins. These animals are of an extremely active nature, and leap with extraordinary agility. Dr. Forster assures us that he has seen them clear a fence of ten feet high. They are said to be pretty easily tamed. One was brought from the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1766, and deposited in the menagerie of the Prince of Orange. COMMON ANTELOPE. Antilope Cervicapra. A. cornibns spiralibus teretibus annuJatist corpore fuhesccntc obumbrato. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 192. Tawny-brown Antelope, white beneath, with round, lyrated, and annulated horns. Capra Cervicapra. C. cornibns teretibus dimidinto-anmdatis, flcxuobis contortis. Lin. Syst. Nat, p. 96. Gazella Africana, v. Antilope. Charltt. Exerc. p. 67. Raj. Quadr. p. 79. n. 4. Grew. Mm. p, 24. Common Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 89. OF this numerous tribe there is perhaps no spe- cies more truly elegant in its appearance than the present, which is a native of many parts of Africa, as well as of India. It is particularly frequent in Barbary. Its general size is somewhat smaller than that of a fallow deer, and its colour is a red- dish tawny brown above, and white below; the insides of the limbs are white, and on the head, back, and outsides of the limbs, the hair is darker than on other parts : the orbits of the eyes are w COBIMON ANTKLn 337 white, and this colour is generally continued into a white spot or patch on each side the forehead : the muzzle is black : the horns are of a peculiarly beautiful form, having a double flexure, first in- wards, and again outwards : their colour is black, and they are very elegantly and distinctly marked throughout almost their whole length, by nume- rous prominent rings : their general length is about fourteen inches, and they are about sixteen inches distant from each other at the tips. I n Barbary this species seems to be somewhat larger than in India. Dr. Pallas has described and fiirured a specimen of this latter race, some of which were brought from Bengal into Holland, where they lived several years, and even produced young. He informs us that they are about three > in arriving at their full growth and perfec- tion, and that the females arc principally distin- guished by their want of horns, and by a white hand or stripe on the flanks: the tail is black above and white below. Though this species is one of the most common of the Antelopes, yet its particular habits and history in its state of natural mildness seem still but imperfectly known. S3S GAMBIAN ANTELOPE. Antilope Lerwia. A. cornibus recurvis rvgosis, corpore rufcs- cente, nvcha barbata. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmd. p. 182. Rufous Antelope, with the nape of the neck bearded, and re- curved wrinkled horns. Kob. Bvjf. 12. p. 210. 267. t. 32. f. I. Gambian Antelope. Pennant Quadr. j.p. 104. «. 50. THIS seems a species not very distinctly under- stood. Mr. Pennant characterises it thus : ' ' Horns thirteen inches long ; five inches and a half round at the hottom ; pretty close at the base and points ; very distant in the middle ; surrounded with eight or nine rings ; smooth at their upper part." Mr. Pennant, in his synonyms annexed, quotes the species slightly mentioned by Buffon under the title of Kob, which he says is about the size of a fallow deer, and has horns not more than a foot in length, with eight or nine rings, and bearing a great resemblance to those of the Gazelle and Kevel ; but that the form of the head is different, the muzzle being longer, and there being no pits under the eyes. The head figured in Mr. Pen- nant's History of Quadrupeds seems greatly to re- semble that of the Senegal Antelope, or supposed variety of the Bubalis. It is said to occur chiefly in the north of Africa, about the rivers Gambia and Senegal. SAIGA. Antilope Saiga. A. conubut distant Una lyrat'u palliJit-diaphanit, ntuo cartilagineu rf*/rico*0. Lin. Sytt. Nat. Gntcl. p. 185. Yellowish-grey Antelope, with distant, semitransparent, lyrated, and annulated horns. Capra Tatarica. C. cor^ibus terctibtu rectiufculu perfect* owm- latu a pice diaphanis, gula imbfrbi. Uau Sytt. Nat. p . 97. Col us. GCSM. Quadr. p. 893. Suhac. Aldr. bisulc.p. 763. Saiga. Bvff. 12. p. 198. pL aa./. I. (the korns) Scythian Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i . p. 98. THE Saiga, or Scythian Antelope, is an inhabi- tant, according to Dr. Pallas and Mr. Pennant, of all the deserts from the Danube and the Dnieper to the river Irtixh, but not beyond ; nor is it ever seen to the north of 54 or 55 degrees of latitude. It is therefore found in Poland, Mol- davia, about Mount Caucasus, and the Caspian as well as in the dreary open deserts of Si- beria, where salt-springs abound, feeding on the salt, acrid, and aromatic plants of those countries. It i-> about the size of a common or Fallov. Den, and is of a dull yellowish uiry above, and whitr In neath, and along the back runs a dusky stripe. It is distinguished from all the rest of the Ante- lopes by the remarkable colour of its horns, which are of a pale yellow*, and semitransparent : they are strongly annulated for about two-thirds of • The A. gutturosa, or next described species has also yellow horns, but not transparent. 340 SAIGA. their length from the base, and stand in a some- what reclining position : they are distant at the base, and have three curvatures, the last of which points inwards : the head is rather large ; the nose very thick, much arched, and divided longitu- dinally by a small furrow : the neck is slender, but prominent about the throat : the knees are furnished with tufts of hair, and the tail is about four inches long, naked below, but covered above with upright hairs ending in a tuft. This animal has been described by Gesner and others under the name of Coins, but it is to Gmelin, Forster, and Pallas, that we are principally indebted for the complete knowledge of its nature and man- ners. They inform us that the Saigas are of a mi- gratory disposition, collecting during the autumn into flocks of some thousands, and retiring into the southern deserts, and in the spring dividing themselves into small flocks, and returning northward, at the same time that the wandering tribes of Tartars change their quarters. The fe- males go with young the whole winter, and bring forth in the northern deserts in May, producing only one young at a birth, which is covered with a soft curling fleece, like that of a new-fallen lamb. It is said that a flock of Saigas seldom lies down all at once, some always acting as a kind of centinels, and being relieved in their turn by others ; and thus they preserve themselves from the attacks both or' wolves and hunters. They are so extremely swift as easily to outstrip the fleetest horse, but cannot run for any great length SAIOA. 341 of time in this manner without stopping, as it* to take- breath. It is said, that if hit hy a dog, they instantly fall down, without attempting to rise, being entirely disabled through extreme terror. In their flight they appear to incline to one side, and their course is so rapid that they scarcely seem to touch the ground with their feet. When taken young they may be easily tamed, but when caught at full age are so wild and obstinate as to refuse all kind of food. These animals are hunted for the sake of their flesh, horns, and skins, \\liieh latter are said to be excellent for gloves, belts, &c. The hunters are careful to approach them against the wind, lest the animals should perceive them by their smell : they also avoid putting on red or white clothes, or any colours which might attract their notice. They are both shot and taken with dogs; and sometimes by a species of Eagle *, trained to this kind of falconry. No animal is more subject to vary in its horns than this, but their remarkable colour and trans- parency will always point out the species. The females, like many others of this tribe, are desti* tute of horns. Specimens of Saigas have some- times been seen with three horns, and sometimes only one. * The Black Eagle of Pennant. Brit. Zool. V. II. P. II. 23 CHINESE ANTELOPE. AntHope Gutturosa. A. cornibus lyratis, corpore rufescente scopis geniium nu/lis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 186. Tawny Antelope, whitish beneath, with lyrated, yellowish annu- lated horns, and prominent throat. Capra gutturosa campestris hydrophobes, &c. Me&ferschm. Mus. Petr'jp. i. p. 336. n. 12. Chinese Antelope. Peiitiant Quadr. i . p. 96. THIS is a species which is said to abound in the southern parts of the deserts between Tibet and China, and in the country of the Mongol Tartars, frequenting principally the dry and rocky plains and hills of those regions, and feed- ing on the finer and more aromatic plants. The length of this animal is about four feet and a half, and its colour, in summer, tawny above and white beneath : but in winter of a whitish cast on all parts; the hair growing far thicker and longer during that season. The horns, like those of the Saiga or Scythian Antelope, are of a yellow colour, but opake ; and are annulated almost to the tips : they are about nine inches long, have a backward direction, and diverge considerably at their upper part, though the points bend towards each other : the head is rather thick ; the nose blunt, and the ears small and pointed ; but one of the chief characters of the animal is a large protu- berance in front of the neck, which is said to be owing to the very large size of the larynx or wind-pipe in that part. This species is called by the Chinese Whang Yang, or Yellow Goat. It is GULDENSTED'S ANTELOPE. 543 extremely swift and active, and of a very tnsid disposition. It is generally seen in flocks, which are olm-n ed to be much larger or more numerous in winter than in summer. It is said to be so i to water, that it will not go into it even to save its life, \vhen driven by dogs to the brink of a river. If taken young, it may be easily tamed. Its tlesh is much esteemed as a food, and the horns an in «rreat request among the Chinese for va- rious purposes. The female has no horns. GULDENSTEDS ANTELOPK. Antilope Subgutturosa. A. cunubus lyrat'u, corpure svpra ex cinerascente brunnev, infra nirrtt, fascia laterali ex albuio lute- KfHte. Lm. Syat. ifef. Gincl. p. 186. Sckrtt. Sacvgth. t. 270.8. Grey-brown Antelope, white beneath, with ly rated horns, and tumid throat. Guildenstcdt's Antelope. Pennant Q*atlr. i. p. 97. 1 His species was first described by Mr. Gul- . in the Petersbur^li Transactions. Hf us tlr.it it is found in Persia, between the Caspian and the lllack seas ; that its sire and ge- neral appearance is that of a Roebuck ; that it is of a gregarious nature, and feeds principally on the Artemisia Pontica, or Pontic Wormwood. The horns are about thirteen inches long, and smooth at the tips. The colour of the animal is a cinereous brown above, with the belly and insides of the limbs, and space surrounding the tail, white : the tail is 344- SPRINGER. short and full of hair. On the fore part of the neck is a protuberance, but not so large as in the preceding species. The flesh of this animal is reckoned extremely good. SPRINGER. Antilope Euchore. A. fusco-Jlavcscens, subtus alba, fascia late- rali castanca, cornibus lyratis, plaga supra caudam expanaili nivea. Yellowish-brown Antelope, white beneath, with dark lateral stripe, lyrated horns, and expansile white patch above the tail. Antilope Euchore. Forster, Schreb. 272. La Gazelle a bourse sur le dos. Biff. Svppl. 6. p. 1 80. pi. 21. Springer Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i . p. 94. So complete is the information collected by Mr. Pennant relative to this beautiful species, that I shall deliver his description in his own words. It contains an epitome of all the particulars de- tailed by other authors. " Antelope with the face, cheeks, nose, chin, throat, and part of the under side of the neck, white : a dusky line passes from the base of each horn, and beyond the eyes to the corner of the mouth : horns slender, annulatcd half way, twice contorted ; ears very long, dusky : whole upper side of the neck, part of the lower, the back, sides, and outside of the limbs, of a pale yellowish brown, darkest on the hind part of the neck : chest, belly, and insides of the limbs, white ; the sides and belly divided by a broad band of chesnut, ; SPRINGER. 345 which runs down part of the shoulders . tail reaehes to tin- first joint of the- leg; the upper part is white, the lower black, and furnished with longhair; the under side appears nearly naked : buttocks white; and from the tail half May up the luck i> a stripe of white, expansible at pica- re. " This elegant species weighs ahout lifty pounds, and is rather le.ss than a Roebuck : inhabits the Cape of (ioocl Hope: called there the .S/>r///if- Back, from the prodigious leaps it takes on the sight of any body. When alarmed it has the power of expanding the white space about the tail into the form of a circle, which returns to its linear form when the animal is tranquil. They migrate annually from the interior parts in small herds, and continue in the neighbourhood of the Cape for two or three months; then join companies, and go oft' in troops consisting many thousands, covering the great plains for several hours in their passage. Are attended in their migrations by numbers of lion.s, hyaenas, and other wild beasts, which make great destruc- tion among them. Are excellent eating, and, with other Antelopes, arc- the venison of the C'aj»e. Mr. Ma-sson informs us, that they also make pe- riodical migrations, in seven or eight years, in IK ids of many hundred thousands, from the north, a.s he supposes, from the interior parts <; de Natal. They are compelled to it by the exces- sive drought which happens in that region, when sometimes there does not fall a drop of rain for 346 SPRINGER. two or three years. These animals, in their course, desolate Caffraria, spreading over the whole coun- try, and not leaving a blade of grass. Lions at- tend them : where one of those beasts of prey are, the place is known by the vast void visible in the midst of the timorous herd. On its approach to the Cape, it is observed that the avant guard is very fat, the centre less so, and the rear guard al- most starved, being reduced to live on the roots of the plants devoured by those which went be- fore ; but on their return they become the avant guard, and thrive in their turn on the renewed vegetation ; while the former, now changed into the rear guard, are famished by being compel- led to take up with the leavings of the others. These animals are quite fearless, when assembled in such mighty armies, nor can a man pass through unless he compels them to give way with a whip or a stick. When taken young they are easily do- mesticated : the males are very wanton, and are apt to butt at strangers with their horns." The expansile white part on the end of the back of this animal is a highly singular circum- stance. It is formed by a duplicature of the skin in that part, the inside and edges being milk white ; when the animal is at rest, the edges alone appear, resembling a white stripe, but when alarm- ed, or in motion, the cavity, or white intermediate space, appears in form of a large oval patch of that colour. 703 RITBOCK. Antilope Arundiaacca. A. ctnerea svbtut alba, cornibut own*- latis antrortum incunatis. Ash-coloured Antelope, white beneath, with annulated boms bending forwards. Ritbock. Attam. Svppl. Ruff. 5. pi. 13. Rtf. Suppl. 6. p. 187. pi. »3, 24. Ritbock. Pennant Qtiadr. i.p. 87. Tin-: Kitl)ock, or Ritrebock, so named from its chietly frequenting reedy places, was first de- scribed by Mr. Allamand, to whom a specimen was sent by Captain Gordon. Mr. Allamand in- forms us, that its size is that of a Roebuck, and its colour a very elegant pale grey, with the throat, belly, hips, and insidesof the limbs, white, but without any dusky line of separation along the sides of the body, as in many other Antelopes. The horns are black, glossy, slightly annulated for about half their length, and are about one foot three inches long, bent slightly forwards*, and sharp-pointed : the ears are very long, and near the base of each is a bare spot : the tail is eleven inches long, flat, and covered with long white hairs: the eyes arc black and beautiful, with sinuses beneath. Mr. Allamand adds, that he received another specimen, which resembled the former entirely as to the horns, but diir in colour, being of a reddish ta\\ny. The female * The curvature of the horns is in that direction, but they are Inclined very much backwards at the hjase. 3oO BARBARY ANTELOPE. Antilope Dorcas. A. cornibus lyratis, corporesuprafulvo, subtus albo, fascia lateralifmca. Ian. Syst. Nat, Gmel.p. 187. Fulvous-brown Antelope, white beneath, with lateral brown band, and lyrated horns. Capra Dorcas. C. cornibus tcretibits perfecte anmlatis recurvatis contortis. IM. Syst. Nat. p. 96. Antilope Dorcas. Pall. Spic. Zool. 12. n. La Gazelle. Bvff. 12. p. 201. pi. 23. Barbary Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 92. This species is about half the size of a fallow deer : its colour is reddish brown above, and white beneath ; the two colours being separated by a dark or blackish lateral line or stripe : on each knee is a tuft of blackish hair : the horns are twelve inches long, of a round or cylindric form, and incline first backwards, then bend in the middle, and lastly, revert forwards at their tips : they are of a black colour, and are annulated with about thirteen rings on the lower part. This animal is supposed to be the JDr;w/.v ofsft/ian, lib. 14. c. 14. It is a native of Barbary, Egypt, and the Levant, and is said to be found in large flocks. I lAT-HORXKD AMELOPX. Antilope Karelia. A conabtn lymtu majtuciilii comprtsm, ter- gore fufvftcfute, strigit paUidu, ftxia latrralt nigratemU. IJH. Sytt. Nat. Gtnel. p. 187. Tawny-brown Antelojx, white beneath, with brown lateral band, and compressed lyrated horns. Le Kevel. Rujf. j 2. p. 258. pt. 26. Flat-horned Antclojx:. Pennant Qtiadr. I. / THIS animal, in its general appearance, so ex- ceedingly resembles the Barbary Antelope, that it might readily pass for a variety of the same spe- cies, were it not that the horns, instead of bdny somewhat more numerous rin^. IN >ize is tii.it of a small roebuck, and it is chiefly found in Senegal, but is said to occur also in Barbary and in Persia. It lives in large flocks, and haa an odor resembling that of musk. 3,5 i2 M'lIlTE FACED ANTELOPE; Antilope Pygarga. A.j'usco-faruginca, subtits alba, fascia lateral! fmca, dunibas a/his, coinibm tt/ratis. Ferruginous-brown Antelope, white beneath, with brown lateral band, white rump, and lyrated horns. Antilope Pygarga. A. cornibus lyratis, collo tanguineo, tcrgore rufo-cancscente, fascia later all saturata, cliuiibus a/bis. Lin. Sysf. Nat. Chncl.p. 187. Antilope Pygargus. Pall. Spic. /ool. i. 10. and 12. 15. White-faced Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 93. So great is the similitude between this species and the Flat horned Antelope, that the chief dif- ference appears to consist in size ; this being larger than a fallow deer. The horns resemble those of the animal before mentioned, and are sixteen inches long, and about rive between tip and tip : they are very strongly annnlated in the male, but said to be nearly smooth in the female : the face is white ; the cheeks and neck, in the living animal, of a bright bay ; the back and up- per parts of a ferruginous brown ; with a dark stripe down the back : the belly and rump white, as is also, in the Leverian specimen, the lower half of the legs : the sides of the body are marked, as in many others of this genus, with a dark or blackish stripe : the tail is about seven inches long, covered with black hairs, which extend some inches beyond the end. The figure of the Kevel, or Flat-horned Antelope, in the sixth vo- lume of the Count de Buffbn's supplement, so perfectly represents this species, that it might pass £ CO KIN J. .V> , tor a very good representation of it ; and I must confess m\>rlt' to lit- cxtrcmcK sceptical us to the .supposed specific distinct ion of this as well as of some other Antelopes. The specimen preserved in the Levcrian Mu- seum measures rather more than three feet from the hoots to the top of the shoulders, and about t to the top of the horns. CORIXE. Antilope Corinna. A. conubus tublyratu rectiuxulis trnmbtu /•.nigulis, corpore ful\c\ccnte subtus aJbot fascia lateral! capita ftuco-albit. Un. fiyst. Xat. Gmel. p. 188. Pall. Muc. Zoot. p. 7. n. JO. Fulvous-brown Antelope, white beneath, with dark lateral band, and sublyrated slender subercct smoothish norm. Le Corine. Buff". 12. p. 805. pi. 27. Corine Antelope. I'cnnunt (±uainon-» luown above, and white beneath; the two colours, a.s in many others of this ^-. mis, being separated on the sides by a dark line or hand : the face" is marked on each side by a white line, be- neath which is another of black : the horns are very slender, about six inches I. mewhat erect in their urouth, smooth, but surrounded with slightly marked wrinkles or circular spaces: on each knee is a tuft of hair, as in the l\l\< 1 and Ga/elle : the ears aie about four inches and a half 354 SUMATRAN ANTELOPE. long, and the tail about three inches. In disposi- tion and agility it agrees with the Kcvel, or Flat- horned Antelope, of which it has even been sus- pected by Dr. Pallas to be the female. Mr. Adanson, in his account of this species communi- cated to the Count de Buffon, observes, that the wrinkles of the horns, which in this animal supply the place of rings in many others, are about six- teen in number, and are very near each other at the lower part of the horns, and more distant at the upper. He adds, that the hair is short, and close set, of a yellow colour on the back and flanks, and white on the belly and insides of the thighs ; that the tail is black, and that some individuals are irregularly spotted on the body with white. The Corine, like the Kevel and Gazelle, is found in herds or troops. SUMATRAN ANTELOPE. Antilope Sumatrensis. A. atra, cornibvs recwvatis, juba inter humeros sftosa albida. Black Antelope, with recurved horns, and whitish bristly mane between the shoulders. Sumatran Antelope. Pennant Quadr. 2. Addit.p. 321. Cambing Ootan. Marsd. Surnatr. p. 93. THE Sumatran Antelope seems to have been first mentioned by Mr. Marsden, in his account of that island, under the name of Cambing Ootati, or Goat of the Woods. A specimen is preserved in the British Museum, which is about the size of BLUE AN'TKLOPE. 365 a common goat, but stands considerably higher on its legs: its colour is an uniform black, but each hair, when narrowly examined, is grey to- \i a i ds the base : on the top of the neck, just above die shoulders, is a patch of -whitish, bristly, long, strait hair, much stronger tlian the rest, and hav- ing somewhat the appearance of a partial mane : nn each side the lower jaw is a longitudinal patch of \ ellou ish white : the eirs are of moderate size, marked internally with three obscure longitudinal bunds of white, as in some other Antelopes: the horns arc MX inches long, bending slightly back- wards, sharp-pointed, black, and annulated near half their length with prominent rings: the tail is about the length of the horns, and sharpish : the hoofs rather small, and black : the hair on the whole animal is rather har>h. and not lighter co- loured below nr on the hells than on the upper parts. BLUE ANTELOPE. Antilope Leucophsea. A. ContOnu rtcvreatu (trrtitucufu MMH lot is, corpore cerruleactnte. Lin. Syst. Nat. G'i*r/. p. 181. Blue-grey Antelope, with roundish, arcuralcd, recurved, annu- lated horns. Blue Goat. Kulbtni Cape. a. p. 1 14. La Gazelle Tzeiran. Bujf. Suppl. 6. p. 168. pi. 20. Blue Antelope. Pennant Quadr. t . p. 74. THIS is a species of very considerable size, being larger than a fallow deer, and from the form of 356 BLUE ANTELOPE. its horns, and the length of its hair, may be said to connect, in some degree, the Antelopes with the Goats. It seems to have been first described by Kolben, in his account of the Cape of Good Hope, and is said to be found a great way up the country to the north of the Cape. It is to Dr. Forster and Dr. Pallas, that we owe its more accu- rate description and history. Dr. Forster informs us, that it is at present by no means uncommon at the Cape, and is there known by the name of the Blue Goaty on account of its colour, which is an elegant blueish grey, the blue cast being rather the effect of reflected light, than any inherent colour, since it entirely disappears in the dead animal, the hair then lying closer than during life, and not re- flecting the light. The belly, insides of the legs, and tip of the tail, are white ; and there is also a pretty large white spot beneath each eye : the horns are about eighteen or twenty inches long, slightly curved backwards, black, smooth, and marked with about twenty rings, which are more prominent on the inner side than the outer : the tail measures about seven inches, and is tipped with long hairs. The female is said to be horned as well as the male. 796. 357 // 'ith hooked Horn*. ONOU. Antilupe Gnu. A» cornil/us ban axtrornm, Vv- and another drawing, supposed to be more * The sinus lachrymalis, which In this tribe of animals is pecu- liarly conspicuous, is that small channel or duct situated at the in- terior angle of the eye. In the Antelopea it forms a large ex- tended fissure or furrow on the skin. It is also very large in some of the Deer tribe. /97 NANGUER 959 exact, was communicated by the Viscount Pis- ciolini, which latter is engraved in the sixth sup- plemental volume. The engraving, however, af- .irds published by Mr. Allamand, having been •utcd \\ith great care from the living animal, is supposed to be more exact than any other, and is therefore introduced into the present publica- tion. XANGUER. Antilope Dama. A. conubus antrorsum incurcu, corpore afro, dortofa-wiatfiic ocularifuhu. Lia. Syst. Nat. Gmcl. p. 183. Dama. * Pit*. Hist. Nat. VIII. c. 53. XI. c. 37. White Antelope, with fulvous back, and round horns, incunrated forwards. Le Nangueur, ou Nanguer. Bvf. ia. p. a 13. pi. 34. Swift Antelope. Pennant Qua Jr. i. p. 85. THIS is one of the few species of Antelopes supposed to have been known to the ancients. It is a native of Africa, and is believed to be the Dtiwti of Pliny. Its colour is rufous or tawny brown above and white below ; the rump and hind part of the back, together with the thighs and legs, an also white, and on the fore part of the breast is a large patch of white. It is observed, how- . to vary soimwhat as to colour in diil'c individuals : the horns are round, black, eight inches long, and bent forwards at their tips. This 360 RED ANTELOPE. species is said to be one of the swiftest of the whole tribe, so as almost to outstrip all pursuit. Its measures are thus given by Mr. Pennant, viz. " Length three feet eight inches : height two feet eight inches. " It is said to be easily tamed, and is principally found in Senegal. RED ANTELOPE. Antilope Ridunca. A. cormbus apice antrorsum recurcis, cor- pore rufescente subhirto. Lin. Syni. Nat. p. 184. Red-brown Antelope, with round slightly annulated horns, re- curved forwards at the tips. Le Nagor. Buff. 12. p. 326. pf. 46. Red Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 86. THE Red Antelope, or Nagor, is much allied to the Nanguer, or Dama. It is about the size of a Roebuck, and its colour on all parts is an uniform reddish brown, palest on the breast and belly : the horns, Avhich are short, black, smooth, and but slightly marked with a few rings at their base, are bent forwards at the tips in the same manner, though not in so great a degree, as those of the Nanguer. A preserved specimen of this animal occurred among the animals brought by Adauson from Senegal, and from it the Count de Buflfon gave the slight description, and figure, in his History of Quadrupeds. The measures of Mons. Adanson's specimen were as follows, viz. From nose to tail, nearly four feet : from the base of the CHAMOIS. 361 tail to the breast, two feet and n half: height, t'roin the fore feet to the top of the back, two three inches : from the hiiul feet to the top of the hark, two feet and a half : thieknev. or diameter of the belly, ten inehes; anil its length, from the fore to the hind thighs, one foot three inehes: length of head, nine inelu-«> ; depth, .six; width, four and a half: Tiorns, live inehes and a half long, and one ineh and a half broad ; tips, distant six inehes: length of ears, live inehes: hom>, marked at the base by one or two .smooth rings : the colour of the whole animal rufous: the naif stiff, glossy, and about an ineh long ; nor lying very elose to the skin. The Nagor is chiefly found in that part of Se- negal nearest the isle of Gone-. CHAMOIS. Antilopc Rupicapra. A. cornibus metis teretibut I7' Jtm*' p. 74. t. 37.31. Le Chamois. Ruff. 12. /». 136. 177. pi. 16. Chamois Antelope. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 73. THE Chamois is the only species of Antelope, except the Saiga, that is found in Europe. It is 362 CHAMOIS. an inhabitant of the Alps of Switzerland and Italy, the Pyrenaean mountains, the island of Crete, several parts of Greece, and the mountains Cau- casus and Taurus. It is about the size of a com- mon Goat, and is of a deep or dusky rufous-brown colour, with the cheeks, chin, throat, and belly, of a yellowish white : in ,»ome individuals the cheeks are observed to be of a dusky colour, and the forehead white. The horns are upright, slen- der, about eight inches high, and strongly hooked backwards at the tips : their colour is black, and they are slightly wrinkled towards the base, but have no appearance of rings or circular elevations, as in most others of this genus. At the base of each horn, at the back part, is said to be a pretty large orifice in the skin, the nature and use of which does not seem to be clearly understood. The hair of the Chamois is rather long : the tail short, like that of a Goat, and of a blackish co- lour both above and below. The Chamois is an animal of extremely timid manners, and while the herd is feeding, one al- ways acts as a centinel, and on every alarm gives notice to the rest by a kind of sharp hiss ; upon which the whole herd flies off with the utmost ra- pidity. They are said to feed chiefly in the very early part of the morning, and in the evening. Their chace is a very laborious employment; since the animals must be approached by surprise, and are shot with rifle-barrelled guns *. In their * Pennant. CHAMOIS. 3V? stomachs is often found ;i species of ffgragopila, or hair-ball, covered \\ith a hard incrustation. Tiny arc said to he long-lived animals, and to bring two and sometimes three young at a time. The skin ot' the Chamois is greatly esteemed as a line kind of leather. 364 CAPRA. GOAT. Generic Character. Cornua concava, sursum ver- sa, erecta, compressa, sea- bra. Denies Primores inferiores octo. Lamarii nulli. Mentum barbatum. Horns hollow, turning up- wards and backwards, com- pressed, rough, almost close at their base. Front-teeth in the lower jaw eight. Caninc-teethy or Tusks, none. Chin bearded in the male. IBEX. Copra Ibex. C. cornibvs supra nodosis in dorsum redinatis, gula batbata. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 95. Grey-brown Ibex, whitish beneath, with large knotted horns bending over the back, and bearded throat. Ibex. Plin. Hist. Nat. VIII. c. 53. Gesn. Quadr. p. 331. and 1099. Aldr. bisulc. p. 730. f. p. 732. Jonst. Qnadr. t. 75. t. 25. 28. Raj. Quadr. p. 77. Steinbock. Gesn. Thierb. p. 148. Ibex. Steinbock. Museum Lever ianum. No. 3. p. 105. 107. t. 2. Le Boquetin. Buff. 12. p. I36.pl. 13. Ibex Goat. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 55. HIS, which is the common Ibex or Steinbock of authors, appears to have been sometimes con- founded with the Caucasan Ibex, or next species, to which it is much allied. It is allowed both by IBI 365 Mr. Pennant and Dr. Pallas that this, as well as the Caucasan Ibex, may have been a stock or original from which the common goat is derived ; and in confirmation of this idea we may add, that in the Journal tic Phyxlifuc, for the year 17&6', it is •firmed, that this animal has bred with the com- mon domestic (ioat. The Ibex is found in several parts of Europe and Asia. It inhabits the Carpathian and Pyre- iM'iin mountains, various parts of the Alps, more particularly the R/uetian Alps, in the midst of snow and glacieres. In Asia it occurs on the sum- mits of the chain of mountains extended from Taurux, and continued between eastern Tartary and Siberia *. It also inhabits the tract beyond the Lena, and in all probability may be a native of Kamttckatka. In Arabia it inhabits the pro- vince of JItdsjaes, and is there known by the name of Kindt n. Lastly, it is found in the high mountains of the island of Crcfe, where the ('vas formerly considered as a valuable article in the materia medica, being celebrated for its supposed power of relieving pleuritic and many other complaints. Of its wonderful virtues in this way much may be found in the works of Gesncr and Aldrovandus. In its general habits or manners the Ibex re- sembles the common Goat, but possesses ever}' attribute of strength and activity in a degree proportioned to its natural state of wildness. It delights to climb mountains, and hang upon the brinks of precipices, and its chace is in conse- quence considered, like that of the Chamois, as in the highest dcsjree difficult and laborious. It is o ~ even said, that, when hard pressed, this animal will fling itself down a steep precipice, and fall- ing on its horns, escape unhurt from its pur- suers ; nor will this appear in the least incredible, if we may rely on the faith of Motiurdes, who as- sures us that he saw a Cduoasan Ibt\v leap from the top of a high tower, and, falling on its horns, immediately spring up on its limbs and leap about without having received the least apparent injury. CAUCASAN IP 36? The flesh of the young Il>ex is said to be in I < stecm as an article of food. Its peri' rimi is -. ml to lie the sanu- as in the common . \\/.. five months. CAUCASAN 1I11.X. Capra Aegagrus. C. cjrnibus carinat'u arcuatix, gula laibata. I in. Syst. Nat. Gmtl. p. 195. fall. Spic. Zool. XI. p. 45. t. 5. jig. a, 3. s. a. (,»>,!. it. 3. p. 493. Grcy-brovra Ibex, white beneath, with large, carinated, slightly wrinkled, bowed burns, and bearded throat. Chcvre sauvage. Taiernicr it. 2. p. 143. Steinbock. Ridmgar JagM. Th.t. u. Caucasan Ibex. Pennant Qua Jr. i.p, 57. TIIK C'.-nn-asaii Ibex, whieh is siij)jK)sctl to be the chief real stock or origin of the domes! is considerably superior to that animal in I and its form in some degree resembles that of a stag. Its general colour is a brownish or suhfer- rnginons grey above, and white beneath; the forehead is nearly black, which colour is con- tinued down the back in the form of a list or stables. The Goat goes with young four months and a half, and brings forth from the latter end of February to the latter end of April ; having only two young, or sometimes three. • Pcnn. Brit. Zool. f Brit. ZooL v. u. p. ii. 85 S74 SYRIAN GOAT. The following are the most remarkable varie- ties of the domestic Goat. SYRIAN GOAT. Capra Mambrica. C. cornibus rectinatis, auribus pendulis, gula barbata. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 95. Goat with pendulous ears, and horns reclined backwards. Syrian Goat. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 63. Tins variety is common in many parts of the East, and is distinguished by the great length of the ears, which are pendulous, like those of a hound, and sometimes reach so low as to be troublesome to the animal while feeding ; for which reason it is the custom to crop them, or to cut off one, that the animal may feed with greater convenience. This, however, is denied by Mons. Sonnini, who assures us that the ears of this Goat never reach so low as the ground, and are never cut off. Its general colour is a reddish brown, and the horns are short and black. This is the common Goat of Aleppo, the inhabitants of which it supplies with milk. The same is the case at Cairo, where these Goats are driven in small flocks, every morning, through the different quar- ters of the city, and every one sees taken from them the quantity of milk that he wants. 200 LOHG-HOKNEB WfflBAW GOAT. ANGORA GOAT, iSej. Jar* i? London l\ii>tuh'd 4y GJCear-j-irv Fleet .fir-ret. 375 ANGORA GOAT. Capn Angorcnsu. C. pilu longutimu crifpii tnto an\ tita. Un, Sust. Xat. Gmel. p. 194. Bri*». Reg*. 64. n. 2. llastelq. it. 206. Goat with very long, pendent, spirally curled hair. THIS is \}\- far the most elegant of all the rictics of the Gout, and Is a native of J agora, a small district in Asia Minor, not tar from Smyrna, and remarkable for producing a peculiar race of i >hcep, C ' . Rabbets, &c. with hair of uncommon length and fineness. The Goat of Angora is gem-rally of a beautiful milk-white colour, short legged, with black, -pirally twisted horns, and with the hair on the whole body disposed in long pendent spiral ringlets : the ears are pendulous, and the horns of the female, instead of divaricating, as in the male, turn backwards, and are much shorter in proportion. It is from the hair of this animal that the finest camlet >. &C. are prepared. In order to proervc this beautiful hair in good con- dition, the goatherds of Angi-m are peculiarly careful of their flocks, \\asliing and i them with the • ; ililigcr.cc; and it i> said that a change of pasture frequently iuak< s them ty, this \ confined to narrow bounds, and produced only in the tract surrounding the to< bazar. 376 AFRICAN GOAT. Capra Depressa. C. cornlbus depressis incurvis minimis crania incumbent ibus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 95. Goat with very small depressed horns, closely incumbent on the head. Le Bouc d'Afrique. Buff. 13. p. 154. pi. 18, 19. African Goat. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 63. THIS is a very small or dwarf variety, found in some parts of Africa : it has rough hair, and ex- tremely short horns, very thick, triangular, and lying close to the head : in the female they are still shorter, and the hair on the body is smooth. Linnaeus seems to have entertained an erroneous idea relative to the native country of this variety, and to have supposed it an American WHIDAW GOAT. Capra Reversa. C. comibus crtcf'u aji'/ce recurris. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 95. Goat with upright barns, recurved at the tips. Bouc & Chevre de Juda. Ruff. 12. p. 154. 186. pi. 20, ai. \Vhidaw Goat. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 63. Tins is also a dwarf variety, found in Africa, and is principally distinguished by having short smooth horns, turning a little forwards at the tips. It is said to be very common in Guinea, Angola, and some other parts of Africa, where its flesh is considered as an excellent food. 377 LONG-HORNED WHIDAW COAT. Bouc dc Juda. Buff. Svppl. 3. p. 96. pi. 13. IN this variety, which Button seems to consider as the same with the preceding, the horns are ra- ther depressed than upright, much longer, and bending somewhat outwards and upwards in an elegant manner at the tips: the hair is long and silky, and the whole animal hears some resem- blance to a small Angora Goat. Button describes. it as considerably larger than the tbnner, mea- suring two feet nine inches in length ; while the other was only twenty-lour inches long. This variety is rcpicscnted in the present work, and vrms to be the kind mentioned by M. Numini, in his Travels, as common in .some part*, of 1 ur\ j>t, and which he says has long, thick, soft, and silky hair, and slender handsomely-turned horns. CAPUieOKN GOAT. Capra Capricornua. C. conttbtu brtr&tu apice aittrorntm verm, ad lattra ounulatis. Lm. Sy»t. Nat. Gmti. p. 195. Goat with short horns turning forwards at the tips, and annu- lated on the sides. Le Capricorne. Buff. 12. p. i46.pl. 15. THIS variety, which is described by Button, from a skeleton with the horns, preserved in the royal cabinet at Paris, is supposed to be a native of Africa. In the form and proportion of the bones, he tells us it has a perfect resemblance to S78 CAPRICORN GOAT. the domestic he-goat ; and the figure of the under jaw is the same with that of the Wild Goat: but that it differs from both in the horns ; those of the Wild Goat having prominent tubercles or knobs, and two longitudinal ridges, between which there is a well marked anterior face : those of the com- mon Goat have but one ridge, and no tubercles. The horns of the Capricorne have but one ridge, and no anterior face ; and though they want the tubercles, they have rugosities, which are larger than those of a he-goat. These differences, adds Buffon, seem to indicate an intermediate race between the wild and domestic goat ; and, be- sides, the horns of the Capricorne are short and crooked at the point, like those of the Chamois ; and at the same time are compressed and ringed : hence they partake at once of the he-goat, the Wild Goat, and the Chamois. 879 OVIS. SHEEP. Generic Character. Cornun concava, retrorsum versa, intorta, rugosa. Dentet Primores inferioros octo. Lantarii nulli. Horns hollow, wrinkled, turn- ing backwards, and spi- rally intortcd. Front -teeth eight in the lower jaw. Canine-teeth none. ARGAI r. Ovis Ammon. O. cornibus arcuatis temicircularUw* tubtus pla- *hucvKt,palearibiis la.ris pi/wo. Jj/ . x //. Giucl. p. 200. Shevp with arcuated semicircular horns, liat beneath, and IOOM hairy dewlaps. Capra Amniou. C. comibut arcuatis tfrnidrcttlanlnu itibtu* pla- niiuculit, paJcartbus I uis jiil^is, gula imbcrbi. U*. Sy*( '>/• II. p. .351. pi. 19. i'nintiiit l^uinlr. t. ft. 4^. • fcra Sibirica, vulgu Argali dicta. 1\. •*/. if. p. 3-t. 1,2. 7\S tilt- C';ipra JEgagrus, or Caucas x, is suj)j)OM-(l to IK- the- oriirinal ot'thr »lon. ' loat, so t; • Ainnion, Argali, or .Musiiiion, i.s be- il to be the chief priouml stock from which 380 ARGALI. all the kinds of domestic Sheep have proceeded ; many of which differ full as widely both from each other and their archetype as the Goats. The Argali, or Wild Sheep, is an inhabitant of rocky or mountainous regions, and is chiefly found in the Alpine parts of Asia. It was ob- served by Dr. Pallas throughout the vast chain of mountains extending through the middle of that continent to the Eastern Sea. In Kamtschatka it is plentiful : it occurs also in Barbary, in the mountains of Greece, and in the islands of Cor- sica and Sardinia ; differing merely in a few slight particulars of colour and size, according to its climate. The general size of the Argali is that of a small Fallow Deer. Its colour is a greyish ferruginous brown above, and whitish beneath : the face is also whitish, and behind each shoulder is often observed a dusky spot or patch : the legs, at least in the European kind, are commonly white : the head strongly resembles that of a Ram ; but the ears are smaller in proportion : the neck more slender ; the body large ; the limbs slender, but strong ; the tail very short, being hardly more than three inches in length : the horns, in the full-grown or old animals, are extremely large, placed on the top of the head, and stand close at their base, rising first upwards, and then bending down, and twisting outwards, as in the common Ham : the body is covered \vith hair instead of wool ; in which particular consists its chief dif- ference from the general aspect of a Sheep ; but in ARGALI. 981 winter the face, and particularly the pait about the ti|. ;>f tin- nose, heroines more white, the back of a n: uginous cast, and the hair, which in summer is close, like that of a deer, becomes somen-hat rough, wavy, and a little curled; con- sistiri;- «-' ;i kind of M ool intci mixed \\ ith liair, nnd coi;< idling at its roots a fine white woolly down . ihc hair about the neck and shoulders, as well as under the throat, is considerably longer tli. in on other parts. The female is inferior in si/e to Hie male, and has smaller and less curved horns. In Sib< ri.i the Alkali is chiefly seen on the tops of the highest mountains exposed to the sun, and free from woods. The animals generally go in small flocks: they produce their young in the middle of March, and have one, and sometimes two, at a birth. The young, when first born, are red with a soft, grey, curling fleece, which gradually changes into hair towards the end of summer. From spring to autumn the Argalis teed in tl little \ allies among the up| ions of the mountain^, on the young shoots of tbc Alpine plants, and are .-.aid to grow very fat. As winter approaches, they descend lower and eat grass and .hies. They are fond of frequenting of a saline nature, and will excavate the iii (I in such places, in order to get at the salt. The horns of the old males grow to a vast size, and have been found of the length of two Russian yards, measured along the spires ; weighing fif- ARGALI. teen pounds each. We are assured by Father Rubruquis, a traveller in the thirteenth century, that he had seen some of the horns so large that he could hardly lift a pair with one hand, and that the Tartars made great drinking- cups of them. A more modern traveller has asserted, that young foxes occasionally shelter themselves in such as are here and there found in the deserts. The Argali is a very timid animal, and when closely pursued, does not run in a directly pro- gressive course, but obliquely, from side to side, in the manner of other sheep, ascending the rocky mountains with great agility, and, like the wild goat, going over the narrowest and most dan- gerous passes with perfect safety. The males are said to tight frequently among themselves, and will sometimes precipitate each other down the rocks in their contests. Their chace is dangerous and difficult, but is an important object with some of the Asiatics, since the animal furnishes a great number of necessary articles ; the skin being used for cloathing, and the flesh for food. Dr. Pallas informs us, that the flesh of the lamb is excellent ; that of the old animals good ; but more particularly when roasted. In Corsica the Argali is known by the name of AluJ'ro ; where it is so wild as to be rarely taken alive, but is shot by the hunters, who lie in wait for it among the mountains. When the young are taken, however, which is sometimes the case when the parent is shot, they are observed to be very readily tamed. The Corsican Argali or D AKf. U.I. liuiVon, is of a darker colour than the kind. I'roin tlu- alx. riptinn if \vill sutVicicntly u that the Wild Slurp is hv no means that iin«jly helpless animal which we view in a lincmcnt and artificial life ; hut in the hi-!, ive and \ JL .1 d to live ahont ton; It i .ikahle that I.iniuens, in tlie twelfth edition or' tin S\steina Natnr.i', places thU niiininl in tl; ;>/v/ instead of Ov/.v ; appe; tlicr to consitk-r it .is the parent nfthr tlian the Sheep. Intact, tin enera a; allied, that the line of separation is not MTV easily iliscoverahlc. The present animal, ho \vhe- ther we eons'ukr ii or nianne: s ra. to he the parent or btoek of the Sheep than the Goat rac-e. VAII. ? Bearded Sheep. Pennant Quadr. I. p. 51. pi. 9. Tragclaphus seu Hirco-Cervus. Cirii. optuc. 59. Siberian Goat. Pennant Syno^i. Quadr. p. 18. THIS animal seems rather a variety of the Ar- sjali than truly distinct. Its dorription anil cha- ifl thus given l»y Mr. Pennant, \\ho in his •p>is of (^uadrupt d to the genus C'apra. *' Sheep with the hair on the lower part of the cheeks and upper jaws extremely long, forming a 384 divided or double beard ; with hairs on the sides and body short : on the top of the neck longer, and a little erect. The whole under part of the neck and shoulders covered with coarse hairs, not less than fourteen inches long. Beneath the hairs, on every part, was a short genuine wool, the ru- diments of a fleecy cloathing : the colour of the breast, neck, back, and sides, a pale ferruginous. Tail very short. Horns close at their base, re- curvated ; twenty-five inches long ; eleven in cir- cumference in the thickest place ; diverging, and bending outwards ; their points being nineteen inches distant from each other." Mr. Pennant observes, that the learned Dr. Kay, or Caius, gives a good description of this animal, from a specimen brought into England from Barbary, in the year 1561. Dr. Kay named it Tragelaphus, on a supposition of its being the same with the Tragelaphus of Pliny. The figure published by Mr. Pennant, and which is here re- peated, is from a very fine print, by Basan, taken from a painting by Oudry, of the living animal in the French king's menagery. 38J MON MIEEP. i Aries. 0. coniUnu comprtuu lunatit. tin. Syrt. Xat. f. 97. Sheep with compressed luiutcd horns. Ovia domestica. Raj. Quadr. p. 73. Pecus, Aries, Ovia, Vervex, Agniu. Plin. Hut. Nat. VIII e. 47, 48. GVs«. Quadr. p. 872. 911. 935. 927. Aldr. h'urfc. p. 370. Joust. Quadr. p. 54. t. aa. Brebis & Belier. fii/^T. 5. p. i. pi. i, a. Common Sheep. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 37. THIS animal is so generally known, that a par- ticular description of its form and manners be- comes unnecessary. Its most prominent charac- ters are, that the horns twist spirally otit\\ar covered with wool: but these are charat which are so greatly varied in the different races, that it is hardly possible to fix on an absolute distinctive mark which shall apply to all the va- rieties. The domestic Sheep, in its most valuable or woolly state, exists hardly any where in perfec- tion except in Mnropc, and .some of the tempe- rate parts of Asia. When transported into \ Mann climates, it loses its peculiar covering, and appears coated with hair, having only a short nc\t the skin. In very cold climates also the cxtrrior part of the wool is observed to be hard and coarse, though the intirior is more soft and line. In England, and some other European regions, the wool acquires a peculiar length and tn u ness, and is best adapted to the various pur- 3S() COMMON SHEEP. poses of commerce. That of Spain is still finer, but less proper for using alone ; and is mixed with the English for the superior kinds of cloth. " England," says Mr. Pennant, " once the envy of Europe, for its vast commerce in the produc- tions of this creature, now begins to be rivalled by others, through the neglect, the luxury, and the too great avidity of our manufacturers." Of the English Sheep, those bred in Lincolnshire and the northern counties are most remarkable for their size, and the quantity of wool which they bear. In other parts of England they are generally smaller ; and in some parts of Wales and Scot- land are very small. It would be superfluous in a work of this nature, to dwell much on the his- tory and character of the domestic Sheep. It is proverbially a timid, simple, and harmless animal: yet, as is well observed by Mr. Smellie, in his edition of Luifon, " Though the talents of the Sheep are not so brilliant as those of other quadru- peds, yet he appears not to be that stupid, defence- creature painted by the French naturalist." " Sheep," says Mr. Smeliie, " when enslaved by man, tremble at the voice of the shepherd or his dog ; but on those extensive mountains where they are allowed to range almost without con- troul, and where they seldom depend on the aid of the shepherd, they assume a very different mode of behaviour. In these situations, a Hani or a Wcdder will boldly attack a single dog, and often come off victorious ; but when the danger is more alarming, they have recourse to the collected B COMMON SHKEP. 387 the \vliole flock. On such occasions they draw uj> into a complete body, placing UM: \oung and the females in the centre, \\hile the males take the ion ug clov each other. Thus an armed front is presented on all quarters, and cannot easily be attacked with- out danger of destruction to the assailant. In this manner they wait with finnnc of the enemy ; nor does their courage fail them in the moment of attack; for \» hen the aggres- sor advances within a few yards of tl>e line, the Hams dart upon them with such impetuosity as to lay him dead at their feet, unless he himself by timely tiight. Against the attacl single dogs or foxes, when in this situation, they arc perfectly secure. A Ram, regardless of « ger, will often engage a Hull; and his foicheaci being much harder than that of any other animal, he seldom fails to conquer; tor the 1'ull by !•> !iis head, receives the stroke of the llam be- n his eyes, which usually brings him to the ground." Of all the domestic animals, none » so sub :rious disorders as the Sheep. Of these o: the most extraordinary, as well as the mo5t fatal'* is owing to vast numbers of worms of the g Fatcloia, which are found in the liver ami gail- fcbdcter. TW|' are of a flat form, of an ovml intcci extremities, and bear a general rt semblance to the seed* of a gourd. • ThcR^t. 388 MANY-HORNED SHEEP. The principal varieties of the Sheep are the fol- lowing : CRETAN SHEEP. Ovis Strepsciceros, 0. rectis carinatis Jlexuoso-spiralibus. Lin* Syst. Nat. p. 98. Sheep with upright, carinated, spirally contorted horns. Strepsiceros. Plin. Hist. Nat. n. c. 37. THIS variety is principally found in the island of Crete, and is kept in several parts of Europe for the singularity of its appearance ; the horns being very large, long, and twisted in the manner of a screw : those of the male are upright ; those of the female at right angles to the head. This animal is ranked as a distinct species in the Systema Na- turse. MANY-HORNED SHEEP. Ovis Polycerata. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 97. THIS occurs in the northern parts of Europe more frequently than in other regions, and is said to be most common in Iceland. The horns are either three, four, or five in number ; sometimes placed with great regularity, and sometimes dif- fering in proportion and situation. A four-horned variety, with very long hairs hanging from the breast, is also found in some parts of Europe : the two largest horns, in this kind, are strait, and nearly upright on tlie top of the forehead, while 204 . Jan'. tfLondon FUbHttid ty Gfearj-lcy Fleet street. BROAD-TA1LKD SIIKKP. u: the head, and In: Al : MIKEP .icensis. 0. anriliu* pcnd. but lajcu pilotit, ocri- pitc promintntc. Iin. S$*t. Nal. • 'I'u is, which is sometime-, termed tlie Cape i>, and \vhic-li i-, erroneously mentioned in Hull N rural History a tion, :)poM-d to IK- most frequent in ( u. :id is distinguished tVom oilu-i^ by \\ rkahly : nee, length of neck and lim: dent iied or em ige. It •v-d ratlier with hair than wool, and has a pair of pendent hairy wattlc> henrath tii a> in . -mall, and the tail long and lank. Thi«> variety tinct >peeies in the twelfth edition rf the Xati BHOAD-TAI I I I) MM EP. Ovis laticaudata. Lot. Sytt. Kat. p. 97. Ti, tnd a \\k\v aid \ OC- i Ktlnopia. It U also d in Tartaiy, Tibet. \c. Its general appear - arts of the body, si .that • uropcan Sheep, and in Tibet it is remarkable for the exquisite fineness c: V II. P. II. 96 390 FAT-RUMPED SHEEP. wool. The tails of these Sheep sometimes grow so large, long, and heavy, as to weigh, according to some reports, from fifteen to fifty pounds, and in order to enable the animal to graze with con- venience, the shepherds are often ohliged to put a board, furnished with small wheels, under the tail. This part of the Sheep is of a substance resembling marrow, and is considered as a great delicacy. Mr. Pennant has remarked, that both the broad and long-tailed varieties of this kind of Sheep were known to the ancients ,- being mentioned by Aristotle and Pliny ; the former mentioning the first, and the latter the second sort. One says the tails were a cubit broad, the other a cubit long. There are many intermediate races of these sheep ; and some have the tails ending in a point; others rather square, or rounded. FAT-RUMPED SHEEP. Ovis Steatopyga. Cape Sheep. Pennant Quadr. i . p. 42. THIS variety is furnished with long, coarse, hairy wool ; has longish legs, a somewhat arched visage, horns in the male, like those of the com- mon sheep, and large pendent ears. The tail is sometimes so enveloped in fat as to be scarcely visible, the parts on each side swelling out into a pair of naked hemispheres, of such a size as sometimes to weigh nearly forty pounds: their substance is said to resemble suet. These Sheep HORNLESS sin i ]-. .;•»! arc found in many of the Tartarian deserts, from the /W»v/ to the Irtis and the Altaic chain of mountain. The\ c\hil)it more or less of the ap- pearance just dc.seribed, according to the nature of their pasture, hut are observed to llourish most in such as an of a saline nature. SPANISH SHEEP. TIIM principal distinction of the Spanish Sheep is the fineness of the fleeee, and the horizontally extended spire of the horns, which, of course, ap- f«;n wider than in other sheep. HORNLESS SHEEP. * Kis Angltca. JM. Sytt. Nat. p. 97. JJuKEDs of Hornless Sheep are raised in man) parts of F.njrlund and some other parts of Km Other varieties of Sheep mi^ht he mentioned. but it would be tedious, as well as useless, to par- ticulari/e the slighter variations which occasion- ally take place in an animal so much affected by climate and manner of life. 392 PUDU. Ovis Pudu. 0. cornibus teretibus kevibits dfoergtntihu. Ltn, Syst. Nat. Gmel.p. 201. Capra (Pudu) cornibus teretibus l<£vibus ditergentibus, gula im- berbi. Molina Chil. p. 273. Sheep with smooth round diverging horns, and beardless throat. Pudu Goat. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 64. THIS is a newly discovered species, having been first described by Molina, in his Natural History of Chili. He informs us that it is a native of the Andes ; that it is of a brown colour ; about the size of a kid of half a year old ; \vith very much the appearance of a goat, but with small smooth horns, bending outwards, and without any appearance of beard. It is of a gregarious nature, and when the snow falls on the upper parts of the moun- tains, descends into the vallies in large herds, to feed in the plains of Chili, at which time it is easily taken, and readily tamed. The female is without horns. syj BOS. OX. Cornua concava, antrorsum versa, lunata, laevia. Denies Primores inferiores octo. Lanictrn nulli. Horns concave, turned out- wards, lunated, smooth. Front-tt 348. Aucrochs. Gesn. Thierb. p. 999. Bonasus. Vim. ///.».'. \,:t. B. c. 15. Uct*. Qna the two continents might lia\c hecn nniied hc- 11 '/(•//////•/ ;/'/N.V and tlic opposite hradlain America; and the many islands «.tf that promon- tory, M'ith the Alcn' what nore distant, may \\. -\\\>- il to he fragments of land which the tw«i continents, and formed their iisMii.ir the mighty con\nlsion which divided .\ Am. In America the lii-on occurs in the icgion> hundred miles ucst ot' IIiuNon's l!.i\. uhuh is their most northern roidti' are met M'ith in great droves. t /><>/i, m ::j. a little north «)!' C'ai •! aUo in tin- province ot' I/ ' nul the • tlu south of till sc |>art>. Tl:« .nhahit I . to tlit of tlu- lakes , and in gn niulani. • HUt CaroL p. 1 16. t P«M»* Arc!. ZooL 396 BISON. the rich savannas which border the river Misis- sipi, and the great rivers which fall into it from the west, in the upper Louisiana, where they are seen in herds innumerable, intermixed with those of Stags and Deer ; feeding chiefly in the morn- ing and evening, and retiring into the shade of the tall reeds which border the rivers, during the heat of the day. They are extremely wild, and fly from the face of mankind ; but if wounded, become furious, and pursue their enemy. Their chace is a favourite diversion with the Indians, and the animals arc killed either by shooting, or by gradually driving them into a small space, by firing the grass round the place where a herd is feeding. The animals are extremely terrified by fire, and thus crowd together in order to avoid it ; when the bands of Indians close, and kill them thus pressed together without any hazard. On such occasions it is pretended that not less than fifteen hundred or two thousand have sometimes been killed at a time*. The flesh is used as a food, and the skins and hair as commercial ar- ticles : the latter, being of a woolly nature, may be spun into cloths, gloves, £c. which are said to be very strong, and to have the appearance of those manufactured from the best wool. The fleece or hair of one of these Bisons has been known to weigh eight pounds. These were the only animals which bore any affinity to the European cattle, on the first disco- * Arct. Zool. 1108. COMMON OX " •?r->^-vr7;i-^,— = COMMON ox. 307 in continent; and nii^ht liavc . made to aiisucr CM i\ pUTpOtC ot* the Kuro- |)c;in C'oxr; but tin- natives, bcin^ in a vt\ id living chiefly by cliacr. bad i tempted thi ;u ation ot' the animal. ox. THIS js. in reality, the i duccd to a do- •tate; in \vhieh, in different parts of the \\orld, it runs into as many \ ai ietics. ;ts tlu (iitKrinu; widely in ->i/c. ti.nn, and ((.lour, accord- ing to elimutc and otlu i i ircnm>t:ineeN. Its ini- jiortance in this it> donustic slai -t be one kn<<\^ that the C'o\v tnr- ni.shcs some ot' the chief article** both ot' use luxury in civilized life, and the animal is, t! . universally rcaud, except anumi; s;: nations. " \\ ithout the aid of this useful mal, " both thi jmor and the opu- lent would liiul ililliculty in pi' ronncily the < he \\ hole •es of nuinkind ; and lie IN still th> I the rieho of n \\hich MI!-- urish in pro;. oid\ t" tin i-u!ti\ali«in ..f their lands number of their tattle: tor in these all real ucaltii < i\ other kiiui. < \ < n gold and heinij only lit titious representat i \\hi« me, but \\luit is conferred on them by the product i' the eaitli." lie pro- v^ith but too much truth, tool**; •• those men \slio breed and multiply our cattle, 30,8 COMMON ox. who spend their whole lives in rearing and guard- ing them from injuries, are debarred from enjoying the fruits of their labour. They are denied the use of flesh, and are obliged, by their condition, or rather by the cruelty of the opulent, to live, like horses, upon barley, oats, coarse pot-herbs, &c." " The British breed of horned cattle has," says Mr. Pennant, " been so much improved by a fo- reign mixture, that it is difficult to point out the original kind of these islands. Those which may be supposed to have been purely British, are far inferior in size to those of the northern parts of the continent. The cattle of the high lands of Scotland arc exceedingly small ; and many of them, males as well as females, are horn- less. The Welch runts are much larger : the black cattle of Cornwall are of the same size with the last. The large kind that is now cul- tivated throughout most parts of Great Britain, are either entirely of foreign extraction, or our own improved by a cross with the foreign kind. The Lincolnshire kind derive their size from the Holstein breed ; and the large hornless cattle that are bred in some parts of England came origi- nally from Poland*." In his Natural History of this animal, the Count de Buffon is well known to have fallen into a very extraordinary error, viz. in affirming that at the age of three years, the Bull and Cow cast their horns, which are replaced by others * Brit. Zool. 209 ZEBU: LOOSE-HORN KD OX. vhich arc permanent. In his sixth Mipplcinrnt.d volume this unmake is . p< i K and e.uididly Acknowledged, and in part explain. Ji^ht external shell or la- mina, scarcely thicker than common paper. THIS variety is found in main | India. as \sell as in the Indian and African islands, and particularly in Madagascar. It . colour, of a very I;. ml is distil: \cr\ laiLce j>rotuberance above the shonl« ;iu. Tins variety resembles the pr< but is cxtiemcly small, bcini; t'ound in some parts of" India <>f a than a _«rs In colour it dilVers like the common c.itr. either ^u v, bro\\n, v. bite. ^\><>l- LOOsl -IIOHN 1 I) < THIS is s;iid to he found in Abywmiia, and in Madagascar, and to be distinguished by pciuiu- lous ears, and lion;- .< d «-nl\ to tl;e u to hang down on each hide. 400 BOUllY OF the size of a Camel, and of a snowy-white- ness, with a protuberance on the back. Native of Madagascar, and some other islands, called by the name of Boury. s TINIAX OX. OF a white colour, with' black ears. Inhabits the island of Tinian. Many other varieties might be mentioned, but it would be a useless and trifling labour. Almost every country producing some particular breed of domestic cattle. AKXEE. Bos Arnee. B. conif&M* mr/M /»««/;'« SN///V/ fltmauntu rugosis. Ox with upright lunated horns, flat and wrinkled on their up- per surface. Bos Arnee. Kerr's Animal Kiugdum, p. 336. pi. p. 295. Tins is an Indian species, known chiefly from its vast horns, which are sometimes seen in Mu- M-ums, and from Indian paintings, in which it is occasionally represented. In the work of Mr. Kcrr, above refrrred to, it is said to have been met with by a British officer, in the woods above Ben- /• M)2 BUFFALO. form of its horns, and in some particulars relative to its internal structure*. The Buffalo is rather superior in size to the common Ox ; the head larger f in proportion ; the forehead higher, the muzzle of a longer form, but at the same time broad and square. But it is principally the form of the horns that distinguishes the Buffalo. They are large, and of a compressed or depressed form, with the exterior edge sharp : they are strait for a considerable length from their base, and then bend slightly upwards : their general colour is nearly black. The Buffalo has an appearance of great strength, and a more ferocious or malig- nant aspect than the Bull; owing to the con- vexity of his forehead, the smallness of his eyes, the flatness of his muzzle, and the flatter and more inclined position of his horns. The general or prevailing colour of the Buffalo is blackish, ex- cept the hair on the top of the forehead, and that at the tip of the tail, which is of a yellowish white : the skin itself is also of a black colour ; and from this general cast it is but very seldom observed to vary ; though we meet with descriptions, in the works of travellers, of white, grey, and reddish or bay Buffaloes. In Europe they are, however, sometimes \\hitish on -the insides of the limbs, and IMons. Sonnini records an example of one which * These are given by Mr. Daubenton, in the Count de Buffon's Natural History. f The Count de Buftbn and Mr. Pennant, on the contrary, de- scribe it as smaller 3 but Mr. Sonnini affirms that it is larger. BUFFALO. lie s;i\v in I'-u\|>t, which had all the legs, belly, and sides, perfect l\ uln'.e. li \ Lrrcativ as to the length and thick and is .sometimes s(rn m-irly nak< This animal is original!} a native of the \\anner paits ot' Indi.i and Africa, and is mcicly one ot* the introduced or nat urali/cd (juadrnj)eds ot rope. It is .said to hi\e hccn introduced into Italy in the seventh centuiA. The Count dc Million considers it as an animal unknown to the ancients, hut Mr. Pennant, with u; eater prohahi- suj)|>oses the Bo.-f ccypct of Aristotle, to i meant JiutiUlocs. The lion /// Jcrom Lobo, in his account of Ahy>sinia. attinns tii.f POfl the hoinsof tlie Duflalors of that country will hold ten (jiiaits. ami Dillon :ne in India which :inkled. hut mooth. \\'ild Hutlalois occur in Malahar, and in the i- -ineo and C Ion. and ure considcn «-essivel\ ami danger. .us animals. Tin- liutlalocs of Al>ys>inia grow to twice the - »>ur lar^c.si oxen, and arc called Klrpliaiit-Uulis. not onl\ 01 ..t of their vast size, hut fioin their nakcil and Mack skin. -.ling th i Kleph.mt. 404 BUFFALO. As the Buffalo in his domesticated state is, iu general, larger and stronger than the Ox, he is employed with advantage in different kinds of la- bour. Buffaloes are made to draw heavy loads, and are commonly directed and restrained by ineans of a ring passed through the nose. Two Buffaloes yoked, or rather chained, to a cart, are able to draw as much as four strong horses. As they carry their neck and head low, the whole weight of their body is employed in drawing ; and their mass much surpasses that of a labouring horse. In its habits the Buffalo is much less cleanly than the Ox ; delighting to wallow in the mud ; and, next to the Hog, may be considered as the dirtiest of domesticated quadrupeds. His voice is deeper, more uncouth and hideous than that of the Bull. The milk of the female Buf- falo is said by some authors to be not so good as that of the Cow, but it is more plentiful, and is used for the purposes of the dairy in the warmer regions. In the sixth supplemental volume of Buffbn, it is affirmed that the milk is far superior to cows' milk, not only in taste but colour, and that it makes the most excellent butter, cluv-r. &c.* The skin and horns are of more value than all the rest of the animal ; the former being of cx- ticme strength and durability, and consequently * In fact, such particulars as these must vary greatly, according to circumstances in different countries, and must depend on the manner-oi" keeping and feeding the animal, as in Cows, &c. BUFFALO. 405 well adapted for various purposes in which a strong leather is required ; the latter are of a fine grain, strong, and bear a good polish, and are therefore in much esteem with cutlers and other artificers, for handles, &c. &c. Italy is the country where Buffaloes are at present most common in a - nucleated state, being used, as in India, both for the dairy and for draught The district of the Pontine marshes is the spot which may be consi- dered as their principal station. In India this animal is occasionally used for the saddle, as a substitute for the horse. The Buffalo is observed to have a kind of nui.sky smell ; a particularity which takes place in a much stronger degree in some others of this genus. Mr. Caetani, in one of his communica- tions to Buffon, observes, that he once entertained an idea of preparing a kind of musk from the dung of the Buffalo; but the same kind of musky odor is perceivable, though in a smaller degree, •m in that of the common Ox, and for this rea- son it forms an ingredient in some of the old per- fumes. * This animal has been well figured in Jonston, where it is shown in different attitudes. According to Mons. Sonnini, it is very much cultivated in Egypt, where it yields plenty of excellent milk, from which butter is made, as well as several kinds of cheese. " The Buf- falo," says this author, " is an acquisition of the modern Egyptians, with which their ancestors wire unacquainted. It was brought over from v. ii. P. n. 27 406 BUFFALO. Persia into their country, where the species is at present universally spread, and is very much pro- pagated. It is even more numerous than that of the Ox, and is there equally domestic, though but recently domesticated, as is easily .distinguishable by the constantly uniform colour of the hair, and still more by a remnant of ferocity, and intrac- tability of disposition, and a wild and. lowering aspect, the characters of all half-tamed animals. The Buffaloes of Egypt, however, are not near so wild, nor so much to be feared as those of other countries. They there partake of the very re- markable gentleness of other domestic animals, and only retain a few sudden and occasional ca- prices. The sight of any thing red, which is said to make them fly into fits of ungovernable fury elsewhere, makes no impression on those of Egypt. The inhabitants of the country, besides their red turban, wear also, in general, another shawl of the same colour, which envelops the neck and chest, and I never observed that the sight of ei- ther at all affected the Buffaloes. " — " They are so fond of the water," adds this author, " that I have seen them continue in it a whole day. It often happens that the water which is fetched from the Nile, near its banks, has contracted their musky smell." The Buffalo, like other animals of this genus, admits of varieties as to size and figure. Of these the most remarkable is the small naked Indian Buffalo of Mr. Pennant, which is of the size of a runt, with nearly naked body, thinly beset with ZZ-? MUSK ox. ;<>: bristly hair : the rump and thighs quite hire ; the lirst Ill-ing marked on each side with dusky stripes IMMHtmg downwards; the last with two transverse .stripes : the horns compressed sideways, taper, and sharp at the point. It is a native of India. Another variety, still smaller, is said to occur in the mountains of the Celebes, which are full :viTiis. This vaiirt\ is of the M/C of a mid- dling sheep, and is seen in small herds, very wild, and difficult to be taken, and even in i .\c\\i air so fierce, that Mr. Pennant records an in- stance of fourteen stags being destroyed in the space of a single night by some of these animals were kept in the same paddock. MUSK ox. Boe Moachatiis. B. contSnu (want) approxtmatit, ban latu*> m$t uUrorna* dtortumqvc, apicc extrurttm Jltrit, iKMMifiJ, vcllert proptndentc. Ox with very long pendent hair, and horn* (in the male) ap- proximated at the base, bending inward* and downward*, and outwards at the tips. Bos moschatus. B. tonuh* approximatu bad lutuxmit M/ror> «HM dtorntmtjue, apice cxtrvrnm Jitxu aeumuiatu. Lm. Sytt. Mat. Gmel. p. 205. Musk Ox. I'ennattt Quadr. i . p. 3 1. Arct. Xool. i. p. 8. ft. 7. 1 1 is only \\itliin these few years that an ac knn\\li-dgr of this species ha* been obtained* and we are indebted principally to the labours of Mi IVnnaiit for the investigation of its and manners. 408 MUSK OX. It is a native of North America, where it ap- pears to be a very local animal ; being found first in the tract between Churchill river and that of the Seals, on the west side of Hudson's Bay, and is very numerous between the latitudes 66 and 73 north, which is as far as any tribes of Indians go. They are also found in the land of Cm, or CristinaiLv, and the Assinibouelx, and again among the Attimospiquay, a nation supposed to inhabit about the head of the river Seals, probably not very remote from the South Sea. They are con- tinued from these countries southward as low as the provinces of Quivera and Cibola ; for, accord- ing to Mr. Pennant, Father Marco di Nica and Gomara plainly describe them. This animal is but of small size, being rather lower than the Deer, but larger or thicker in body. The hair, in the male, is of a dusky red colour, extremely fine, and so long as to trail on the ground, and render the animal a seemingly shapeless mass, without distinction of head or tail : the legs are very short ; the shoulders rise into a lump, and the tail is very short, being a kind of stump of a few inches only, with very long hairs. Beneath the hair, on all parts of the animal, is an extremely fine cinereous wool, which is said to be more beautiful than silk when manu- factured into stockings and other articles. The horns are closely united at the base, bending inwards and downwards; but turning outwards towards the tips, which are very sharp : near the base the horns are two feet in girth, but are only two feet MUSK OX. •»") Jong, when measured along the curvature: t he- weight of a pair, separated i'mm the la-ad, is sometimes sixty pounds. It should seem, from the figure of the hull of thi.s species given by Mr. Pennant in hi* HiM-ny of Quadrupeds, that the animal, like some other of the long-haired Buffaloes, .sheds it hair at cer- tain periods, and appears comparatively naked. The Cow, or female, di tiers from the nuie in hav ing the horns much smaller, and plaeed at the distance of nine inches from each other, at the base : they are seated on the sides of the head, and are of a whitish colour, about thirteen inches long, and eight inches round at the base : their curvature resembles that of the bull : the ears are erect, three inches long, somewhat sharp-point «!, and thickly lined with dusky hair, marked with a white stripe. The general colour of the Cow is black, ex- cept that the legs are whitish, and between the horns there is a bed of white hair intermixed with rust-colour : a dusky mane, or elevated ridge of hair, runs along the hack, and «.n the middle of the back is an oblong patch or bed of pure wh the hair of which is much shorter than on other parts, not exceeding three inches in length, and of a pale brown towards the roots. The luu'ra oo the body are of two kinds; the longest measuring seventeen inches, and being very fine, glossy, and of a flattened appearance, when closely examined. Its colour is black, and It forms the general coat- ing of the animal. The bed or patch of hair be- 410 MUSK OX. twcen the horns, as well as that on the back, are, on the contrary, of a round form, and far finer than any human hair ; that of the white patch has also somewhat of a woolly constitution. Beneath every part of the long hair grows, as in the bull, a most exquisitely fine ash-coloured wool, supe- rior perhaps to that of any other animal. These creatures delight most in rocky and barren mountains, and seldom frequent the wooded parts of the country. They run nimbly, and are very active in climbing the rocks. Their flesh tastes very strongly of musk ; and the heart in particular is said to be so thoroughly impregnated with the flavour as to be scarce eatable. The flesh, how- ever, is supposed to be very wholesome, and has been found a speedy restorative to sickly crews, who have made it their food. These animals are shot by the Indians for the sake of the meat and skins, which, from their superior warmth, make the most excellent co- verings. Dr. Pallas informs us, that a skull of this spe- cies has been found in Siberia, on the arctic mossy flats near the mouth of the Oby. Of the tail of this animal, says Mr. Pennant, the Eskimauxt of the north-west side of the bay, make a cap of the most horrible appearance ; for the hairs fall all round their head, and cover their faces ; yet it is of singular service in keeping off rhe musquitoes, which would otherwise be into- .ible. 213 411 YAK. Bo* Grunnicns. B. u*r«j6«« ttrttiiiu rztiornm rvrru/u. t tndfHte, cauda mdiyurjubata. hi. it. p. 99. Ox with cylindric horns curving outward*, very long pendent hair, and extremely villtae horse-like tail. Bubalus cauda equina. Pall. Mt. 1'rcfrop. i. pt. a. p. 312. I.c Yak, ou Hurtle a queue dc Cheval. BujJ. &MMM. 29. p. aa;. pi. 6. Grunting Ox. Pennunt Quadr. i. p. 24. pi. Yak of Tartar/. Turner t Account uf am F.n,ba**y ft Tibet, p. 186. pi. 10. THIS specirs Il;t^ IHC-II wc-1! ik^cribcd by Cap- tain Turner, in his Account of an Emba.^y to Tibet. "The Yak of Tarturx, called Soora Cioy in Hindustan, and which I term the i iled hull of Tibet, is about the height of an Kn^lUh bull, which he resemble in tl»e general fi«ju. the body, head, and le«js. I could tli.tcovcr bc- 11 tliein no essential dittercnce. < \< ept that the Yak is coxurd all over with a thick coat of long hair. The head is rather shoit, crowiud with two smooth round horns, which, tapering > the root upwards, terminate in sharp point>: are arched inwards, bending towards each other, but near the extremities aie a little turned hack. The cars are small : the fore head appears piomimnt. being adorned uith much curling hair : the eyes are full and large: the nose small and convex: the nostrils small: the neck short, describing a curvature nearly equal both abo\c 414 YAK. furniture, upon horses and elephants ; yet the best requital with which the care of their keepers is at length rewarded, for selecting them good pastures, is in the abundant quantity of rich milk which they give, and the butter produced from it, which is most excellent. It is their custom to preserve this in skins or bladders ; and the air being thus excluded from it, it will keep in this cold climate throughout the year; so that, after some time tending their herds, when a sufficient store is ac- cumulated, it remains only to load their cattle, and drive them to a proper market with their own produce, which constitutes, to the utmost verge of Tartary, a most material article of produce. " The orientals are said to hold in high estima- tion a large kind of bezoar of the size of a goose- egg, which is sometimes found in this animal's sto- mach. The Yak varies in colour, as well as in the length and form of the horns. Those with white tails are most esteemed ; and it sometimes happens that the horns are as white as ivory. According to Dr. Pallas, the calves, when first born, are covered with a strong woolly hair, nearly resembling that of a water spaniel, and in three months begin to acquire the long hair of the throat, lower parts, and tail. From the figures given by Gmelin, in the Me- moirs of the Academy of Petersburg, and appa- rently copied by Mr. Pennant, it should seem that the elevation on the shoulders is not universal, and it is- probable that there are in this, as well as TAK. 415 in other species of this genus, several races or va- rieties, di tit ring as to size, &c as in common Those which were examined by Dr. Pallas • of the size of a small domestic cow ; but the th of these, as Mr. Pennant observes, might have been checked by being brought very young from their native country into Siberia. Marco Polo says, that the wild kind which he saw in his c-ls into Tartary were nearly as large as ele- phants, and though this may perhaps be .in aggeration, yet the length of some of the tails brought into Europe, and measuring six feet, ii to prove that the size of the animals to which they belonged must have been very gi In India no man of fashion ever goes out, or sits in form at home, without two Chawrabadurs, or l>rushers, attending him, each furnished \vith one of these tails mounted on silver or ivory handles, to brush away the Hies. The Chinese d\e them of a beautiful red, and wear them as tutts to their summer bonnets. Mr. Pennant justly observes, that sElian is the only ancient writer who takes notice of this sin- gular .species, and that amidst his immense far- rago of fables, he gives a very good account of it, under the name of •* Poephagu*, an Indian ani- mal, larger than a horse, with a most thick tail, and black, composed of hairs tincr than the hu- man, and highly valued by the Indian ladio ornamenting their heads: each hair, he says, was two cubits long. It was the most fearful 416 CAPE OX. of animals, and very swift, and when chased by men or dogs, and found itself nearly overtaken, would face its pursuers, and hide its hind parts in some bush, and wait for them : imagining that if it could conceal its tail, which was the object they were in search of, it would escape unhurt. The hunters shot at it with poisoned arrows, and when they had slain the animal, took only the tail and hide, making no use of the flesh." From the observations of Dr. Pallas and others who have examined the interior parts of this ani- mal, it appears to make a nearer approach to the Buffalo than to any other species. CAPE ox. Bos Caffer. S* cormbus basi latissimis, turn decaricatis deortum, post sursum apice introrsitm curvatis, juba bred. Uai. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 207. Sparrm. Act. Stockh. 1779. Ox with the horns very broad at the base, then spreading down- wards, next upwards, and at the tips curving inwards. Cape Ox. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 32. THIS species inhabits the interior parts of Af- rica, north of the Cape of Good Hope, and is greatly superior in size to the largest English Ox. It is of a very strong and muscular form, with a fierce and malevolent aspect. Its colour is a deep cinereous brown : the hair on the body is rather short, but that on the head and breast very long, CAPE OX. 417 coarse, and black, hanging down the dewlap, like that of a Bison : from the hind part of the head to the middle of the back is also a loose k inane : the tail is nearly naked at the base; flu' remainder being covered with long loose hair. The horns are black ; extremely broad at their base, resembling, in this respect, those of the Musk Ox, but do not stand quite close, as in that species, but separated by a narrow space of scarce an inch wide: they are transversely wrinkled above, and are very large and long, spreading far over the head towards the eyes, then growing taper, and bending down on each side of the neck ; the ends inclining backwards and upwards : the space between the tips is sometimes five feet ; the ears are a foot long, and half pendent or swagging downwards. These animals are found in large herds in the desert parts beyond the Cape, retiring by day into the thick forests, and appearing chiefly to- wards the evening and morning ; and if met in the narrow parts of woods, are extremely dan- gerous, rushing suddenly on the traveller, goring and trampling both man and horse under foot. It is also said that they will often strip off the skin of such animals as they have killed, by lick- ing them with their rough tongues, as recorded by some of the ancient authors of the Bison. The skin is excessively strong, and is, on this account, in high estimation with the colonists at the Cape, for its superior excellence in making harnesses, 418 CAPE OX. &c. It is to Dr. Sparrman, Dr. Forster, and Mr. Masson, that we are principally indebted for the particulars relative to the description and na- tural history of this animal, which, though long- ago imperfectly known, has but lately been accu- rately described. DOMESTIC if1 LonJon PukKjKd ty C.Ktar*l*?, Fleet .>trfff 419 QUADRUPEDS. ORDER B E L L U EQUUS. HORSE. ic Character. Dent ft Primores superiorcs sex, erecto-parallcli. Inferiores sex, prominenti- orcs. £0marjisolitarii,inclusi,utrin- que remoti. Pedts ungula indivisa. Front-teeth in the upper jaw six, parallel. In the lower jaw six, some- what projecting. Canint-t(ttkt one on each side, in both jaws, remote from the rest. Feet with undivided hoofs. COMMON II OK Equus Caballus. £. caittla vndiqtie tetota. Lin. Sytt. Nat. p. 100. Hone with tail uniformly covered with long hair. Equus. P/iii. 8. c. 42. JfC. 4-c. Gem. Quadr. p. 441. AUr. SoKthmg.p. a. Jontt.Quatlr. i. Le Cheval. Hutf 4. p. 174. Generous Hone. Pennant Quadr. i. p. i . HE Horse, the most noble and interesting <>t quadrupeds, is supposed to be found in a state of nature in several parts of Asia and Africa. In 422 COMMON HORSE. chest. He elevates his head as if anxious ta exalt himself above the condition of quadrupeds, and in this noble attitude he beholds man face to face." Of the several breeds of Horses in common or general use in Europe, it is remarkable that none can come in competition with those of our own island, either for the strength required in labo- rious services, or for the swiftness and elegance of such as are bred for the course. The annals of Newmarket record instances of Horses that have literally outstripped the wind ; as is proved from accurate calculations. The celebrated Childers is commemorated, in particular, as the swiftest of his tribe ; and the instances of his speed may be found in various publications. He was known to have run near a mile in a minute ; and to have cleared the course at Newmarket, which is only four hundred yards short of four miles, in six minutes and forty seconds ; running at the rate of eighty-two feet and a half in the space of a st-cond*. Of nearly equal fame is the character of Eclipse, whose strength was said to be greater, and his swiftness scarcely inferior. This latter animal forms the subject of Mons. Sainbel's calculations, who, in his work on the Veterinary Art, has given an elaborate and curious description of his several proportions. It is remarkable that this horse was never esteemed handsome, though the mechanism * Brit. Zool. &c. COMMON HORSE, 423 of his frame, so fur as regarded his powers o£ swiftness, was almost perfect. As it may be some satisfaction to the reader to be made acquainted witli the general proportions of tli^ extraordinary courser, I shall here extract a part of Mon>. SainluTs observations on the subject. *' The horses of different countries are, in ge- neral, distinguished from each other by a peculiar appropriate conformation. The Spanish horse di tiers materially in his outward appearance from the English Race-horse. The difference, in the length and direction of the parts of which eaeh is composed, produces in each a system from whose meelumical arrangement result motions very un- equal in their extent. The Spanish horse cadences his steps with dignity, while the English horse drives his mass forward with strength and speed. This difference, which proceeds from the peculiar conformation of each, contradicts, in some parti- culars, the table of geometrical proportions in the use of the pupils of the veterinary schools of France. It proves that no common measure can be made to apply equally to every species, since Nature has even diversified the forms of the indi- viduals which compose it. If each species has its OM n style of beauty; if even each individual h.i- its peculiar beauty; if it is not possible to find two horses that perfectly resemble each other, \\c cannot pretend to assign any one form preferably to another as the rule of beauty for the Horse. 424 COMMON HOUSE. Were persons the best qualified, to endeavour to collect together the different beauties dispersed among the different individuals, they might in- deed compose a model of each species sufficiently perfect to direct the painter or the statuary, but would deceive any one who would venture to choose an horse by it for his own use. The fol- lowing observations do not take for their object those forms which please the eye at the first glance ; that appearance which vulgarly passes for handsome ; but that mechanical construction of the animal, from which result the possibility and extent of those motions by the means of which he is enabled to transport himself from one place to another with greater or less speed ; and consequently an horse may appear ugly to a vul- gar eye, and be still well proportioned. Eclipse was never esteemed handsome ; yet he was swift, and the mechanism of his frame almost perfect. Whoever compares his proportions with those in the table* above mentioned will discover the fol- lowing differences. 1. " In that table the horse should measure three heads in height, counting from the forctop to the ground. Eclipse measured upwards of three heads and a half. 12. " The neck should measure but one head in length : that of Eclipse measured u head and a half. * Viz. that in use among the pupils of the Veterinary Schools of France. COMMON HORSE. 4'J.i 3. " The height ot' the body should be equal to its length: the height of Kclipse exceeded his •h by about out- truth. 4. '• A |x rpcndicular line tailing from the stifle .siiould touch the tor : this line in J'.elipsc louche d the ground at the distance of half a head he. the t 5. " The distance from the elbow to the hend of the knee, >bo;dd hi- the .same as from the IxMid of the knee to the ground : thc.se two distances unequal in Kclip-c, tlir former heing two parts of a head longer than the latter. innuiry comparison shews, that the beauty of a HOIM eannot be absolutely (i mined by general rules, but n r he in rela- tion to a paiticlar vpeeiex " Mon.'i. Sainbel further informs us. that, ** on the O.ilh of l;ehruary, \'t>()< Eclipse \\as M i/ed uifii a violent eholie. '1 he lemedit.s acknou ost j>rojicr in that ease \\ere admin i- • 1, but without effect iii ixpind on tne t/ti i u o'clock in the evening, in the lJ(>th In Mi>i -. s >i!iiiii! > edition of liutVon maybe MU merat ion of all the dift't of which horses ;n with th ral -hades and names. On this subject also « ner and Aldiovaiulus have given the usual < merations: iuguKrai. however, it s«-ms agreed, that tlu- colour is one of the least important attri- butes; according to the well-kno\vn doctrine, now passed into a pro\ub. that a good hoi 426 COMMON HORSE. never of a bad colour. The ancients appear to have had a predilection for white horses, which were used to draw the cars of emperors and conquerors in public processions. The poets also represent the steeds of many of their heroes as of a snow- white colour *. In our own country there seem to be no breeds of horses naturally of a perfect white ; those which are so termed having been first grey, changed through age to whiteness. The most beautiful general, colour seems to be bright bay, which gives an air of peculiar neat- ness and elegance to the animal. Black horses are commonly of large size, and in this country are chiefly used for the cart and the plough. In some countries horses are not the less esteemed for being variegated or piebald, as it is commonly termed. This is said to be the case in China. Mr. Bruce informs us, that the Horses of Nu- bia are of unparalleled beauty ; far superior, in his opinion, even to those of Arabia. He observes, however, that from the manner in which they are fed, they are apt to become too fat or corpulent. In some parts of India is found a remarkably diminutive race of Horses, scarcely exceeding the size of a large dog. Small breeds of Horses also occur in some of the northern parts of the world. * It is remarkable that Virgil, though in the JEneid he repre- sents the horses ofTurnus as white, yet in his Georgics condemns that colour. In reality, however, as the learned Dr. Martyn has well observed, this implies no contradiction j since Virgil might be supposed to admire the beauty of a white steed, though he could not commend the colour in a breed or stock. 427 JICKTA. .us Hemionus. E. unicolor, cauda mlva ertrrmilate pdout, enter nulltt. Jjii. Si/.tt. \n(. GmtLp. aio. Pall. it. 3. p. ai;. Nov. Cumm. I'etrop. 19. p. 394. t. -. c of an uniform colour, without a distinct humeral cross, with naked tail haired at the tip. Dihikkctaci. Pennant Quadr. i.p-4- Czigital. Bujf. Suppl. 6. p. 37. THIS is a .species, the knowledge of which M ems tu have lain dormant almost since the days of Aristotle, till it was revived by the O!>MT\ at ions of Dr. Pallas, who describes it under the title of K still gre;i MII passing even that of the Antelopes; and is pro- verbial in some of the regions it frequent-; and the Thibet ians reprc-ent Chdmtno, their (Jod of ! mounted upon it. This animal ha- an appearance much resembling that of a common mule ; having a laii^e head, ll.it forehead, middle -si/cd eyes, with ash-coloured irides : the teeth are thirty-eight in all ; being two 428 JICKTA. in number fewer than in the common horse : the ears are larger than in that species, erect, and lined with a thick, whitish, curling hair : the neck is slender and compressed ; the mane upright, short, soft, and of a gre}rish colour. In place of the foretop there is a short tuft of downy hair, about two inches in length. The body is rather long, and the back but little elevated ; the breast sharp and protuberant ; the limbs long and elegant; the thighs thin, as in a mule ; within the fore legs is an oyal callus, but none in the hind legs : the hoofs are oblong, smooth, and black : the tail like that of a Cow, being slender, and naked for half its length ; the remainder covered with long ash-coloured hair. The winter coat of this ani- mal is of a brownish ash-colour, with the tips of the hair grey ; it is about two inches long, and soft, like that of a Camel ; slightly waved or undulated on the back. In summer it becomes much smoother, and in all parts elegantly marked by small featherings or turnings : the tip of the nose is white ; and the remainder of the face of a light tawny cast, which is also diffused over all the upper parts : the hind thighs, insides of the limbs and belly, are white ; and from the mane to the tail extends a chesnut or blackish-brown line, which is broadest on the loins, and gradually les- sens as it approaches the tail : there is also a very slight appearance of a transverse band or cross over the shoulders. The length of this species, from nose to tail, is about six feet and a half; that of the trunk of the tail sixteen inches, and of the ASS. .»•."» hairs beyond the tip about four inches : the height ut three- tret nine- inch Thi* species is Mipposed t() il;t\, i,irll found iu ml some other i in the da\.s of ' totl( ; and is mentioned hy Pliny, from tl of Theophrastus, as hcin^ found in t'appad It.-, na«i\i name, aiiiou^- tlie .)///;/i;v//,\//^ i nt' 7 (i i .' a i noii"' tlie t'lii/ ASS. .-.is Asinus. I'., cauda cxt remit ate tctttsa, truce nigra supra kvmtros. Lot. Syst. Xut. f>. 100. .rh blackish cross over the shoulders, and tail tij>j>cd with long hair. Onager. 1'lin. 8. c. 44. and 58. Aldr. toKd. p. 352. ( )iui;;i, . (ietn. Qaadr. p. iy. iufi. Vhn. 8. c. 43. (•'<>«. Quadr. p. 3. AMr. tolid. /- Jon.\t. Quadr. p. 16. pi. 6. -.]>l. n. Ass. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 8. Tin: A->s is an animal which, Inning heen 1« .ieinnrd to a State of the |f>Wftt Mrvitude, uk-re«l hun the HOIM-. has .n <|iiircd, in most parts of F.nn.j chaiactei of contciiij)t. ^'et in its natural or wild it < \hil»its an appiarancc vci\ fai MIJK hoth in point of heantv and n\( ofin.inx |..irtx of A>ia. living, like thtMot of this genus, in a urc^aiious manner. It chiefly ia. It i> 430 ASS. also said to be found in Africa, and to occur, though but very rarely, in some parts of Syria and Arabia ; countries where it was in ancient times extremely common. In this its natural state, its colour is said to be white, or' of a very pale silvery grey, with a slight tinge of straw-co- lour on the sides of the neck and body : along the back runs a deep brown stripe of thickish wavy hair, to the beginning of the tail : this stripe is crossed over the shoulders, as in the tame animal, by another of similar colour; but it is said that fhis is peculiar to the male. The neck is furnished with a brown mane three or four inches long, consisting of soft woolly hair : the tail is tufted at the end by dusky hairs of about six inches in length : the forehead is arched, and the ears erect, pointed, and lined internally with white curling hairs. It stands higher on its lirnbs than the domesticated animal, and its legs are more slender in proportion. The hair on the whole body is very fine, bright, soft, and silky ; and on some parts is marked by a few obscure waves or undulations of a darker shade than the rest. Those which are found in Africa are said to be of a pale ash-colour, rather than of the cast above described. The food of the wild Ass consists chiefly of sa- line, or bitter and lactescent plants. It is al.M> fond of salt or brackish \vater. The manner^ of these animals very much resemble those of the wild Horse. They assemble in troops, under the conduct of a leader or centinel ; and are ex- ASS. 431 tremely shy and vigilant, and, like the former animals, dart oil' with the utmost rapidity, on the t of mankind. They have been at all ti celebrated tor their swiftness. The. ir voice resem- that of the common or domesticated Ass, but is Nomcwhat shriller. l-'roni this animal the domestic Ass lias been gradually derived, which admits of considerable varieties as to sue, beauty, and strength, in dif- ferent countries. Those of the eastern pan the world, as well ;LS those of Africa, still pan. in a jrreat decree, of the native elegance of their original or .stock; and are very different t. those- commonly seen in the northern parts of Kuropc ; for this animal seems to he much in- jured by the influence of a comparatively cold cli- e. The general run of l.uropcan Asses have large slouching cars, a heavy appearance, and arc of an ash-colour, more or less deep in different indi- viduals, with a blackMi dorsal stripe, crossed by another over the shoulders, and thus exhibit- the original mark of their species. In their manners they exhibit no superior marks of .saga- city, but have the merit of beingpatient, observed to be tcmpciatc in his food, and by no means de- te in the choice of it; eating thistles, and a variety of coarse herbage which the horse refuses. He is said to be particularly fond of plantain, which he will neglect every other herb of the 432 ASS. pasture. In his choice of water he is remarkably nice, and will drink only of that which is clear. He has also an aversion to mud or water in his road, and will pass out of the way rather than wet his feet in a puddle. He is by no means void of docility, as vulgarly supposed ; but may be made to practise several exercises not usual with his race. His voice, as is well known, is a most hideous bray ; a discordant succession of flats and sharps. This is most strong in the male animal ; the voice of the female being weaker, though somewhat shriller. It is singular, however, that some au- thors have denied that the female Ass can properly be said to bray ; and Aldrovandus censures Ovid for this line : " Et mdil e scabra turpis Asdia mola. " The good qualities of this despised and often ill-treated animal are so prettily detailed by the ingenious Abbe la Pluche, that I shall make no apology for here inserting his eulogy. " I confess," says this agreeable writer, " that the Ass is not master of very shining qualities; but then he enjoys those that are very solid. If we resort to other animals for distinguished service >. this at least furnishes us with such as are most neces- sary. His voice is not altogether melodious, nor his air majestic, nor his manners very lively ; but then a fine voice has very little merit with people of solidity. With him the want of a noble air hath its compensation in a mild and modest counte- nance ; and instead of the boisterous and irregu- lar qualities of the Horse, which are frequently ASS. 433 incommodious than agreeable, the behaviour of the A !tiirl\ simple and unath ct< d : no supercilious ami self-Miff.ricnt ail. He marches with a \er\ iinit'oiin pace, and though lie is not .(ordinary swift, he pursues his journey for a lonjr tube, ami without intexmiisio^ lie finishes liis uork in silci \ cs \oii uith a steady pcr- nd discovers no ostentation in his pro- Mi us, whieh is certainly a considerable •lishment in a domestic. His meats in- quire no preparation, tor he is perfectly well con- tented with the first thistle that presents itself in liis uay. He docs not pretend that any thin due to him, and never appear** Mjucamish or ili->- lied: he thankthlly accepts \vhate\er i- '1 to him: he hath an elegant relish tor the tilings, and very civilly content*, himself with the most indifferent. It' he happens to be .ottcn, or i.s fastened a little too tar irom his fodder, he entreats his master, in the most pathe- tic lanmiai^e he can utter, to he supply Jn>, nee, il is \i-iy just that he should Ii\e. and he employ .s all his rhetoric with viov. \\ hen he ii ^ Inmhcd lus expostnl.i- . in- patiently \\aits the arrival of a little few withered leaves ; and the moment ispatclud liis meal, he returns to his I I, and marclusoii, uithouta muiinui or icjily. .)cenpati')ii> luxe a ti:i :iie meunness of «-t him to \vork ; but laments are formed, both of the Ass and his master, are equally paitial. Tlie employment of a Judge, 434 ASS, a Man of consequence, and an Officer of the re* venue, have an important air, and their habit imposes on the spectators. On the contrary, the labour of the Peasant has a mean and contemptible appearance, because his dress is poor, and his con- dition despised. But we really make a false esti- mation of these particulars. It is the labour of the Peasant which is most valuable, and alone truly necessary. Of what importance is it to us when a Manager of the revenue glitters from head to foot with gold ? We have no advantage from his labours. I confess, Judges and Advocates are, in some measure, necessary ; but they are made so by our folly and misbehaviour ; for they would no longer be wanted, could we conduct ourselves in a rational manner. But, on the other hand, AVC could on no account, and in no season or con- dition of life, be without the Peasant and the Ar- tisan. These people may be considered as the souls and sinews of the community, and the sup- port of our life. It is from them we are con- stantly deriving some accommodations for our wants. Our houses, our habits, our furniture, and our sustenance, rise out of their labours. Now what would become of your Vine-dressers, Gar- deners, Masons, and the generality of country people, that is to say, of two-thirds of all man- kind, if they were destitute either of men or horses to convey the commodities and materials they employ and manufacture ? The Ass is per- petually at their service : he carries fruit, herbs, coal, wood, bricks, tiles, plaister, lime, and straw. ASS. The most abject offices are his ordinary lot, and •I singular an advantage to this multitude of workmen, as well as ourselves, to find a gentle, strong, and indefatigable animal, who, without either < xpence or pride, replenishes our cities and villages with all sorts of commodities. A short comparison will complete the illustration of his services, and in some measure raise them out of their obscurity. The Horse very much resembles tln»e nations who are fond of glitter and hurry; who are perpetually singing and dancing, and extremely studious to set off their exterior, and mix gaiety in all their actions. They are admir- able in some distinguished and deci.sixc occa- sions ; but their lire frequently degenerates into romantic enthusiasm ; they fall into wild trans- pi»it>; thc\ exhaust themselvts, and lose the most arable conjunctures for want of management a i id moderation. The Ass, on the conn ambles those people who are naturally hi lie, \\lmse understanding and capacity arc li- mited to husbandry or commerce, and who pro- • i in the .same track without discomposure, and complete, with a positive air, whatever they have once undertaken." The As, from his natural tardiness, and the Kjrkwardncssof his appearance, has frcipicnih cited the ridicule of inconsiderate spectators. It is recorded that Crasttu, a H«»man of some dis- tinction, laughed but once in his lite, and that at an Ass eating thistles; a circumstance in itself by no means ridiculous, 'iherc is indeed a plant 436 ASS. of the thistle tribe, called Onopordon, which, if it* effects were as vulgarly reported, might perhaps, in some degree, have justified this Roman's mirth; hut as this is merely an idle fancy, it is difficult to guess at the reason of such sudden merriment in a person of a constitution so peculiarly satur- nine. The learned Sir Thomas Brown, in his PseudodoTia Epidemica, has not thought this rela- tion of Crassus unworthy of his notice ; and has delivered his sentiments in language so curiously majestic, that I cannot but flatter myself the rea- der will be pleased with the quotation. " The relation of Lucilius, and now become common, concerning Crassus, the grandfather of J\furcMS the wealthy Roman, that he never laugh- ed but once in all his life, and that was at an Ass eating thistles, is something strange. Tor if an indifferent and unridiculous object could draw his habitual austereness unto a smile, it will be hard to believe he could with perpetuity resist the pro- per motives thereof. For the act of laughter, which is evidenced by a sweet contraction of the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely voluntary, or to- tally within the jurisdiction of ourselves : but as it may be constrained by corporal contaction in any, and hath been enforced in some, even in their death ; so the new, unusual, or unexpected Jin-nudities, which present themselves to any man in his life, at some time or other, will have acti- vity enough to exeitate the earthiest soul, and raise a smile from the most composed tempers. Cer- ASS. 45? tainly the times were dull \\hen these things hap- pened, and the wits of those ages short of those • •fours; when men could maintain Midi immu- table faces, as to remain like statues under the flatteries of wit, and per^t unalterable at all ef- forts of jocularity. The spirits of Hell, and Pluto himself, whom Lucian makes to laugh at pas- sages upon earth, will plainly condemn those Sa- turnines, and make ridiculous the magnified He- raditus, who wept preposterously, and made a 1 It'll on earth; for, rejecting the consolations of life, he passed his days in tears, and the uncom- fortable attendments of Hell." It may not be improper to observe, that the Mule is nothing more than a hybrid animal, be- tween this species and the Horse, differing in >tr< ngth, size, and beauty, according to the pre- dominancy of its parental species. Mules are very little used in this country, but in Spain and some other parts of Europe are in much esteem, and have the reputation of being remarkably sure- footed. V. II. P. n. 438 ZEBRA. Equus Zebra. E. fusciis fuscis versicotor. Lin. Syst. Xat. p. 101. White Horse, variegated with numerous dark -brown stripes. Zebra Indica. Aldr. solid, p. 416. Jonst. Quadr. p. 21. Zeura, ou Zecora. Lobo. Abits. I. p. 291. Zebra. Edw. pi. 222. Le Zebre. Bujf. 12. p. i. pi. i, 2. Zebra. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 13. THAT most beautiful quadruped, the Zebra, is a native of the hotter parts of Africa, being foi ml from ./Ethiopia to the Cape of Good Hope, living' in large herds, and possessing much of the man- ners both of the wild Horse and the Ass ; being excessively swift and vigilant. It is of a still wilder or more unmanageable disposition than ei- ther of the former animals, and even such as have been taken very young are with much difficulty brought to any degree of familiarity, and have very rarely been rendered so far manageable as to submit to the bridle. The size of the Zebra is equal, or rather supe- rior, to that of the Ass, and its form more ele- gant ; since, exclusive of its beautiful colours, the head and ears are well shaped, and of mode- rate size. The colour is either milk-white, or cream-colour, with a very slight cast of buff or pale ferruginous ; and the whole animal is deco- rated on every part with very numerous black or blackish-brown stripes, disposed with the utmost symmetry, and exhibiting an appearance not so I r; ZEL 439 easil . ibed in \\ords, as by a \tcll-comli: figure. These stripes run in a ti iii^\ci tii ni both on the body and limbs, and in u longi- tudinal direction down the face, and their regular and beautiful gradation, flexures, and term in:, on the dilfcrent |>urN of the animal, cannot be \ic\vcd without admiration. The tail is of m rate length, round, rather slender, marked with small blackish bars, and terminated by a thickish tuft of brown or black hair. The Zebra seems to have been unknown to the ancients ; the Onager of Pliny and other authors i elating only to the wild ass. Attempts have been made to domesticate the Zebra, and reduce it to obedience, like the Horse; but, as yet, the success has not been very co derable. Experiments of this kind have been chiefly made in Holland, and we are told by the Count de Button, that Zebras ha >ked to the Stadtholder's chariot* : this, however, j>: ed to be a piece of misinformation, and is ac- cordinulv contradicted in the sixth supplemental \olume. Persevering attention may perhaps at :h reduce this beautiful animal to a state of o sticity. If this were practicable, a new and elegant addition would be made to the luxuries vilized life; since the Zebra scarcely yi to the Horse in gracefulness of figure, exclusive of its captivating colours. » Buff. Suppl. vul. 3. 440 QUAGGA. Equus Quagga. E. supra castaneus fasciisfustis, ad latera ma- culatus, subtus, pedibus cruribusque albus. Lin. Syst. Nat. GmfL p. 213. Subferruginous Horse, whitish beneath, striped above with brown, spotted towards the hind parts. Opeagha, or Quagga of the Hottentots. Masson's Travels, Phil. Trans, vol. 66. p. 297. Le Kwagga, ou Couagga. Sonninis Buff. vol. 29. p. 380. pi. 6. Female Zebra. Edw. pi. 223.? Quagga. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 14. THIS animal, which till lately had been con- founded with the Zebra, is now acknowledged as a distinct species, much allied to the former, but marked with fewer and larger bands, which are of a browner colour than in the Zebra, and are chiefly disposed on the fore parts of the animal ; while the hind parts are rather spotted than strip- ed. The ground colour also of the Quagga is of a ferruginous tinge, especially on the thighs and back. It is of a milder or more docile nature than the Zebra, and is said to have been success- fully used by some of the Dutch colonists at the Cape, in the manner of a horse, for draught, &c. It inhabits the same parts of Africa as the Zebra, but is found in separate herds ; never associating with that specie^. 441 CLOVEN-FOOTED HORSE. Equus Bisulcus. E. petKbtu buukis. Lut. Syit. Nat. Gmel. p. 209. Horse with cloven hoofs. Le Gncmcl, ou Huemel. Mulin Chil. p. 303. Hucmcl. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 15. TIIK very name of this species seems to imply a kind of equivocal ami anomalous being; one <•!' the most prominent characters of the present ge- nus being a simple or undivided hoot. Indeed if only a Dingle specimen of this animal had been described, we might have hesitated as to admit- ting it otherwise than as an accidental variety. The cloven-footed Horse is a native of South America, and was first described by Molina in his Natural History of Chili. In its general ap- pearance, size, colour, and many other particulars, both external and internal, it resembles the Ass ; but has the voice and the ears of a Horse, and has no cross or transverse band over the shoulders. It is very wild, strong, and swift, and is found in the rocky regions of the Andes or Cordilleras of IVru and Chili. The hoofs are divided like those of ruminant animals. It is singular that this curious species, which seems, as it were, to form a kind of link between tin cloven-hoofed and whole-hoofed tribes, should have so long remained unknown to the natural* ists of Europe. 442 HIPPOPOTAMUS. HIPPOPOTAMUS. Generic Character. Denies Primores in utraque maxilla quatuor: superi- ores per paria, remoti : in- feriores prominentes, in- termediis longioribus. Laniarli solitarii, inferiores longissimi oblique truncati, recurvati. Pedes margine unguiculati. Front-teeth in each jaw four: the superior ones standing distant, by pairs : the in- ferior prominent, the two middle ones longest. Canine-teeth solitary, those of the lower jaw extremely large, long, curved, and obliquely truncated. Feet armed at the margin with four hoofs. AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMUS. Hippopotamus Amphibius. H. pedibus quadrilobis. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 101. Ash-coloured Hippopotamus, with four-lobed feet. Hippopotamus. Pliny. Gesn. Aldrw. Jonst. fyc. fyc. Hippopotamo. Zerenghi monogr. Hippopotame. Buff. 12. p. aa. pi. 3. and Suppl. 6. p. 68. pi. 4,5- Hippopotame. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 167. JL H E Hippopotamus is an animal which, from its superior size, and peculiar manner of life, ap- pears, like the Elephant, to have attracted the ob- 0 ~ AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMUS. 443 tion dt' mankind in tin- r.u ii.-st ages. It is a native of tlic wanner regions of the globe, and i-> chiefly found in the middle parts ot' Africa, in- habiting large rivers, and especially such as run through countries overshadowed by large forests; walki it at the bottom, anil raising itself at intervals to the surface, for the purpose of respiia- tion. l»y night it quits it watery residence, to ( in the neighbouring plains, devouring great quantities of herbage, and with its vast teeth de- stroying the more tender kind of trees and other It is sunietimes seen even in the sea, at some distance from the mouths of rivers; hut this j>poscd to be merely for the purpose of spatiat- ing niore at large, by way of exercise; for it will not even drink -,i!r water, and doe* not prey on fish, or indeed live on any kind ot' animal food. The general si/c of the Hippopotamus seems tobencaily .1 to that of the Rhinoceros, and it is some- times even superior* Its form is highly uncouth; tlu body being extremely laru aid; the legs \c:\ short and thick; the head large: the mouth extremely wide, and the teeth t strength and si/( ; more particularly the r canine teeth of the lower jaw, which * Authors vary considerably in their account* of the size of this animal. It u said that some specimens have mensural seventeen feet in length, *evcn in height, and fifteen in circumference, the head alone measuring three feet and a half. It U added, that twelve oxen have been found necessary to draw one ashore which had been shot in a river. HasscLjuist says the hide U a load for a Camel. 444 AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMUS. are of a curved form, subcylindric, striated in a longitudinal direction, and obliquely truncated or cut off at their extremities : they sometimes measure more than two feet in length, and weigh upwards of six pounds each. Those in the upper jaw are much smaller. The front teeth in the upper jaw are of moderate size : those of the lower jaw are very strong, of a somewhat coni- cal form, slightly pointed, and project forwards almost horizontally : the lips are very thick and broad, and are beset, here and there, with scat- tered tufts of strong, short bristles : the nostrils are rather small : the eyes small and black : the ears small, slightly pointed, and lined internally with short soft hair: the tail is thick, short, slight- ly compressed, sparingly covered with hair, and marked by several strong circular wrinkles : the feet are very large, and are divided into four seg- ments or toes, each armed or covered with a strong short hoof. The whole animal is covered with short hair, which is much more thinly set on the under parts than on the upper. The Hippopo- tamus, when just emerged from the water, ap- pears of a palish brown, or mouse-colour, with a blueish or slate-coloured cast on the upper parts ; and the belly is flesh-coloured, the skin appearing through the hair. When perfectly dry, the colour is an obscure brown, without any of the blueish cast. The skin is most excessively tough and strong, except on the belly, where it is consider- ably softer. This animal is the Behemoth of the sacred writings, where it is poetically described as AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMUS. drinking up a river, and having bones as strong as brass*, and ribs of iron. It IN a peculiar kind of interrupted roar, between that of a bull and the braying of an KIcphant. When on land, it mows in a somewhat slow and awkv manner, but if pursued, can run with consider- able speed, and directly plunging into the -inks to the- bottom, and pursue* its progress beneath. It is observed to be extremely cant imis 0f -making its appearance by day; especially in Mich places a> are much frequented by mankind; scarcely lifting its nose ahovc the surface while thing; but is tearless in rivers which run through unfrequented regions; where it is occa- sionally seen to rush out of the water with sud- den impetuosity, trampling down every thing in its way ; and at such times is, of course, highly dangerous. It IS, ho\\c\er, naturally of a hai in- less disposition ; not attacking other animals, but merely committing havoc in plantations of in \c. and destroying the roots of trees, by loosening them with its vast tcith. capabl itbstanding it> iiulk, of swimming vet] s\\iftl\. Sometimes Hippopotami -een goini; in herds, or companies, to the dis- tancc of lome link's trom the bank of a ri\er, in f food. If uoundcd in the water, they be- come furious, .tnd aic said to attack the boats or canoi s trom whence the injury proceeded, and LJtlui osutuin or sink them, by biting out large * Job. c. 40. 446 AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMUS. pieces from the bottom. The Hippopotamus sleeps in the small reedy islets which are found here and there in the rivers it frequents. In such spots it also brings forth its young ; having only one at a birth, which it nurses with great care for a considerable time. The young is ca- pable of being tamed, and we are assured by Belon that he saw one so gentle as to shew no inclination to escape, or to do any kind of mis- chief when let out of the stable in which it was kept. These animals are said to be most successfully taken by preparing pitfals for them, of large size, near the rivers. They are also occasionally shot, or killed with harpoons. Their flesh is reckoned good by the Africans, and the fat is said to be a fine kind of lard. But it is chiefly on account of the teeth, and more particularly of the tusks, that this animal is kilted ; their hardness being supe- rior to that of ivory, at the same time that they are not so subject to become yellow ; for M'hich reason they are much used by the dentists. The skin, from its great thickness and strength, when dried, is used by the African nations for bucklers or shields, and is said to be proof against the stroke of a bullet ; and indeed the living animal, if shot at any where but on the head or the belly, is scarcely vulnerable ; the tough skin causing a bullet to glance from its surface. The Hippopotamus was known to the ancient Romans, and we are told by Pliny that Scan run treated the people, during his aedileship, with the AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMI*. 447 diles, and one Hippoimtamtu. They \\cre exhibited in a temporary lake prepared .Augustus is aUo said to have exhibited 01 Mis triumph o\c r ( The ar,im:;l. hov M tar noticed beout the beginning of the seventeenth century tliat it could be said to be justly described. At that period Xerenghi, an Italian Mirgcon, printed at Naples a tolerably accurate description, accompanied i ;ure from the dried skin. The same figure is also re- d in Aldrovandus, ,\c. It is but lately that tlie full history of the animal has bet n kimun, and that accurate and sati- illation* of i; have been published; and this has been chiefly owing to the laudable and /calmis dibits of Dr. Sparmann, Colonel Gordon, Mr. Mas- son, and others in examining the living an in its native regions, and by their observations contributing to complete the descriptions of na- turalists. The largest female Hippopotamus killed by Co- lonel Gordon was about ele\ en feet long, and the hich always exceeds the female in ..nit ele\en fed eight inches. Mr. Bruce, however, >peaks of Hippopotami in the lake Tzatut ban twenty feet long. The Hippopotamus has only a single stomach, and does nut ruminate: the stomach, however, 44$ AMPHIBIOUS HIPPOPOTAMUS. has certain cells and divisions, analogous, in some degree, to those of the Camel. Mons. Sonnini thinks it not improbable that there may in reality exist two species of Hippopo- tamus ; one of which confines itself entirely to rivers and fresh waters, and the other to the sea. 44') TAPIR TAPIR, Generic Character. Denies Primores in utraque maxilla deccm? Laniarii* solitarii, incurvati. Molares utrinque quinquc, iatissimi. Pedes ungulis tribus, anticis ungula succcnturiata. Front-teeth in both jaws ten? Canine-teeth in both jaws sin- gle, incurvatcd. Grinders in both jaws five on each side, very broad. Feet with three hoofs, and a false hoof on the fore- feet. AMERICAN TAPIR. Tapir Americans. Urn. Sytt. Nat. Gmei. p. 2l6. Brown Tapir, with lengthened snout. opotamus terrestris. //. pedibtu potticit trinlcu. Im. Sytt. Nat. rilit. 10. p. 74. Danta. Nirrrmb. Hut. Nat. p. 187. Jonst. QuodSr. p. a id. Anta. Marcgr. Brat. p. 339. Stu aquaticus niultUulciw. Rarr. Pr. Etpm. f. 160. Long-noted Tapiir. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 163. Le Tapir. Ku/. n.p. 444. pi. 43. and Swppl. 6. p. l.pL i. JL 1 1 K Tapir, \\ ith respect to the size of its body, be considt i cd as tlu- largest of all the native » In the Gmelinian edition of the Sy»tenia Natunr, the fcneric characters of thi* animal are •omcwhat differently given j the ca- nine-teeth being said to be wanting i but I think we may depend on the description of toe t«th by MOM. Bijou, published in the Memoirs of the French Academy. 450 AMERICAN TAPIR. quadrupeds of South America, except the lately discovered Equux bisalcus of Molina. When full grown it is nearly equal to a heifer. In its ge- neral form it bears some distant resemblance to the Hippopotamus, and in the earlier editions of the Sy sterna Naturas was ranked by Linnaeus in that genus, under the title of Hippopotamus terrestris. Bv others it has been considered as V more allied to the Hog, and has been called Sus. O7 quaticus multisulcus, or Water Hog with finger- ed hoof. But, in reality, the Tapir cannot pro- perly be associated, otherwise than by a dis- tant general alliance, with any other quadruped, and forms a peculiar genus. It is of a gregarious nature, and inhabits the woods and rivers of the eastern parts of South America ; occurring from the isthmus of Darien to the river Amazons ; feed- ing chiefly by njght, and eating sugar-canes, grasses, and various kinds of fruit. Its colour is an obscure brown, the skin itself being of that cast, and covered sparingly with somewhat short hair : the young animal is said to be commonly spotted with white. The male is distinguished by a kind of short proboscis or trunk, formed by the prolongation of the upper lip to some distance be- yond the lower : this part is extensile, wrinkled at the sides, and in some degree resembles that of the Elephant on a smaller scale, though not of the same tubular structure : the neck is very short, and furnished above with a rising mane : the body is thick and heavy ; the back much arched ; the legs short ; the fore-feet divided into AllEKK AN I API til pointed ho< !mc >h«ut, ihiekMi, and p, 1 to l>e destitute of the boscis •. In itN in mix is tliis animal i . in- : endeavouring merdj --Ifbyi. .id, plunging into some ii\« liand, ami swimming \\itl readiness, and intinuing tor ;i considerable time i: r. in the mann< r -iJ' the Hippoj.oi 'Hie sir !•» easily tamed, and mav lie ixndeied said to be the ease in some pan ma. Iii t'ei-din^ the Tapir makes use ot* the trunk in the same manner as the Rhinoceros of its upper lip, to grasp the stems or'planK k. Its most common attitude, when at rest, i> sitting on its rump, in the ir.unmr of a dog. The Tapir lias been o illy imported alive into Kunipe. Tin . ( d by the South Ann .is a wholesome food, though not pleasant or delicate, and the skin a strong leath the Indian-, make shields ot ir. wliieh are said to be iid that an arrow cannot pierce them. 'J his animal >leeps much by d.ty in the the Indians v. ith d arrows. When at la- said .orous resist e is • It is thtM described ami Bgurod by Mr. Allinund. but Mocu. Sonnini, in bis edilion of Buffoo, U tnchnol to doubt thb circum- AMERICAN TAPIR. a kind of whistle, which is easily imitated, and thus the animal is often deceived and trepanned. It is rather slow in its motions, and of a some- what inactive disposition. The Tapir produces but one young at a birth, of which it is extremely careful ; leading it early to the water, in order to instruct it in swim- ming, £c. Mons. Bajon, a surgeon at Cayenne, has com- municated some very good observations on this animal to the French Academy of Sciences for the year 1774, which are inserted into the sixth supplemental volume of the Count de Buffon's Natural History. " The figure of the Tapir," says Mons. Bajon, " bears some general resemblance to that of a Hog ; but he is of the height of a small mule ; having an extremely thick body, and short legs. He is co- vered with hair of a longer kind than the horse or ass, but not so long nor thick as that of a hog. His mane, which is strait, is but little longer than the rest of the hair, and reaches from the top of the head to the shoulders : the head is larjje and O long ; the eyes very small and black : the ears short, and somewhat like those of a hog. Pie is provided with a trunk on the upper lip of near a foot long, the movements of which are extremely supple, and in which resides the organ of smell, as in the Elephant, and which he extends in order to grasp fruits, &c. The two nostrils part the end of the trunk. The tail is only two inches long, and is nearly naked. The hair of the body AMERICAN TAPIR. 453 is of a somewhat deep brown ; the limhs short and thick; the feet very large, and rather rounded: the lure feet have four toes, and the hind three; all the toes are covered with a hard, thick hoof, or horn. Though the head is very large it contains but a very small brain : the jaws are much elon- gated, and furnMicd. in 'jvneral, >s it h forty teeth; but sometimes there are more, and sometimes fewer. The incisors are sharp-edged, and are the teeth which vary as to number. After the in- CJMM-S \ve find a canine tooth on each side, both above and below, which have a good deal of resemblance to those of a Hoar: \\e then find ;i small space or interval without teeth; and then follow the grinders, which arc very i with MTV broad surfaces." " On opening this animal," says M. Bajon, " the first thing that struck me was, that it was a ruminating animal. Though the feet and teeth 1m c no analogy with those of other ruminating nnimaU, \< t the Tapir or Maipouris has three ccptaclcs or stomachs, which are commonly full; and especially the first, which is filled like a bal- loon. This stomach answer to the first stomach of an Ox, but here the cancellated or honey-comb part i> not distinct, lmt the two parts form one cavity : the second or next stomach is the plaited or laminated one, which is also ver derable, and much resembles th < ;th this dif- ference, that tin- laminae or plaits are much small- :•.(! the roaN much thinner: lastly, the third ich is the least, and the thinnest, and has v. ii. p. n. 30 454 AMERICAN TAPIR. only simple rugse in its interior, and I have al- most constantly found it full of completely di- gested aliment. The intestines are not very large, but are very long, and the scybala resemble those of a horse. " This description of the interior parts of the Ta- pir is however declared by the Count de Buffon to be erroneous in a very important particular ; and as forming an interesting subject of compara- tive anatomy, I shall here give the general tenor of his observations. " I am obliged," says the Count de Buffon, " to contradict a part of this account of Mons. Bajon, and to affirm that the Tapir or Maipouri is not a ruminant animal. We had lately here a living Tapir which bore its voyage very well, and was stationed near Paris ; but which happened to die not long after. Of this event I had timely notice, and, accompanied by Mons. Mertrud, a very able surgeon, I requested him to open the animal, and examine its interior structure; an examination for which he was perfectly well qua- lified, having, under the inspection of Mons. Daubenton, dissected most of the animals de^ scribed in the course of my work ; and who joins to a perfect knowledge of anatomy, the highest degree of dexterity in his operations. This dis- section was made in my presence, and the results were drawn up by Mons. Daubenton the younger: Mons. de Seve, my draughtsman, was also pre- sent. Instead of three stomachs, as described by Mons. Bajon, we found only one; the size of AMERICAN TAPIR. 455 which was indeed very large, and straitened or contracted in two places, but was still a single us, a simple uniform stomach, opening into the duodenum, and not consisting of three distinct and separate stomachs, as represented in M. Ba- jon's account. Yet it is not astonishing that he should have fallen into this error, since one of the most celebrated anatomists in Europe, Dr. Tyson, of the Royal Society of London, fell into a similar T in dissecting the Peccari orTajassu of Ame- rica, of which he has yet given an excellent de- scription in the Philosophical Transactions. Tyson assures us, as M. Bajon does witli respect to the Tapir, that the Peccari has three stomachs, though ii really has but one, parted a little, like that of the Tapir, by two strictures or contractions, which seem, at first, to indicate three stomachs. It is therefore certain that the Tapir has only one stomach, and that it is not a ruminating ani- mal ; and accordingly that now under considera- tion was never seen to ruminate during the time <»t its living here; and its keepers ted it with bread, grain, &c. This mistake of M. Bajon does not prevent us from acknowledging that his me- moir contains many excellent observations and remarks. The i'emale. lie observes, is always small- ..;in the male, and has a weaker or less pierc- ing voice. ( )ne of the females which he dissected was >i.\ French feet in length, and appeared n to have produced young; ito teats were tu number, and resembled those of the ass. The Ta- pir is far from deserving the name of an amphi- 456 AMERICAN TAPIR. bious animal, being continually on the surface of the ground, near the sides of hills, and in dry places ; and if it occasionally frequents marshy ground, it is chiefly in quest of sustenance, and because it finds there a greater quantity of vege- tables than on more elevated spots : but as it daubs itself much, during its wanderings in such places, it goes every morning and evening in search of some river or lake, in which it may swim and wash it- self. Notwithstanding its clumsy appearance, the Tapir swims extremely well, and dives most readily ; but cannot continue longer under water than any other terrestrial quadruped, and is obliged every now and then to put out its trunk in order to re- spire. When pursued by dogs, it runs, if possible, to some river, which it crosses, and thus eludes their pursuit. It does not eat lish ; its only nou- rishment being vegetables, and especially the young shoots of plants, and such fruit as it finds under the trees. It wanders chiefly by night, ex- cept in dull rainy weather, when it appears by clay. It is a solitary, gentle, timid animal, flying at the least noise, and having a very quick ear. " M. Bajon kept one of these animals, which had been taken young, and which soon grew tame, and acquired a strong attachment to him, distinguishing him in the midst of many other persons, licking his hands, and following him like a dog; and would often go out alone into the woods, to a great distance, but always returned early in the evening. M. Bajon assures us he saw one which rau tame about the streets at Cayenne ; but which, AMERK AN TAMK. on 1) /fd, in order \n be |>ut on board a vct- scl, to In- brought over to l.uropc, as soon as it was on bo-ird became so uiunana'. I not to be confined, breaking the very sii ds with which it was tied; and throwing itselt' o\ < i board, escaped to .sliore, and u<>t to a considerable dis- tance from the to\uj. It was supposed to be but returned into the town in the e\en- inu". .\> it was determined to rcimhurk it, i^reat precautions were taken accordingly; but which only sueeeedcd for a certain tii «lm in«r the about half way between Anieiiea and IVanec, a storm ha^ening to arise, it became ii outra^eou-. broke its bonds, and rushing out of its |>lace of confinement, committed itself to the ocean, and was never recovered. 1'ioin the above history of the Tapir it will suf- ficiently appear, that, though ranked under a dis- tinct LM -nu>. this animal has in some partieul.r eonsideiable atHnity to the Hippopotamus. 458 SUS. HOG. Generic Character. Denies Primores superiores quatuor, convergentes. Inferiores sex, prominentes. Laniarii superiores duo fcre- viores. Inferiores duo exserti, Rostrum truncatum, promi- nens, mobile, Pedes bisulci. Front-teeth in the upper jaw four, converging. In the lower jaw six, project- ing, Canine-teeth, or Tusks, in the upper jaw two,rather short. In the lower jaw two, long, exserted. Snout truncated, prominent, moveable. Feet cloven. HIS genus is in some points of an ambiguous nature, being allied to the Pecora, by its cloven hoofs, and to the Ferse, in some degree, by its teeth ; yet differing widely from both in many re- spects. The internal structure of the feet also approaches to that of the digitated quadrupeds, while that of some other parts is peculiar to this genus alone. It may, therefore, be allowed to form at once a link between the cloven-footed, the whole hoofed, and the digitated quadrupeds. 2*2 41J COMMON HOC. Sus Scrofa. S. durto tuttice tttoto, cauda pilota. La. Sytf. Nat. p. i03. Hog with the body bristled in front, and with hairy tail. Aper. Gem. Quadr. 146. Aldr. fault. 1013. Sus. Gen. QuaJr. 872. Aldr. buttle. 937. Sanglier, Verrat, Cochon, &c. Buff. 5. p. t - riod of three or four years, he become roiis, on account or' the growth of his tusk*, which turn up, or make so large a curve or tit xure, as often rather to impede than assist his intcntio; wounding with them. According to the French newspaper for the year 1787, a Wild Boar of most extraordinary size was killed in the neighbourhood of ( Ognac in .I/i»-HHni<'i<.; which had escaped a great many times from the hunters, had received many gun- shot wounds, and had cost the lives of M -\ dogs and men eaeli time of attacking him. When this animal \sas at length slain, several bullets aie said to have been found bctv.ctn bis skin and flesh. MOIL. Numini, who details this aaiecdotc from the public papers*, observes-, that if the relation bad not been given by hunters of distin- guished order, and too well acquamtid uith these * Journal de Saintonge ; Journal de Bouillon, i d'Arril, 1787, kc. &c. 462 COMMON HOG. animals to have made any mistake, we might ima- gine that this formidable creature, which had long committed its ravages in the park of Cognac, be- longed to a totally different species. It was of enormous size, with a very long head, a very sharp or pointed snout, and its mouth was armed with teeth of a very singular form. The hairs of the body were white ; those of the head yellowish ; the neck marked with a black band in form of a cravat, and the ears large and strait; and what appears surprising, considering its size, it was of uncommon swiftness. To describe particularly the common or Domes- tic Hog would be superfluous. It may be suffi- cient to observe, that this animal principally dif- fers from the Wild Boar in size, in having smaller tusks, and larger ears, which are also somewhat pendent, and of a more pointed form. In colour it varies very considerably, but the prevailing cast is a dull yellowish white, marked or spotted irregu- larly with black ; sometimes perfectly plain or unspotted, sometimes rufous, and sometimes to- tally black. The general habits of this creature are well known. Of all quadrupeds the Hog is the most gross in his manners, and has there- fore been pretty uniformly considered in all na- tions as the emblem of impurity. The Jewtf were strictly enjoined not to eat its flesh; and in many parts of the world, a similar prohibition is still in force ; since the Mahometans agree in this respect with the Mosaic institution. In most parts of Europe, on the contrary, it constitutes a COMMON HOG. COMMON HOO. 463 principal part of the food of mankind. This ani- mal is of a remarkably prolific nature, being sometimes known to produce as many a.s t\\, at a birth. The Hog was unknown in America, on the d covery of that continent ; but since its introduc- tion, appears to flourish there as much as in the old world. The varieties into which the Hog occasionally runs, chiefly relate, as before observed, to size and colour. That called the Chinese Hog is of a very small size, with a remarkably pendulous belly : its colour is commonly black, and the skin often nearly bare, or less hairy than in the Europi.m kinds. The variety called the Guinea Hog is distin- guished by having ;i .smaller head than the com- mon Hog, with long, slender, sharp-pointed ears, and naked tail reaching to the ground. Its colour is rufous, and its hair softer, shorter, and finer than in other kinds. It is said to be most com- mon in Guinea, and is considered by Linn a: us as a distinct species, under the title of Sus Porcus. S. dorso postice setoso, cauda longitudine pednin, umbilico cystifero. But the most remarkable variety of the Hog is that in which the hoofs are entire and undivided. This is a mere accidental variety, \\ hich is, how- ever, observed to be more common in some coun- tries than in others, and is, according to Linnaeus, not unfrequent in the neighbourhood of Upsal in Sweden. It has been noticed by Aristotle and 464 ^ETHIOPIAN HOG. Pliny, and is said by the former to have been most common in Illyria and Ptuonia. The age of the Domestic Hog is said to extend from fifteen to twenty-rive years, or even more. .ETHIOPIAN HOG. Sus ^thiopicus. S. sacculo molli sub vculis. Un. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 220. Hog with wattles beneath the eyes. Aper JEthiopicus. Pallas Mi&cell.- Zool. p. 16. t. 2. Spic. Zool.2.p.3. t. is. p. 84. £.5. / 7. Sanglier du Cap Verd. fiittf'. Suppl. 3. p. 76. pi. u. ./Ethiopian Hog. Pennant Quadr. i, p. 144. THIS animal is very much allied in its general %] appearance to tlie common Hog, but is distin- guished by a pair of large, flat, semicircular lobes or wattles, placed beneath the eyes ; the snout is also of a much broader form, and is very strong and callous : the ears arc large and very slightly pointed : the tusks in the lower jaw arc rather small ; but those in the upper jaw are large, sharp, curved, and in the old animal bend upwards in a semicircular manner towards the forehead : there are no fore-teeth ; their place being supplied b\ hard gums*: the skin of the lace, imme- diately below the eyes, or above the broad 1< before-mentioned, is loose and wrinkled, and on each side the corners of the mouth is a callous • This at least waa the case in the specimen at the Hague. M a ^ETHIOPIAN HOC. 465 protuberance. The body is of a strong form ; the tail slender, slightly flattened, and thinly covered with scattered hairs. The general colour of the whole animal is a dusky or blackish brown. This species is a native of the hotter parts of Africa, occurring from Siena Leona to Congo, and to within about two hundred leagues of the Cape of Good Hope. It also occurs in the island of Madagascar. It is a fierce and dangerous animal, and is said to reside principally in subterraneous recesses, which it digs with its nose and hoofs. When at- taeked or pursued, it rushes on its adversary with great loicc. and strikes, like die common iioar, with its tusks, which are capable of inflicting the mo>t tremendous wounds. This species has \ni\» ago been mentioned by Uampicr and other travellers, but Mas not very distinctly known to Eutupean naturalists, till brought over some vcars ago, in a living st to the Hague, where it was described b\ Mi. Allamand, Dr. Pallas, Mi. \OMIIUCI. v\c. and I afterwards introduced into the .supplement to the Count dc Buflon'* Natural Hi»tor\ . 466 CAPE VERD HOG. Sus Africanus. 7 BABYROUSSA. Sus Babyrussa. S. dentibut duobus caninu fronti mnatu. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 104. Hog with the two upper tusks growing from the lower part of the front. Porcus Indicus Babyrousea dictus. llay. Quadr. p. 96. Horned Hog. Grew. Mut. Reg. Soc.p. 2-^.pf. i. Babiroussa. Buff". 12. p. 379. and Suppl. 3. p. 19. pi. 12. Baby-Roussa. Pennant Quadr. i.p. 148. THI BtbyrOOtttt is nearly of the size of a com- mon Hog, but of a somewhat longer form, and with more slender limbs, and is covered, ins' of bristles, with fine, .short, and somewhat woolly hair, of a deep brown or blackish colour, inter- spersed with a tew bristles on the upper and hinder part of the back. It is also distinguished by the extraordinary position and form of the upper tusks, which, instead of being- situated internally on the edge of the jaw, as in other animals, are placed externally, perforating the skin of the snout, and turning upwards toward the forehead, and as the animal advances in age, become so ex- tremely long and curved as to touch the forehead and continue their curvature downwards, by which means they must of necessity lose their power as offensive weapons, which they probably poNbtss in the younger animal: the tusks of the lower jaw are formed as in the rest of the genus, and are also very long, sharp, and curved ; but not pf equal magnitude with those of the upper. The upper tusks are of a fine hard grain, like that of BABYIIOUSSA. ivory: the eyes are small; the ears somewhat erect, and pointed : the tail rather long, slender, and tufted at the end with long hairs. The Babyroussa is a gregarious animal, and is found in large herds in many parts of Java, Am- boina, and some other Indian islands. Their food is entirely of a vegetable nature, and they often feed on the leaves of trees. When sleeping or resting themselves in a standing posture, they are said often to hook or support themselves by plac- ing the upper tusks across the lower branches of the trees. When pursued they will often plunge into a river, or even into the sea, if near, and can swim with great vigour and facility, and to a vast distance. The voice of the Babyroussa is said to resemble that of the common Hog, but it occa- sionally utters also a strong or loud growling note. It is sometimes tamed by the inhabitants of the Indian islands, and the flesh is considered as a wholesome food. PECARY. Sus Tajassu. S. dorso cystifcro, cauda intlla. Lin. Sytt. Nat. p. 103. Tailless Hog, with a glandular orifice on the back. Sues quibus umbilicus in dorso. Aldr. Inside, p. 939. Taja$u. Marcgr. Bras. p. 329. Pit. Ind. p. 98. Tyson Act. Aug. ft. 153. p. 359. Raj. Qwzrfr. 97. Pecan, ou Taja^u. Buff", lo.p. ai. pi. 3, 4. Mexican Hog. Pennant Quadr. i. p. 147. THE Pecary is the only animal of this genus that is a native of the new world, where it is chiefly found in the hottest regions. Its size is considerably smaller than that of a common Hog, and it is of a short compact form. The whole animal is thickly covered, on the upper parts, with very strong, dark-brown or blackish bristles, each marked by several yellowish-white rings ; so that the colour of the whole appears mottled with minute freckles" or specks, and round the neck is generally a whitish band or collar. The head is rather large; the snout long; the ears short and upright; the belly nearly naked : there is no tail, and at the lower part of the back, or at some little distance beyond the rump, is a glandular orifice sin rounded by strong bristles in a somewhat ra- diated direction. From the orifice exsudes a strong-scented fluid, and this part has been vul- garly supposed to he the navel of the animal : the tusks in this species are not very large. The Pecary is a gregarious animal, and in its wild state is fierce and dangerous ; sometimes at- v. ii. p. ii. 31 470 PECARY. tacking the hunters with great vigour, and often destroying the dogs which are employed in its pursuit. It feeds not only on vegetable sub- stances, but occasionally on animals of various kinds, and is particularly an enemy to snakes and other reptiles ; attacking and destroying even the rattle-snake, without the least dread or inconve- nience, and dexterously skinning it, by holding it between its feet, while it performs that opera- tion with its teeth. It is also remarkable that the common Hog, when translated to America, will attack and destroy the rattle-snake. The Pecary is considered as an agreeable food ; but the dorsal gland must be cut away as soon as the animal is killed ; otherwise the whole flesh would be infected with an unpleasant flavour. Dr. Tyson has given an elaborate anatomical de- scription of this species in the Philosophical Trans- actions ; but, as has been already observed, under the article Tapir, appears to have* entertained an erroneous idea relative to the structure of the sto- mudi. According to Mons. de la Borde, a correspondent of the Count de BufYon, there are two distinct races of the Pecary, one of which differs in being of smaller size, and of a lighter or more ferrugi- nous colour. 471 ORDER CETE. WHALES, OR FISH-FORMED MAMMALIA. HE Cetaceous Animals, or Whales, however nearly approximated to Fishes by external form, and residence in the waters, are in reality to be considered as aquatic Mammalia; for though from their general shape, and seeming want of feet, they appear, at first view, widely removed from that class, yet we find on examination that their whole internal structure resembles that of other Mammalia, and that their skeleton is formed on the same plan ; differing only in the want of hind the peculiar structure of the tail supplying that defect, being extremely strong and tendinous, and slightly divided into two horizontal lobes, but not furnished \sith internal bones. Their lungs, intestines, &c. are formed on the same plan as in quadrupeds. They have also Mann blood, and, like other Mammalia, suckle 472 their young. It is therefore unnecessary to add, that their true arrangement must be in the same class ; but so strongly is the vulgar or popu- lar idea respecting these animals impressed on the mind, that to this hour they are considered as Fishes by the mass of mankind ; who, not hav- ing either time or inclination to become scientifi- cally acquainted with the objects of creation, find some difficulty in conceiving how a Whale can be any thing but a fish. It should also be added, \hat in compliance with this popular prejudice, even Willoughby was induced to admit the Whales into his Ichthyology, Mr. Pennant to ex- clude them from his work on quadrupeds, and still more lately, Dr. Bloch to insert the Porpoise in his History of Fishes. Much confusion and inaccuracy has prevailed with respect to the exact determination of the species in this tribe, and it is chiefly to the ex- ertions of modern naturalists and physiologists that we owe our principal knowledge of the sub- ject : the descriptions given by the ancient writers being often very vague and unsatisfactory. The excellent observations of the late Mr. Hunter, published in the Philosophical Transactions, have contributed much to the anatomical history of Whales ; while the more exact discrimination of the species has been chiefly owing to Lmmrus. Fabricius, Pallas, Schreber, &c, m 473 MOXODON. NARWHAL Generic Character. Dens in maxilla supcriorc, exsertus, prxlongus, rec- tus, spiralis. Fistula respiratoria in vertice. Tooth* projecting from the upper jaw, very long, strait, spiral. Spiracle on the head. I MCORN NARWHAL. Monodon Monoceros. M. dentc cornuformi spirali, rarius du* plici, rtcto, prirlongo, mcrtu in maxilla supcriore. Fab. Faun. Greenland, p. 29. Narwhal with very long, strait, spiral, horn-like tooth (some- times two) in the upper jaw. Monodon Monoceros. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 105. Unicornu marinum. Mus. Worm. p. 282, 283. Narhwal. Klrm. M. pise. 2. p. 1 8. HE Narwhal is a native of the northern seas, where it is sometimes seen of the length of more * There are sometimes two teeth ; but as the animal is generally found with one only, and as the generic name Monadon is given from that very circumstance, I have taken the liberty (in order to avoid so palpable an absurdity) to alter the generic character. 474 UNICORN NARWHAL. than twenty feet from the mouth to the tail ; and is at once distinguishable from every other kind of Whale by its very long, horn-like tooth, which is perfectly strait, of a white or yellowish-white colour, spirally wreathed throughout its whole length, and gradually tapers to a sharp point. It measures from six to nine or ten feet in length, and proceeds from a socket on one side of the up- per jaw, having a large cavity at its base or root, running through the greater part of the whole length. In the young animals, and occasionally even in the full grown ones, more especially in the males, there are two of these teeth, sometimes nearly of equal length, and sometimes very unequal in this respect : they are seated very close to each other at the base, and as their direction is nearly in a strait line, they diverge but little in their pro- gress towards the extremities. The Narwhal is how- ever far more frequently found with only a single tooth, the socket of the other being either closed, or but obscurely visible, and now and then the appearance of a second tooth in an extremely small state, or just beginning to emerge, is perceptible ; as if intended by Nature to supply the place of the other, in case of its being broken or cast. The head of the Narwhal is short, and convex above ; the mouth small ; the spiracle or breathing-hole duplicated within ; the tongue long ; the pectoral fins small ; the back finless, widish, convex, be- coming gradually accuminated towards the tail, which, as hi other Whales, is horizontal. The UNICORN NARWHAL. 475 general form of the animal is rather long than thick in proportion to its size. The colour, when young, is said to be nearly black, but lighter on the In-lly; but as the animal advances in age, it •ines marbled or variegated with black and white on the hack and sides, while the belly is nearly white. The skin is smooth, and there is a considerable depth of oil or blubber beneath it. The Xaruhal chiefly inhabits the northern parts of Davis's Streights. Its food is said to consist of the smaller kind of flat-fish, as well as of Actinia-, Medusa?, and many other marine animals. It is principally seen in the small open or unfrozen spots towards the coasts of the northern seas. To such places it resorts in multitudes, for the con- veniency of breathing, while at the same time it is sure of finding near the shores a due supply of food, and is very rarely seen in the open sea. It is taken by means of harpoons, and its flesh is eaten by the Green landers, both raw, boiled, and dried: the intestines and oil are also used as a food ; the tendons make a good thread, and the teeth serve the purpose of hunting-horns as well as the more important ones of building tents and houses : but before this animal became distinctly, known to the naturalists of Europe, they were held in high estimation as the supposed horns of unicorns. Various medical virtues wer^ilso attributed to them, and they were even numbered among the articles of regal magnificence. A throne made for the Danish monarchs is said to be btill pit- 476 SPURIOUS NARWHAL. served in the castle of Rosenberg, composed en- tirely of Narwhal's teeth ; the material being an- ciently considered as more valuable than gold. A specimen of this Whale, measuring about eighteen feet, exclusive of the horn or tooth, was some time ago stranded on the coast of Lincoln- shire, at no great distance from Boston, and was said to have been taken alive, so that the Nar- whal might now be numbered among the ani- malia rariora of the British Zoology. SPURIOUS NARWHAL. Monodon Spurius. M. dentibus duobus minutis in maxilla svpe- riore, dorso pinnato. Fab. Faun. Greenland, p. 31. Narwhal with pinnated back, and two small teeth in the upper jaw. A SPECIES most allied to the Narwhal, but not perhaps, strictly speaking, of the same genus : no teeth in the mouth, but from the extremity of the upper mandible project two minute, co- nic, obtuse teeth, a little curved at the tips, weak, and not above an inch long : body elongated, cylindric, black. Besides the pectoral fins, and horizontal tail, is also a minute dorsal fin. It must be numbered among the rarest of the Whales. It^ tlesh and oil are considered as very purgative: inhabits the main ocean, seldom coming towards shore: feeds on the loligo: has a spiracle like other Whales. Both flesh and oil are eaten, but SPURIOUS NARWHAL. 4?? not without apprehension, for the reason before- nientioiu-d : generally found dead, being very sel- dom taken living. The above is the description given by Fabri- cius, in his Fauna Grocn/andica, and the animal seems to have been described bv no other author. 478 BAL/ENA. MYSTICETE. Generic Character. Dentiutn loco in maxilla su- periore laminae cornete. //Vta/drespiratoria dupliciori- ficio externo supra caput. Horny Lamina in the upper jaw in place of teeth. Spiracle with a double exter- nal orifice on the top of the head. GREAT MYSTICETE. Balaena Mysticetus. B. naribus flexuosis in media capite, dorss impinni. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 105. Mysticete with flexuous spiracles on the middle of the head, and finlcss back. Balaena groenlandica. B.Jistula duplici in fronte, maxilla infe- riore multo latiore. Lin. Mm. Ad. Frid. i.p. 51. Balaena vera Rondeletii, & Balaena Rondeletii, Gesneri & aliorum. Willoughb. pise. p. 35. 38. Wallfisch. Martens Spitzberg. p. 98. t. 9. Common Whale. Pennant Brit. Zool. 3. p. 16. Mysticetus, or Great Northern Whale. Nat. Misc. vol. 4. pi. 133. HIS Whale is, as it were, the chief of the whole tribe, and, unless the Kraken be not a fa- bulous existence, is the largest of all animals ei- tl)er of land or sea. Before the northern whale- SB V y. H H n GREAT MYSTICETE. 479 had reduced the number of the species, it was no very uncommon circumstance to find specimens of ;m hundred text in length, or even Jollier. Such however are now very rarely seen, and it is not often that they are found of more than sixty orsexcnty feet long. In its general ap- pearance this animal is peculiarly uncouth; the '1 constituting nearly a third of the whole ina^ : the mouth is of prodigious amplitude; the tongue measuring eighteen or twenty feet in length : the eyes arc most disproportionately small : in the upper jaw is a vast number of very long and broad horny lamina1, disposed in regular si along each side : these are popularly known by the name of whalebone: on the top of the head i-> a double fistula or spout-hole through which the enormous animal discharges M-ater at intervals, causing the appearance of a marine jet d'eau as- cc nding to a vast height in the air. Its common colour is black above and white beneath, hut in this circumstance it is known to vary. Its gene- ral residence is in the northern seas, where it has ; constituted the principal trade of the whale or oil fishery. Its food is supposed to consist chiefly of dificrcnt kinds of Sepia?, Medusa?, and other marine Mollusca. To the above general description of this mon- ster of the deep, I shall annex the account given by that faithful writer Frederick Martens, in hi5 \»ork intitled A Voyage to Spitsbergen. I shall bowevcr take the liberty t the nai somewhat more connected and regular form than 480 GREAT MYSTICETE. it bears in the original work. Its honest simpli- city and accuracy must apologize for its tedious- ness. " The Whale," says Martens, " for whose sake our ships chiefly undertake the voyage to Spits- bergen, differs from other whales in his fins and his O ' mouth, which is without teeth, but instead there- of hath long, black, and somewhat broad horny flakes, all jagged like hairs. His fins are situated at some distance behind the eyes, and are of a big- . ness proportionable to the animal, covered with a thick black skin, delicately marbled with white or yellow strokes, or as you see in marble trees, houses, or the like things represented ; or like the veins in some kinds of wood. In the tail of one of these fishes was marbled very delicately the nurnber 1222, very even and exact, as if painted upon it on purpose. This marbling or variega- tion of the skin, which resembles parchment or vellum, gives the Whale an incomparable beauty and ornament. When the fins are cut, you find, underneath the skin, bones that look like unto a man's hand when it is opened and the fingers ex- panded. Between these joints there are stiff sinews, which fly up and rebound again if you fling them hard against the ground, as the sinews of a great fish, as of a sturgeon, or of some four- footed beast would do. You may cut pieces of these sinews of the bigness of your head ; they squeeze together when thrown on the ground, and so rebound very high, and as swift as an ar- row from the string of a long bow. The Whale GREAT MYSTICETE. 431 hath no other fins but these two, wherewith he tteen hinuelf, as a boat is rowed with two oars. The tail doth not stand up, like the tails of 11 >h, but lit th hori/ontally, as that of the Dolphin, £c. and it is three and a half* or four fathoms broad. The head is the third part of the whole animal, and some have it still bigger. On the upper and under lip are short hairs before. The lips are quite plain, somewhat bended like an •$', and they end underneath the eyes, before- the two fins. Above the uppermost bended lip he hath black streaks; some are darkish brown, and they are crooked as the lips are : the lips are smooth, and quite black, round, like the quarter of a circle. When they draw them together, they lock into one another. Within, on the uppermost lip, is the whalebone, of a brown, black, or yellow colour, with streaks of several colours : the whak-bones of some whales are blue, and light blue, which two are reckoned to come from young whales. .Just before, on the under lip, is a cavity or hole, which the upper lip exactly into, as a knife into a sheath. I do really believe that hcclraMcth in the water that he bloueth out through this hole, and so I have also teen informed by seamen. Within his mouth i> the wh;i. all hairy as a horse's hair, and it hangs down from both Milcx all about his tongue. The whalebone of some Whales is ^-.newhatb- ed, like a cimeter, and others like a half-moon. The smallest whalebone is before, in his mouth, and behind towards his throat, and the middle- most is the largest and longest, being some? •ISC GREAT MYSTICETE. about two or three men's length, from whence may be conjectured how large the animal must be. On one side, all in a row, there are two hun- dred and fifty pieces of whalebone, and as many on the other; making in all five hundred, and there are still many more, for the cutters let the least of all remain, because they cannot easily come at it to cut it out, on account of the meet- ing of the two lips, where the space is very nar- row. The whalebone is in a flat row, one piece by the other, somewhat bending within, and to- wards the lips every where like a half-moon. It is broad at the top, where it sticketh fast to the upper lip, every where overgrown with hard white sinews towards the root, so that between two pieces of whalebone you may put your hand. These white sinews are of an agreeable smell, break very easily, and may be boiled and eaten. Where the whalebone is broadest, as underneath by the root, there groweth small whalebone, the other greater, as you see small and large trees one among another in a wood. I believe the small whalebone doth not grow bigger, as one might think that some of the great pieces thereof might come out, and that so this small whalebone might grow up again in the room thereof, or as in chil- dren, the hair grows again when cut ; but it is not *o ; for it is from one end to the other of an equal thickness, and full of long jacks, like horses hair. The whalebone is underneath narrow and pointed, and all overgrown with hair, that it may not hurt that which is young ; but without the whalebone GREAT MVSTICtir. 483 hath a cavity, for it is turned just like unto a gutter wherein the water inns, where it licth the one over the other, like the shields or plates of Crawfish, or the pantiles of an house, that lye one over the other; tor else it might easily wound or hurt the under lip. " To cut the whalebone out is a particular trade, and abundance of iron tools are used in the process. The lower part of the whale's mouth is commonly white. The tongue, which is about the size of a great feather-bed, lyeth among the whalebone ; being very closely tied to the under- most chap or lip. It is M'hite, with black spots at the edges, and consists of a soft, spungy, fat sub- s»tance, which cannot easily be cut, being at once tough and yielding; so that it is thrown away by the Whale-catchers for this reason ; otherwise they might get live, six, or seven barrels of oil from it. Upon the head is the hoflcl, or hump before the eyes and fins; and at the top of it an; situated the .spout-holes, one on each side, over against each other, shaped like the letter ,V, or the hole on each side a violin. From these holes the Whale bloweth or spouteth the water; fiercest of all when he is wounded, when it sounds like the roaring of the sea in a great storm, or as we hear the wind iu very tempestuous weather : it may be d at a league's distance, though you cannot see the tish by reason of the thick and foggy air. The head is not round at the top, but somewhat flat, and goes down sloping, like the tiling of a house, to the under lip. The under lip is broader 484 GREAT MYSTICETE. than any part of the body, caul broadest of all in the middle. In a word, the whole fish is shaped like a shoemaker's last, if you look upon it from beneath. Behind the knob or bump, between that and the fins, are placed the eyes, which are not much bigger than those of a bullock, with eyelids and hair like the human eyes. The crystal (crystalline humour) is not much bigger than a pea, clear, and transparent as crystal. The eyes of the Whale are placed very low, almost at the end of the upper lip. Some bring with -them from Spitzbergen some bones which they call the ears of the Whale, but this I can say nothing to, because I never saw any ; but very well remem- ber, that I have heard that they lie very deep. The Whale doth not hear when he spouts the water, wherefore he is easiest to be struck at that time. His belly and back* are quite red, and underneath the belly they are commonly white ; yet some are coal-black. Most of those which I saw were white. They look very beautiful when the sun shines upon them, the small clear waves of the sea that are over him glistening like silver. Some of them are marbled on the back and tail. Where a Whale has been wounded there remain- eth always a white scar. I understood from one of our harpooners that he once caught a Whale at Spitzbergen that was white all over. Half white » I suspect some mistake here ; the back being iu most of the Whale tribe of a dark colour. (,nr.\T MVSTICETK. 485 I havr myself seen, but one above the rest, which a female, was a beautiful one: she was all <>\er marbled black and yellow. Those that are black are not all of the .same colour; for some are as black a> velvet, others coal-black, and others of the colour of a tench. The Whale loseth its beau- tiful colours when it grows dry ; the black becom- ing brownish, and the white losing its clearness. When they are well, they are as slippery as an Eel; but one may stand upon them, because they are so soft that the flesh giveth way to our weight. The outward skin is thin, like parchment, and is easily pulled oft* by the hand when the flesh grows hot by the fermentation of the inward parts after the animal's death. The bones of the whale are hard, like those of large four-footed beasts, but porous-, like a spunge, and filled with marrow, and when that is consumed out, they will retain a great quantity of water, for the holes are large, like those of an honeycomb. Two great and strong bones hold up the under lip : they lie one against the other, and both together make a figure like a half-moon, but one by itself is like a cjiiai - ter of a circle. Some of these I have seen lying on the coasts of Spitzbergen about twenty feet lon^. of a white colour, as if calcined. The flesh of the Whale is coarse and hard, like that of a bull : it is intermixed with many sinews, and is very dry and lean when boiled, because the fat is only between the flesh and skin. If suffered to lit a little, it soon becomes black and tainted. That of the tail boils the tendered, ami ix not v. ii. P. u. d.1 486 GKfcAT MYSTICETE. quite so dry as that of tlie body. When we have a mind to cat of a Whale we cut great pieces off before the tail M -here it is four-square, and boil it like other meat : good beef I prefer far before it, yet rather than be starved I advise to eat Whale's tlesh ; for none of our men dyed of it, and the Frenchmen did cat it almost daily; flinging it on the tops of their tubs, and letting it lie till it was black ; and vet eating it in that condition. The •L. O ll<-»li of the Whale, like that of Seals, is alone, or by itself; and the fat at the top thereof between the flesh and skin. The fat is about six inches thick on the back and belly; but I have also seen it a foot thick on the iins, and more than two feet on the under lip ; but Whales vary in this respect, like other animals, according to size and health. In the fat arc interspersed little sinews, which hold the oil, as a spunge does water, which one may squeeze out : the other strong sinews are chiefly about the tail, v, here it is thinnest, for with it he turns and winds himself about, as a ship is turned by the rudder; his iins being his oars, and according to his si/e he rows himself along with them as swiftly as a bird flies, and maketh a long track in the sea, as a great .ship doth when under sail ; so that it remains di- \idid for awhile. Over the fat is, besides the uppermost skin already described, another skin, about an inch thick, proportionable to the size of the Whale. It is coloured according to the co- lour of the animal : if the Whale be black this is black also: if on the contrary the outward or GREAT MYxMCETE. 487 iinu nt -like skin In- white or yellow, the thick under skin is of a similar < <>lour. This tli t tonsil or tenacious, hut of ;i funu tuie, and of no use as an article of trade. • The food of the Whale is believed to he .small ^iiail.s "•, which float, in \ast abundance, «>n «%beaurface of the northern seas. Whether these at nourishment I cannot tell. 1 been informed by others that about ilitland a small Whale was caught, uhich had about a. barrel of Herrings in its belly. The middling- si/ed Whales taught at Spitzbcrgen aftbrd se- veiity, eighty, or ninety tv//vA7.v of fat. Our big- gest Whale \\as fifty-three feet long, and his tail three fathom and a half broad. The Whale swims ist the wind, like most of this tribe, and in- deed as most large li.shcs do. They are sometimes found diseased and emaciated, having their pecu- liar disorders like otiier animals. The breasts of the female resemble those of a Cow, having simi- lar nipples : they are sometimes white, and some- times speckled M ith black and blue spots, in the manner ot" a plo\cr's cir^r. They arc said r. to have more than one \ming at a time." I must now take' the- opportunity of repeating what I have advanced in the Naturalist's Miscel- lany. \i/. " It is to be lamented that iu the poetical descriptions ot' various striking s natural hist«*i\, the epithets by \\ Inch mair. uislud, arc. for uant of due k: i>ccics of Clio, the Clio liinacina of Linnaeus. 488 GREAT MYSTICETE. ledge of the subject, improperly cliosen, and ut- terly inconsonant with the character of the things intended ; by which means the description, how- ever beautiful in point of language, fails in point of accuracy. This is no where more strikingly illustrated than in the august lines of Milton, in which the description of a sleeping whale is in- jured by an epithet of all others least according with the nature of the animal. • That sea-beast Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hugest that swim th' ocean stream : Him haply slumb'ring on the Norway foam, The pilot of some small night-founder'd skiff Deeming some island, oft, as seamen tell, With fixed anchor in his scaly rind, Moors by his side under the lee, while night Invests the sea, and wished morn delays.' " None of the cetaceous tribe are furnished with scales, or any thing analogous to them. It must be acknowledged however that this observation may appear in no small degree hypercritical, and that Milton by the expression of scaly rind might „ only mean rough or scaly in the same sense that those epithets are applied to the bark of a tree or any irregular surface. There can be little doubt however that real and proper scales were intended by the poet ; nor is it difficult to disco- ver the particular circumstance which impressed Milton with this erroneous idea, viz. a figure in the works of Gesner, so injudiciously expressed as TAI MYSTIC Eli:. 489 ppoar on a cursory view as it' coated with largo scales, \\ith a vessel near it with harpooners, Sir. <>ver \\hich is tin- observation of Bailors often mistaking a whale tor an island, and thus endan- gering themselves hv attempting to anclior upon it. As tlie general learning and extensive read- ing of our great poet are so well known, it can hardly be doubted that he was conversant witli the writings of (iesner, whose work was then the great depository of natural knowledge, and that the figure and description there given left a last- ing impression on hi.s mind." The Whale is taken by being struck with har- poons by several persons who pursue him in boats, arranging themselves according to circumstance, and wounding the animal repeatedly, till faint with loss of blood, he at length expires, and lies floating on the surface. The harpoon is a sharp iron in the. form of an arrow head, fixed to a rod, and fur- nished with a vast length of line of proper strength. The wounded Whale swims away, often drawing both line and boat after him as swift as the wind, spouting the water with violence, and tinging the sea all around with his blood. The noise, - Martens, may be heard as far as a cannon, but after having received several wounds at different intervals, it grows weaker, till at length it re- sembles that of the wind blowing slightly into an empty vessel. This is a dangerous occupa- tion, and requires great dexterity on the part of the adventurers. A long-boat, according to our author, " he valueth no more than dust, for 4.QO FIN-BACKED MYSTlCETE. lie can beat it all in shatters at a blow." The desire of gain however 'is a sufficient temptation to those who undertake this fishery, and the pro- fits seldom tail to recompence their labours. Though the chief residence of this and most other Whales is in the polar regions, yet they sometimes stray into more temperate latitudes, and are occasionally seen in very different parts of the ocean from those in which they generally reside. The Whale is one of those animals which were once considered as roval dishes ; and we are inform- */ ed that in ancient times, whenever one happened to be thrown on the British coast, the King and Queen divided the spoil ; the King asserting his right to the head, and her Majesty to the tail *. FIN-BACKED MYSTlCETE. Balaena Physalus. B. Jistula duplici in media capite, dorso ex- tremopinua adiposa. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 106. Mysticete w4th double spiracle on the head, and a fatty fin at the lower part of the back . Balaena tripinnis ventre laevi. Biis. Regn. Anlm. p. 352. n. 5. Physalus bellua, s. Physeter. Gesn. Ayuat. p. 8jji. Fiunfisch. Mart.&pitsb.p, 125. t. 2. THIS species is of a much more slender form than the preceding, which it equals in length: the head is rather narrow, the mouth very wide, * Blackst. Comm. i. c. 4. Brit. Zool. &c. 3 aj di > FIN-BACKED MYSTICF.I 491 ami the lips arc marked by a number of oblique wrinkles <>r plaits in Mich a manner a-* to ble in some decree the appearance of a largo twisted rope. The upper j;tv.- is furnish* d with lamina- of w halchone, on the same plan as in the great \\hale, l)iit smaller and .shorter in pioportion, and generally of a blueMi eolour. The general colour of this ipCCWfl i> a dark 01 hi '>li\c on the nj)j)er [>arts, and uhiti.sh beneath. Mar- tcn> compan s the colour to that of a Tench. On the lower part of the back is situated a small thick or fatty iin, of about three or four feet in •h, and of a xomev Irat sharpened form. Tim animal s\vim* \uth greattr celerity and vigour than the gu-at vhale, and is considered as much more dangerous to attack, exerting Mich rapid and \iohnt mo! render the capture ( \- trcmcly difficult, and as the oil which it affords is much Ic-^s plentiful than in the former SJK« it i> of ; > an object of pursuit. ' It is known to the Ushers by the title of Tiu-l being easily di^tiiiL . fin, as \\ell as b\- its much more violent blowing and .spout- It inhabits the same s( as with the common \\ hale. 400 PIKE-HEADED MYST1CETE. Balaena Boops. B. fistula dupUci in rostra, dor so extremo protu- bcrantia cornea. Ua\. Syst. Nat. p. 106. Artedi. Gen. 77. Syn. 107. Whale with double spiracle on the snout, and a horny protube- rance on the hind part of the back. Balaena tripinnis, ventre rugoso, rostro acuto. Briss. Regn. Anim. p. 355. n. 7. Jupiterfisch. Anders, isl. p. 220. Cram. Groenl. p. 146. Pike-headed Whale. Pennant Brit. Zool. i. p. 50. DaleHarvc. p. 410.71.3. THIS species measures fifty feet or more in length, and is found both in the northern and southern ocean. It is of a moderately slender form, but somewhat thick on the fore parts, and its colour is black above and white beneath : the upper part of the belly is marked by numerous longifudinal plaits or wrinkles, the insides of which are of a red colour. The head is mode- rately large, and of a gradually tapering form, yet ending in a somewhat broad or obtuse tip. It has a double spiracle or blow-pipe on the head, the holes of which are approximated, and which it can close in such a manner by a common oper- culum, as to appear single : before the nostrils, on the head, are three rows of circular convexities : the lower jaw is rather narrower than the up- per: the eyes are situated beyond the spiracles, on each side the head : the ears consist of very minute apertures behind the eyes: in the upper jaw are very numerous laminae of whalebone, not PIKt-HEADED MYSTICETE. 4. Aj>ed Whale. Pennant Brit. Xuol. p. 53. THIS is a native of the northern seas, and M c much allied to the Pike-headed Mystiecte. hut jrrou-s to a iiiiirh iai^cr si/t-, having him found, it is said, of the lengtfeof seventy< la tin- mouth very uidr ; the louc r li|> much hro than tin- UJJJHT, and M niit'ircnlarly tuiiied at its extremity, while the upper is somewhat sharp or pointed at the tip. The lamiir.e of whalebone are hlac-k, and short in proportion to the .si/c of the animal, the longest not measuring m<> i : the spiracle is' double and plaeed on the I Me belly is marked by plaits or furrows as in tin 1 I /><*»/«. and on the lower j).i: the back is a fatty tin. The colour of this sp< is black above and white beneath. In the year 1692 a specimen \\.i> takc-n on the coast of > land. Its dimm-ions were as above described ; the tono-m- measured fifteen f it t and a half in length, and the two spout-holes on the forehead were of a pyramidal form ; the pectoral (ins ten fret long, and the tail eighteen feet broad. 496 ROSTRATED MYSTICETE. Balaena Rostrata. B. minima rostra strictiore, dorso pmnaio, la- minis oris albis. Fabr. Faun. Groeiil. p. 4. Small Whale, with taper snout and adipose back fin. Balaena rostrata. B. ore rostrato, dorsi pinna adiposa. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmd. p. 226. Balaena minima, rostro longissimo et acutissimo. Mull. Zool. Dan. Prodr. p. 7. n. 48. Rostrated Whale. Naturalist's Mi&cellany, vol. 9. p. 304. THIS is by far the smallest as well as the most elegant in its appearance of all the Mysticetes or Whalebone Whales, being rarely known to attain the length of twenty-five feet. The head, upper part of the back, fins, and tail, are of a dark or blueish-brown, but the sides and abdomen are of a beautiful white, with a very slight tinge of pale rose or flesh-colour, and are marked for more than half the length of the animal by very nume- rous longitudinal plaits or furrows : the eyes are small, as is also the head, and the snout is much more elongated than in any other species, gra- dually tapering to the extremity, which is slightly pointed : the back fin is small, and situated at no great distance from the tail : the pectoral fins are small and narrow, and the tail is divided into two longish and pointed lobes. The whole animal has an elegant fish-like form, and has none of that uncouth appearance which prevails in the larger species. 497 PHYSETER. CACHALOT. ic Character. Dtntes in maxilla inferiorc. II Teeth visible in the lower jaw only. Fistula in cupite s. fronte. |; Spiracle on the head or snout. BLUNT-HEADED CACHALOT. Physeter Macrucephalus. P. dorso itnpinni, Jistula in certice*. Lin. Sytt. Nat. p. io;. Artedi. Gen. 78. Syn. 108. Cachalot with tin less hack, and spiracle on the neck. Balacn.i. Jonst. pise. p. 215. t. 41, 42. Will, ic/ttk. t. A. i.f. J. The Sj>ermaceti Whale. Brva-n Jam. p. 459. Blunt-headed Cachalot. Pennant Brit. Zool. p. 59. The Parmacitty Whale, or Put Wai Fish. Dale Mar*, p. 413, II I S \V hale, \vhich is one of the largest spe- is scarcely inferior in size to the great Mys- ticctc, often iiuMMiring sixty feet or more in length. The head is of mormons .-»ixe, constitut- ing more than a third of the whole animal; the mouth wide; the upper lip rounded, thick or high, and much broader than the lower, which is of a * Thif expression, according to Fabricius, is not quite correct. BLUNT-HEADED CACHALOT. somewhat sharpish form, fitting, as it were, into a longitudinal bed or groove in the upper. The teeth, at least the visible ones, as mentioned in the generic character, are situated only in the lower jaw, and when the mouth is closed, are re- ceived into so many corresponding holes or cavi- ties in the upper : they are pretty numerous, ra- ther blunt, and of a somewhat conic form, with a very slight bend or inclination inwards : there are also, according to Fabricius, small, curved, flat- tish, concave, and sharp-pointed teeth, lying al- most horizontally along the upper jaw, though, from their peculiar situation and size, they are not visible like those of the lower; being im- bedded in the fleshy interstices of the holes which receive the lower teeth, and presenting only their internal concave surfaces to meet the latter wlit-n the mouth is closed. The front of the head is very abrupt, descending perpendicularly down- wards, and on its top, which has been improperly termed the neck by some authors, is an elevation or angular prominence containing the spiracle, which appears externally simple, but is double within. The head is distinguished or separated from the body by a transverse furrow or wrinkle. The eyes are small and black; and the ears or auditory passages extremely small. About the middle of the back is a kind of spurious fin, or dorsal tubercle*, of a callous nature, not move- * This is not constant, and seems to constitute the variety figured by Schrcber under the title of Physeter gibbosus. B1A \ l-lil A DM) CACHALOT. able, and somewhat abrupt or cut off behind. The tongue is of the shape of the lo\\ cr jaw. < coloured externally, and of a dull red within. The throat is but small in proportion to the ani- mal. The b'uly is cylindrical beyond the p< ral iins, growing narrower tens aids the tail. The colour of the whole animal is Mack, but when ad- vanced in age grows whitish beneath. It sunns swiftly, anil is -aid to be a violent enemy to the StiiuiiKx ( Wn7/f/r/V/.v or White Shark, \\ Inch is some- times driven ashore in its endt » to esca])e, and according to l-'abrieius, will not ventu; appnjach its enemy e\en u hen dea«l, thoui>-h ; of preying on other dead \\ hales. This NVhale devours the QyclfftOtU* JMM]MS or Lump- l-'isli, and many others. The ( lieenlandirs use the tiesh, skin, oil. tendons, £c. in the same man- ner a.s ti the Narwhal. It is reckoi difficult to take ; being very tenacious of lite, and survivinjr for several days the wounds it in from its pursin It is in a \a-t cavity within the upper part of the liead ol' thi^ \\'hale that the .substanet called .spcrmactti is found, uhieh while Irish and in its natural receptacle, is ncarl\ fluid ; but when • I to the air « ODCretai into opakc masses : thi$ Mibstancc bi tll\ known, it becomes unnece-Naiy tt» de^eiibe it farther. A more curious and \aluable production, the origin of which had long eluded the investigation of n:itmaliM>, is obtained fioni this animal. \\/. the celebrated pcifumc called Ambemiiv uhicli 500 BLUNT-HEADED CACHALOT. is found in large masses in the intestines, being in reality no other than the fceces. A very large specimen of this Whale was once stranded on the coast of Norfolk ; and is particu- larly commemorated by Sir Thomas Brown, who seems to have been desirous of discovering Am- bergris in it, but was repelled by the intolerable fcetor of the animal, which had lain several days in a state of putrefaction. Sir Thomas recites the anecdote in his usual forcible style, and appears to have been rather in doubt of what is now pretty well ascertained, viz. that this perfume has really the origin above described. " In vain it was to rake for ambergriese in the paunch of this Leviathan, as Greenland disco- verers and attests of experience dictate, that they sometimes swallow great lumps thereof in the sea, insufferable fcetor forbidding that enquiry; and yet. if, as Paracelsus encourageth, odure makes the best musk, and from the most fetid substances may be drawn the most odoriferous essences, all that had not Vespasian's nose might boldly swear, here was a fit subject for such extractions." 501 SMALL CACHALOT. Phy»eter Catodon. P. dorso impinni, Jutula in rottro. Lot. Sytt. Nat. p. 107. Artfdi. Gen. 78. Syn. 108. Cachalot with finlcsa back, and spiracle on the snout. Cetua minor bipinnu, fistula in rostru. Brits. Regn. Arum. p. 361. n. 4. Round-headed Cachalot. Pennant Brit. ZooL 3. p. 56. THIS species is of far inferior size to the for- mer, measuring about twenty-five feet in length. In its general structure it is allied to the preced- ing, but has a smaller mouth in proportion, and is without any visible protuberance on the back. It is found in the northern seas. I must here observe that some of the species of Cachalot seem still but obscurely known, and there is a degree of confusion prevailing with re- spect to the synonyms of authors ; the Physeter Catodon of Fabricius being a different species from this, viz. the P. Tursio of the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Naturae. v. n. P. ii. 53 502 SMALL EYED CACHALOT. Physeter Microps. P. dorso, pinna longa, maxilla superiore Ion* glare. Urn. Sysf. Nat. p. 107. Arted't, Gen. 74. Syn. 104. Cachalot with long dorsal fin, and upper jaw longer than the lower. Cetus tripinnis, dentibus acutis arcuatis falciform ibus. Briss. Regn. Anim. p. 363. n. 6. THIS is of equal, and sometimes even superior size to the first described species *, and is a native of the northern seas. The head is very large, and nearly half the length of the body : the eyes ex- tremely small, and the snout slightly obtuse : on the back is a long and somewhat upright narrow and pointed fin. This species swims swiftly, and is said to be a great enemy to the Porpoise, which it pursues and preys upon. Its colour is blackish above and whitish beneath. Some of the supposed varieties of this Whale are said to grow to the length of eighty or an hundred feet. The teeth are of a more curved form than the rest of the i^enus. O A variety however is mentioned by Brisson, in which the teeth are strait, or nearly so. * Fabricius however numbers it among the smaller Whales, and adds that it is common in the Greenland seas j that it has twenty teeth in the lower jaw, which are very white, falciform, conically compressed, and sharp-pointed. The Greenlanders also affirm that there are teeth in the upper jaw. 504 H1GH-FIXXKD CACHALOT Physctcr Tursio. P. dorri pinna altwima, apice Jentium piano. Syst. Nat. p. 107. Artcdi. Gen. 74. Syn. 104. Cachalot with very lung upright dorsal fin, and teeth flat at the tips. Cctus tripinnis, dcntibus in planum dcsinentibua. Brut. Rfgn. An'm. p. 364. n. 7. High-finncd Cachalot. Pennant Brit. Zool. 3. p . 57. THIS is particularly distinguished by the great length and nano\\ form of its dorsal fin, which is placed almost upright on the back, and ^ by some authors to appear at a distance like tlu- mast of a small ship; the animal growing, if we may believe report, to the length of an hun- dred feet. In its general appearance it is said much to resemble the former species, of which it may perhaps be a variety rather than truly distinct; but so much obscurity still prevails with respect to the Cetaceous animals that this point must be considered as very doubtful. 504- DELPHINUS DOLPHIN. Generic Character. Denies in maxilla utraque. II Teeth in both jaws. Fistula in capite. || Spiracle on the head. PORPESSE. Delphinus Phocsena. D. corpore subconiformi, dorso Into, rostra subobtuso. Lw. Syst. Nat. p. 108. Artedi Gen. 75. Syn. 104. Dolphin with subconic body, broad back, and subobtuse snout. Phocaena. Rond. Pise. p. 473. Gem. Aquat. p. 837. AUr. Pise. p. 719. Jonst. Pise. p. 221. Porpcss. Pennant Brit. Zool. p. 61, JL HE Porpesse may be considered as the most common of the whole cetaceous tribe ; being found in almost all parts of the European ocean, and sometimes even entering the mouths of large rivers. In its general shape it so much resembles the Dolphin or next species, as to be frequently confounded with it ; and navigators in general st i in to call both species indiscriminately by the same name. The Porpesse however differs in having a shorter snout, which though somewhat sharply terminated, is much less narrow or pro- 23O PORTKSSX PORPEftSE. 505 duced tlian tli.it of the Dolphin. The Porpesse is also, in general, the Mnallest animal of the two, and rarely exceeds the length of six or seven frit. It is of a thick form on the fore parts, and gra- dually tapers toward> the tail, which is shaped like that of other Cetacea. The hack tin is situated rather nearer the tail than the head, and is > somewhat triangular outline, and placed neaily upright. In colour this animal resembles the Dolphin, bi-ing either of a blueish black or of a dark brown above, and white or nearly white beneath: the eyes are small; behind them are situated the auditory passages, which are very small; and on the upper part of the front is the spiracle, which is somewhat in the form of a cre- t : the mouth U of moderate width ; the teeth small, rather sharp, and numerous; being com- monly about forty-six or fifty in each jaw; the tongue is flat, rounded, notched or crenatecl on the edge, and pretty closely attached or confined to the Mirfacc of the under jaw. The Porpesse lives chietly on the smaller kinds of iMi, and is c ! to root about the shores with its snout, in the manner of a hog, while in quest of food. Like the Dolphin it is seen to gambol about in the ocean, more especially in .stormy weather. Porpesses are also observed to congregate occa- Monally in vast numbers, and to pursue shoals of Herrings, Mackrel, and other fish, which they drive into the bays and close recesses, and prey upon them with vast voracity. This animal is 506 PORPESSE. remarkably fat, being covered immediately un- der the skin with a thick coat of lard, affording a great quantity of oil. • The Porpesse was once considered as a sump- tuous article of food, and is said to have been oc- casionally introduced at the tables of the old Eng- lish nobility ; and this so lately as the time of Queen Elizabeth. It was eaten with a sauce composed of crumbs of fine bread with sugar and vinegar. It is however now generally neglected even by sailors. The Porpesse, being by far the most common, and most easily obtained of all the European Ce- tacea, has, of course, been more accurately exa- •mincd than any other species; 13elon, Rondele- tius, Tyson, and others, having given very good descriptions of its internal structure ; and in or- der to convey a general idea of the similarity of its fabric to that of the terrestrial Mammalia, a figure of an opened Porpesse is introduced into the pre- sent publication ; some of the viscera being re- moved, in order to shew others to greater advan- tage. The skeleton is also represented on a sepa- rate plate. rjt 507 DOLPHIN. Delphiniw Delphi*. D. corpoft obfongo tubttrtti, roi/ro alien H- ato acuto. tin. Sy$t. Nat. p. 108. Jrtcdi. Cat. 76. by*. 105. Dolphin with ublong subcylindric b/xly, and lengthened »harpuh snout. Delphinus. Plin. >. 9. c. 7, 8. n. c. 37. Mlcm. Aqvat. p. 7. Rondel. Fix. p. 459. Get*. Aijuat. p. 380. Aldr. Puc. p. 701. 703, 704. Jwuf. Puc. a 1 8. Porcua marinus. 6'i6A. Scot. Ann. p. 33. Dolphin. Pennant Brit. /oul. p. 58. THE Dolphin, as observed in the- pKcnlin^ :n- lit-aiN .1 i^rrat rcM-inl>luncc to the 1'orjx but has a nincli longer and sharper snout, and the shape of the body i.s rather more .slender. It aU» grows to a larger size, measuring eight or ten tec t in length, and is black above and \\hiti.th beneath. The mouth is very wide; the teeth very nume- rous, small, sharp, and ^et, a-, in the Porpesse, in a strait row on each side of both jaw*: the eyes are small, the back fin seated a-% in the loi speeirs, beyond the middle of the back. 'J he Dolphin is found in the Mediterranean and In- dian seas, and seems t<> nei.illy eoutouiulcil by navigators witli the Porpoise, having the same general manners and appeal anee. It preys on \. n ions kinds of fish, and is said to be sometimes- -een attacking and Bounding even the larger kind of Whales. It swims \eiy swiftly. The appearance both of this species and the IWpesie at sea, is generally considered as one of the pit - hides of an approaching storm. The prejudices of the ancients were of a contrary cast: with them this animal was celebrated for its supposed aflec- 508 DOLPHIN. tion to the human race, and its appearance regard- ed as a prosperous omen. " The Dolphin," says Pliny, " is friendly to man, and pleased with mu- sick. He does not fly from the sight of mankind, but of his own accord meets their ships, gamboling before them, and accompanying their course, as if through a spirit of emulation ; and always out- stripping them, even when sailing with the most favourable wind." Pliny also relates several tales relative to the affection of the Dolphin to mankind ; one of which is the following, which will perhaps appear more interesting in the simple translation of Phi- lemon Holland, than if delivered in the more elegant style of modern language. " Divo Augusto principe, Sec. &c." — " In the daies of Augustus Cassar the Emperor, there was a Dolphin entered the gulfe or pool Lucrinus, which loved wonderous well a certain boy a poor man's sonne : who using to go every day to schoole from Baianum to Puteoli, was woont also about noone-tide to stay at the water side and to call unto the Dolphin Simo9 Sirno, and many times would give him fragments of bread, which of purpose hee ever brought with him, and by this meane allured the Dolphin to come ordinarily unto him at his call. (I would make scruple and bash to insert this tale in my storie and to tell it out, but that Mecaenas Fabianus, Flavius Alrius, and many others have set it downe for a truth in their Chronicles.) Well, in processe of time, at what houre soever of the day, this boy lured for DOLPHIN. 509 him, and called .SY;//o, MCIV the Dolphin never «o close hidden in any secret and blind corner, out he would and come abroad, yea and scud amaine to this lad : and taking bread and other victuals at his hand, would gently offer him his back to mount upon, and then down went the sharp- pointed * prickes of his finnes, which he would put up as it were within a sheath, for fear of hurt- ing the boy. Thus when lie had him once on his back he would carry him over the broad arme of the sea, as far as Puteoli to schoole ; and in like manner convey him back again home: and thus he continued for many yeeres together, so long as the child lived. But when the boy was falne sicke and dead, yet the Dolphin gave not over his haunt, but usually came to the woonted place, and ;. ing the lad, seemed to be heavy and mournc again, untill for verie griefe and sorrow (as it is doubtless to be presumed) he also was found dead upon the shore. " The voice of the Dolphin is, according to Pliny, a sound resembling a human groan -Y and Willoughby quotes, from Gillius, a passage illus- trative of this circumstance. " A captis delphinis, &c. &c."— " In a vt where several Dolphins were confined, I passed a night of great uneasiness, so feelingly did these poor animals express the misery of their condition by cries and lamentations resembling the human. • From ihis observation it should seem that Flint had not accurately examined the Dolphin. 510 DOLPHIN. Their sufferings forced from me tears of compas- sion ; and while the fisherman was asleep, I threw one, which seemed to suffer most, into the sea. But this act of tenderness availed me nothing; for the moanings of those that remained, seemed only to be increased, and they seemed by signs too plain to be misunderstood, to wish for a similar deliver- ance." It appears, from the testimony of the accurate Pabricius, in his Fauna Groenlandica, that the D. Phocrena or Porpoise constantly swims in a curved posture, depressing very considerably both head and tail during that action ; and it is highly pro- bable that the Dolphin swims in the same manner; thus justifying, in some degree, the representa- tions of the ancients ; who appear indeed to have been guilty of some aggravation in this respect, in their poetical and sculptorial representations, while the moderns, on the contrary, have been somewhat too severe in condemning them. The learned Sir Thomas Brown has a short chapter on this subject in his celebrated work the Pseudodoxia Epidemica, which I shall here intro- duce, as at once comprising the principal remarks which have been made on the subject, and at the same time as a good example of that author's pe- culiar style. " That Dolphins are crooked, is not only af- firmed by the hand of the painter, but commonly conceived their natural and proper figure ; which is not only the opinion of our times, but seems the belief of elder times before us. For beside the DOi.ritiv. 511 SM..HS of (AW and /->////;/, the pourtraicts in SOUK- ancient c d in this figure, aa will appear in some thereof in <»Y.v/,w unto Rudolphus the ml. Notwithstanding, to speak strictly, in their natural ligurc they are strcight, nor have their spine con vexed, or more considerably em- bowed than Shark-. PoffXMttS, \\'n.des, and other cetaecoi:-. an::i .:. ;is \\//igcr plainly artirmeth : Corpus httbet nan magi* curciun (juum rdiqm pisce*. -\^ tylcd by 1'abricius BaUenarum Tyninnus, and is considered as one of the most ferocious inhabitants of the ocean. * This appears to be an error, none of the Whales having fet» rated teeth. 514 B I DENT DOLPHIN. Delphinus Bidens. D. dentibus duobus in fronte maxillae supe- rioris* Dolphin with two teeth in the front of the upper jaw. Bottle-nose Whale of Dale. Hunter Phil. Trans, vol. T].pL 19. THIS is introduced by Mr. Hunter into the Philosophical Transactions, and is the Bottle- nosed Whale of Dale *. It has the general ap- pearance of the Dolphin, but has a much shorter snout, the front bulging out very much above, and has only two teeth, which are situated in front of the upper jaw. The specimen mentioned by Mr. Hunter measured twenty-one feet, in length. The pectoral and back fins are small, and the latter placed pretty low on the back. NARUOW-SXOUTED DOLPHIN. Delphinus Rostratus. D. rostro attemiato. Dolphin with greatly attenuated snout. KNOWN only from the head, or bones of the jaws. Supposed to inhabit the Indian seas. The jaws are extremely narrow in proportion to their length, M'hich is about two feet: the teeth are small, not numerous, distant, and shaped some- what like the molares of quadrupeds. * Dale's Harwich. jl.s BEM Dclphinus Leucas. D. rottro COMCO obtuto, Jeortum ineimatn, pinna dor tali nulla. Lot. Sytt. Xat. Gmel. f. 13*. /'a//, rf. J. p. 84. /. 4. White Dolphin, without dorsal fin. Delpbinus pinna in dorso nulla. Brut. Rcgn. Anim. p. 374. ». 5. Beluga. 6>//. Cam/tdt. p. 106. Tins is a species which appears to have been not very distinctly known till within a few years past. It is a native of the northern seas, and, like the Porpessc, sometimes enters into ri\ It lias been well described both by J'abricius and Pallas. It is of a more elegant appearance than the rest of this tribe, and when full grown is entirely milk-white, in some specimens tinned very slightly with rose-colour, and in others with bin* It measures from twelve to eighteen feet in length, and sometimes even more, and preys upon all kinds of middle si/ed fish ; as herrings, eod, flat- tish, &c. &c. It is a gregarious species, and i.s often observed swimming in la; >:ils, the young accompanying tluir parents. ;m,l tinuhole funning a beautiful .spectacle, from the unusual colour. They are also sometimes observed to fol- low boats for a considerable time together. The head of this species is rather small than large; and is joined to the body by a kind of almost imper- ceptible neck or contracted part : the spirai situated on the top of the head, and is internally double: the eyes are very small, blueish, and the opening of the mouth by no means wide: the 516 BELUGA. the teeth are rather blunt, small, not very nume- rous, being about ten on each side, in both jaws : the auditory passages are situated a little behind the eyes: the body is fish-shaped, thick in the middle, and tapering towards the tail, which is slightly lobed or divided : the back has a kind of longitudinal ridge on the lower part, as in the Bala?na Mysticetus. The pectoral fins are thick and fatty, and are marked at the edge into five slight divisions; they contain the bones of the five fingers, which may be easily felt within the fin : there is no back fin. The skin, on every part, is smooth and slippery, and the animal is generally very fat. When this animal swims, says Dr. Pallas, it bends the tail inwards in the manner of a craw- fish, by which means it possesses the power of swimming extremely fast, by the alternate incur- vation and extension of that part. It has so great a general affinity with the Seals, that the Samoids consider it as a kind of aquatic quadruped. It produces only one young at a birth, which is at first of a blue tinge, and sometimes grey, or even blackish ; acquiring as it advances in age the pure milk-white colour. APPENDIX TO WRA LES. -L\.S an appendix to the history of this extra- ordinary tribe, and in order to convey as much general information as possible on so interesting a subject, I shall avail myself of Mr. Hunter's •Unit paper in the Philosophical Transactions, in which an accurate description is given both of tin- external and internal appearance of several of the principal species. I shall give the obser- vations chiefly in Mr. Hunter's own words, with -ome occasional abridgements and omissions. The whole mu>t necc^anlv appear somewhat tedious to common readers, but those who know how to appreciate its importance will highly approve of its insertion. THIS order of animals has nothing peculiar to lish. except living in the same element, and being endowed with the same powers of progressive mo- tion as those fish which are intended to mo\ e with a considerable velocitv. • Although inhabit : the waters, they be- long to the same (lass as quadrupeds; breathing air, being furnished with lungs, and all other parts peculiar to the occonomy of that class, and having \\arm blood; for \\e may make this general re- mark, tint in the different classes of animals there v. ii. p. ii. 34 518 APPENDIX. is never any mixture of those parts which are essential to life, nor in their different modes of sensation. The external form of this order of animals is such as fits them for dividing the water in pro- gressive motion, and gives them the power to pro- duce that motion in the same manner as those fish which move with a considerable degree of ve- locity. 'On account of their inhabiting the water, their external form is more uniform than in ani- mals of the same class which live upon land; the surface of the earth, on which the progressive motion of the quadruped is to be performed, being various and irregular, while the water is always the same. The form of the head or anterior part of this order of animals is commonly a cone, or an in- clined plane, except in the Spermaceti Whale, in winch it terminates in a blunt surface. This form of head increases the surface of contact to the same volume of water which it removes, lessens the pressure, and is better calculated to bear the resistance of the water through which the animal U to pass : probably on this account the head is larger than in quadrupeds, having more the pro- portion observed in fish, and swelling out laterally at the articulation of the lower jaw : this may probably be for the better catching their prey, as they have no motion of the head on the body; and this distance between the articulations of the jaw is somewhat similar to the Swallow, Goat- sucker, Bat, &c. which may also be accounted APPENDIX. .519 for, from their catching their food in the Mine manner as fMi ; and tliis is rendered still more •able, since the form of the mouth varies ac- cording as they have- or have not teeth. There is however in the Whale tribe more variety in the form of the head than of any other part, as in the Whalebone, Bottle-nose, and Spermaceti Whales ; though in this last it appears to owe its shape, in some sort, to the vast quantity of sjurmacili lodged there, and not to be formed merely for the catching of its prey. From the mode of their progressive motion they have not the con in- between the head and body that is called the neck, as that would have produced an inequality inconvenient to progressive motion. The body behind the fins or shoulders dimi- nishes gradually to the spreading of the tail ; but the part (jeyond the opening of the vent is to be considered as tail, although to appearance it is a continuation of the body. The b< i'is flat- tened laterally, and I believe the back is much sharper than the belly. The projecting part, or tail, contains the power that produces progressive motion, and moves the broad termination, the motion of which is similar to that of an oar in sculling a ' r supersedes the i sterior extremities, and allows of the proper shape for swimmi- The tail is flattened horizontally, which is con- to that of fish, this position of tail giving the direction to the animal in the progressive motion of the body. APPENDIX. The two lateral fins, which are analogous to the anterior extremities in the quadruped, are com- monly small, varying however in size, and seem to serve as a kind of oars. To ascertain the use of the fin on the back is probably not so easy, as the large Whalebone and Spermaceti Whales have it not ; one should other- wise conceive it intended to preserve the animal from turning. I believe, like most animals, they are of a lighter colour on their belly than on their back : in some they are entirely white on the belly ; and this white colour begins by a regular determined line, as in the Grampus, Piked Whale, &c. in others the white on the belly is gradually shaded into the dark colour of the back, as in the Porpoise. I have been informed that some of them are pied upwards and downwards, or have the divisions of colour in a contrary direction. The element in which they live renders some parts which are of importance in other animals useless to them, gives to some parts a different action, and renders others of less account. The tongue is flat, and but little projecting, as they neither have voice, nor require much action of this part in applying the food between the teeth for the purpose of mastication or degluti- tion, being nearly similar to fish in this respect as well as in their progressive motion. In some particulars they differ as much from one another as any two genera of quadrupeds I am acquainted with. APPENDIX. 521 The larynx, size of trachea, and number of ribs, diii'er exceedingly. The coecum is only found in sonic of them. The teeth in .sonic are wanting. The blow-holes are two in number in many ; in others only one. The Whalebone and Sperm; arc peculiar to particular genera ; all which con- stitute great variations. In other respects we find an uniformity, which would appear to be in- dependent of their living and moving only in the water, as in the stomach, liver, kidneys, &c. 1'rom the tail being horizontal, the motion of the animal, when impelled by it, is up and down : advantages are gained by this ; it gives the ne- iy opportunities of breathing, and elevates them in the water; for every motion of the tail tends to raise the animal; and that this may be ted, the greatest motion of the tail is down- wards, those muscles being very large, making two ridges in the abdomen : this motion of the tail raises the anterior extremity, which always tend-, to keep the body suspended in the water. The hones alone, in many animals, when pro- peily united into what is called the skeleton, give. the general shape and character of the animal. Thus a quadruped is distinguished from a bird, and even one quadruped from another, it only re- quiring a skin to be thrown over the skeleton to make the species known ; but this is not so de- cidedly the case in this order of animals, for thr skeleton in them does not give us the true shape. An immense head, a small neck, few ribs, and in many a short sternum and no pelvU, with a long APPENDIX. spine, terminating in a point, require more than a skin being laid over them in order to give the re- gular and characteristic form of the animal. The bones of the anterior extremity give no idea of the shape of a fin, the form of which depends wholly upon its covering. The differ- ent parts of the skeleton are so inclosed, and the spaces between the projecting parts are so filled up, as to be altogether concealed, giving the animal externally an uniform and elegant form, resembling an insect enveloped in its chrysalis coat. The bones of the head are in general so large, as to render the cavity which contains the brain but a small part of the whole ; while in the human species, and in birds, this cavity constitutes the principal bulk of the head *. This is, perhaps, most remarkable in the Spermaceti Whale ; for on a general view of the bones of the head, it is im- possible to determine where the cavity of the skull lies, till led to it by the foramen magnum OCT ciptalc. The same remark is applicable to the large Whalebone and Lottie-nose Whale ; but in the Porpoise, where the brain is larger in proportion to the size of the animal, the skull makes the principal part of the head. Some of the bones in one genus differ from those of another. The lower jaw is an instance * In the Porpoise however, the head of which bears a consider- able resemblance to that of a bird, the brain is extremely large, and much resembles the human. APPENDIX. 523 iik Iii the Spermaceti Whale, the Bottle- ainpus. and the Porpoise, the lower . especially at the posterior ends, resemble - other; hut in hotli the lar^e and small U halcbonc Whales, the shape differs c ahly: the number of some particular hones like- wise differs very much. The Piked Whale has seven vertebra; in the neck, twelve which may be reckoned to the back, and twenty-seven to the tail, making forty-six in the whole. In the Porpoise there are five cervical vertebrae, and one common to the neck and back, tour proper to the back, and thirty to the tail, ma; in the whole fifty-one. The small 15ottle-no.se Whale, in the number of cervical vertebra?, resembles the Porpoise ; it has seventeen in the hack, and thirty-seven in the tail, in all sixty. In the Porpoise, four of the vertebrae of the neck arc anchylosed ; and in every animal of this order, which I have examined, the atlas is by much the thickest, and seems to be made up of two joined together, for the second cervical nerve posses through a foramen in this vertebra. There is no articulation for a rotator}' motion between the first and second vertebrae of the neck. The small Bottle-nose Whale has eighteen ribs on each side ; the Porpoise sixteen. The ends of the ribs that have two articulations, in the whole of this tribe, I believe, are articulated with the body of the vertebne above, and with the trmna- 524 APPEXDIX. verse processes below by the angles ; so that there is one vertebra common to the neck and back. In the large Whalebone Whale the first rib is bifurcated, and consequently articulated to two vertebrae. The sternum is very flat in the Piked Whale ; it is only one very short bone ; and in the Porpoise it is a good deal longer. In the small Bottle-nose it is composed of three bones, and is of some length. In the Piked Whale the first rib, and in the Porpoise the three first, are articulated with the sternum. As a contraction, corresponding to the neck in quadrupeds, would have been improper in this order of animals, the vertebras of the neck are thin, to make the distance between the head and shoulders as short as possible, and in the small Bottle-nose WThale are only six in number. The structure of the bones is similar to that of the bones of quadrupeds ; they are composed of an animal substance, and an earth that is not ani- mal : these seem only to be mechanically mixed, or rather the earth thrown into the interstices of the animal part. In the bones of fishes this does not seem to be the case, the earth in many fish being so united with the animal part, as to render the whole transparent, which is not the case when the animal part is removed by steeping the bone in caustic alkali ; nor is the animal part so trans- parent when deprived of the earth. The bone? are less compact than those of quadrupeds that are similar to them. A IT r\ nix. ;.C.» Their form sonu \\ hat resembles v kes place in the quadruped, at least in th<>M- of \\hich the uses are similar, as the \ I IB, and F the antt i! I their arti- culations in part alike, although not in all of them. '1 he articulation of the lower jaw, of the carpus, metacarpus, and li; are exceptions, The articulation of the loucr ja\\ i.s not by simple contact either single or double, joint d l» sular ligament, as in the quadruped; but by a very thick intermediate substance of the liga- mentous kind, so interwoven that it> parts i on each other, in the interstices of which i.s an oil. This thick matted .substance may answer the same purpose as the double joint in the quadruped. The two fins are analogous to the anterior ex- tremitics of the quadruped, and are also some- what similar in construction. A fin is composed of a scapula, os humeri, ulna, radius, carpus, and metacarpus, in which last may be included the fingers, because the number of bones are those v, hich might be called lingers, though they are not separated, but included in one general c<> ing with the metacarpus. They have nothing analogous to the thumb, and the number of bones in each is different : iu the fore-J live bones; in the middle and ring-linger SCMII. and in the little linger four. The articulation of the carpus, metacarpus, and fingers, is diflV from that of the quadruped, n .j» by capsu- lar ligament, but by intermediate cartilages COO- mrted to each bone. These cartilage* between the APPENDIX. different bones of the lingers are of considerable length, being nearly equal to one half of that of the bone; and this construction of the parts gives firmness, with some degree of pliability, to the whole. As this order of animals cannot be said to have a pelvis, they of course have no os sacrum, and therefore the vertebras are continued on to the end of the tail ; but with no distinction between those of the loins and tail. But as those vertebrae alone would not have had sufficient surface to give rise to the muscles requisite to the motion of the tail, there are bones added to the fore-part of some of the first vertebne of the tail, similar to the spinal processes on the posterior surface. From all these observations we may infer, that the structure, formation, arrangement, and the union of the bones, which compose the forms of parts in this order of animals, are much upon the same principle as in quadrupeds. The flesh or muscles of this order of animals is- red, resembling that of quadrupeds, perhaps more like that of the Bull or Horse than any other ani- mal: some of it is very firm; and about the breast and belly it is mixed with tendon. Although the body and tail is composed of a series of bones connected together and moved as in tMi, yet it has its movements produced by long muscles, with long tendons; which renders the body thicker, while the tail at its stem is smaller than that of any other swimmer, whose principal motion is the same. Why this mode of applying 527 ftp HQwin , powers .should not have been used in i> probably not so ea iiy answered; but in 1 MI- must -U-s of the body art ly tlie same length as the \crtebne. The depressor muscles of tbe tail, which are similar in .situation to the psoa\ make two very ridges on the lower part of the cavity of the belly, rising much higher than the spine, and the lower part of the aorta passes between them. Tliese two large muscles, instead of being in- serted into two extremities as in the quadruped, go to the tail, which may be considered in this order of animals as the two posterior extremities united into one. Their muscles, a very .short time after death, lose their fibrous texture, and become as uniform in texture as clay or dough, and even softer. This eli not from putrefaction, as they continue to be free from any offensive smell, and is most remarkable in the psoaj muscles, and those of the buck. The mode in which the tail is constructed is perhaps a.s beautiful, as to the mechanism, as any animal. It is wholly composed of tlm . of tendinous fibres, covered by the common cutis and cuticle : two of these layers are extern : I ; the other internal. The direction of the fibres of the external layers is the same as in the tail, forming a stratum about one third of an inch tluck ; but varying in this respect as the tail is thicker or thinner. The middle layer is com- posed entirely of tendinous fibres, passing directly 528 APPENDIX. across, between the two external ones above de- scribed, the length being in proportion to the thickness of the tail : a structure which gives amazing strength to this part. The substance of the tail is so firm and com- pact, that the vessels retain their dilated state, even when cut across, and this section consists of a large vessel surrounded by as many small ones as can come in contact with its external surface ; which of these are arteries and which veins I do not know. The fins are merely covered with a strong, con- densed, adipose membrane. The fat of this order of animals, except the spermaceti, is what we generally term oil. It does not coagulate in our atmosphere, and is pro- bably the most fluid of animal fats. The fat is differently situated in different orders of animals ; in those which are the subject of the present paper it is found principally on the outside of the muscles, immediately under the skin, and is in considerable quantity : it is rarely to be met with in the interstices of the muscles, or in any of the cavities, such as the abdomen, or about the heart : the small quantity found in the cavities of the body and interstices of parts is in general disposed in the same way as in quadrupeds ; but the external, which includes the principal part, is inclosed in a reticular membrane, appa- rently composed of fibres passing in all directions, which seem to confine its extent, allowing it little or no motion on itself; the whole, when distended, APPENDIX. almost tunning a solid bod\ always the case, in every pint <>t animals of order, for under the head, or uhat may be rathu called n> U'i, •. at is :inecl in larger cells, admitting of mo- This rcticular membrau y line 1:1 ^>inc, and strong and coarse in others, and even varies in different parts of the same animal. It i> tint- in the Porpoise, Spermaceti, and large \\ hale i Whale, and coarse in the Grampus and small Whalebone Whale. In all of them it is I on the body, becoming coarser t< t he tail, which is composed of fibres without any which is also the case in the covering fina, In this order of animals the internal fat is the fluid, and is nearly of the consistence of hog'g lard; the external is the common train oil: but the Spermaceti Whale differs from i '.her animal 1 have examined ; having ti kinds of fat just mentioned, and another which is totally different, called spermac eti. This is found every where in the body in small quantities, mixed with the common fat, to \vhich it | \crysinall proportion; but in the head it is the u \CIM-, for there the spermaceti is large in quantity compared with the oil, although they arc mixid, as in other parts of the body. As the spermaceti is found in the largest quantity in the head, and in what would appear on a slight view to be the cavity of the skull, from a peculiarity of the .shape of that bone, it has been imagined by some to be the brain. 530 APPENDIX. These two kinds of fat in the head are con- tained in cells or cellular membrane, in the same manner as the fat in other animals ; but besides the common cells there are larger ones, or liga- mentous partitions going across, the better to sup- port the vast load of oil, of which the bulk of the head is principally made up. There are two places in the head where this oil lies ; these are situated along its upper and lo\ver parts : between them pass the nostrils, and a vast number of tendons going to the nose and dif- ferent parts of the head. The purest spermaceti is contained in the small- est and least ligamentous cells : it lies above the nostrils, all along the upper part of the head, im- mediately above the skin and common adipose membrane. These cells resemble those which contain the common fat in the other parts of the body nearest the skin. That which lies above the roof of the mouth, or between the nostrils, is more intermixed with a ligamentous cellular membrane, and lies in chambers whose partitions are perpen- dicular. These chambers are smaller the nearer the nose, becoming larger towards the back part of the head, where the spermaceti is more pure. This spermaceti, when extracted cold, has a good deal the appearance of the internal struc- ture of a water-melon, and is found in rather so- lid lumps. About the nose or anterior part of the nostril, I discovered a great many vessels, having the ap- pearance of a plexus of veins, some as large as a APPENDIX. 531 finger. On examining them I found them load- ed uiiii tiic spermaceti and oil; and some had corresponding arteries. '1 . >st probably lymphatics ; and 1 should therefore suppose that their contents had been absorbed from tin ceili of the head may the more readily suppose tliis, from finding many of the cells or chambers almost empty; and as ue : isonably believe that this animal had betii some time out of the teas in which it could procure proper food, it had perhaps lived on the supcrabund.i its oil. The solid masses are what are brought home in casks for sjKTmaccti. The skin in this order »\ animals consists of a cutiele and cutis. .tide is somewhat simi- lar to that on the sole of the human foot, and ap- pears to be made up <>r ;i number of layers, which separate by slight putrefaction; but this 1 suspect arises in some <1< t being a succc* of cuticles formed. It has no deg or toughness, but tear-, ea.sih ; nor do its Ji appear to have ;. m. Th : and thick, and in the V» hale i nal sm i icn sepa- velvet, each pile :g firm in , > j'i.io ; hut Uiis is not so distii-L'-iiisliablf although it appears rough from the in numrraUe perforations. It La i r;uiele tliat gives colour to the animal; and in parU thai an dark I think 1 have sett a diit\ -coloured substance washed away in tlic at* pautjon or'ih-- eutxlc from the cutis, \unchmuat 5S2 APPENDIX. be a kind of rete mucosum. The cutis in this tribe is extremely villous on its external surface, answering to the rough surface of the cuticle, and forming in some parts small ridges, similar to those on the human fingers and toes. These villi are soft and pliable ; they float in water, and each is longer or shorter according to the size of the animal. In the Spermaceti Whale they were about a quarter of an inch long: in the Grampus, Bottle- nose, and Piked Whales much shorter : in all they are extremely vascular. The mouths of animals are the first parts to be considered respecting nourishment or food, and are so much connected with every thing relative to it, as not only to give good hints whether the food is animal or vegetable, but also respecting the particular kinds of either, and especially of animal food. The mouth in this tribe is well adapted for catching the food : the jaws spread as they go back, making the mouth proportionally wider than in many other animals. In the forma- tion of the mouth in Whales, there is a very great variety. Some catch their food by means of teeth, as in the Porpoise and Grampus: in others they are only in one jaw, as in the Spermaceti Whale ; and in the large Bottle-nose Whale described by Dale, there are only two small teeth in the ante- rior part of the lower jaw ; while in some others there are none at all. In those which have teeth in both jaws the number varies very considerably: the small Bottle-nose has forty-six in the upper, and fifty in the lower : and in the jaws of others APPEND: $33 there arc only live or tii in each. The teeth arc not di visible into different classes, as in quadrupeds, hut air all pointed teeth, and are comnu>.,ly a good deal similar. Lach t«»u.,i i, a doul- one point bcinyf fastened into tlie gum, the other projecting: they are however not all of exactly ihape. In some species of IWpoise the fang is flattened, and thin at its extremity : in the Spermaceti \\ hale the- body of the tooth is a little curved towards the hack part of the mouth; as is also the case \vith some others. The teeth are composed of animal substance and earth, similar to the bony part of the teeth in quadruped* It would appear that these animals do not shed their teeth, nor have they new ones formed similar to the old, as i> the case with most other quadrupeds, and aNo \\ith the Alligator. I have never been able to detect young teeth under the roots of the old ; and indeed the situation in which they arc formed makes it in some degree impossible, if the young teeth follow the same rule in growing with the original ones, as they probably do in -t animals. Some genera of this tribe have another mode of catching their food, and retaining it till it isswal- d ; which is by means of the substance called debone. Of this there arc two kinds kno one very large ; probably from the largest of all Whale* yet disc. : the other from a smaller species. The whalebone, which is placed on the inside of the mouth, and attached to the upper jaw, v. n. P. ir. 3j 534- APPENDIX. constitutes one of the most singular circumstances belonging to this species, as they have most other parts in common with quadrupeds. It is a sub- stance, I believe, peculiar to the Whale, and of the same nature as horn ; or similar to that which constitutes hair, nails, claws, feathers, &c. It is wholly composed of an animal substance, and ex- tremely elastic. Whalebone consists of thin plate's, of some breadth, and in some of very considerable length, the breadth and length in some degree corre- sponding with one another ; and when longest they are commonly broadest, but not always so. These plates are very different in size in different parts of the same animal's mouth ; more especially in the large Whalebone Whale, whose 'upper jaw- does not pass parallel upon the under, but makes an arch, the semidiameter of which is about one fourtli of the length of the jaw. The head in my possession is nineteen feet long, the semidiameter not quite five feet: if this proportion is preserved, those Whales which have whalebone fifteen feet long must be of an immense size. These plates are placed in several rows, encom- passing the outer skirts of the upper jaw, similar to teeth in other animals. They stand parallel to each other, having one edge towards the circum- ference of the mouth, and the other towards the centre or cavity. They are placed near together iu the Piked Whale, not being a quarter of an inch asunder at the greatest distance, yet differ- APPEND1 535 in this respect in different parts of the same mouth ; but in the great \Vlmlc the distances arc usidcral The outer iou is composed of the longest plates; and these are in proportion to the different dis- fences between the two jaws, some being four- teen or fifteen feet long, and twelve or fifteen inches broad; but towards the anterior and pos- i part of the mouth they are very short: they rise for half a root or more, nearly of equal JnniHtiif. and afterwards shelve off from their inner side until they come near to a point at tin- outer: the cxtutor of the inner rows ace the longest, corresponding at the termination of the declivity of the outer, and become shorter and -ImrUT till they hardly ri down with it. The smaller plates are iv of an equal thickness upon both edges. In all of them Hie termination is in a kind of hair, as if the plate was .split into innumerable small pair-. ii. ' xt< rior being the longest and strongest. The two sides of the mouth composed of these 1 v in a point at the tip of the jaw, APPENDIX. and spread or recede laterally from each other as they pass back ; and at their posterior ends, in the Piked Whale, they make a sweep inwards, and come very near each other, just before the open- ing of the oesophagus. In the Piked Whale there were above three hundred in the outer rows on each side of the mouth. Each layer terminates in an oblique surface, which obliquity inclines to the roof of the mouth, answering to the gradual diminution of their length ; so that the whole sur- face, composed of these terminations, forms one plane, rising gradually from the roof of the mouth : from this obliquity of the edge of the outer row, we may in some measure judge of the extent of the whole base, but not exactly, as it makes a hollow curve, which increases the base. The whole surface resembles the skin of an animal covered with strong hair, under which surface the tongue must immediately lie when the mouth is shut : it is of a lio;ht-brown colour in the Piked ^j Whale, and of a darker colour in the large W'hale. In the Piked Whale, when the mouth is shut, the projecting whalebone remains entirely on the in- side of the lower jaw, the two jaMrs meeting every where along their surface ; but how this is effected in the large Whale I do not certainly know, the horizontal plane made by the lower jaw being strait, as in the Piked Whale; but the upper jaw being an arch cannot be hid by the lower. I sup- pose therefore that a broad upper lip, meeting as low as the lower jaw, covers the whole of the outer edges of the exterior rows. The whalebone is APPENDIX. 537 continually wearing down, and renewing in the same proportion, except that when the animal U growing it is renewed luster, and in proportion t<> <»wth. The use of the whalebone, I .should believe, is principally for the retention of the food till swallowed, and do suppose that the fish they catch are small when compared with the size of the mouth. The oesophagus is larger in proportion to the hulk of the animal than in the quadruped, although not so much so as it usually is in fish, which we may suppose swallow their food much in the same way. In the Piked Whale it was three inches and a half wide. The stomach, as in other animals, lies on the left side of the body, and terminates in the pylorus towards the right. The Duodenum passes down on the right side, very much as in the human subject, excepting that it is more exposed, from the colon not cross- ing it : it lies on the right kidney, and then passes to the left side behind the ascending part of the colon and root of the mesentery, comes out on the left side, and getting on the edge of the mesentery becomes a loose intestine, forming the jejunum. In this course, behind the mesentery it is exposed, as in most quadrupeds, not being covered by it KN in the human. The jejunum and ilium pass along the edge of the mesentery downwards to the lower part of the abdomen. The ilium near the lower end makes a turn towards the right side, and then mounting upwards, round the edge of the mesentery, passes a little way on the right, as 538 APPENDIX. lii^h as the kidney, and there enters the colon, or coecum : tlie coecum lies on the lower end of the kidney, considerably higher than in the human body, which renders the ascending part of the colon short. The coecum is about seven inches long, and more like that of the Lion or Seal than any other animal I know. The colon passes obliquely up the right side, a little towards the middle of the abdomen, and when as high as the stomach, crosses to the left, and ac-« ( juires a broad mesocolon : at this part it lies upon the left kidney, and in its passage down gets more and more to the middle line of the body. When it has reached the lower part of the abdo- men it passes behind the other viscera, bending down to open on what is called the belly of the animal, and in its whole course it is gently con- voluted. In those which have no coecum, and therefore can hardly be said to have a colon, the intestine before its termination in the rectum makes the same kind of sweep round the other in- testines as th£ colon does where there is a coccum. The intestines are not large for the size of the animal, not being larger in those of eighteen or twenty-four feet long than in the Horse, the colon not much more capacious than the jejunum and ilium, and very short ; a circumstance com- mon to carnivorous animals. In the Piked Whale the length from the stomach to the coecum is twenty-eight yards and a half, length of coecum seven inches, of the colon to the vent two yards and three quarters. The small intestines are just APPENDIX. 539 times the length of the animal, the colon with the coecum a little more than one half the length. Those parts that respect the nourishment of this tribe do not all BO exactly correspond as in land ani- mals ; for in these one in some degree leads to the other. Thus the teeth in the ruminating trihe point out the kind of stomach, coecum, and colon ; while in others, as the Hor> , Lion, &c. the ap- pearances of the teeth only give us the kind of colon and coecum ; hut in this tribe, wh< teeth or no teeth, the stomachs do not vary much, nor docs the circumstance of the coecum seem to depend on either teeth or stomach. The circum- stances by which from the form of one pait \ve jinl^c what others are, fail us here; hut this from not knowing all the circun; The stomach, in all that I have examined, con- sists of several hags, continued from the first on the left, towards the right, where the last ter- minates in the duodenum. The numher is not the same in all; for in the Porpoise, (irampui, and Piked \Vhalc, there are live; in the Iiottlc-n0tf •i. Their size respecting one another differ* very considerably, so that the largest in one spe» cie» may in another be only the second. The t\\o first in the Porpoise, Bottle-nose, and Piked U hale, are by much the largest; the others are smaller, though irregularly so. The first stomach lias, I believe, in all very much the shape of an egg, with the small cad ,540 APPENDIX. downwards. It is lined every where with a con- tinuation of the cuticle from the oesophagus. In the Porpoise the oesophagus enters the superior end of the stomach. In the Piked Whale its en- trance is a little way on the posterior part of the upper end, and is oblique. The second stomach in the Piked Whale is very large, and rather longer than the first. It is of the shape of an Italic S, passing out from the up- per end of the first on its right side, by nearly as large a beginning as the body of the bag. In the Porpoise it by no means bears the same pro- portion to the first, and opens by a narroAvrer ori- fice ; then passing down along the right side of the stomach, it bends a little outwards at the lower end, and terminates in the third. Where this second stomach begins, the cuticle of the first ends. The whole of the inside of this sto- mach is thrown into unequal rugas, appearing like a large irregular honey-comb. In the Piked Whale the rugse are longitudinal, and in many places very deep, some of them being united by cross bands ; and in the Porpoise the folds are very thick, massy, and indented into one another. This stomach opens into the third by a round contracted orifice, which does not seem to be valvular. s The third stomach is by much the smallest, and appear to be only a passage between the second and fourth. It has no peculiar structure on the inside, but terminates in the fourth by nearly a& APPENDIX. large an opening as at beginning. In the Por- poisc it is not above one, and in the Iloitlc-iXMe about five inches long. The fourth .stomach is of considerable size; but • good deal U>N tii in cither first or second. In the Piked Whale it is not round, but seems flat- tened between the second and fifth. In the Por- e it ia long, passing, in a serpentine course, almost like an intestine. The internal surfa .lar but villous, and opens on its right side into the fifth, by a round opening .smaller than the entrance from the third. The fifth stomach is in the Piked Whale roir and in the Porpoi^o oval : it is small, and termi- nates in the pylorus, which ha.s little of' a valvular appearance. I; are thinner tii.m those of the fourth, having an even inner surface, which is commonly tinged with bile. The Piked Whale, and, I believe, the large Whalebone Whale, have a ccecum; but it U want- in g in the Porpoise, (irampus, and Dottle-nose Whale. The structure of the inner surface of the intes- tine is i. very singular, and different from that of the otlu The inner surface of the duodenum in the Piked Whale is thrown into longitudinal rug Ives, which are at M.mc di-!ancc from each other, and the^ e lateral folds. The duodenum in the Hot tic-nose swells out into a very lai. ty. and might almost be 542 APPENDIX. reckoned an eighth stomach; but as the gall- ducts enter it, I shall call it duodenum. The inner coat of the jejunum and ilium appears in irregular folds, which may vary according as the muscular coat of the intestine acts : yet I do not believe that their form depends entirely on that circumstance, as they run longitudinally, and take a serpentine course when the gut is shortened by the contraction of the longitudinal muscular fibres. The intestinal canal of the Porpoise has several longitudinal folds of the inner coat pass- ing along it, through the whole of its length. In the Bottle-nose the inner coat, through nearly the whole track of the intestine, is thrown into large cells, and these again subdivided into smaller, the axis of which cells is not perpendicular to a trans- verse section of the intestine, but oblique, forming pouches with mouths downwards, and acting al- most like valves, when any thing is attempted to lie passed in a contrary direction : they begin faintly in the duodenum, before it makes its quick turn, and terminates near the vent. The colon and rectum have the rugae very flat, which seems to depend entirely on the contraction of the gut. The rectum, near the vent, appears, for four or five inches, much contracted, is glandular, co- vered by a soft cuticle, and the vent is small. I never found any air in the intestines of this tribe, nor indeed in any of the aquatic animals. The mesentcric artery anastomoses by large branch APPF.NTJIX. 343 There is a considerable degree of unit-unity in the liver of this tiilu- of animals. In shape it nearly ir-.'Mihlrs the human, hut is not M> thick at the base, nor so sharp at the lower edge, and is probably not so firm in its texture. The right lobe is the largest and thickest, its falciform liga- ment broad, and there is a la;. ire between the two lobes, in which the round liganu nt passes. The liver towards the left i^ very mm !i ittached to the stomach, the little epiploon being at!. Mil».tance. There is no gill-bladder: the hepatic duet is large, and enters the duodenum a1 seven inches beyond the pylorux The pancreas is a very long, flat body, having its left end attached to the right side of tin cavity of the stomach : it passes across the spine at the root of the mesentery, and i the pylorus joins the hollow curve of the duodenum along which it is continued, and adheres to that intestine, its duct entering that of the liver near the termination in the gut. Although tlm tribe eannot be said to ruminate, o \tt in the number of stomachs they come nearest to that order; but here I suspect that the order of digestion is in some degree inverted. In both the ruminants, and in this tribe, I think it must be allowed that the first stomaeh is a reservoir. In the ruminants the precise use of the set ;;nd third stomachs is perhaps not known ; but di- gestion is et i tainly carried on in the fourth ; while in this tribe, I imagine, digestion is ,544 APPENDIX. formed in the second, and the use of the third and fourth is not exactly ascertained. The coecum and colon do not assist in pointing out the nature of the food and mode of digestion in this tribe. The Porpoise, which has teeth, and four cavities to the stomach, has no coecum, simi- lar to some land animals, as the Bear, Badger, Raccoon, Ferret, Polecat, £c. neither has the Bottle-nose a coecum, which has only two small teeth in the lower jaw ; and the Piked Whale, which has no teeth, has a coecum, almost exactly like the Lion, which has teeth, and a very dif- ferent kind of stomach. The food of the whole of this tribe is, I believe, fish : probably each may have a peculiar kind of which it is fondest ; yet does not refuse variety. In the stomach of the large Bottle-nose I found the beaks of some hundreds of Cuttle-fish. In the Grampus I found the tail of a Porpoise; so that they eat their own genus. In the stomach of the Piked Whale I found the bones of different fish, but particularly those of the Dog-fish. From the size of the oesophagus we may conclude, that they do not swallow fish so large in proportion to their size as many fish do Avhicli we have reason to believe take their food in the same way : for fish often attempt to swallow what is larger than their stomachs can at one time contain, and part re- mains in the oesophagus till the rest is digested. The epiploon, on the whole, is a thin mem- brain-: on tlu1 rigljt side it is rather a thin net- APPEND! work, though on the It-It is a complete membrane, antl near to the stomach of the sau incomes of a considerable thickness, efpct i.illv < the two !,i>t bags of tin li. It has little or no fat, e\eept \vhat slightly covers the \cv#\ particular parts. It is attar! Is, all along, to the lower part of the different hags uhi« li . stitute the stomach, and on the right to the root of the mesentery, between the .stomach and trans- vci-Ne arch of the colon, first behind the trans- t arch of the colon and root of the intsein then to the posterior .surface of the left or bag of the stomach, behind the anterior alt ment, In some of this tribe there i-, the us&l passage behind the vessels g- • the 1 common to all quadrupeds I am acquaint! but in others, as the small Hottlc-no>c, th such passage, which by the ca\ ind tin- stomach in the epiploon of this animal becomes m circumscribed ca\-ity. The .spleen is involved in the epiploon, .md i-» \erv Miiall tor the size of the animal. Thf re arc in .some, as in the Porp- > small ones, about the size of a nutmeg, often smaller, placed in the epiploon behind the otl; These are sometime* met with in the human lx>. The kidneys in the \\l\n\ <>: ti M tril)c of ani- mals are conglomerated, !>< iller parts, which are on > llular mem- brane, blood-vessels, and ducts or infundil. but not partially connected by contin *ob- >tance, as in the human body, the ox. Ac. < 546 APPENDIX. portion is of a conical figure, whose apex is placed towards the centre of the kidney, the base mak- ing the external surface ; each is composed of a cortical and tubular substance, the tubular ter- minating in the apex, which apex makes the ma- milla. Each mamilla has an infundibulum, which is long, and at its beginning wide, embracing the base of the mamilla, and becoming smaller. The whole kidney is an oblong flat body, broader and thicker at the upper ei;d than the lower, and has the appearance of being made up of different parts placed close together, almost like the pavement of a street. Whether being inhabitants of the water makes such a construction of the kidney necessary I cannot say ; yet one must suppose it to have some connection with such a situation, since we find it almost uniformly take place in animals inha- biting the water, whether wholly, as this tribe, or occasionally, as the Manatee, Seal, and white Bear : there is however the same structure in the black Bear, which, I believe, never inhabits the water. This perhaps should be considered in another light, as Nature keeping up to a certain degree of uniformity in the structure of similar animals ; for the black bear in construction of parts is, in every other respect as well as this, like the white bear. The capsulrc renales are small for the size of the animal, when compared to the human, as indeed they are in most animals. They are flat, and of an oval figure : the right lies on the lower and pos- APPENDIX. J17 tcrior pan of the diaphragm, somewhat higher than the kidney ; the hit i^ M >wer d« by the side of the aorta, between it and kidney. Tl icy are composed « substances; the external having the t in keeping up the animal heat ; but as these animals may be said to live in a very cold climate or atmosphere, and such as readily carries offlieat from the body, they may want some help of this kind. It is certain that the quantity of blood in this tribe and in the Seal is comparati\ _jcr than in the quadruped, and therefore probably amounts to more than that of any other known animal. This tribe differs from fish in having the blood carried to the extreme parts of the b similar to the quadruped. The cavity of the thorax is compose! of the >ame | .: IN as in the quadruped: but there ap- » be some difference, and the varieties in the different genera are greater. The general cavity is divided ii . as in the quadruped, by the heart and mediastinum. The heart in this tribe, and in the Seal, is pro- bably larger in proportion to their site than in the 543 APPENDIX. quadruped, as also the blood-vessels, more espe- cially the veins. The heart is inclosed in its pericardium, which is attached by a broad surface to the diaphragm, as in the human body. It is composed of four cavities, two auricles, and two ventricles : it is more flat than in the quadruped, and adapted to the shape of the chest. The auricles have more fasciculi, and these pass more across the cavity from side to side than in many other animals ; besides, being very muscular, they are very elas- tic, for being stretched they contract again very considerably. There is nothing uncommon or particular in the structure of the ventricles, in the valves of the ventricles, or in that of the ar- teries. The general structure of the arteries resembles that of other animals ; and where parts are nearly similar, the distribution is likewise similar. The aorta forms it usual curve, and sends off the ca- rotid and subclavian arteries. Animals of this tribe, as has been observed, have a greater proportion of blood than any other known ; and there are many arteries ap- parently intended as reservoirs, where a larger quantity of arterial blood seemed to be required in a part, and vascularity could not be the object. Tims we find, that the intercostal arteries divide into a vast number of branches, which run in a serpentine course between the pleura, ribs, and their muscles, so as to form a pretty thick sub- stance. Those vessels, every where lining the APPENDIX. 549 sides of the thorax, pass in between the ribs near their articulation, and also behind the liganientoiu attachment ot'thc ribs, and anastomose with each other. The medulla spinulis is surrounded with a net-work of arteries in the same inamu especially where it comes out from the I a thick substance is formed by their rainilie.iii<>n> and convolutions ; and these vessels must proba- bly anastomoM- with those of the thoi The subclaviaii artery in the Piked \\lulc, be- fore it passes over the fust rib, tt HH into the chest arteries which m tunning the plexus on the inside of the ribs; I am not certain but the internal mammary arteries contribute to form the anterior part of this plexus. The mo- tion of the blood in such must be very slow ; the use of which we do not readily see. The descend- ing aorta sends off the intercostals, \> hich arc very large, and give branches to this plexus; and when it has reached the abdomen, it sends off, a.> in the quadruped, the different branches to the vis. and the lumbar arteries, which are likewise - large, for the supply of that va.st mass of uiu> which moves the tail. In our examination of particular parts, tlie size of which is Hem-rally regulated by that of the whole animal, if we have been accustomed to see them in those which are small or middle-sized, we behold them with astonishment in animals so far exceeding the common bulk as the \\lule. Thus the heart and aorta of the Spermaceti Wnalc appeared prodigious, being too large to be contained in a v. ii. P. ii. 36 552 APPENDIX. There is a variety in some species of these ani- mals, which is, I believe, peculiar to this order, viz. the want of the sense of smelling ; none of those which I have yet examined having that sense, except the two kinds of Whalebone Whale: such of course have neither the olfactory nerves nor the organ : therefore in them the nostrils are intended merely for respiration ; but others have the organ placed in this passage as in other ani-^ mals. The membranous portion of the posterior nos- trils is one canal ; but when in the bony part, in most of them, it is divided into two : the Sper- maceti Whale however is an exception. In those which have it divided, it is in some continued double through the anterior soft parts, opening by two orifices, as in the Piked Whale ; but in others it unites again in the membranous part, making externally only one orifice, as in the Por- poise, Grampus, and Bottle-nose Whale, At its beginning in the fauces, it is a roundish hole, surrounded by a strong sphincter muscle, for grasping the epiglottis : beyond this the canal be- comes larger, and opens into the two passages in the bones of the head. This part is very glandu- lar, being full of follicles, whose ducts ramify in the surrounding substance, which appears fatty and muscular like the root of the tongue, and these ramifications communicate with each other, and contain a viscid slime. In the Spermaceti Whale, which has a single canal, it is thrown a APPENDIX. 553 little to the left side. After these canals emerge from the bones near the external opening, they become irregular, and have several sulci passing out laterally, of irregular forms, with correspond- ing eminences. The structure of these eminence* is muscular and fatty, but less muscular than the tongue of a quadruped. In the Porpoise there are two sulci on each side: two large and two small, with corresponding eminences of different shapes, the larger ones being thrown into folds. The Spermaceti Whale has the least of this s»t; ture ; the external opening in it comes farther for- wards towards the anterior part of the lu is consequently longer than in others of this ordtr. Near to its opening externally, it forms a large sulcus, and on each side of this canal is a car- tilage, which runs nearly its whole length. In all that I have examined, this canal, forwards from the bones, is entirely lined with a thick cu- ticle of a dark colour. In those which have only one external opening, it is transverse, as in the Porpoise, Grampus, Bottle-nose, and Spermaceti Whale, &c. where double, they are longitudinal, as in the I'iked Whale, and the large Whalebone Whale. These openings form a passage for the air in respiration to and from the lungs; for it would he impossible for these animals to breathe air through the mouth : indeed I believe the hu- man species alone breathe by the mouth, and in them it is mostly from habit ; for in quadrupeds the epiglottis conducts the air into the nose. In the whole of this nibe the situation of the opening 554 APPENDIX. on the upper surface of the head is well adapted for that purpose, being the first part that comes to the surface of the water in the natural progres- sive motion of the animal ; and therefore it is to be considered principally as a respiratory organ, and where it contains the organ of smell, that is only secondary. The size of the brain differs much in different genera of this tribe, and likewise in the propor- tion it bears to the bulk of the animal. In the Porpoise, I believe, it is largest, and in that re- spect comes nearest to the human. The size of the cerebellum, in proportion to that of the cere- brum, is smaller in the human subject than in any animal with which I am acquainted. In many quadrupeds, as the Horse, Cow, &c. the dispro- portion between the cerebellum and cerebrum is not great, and in this tribe it is still less ; yet not so small as in the bird, &c. The whole brain in this tribe is compact, the anterior part of the cere- brum not projecting so far forwards as in either the quadruped or in the human subject; neither is the medulla oblongata so prominent, but flat, lying in a kind of hollow made by the two lobes of the cerebellum. The brain is composed of cortical and medullary substances, very distinctly marked ; the cortical being, in colour, like the tubular substance of a kidney ; the medullary very white. The sub- stances are nearly in the same proportion as in the human brain. The two lateral ventricles are large, and in those that have olfactory nerves are APPENDIX. 555 not continued into them, as in many quadrupeds; nor do they wind so much outwards as in the hu- man subject, Imt pass close round the posterior ends of the thalami nervorum opticornm. The thalami themselves are large, the corpora striata small ; the crura of the fornix are continued along the windings of the ventricles, much a> in the hu- man subject. The plexus choroides is attached to a strong membrane, which covers the thalami ner- vorum opticorum, and passes through the whole course of the ventricle, much as in the human subject. The substance of the brain is moi sibly fibrous than I ever saw it in any other ani- mal, the fibres passing from the ventricles as from a centre to the circumference, which fibrous tex- ture is also continued through the cortical sub- stance. The whole brain in the Piked Wliale weighed four pounds ten ounces. The nerves going out from the brain, 1 beli( are similar to those of the quadruped, except in the want of the olfactory nerves in the genus of the Porpoise. The medulla oblongata is much smaller in pro- portion to the size of the body than in the human species, but still bears some proportion to t he- quantity of brain ; for in the Porpoise, where the brain is largest, the medulla spinalis is largest; yet this did not hold good in the Spermaceti Whale, the size of the medulla spinalis appearing to be proportionally larger than the brain, which was small when compared to the size of the ani- mal. It has a cortical part in die centre, and 556 APPENDIX. terminates about the twenty-fifth vertebra, beyond which is the cauda equina, the dura mater going no lower. The nerves which go off from the medulla spinalis are more uniform in size than in the quadruped, there being no such inequality of parts, nor any extremities to be supplied, except the iins. The medulla spinalis is more fibrous in its structure than in other animals ; and when an attempt is made to break it longitudinally, it tears with a fibrous appearance, but transversely it breaks irregularly. The dura mater lines the skull, and forms in some the three processes answerable to the divisions of the brain, as in the human sub- ject; but in others this is bone. Where it co- vers the medulla spinalis, it differs from all the quadrupeds I am acquainted with, inclosing the medulla closely, and the nerves immediately pass- ing out through it at the lower part, as they do at the upper, so that the cauda equina, as it forms, is on the outside of the dura mater. The cutis in this tribe appears, in general, particularly well calculated for sensation ; the whole surface being covered with villi, which are so many vessels, and we must suppose, nerves. Whether this structure is only necessary for acute sensation, or whether it is necessary for common sensation, where the cuticle is thick and consist- ing of many layers, I do not know. We ma}r observe, that where it is necessary the sense of touch should be accurate, the villi are usually thick and long, which probably is necessary, be- cause in most parts of the body, where -the more AJ x. 557 acute sensations of touch are required, such parts Covered by a thick cuticle; of this the ends of our lingers, toes, and the foot of the hoofed ani- mals, are remarkable examples. Whether this sense is more acute in water, I am not certain, but should imagine it is. The tongue, which is the organ of taste, is also endowed with the sense of touch. It is likewise to be considered, in the «»-i number <>t' ani- mals, as an instrument tor mechanical purposes; but probably less so in this tribe than any other. However, even in these, it must have been tunned with this view, since, merely as an organ of taste, it would only have required surfai is a pro- jecting body, endowed with motion. In the Spermaceti Whale the tongue is almost Tike a fea- ther-bed. In the Piked Whale it is but gently raised, having hardly any lateral edges, and its tip projecting but little, yet, like every other tongue, composed of muscle and fat. The tongue of the large Whalebone Whale, I should suppose, rose in the mouth considerably ; the two jaws at the middle being kept at Mi distance on account of the whalebone, so that the space between, when the mouth is shut, must be filled up by the tongue, In this tribe of animals there is something very remarkable in what relates to the sense of smell- ing; nor ha\e 1 IK en able to discover the particu- lar mode by which it i» performed. In many of this tribe then- j| n » • •• uan of smell at all; nnd in those which have such an organ, it is not 560 APPENDIX. mined having been kept too long to preserve their exact shape and size. The vitreous humour ad- hered to the retina at the entrance of the optic nerve. The optic nerve is very long in some species, owing to the vast width of the head. END OF VOLUME II. : Printtd by T. Daviwn, Ltmbard-itrttU CO 01 cvt i 10 CN2 CVi CO b bo o> ^ C O ) CO «— i lS CO University of Toronto Library DO NOT REMOVE THE CARD FROM THIS POCKET Acme Library Card Pocket LOWE-MARTIN CO. UHTOD