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CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
WILLARD FIsKE
ENDOWMENT
Cornell University Libra!
TTT
oe
Cornell University
The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024782587
THE BOOK
OF THE
ANIMAL KINGDOM
All rights reserved.
Pinieel.
THE MANDRILL.
THE BOOK
OF THE
ANIMAL KINGDOM
MAMMALS
BY
W. PERCIVAL WESTELL F.L:S.
14 COLOURED & 260 PLAIN PLATES
CHIEFLY FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
OF THE LIVING ANIMALS BY
W. S. BERRIDGE, F.Z.S.
LONDON: J. M. DENT & SONS, LTD,
NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
MCMX
Ricnarp Cay & Sons, LimiTEp,
BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND
BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.
PREFACE
I HAVE endeavoured in this book to present a general survey of a
large number of the mammals of the world, which will, it is hoped,
aided by the comprehensive collection of coloured pictures and photo-
graphs, not only appeal to our young folks in the Homeland, the
United States, and in Britain beyond the seas, but also to grown-up
people who are desirous of acquiring a knowledge of animals without
having to resort to bulky and expensive tomes. The story I have
told in these pages is set out in a popular, and I hope understandable
way, and whilst scientific accuracy has not been sacrificed, it has been
my constant aim to eschew dry and uninviting definitions, and to
attract all those who read this volume to the fascinating study of
animal life. Each section deals more or less with a distinct set of
mammals, but some amount of overlapping occurs which it was
neither possible nor policy to obviate. Should my work meet with
sufficient encouragement, it is intended to follow up this volume with
a further one devoted to a careful selection of the Birds of the World
whose animate forms and winning ways will make them peculiarly
suited for inclusion in The Book of the Animal Kingdom.
I have several important acknowledgments to make. I am greatly
indebted to Mr. Henry R. Knipe for permission to use six plates
of Extinct Animals which appeared in his remarkable book, Nebula
to Man, and to the Rev. H. N. Hutchinson for help accorded in
identifying and titling some of the huge creatures of other days. For
the loan of books I am under obligation to the Hon. Walter
Rothschild, whilst for permission to include quotations from books
published by them, I am indebted to Messrs. A. & C. Black (Textbook
of Zoology, by Dr. Otto Schmeil); Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd.
(The Life of Animals, by Ernest Ingersoll; A Hunter’s Wanderings
in Africa, by F. C. Selous, and Curiosities of Natural History, by
v
vi PREFACE
Frank Buckland); Mr. John Grant (Thirteen Years Among the Wild
Beasts of India, by G. P. Sanderson); Mr. H. Wingfield (“‘Allen’s
Naturalists’ Library”), and Mr. Edward G. Fairholme, Secretary of
the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for
permission to make extracts from various articles which appeared
in The Animal World.
I also wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to the writings. of
Mr. Frank Finn, Dr. Henry O. Forbes, Mr. R. Lydekker, and Mr.
Ernest Protheroe.
To Mr. C. S. Cooper, F.R.H.S., and Mr. W. S. Berridge,
F.Z.S., I wish to convey grateful thanks for assistance in reading
the proofs, and especially to Mr. Charles Barrett, M.A.O.U., of
Melbourne, for his chapter on the Mammals of Australia, and to the
Rev. Charles A. Hall of Paisley, who very kindly contributed the
section entitled “Animals of Long Ago.”
Lastly, to the intrepid big-game hunter, Mr. F. C. Selous, I am
under an obligation for permission to make free use of the works
written by him which have done so much to enrich our knowledge
of the fauna of the great African Continent.
W. PERCIVAL WESTELL.
Letchworth, Hertfordshire,
England,
Autumn, rgfo.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
ANIMAL GIANTS
PAGE
African and Indian Elephants—Hippopotamus—Rhinoceroses—Giraffe—
Dwarf Buffalo—American Bison—Eland—Wapiti Stag I
CHAPTER II
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS
Domestic Asses—Domestic Sheep—Aurochs and Domestic Oxen—Gayal
---Banting, or Javan Ox—Domesticated Rabbits—Cavies, or Guinea
Pigs—Foster Parents—Ferret .
24
CHAPTER III
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS
On Keeping Pets—Chimpanzee and Orang-Utan—Lemurs—Kinkajou—
Coati—Marmosets—Suricate, or Meerkat—Mongoose—Raccoon—
American and British Squirrels—Spix’s Cavy—Carpincho—Common
Seal—Dingo—Hare—Egyptian Jerboa 43
CHAPTER IV
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND SOME OTHERS
Wolf—Timber Wolf—Coyote, or Prairie Wolf—Black-Backed Jackal—Cape
Hunting Dog—Dholes, or Indian and Siberian Wild Dogs—Brown
Hyzena—Spotted Hyeena—Common Badger—Sand Badger 66
CHAPTER V
SACRED ANIMALS
Humped Cattle—Life History of the Ox—Hanuman i a as
Egyptian, or Caffre Cat
‘ ; : 2 ‘ . 82
vii
Vill CONTENTS
CHAPTER VI
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR
Hairy Armadillo—Giant Armadillo—Tatouay Armadillo—Pichiciago—
Pangolin—Common Porcupine—Brush-Tailed Porcupine—Canadian
Porcupine—Common Hedgehog—Tenrecs
CHAPTER VII
ANTELOPES AND DEER
Addax Antelope—Beatrix Antelope—Dik-Dik Antelope—Nagor Antelope
Nilgai—Prong-Horned Antelope—Sable Antelope—Duikers—Marsh
Bucks—Sing Sing Water Buck—Springbok—Brindled and White-
Tailed Gnus—Four-Horned Antelope—Indian Antelope—Red and
Fallow Deer—Axis, Chital, or Spotted Deer—Barasingha—Eld’s Deer
—'Muntjac — Sika — Altai— Musk Deer— Red Brocket — Indian
Chevrotain, or Mouse Deer . : : : :
CHAPTER VIII
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL
Lion—Tiger—Leopard—Puma—Ocelot—Caracal—Northern se
Cat—Leopard Cat—-Margay—Servaline Cat ‘ '
CHAPTER IX
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED
Mandrill — Gorilla — Chimpanzee — Orang-Utan — Hoolock Gibbon —
Vervet, Brazza’s and Moustache Monkeys—Patas Monkey—Red-
Eared and Schmidt’s Monkeys—Roloway Monkey—Mangabeys—
Japanese Macaque—Moor Macaque—Pig-Tailed Macaque—Other
Macaques—Dusky Gelada Baboon—Guinea Baboon—Ibean Baboon
—Variegated Spider Monkey—Black Lemur—Dwarf Lemurs—Grey
Slow Loris—Slender Loris—Galagos and Mouse Lemurs—Douroucolis
CHAPTER X
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA
Introduction—-Dingo—Jerboa Rat—Kangaroos—Great Red Kangaroo—
Great Grey Kangaroo—Wallaroo—Bridled Wallaby—Black-Gloved
Wallaby—Pademelon Wallaby—Dama Wallaby—Tree Kangaroos—
Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo—Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo—Rat Kangaroos
Common Rat Kangaroo—Prehensile-Tailed Rat Kangaroo—Brush-
Tailed Rat Kangaroo—Lesueur’s Rat Kangaroo—Phalangers—Koala
PAGE
g2
108
134
155
CONTENTS
—Spotted Cuscus—Common Opossum—Short-Eared Opossum—
Ring-Tailed Opossum—Greater Flying Opossum—Yellow-Bellied
Flying Opossum—Squirrel-Like Flying Opossum—Lesser Flying
Opossum—Long-Snouted Opossum—Common Wombat—Tasmanian
Wombat—Hairy-Nosed Wombat—Marsupial Mole—Brush-Tailed
Pouched Mouse—Narrow-Footed Pouched Mice—Tasmanian Tiger—
Tasmanian Devil—Native Cats—Bandicoots—Monotremes—Platypus
—Echidna
CHAPTER XI
RATS AND MICE
Brown Rat—Black Rat—Cane Rat—Dormouse—Canadian Jumping-
Mouse—Jerboa, or Kangaroo Rat—Fat Mouse, and Fat-Tailed Desert
Mouse—Spiny Mice
CHAPTER XII
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS
Urial, or Punjab Wild Sheep—Barbary Sheep—Burrhel Wild Sheep—
Himalayan Goral — Tahr — Chamois — Rocky Mountain Goat —
Markhor—Himalayan Serow, or Goat-Antelope
CHAPTER XIII
WILD PIGS
European Wild Pig, and Wild Pigs Generally—Indian Wild Pig—Other
Wild Pigs—Babirusa—Wart Hogs—Giant Bush-Pig—Peccaries
CHAPTER XIV
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS
Bactrian and Arabian Camels—Huanaco, or Guanaco—Vicuna—Llama—
Alpaca—Polar Bear—Brown Bear—Japanese Bear—Malay Bear—
Sloth Bear—Common Red Fox—Arctic Fox—Fennec Fox—lIndian
Fox—Silver Fox—Coypu Rat—Chinchilla—Skunks—Marmots—Seals
—Beaver—Otters ‘ F i ‘ ; F :
CHAPTER XV
ZEBRAS AND ASSES
Burchell’s Zebra—Grévy’s Zebra—Mountain Zebra—Quagga—Asiatic Wild
Ass—African Wild Ass—Legends concerning the Domestic Donkey .
ix
PAGE
174
213
225
237
247
277
x CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVI
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS
White-Headed Saki—White-Thighed Guereza—Sloths—Bhutan Takin—
Domestic Horses—Prejevalski’s Wild Horse—Bontebok—Blessbok—
Aard Wolf—Cape Ant Bear, or Aard Vark—Great Ant-Eater—Ratel,
or Honey Badger— Brazilian Tapir — Malayan Tapir— Walrus —
Viscacha—Paca— Agutis — Crab-Eating Dog—Black-Footed Cat —
Civet Cat—Malaccan Civet, or Rasse—Pallas’s Cat—Palm Civets—
Genets—Cape Hyrax, or Klip-Das—Common Polecat—Zorilla, or
Cape Polecat—Orkney Vole—Gerbils—Crab-Eating Opossum. . 285
PAGE
CHAPTER XVII
GIANTS OF THE DEEP
Greenland Whale, and Whales in General—Pigmy Whale—Grey Whale—
Humpback Whale—Fin-Whales, or Rorquals—Lesser Fin-Whale—
Eden’s and Rudolphi’s Fin-Whales—Common Fin-Whale, or Rorqual
—Sibbald’s Fin-Whale—Sperm Whale—Bottlenose Whale—Sowerby’s
Whale—Layard’s Whale—Armux’s Whale—Fresh-Water Dolphins—
Narwhal—White Whale, or Beluga—Common Porpoise—Indian
Porpoise, and Others—Killer, or Grampus—Common Dolphin . . 308
CHAPTER XVIII
MAMMALS OF THE AIR
Chief Features of oe ee Bat—Long-Eared Bat—
Pipistrelle 3 . ; ; ; : . 328
CHAPTER XIX
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO
The Story of the Earth—The Four Great Epochs—Creatures of the Past
—Plesiosaurs—Teleosaurus—Pterodactyle—Deinosaurs— Stegosaurus
—Brontosaurus—Other Deinosaurs—The First Birds—Dodo—Moa
—The Age of Mammals—Palxotherium—Animals of Eocene Days
—Brontops—Evolution of the Horse—Sabre-Toothed Tiger—Giant
Sloth, or Megatherium—Mylodon—Scelidotherium—Armadillos—
Ancestors of the Elephant—Mastodon—Mammoth—Conclusion - 339
PLATE
XVI
XVII
XVIII
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
COLOURED AND FULL-PAGE PLATES
*MANDRILL : : ; F i Frontispiece
*THE EXTINCT MAMMOTH
*AMERICAN BISON $ :
*RING-TAILED COATI. F
*SPOTTED HYHNA - P
*PANGOLIN 3 :
THE EXTINCT STEGOSAURUS
THE EXTINCT MEGALOSAURUS . : ‘ :
*SABLE ANTELOPE F
*LION AND LIONESS STALKING THEIR PREY
THE EXTINCT SABRE-TOOTHED TIGER .
*CHIMPANZEE .
*GREAT RED KANGAROO : .
*AN EXTINCT PTERODACTYLE, TELEOSAURUS, AND THE
LIVING DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS . . .
*MARKHOR ’
*CALIFORNIAN SEA-LION
*MOUNTAIN ZEBRA
THE EXTINCT GIANT SLOTH AND TWO ARMADILLOS
* Coloured Plates.
xi
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. 282
3 288
Xl
FIGURE
I
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PHOTOGRAPHS
CHAPTER I
AFRICAN ELEPHANT
ADULT INDIAN ELEPHANT
YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT
ADULT HIPPOPOTAMUS
YOUNG HIPPOPOTAMUS
INDIAN RHINOCEROS
HAIRY-EARED RHINOCEROS.
GIRAFFE . .
a
DWARF BUFFALO
AMERICAN BISON .
ELAND AND YOUNG . . . -
TURKESTAN WAPITI STAG .
CHAPTER II
SPANISH DOMESTIC ASS. . .
SPANISH AND ENGLISH DOMESTIC ASSES .
HYBRID ZEBRA AND PONY . :
HYBRID SOMALI AND DOMESTIC ASS
HAUSSA SHEEP (RAM) ;
‘3 3, (EWE AND LAMB) .
HUNIA (FIGHTING RAM). ;
ONE-HORNED INDIAN DOMESTIC SHEEP
DUMBA SHEEP, OR FAT-RUMPED SHEEP
ENGLISH WILD BULL
GAYAL ‘ ;
GAYAL (VARIETY)
JAVAN OX .
ENGLISH RABBIT
ANGORA RABBIT. ‘ : ?
DUTCH RABBIT. : ;
SHORT-HAIRED GUINEA-PIG : : ;
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Xiil
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31 LONG-HAIRED GUINEA-PIG . : . ; : - 39
32 CAT REARING SQUIRRELS . : ‘ ‘ - 42
33 YOUNG WOLVES AND FOSTER MOTHER : . 42
34 FERRET. ; . : : : j - 43
CHAPTER III
35 CHIMPANZEE : ‘ P ° . 43
36 ORANG-UTAN ‘ ; . ‘ : . 46
37 RING-TAILED LEMUR : ; : : ‘ . 46
38 KINKAJOU . ‘ . ‘ . 47
39 KINKAJOU HANGING BY TAIL . . ; : + 47
40 RING-TAILED COATI ‘ . . ‘ : . 48
41 BLACK-EARED MARMOSET . : : . . . 48
42 LION MARMOSET . , : : ‘ . 49
43 PINCHE MARMOSET . : F : . . » 49
44 SURICATE . : : : : ; 54
45 GREY INDIAN MONGOOSE : : ‘ » 54
46 COMMON RACCOON . . : 3 : ; » 55
47 AMERICAN GREY SQUIRREL , F : F » 55
48 SPIX’S CAVY ‘ . . : . . . 58
49 CARPINCHOS ¥ : ; ; : : . 58
50 COMMON SEAL ‘ . : : : F - 59
51 DINGO PUPS ; ‘ 59
52 COMMON HARE ; : : 64
53 EGYPTIAN JERBOA . ¢ : . 64
CHAPTER IV
54 SIBERIAN WOLF. ; : : ; » 65
55 ALBINO SIBERIAN WOLF. ‘ : : ‘ . 65
56 TIMBER WOLF ‘i ; ; . » 70
57 PRAIRIE WOLF, OR COYOTE : ; : . . 70
58 BLACK-BACKED JACKAL. : : “A7t
59 CAPE HUNTING DOG . : : a: GE
60 INDIAN WILD DOGS ‘ : ‘ : - 74
61 SIBERIAN WILD DOG ; . ; 74
62 BROWN HYENAS .
XIV
FIGURE
63
64
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
COMMON BADGER . . .
SAND BADGER
CHAPTER V
HISSAR BULL
GUZERAT BULL . . .
GYNEE CATTLE . . .
MYSORE COW . . .
CEYLONESE LANGUR .
FETTERED, EGYPTIAN, OR CAFFRE CAT
CHAPTER VI
HAIRY ARMADILLO . : 5
TATOUAY ARMADILLO
CRESTED PORCUPINE
BRUSH-TAILED PORCUPINE .
CANADIAN PORCUPINE
COMMON HEDGEHOG
a5 5 ROLLED UP
ALGERIAN HEDGEHOG
COMMON TENREC . ‘ .
CHAPTER VII
ADDAXK ANTELOPE .
BEATRIX ANTELOPE
DIK-DIK ANTELOPE
NAGOR ANTELOPE . ‘
NILGAI ANTELOPE
PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPES :
SABLE ANTELOPE . i
ABYSSINIAN DUIKER
CONGO MARSH BUCK ,
i re (DOE AND YOUNG)
SING SING WATER BUCK
SPRINGBOK
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III
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12
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
BRINDLED GNU ‘ F 3 i
FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE
INDIAN ANTELOPE .
RED DEER . ; :
AXIS, CHITAL, OR SPOTTED DEER . ‘ :
BARASINGHA, OR SWAMP DEER. : :
PANOLIA, OR ELD’S DEER . .
MUNTJAC, OR BARKING DEER (ALBINO)
SIKA, OR JAPANESE DEER . : :
ALTAI DEER (WITH FAWN).
MUSK DEER . :
RED BROCKET : :
INDIAN CHEVROTAIN, OR MOUSE DEER. ;
CHAPTER VIII
LION
LION CUB
TIGRESS . . . . . .
a
LEOPARD. . . .
PUMA
OCELOT .
CARACAL CUBS
NORTHERN LYNX .
WILD CAT . .
WILD KITTEN . . . . .
LEOPARD CAT . . . . .
MARGAY . . . . .
SERVALINE CAT . . . ‘ .
CHAPTER IX
CHIMPANZEES AT PLAY . . .
ORANG-UTAN . . .
HOOLOCK GIBBON . .
VERVET MONKEY
XV
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XVI
FIGURE
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141
142
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
BRAZZA’S MONKEY .
MOUSTACHE MONKEY
PATAS MONKEY, :
RED-EARED AND SCHMIDT’S MONKEYS
ROLOWAY MONKEY
HAMLYN’S MANGABEY 5
JAMRACH’S MANGABEY ‘
JAPANESE MACAQUES AND YOUNG .
MOOR MACAQUE .
PIG-TAILED MACAQUE
DUSKY GELADA BABOON
GUINEA BABOONS .
IBEAN BABOONS
VARIEGATED SPIDER MONKEY 2
BLACK LEMURS (MALE AND FEMALE)
DWARF LEMURS.
GREY SLOW LORIS
SLENDER LORIS
MAHOLI GALAGO .
DOUROUCOLI
CHAPTER X
DINGO . .
AUSTRALIAN DESERT JERBOA-RAT .
GREAT RED KANGAROO
GREAT GREY KANGAROO . ;
GREAT GREY KANGAROO (ALBINO) .
GREAT WALLAROO .
BRIDLED WALLABY
BLACK-GLOVED WALLABY
URSINE TREE KANGAROOS .
RUFOUS RAT KANGAROO
SPOTTED CUSCUS
. .
. .
A PET SHORT-EARED OPOSSUM
RING-TAILED OPOSSUM
SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYING OPOSSUM
‘
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174
175
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
SHORT-HEADED FLYING OPOSSUM .
WOMBAT.
TASMANIAN WOLF, OR TIGER
SKULL OF TASMANIAN WOLF ' .
TASMANIAN DEVIL .
DASYURE, OR NATIVE CAT OF AUSTRALIA
RABBIT-EARED BANDICOOT . . .
PLATYPUS . . . r . .
ECHIDNA . . . . . .
CHAPTER XI
BLACK RAT . . 7 ‘ .
TAME RAT.
WHITE RAT
CANE RAT
DORMICE .
CANADIAN JUMPING MOUSE
FAT MOUSE . é
FAT-TAILED DESERT MOUSE
CAIRO SPINY MOUSE
STRIPED MICE . . .
FANCY MICE
CHAPTER XII
URIAL, OR PUNJAB WILD SHEEP .
BLANFORD’S SHEEP ,
BARBARY SHEEP
BURRHEL WILD SHEEP
HIMALAYAN GORAL . ‘ : :
TAHR F ‘ s
LONG-TAILED GORAL :
CHAMOIS. . , : ;
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT . r
MARKHOR (MALE)
5 (FEMALE) WITH YOUNG i
HIMALAYAN SEROW, OR GOAT-ANTELOPE .
XVii
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XVili
FIGURE
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER XIII
ALBANIAN, OR EUROPEAN, WILD PIG
BABY INDIAN WILD PIG
BABIRUSA .
WHITE-WHISKERED SWINE .
EAST AFRICAN RIVER HOG
WART HOG
RED RIVER HOG
COLLARED PECCARY . . . .
CHAPTER XIV
BACTRIAN CAMEL AND YOUNG
HUANACO, OR GUANACO
VICUNA
POLAR BEARS
ISABELLINE BEAR
JAPANESE BEAR
MALAY BEAR ; : :
SLOTH BEAR
ARCTIC FOX IN WINTER COAT
FENNEC FOX : ‘
INDIAN FOX. :
SILVER-BACKED FOX
VIRGINIAN FOX
COYPU RAT
CHINCHILLA . 3 i : :
CANADIAN SKUNK
PRAIRIE MARMOT
ALPINE MARMOT :
CALIFORNIAN SEA-LION ‘
CANADIAN BEAVER
COMMON OTTER .
CHAPTER XV
BURCHELL’S ZEBRAS .
GRANT’S ZEBRA ;
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
GREVY’S ZEBRA
MOUNTAIN ZEBRA. : :
KIANG .
AFRICAN WILD ASS .
CHAPTER XVI
WHITE-HEADED SAKI : ;
WHITE-THIGHED GUEREZA .
HOFFMANN’S SLOTH ’.
BHUTAN TAKIN : :
PREJEVALSKI’S WILD HORSE , i
BONTEBOKS . , 5 : ‘
AARD WOLF
CAPE ANT BEAR, OR AARD VARK
GREAT ANT-EATER . :
RATEL, OR HONEY BADGER
BRAZILIAN TAPIR. . : : 4 :
MALAYAN TAPIR é
WALRUS
VISCACHA
PACA ‘
WEST INDIAN AGUTI
PUNCTATED AGUTI . ; : : ;
CRAB-EATING DOG . ,
BLACK-FOOTED CAT : ‘ : ;
CIVET CAT . ; F
MALACCAN CIVET, OR RASSE
PALLAS’S CAT : 2 ‘ . a
AFRICAN PALM CIVET
RUSTY-SPOTTED GENET
CAPE HYRAX, OR KLIP-DAS
COMMON POLECAT . : ; ‘
ZORILLA, OR CAPE POLECAT
ORKNEY VOLE
CAPE GERBIL : J P ‘
CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM ‘
XIX
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jucydalsy UvIpuy oy} OF payejer “YJOWLULAY JOUTXS OY TL
*[] aALvITg
THE BOOK OF
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
CHAPTER I
ANIMAL GIANTS
AFRICAN AND INDIAN ELEPHANTS.—In a survey of the
animal kingdom mapped out according to the sections herein
included it is particularly appropriate that pride of place should be
accorded to the Elephant, that huge beast—the largest living animal
of the world—of whom Pliny wrote, ‘We find in him qualities which
are rare enough amongst men—honesty, prudence, equity.” This,
to say the least, is bestowing upon the Elephant lavish, but by no
means ill-deserved, praise, for all those who have been brought
into contact with the huge beast under review are aware of how,
when it is kindly treated, it evinces considerable powers of intelli-
gence, will obey orders, show much regard for its owner or keeper,
and maintain in many ways the reputation which Pliny accorded
to it.
It is not intended in this popular book devoted to a representative
selection of the world’s mammals, to introduce any long and dry
scientific words, but it will be as well to point out here that the
Ungulata, or hoofed animals, are split up by scientists into several
sub-orders, to one of which, the Proboscidea, or proboscis bearers,
the Elephant belongs.
- Acquaintance will be made with many other representatives of
this important order Ungulata as our study progresses, and for the
present, therefore, it is sufficient to indicate the place occupied by
the Elephant in the scale of animal life.
B
2 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
It is pleasant to recognize, too, that it is not alone from the ee
of view of size that the huge monster under consideration shou es
given a foremost position among the mammalian members of _the
animal kingdom of whom such a number of pictorial representations
are here given and whose life-histories are accorded attention.
Possessing, as the philosopher Pliny has well and truly said,
at least three vastly important qualities which are worthy of imitation
by human kind—honesty, prudence and equity—and an ancestry
which is deserving of more than passing notice, the Elephant is a
patriarch among animal folk upon whom much attention has been
devoted right away from the dim and misty past until the present
day.
Treas, when the mammalian fauna is in many instances becom-
ing so scantily represented in several parts of the world, for reasons
which at this juncture it is not necessary to dilate upon, it seems
difficult to realize that the old-time ancestor of the Elephant was a
huge Mammoth with a hairy coat, and large, curiously curved tusks,
the points of which were turned towards each other instead of out-
ward, as in many Elephants who roamed about in Siberia and other
parts of Asia, as well as in England.
Tusks and teeth of this Mammoth are being frequently found,
and in the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, London,
there is exhibited a whole skull with enormous tusks, a curious
epitaph of a past mammalian giant which was discovered in a brick-
field at Ilford in Essex. Sir Ray Lankester gives this interesting
information in his valuable work on Extinct Animals, and states
that when a boy he used to obtain many remains of Mammoth,
Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus from this same brick-field. This
statement illustrates how important: it is for the student of animals
to pay attention to all parts of the country, for underneath the soil—
as well as upon it—wonderful secrets remain hidden which are only
waiting to be revealed.
I have before now been in the company of a party of field
naturalists who did not deem it expedient to explore the neighbour-
hood of a disused clay-pit. Who knows but that some hidden
Mammoth lay below the surface? These and others might with
advantage take note of Sir Ray Lankester’s discovery in the brick-
field to which allusion has been made, and profit accordingly.
Before passing on to a consideration of the life-history of the
African and Indian Elephants, it should be stated that in the United
FIG. I.
AFRICAN ELEPHANT
FIG. 2.—ADULT INDIAN ELEPHANT
FIG. 3.—YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT
ANIMAL GIANTS 3
States remains have been discovered of a creature known as the
American Mastodon. This animal was to all appearances very
similar to the true Elephant, but careful examination of its remains
reveals that its teeth were different, and the head and jaw were more
elongated than in the present living animals.
Sir Ray Lankester states that in Ohio and other localities in the
United States “very complete remains of this enormous creature
have been found in bogs and morasses which are probably not more
ancient than the peat-bogs of Ireland in which the great Irish Stag
is found. Man -was certainly contemporary with some of the
American species of Mastodon. But in Europe no Mastodons
survived to so late a period. Other and older species of Mastodon
seem to have preceded the Elephants in Europe, Africa and Asia,
and, in fact, to have been the ancestors from which Elephants
were derived.”
The Mammoth, it is interesting to note, more nearly resembled
the Indian Elephant than the latter’s African cousin, but its coarse
hairy felt and tremendous tusks would distinguish it from either of
the living animals of to-day. In size the Mammoth was somewhat
larger than a big Indian Elephant, and that evidence of parentage is
still forthcoming is shown by the fact that the new-born young of
both the Asiatic and African Elephants have a complete covering of
fairly long hair, but this coat is lost a few weeks after birth.
As will be seen by comparing the African Elephant (Fig. 1) with
the adult Indian Elephant (Fig. 2), the former possesses a more
elongated head and much larger ears than the Indian species,
the comparatively small ear and the high forehead of the latter being
shown very distinctly in Fig. 2.
The ancestral history of Elephants tempts one to enlarge upon
the fascinating story—a veritable romance of animal life—but in a
popular book dealing with so many mammals of the world this is
not possible, and the reader must be referred to the various
exhaustive. works on the subject if he is desirous of following up
the story on his own account.
One need not watch even a captive Elephant very long without
becoming convinced of the great use of the trunk, for by means of it
the animal procures its living, and its importance is such that
although the heavy and gigantic body and massive limbs cannot
fail to attract notice, the chief part of the huge animal to which
attention is directed is the proboscis. How wonderfully flexible and
B2
4 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
sensitive this important organ is; to what remarkable uses it is put.
Without it eating and drinking would be difficult, and even if
most of us have only been able to satisfy Jumbo’s appetite by
delivering a bun or a crust guaranteed to cause indigestion in a
smaller animal, as the large beast has thrust its trunk over the bars
of its den, or craftily on one side as a happy freight of children were
being taken for a ride round the Zoological Gardens, our acquaint-
ance has been intimate enough to realize that the animal places food
in its mouth through the agency of the indispensable trunk, and
when watching the animal taking up water and blowing it into the
stomach through its living water-hose, it is evident that without the
aid of the trunk in placing food in the mouth, great difficulty would
be experienced when feeding.
Who, excepting those who study animals, would imagine that
the well-known tusks—so valuable as articles of commerce—are
simply two enormously developed teeth situate in the upper jaw?
The Elephant does not possess any canine teeth, and the in-
cisors, as has been shown, are limited to two in the top jaw.
Swainson says that “the more perfect quadrupeds have three sorts
of teeth, termed incisors, canines and molars. . .. The canines
follow the incisors, and occupy an intermediate station between them
and the molars; they are only employed in tearing or holding;
hence they are chiefly confined to quadrupeds who live upon animal
matter, and are wanting in the herbivorous ruminants, to whom, in
fact, they are unnecessary.” The molar teeth are of enormous size;
there are twenty-four of these cheek teeth in all, six on either side of
both upper and lower jaws. Never more than two of these teeth are
in use at once.
Viewing the general form of the Elephant, the next important
feature to recognize after the trunk, the pouchy skin and the enor-
mous body, is the straightness of the massive legs. Pedestal-like
and to all appearances jointless, they are admirably calculated to
support the weight of the body, but those who have witnessed a
troupe of performing elephants must have noticed how active the
legs are, and that Shakespeare was woefully at fault when he
believed that the animal possessed no joints in its legs and thus
could not lie down! Although it does not come within the scope of
this work to deal at length with performing animals, much informa-
tion may be obtained by a careful watch being kept when one is
attending such performances. Too many people perchance pay no
ANIMAL GIANTS 5
heed to the animals themselves, restricting attention to the actual
performance, but if intelligent observation be displayed one can gain
some idea of the use of the limbs and the general structure of an
animal thus exhibited.
I was recently watching a well-known troupe of performing
Elephants, and although I am not desirous on this occasion of
entering into the question of the rights or wrongs of the treatment
meted out to these remarkable creatures before they are capable of
going through such extraordinary evolutions, the fact remains that
much time and patience must have been displayed in training the
animals to such a high state of proficiency. When they are moving
about in imitation of a dance, or sitting down, standing on a tub,
lifting one or more legs, or even standing bolt upright on the head,
the mobility of the limbs, in spite of the absence of angulation at
the joints, is very marked.
Hunted very largely for the sake of its valuable ivory tusks, the
Elephant—and the African species in particular—has disappeared
from many of its former haunts, and in several districts is now as
extinct as its venerable ancestors already mentioned earlier in this
chapter.
When first captured great strategy has to be adopted in dealing
with the animal under review, even though it may have celebrated
only its first birthday, as in the case of the twelve-months-old baby
shown in Fig. 3. This is a photograph of a young Indian Elephant
belonging to King George V. When it stood for its portrait it had
been roped because it had just arrived from India, and had only been
out of its packing-case a few minutes.
How different the surroundings of the pure, unfettered wild from
the dark recesses of the Elephant-house, and yet, on reflection, the
huge beasts appear for the most part to take very kindly to their
transported state, and evince remarkable traits most interesting to
notice.
They have keen memories, and although they will after a time
develop much regard for those responsible for their charge, they
never forgive cruel treatment, and sooner or later, as many instances
show, will have revenge in no uncertain manner.
Utilized by mankind in foreign climes for transport, sporting
and other purposes, the Elephant is, as a result, sought after, not
only for the valuable ivory tusks to be obtained from it, but for the
help it may render in the living state. In time of both peace and
6 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
war it has proved of inestimable service, and in districts ys
transport has been associated with almost impossible obstacles, t a
huge lord of the wild kingdom has been trained to come to the
rescue. It is not a quickly-moving animal, but being endowed with
tremendous staying powers, is a magnificent plodder, shuffling
along for miles at a stretch without any apparent effort.
During the Roman era these beasts were chiefly used for sport,
and we are told that the great Pompey on one occasion had as many
as five hundred Lions and eighteen Elephants engaged in the arena
at one time! ,
In those far-off days Elephants were found in plenty in Northern
Africa, and so common were they that we learn the native tribes
bordering upon Ethiopia used their tusks for doorposts and for
palisades to enclose their corn-fields! Alas! how have the mighty
fallen.
Beyond being serviceable as a beast of burden and for its valuable
ivory tusks, there are other parts of the body that are utilized in
various ways, for the tongue is said to be very good eating, the
foot is converted into soup, the bones make good manure, the teeth
are sawn into plates from which such articles as card-racks, knife-
handles and paper-presses are manufactured, and celluloid owes part
of its composition to ivory-dust.
* Although reports are sometimes circulated as to vast Elephant
herds that are still come across in the wild fastnesses, Mr. Selous
and other experienced explorers relate that a company of four
hundred is a very large one. He himself shot seventy-eight
Elephants during his hunting trip in the years 1873-1875, but even
although he formed one of a party of four who shot twenty-one
Elephants in a day, and once three of the same men killed nineteen
out of a herd of twenty-one, Mr. Protheroe states that, “huge bags
as these were, they could not compare with the feat accomplished by
three Boers. Coming up with a troop of a hundred and four
Elephants, they caused the animals to stampede into a marsh, where
their heavy bodies became helplessly bogged. During the day
every animal was slain, a piece of wanton destruction in which
neither females nor calves were spared.”
Small herds of from twenty to fifty individuals are the usual rule,
Abe tas huge beasts, in spite of their size, are evidently believers
ike . ae! that union is strength.” They rarely attack unless a
gie ferocious individual has become ostracized from the rest of
ANIMAL GIANTS a
the herd, and if this happens to be a solitary bull it exhibits fierce
and quarrelsome tactics which may prove the reverse of pleasant.
These solitary animals, too, perpetrate a good deal of harm by
trampling down crops during their protracted wanderings.
The smallness of its eye has doubtless attracted the reader’s
attention when standing before an Elephant, and in comparison with
the animal’s mammoth proportions the brain it possesses is also of
small dimensions. Yet, as has been shown, the Elephant evinces
considerable powers of intelligence when it comes under the influence
of man, and this in spite of the fact that young animals are rarely
captured.
Generally speaking, the African species exceeds in size its Asiatic
relative, but in both kinds the male is the larger of the two sexes.
Dear old Jumbo, beloved by many both in England and America,
was a huge African Elephant, and I well remember how he carried
his happy juvenile passengers upon his broad back at the London
Zoo. Young England parted regretfully with this favourite
occupant of Regent’s Park, but it is interesting to recall its memory
and to remember that it weighed no less than six and a half tons
and measured eleven and a half feet in height.
These are long-lived beasts, and although it is difficult to
accurately determine the life-span of a great many kinds of wild
animals, careful records of those kept in confinement enable us to
acquire some amount of useful information. Thus an Elephant has
been known to live in captivity for over one hundred years, and it is
reasonable to suppose that in a natural state, surrounded by all the
regal splendour and virgin fastness of its forest home, the animal
probably celebrates many more birthdays beyond the century before
its life is brought to a close. But how and where does the forest
monarch expire? Its body would of necessity attract attention,
and yet we are told on unimpeachable authority that the remains
of a dead Elephant are rarely met with even in its most favourite
haunts !
This opens up the interesting question as to how and where
many kinds of far commoner and better-known animals die, and why
it is that we so seldom locate them. Do they betake themselves to
some secluded spot and there pass away in solitude? Are their dead
bodies then preyed upon by various carnivorous animals (including
insects) and thus got rid of? The Burying Beetles, as we well
know, are the grave-diggers of the insect world, for these persever-
8 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
mall animals, but the fact
der in a wood, along a
o come across the
ing creatures carefully inter the bodies of s
remains that, however much one may wan
lane, upon a common and elsewhere, it is rare t
body of a wild creature that has died a natural death.
Those who study Nature aright are, of course, aware of how
remarkably well her sanitary inspectors do their work, and how
admirable are her laws of cleanliness and sanitation, but, exceptions
as there are to every rule, one would imagine that, during their
country pilgrimages, the bodies of several wild animals would be
located by field naturalists and others whose avocation takes them
out of doors, and whose eyes have been trained to observe all kinds
of natural phenomena.
Before leaving the subject of the Elephant’s demise, and the
age attained in a natural condition, it should be pointed out that,
whether in India or Africa, the Elephant is found to be a lover of
the forest. The largest land animal now roaming the face of the
earth, it is a true denizen of the forest, and there finds a congenial
home. The roots, twigs, leaves, young shoots and fruits of trees
are greatly relished, as well as grass and other plants. By means
of the trunk the leaves are stripped from the branches, and if some
unforbidden fruit is beyond reach, and there is no tap-root to give
stability, the forest monarch makes small work of uprooting the
whole tree. p
Both sexes of the African Elephant bear tusks, but those of the
male are the finer of the two. In the Indian species, however, the
tusks of the female rarely protrude beyond the jaws, and even among
the males instances are frequently forthcoming of their not possess-
ing tusks worthy of the name.
From one to nine or ten feet may be mentioned as the length of
atusk. The girth may be given as about twenty-four inches at the
base, and the weight attains as much as 230 lb.
HIPPOPOTAMUS.—The second kind of animal giant that is
entitled to occupy a foremost place in this section is the
Hippopotamus.
This huge, and, when on land, somewhat ungainly monster
always attracts considerable attention when on exhibition, and when
England was far less sparsely populated than it is to-day the Hippo-
potamus roamed about in a wild state on the banks of the Thames.
We have indeed lost Several mammalian giants, and whilst to-day
our largest living British mammal is the Badger, it is as well to
FIG. 4.—ADULT HIPPOPOTAMUS
FIG. 5.—~YOUNG HIPPOPOTAMUS
FIG.
7:
—HAIRY-EARED RHINOCEROS
ANIMAL GIANTS 9
remember that at one period in our remarkable history, the huge
creature now under review occupied a place in the fauna of our
country.
The particular specimen shown in Fig. 4 has died since its
photograph was taken, and I handled its enormous skull at a soirée
of the Selborne Society in 1909. An old favourite at the Zoo—it
had been an inhabitant of the Gardens for over thirty-five years—
there was a touch of remorse in handling the skull of a once living
animal, whom it was always interesting to watch and feed. It
is pleasant, however, to have one of the last photographs taken of
our old friend, and his place is now occupied by a comparatively
young Hippopotamus which, as Fig. 5 portrays, is making very
rapid progress.
The baby shown has already become very tame, and quite
recently I helped to appease her prodigious appetite by shovelling
dead leaves into her capacious mouth! Still she clamoured for
more, and in spite of a cargo of leaves, sugar, monkey-nuts and
other tit-bits, she refused to close her mouth until she realized that
her human friends were of opinion she had had a good meal and
was sufficiently “full inside”!
There are two kinds of Hippopotamus known to science, one
small and rare species hailing from West Africa, known as the
Pigmy or Liberian, and the common and larger species coming from
other parts of Africa, and particularly from the upper tributaries
of the Nile.
Next to the Elephants, Hippos are the largest living terres-
trial animals. They belong, however, to a different sub-order,
claiming kinship with the even-toed Ungulates, and are not very
distantly related to the Pigs.
The reader will, on first acquaintance, probably be attracted by
the huge barrel-shaped body, large head and mouth, short and
thick legs and small eyes. Although the latter are not of large
dimensions, they project prominently from the forehead and thus
aid the animal in locating anything, especially when lying almost
immersed in water, the top part of the head alone being visible.
The Hippo seems for the most part to take life very soberly,
and when walking down to its water-tank does not make any
commotion or splashing, but approaches the water quietly and
then slowly immerses its huge body. After a short time spent
underneath—some two or three minutes is the usual limitation—
10 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
the giant makes its appearance above water, the flat part of the
head, and perhaps a portion of the broad shoulders, alone being
projected.
At such time a good view may be obtained of the small rounded
ears, and the closeness of the slit-like nostrils, which are placed high
on the broad muzzle. This is an important point to recognize,
because when the animal is in the water the nostrils may be raised
above the surface for breathing purposes without more than a few
inches of the head appearing above the level. This is, of course,
of service to the animal in hiding its body, and so escaping
detection.
So tame have these huge beasts become at the London Zoo
that a gentleman of my acquaintance has made fast friends with
these and many other animals, about which more will be said when
we come to the chapter devoted to ““Cats—Great and Small.” They
have learned to recognize his voice; they come towards him as a
result of a welcome summons, for the temptation to be fed with a
delicacy of some kind is more than they can resist. ,
Being vegetarian in its natural haunts, it is small wonder that
the specimen I helped to feed not long since showed such a liking
for leaves. In a wild state the animal grazes at nightfall, dozing
during the daytime, or immersing its body in the water and
remaining motionless. Where the water is sluggish, there this
River Horse, or River Swine as the Egyptians called it, should
be sought for, as when the water is fast running the animal must
use all its wits to battle with the swift running current. In fact,
being a lethargic creature during the day, the Hippo cannot bear
its nap to be interfered with, and so chooses those waters where it
may hope to rest without let or hindrance.
Where the monster is found it is still common to-day, and
although specimens in Zoological Gardens may become friendly
with those whom they learn to recognize, a ferocious, wild specimen
is not a pleasant customer to deal with. Much damage is often
perpetrated by the Hippos charging at boats and digging holes in
the bottom by means of their strong tusks.
A new innovation at the time of writing is now in vogue at the
London Zoo, namely, measurement tables have been placed near
several of the animals, enabling the visitor to ascertain for himself
the height or length of any inhabitant he may be watching. When
taking note of one of the Hippopotami in Regent’s Park recently,
ANIMAL GIANTS II
I noticed with interest that it was about four feet high at the
shoulder. This height is exceeded in some instances, but five feet
may be mentioned as the limit.
The species attains a length of from twelve to fourteen feet,
and in weight is a close rival of the Elephant, turning the scale at
as much as four tons. The hide, too, is very thick and heavy;
indeed this alone will weigh five hundredweights when freshly
taken off. It is dense and tough, as well as rough and warty.
Close examination will show that it is almost naked with the excep-
tion of some short bristles near the end of the tail.
The male Hippo is dark brown, whilst his consort is of a
yellowish colour.
As those who have fed this creature will know, the mouth is of
large dimensions, and, says Mr. Selous, ‘“‘the lower canine teeth or
tusks grow to a great size, and in bulls may weigh from four to
seven pounds each. They are curved in shape, and when extracted
from the jaw form a complete half-circle, and have been known to
measure upwards of thirty inches over the curve. In life, how-
ever, not more than a third of their length protrudes beyond the
gums.”
The lower incisors, as may be imagined, aid the creature in
cutting, as with a scythe, various aquatic herbage upon which it
feeds. The massive jaws are extremely powerful, and, aided by these
and the formidable teeth, it is small wonder that the animal has
been known to sever a man’s body asunder at one stroke!
Although awkward on land, it can, if needs be, travel fairly
fast for a restricted distance. The water, however, is undoubtedly
its home, and there it swims with ease and facility and can walk
on the bed of the river with comparative comfort.
The hide and tusks are both valuable, hence we find that this
mammalian monarch is much sought after, and is often secured by
the natives by means of a levered-trap and a poisoned spear which
is heavily weighted. The natives find the spoor of the Hippo and
then set their trap in his path, and sooner or later secure him.
In spite of his huge body we learn that this animal is not
particularly tenacious of life, and—although it is cold-blooded
slaughter hardly worth chronicling—‘Mr. Neumann once killed
four in four consecutive shots.”
RHINOCEROSES.—There are two kinds of Rhinoceroses illus-
trated in Figs. 6 and 7, and these are easily distinguished one
12 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
from the other. The Indian species is a big, heavy animal which
bears a thick plated coat of mail, and the Hairy-Eared species 1s
much less distinguished in this way, and is a variety of the
Sumatran Rhinoceros. In Mr. Walter Rothschild’s well-known
collection at Tring I have also seen the famous so-called “White is
Rhinoceros, which is characterized by its square mouth. It is also
known as the Mochuco, or Burchell’s Rhinoceros.
This is a really magnificent specimen and was the first to reach
England, the animal having been shot for Mr. Rothschild by Mr.
Coryndon. In former days the species inhabited the South African
steppes in great numbers, but it is now confined to British East
Africa and the Eastern Soudan.
Whilst the Hippopotamus belongs to the even-toed Ungulates,
the Rhinoceros owns alliance with the odd-toed set of Ungulates,
having three digits on the fore and hind limbs, each ending in a
strong hoof. The central digit is much longer and stronger than
the remaining ones, and corresponds to the middle finger or third
toe of Man, and to the well-known single digit of the Horse.
Four kinds of Rhinoceroses may be mentioned, namely, the
three Asiatic species known as the Indian, Sumatran and Javan,
and the African. The Indian and Javan species have only one
horn, whereas the Sumatran and the Common African species have
two, one situated behind the other.
The Asiatic Rhinoceroses are noted for their large erect ears,
the massive folds of skin which give the body the appearance of
armoured plates, and the horn, or horns, which, it is interesting
to note, are composed of stout hairs firmly matted together.
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, fossil remains of these
animals have been discovered in England, and, like the Hippo-
potamus already dealt with, in former days species of Rhinoceros
were to be reckoned in our own fauna.
Hog-like, of sulky temperament, possessing alarge body and
small eyes, short, stout legs and a tremendous head, such, shortly
stated, is a description of the animal giant with whom we are
now concerned. As with the Hippo, it is during the silent night-
watches that it awakes from its lethargy, feeding upon vegetable
food.
Although the skin is thick, and when dried becomes exceedingly
hard, it is, nevertheless, very sensitive to the touch, and is not
nearly so bullet-proof as some people might imagine. When dried
ANIMAL GIANTS 13
and hardened, an excellent weapon of defence is provided, and the
natives of India use it as a shield.
Although one might suppose that such an ungainly and slovenly
creature would be slow of movement, the Rhino can, as a matter
of fact, move very quickly, and requires a fast horse and an
experienced hunter to overtake and capture it.
In swampy jungles, rank with vegetation, the Rhinoceros finds
a congenial home. It loves to wallow in mud, and thus ease its
body of insect parasites that tickle and annoy it. Amid the regal
splendour of its jungle haunts the Rhino gives very little evidence
of its presence, for a number of the beasts will use regular runs like
our better known rodents, the Rabbit and Hare, and to stalk them
successfully is not by any means an easy task.
Hunted like the Hippo for the sake of its hide and tusks, the
African Black Rhinoceros was, says Mr. Ernest Protheroe, shot
in thousands between the years 1840 and 1880. He states that “two
men bagged no less than fifty upon one occasion in a single excur-
sion; Oswell and a companion captured eighty-nine in a season;
and in the same short period sixty fell to C. J. Andersonn’s gun
alone.”
Mr. F. C. Selous, the intrepid big-game hunter, who has given
us so much first-hand information concerning different kinds of
animals which those of us, less fortunate, perhaps, have only been
able to study in Zoological Gardens, gives an interesting account in
his Hunter’s Wanderings in Africa of the capture of a Rhinoceros
calf, and before passing on to the next animal giant on our list
Mr. Selous’s graphic description of his encounter will be read with
interest. He writes :—
“One morning Wood and myself, taking advantage of a few
hours of clear weather, rode out to look for game, and after shooting
a Roan Antelope bull were returning home, when, in a small patch
of bush, we rode right on to a Black Rhinoceros, that we at once
saluted with two bullets. As the wounded animal galloped off,
we saw for the first time that it was followed by a small calf, which
could not have been more than a day or two old, for it seemed
unable to keep up with its mother, and upon our approach ran
under the legs of Wood’s horse, who, calling to me to go on and
kill the cow, pulled in, in order to secure it. With another bullet
I dispatched the cow accordingly, and returning to my friend,
found him sitting under a shady tree, and the little Rhinoceros
14 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
standing close beside his horse, which did not manifest the slightest
alarm at the near proximity of the uncouth-looking and, no doubt
to him, strangely-smelling little beast. The young Rhinoceros, too,
that was scarcely larger than a half-grown pig, did not seem at
all frightened when either Wood or myself, or any of the Kaffirs,
approached it, but stood quite still when we went up to it and passed
our hands down its back. It was, of course, too young to have
any sign of horns, but two round patches on the nose showed
where they would in time have grown; in other respects, with its
prehensile lip, large ears, and little twinkling eyes, it was a perfect
miniature of an adult Black Rhinoceros. One circumstance, I
remember, that struck me at the time, was that it sweated most
profusely all over the back, which I never remember to have seen
an adult animal do. As we found that it followed Wood’s horse
as closely as if it had been its own mother, we determined to try
and get it to the wagons, which were about six miles distant,
and endeavour to rear it on thin gruel, for, unfortunately, we had
no milch cows with us; so, leaving the Kaffirs to cut up the old
cow, we rode home, the little Rhinoceros following us like a dog
the whole way. The heat of the sun seemed to give it great
inconvenience, for it halted and remained behind beneath every
shady tree; but, as soon as the horse was about twenty yards
ahead, it would twist up its little tail, give a squeal, and come
trotting up alongside of it again. At last we reached the wagons,
when of a sudden the nature of the hitherto quiet little beast seemed
changed; whether it was the sight of the dogs, that came barking
around it, or of the wagons, or the tout ensemble of sights and
smells with which its eyes and nostrils were assailed, I know not,
but it was now transformed into a perfect little demon, charging
people, dogs, and even the wagon-wheel, with great fury. I now
passed an ox-rein round its neck and behind one shoulder, when
it rushed alternately to the length of its tether, springing from the
ground in its fury, and then back again at me, when it would
inflict several bumps on my knees with its nose. Its modus
operandi was to lower its head between its legs, and then, by
throwing it up perpendicularly, strike several blows in quick
succession with its nose. Small and weak as the poor little creature
was, it still battered my knees with considerable violence. After
being secured to the wagon-wheel it presently became quieter,
though it still charged out to the full length of its tether at-any dog
aAAVYIO—'*Q “Obs
adAAVYIN—'6 ‘old
FIG. 10.—DWARF BUFFALO
FIG. II.—AMERICAN BISON
ANIMAL GIANTS is
or person that approached it. It, however, as I feared, obstinately
refused all food, though I have no doubt it would have drunk milk
had we had a cow with us; so, knowing that to let it run loose
would be merely to condemn it to a lingering death from starvation,
or an equally painful one by the fangs of Lions or Hyznas, I judged
it most merciful to put a bullet through its head, which I did, though
not without regret, for I should much have liked to rear it.”
GIRAFFE. — If the animals we have met with so far are dis-
tinguished by their enormous bulk, the next species of giant with
which we propose to make acquaintance, the Giraffe, is characterized
by its long neck and legs, small head and body. It must be a
fine sight to observe a herd of these beautiful African beasts in
their native wilds, and it is not at all difficult to imagine the
enthusiasm with which Mr. Selous writes of his first experience
with them.
That first experience, however, nearly cost the big-game hunter
his life, for, becoming separated from the rest of the party through
an unfortunate collision with the trunk of a tree, and losing his
horse, he was stranded upon the veldt without food or shelter. He
tells how in Africa the burning heat of the day is succeeded by
Arctic cold at night, and how vainly he tried to close his eyes as
he lay upon a hastily-made bed of cut grass. Hungry, and
perishing with cold, it must have been no joke to lie on the veldt
homeless and alone, with the moon and the stars in the vault above,
and prowling Hyzenas passing close by and uttering cries that made
night hideous.
Looking at the creatures shown in Figs. 8 and 9, one exhibiting
a specimen at the Zoo with body raised and neck outstretched,
and the other showing the beast straddling, one can faintly realize
the charm of watching a small herd in the pure unfettered wilds.
They can travel at a remarkable speed, and it requires a good
horse to overtake them. Their tails are twisted over their backs
like corkscrews, and when seen from the rear, we are told, the
animals appear to be gliding or sailing along without any apparent
movement. Their mode of locomotion is a kind of gallop, for the
hind legs are straddled out at each step, and come (one on either
side) in front of the forelegs.
The dappled hide of the Giraffe will naturally attract notice,
for the animal is beautifully marked and always appears wonder-
fully well groomed. It is, in many ways, one of the most striking
16 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
of living creatures, and it was not until 1827 that the first specimen
reached England alive. This only lived a few months, but others
being imported later thrived amazingly, breeding freely, and so
stocking the collection of the Zoological Society for some time.
The last of the original stock succumbed in 1892, and when the
Soudan was closed to the outside world because of the rise of
Mahdism, Zoological collectors found it difficult to secure several
kinds of animals which the great African continent yields.
Eventually other specimens reached the Gardens mentioned,
and there are to-day four fine examples to be seen there. This
in itself shows the strides we have made since Pennant’s time, for
he observes that had he not seen a dried skin of the Camelopard,
he should have been almost inclined to entertain doubts as to the
existence of so extraordinary an animal !
That Giraffes are not such sweet-tempered creatures as some
people who admire their pretty hide and attractive presentment
imagine, may be ascertained by any one visiting the Giraffe house
in Regent’s Park, for a note in my diary reminds me of a plate
that is to be seen on the wall there commemorating a charge made
at his keeper by one of the beasts which, fortunately for the former,
missed its mark!
This, the tallest of all known animals, strikes one as a strange
mixture of parts, for, although the name Giraffe is a corruption
of the Arabic zirafah, meaning “graceful,” it has been recorded
that ‘a careful study of its features will discover in the Giraffe a
likeness to the Camel, the Ox, the Deer, the Antelope, the Goat
and the Ostrich”!
There are two distinct species recognized, one being found in
the North and the other in the South of Africa, whilst numerous
varieties are known to occur which have been accorded much atten-
tion by reason of the colouring varying so much in animals
procured from different localities. The male attains a height of
nineteen or twenty feet, but the female is shorter. The long thin
legs; long, but strong neck; the deception in the length of the
front and hind legs by reason of the greater elevation of the withers;
the remarkably well-poised head, narrow muzzle, and long tongue;
the large, pointed ears, and prominent eyes which give a wide
range of vision, are all distinguishing features worthy of note when
taking stock of the animal giant now under review.
Whilst the species inhabiting Northern Africa possesses, as a
Pviate Ill.
“dspace
. W SPERROGE,
AMERICAN BISON.
ANIMAL GIANTS 17
rule, three horns, the Southern species has a pair only. Both male
and female bear these so-called horns, for, unlike horns possessed
by other animals, those of the Giraffe are only bony excrescences
tipped with a tuft of black hair and do not, as one might suppose,
acquire the proportions of the appendages borne by other horn-
bearing beasts.
The great length of neck permits the-Giraffe to reach the
succulent leaves of trees, and the long and prehensile upper lip
and long tongue greatly assist in the feeding process.
In the dry regions of the arid desert, where this fine tall giant
makes its home, water is at a discount, and hence it comes about
that the Giraffe must perforce go without it for a great length of
time. Having located a welcome oasis in the desert, some such
attitude as that shown in Fig. 9 has to be adopted before the animal
can satisfy its thirst. The creamy-fawn ground-colour of the South
African species is marked with patches of lemon-fawn to brownish-
black of various sizes, whilst the Northern kind is generally light
reddish-chestnut, marked with tawny lines which are extremely
regular in design.
Although this interesting creature is not nearly so plentiful
to-day as in the by-gone, and those who would pursue it must go
into the wilds of Africa where civilization has not yet penetrated,
there is no immediate cause for alarm concerning its numbers.
The discovery by Sir Harry Johnstone a few years ago of that
remarkable animal, the Okapi, supplied a sort of connecting-link
between the Giraffe and the Antelope, and goes to prove that secrets
are yet to be discovered in the great African continent which has
thus far proved so abundantly rich in faunal life.
DWARF BUFFALO.—This fine animal belongs to a dwarf
race of the African Buffalo, and, as Fig. 10 shows, it possesses
horns which are more like a heavy two-sided crown, or two large
plates. These horns almost meet in the middle of the forehead
(having the appearance of being fused together), and so low do
they lie that the large ears when brought forward only just steer
clear of the lower part of the heavy appendages mentioned.
It is a strong, powerful-looking Buffalo and claims relationship
with the Oxen.
The Cape Buffalo is a formidable beast, and this is heightened
by the horny helmet with which the head is adorned, and which in
the bull is flattened out in the manner shown in Fig. to.
c
_ 18 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
A dangerous beast to encounter in its native wilds (the Lion is
a veritable coward when compared with it), the intrepid hunter has
to exhibit considerable pluck, coolness and daring in successfully
withstanding the fierce onslaught of a Cape Buffalo, more especially
if a wounded animal is being dealt with. The beast can charge with
no uncertain aim, and is, of course, largely aided by the strong
horns with which it is supplied.
Bold, fearless, courageous, we see here a wild monarch which
many a hunter has just cause to remember, and although Mr. Selous
has related many instances of almost certain death from starvation,
fever and the attacks of wild animals, he never came nearer to
being launched into eternity than when he came face to face with
a ferocious bull of this species.
It is stated that two powerful Lions are required to pull down
an adult male, and at night the cows resort to the method of “Union
is strength,” and contrive between them to ward off the attacks of
night prowlers, and so shield their calves.
In an analysis of game shot by Mr. Selous in Africa in the years
1877-1880, one hundred head of Buffaloes are included, and, exclud-
ing 304 various kinds of Antelopes shot in the same period and
under the same auspices, the list given in A Hunter’s Wanderings
is as under—
Black Rhinoceros F ; : - 10
Buffalo . : : : ‘ - 100
Crested Bustard : F : : 6
Elephant A : ; . - 20
Giraffe . ; ; , ‘ . 18
Hippopotamus . : F . . 4
Lion . ‘ ‘ ‘ : 5 EB
Ostrich . ‘ j : ‘ ‘i 3
Spotted Hyzna ‘ F ; ; 3
Wart Hog : : : : . 17
White Rhinoceros 3 : s : 2
Zebra (Burchell’s) : : : » 48
Total head, excluding 304 Antelopes . 244
These figures will, in a way, give some idea of the animals
encountered and their comparative distribution, but it is only fair
to state, in view of Mr.-Selous’s own words, that “some people may
consider it a dreadful record of slaughter,” the figures given do not
ANIMAL GIANTS 19
represent all the game that might have been obtained, and it must
be borne in mind that upon his expedition various animals had of
necessity to be procured for the purposes of both food and barter.
AMERICAN BISON.—It seems difficult to imagine that a fine,
noble animal such as this, which only a few years ago was to be
counted in vast herds consisting of millions of individuals, is, as a
pure wild beast of to-day, reduced to comparatively small numbers.
That it has not been totally abolished from the face of the
habitable globe is due to the praiseworthy efforts made by both the
American and Canadian Governments, and although in confinement
the Bison is ill-tempered and ferocious—and the bull shown in
Fig. 11 particularly so—it is far too interesting an animal to be
swept from the world without, so to speak, any warning.
The year 1867 seems to have been the time when this, the largest
of the North American hoofed animals, became doomed, for the
immense herd that roamed the prairies at the date named was cut
in two by the construction of the first trans-continental railway line.
This having been done, it only took a few years to exterminate the
two portions of the original herd, for in 1884 the deed was practically
accomplished. Whilst there are said to be a few survivors in a wild
condition to-day, there is little doubt that but for timely Government
assistance the American Bison would have been lost to us ere this.
This would have been more regretable in view of the fact that its
European brother is also very rare, being now confined to the
preserved forests of Lithuania and in the Caucasus.
Covered with a thick, warm coat of shaggy hair, which is well
shown in the coloured plate of this fine beast, the Bison is in many
respects a remarkable giant of the animal kingdom, but our photo-
graph depicts the bull with his winter coat peeling off, and giving
him somewhat the appearance of a large French poodle!
More bulky and formidable than the European species, our
American friend has a more prominent head, and its coat is longer,
being composed of much shaggier hair. When the thick covering
is shed, as partly shown in Fig. 11, the Bison does not look nearly
so big nor so bulky as when he possesses his full coat. At such
time he is indeed a noble creature, possessing, as has been well
said, “a grandeur and nobility of presence which are beyond all
comparison among ruminants.”
For all that, the keeper of the cow, bull and calf now housed at
the London Zoo told me recently that he would not trust himself
c2
20 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
in the yard with them, and from what I saw of the damage done to
one of the fences by the animals charging, I can well imagine why
the keeper is not anxious to become on too intimate terms of
acquaintance with his formidable captives. In days gone by, when
the prairies of North America were literally blackened with the huge
herds of these monarchs of the wild, the Bison was much sought
after by the Red Indians. They found it an extremely useful animal,
as it provided them with food, clothing, covering for so-called
houses, weapons of defence, and other articles. It appears, too,
that man was not alone to blame in the vast toll taken from these
animal hordes of the by-gone, for when a troupe of Bisons stampeded
they became frenzied with rage and excitement. So much so, indeed,
that, with huge heads lowered and tails whisked in the air, they
would rush madly on, apparently caring little what became of
them. Thus many an animal perished by tumbling headlong into
some abyss from which there was no return, and even trampling
one another underfoot in the mad scamper of retreat.
It is hardly possible to conjecture what a spectacle such a
gathering of these noble animal giants must have presented. It is
no idle fairy-tale to write of them as literally blackening the environs
they. frequented, as it is only about forty years ago that a train “on
the Kansas Pacific Railway passed through a herd for a distance
of over a hundred miles”! The white man, too, has helped in the
work of destruction, as now, when it is almost too late, he is doing
his best to save the mere remnant remaining.
In its gregariousness and its immense numbers, the American
Bison must assuredly be considered one of the most remarkable
animals of the world—living or dead—and in its almost total extinc-
tion from its former haunts we have an apt illustration of how soon
the work of destruction may be carried out when once begun in
real earnest, and the rapid annihilation of this creature will certainly
be handed down to posterity as one of the most extraordinary
animal episodes of the nineteenth century.
ELAND. — But, we may well ask, what are we doing of real
practical service to-day to save many other creatures from extermina-
tion? If we leave the great American continent and betake ourselves
to Africa, whither we have already in our pilgrimages been in quest
of some monster we have set out to survey, somewhat the same
harrowing tale must perforce be told. Let us take the case of the
Eland, of whom we have examples in Fig. 12.
ANIMAL GIANTS 21
This really magnificent creature is the largest of all the Antelopes.
It is now practically extinct in Cape Colony, and owing to civiliza-
tion penetrating elsewhere into the great African continent, it is
safe to assert that the day is not far distant when, as a wild animal,
the Eland will be no more. And this is to be regretted all the more
because if it had been domesticated by man there is every likelihood
that it would have been spared to us for generations to come.
Attempts have, it is true, been made to acclimatize it in England,
but it is a thousand pities that some preserves have not been mapped
out in its own native land where it would have remained in safe
keeping. The tender flesh being in days gone by highly esteemed
for food has, as a natural consequence, helped very largely to reduce
its numbers, whilst the skin is valuable in many ways.
A good specimen will weigh from 1,500 to 2,000 Ib., and attain
a height of nineteen hands at the withers, and a length of nine feet.
The young one shown in the photograph was only four days old
when it stood for its picture, but the adult is distinguished by the
strong twisted horns and a dewlap which bears a fringe of black
hair like the mane. There are two varieties of Elands in Africa,
which vary in colour. The species in Central Africa is pale fawn,
whilst the species in the South is bright yellow tan. The thinness
of the hair, however, often gives the old bulls a bluish cast.
Elands are found in dry, sandy, and yet thickly wooded country,
and that they sometimes associate with other inhabitants of the wilds
is shown by Mr. Selous entering in his diary a note to the effect that
he saw on one occasion a large herd of Zebras, headed by two fine
Elands, standing in the open flat. The bull, according to the same
observer, is, when encountered in a wild state, a grand-looking
beast, “with his heavy though shapely body, low-hanging dewlap,
fine, clean-cut limbs and small, game-looking head. He is one
of those’ stately creatures that few reflecting men can slay without
regret, and fewer still, I hope, would kill for sport alone, leaving the
carcase to rot in the wilderness or fatten the Wolves! and Vultures;
but, at the same time, it is as necessary for the hunter, upon whose
rifle, perhaps, a score of hungry savages are dependent for food
from day to day, to shoot many beautiful and harmless animals, as
it is for a butcher in a civilized land to poleaxe an Ox.”
WAPITI STAG.— The Turkestan Wapiti Stag is the Asiatic
1 Doubtless Mr. Selous here refers to the Jackals, no true species of Wolves being
found in Africa.—W. P. W.
oo THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
representative of the handsome Wapiti of North America, and
visitors to the Zoological Gardens in London have an opportunity
of comparing the two animals, and thus ascertaining for themselves
how difficult it is to separate them. On my last visit to the Zoo I
very carefully examined both kinds of Deer, and the only external
distinguishing features that I considered worthy of note were the
darker collar, broad muzzle and fine Roman nose of the Turkestan
Wapiti. He, poor old chap, was at the time of my visit in a sad
state, evidently being in a decline, and quickly qualifying as an
inmate of the newly-erected dead-house hard by his den.
One hears some very funny remarks at the Zoo from persons
who go there sight-seeing rather than to study and note the charac-
teristics of the animal inhabitants. Thus a friend of mine who was
with me on the day in question was feeding some of the foreign
birds in the aviaries. The keeper had ready for him a tin of meal-
worms, and for these tasty tit-bits the feathered creatures evinced
keen delight. A woman standing by me, her curiosity evidently
aroused to the utmost of its capacity, remarked to her companion :
“Oh! look at that gentleman feeding those birds on shrimps! ”
With the exception, then, of the Moose, the Wapiti Stag is the
largest Deer in existence. It has a somewhat shaggy coat of
yellowish-brown, and its fine symmetry and graceful bearing is well
shown off by the large antlers, which are nicely portrayed in the
accompanying picture. Antlers have been shed in the Gardens
weighing between thirty and forty pounds the pair.
In former times the Wapiti had a wide range in North America,
but civilization has made its mark with this as with other animals,
and to-day it is decreasing everywhere, and in many districts has
been entirely eliminated. How America came to possess the Wapiti
is only a matter of conjecture, but the probability is that it migrated
into the New World in former days by way of Behring Straits, and
there are in Asia a number of Stags which, from west to east,
approach the true Wapiti more and more closely.
Known also as the Elk, the animal under review is much larger
than our own Red Deer, and those who have seen large specimens
of this handsome species—to which the Wapiti is closely related—
will be able to form some idea of its magnificence. Fearless fighters,
when two males meet the combat is a fierce one to witness, and when
the rutting season is in full swing it must be a wonderful sight to
observe the Stags fighting desperately and challenging all comers
AND YOUNG
AND
i235 BL
FIG.
ESTAN WAPITI STAG
13.—TURK
FIG.
FIG. I4.—SPANISH DOMESTIC ASS
FIG. I15.—~SPANISH AND ENGLISH DOMESTIC ASSES
ANIMAL GIANTS 23
to battle. Thus, whether on sentinel-guard or engaged in stern
conflict, we see here a monarch of the wild who, even in captivity,
cannot withstand the unfailing instinct which it possesses during
the rutting season, but charges the bars of its yard, banging its
head and antlers heavily, and causing very often ugly wounds
piteous to see. Compare this with the solicitude and courage evinced
by the hind—or female—in defence of her fawn, and the wonderful
death-feigning of the little one as it lies in some embowered retreat,
and one must of necessity admire the fine beast whose life-history
may well conclude our tour among a few of the animal giants of
the world.
CHAPTER II
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS
DOMESTIC ASSES.—Whilst we shall make acquaintance with
some examples of Wild Asses and Zebras at a later stage, it is
appropriate that in this section there should be found representatives
of this highly useful family of beasts. Horses, Asses and Zebras
belong to the Equide, and these animals have, as is well known,
long been domesticated by mankind, and have played no unimportant
part in the world’s history and progress.
Their ancestors have long since become extinct, for our present-
day Horses and Asses are descended from creatures which at an
earlier period possessed on all four legs extremities containing five
fingers or toes, the complete hand or foot being placed flat on the
ground in walking. A careful study of geology reveals the fact that
the ancestors of the Horse came by degrees to walk on the ends of
the fingers and toes, and during the long ages that intervened the
middle toe or finger became gradually larger until the nail eventually
formed the hoof, whilst the remaining digits entirely disappeared.
Our own domesticated Horses are to be distinguished from the Asses
and Zebras by the comparatively small ears, a greater profusion of
hair upon the tail, and the appearance of what are called “chest-
nuts,” or bare warty patches, situate on the inner side of each
hind-leg as well as the fore-legs. These, it is believed, are the
remains of. recognition, or scent glands, which are also found to
exist in other kinds of quadrupeds.
Prejevalski’s Wild Horse—which lives in the deserts of Mongolia
—is a most interesting species because it represents in many ways
the intermediate form between the Domestic Horse and the Wild
Asiatic Asses. It is true that the ears of the Asses of Asia are
shorter and the tails are more hairy, but, unlike the former,
Prejevalski’s Horse is distinguished by the presence of these bare
warty patches, or “‘callosities,” as they are also called, on both the
hind and the fore limbs.
24.
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 25
The photographs depict several interesting examples of Asses
such as the Spanish Domestic Ass (Fig. 14), the Spanish and
English Domestic Asses for comparison of size (Fig. 15), a Hybrid
Zebra and Pony (Fig. 16) in which the stripes on the legs are
plainly to be seen, and a Hybrid Somali and Domestic Ass (Fig 17).
The Wild Ass has been domesticated since a very remote period
in the world’s history, and whilst to-day it is difficult to locate the
pure wild animal of the unfettered fastness, there are several places
where the fleet-footed wild beast is still found. The Asiatic repre-
sentatives of the Wild Ass (Equus hemionus) are the Kiang, or
Kulan, of Tibet and Mongolia, the Ghorkhar, or Onager, of Western
India and Baluchistan; a third variety inhabits Syria and Persia,
whilst in Africa the Wild Ass (Equus asinus) ranges through
Abyssinia, Somaliland and various parts of the Sudan.
It appears to be generally recognized that the Domestic Donkey
is a near descendant of the African Wild Ass, being, as a matter of
fact, the African species domesticated. Doubtless it was first tamed
to be of service to mankind hard by the River Nile, and as its useful-
ness was made manifest and appreciated and civilization advanced,
the habits of the beast rapidly became known in other Eastern
countries. With the civilizing influence that came about as a result
of the discovery of the Western passage, the fame of the Donkey
as a beast of burden became still better known. It spread rapidly
throughout the countries adjacent, and yet it seems to have taken
quite a long time before it was introduced into Europe. In our own
land its introduction was indeed fairly recent. That it did not for
some time find favour here is evidenced by the comparatively low
price at which the animal was valued, and it was not until the
remarkable Elizabethan era that its true worth was recognized and
its obstinacy tolerated.
Although, as perhaps the reader may be aware, the ordinary
Domestic Donkey which one meets with at the seaside is character-
ized by its unwillingness to traverse a single step farther than is
necessary, and the general obstinacy which it exhibits, there can
be little doubt that this trait in its character is largely due to the
ill-treatment it receives. This is more apparent when one becomes
intimate with other individuals whose claims to be treated kindly
and humanely are recognized, and who are well and properly fed
and housed, for it is seen that such treatment results in good-
tempered and willing servants being forthcoming, and it is always
26 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
pleasant to recognize a good Donkey when one is seen, for it
undoubtedly proclaims by its very movements the kind of treatment
that is meted out to it. Generally regarded as a somewhat spiritless,
stubborn and obstinate creature, I have long since formed the
opinion that the Domestic Ass has been a good deal misjudged, for
in several instances I have noted its willingness to obey orders, and
have also been much struck with certain individuals whose powers
of intelligence were very remarkable.
The Donkey seems to be one of those creatures which keenly resents
unkind and unfair handling, and those who have watched the animals
owned by the London costers and noted how well groomed they are,
and how excellently they trot along, will have had ample evidence
of what a change may be wrought when so-called dumb animals
are treated with the respect and devotion that is their due.
An examination of the Spanish Domestic Ass and our own
domestic animal will reveal a striking difference in both size and
appearance, and whilst we in England are very fond of advertising
our claims to humanity and preaching about the wrongs of others,
it would be as well perhaps if at any rate in some instances we set
our own house in order first. It is a recognized fact that in Eastern
countries, such as Egypt, Persia, Syria and India, and also in
Southern European lands, such as Spain and Italy, the Ass is a
larger animal, better fed and more carefully tended than elsewhere.
As a result the owner obtains more willingness from his beast,
receiving, as Mr. Protheroe well says, “a corresponding good return
for the trouble and expenditure incurred. It is capable of a good
day’s journey at a moderate pace, with a man on its back, and it
has a spirited demeanour and wide-awake manner which render it a
pleasant quadruped to deal with.”
In foreign lands, of course, the Ass is a much more valuable
creature as a beast of burden than in England, for it is wonderfully
sure-footed in districts which it is difficult for any other animal to
traverse, and where railways and motors are unknown. It is in
many instances the only domesticated animal that is of any lasting
service to those whose business it is to travel over a wide extent of
rough untrammelled country. In America, too, Asses are much larger
creatures than those found in our own land, those on the Western
Continent standing from fourteen to sixteen hands high.
In Figs. 16 and 17 we have examples of the results of crossing a
Zebra with a Pony, and a Somali Wild Ass with a Domestic Ass.
FIG. 16.—HYBRID ZEBRA AND PONY
FIG. 17.— HYBRID SOMALI AND DOMESTIC ASS
FIG. 19.—-HAUSSA SHEEP (EWE AND LAMB)
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 27
A large male Ass when mated with a female Horse produces a fine
Mule, and these latter are well known for their remarkable sure-
footed powers as well as their endurance. In consequence of this,
they are much sought after, for they are able to make protracted
journeyings over rocky country where it would be almost impossible
for a Horse to travel. Whilst on occasion Mules exhibit even more
obstinacy and stubbornness than the Ass, when once these curious
habits are overcome their value is undoubted, and it is interesting
to observe before passing on to the next species which claims our
attention, that there do not appear to be any authentic instances of
Mules breeding among themselves, although now and again a female
Mule will produce offspring with the male Horse or Ass. And it is
certainly worth noticing that, so far as has been ascertained, it does
not seem that “the hybrids between any other members of the
equine family are mutually fertile.”
We shall have more to say regarding Wild Asses in Chapter XV,
so that we may now leave our present subject and pay attention to
other animals whose claims for inclusion in our second section must
not be overlooked. Among these we may include a few kinds of
Sheep which are entitled to be considered, and which do not come
under the heading of Wild Sheep, to be dealt with later on.
DOMESTIC SHEEP.—Foremost among the domestic kinds is the
striking form of the Haussa, of which we have examples among
our pictures (Figs. 18 and 19) of the Ram, Ewe and Lamb. This
beautiful animal comes from Africa, and whilst the ram is chiefly
noticeable for his larger and bulkier build and the handsome pair
of gracefully curved horns which adorn his head, the ewe, as will
be seen by a reference being made to Fig. 19, does not possess these
crown appendages. She, as a matter of fact, does not strike one as
very Sheep-like in general outward form, and the dark markings on
the head and ears stand out conspicuously from the otherwise light-
coloured coat. The long tail and legs possessed by this animal are
also worthy of note. Other breeds represented in our pictures and
to which attention may be directed before we consider a few interest-
ing points concerning various kinds of Domestic Sheep, are the
Hunia (Fighting Ram) (Fig. 20), One-Horned Indian Domestic
Sheep (Fig. 21), in which the horns are fused into one, and the
Dumba, or Fat-Rumped Sheep (Fig. 22). All these, as their pictures
clearly show, vary a good deal in general build and also in the
character of the horns.
28 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Of the antiquity of our Domestic Sheep it is impossible to write
with any degree of certainty, for these useful animals, which have
been, and still are, so largely used for food and clothing, have from
time immemorial been inseparably connected with mankind. The
Domestic Sheep is undoubtedly one of man’s most cherished pos-
sessions, and to-day when one so continually hears the cry of “back
to the land,” and new countries are being opened up by settlers
from the homeland, Sheep are to be reckoned in countless numbers,
for their wool is greatly sought after for the purpose of making into
clothing, and so ministering to the wants and comforts of the human
race. We in England do not possess any adequate idea of the
enormous flocks of Sheep which are found in the great continent of
Australia, in South America, Canada and elsewhere, and we regard
their being kept in such numbers as one of the surest signs that
mankind—at least those races which live in temperate climates where
clothing is a necessity—owes a great deal to the usefulness of the
Sheep, to say nothing of its flesh being still largely used in spite
of the active propaganda of vegetarians and others.
We are as a nation great meat-eaters, and the colonist has not
been slow to note this, owing to his knowledge of the old country.
Having become the possessor of a tract of land which he may have
almost for the asking, in view of the amount of tillage it requires
before becoming remunerative, he has in course of time seen the
result of his labours rewarded by the soil giving forth abundant
fruit and his herd of cattle gradually assuming respectable propor-
tions. In some instances flock owners have become the ‘possessors
of such immense herds of Sheep and other animals that on large
areas of sparsely populated land it is often impossible to accurately
determine, except on rare occasions, the number constituting the
flock. This gives an idea of the vastness of those countries which
have been opened up of recent years, and the demand which exists
to supply the home and other markets with produce that we in
England are unable to supply for ourselves. Some relatives of the
writer emigrated to Australia about forty years ago, and by dint of
hard work—the very necessary essential which every successful
colonizer must undergo—they have succeeded in procuring rich
crops from land which, at first sight, hardly looked worth the tilling,
and reared huge flocks of Sheep whose exact numbers it is often
difficult to determine.
These animals are permitted to roam over a vast extent of
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 29
country, feeding as they go, and out there on the almost unlimited
ground that is occupied it must be a remarkable sight to witness
hill and valley tenanted by the whitened flocks in peaceful security.
It aptly illustrates, this advent of the great herdsman, flock owner,
or agriculturist, the progress of the world and the custom of nations,
and brings back to mind the days when a pastoral life was the chief
occupation of mankind. All was not gold that glittered in what we
are so fond of referring to as “the good old days,” but in olden time
the shepherd occupied a prominent position in the world’s history.
A peaceful and perhaps uneventful occupation it may have been,
but one that by degrees has largely regulated the modes and
manners of many countries where Sheep have become domesticated
and reared in large companies. Sheep are, it should be noted, the
first animals which occupy pride of place in the Holy Word, and all
are familiar with the references made to them in the Bible and the
sacrifices that were made of the firstlings of the flock. Poets,
painters, historians and others have referred to the shepherd and
his flock both by brush and pen, and the scene of peaceful serenity
has become engrained, as it were, in our national history.
Recognizing then the important position which Sheep have held
since the dawn of day, and still hold, we may pass on to remark that
although there is just reason to believe that our domestic breeds are
descended from such wild species as the Mouflon, the Armenian
Wild Sheep and the Urial, there is nevertheless a good deal of
information yet to be gained as to their exact origin. It is, for
instance, far from being decided at present whether the various
domesticated breeds so well known to every one have been derived
from a single, or from several, original wild stocks.
Shortly stated, Domestic Sheep differ from their wild associates
in having a coat of shaggy wool instead of hair, and in regard to
the length of the tail. No species of Wild Sheep, excepting the
Barbary, has a long tail, and Mr. Lydekker notes that “it has been
suggested that the long tails of the domestic breeds are due to a
kind of degeneracy, although it must be confessed that this does
not much advance matters. Unfortunately, geology does not help
us much in this investigation; although it is ascertained that the
inhabitants of the ancient Swiss lake-like villages were possessed of
a breed of Sheep characterized by their small size, long, thin legs
and Goat-like horns.”
In regard to the horns Domestic Sheep vary a good deal, for in
30 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
many kinds these appendages are so little developed that they are
almost absent. Whilst, for example, Figs. 18 and 20 show animals
possessing strong and prominent horns of a curved and heavy kind,
Fig. 21 displays the curious fused horn of the One-Horned Indian
Domestic Sheep which, to say the least, gives the animal a very
uncommon appearance, especially with regard to the head.
And whilst, as has been mentioned, in some breeds of Domestic
Sheep the horns may be said to be almost absent, in others they are
found to be comparatively large in the male, taking a sharp curve
downwards and not uncommonly up again.
The various domestic breeds of Sheep need not be enumerated,
for whether we pay attention to such of our own country as the
Shetland breed, the Scotch, Welsh or Irish, the Heath breeds,
the Cheviots, Norfolk or Moor breeds, the Southdowns or Dorsets,
the Merino or the Long-Woolled breeds, we find some distinguish-
ing characteristic that cannot fail to be observed, and when we
come to the domestic breeds of Sheep in other parts of the world,
every country more or less presents some peculiar modifications
which need not be detailed.
Naturally enough sheep-breeders make it their aim to produce
animals that will yield either good, or superior, meat, or profitable
wool, whilst in some of the commoner kinds both these essential
features are found.
Mention may be made of the Merino Sheep found in Spain,
because of all breeds this animal is most noted for the excellence of
the wool it yields. The climate of Britain is unsuited to this profit-
able breed, but in other parts of the world it has been introduced
with most encouraging results. British Sheep, however, have many
distinct characteristics worthy of note, for they vary a great deal both
in size and the length and quality. of their wool. The Shetland and
Orkney breeds bear a fine soft wool which is profusely intermixed
with hair. They are small in size, of a hardy disposition, and horns
are often found in both sexes. The Scotch Sheep come from older
stock, have small horns, short wool and lank bodies. Both races of
Welsh Sheep are of small stature, those which resort to the
mountains having horns in both sexes, a dark coloration, and
hair largely intermixed with the soft wool. Those of the second
race have no horns; they possess soft wool “which is deficient in the
property of felting”; they are hardy animals, and are highly
esteemed by reason of the excellence of their flesh.
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 31
Sheep do not thrive in the Emerald Isle, the humid climate not
suiting them, but the breed known as the Irish Wicklow are very
similar to the Welsh Mountain breed, and among other Irish kinds
the Kerry Sheep alone claim mention. Of all ‘British Sheep
the Black-Faced Heaths which resort to the mountains and moors
north of Derbyshire may be justly regarded as the hardiest and
boldest. The ram and ewe both have horns, the face and limbs
are dark-coloured and the coat is coarse and shaggy.
The Cheviot Sheep are not numerous. They are heavier but not
so hardy as the last-named; both sexes are hornless, have white
faces and limbs, and yield a moderately fine wool. Strong in body
and active in disposition, the Norfolk Sheep have horns in both
male and female, which, in the former, assume a thick and spiral
form. On Dartmoor and Exmoor in the west of our island home
the Sheep there found may, says one writer of repute, “be taken as
samples of the breeds of the older forests, commons and chases.”
They may, or may not, possess horns, the wool is of moderate
length, and the animals are of small size.
High up on the famous chalk hills of Sussex where such healthy,
invigorating conditions prevail—for Richard Jefferies facetiously
remarked that it was a good plan to discover some excuse to be up
there always, if only to search after stray mushrooms—it is small
wonder that we find a breed of Sheep, known as the Southdown,
which is much sought after. The Southdown does not bear any
horns, but may be recognized by the dark-brown face, ears and
limbs, and the short felted wool. The large head, well-woolled
space between the ears, and the large proportion of meat that this
breed produce are also deserving of mention. Going westward
again in search of the Dorset and pink-nosed Somerset Sheep, we
find that these animals are characterized by the length of the white
limbs, the white face and frequently flesh-coloured muzzle, as well as
by the presence of horns in both sexes. The wool is medium in
length, and the lambs are brought forth very early in the season.
There is another variety of the Dorset Sheep which flourishes on
poor soil and which resorts to Dean Forest and the Mendip Hills,
whilst the Portland Sheep is a near relative which is still smaller
than the last-named. Of the Merino we have already written, and it
only remains for us to notice the Long-Woolled Sheep, “under
which heading,” says Mr. Lydekker, “are comprised the new
Leicester and the varieties more or less intermixed with it in blood,
ke THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
such as the Lincolnshire, the Romney Marsh, the Cotswold, the
Devonshire, the Notts and the Long-Woolled Irish breeds. They
are all of large size, destitute of horns in both sexes, and bear long
wool, which, while unsuitable for felting, is eminently adapted for
the manufacture of worsted yarn.”
Before finally leaving the subject now under review it is useful
to notice that from the latest statistics before us we learn that there
are now in Australia over sixty million Sheep; in New Zealand
(which only received its first one as recently as 1840) there are twenty
millions; in the Argentine Republic there are over seventy million
Sheep, whilst on the great Continents of America and Africa the
number must be very large, and of those bred the Merino appears
to be the general favourite. Truly, as one writer says, “it can
readily be seen how wool and mutton form no inconsiderable share
of the wealth of our kindred across the seas, wealth more assured
and enduring than even the gold that has been mined under the
Southern Cross.”
THE AUROCHS AND DOMESTIC OXEN— Like the Sheep, the
so-called Wild White Cattle of to-day—represented in our photo-
graphs by the English Wild Bull (Fig. 23)—are descended from
animals whose pedigree is shrouded in the mist of ages. The Wild
Ox of Europe no longer holds a place in our fauna. This massive
beast, which the all-conquering Czsar described as being little
inferior to the Elephant in size, is extinct, and although our present
herds are no doubt very indirectly descended from the great beast
which roamed about in Julius Czesar’s time, the half-wild cattle found
in herds in a few British parks to-day have degenerated a good deal
as the result of comparative confinement and in-breeding.
Yet the few herds that are preserved by the Duke of Bedford,
and at Chillingham Park, Northumberland, and elsewhere, enable
us to comprehend to better advantage the immensity of the pure wild
creature of former times, and also supply us with an interesting link
as to the ancestry of our own domestic cattle.
As our photograph of an English Wild Bull depicts, the beast
has a pair of horns which occupy a prominent position on the summit
of the forehead, and whilst those possessed by the specimen shown are
fairly straight, the Aurochs was, and the semi-wild and domesticated
cattle of Europe are, noticeable for the circular horns on the top of
the skull. The Wild Ox still left to us presents several interesting
features of note, for it varies in many ways from the more domesti-
FIG. 20.—-HUNIA (FIGHTING RAM)
FIG. 21.—ONE-HORNED INDIAN DOMESTIC SHEEP
FIG. 23.—ENGLISH WILD BULL
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 33
cated breeds known to every one. It grazes for the most part during
the silent watches of the night, resorts to the habit of hiding its
young, and when unduly interfered with, or alarmed, exhibits a
fierce disposition which enables one to conjure up some idea of the
habits of its ancient relatives.
That the historic Wild Ox of Europe, known as the Urus as well
as Aurochs, was a bold, courageous beast during the Roman era is
evidenced by the data handed down to us by the indomitable Julius
Cesar, for he records that a man’s prowess was recognized by the
number of horns he had managed to secure in the chase.
The bull shown in Fig. 23 came from the Chartley herd in
Staffordshire, and the Zoological Society state that it is believed to
be as nearly genuine as any, as “it is known that these cattle are
the direct descendants of the wild cattle which roamed at large in
the Forest of Needwood in 1248,” whilst the cow that is exhibited in
the Regent’s Park collection came from the fine beasts located at
Vaynol Park, Bangor. These two animals have mated successfully,
producing calves which are, of course, of mixed blood.
From remains that have been discovered in various parts of
England and the Continent, it is evident that the great Cesar was
no mere adventurer or romancer when he described the Aurochs of
old as being little less than the Elephant in size. A skull that came
under the notice of the writer, for example, bore upon it horns which
in their original condition must have measured at least four feet
from tip to tip, whilst other specimens that have been discovered
from time to time have considerably exceeded these dimensions, if
not in the span occupied by the horns, then certainly by the
immensity of the skull.
These intensely interesting epitaphs that have been preserved
for us reveal many features which enable us to piece the fascinating
story together, for we are able to ascertain some idea of the size,
shape and structure of the ancient originators of the English Wild
Cattle of to-day, and also the place they occupied in the life of the
mighty hunters of olden time. That the huge beast was sought after
by the hunter in prehistoric days is not only revealed to us by
Czesar’s own words, but the skulls unearthed have been found to be
pierced by flint hatchets.
The exact date when this monarch of the wild disappeared from
our own country is difficult to determine with any degree of certainty,
but it seems agreed that the latest examples were found in Scotland
D
34 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and not in England. It does not appear to have occurred in Ireland,
but flourished in Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Greece,
Austria, Scandinavia, Russia and elsewhere.
Accurate data concerning the Aurochs seem to end somewhere
about the twelfth century, when we are told by Mr. Lydekker that
four individuals are mentioned as having been slaughtered in the
neighbourhood of Worms. The coloration of the original wild
animal is even more speculative than its size, but from old records
preserved to us it may be assumed that it was white, intermixed
with dun-red. In view of this coloration it is certainly interesting
to note that we may observe the prevalence of these colours in a large
number of our domestic cattle of to-day.
As to our British Park Cattle—the half-wild, even although very
distant, representatives of the extinct monster whose claims we have
so far considered—these are almost white in colour when pure bred,
the ears and muzzle being either black or red, as also on occasions
is the front of the legs. They are not large animals, but what they
lack in stature they make up for in their general symmetry, the
short, strong legs, straight back, small head and long tail being
characteristics worth noticing. It should be noted that the best-
known herd of these Park Cattle in England is that at Chillingham,
whose numbers Mr. Harting and others have enumerated in a most
interesting way. Then we have the Cadzow Cattle, which differ
from the last-named in various ways, as well as the Chartley herd
already referred to. There are other herds of these fine beasts that
need not be detailed, and we may conclude this part of our story by
relating “that all these various herds of White Cattle are doubtless
derived from the half-wild cattle which, as we learn from the writings
of Fitz Stephen, dating from about the year 1174, were common in
the forests around London, and probably therefore in other parts
of England. When the various parks were enclosed a certain
number of these cattle were driven in, and the herds thus obtained
have been preserved with more or less care by their subsequent
owners” (vide The Royal Natural History).
Of the various breeds of domestic Cattle little need be written
excepting to mention a few of their names, such as the small
Shetland Cattle found in Shetland, the Orkneys and Iceland; the
Highland Cattle so characteristic of the higher parts of Scotland;
the somewhat larger Welsh Cattle, which are noted milk-givers; the
hardy Kerry breed, which thrive upon the mountains; the Polled
»—GAYAL
4
FIG. 2
AYAL (VARIETY)
G
FIG. 25.—
paso
Hills.
FIG. 26.—JAVAN OX
FIG. 27.—-ENGLISH RABBIT
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 35
Angus and Aberdeen breeds, which are distinguished by the
absence of horns in both sexes; the hornless Galloways, which are
descended from relatives of ancient origin; the Polled Suffolk,
which are also hornless and found in Eastern England; the three
closely related Alderney, Jersey and Guernsey breeds of the
Channel Islands, which are so chaste in appearance and give
such beautiful butter and cream; the Ayrshires, which have now
become represented in several places outside the county after which
they acquired their name; the Devons, Herefords, Longhorns and
Shorthorns. These various breeds fairly well represent our British
domestic Cattle, whilst on the Continent we find, among others, the
Friburg breed, which appear to be almost first cousins to the English
Shorthorns; the Dutch breed, which originated in Holland, but have
now made their way into Germany; the large Hungarian Cattle,
which range through Hungary into Turkey and Western Asia; the
Podolian Cattle; the breeds of Domestic Cattle in India and Africa,
and last, but by no means least, the vast herds of different kinds of
Cattle found in Australia, America, the Argentine, New Zealand
and elsewhere.
Thus from the time of Caesar, when the wild Aurochs monarch
roamed at large in the forests of by-gone days, all through the ages
we see a gradual process of selection, until at the present time the
number of different breeds is extraordinary. Several of these we
have mentioned in passing, and even if we only recognize their
intrinsic value and usefulness to the human race of to-day, and do
not stay to consider the many interesting features connected with
their production, we cannot fail to recognize that Cattle, though
they be unintelligent creatures, as the boy wrote in his essay, have
played no unimportant part in the history of nations.
GAYAL.—A peep at two foreign kinds of Cattle, one, the Gayal,
from India (Fig. 24) and the other, the Banting or Javan Ox (Fig.
26), may now be taken, and then we pass on to consider the claims
of some smaller animals with which the reader will doubtless be -
more familiar.
Whilst the normal colour of the Gayal is blackish-brown in
both the cow and the bull, with the lower portion of the limbs
white or yellowish, Fig. 25 displays an interesting variety to which
attention may be directed. Here it will be seen that the head and
body are whitish, the latter having a dappled effect pleasant to notice.
At a meeting of the Zoological Society of London held in
D2
36 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
November 1909, Dr. F. D. Welch, F.Z.S., exhibited photographs of
a male Gayal living in the Society’s Gardens, in which the lower
halves of both fore- and hind-legs were almost entirely black, instead
of pure white as in the normal adult.
The Gayal may be regarded as a semi-domestic animal which is
found in the hilly parts of North-Eastern India, but of late years
some interesting data have come to light concerning it, and we now
learn that it is also a perfectly wild beast. Its life and habits as
such are at present imperfectly understood, and there is no doubt
much of interest to learn concerning it from this point of view.
A somewhat heavy-looking creature, the broad head and flat
forehead are distinctly attractive, and whilst it resembles somewhat
the handsome Gaur, or mis-named Bison, it is smaller in stature,
has shorter limbs, and a lesser development of the ridge along the
back, but a more prominent dewlap on the throat, as shown in the
picture of the bull in Fig. 24.
The Gayal is one of the three most remarkable members of the
genus to which it belongs, and, like the magnificent Gaur, it pos-
sesses thick, massive horns which are, however, not nearly so curved,
and where they do curve it is outwards and upwards rather than
inwards. Thus the horns have a wider stretch than in the case of
the Gaur. These appendages are blackish in colour throughout.
As has been shown, some kinds of domestic Gayals (see Fig. 25)
are parti-coloured, or even white, and the cow is considerably
smaller than her mate. In a wild state it is an inhabitant of hilly
country, of wild forests where it can roam about at will, whilst
it is as well to notice that difficult rocky places are surmounted with
ease, an interesting trait in an animal built on such bulky lines.
High up on the Indian hills, and also on the hillsides below, the
Gayal is a favourite animal among the tribes there found, whilst the
Gaur is an established favourite as well, so much so indeed that from
careful examinations that have been made there seems reason to
suppose that the two animals sometimes interbreed.
Also known as the Mithan, the Gayal is most useful to the
Indians for the purposes of food, and this apparently is all, for, as
Mr. Blanford points out, the Indo-Chinese tribes who keep Gayals
never drink milk, and so far as has been ascertained, the animals
are not used as beasts of burden, nor are they employed in agricul-
tural labour.
Mr. Protheroe mentions that “the Kukis of the Chittagong
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 37
region, in capturing the animal, trade upon its liking for salt and a
particular kind of earth. Balls of these mixed substances are thrown
down in some jungle area that is known to be frequented by a wild
herd. The animals will not leave the district so long as there are
balls to be consumed, and the hunter spreads them about for a period
of five or six weeks. During this time he sends out his tame
Gayals to mix with their wild brethren, and then proceeds
to familiarize the Wild Oxen with himself. Presently he can go
among the mixed animals and stroke the tame ones without affright-
ing the wild ones, who in due course allow themselves to be caressed.
Thus it comes about that at the end of the fifth or sixth week the
Kuki villager is able to drive home the mixed herd, there to com-
plete the subjection of the latest additions to his stock.”
BANTING, OR JAVAN OX.—-We now come to the Banting or
Javan Ox shown in Fig. 26. As will be observed from even a
cursory inspection, this beast differs a good deal from the animal
last under consideration. It is not, for instance, such a heavily
built creature, the head is less massive and the horns are smaller.
On the hind-quarters the Banting is distinguished by the prominent
patch of white, the beginning of which can just be discerned in the
picture.
The white buttocks and legs possessed by the bull are also well
shown in Fig 26, and whereas he has a black coat, the cow resembles
her calf in having reddish-brown or chestnut.
This Ox, a sort of connecting link with the typical Oxen, does
not enjoy a wide range. It is found in the Malay Peninsula, Burma,
Java, Bali, Borneo, Siam and perhaps Sumatra.
The Malays keep big herds in Java—from whence it obtained one
of its names—and in Bali the cattle are replenished by individuals
imported from the first-named island.
In writing of the now extinct Aurochs, it will be remembered,
reference was made to the white and reddish-brown coloration of
the ancestral animal, and, this being so, it is deserving of notice
that the calves of the Gaur, Gayal and Banting are reddish-brown in
colour, a somewhat significant fact which should not be overlooked.
It needs but a passing glance to observe that the Banting stands
upon longer legs than the Gayal, and, as a consequence, we find that
it is less adapted for climbing among rocky and precipitous situa-
tions, restricting its attention to the lowlands where the luxurious
plains suit it admirably.
38 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
DOMESTICATED RABBITS.—Of the smaller kinds of domestic
and semi-domestic animals deserving of attention in this section we
may mention the Rabbit, the Cavy, or Guinea Pig, and the Ferret.
We will take them in the order written, and this brings us to the
Rabbit.
The illustrations depict three kinds of these favourite pets,
namely, English Rabbit, showing approximate markings (Fig. 27),
Angora Rabbit (Fig. 28) and Dutch Rabbit (Fig. 29). An examina-
tion of the pictures of these three kinds will be sufficient to reveal
the differences that exist both in colour and texture. The number
of persons who now keep and breed Rabbits is extraordinary, and
the popularity of the animals is unbounded. I recollect with vivid
interest how, as a boy, I used to keep both Rabbits and Cavies, and
there is hardly any one who has not at some time or other kept these
favourite pets.
The remarkable varieties of Rabbits that have been produced by
fanciers show the rapid strides that have been made in popular
favour of late years, and although it does not come within the
province of this book to dilate at length upon the merits, or other-
wise, of the various breeds now obtainable, a few notes as to some
of the more important of them will not be out of place. Whilst the
variety known as the Lop does not appear so popular as in days gone
by, the Belgian Hare—which in colour, size and shape resembles
very closely the British Wild Hare—has many admirers, both on
account of its pleasing appearance and its excellence for the table.
The Silvers are a nice group of Rabbits in which animals pos-
sessing grey, fawn, cream or brown coats are found, whilst the
Dutch (Fig. 29) is popular, although a small kind. The latter makes
a good foster-mother and has also the advantage of showing at an
early age whether a good specimen has been obtained.
From the small Dutch we come to the large Flemish Giants, which
are heavy pets and invariably secure prizes where awards are offered
for the heaviest Rabbits. The Himalayan are probably so called
because they are of Eastern origin, but this breed, and also the pure
white Polish, do not now appear in special favour.
The Angora (Fig. 28) is to be regarded as one of the most
beautiful Rabbits known to us, and is a great favourite among both
fanciers and others. It is the longest haired variety met with, the
fleecy white coat giving the creature a magnificent appearance. As
may be imagined, this coat—which in a good specimen looks like
FIG. 29.—DUTCH RABBIT
FIG. 31.—-LONG-HAIRED GUINEA PIG
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 39
a mass of soft, silky hair—requires a great deal of attention,
especially if the owner desires to keep his pet in good trim for show
purposes.
Another favourite to-day is the English Rabbit, which appears
to be a new name for an old variety that used to be known as the
Spotted Butterfly. Mr. Lane says that after the Wild Rabbit and the
Lop, it is probably the oldest variety of the family with a strictly
British origin. This Rabbit is of medium size, white in colour, with
prescribed black markings, “comprising a mark much like a Butterfly
on the nose, hence its old name, a trace down the back and chains of
spots from sides of neck, connecting with markings on sides and
back markings, forming a sort of saddle.” Another kind of Rabbit
known as the Patagonian does not appear to have any relation with
that far-off country more associated with the Sloth, for we find that
most of those imported into England hail from the Continent. It
resembles the Flemish Giant already mentioned. Then there is the
Siberian Rabbit, which is in no way connected with Russia, the
opinion among fanciers being that it is a cross between the Angora
and the Himalayan.
The Japanese is somewhat like the Dutch Rabbit, a variety to
which more attention might be devoted by fanciers, and it only
remains to mention two more varieties, namely, the Black and Tan,
and the Blue and Tan, to complete our list of those kinds on which
“the fancy” mostly concentrate their attention at the present day.
Before passing to the Cavies, it is interesting to note that the
pure Wild Rabbit makes a nice pet if obtained when quite young,
and the same may be said of a Leveret, or young Hare. I kept one
of the first-named for some time and endeavoured to write its auto-
biography in my book Animals at Home, to which the reader is
referred for fuller details. One point that struck me particularly
with regard to this Rabbit—which was permitted to run about at
will in the garden and became very tame—was its preference, among
greenstuff grown in the garden, for the leaves of the Golden Rod
(Solidago). If the leaves of this showy garden plant were mixed up
with others the little Wild Rabbit would invariably pick them out
from the rest and make short work of them.
As the little stranger from the woods came to grow up he sud-
denly evinced habits which seemed to be a sort of call from the wild,
and so it came about that one fine evening I carried my pet to a
spinney where Brer Rabbit holds undisputed sway and set him free.
40 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
But a pang of regret stole into my heart and I felt as if parting with
a real friend.
CAVIES, OR GUINEA PIGS.—In Figs. 30 and 31 we have excellent
representatives of the Cavies, or Guinea Pigs, in the Short-Haired
and Long-Haired respectively. Known to us in childhood by the
name of Guinea Pig, the humble Cavy, as it is now called, seems
to be very popular again. There are three important sections of
these interesting little animals, and these may be divided thus:
(1) those having long hair (Fig. 31) are known as Peruvians;
(2) those with short, smooth hair are styled Bolivian, English or
Smooth Cavies; (3) those with rough, short hair are called Abys-
sinians.
Among the Peruvians one often finds delightful little animals
worthy of an artist’s brush, the length and shading of their warm
coats making them particularly attractive; the Bolivian is more
abundant than either the Peruvian or the Abyssinian, and this for
two reasons, i.e. there is a greater variety of colour and they are
easier to produce and keep. The Rough-Haired, or Abyssinians,
have curious coats, the hair apparently lying the wrong way, with
tiny rosettes of hair which one writer states are ‘somewhat the size
and shape of a dandelion flower.”
FOSTER-PARENTS.— Instances of curious foster-parents are con-
tinually occurring, and two worth recording pictorially are shown
in Figs. 32 and 33. In the one an example is given of a Cat rearing
some young Squirrels—gay woodsprites about which I shall have
more to say later on—and in the other a Curly-Coated Retriever
bitch acting as foster-mother to some young Wolves.
These strange friendships in the world of animal life are often
amusing and always interesting, and they certainly display a pleasing
trait in the character of a so-called dumb creature which is too little
recognized in an age which rushes along at such a pace that these
chivalrous deeds of the brute creation are very often overlooked.
FERRET.— The last animal in our present section to which it is
proposed to direct attention is the Ferret. The specimen shown in
the photograph (Fig. 34) is pure white in colour, but this is not the
true natural colour, as, after a great deal of controversy among
zoologists, it is now generally recognized that this animal is
a domesticated variety of the handsome Polecat. The Ferret has,
through being made captive, suffered accordingly, until we find that,
generally speaking, it is inferior in size to the wild animal from
DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 41
which it is descended. I remember, however, seeing some specimens
of Ferrets possessed by my gamekeeper friends that have equalled
in bulk the Polecat of the unfettered wilds, and I also remember
on one occasion meeting an almost tame Ferret in a country lane
which, at the time of my interview with it, I certainly took to be a
Polecat, so large was it, and so similarly coloured. I have always
had a warm place in my affections for the Ferret ever since that
fatal day when I stupidly killed an inoffensive semi-domestic animal
which, instead of boding me harm as I interpreted, was, as a matter
of fact, doing its best to make friends with me!
It appears that a well-known ferreter had visited a village
barber’s, and whilst there one of his best Ferrets had escaped from
his bulky pocket. It was making its way homewards when I
encountered it in a quiet country lane, and I did not learn until I
returned to the village that instead of possessing a wild Polecat, I
had been the victim of misfortune (or stupidity !) and had slain the
missing Ferret that had escaped from the barber’s shop !
The Ferret is usually smaller and more slender than the Polecat,
and although the general colour is stated to be yellowish-white, those
which I have seen have mostly been brown or brownish. These are
known, it is true, as Polecat-Ferrets..
Those who do not know how to handle such animals as these
should hesitate before doing so, for they are hardly to be trusted,
except by those whom they come to recognize. Some individuals
never seem to become thoroughly trustworthy, whilst others I have
seen which have appeared as gentle as the proverbial kitten! They
are largely used for ratting and rabbiting, the Ferret being put
into a hole. The precaution is usually taken of either muzzling the
Ferret or attaching a string to it, as otherwise the animal would
probably find the occupants inside so attractive and enticing as to
render its recovery a very difficult matter. Naturally enough such
an enemy appearing upon the scene frightens Brer Rabbit to dis-
traction, and the wary creature bolts for his very life! Out he comes,
only to find himself a prisoner in a small bag-like net placed over
the entrances to the burrows, or he is shot as he comes out.
When ferreting, as in almost all other occupations where the
ways of wild folk are concerned, it is essential that absolute quiet
should be preserved, as otherwise the Rabbits will remain in the
interior and “prefer to be eaten alive by the Ferret in their holes
rather than attempt to escape.”
42 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
The Polecat is the first species of the most interesting genus
known as the Mustela, and this genus numbers among its members
the Polecats, Weasels, Stoats and Minks.
The first-named is now a rare British species, and I remember
how, as a boy, I with pride released a magnificent specimen from a
keeper’s trap, the cruel teeth of which held it fast.
The agonizing and piercing screams of the tortured beast
attracted my attention to the spot where the captive was located,
and I remember well how I called forth the ire of the keeper who came
hastily and unexpectedly upon the scene (as keepers are so wont to
do!) when I informed him of what I had done. Cats which have
strayed into game preserves, and become veritable poachers, I have
endeavoured to release in a like manner, but of all the savage
creatures imaginable a semi-wild stray Cat firmly held in a toothed
trap is one of the most difficult animals I have ever had to deal with.
Rabbits whose piteous squealings could not fail to attract atten-
tion, I have released from their prisons many times, and I once, and
only once, tried my powers on a captive Stoat. I have never
repeated the operation, for I well recollect how the magnificent
creature reared up (it was caught by the hind-legs in some way)
to the full extent of the chain which held the trap down, and swore
at me in such a terrible way, and assumed such a threatening
attitude, that I left the sickening scene until the keeper returned to
put the animal out of its misery. And such, curious to relate, is the
reward one receives when desirous of being merciful to a creature
of the wilds. Man is its remorseless enemy, and the animal has
become so accustomed to persecution that it fails to recognize when
a deliverer comes !
2.
‘
=
e
w
CAT REARING SQUIRRELS
FIG. 33.—YOUNG WOLVES AND FOSTER MOTHER
4.—-FERRET
3
FIG.
FIG. 35.—-CHIMPANZEE
CHAPTER III
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS
ON KEEPING PETS.—It is interesting to notice the different
kinds of animals that are now kept as pets, and not the least
feature of interest that affords pleasure to the lover of the wild beasts
of the world who is desirous of seeing animals whom it is not
possible to observe in their own native fastnesses, is the comparative
freedom that is afforded to several species which have been proved
to be on their best behaviour when not incarcerated in a wretched
little cage, unfit for habitation by either beast or body, as they say
in Scotland.
Almost every boy, I suppose, has at some time or other had a
pet of some kind, from the humble Guinea Pig or tame Mouse to
the pet Teddy Bear. Boys have an innate love and strong passion
for the possession of a pet, and so long as the animal is treated
kindly and humanely and is well housed and cared for, it is a trait in
the boy’s character which, in my opinion, is worthy of cultivation.
Better still, it is true, if boys would more often express a desire to
become field-naturalists, or observers of the wild folk in the great
arena of Nature, but we must not lose sight of the fact that there
is a period in all our lives when the spirit of intellectual inquiry, of
intelligent observation and perception, is dormant, so to speak, and
one’s outlook on life is far different at such time to the aspect which
comes to one after maturer years. Boys will be boys the whole
world over, and the sooner we can realize—those of us who have
reached manhood—that it is unfair to expect the average boy in his
teens to have a man’s head on his shoulders, the better it will be
for all concerned.
Do we not, as a general rule, expect too much from our young
people, who, if they do not see as we see and think as we think,
are apt, as a result, to be described as dullards, and to be relegated
to the dunce’s class? Let us each put himself, as it were, in the
boy’s shoes, and be a boy again. Then, looking at the subject
43
44 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
from the boy’s point of view, we shall be better able to interest
and amuse, bring home to the young people a correct understanding,
and get into clearer focus that distant horizon which the average
boy only dimly perceives.
Having agreed, then, that it is good for boys to have pets—
provided always that their acquaintances are treated with every care
and consideration—we will shortly consider some of the world’s
animals that make a special appeal. Is it not interesting to notice
how boys’ tastes differ in regard to pets?
Some boys I know utter exclamations of disgust at the sight
of a Rat, Lizard, or Snake; others, less timorous, perhaps, than
their fellows, simply revel in handling these creatures, and possess
a real love for their captive friends; while birds they all seem to
love, and rightly so. I met a boy in a railway train not long ago
who was caressing in a most delightful way a warty old Toad which
he had captured as the result of a half-day spent in the country.
All other sights and sounds paled into insignificance in that boy’s
estimation. The tea he had was good—he remembered that—and
the ride in the brake was enjoyable. The flowers, birds and insects
appealed to him in a way, and he had a distinct recollection of some
tall trees in which some sable Rooks had built their nursery homes,
and he longed to climb the dizzy heights. There was also a waterfall
which attracted attention, and other features of which he had a dim
recollection, but all these were meaningless to him, and his chief
delight was centred in the capture of an old Toad.
It, was good to see this urchin from Slumland fondling one of our
most useful and interesting British animals, although probably a
death from starvation came eventually to the little stranger. Advice
as to the best methods of keeping it proved in all probability of little
or no avail; the boy seemed to realize that the Toad belonged
exclusively to him. It had, as it were, been made for him, and his
love for it was so inherent that he could not believe that in the
immediate future the inanimate form of the Batrachian would be
his sole possession.
These little incidents are cram-full of interest to those who look
at them aright, and by making comparisons as to the pets which
appeal to boys, and why and how, one is able to come to some
interesting conclusions, the importance of which all those who are
engaged in the upbringing of our children cannot fail to recognize.
Agreeing, then, that for some unaccountable reason a pet which
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS 45
appeals to one boy makes a poor impression on another, indeed, in
some instances results in actual repulsion, let us have a peep at a
few animal pets suitable for keeping both in and out of doors.
CHIMPANZEE AND ORANG-UTAN.—I suppose if a vote were
taken among juveniles as to the most popular feature at the London
Zoo, the inmates of the Monkey-house would receive a triumphant
majority. Their inquisitiveness, curious facial expressions, agility
and keen sense of intelligence make a strong appeal to the young
visitors, and I have been interested, too, in observing the patronage
bestowed on the Monkeys by grown-up persons.
The Chimpanzees in Regent’s Park now have an excellent new
house all to themselves, although our rough old friend, the Orang-
Utan, is also permitted to live under the same roof. Visiting the
new home of these remarkable creatures not long since, I had an
example of how well they recognize any one who has accorded them
a Share of attention. I accompanied a well-known Fellow of the
Society on his rounds of the animals—and shall have more to say
regarding his interview with the King of Beasts hereafter—and the
moment he entered the doors of the new Ape-house the Chimpanzees
became terribly excited, and more so when this devout lover of the
brute creation played bo-peep with them from behind a pillar in
front of the cage.
Food plays an important part in the friendliness of many kinds
of animal pets—so dependent are they upon their owners for the
bread of life—but they also exhibit many other important traits which
are apt to be overlooked by those who do not regard their pets as
anything more than mere dumb, senseless beings.
The little game between the Chims and their human prototype
continued, and not the least interesting of the little company was
Micky, whose portrait is shown in Fig. 35, and the Orang-Utan
portrayed in Fig. 36.
The latter, rough-coated fellow that he is, seemed much perturbed
at the attention devoted to his Chim relatives next door, but a
friendly word encouraged and solaced him.
Whilst Monkeys are in some respects undesirable pets, and it is
in their life-histories as wild creatures that we are more interested,
there can be no doubt that, difficult as they are to study in their
home surroundings, they are a never-failing source of interest and
genuine amusement.
We shall meet with them again at a later stage, and then have
46 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
something to say regarding their life-stories, and it is at present
sufficient to point out that many species exist, and all exhibit some
characteristics worthy of note. Pride of place must, however, be
given to the two subjects shown in our illustrations (Figs. 35 and
36), which in themselves demonstrate the general outward differences
which exist between them.
Of the remarkable Man-like Ape, Consul, and his successor,
Consul IJ, passing mention need only be made, for the escapades
of these wonderful animals have been witnessed and read of by
many. Whilst there may be, and probably is, some tangible
objection raised as to the desirability of exhibiting wild animals
under certain conditions in which cruelty is unmistakably involved,
there can be no doubt that when their training is carried out with
kindness and consideration—if that be possible—most delightful
instances of sagacity, devotion, intelligence and cleverness are
displayed.
Any who read the delightful reminiscences of Frank Buckland
will find much that is entertaining, as he was a devout lover of
pets, a great naturalist, and the worthy son of a naturalist, Dr.
Buckland, Dean of Westminster. One incident concerning his
Monkey Jacko may here be told. Says Buckland: “Jacko once got
loose again. Remembering his previous adventure with the school-
boys, he ventured not beyond the premises, but quietly sneaked into
the knife-house, and tried his hand at cleaning the knives. In this
attempt he was evidently not successful, inasmuch as the handles
were the parts he attempted to polish on the brick-board, and a
cut was found in the middle of his hand the next day. Resolved,
however, not to be defeated, he set to work to clean the shoes,
in imitation of the man William, his kind and indulgent custos
here. Again he had not distinctly recollected the various steps
necessary for the right performance of the operation, for he covered
an unfortunate shoe all over, sole and all, with the blacking which
he got out of the blacking-bottle, and then he emptied what was
left of the precious Day and Martin into the hollow of the shoe,
nearly filling it; his coat was in a nice mess for some days after-
wards. One morning, again, when the servants returned from the
parlour into the kitchen, they found Jacko had taken all the kitchen
candlesticks out of the cupboard and arranged them on the fender
before the fire, as he had seen done before. Finding the black-lead
in the same place, he took it to a bowl of water which was at hand,
FIG. 37.—-RING-TAILED LEMUR
TIVL:-AD ONIONVH NOLVUNIN—’‘6E ‘914
QOfVYNIM— ge “91d
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS 47
wetted it, and was diligently rubbing the table all over with it, when
he was caught in the act. On the entrance of the servants, he
immediately retreated to his basket in the corner, and tried to look
as though nothing had happened. A great treat to this would-be
kitchen-maid was to have a large bowl of warm water given him.
He would first of all cunningly test the temperature with his hand,
and then gradually step into the bath, first one foot and then the
other, finally completely sitting down in it. Comfortably placed,
he would then take the soap in his hands or feet, as the case might
be, and rub himself all over. Having made a dreadful mess on the
table, and finding the water becoming cold, the next part of the
play was to get out and run as quickly as he could to the fire, where
his coat soon became dry. If anybody laughed at him during this
performance, he would chatter and grin at them, and frequently
even splash water out of the bath towards and sometimes over them.”
This is one of the many interesting episodes connected with
Buckland’s Monkey, Jacko, which was his constant friend and com-
panion. He took the pet up to Oxford with him, and it there nearly
caused Buckland a disaster, for on the day of an examination he
found,. to his horror, that Jacko had torn his notes into a thousand
pieces. “Jacko,” exclaimed Buckland, “we are both ruined!” and
Jacko did not seem to mind in the least—but fortunately for both of
them the naturalist’s prognostications were not realized, for the tutor
was satisfied with his pupil’s explanation as to how he came to
present his notes in fragments. “So great was my glee,” Buckland
says, “that I had mercy on Jacko, and did not shake him well—the
greatest punishment I could inflict on him—but merely shut him up in
his bag, and for three hours hung him up for penance on a hat-peg.”
LEMURS.—Closely allied to the Monkeys, and a really delightful
pet, the Ring-Tailed Lemur is deserving of notice here. That the
animal is well named may be ascertained by a reference to Fig. 37,
in which the beautifully ringed tail is nicely shown, as well as the
pretty face. Lemurs are a sort of connecting-link between the
Monkeys and the genuine quadrupeds, and these interesting
creatures are not found away from Madagascar and the adjacent
Comoro Islands. They are nocturnal in their habits, and the English
name is derived from the Latin lemure, a ghost.
These are engaging pets, active in disposition, but less intelligent
than the creatures last under consideration. Sometimes they are
referred to as Madagascar Cats, and the appellation is not at all
48 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
misapplied. The woolly fur and toes are well displayed in the
specimen depicted in Fig. 37; so also are the long muzzle, prominent
eyes and raised ears.
Those who keep Lemurs as pets must be careful not to annoy
their charges, as a bite from them is something to be remembered.
Whilst we cannot hope in this book to deal at length with the best
methods of keeping animals in captivity, it may be pointed out with
regard to this species that although fed in confinement upon bread
and fruit, the Lemurs in their wild state also vary their fruitarian
dietary by partaking of small birds and lizards.
There are ten species of Lemurs found in Madagascar, the Ring-
Tailed Lemur being characterized by a well-marked appendage
after which it has been named. Perhaps the Ruffled species is the
handsomest of them all, the ruff round the neck and the large tail
being especially striking. When sleeping these animals take the
precaution to roll into a ball and curl the tail round the body, for the
purpose of warmth, and when a number are thus seen close together
the effect is very delightful to notice.
KINKAJOU.—Another pet distinguished at once by its tail is
the Kinkajou (Fig. 38) from South America. It is a heavier-looking
creature than the Lemur, and belongs to a very different family,
claiming kinship with the Raccoons, one of which we shall meet
with presently. The older naturalists, however, placed it among the
Lemurs.
That the Kinkajou deserves its name may be evidenced by an
examination of the use to which it puts its tail. Better by far to
watch the living animal if possible, but, failing that, the photographs
(Figs. 38 and 39) both show the flexible appendage to advantage.
It is from two Greek and Latin words that the Kinkajou has derived
its name, which, being translated, mean “twisted tail.” It possesses
the habit when it goes to sleep of rolling into a ball, like the Lemurs,
but, unlike them, has a foot webbed almost to the claws. In
captivity it is interesting to observe the animal holding its food in
one “hand” and preparing it for reception with the other, and the
long tongue aids the creature in licking out insects from their hiding-
places. In a wild state it feeds on birds and their eggs, small
mammals, honey and fruits.
The rounded and broad head, low body and short muzzle are
worth noticing, as compared with the Lemur. The fur is short and
soft, and in colour pale yellowish-brown. Like the Lemur, it is a
I
ED COAT
NG-TAIL
RI
- 40.
FIG
BLACK-EARED MARMOSET
FIG. 41.
PINCHE MARMOSET
FIG. 43.
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS —§ 49
night animal, concealing itself during the day in holes of trees and
similar places. Whilst amenable to those to whom it has become
attached, the Kinkajou is of uncertain temper, and does not take
kindly to strangers.
Mr. Lydekker says that “it is found in wooded districts from
Central Mexico to the Rio Negro in Brazil,” and that “in Guatemala,
where it is far from rare, it ranges to elevations of four thousand
and five thousand -feet above the sea.”
One can imagine how excellently the tail serves the animal in
procuring food in those wooded retreats, and Bates mentions an
instance of how he came on intimate terms of acquaintance with
some of them when he spent a night in the forest. He tells of how
at midnight he lay down and listened to the “impish hosts of
Vampire-Bats crowding round the cajes-trees,” and how “a rustle
commenced from the side of the woods, and a troop of slender, long-
tailed animals were seen against the clear, moonlit sky, taking flying
leaps from branch to branch through the grove.” These night
creatures proved to be Kinkajous, or Jupuras, as they are also called,
and one can imagine how in the stillness of a night in the forest
“the hustling, twittering and screaming, with the sounds of falling
fruits, showed how they were employed.”
COATI. — Another ring-tailed creature which hails from Brazil,
and is first cousin to the Kinkajou, is known as the Coati. This
is exclusively a South American species, and although the picture
(Fig. 40) does not show to advantage the long snout, owing to the
specimen depicted being engaged in a meal, the great length of the
snout and its mobility are features of interest. By their snouts you
may know them, and they have, comparatively speaking, a long and
narrow skull.
The long body bears at-its extremity a tapering and elongated
tail, as Fig. 40 portrays. There are two species of Coatis, or Coati-
mundis, as they are also called, one being an inhabitant of Mexico
and Central America, and the other being found in South America.
Both kinds vary a good deal in coloration, but are easily domes-
ticated, and make interesting pets. Mr. Berridge has well displayed
one of these Ring-Tailed Coatis in his coloured picture.
These creatures have been long resident in the countries named,
as is proved by the remains which have been discovered from time
to time, whilst at a still earlier epoch in the world’s history another
species was an inhabitant of the Argentine Republic.
E
THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Firm believers in the motto that ‘Union is strength,” Coatis
travel about in companies—an interesting trait in animals to which
we have already drawn attention—and may be found for the most
part among the trees, in which they so dearly love to pass the time,
feeding on a similar diet to that of the Kinkajou, and going through
various acrobatic exercises with which one cannot help associating
these arboreal tenants of the forest.
That these are wary wood-folk goes without saying, for we are
told by an observer that when hunting for food the troop divides
into two companies, one devoting their energies to the higher
branches of the trees, and the second section concentrating their
efforts upon the ground. It is no easy matter to capture the Coati
in its own domain—easily tamed though it may afterwards become
—for it is a desperate fighter, and the double-edged canine teeth will
give the hunter just cause to remember the encounter, if the battle
is fought at too close quarters !
MARMOSETS.—Closely allied to the Monkeys as well as the
Lemurs, the Marmosets (see Figs. 41, 42 and 43) make very gentle
and affectionate pets, but are delicate creatures, and difficult to keep
in captivity. As will be observed from the photographs, these are
somewhat peculiar-looking animals, but, in spite of this, they are
well worth keeping, many of them being small in size. They are
restricted to South and Central America, and the curious facial
expression in each individual which posed for its photograph is
worthy of note.
One most interesting feature concerning the Marmosets is the
number of their teeth, for whereas the Monkeys of the Old World
have thirty-two teeth, American Monkeys possess thirty-six. Yet,
curious to relate, we find that the Marmosets differ from their
American Monkey relatives by having thirty-two teeth only, like the
Old World Monkeys, although it is true that they are disposed
differently, there being three pre-molars and two molars. It is
interesting to carry this analysis a little further, for although the
Marmosets resemble the Old World Monkeys in having thirty-two
teeth, a careful examination reveals the fact that in the number of
pre-molars the Marmosets agree with their American cousins, the
Monkeys.
Mr. Lydekker puts the matter nicely when he states that a
Marmoset “differs by the comparatively unimportant feature of the
loss of the last molar in each jaw. A Marmoset may, indeed, be
Lye)
Piate IV.
COATI
iD
TAILE
N
RI
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS © 51
defined as a small American Monkey which has lost its wisdom
teeth.”
Another distinguishing feature which it is important to recognize
is one concerning the fingers and toes, for, with the exception of
the so-called great toe, the Marmoset possesses pointed claws in place
of somewhat flattened nails. Among the Marmosets, too, we meet
with animals having a ringed tail as in the Lemurs and others whose
characteristics we have already considered. In scientific sequence
the Marmosets come before the Lemurs, and it is in the former group
that we make acquaintance for the first time in the great tree of
animal life with creatures which are the possessors of caudal appen-
dages ringed with alternate dark and light bands. Another charac-
teristic feature is the wealth of hair which flourishes in the region
of the ears of all three kinds illustrated.
Squirrel-like in many of their ways, Marmosets have longer and
stronger limbs behind than in front. They travel about in small
troops, being arboreal in their habits, and feed upon insects and
fruit. In their breeding habits these creatures also differ from their
Monkey cousins, giving birth to two or three young ones instead of
a single individual.
The Black-eared species (Fig. 41) well deserves the name, as the
picture depicts, the hairy black ears being particularly noticeable.
This Marmoset comes from South-Eastern Brazil, and it will be
noticed that the head and neck, as well as the tufts of long hair on
the ears, are quite black. There are a number of different species
of Marmosets as well as varieties whose exact pedigree it is often
difficult to determine, but attention may be drawn, before passing
on, to the beautiful coat with which the Lion Marmoset (Fig. 42) is
clothed, and also to the Pinché Marmoset (Fig. 43). This latter
animal is quite a small species, measuring, exclusive of the black
tail, some seven inches only in length. It has small ears, which,
as will be seen by referring to Fig. 42, are hidden by the mass of
silky fur with which the sides of the face and the crown of the head
are clothed. The general body colour is brownish-tawny, with red
and black variations on the back. On the under parts the coloration
is lighter, the neck, breast and lower parts being yellowish, standing
out in strong contrast from the otherwise dark coat. It will be
noticed, too, that the hands and feet are yellowish-brown.
The Marmosets, it should be noted, are split into two groups,
those in the Short-tusked section having tusks which are not longer
E2
52 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
than the incisors situate in the lower jaw, and those claiming kinship
with the Long-tusked section, or Tamarins, as they are called, have
tusks, or canine teeth, in the lower jaw much longer than the front,
or incisor teeth. Thus the lower teeth of the animals in the second
group do not present that regularity so characteristic of the Short-
tusked group, and may thus be distinguished.
From the foregoing it will be observed what interesting tenants
of the South American forests these Marmosets are, and those who
keep them as pets will find that they are fully entitled to claim
a prominent place among the more favourite kinds of animal
ets.
SURICATE, OR MEERKAT.—The Suricate, or Meerkat, next
claims attention; it is a near relative of the Mongoose next to be
described. Whilst a general resemblance is discernible, it differs
from the Mongoose in possessing only four toes on each foot. It
has not the groove below the nose, but is the owner of thirty-six
teeth. This South African beast has a long and soft fur, grizzled-
grey in colour, and, as our photograph shows (Fig. 44), black
transverse stripes across the hinder part of the back. The under
parts are rufous, the white head has a black mark round the eyes,
the ears are black, and the yellowish tail has a black tip.
The long nose and black ears at once distinguish this African
mammal from any others related to it, and that it has a distinct
characteristic appearance those who have a knowledge of animals
and will examine the photograph must at once agree.
The Meerkat makes a desirable pet, becoming very tame and
companionable. One word of warning, however, is necessary: it is
an inveterate thief !
In its natural condition it resembles the Rabbit by living in
colonies. It constructs deep burrows in the sandy soil, and is very
fond of the sun, coming out from its underground home at the
rising of King Sol and basking in the warm sunlight. It evinces
little fear of mankind, inquisitive creature that it is, but to catch
one is easier said than done, for it scuttles off when approached too
closely, and disappears into its fastness below ground.
Bulbs seem to be the chief food, and these the animal dislodges
by means of the long, curved black claws on the fore-feet.
In captivity, too, this delightful pet—if its thieving propensities
are overlooked—evinces considerable impudence and curiosity. Its
whole little body seems full of fun and mischief, and its bravado is
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS 53
nothing short of remarkable, for it will approach with impunity an
animal large enough to swallow it.
MONGOOSE.—The Mongoose (Fig. 45), which in days gone by
was known as the Ichneumon, represents a group of animals that are
divided into several genera. Our photograph depicts the Grey
Indian Mongoose, and to this representative species our attention
may be given. This animal is, as its name implies, an inhabitant
of India, and although it is of fierce disposition, it is regarded in its
own country as a desirable pet because of its useful habit of preying,
among other things, upon Snakes and Rats. It belongs to the Civet
family, and in size may be about half as large as a domestic Cat.
The loose, coarse fur is grizzled-grey in colour, but this varies in
different localities, some being rusty-red instead of grey.
Although a native of India and Ceylon, the species under review
has increased its range, through the agency of man, to other parts
of the world because of its repute as a slayer of vermin. It was, for
example, introduced into Jamaica at a time when the sugar planta-
tions there were subjected to the ravages of Rats. Although only a
few Mongooses were turned out, their numbers soon increased, until
eventually the depredations of one of the worst pests on the face of
the earth were kept under control. But there is always an element
of danger attached to the introduction of an animal into a foreign
country, and this held good in the case in question, for the Mon-
gooses, having performed good work in ridding the plantations of
Rats, turned their attention to more desirable creatures, and com-
menced pillaging hen-roosts. As one writer well says, however, “‘it
is easier to keep a Mongoose out of enclosed premises than it is to
keep Rats out of open plantations.” It is computed that the good
deeds of the Mongoose in Jamaica alone saved the colony £100,000
to £150,000 per annum; but one can have too much of a good thing,
as it were, and eventually it was claimed that the Mongooses did
more harm than the rodents which preceded them !
A deadly enemy to Snakes, and therefore a boon in a country
where these venomous reptiles are found in large numbers, it is rare
that the mammal comes to grief in an encounter. It is ably protected
by means of its harsh hair and thick skin, added to which is the fact
that the Mongoose possesses great adroitness when dealing with its
reptilian adversary. That it is quite regardless of the effects of
poison is proved by the animal having been known to “eat a Cobra’s
head, poison-glands and all” !
54 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
It is, unlike many other animals of a similar nature, a day-hunter.
Thus it comes about that it may often be observed and its habits
closely studied. All its deeds, as has been mentioned in passing,
are not beneficial, for, as Mr. Frank Finn observes, “it is particularly
omnivorous, feeding on almost any animal which its great courage
and activity enable it to master, and also eating various kinds of
fruit. Birds, beasts, reptiles and insects contribute to its fare, and
it is doubtful whether it does more good by destroying Rats, Snakes
and such-like vermin, or harm by its raids on poultry and its destruc-
tion of birds and eggs generally, and harmless and useful reptiles
such as Lizards.”
The voice is described as ‘‘a sharp yapping bark or yelp, but
when irritated, as when disturbed while feeding, it utters a growl
remarkably loud for so small an animal. The young of the Mon-
goose are produced three or four at a time, and lodged in a burrow,
which may be dug by the animal itself.”
At least eight species of Mongooses claim relationship with the
typical genus in Africa, whilst a similar number are accounted for
in India, Ceylon and Burma. One Indian kind is noted for the fact
that it feeds upon Crabs and Frogs, but further observation of this
Crab-eating Mongoose is invited.
The Egyptian Mongoose deserves mention before we strike up
an acquaintance with our next pet. This species is an inhabitant
of the northern parts of Africa, as well as Palestine, Asia Minor
and the southern parts of Spain. It is a large animal, measuring
about twenty inches exclusive of the tail, and is said to have a liking
for the eggs of Crocodiles.
That this is a patriarch among Mongooses is proved by the
frescoes of the ancient Egyptians, which often contain pictorial
references to it.
RACCOON.—The Raccoon (Fig. 46), although a somewhat shy
pet, improves on acquaintance, and does well when kept in captivity.
It exhibits considerable powers of intelligence and sagacity, and is
remarkable for its cleanly virtues with regard to its food, washing
the same in water before eating it. There are many points such as
this which may be made a note of both by those who keep animals
as pets and also as a result of studying wild creatures’ ways out of
doors. Even the cleanliness of a domestic Cat is worth noticing,
for, as the reader will doubtless have observed of his own accord,
Pussy goes to infinite pains not only to keep her fur spick and span,
3
FIG. 44.—SURICATE
FIG. 45.—GREY INDIAN MONGOOSE
FIG. 46.—COMMON RACCOON
FIG. 47.—AMERICAN GREY SQUIRREL
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS — 55
but exhibits a keen desire to scratch out a little pit in which to
deposit and bury her own excrement.
Animals, it should be noted with emphasis, are not the dull,
uncomely and unclean creatures that some people imagine them to
be, and I know of many of the lower creation which can give some
human beings a good start regarding their laws of morality, sanita-
tion and home influences.
To return to the Raccoon after this digression—for in a careful
and intelligent study of the world of animal life one is bound to
take little journeys along some inviting by-path—there are two
species. One is found in North America and the other in the South,
the Crab-Eating Raccoon inhabiting the South being chiefly dis-
tinguished from its Northern relation by the short coat.
It is the Southern form that is represented in Fig. 46, and from
this excellent likeness the reader can gain an adequate idea of the
splendid long fur in which this Raccoon is clothed, as well as the
black- and yellow-ringed tail. The handsome grizzled fur is largely
used for rugs. Does not the general form of this denizen of South
America strike the reader as somewhat Fox-like, more particularly
as regards the face, upon which, as will be noticed, there is a
prominent black patch near the eye?
Although the tail is fairly bushy and prettily marked, it does not
bear successful comparison with that possessed by Reynard, whilst
there are other characteristics which amply distinguish it from the
Dogs, these being the arched back (nicely shown in Fig. 46), and
the habit the Raccoon has of walking on the soles of its feet instead
of on its toes. Beyond these differences, our present pet has the five
toes more fully developed, and when walking spreads them out in a
very singular way. Similar to the Fox, however, it is nocturnal in
its habits, resorting to some congenial hiding-place during the day.
There, snugly tucked up in a hole or the fork of a tree, it rests until
the gloaming hour approaches and the hunger-call summons it
from lethargy. Out the wary creature goes on its foraging expedi-
tion, and little comes amiss to it, both animal and vegetable food
being relished. Like some prowling Reynards known to me, the
Raccoon is fond of raiding a hen-roost, and we are also told that it
has the habit of visiting streams and fishing out the finny tribe by
means of one of its active paws.
When the rigour of Winter drives various kinds of wild folk to
securer quarters, the Raccoon is to be numbered among them, for
56 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
at such time it hibernates, several individuals frequently taking
advantage of one hiding-place, evidently helping to keep one another
warm in this way. Having passed the lone Winter days, the Spring
sunshine tempts the creature to awake to activity, and home cares
soon engage attention, as many as six young ones sometimes being
born.
Although hunted a good deal, both for the sake of its fur and
flesh, and also by reason of occasional depredations, the Raccoon
appears to hold its own, as it were, and that it may long enjoy its
wild, unfettered life is the hope of every lover of the world’s fauna.
AMERICAN AND BRITISH SQUIRRELS.—That the American
Grey Squirrel will soon become a familiar woodland rover in
England those who visit Regent’s Park and other spots where these
attractive creatures have been let out may ascertain for themselves,
and the amount of pleasure and entertainment that the nimble little
mammal affords to passers-by is very considerable. I have witnessed
some amusing episodes with regard to these out-of-doors pets in the
London Parks, and often been highly interested in the remarks made
by those who were unaware that the animals had really not escaped
from the Zoo. Several of the adroit little rascals are at large in the
Zoological Society’s grounds, and more than one keeper has received
a report from a vigilant and timorous visitor that there was a small
animal at large! These American animals are becoming quite used
to their surroundings. They are now tame and confiding, and in the
tree-tops among the busy hum of the great metropolis take the place
of the red-coated little gentleman of our own wild woodlands. True
the grey fur of the American species is not so attractive as the rich
chestnut of the British Squirrel, and there is some danger in intro-
ducing a foreign animal in our midst by reason of the damage that
may be done if it be allowed to increase to any undue proportions, yet
nothing but good can result from putting out a few of these pert and
engaging creatures, whose ways make such a strong appeal to all
those who can appreciate the delightful scampers of these arboreal
rovers.
Our photograph (Fig. 47) depicts the American Grey Squirrel,
and if his more sombre coloration is excepted, the differences
between him and his English relative are very slight. They need
not, at any rate, detain us here, but I should like to put on record
what I consider is a distasteful practice, viz. keeping a Squirrel
caged up in a wretched dark prison. It is obviously an out-of-doors
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS - 57
pet, and one can only appreciate its habits to the full by observing
it in enjoyment of the wild woodland or park where it has chosen to
make its home.
Had our present section not included animals suitable for keeping
or observing out of doors, the Squirrel would assuredly not have
been accorded a place, as if any creature is to be recognized by
having unfettered liberty it is the sly little animal now under review.
How pleasant my own pilgrimages in the woods have been made
on many occasions by seeking an interview with a British Squirrel,
and how many happy games at hide-and-seek I have played with
the frolicsome creature as he has gambolled in the tree-tops to his
heart’s content.
I came across one not long since as he was engaged sitting on
the ground on his haunches, with his back perched against the bole
of a tall tree. He held a fir-cone in his fore-paws, much after the
manner of the American species shown in Fig. 47, and I was attracted
to the spot by the loud tumult made by some Missel-Thrushes, which
were evidently much perturbed at Master Squirrel forsaking’ his
home among the leafy mansions above. Their harsh scolding notes
sounded strange in the peaceful retreat in which I found myself, and
I knew from my experience of woodcraft that something was amiss.
Careful stalking revealed the little incident I have so imperfectly
described, but some satisfaction was obtained which, to those who
study wild Nature’s ways, is so acceptable. It is a good thing to
make a point of becoming acquainted with the why and wherefore
of rural sounds, for by this means a good deal of useful and interest-
ing information is elicited, and an intimate insight obtained as to
the home life of furred and feathered creatures.
The “drey,” or nest, of the Squirrel always attracts attention
from the young folks who may accompany me on Natural History
excursions, but even to-day there are persons who ask whether the
Bat or the Squirrel lays eggs! Of course both creatures, being
mammals, produce their young alive, and there is every indication
that the ways of wild animals will be far better appreciated and
understood in the immediate future in view of the introduction into
our schools of a system of real Nature Study. No more need be
said here of these popular fallacies that still exist, but one or two
anecdotes of Unnatural History at the Zoo related to me by Mr.
W.S. Berridge, F.Z.S., may fittingly conclude our reference to the
animals recently considered.
58 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL -KINGDOM
A youth, looking at a Snake protruding its tongue, exclaimed :
“Oh, look at its stinging nettle! ”"—A navvy and family were look-
ing at a Lion, and the former was heard to exclaim : “Fancy him
being able to kill a man with a blow of his tail! ”—Old lady (to
keeper of Eagles) : ‘‘ What do you feed them on, keeper?” Keeper:
“Flesh, madam.” Old lady: “Oh, how savage!”—Party in
Antelope house, observing the Mice running about: “Are they put
there on purpose?”
SPIX’S CAVY.—In view of the domesticated Cavies, or Guinea
Pigs, which were dealt with in the last chapter, it is as well to find
a place in our present section for a further representative of this
interesting family of animals. Spix’s Cavy (Fig. 48) is an inhabitant
of Brazil, whilst the whole of its wild congeners are resident through-
out South America. These true Cavies, as we may call them, are
uniformly coloured, and, with the exception of the Carpincho—which
is the largest of living rodents, and belongs to a different genus—
they are small creatures whose tails, as is so well known, are very
insignificant.
As to the ancestor of the domestic Guinea Pig some speculation
still exists, but the nearest present solution of the problem is that
it is descended from Cutler’s Cavy, which is a Peruvian species
having black fur, with the flanks and underneath parts brownish.
Another well-known wild species is the Restless Cavy, which hails
from Uruguay and Brazil, and is fond of inhabiting damp places.
Its fur is greyish-brown in colour.
CARPINCHO. — The Carpincho Cavy (Fig. 49) attains a length of
about four feet, and is thoroughly aquatic in its habits. It has bristly
reddish-brown hair and a grunting voice. It is a splendid swimmer
and diver, is gregarious in disposition, and, in a wild state, is very
conscious of protection. It is, like its congeners the true Cavies, a
vegetarian in diet, and the two individuals in the photograph are
busily engaged feeding upon cabbage.
Young Cavies born in captivity are remarkably well advanced at
birth, for their eyes are open, their milk-teeth have been lost, and in
a few hours’ time the fresh arrivals are well able to take care of
themselves.
Although lacking in intelligence, the small Cavies are really
good pets for young children, as they are easy to keep—if a nice
dry, warm place is given to them—and are perfectly harmless.
COMMON SEAL.—Leaving these small pets, we come to a much
J
-—SPIX'S CAVY
48
FIG.
FIG. 49.—CARPINCHOS
FIG. 50.—COMMON SEAL
FIG. §1.-—-DINGO PUPS
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS — 59
larger one in the person of the Seal shown in Fig. 50. Here we
see the animal enjoying forty winks. Nobody should keep a Seal
as a pet unless living near the sea, where a good supply of fish is
guaranteed. I have on more than one occasion known the poor
creature to be literally starved to death through failure to procure
proper food, and this practice of keeping an animal which it is not
possible to feed properly cannot be too strongly condemned.
There are a number of different kinds of Seals, both real and
so-called, which, shortly stated, may be placed in three different
families, such as Eared Seals, Walruses and Earless Seals. Among
the first family are included the valuable fur-bearing Seals, whose
pelage is of such commercial value, and these fur-bearers are
naturally more highly regarded from the commercial point of view
than their cousins the hair-bearers. We shall meet with the well-
known Californian Sea-Lion—which is also a hair-bearer—in a
subsequent chapter, and we need only concern ourselves here with
a few particulars as to Seals in general and the Common Seal shown
in Fig. 50.
The Northern and the Southern Sea-Lions are worthy representa-
tives of the Eared family, although both species are hair-bearers,
whilst the Northern Sea-Bear, the South American Fur-Seal, the
Cape Fur-Seal and the New Zealand Fur-Seal adequately represent
the true fur-bearing species.
The Walrus is placed in a family of its own, and although there
may be two species—both exclusively inhabitants of the Polar
regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres—many natural-
ists are of opinion that they are so closely allied that they belong to
one and the same species.
This brings us, then, to the third family we mentioned, and
of these true, or Earless Seals, the Grey, Common (Fig. 50),
Greenland, Ringed and Bearded need only be mentioned by
name.
The Common Seal is the species mostly met with on the British
coast, and it seems a thousand pities that such an interesting visitor
should so frequently receive a most undesirable welcome from some
hooligan with a gun or stick. The young Seals are difficult to
distinguish—that is, so far as concerns the Common, Ringed and
Greenland species—but there is no mistaking the first-named if an
examination of its teeth is made. It has broad and thick cheek-teeth,
which are characterized by being set close together; it has shorter
60 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
limbs, a broader nose, larger head, and is altogether a more heavily-
built animal than either of the two other species referred to.
The usual colour of the adult animal is yellowish-grey above and
yellowish-white below. As the photograph well shows, the coat is
marked with irregular dark-brown or blackish spots. The young
ones are yellowish-white at birth, but soon get rid of their initial
coat, shedding the same within a few hours of being brought into
the world. Mr. Lydekker observes that this Seal possesses a wider
geographical range than its cousin, the Grey Seal, ‘“‘occurring not
only in the North Atlantic, but also in the North Pacific, and
extending on the shores of both oceans to the Arctic regions, and
thus being doubtless circumpolar. In the Atlantic it is found,
though rarely, as far southwards as the Mediterranean, and on the
American side as far as New Jersey. In the Pacific its southern
limits appear to be marked on the Asiatic side of Kamschatka, and
on the American by Southern California. It is, moreover, by no
means confined to the coasts, but ascends some of the larger tidal
rivers to a considerable distance from their mouths; and it has been
known to pass up the St. Lawrence to the Great Lakes.”
Where the water is shallow and the haunt is sheltered, there one
may expect to find this animal, for it sticks to the same haunts, like
our bird friend the Robin, and does not, so far as is known, under-
take any seasonal migratory movements.
It is not exclusively aquatic in its habits, for as each tide recedes
and leaves rocks and shore exposed, the Seal rests until the in-
coming tide summons it to the water again. It feeds exclusively
upon fish.
In the early days of Summer the young are produced, and very
soon engage in graceful evolutions in the sea. This species makes
a very affectionate pet if properly treated, evincing much regard for
its owner, and following him about after the manner of a Dog. It
has, like its relatives, a curious love for music; it is a most solicitous
creature in regard to the welfare of its progeny, and is in many
respects an intelligent inhabitant of our shallow seas with a life-
history as interesting as its winning ways are entertaining.
DINGO. — We shall learn more of the Dingo at a later stage in our
story (see Chapter X), and it is only included here as a pet. Fig. 51
portrays a couple of Dingo pups which are sure to make an irresist-
ible appeal to young people. There is such an innocent playfulness
and desire for fun and mischief about puppies that it is small wonder
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS 61
they are such genuine favourites; indeed, it is interesting to observe
how baby animals of many different kinds always attract attention.
It is much the same with young birds, and I have noticed over and
over again that photographs of young birds, when shown at my
lectures, invariably appeal to an audience more than pictures of
adult birds and representations of nests and eggs. The moment
that one lets his hearers into a few of the secrets of baby birds, such
as the early life of the young Cuckoo as a worthy example, greater
interest is displayed. Truly the ways of all young creatures, includ-
ing human beings, are vastly interesting, and attract considerable
attention from those who can appreciate their winsomeness.
As regards the Dingo, although the Australian Government
have not encouraged it because of the depredations it carries out
among sheep and poultry, it is a favourite animal among the native
tribes, but has never really become properly domesticated. It is
treated well, but in spite of this frequently runs away from its owner,
and does not return.
We cannot, of course, accord a place in this book to the many
kinds of domestic Dogs, even if we dismiss them by referring to a
few of the more important among them, but mention should be
made of the wonderful pets, guardians and companions that may be
found among our domestic breeds of to-day.
That the Dog has for long occupied a prominent position in the
world of animal life is ably demonstrated by the pictures from facile
brush and pen that have been contributed by eminent artists and
writers. A more faithful animal than a trustworthy Dog probably
does not exist, and Man has not been slow to so train his canine
friend as to make it of service in many directions. True enough,
there are Dogs and Dogs. Many of the poor little miserable out-
casts one finds stranded must have possessed owners whose love for
the brute creation was of the basest kind, but the finest thorough-
bred, or the most perplexing mongrel, evinces commendable traits
in its character if treated aright, and will learn to become a faithful
hound worthy to occupy an honoured place in any household.
On the other hand, we have met people who are just a trifle too
doggy, as it were! We are not writing of those who go in for
showing Dogs, breeding them, and so on, but certain curious
individuals who do not seem able to discriminate between a Dog
and a human being. I have some strong ideas on the subject of our
relationship with the lower animals, and have already expressed a
62 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
few of them in these pages, but I do not hold with those people
whose love for animals is so blinded that in keeping them under
unnatural conditions they prejudice their own health, and become
a nuisance to their neighbours. Well-conducted homes exist for the
reception of stray Dogs cast upon the streets, and whilst these exist,
and should receive the adequate support of all those animal-lovers
able and willing to give, it is not for private individuals in a
hampered and restricted environment to house a whole regiment of
howling Dogs, which, however companionable and faithful indi-
vidually, become, when unnaturally congested, a nuisance to every
one with whom they are brought into contact.
As is well known, perhaps, the Wolf—which is the largest living
wild representative of the Dog family—the Coyote, the Kabern, or
Abyssinian Wolf, the Fox, and the different species of Jackals all
belong to the Dog tribe. Whilst there is some doubt as to the exact
status of the Dingo of Australia as a wild animal, there can be little
doubt that it has become an indigenous species now, and it possesses
an ancient pedigree which is shrouded in the mist of ages.
HARE.— It has already been noticed in the last chapter that the
Common Hare, which is such a typical animal of wild England,
makes a really delightful pet when taken young, and a few further
notes upon this species may be accorded. Fig. 52 depicts an adult
specimen, and an old writer sums up the history of this animal very
tersely as under—
“Hare, a small four-footed animal, with long ears and a short
tail, that moves by leaps and is remarkable for its timidity, vigilance
and fruitfulness. The first year it is called a Leveret, the second a
Hare, and the third a Great Hare. Her ears lead the way in the
chase, for with the one of them she listens to the cry of the Dogs,
while the other is stretched, like a sail, to promote her flight.”
I must candidly confess that it is as a wild animal I most
appreciate the Hare, for I always associate the curious, impetuous
creature with wild England of to-day. Living as it does a solitary
life amid surroundings that appeal to the quiet lover of the country-
side, there is something connected with this species that is entirely
lacking in the case of its first cousin the Wild Rabbit. I love both,
indeed all, animals, but of the two I like better to watch the antics
of the Hare.
Its movements are less restricted, its plan of campaign seems
more comprehensive, its wanderings across country are more ex-
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS 63
tended and power of continuous locomotion greater, whilst its love
of the free, unfettered wild and a terrestrial rather than an under-
ground citadel, make a strong appeal to my innate ove for all things
that live out of doors.
It is a question very largely of one’s environment, as it were, and
the associations that are linked up with the same. Ever since I was
a boy I have regarded the Hare as a typical representative of the
wild countryside; it has always been indelibly associated in my
mind with wide-spreading fields across which the wind of heaven
finds neither barrier nor anchorage. I could even to-day make a
pet of a Leveret (a young Hare), and it would afford me considerable
amusement and charm me by its winning ways; but in confined
quarters I feel sure the animal which I have for so long associated
with fields and meadows would not make such an irresistible appeal
to me.
It is a good thing we do not all see or think alike. What
appeals to one makes a poor impression upon another, and whilst
some people I know regard the Wild Hare as a creature devoid of
understanding and possessed of madness—especially during March
—it is its weird nature and protracted wanderings that have for so
long made an impression upon me. My country pilgrimages would
be considerably lessened in both pleasure and interest if my wild
companion did not entertain me with his mad scampers and engag-
ing frolics, and my stalking adventures in the country would be far
from complete if the subject of this eulogium did not invariably
become associated in my mind with a good deal of mystery. I love
and appreciate his roving disposition and his positive enjoyment of
a wild, untended solitary life. There is a fascination in watching
him because observation of his home life is so difficult, and there is
always a craving on the part of the enthusiastic field-naturalist to
get on more intimate terms of acquaintance with him.
There are some animals around us which we have come to learn
about and recognize as part and parcel of our existence, as it were.
These cold wintry days, as I write, would be peculiarly dismal
without the jocund note of defiance uttered by a Blue Tit, or the
bugle-call of a Hedge Sparrow as the well-groomed bird searches
for food in the naked hedgerow.
There are still other familiar wild friends with whom a close
acquaintance is more difficult, common though they may be. Their
life and habits are such that nought but the free, unfettered wild
64 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
suits them, and one invariably associates them with unrestrained
liberty and unlimited freedom. I am thinking in this respect of the
Skylark on the one hand, and the Hare on the other, for both bird
and beast love a wide range, one of space and the other of earth.
Thus may they enjoy their little day.
It may not generally be known that whereas the young of the
Rabbit are born blind, young Hares are brought into the world
with their eyes wide open, and thus resemble the Cavies of whom
we have already written. There is just reason for this, as the young
Rabbit is born in a snug nest below ground, and is thus more pro-
tected from its numerous enemies, whilst the young Hares are born
above ground, and are surrounded by foes both on the earth and
above it. So it comes about that we find the Leveret soon able to
run about and take care of himself.
EGYPTIAN JERBOA.—The last animal pet included in our present
section is one of the most delightful little creatures known to us.
The Egyptian Jerboa (Fig. 53)—for such is its name—is just that
kind of pet to give to a young boy fond of animals. It is such an
engaging little being that it cannot fail to arrest attention and create
interest in an intelligent youth having a love for pets. As will be
observed, the Jerboa is at once distinguished by its long tail and
very long hind-legs. It reminds one in a measure of the Kangaroo,
especially so far as concerns its mode of progression.
The Jerboas, and their relatives the Jumping Mice, are terrestrial
creatures, and are mostly found in Asia and Africa, although there
is one species in North America and a few others in Southern
Europe.
The Jerboas proper are split up into two groups, the first consist-
ing of species possessing three toes on the hind-feet, and the second
of those which have five toes on the hind-feet. The Egyptian species
figured in the illustration belongs to the three-toed section, the two
small lateral toes on the hind-limbs having been completely lost.
It measures about six and three-quarter inches exclusive of the tail,
the total length over all being about fifteen inches. It is sandy-grey
on the upper parts, with white below, and a wide stripe down the
hind-limbs, The long tail is yellowish-brown on top and whitish
underneath, tipped with black and white, a characteristic feature.
It is upon the dry desert that this little mammal makes its home
in company with its fellows. The arid nature of its surroundings
makes one wonder what the animal finds to eat. It is largely a
FIG. 52.—COMMON HARE
FIG. 53.—--EGYPTIAN JERBOA
FIG. 54:—SIBERIAN WOLF
FIG. 55.
ALBINO SIBERIAN WOLF
ANIMAL PETS, IN AND OUT OF DOORS 65
vegetarian, but will also eat, in a wild state, insects and carrion.
It comes from its burrow in the sandy soil at nightfall, and is very
rarely seen, being of an extremely shy disposition. Beyond this,
its colour harmonizes with its surroundings in a remarkable way.
When first disturbed it moves slowly, but as it quickens the pace
it proceeds to leap in a wonderful manner, the tail being carried
straight out behind. Its movements become very rapid at last, so
much so, indeed, that they have been confused with the flight of
a bird.
Easily tamed, a beautifully groomed and engaging little creature,
it seems strange the Egyptian Jerboa is not a more general favourite, .
while those who have kept it are lavish in their praise.
CHAPTER IV
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND SOME OTHERS
WOLF.— We shall make acquaintance during the progress of
our present expedition with several members of the Dog tribe, and
towards the conclusion one or two other kinds of animals. Whilst
it must be admitted that all perhaps are not strictly entitled to
inclusion as lovers of the chase, there is bound to be some amount
of overlapping in a work of this description, and a certain amount of
licence must be allowed.
The Wolf is rightly entitled to premier honours in this chapter,
and in Figs. 54 and 55 we have presentments of two specimens from
far-away Siberia, showing, in Fig. 54, the normal type, and in
Fig. 55 a magnificent albino.
Both photographs depict the animal in excellent poses, the first
showing the large head, long body, massive limbs and skulking gait,
and the second portraying a far happier-looking individual with
body erect and standing at attention as it were.
The general Dog-like form of the Wolf shown in Fig. 55 is
particularly striking, and it is small wonder perhaps that interesting
associations are inseparably connected with these wild denizens when
one remembers the many kinds of their domestic brethren whom
man has for so long made his companions. There can be no con-
fusion in the animals constituting the Dog tribe. They possess
strong characteristics which cannot be mistaken, and all of them,
except the curious Cape Hunting Dog which we shall meet with
shortly, are clothed in a somewhat sombre coat.
That we are only able to make acquaintance with a small selection
of the Dog tribe will be apparent when it is stated that there are
probably about forty distinct species. Although, as has been hinted
in passing, the general colour of their coats presents a remarkable
uniformity, it should also be mentioned that in these Wild Dogs there
is a noticeable tendency for “either individual or seasonal variation,
both in respect of colour, and also as regards the length of their
66
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS 67
”
fur.” This is especially exemplified during the Winter, when the
general effect is a lighter coat among those species inhabiting the
Arctic Circle, and a corresponding increase in the length of the fur.
A further interesting feature that is worth mention before passing on
is that, unlike the Cats, many Wild Dogs hunt in packs. They are,
it appears, largely guided during their hunting expeditions by a keen
sense of smell, but it has also to be noted that their power of seeing
and hearing are remarkably acute.
The Wolf is an apt illustration of a pack-hunting species, and
the reader will be acquainted with accounts of the daring movements
of these animals in countries where the weather is of such severity
that the creatures inhabiting lonely solitudes are often hard put to it
to obtain a living. Hard weather predicts hard hunting, and union
being strength, the Wolf puts these things to the test with no small
measure of success. At such time its fierce disposition knows no
bounds, and its strong, wiry form and powerful teeth are such that
its deeds may at times indeed bewilder the least timorous among us.
There is a species of Wolf in the Falkland Islands, but with that
exception the genuine animal is not found outside the Northern
Hemisphere. It is quite unknown in both Africa and South America.
It nevertheless has a very extensive range, being not only an inhabit-
ant of certain parts of Europe, but also of the greater part of Asia
north of the Himalayas, penetrating as far East as Japan, and it also
roams over nearly the whole of North America, as we shall presently
see.
In Britain it appears that the last Wolf disappeared towards
the close of the eighteenth century, but its remains are often dis-
covered, and not long since a well-known Irish naturalist came across
a quantity of bones in the Emerald Isle, where, we are told, this
animal was very common in the time of Oliver Cromwell.
It is during the hard weather that the Wolf travels about in
packs. At other times it is either solitary in disposition or is joined
by a mate. Open country and the regal splendour of the forest
equally appeal to this four-footed hunter. It is a typical haunter
of the silences. Its hunting excursions are carried out both by day
and night, and although not very plucky when encountered singly,
at night, when reinforced by its comrades, or when the pangs of
hunger are keen, it exhibits a change of front and is a dangerous
beast to encounter. So much so, indeed, that not many years ago
over one hundred and sixty people were killed by Wolves in Russia.
F2
68 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
The prey is a differential one. Birds are of course largely sought
after, but larger game, such as Deer, Sheep and Cattle, are also
preyed upon. The greatest damage is done when the animals stalk
the country in packs, for it is at such a time deeds of daring are
perpetrated which would not be risked under less forceful conditions.
The food of this bold adventurer, however, is not restricted to the
animals mentioned, for, when hunger is upon it and food has to be
obtained at all costs, it will partake of carrion and offal as well as
smaller fry such as mice, frogs and some kinds of plants.
Like the sagacious Fox, the Wolf appears on occasions to kill
far more food than it can possibly eat, seeming to kill for killing
sake. By pursuing this unenviable habit it perpetrates, like the Fox,
more harm than it otherwise would do, and thus adds to its depre-
dations a series of misdeeds which, for some unaccountable reason,
it is unable to withhold.
Where the ground is rocky, in the thick undergrowth of the
forest, beneath the shelter of a fallen monarch, or sometimes in a
hole in the ground, such are a few of the chief places chosen by the
Wolf as a suitable lair. Here the six to ten cubs are born during
the Spring, and these keep company with their parents for some
considerable time.
This is, as might be expected, a very tenacious beast, its speed
and endurance being on occasions quite phenomenal. In a similar
way to the wary Fox, it is an adept at avoiding traps, and when it
does happen to fall a prey to the cunning ingenuity of man, it often
evinces much strategy by feigning death in a most realistic manner
and eventually making good its escape.
We are told that its loud and prolonged howl, when listened to
during the shadowy stillness of night, is something to be remem-
bered, for the cry of one animal is sufficient to lead the inexperienced
traveller to suppose that a pack of hungry Wolves may be close
upon him.
TIMBER WOLF.—The Timber Wolf shown in Fig. 56 was born
at the Zoological Gardens in London. It was reared by a Retriever
bitch, has become extremely tame and docile, and has for a com-
panion its foster-brother.
This species is found in North America, and is a beast of the
wooded mountains, hence its popular name of ‘Timber’ Wolf. It
is also known as the Great Grey Wolf, for it measures in its largest
form some three and a half feet long, exclusive of the bushy tail.
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS 69
The under-fur is slate-grey in colour, and this is not found in the
animals which inhabit more southerly regions. It is rufous or
yellowish-grey above, underneath it is whitish, and the tail
frequently has a tip of black.
Mr. Ernest Ingersoll, in his Life of Mammals, gives a delightful
account of this animal, in which he says that ‘‘as the Summer closes
and the whelps grow, the parents take them out with them and show
them what is good to eat and how to hunt for it. With the onset
of Winter times become harder, the small creatures disappear, and
then the Wolves must arouse their strength and intelligence to
outwit and overcome the larger animals—the Wild Cattle, Deer,
Antelopes and the like upon which they prey.
“The peaceable disposition of Summer changes as the snow fills
the forests, the cold gales moan through the trees, and the long,
dark nights enshroud an almost dead world, into hungry ferocity and
a force of craft and caution born of the direst need, breeding a daring
which at last makes the animal formidable to man himself... .
In is in Winter, mainly, when the larger animals must be depended
upon, that the Wolves form themselves into ‘ packs’ and assist one
another. To this class of animals hunting is truly ‘ the chase,’ for
their method is, having found their quarry (in which the good nose
for a trail and the keen hearing assist them), to keep it in sight and
run it down.
“The endurance of their gallop is astonishing, yet most Deer,
Antelopes and Horses can outspeed and outswim them, and would
usually escape a single Wolf. Therefore, two, or sometimes many,
unite, and by relieving one another, cutting across corners, sur-
rounding a pond in which some fleeing victim has sought safety,
or otherwise acting in concert, will exhaust and pull down an animal
large enough to furnish a meal for all—if the later ones are not too
slow in arriving! A band of Arctic Wolves will depopulate a
district of Reindeer in one Winter; only the Polar Bear and the
Musk Ox can hold their own against them. . . . Dwellers on the
frontier, or in thinly settled and mountainous districts, suffer much
from the depredations of the bigger Wolves, which maim more than
they kill and eat, when famine, or the lesson learned from some
previous success, leads them to attack domestic animals. ... This
destructiveness, and the value of their pelts, have led to their exter-
mination throughout the more thickly settled parts of both the
United States and Canada, and even in the Far West they have
70 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
become scarce since the disappearance of Bison, Elk and Blacktail.
. .. A black variety still haunts the recesses of the Florida ever.
glades. .
“In the ranching districts, however, Cattle and Sheep keep many
bands alive wherever there are rocky fastnesses to which they may
retire, in spite of the traps, poisons and guns which they understand
so much better than did their forefathers; but they are not as adapt-
able, clever and safe as the Coyotes.”
COYOTE, OR PRAIRIE WOLF.—It will be as well to introduce
the Coyote, or Prairie Wolf, here in view of the mention made of
it by Mr. Ingersoll. Unlike the animal last under review, the
present inhabitant of North America and Southern Canada is speci-
fically distinct from the Common Wolf. The Coyote is smaller in
stature and possesses a much more prominent tail in thickness,
length of fur and bushiness.
Fig. 57 will give a general idea of the form of this inhabitant
of the prairie. The thick fur in which it is clothed gives it a bulkier
appearance than it really possesses, the legs seeming to be short
and stumpy. It reminds one somewhat of a shaggy-coated Collie
Dog, but it varies a good deal in colour according to the season.
In Summer it is bright fulvous-brown, in Winter it is grey or
greyish, and in both instances there is a black shading on top of
the ground-colour which has the effect of forming stripes down the
back and elsewhere. :
Although the Common Wolf will on occasion burrow in the
ground of its own accord (a habit which, so far as my experience
goes, the sly Fox never exhibits), the Coyote is much more fond of
carrying out excavation work, and is to be regarded as not nearly
so savage in general disposition. In consequence it is not found to
be so destructive, and makes quite a solicitous pet in captivity.
In many of its ways it is, of course, very distinctly Wolf-like,
sometimes hunting in packs and offering, when attacked, a fierce
defence. Out on the lone wastes of the vast prairie the voice of the
Coyote gives that touch of weirdness and wildness to the environ-
ment which has a peculiar fascination for the stalker. Although a
different howl from that of the Common Wolf, it is quite as loud.
In the matter of diet the Coyote is by no means a particular
beast, feeding upon various small mammals and birds as well as
wild fruits of various kinds. In keeping down such creatures as
Rats and Rabbits there seems little doubt that the Coyote acts as
FIG. 57.—PRAIRIE WOLF, OR COYOTE
r-
FIG. 59.—CAPE HUNTING DOG
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS i
one of Nature’s balance-keepers, and the amount of good performed
cs: by any given animal in this respect is very often overlooked. It
certainly does not appear to attack the large prey which the hungry
Wolf makes raid upon, one reason probably being that its speed is
much less than that of its dangerous relative, but it does make
serious attacks at times upon poultry-yards, pigsties and lamb-folds.
From five to ten cubs are born in early Summer.
BLACK-BACKED JACKAL.—If the great Continent of Africa
does not possess a Wolf, it numbers at any rate among its many
other remarkable animals the Black-Backed Jackal, and also the
most interesting Cape Hunting Dog which we shall meet with
shortly. The Jackal is shown in Fig. 58, and this species is justly
entitled to early mention because it has been well described as “the
handsomest and most distinct of the group of wild canines known
as Jackals, which, although presenting some points of resemblance
to Foxes, come nearer to the Wolves. Indeed, as far as size goes,
there is little to choose between the large dull-coloured Jackal of
Egypt (Canis anthus) and the undersized Wolf of the Indian
Peninsula.”
Jackals may be compared in size to that of a large Fox, but the
Black-Backed species under consideration has a more prominent
tail than its congeners. The appendage is not so brush-like as that
of the Fox, but that the animal affords sport is testified by the fact
that in South Africa it has been regularly hunted for a long time
after the same method as applied to the Fox in England.
It perpetrates much damage among flocks, and adds to the
Jackal’s reputation of cowardice. Like the Coyote, its diet is omni-
vorous, for it will hunt and kill any animal inferior to it in size, such
as Hares and Poultry; it readily devours carrion, and thus acts as
a scavenger, and Mr. Finn remarks that “even a Water-Tortoise has
been found in the stomach of one.”
Unlike the three animals we recently met with, the Black-Backed
Jackal is of a much more solitary nature. At nightfall several may
perhaps be observed together on occasions, but the gregarious in-
stincts of the race are absent in the case of this species. Even the
parents do not reside with their cubs, the latter (which number
about six) passing their time in an “earth,” or burrow, and the dog
and vixen housing themselves in some cover in the vicinity.
Unlike the industrious Badger, or even the Rabbit, the Jackal
does not aspire to much as a burrowing animal, preferring to take
72. THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
advantage of the labours of others, and rarely excavating an earth on
its own account. One important point deserves mention in con-
nection with the homestead, and that is the burrow has a sort of
emergency exit in case of necessity.
The Black-Backed Jackal is not only an inhabitant of South
Africa, but is found as far north as Abyssinia. The note is
described as a wailing laugh, and has been likened to “wa-ah-wah,
wah, wah.” That the beast does well in captivity is shown by the
specimen illustrated, the same being a tenant of the London Zoo.
CAPE HUNTING DOG.—So far as the scientific classification
of animals goes, we have for the time being left in the rear the
Wolves, Jackals and other members of the Dog tribe, and have
reached an animal which is not included among them and which
has been assigned to a different genus. Although Wolf-like in parts,
the Cape Hunting Dog is a more lanky beast, it has four toes on
each foot, instead of five on the fore-feet, and is characterized by
being spotted in an irregular way.
Fig. 59 shows the broad, flat head; somewhat large, raised ears;
long limbs; skimpy fur and prominent black mark on the forehead.
This latter, however, is not always present. The fur is variously
coloured, being a mixture of grey, white, yellowish and black, with
blotches or patches on each side ot the body.
This Wild Dog is an inhabitant of that part of Africa which is
situate “southwards and eastwards of the Sahara.” One of the most
interesting points concerning it is the similarity which exists between
it and the Spotted Hyzena which inhabits the same country. The
resemblance, however, is merely superficial, and there is no close rela-
tionship between the two beasts. The resemblance is most noticeable
in those Dogs which have a more ochreous tint about them and in
which the dark parts are spotted. Naturally enough this curious
resemblance has given rise to much speculation among Zoologists,
but no definite conclusion has yet been reached as to exactly how
the Cape Hunting Dog gains anything by “mimicking ” the Hyena
in the manner referred to.
It is, like the Hyzna, a prowler of the night for the most part,
but hunts in organized packs. When thus engaged, the movements
carried out are well worth noticing, extreme strategy and cleverness
being displayed, the animals possessing remarkable powers of
endurance and relieving one another in the chase in a very delightful
way.
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS 73
This is a bold, courageous hound; for mankind it cares but
little, evincing, as a matter of fact, considerable curiosity at the
latter’s approach, and merely steering clear for fear of anything
untoward happening. When disturbed with young, however, we
are told that they do not seek shelter in the large holes on the
desolate open plains which they frequent at such times, but retreat
hastily across the waste land accompanied by their young.
Gordon Cumming, the big game hunter, writing about 1845,
remarks that ‘“‘the devastation occasioned by them among the flocks
of the Dutch Boers is inconceivable. It constantly happens that
when the careless shepherds leave their charge, in quest of honey or
other amusement, a pack of these marauders comes across the
defenceless flock. A sanguinary massacre in such cases invariably
ensues, and incredible numbers of Sheep are killed and wounded.
The voracious pack, not content with killing as many as they can
eat, follow resolutely on, tearing and mangling all that come within
their reach.”
Among other vastly interesting things the same observer also
notes that the “voice consists of three different kinds of cry, each
being used on special occasions. One of these cries is a short angry
bark, usually uttered when they behold an object which they cannot
make out. Another resembles a number of Monkeys chattering
together, or men conversing together when their teeth are chattering
violently from cold. This cry is emitted at night, when large
numbers of them are together, and they are excited by any particular
occurrence, such as being barked at by domestic-dogs.” But the
third and last cry is the most curious, I think, of all, for it
“resembles the second note uttered by the Cuckoo which visits our
islands during the Summer months, and, when heard in a calm
morning echoing through the distant woodlands, has a very pleasing
effect.”
Truly this is a wonderful adept animal so far as concerns its
hunting proclivities. There is no other beast exactly like it, and in
spite of the depredations enacted it would be a thousand pities if we
lost it from the African fauna. Since Gordon Cumming’s day the
beast has become less conspicuous, but it is to be hoped that it will
remain a typical inhabitant of open dry country in Africa for many
years to come. Among Cattle and Sheep it commits, it is true, sad
havoc, but to the naturalist the manner in which it hunts for its
prey is bound to make a strong appeal, and not the least interesting
44 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
feature that may be mentioned is the skill displayed “in driving
their game towards the home of the nursing bitches, so as to kill
it conveniently near to them. In short, they seem to know all about
hunting that an animal could learn, their tactics being nearly
perfect.”
DHOLES, OR INDIAN AND SIBERIAN WILD DOGS.— Leaving
the African continent, let us in imagination take a trip to India,
for there we may observe the Dhole, Indian, or Red Dog. The
specimens exhibited in Fig. 60 came over to England with our
present King’s collection in 1906, and were the first of their kind
exhibited at the Zoological Gardens in Regent’s Park.
The Red Dog is a resident of the forest in its native land, and
possesses a wide range in spite of its being an inveterate enemy of
game.
For purpose of comparison it is interesting to take notice of the
Dhole of Siberia, or, as we may call it, the Siberian Wild Dog.
This latter, as will be observed after examining the specimen depicted
in Fig. 61, has a prolific Winter coat and a large brush-like tail.
It is lighter in colour than its Indian relative.
Strictly speaking, these Dholes, as some naturalists prefér to call
them, are distinguished from Dogs, Wolves and Foxes by being
the possessors of a less number of teeth. There are two teeth miss-
ing in the lower jaw, and to this divergence must also be added the
long hair which is situate between the pads of the feet, and further
the greater number of teats. These distinguishing differences dispel
the idea that the many breeds of domestic dogs are descended from
these so-called wild kinds, and hence, as Mr. Finn rightly remarks,
“the tetm Dhole is preferable to that of Wild Dog.”
A lover of the chase, the Indian Dhole hunts in packs, and its
courage at such times is nothing short of remarkable when it is
remembered that it is no larger than a Collie Dog, and that even
such a large beast as the Gaur, an Indian Wild Ox, may fall a prey
to its cunning. In the forest, too, the game stand a poor chance
when a hungry pack of these Indian Dholes decide on a night’s
slaughter. Deer are persistently pursued, and once the Dholes get
on the track of likely prey their pertinacity knows no bounds.
Having come up with their larger cousin of the wilds, it is he or
they who are destined to prove conquerors, for one or other must
assuredly give in. The Dholes in their strongly organized pack bait
their prey until they prove successful combatants.
FIG. 61.—SIBERIAN WILD DOG
FIG. 62.—BROWN HYENAS
FIG. 63.—COMMON BADGER
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS = 75
It seems remarkable that such a small animal as this should be
capable of accomplishing such wonderful deeds of daring, but union
in their case indeed is strength. To reflect upon the fact that an
animal no larger than an ordinary Collie can successfully attack a
large beast like the Gaur, which even the redoubtable Tiger usually
‘fights shy of, is extraordinary. Indeed we are told by a highly
competent authority that “even the Tiger himself is believed occa-
sionally to be killed by the red pack, and in any case their operations
so terrify his prey that he may be forced to leave the depleted
district.”
The Dhole is not a graceful animal by any means, but what it
lacks in this respect it makes amends for in others. Its bite is of a
terribly severe nature, and when the pangs of hunger are severely
felt one can imagine what an onslaught must be made against the
foe. On one occasion only has the Indian Dhole been known to
attack man, but hunters consider the Siberian beast a nasty nut to
crack, and it is distinctly dreaded. We are told that if the Indian
species acquires in time dangerous habits it will become a much
worse enemy to the natives than the Wolf or even the man-eating
Tiger !
Most of the animals we have so far considered eat carrion as
well as being great hunters and lovers of the chase, but with the
Dhole this is not so.
The breeding operations are carried out in an earth which is
excavated by the adults, and, like the Rabbit, “in some cases, at all
events, they form quite a colony.” The young ones, instead of
being red like their parents, are sooty-brown and much resemble
young Fox-cubs.
BROWN HYZNA. —TI have noted how most people who visit
collections of wild animals in which Hyznas are included, pur-
posely fight shy of these nocturnal wanderers. Why is this? True
enough they evince considerable restlessness in their dark, ill-suited
cages, and their cry is ear-splitting, but exactly why they should be
such poor favourites among the general public I have long failed to
understand. Probably it is because of their “skulking, cowardly,
treacherous and cruel” habits, but to my mind the most hideous
animal living—the Tasmanian Devil, if you like—has some interest-
ing trait in its character deserving of notice, and it is only as a
result of a comprehensive knowledge of wild creatures that one can
gain any adequate idea of their relative differences in form, structure,
76 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
habits, etc. Taking it for granted, then, that the reader of this book
at any rate sees nothing repulsive in the Hyzena, let us endeavour
to learn something of interest concerning it.
In view of the inclusion in this chapter of the Cape Hunting
Dog and the superficial resemblance between it and the present
species, it is particularly appropriate that the Brown Hyzena should
be accorded a place. It will be observed from the two animals
depicted in Fig. 62, that the general markings upon the Brown
Hyzena are self-coloured, and although it bears a resemblance to
the Striped species, it is more particularly noticeable in this respect
because of the markings on the short-haired legs.
We are fortunate in having a photograph of this wild prowler,
because its numbers have now become so diminished that it is
believed to be on the verge of extinction. Its resemblance to the
Wolf is exemplified in several ways, but it is as well to bear in
mind that true Wolves do not inhabit South Africa, their place
being taken by the animals now under review.
When it roamed over the African plains in days gone by this
must have been a formidable beast to encounter, as we are told by
early colonists that it was a ferocious and dangerous foe to come
in contact with.
Mr. Selous, in describing one of his many exciting adventures
in Africa, relates that on one occasion a Hottentot murdered a Kaffir
boy in cold blood, and eventually suffered the penalty of death for
his dastardly deed. He states that the Kaffirs assembled and “at
once knocked his brains out with their knobkerries.” The point of
the story, however, which concerns us is the information given
regarding the fate of the murderer’s body, for the intrepid hunter
remarks that “his body was dragged just over a little ridge not
three hundred yards from the wagons. In the night Hyzenas came
and laughed and howled round the corpse for hours, but never
touched it. The second night the same thing happened, but on the
third day they ate him up. Now, as these Hyznas were beasts
belonging to an uninhabited country, they were unused to human
remains, and had not, I think, lost their instinctive dread of the
smell of man; for in the Matabele country, where the bodies of
people killed for witchcraft are always ‘ given to the Hyzenas,’ a
corpse is invariably dragged off even from the very gates of a kraal
before the first night is many hours old.”
SPOTTED HYHNA.—Besides the Brown and Striped Hyznas,
PLATE V.
DRG BE
SPOTTED HYAN
>
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS qT
the Spotted species may also be mentioned, and our artist has
accorded attention to this animal in one of his coloured plates.
Some of these beasts were once resident in Europe, but to-day
sees them restricted to Africa, Asia Minor, Persia and India. The
Spotted and Brown Hyzenas are, however, inhabitants of Africa, and
it is only the Striped species which is found outside the African
continent.
The Spotted Hyzena differs from its Striped relative by hunting
in packs, but as a rule prefers to pick up food already killed. It is
a more powerful beast, larger, fiercer and very voracious. Truly
an animal scavenger, the Hyzena occupies a curious place in Nature,
for it is a cowardly creature and will only show fight when it is
driven to bay. It has been aptly termed “the veriest pariah of the
animal world,” but it is as well to remember, in view of the hatred
most people evince for it, that it is a veritable scavenger, that it
forms a sort of connecting-link between the Cats and Dogs (having
a Cat-like skull and Dog-like claws), and that its massive jaws,
powerful muscles and strong teeth can pulverize the thigh-bone of a
Buffalo and can crush bones that no other living animal would
attempt. It will be observed that the Hyzna is very strongly
developed in the front part of the body, and that the general form
falls away towards the hind-quarters. This doubtless accounts for
the skulking, or slinking, gait.
COMMON BADGER.—That this animal is more common in
England than is usually supposed seems generally agreed, but,
being a nocturnal creature, it is rarely seen except by gamekeepers
and others occupied in the open air.
Beyond this, it spends most of its time, when not engaged
foraging for food, below the ground in its remarkable fortress. It
is quite a wonderful citadel, this subterranean home of Brock, as
he is sometimes called, and I vividly remember seeing an “earth”
which was opened in Hertfordshire which was of tremendous dimen-
sions, there being a succession of ingenious chambers disclosed as
excavations proceeded.
It is a shy, timid animal and has a distinct hatred of being
watched. The only real way to get a good sight of it, once having
found out the favourite home and haunts, is to sit up in a tree for
some hours at night. Even then the vigil may be a long and
unprofitable one, as Brock soon passes by, and the light is insufficient
to obtain more than a passing glimpse of the old warrior.
78 ‘THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Search should be made for the “earth,” or burrow, on the sunny
side of a wooded hill, and if the inside of the home could be
examined it would be found to consist of a sort of general living-
room, with vertical passages leading upwards for the purpose of
ventilation, and several tubular passages from twenty-five to thirty
feet long. The central chamber is snugly lined with moss and
leaves, and the whole homestead is a model of neatness. Indeed,
the Badger is not only a tidy animal, but is also exceedingly clean
in its habits, setting a brilliant example to the Fox in this respect.
It will even search for parasites on the body of its children.
The structure of the creature at once reveals its adaptability for
the life it leads, for the legs are short and powerful (Fig. 63), the
sharp broad claws of the fore-feet serve as shovels, whilst the hind-
legs enable the soil which has been excavated to be thrown back-
wards. The sturdy body also comes into action when a large heap
of soil requires removal, for Brock contrives to get his back against
it, obtains a firm hold on the ground by means of the powerful feet,
and then all is plain sailing. The whole build of the beast is worth
noticing, for the short bristly hairs with which the body is clothed
lie flat on the skin so that no dirt can adhere to, or accumulate
between, them.
These hairs are earthy-grey in colour on the back, and very often
harmonize in a remarkable way with the environment, whilst the
black and white markings on the head and elsewhere, although
well displayed in Fig. 63, are very inconspicuous at nightfall. The
tail is very short, there being no necessity for the beast to possess
a long appendage.
That this is not a particularly active animal will soon be apparent,
but it can, if occasion demands it, amble along at a tremendous
speed. It is not adapted for jumping or leaping, and, as a con-
sequence, we find that it is not able to prey to any extent upon quick-
moving creatures like many of its relatives. If we examine the teeth
this fact will be plainly shown, for the molars have broad crowns and
blunt tubercles, and are thus more adapted for crushing than tearing.
The food is made up of fruit, roots, various kinds of insects, earth-
worms, snails, small rodents, lizards, toads and snakes. It will
also eat birds’ eggs, young rabbits and leverets.
In its search for food it is largely aided by its long, broad and
sharp claws, which enable it to dig for larvae and worms; by the
tapered snout which assists it in foraging under leaves, and by the
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS 79
short and muscular neck which enables the animal to exert great
force in both burrowing and rummaging operations.
The Common Badger and the Sand Badger (Fig. 64) cannot be
included specifically as lovers of the chase, coming under the
heading of ‘some others.” The former is very largely an energetic
vermin-hunter, and, such being the case, it should be protected.
It cannot be said that man is in any way adversely affected by this
interesting underground dweller, and it is to be hoped that it will
remain a member of our British fauna for many years to come.
During the Summer Brock pursues a busy life, for, although it
rests in the heat of the day, at nightfall it undertakes protracted
wanderings in search of food, and when the first chill days of
Autumn arrive its body is well nourished and very fat. So much
so, indeed, that Brock retires from business, as it were, the fat
accumulated enabling the beast to exist through its long Winter fast.
It does not resort to fasting in real earnest until King Frost rules
the land with his ice-bound grip, living meanwhile on such things
as turnips and other vegetables which it has put by for hard times.
The outer coat not proving sufficiently impervious to the cold, the
inner layer of fat beneath the skin protects the body like warm
underclothing, and then, when Winter has arrived with all its
severity, Brock rolls itself up, “in order to offer the least possible
cooling surface to the air, and falls into a deep sleep.” Thus it
remains until signs of Spring awaken the land from slumber, but
it is only a temporary resurrection, for, after having a drink at the
nearest spring, the animal returns again to its citadel and once more
goes to sleep. The next time it awakes to find bird and beast making
joyous at the triumphant uprising of all things that live out of doors,
and who share with ourselves the beneficence of the sunshine and
the glorious breathing of the air.
The Badger is an inhabitant of the whole of Europe and
Northern Asia, and in England it is interesting to notice the names
of places which are indelibly associated with it. In olden time it
was called Brock, and thus we have Brockenhurst, Brockley,
Brockett, etc.
The cubs usually number three or four, and these are born
during the Summer. They are blind, and do not open their eyes
until they are about ten days old. When taken young it is said
that the cub makes a desirable pet, being easily tamed.
When the cubs are able to take care of themselves and leave
80 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
the “earth,” it must be an engaging sight to watch the family party
during the silent watches of the night, as secrets such as those
revealed in the home life of the Badger are rarely told. The senses
of smell and hearing are very acute, and he must be a lucky stalker
who, without exerting much strategy, would successfully make
acquaintance with Brock and its bairns above ground. I have heard
with disgust a good deal about Badger-baiting at fairs and else-
where, but it is pleasant to reflect that this so-called “sport” has
almost died out in rural England. In a few districts even to-day
Dogs are turned upon a Badger after the latter has been cowardly
dug out of its natural hiding-place so as “to give the Dogs a
chance.” I have no sympathy whatever with this detestable practice,
and when I was recently informed of some Terrier Dogs being
badly mauled by a Badger as a result of their being set upon it
by people of high position who could surely have found something
better to occupy their time, I must candidly confess that whilst I
felt sympathetically disposed towards both Brock and the Dogs, my
feelings with regard to the human beings who engaged them in
battle may be better imagined than described.
Brock was eventually battered to death with spades and forks,
and the brutes who took such a delight in unfairly attacking an
innocent and inoffensive animal would, if I had my way, be made to
undergo a heavy penalty for perpetrating an outrage which cannot
be tolerated to-day.
SAND BADGER.—The Sand Badger (Fig. 64) belongs to a
different genus from the species recently under review, and is placed
by Zoologists as the last representative of the Weasel family. It is
an inhabitant of India, being found in the Eastern Himalayas
“through Assam and the neighbouring regions to Tenasserim and
Lower Burma.”
Whilst the shortness of the tail of the Common Badger has
already been mentioned as a salient feature of that species, it is the
length of tail possessed by the present animal that is worthy of note.
This appendage measures from a quarter to a third the length of
the head and body.
The soles of the feet are naked, and only a portion of these is
put on to the ground when the beast is walking, so that the Sand
Badgers ‘“‘may be described as digitigrade rather than plantigrade
when in motion.”
The Indian Sand Badger is mostly dirty grey in colour all over,
SI
FIG. 65.—HISSAR BULL
TINd@ LVYAZNO—'99 “OIA
LOVERS OF THE CHASE AND OTHERS 81
marked with a tinge of blackish on the back. The white head is
banded with black, whilst the underparts are dusky coloured as the
photograph depicts. The length of the body is about thirty inches,
exclusive of the tail. This latter measures some eleven inches.
In the structure of the skull, and also in regard to the teeth
(structurally, not numerically), the Sand Badgers differ from the
Common species; indeed the skull is different to that possessed by
any other kinds of mammals, with the exception of some of the
Edentates and Dolphins.
The Indian species—for there are two smaller kinds “inhabiting
Assam and Arakan, and possibly China, while there is probably a
third in Eastern Tibet”—frequents undulating stony ground or
small hills among the jungle, and lives in fissures of the rocks or
holes which are excavated by the animal itself.
CHAPTER V
SACRED ANIMALS
HUMPED CATTLE. —In India there are several breeds, or varie-
ties, of Humped Cattle. Of these the Indian Ox, Zebu, or Brahmin
Bull may be specially mentioned, more particularly as this beast
is also found in East Africa and Madagascar. Humped Cattle
are also inhabitants of the Chinese Empire.
There are stated to be at least fifty million cattle in India, and
of the different varieties of the Zebu (a name which is only heard
in Europe and is never used in India) attention may be directed
to those represented in Figs. 65, 66, 67 and 68. Fig. 65 is a Hissar
Bull, the largest and finest variety of the Zebu; Fig. 66 shows a
Guzerat Bull; Fig. 67 represents the interesting Gynee Cattle,
which are the smallest of all, being very little larger than a New-
foundland Dog; and Fig. 68 portrays a Cow of the Mysore, or
Trotting, Cattle, which is remarkable for the manner in which the
horns slope backwards.
These beasts are much kept as pets, and this prompts one to
write of the place occupied by Cattle generally in the affection
of the Indian people. Whilst for riding and performing labours
of various kinds, these Humped, or Sacred, Cattle are highly
esteemed, they are also valuable on account of their flesh and
milk. But many of them are of gentle disposition, and for these
animals the Indians evince the greatest regard. Mr. Protheroe
says that many of the finer Zebu Bulls are dedicated to the God
Siva, but he goes on to say that “these sacred Bulls are nearly as
intolerable a nuisance as the venerated Monkeys. . . . They wander
just where they like in the streets and market-places, block up the
trafic, and no one dares to drive them away. They help them-
selves to the choicest vegetables and fruit, and the aggrieved
owners may not even check their depredations. They behave
generally like spoiled children or dogs, rendered selfish and
offensive by the weakness of those who ought to have taught them
better.”
82
FIG, 67.—GYNEE CATTLE
FIG. 68.—_MYSORE COW
FIG. 70.
FETTERED, EGYPTIAN, OR CAFFRE CAT
SACRED ANIMALS 83
As an instance of the extraordinary regard in which these
creatures are held, the same writer states that, “in the early days of
the railway in India a Brahmin Bull charged a locomotive, with
somewhat disastrous results to the holy animal. It was feared
that the natives would view the railway as a menace to their religion.
To the great satisfaction of the authorities, the people did not take
offence; they simply accepted the Engine as a superior divinity,
and decorated it with flowers.”
Before passing on to consider the salient features inseparably
connected with these Humped Cattle, it will be as well to give some
particulars regarding Oxen in general, that is so far as concerns
their structure and mode of life, for, being so accustomed to see
Domestic Cattle, we are somewhat apt to overlook many interesting
points concerning them.
Dr. Otto Schmeil, in his excellent Text Book of Zoology, sets
out in a concise way a vast array of details connected with animals,
treating of his subject from a biological standpoint, and in getting
out the following summary respecting the Ox, I am much indebted
to the work in question.
The origin of the Ox has already been treated of in a previous
section (Chapter I), and little need be added here, excepting to
state that the Urus survived in Poland until the sixteenth century,
that in‘Germany it has been extinct since the year 1100, “but in the
form of our Domestic Ox, which naturalists have recognized as a
descendant of that primeval giant, it survives to the present day,
and will probably prolong its existence far into future ages. The
Urus was domesticated long before the beginning of history. By
the constant selection for propagation of individuals most useful
for his purpose (compare Dog), Man, in the course of thousands
of years, has succeeded in transforming the Urus into the Domestic
Ox, numerous varieties of which are now spread, as the most
important of domestic animals, over a great portion of our Earth.”
A comparison between the eyes of the Wild Oxen and our
Domestic Cattle reveals the fact that the first-named have, as a rule,
bright, brilliant eyes, “evidently endowed with such visual powers
as are required for a life in a state of Nature,” whilst the latter have
large and dull eyes, which indicate feeble sight.
‘That these wild beasts are possessed of keen powers of scent
is proved by the widely-opened and constantly-moistened nostrils
of their domestic brethren. The wild beasts are, according to one
G2
84 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
traveller, “as light-footed as Antelopes,” and whilst the reader will
agree that a mad Bull rushing across an open field can move at
an alarming speed, it is obvious that a changed life has resulted
in the Domestic Ox of to-day being far more lethargic than it
otherwise would be, for great speed of locomotion is no longer an
indispensable condition of the animal’s life. It is ably protected
by the large size, great strength, and the possession of special
organs of defence, namely, the horns.
The horns are worthy of close study in themselves, and whilst
we cannot enlarge on the subject here, attention may be directed
to the various examples of these appendages shown in Figs. 65
to 68, and to the fact that the presence of these organs largely
conditions the great breadth and height of the forehead. “The
cranial bones, too, are of unusual thickness and are capable of
enduring the hardest blows. The force employed.in the use of
the horns as thrusting or butting weapons, is supplied in the power-
ful musculature of the nape of the neck. Through the presence of
these muscles and a loose-hanging cutaneous fold, the dewlap,
the neck appears shorter than it really is.” In the neck the strength
of the Ox chiefly lies, and, this being so, one can realize why
it is that when made to draw a cart or a plough, the yoke is attached
to the animal’s forehead.
It is as well to remember, too, that Wild Oxen live in herds,
and this renders them better able to defend themselves than if they
lived in a solitary state. In considering the general characteristics
of our Domestic Cattle, a comparison between them and their wild
relations is essential, and in this connection it is interesting to
observe that Dr. Schmeil states: ‘The body of every animal must
be so constructed that it may be able to obtain the necessary food
for its own maintenance and that of its young, and also may be
capable of protecting itself against its enemies and the influences
of weather and climate; for unless these conditions are fulfilled,
it is doomed soon to disappear from the Earth. Man, however,
hy taking the Ox under his protection, has relieved this animal
from either of the above-named functions, and in order to under-
stand its structure in reference to them, we must consider only such
animals of the species as still live under natural conditions, or, at
least, such surroundings as deviate but slightly from a state of
Nature.” In our consideration thus far this method has been
adopted, and it is important to bear this in mind.
SACRED ANIMALS 85
We may now consider (1) the Ox as a herbivorous animal
and endeavour to learn something of interest as a result, and after
that a few points may be referred to concerning (2) the Ox as a
domestic animal.
1. The Ox as a Herbivorous Animal.—Vegetarians may not
agree with the statement, but it is generally recognized that “meat
furnishes a more lasting nourishment than an equivalent amount
of bread or any other vegetable product (e. g. fruit or vegetables).
Vegetable substances are, therefore, less nutritious than animal
products (flesh, milk, blood, etc.).” As a result, the Ox, having
a large body to support, is bound to partake of large quantities
of food.
The animal would not be able, for example, to appease its
hunger by eating a single blade of grass at a time, and, this being
so, the Ox pulls up its food in bunches. How is this task accom-
plished? The long and very rough tongue is an efficient organ in
this respect, for by means of it food is secured and conveyed to
the teeth. The latter are excellently arranged, for a long row of
incisors is essential. There are accordingly six broad incisor teeth
in the lower jaw, and the lower canine teeth have the same form
as the incisors. “By these teeth the bunch of fodder is pressed
against the edge of the upper jaw, which is toothless and cartilagin-
ous. The tufts of grass are detached by an upward push of the
head. The incisors are very long and large, and directed obliquely
forwards, so that the animal is able to cut off quite short grass;
but in this case no assistance is rendered by the tongue.”
The Ox spends the best part of the day in the act of feeding,
and this necessitates that it must continue to be always on the
move. Thus we find that it possesses strong legs and feet, which
terminate in stout hoofs. It is interesting to notice also that the
wild animals must undertake prolonged wanderings in order to
find fresh pastures.
Having watched an Ox feeding in a pasture field for some
considerable length of time, has it ever occurred to the reader how
well adapted is the beast for the life it leads? The strong muscula-
ture of the neck, for example, enables the animal while engaged
in feeding to keep its head depressed for several hours.
Let us follow this analysis of the Ox a little further, and to enable
us to do this the concise method adopted by Dr. Schmeil may be
followed thus—
86 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
a. The large quantity of food taken in calls into requisition
a large stomach for its reception and digestion, as well as a long
intestine which offers a large surface of absorption for the nutritious
particles of the food which are only sparingly scattered throughout
the whole digestive mass. (Compare, on the contrary, the
Carnivora.)
b. The nutritious elements of vegetable substances (starch,
sugar, albumin, etc.) are enclosed within what are called hard coats
of cellulose, and these are not dissolved by the digestive juices.
In order, therefore, that the contents may be digested, these cellu-
lose envelopes must of necessity be destroyed, and to bring about
this desirable result the vegetable substances taken in as food
must be crushed and ground up as finely as possible. An inter-
esting comparison may thus be made with the Dog, which bolts,
or swallows, a piece of meat without making any attempt to
masticate it.
The Ox, then, grinds up its food by means of a lateral grinding
movement of the lower jaw. This movement is effected by reason
of the situation and the constriction of the teeth in both the upper
and lower jaws, details of which need not be given, but in order
that the food may be efficiently pulverized a large grinding surface
ig necessary. Hence we find that the molars are both large and
numerous, there being six on each side above and below.
A number of large teeth naturally means that they must be
located in large jaws, and in consequence of these the elongated
head of the Ox is the result.
Dr. Schmeil concludes this part of his analysis with the remarks
that “the longer a man moves, and the more energetic his move-
ments, the more food is he obliged to take, in order to replace
used-up force; the longer he remains at rest, the less force is used
up, and consequently the less food required to replace it. The
same law applies equally to animals. (Compare with Bat and Mole.)
Applying this principle to the Ox, it is easily seen that if this
animal were at once to grind up its food, while in the act of
feeding, to the necessary fineness, it would be obliged to stand or
slowly walk about on the pastures for an even longer time than
it actually does. In consequence, however, of the division of
the stomach into four compartments and the act of rumination,
the animal is able to carry on the greater part of the act of
mastication while at rest. It is evident that in this matter much
SACRED ANIMALS 87
force is saved, and the animal is consequently able to do with less
food than it otherwise would.”
We now come to the last point we set ourselves out to consider
in regard to the Ox, namely—
2. The Ox as a Domestic Animal.—Having agreed that rumina-
tion—or, as it is better known, perhaps, to the average individual,
the act of chewing the cud—undoubtedly implies a saving of force
and also, as a result, of food, we find that this capacity is not
only of immense service to the animal, but also to Man. The
eminent German zoologist, to whose work we are already indebted
for almost the whole of this section of our book, thus concludes
his observations: “The Ox, in fact, in virtue of this ruminating
capacity, from a certain amount of food unfit for human con-
sumption (grass, flowers of the field, etc.), produces a larger
quantity of food suitable for human nourishment (meat, fat, milk)
than it otherwise would, and, if supplied with an abundance of
fodder, is more rapidly and easily fattened.
“All mammals produce milk only as a nourishment for their
young. When these are capable of finding their own food, the
parents refuse them further access to the teat, and the nourishing
spring dries up. With his domestic cattle, however (Cow, Goat,
Reindeer, Camel and in some parts even Horses), Man does not
allow matters to proceed so far. He assumes to himself the part
played by the young, for by constant removal of the milk (milking)
he stimulates the milk-glands so that they continue to secrete for
along period. The Cow, having but one or at most two calves at
a time, is provided with only four teats. (Compare, on the contrary,
the large number of teats in the Pig, Dog, Cat, etc., in relation
to the large number of their young.) The, value of Cow’s milk
to Man (as a source of butter and cheese), and the further uses
of this animal by reason of its flesh, fat, hide, hair, horns and
bodily strength, are too well known to need further discussion.”
We may now return to the Humped Cattle after this somewhat
protracted but important consideration, which affects them equally
well.
The common domesticated cattle of India and the humped
beasts of Africa and China are distinguished from the breeds of
cattle in Europe by the characteristic hump, which is so well shown
in the animals illustrated in Figs. 65, 66, 67 and 68. Beyond this
hump on the withers, they also possess further distinguishing
88 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
features, such as the nature of the voice, habits, general colora-
tion and other structural characteristics that need not be detailed.
As a result of these important features, there is no doubt that
Humped Cattle are specifically distinct from our own domestic
breeds, although the former are not known in a strictly wild state.
The large drooping ears possessed by these animals are well
exhibited in Figs. 65 and 66, where it will be seen that the Hissar
Bull and the Guzerat Bull are worth examination in this respect.
The enormous dewlap which hangs in folds along the whole length
of the neck is also particularly characteristic of these Humped
Cattle, and is excellently shown in the case of the Guzerat Bull
in Fig. 66.
As has been mentioned earlier in this chapter, the size of these
beasts varies from the large Hissar in Fig. 65, which is a tremend-
ous beast standing as high as a Buffalo, to the small Gynee Cattle
(Fig. 67), which are not much larger than a Newfoundland Dog.
The usual colour appears to be light ashy-grey, and this may be
found in various gradations and passes off into cream-colour, milk-
white, etc. It must not be assumed, however, that these tints are
inevitable, as red and brown are two more common colours, whilst
melanic varieties are sometimes met with.
These Humped Cattle grunt rather than low like our own
beasts, and a further interesting comparison is that the former
rarely take advantage of the shade during the hot weather, as our
own cattle are so fond of doing, and, unlike them, the Indian kinds
do not evince any desire to stand knee-deep in water when the
scorching sun demands something cooling.
Although it has been mentioned that no Humped Cattle are
found in a perfectly wild condition, it is stated that “in certain
parts of India Humped Cattle have run wild; those found on the
sea coast near Nellore, in the Carnatic, have been in this state
for a long period, and Jerdon describes them as being extremely
shy and wild, their size being large and their horns long.”
The Galla Ox is the African representative of the Humped
Cattle, and in this beast the thickness of the horns is especially
noteworthy. It is also known as the Sunga, and it is worth
mentioning that “the forehead of the skull lacks the convexity
characteristic of the Indian Humped Cattle; and as the curvature
of the horns is somewhat similar, Professor Riitimeyer believes that
the Galla Ox is most nearly related to the Asiatic Banting. . . .”
SACRED ANIMALS 89
Before passing on to the two remaining sacred animals on our
list, namely, the Hanuman Monkey and the Fettered, Egyptian,
or Caffre Cat, it is as well to notice that in India several fossils
of Oxen have been found. The handsome Narbada Ox which
roamed about in the Narbada valley in days long since gone by
was one of these Indian Oxen, and it is worthy of special mention if
for no other reason because it was as large as the Aurochs (see
page 32). The typical Narbada Ox had cylindrical horns, but there
existed a second race whose members possessed more flattened appen-
dages, and thus resembled more closely those of the Indian Wild
Cattle existing at the present day. Then again, from still earlier
deposits there have been rescued the remains of the Sharp-Fronted
Ox, a tremendous beast which possessed horns of great length
“which swept upwards and outwards in a bold curve, and were
probably but little short of ten feet in span.”
HANUMAN MONKEY.—Beyond the Sacred or Humped Cattle
already treated of in this section, the Hanuman Monkey is entitled
to inclusion. Although unrepresented in the illustrations, Fig. 69
gives an example of the Ceylonese Langur and serves to show
the kind of Monkey with which we are now concerned. This
species, true Wanderoo as we may call it, is a rare animal from
Ceylon, but, strictly speaking, it is the Hanuman Monkey that
may be regarded as the sacred beast.
As will be observed from the species shown in the photograph,
the Langurs are an interesting genus. There are four different
kinds in India, and of these the Hanuman is the best known.
The chief outward characteristic is the hair-covering on the crown
of the head, for this radiates in all directions from a central point
situated on the forehead.
Langurs have for long been regarded as sacred animals by
the Hindus, but whilst one writer states that the species now under
review takes its name from the God Hanuman to whom it is sacred,
another authority says that “the Hanuman Monkey is supposed by
the Hindus to be a visible incarnation of the God Vishnu, and
consequently the temples dedicated to the God are happy havens
for the particular species. They simply swarm about the cities
and villages where Vishnu is worshipped. The beautiful carvings
of the temples and even the holiest idol shrines are defiled by the
jabbering creatures, who, not content with the offerings of the
faithful, rob orchards, pilfer from fruit stalls, and even enter shops
g0 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
in search of delicacies. No native would dream of taking active,
offensive measures against the four-handed robbers.”
There is no doubt that in considering the history of mankind,
which is, in parts, as entertaining as a romance, the love evinced
for certain kinds of animals should not be overlooked, even though,
as is the case with some of the creatures treated of in this section,
the regard shown towards them is not altogether of an uninspired
character. Nations a good deal less Christianized than we are
have shown a peculiar affection for the brute creation, and although
to-day, with the civilizing influences which follow in the train of
the world’s progress, it is perhaps essential that obsolete manners
and customs should be eradicated, there is, nevertheless, some
amount of real charm in this old-time love for the animal world.
Therefore, although we may on occasions write disparagingly
of some kinds of animals which in these modern days have, through
being succoured during the ages, become so engrafted with the
history and customs of nations as to be difficult to stamp out, it
is pleasant to recognize that the lower animals of the Earth have
not been forgotten by mankind, even if we exclude those beasts
which man has paid attention to for selfish reasons.
The Hanuman is not a heavily-built Monkey. It has a tail
longer than the body, and this latter measures about two feet.
The greyish-brown fur is darker along the back, but as the animal
grows older the coat becomes considerably more darkened. A
good description of the appearance of the Langur has been given
by one writer as under: “The tout ensemble of the Langur is so
peculiar that no one who has once been told of a long, loose-limbed,
slender Monkey, with a prodigious tail, black face and overhanging
brows of long, stiff, black hair, projecting like a penthouse,! would
fail to recognize the animal.”
FETTERED, EGYPTIAN, OR CAFFRE CAT. —The last sacred
animal upon our list is the Caffre Cat, which is worthy of mention
because it is recognized by many authorities as “the parent stock
from which the Domestic Cat of Europe has sprung.” In size
it resembles a large specimen of one of our own pussies, and in
colour is yellowish-grey, striped and banded, and having a black-
tinged tail. As will be observed from Fig. 70, the tail is quite
long.
This Cat ranges throughout Africa and penetrates also into
1 A shed standing aslope from the main building.
SACRED ANIMALS gl
South-Western Asia. Beyond this, it is interesting to note that
in days gone by the Caffre Cat was also found in South-eastern
Europe, and its fossilized remains have been found at Gibraltar.
Long, long ago the Caffre was held to be a sacred animal by
the Egyptians, and their love for the creature is depicted in many
of the remarkable epitaphs that they have left behind.
Their bodies were embalmed and preserved in tombs and other
places, two famous cities that may be mentioned in this respect
being Beni-Hassan and Bubastis. It is interesting to notice that
the mummified remains of these pets of the Egyptians are identical
with the Wild Caffre Cat, and there seems good reason to suppose
that the animals which found so much favour with the Egyptians
were tamed individuals of the wild species shown in Fig. 7o.
These Cats were doubtless great hunters, and were of assistance
to the inhabitants of Egypt in the long ago in helping them to
procure food, for even to-day many of us are aware that the docile
pussy purring before the fire can, if occasion demands it, become
one of the keenest poachers among four-footed beasts.
CHAPTER VI
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR
ARMOURED animals are at all times interesting creatures to
study, although some of them must of necessity be observed at a
safe distance and under conditions which bode no ill to the
onlooker. Indeed, the clothing of animals generally provides a
wealth of information worthy of note, and helps one to ascertain
some idea of the surroundings frequented and the life that is
led.
When, added to the skin of an animal, an armoured coat is
supplied, or the outer covering consists exclusively of weapons
of either offence, defence, or both, the interest increases. We find
these armoured animals to consist of various kinds, some almost
microscopic in size, others of large dimensions.
There is, for example, the familiar Wood Louse, known by sight
to almost every one. It is far better known in the country as the
Sow Bug. It is an interesting little creature in many ways, for
when its jointed steel-grey coat of mail is rolled up into a ball,
the Wood Louse is ably protected from its enemies.
Then, again, this small member of the Crustacea is a land
representative of a number of aquatic Wood Lice, and claims
kinship with the Lobsters, Crabs and Shrimps.
Many kinds of insects are also armoured, and especially the
larve, which bear spines and hairs, and are thus ably protected
from their numerous enemies. Some Fish, the common Fresh-
Water Perch, of our British waters, for instance, have prickly fins,
which have a nasty way of puncturing the skin when handled, and
doubtless act as protective designs against natural enemies, whilst
other animals—including Mammals and Birds—have sharp claws
and other armoured devices which stand them in good stead.
If the subject be pursued further and attention devoted to
92
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 93
animals which are not, correctly speaking, clothed in a coat of mail
which protects them, but possess other means of defence for their
protection, then many instances will be forthcoming of how
wonderfully the creatures of earth and sea are provided with devices
whereby their survival is maintained.
In this section of the Book of the Animal Kingdom, it is not
proposed to deal at length with these various subjects, for a selection
of animals have been chosen to illustrate this chapter which will
not permit of such treatment. The Armadillos, the Porcupines, the
Pangolin and the common British Hedgehog admirably represent
some armoured animals, and it is with the life-histories of these
that we may now concern ourselves.
HAIRY ARMADILLO.— The skin of the back of an Armadillo
(see Figs. 71 and 72) is modified into movable rings, or girdles,
consisting of plate-like shields, each containing a plate of bone, as
present in some Reptiles. The teeth are numerous, but are not
strong, and beyond being ably protected by the formidable plated
armour, the Armadillos further protect themselves by burrowing
into the ground by means of their powerful claws. In this way,
too, food is sometimes procured, for they feed largely upon insects
and earthworms, which are secured as a result of this burrowing.
Mice, snakes, eggs and young birds, as well as carrion, are also
eaten.
The Hairy Armadillo (Fig. 71) is probably the best known
member of its family, as it is usually this species that is exhibited
in captivity. The jointed bony plates situate upon the fore-parts
and hind-quarters of the present species form two large shields,
and, as will be observed, between each section of plates a number
of hairs are present, which fact gives the animal the first part of
its name. These hairs are also scantily found upon the lower
parts of the body.
The body is broad and flat; the legs are short and stumpy; the
claws very strong, and, as Mr. Frank Finn has well remarked,
“the whole effect is rather Tortoise-like.” The tongue is long and
can be protruded some distance from the mouth, reminding one
of the lengthy, flexible organ of the Ant-Eater.
Although it only measures some twenty-four inches long, the
Hairy Armadillo is a heavy beast, and is “surprisingly solidly built
for its size.”
Like its relatives, it is an inhabitant of the Argentine Republic,
94 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and although it is not accorded a high position in the scale of
animal life, being a slow and lowly organized creature, it has
proved itself capable of survival where other higher organized
animals have failed. This remarkable achievement has been accom-
plished by the Hedgehog at home, and that in spite of the fact
that the last-named is mercilessly persecuted by the gamekeeper
and its numbers considerably thinned out each season.
The Armadillo is not particular as to the nature of its food,
being easily satisfied with whatever is easiest to procure, and it is
said that a particularly tasteful banquet is found to be the carcase
of a Horse, “for he” (the Armadillo) “will drive a shaft under
it and live in luxury, eating away at the carcase from beneath.
If his more natural animal food should fail, he will make shift
with herbage, and even maize has been found in his stomach.”
Although clumsily built, this animal can, if occasion demands it,
move over the ground at a good pace; it possesses great strength,
and is also further protected from enemies by its rapid burrowing
powers underground.
“Armadillo” upon a bill of fare would look strangely out of
place, but the flesh is said to be good eating and to be not unlike
roast Pig! The animal is, however, very fat.
Although used to a warm climate, these animals appear to be
hardy and tenacious, and succeed well in captivity, even outdoors,
during the rigours of an English Winter. That it is also a long-
lived creature is reasonable to suppose, as it has been known to
exist for twenty years in a Zoological Garden out of England.
GIANT ARMADILLO.— There are other species of Armadillos
that may be mentioned, but these mostly resemble the hairy kind,
excepting as regards size and the hairs on the carapace, which are
so characteristic of the latter. Few of them exceed the Hairy
Armadillo in point of size, although the Giant Armadillo is its
successful rival in this respect. The Giant species is more than
thirty-six inches in length, whilst the armour bands are more
pronounced and numerous. It is a resident of Brazil, and has
acquired a bad character by reason of its habit of burrowing after
the contents of graves, in which nefarious work it is largely aided
by the enormous claws.
TATOUAY ARMADILLO.—The Tatouay, or Broad-Banded Arma-
dillo (Fig. 72), comes from Surinam, Brazil, and Paraguay, and
its name sufficiently indicates its salient feature, the broad armoured
FIG. 71.—HAIRY ARMADILLO
Sg
FIG. 72.—TATOUAY ARMADILLO
‘W'S’ ‘Surmr0A4 AQ puv opes0jog jo e}eI4s oIsseINf Ul puNo; suTeUTdy]
"SOAI}LIO1 SUIAT[ JSaIvOU ay} A[Qeqoid a1v safrpos01z ay} YoIyYM 0} ‘snanvsosays yOuNXe sy]
IIA ALWId
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 95
bands being well exemplified in the photograph, as well as the
general effect of the body when stretched out. The hairs wnder-
neath the body of this species are also shown in Fig. 72.
In the carapace of the Tatouay there are twelve or thirteen
movable bands; the slender tail is almost naked, but in point of
size this species is the largest of the group next to the Giant
Armadillo last under review.
PICHICIAGO.—The Pichiciago, or Pink Fairy Armadillo, also
deserves mention before passing on, as although only a few
inches in length this animal is of such importance zoologically that
it has been relegated to a subfamily of its own.
It was not discovered until as recently as 1824, when Harlan,
an American naturalist, found it at Mendoza, which is not a great
distance from Santiago.
The armour is pink in colour and the fur snowy-white, whilst
there are structural features of interest to the anatomist, but which
need not be detailed here. The Pichiciago is quite a rare species
and is not found outside the western portion of the Argentine,
but in the neighbourhood of Mendoza it is, curious to relate, the
least uncommon. It inhabits “open, sandy dunes, or their
proximity, the vegetation in such spots consisting of thorny brush-
wood and cacti.”
It appears that this species—which is really not a true Arma-
dillo—is, unlike those already treated of, very susceptible to cold,
so much, indeed, that one observer has stated that a specimen he
captured shivered violently under a Mendozan midday sun.
Whether this was through chill or fear, queries the same observer,
it is difficult to say, but if the action of some Bank Voles, which
are at present in my possession, is any comparison, I am strongly
of opinion that fear and not cold often accounts for the-‘shivering ”
above referred to.
The Pichiciago is much more fond of burrowing than the other
Armadillos, and has been aptly referred to as ‘“‘a sort of armour-
plated Mole.” It has one relative that is deserving of mention,
but this species, an inhabitant of Bolivia, although diminutive in
stature, is not of such small dimensions as the species from Western
Argentina.
PANGOLIN.—This interesting animal is represented in the
coloured plate, and, as may be surmised, is not very distantly
related to the Armadillos. As a matter of fact, it has been placed
96 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
in a separate family immediately preceding the last-named beasts,
and coming between them and the Ant-Eaters. Instead of being
armoured with bony plates, the Pangolin bears upon its body over-
lapping scales, which can best be compared to tiles upon the roof
of a house, and in this way we are reminded of the large over-
lapping scales borne by some kinds of Fishes, the Carp and the
Rudd being two common British fresh-water species that occur
as apt examples.
The present animal is not known outside Africa and Asia, but
in the New World it is distantly represented by the Ant-Eaters.
The Pangolin resembles the latter in its mode of walking, namely,
by doubling under the forepart of the foot so as to protect the
formidable claws which are used for digging, and, like the Ant-
Eater, it has a long tongue which is admirably suited for procuring
Ants as food, and it does not possess any teeth.
In many ways this is a remarkable creature, and is quite unlike
any other living animal. It resembles, in some features, as has
been shown, the Ant-Eater and the Armadillo, but although
belonging to the same order of Edentates is relegated to a distinct
family. The broad horny scales are found not only upon the
back, but these characteristic structures are borne also on the long,
broad tail and the outsides of the limbs. These scales are deep-
ochre in colour. There are no external ears, as in the case of the
Armadillo and the Ant-Eater, and, as Mr. Protheroe points out,
“were it not for the scanty hairs that are found on the under-
surface, these creatures might reasonably be taken for some curious
sort of Lizard rather than for beasts of any kind.”
The scales have acute edges, and when the Pangolin resorts
to the device of rolling his body inta a ball, the protection is
complete. So invulnerable is the armoured coat that an instance
is recorded of the Phatagin—a West African species—having shots
fired at it with a revolver which failed to make the slightest impres-
sion. The beast was knocked over, but rolled itself into a ball.
Thereupon a second shot was fired, but this time the shot “recoiled
upon the firer and bruised him. Eventually he dispatched the
animal by inserting a dagger between the scales and driving it home
with a mallet.” This, to say the least, seems to me a repulsive
method of meting out death to one of the lower animals, and some
more humane way would better commend itself, but it is only fair
to state that the reason the beast had to be killed was because its
Pirate VI.
PANGOLIN.
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 97
constant burrowing endangered the foundations of the house where
it was kept as a pet. But if I had found it necessary to do away
with a pet, I should have been hard put to it to have had recourse
to the cruel proceedings above described.
The Pangolin of India has a short tail, and the Phatagin of
West Africa a long one. Both animals resemble one another in
general habits and are nocturnal beasts. Some species of
Pangolins, however, are terrestrial and others partly arboreal, but
all are alike in regard to their breeding, only one or two young
ones being produced at a time. Mr. Finn says that in the case of
the Burmese species, the youngster rides on the base of the mother’s
tail, clinging with its powerful claws.
These scaly Ant-Eaters, as they may be called, vary in size,
the largest species being found in Africa. This attains a length
of six feet, so that it easily outvies the Armadillos in point of size.
The Indian species, however, is only about two feet in length.
The burrows of the latter animal are constructed to a depth
of from “eight to twelve feet below the surface, and terminating
in a large chamber, which may be as much as six feet in diameter.
Here a pair of these animals take up their abode, and in the Winter
or early Spring give birth to their young.”
When first born the young ones are covered with soft scales,
but, although born underground, and it is reasonable to suppose
that such is the case, it does not appear to have yet been ascertained
whether the youngsters are born blind. This opens up an interest-
ing branch of natural science that has not received as much attention
as the subject deserves. It has already been pointed out that the
young of the Rabbit are born blind, and that this prolific rodent
constructs a nest below the surface, but that the young of the Hare
are born above ground and with their eyes wide open.
Attention might be devoted by the young naturalist to this
phase in the life-history of other mammals, for the results could
not fail to be of interest and service, whilst further information
on the subject among our bird and other animal friends would
also be of advantage.
COMMON PORCUPINE—The Porcupines are well entitled to
inclusion among animals with armour. They have a wide
geographical range, and are at once distinguished by the quill-like
spines in the skin. They are mostly stoutly-built animals, with
short, broad faces, and the grunting Pig-like cry accounts for the
H
98 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
name, which is derived from the old French pore éspin, meaning
Spiny-Pig. The modern French is porc-épic, probably derived
from the Latin porcus, a pig, spina, a spine.
Porcupines are inhabitants of both the Old and New World,
and whilst some are terrestrial, others are arboreal in their habits.
The three photographs (Figs. 73, 74 and 75) represent the
Crested, Brush-Tailed and Canadian Porcupines respectively, and
whilst a few notes respecting these species will be given, attention
may chiefly be devoted to the Common Porcupine. This is what
is known as a true Porcupine, and claims kinship with a family
all the members of which are residents of the Old World. It differs
from its American cousins in being entirely nocturnal and
terrestrial; the tail, as a result, is not prehensile; the soles of the
feet are quite smooth; there is a small thumb on each fore-foot,
and the female has six teats. The Common species is a large beast;
it bears upon its bulky body long quills, has a short, spiny tail,
upon the end of which there are a number of short quills on slender
stalks, and has a greatly elevated and convex skull. The short,
slender-stalked quills, which are found in a cluster on the tail, are
hollow, and it is these tail quills which are responsible for the
curious rattling noise which is made when the animal is moving
about.
The species now under consideration measures from twenty-six
to twenty-eight inches in length without the tail, and, if the Beaver
be excepted, the Porcupines may be regarded as the largest Rodents
of the Old World.
The brownish-black colour of the Common Porcupine is banded
with white across the front of the neck and also on part of the
sides. There is a crest of long bristles on the neck, which are
brown below and white above.
The well-known quills on the body are of two kinds, one of these
being slender, flexible, and very long, whereas the second kind is
almost hidden by the great length of the last-named and is stouter
and shorter. There are prominent black and white rings on all these
quills, and the extremities of both kinds are tipped with white. The
quills situate upon the rump are, however, mostly black in colour,
but those at the tail end and elsewhere are white. Southern Europe
and both the northern and western parts of Africa are the habitats of
this Porcupine.
It used to be believed that this creature had the power of
FIG. 74.—-BRUSH-TAILED PORCUPINE
PORCUPINE
75.—CANADIAN
FIG.
COMMON HEDGEHOG
riG. 76.
HEDGEHOG ROLLED UP
COMMON
IG. ee
F
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 99
“flinging its dart-like quills at an antagonist,” but this is undoubt-
edly pure imagination. Remembering that these beasts are
nocturnal, remaining hidden in burrows, caves, or clefts of rocks,
it is unlikely that this provision is provided, more especially when
it is borne in mind that to have any effect the “shot” would have
to be made with considerable force. On the other hand, it appears
well authenticated that wild denizens of the jungle, such as Tigers
and Leopards, have been found dead with the quills of the Porcu-
pine “piercing their nostrils and muzzles,” and, so far as I can
ascertain, no reason is forthcoming as to how the quills became
thus embedded, unless the Porcupine had been attacked at close
quarters. The explanation may be that normally the quills lie
smoothly along the back, but when excited, or challenged to battle,
the Porcupine raises its quills of defence and then runs backwards
and makes a charge at its adversary. Therefore, those wild beasts
that have been discovered with the quills adhering to their heads
were attacked in this way, or their attacks upon the Porcupine
were warded off by the latter in the manner indicated. Some of
the quills are always somewhat loose, and it would not be a big
task to dislodge them, beyond which the curious appendages are
also shed periodically.
It is stated that the quill is armed with projections or barbs,
which, once inserted in the skin of another animal, make the task
of getting rid of them almost impossible. As a result, it is stated
that inflammation is set up—and the result is aggravated by the
efforts of the animal to dislodge its dart—and eventually the
Leopard or Tiger, or other assaulted beast, dies of starvation.
I should like to state, however, that all the quills I have examined
have not possessed any projections or barbs, and I do not quite
see how this idea has originated.
The food of this Porcupine largely consists of roots, but, like the
Common Hedgehog, shortly to be described, it resorts to sleep
during the Winter, and has no necessity to bother itself as to
provisions. For such a clumsily built animal it is quick-footed
and possesses a keen eye. The quills, as is well known, are used
for fishing floats, pen-holders, etc.
The litter is produced during the Spring or early Summer, and
consists of from two to four. These interesting babies of the wild are
snugly ensconced in a nest which is built of grass, leaves and fibrous
roots. The youngsters are well advanced even when first born,
H2
100 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
having their eyes open. The spines are soft at first, but soon harden
when exposed to the air.
It is a powerful gnawing rodent, the large size of the teeth
and jaws aiding it in this respect, and in some districts a good
deal of harm is perpetrated among growing crops in the fields
and gardens.
BRUSH-TAILED PORCUPINE.—This is another species restricted
to the Old World and, like its congeners, is terrestrial in
its habits. It is, as Fig. 74 shows, considerably smaller than the
species exhibited in Fig. 73, and is described as more Rat-like than
the true Porcupines, “from which it is distinguished at a glance
by the long and scaly tail terminating in a tuft of bristles.” The
spines are flattened and grooved, and of about the same length all
over the back, shoulders and hind-quarters.
There are two species of Brush-Tailed Porcupines, one inhabit-
ing Western and Central Africa, whilst the second is restricted
to Burma and the Malay States. The Indian species measures up
to twenty-two inches over head and body, and in colour is dark-
brown above and whitish underneath. The longer quills on the
back portion of the body are white for the most part, whilst the
tips of the remaining quills and the bristles on the extremity of
the tail are white. The Crested Porcupine (Fig. 73) need only
be mentioned as possessing a crest of hairs on the shoulders which,
when raised, give the beast a very pleasant effect.
CANADIAN PORCUPINE (Fig. 75).—This is a Porcupine of the
New World, and although lacking the long prehensile tail of the
Tree Porcupines, it is a good climber, arboreal in its habits, and
strips trees of their leaves in no uncertain manner. It is also
known as the Urson and Cawquaw, and is an inhabitant of Canada
and almost the whole of the United States in spite of the first part
of its name. It may be further distinguished by the possession of
only three teats in the female, “the absence of a cleft in the upper
lip, by the naked soles of the feet being covered by a number of
tubercles,” and “by the want of the first toe in the fore-foot.” There
are other structural differences as compared with the species
previously dealt with, but these need not be detailed. The body
is clothed with long brown hair, which almost hides the stumpy
barbed spines; these latter are white, tipped with brownish. For
an animal measuring only twenty-four inches in length, this species
is heavy-looking and clumsy. It weighs from fifteen to twenty
FIG. 78. —ALGERIAN HEDGEHOG
FIG. 79.—-COMMON TENREC
PLATE VIII
The extinct Megalosaurus, whose nearest living relatives are probably Crocodiles.
Remains found in England and America.
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR IOl
pounds. The long, powerful claws and large but only partly
prehensile tail are also worthy of mention.
When in a normal condition the quills lie flat over the surface
of the body, but when the animal stands at attention these are
raised “by the aid of a sheet of muscle underlying the skin.”
These quills are only loosely inserted in the skin of the Porcupine,
and can thus be easily detached.
This is the most northern form of Porcupine found in Canada,
its range extending as far north as trees are found, whilst in the
United States it is resident in the East, “as far south as Virginia,
and on the Western Coast from Alaska to Arizona and New
Mexico.”
In spite of its heaviness and only partly prehensile tail, this
species is a first-rate climber, and most of its time is spent in the
tree-tops. It is largely nocturnal in its habits, but may also be
observed during the daytime. Having become comfortably located
in a tree and hunger requiring appeasement, the Urson makes
short work of the surrounding foliage, stripping the tree of its
leaves, and leaving the same quite bare. Succulent twigs as well
as leaves are eaten, and the amount of harm perpetrated when the
beast is thus engaged may well be imagined. It is astonishing
to notice how so cumbersome a creature contrives to not only spend
its time disporting among the tree-tops, but to reach with ease the
leaves on the outside branches. One would have thought that the
weight and general bulky build would have made this impossible,
but this arboreal wanderer is no fool, for, by clever strategy, he
manages to distribute his weight “by bringing several branches
together, and then, with his powerful paws, bends back their ends
and passes them through his mouth. When high in the tree-tops
he is often passed unnoticed, mistaken, if seen at all, for the nest
of a Crow or a Hawk.” Beechmast, as well as the leaves, twigs
and bark of trees are partaken of, whilst it is stated that the creature
has a partiality for salt and is also fond of the pods of water-lilies.
The lair of this interesting American animal may be come across
in a hollow tree, in bushes, or among the clefts of rocks. It is here
that the nest is constructed and the one or two young ones pro-
duced during early Summer. Dr. Merriam, who studied these
animals closely, states that the young are very large for the size
of the beast, “being actually larger, and proportionately more than
thirty times the size of the cubs of the Black Bear.”
102 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
HEDGEHOG.—Few animals have survived in Britain better than
the Hedgehog, for, in spite of persecution, it is still a common
species in many districts. Being, however, largely nocturnal in
habits, it is rarely seen except by gamekeepers and others whose
work takes them continually out of doors, and, this being the case,
the Hedgepig, as it is sometimes called, is considered by many to
be comparatively rare.
I have found that in game-preserving country it is quite a
common inhabitant of the woodland and hedgerow, and during one
season alone on a small estate known to me over three hundred
were trapped in a few weeks. Let it be stated straight away, this
wild creature is an inveterate enemy to game birds, and my
sympathy is always extended to the keeper who loses, through its
pilferings, whole nests full of eggs either of Partridge or Pheasant.
One day during my country wanderings, the keeper and I kept
careful watch over a Pheasant’s nest. We had had suspicions that
some unwarrantable intruder had purloined some of the eggs, several
having been missed. The clutch was made up by us with spare
eggs from time to time, but still some were missing on each
occasion the nest was visited. We suspected a Stoat or Rat as
the culprit, but one day our vigilance was rewarded, for, as we
approached the Pheasant’s nest, we espied a Hedgehog busily
engaged scooping out the contents of an egg! The little beast was
sitting, Squirrel-like almost, on its haunches, holding the egg
between its fore-paws.
The small black eyes twinkled as the luscious feast proceeded,
the whole form of the animal was agitated as if something were
being enacted that ought not to be, and the reader can well imagine
the ire of my keeper friend at this loss of the Pheasant’s eggs. His
first impulse was to rush forward and slay his foe, but on second
thoughts we decided to wait further developments.
Such developments were not long in coming, as, having sucked
one egg dry and discarded the shell, the Hedgehog trotted back to
the nest, took out another egg, and made short work of the interior.
This operation was carried out again and again, until eventually
every egg in the nest was sucked dry and the whole clutch was
destroyed. What happened afterwards is not for me to tell, for
the keeper carried out measures which, humanitarian as I am, did
not appeal to me. It would be a painful story to relate, and must
be left unwritten. This little incident, however, goes to prove how
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 103
harmful the Hedgehog may be in a district where game-preserving
is indulged in, but it is most essential in considering the good or
bad deeds of a wild animal that the whole, and not a part, should
be taken into account.
What, then, does the Hedgehog feed upon in addition to the
eggs of Partridge and Pheasant, and does it perform any good in
preserving the balance of Nature? It attacks young wild birds,
has been accused (and I believe not without good reason) of making
raid upon the inmates of a fowl-house; it partakes of various kinds
of insects as well as snails, slugs, toads, frogs, earthworms, etc.
Thus, it will be seen that the despised Hedgepig is not alto-
gether harmful, indeed, putting game-preservation aside as a sport
which affords pleasure to a very small percentage of our population,
it may be stated that the animal has its uses and probably does
more good than harm. Many people condemn the Jay and Magpie
because of their pilferings among eggs and young birds, but it
is important to recognize that a check of some kind is most essential,
and if these natural balance keepers did not exist, certain species
of animals would unduly increase over the normal, with results
which in some instances would prove disastrous to agriculturists
and others.
A note upon the subject of the value of animals of prey in the
Field may be quoted. “It is generally admitted,” says the Field,
“as an abstract proposition, that predaceous animals perform an
important function in the economy of Nature by preventing undue
increase of the hordes that feed on herbage, seeds, fruits, and other
vegetable life. But often when it comes to particular cases man
looks askance at every mammal or bird that molests his poultry or
game. The recent report of Mr. A. K. Fisher, the officer of the
United States Department of Agriculture, who is in charge of the
economic investigations, deals with this subject at some length.
In his opinion, most of the predatory mammals of the United States
confer great benefits on the agriculturist by keeping down the
number of rodents. Thus in the fruit-growing districts of the West
Prairie Wolves and Lynxes have freed ranches and fruit farms from
Rabbits and other crop or tree destroyers, and at times the Prairie
Wolf feeds entirely on large insects, such as May beetles—closely
allied to the cockchafer, and equally destructive—crickets and
grasshoppers. He has a good word to say for the Mink, the
Weasel, the Skunk, the Badger, and the Raccoon, and considers
1o4 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
that the Fox is often unjustly blamed for ravaging poultry yards
when the responsibility lies on the farmer for not keeping his birds
safely housed at night. Where this precaution is taken the Fox
necessarily turns his attention to Field Mice, Rabbits, Ground
Squirrels and insects, to the great benefit of the farmer. Of course,
cases arise in which it is necessary to keep down the number of
predaceous mammals in certain localities, but judicious thinning out
is advocated rather than extermination.”
That the Hedgehog has more than a passing liking for the
eggs of Partridges and Pheasants has been conclusively proved to
me by the large number I have seen caught in traps which have
been set close by the nests of these two birds, but it must be
remembered that the eggs of these game birds are only to be
obtained during a few weeks of Spring and Summer, and some
other food must then be sought for. Thus we may leave the dietary
of this member of the Insectivora, and give consideration to other
parts of its story.
As Figs. 76 and 77 show, this is a well-armoured beast and
entitled to inclusion in the present section. It is only a small
animal, attaining a length of some ten inches. The legs and feet
are short and stumpy, and it is remarkable to notice, in view of the
bulky spine-covered body, that the Hedgehog can travel at a rapid
rate when it is once on the move. Having found one in a hedgerow
bottom snugly tucked up, secure from frost-bite and cold, pick it
up, if you can! It is more easily said than done, for the spines
are exceedingly sharp, and to handle the creature successfully is
almost impossible. At least such is my experience.
You may be tempted to carry the interesting beast home in a
pocket-handkerchief, but if you do, and are at all particular as to
the abundance of live stock you may harbour, my advice is, leave
the animal in its own wild fastness. It is simply alive with black
parasites, and I remember on one occasion my handkerchief was
a perfect sight, peopled as it was with thousands of small parasites,
which seem to leave the Hedgehog’s body in a swarm... I have
had somewhat similar experience with Wild Rabbits, for they, too,
are largely infested with parasites during life. I have noticed with
interest, however, that as soon as the body of the dead Rabbit
becomes cold, the parasites make haste to leave it and seek the
body of a living rodent upon which they may again pay attention.
Parasites are worthy of study, and have not been accorded
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 105
that share of attention that they deserve. People who know little
of such creatures shudder at the thought of them, let alone the
sight. Not long since I saw four distinct kinds of parasites taken
from the body of a Mole, and when I display these and other
subjects at my lectures, I notice time and time again the general
repulsion that is felt at the sight of these creatures, many of whose
life-histories are far too important and even useful to be passed by.
If you do not decide, then, to carry the Hedgehog home, but
wait until it unrolls its body, just watch it run and then try to catch
it. I have been amazed at the speed it can attain.
It seems a shy creature and hates being watched. So soon as
encountered it promptly rolls itself into a ball, as shown in Fig. 77.
It has a Pig-like face, and although timid in a natural state, it
learns, when in captivity, to become docile and trustful in a short
time. The worst case against it as a pet when given its liberty,
even in a securely walled-in garden, is its remarkable habit of
making good its escape in a most unaccountable way.
Ably protected by its spiny coat, the Hedgehog has existed
where other animals have gone under, and has changed very little
from its earlier form. Its nocturnal habits have also afforded
assistance to it. It is one of the oldest animals we have; it is well
guarded from the attacks of other predaceous beasts, and _ itself
encounters an Adder with inevitably fatal results to the last-named.
The Hedgehog angers the Adder until the latter is thoroughly
roused. The Snake prepares to attack its mammalian adversary,
and darts at it with unerring aim. The Snake, however, has
reckoned without its host, for the Hedgehog, quick as thought,
curls into a ball before the impact, and the reptile finds itself
impaled in the spines, to meet certain death. Then the Hedgehog,
satisfied with the result of its strategy, unrolls its body and feeds
upon its prey !
If the animal now under review is sought for during the day,
search should be made along a hedge-bottom, where it may be
found snugly tucked up among dead leaves or grasses. During the
Winter it hibernates, making a cosy nesting-place of leaves at the
base of a tree where there is a convenient hollow, in a wood, thicket,
hedgerow or other environment. No food is taken during this
Winter fasting, and thus with the advent of Spring the beast
possesses a keen appetite, which is not easily appeased.
The two to four young ones are born during the early days of
106 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Summer. They are at first blind, and the spines are soft and white.
The latter, however, soon harden as the little ones come to run
about and secure provender on their own account. To see a mother
Hedgehog with her young is one of the most delightful sights in
the whole realm of nature.
Outside Britain the range of the Hedgehog includes China,
Amurland, Scandinavia, Italy, Asia Minor and Syria. Its range is
not restricted to the low-lying portions of the regions inhabited, for
it is found at as high an altitude as six thousand feet in the Alps,
and still higher in the Caucasus, where it ascends to an elevation of
more than eight thousand feet.
Mention need only be made by name of the Algerian Hedgehog
(Fig. 78), which represents one of the African species found both
in the North and South of the great continent. One species there
is interesting, because it has lost the inner toe of the hind-foot.
There are in all almost twenty known species of Hedgehogs.
TENRECS. — At first sight this animal (Fig. 79) might pass
muster for a Hedgehog, but it is relegated to a different genus of the
Insectivores. As a matter of fact, the Common Tenrec of Mada-
gascar is stated to be the nearest living relative of the Marsupials
of Australia and America. This curious relationship is brought
about by reason of the teeth of both the Common Tenrec and the
carnivorous Marsupials being somewhat identical; the skulls are
very similar, and the number of young also resemble the Marsupials
and go to enhance the kinship. The Common Tenrec—which is
much less Hedgehog-like than the Hedgehog-Tenrec, which bears
short particoloured bristles—often has as many as fifteen or sixteen
young ones at a birth, whilst twenty-one have been recorded.
It should be stated with emphasis here the great importance in
the classification of animals which is attached to the number, posi-
tion and structure of the teeth. The young zoologist will find very
often when pursuing his studies that the teeth of an animal at once
identify it and go to prove the position it occupies in the scale of
animal life. This book does not pretend to be a dry scientific
discourse upon anatomy, and it does not come within the province
of the writer to enlarge upon this subject. He merely makes the
suggestion that the young student should follow up the matter
on his own account if, by reading this volume, he has been suffi-
ciently attracted to pay attention to some of the living mammals
of the world.
ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 107
The Common Tenrec and its allies are entirely confined to
Madagascar and a few of the neighbouring islands. As Fig. 79
shows, they have long snouts and a body somewhat akin to that
of the animal last under review. Whilst the common species does
not possess a tail, the Hedgehog-Tenrecs have a short appendage
as in the European animal.
These Hedgehog-Tenrecs cannot, however, roll their body into
a complete ball in the same way as the Common Hedgehog, for
it is found that the powers of muscular contraction are far less
developed, and whilst the animals are not related, it is most interest-
ing to observe that both possess spines of a similar nature, which
are used as weapons of defence in a similar way, that the food is
somewhat similar and that they are nocturnal.
The Madagascan animals are smaller than the Common Hedge-
hog, one species being about six inches in length, whilst another
of these Hedgehog-Tenrecs is still smaller.
Besides the foregoing, there are the Streaked Tenrecs, the Long-
Tailed Tenrecs and the Rice-Tenrecs. None of these possess spines,
and cannot therefore be justly included as armoured animals, and
the mere mention of them must suffice, as the reader can, if he so
desires, follow up the subject on his own account, for these com-
parisons cannot fail at all times to prove of interest to the zealous
and painstaking student of animal life.
CHAPTER VII
ANTELOPES AND DEER
ADDAX ANTELOPE.—This, the first of the Antelopes chosen
as worthy of inclusion in this section, is an inhabitant of Northern
Africa and Arabia. It belongs to the genus Addax, the members
of which are characterized by the possession of long cylindrical
horns in both male and female. In the Addax (Fig. 80) the horns
“attain a length of from twenty to twenty-eight inches in a straight
line, and from twenty-six to thirty-five and three-quarters along the
spiral.” The curious open spiral shape of the horns may be seen
to advantage in the photograph.
For the most part this Antelope is covered with short and thick
hair of a yellowish-white colour, but on the head, neck and mane
it is brown. As Fig. 80 depicts, there is a prominent transverse
band of white below the eyes; the lips and a spot on the outside of
the ears are also white. The male is more thickly clothed than the
female, the colour of the hair is darker, and during the Winter the
yellowish-white merges into grey.
The Addax stands over thirty-six inches high, and inhabits
sandy and waterless wastes. Shy in disposition and wary, few
observers seem to have had any opportunity of studying this animal
to any extent. Its flesh is highly regarded, and for this and other
reasons the Addax is sought after by the Bedouins, who organize
protracted expeditions among the barren, .sandy deserts which it
frequents.
BEATRIX ANTELOPE.—Still less appears to be known of the
Beatrix Antelope (Fig. 81) of Western Arabia, but it will at once
be seen that the spiral horns are absent in this species, and it is
a smaller animal than the last named, standing about thirty-two
inches high. It is whitish in colour, with a dark spot on the face,
and, as the photograph clearly indicates, a large dark patch on
each cheek. ‘These patches meet underneath the throat. The legs
are also dark coloured and the tail is tipped with black.
108
ea
LN,
FIG. 82.—-DIK-DIK ANTELOPE
NAGOR ANTELOPE
- 83.
FIG
ELOPE
FIG. 84.—NILGAI ANT
ANTELOPES AND DEER 109
DIK-DIK ANTELOPE.—-This small Antelope (Fig. 82) has a short
tail and a tuft of hair on the crown of the head. It haunts the bush
in the east and north-east parts of Africa, but more than two or
three are rarely seen together. There are several species, but all
may be regarded as rare in captivity.
NAGOR ANTELOPE—This is another small Antelope (Fig. 83)
with horns seldom longer than six inches. It is a West African
beast and is closely allied, if not identical with, the South African
Antelope known as the Roi Rhebok. The long, coarse hair is
reddish-brown on the upper parts, the under parts being white.
Only the male has horns, and the small, upright pair possessed by
the animal are well shown in Fig. 83.
NILGAI—Leaving the great African continent for the present,
we now make acquaintance with the Nilgai (Fig. 84). This is the
largest Antelope of Asia, having short, untwisted horns, and these
are possessed only by the male. The latter is iron-grey in colour,
but the cow is quite different, being light fawn or yellow generally,
but with white markings as in the bull. The reader will probably
be struck with the fact that the Nilgai is very unlike an Antelope.
Such is the case, for in size it about equals a Pony, and there is,
as Mr. Finn says, “something very Horse-like about its general
appearance, although the kind of Horse it suggests is a very badly-
shaped one.”
This Antelope is an inhabitant of India, and whilst it does not
resort to the dense forest it is usually found where there is some
amount of cover. It travels about in small companies, feeding upon
leaves, grass, wild fruits, etc., and is said to be very destructive to
the crops of the natives. Mr. Finn says that among the Hindoos
“it is a sacred animal, simply because its name means ‘ Blue Cow,’
so that the sanctity of the bovine race has been absurdly transferred
to it. Mohammedans, of course, will eat its flesh readily enough,
but it is not much hunted by European sportsmen, because no one
cares much about possessing a head with such insignificant horns.
It thus comes about that the Nilgai is probably less hunted than
any other animal of the size; but, of course, it has natural enemies
to reckon with in the shape of Tigers, Dholes and other carnivores.”
The cow is the swifter traveller of the two sexes, and whilst
she will gallop straight away from her pursuers, the bull can be
ridden down if he is pressed hard at the commencement of the
chase.
110 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
In captivity the animal now under review does very well, and
had it not been for the uncertain temperament of the bulls, it might
have been introduced among British park animals, although, to
say the best, its value from an ornamental standpoint is not great.
Fither one or two young ones are produced at a birth.
PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPE.—This Antelope (Fig. 85) is one
of the very few species which are found in the New World, being
a resident of North America. The photograph shows a male and
female, the lower figure being that of the male, with horns just
growing. As the name implies, the horns are branched and these
are shed annually. This is interesting to observe, because by reason
of these two characteristics it is distinguished from the whole of the
remaining Hollow-Horned Ruminants.
The Prongbuck, as it is also called, attains a height of about
thirty-six inches at the shoulder. It stands erect (as the female in
Fig. 85 displays), is pleasing in appearance, and has a chestnut
coat with white on the under parts and the hind-quarters. The dark-
brownish face is topped with white, as are also the ears, cheeks and
chin. Three bars of russet-yellow across the throat complete the
dress. Although an Antelope—and it is often thus designated
in America—the structure of its horns remind one strikingly
of those possessed by the Sheep and Goats. They measure
about twelve inches in length, are flattened from side to side,
and bend backwards at the tips. There is a short branch
thrown out from about the middle of the horn, and this is directed
outwards.
The Prongbuck is a fast runner but a bad jumper, the result,
as Mr. Protheroe states, of its life on the prairies, where obstacles
are few and far between. It is shy and timid in its habits, and it
needs a practised stalker to successfully get within gunshot of it.
It is very keen-sighted, and yet in spite of these credentials we
learn with regret that it is “rapidly approaching the point of
extinction, and it is now only found in the more remote western
regions.”
Mr. Ernest Ingersoll says that in years gone by “nowhere were
they originally more abundant than upon the high, dry plains of
the Arkansas valley, Western Texas and thence out to California.”
It is curious to notice that it was not until 1865 that the fact
of the shedding of the horns, which had long before been asserted
as taking place by Indians and plainsmen, was admitted by the
FIG. 86.—SABLE ANTELOPE
FIG. 88.—CONGO MARSH BUCK
ANTELOPES AND DEER IT
scientific world, and Audubon declared he had “proved to the
contrary.” Although hunters had frequently asserted that the
animal shed its horns every year, it remained for some years a
matter of doubt until a specimen in confinement afforded actual
and visible proof of the peculiarity.
It is worth noticing also that the white stern of the Prongbuck
acts as a sort of danger signal in the same way as the upturned
tail of the Rabbit. When it is necessary for this danger signal to
be increased in area, the animal “‘cocks” its tail and thus displays
the white under side. Thompson Seton has described it as “a
great double disk or chrysanthemum of white that shines afar like a
patch of snow.”
Mr. Ernest Ingersoll gives a full account of this beast in his
Life of Mammals. He says that “the life of our Antelope is
very simple. It is the genius of the dry, gravelly, bunch-grass
plains, where it finds in the sun-cured nutritious herbage, relieved
each Spring by a juicy new growth, all the sustenance it craves.
Wooded spaces it naturally avoids, not only because it has no
appetite for leaves and twigs, but because thickets shelter Wolves
and Wild Cats; yet now and then a solitary buck will make a grove
his hermitage, or a heavy doe retire to some bushy glade to be
delivered of her fawn. Of late, however, under the changed con-
ditions in its home, the Pronghorn seeks cover more than formerly.
It has no Goat-like fondness for rocks, and rarely climbs the rough
slopes of even the foothills.
“The young, usually two, are dropped in May or early June,
when the mothers have stolen away separately to secret places,
and the bucks are wandering alone or in small gay parties by
themselves; these fawns are not spotted, but plain dun miniatures
of the mother, and for the first few days lie motionless whatever
happens, trusting to be overlooked; but soon they get upon their
legs and begin to accompany the doe. From the start they show
an instinctive intelligence in meeting the dangers that beset them,
clinging, as if bound by a short tether, to the heels of the mother,
when, as so often happens, a Coyote does its best to get past the
valiant doe’s defence of lowered horns (which are short, sharp and
unforked) and striking feet, to seize the tender youngling. I have
told at length elsewhere of such a battle which I once witnessed
on the Wyoming plains. Rattlesnakes are another ever present
peril, but these the Antelope, if not first fatally struck, cuts to
112 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
pieces by stamping upon them with quickly repeated bounds, all
four hoofs alighting together on the reptile’s coils.
“A Pronghorn’s javelin-like fore-feet are its best weapons, though
the bucks—furious in their rivalry when forming their harems—
push one another about with their forked horns. Nowhere is to
be read a more discerning, intimate and delightful account of the
Prongbuck than in Ex-President Roosevelt’s chapter on it in The
Deer Family, and on this point he notes: ‘ All the Deer are fond
of skulking; the Whitetail pre-eminently so. The Prongbuck, on
the contrary, never endeavours to elude observation. Its sole aim
is to be able to see its enemies, and it cares nothing whatever about
its enemies seeing it.
‘Its colouring is very conspicuous, and is rendered still more
so by its habit of erecting the white hair on its rump.
‘It has a very erect carriage, and when it thinks itself in danger
it always endeavours to get on some crest or low hill from which
it can look all about.
‘The great bulging eyes, situated at the base of the horns,
scan the horizon far and near like twin telescopes. They pick out
an object at such a distance that it would entirely escape the notice
of a Deer. When suspicious, they have a habit of barking, uttering
a sound something like ‘kau,’ and repeating it again and again as
they walk up and down, endeavouring to find out if danger lurks
in the unusual object. They are extremely curious, and in the old
days it was often possible to lure them towards the hunter by
waving a red handkerchief to and fro on a stick, or even by lying
on one’s back and kicking the legs.’
“Yet in Summer, when small scattered parties dot the plains—
or used to—a band would lie down during the midday hours in
some open valley and rest in negligent ease. More than once have
I ridden quietly over a ridge and thrown such a resting band into a
momentary paralysis. Surprised, yet hardly knowing what to fear,
they would spring to their feet, then, suddenly panic-stricken, start
off in high, stiff “buck jumps,’ making no progress and the picture
of wild terror. An instant later, however, gathering its faculties,
the band would skim away in flight, then, if not followed, halt a
few hundred yards off to look back. This curiosity is a strong
trait, and often brings Antelopes close to camp, or into a band
of Horses or Mules, and their liability to panic leads them now and
then to run right into danger. Audubon pictures their contradic-
Pate IX.
ER tie
SABLE ANTELOPE.
ANTELOPES AND DEER 113
tory behaviour excellently in that long account of the animal as he
saw it on the Upper Missouri in 1843, which so enriches his great
work on American quadrupeds.
“This disposition is a mark of the high intelligence of the
animal, whose wits have been sharpened by generations of life in
the midst of danger. Judge Caton came to have a very high idea
of their brain power after keeping them in his park. ‘ When taken
young,’ he says, ‘it soon acquires the attachment of a child for
the human species, and when captured adult in a short time
becomes so tame that it will take food from the hand and follow one
by the hour, walking through the grounds. One that was in the
constant habit of following me soon became disgusted with the Elk
which chased him, so that whenever he saw me going toward the
gate which opened into the Elk park, he would place himself in
front of me and try to push me back.’ Thornaday warns us,
however, from his experience in zoological gardens, that as the
bucks grow older they become dangerously rough in their play.”
SABLE ANTELOPE.—This fine Antelope (Fig. 86) is an African
animal, and although a prominent resident of South Africa is also
an inhabitant of other parts of the great continent. It was first
found in the Transvaal by Harris, and although it has now become
extinct in that colony, the name of the discoverer is perpetuated by
some of our own kith and kin, the animal being sometimes called
the “Harrisbuck.” Its general coloration may be presumed from
the fact that the Boers call the beast ‘‘Zwart-wit-pens,” meaning
black-white-belly.
The Sable Antelope is considered by many as the finest Antelope
of all, and it has been chosen as the subject for the coloured plate
to represent this section. Its size is equivalent to that of a full-
grown Pony; it possesses an elegant and pleasing carriage, and
its general form and colour cannot fail to commend it to those who
take an interest in these wild creatures.
Whilst the female (or cow) is not so dark-coloured as the male
(or bull), she may be distinguished by the shorter, more slender
and less strongly-curved horns. The horns of the bull attain a
length of more than thirty-six inches. The light markings on the
face are well shown in both the photograph (Fig. 86) and the
coloured plate, but the young ones are characterized by the absence
of these face-marks and are light-brown in colour. It is of sociable
disposition and inhabits open country well above sea-level and where
I
114 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
there is some amount of cover. The cows and calves keep together,
but only one bull accompanies them, as keen rivalry exists between
the males; indeed, the bull “may be aggressive to other Antelopes,
as it has an unscrupulous habit of turning out Lichtenstein’s
Hartebeest from beds or lairs which this animal is fond of making
for itself.”
The Sable Antelope is a quick traveller, is a dangerous beast
at close quarters when hard-pressed, exhibits indomitable courage
and makes every use of its horns. Mr. Finn says that like the
Gemsbok it fights lying down, and is very dangerous to hounds.
Mr. Selous, in his Hunter’s Wanderings, gives an interesting
incident which is worth relating here. He says that one day he
and his party “witnessed a very pretty sight, as we were riding
across a wide, open down between the Zweswe and Umfule rivers.
We had a short time previously noticed a solitary old Sable Antelope
bull feeding on the edge of a small strip of bush that intersected
the plain. Suddenly this Antelope, which was 600 or 700 yards
distant, came running out into the flat straight towards us, on
perceiving which we reined in our horses and looked around for
the cause of its alarm. This was soon apparent, for before long
we saw that an animal was running on its tracks, and though still
distant, overhauling it fast, for the Sable Antelope, not being
pressed, was not yet doing its best, so that when it was about
200 yards from us, its pursuer, which we now saw was a Wild Dog,
was not more than fifty yards behind it. The noble-looking
Antelope must just then have seen us, for it halted, looked towards
us, then turning its head glanced at its insignificant pursuer. That
glance, however, at the open-mouthed Dog thirsting for its life-
blood must have called up unpleasant reminiscences, for instead
of showing fight, as I should have expected it to have done, it threw
out its limbs convulsively, and came dashing past us at its utmost
speed. It was, however, to no purpose, for the Wild Dog, lying
flat to the ground as a Greyhound, its bushy tail stretched straight
behind it, covered two yards to its one, and came up to it in no time.
It just gave it one bite in the flanks, and letting go its hold instantly,
fell a few yards behind; at the bite the Sable Antelope swerved
towards us, and upon receiving a second, in exactly the same place,
turned still more, so that taking the point on which we stood for
a centre, both pursuer and pursued had described about a half-circle
round us, always within 200 yards, since the Sable Antelope had
ANTELOPES AND DEER 115
first halted. As the Wild Dog was just going up the third time
it got our wind, and instead of again inflicting a bite, stopped dead
and looked towards us, whilst about 100 yards from it the Sable
Antelope also came to a stand. The baffled hound then turned
round, and, pursued by Clarkson, made off one way, whilst the
Sable Antelope, delivered from its tormentor, cantered off in
another.”
DUIKERS.—There are many species of these small Antelopes, and
they all belong to the bush and forest districts of Africa. Fig. 87
represents the Abyssinian Duiker, which is an allied species from
East Africa, and which may be identified from the Common Duiker
by its grizzled greyish-brown colour.
The Duikers form the genus Cephalophus and are distinguished
by the short, conical horns, rounded backs, pointed heads and short
legs. Although the Yellow-Backed Duiker and two or three other
kinds stand nearly thirty-six inches high at the shoulder, the remain-
ing ones do not attain a greater height than about twenty-four
inches. A feature of interest respecting these animals is the tuft
of hair which grows on the head between the horns. When these
horns are very insignificant the hair-tuft entirely covers them. In
some species both sexes possess horns, in others the males only.
Duikers generally are grey or brown in colour, having a sober
and unobtrusive dress, but exception must be made in the. case of
Jentink’s Duiker, in which the head and neck are black and the
body light-grey, and the Banded Duiker, in which, as the name
implies, there are prominent black stripes on the back.
These little African Antelopes inhabit the bush; they are active
beasts, and have derived their name from their habit of diving
into cover.
MARSH: BUCKS.—The Sitatungors, or Marsh Bucks, are closely
related to the Harnessed Antelopes, or Bush Bucks. They are
African beasts and there are three species. The Congo Marsh Buck
(Fig. 88) is a large animal, and a doe and young are shown in
Fig. 89. This animal breeds freely at the London Zoological
Gardens. In view of the nature of its wild environment the yards
are floored with peat, and the visitor would do well to notice the
long, pointed toes which, when placed on the ground, are spread
out, as may be observed in the case of the specimen illustrated in
Fig. 88.
It is interesting to narrate that although closely allied to the
12
116 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Bush Bucks, the Marsh Bucks may be distinguished by the very
long hoofs, “and in the fact of the back of the pasterns being bare
and horny.” This enables the Marsh Buck to inhabit marshes,
an unusual environment in which to find an Antelope.
Swamps and marshy surroundings are the favourite haunts of
these beasts. They are fond of immersing the body in water
although, as Mr. Finn points out, they are waders rather than
swimmers. It has been recorded, however, that they can dive and
even sleep under the water, the nostrils only being exposed.
The Sitatunga stands about three and a half feet high in the
male, and in the swamps of Central, South Central and East Africa
makes its home. They go about in pairs in a similar way to their
relatives. They are uniform greyish-brown in colour, the hair is
long and silky, the horns are smooth, slender and strongly ridged,
and the young are faintly striped and spotted. The markings on the
Congo Marsh Buck are sufficiently indicated in Figs. 88 and 89.
SING SING WATER BUCK.—This animal (Fig. 90) belongs to a
different genus from the Marsh Bucks but, like them, is an aquatic
beast found in Western and Central Africa. Unlike the species
last under review, however, the Water Bucks move about in small
herds; they inhabit precipitous hills, are wonderfully sure-footed for
such heavy-looking Antelopes, and although on occasions found
some distance from water they invariably make for it when harassed.
The Sing Sing stands something over three and a half feet
at the shoulder, and may be distinguished from the Water Buck
(Cobus ellipsiprymnus) by the less coarse hair, the presence of
a whitish patch on the buttocks, and the absence of a white gorget.
The horns measure a little over two feet, and the general appearance
of these may be seen in Fig. go.
There are several other species of Water Bucks from the large
C. ellipsiprymnus, which stands over four feet at the withers, to
the Puku, the Lichi and the still smaller West and East African
fEquitum. To one of these smaller kinds, Mr. Lydekker points
out, the species of Cobus found in the Pliocene rocks of Northern
India is probably allied. :
SPRINGBOK.—This active little South African animal (Fig. 91)
is another member of the Antelope family worthy of mention. It
has acquired its name by reason of its habit of leaping several feet
in the air when it is engaged in running at top speed. It was
formerly distributed over a wider area than it now obtains, the chief
FIG. 89.—CONGO MARSH BUCK (DOE AND YOUNG)
FIG. 90.—SING SING WATER BUCK
BOK
x
SPRINC
FIG. QI.
FIG. Q3.-—-FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE
ANTELOPES AND DEER Ly
habitat now being the Kalahari Desert, and that it once inhabited
the North-western portion of Cape Colony is evidenced by the town
in Namaqua Land known by the animal’s name, and its familiarity
was brought home to us when the famous colonial footballers visited
England.
The Springbok is somewhat like a Gazelle, but it stands some
inches higher than that animal. A distinguishing feature is the
curious white patch which is displayed on the rump when the beast
is moving, and especially when leaping. This long white stripe
is only very little seen when the animal is at rest, a double fold of
skin along the middle of the back practically hiding it from view.
When suddenly appearing the effect is very peculiar, but distinctly
interesting.
Another salient feature concerning the Springbok which is
worthy of attention is its migratory movements. Many people seem
to imagine that birds are the only animals which exhibit migratory
habits, and although with regard to the movements of our bird
friends much yet remains to be ascertained, there is no doubt that
other animals, including mammals, fishes, amphibians and insects,
do undertake protracted wanderings, whilst many animals tempo-
rarily shift their quarters to a far greater extent than is generally
understood.
This sudden onrush of a migrating army of wild beasts is
inseparably associated in the minds of those who study animals
with one of the most interesting phases of natural phenomena, and
whilst it seems to be largely a question of food supply, we have
yet to learn a good deal as to the why and wherefore of the marches
of animals of various kinds. The four-footed beasts are naturally
restricted in their movements, but whilst these do on occasions
atfavetse a great extent of country, fishes and birds are, of course,
better able to pursue their operations with less restriction.
As to what rules regulate and guide these children of the wild
it is not for us to discuss in this volume, but the whole subject of
migration is one which is still shrouded in mystery, and even if
attention be devoted to a few of our commoner bird visitors, a whole
vista is opened up which will be found as fascinating as a fairy tale
and full of the fragrance of the most delightful romance.
To return, then, to the wanderings of the Springbok, it occa-
sionally migrates from its more usual habitat of the semi-desert
when there has been a prolonged drought and the scorching rays
118 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
of the sun have withered plants, as the hot July days welter the
common Dog’s Mercury of English woodlands.
Both drink and food having disappeared, small wonder the
Springbok should decide upon fresh pastures and start off on a
foraging expedition in new country.
It must have been an engaging sight before civilization had
penetrated South Africa to the extent we see it to-day, to witness
an army of Springboks bounding across a barren, desolate plain in
anxious search of some fertile territory where hunger and thirst
might be appeased and the young fawns reared in comparative
luxury.
Some idea may be gained of the immense companies that were
to be seen years ago, for Gordon Cumming has graphically recorded
the first herd he saw. He says that for two hours he watched an
army of Springboks which were in a solid mass, and which measured
at least half-a-mile in width. Mr. Protheroe states that “these
moving herds are called ‘trekbokken,’ and they are of such vast
dimensions that a Lion, which has tried to snatch a Springbok out
of a herd, has been unable to extricate himself, and in the most
humiliating manner has been obliged to march with the herd, unable
even to feed upon any of the animals which pressed him on every
side. A flock of Sheep has also been enveloped in one of these
‘trekbokken ’ and carried off.”
Migration movements of animals—including birds, fishes and
insects—are accompanied by perilous adventures of many kinds.
Storms, winds, hard weather, various enemies (including man), the
necessity for keeping up with the onward ‘“‘trek,” all these have to
be encountered, and unknown perils hover over these wild creatures
during their protracted wanderings.
The Springbok usually migrates eastwards, but, curious to
relate, at intervals of some twenty years an exactly opposite direc-
tion is chosen. Not long since, says the writer just quoted, “there
was a great ‘trek’ to the sea, where the creatures drank greedily
and then died in tens of thousands. For many miles the dead bodies
lay along the shore, presently to putrefy and drive the few inhabit-
ants of the region far inland for fear of pestilence.” Such is the
penalty involved by a sudden decision to overcome a terrible thirst,
and this incident shows one of the dangers to which these migratory
beasts are exposed.
In size the Springbok stands about two and a half feet at the
ANTELOPES AND DEER 11g
shoulder, whilst the young are duller in colour than the adults,
being yellowish-grey, and having indistinct side-stripes. The buck
and doe both possess horns; those of the first-named attain a
length of about fifteen inches, but those of the doe are not so large.
Whilst once regarded as a serious pest because of the harm
perpetrated among growing crops by countless thousands of these
beasts when on their famous “treks,” the animal has so far been
reduced in numbers that it is now afforded protection. It is a quick
traveller, an active little animal at all times, courageous to a degree,
needs careful stalking, and its flesh is highly regarded in South
Africa.
BRINDLED AND WHITE-TAILED GNUS—The casual observer
might be excused if he considered the Brindled Gnu (Fig. 92) any-
thing but an Antelope. Such, however, it is. The Antelopes form,
indeed, a rich group in both species and varieties, and are a great
adornment to the steppes and deserts of the African continent.
Also known as Wildebeests, it is evident from the big game hunting
expedition recently carried out in Africa by ex-President Roosevelt
that these curious-looking animals are still found there in consider-
able numbers, for in his interesting series of letters contributed to a
London paper, Mr. Roosevelt frequently refers to large numbers of
these beasts coming under his notice.
Gnus belong to the last group of the Antelopes and are placed
in a genus of their own, being followed only by the Hartebeests,
Blessbok and Bontebok, to which they are closely allied. Of large
size, curious facial expression, with a prominent mane, long tail
and large, lyrate horns, the Gnu cannot fail to arrest attention.
Some may regard it as an uncouth-looking beast, but the two
species which inhabit South and East Africa—the White-Tailed and
the Brindled, or Blue Gnu, are both worthy of notice. Whereas the
former is exclusively confined to South Africa, the Brindled species
shown in Fig. 92 is not found south of the Orange River.
The White-Tailed Gnu stands about four and a half feet at the
shoulder, has a fringe of long hair on the chest, a long white tail
and a uniformly coloured body. The Brindled Gnu, however, is
distinguished by the absence of the long hair on the chest, the
shorter tail is white instead of black, the sides of the withers have
dark transverse stripes, and the hair on the face is not so ruffled.
Both male and female possess horns, those of the first-named having
a spread of from twenty-four to twenty-six inches.
120 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Open country not far from the neighbourhood of water is the
typical haunt of these Wildebeests; they are fast runners and
endowed with remarkable powers of endurance. Their habits are
distinctly entertaining, for we are told that they whisk their tails in
a very eccentric way, utter loud snorts and short, sharp cries,
spring into the air, prance and caper and chase one another in
circles at an amazing pace. Gordon Cumming in describing these
manceuvres, says that they suddenly “‘all pull up together to over-
haul the intruder” (the hunter), “when the bulls will commence
fighting in the most violent manner, dropping on their heels at
every shock ; then, quickly wheeling about, they kick up their heels,
whirl their tails with a fantastic flourish, and scour across the plain
enveloped in a cloud of dust.”
FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE.—Also known as the Chousingha, the
Four-Horned Antelope (Fig. 93) is an Indian animal, and the male
is distinguished from all other ruminants by possessing as a rule
two pairs of horns. There are a pair of small ones just above the
eyes (and these may be discerned in Fig. 93), whilst the second
and larger pair are situated farther back on the head. These horns
are short and smooth, and the front pair may either be very
rudimentary or entirely absent.
The male of this Antelope stands a little over two feet high at
the withers and has a thin, short and harsh fur. It is dull pale-
brown in colour, tinged with rufous on the upper parts with white
below. On each leg there is a dark streak, but this is more notice-
able on the hind-limbs.
It inhabits wooded and hilly country, but does not dwell in
thick cover, thin forest and bush on hilly ground being its favourite
retreat. It is a solitary and shy Antelope; is mostly found not far
from water, and has a jerky action when moving. Among long
grass or dwarf bushes the Chousingha conceals itself, only rousing
when it is closely approached and then running away at breakneck
speed. The one or two young ones are born in the first or second
month of the year.
INDIAN ANTELOPE— Another Indian animal is presented in the
Black Buck or Indian Antelope (Fig. 94), a well-groomed and hand-
somely coloured species which is placed in a genus entirely its
own. The buck is blackish-brown above with a rufous patch on
the nape of the neck and a white ring around each eye. The under
parts, as in the doe, are white. The last-named, however, as also
ANTELOPES AND DEER 127
the young bucks, are yellowish fawn-colour on the upper parts
instead of the darker dress of the adult buck. The tail is short, the
lateral hoofs are small, and the fine horns cylindrical, V-shaped and
ridged throughout. As Fig. 94 shows, the horns have a number
of “turns in the spiral,” and these may be from three to five.
This Antelope is found in greatest quantities in the north-west,
and in grassy or cultivated districts may be located in small and
large herds numbering as few as ten to thirty, or sometimes as
many as thousands of individuals. It is akin to the Springbok
of South Africa in regard to the habit of springing into the air
when running, and is a splendid traveller when well under weigh
on good ground.
In the pairing season battles wage fast and furious between
the males, and when alarmed the latter utter a short grunt and the
does give vent to a hissing sound. The does hide their fawns
among long grass, for they do not resort to forests or bushes, and
although on occasions these Antelopes appear to be fond of drinking,
some individuals inhabit districts where water is only procurable
in deep wells.
RED AND FALLOW DEER.—The first representative of the second
group of animals in our present section is rightly the handsome
Red Deer (Fig. 95), and it is accorded pride of place because it is
a British species. Mention may also be made of the Fallow Deer,
and the following account of these two animals is taken from my
book, Nature Stalking for Boys. ‘This gives a fairly comprehensive
sketch of the life and habits of these two species, and it need only
be added here that outside the British Isles the Red Deer is widely
distributed in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia, whilst what
is regarded as a variety only is found in Morocco and Algiers. The
Fallow Deer “is a native of Northern Africa and the countries
bordering the Mediterranean, and in a wild state is still abundant
in Sardinia, Spain and some of the islands of the Grecian
Archipelago.” From these countries it was introduced into Central
Europe.
Although there are over three hundred parks in England that
contain Deer, besides a few spots where they are still found in a
wild state, it is surprising how little information there is to be
found in the many books on natural history and sport concerning
their habits. In only about eighty of these parks Red Deer are
kept, the two species living quite peacefully together.
122 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Fallow Deer are the most common in England; therefore we will
deal with that species first.
Some writers tell us these animals were brought to England
by the Romans, but this may be because we have no mention of
them at an earlier period. It has been repeatedly stated that the
dark variety of Fallow Deer was brought from Norway by James I.
to improve those already in our parks, but Mr. Harting has shown
clearly that this variety existed in English parks long before James’s
day! Equally erroneous is the statement that the spotted variety,
known formerly as Menil, was brought from Manilla.
Outside park fences Fallow Deer have been found in a wild
state in the New Forest, Epping Forest, Rockingham Forest, and
one or two other places, where a few still exist.
The food of Fallow Deer consists chiefly of grass, acorns, beech-
mast, chestnuts, berries of the white thorn, young tender shoots of
beech, hazel, ash, bark, roots, and corn of all kinds, in fact little
comes amiss to them in the vegetable world. They will even chew
up shed horns and bones! I have often seen them eating scraps of
cooked meat and other refuse that has been thrown away after
clearing out ashpits, and have also known clothes that have been
hung out to dry to be eaten by them !
Fallow Deer shed their coats in the early Spring. If they have
had good Winter feeding and the weather comes mild they begin
to disrobe about the middle of March and get their new coats com-
plete about the end of April. The greater part of the old coat is
pulled out by the Deer themselves and may be seen on the ground
in mouthfuls. Jackdaws use the hair for lining their nests, and
are often seen on a Deer’s back helping themselves!
A change of coat means a change of colour too. The dark
variety of Deer becomes much darker’ in the Summer, and the
lighter coloured ones become paler. Just before the last of the old
coat is off they shed their horns, the older bucks being the first to
lose these appendages, and the younger ones, according to age, a
little later.
The shedding of old horns is caused through the new growth
pushing the old ones off, exactly in the same way as the teeth of
an infant have to make room for permanent ones. The whole of
the new growth takes place in about fifteen weeks. After the horns
have done growing they begin to harden, the blood-vessels dry up,
and the velvet is pealed off by being rubbed against trees, fences, or
ANTELOPES AND DEER 123
other hard material. As soon as the horns are free from velvet a
change of disposition takes place with the bucks, for instead of
herding peacefully together as they have done since shedding the
old horns, they become quarrelsome, and by the middle of Sep-
tember their necks increase in size and strength, a provision Nature
has made fitting them for the fierce fights about to take place with
their fellows for the ownership of, and mating with, the does.
It is the finest and fittest bucks that take possession of the does;
one buck will often take all the does in a small park and keep
other bucks at a distance for a time; however, as the rutting season
advances and his strength decreases, another will probably soon
take his place. So fierce are the fights at this time that it is not
unusual for bucks to get killed by being gored to death, and when
one gets badly disabled he is sure to be killed by others perhaps not
in the first quarrel. I have frequently known a buck that has been
killed in this way to have his lungs pierced through, although it
is seldom that the tough hide is punctured, the points of the horns
only being pushed through the vital parts. As the rutting season
advances the fine condition so rapidly gained is as quickly lost, and
by the end of October the Deer are in their Winter coats, presenting
quite a different appearance from what they did six weeks previous !
The period of gestation with Fallow Deer is about eight months,
and one is born at a birth. Although some naturalists tell us that
two and three are sometimes born, this may have happened, but
my friends, who have had long experience with Deer, have never
seen it, although some of them have had charge of Deer for twenty-
five years and have killed from twenty to seventy does each year.
The does are usually killed about two months after the rutting is
over, therefore there is always an opportunity of knowing if a doe
was likely to become the mother of more than one fawn. The father
and grandfather of a noted Deer-keeper whom I know had charge
of a big herd for nearly one hundred years, and never knew more
than one at a birth. I have spoken to many old park-keepers on
this interesting subject, but never could find one who could tell me
he had actually seen it, although one or two keepers of considerable
experience have told me they believed it had happened. This may
have been because they saw two fawns sucking one doe, an unusual
occurrence, but one which I have seen, and each time I was able
to find out that they were the fawns of two does.
Fawns are born about the first and second weeks of June. I
124 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
have known one as early as May 25, and as late as October 20,
but both these dates may be taken as extremes. They are on their
feet and quite active a few hours after birth. When a doe is about
to give birth to a fawn she goes from the herd and selects a quiet
spot, where she leaves her fawn for some hours before returning
to feed it. This takes place in the evening. The next morning
the fawn will probably be found some distance from where it was
seen the previous evening.
The first fortnight of its life is spent in sleep during the day and
feeding and play at night. When about fourteen days old it follows
the mother, and is seldom seen from her side mixing with the herd.
If the weather is warm when fawns are born, in about three days
afterwards they are strong enough to make their escape from most
enemies, unless it be a very fast dog. The following incident will
show the strength and activity of fawns even at birth. I once knew
of a doe which gave birth to a fawn. A friend of mine rode up
to it for the purpose of earmarking (a custom for keeping up the
stock), when up it got and went over the sea cliff, swimming out
to sea about two hundred yards and returning to the same spot!
He marked it, and carried it into the park none the worse for its
adventure. Seven years afterwards he killed it, and it was then a
fat buck weighing 140 Ib. clear.
Some does have their first fawn at two years old, while others
do not breed until the third year. They usually breed until about
fourteen years of age, and may live a few years longer. Bucks
are not so long-lived as does, for nine years is a good age for the
former, although much depends on the park. On a rich pasture
Deer do not live so long as on poorer land. A buck is at his best
when seven years of age; after this his horns deteriorate each year,
and if left the chances are that he will get killed by stronger animals
during the rutting season or die in the Winter through being unable
to get sufficient food for an already weak body. In the buck the
horns increase in size annually till he is six or seven years old.
Deer vary in different parks both in size of body and horn
growth. In some parks I have known some remarkably heavy
animals with very poor heads, and in others good heads on very
small bodies. This variation is due to the soil, although no doubt
in-breeding has often something to do with poor heads. In-
breeding always shows more in the horn than body. Mr. T. Bam-
ford, head-keeper to the Earl of Clarendon, tells me that he has
FIG. 90.—AXIS, CHITAL, OR SPOTTED DEER
FIG 99.—MUNTJAC, OR BARKING DEER (ALBINO)
ANTELOPES AND DEER 125
recently been killing Deer in two parks situated only about two
miles apart; the soil in both is rich and about the same; in one
frequent changes of blood have been made from time to time, and
here the heads are very fine, while in the other no change has
been made in the memory of man, yet the bodies are exceptionally
good but the heads very poor indeed. In both these parks bucks
have been killed weighing 150 lb. clear. This is very heavy,
considering that in many parks the bucks do not average more than
go lb.
The habits of Deer vary according to season and food supply.
In parks where there is plenty of keep during the Summer they
spend most of the day resting. From May till the end of September
they rest from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the shade when the sun is hot.
During the period of rest they occasionally get up to stretch them-
selves; after licking or scratching their sides with hoof and horn
they lie down again, but always on the other side.
They pass the time in brushing flies off, chewing the cud, and
sleeping. From 2 p.m. they feed and wander about until 4 p.m.,
when they again lie down. Starting again at 7 p.m. they feed till
10 p.m., and then probably rest till 5 o’clock the next morning.
In the Winter, when they have to work harder for food, they take
their rest at midday and night, three hours at a time, but much, of
course, depends on food supply.
Snow and frost have no bad effect on Deer if plenty of
good food is put down for them; the best is good hay and beans,
although they are particularly fond of maize, locust beans and
oil-cake.
During the Winter the bucks are in the lowest condition and
the does at their best, especially those that may have lost their
fawns in the Summer. Does suckle their young to within a month
of the next birth, and I have known cases where, the doe having
lost her fawn in the Summer, the fawn of the previous year has
suckled on through the following Winter.
There are several ways of catching Deer. In some parks they
are ridden down, but this is the worst plan I know of, for if a Deer
gets thoroughly blown, as he must do by this means, he more often
than not dies after being secured, especially if his legs are strapped.
Another way in which Deer may be caught is by using Deerhounds
trained for the purpose and run by sight. This answers very well
for old bucks that have to be caught for stall feeding and are not
126 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
strong enough to run too great a distance, but for younger and
stronger animals it is not a good plan. Undoubtedly the best,
most humane, and safest way of catching Deer is by netting them.
This is done with long lengths of rope-netting made for the purpose
and set in enclosures or other places where the Deer can be driven,
and escape made impossible without going into the nets. Deer
caught in nets naturally struggle very violently to get free, but if
too many are not driven in at one time, and they are secured at
once, little or no damage is likely to be done.
It is surprising what fences Deer will get over when cornered.
Anything under six feet is of little use, and I once knew a buck
get over a fence nine feet high. This he did by jumping sufficiently
high enough to get his fore-legs over the top, and then throwing
his body over. It is very rare to see a Deer jump clear over any
obstacle that is more than five feet six inches high, for the animal
nearly always settles on the top and clambers over.
Fallow bucks, although quite harmless when at large, are by
no means so when brought in close quarters with man or dog, for a
buck will savagely use his horns in self-defence to the bitter end.
I have known many who have received ugly wounds when catching
bucks. Deerhounds are often stabbed through by a buck at bay,
and few people who have never handled a live Deer have any idea
of the great strength they possess for their size.
Deer suffer from diseases of various kinds, but much less so
than domestic animals, and even less than most of our wild animals.
On heavy land Fallow Deer often suffer from liver fluke; this is a
very troublesome disease and one that frequently ends fatally. For
cure many park-keepers have great faith in strewing Scotch and
Spruce Fir boughs about for the Deer to eat the bark, which contains
turpentine and is said to kill the fluke, but unless the weather
becomes severe the Deer will not eat enough fir bark to do much
good, so that the remedy is not to be depended upon. Rock salt
is, no doubt, a fine tonic for Deer.
Footrot is another disease from which Deer suffer in some parks;
in others it is unknown. Where Sheep are suffering from the
disease the Deer often get it, more especially the older bucks.
Does, curious to relate, rarely get it! The bucks suffer most, owing
to being more liable to get the points of their hoofs broken through
fighting and other causes, leaving the foot exposed to take the
disease. I am of the opinion that the disease only attacks after the
ANTELOPES AND DEER 124
hoof has been broken. It usually comes on after the rutting season
and gets better the following Spring.
Red Deer are very similar to Fallow Deer, both in structure,
habits and food, and are probably as numerous now in England
and Scotland as at any period. The late W. Shirley tells us that
in 1867 Red Deer were then kept in thirty-one Deer parks in
England; now they may be found in at least eighty-six. The Scotch
forests, too, are now more heavily stocked than formerly, owing
to the demand for stalking.
There are still a few Red Deer in England that may be said
to be wild or that are not enclosed by fences. In the New Forest,
as well as in Devon, Somerset and Westmoreland a few are found.
The period of gestation is about a fortnight longer than that
of the Fallow Deer. The young are born about the middle of
May or early in June. The hind isolates herself from the herd and
has her young, leaving it in much the same way as a doe will do,
although she never gets too far away. Should any person or stray
dog turn up she is always ready to fight in its defence, and this
she is very capable of doing by getting up on her hind-legs and
striking with her fore-feet. I have on several occasions seen a hind
kill dogs in this way, and a friend of mine was once severely
punished by a hind’s fore-feet when attempting to earmark a fawn.
The young are born spotted and remain so until the coat changes
in the Autumn.
Red Deer when in anger have a way of giving warning by
grinding their teeth, which can be plainly heard for some distance.
The shifting of coat, shedding of horns, rutting and breeding
seasons are each similar to that of the Fallow Deer, only all are a
little earlier.
The first growth of horn starts in the Spring, when the young
one is a year old or a little more. One single spike from twelve
to eighteen inches is grown the first year, and this increases in
size and points each year until the stag is eight years old.
The life of a Red Deer is longer than that of a Fallow Deer.
A stag is at his best from eight to twelve years of age, for after
twelve years he deteriorates in horn and body. Hinds live much
longer, and I have known several well over twenty years of age, and
have heard of some over thirty.
The weight of Red Deer, as in Fallow Deer, varies according
to richness of pasture. A good average for English Deer parks is
128 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
twenty stones for stags and fourteen for hinds. In the Highlands
of Scotland the Deer do not often get so heavy.
Much has been said of late years about the deterioration of heads
in the Highlands. No doubt the chief cause of this is overstocking
on poor soil and killing the best stags without due respect to future
stock. Owners of Scotch forests have introduced stags from Eng-
lish parks, nearly always selecting Deer from parks where the heads
are exceptionally fine in hopes of breeding animals with fine heads;
but this is usually disappointing, for big heads are produced on
good land, and to take Deer from a rich feeding park to a poverty-
stricken Scotch forest is sure to fail in the desired result unless
artificial feeding is resorted to, and even this is not often a success.
Change of blood is a step in the right direction, but to get the
greatest success Deer must be brought from poor land to better.
Good Winter feeding is, no doubt, an aid to the production of fine
heads, but the soil has most to do with it.
Strange to say the span of life with Deer of both species on
poor land is longer than on rich soil.
In some parks there may be seen a white or cream-coloured
variety of Red Deer. They are quite as heavy and carry as fine
heads as those of normal colour. Whence this variety was derived
is uncertain ; some say they are German and others call them Danish.
They are not so common as the white variety of Fallow Deer, in
fact I never knew a white Red Deer from other than white parents
or one of that colour. Such is not the case with Fallow Deer, for
it sometimes happens that a white fawn is born of parents of the dark
variety. The white variety of Fallow Deer as fawns are a cream
colour, but afterwards become white.
The largest parks in England are Savernake 4,000 acres,
Windsor 3,000, Knowsley 2,600, Gredge 2,500 (this latter is the
oldest Deer park in England, and the only one mentioned in Dooms-
day Book as containing Deer then, as now), Duncombe 2,240 acres,
Buckhurst 2,100, and Thoresby 2,000 acres.
Deer parks were formed after the Norman Conquest, and in-
creased until Cromwell’s time, when they were probably more
numerous than now. During the Civil War many of the park fences
were broken down and the Deer driven out or killed. Many Deer
parks date no farther back than Charles II.’s time, when owners
settled down again to restore the mischief caused by the war.
Old-world legends associated with animals are at all times
ANTELOPES AND DEER 129
interesting, even if most of them are mythical in their origin, and
a writer in The Animal World says that—
“A hind appears in the arms of the City of Edinburgh in memory
of the animal which was said to have preserved the patron saint of
the city, St. Giles, or A gidius, from dying of hunger and thirst
when he retired as a hermit to a forest near Nismes, and the animal
came day by day that he might refresh himself with her milk.
His retreat was finally discovered by the King of that region in
starting the ‘ milk-white doe’ as he was out hunting and following
her till she took refuge at the feet of the pious anchorite, who was
often depicted with the head of the hind resting on his knees.
“An Irish legend tells how St. Benin, or Berichert, a.noble Saxon,
who came and settled in Munster, and was a disciple of St. Patrick’s,
began to build a church at Tullylease, near Charleville, in Co. Cork.
To manifest God’s pleasure at the work a beautiful snow-white hind
came every morning before sunrise and shed milk into a rough
stone trough in a neighbouring field, the quantity being each time
sufficient for the need of all the persons employed on the building
for the day, but they were warned not to be curious, and strictly
forbidden to go near the stone while the hind was there. However,
one of the masons could not restrain his curiosity, but hid himself
in a furze-bush to watch and alarmed the animal, who kicked a hole
in the stone, so that all the milk ran through, and darted away,
never returning to the spot, and the workmen were obliged to seek
elsewhere for milk. A rude stone trough still stands in a field near
‘St. Ben’s well’ at Tullylease, and there is a hole to be seen in it
to this day. It is known as ‘Cloc na Eilit’ (the hind’s stone).
People suffering from headaches, who come to pay their rounds at
the two holy wells here, end by saying a ‘ round’ of their rosary at
Cloc na Eilit, and then, stooping, rub their heads around the bowl;
this is done thrice in the names of the Holy Trinity, and is thought
a certain cure for headaches.”
AXIS, CHITAL, OR SPOTTED DEER.—This Deer (Fig. 96) strik-
ingly reminds one of the Fallow Deer last under consideration. It
is an inhabitant of India and Ceylon, is about the same size as
the Fallow Deer, and is characterized by the large white spots
which are admirably shown in the photograph. It is stated that
the spotted coat acts as a sort of protection to this species, “the
covering harmonizing with dead vegetation and the flecks of sun-
light passing through the dense foliage.”
K
130 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
The Axis Deer has been introduced into some of our English
parks, and it is most interesting to notice that whereas in a wild
state the young are not born until October, the acclimatized beasts
produce their young in June, thus affording an apt example of
change of front according to circumstances and the environment
frequented. It is obvious that fawns born in England in chill
October would stand less chance of survival than in leafy June.
BARASINGHA, OR SWAMP DEER.—The Barasingha, or Swamp
Deer (Fig. 97), is also an Indian animal. It resorts to the outskirts
of woods, open forests and grass-lands in the neighbourhood of
trees. Although closely related to the handsome Sambar Deer, the
Barasingha is not nearly so nocturnal in its habits. It is gregarious
during Winter, travelling about in herds of from thirty to fifty
individuals.
The name of Barasingha indicates the distinctive character of
this Deer, meaning “twelve-tined,” the antlers, unlike those of most
other Indian Deer, having more than three tines. The buck stands
from three feet eight inches to three feet ten inches high at the
withers, and large specimens have been known to turn the scale
at anything between thirty-two and forty stones.
ELD’S DEER.—The Panolia, or Eld’s Deer (Fig. 98), inhabits
India, the Malay Peninsula, Cambodia, and the Island of Hainan.
The distinguishing feature is the curious downward and then up-
ward sweep of the horns. It is about the same size as the species
last under review; the coat is dark in Winter with pale-brown below,
and fawn-coloured in Summer with white underneath.
Eld’s Deer appears to frequent similar haunts to the Barasingha,
but seems to prefer an open plain often far from water. In the
swamps it procures wild rice and other plants. A short, barking
grunt is uttered by the hind, whilst the stag gives vent to a more
lengthy call of a similar kind.
MUNTJAC, OR BARKING DEER.—Fig. 99 illustrates an albino
Muntjac, or Barking Deer, an elegant little species which is found
in India, Burma, the Malay Peninsula and elsewhere. The Barking
Deer is so called because of its peculiar cry, and of the fine species
included in the Muntjac group it is the most familiar.
This is a beautiful creature, the dark-reddish fawn-coloured hair
being close and shiny; it has slim limbs, diminutive and simple
antlers and large, brilliant eyes. It is a dweller upon the hills, is
very agile and swift-footed, and is no mean antagonist when closely
FIG. IOI.—ALTAi DEER (WITH FAWN)
iat oe,
FIG. 102.—MUSK DEER
FIG. TO4.
INDIAN CHEVROTAIN, OR MOUSE DEER
ANTELOPES AND DEER 131
pursued, having some fairly long tusks in the upper jaw which it
uses to advantage.
SIKA, OR JAPANESE DEER.—A small group of these interesting
beasts are shown in Fig. 100. This is a common Deer in Japan
and Northern China; it is of handsome attire, being brilliant chest-
nut, profusely spotted with white. When the bucks have the antlers
in the velvet they are still more attractive, for these are bright
chestnut-red in colour tipped with black. The Sika has been intro-
duced into several English Deer parks, and although the male is
of small stature he is a powerful beast and will, says Mr. Protheroe,
“often carry off the hinds of the Red Deer in face of the bigger
red bucks.” This is evidence of a wild animal keeping up the
plucky traditions of the wily little Japs whose country has, during
the last decade, made such remarkable strides in the progress of
civilization.
ALTAI—The Altai (Fig. 101) is a tenant of Central Asia and
is the Asiatic representative of the handsome Wapiti Deer. It is
smaller in size than the last-named, although the male has larger
horns. Presumably its habits are similar to those of the Wapiti
already described. The photograph (Fig. 101) shows a doe with
her two-days-old fawn.
MUSK DEER.—Of similar distribution to the Altai, the Musk
Deer (Fig. 102) is chiefly remarkable because of the absence of
antlers in both sexes; it is the only species of Deer that has no
gall-bladder to the liver; it possesses the simplest form of brain of
any of the Deer, and has an abdominal pouch or pod in which the
brownish musk is secreted. This, although it is exceedingly strong
when first taken away, makes a pleasing scent when diluted, and
is also usefully employed as a medicine.
There are structural details concerning the canine teeth of the
upper jaw which should also be mentioned, for these are so large
that they give the animal a curious appearance, and they have been
aptly compared to the tusks of the young Walrus.
In other ways this Deer is unique, for the feet are quite distinc-
tive; it is sure-footed, an inhabitant of precipitous rocks and
mountains, where, among the pine woods, it finds a congenial home.
The long, coarse coat of hollow hair admirably protects the
Musk Deer in Winter, and it varies in colour from rich dark-brown
to brown and yellowish-white. The beast stands about two feet
high, is somewhat clumsy in appearance, yet is wonderfully active
K2
132 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and watchful. It feeds on leaves for the most part, but is credited
by natives with a fondness for snakes.
RED BROCKET—The Red Brocket (Fig. 103) is a South American
animal, which, like its relatives included in the same group, is
distinguished by its unbranched spike-like antlers. It is also
noticeable for the hair on the middle portion of the face ‘radiating
in all directions from two points, one of which is situated on the
crown of the head, and the other just below the eyes.” <A consider-
able part of the muzzle is naked; the tail is not of great length;
the fawns have spotted coats, whilst the adults are uniform reddish-
brown.
The Red Brocket comes from North-Eastern Brazil and Guiana;
it is not a particularly attractive-looking animal, but is interesting
in many ways, not the least of which is its habit of probably pairing
for life. It is not at all gregarious, being found either alone or
in pairs.
The young one is born in December or January, and in a few
days after birth it is able to follow its parents.
INDIAN CHEVROTAIN, OR MOUSE DEER.—The last representative
with which we are now concerned is the Indian Chevrotain, or
Mouse Deer (Fig. 104), which, as its first name implies, is a resident
of India.
There are two genera of Chevrotains, one being Asiatic and
the second African. The species illustrated in Fig. 104 is, of
course, one of the Asiatic kinds, and although closely related to
the Deer, the Chevrotains are placed in a separate group between
them and the Camels. That they are small Deer-like animals
cannot be gainsaid, but external appearances often count for nothing
in the world of science. Hence we find that internally the
Chevrotains differ from the Deer and are rightly relegated to a
family of their own.
These Asiatic Chevrotains are almost the smallest living Ungu-
lates. The Indian species is different in dress from its four Asiatic
relatives, for it has the body spotted with white and the chin and
throat are uniformly covered with hair. The upper parts are brown
with small yellow specks.
It stands only about one foot high at the withers, and weighs
about five and a-half pounds. The range is Southern India and
Ceylon, grass or jungle being the environment frequented. It
appears to be largely nocturnal in habits, feeding either during
ANTELOPES AND DEER 193
the night or early morning. It is a shy, timid little beast in a
native state, but in captivity quickly becomes docile and makes a
nice pet.
One peculiarity that may be noticed in conclusion is the habit
the Chevrotain has of walking on the tips of the hoofs. This
gives the legs a stiff and rigid appearance, which may be well seen
by examining the specimen depicted in the illustration. Strictly
speaking, of course, the Chevrotains are not entitled to inclusion
in the present section, but as they rightly come after the Deer in
scientific sequence they are not altogether out of place in the position
given them.
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CHAPTER VIII
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL
LION. — Although generally known as the King of Wild Beasts,
and accorded the foremost position in this section of our work, it is
as well to recognize straight away that the Lion (Fig. 105) is really
not entitled to all the wonderful deeds accredited to it.
That the male with his flowing mane is a handsome and at all
times interesting animal, goes without saying, but that he should
occupy such a prominent position as a so-called king by reason of
his pluck or daring is somewhat ill-deserved. Let it be said at once
that the Lion is in many respects a coward, and if strength counts
for anything in the title bestowed upon this wild monarch, then the
Tiger is probably his successful rival.
Not only is the Lion found in reedy swamps and upon the plains,
but, as the coloured plate exhibits, its range extends into mountain-
ous country. The animal undoubtedly roams about for considerable
distances during its peregrinations after food, and in the picture the
artist has imagined a Lion and Lioness coming over hilly, rocky
ground which led into a fertile valley with a possible favourite
drinking-place for wild beasts. The animals are peering over the
edge to see if any game awaits them in the distance.
The ambition of most big-game hunters who go forth to slay the
denizens of the forest and jungle is to add one or more of these beasts
to their bag, but it is pleasant to observe that during recent years
there are those—such as the intrepid Mr. Selous and Mr. Radclyffe
Dugmore—who have thought fit to substitute a camera for a gun.
Fresh from his triumphs with Mr. Roosevelt’s African Expedition,
Mr. Dugmore has brought back some remarkable studies of bloodless
snapshots of animal folk in their native wilds. He says that although
at one time a big-game hunter himself, the idea of killing for the
sake of killing has lost its fascination for him, and he abandoned
the gun in favour of the camera because “‘unquestionably the excite-
134
PrATE cn.
LION AND LIONESS STALKING THEIR PREY.
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 14g
ment is greater, and a comparison of the difficulties makes shooting
in most cases appear as a boy’s sport. The efficiency of the modern
rifle greatly reduces the chance of failure, and consequently places
the balance of chance too much in the sportsman’s hands, while
the difficulties of photography are lessened almost yearly by the
invention of better and more simple devices, with the result that
pictures which hitherto were practically unobtainable are to-day
becoming common. It will be but a few years before we shall see
clubs and societies formed for the advancement of natural history
photography; in fact, an important and wide-spreading one is now
being organized, and before the year is past it will probably be an
accomplished fact.”
It is obvious, as a writer in Country Life remarks, that ‘the
photographer of big game must acquire a more patient and detailed
knowledge than the ordinary hunter. He must get much nearer,
as photography at the outside range of a modern gun would be
out of question. It is in the struggle to get close that the danger
arises.”
In his Camera Adventures in the African Wilds Mr. Dugmore
has pictured for us wild beasts of many kinds in their own homes,
leading their own remarkable lives, snapped, as it were, whilst in the
full enjoyment of unfettered liberty.
One cannot but admire the enthusiasm and stalking of this clever
American naturalist, and I must candidly admit I have a much
warmer appreciation for his bloodless records of the chase than
valuable trophies which at best only testify to the sacrifice of life.
It is apparent both from Mr. Dugmore’s work, and also the graphic
accounts sent home by the ex-President of the United States, that
there still exists in Africa a tremendous population of wild beasts.
It must not be overlooked, however, in giving consideration to this
matter of hunting, that we owe practically all our knowledge of big
game to men like Gordon Cumming, Selous, Gambier Bolton and
others, and it is only fair to recognize the interesting narratives they
have given us of the wild creatures they have encountered during
their protracted and oftentimes perilous wanderings.
Perhaps the greatest adventure chronicled by Mr. Dugmore was
the photographing of Lions at night by flashlight. The intrepid
photographer was hidden inside a thorn boma with a dead Zebra
laid as a bait for the forest monarch just outside. Inside the hiding-
place Mr. Dugmore waited for the King of Wild Beasts to approach.
136 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
At last he came within twelve feet of the camera, and a flashlight
photo was then taken.
“No one,” says Mr. Dugmore, “who has not gone through the
experience can imagine what is the sensation of being at such very
close quarters with so powerful and determined a creature as a, Lion.
It would be exciting enough in the day, but in the awe-inspiring
darkness of night it is even worse, as one knows that for the Lion
there is no night, his eyes being as good then as in the clear
sunshine.”
La Fontaine in his Fables gives an amusing account of a Lion
and the hunting Ass to which attention may be directed.
One day the King of Beasts took it into his head to go a-hunting.
Now, when the Lion goes a-hunting he does not look for Sparrows,
but for fine Boars and handsome Stags. In order to have a good
day’s sport he called to his aid the Ass of the stentorian voice. King
Lion’s Ass took his office seriously. He was placed somewhere in
ambush and ordered to bray his best, for the King was sure that at
the sound even the least timid would fly to their lairs. And this
indeed did happen. The beasts, unaccustomed to the tempestuous
voice of the Ass, were seized with terror at the awful noise, and fled
in wild confusion, inevitably falling a prey to the Lion.
“Have I not served thee well?” the Ass, with a great show of
self-satisfaction, inquired of the Lion. “Yes,” replied the Lion,
“thou hast made a brave noise. If I did not know thy manner
and thy kith and kin, I myself should have been scared.”
The Lion inhabits the whole of Africa as well as a good portion
of Western and Southern Asia. We learn that ages ago it existed in
Palestine and Greece. It stands some three and a quarter feet high
at the shoulders, and is of splendid proportions and stately bearing.
The powerful head, broad chest, slender body and the strength
of the paws and teeth are salient characteristics worthy of note.
Thick, short hair from a light-yellow to dark-brown in colour clothes
the body, and it is said that in native wilds this colour assimilates
to the environment frequented. The male bears a dark-coloured
mane which hangs over the breast and shoulders, and the tail has a
tuft of hair at the tip. This mane is well exemplified in Fig. 105,
whilst in the next illustration (Fig. 106) a Lion cub is shown. For
some considerable time after birth, cubs produced in captivity are
tame and docile. Sometimes they are fed with a bottle during
infancy, but in time it becomes necessary to dispense with them as
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 137
pets and safely house them behind iron bars. Yet it is remarkable
to notice how, during illness especially, the adult beast will permit
a human being to attend to it. Instances of this kind have been
given by Bostock, Hagenbach, Sanger and others who have been
brought into contact with these fine beasts. Mr. H. Lincoln Tangye
gives an account in his book, In the Torrid Soudan, of a pet Lion
kept by a friend of his at Omdurman. As a youngster this pet Lion
was exceedingly tractable, and exhibited from its infancy upwards a
great respect for its master’s fist. Mr. Tangye writes—
“As a youngster the blow used to hurt, and Leo would put back
his ears, shut his eyes, and brace his nerves for the shock. Not
realizing that the strength of his master did not increase proportion-
ately with his own growth, he was as scared of the fist when three-
quarters grown as when he was a baby.” This somewhat embar-
rassing pet resorted to a playful habit of waiting behind doors and
pouncing out upon unwary guests who happened to pass, “merely
in fun.” Most Lions are unable to climb, but this one learnt the
difficult art, and was once surprised by his master at the top of a
telegraph pole, resting his chin on the summit. Panic seized him
when he found himself discovered. At the thought of the fist, losing
‘his presence of mind, “he missed grip, and slid with his legs
grasping the pole and an expression of agony on his face, from the
top to the bottom, landing on his tail with a terrible bump.”
During the daytime the Lion snugly ensconces himself among
cover of some kind. Here he reposes until the heat of the day has
departed. When the heavens twinkle with millions of stars then
Leo rouses himself to action and sets out on his hunting expeditions.
One writer has graphically described the nocturnal wanderings as
under: “With a thunderous roar he announces his setting out for
the nightly hunt; all the other Lions who hear the sound from afar
reply in concert, but all other animals are seized with fear. The
howling Hyzna grows dumb; the Leopard ceases its growling; the
Monkeys begin to utter gurgling sounds, and fly terror-stricken into
the highest branches; the lowing herd becomes silent as death; the
Antelopes in mad flight burst through the bushes; the Camel
trembles under its load, and, ceasing to obey its driver’s voice,
throws load and rider off and seeks safety in speedy flight; the
Horse rears and snorts, and with inflated nostrils rushes away; the
Dog, fawning, seeks protection with his master; and even the man
on whose ears falls for the first time the voice of the Lion in the
138 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
aboriginal forests, questions whether he be bold enough to meet the
creature that sends forth such thunderous tones.”
We cannot many of us visit the King of Beasts in his own
domain, and few of us, I guess, would do so if we could, but some
idea may be gained of the awe-inspiring spectacle created by one or
more of these beasts, and the din set up by several of them, by
visiting the Lion-house at some Zoological Gardens. Yet even here
one may see on occasions pleasant episodes such as I promised to
tell of in a former chapter.
A well-known Fellow of the Zoological Society of London has
made great friends with many inhabitants in the fine collection
housed in Regent’s Park. Among these the Lion is to be numbered,
and not long since I accompanied this modern Orpheus, as we may
appropriately call him, upon one of his rounds. Placing his hand
through the Lion’s cage he caressed the animal without the slightest
umbrage on the part of the King of Beasts. He fondled the lordly
monarch much as one caresses the domestic Cat, much to the aston-
ishment of a bevy of visitors, who apparently wondered what
magnetic influence was possessed by this devout lover of the brute
creation.
A little hair taken from the mane of one of the Lions at the
London Zoo by this modern Orpheus lies before me on the study
table, reminding me of a pleasant hour in company with him not
long since. Many other animals have become his fast friends. The
knowing little Chimpanzees play hide-and-seek as he enters their
house; the Capybara awaits his coming with feverish anxiety; the
Wolves watch his approach as that of a true friend, and birds fly
to him from all parts of the aviaries.
What is the real secret of this remarkable exhibition of animal
friendship? ‘Tasty titbits, it is almost needless to state, have a very
alluring influence, but one must of necessity recognize that some
influence other than that mentioned is possessed by this splendid type
of English gentleman who is so modest about his deeds that I am
forbidden to mention his name.
It must not be supposed from what has been written earlier in
this chapter that the Lion is altogether undeserving of the title that
has for so long been bestowed upon it. Every one must admit its
majestic appearance—although it does not in a wild state carry its
head high as would befit a King—whilst the immense muscles of the
jaws, shoulders and fore-legs give the animal enormous strength.
hr tophetip gs 4
FIG. 105.—-LION
FIG. 106.—LION CUB
FIG. 107.—TIGRESS
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 139
It can drag a Buffalo or Ox for a considerable distance, but cannot
lift its prey off the ground. It prefers, however, to eat it where
killed if undisturbed.
It can spring and leap, gallop at a tremendous pace, and
overtake a horse going at its fastest speed. It does an enormous
amount of damage when found in the neighbourhood of Cattle and
Horses, but when far removed from these and haunting the silences
it has to content itself with such beasts as Gazelles, Antelopes,
Giraffes and Zebras, lying in ambush and waiting the close approach
of its prey.
It may lie in wait near some meandering brook whither some
other wild beast comes to quench its thirst, and then, when the fatal
moment arrives, it dashes out and soon all is over.
In India the range of this powerful beast is much restricted
to-day, for “the sport-loving Briton has made relentless war upon the
larger Carnivores, one cavalry officer alone, early in the last century,
bagging no fewer than eighty Lions within three years.”
Two Lions have been known to kill twenty-eight Indian coolies,
and as many, if not more, native workmen. The Lioness is the
most to be feared, and if she has her cubs near at hand will make a
formidable attack upon the intruder. One Lioness in Mashonaland
has been known to kill one hundred Pigs during a single night.
Whilst this powerful adventurer has been known to kill natives to
an alarming extent, as well as white men, for the last-named it
appears to have a distinct dread. One writer has said that “Man,
however, by his lofty bearing and especially by a sure and steady
look, inspires even the Lion with respect. With shy mien the ‘ King
of the Desert’ makes way for the ‘ Lord of the Earth.’ On the other
hand, after he has once discovered man’s real physical weakness, he
prefers human flesh to any other food; in the words of the Kaffirs,
he becomes a ‘ man-eater.’”
Much has been written from time to time of the experiences of
those who have been seized by wild beasts, and we may conclude this
account of the Lion by relating an incident in the life of Dr. Living-
stone. He says: “I saw the Lion just in the act of springing upon
me. Grunting horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a Terrier
does a Rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that which
seems to be felt by a Mouse after the first shake of the Cat. It
caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain
or feeling of terror, though I was quite conscious of all that was
140 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
happening. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of
horror at looking round the beast. This peculiar state is probably
produced in all animals killed by the Carnivora, and, if so, is a
merciful provision by our benevolent Creator for lessening the pains
of death.”
TIGER. — Of all the Cat tribe the Tiger (Figs. 107 and 108) is the
most brilliantly coloured, the magnificently striped coat being well
known to almost every one.
The two animals shown in the illustrations are both females, and
were presented to the London Zoo by King George V after his
Indian tour.
The male and female are both very much alike, the latter being
somewhat smaller and the cheek frills are less pronounced than in the
old male. The young also resemble their parents, being striped
at birth.
The Tiger is a resident of all Asiatic countries, and visitors to
Zoological Gardens where Siberian specimens are on view will have
ocular demonstration of the thickness of the coat and larger size of
those beasts found in the north of Asia, the extra thickness, of
course, affording better protection in those parts where the cold is
intense? Many people seem to inseparably associate the Tiger with
a tropical country, living in regal splendour amid the luxuriance of
its jungle home, but from its wide distribution throughout Asia it
will at once be apparent that its haunts are often far from the swampy
districts of the tropical zone.
The favourite habitat is, however, the latter, where, in a thickly
overgrown bamboo swamp, it lurks in wait for prey. Although
the/protective coloratio of this and other wild beasts has perhaps
been somewhat exaggerated, there Geems little doubt that the mag-
nificent colour and stripes of the Tiger’s coat closely assimilate to
its environment, for the light and shade cast by upright stems, such as
bamboos, fall in stripes or streaks, and thus blend with the Tiger’s
striped coat under the influence of the same rays of light.
It is a a soe than the Lion, attaining a length of some
ten feet, and ¢ertainly more powerful and courageous than the
so-called King of Wild Beast Its ferociousness has frequently
been chronicled, and even to-day the loss of thousands of human
lives every year may be attributed to it. The man-eating Tiger
haunts villages, ever on the prowl for some human prey, and whole
districts have become depopulated as a result of its daring deeds:
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL I4I
Although it does not possess the remarkable tusk-like teeth of its
extinct ancestor, the Sabre-Toothed Tiger shown in Plate XI., it is
not difficult to realize, even when looking at a living specimen kept
in captivity, the poor chance of escape when man happens to get
within striking distance of this handsome monarch of the jungle.
The strong jaws, powerful limbs and remarkable paws are worthy
of note, whilst the quiet movements and general lissome appearance
are also of interest.
In its native wilds the Tiger manages to choose a haunt which is
not far removed from water, and it is a/good swimmer. In India
it is more common to-day than in times gone by, and evidence points
to the fact that it reached the Indian Empire from other parts of Asia.
Whilst the Lion has diminished its range in India, the Tiger has
increased, yet it has not managed to reach Ceylon, and although
frequenting such cold climates outside India, it does not appear to
have penetrated the Himalaya Mountains notwithstanding its power
of enduring cold.
It is a lover of the forest, of nocturnal habits, and usually of a
solitary disposition. “When attacking its prey it makes for the neck
in the same way as the Lion, and afterwards commences to feed upon
the hind-quarters, i Large beasts are as a rule attacked, including
Cattle, but the Tiger, when driven to hard straits, is not at all par-
ticular as to its diet, and will condescend to eat even frogs and
locusts. So long as it restricts its attention to wild animals all is
well, for these themselves are very destructive to growing crops, but
the moment it attacks cattle or becomes a man-eater, it is a terrible
scourge which must be got rid of at all costs.
‘Authentic records are forthcoming of Tigers eating one another ;
of attacking such prey as Elephants and Bears, and its own cubs’
are on occasions devoured. Being more solitary than the Lion, itis
naturally enough less sociable:--It does not make its presence known
by roaring to the same extent as its rival among the great Cats, but
when it does give vent to its feelings the voice is not unlike that
of the King of Beasts.
Tiger-hunting is carried out either by the sportsman being
mounted on an Elephant, or secreted in a tree-top near the animal’s
lair, where he waits an opportunity for a shot as the monarch
approaches a bait put out for it, such as a young Buffalo or Bullock.
Mr. G. P. Sanderson, in his Thirteen Years Among the Wild
Beasts of India, gives many graphic accounts of adventures with
1442. THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Elephants, Tigers and other animals, and one of these may here be
given. He says: “. . . When watching for a Tiger by moonlight I
was entertained until his arrival by the proceedings of three Jackals..
‘Two arrived before sunset, and their elaborate care in approach-
ing the carcase of the bullock the Tiger had killed, though it lay in
open ground, and they might have known the Tiger could not be
secreted in very close proximity, was highly amusing.
“When close to it they would suddenly scamper off, apparently
with the object of drawing some movement from the Tiger if it
were anywhere near.
“Having at last plucked up courage to begin, one fell to
voraciously, tugging away at the skin and making a great noise,
whilst the other watched assiduously, never essaying to taste the
tempting flesh. Presently the sentry raised every hair on its body
and tail, lowered its head into the attitude of a dog in vomiting,
tucked in its tail, and made a quick shuffling movement forward,
ludicrously like an aggressive turkey.
““* Here comes the Tiger,’ thought I; but presently I descried the
cause in the shape of a third Jackal.
“The jealous sentry—the first-comers were evidently a pair—
would not permit its approach, and the new-comer at last lay down
with an assumed air of unconcern to await its turn.
“The Jackal had been tugging away at the dead bullock for about
half-an-hour, the sentry not having had its turn yet, when both
started away from the carcase and looked fixedly in a direction almost
under my tree. They then commenced to make a peculiar sniffing
noise, and changed places restlessly, running first a few paces to
one side, then to the other, but never taking their eyes off the object
that had attracted them. J knew they had viewed the Tiger.
“T had never seen a Tiger’s reception by Jackals before; but
their demeanour was so marked that I felt certain to what to attribute
it. It was a moment of intense excitement, as I could not turn to
look in the direction from which I felt sure the Tiger was approach-
ing. Presently the Jackals, after changing their note to a sort of
sharp twittering, evidently intended to conciliate their lord and
master, retired to some little distance, and I shortly heard the quiet,
measured footfall of the Tiger almost below me. I had the wind in
my favour. Presently the striped head and shoulders came into
sight, and after one és two pauses their owner marched to the tail of
the bullock and stood looking in the direction of the Jackals.
PLATE XI
Me
Th
(o)
extinct Sabre-Toothed Tiger, and ancestor of the living animal
FIG. 109Q.—LEOPARD
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 143
“He exposed his full broadside towards me, and looked very
large in the moonlight. I knew if he lay down he would offer a
more difficult mark, so I lost no time in firing. With a loud
‘wough, wough,’ the stricken brute galloped heavily away, but I
felt sure I heard him fall when about sixty yards distant. I listened
—there was a low groan. Again the sound was repeated—the
peculiar sobbing groan of a dying animal.
“T waited for twenty minutes and then signalled to the trackers,
who were in a tree at some distance, in a direction in which we
previously knew their presence would not interfere with the Tiger’s
approach. I had been amused by their answering some Spotted
Deer which began to bark soon after my shot, and not far from me,
and which they mistook for my signal. The five naked and odorifer-
ous, but simple and attached fellows, were soon safe with me in
the tree. We agreed to wait for half-an-hour and then to look the
Tiger up. We considered that there was no necessity to wait till
morning, as the moonlight was very bright and there were only a
few trees dotted about in the otherwise open ground, and we were
sure of one point—namely, that if the Tiger had any strength
remaining he would have used it ere this to put as great a distance
as possible between himself and us. We decided only to look as far
as the spot where I was of opinion he had fallen.
“Tf he were not there we would defer further search till morning.
On getting down the tree we found the trail was very distinct. The
grass was about eighteen inches high, quite dry, and almost white,
as it had seeded and withered. The bent blades, upon which the
moonlight glinted brightly, showed a glistening path where the
Tiger had passed. When we had got to about the spot where I
supposed the Tiger to be, one tracker pointed silently to a dark
object lying where the silvery path ended abruptly, and beyond
which the grass stood undisturbed. ‘ It looks like a log,’ whispered
one. ‘A log with stripes and a tail, then,’ said the quicker-sighted
Murga. It was the Tiger, quite dead.”
LEOPARD.—It is as well to point out here that the range of the
Tiger is often misunderstood, and many people seem of opinion that
it is found also in Africa and America. This, however, is not so, as
it is the Leopard (Fig. 109) which is found in Africa and the Jaguar
that inhabits America. The Leopard, of course, is a citizen of other
parts of the world besides Africa, being a resident also of a large
portion of Asia, including Ceylon and the Himalayas.
144 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Of the Old-world Cats the Leopard comes next in point of size to
the Lion and Tiger, and its beautiful spotted coat is well known.
It is a deceitful beast in captivity, and is not to be trusted, the Lion,
curious to relate, being the best in this respect of the three species
just mentioned.
For a long time it was thought that the ‘Panther ” of India was
a distinct animal, but it is now regarded as “a big, finely-developed
Leopard . . . such animals being naturally more inclined to attack
large prey than the smaller and more Cat-like individuals which are
the typical Leopards.”
The ochre-yellow skin of this animal is richly ornamented with
small and large black annular spots, and it is said that when the
beast is reposing in the jungle its coat resembles the play of the
sunbeams and the circular shadows of the leaves. The Leopard,
however, varies both in size and colour. Sometimes the spots are
fawn-colour instead of black, and almost wholly black varieties are
met with. These so-called Black Leopards are almost entirely
absent from Africa, and seem to occur for the most part in the
Malay Peninsula and the surrounding islands.
The Leopard is an easily satisfied beast. It frequents both the
forest and rocky ground; unlike the Tiger it is a splendid climber,
and does not care for water to anything like the same extent. Its
diet is a differential one, such animals as Birds, Monkeys, Cattle,
Dogs, Bush Pigs, Antelopes, etc., falling a prey to its daring. It
is a bolder beast even than the Tiger, and when it does attack man
the results are appalling, one famous Leopard in India having been
known to kill no less than two hundred human beings before it
was dispatched !
Like its near relative, the Tiger, the animal under review is of
solitary disposition, and is commoner, more cunning and versatile.
Mr. Frank Finn says that it “has a most peculiar call, very like
the sound produced by cutting wood with a coarse saw.”
It will be remembered that mention was made earlier in this
chapter of the method adopted by both the Lion and Tiger as to the
commencement of a meal. The Leopard differs from its first-cousins
by seizing its prey by the throat and beginning to feed at the fore
instead of the hind-quarters; in this way the slayer of the prey may
be identified.
Mention may be made of the Ounce, or Snow Leopard, of Central
Asia, whose long fur is white, clouded with grey, and having irregu-
FIG. 110.—PUMA.
FIG. ILI1I1.— OCELOT
FIG. L12.—CARACAL CUBS
FIG. 114.—WILD CAT
FIG. 115.—WILD KITTEN
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 145
lar black rosettes. It has a long, bushy tail which is equally thick
throughout almost the entire length. The long thick fur admirably
protects this beautiful species during the rigours of Winter, and at
such time the fur is particularly lovely. Resorting to treeless wastes,
observations of this Leopard are infrequent, and whilst its food
probably resembles that of its better known relative, the Ounce does
not apparently climb trees nor attack mankind.
PUMA.—The Puma (Fig. 110), or Mountain Lion, as it is also
called, is a splendid American example of the great Cats. Mr.
Ingersoll has well said of this animal that “until the invasion of his
domain by civilization, he possessed the whole continent from near
Hudson Bay to the Strait of Magellan. No other land animal what-
ever has so great a north and south range; and when one thinks of
the wide contrasts in climate and conditions generally to which it
must accommodate itself, one would expect to find a bewildering
variety of forms. On the contrary, it would be hard to find a species
so uniform as this. There is little or nothing by which any man
might say whether a certain skin came from the Orinoco jungles, or
the Patagonian pampas, or from some old canyon in the Rockies.
The earliest visitors to this continent (America) mistook the skins
they saw in the hands of the Indians for those of true Lions, or
rather of Lionesses, for they missed the mane. Our ‘ Mountain
Lion’ is a survival of this, strengthened by the fact that the Spanish-
speaking people from California to Cape Horn still say Leon.- In
New England, however, a worse error took its place, giving it the
name Panther, or ‘ Painter,’ as Natty Bumppo and his tribe pro-
nounced it. ‘Puma’ is Peruvian, and the best name, because, in
addition to its being a native and an easy word, it alone appears
to refer to this very animal; for ‘ Cougar’ is a made word, coined or
borrowed by Buffon.”
Whilst, then, the Lion and Tiger are both absent from the New
World, the Puma is a worthy representative of this splendid feline
race. The adult is unspotted and differs widely in this respect from
the Jaguar of the South, “the biggest, handsomest and most formid-
able of American Cats.” To quote the same writer again: “Since
it” (the Jaguar) “exactly takes the place in our tropical forests of
the Tiger of Southern Asia, it is named ‘el tigre’ throughout
Spanish America, or ‘onea’ (in Spanish, onza) among the Portu-
guese of Brazil. ‘Jaguar,’ “Juarite’ and the like are derived from
Guaranese Indian words explained at length by Azara. But the term
L
146 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
‘Tiger’ is as carelessly wrong as is ‘ Lion’ for the Puma, since the
Jaguar is not striped but spotted, so that it closely resembles a
Leopard.”
The Puma is uniform pale fox-red to slaty-blue in general colour;
it has black lips, a white patch on each side of the muzzle, and
white on the throat, belly and inside of legs. The largest adult
attains a length of about eight feet and a weight of some two hundred
pounds. The head is full (see Fig. 110) and gives an expression to
the beast which is lacking in most of its foreign relatives. There
are more females than males, but the latter, in a district where the
former are scarce, will travel long distances in search of a partner.
Sometimes it appears they pair for life, but at others the union is
only a temporary one.
The female selects an isolated cave or quiet environment in some
rocky fastness for the production of her family, but in a country
where these secret silences are unavailable she resorts to a dense
thicket, or a cane brake, as a suitable lair. The “nest” is made
up of herbage of various kinds.
In the tropical south of the great continent the young are pro-
duced about February, but in the north the breeding season is later.
Four or five young ones constitute the litter, but frequently less,
and, curious to relate, only two seem to survive. During their
infancy, it should be noted, young Pumas are spotted and the tail
is ringed, but in a few months these markings disappear.
The cubs keep company with the female, watching the hunt and
learning to procure food on their own account, but the rigours of
oncoming Winter drive the beasts from the higher altitudes, and at
such time the cattle-owner suffers acutely from their ravages. Ex-
President Roosevelt, in his Outdoor Pastimes of an American
Hunter, says that “in its essential habits and traits the big, slinking,
nearly unicoloured Cat seems to be much the same everywhere,
whether living in mountain, open plain, or forest, under arctic cold
or tropic heat. When the settlements become thick it retires to dense
forest, dark swamp or inaccessible mountain gorge, and moves about
only at night. In wilder regions it not infrequently roams during
the day and ventures freely into the open. Deer are its customary
prey when they are plentiful, bucks, does and fawns being killed
indifferently. Usually the Deer is killed almost instantaneously,
but occasionally there is quite a scuffle, in which the Cougar may
get bruised, though, as far as I know, never seriously. It is also a
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 147
dreaded enemy of Sheep, Pigs, Calves, and especially Colts, and
when pressed by hunger a big male Cougar will kill a full-grown
Horse or Cow, Moose or Wapiti. It is the special enemy of Mountain
Sheep. In 1886, while hunting White Goats north of Clark’s Fork
of the Columbia, I found them preying as freely on the Goats as on
the Deer. It rarely catches Antelope, but is quick to seize Rabbits,
other small beasts, and even Porcupines.”
OCELOT.— The Ocelot (Fig. 111) is an inhabitant of tropical
America, one of many small Cats there found, and of great interest.
It has several names, such as “Tiger Cat,” ‘“Manigordo” and
“Leopard Cat,” but these are somewhat misleading in view of the
two other animals treated of towards the end of this chapter. Julius
Barras says that “from Oklahoma to southern Brazil it is always
found in the woods and especially in thickets.” It is an active and,
as the photograph depicts, a beautiful animal; it readily takes to
trees and there procures most of its food. It is a bloodthirsty beast,
of great daring, but the specimen in Fig. 111, which was housed
at the London Zoo and died in 1908, became very tame and con-
fiding. It measures about two and a half to three feet in length,
exclusive of the tail, which is a foot long. The general coloration is
grey, prominently marked with small and large fawn-coloured spots
having black edges. Individuals vary a great deal, so much so,
indeed, that one observer has remarked that it exhibits a distinct
pattern on each of its sides.
The coat is soft and long, and the beautiful irregular mottling
accounts for the demand that exists for it, enormous numbers of these
Cats being trapped every year. It is of stout and heavy build, and
has dark eyes and a pink nose.
CARACAL.—Fig. 112 shows a pair of Caracal cubs, the first ever
born at the London Zoo, this interesting event having taken place
in the Spring of 1908. It is probable that this is the first time the
Caracal has ever produced young in captivity. It is an active
member of the Cat tribe and is found inhabiting open country
throughout the whole of Africa and through Western Asia into
India. In colour it is uniform bright reddish-fawn; it does not
possess a ruff, but has sharp ears penciled with black, and a long tail
which bears a black tip. It is, like the Ocelot, a good tree-climber,
and can leap with amazing adroitness. It preys upon game birds,
rabbits and other animals, but although trained by Eastern princes
for sporting purposes, it is a fierce little beast, yet elegant in shape,
Lz
148 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and ‘“‘the handsomest of the Lynx tribe.” It is not so large as the
Common Lynx, but exceeds most of the other smaller Cats.
Where there is bush and grass-covered jungle, there the Caracal
makes its home, stalking its prey with immense cleverness and
leaping into the air and securing ground-dwelling birds in less time
than it takes to tell the story. It travels very swiftly when once under
way, and runs down such prey as small Antelopes, Hares and large
birds like Cranes, Bustards and Peafowl. Mr. Finn states that “one
curious use of the animal is worth mention; the fur is in any case a
handsome one, and the Boers in South Africa are firmly convinced
that a rug of Caracal skins is a preventive of rheumatism, and
Messrs. Nicholls and Eglington, who mention this, state that the
fur even of the dead animal is highly electrical, as that of the living
tame Cat is so well known to be.”
NORTHERN LYNX.—The Lynxes are less Cat-like than any
of the great and small Cats with which we have already made
acquaintance, and an examination of Fig. 113 of a specimen of the
Common, or European, species from the Caucasus will reveal the
short, thick tail, the long legs and pointed ears. It will be observed
also that the Lynx is a heavily-built animal and does not exhibit that
remarkably active appearance so characteristic of the beasts we have
recently had under consideration. The Northern Lynx is found in
Europe and Asia; it can exist in both hot and cold countries, and,
in consequence, much variety is exhibited in the colour of its dress.
The Northern species under notice has a soft, thick, greyish or
reddish fur, generally spotted with black; the Southern form is of a
redder hue, whilst the beast found in Central Asia is more regular
in colour, and paler. It attains a length of three to four feet exclusive
of the short tail, and has powerful paws and fore-arms.
A nocturnal animal, the Lynx dwells in forest regions, and, as
might be supposed, climbs trees in pursuit of its prey, this consisting
of various kinds of small mammals and birds. It is said to be “the
most destructive of the Carnivores now left to plague Europe,” and
will kill Goats and Sheep with impunity. Like the Fox it kills more
than it can eat, partaking of a portion of its prey and leaving the
rest. Its ravages are, like those of the Fox, often extraordinary, for
one individual has been known to kill no less than forty Sheep in a
few weeks.
It is difficult to attack because its wanderings are restricted to the
silent midnight watches, but is hunted whenever opportunity offers,
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL 149
as it is considered a worse enemy to flocks than the Wolf. It is not
a fast-moving animal, but possesses indomitable patience, and its
powers of stalking are unapproachable. It has been well said of him
that although he is “more patient than the Fox, he is less cunning;
less hardy than the Wolf, he leaps better and can resist famine
longer. He is not so strong as the Bear, but keeps a better look out
and has sharper sight. . . . Every animal he can reach with one
of his bounds is lost and devoured; if he misses he allows the animal
to escape, and returns to crouch in his post of observation, without
showing his disappointment. He is not voracious, but he loves
warm blood, and this habit makes him imprudent. . . . If he comes
upon a flock of Goats or Sheep, he approaches, dragging his belly
along the ground like a Snake, then raises himself with a bound,
falls on the back of his victim, breaks its neck, or cuts its carotids
with his teeth, and kills it instantly.”
The Canadian Lynx is not a common animal! to-day, for its skin
has long been sought after, and except in Eastern Quebec and the
adjoining forests of Maine and New Brunswick, it is rarely seen
south of Lake Superior, but on the Pacific side it traverses well south
in the high mountains.
It spends the Summer in tangled thickets, and it is there that
the young are reared and given their early lessons in hunting. By
Winter-time the “ill-natured kittens” are able to procure food on
their own account, and whilst at times this is difficult to obtain
through long, cold nights in Northern forests, when Spring comes
round again, bringing in its train hosts of returning birds, the
Lynxes find food in plenty, and make ample amends for the
lack of provender which was forbidden them during lone Winter
days.
WILD CAT.—In Great Britain Wild Cats, real and so called,
are many, but the pure wild animal (Fig. 114) is a rare creature
restricted to the north of Scotland. Such a number of domestic
Cats are turned from home and become wanderers, and others so
frequently evince a desire to hunt, that it is small wonder there are
chronicled in the papers captures of so-called Wild Cats south of the
land of the thistle. During my own country pilgrimages I have
very frequently come across a domestic Cat poaching in some
secluded wood or along an unfrequented hedgerow miles from a
habitation of any kind, and my gamekeeper friends have shown me
numbers of undesirable feline marauders which have been shot or
1so THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
trapped because of their fondness for young Pheasants. I remember
being in a wood very early one Spring morning, long before the
keeper had made the round of his traps set overnight, and my
experience then was of such a distasteful kind that I made a vow
never to be out and about before a keeper again. As I approached
the snug little wood in which I have spent many pleasant and, I
hope, profitable hours animal stalking and bird watching, I heard
heartrending screams as of many wild animals evidently in great
distress. The noise, I felt convinced, was not the squeal of a Rabbit
in a trap, and in the quietude of the morning air I was considerably
perturbed at such an unusual occurrence. Diving into the heart of
the woodland fastness I hardly knew which way to go first, for |
distinctly heard loud unearthly screams coming from several parts
of the wood. Whilst I was thus meditating, I was suddenly sur-
prised by an animal half springing at me, for I had unconsciously
almost trodden upon a large black and white domestic Cat caught
in the clutches of a heavily-toothed trap. Never as long as I live
shall I forget the sickening scene; I can still bring vividly to mind
the fierce maniacal expression of the Cat’s face; the bulging, fiery
eyes, agitated form and wild, uncanny look. A strong chain held
the trap fast, and this in turn was firmly riveted to the ground.
The Cat had dragged the chain to its extreme length, and had it not
been for the weight of trap and chain combined, I guess the con-
sequences would have been far more serious for me than they were.
To approach the furious beast so as either to release it or kill it was
out of the question, and I passed on, obtaining some relief from
the love-songs of migrating birds just arrived from over-sea, and
countless blossoms of pale dew-spattered primroses which were
kissing the first sunbeams.
More screams penetrated the woodland fastness, and a hurried
exploration in the direction from which they proceeded revealed two
more traps, both containing domestic Cats. One of these was a
large creature, marked very much like the true wild species, and I
have been led to give an account of this little experience because an
ordinary observer seeing this Wild Cat-like specimen might easily
have concluded that a wild, not a domestic, beast had been trapped.
The third captive was a big sandy Cat, and I have noticed many
times that sandy-coloured Cats seem especially fond of poaching,
especially around farmyards.
The Wild Cat, then, is in Great Britain to-day restricted to the
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL LST
north of Scotland, one of the last authentic records of its appearance
further south being about 1840 in Yorkshire. Another example was
seen somewhere about the same time in North Wales, and a few
years afterwards one was said to have been secured in Oxfordshire.
Outside the British Islands, the Wild Cat is found in many parts of
Europe and Asia, whilst, of course, there are various other species
“of small felines known as ‘ Wild Cats’ found almost all over the
world where Cats are found at all—i.e. except in Madagascar and
the Australian region.”
It is small wonder that in such a game-preserving and stock-
rearing country, the Wild Cat should have become almost extermin-
ated in Britain, for there can be no question as to its misdeeds
among various furred and feathered creatures, and also lambs.
Whilst it should be emphasized that genuine Wild Cats are now
few and far between in the old country, it should be pointed out that
the ‘wild and domesticated Cats are known to interbreed, whilst in
Fig. 115 an example is given of a. wild kitten, a cross between a
Wild Cat from Scotland and the Egyptian or Fettered Cat.
Lynx-like in general appearance, the wild species is a striking-
looking animal, having a body which at once gives one the impres-
sion of a remarkable combination of strength and activity. The
large, bushy tail is seen to advantage in Fig. 114. The coloration
varies, but generally the thick, close fur may be stated to be yellow,
banded with darker shades, with black rings on the tail and a
black line along the back. It is also black on the soles of the
feet.
The litter is produced during early Summer, five or six kittens
being born either in the forsaken “earth” of our old friend the
Badger, or in the seclusion of a hollow tree.
It is ferocious, savage and untamable, and although at one time
it was considered to be the ancestor of our own domestic pussy, it
is now agreed that the Egyptian Cat is more nearly related to the
well-known pet animals which, when properly looked after, make
such desirable companions. The Wild Cat of Europe has an ancient
history in Britain, being one of the oldest mammalian inhabitants
we have, but, curious to relate, it has not been known to occur in
Ireland. Few writers appear to be able to say a good word for this
ferocious Carnivore, and Mr. Pennant has stated that it “may. be
called the British Tiger; it is the fiercest and most destructive
beast we have, making dreadful havoc amongst our poultry,
152 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
lambs and kids. It inhabits the most mountainous and woody
parts of these islands, living mostly in trees and feeding only
by night.”
In the course of a most informative and interesting article in
The Animal World, Mr. Harwood Brierley gives a delightful sketch
of his feline majesty at home. He says—
“Of nocturnal habits, like the Badger, Otter and Fox, this most
ferocious beast can rarely be seen except by daybreak or evening
twilight, and may for a long time frequent a mountain district
unknown to its sparse population until certain tell-tale marks are
left in the Winter snow, thus making his presence felt at last by a
series of misdeeds. After going on prowl he habitually uses a
different route on returning to his lair, where he sleeps during the
daytime with, apparently, a quite easy conscience. Sanguinary
always, both sexes kill more than twice as much game as they can
devour, rarely returning to finish the remains of a previous meal.
In an ordinary way the beast prefers to feed where he has killed his
prey, leaving behind either fur or feather... .
“Judging by the story of the medieval Yorkshire knight, Sir
Perceval Cresacre, whose effigy may be seen in Barnborough
Church, and who was killed by a Wild Cat in the church porch
after a fight lasting some hours, discretion remains the better part
of valour when a warrior huntsman, gamekeeper, or ranger not well
armed comes into the vicinity of a Wild Cat’s lair, for the chances
are that she will hazard anything in defence of her kittens. The
Cat-a-mount, as this beast used to be called, has not only a double
set of keen, retractile claws, but she has ‘nine lives’ at least, and
will not be humiliated into submission by flogging with the cat-o’-
nine-tails. . ..
“The question arises: is the indigenous Wild Cat of Europe
to be allowed to multiply with or without restraint in some of its
Highland fastnesses, or is it to be trapped and shot wherever
seen in such a manner as to make its death as speedy and pain-
less as possible? There are the interests of landowners, sportsmen,
farmers, crofters, shepherds, naturalists, and humanitarians to
consider.
“T hold the opinion that if the much-discussed schemes for the
reafforestation of Scotland take a substantial form it will be possible
to offer even this wild beast a few sanctuaries wherein to dwell at
peace with mankind.”
FIG. I16.—LEOPARD CAT
FIG. 117.—-MARGAY
FIG. 118.—SERVALINE CAT
AT PLAY
NZEES
CHIMPA
FIG. 110.
ORANG-UTAN
120.
FIG.
CATS—GREAT AND SMALL re3
LEOPARD CAT.The Leopard Cat (Fig. 116) is found in
South-Eastern Asia, and is known by a great many different names.
This is doubtless to be accounted for by reason of the variation in
colour and markings to which this pretty species is subject.
It is about the size of the ordinary domestic Cat, but has longer
ears: A general description of the coat must suffice, as the variation
is so great that a comprehensive account is impossible.
The upper parts are usually pale tawny of some kind, “varying,”
says one writer, “from rufous to greyish; while the spots, which
have a more or less marked tendency to form longitudinal lines, may
be either wholly black, or partly black and partly brown. The spots
extend over the under-parts and limbs and the upper part of the
tail; although the tip of the tail is barred. Four distinct longitudinal
stripes on the forehead give a characteristic physiognomy to the
head, these stripes being generally continued in a more or less
distinct manner along the back.”
The Leopard Cat is to be numbered among the dwellers of the
forest, and occurs both in the Highlands and Lowlands of India
and other parts of South-Eastern Asia. The litter consists of three
or four young ones, and these are born during the early Spring, the
lair selected being a cliff or cave far from. the haunt of man.
It feeds on small mammals and birds, although it has been
known to seize a fowl almost as large as itself. It is a ferocious and
untamable little beast, and I have many times noticed how the
specimen depicted in Fig. 116 displays its temper when I have vainly
endeavoured to coax it into the open at the London Zoo.
MARGAY.—The Margay (Fig. 117) brings us almost to the end
of the small Cats included in this section. Like the Leopard Cat it
is an inhabitant of forest regions, but is of American parentage, the
specimen shown in the photograph having come from Northern
Brazil. Its range extends from Mexico to Paraguay. It is a beauti-
ful species so far as concerns its dress, being similarly striped and
spotted to the Ocelot already described.
Individuals vary to a great extent, a fact to be particularly noted
with regard to several of the Cats recently under review, and different
names have in consequence been accorded to these varieties, includ-
ing that of the “Cauzel”” of Costa Rica.
Like many, if not most of its relatives, it is nocturnal in its
habits, feeding for the most part on birds, which, before being eaten,
are shorn of their feathers.
154 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
SERVALINE CAT.—The last representative of the Cats—great
and small—is the Servaline Cat (Fig. 118), which has more spots
than the Serval, and these are smaller. With the exception of these
markings there does not appear to be any great difference between
the two beasts, but it should be mentioned that whereas the Serval
inhabits the whole of the African continent, its namesake seems to
be restricted to the neighbourhood of Sierra Leone.
CHAPTER IX
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED
Ir a vote were taken, among young people at any rate, as to the
most popular kind of animal exhibited in zoological collections, there
is little doubt that the Monkeys, Apes arid their kindred would
almost, if not quite, head the list. Among mammals, Monkeys
undoubtedly hold a very high place, so far as concerns their general
appeal to the human race, and perhaps, remembering our close
relationship to them, this is as it should be.
Their comical faces, curious ways, active habits and at times
remarkable attachment to their owners, and attainments as tricksters,
cannot fail to interest the student of animal life, and whilst in other
ways, such as the point of view of real beauty, few Monkeys have
much to commend them, there is little doubt that taken all round
they are a very popular class of mammals deserving of attention.
The family is a pretty extensive one in regard to numbers,
whilst in size they range from the huge Gorilla to tiny mites not
much larger than a Squirrel. It is these smaller kinds which appear
to possess such bright, intelligent little faces which appeal more to
the writer than the larger species, although the rough old Orang-
Utan and, of course, the Chimpanzees are always worth paying
attention to.
MANDRILL.— Another great friend of the writer’s is Georgie,
the handsome Mandrill Baboon, which, in view of a lengthy and
delightful acquaintance, has been given pride of place in this volume
in the form of a coloured frontispiece, a remarkable likeness painted
from life. Strictly speaking, the Gorilla should be first treated of
among the Monkey tribe, but a few notes may be given concerning
the Mandrill, then we can follow on with the first-named, and
afterwards make acquaintance with the Chims, Orang-Utan and
many other kinds of less known Monkey-folk.
Our friend Georgie Mandrill, as we will call him, must never
On any account be missed by visitors to the London Zoo, for he is
155
156 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
far too important a person to be overlooked. Not that Georgie will
thrust himself upon one’s attention, so to speak, for he is far too
sedate and retiring for that, and he nearly always requires a deal
of persuasive coaxing before he can be tempted from his snug indoor
apartment from whence he surveys his visitors with a critical eye.
He is a Baboon, this big fellow, and has been called “extraordinarily
hideous.” It is not proposed to apply this somewhat unkind
appellation to Georgie, for although, compared with a beautiful
bird, he may not strike one as particularly attractive, there is some-
thing about him that appeals to the devout lover of animals which
makes it impossible to correctly apply the title quoted to this hand-
some beast. A wag at the Zoo more correctly referred to it as an
animal of East and West, showing a sunrise in front and a sunset
behind !
The coloured frontispiece will convey a far better idea than any
written description of the general appearance of the Mandrill. He
is about three feet in height, of bulky build and possessed of great
powers of strength. In colour he is mostly olive-brown, with
silvery-grey below, but the most.striking parts are the brilliant blue
ridges and scarlet on the front of the face; the purplish-red of the
hinder portions of the body, the tuft of hair on the head, and the
deep setting of the eyes arched with overhanging eyebrows.
Georgie at the Zoo must look to his laurels, for another Mandrill
has recently arrived which shows a friendliness for visitors which
may make him eventually a general favourite, and on a -recent
occasion this smaller specimen evidently enjoyed a brief interview
with the writer, in the course of which the sagacious creature
uttered curious sounds as if endeavouring to articulate some of its
secrets to the interested onlooker. Yet, we are told, it must not
be trusted, for, on the least provocation, it bursts into a temper
and endeavours to frighten a person by wild gestures calculated
to inspire fear in the more timorous visitors. Notwithstanding this,
in a wild state the Mandrill is a coward, for, when attacked, he will
beat a hasty retreat, and, like some boys I used to know at school,
will take to hurling missiles from a safe cover rather than have a
straight, stand-up fight in the open.
The Mandrill’s native home is in West Africa, where, like other
Baboons, he travels about in troops, and is closely related to a
second species in which the prefix Man is dropped, the animal being
known as the Drill.
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 157
GORILLA.— Although no pictorial representation appears in this
volume of the Gorilla, the huge giant being so extremely rare and
difficult of capture that it is not often seen alive, a few notes
concerning it must perforce be given. It is the largest and most
powerful of the Man-like Apes, and like the Mandrill it lives in
West Africa, especially where there are damp, impenetrable forests.
Its habitat is restricted even on the great African continent, but
it has long been known by name, for we read of its being christened
by Hanno as long ago as 350 B.c. It is stated, however, that the
Carthaginian mentioned did not in all probability encounter the
Gorilla during his African wanderings, for although be brought
back some stuffed specimens of so-called Gorillas, “it is far more
likely that his captures were only large Baboons.” It was not until
ages afterwards, as recently as 1847, that further light was thrown
upon this gigantic beast, for in that year Sir Richard Owen, to
whom we owe so much for our knowledge of extinct and living
animals, procured a skull from an American missionary which set
all doubts at rest as to the strange creature which Hanno, the
Carthaginian, had named so long previously. Then, a few years
afterwards, in 1852, a large number of Gorillas migrated to the
African Coast and were captured, and in 1853 the eminent Professor
astounded an audience at the Royal Institution with particulars of
the habits, etc., of the formidable beast under review.
General characteristics that may be noted are the muscular powers
of the limbs and jaws; massive shoulders; large head on a short,
thick-set neck; large brawny arms and hands; short, thick fingers;
great spreading feet; intense black skin, clothed with short, coarse
dark-grey hair tipped with whitish; reddish-brown hair on face and
head; ruff under the chin; small ears; deeply sunken eyes which give
a horrid expression; wide, gaping mouth; powerful jaws and tusk-
like teeth.
One would hardly imagine when looking at the huge form of this
mammalian giant that it should be capable of activity, more
especially among trees. Such, however, is the case, for we are told
by Du Chaillu, the famous French explorer, that it spends most
of its time in trees, and can spring and leap with remarkable adroit-
ness. For the most part the Gorilla is a vegetarian, partaking of
various kinds of fruit, and is especially fond of sugar-cane. It will
also feed upon insects, birds’ eggs and honey.
It is a shy creature, and in the dark recesses of the forest makes
158 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
its home. Rarely encountered even by those who live near its
haunts, it is a formidable opponent, for it can easily overcome a
Leopard in a fair, straightforward fight, and Man would doubtless
stand a poor chance if brought face to face with it. It is courageous,
all-powerful, Man-like in form in many ways, but from all accounts
quite lacking in intelligence. True, it builds a home in the tree-tops,
but, as Mr. Protheroe says, ‘“‘he has not the wit to add a roof,” and
“from time immemorial the animals have lived in communities
something like Men, but during countless ages they have Jearnt
nothing; they remain as brutish as ever were their ancestors.’
CHIMPANZEE.—The Chimpanzee (Coloured Plate XII, and also
Fig. 119, showing two of these animals at play) is also an inhabitant
of the aboriginal forests of West Africa, and both this species and
the Orang-Utan resemble the Gorilla in their general structure and
mode of life.
At the same time, neither the Chim nor the Orang are so
repulsive-looking as the more formidable beast last considered;
indeed, the Chims especially are very popular, and among the most
intelligent of the anthropoid Apes. We have already met both the
Chim and the Orang among Animal Pets in a former chapter, but
a few further particulars may be added concerning both species.
The Chimpanzee has been well known much longer than the Gorilla,
for, being much smaller and more reconcilable, the natives of Africa
have for long caught them and made pets of them. The first
appearance of one in London appears to have been about 1740.
It is a resident of Equatorial Africa, but is much more widely
distributed than the Gorilla. An adult male attains a height of some
five feet, the female being perhaps a trifle less in stature. It is quite
unlike its powerful rival in general appearance, lacking many of the
characteristic features recently enumerated. The Chim is not nearly
so tall nor so massive in build, and whilst the head and ears are
large, there is an intelligent expression upon the face which is
wanting in the rarer beast. The muddy, flesh-coloured skin is
adorned with coarse black hair, and this is plentiful on the back and
shoulders, whilst one writer facetiously remarks that “there are very
passable whiskers on the sides of the cheeks.” The flat nose may
be noted, also the less massive jaws and canine teeth, whilst the
writer just quoted states that ‘the hair on the forehead is parted
with an accuracy almost suggestive of the services of a hairdresser.”
It travels about in companies, but is not so strictly arboreal as
PLaTE XII.
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 159
some of its relatives, and is a wary beast, difficult to stalk in its wild
fastness. Its food consists of soft fruit, but it will not disdain such
delicacies as honey, larve, and even birds. Where the beasts
frequent a tract of country upon which agriculture is practised, the
crops often suffer from their ravages, the animals banding together
and making a raid upon corn, banana, and other plantations, and as
they are mostly nocturnal, it is difficult on this account, and also
because of their watchfulness, to effect a capture.
It is very sensitive to cold, and great care has to be exercised in
keeping it in captivity, although it is true that it endures the
changeable English climate better than its other anthropoid
relations. It is at all times an interesting animal to make friends
with, and visitors to our and other Zoological Gardens will have
made acquaintance with such famous Chims as Sally, Micky,
Consul, and others. Whilst Chims exhibit a certain intelligence,
there is a decided limit to their powers, which at once cuts them off
from the keen perception and intellectual capabilities of mankind,
and although they go through various tricks with a cleverness which
is bound to attract attention, there seems little doubt that the author
of The Handy Natural History is right when he states that “these
show animals have little claim to real intelligence. They only go
through what at best are their tricks while under the watchful eye of
a trainer. The cleverest Ape would no more dream of using a knife
and fork of its own initiative when feeding, than a caged Lion
would of its own free-will amuse an audience by leaping through
blazing hoops.”
ORANG-UTAN.—The Orang-Utan (Fig. 120) stands about four
and a half feet in height, and makes its home in the densely wooded
and well-watered districts of Borneo and Sumatra. Possessing a
facial resemblance to the Chimpanzee, it is distinguished from it by
being clothed in a rougher coat of shaggy hair, and is much more
arboreal in its habits. It is, as its Malayan name of Orang-Utan
implies, a man-of-the-woods, frequenting the tops of the tallest trees
of the aboriginal forests.
In colour the shaggy coat is reddish-brown, and this is stated
to harmonize with the bark of the trees the animal frequents, thus
affording excellent protection to the defenceless young ones. The
profusion of hair with which the body is clothed, and especially the
back, ably protects the Orang from tropical rains, as, in consequence
of its habit of assuming a semi-erect posture, it exposes its back parts
160 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
to the rain, and thus the necessity for greater protection than on
other portions of the body.
Like other Apes, the Orang also has the habit of holding its hand
over its head to ward off rain. Some of the hairs are very long,
those on the shoulders and upper arm attaining a length of sixteen
to twenty inches.
In the giant tree-tops this animal is at its best, revelling in its
arboreal home, and performing wonderful feats difficult of accom-
plishment. It can swing its way through the thick, impenetrable
forest with remarkable adroitness and ease, and its mobility has often
been commented upon by those who have had the good fortune to
watch it at work and play in its own native fastness.
Fig. 120 shows the hands to advantage, and these, it will be
noticed, are very similar to those of the reader, excepting that the
fingers are longer and the thumb shorter. It is by means of these
long fingers that the Orang is able to secure a firm hold of the tree-
branches among which it lives. The feet are also of great assistance
in climbing, as the large toe is comparable to the thumb of the
human hand, and can be much distended, so that the beast can
obtain a sure grip of the trees among which it is traversing.
The feet are decidedly hand-like in general form, and are of
immense aid to the Orang, not only in its progressive movements
in the tree-tops, but also in procuring food, for, having anchored its
body by means of them, it has its hands free, and can thus secure
fruit and leaves from pliant branches which it could not otherwise
reach, even although the arms are of great length. It is the
enormous arm-stretch which is of such assistance to this typical
arboreal mammal, for it is thus able to walk down branches in a
slanting direction. This would not be possible if its arms were no
longer than those of a man, for, “in consequence of the forward
displacement of the centre of gravity, it would be exposed to the
danger of falling like a Hare running downhill.”
Ungainly when upon the ground, it will at once be seen that
much exertion is necessary to proceed from tree to tree and to travel
any distance through the forest, and this means that the Orang must
be possessed of enormous strength. Thus we find that the arms are
the chief organs whereby locomotion is carried out, and that they
bear more powerful muscles than the hind-limbs. And although this
animal is only an adept in the tree-tops, and makes such a sorry
show when upon the ground, it is interesting to observe that Man
FIG.
I21.-—-HOOLOCK GIBBON
FIG. 122.—-VERVET MONKEY
FIG. 123.---BRAZZA’S MONKEY
FIG. 124.—MOUSTACHE MONKEY
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 161
—the nearest living relative, and the highest of all known animals—
is, on the other hand, remarkably adapted for a many-sided exist-
ence, of which examples need not, of course, be detailed.
Feeding for the most part upon young leaves, juicy fruits and
buds, the Orang spends a pleasant time in its forest home; it rarely
needs to come to the ground for water, as the moisture of its
tropical environment supplies it with the necessary sustenance by
means of the succulence of its food, and the rain which descends
from above. Then, living high up out of reach, what enemies has
this inhabitant of the aboriginal forest to contend with? The Python
appears to be its chief aggressor in the forest, and when its food-
supply does fail it in the tree-tops, the Ape comes to ground,
proceeds to some luscious river-bank, and there encounters the
Crocodile. Both these enemies are, it appears, more often than not
successfully overcome. The huge Snake is pounced upon, held
securely by the powerful hands, and bitten to death, whilst the
Crocodile is beaten both with the hands and feet, the flesh is torn
from the body, and the animal killed, or, as sometimes happens,
the jaws and throat are torn asunder, which, of course, means instant
death.
It has a strong voice, for it is one of the chief sentinels of the
jungle, and Man is rarely able to emerge successfully from a close
contact with such a powerful adversary.
The female is a solicitous mother, and produces one young one
every year. That this is not a lazy beast is proved by the fact that
“every evening the Orang-Utan builds a nest out of branches and
leaves in the fork of a tree, in which it passes the night.”
HOOLOCK GIBBON.—The Gibbons represent the last genus of the
Man-like Apes, but they are to be distinguished from the species so
far considered by reason of their smaller stature—the largest of all
only attains a length of about three feet—less powerful build, and
longer arms. They are also able to walk on the ground in an upright
position, either with or without the aid of their long arms.
Gibbons are inhabitants of the warmer parts of South-Eastern
Asia, and whilst there are several species, it will be sufficient for our
present purpose to deal with the Hoolock Gibbon (Fig. 121).
This, like its other relatives, is an arboreal Ape, and is also
known as the White-Browed Gibbon, from the prominent band of
white or grey on the forehead. The specimen figured came from
India, and it is the only Gibbon there found. The general colour
M
162 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
is anything from light yellowish-grey to black, the males being, as
a rule, the darker of the two sexes.
It is an active little beast and of docile habits, allowing itself to
be tamed and kept as a pet in a very short time after capture. When
the climate of Southern Europe was far more tropical than it is
to-day, some species of Gibbons undoubtedly lived in the dense
forests of a by-gone age, for fossil remains have been found which
prove the existence of these animals in tropical times, and it is
interesting to notice that there is no evidence of the existence of any
Gibbons in Europe after the middle or miocene division of the
Tertiary period (see page 341), although it should be pointed out that
many different kinds of Monkeys existed until much later than the
period mentioned.
VERVET, BRAZZA’S AND MOUSTACHE MONKEYS.—The Vervet
Monkey (Fig. 122) and Brazza’s Monkey (Fig. 123) are both African
species, and need only be mentioned in passing, although the some-
what striking appearance of Brazza’s Monkey is worthy of note-
The native name for this Monkey in the Cameroons is “Avut” or
“Fum.” The Vervet, or Malbrouck, is at once distinguished by the
very distinctive red root and black tip of the tail and the black of the
chin.
This brings us to the Moustache Monkey (Fig. 124), which also
belongs to the Guenons group. The members of this group are all
African species, and are distinguished by the possession of cheek
pouches, simple stomachs, and arms and legs of almost the same
length.
These Guenons travel about in troops; they are strictly arboreal,
and are famous for the continuous chattering which they keep up.
That these are Monkeys of ancient origin is proved by the fact that
the sculptures of the Egyptians bear the likeness of either Guenons
or Mangabeys upon them, the last-named being the next group of
‘Monkeys with which we shall make acquaintance.
The Moustache Monkey, an apt representative of this important
group, is characterized by the yellow whiskers and a triangular blue
mark upon the nose. In general colour it is olive-green, speckled
with yellow; it is grey upon the throat and under-parts, black on
the face and temples, with blackish feet and hands.
PATAS MONKEY.—The Patas Monkey (Fig. 125) also belongs to
the Guenons, the specimen shown in the photograph having been
obtained from its only home in Senegambia. It is also known as
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 163
the Red Monkey, and in this lies the distinguishing difference
between it and most of the other members of the Guenons, the
species now under consideration having red fur on most of the body,
with a blackish nose, and the same colour on the forehead and the
outer surface of the arms. The large blackish ears bear beneath
them shaggy patches of light-grey hair, as Fig. 125 depicts, and
these bushy tufts, extending on to the cheeks and lower jaw, almost
hide the naked parts of the face. The under-parts of the body, as
also the inner sides of the limbs, are greyish, whilst the hands are
dusky brown, and bear short fingers, the thumb being quite
rudimentary.
RED-EARED AND SCHMIDT'S MONKEYS.— A happy snapshot at
the London Zoo of the Red-Eared and Schmidt’s Monkeys is shown
in Fig. 126, the first-named being on the left and the latter on the right.
The Red-Eared Monkey comes from West Africa, and has a red
patch on the nose; red ear-fringe; greyish-black legs and a red tail,
except on the upper part of the base. These are the distinguishing
features.
Schmidt’s Monkey (of which there appear to be two or three
sub-species) is an inhabitant of the Congo region. It is peculiar in
having a white tip to the nose, and animal dealers term some, if not
all, of the members of this group “‘ Putty-Nosed Monkeys” !
The Red-Eared and Schmidt’s Monkeys shown in Fig. 126 lived
together at the London Zoo, and were great friends. Whenever
they were taken out of their cage they invariably cuddled one
another, as exhibited in the picture.
ROLOWAY MONKEY.—The Roloway Monkey (Fig. 127) is often
mistaken for the handsome Diana, to which it is very similar, and
a few particulars of which will not be out of place at this juncture.
The Diana, it is as well to notice, also claims kinship with the
Guenons, and is mostly prominent because of the long, pointed
white beard, which, it will be observed, is also very characteristic
of the Roloway shown in Fig. 127. On the Gold Coast the Diana
Monkey is more generally known by the name of Roloway in the
districts it frequents, but on the Congo it is called the Exquima. It
is an inoffensive and docile animal and becomes easily reconciled
when kept in captivity. It makes an affectionate pet, but has been
proved to possess a better temper during its youth than when it
attains a greater age, and appeals to one much more during its early
career than when it has become adult.
M 2
164 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
MANGABEYS. — The Mangabeys, or White-Eyed Monkeys, as
they are also called, acquired the first name mentioned because the
great French naturalist, Buffon, was of opinion that they came from
the Manongabe or Mangabe district of Madagascar, whereas, as a
matter of fact, they consist of a small group of West African species.
They are represented in the illustrations by Hamlyn’s Mangabey
(Fig. 128) and Jamrach’s Mangabey (Fig. 129). They are closely
related to the Guenons, but are separated from that large group of
Monkeys by reason of the structure of the teeth, which resemble
the Macaques in this respect. Beyond this, the prominent white
eyelids at once serve to distinguish them, as well as the oval-shaped
head, long muzzle, and hairs not ringed with various colours as in
the Guenons.
Other species that may be mentioned in addition to the two
already referred to are the Sooty Mangabey, which is deep, dull
black in colour, with the chin and under-parts ashy, the face being
livid and blotched with dark-brown. The hair on the top of the
head is not carried in the form of a crest. The White-Collared
Mangabey is blackish-grey, with a white collar round the neck, and
the same colour on the cheeks, throat and chest. The White-
Crowned Mangabey derives its name from a white-spotted crown,
and also has a streak of white along the centre of the back, whilst the
Grey-Cheeked Mangabey is at once identified from its relatives by
having the hair on the crown elongated into a crest. It is blackish
for the most part, acquiring its name from the greyish colour of the
throat-sides and cheeks. Thus we see that the four species last
mentioned have all been accorded English names because of the
colour of, or markings upon, the body, whilst the two remaining
species (Figs. 128 and 129) have been named after the well-known
animal dealers, Messrs. Hamlyn and Jamrach. Both these species
are interesting because they are recently discovered Monkeys. Both
kinds are white, and Hamlyn’s Mangabey has a curious freckled
face. The two appear to be doing well at the London Zoo, and share
the same cage. Hamlyn’s Mangabey came from the Upper Congo,
and Jamrach’s Mangabey from Central Africa. All these Monkeys
are of arboreal habits, living in troops in the forest, and feeding
chiefly upon various fruits. They appear to be of active disposition,
and in captivity become docile and entertaining.
JAPANESE MACAQUE.—This species (Fig. 130) introduces us to
the Macaque Monkeys, which are Asiatic species. They are more
FIG. 125.—-PATAS MONKEY
FIG. 126,—RED-EARED (LEFT) AND SCHMIDT’S (RIGHT) MONKEYS
FIG. 127. ROLOWAY MONKEY
FIG. 128.—HAMLYN’S MANGABEY
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 165
stoutly built than the Mangabeys, but in many respects are closely
allied to them. The body is thick-set, the limbs short and stout,
and the thumb is set backward. The tail is worth mentioning
because it is either short or long, or a mere apology for an appendage
of any kind! Some species have long hairs on the head, from which
they radiate in various directions, whilst others have the face almost
covered by a sort of mane. It is interesting to observe also that in
some kinds inhabiting northern countries the fur covers the whole
of the body, as an able protection against the cold. Dr. H. O.
Forbes says that “the Macaques are among the commonest Monkeys
of India and the East Indian islands. They occur also in Northern
Africa (Morocco) and in Gibraltar, across the Straits. Eastwards
they extend into Tibet and Northern China. They are also found
in Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and in Timor.”
They move about in companies, and resemble each other in
habits. They are active in disposition, and feed not only on fruits,
but also insects, and one species lives on crustacea. They have also
been known to partake of Lizards and, it is stated, Frogs.
Only one young one is, as a rule, produced at a birth, and this
reaches the adult stage in the course of four or five years’ time.
The male and female Japanese Macaques (Fig. 130) are shown,
together with the single young one, one of the parents being
engaged in an operation which does not need any explanation. The
interested look of the youngster is worthy of attention. It is sitting
on the top of its father for warmth, having been born at the Zoo in
an outdoor cage during cold and frosty weather. This species is
found, as its name implies, all over Japan, and it is interesting to
note that it has “a further northern habitat than any other existing
Monkey.” The general colour of the fur is dark-brown, yellowish-
brown, or olive, the hairs being ringed with either brown and
yellow, or brown and black; the sides of the head, breast and under-
parts are greyish, and the beard is yellowish-brown. The living
animal has a naked purplish-red face, with a prominent muzzle,
whilst that of the young is pale-pink.
MOOR MACAQUE.—This Macaque (Fig. 131) is only found in the
Southern Peninsula of Celebes, but in the photograph looks per-
fectly at home in confinement, being busily occupied eating a carrot.
The Celebes Islands are in the East Indies, to the east of Borneo,
and although it was conjectured for a long time that the home of the
Moor Macaque was in Borneo, this has now been proved incorrect.
166 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
It has, as Fig. 131 shows, a narrow, elongated and naked face,
with a flat nose and prominent round ears. The general coloration
is sooty-black above and grey below. The length of the body is
about twenty-one inches, and the short tail measures only one inch.
The black face distinguishes this species from the Brown and
Japanese Macaques, the faces of those beasts being bright red.
PIG-TAILED MACAQUE.—This excellently-named Macaque (Fig.
132) is found in Tenasserim, Southern Burma, the Malay Peninsula,
Bangka, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. It is so called, of course,
because of the pointed tail, which is eight inches in length and
carried in an erect position, the length of the body being about
eighteen inches. It is thus a good-sized Monkey, and, as Fig. 132
displays, it has a broad head, a long muzzle, powerful limbs, short
fur, that on the head standing erect, and giving it the appearance
of the head of a close-cropped school-boy. The fur is mostly olive
in colour, with the hairs grey at the base, and ringed alternately with
yellow and black; the deep-brown or blackish-brown head is relieved
by the blackish-grey sides of the face, whilst the under-parts of the
body are greyish-white.
The Pig-tail is an inhabitant of low-lying countries, and goes
about in large troops, feeding upon fruits, seeds and insects. It is
recorded that this is an easily tamed Monkey when taken young,
and has been used for climbing cocoanut-trees to throw down the
nuts, and it is specially worth noticing that we are told it is only
the ripe fruit that the Macaque is taught to handle.
OTHER MACAQUES.-—Mention may here be made of other promi-
nent members of this interesting and large group of Monkeys,
such as the Bonnet Monkey, which has a prominent crest of hair on
the crown of the head; the Crab-Eating Macaque, which feeds
largely on crabs; the Lion-Tailed Monkey of Western India, which
has an enormous grey beard and ruff almost surrounding the black
face; the Bengal, or Rhesus, Monkey, which, unlike the last-named,
does not possess any trace of either a beard or ruff, and is dis-
tinguished by the erectness of its hair, and being probably the best
known of all the Macaques; the Brown Stump-Tailed Monkey,
which, as the name indicates, has quite a rudimentary caudal appen-
dage, and the Magot, or Barbary, Macaque, which does not possess
a tail at all! Thus, from the lengthy tail of the Bonnet Macaque,
measuring almost, if not quite, the length of the whole body, one
can trace in an interesting way the gradual disappearance of the tail,
FIG. 130..—JAPANESE MACAQUES AND YOUNG
|
|
|
FIG. I131.—MOOR MACAQUE
FIG. 13
=
--—PIG-TAILED MACAQUE
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED _ 167
for, after leaving the Bonnet Macaque, we come to the Bengal, or
Rhesus, thence we follow on to the Pig-Tailed, already described,
and eventually, after making acquaintance with the Brown Stump-
Tailed Monkey, as representing the stump-tailed group of Macaques,
we come, last of all, to the Magot, or Barbary, Macaque, in which
the tail is totally absent.
DUSKY GELADA BABOON.—Three kinds of Baboons are repre-
sented in the illustrations, namely, the Dusky Gelada (Fig. 133), the
Guinea Baboon (Fig 134) and the Ibean Baboon (Fig. 135). Before
treating of these specifically, a few notes may be given of the
general characteristics of these curious members of the Monkey
tribe.
Baboons are to be reckoned as the lowest of the Old World
Monkeys; they are for the most part big, powerful beasts of a
ferocious disposition; they are quite gregarious, and give vent to
their feelings when alarmed or disturbed in no uncertain manner,
uttering barks, screams, and other noises of a peculiar kind.
They possess Dog-like faces, with fore and hind limbs of almost
equal length; long feet, and hair which is ringed or grizzled with
different colours. They are wary beasts, and do an immense amount
of damage not only in gardens and among growing crops, but also
to Sheep. They also feed upon fruit, insects and Lizards. They
chiefly resort to the ground, showing special preference for rocky
and barren hills, not being well adapted for climbing trees, although
sometimes frequenting the same.
Baboons are confined to Africa and Arabia, and Darwin has
observed that they show their anger in two curious ways, namely,
by striking the ground with one hand, “like an angry man striking
the table with his fist, ” and “by opening their mouths widely as in
the act of yawning.” The Dusky Gelada (Fig. 133) and the Gelada
Baboons are placed in a separate genus from the true Baboons
because they have “the nostrils placed on the side of the snout,
instead of being terminal and opening, Dog-like, on the blunt face
of the truncated nose.” The first-named species inhabits North-East
Africa as well as “the eastern boundary of Abyssinia, near the
sources of the Takazze river, on the confines of the Galla country,”
and has also been observed near Magdala. It is darker in colour
than the Gelada Baboon, hence its name of Dusky, and has a ring
of flesh-colour encircling the eyes, and two naked spots on the
chest, surrounded by white hairs which extend to the inner side of
168 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
the arm. The black, naked face; small, deep-set eyes; small ears;
long mane, and bluish-grey callosities are also worthy of note. The
beast measures over four and a half feet in length, excluding the
tail, which extends to about twenty-six inches.
It is in the high Abyssinian mountain ranges that the Dusky
Gelada makes its home. Here, among rocky fortresses, it is mostly
secure from enemies, the large Vulture known as the Lammergeir
being one of its chief aggressors. If Man stalks it within striking
distance, it is a dangerous animal to encounter, and the beast will
resort to hurling stones at any one who dares to attack it. At night-
time it hides amid the shelter of the rocks, and before proceeding
to take part in marauding expeditions in the fields, it comes forth
from its hiding-place and suns its body after the night’s repose.
GUINEA BABOON.—The Guinea Baboon (a small family party of
which are shown in Fig. 134) is an inhabitant of West and East
Africa. It has a tapering snout; naked black face, ears, palms, and
soles of the feet; bushy whiskers; brownish-yellow head, back and
limbs; fawn-coloured cheeks and whiskers; and is paler on the throat
and under-side of body.
IBEAN BABOON.-— This Baboon (Fig. 135) is a variety of the
Chacma Baboon of South Africa, where it is found in large troops,
and I do not think I am giving away a secret in stating that the
beast has been accorded its name of IBEAN because the initial
letters stand for Imperial British East Africa.
It resembles the Chacma in its general appearance and habits,
this being the largest of all the Baboons. It resorts to rocky
environments, often in the vicinity of the sea, and although both
ferocious and dangerous, is stated to be very intelligent. It exhibits
a remarkable sense of smell, “especially for hidden water-springs in
dry and arid districts,” and lives, like its relatives, in companies,
which are often made up of a hundred animals. The Chacma is
dark-brown or almost black in colour, with a green wash; the hairs
are grey at the base, ringed alternately with green and black; the
head, arms and legs are black, whilst the face, hands, feet and ears
are dark-blue. The eye is surrounded with a ring of white; the
upper eyelids are white, and the whiskers grey.
VARIEGATED SPIDER MONKEY.—This Monkey (Fig. 136) is very
brilliantly coloured, and has a very wide distribution, “which extends
from the upper reaches of the Amazon in Peru to the banks of the
Rio Negro, flowing from Venezuela into the lower portion of the
Amazon, and northwards into the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia.”
a 4 lah
“
FIG. 133-—-DUSKY GELADA BABOON
GUINEA BABOONS
FIG. 134.
FIG. 135.—IBEAN BABOONS
FIG. 130,.—VARIEGATED SPIDER MONKEY
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED | 169
It was first discovered on the Rio Negro, being described by
Wagner, the German naturalist, but it was not until 1870 that the
first living specimen reached England, and this only lived a month.
It has long, thick black fur, which is very soft, and white cheeks.
Across the forehead there is a bright reddish-yellow band; the
underneath is greyish-yellow in the female and yellow in the male,
and, as Fig. 136 clearly portrays, the eyes are very prominent, being
pale blue in colour.
It is an inhabitant of the forest, travelling about in small com-
panies. Active in disposition, it must be a fine sight to observe the
male in his brilliant dress in his native wilds. The food consists of
berries.
BLACK LEMUR.—The Lemurs are a most interesting family of
Monkeys, divided into four sub-families, and of these we have
representatives in the Black Lemur (Fig. 137), Dwarf Lemur (Fig.
138), Grey Slow Loris (Fig. 139), Slender Loris (Fig. 140) and
Maholi Galago (Fig. 141), whilst it is proposed to finish this section
of our work by referring to the Douroucolis (Fig. 142), which are
small animals somewhat Lemurine in appearance.
The distinguishing characteristics of the typical Lemurs are the
thick woolly fur; the Dog-like snout and nostrils, and the structure
and number of the teeth. The true Lemurs—to which the Black
Lemurs shown in Fig. 137 belong—have small oval ears profusely
clothed with long hair; the fore and hind limbs are of about the
same length; and the tail is long and bushy. Among these true
Lemurs may be found some of the most brilliantly coloured of living
animals. They are of social habits, and although some kinds do not
lead an arboreal life, the majority do so.
Unlike the other members of the Lemurinz, these true Lemurs
are not nocturnal, but feed at morning and evening, resting during
the heat of the day and sleeping at nightfall, “with their long tails
coiled about them.” They progress on all-fours, and differ in this
respect from most of their relatives, and feed upon fruit, birds and
their eggs, and also insects. These true Lemurs all inhabit
Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, lying in the west of the Indian
Ocean.
Solicitous for the welfare of her young, the female carries her
babies about with her, they being hidden among the thick hair of
her breast; when, however, the youngsters are too big to be thus
pampered, they adhere to the mother’s back.
The Black Lemur is an inhabitant of the North-West coast of
170 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Madagascar, and whilst the young females possess the colour of
the mother, the young males resemble their father. The colour
of the male is quite black, as Fig. 137 shows, the general colour of
the female being rich ferruginous brown, with the arms, legs and
neck reddish-yellow, and the throat and under-parts creamy-white.
DWARF LEMURS.—The Dwarf Lemur (Fig. 138) is a tiny creature
belonging to a different genus from the last-mentioned species, and
these Dwarf Lemurs have the distinction of being the smallest of
the Monkey tribe, to which, of course, they belong.
In size they are inferior to the common Brown Rat, as can be
ascertained by a reference to the photograph, in which some grapes
in the foreground will serve as a comparison.
Most nocturnal animals are characterized by the large size of the
eyes, and in the case of these Dwarf Lemurs we find no exception
to the general rule, for by means of these prominent bright organs
of sight the little beasties are able to distinguish small objects in the
dark. Their food consists principally of insects and fruit. The
hind-limbs are longer than those in front; the snout is short, and the
ears elongated.
There are five species of Dwarf Lemurs, known as the Small
Dwarf Lemur, which is the smallest of all the Lemurs; the Dormouse
Dwarf Lemur, which has a round, Cat-like head, and is redder in
colour than the last-named; Smith’s Dwarf Lemur, a rare species,
which has apparently not been observed to any great extent; the
Fork-Marked Dwarf Lemur, which is reddish-grey, and distin-
guished by “the black dorsal streak bifurcating on the forehead into
two branches, extending on the inner side of the ears and terminat-
ing over each eye,” and a fifth species known as Coquerel’s Dwarf
Lemur, or, as it is called by the natives, the “Sisiba,” which
resembles the Fork-Marked kind, but is somewhat smaller.
GREY SLOW LORIS.—The Slow Lemurs constitute a separate
sub-family known as the Lorisine, one genus being represented in
Asia and the second in Africa. These Slow Lemurs have soft woolly
fur; a pointed face; large piercing eyes not far removed from one
another; and fore and hind limbs of about equal proportions.
Their distribution in Africa is restricted to the western portions
of the great continent, whilst the Asiatic species inhabit India, Malay
and Indo-China. The Grey Slow Loris in Fig. 139 came from
China, The Slow Loris is ashy-grey on the upper parts, paler
underneath, with a silvery back and rufescent rump; there is a
FIG. 137.—-BLACK LEMURS (MALE AND FEMALE)
FIG. 135.—DWARF LEMURS
FIG. 139.—GREY SLOW LORIS
FIG. 140.—SLENDER LORIS
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 171
chestnut-brown dorsal stripe from the crown to the loins; a dark-
brown circle round the eyes; and a prominent line of white down
the nose and near the eyes. It varies a great deal, however, in both
size and colour according to the district it frequents, and so great is
the variety exhibited that some zoologists have accorded certain
individuals specific distinction. This accounts for the name of Grey
Slow Loris being given to the specimen depicted in Fig. 139, the
silvery-grey fur of this animal entitling it, in the opinion of some
naturalists, to be designated a distinct species.
It is a tree-loving animal of nocturnal habits, and resembles the
Slender Loris in this respect. It is not gregarious, either being of
a solitary disposition or living in pairs. As its name indicates, it
is of slow movement, and differs in a marked manner from the true
Lemurs in this respect.
SLENDER LORIS.—The Slender Loris (Fig. 140) is an inhabitant
of Ceylon and Southern India, and has been referred to by Dr.
Forbes—to whose work acknowledgment is due for a great deal of
the information in the latter part of this chapter—as a “curious,
emaciated-looking little creature” which “is nocturnal, living
entirely in trees. It sleeps during the day rolled up in a ball, with
its head between its legs, grasping its perch with its hands. Accord-
ing to Jerdon, these animals are occasionally brought in large
numbers to the Madras market, their eyes being a favourite remedy
of the Tamil doctors for ophthalmic diseases. In its movements it
is slightly more active than the Slow Loris. Its food consists of
succulent leaves, honey, insects, birds’ eggs and small animals.”
This species is so called because of its slender body and limbs,
and these are clothed in soft, close woolly fur. The large eyes show
up very prominently on the short, round head; the nose is pointed
and narrow; and the ears small. In colour it is dingy-grey on the
upper parts and greyish-white below. It is eight inches in length,
and the young are more rust-coloured than the parents.
GALAGOS AND MOUSE LEMURS.—The Galagos are closely related
to the two small animals last under review, and this sub-family of the
Lemurs is split up into two groups, the one consisting of those kinds
which are found on the African mainland, and the other of those
only inhabiting Madagascar, known as the true African Galagos and
Mouse Lemurs respectively.
The last-named are represented by the Maholi Galago in Fig.
141. The Galagos have soft woolly fur; they vary in size; the ears
172 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
are of large size, and the sense of hearing is very acute. The large
eyes and elongated tail are also worthy of note. The species found
in Madagascar, and known as the Mouse Lemurs, are usually of
smaller size than their mainland relatives, and the snout protrudes
beyond the lower jaw. Brief reference may be made to the species
included under each genus. Among the first genus, namely, the
Galagos, we have Garnett’s Galago, which is found on the East
African coast; the Senegal Galago, which is a beautiful little Lemur,
originally recorded from Senegal in West Africa, but now known to
occur in other parts; Allen’s Galago, named after Captain Allen,
R.N., who first obtained it from Fernando Po in 1837; Demidoff’s
Galago, which occurs in Senegal, as well as in Central Africa;
Monteiro’s Galago, which was discovered by Mr. Monteiro in Cino
Bay, West Africa; and the Great Galago of the South-East coast of
Africa and some parts of the interior, and which the Portuguese call
the “Rat of the Cocoanut Palm” because of its habits of “nestling
by day among the palm fronds, its ears folded up like a Beetle’s
wing.” <A variety of the Great Galago known as Kirk’s Galago
occurs in the “maritime regions and mangrove forests of the East
coast,” and has the habit of imbibing too freely if it can obtain access
to a pot of palm-wine, becoming intoxicated, and behaving in such
a way that it may be easily captured. It thus pays the penalty for
breaking the pledge !
There are four species of Mouse Lemurs, and these may be
briefly mentioned before we pass on to the Douroucolis. Milius’
Mouse Lemur is a rare species about the size of a Guinea Pig; the
Black-Eared Mouse Lemur is a much rarer animal still, but closely
resembling the last-named; the Hairy-Eared Mouse Lemur; and
Crossley’s Mouse Lemur, which is very nearly related to the last-
mentioned species, and both of which are exceedingly rare, and of
whose habits we are at present woefully ignorant.
DOUROUCOLIS.—The last members of the Monkey tribe with
which we are here concerned are the Douroucolis, of which an
illustration is given in Fig. 142. These are small creatures, some-
what resembling the Lemurs in general appearance, with a short,
thick body; a rounded head; and a short, round face encircled with
a whitish ruff. The face is chiefly conspicuous because of the extra-
ordinarily large yellowish eyes; the moderately long tail is bushy,
but non-prehensile, and the body is clothed with soft, close woolly
fur.
FIG. I141.—MAHOLI GALAGO
FIG. 142.—-DOUROUCOLI
FIG. 143.—DINGO
FIG. I44.——AUSTRALIAN DESERT JERBOA RAT
MONKEYS, APES AND THEIR KINDRED 173
Douroucolis are nocturnal and arboreal animals; they are
eminently vociferous, uttering Cat-like cries or loud howls, and the
food is made up of fruit, insects and small birds.
Their range extends “from Nicaragua to the Amazon and Eastern
Peru,” and the Indians call them ‘Devil Monkeys.” They are
difficult to keep in captivity, being of a delicate nature.
Reference may be made in concluding this chapter to the five
species included in this genus, namely, the Three-Banded Dourou-
coli, which has a remarkably loud voice for an animal‘ which is only
about a foot in length; the Lemurine Douroucoli, which inhabits
Colombia and Upper Amazonia and other parts of North-Western
South America; the Red-Footed Douroucoli, whose distinguishing
characteristic is sufficiently indicated by its name; Azara’s Dourou-
coli, which is found in the North-East of the Argentine, ‘but not in
Paraguay proper,” and the Feline Douroucoli, which is a rare species
closely related to the last-named, but to be distinguished by ‘the
three facial streaks, irregular and combining together on the crown,
the middle one broad and lozenge-shaped ; the frontal spots short and
white; fur longer and more woolly; neck, chest, under-surface of
body, inner sides of the limbs and the base of the tail yellowish ; tail
round.”
We next proceed to make acquaintance with the mammals of
Australia, and in this section I give way to my good friend and
brother naturalist, Charles Barrett, whose informative and entertain-
ing sketches will, I am sure, prove of interest and value.
CHAPTER X
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA
By CHARLES BARRETT, M.A.O.U.
’ (MELBOURNE, VICTORIA)
CO-EDITOR OF “THE EMU”
INTRODUCTION.— The animals of Australia form a remarkable
. assemblage of strange types which are of absorbing interest to both
the scientific zoologist and the field naturalist. Where else in the
world will be found such a variety of forms which present problems
for the biologist to solve, and possess curious habits for the con-
sideration of field workers? Many great naturalists have visited
Australia and spent more or less time in the island continent study-
ing the fauna; and they have published books giving the results of
their investigations. Now, these books often contain much valuable
riaterial, but they also contain a good deal of erroneous information
—Statements based on meagre observation or “facts” gleaned at
second hand. To properly study the Australian fauna one must
dwell in the land over which the Southern Cross beams in benedic-
tion. I have read in books compiled by hasty travellers that in
Australia men hunt the Kangaroo with doormats hanging from their
necks to defend their bodies from the terrible claws of the giant
marsupials. Perhaps it is hardly necessary at the present time to
give denial to such an absurd statement, yet others equally foolish
and false have been published in books and magazines during recent
years.
For readers who may desire to pursue the subject of Australian
natural history beyond these pages no better work can be recom-
mended than Lucas and Le Souéf’s Animals of Australia. It
contains a fund of reliable information, and I am indebted to the
authors for some of the facts I am about to set out.
Of all the distinguished naturalists who have visited Australia
174
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA EG
one stands out as a most memorable figure in the pageant of
science: Charles Darwin, whose name is associated for ever with
the great theories of evolution and natural selection. In the nine
teenth chapter of his fascinating book, The Voyage of the ‘ Beagle,’
Darwin describes his journeys in New South Wales, and gives some
fleeting impressions of man and beast as he found them there exist-
ing. Alfred Russell Wallace, whose name is as illustrious as that
of Darwin, has written wisely and well of Australian natural history,
and his passages on the marsupials and monotremes and other ancient
types that still survive in these regions are too well known to be
again quoted.
It will be necessary, before proceeding with a description of
the fauna, to give some account of the geological history of the
Australian region, and the relationship of the marsupial forms to the
higher orders of mammals inhabiting other parts of the world. An
imaginary line known as Wallace’s line passes between two small: , | -
Malayan islands, Bali and Lombok, and divides the Australian
region from the rest of the world. As every reader of The Malay
Archipelago will remember, the difference between the flora and
fauna of Bali and Lombok is greater than that which exists between
China and Peru. On the Asiatic side, Bali is linked with Java and
Sumatra, the habitat of the Rhinoceros, Elephant, Tiger and Tapir,
while Lombok’s inclusion in the Australian zone is proved by the
presence of marsupial forms restricted to that region. It is believed
by geologists that zons ago Australia was connected with South
America by means of an Antarctic continent; and there is also
evidence that South America, Africa and Australia were probably
united through a southern continent. It is fascinating to speculate
on these vanished ‘“land-bridges,” to recreate continents which, if
they ever had existence, disappeared in the sea long ere the advent
of man on this ancient planet.
One of the most interesting evidences of the former land con-
nection between South America and Australia is found in the dis-
tribution of a species of fresh-water fish, the Mountain Trout, or
Minnow. This little fish is abundant in some Australian creeks and
streams; the boys of the bush catch it on sunny half-holidays, little
knowing its wonderful history. The Mountain Trout is also found
in the lakes and rivers of Patagonia, and it has been captured in
some of the islands which lie midway between the two Continents.
Then, at Santa Cruz, on the coast of South America, fossil remains
176 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
of an animal closely allied to the carnivorous marsupials of Australia
have been discovered. It is all very wonderful. But “knowledge
grows from more to more,” and naturalists who flourish in the next
century may find reason either to endorse or to modify or even to
discard the theories we students of to-day have faith in and have
built up with such care and labour.
With the knowledge at present possessed, it seems improbable
that the primitive marsupials characteristic of Australia entered the
continent from the north; they may have been cradled in Africa, and
from thence spread to the two great Southern lands. The higher
mammals were kept out of Australia by the Strait of Lombok—that
deep, narrow channel of the sea has been a barrier to southern
migration for a longer period of time than the mind can easily
think upon.
In the introduction to his Marsupials and Monotremes, Mr.
Lydekker gives a lucid summary of the peculiarities of Australian
zoology.
“Differing widely from all other regions of the globe,” he writes,
“as regards both its fauna and flora, the great island continent of
Australia, together with certain of the south-eastern Austro-Malayan
islands, is especially characterized by being the home of the great
majority of that group of lowly mammals commonly designated
marsupials or pouched animals. Indeed, with the exception of the
few species of the still more remarkable monotremes, or egg-laying
mammals, nearly the whole of the mammalian fauna of Australia
consists of these marsupials, the only other indigenous mammals
being certain Rodents and Bats, together with the native Dog, or
Dingo, which may or may not have been introduced by man. All
the other orders, such as the Ungulates, or Hoofed Mammals, the
Apes and Lemurs, and the Carnivores are conspicuous by their
absence from the Australian landscape, where their respective places
are taken by the numerous representatives of the marsupial order,
which have adapted themselves to all modes of life. We have, for
instance, both terrestrial and arboreal types, while one form recently
discovered passes an underground existence like the Mole. Some
again are carnivorous and others herbivorous; while among the
former certain kinds live on flesh and others on insects; an equal
diversity obtaining among the vegetable feeders.”
Australia has been isolated for countless ages, and its mammals
have developed along their own lines. In this region survive the
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 177
most primitive of all mammals, the Egg-Laying Monotremes, the
Duck-Billed Platypus and the Spiny Ant-Eater. The Marsupials
and Monotremes are most ancient types, and their intelligence is in
an undeveloped state. In the marsupials the brain is small in propor-
tion to the size of the head and body. There are other features in
the structure of these animals which clearly indicate low organization.
“There is,” states Mr. Lydekker, “one marked peculiarity in
regard to the succession of the teeth of marsupials. Instead of the
whole of the first set of teeth being replaced by a second set of
permanent teeth, as in other mammals, one tooth only succeeds, and
that not constantly. In fact, the mammals of Australia, from what-
ever point of view regarded, are of exceeding interest. Primarily,
of course, the scientific naturalist and the biologist must deal with
the Marsupialia, but in no part of the world is a finer field than
Australia offered the outdoor naturalist for investigation. But there
must be no delay; for Australia is no longer the wild land that
Darwin found when he landed at Sydney over seventy years ago.
Vast areas of ‘ bush’ have been cleared, and the work of ‘ reclaim-
ing’ goes on unceasingly. Where once the Kangaroo fed peace-
fully, save when disturbed by the aboriginal hunters, flocks of Sheep
now pasture, and the old-time haunt of the Emu is become a wheat-
field. If something is not done to save them (other than the passing
of ineffective game laws) the most interesting race of animals at
present existing on our globe will become extinct. Nearly all species
of marsupials are ruthlessly hunted down. In the early days of
settlement the colonists formed Kangaroo ‘ drives.’ Thousands of
Kangaroos and Wallabies were rounded up by parties of men on
horse and afoot, and when the unfortunate animals were hemmed
in the slayers came among them and brutally did their work. This
was termed ‘sport’ (?). And to-day the work of destruction still
goes on. Marsupials are killed for their pelts, which are valuable.
They are victims of the fur trade. Opossums, Kangaroos, Wallabies
and native Bears (Koala) are all persecuted and being reduced in
numbers. And they are gradually being driven back to the very
wildest parts. No longer is it possible to see a Wallaby or Kangaroo
on the outskirts of any of the capital cities of the Commonwealth.
In fact, there are thousands of native-born Australians who have
never seen a Kangaroo outside some Zoological Gardens.
“Some of the methods adopted by the pelt-hunter in Australia are
barbarous. Opossums and Wallabies are caught in snares and gins
N
178 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
which must entail great suffering on the unfortunate victims ere
death brings relief. The gun, of course, is largely used where the
bigger mammals are concerned. But there is very little sport in
Kangaroo hunting. The chasing of a timid, harmless creature is
not sport. Unlike South Africa, for instance, Australia offers no
attractions to the ‘ mighty hunter.’ The man who finds Fox hunting
a sport for weaklings and desires to face dangerous wild beasts should
not come to the new Commonwealth. There is not a single creature,
exclusive of the many poisonous Snakes, in the bush which it is really
dangerous to meet unarmed. A ramble through an Indian jungle or
an African or South American forest is fraught with danger to un-
armed man. He may be surprised by a Tiger, a Lion or a Jaguar; but
in the Australian bush nothing is to be feared in that respect. No
fierce-fanged beasts lurk in the silent places ready to pounce on and
rend the disturber of their peace. In most of the States, too, the wild
man has become as a tale that is told. Only in the central deserts and
in the far north-western portions of the continent does the savage
aboriginal now roam; and his days are numbered on the scroll
of fate.”
Although it is proposed to deal here chiefly with the Pouched
Mammals of Australia, it may be interesting to include the Eutheria
and Reptiles in the census. The figures are from Animals of
Australia.
Mammalia.—Monotremes 2, Marsupials 106, Eutheria 106.
Reptiles.—Crocodiles 2, Turtles and Tortoises 12, Snakes 105,
Lizards 390.
Amphibia.—Frogs and Toads 62.
Australia is peculiarly rich in Reptiles—but, as Kipling would
say, that is another story.
In concluding these introductory remarks on the Mammals of
Australia, I cannot do better than quote a sonnet composed in
honour of the land of the Southern Cross by one of her most gifted
sons, Mr. Bernard O’Dowd.
“AUSTRALIA
“Last sea-thing dredged by Sailor Time from space,
Are you a drift Sargasso, where the West
In halcyon calm rebuilds her fatal nest ?
Or Delos of a coming Sun-God’s race?
Are you for Light, and trimmed with oil in place
Or but a Will-o’-Wisp on marshy quest? :
A new demesne for Mammon to infest ?
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 179
Or lurks millennial Eden ’neath your face?
The cenotaphs of species dead elsewhere
That in your limits leap and swim and fly,
Or trail uncanny harp-strings from your trees,
Mix omens with the auguries that dare
To plant the Cross upon your forehead sky,
A Virgin helpmate Ocean at your knees.”
That magnificent ninth line—
“The cenotaphs of species dead elsewhere ”—
gives the natural history of Australia in a nutshell.
DINGO. The Dingo, or Wild Dog of Australia, (Fig. 143),
presents an insoluble riddle to naturalists. How did it enter
Australia, and from what “undiscovered country” did it migrate
to the land of Marsupials? Ranging over the whole of the continent,
the Dingo is the sole representative in Australia of the land car-
nivora. Authorities place the Dingo, on dental and skeletal evidence,
in an intermediate position between the Wild Dogs of Southern
America and the Dogs and Wolves of the Old World. A handsome
animal, the Dingo is about the size of a Collie Dog, measuring five
feet in length and over two feet in height. The head is Fox-like and
the ears short and erect, giving the animal an alert appearance.
The following admirable description of Australia’s Wild Dog is
given by Lucas and Le Souéf—
“The body is well covered with hair of two kinds, a grey under-
fur, and longer hairs which give the body colouring. The tail is of
moderate length, bushy, but hardly with the brush of the Fox. The
colour varies from yellow or brownish-red to even black, the Western
Dogs being darker. The under-parts and inner surfaces of the
limbs are lighter, and may be whitish. The feet and the tip of the
tail are often white. Albinos occur, and these frequently breed true,
so that a white race might be established. Females seem always to
predominate.”
The same authorities are of opinion that the Dingo reached
Australia without the aid of man in Pliocene times. He did not
come from the South, for Dingoes are not found in Tasmania. “It
is probable,” write our authors, “that he” (the Dingo) “is a descend-
ant of some Miocene or early Pliocene Dog of South-Eastern Asia,
who wandered into Australia when the land-bridge still existed where
Torres Strait is now. The destruction of that bridge severed him
from his kindred, and left him free to take possession of the new
territory. At first he had to compete with the Marsupial ground
N2
180 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
carnivores, but these he soon ousted, endowed as he was with far
superior strength and intelligence.”
The Dingo was known to the aborigines as the Warrigal, and
they alone have succeeded in partly domesticating him. Reared
from puppyhood in the black’s camp, the Dingo is made a great pet
of by its owner, and it helps him in his hunting. : :
Dingoes have inter-bred with settlers’ dogs in the wilder parts,
and the cross-breeds are sometimes very fierce and powerful animals.
The Dingo is an outlaw with a price upon its head. For it is a
Sheep-killér, and that, in Australia, as in other sheep countries, is
an unforgivable crime. On most of the large stations or sheep-runs
one or more Dingo trappers are employed to keep the Wild Dog in
check. These men earn good wages, for their work of destruction
is of vital importance to the,sheep owners. ,
JERBOA RAT.—It i$ not the plan of this work to describe all the
Australian mammals, ‘the following pages dealing with the Mar-
supials and Monggitremes ; but the Rodents, of which Australia pos-
sesses her share, cannot be passed over altogether. Many interesting
species of Mice and Rats are found within the borders of the
Commonwealth. Of the genus Mus twenty-eight species have been
described. Byt the” most interesting forms are those comprised in
the genus Conilurus, which is confined to Australia. Fourteen
spécies of Jerboa Rats are known. They are quaint-looking little
animals with habits similar to those of the Jerboas of Northern
Africa and Central Asia. The hind-limbs are much lengthened, and
the mode of progression is by leaps or hops, after the manner of a
Kangaroo.
The Nest-Building Jerboa Rat (C. conditor), which is the only
species that can be described here, wears greyish-brown fur; the
head and body are about six inches long, and the tail also measures”
the same. As the name implies, these animals construct nests; they
live in “ colonies,” and the large domed nest is the result of com-
bined labour. It is built about a bush, the branches of Which are
interlaced, various other sticks and twigs being added. The nest is
divided into cells or compartments, which are warmly lined with
grass bents. Each compartment is said to be sacred to the. use of one
family only; but the different “rooms” of this strange dwelling
are connected by passage ways.
Fig. 144 depicts the Australian Desert Jerboa Rat.
FIG. 145.—GREAT RED KANGAROO
FIG. 146.—GREAT GREY KANGAROO
FIG. 147.—GREAT GREY KANGAROO (ALBINO)
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 181
ORDER MARSUPIALIA
As shown in the introduction, the Marsupials are of absorbing
interest to scientific zoologists, and they have accordingly been
exhaustively studied. Mr. Olfield Thomas, of the British Museum,
has done much valuable work, and the results are published in the
Catalogue issued by the great institution with which he is con-
nected. It is, of course, highly technical, but Mr. Lydekker, in his
monograph already referred to, has drawn upon the larger work and
given a great deal of interesting information in more popular
language. It is to his book that I am indebted for facts concerning
structure, etc., which are mentioned hereafter.
What is a Marsupial? The name is derived from the word
marsupium, or pouch, but this feature is not found in every species,
so it will not serve as a definition. A general characteristic of the
order is found, says Lydekker, in the imperfect state of development
in which the young are born into the world. They are tiny helpless
lumps of flesh, and display scarcely any movement. A new-born
marsupial is a very ugly object, repelling, indeed, to human eyes,
although doubtless the mother thinks it the sweetest little thing in
the world. Immediately after birth the young are lifted from the
ground by the mother and transferred to her teats. Opening the
pouch with her fore-paws, a Kangaroo mother first places the mouth
of the helpless babe on to the tip of the nipple, which is hardened
and pointed. Of itself the tiny creature could hardly drink of the
fount of life-giving liquid to which it is attached, so the doe gently
causes the milk to flow into the quivering little body. The young-
ster clings to the nipple, which, swelling in its mouth, cannot slip
out again. It is asserted by close observers that if the baby Kan-
garoo is removed from the teat by force it cannot be attached again,
as the organ becomes soft, and the youngster inevitably dies. The
lips, which almost form a circle, are provided with muscles specially
modified for grasping. The teats in all Marsupials are situated in
the abdomen and usually within the pouch. The infant Marsupials
remain clinging to the nipples of their mothers until they are
sufficiently well developed to perform the usual functions of life.
The Marsupials possess no placenta, and another feature of the
group is the presence in all species, with the exception of the Tas-
manian Wolf, where they are only rudimentary, of a pair of bones
182 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
on the lower portion of the pelvis; these are known as the epipubic
bones. The relatively small brain has already been mentioned as a
characteristic of Marsupials, also the peculiarity in regard to the
succession of the teeth, which Lydekker considers may be taken as
characteristic of the order.
The Marsupials are placed in a sub-class by themselves. They
differ greatly from the higher mammals, and in form and general
appearance from one another ; structurally, however, they are closely
connected. The order includes both carnivorous and herbivorous
animals, and their habits are various. Some species are specially
adapted for an arboreal life, while others are unable to climb; some
dwell in caves of the rocks, others rear their young, like the Giant
Kingfisher and the Owl, in the hollow spouts of the forest gum-trees ;
but no Marsupial of aquatic habits has yet been discovered. Far
more is known of the structural peculiarities of the Marsupials than
of their habits. Many of them are extremely shy and difficult to
observe in a wild state, and in captivity they change their ways more
or less, like nearly all other animals. The bush naturalist tells some
strange stories about the habits of Kangaroos and Wallabies,
Wombats and Opossums, but the evidence of untrained observers
is not always to be relied upon. There have been some fierce con-
troversies carried on in the Australian newspapers, from time to time,
regarding the mode of birth of Marsupials. Somme bushmen are
firmly convinced that the young of the Kangaroo are born in the
pouch, and no amount of argument will shake their faith in such an
absurd notion.
KANGAROOS.—Perhaps no other species of animal is so inti-
mately associated with its native land as is the Kangaroo with
Australia. Outside the Commonwealth, Australia is almost univers-
ally talked of as the “Land of the Kangaroo,” and the long-legged,
heavy-tailed animal figures in the national coat of arms. It is fitting
that such a unique animal should be thus honoured; but it is to be
feared that a century hence the Kangaroo will be only a memory,
if the present rate of destruction is allowed to continue.
The Kangaroo not only symbolizes Australia, but it is the subject
of myth and legend; in the folklore of many an Australian tribe
you will find it enshrined. The Kangaroo totem is famous, and now
that the blacks have nearly all passed away, the Boy Scouts of the
different States are claiming the big grey animal as their own. On
the troop-flags its form is seen to-day in the city streets in places
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 183
where once the forest murmured and little creeks went sparkling
between mossy banks, on their way to the rivers. Yes, there is
something of romance clinging about the Kangaroo.
Captain James Cook, the great navigator, was the first to bring
the Kangaroo under the notice of European naturalists. It was in
the Summer of 1770, when he was refitting his staunch little vessel,
the Endeavour, at the mouth of the river in New South Wales
which bears that name. The date was June 22. A party who had
been sent ashore to shoot Pigeons for sick members of the crew
returned to the Endeavour with a report that aroused great excite-
ment. The men said that they had seen “an animal as large as a
greyhound, of a slender make, of a mouse colour, and extremely
swift.” Two days later, as Lieutenant Cook was walking ashore at a
little distance from the ship, he also saw the strange animal. Mr.
Joseph Banks, the great naturalist, who was a member of the
expedition, caught a glimpse of the swift, mouse-coloured animal
and expressed the opinion that its species was unknown. On July
14 “Mr. Gore had the good fortune to kill one of the animals before
mentioned, and which had been the subject of much speculation. It
is called by the natives Kanguroo.” And that was how the Kan-
garoo was discovered. The species referred to in Cook’s Voyages
is the Great Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). The Genus
Macropus includes all the true Kangaroos and Wallabies. They
form the first family of the first sub-order of the Marsupials, known
to men of science as Diprotodontia. The Diprotodonts (two front
teeth) include all the herbivorous members of the order, and their
distribution is confined to Australia and the adjacent islands. The
largest of the Marsupials are comprised in this sub-family. Some of
their characteristics are powerful development of the hind-limbs in
comparison with the fore-limbs, and the extremely large size of the
tail. They possess small heads, and the ears are long and upright.
Some of the dental characteristics have been already mentioned.
The incisor teeth never exceed three pairs below and above. The
innermost pair of incisors are very interesting, they are of large size
and are furnished with sharp inner edges which are used by the
animals almost after the manner of a pair of scissors. The molar
teeth are characterized by broad square crowns, with either trans-
verse ridges or blunted tubercles. There are about two score of
living species of Kangaroos and Wallabies. They vary gieatly in
size. The species known to colonists as the “Boomer” and the
184. THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
“Forester” stand as high as an average-sized man, while some of
the Wallabies are no bigger than a Terrier Dog.
The true Kangaroos include the large forms, all of which are
terrestrial. The colour of the fur is generally uniform and sombre.
The mode of progression is by a series of leaps, and the animals
can travel at a remarkable pace in this manner. The enormous tail
is used as a kind of third limb when the animal is at rest, and when
in motion acts as a balance to the fore-part of the body. The tail is
not used as an organ of progression, as is often said; when the animal
is travelling rapidly the tail does not come in contact with the ground.
It is an inspiring sight to see a mob of Kangaroos travelling. The
big grey animals make such astonishing leaps, and they stop for
no ordinary obstacles; over rocks and bushes they go bounding
away, as though springs were concealed in the powerful hind-limbs. '
When feeding, the daintily formed fore-limbs are used by Kangaroos
to help them progress.
The long, sharp claw of the hind-foot is used by the Kangaroo
as a weapon of offence, and hunters of the Marsupial take care to
give it a wide berth when their Dogs have “cornered” an “Old
Man.” Many a fine dog has been killed when dashing at a big
Kangaroo that has been brought to bay. One stroke of that strong
claw on the hind-foot will rip a dog open. When close pressed by a
pack of dogs a hunted Kangaroo will often make a stand with its back
to the broad butt of a gum-tree and fight savagely for life. Woe to
the dog that unwarily comes within reach of the desperate animal.
It will instantly be seized by the fore-paws and held as in a vice
while the Kangaroo raises one of its hind-limbs and rips its foe
open with the big claw.
Kangaroos have been known to seize a pursuing dog and plunge
into a creek or water-hole with it, and hold it under water until the
unfortunate creature was drowned. This is a display of intelligence,
although Marsupials generally are not credited, as previously stated,
with a superabundance of brains. Yet they make delightful pets,
become very attached to those who care for them, and are capable
of learning tricks. Some years ago the “Boxing Kangaroo” was
famous. It was shown in many countries besides Australia, and
earned its owner fame and money. The “Boxing Kangaroo” wore
gloves and displayed a good deal of science in the sparring matches
with its trainer. And it generally “played the game” fairly,
although sometimes the hind-foot was brought into action instinc-
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 185
tively. More than one tame Kangaroo has learned the art of self-
defence. It is not uncommon to see pet Kangaroos and Wallabies
about homesteads in the Australian bush, and some city folk are fond
of having one on their premises.
When pursued by the fierce dogs used to hunt them, female
Kangaroos are in the habit of thrusting the fore-paws into the pouch,
pulling the young one out and throwing it into a bush or somewhere
else. Some observers, who are loath to believe that Kangaroo
mothers can so pervert the maternal instinct as to abandon their
little ones, hold that when the young are cast from the pouch, as
described, they are thus treated to ensure their safety. It may be so,
but there is something to be said for the opposite view.
The colloquial term for a young Kangaroo, all over Australia,
is “Joey.” Few young animals are so charming and engaging as a
“Joey.” Soft furred and with large, dreamy brown eyes, the baby
Kangaroo is irresistibly attractive. A quaint picture mother and
child make when the “Joey” pops its head out of the pouch to take
a brief survey of the outside world. And to see the female hopping
along with her beloved burden is equally charming. The “Joey”
stays in the pouch for some months, and even after it is sufficiently
“grown up” to feed beside its mother, it looks upon its old cradle
as a place of refuge in times of danger. It will take shelter in the
pouch when alarmed, diving in precipitately.
The Kangaroos are exclusive vegetarians; they feed on grass and
green herbage generally, so that it is not difficult to supply their
wants in captivity. Dr. George Horne, of Melbourne, has a tame
Wallaby which is very fond of fresh lettuce-leaves. At feeding time
it comes bounding up to the wire-netting fence of its enclosure, and
when a lettuce is dropped over by a kindly hand, takes it daintily
between its front paws, sits up and munches away, as happy as a
school-boy with a tart.
“Old Bushman,” a sporting naturalist who camped in the
Mordialloc district of Victoria, over half a century ago, when wild
blacks still roamed where now is a thriving township, has some
delightful passages on Kangaroos in a little volume long since out
of print. He was a careful observer, and had opportunities which
can never come again. Here is a quotation from his half-forgotten
book of Bush Wanderings—
“Timid and shy, their ” (the Kangaroos’) “senses of sight, hearing
and smell are most acute. Like the Hare, they appear to be unable
186 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
to see an object directly in front of them when running—at least I
have often stood still and shot one down as it came running up to
me in the open forest. They are very gregarious, and are always to
be met with in smaller or larger droves. J have often seen as many
as one hundred and fifty in a drove, and our general ‘ mobs’ used to
average fifty or sixty. After the rutting season, the ‘old men’ will
often draw away from the ‘ mobs’ and retire by themselves to the
thickest scrub. Each drove frequents a certain district, and has its
own particular camping and feeding grounds. The ‘ mobs’ do not
appear to mix, and when the shooter once obtains a knowledge of
the country, he has no difficulty in planting himself for a shot.
Their camping grounds are generally on some open timbered rise,
and they have well-trodden runs from one ground to another. They
feed early in the morning and at twilight, and I think also much at
night. [The Kangaroo’s habits are diurnal—C.B.] The Kangaroo
lies up by day, during the hot Summer weather, in damp, thickly-
scrubbed gullies; in the Winter, on dry, sandy rises. Here, unless
disturbed, they will remain quiet for hours; and it is a pretty sight
to watch a ‘mob’ camped up, some of them playing with each other,
some quietly nibbling the young shrubs and grass, or basking in the
sun half asleep on their sides. About Christmas [Summer-time at
the Antipodes—-C. B.] the young ones appear to leave their mothers’
sides, and congregate in ‘mobs’ by themselves; I have seen as
many as fifty running together, and very pretty they looked.”
Such scenes as those pictured by “Old Bushman” are rarely
seen now except in the country “out back.” But the present writer
has had the good fortune to see a certain species of Wallaby “at
home.” It was on an island in Bass Strait, which separates Tas-
mania from the mainland of Australia. The island is not large, but
its hills, rock-strewn and clothed with dense scrub, abound in
Wallaby. They are so rarely intruded upon and so little molested
by the two human habitants of the isle that one may go among them
and observe their ways. Sit quietly on a rock and watch the bushes
around. Presently dark brown forms will be seen passing to and
fro, and then, growing bolder, the Wallabies of the hills will come
out into the light and hop about the lichened rocks in the most
delightful manner. They will browse on the scanty herbage within
a few yards of the watcher’s feet. But a sudden movement will send
them darting to cover. For they are not entirely ignorant of man
and his evil ways. Where they are constantly trapped and hunted,
PLaTE XIII.
GREAT RED KANGAROO.
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 187
as in most places where they are found on the mainland, Wallabies
cannot be easily approached. They are too wary to come feeding
about the feet of man the destroyer.
Having given a general account of the Kangaroos and Wallabies,
it is necessary to consider some of the species in detail.
GREAT RED KANGAR00.—The Great Red Kangaroo (Fig. 145),
which is now becoming rare, owing to various causes, is the largest
living representative of its kind. The head and body of an adult
measures about five feet five inches, and the tail forty-two inches. The
fur is short and woolly ; in the male the colour is bright rufous above,
in the female slaty-grey; below the fur is coarser and straight, and
of a pale-grey colour. The fur on the tail is also grey. The Red
Kangaroo is found in Central Australia and on the plains inland in
the Eastern and South-Eastern portions of the continent. This
species moves about in small “mobs,” generally composed of ten or
at most a dozen individuals. It is very swift, the female at one time
being known to the colonists as the “Flying Doe.” The male Red
Kangaroo is robust in form, but the female is rather slenderly built.
From the nature of its fur it is sometimes called the Woolly
Kangaroo. It has a preference for localities where there are “stony
rises” covered with box-trees, and open plain country on which the
pleasant sunlight falls. Professor Baldwin Spencer, F.R.S., writing
of this species, says that during the Horn expedition to Central
Australia it was seen feeding in parties of ten or twelve. “Amongst
these would be two or three large rufous-coloured males, while the
test would be smaller blue-grey females and young ones. ... As
this is the characteristic Kangaroo of this country, there can be no
doubt whatever that it ranges into the inland parts of West
Australia.” The reddish fur of the males is said to harmonize with
the hue of the desert and afford a certain amount of protection from
discovery—another example of that “protective” coloration which
is found in so many members of the animal kingdom.
*“" @REAT GREY KANGAROO.—This species (Figs. 146 and 147) is
so well known that it is often referred to as the “Common” Kan-
garoo. It is the species which Captain Cook discovered, as already
recounted, and the one known to early colonists by such names as
“Old Man,” “Boomer” and “Forester.” The scientific name,
giganteus, is well bestowed, for the Great Grey Kangaroo, although
lesser in size than its congener, the Red Kangaroo, measures when
fully grown about sixty inches from nose-tip to the root of tail; the
188 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
tail itself measuring thirty-six inches. A well-developed male will
turn the scale at 200 lb. What feasts the black fellows must have
enjoyed when the hunters of the tribe brought in a“ Forester Pal Can
you not picture them gathered around the wood fire gorging, as is
their wont, on the half-cooked flesh of the victim? A circle of dark,
savage faces, with the firelight playing upon them, and the “gins”
in the background, eagerly snatching up such scraps as their lords
and masters choose to throw to them. Unlike M. rufus, the Great
Grey Kangaroo is slender in form, slender and graceful, a beautiful
creature in motion and repose. The fur is short and woolly and of
a greyish-brown colour. The tail is brown with a black tip. Dark
“whisker marks” are present on the sides of the nose, which is
hairy between the nostrils.
The Great Grey Kangaroo is distributed over the whole of the
Australian continent, and a variety is also found in Tasmania, that
pleasant island which is like a pendant jewel linked to the mainland
by a necklet of islets strung across the sundering seaway known as
Bass Straits. Known to the aborigines as the “Koora,” the Great
Grey Kangaroo roams over plains and through forests. But it is
not now nearly so abundant as in the days of Captain Cook; the
pelt-hunters often referred to have persecuted it mercilessly, and tens
of thousands of skins are sent to market annually. And the tail is
not despised as a delicacy for the ‘“‘manufacture” of soup. Kangaroo
flesh is not a favourite dish in Australia, although out in the wilds
it is often put in the pot by hungry camping parties. Some species
of Wallaby are more in favour for food, and the flesh of these,
properly prepared by a bush cook, is most palatable. The writer
has enjoyed more than one hearty meal of this kind on his natural
history excursions in Australian wilds.
The Great Grey Kangaroo and other members of the family are
strong swimmers. When the dogs are close upon them they will
plunge unhesitatingly into any creek or river in the way of flight,
and cross it with ease and rapidity. The leaps made by this
Kangaroo are truly astonishing. Mr. Dudley Le Souéf, C.M.Z.S.,
director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, who is an authority
on the Marsupials, mentions having once measured the distance
covered by a female travelling at full speed down a gentle incline;
the span proved to be twenty-five feet. It is said that a male of the
species would clear an even longer space of ground in a single leap.
In the “wild” country of South Australia the writer has seen “mobs ”
GREAT WALLAROO
FIG. 145
I49.—-BRIDLED WALLABY
FIG.
FIG. 150.—BLACK-GLOVED WALLABY
FIG. I51.—URSINE TREE KANGAROOS
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 189
of the Great Grey Kangaroo bound across open spaces of consider-
able width. It is delightful to watch the big grey forms leap into
view and then go thumping away through the brushwood. You
think what splendid sport a Kangaroo race would make, if only the
Marsupials could be trained to keep to a set course and not infringe
racing rules.
WALLAROO.—It is not the purpose of this work to give descrip-
tions of all the many species of Kangaroos and Wallabies; it would
require too much space, and so the more familiar and typical repre-
sentatives of the family have been selected for detailed description.
Among the “chosen ones” the Wallaroo, or Rock Kangaroo, cer-
tainly deserves a place. The Wallaroo (Fig. 148) is a big animal,
equal in size to the “Boomer,” but differing from that form in being
stout and heavy. The fur is thick and coarse, and dark-brown in
colour, deepening into black at the extremities of the limbs and tail.
The Wallaroo is a lover of the ranges; it dwells among the wild and
lonely ridges where the bare rock-faces reflect the red beams of the
Austral sun. It never descends to the plains, content with its haunt
in the rocky hills where silence dwells. The Rock Kangaroo is
found in Queensland, New South Wales, and the centre of Australia.
It has a reputation for savageness, Lydekker stating that it will bite
fiercely when attacked, and strike out with its powerful fore-limbs.
John Gould, writing of this species, says—
“On one of the mountains near Turi, to the eastward of the
Liverpool Plains, it was very numerous; and from the nature of this
and other localities in which I observed it, must possess the power
of existing for long periods without water, that element being rarely
met with in such situations. The summits of the hills to which this
species resorts soon became intersected by numerous roads and well-
trodden tracks, caused by its repeatedly traversing from one part to
the other; its food consists of grasses, and the shoots and leaves of
the low scrubby trees which clothe the hills it frequents.”
BRIDLED WALLABY.—The Bridled Wallaby (Fig. 149), which
was first described by Gould in 1840, is a small, slender animal
with a sharp, woolly-haired nose and soft, thick fur on the body.
The general “colour scheme” is grey, but the chest is white, and
a portion of the back of the neck is black. A prominent white
shoulder-stripe is present, and there is a faint stripe on the thigh.
The tail is grey, with a black tip, and is furnished with a spur.
The head and body measure about twenty-two inches, and the tail
190 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
is eighteen inches long. Its short ears give the Bridled Wallaby a
“smart” appearance. The Bridled Wallaby is very abundant; it
is distributed over the interior of Northern Queensland, New South
Wales and Victoria, and is generally admired for its elegant form.
The male is much larger than the female, but both are charming in
appearance. Their favourite haunt is in the low, stony ranges, and
they love to be in company, being of gregarious habit. The spur-
tail of the Bridled Wallaby and the other members of the genus
differentiate them from all other mammals, with the exception of
the Lion.
Many are the theories which have been put forward to account
for the peculiarity. Of what use is the spur ?—that is the question
which has puzzled generations of naturalists. No one has yet been
able to give a satisfactory explanation, but the writer has some
slight reason to think that the Spur-Tailed Wallabies make use of
their spurs as aids to foothold among the rocks. Whatever its use
may be, it gives its possessors great distinction in the matter of
tails. The Bridled Wallaby has two relatives, who also possess
spur-tails. All frequent rocky solitudes.
BLACK-GLOVED WALLABY.— The Black-Gloved Wallaby (Fig.
150) is of medium size, and slender and graceful in form. Its fur
is soft and thick, colour on the upper parts of the body bluish-grey,
on the under-parts grey, with a yellow tinge. The fingers and toes
are black, the tail grey, with a clearly defined crest of black hairs
above and underneath. The head and body of a full-grown
specimen of M. irma will measure about thirty-two inches in
length, and the tail about twenty-nine inches. The Black-Gloved
Wallaby is found only in the southern portion of Western
Australia, where it is the sole representative of its group. It is a
very beautiful creature, and abundant in its habitats, but little is
known regarding its habits. It is generally seen in the dense
scrub jungles of the Western State.
PADEMELON WALLABY.—The Pademelon Wallaby is one of
the best-known species in Victoria, New South Wales and Queens-
land, the three States of the Commonwealth through which it
ranges. It is particularly abundant in New South Wales in the
“big scrub” districts. It is a very graceful little creature, with
long ears springing from a shapely head. The fur is thick and
soft, grey on the upper portions of the body (rufous on the neck),
and white on the under-parts. The length of the head and body
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA IgI
is about twenty-five inches, and the tail measures about sixteen
inches.
The Pademelon is hunted wherever it is found chiefly on account
of its delicate flesh, which is grateful to the palate of many persons.
It seems a pity that such a charming little animal should be so
much persecuted. But Man has no thought for the creatures under
his dominion when they have the misfortune to be in his way or to
possess flesh, fur or feather which he desires for his own use. And
so the Pademelon will continue to be hunted until its kind is
exterminated.
It is called a pest, inasmuch as it frequents the crops in cultivated
districts, and is alleged to do much damage.
The writer has met with this species both in New South Wales
and in Queensland. It is weird at night in the tropical north to
hear the Pademelon thumping through the scrub. In the sugar-
cane fields it is fond of spending moonlit evenings; you can hear
it crashing through the thick-clustering stalks, whose sap is so
sweet. The tropical scrubs which the Pademelon frequents are a
veritable fairyland to the nature lover. It is here that the botanist
can study that fierce struggle for existence which Darwin and
Wallace and other great naturalists observed, and which helped to
guide them to the golden keys which unlock dark portals guarding
the secrets of Nature. In the “big scrub” the vegetation is
luxuriant; plants great and small struggle fiercely for the light
which means life. Giant fig-trees with far-spreading aerial roots
tower above the graceful palms; the myriad trunks of all the forest
trees are draped with green creepers, and linked together by weirdly
twisted stems of the “Lawyer vine”; orchids with quaint and
beautiful blooms cling to the branches. Does the little Pademelon
take heed of all this wondrous beauty ?
DAMA WALLABY.—The Dama Wallaby is a near ally of the
Pademelon, but is distinguishable from it by the rufous fore-limbs
and the different conformation of the upper incisor teeth. Its form
is, like that of nearly all the Wallabies, very graceful. The fur is
of a grey colour above, excepting on the shoulders, where it is
rufous, and greyish-white on the under-parts of the body. The
length of full-grown specimens from the tip of the nose to the root
of the tail is from twenty-four inches to twenty-eight inches,
according to locality; length of tail seventeen inches. The Dama
Wallaby is confined to Western Australia and some islands lying
192 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
off the Western and Southern coasts. The smaller kind inhabit the
mainland. Lydekker states that the Dama Wallaby owes its Latin
name to the supposition that it was first obtained on Eugene Island,
off the West coast, while Dama is said to be the name given to the
species by the aborigines of the mainland. As with so many
Marsupials, very little appears to be known about the habits of the
Dama Wallaby.
TREE KANGAROOS.—The Tree Kangaroos (Fig. 151) are most
remarkable animals, and they are also very beautiful. There are
five species; three inhabit New Guinea, and two are found in North
Queensland. Few people associate Kangaroos with trees; their
powerful hind-limbs and great tails seem to point to a purely
terrestrial existence. Yet, as stated above, no fewer than five
members of the family are adapted for an arboreal life. Perhaps
some readers of this book have seen a Tree Kangaroo at some
Zoological Society’s Gardens, and been astonished at the agile
manner in which the Marsupial moves about its leafy dwelling-
place. Few naturalists even have seen more of the living Tree
Kangaroo than this, for they are found in remote wilds, and are
shy and difficult to approach. Tree Kangaroos are characterized
by having both pairs of limbs normally proportioned to the body.
There is but a slight difference in the length of the front and the
hinder pair. The tail is very long and thick.
LUMHOLTZ'S TREE KANGAROO. — The best known of the four
species of the genus Dendrolagus is that which inhabits the Herbert
River district, Northern Queensland. Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo
(Dendrolagus lumholtzt) is named after its discoverer, the famous
naturalist-traveller, Dr. Carl Lumholtz, who came to Australia in
the year 1880 with the object of making collections for the
zoological and zootomical museums of the University of Christiania.
He spent fourteen months in constant travel and study in Northern
Queensland, but he brought back to Europe no more remarkable
specimen than the Tree Kangaroo which bears his name. The story
of how the new mammal was discovered is related in Dr. Lumholtz’s
interesting book, Among Cannibals. The natives had told him
of the existence of a tree-dwelling Kangaroo, and he knew no rest
until they brought him a specimen of the strange creature known
to them as “Boongary.”
“TI had just eaten my dinner,” he writes, “and was enjoying
the shade in my hut, while my men were lying about smoking their
FIG. 152.—RUFOUS RAT KANGAROO
FIG. 153.—-SPOTTED CUSCUS
FIG. 155.—RING-TAILED OPOSSUM
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 193
pipes, when there was suddenly heard a shout from the camp of
the natives. My companions rose, turned their faces toward the
mountain, and shouted, ‘ Boongary, Boongary!’ A few black men
were seen coming out of the woods and down the green slope as
fast as their legs could carry them. One of them had a large dark
animal on his back. ,
“Was it truly a ‘Boongary’? I soon caught sight of the dog
‘Balnglan’ running in advance and followed by Nilgora, a tall,
powerful man.
“The dark animal was thrown on the ground at my feet, but
none of the blacks spoke a word. They simply stood waiting for
presents from me.
“At last, then, I had a Boongary, which I had been seeking so
long. It is not necessary to describe my joy at having this animal,
hitherto a stranger to science, at my feet. Of course I did not forget
the natives who had brought me so great a prize. To Nilgora I
gave a shirt, to the man who had carried the Boongary a handker-
chief, and to all food. Nor did I omit to distribute tobacco.”
Dr. Lumholtz obtained some information regarding the Boon-
gary from the natives, and also observed it himself.
“Upon the whole,” he says, “the Boongary is the most beautiful
mammal I have seen in Australia. It is a Marsupial, and goes out
only at night. During the day it sleeps in the trees, and feeds on
the leaves. It is able to jump down from a great height, and can
run fast on the ground. So far as my observation goes, it seems
to live exclusively in one very lofty kind of tree which is very
common on the Coast Mountains, but of which I do not know the
name. During rainy weather the Boongary prefers the young low
trees, and always frequents the most rocky and _ inaccessible
localities. It always stays near the summit of the mountains, and
frequently far from water, and hence the natives assured me that it
never went down to drink.”
It is sad to learn that the first Boongary skin obtained by Dr.
Lumholtz was stolen, when drying, by a Dingo, or Wild Dog, and
mutilated. The Dingo ate the whole of the head and part of the
tail and legs. The natives afterwards brought in other skins,
and so the naturalist’s sorrow was softened and his wrath turned
away.
BENNETT’S TREE KANGAROO.—Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo
(D. bennettianus) has been described as a distinct species; from
co)
194 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
osteological and other details. Its habitat is the Bloomfield River
district, North Queensland.
Mr. D. Le Souéf, C.M.Z.S., relates in Animals of Australia
how one of sixteen specimens of Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo con-
signed to the “Zoo” escaped from its cage on board the steamer,
and jumping at once into the rigging, climbed to the vicinity of the
masthead with astonishing speed. “Up aloft” it seemed to be
perfectly at its ease.
RAT KANGAROOS.The Rat Kangaroos, generally known to
the colonists as Kangaroo Rats, and of which there are several
genera, are very quaint and interesting little animals. The head
is Rat-like, the ears being short and rounded, and the tail hairy.
All the Rat Kangaroos are of small size.
COMMON RAT KANGAROO.—The Common Rat Kangaroo
(Potorous tridactylus) (Fig. 152) inhabits South Australia, New
South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It is about the size of a
Rabbit, the length of head and body being sixteen and a half inches,
tail nine inches. The fur is greyish-brown above and greyish-white
on the under-parts. The genus is characterized by the hind-limbs
not being disproportionately longer than the front pair, and the hind-
feet being shorter than the head. There are several other distinctive
features. Gould states that these Rat Kangaroos run in a different
way from other members of the sub-family, using the fore- and
hind-legs in a galloping manner, and never kicking out with the
hind-feet. They feed in the evening on roots and grasses, reclining
during the hotter part of the day under bushes, where they form
snug little nests of grass bents. The Rat Kangaroos are very
abundant in some parts, and Lucas and Le Souéf state that “in the
undisturbed economy of the bush they play much the same part as
the Rabbit does in England, while the part of the Hare is taken by
some of the smaller Wallabies.”
PREHENSILE-TAILED RAT KANGAROO.— The Prehensile-Tailed
Rat Kangaroos (Genus Bettongia) are most remarkable animals,
distinguished among terrestrial mammals as being the only ones,
so far as is known, which are provided with a prehensile tail.
This tail is said to be used to carry the bunches of grasses of which
the Bettongs make their nests. The tail is bent down over and
round the grasses to be picked. The nest is a hollow in the ground,
the entrance being shielded by grass bents. There are four known
species of these curious Marsupials, closely similar externally. The
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 195
head is Rat-like, and the ears are short and rounded. The colour
of the fur in all the Bettongs is generally grey.
BRUSH-TAILED RAT KANGAROO.—The Brush-Tailed (B. peni-
cillata) is the smallest and one of the most familiar species. The
length of the head and body is about fourteen inches, tail twelve
inches. This species is found all over Australia, except the far
North.
LESUEUR’S RAT KANGAROO. — Lesueur’s Rat Kangaroo (B.
lesueuri) inhabits South and Western Australia. The naturalist
Krefft writes of it as follows—
“Jt is a truly nocturnal animal, which always leaves its burrow
long after the sun is down, in fact, never before it is quite dark. I
often watched near their holes, gun in hand, listening to their
peculiar call; but I always had great difficulty in procuring
specimens, as they were very shy, and hardly to be distinguished
from the surrounding objects. The best plan is always to dig them
out, an operation in which the black fellows are very expert, though
it is rather tedious work, as the holes run into each other, and, being
sometimes ten feet deep, several shafts have to be sunk before a
couple of ‘ Boomings,’ as the animals are called by the natives of
the Murray district, can be secured.”
PHALANGERS.— The Phalangers constitute the second family of
the herbivorous Diprotodont Marsupials. There are over thirty
species, comprising twelve genera. In this family are included the
remarkable Flying Phalangers, or Squirrels, as the colonists
erroneously call them, and the Koala, or “Native Bear.” The
geographical distribution of the Phalangeridz is wide. They range
over the whole of Australia and Tasmania, and are found in New
Guinea and the Austro-Malayan islands.
Mr. Oldfield Thomas, in The British Museum Catalogue of
Marsupials, observes that the Phalangers and their allies may be
considered as the most generalized, and consequently, on presump-
tion, the most ancient types of Diprotodont Marsupials now exist-
ing. They are of essentially arboreal habits; some species are
provided with the useful prehensile tail, and others possess
parachute-like expansions of the skin along the sides of the body.
KOALA.—The Koala, or Native Bear, is one of the quaintest
little creatures to be found in all wild Nature’s realm. It is almost
impossible to give a faithful description in words of this engaging
“Australian native.” It is the most inoffensive of animals, simple
02
196 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
in disposition, and its broad face wears a droll expression of
mingled astonishment and solemnity. These characteristics have
led to the Koala being used as a model by Australian caricaturists ;
it figures frequently in the illustrated papers, and is pictured on the
covers of magazines. A universal favourite with the nature lovers
of Australia, the Native Bear is yet ruthlessly hunted for the sake
of its pelt. Tens of thousands of skins are annually exported to
London; and as a result of this persecution the Koala is becoming
scarce. Some effort, fortunately, is now being made to afford the
inoffensive animal protection; but it is difficult to prevent those
wretched beings known as sportsmen from shooting the Koala. It
is cold-blooded murder to shoot a Native Bear, and cruel in the
extreme, for the Bear is entirely unsuspecting, and its enemies can
encompass its destruction without difficulty. Dwelling in the tree-
tops, it is sleepy during the daytime, clinging to a branch with its
arms and claws, or resting in some hollow stem. Its disposition
is so sluggish that even when alarmed it does not move very briskly.
When wounded it will often remain clinging to a limb, and allow
its body to be riddled with bullets without attempting to escape.
It is most tenacious of life, and some wretches take advantage of
this fact to have what they call sport! A shooting party will some-
times make an unfortunate Bear their target, and fire bullet after
bullet into the suffering creature. The Koala clings so tightly to
a branch sometimes when shot that after death the claws retain
their hold of the bark, and the animal remains hanging there
perhaps for days, or even weeks.
The form of the Koala is short and clumsy, and it does not
possess a tail. The nose is short and broad, and of a black colour.
The general colour of the fur is grey, under-parts white, or white
tinged with yellow. The length of the head and body in a full-
grown specimen is about thirty-two inches. As regards distribu-
tion, it is confined to Eastern Australia. The food of the Koala
consists chiefly of the tender shoots of the gum-trees; it pastures on
young leafage, using its fore-paws in the quaintest manner to bring
the food to its mouth.
The Native Bear makes a charming pet, but it is rather difficult
to keep alive. A friend of the writer’s; owned a young Koala
to which both he and his wife were much attached. It had
been captured when an infant, and reared with infinite pains. It
would follow the lady of the house about, and loved to be nursed
\
bi
¥
&
y
FIG. 157.—-SHORT-HEADED
FLYING OPOSSUM
FIG. 159.— TASMANIAN WOLF, OR TIGER
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 197
by her; if she neglected to notice it, sometimes the Bear would grunt
and groan in the most alarming manner until taken up and caressed.
It came to an untimely end. One day the owner took his pet for
an outing in a park near his city home, and gave it the freedom of
the shrubs and trees; and the simple little mammal ate what proved
his bane, the leaves of some plant which Nature had not ordained
to be the food of Koalas. The Bear died in agony two days later,
despite all the efforts made to save it.
Like many another Australian mammal, the Koala suffers greatly
from parasites; its body is infested with hideous ticks which suck
the blood of their unwilling host. The Bears frequently die from
this cause, and their bodies may sometimes be found lying on the
tracks through the bush.
CUSCUSES. —Five species of Cuscuses are known to naturalists;
one kind is found in Northern Australia, as well as New Guinea
and the Austro-Malayan islands, the remaining species being con-
fined to the two last-named regions. They are nocturnal animals,
and dwell in trees. Like the Koala, the Cuscuses are slow-moving
and sleepy, but they are beautiful in appearance.
SPOTTED CUSCUS.—The best-known species is the Spotted
Cuscus (Fig. 153) (Phalanger maculatus), which ranges over
Northern Australia, Southern New Guinea, the Moluccas and
Waigion. The Spotted Cuscus is curiously coloured. The upper
surfaces of the body display various combinations of white, rufous
and black, frequently spotted; under-parts white, tinged with rufous
or yellow. The tail is of a deep yellow colour, and is about nineteen
inches in length; the head and body measure about twenty-six
inches. The fur of the body is soft, and the small ears are covered
on both sides with soft woolly hair. The eyes are small, and red in
colour. The Cuscus is credited with a bad temper; it is said that
in captivity they are very quarrelsome, and will fight like cats if
two are placed in the same cage. The Spotted Cuscus feeds on
fruits and tender shoots, but the colonists bear it ill-will because
they think that it raids the poultry-roost. Be that as it may, it is
known that the species under consideration does not confine itself
to an exclusive vegetable diet.
OPOSSUMS.—As mentioned in the introduction to the family
Phalangeride, the name “Opossum ” as applied to these Marsupials
is erroneous, for both in structure and habits they differ markedly
from the true Opossums, a carnivorous family confined to America.
198 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
But, as Lucas and Le Souéf remark, the term “Opossum” is so
firmly fixed in the minds of all Australians that it would be hopeless
to attempt to bring any other for the Phalangers into general use. So
in this work it is proposed to make concession to popular opinion,
and call the Phalangers which are known in Australia as Opossums
by that name.
COMMON OPOSSUM.— The Common Opossum (Trichosurus
vulpecula) is distributed over the whole of Australia, with the
exception of the Cape York district. It is a sprightly and engaging
little animal, and a favourite with all nature lovers in the Common-
wealth. As a pet it is highly prized, but, as is the fate of all
Phalangers, it is persecuted by the pelt-hunters, many thousands
being destroyed annually. The skins are extensively used in the
manufacture of carriage and other rugs. The fur of the Common
Opossum is thick and woolly, and of a grizzled-grey colour on the
upper-surfaces of the body; the under-parts are white or yellowish.
The tail is thick and bushy, measuring eleven inches, the length of
the head and body of a full-grown Opossum of this species being
about eighteen inches.
The Common Opossum is found in all sorts of queer situations,
but it is chiefly a dweller in trees; it frequents the lofty gum-trees
(Eucalyptus) of the bush, and during the day lies concealed in the
hollow spouts. When the moon rises the Opossum wakes up, and
its true life begins. It creeps softly about the branches and feeds
on the buds and tender leaves of the tree in which its home is made.
Rarely the animal comes down to the ground; it is so clearly “cut
out” for an arboreal existence that it makes but an awkward figure
on earth. The bush boys, when they desire to capture a full-grown
Opossum alive, first of all wake it up if it be daylight when they go
a-hunting, then, when the little creature has issued from its lair,
they try to chase it into some tree of slender girth, whence it may
be shaken to the ground. The capture is comparatively easy if this
is accomplished. When the Opossum ventures to the ground it is
frequently chased by a Fox or Wild Dog, and owing to its awkward
gait is always in imminent danger of a violent death. At the base
of a big gum-tree the bushman sometimes sees tufts of grey fur
is the ground clawed up all about, telling of a tragedy enacted
there.
*Possum shooting is a favourite sport with Australians; parties of
young men sally forth on moonlit nights with Dogs and guns to
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 199
encompass the destruction of the innocent little Marsupial. It is
very cruel, but it is looked upon as “great fun” by the thoughtless
sportsmen (?), and it is unlikely that while an Opossum remains in
the bush “mooning ” will cease.
The tail of the Opossum is highly prehensible, and of great
service to the animal in its progress through the tree-tops. The
*Possum shooters are sometimes baulked of their prey; for the
stricken creature in falling may twist its tail round a branch, and it
will stiffen there in death, so that the animal remains hanging far
out of reach. The Opossum is a most agile little creature, and it
is delightful to watch them playing about the white boles of the
gum-trees in the moonlight. At whiles they will pause on a bare
branch, silhouetted against the moon’s bright disc, and making a
conspicuous mark for a gunner below. The methods adopted in
trapping the Opossum are singularly cruel. The trapper searches
for a “’Possum tree,” which is known by the marks of the claws
on the trunk, the “blazed trail” of the Marsupial; a noose is fixed
near the fork, so that the ’Possum coming down its accustomed
track will poke its head into the fatal circle, and in attempting to
escape tighten the noose and hang itself. When the noose is
clumsily fixed the unfortunate captive may be only half strangled,
and hang in agony all through the hours of darkness; its pain ends
with the dawn, when the trapper comes and hits it on the head with
a stick.
The Common Opossum is easily domesticated, and is not difficult
to rear. But the intelligence of these Marsupials is not on a high
scale, and although they become very tame and affectionate, it is
rare to see a captive "Possum that can perform any of those engaging
tricks which animal-lovers are so fond of: training their pets to
perform,
But as half-tame pets the Opossums are delightful. In a country
farmhouse once tenanted by the writer, the occupants obtained much
pleasure and amusement from the Opossums which lived in the
spreading branches of three old Moreton Bay fig-trees which
shadowed the roof. At night the Possums would come down on to
the roof and have fine revels in the moonlight. We could hear them
thumping about, and those in the branches would drop the figs
upon which they were feeding, the fruit pattering down like hail-
stones. On one occasion a too venturesome animal climbed the
chimney-stack, and in poking its inquisitive pink-tipped nose into
200 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
the yawning black cavity, overbalanced, and came tumbling down
into the midst of the family. Fortunately for Possum it was a warm
Summer night, and there was no fire on the hearth, or the con-
sequences would have been much worse than they proved to be,
Master ’Possum was captured after a wild scramble about the room,
in which three chairs were upset and a valuable ornament or two on
the mantelshelf broken. “Mr. Squeers,” as the little captive was
immediately named by one of the captors, who is a Dickens lover,
lived happily in a big open-air cage for several years. Then one
moonlit evening, the call of the wild being strong upon him, “Mr.
Squeers” escaped from his cage and went to join his fellows in the
fig-trees. Perchance to this day he lives among the broad green
leaves, and enjoys arboreal gambols when the moon shines bright
and the Southern Cross gleams on the dark blue mantle of night.
SHORT-EARED OPOSSUM.— The Short-Eared Opossum (T.
caninus) (Fig. 154) is closely allied to the Common species, but its
‘distinguishing feature, the short ears, makes it easy to identify. The
tail is thick and bushy, and the greater portion is black. The species
has a fairly wide range over South-Eastern Australia. The writer
met with it while on a recent trip among the islands of Bass Strait.
In the romantic Kent group the lightkeeper’s little daughter, Flora
Robinson, had made a pet of a fine specimen of the Short-Eared
Opossum. It was very tame, would perch on its mistress’s shoulder,
and follow her about the garden like a pet Dog. Strangers had
to be cautious in approaching “Ruffles,” for he would, in wayward
mood, bite and scratch viciously, but the writer, with patience,
succeeded in obtaining a charming photograph of the little maid and
her pet, which has proved highly popular with audiences at lantern
lectures delivered in Melbourne.
RING-TAILED OPOSSUM.—The Ring-Tailed Phalangers, or
Opossums (Fig. 155), as we have decided to call these pleasing little
creatures, are very abundant in many parts of Australia. There are
several species, but it will suffice to deal here with one, the Common
Ring-Tailed Opossum (Pseudochirus peregrinus), which has soft
woolly fur, grey to rufous on the upper parts, and white or greyish-
white below. It is about the size of a small domestic Cat as to the
body, and the tail measures a little over one foot in length. It is not
a dweller in the eucalyptus forests so much as in the scrub-covered
districts. In the coastal tea-tree scrub which grows near the writer’s
home on Port Philip | Bay the Common Ring-Tail is abundant.
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 201
One kept in a large aviary at the end of the bungalow verandah
was closely observed. It was generally sleepy during the daytime,
but uncoiled and came out of its snug bed in a tea-chest as the
evening shadows commenced to deepen under the lilac bushes.
“Chalgo ” was fond of tender tea-tree shoots, but he also liked roses ;
it was a pretty picture when he sat nibbling the petals of a choice
bud given him by the lady of the roses. After giving cage-life a fair
trial, “Chalgo ” decided in favour of the scrub, and one night went
to join “his own people” outside the garden close.
The Ring-Tailed Opossum builds a big dome-shaped nest, which
is said to resemble that of the English Squirrel; it is constructed of
interlaced tea-tree twigs with the leaves upon them, and made very
snug within. It is a favourite amusement of school-boys in Victoria
to search out these nests, and shake the sleepy occupants out and
chase them through the scrub. Many of the “Ring-Tails” are
captured in this way, and taken to the boys’ homes to become pets.
At the shops of the Melbourne bird-dealers, they are sometimes
offered for sale at prices varying from five to ten shillings. They
find a ready market, sailors from the ships in port being frequent
customers; so that a good number must reach England and other
countries overseas in the course of a year.
FLYING OPOSSUMS.—The Flying Opossums are among the
most beautiful of all Australian mammals, and the curious para-
chute-like expansion of the skin along the sides of the body renders
them of peculiar interest.
GREATER FLYING OPOSSUM.—One of the best-known species is
the Greater Flying Opossum (Petauroides volans). It is of fairly
large size, a full-grown specimen measuring seventeen inches from
tip of nose to root of tail; tail twenty inches. The fur is as soft
as silk and very long, the colour being dark-grey to black above,
white or pale yellowish on the under-parts. The colour of the
tail varies from ashy-grey to black. It will be realized from this
description that the Greater Flying Opossum is a strikingly hand-
some creature; it is, indeed, fatally beautiful, the fur is coveted,
but the skin is so tender that it is very difficult to remove it without
tearing. The Greater Flying Opossum ranges over Eastern
Australia, from Queensland to Victoria. The creature, despite its
name, does not actually fly; the parachute-like expansions of the
skin, mentioned above, aid in supporting the body when the animal
makes its long leaps from one tall gum-tree to another. The
202 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL’ KINGDOM
writer has often seen these beautiful animals “flying” on moonlit
nights, while seated outside his bush hut on the Olinda Creek, in
the Dandenong Mountains (Victoria). First of all a dark form
would be observed creeping along the bare branch of a giant gum-
tree, on the opposite side of the creek; on reaching the end of the
limb the Flying Opossum would bunch itself up, and then, leaping
lightly into space, go floating through the moonbeams like a
shadow. The flight is in a downward direction, the Opossum
always alighting on a bough or portion of a tree trunk much nearer
the ground than its “leaping off” place. Sometimes when in flight
these Phalangers scream piercingly, and they will make a similar
outcry when alarmed.
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYING OPOSSUM.—The Yellow-Bellied Fly-
ing Opossum (Petaurus australis) is the largest species, the head
and body of an adult measuring twelve inches in length and the
tail thirteen inches. The fur on the upper parts of the body is
brown, darkest along the backbone and over the parachute expan-
sions of skin. The under-parts are deep orange. The long bushy
tail is grey on the upper surface and orange below, darkening to
black on the tip. This beautiful species inhabits the coastal ranges
of Victoria and New South Wales.
SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYING OPOSSUM.—The Squirrel-Like Flying
Opossum (Fig. 156) (P. sciureus) is the intermediate species. It
is of medium size and the fur is very beautiful, being silky and of
a soft light-grey colour; there is a dark-brown or black stripe down
the mid-line of the back. The colour of the fur on the under-parts
is white, tinged with yellow. The parachute is dark-brown to
greyish above, fringed with white or light yellow. The Squirrel-
Like Flying Phalanger is found in Eastern Australia, its range
extending from Queensland to Victoria.
LESSER FLYING OPOSSUM.—The Lesser Flying Opossum (P.
breviceps) is the smaller of the three species which constitute the
genus Petaurus. It is one of the dearest and prettiest little creatures
imaginable. Clad in soft silky fur and with bright alert eyes, its
every movement is full of grace. And it has most engaging ways.
A young male of this species which the writer kept as a pet when
liberated from its cage for a run in the study would climb about
the furniture delightedly. And at times it would climb the stem
of a small palm-tree growing in a bowl in a corner of the room; a
charming picture the little animal made, clinging there and eyeing
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 203
its master with mingled feelings, apparently of impudence and
curiosity. Alas! my pet met with an accident and went untimely
to the grave. This species is often referred to in the bush as the
“Sugar Squirrel.”
LONG-SNOUTED OPOSSUM.—In Western Australia is found the
Long-Snouted Opossum (Tarsipes rostratus), which, differing widely
from all others, has been placed in a sub-family by itself. Its
form is small and slender and the head is long and narrow; the
general coloration is grey. The Tarsipes, which is nocturnal in
its habits, is a rare species, and very meagre information has been
gathered regarding its mode of life in a wild state. It is provided
with an extensile tongue, which it employs to glean honey from
forest flowers; the tongue is thrust into the fragrant tubes after
the manner of the big hawk moths, whose glimmering wings flutter
about ivy-mantled walls at twilight.
Of a captive specimen of this species, Gould writes—
“It was strictly nocturnal, sleeping during the greater part of
the day, and becoming exceedingly active at night. When intent
upon catching flies, it would sit quietly in one corner of its cage,
eagerly watching their movements, as, attracted by the sugar, they
flew around; and when a fly was fairly within its reach, it bounded,
as quick as lightning, and seized it with unerring aim, then retired
to the bottom of the cage and devoured it at leisure, sitting tolerably
erect and holding the fly between its fore-paws, and always rejecting
the head, wings and legs. The artificial food given it was sopped
bread, made very sweet with sugar, into which it inserted its long
tongue, precisely in the way in which the Honey-Eaters among
birds do theirs into the flower-cups for honey.”
THE WOMBATS.— Differing widely from all other Marsupials,
the Wombats are ungainly looking but most interesting animals.
There are only three species, all included in the one genus.
COMMON WOMBAT.—The Common Wombat (P. mitchell)
(Fig. 158), which is distributed over New South Wales, Victoria
and Tasmania, measures about forty-four inches in length. The fur
is coarse and rough and varies much in coloration; it may be either
yellow, grizzled-yellow and black or yellowish. The ears are short
and rounded. This Wombat, like its congeners, is sturdily built
and very strong, the muscles are powerful and the short stout legs
are capable of much work; the hind-feet are provided with excep-
tionally strong claws adapted for digging, and the Wombats, as
204 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
a class, are digging and root-eating creatures. The tail is rudi-
mentary, and there are distinctive dental features of interest chiefly
to the systematists.
The Wombats, says Lydekker, may be regarded as filling in
Australia the place occupied in the Northern Hemisphere by the
Marmots and in South America by the Viscahas, both of which
are members of the Rodentia.
The Common Wombat, which is known in some parts of
Australia as the “Bush Pig,” lives in burrows which it excavates
in the hard ground in rocky country; sometimes natural clefts in
the rocks—small caves or holes—are taken advantage of; but it is
very little trouble for the Wombat to make its own dwelling, for
with its powerful claws it works rapidly, making the clods fly to
some purpose. The Wombat is a perfectly inoffensive animal, and
its nature is gentle; but it is said to be a very stupid animal, making
no attempt to evade capture when hunted. Perhaps this statement
needs some qualification. Its gait is an awkward shuffling in keep-
ing with the animal’s clumsy form.
The Wombat is hunted a good deal, but the skin only is of
value, the fur being too coarse for any purpose, save, perhaps, to
serve as portion of a door-mat; the writer has seen Wombat skins
lying on the door-step of many a bush dwelling.
TASMANIAN WOMBAT.—The Tasmanian Wombat (P. ursinus),
found in Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait, is much smaller
than the preceding species, in this respect departing from the
general rule indicated by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, that Tasmanian
mammals are of larger dimensions than their allies of the Australian
mainland.
The writer recently had some interesting experiences in con-
nection with this species. During a natural history expedition
among the Bass Strait islands, at the request of the Curator of
the Melbourne Museum, he endeavoured to obtain skins of the
Wombat known to exist on Flinders Island. Uncertainty existed
as to the identity of this animal; it might be only a variety of the
Tasmanian Wombat or identical with it, but, on the other hand, it
might be an entirely distinct species. So the Museum authorities
were naturally very anxious to obtain specimens for comparison
with a series of P. ursinus from the larger island. Three dilapi-
dated skins, almost useless for scientific or any other purposes, were
found lying in the bush at the rear of a bark hut inhabited by
FIG. 160.—SKULL OF TASMANIAN WOLF
FIG. I161.—TASMANIAN DEVIL
AUSTRALIA
NATIVE CAT OF
a DASYURE, OR
16
FIG.
FIG. I 63.——RABBIT-EARED BANDICOOT
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 205
some half-caste fishermen. The natives in response to eager ques-
tions, said that there were plenty of “Badgers,” the name by which
they know the Wombat on the island, and promised to procure
specimens. But this they failed to do, although as much as ten
shillings a-piece was offered for good skins.
A few months later the writer again visited Flinders Island, and
renewed his quest for the mysterious Marsupial. Another mangy
skin was discovered (it was in use as a door-mat), but the island
fishermen had not succeeded in procuring fresh skins. It was
very disappointing. Naturalists, however, are not easily dis-
couraged, especially when on the trail of the unknown, and the
quest in this instance was not forsaken. Landing, a day or two
later, in a beautiful little bay, further round the coast, the writer
rambled along the lonely shore for some distance, when suddenly
he came upon the spoor of a large animal’s foot-prints in the sands,
and followed them up to the entrance of a cave in the rocks on the
edge of the scrub. It was the home of the Wombat. All about
were evidences of recent occupation. But the cave was deep and
narrowed towards the end; it could not be fully explored.
It was a wild day; the rain fell in blinding sheets, and the wind
moaned eerily about that desolate place, so full of interest and of
possibilities. A rough pencil sketch was made of the locality and
of the cave in the rocks. Then the signal of recall came from the
little steamer in the bay, a signal that on these coasts of reefs and
shoals and sudden squalls cannot be disobeyed, and the naturalist
was compelled to hasten away from his “find.” He has the satis-
faction, however, of knowing that specimens of the Flinders Island
Wombat have at length been secured, and are now being “worked
out” by the zoologists of the Melbourne Museum.
HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT.—The last species to be described is the
Hairy-Nosed Wombat (P. latifrons), which is characterized by
having soft, silky fur, mottled-grey above and greyish on the under-
parts. It measures about forty inches, and is an inhabitant of
South Australia.
MARSUPIAL MOLE—The Marsupial Mole, which is found
only in Central Australia and adjacent parts of the Western State,
is a rare and very curious animal. Unlike the European Mole, it
does not make a permanent run, but burrows under the loose sand
of the surface in quest of food, going deeper into solid earth for
the breeding season. Professor Baldwin Spencer, F.R.S., of the
206 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Melbourne University, and Dr. Stirling are the principal authorities
on this remarkable Marsupial and its habits. The eyes of the
Notoryctes are atrophied and it has no external ears. The fur is
long and silky, the colour varying from a light shade to a
deep chestnut-brown; the tail is hard and distinctly ‘‘ringed,” and
is about one inch in length, while the head and body measure
about six inches. The Marsupial Mole is a dweller among sand
hills.
POUCHED MICE. — The animals belonging to this genus are
widely distributed; they range over the whole of the Australian
continent, New Guinea and adjacent islands. Shrew-like in
appearance, they are very charming little creatures, arboreal in
habits and live on insects. Thirteen species have been described,
and all are of small size.
BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE—One of the most familiar
forms is the Brush-Tailed Pouched Mouse (P. penicillata), which is
found all over Australia, except in the far North. It is about the
size of the Common Rat (Rodent), stout in form and clad in short,
coarse fur, grizzled pale-grey above and white or pale-grey on the
under-parts. The length of the head and body is about ten inches,
while the tail, which is covered from about midway to the tip with
long black hairs forming a brush, measures six inches. The Brush-
Tailed Mouse is a tree-dweller and nests in hollow spouts and holes
in the branches. It is very graceful in its movements and makes
a delightful pet. Strangely enough, just before the writer started
to describe the Pouched Mice, a fine example of the species under
consideration was brought to him for identification. It was muti-
lated, a domestic Cat having captured the little animal in the
vicinity of a bush homestead.
NARROW-FOOTED POUCHED MICE.—The Narrow-Footed Pouched
Mice of the genus Sminthopsis are distinguishable from the
Phascologale by the characteristic form of the hind-feet, which
their name implies. In the Phascologale the hind-feet are broad,
with naked soles. In the Narrow-Footed Mice the soles of the
hind-feet are granulated. There are six species of these dainty
creatures. The Common Pouched Mouse (S$. murina) measures
only three and a half inches from tip of nose to root of tail, and
the tail is about the same length. The colour of the fur is much
the same as that of the household Mouse, which indeed the animal
closely resembles in other external aspects.
iSO) pray
An extinct Pterodactyle as it appeared in flight, the extinct Teleosaurus (on left)
and two examples of the Duck- Billed Platypus, the latter still existing in
Australia and Tasmania.
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 207
FAMILY DASYURIDA.— The Family Dasyuridz includes those
remarkable carnivorous Marsupials, the Tasmanian Wolf and the
Tasmanian Devil; it also embraces the so-called Native ‘“‘Cats” or
Dasyures.
TASMANIAN TIGER.— The animal known to the colonists as
the Tasmanian “ Wolf” (Fig. 159) or “Tiger,” is confined to the
Island from which its “front” name is derived. It has been so
ruthlessly hunted down that it is now exceedingly rare, and perhaps
within measurable distance of total extinction. Certainly it takes
toll of the Island flocks, but Science demands that such an inter-
esting animal as the Thylacine should not become a mere memory
or be represented only by skulls and stuffed skins in the museums
of the world.
Wolf-like in general appearance, the Thylacine has short close
fur of a pale greyish-brown colour, with a tawny tint; the hinder
portion of the back is transversely banded with blackish-brown
stripes, sixteen in number; these are continued on the tail, which
has a dark crested tip and measures twenty-one inches in length.
The head and body are forty-four inches ‘over all.” The Tas-
manian Wolf is nocturnal in its habits, spending the hours of
sunlight in a cave of the rocks or a hollow tree trunk. It inhabits
only the wildest parts of the Island, and in the night-watches issues
from its lair to raid the flocks. It is a lonely hunter, and its ferocity
makes it a formidable adversary for the shepherd’s faithful dogs.
The cry of the Thylacine is a low guttural growl or cough rapidly
repeated. Four young ones are produced at a birth.
TASMANIAN DEVIL.—The Tasmanian Devil (Fig. 161), like the
Thylacine, is no longer common as it was in the early days of
settlement. The Devil is a great sheep-killer, and so its days on
earth are numbered. It is nocturnal in habit and spends the day
in its burrow. In general appearance the Tasmanian Devil
resembles a Bear. The body is very powerfully built, and the head
large and broad. The fur is thick and close and generally of a
black or blackish-brown colour. White patches are sometimes
present on neck, shoulders, rump and chest, the horse-shoe-shaped
marks in the latter position being constant. The length of the head
and body is about twenty-eight inches in a full-grown specimen,
tail twelve inches. The animal is provided with very powerful
canine teeth ; it is of sluggish disposition, but so fierce when aroused
that it becomes a foe which the sheep-dogs are loath to attack. Its
208 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
cry somewhat resembles the bark of a dog, but is hollow-sounding,
and it occasionally grunts or snorts.
NATIVE CATS.—The Dasyures, which are universally known in
Australia as “Native Cats,” are Marten or Civet-like creatures,
slender in form, and with long narrow ears and long hairy tails.
In all species the body is spotted. Their range comprises
Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and the adjacent islands. The
Native Cats are both flesh-eaters and insect-eaters, and, generally
speaking, their mode of life is arboreal. They are not loved
by owners of poultry; but despite their depredations in this
direction, one cannot but sorrow for their rapidly decreasing
numbers.
The Common Native Cat (Fig. 162) (D. viverrinus) is a slenderly
formed animal of medium size, clad in pale-grey or black fur, thick
and soft. The large white spots on the body enhance the beauty
of the animal’s appearance, and the unspotted bushy tail, with its
white tip, does not lessen the effect. A fierce little beast, the
Common Native Cat is not averse to the neighbourhood of man. It
is said that they will haunt the vicinity of a homestead where there
are hen-roosts and take toll during hours of darkness. It is with the
Dasyures evidently a case of cupboard love. The Common
Dasyure is found in Eastern New South Wales, Victoria, South
Australia and Tasmania.
BANDICOOTS.—The Bandicoots (Fig. 163) are small burrowing
and omnivorous animals, ranging over Australia and New Guinea.
They are of quaint but delicate form, the ears being long and narrow
and the nose short and slender. The hind-limbs are longer than
the fore pair and the tail is long and not prehensile. Lydekker
regards the Bandicoots as a highly specialized offshoot from the
Dasyures.
The Bandicoots are all ground dwellers, and walking through
the bush one frequently frightens the little animals from under-
neath bushes and logs. They are agile, and dart quickly into their
burrows when disturbed while feeding. Of the many species of the
True Bandicoots (Genus Peramcles) only one can be described
here. The Short-Nosed Bandicoot (P. obesula) is the most widely
distributed species, being found in all parts of Australia south of the
tropics and in Tasmania. The length of the head and body is about
fourteen inches and of the tail five and a half inches. Rather
stout in form and with coarse golden-brown fur, pencilled with
FIG. 164.—PLATYPUS
FIG. 165.—ECHIDNA
FIG. 166.—BLACK RAT
FIG. 167.—TAME RAT
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 209
black, the Short-Nosed Bandicoot is a hahdsome animal. It is said
to do much damage to root crops, and settlers bear it no good-
will. A very popular saying in Australia is, “Miserable as a
Bandicoot”; it is applied to persons of lugubrious countenance and
is supposed to denote that condition which is sometimes referred
to as a “fit of the blues.” Now the Bandicoot is a bright and
pretty little animal, and does not deserve that its name should be
associated with human misery. It is difficult to imagine how the
saying in question originated.
MONOTREMES. —The Monotremes, or Egg-Laying Mammals of
Australia, are perhaps the most interesting of all living animals.
They constitute a distinct order (Monotremata) and also a separate
sub-class (Prototheria), being radically distinguished from all other
living representatives of the class Mammalia, which they connect
with the lower classes of the Vertebrate sub-kingdom. The most
primitive of living mammals, the Monotremes have been extens-
ively studied by systematic zoologists and biologists, and there is
difference of opinion as to their classification. But in a popular
work on natural history it is not necessary to deal with such ques-
tions. For many years naturalists refused to believe the reports
that came from Australia, stating that the Platypus (Ornithorhyn-
chus) and the Porcupine Ant-Eaters (Echidna and Pro-Echidna)
were mammals which nourished their young with milk after the
mode of all other members of their class, yet laid eggs like a Bird
or a Reptile. Anatomists and zoologists alike were sceptical until
actual proof of the remarkable habits of the Monotremes was forth-
coming. This cautious attitude was surely not unreasonable. Who,
before the discovery of the Platypus and the Echidnas, ever heard of
such an anomaly as an Egg-Laying Mammal? It would seem to
those early naturalists a zoological nightmare. One is tempted to
quote Hamlet—
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
“The Monotremes,” writes Lydekker, “derive their name from
the circumstance that there is, as in Birds and Reptiles, but_a single.
aperture at the hinder extremity of the body from which are dis-
charged the whole of its waste products, together with the repro-
ductive elements ; the oviducts opening separately into the extremity
of this passage, which is termed the cloaca. Reproduction is
effected by means of eggs, which are laid and hatched by the female
P
210 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
parent; while after the extrusion from the egg, the young are
nourished. by .milk secreted by special glands situated within a
temporary pouch, into which the head of the young animal is
inserted and retained. . . . The milk-glands are of simpler structure
than those of other mammals. . . . The skeleton differs from that
of the Higher Mammals, and thereby corresponds with that of
certain lower Vertebrates, in regard to the structure of the shoulder-
girdle, or that portion which serves for the support and attachment
of the bones of the fore-limb.”
The nearest allies of the Monotremes among the Vertebrates
apparently are a group of Reptiles, whose fossil remains occur in
the Secondary Rocks of South Africa. These Anomodonts, as the
fossil Reptiles are termed, are, says Lydekker, “the only known
vertebrates having a shoulder-girdle of the type characterizing the
Monotremes.” For many other interesting facts concerning the
structure and affinities of the Monotremes, the student is advised
to consult Mr. Lydekker’s handbook, Marsupials and Monotremes.
PLATYPUS.—The Platypus, or “Duck-Bill” (Fig. 164), as it is
often referred to in Australia, is a shy aquatic animal inhabiting
rivers and streams of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria,
South Australia and Tasmania. It is not a large animal, the head
and body of an adult male measuring eighteen inches, tail six inches.
The female is of slightly smaller dimensions. The general colour
of the fur on the upper parts of the body is umber or blackish-
brown, and on the lower portions greyish-white. The broad, flat
bill or beak is encased in sensitive skin, black in colour. The tail
is broad and flattened and the feet are webbed. A large horny spine
or spur is present on the hind-foot of the male. There has been a
great deal of controversy regarding this curious organ, which is
connected with a gland which is said to secrete poison. Old bush-
men will relate stories of having been “stung” by a Platypus with
this spur and suffering dire consequences. How much reliance is
to be placed on such statements it is difficult to judge. No proof
has yet been given that the Platypus is a “poisonous” animal, and
the function of the spur cannot be said to be rightly understood at
present. It has been suggested that the horny process is used by
the male as a weapon when fighting for the possession of a mate.
The Platypus is of such a retiring disposition that it is very
difficult to observe in a wild state. It spends a great part of its
life in the water, and is a splendid swimmer and dives with ease
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 211
and grace, disappearing when disturbed with astonishing celerity.
Sometimes on a moonlit night these strange creatures may be seen
disporting themselves in a river or stream. They do not love the
sunlight, and rarely come ashore. The Platypus makes its home,
a long narrow tunnel, in the banks of the stream wherein it obtains
the aquatic insects and shell-fish on which it subsists. The burrow
is excavated obliquely upwards from an entrance below the surface
of the water. At the end it opens out into a domed chamber, which
is snugly lined with dried grass bents, leaves, etc. The burrow
is often over twenty feet in length. From one to four eggs are
deposited by the female Platypus in the domed chamber described.
The eggs are of an oval shape and the colour is dirty-white. The
texture of the outer shell is leathery, as in the case of the Turtles and
other Reptiles.
In Victoria, the State where the writer resides, the Government
has wisely placed the Platypus on the ‘“‘continuously protected”
list. It would be a national, nay, a world calamity for such a
wonderful animal to cease to exist.
ECHIDNA.—The Echidnas, or Porcupine Ant-Eaters (there
are three varieties), form the second family of the Monotremes.
They differ in external appearance from the Platypus and also in
habits. They are burrowing animals, exclusively terrestrial, in-
habiting forests and rocky localities. The typical variety, Echidna
aculeata (Fig. 165), is known to the colonists variously as the Ant-
Eater, Native Porcupine and Australian Hedgehog. This variety
is found all over Australia and Tasmania, also in South-Eastern
New Guinea. The colour of the hair is black or dark-brown above,
brown on the under-parts of the body. The long spines of the back
usually conceal the fur; they are yellow with a black tip. The
length of the head and body of a full-grown Echidna is about
seventeen inches. The limbs are very strong, and the curved claws
on the hind-feet are specially adapted for digging, which appears
to be one of the Echidna’s favourite occupations. Owing to their
fossorial habits it is difficult to keep specimens of the Native Porcu-
pine in captivity; they will burrow in the hardest ground, tunnel
under the barriers of their prison, and so farewell.
As one of its popular vernacular names implies, the Echidna
in a wild state subsists on ants and their eggs. The head is
elongated into a slender cylindrical beak, destitute of teeth and
provided with a small mouth. The tongue is long, slender and
P 2
212 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
extensile; it is the instrument with which the Echidna captures
its tiny prey. The queer little animal digs into the nests of ants
and termites (‘White Ants”), and with its whip-lash tongue sweeps
up the inmates by hundreds. Observers state that the tongue, which
is coated with sticky saliva, is thrust into the breach in the nest and
drawn back into the Echidna’s mouth when covered with ants.
The Echidna is a clumsy-looking creature and it moves over the
ground at a ludicrous, shambling walk. But when it comes to
burrowing the Echidna has no peer for celerity. When burrowing
in soft soil it works so quickly and its powerful claws are such
perfect fossorial appliances that the animal seems to sink into the
ground as though it were in a quicksand. The Native Porcupine,
which is nocturnal in habit, will, if attacked, roll itself up like a
Hedgehog, the sharp spines forming a defensive armour, beneath
which the vulnerable parts of the animal are secure.
CHAPTER XI
RATS AND MICE
WE are concerned in this section with the Rats and Mice, animals
belonging’ to the Rodentia which do not seem to appeal to many
people, but whose life-histories are well worth examination. Having
had some acquaintance with the detestable Brown Rat, which almost
every one admits is a pest of which we might well be rid, the average
individual appears to class all the rodents in the same category.
This, however, gives quite a wrong impression, as many of these
Rats and Mice, and also the Voles, are beautifully clean, well
groomed and bright little beasts, feeding, many of them, upon a
vegetable diet, and very unlike the Brown Rat in many respects.
He, of course, is sometimes a veritable scavenger, but, alas! he is
also the disseminator of disease, the perpetrator of untold damage
to grain and other things. Yet, in spite of almost everybody’s hand
being against it, it still flourishes like the cosmopolitan Sparrow.
Probably the Rat and the Sparrow are the best-hated animals in
the world from the point of view of the damage they are responsible
for, and the general distaste with which they are held. And although
war is constantly waged against both bird and mammal, they are
still found in very considerable numbers. It is as well to make brief
reference to the two, if for no other reason than because the bird
has been referred to as the “Avian Rat.” The title is somewhat
misapplied, but we cannot enter into a controversy regarding it here.
BROWN RAT.—Although so well known, at any rate by sight
and by the damage it does, the Brown Rat is worthy of consideration
before we pass on to consider more desirable species. Its original
home was China, but it now has an almost world-wide distribution.
When it is remembered that it has become a citizen of the world
within about the last two hundred years, some idea may be gained
of the extraordinary rapidity with which its travels have been con-
ducted. The rodent seems to have made its first appearance in
England about the middle of the eighteenth century, and not only
213
214 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
has this well-hated pest been carried to different parts of the world
on board ship, but it is authentically recorded to have swum rivers
and seas in immense numbers, and so set up a colony in another
clime. Not content with thus establishing itself, the Brown Rat has
waged incessant war with the Black species, and both in England
and on the Continent has almost successfully exterminated it!
This voracious beast will eat almost anything. Nothing seems
to come amiss to it, the veriest filth imaginable being greedily
relished. It is only fair to notice that on occasions it is an animal
scavenger, eating carrion, refuse, etc., but grain, eggs and young
birds, young rabbits, fish and other creatures are also devoured. It
is often found near and in water, and is stupidly referred to as the
Water Rat, being confused with the dapper and innocent Water
Vole, one of the cleanest and happiest little fellows under the sun.
The misdeeds of the Brown Rat are, I venture to assert, often
erroneously attributed to the herbivorous Water Vole, a delightful
Beaver-like rodent whose antics in and around the water will amply
repay observation.
One great reason why the Brown Rat multiplies and spreads so
rapidly, when once it has become firmly established, is its extra-
ordinary fecundity. It breeds from three to six times a year, the
female first giving birth when she is only about three months old.
As a rule the litter consists of about ten young ones, although this
is only a fair average, and larger families are often reared. A simple
calculation may be made to illustrate how rapidly this mammal can
multiply its numbers, for if we calculate three litters of ten each
being produced every year, a single pair, if left alone, would, in the
short period of three years, have a progeny of ten generations,
numbering no less than twenty million, one hundred and fifty-five
thousand, three hundred and ninety-two. Whilst if the sum be
carried a little further, we find that the eleventh generation, due at
the beginning of the fourth year, would number over one hundred
millions!
It is calculated that in France alone the Brown Rat is responsible
for at least £8,000,000 worth of damage every year, for it not only
eats two ounces of corn every day, but destroys quite as much as,
if not more than, it eats. Both in the United States and in England
efforts have been made to eradicate this, the worst of all mammalian
pests, but the animal is still plentiful almost everywhere.
The greatest sin attributed to it—even if the enormous damage
FIG. 168.—WHITE RAT
FIG. 169.—CANE RAT
FIG. I170.—DORMICE
FIG. I71.—CANADIAN JUMPING MOUSE
RATS AND MICE 205
it commits is overlooked—is the dissemination of disease, for, during
the years 1906-08, it is computed that in India alone the ravages
of this animal by spreading the deadly plague resulted in the deaths
of considerably more than five million people! Disease is very
prevalent among the Brown Rat, and when some of the food par-
taken of and the haunts frequented are borne in mind the reasons
do not appear far to seek. The animal is infested with fleas, and
these detestable parasites, having sucked the blood of a plague-
stricken Rat, leave the dead body when there is no longer any blood
to suck, and thereafter perchance alight upon a human being, to
whom the fleas convey the plague bacillus.
In spite of all this we are told that in China this Brown Rat is
fed up for the purpose of food. It then turns the scale at seven or
eight pounds, and is not unlike a small sucking-pig! Buckland
refers to these Rats which are used by the Chinese for food, and
says that he saw “a dried Rat bought in the market of a Chinese
town. It had been split down the centre, powdered with some white
substance, and pressed under some heavy weight, as was evident
from its shape, its appearance being very much like that of the
common English haddock. These John Chinaman buys, soaks in
water, and then dresses * more suo ’—boils, roasts, or fries.”
This animal is also a cannibal, for it will invariably prey upon a
fellow Rat that is in trouble, and when hard put to it for a food
supply the strong take advantage of the weak, and we have an apt
example of the survival of the fittest.
Whenever it can do so, the Brown Rat will make good its escape
from mankind, but if cornered it may prove an awkward customer
to deal with, and a farmer in my own county relates an interesting
incident which occurred to him, and which shows that when in a
massed company of several individuals this fecund rodent possesses
considerable courage and daring. The farmer referred to states that
he' was crossing a common when he came across a battalion of about
one hundred Rats. Although he endeavoured to ward off their
attention, the detestable beasts surrounded him, some running up
his body to the shoulder and biting severely, “especially upon his
hands.” Other instances are forthcoming of fatal combats with this
animal pest, although, true enough, savage attacks made upon man-
kind are few and far between.
BLACK RAT.—The Black Rat (Fig. 166) is still found in a few
parts of England, but has been exterminated by its formidable rival
216 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
the Brown species from many of its former haunts. Elsewhere it is
widely distributed over the greater part of Europe, and is also found
in many other parts of the world, whither it has been. carried in
vessels. Its introduction té the New World dates from about 1554.
The Black Rat varies a great deal, and in consequence of this
we find a number of varieties known by such names as the Alexan-
drine Rat, which is distinguished by the softer reddish or greyish
fur and the white under-parts; the Tree Rat from India, Ceylon and
Burma, which resembles the last-named excepting that it is smaller ;
the Hill Rat from Nipal and Sikhim, which has a shorter tail; and
the Andamanese Rat, which has, curious to relate, a number of
spines among its fur.
The habits of the Black Rat mostly resemble those of its Brown
relative, but we learn that some of the varieties found in other
countries exhibit different characteristics, one kind found in India
being said to be entirely arboreal, living among the cocoa-nut palms
and never coming to the ground. Records show that when it was
a prolific species in England, the Black Rat perpetrated considerable
harm and was a pest to the farmer. Its fecundity is equal to that of
the Brown Rat, and its disappearance is due simply to the presence
of a keener and more formidable rival who kills and eats it whenever
opportunity offers. There seems little doubt that although also
known as the Old English Rat, this species was introduced from the
East, and is not indigenous to Britain. It measures about seven
inches, with a tail as long as, if not longer than, the body. It is
deep iron-grey or almost black above, the under-parts being lighter ;
it has dirty, pale flesh-coloured feet, and the hind-feet are so formed
that they can be turned round. By this means the claws are set in
an opposite direction and the rodent can walk on an upright surface,
or come down the same head first.
Attention need only be drawn to Figs. 167 and 168, showing a
tame Black-and-White Rat and a White Rat respectively. These
make nice pets for children, as they do not seem to exhibit any savage
tendency like their wild relations; but similar to the Black Rat when
kept in captivity, they have a nasty habit of eating their own young
ones just when they are becoming interesting. What is the reason of
this extraordinary habit among some kinds of animals, such as Rats,
Dogs, Pigs, Rabbits and others?
CANE RAT.— The Cane Rat (Fig. 169) is an African animal which
belongs to a genus different from that of the species already
described. It is a large animal, measuring some twenty-one inches
RATS AND MICE or9
including the tail, the latter attaining a length of from five and a
half to eight and a half inches. It is distinctly Rat-like in general
appearance, and has coarse fur and a sparsely-haired tail.
It is characterized by possessing three deep grooves on each of its
broad red upper incisor teeth; these grooves giving the name to the
genus of which this animal is the only representative. The fur is
brown for the most part, the throat dirty-yellow, chin and upper lip
whitish, and pale brownish-yellow below.
The Cane Rat is widely distributed throughout Africa, and two
native names for it are those of “Ivondue” and “Yumba.” The
food seems to consist of ground-nuts and roots, and it not only
burrows for these, but also makes an underground home, excepting
in South-Eastern Africa, where, according to Mr. W. H. Drum-
mond, this rodent does not excavate a burrow on its own account,
but takes advantage of a hole or crevice among rocks or stones, or
the uninhabited burrow of an Ant-Eater or Porcupine.
DORMOUSE.—This elegant-looking, but disappointing animal
when kept as a pet (Fig. 170) has for long been a favourite of mine,
and before giving a description of it the following notes from my
Nature Diary may perhaps afford interesting reading—
“Tt was Winter-time; the land all round was in the ice-firm grip
of King Frost. At such season the thoughts of those who love and
care for the wild animals naturally turn to the inhabitants of the
woods, fields and hedgerows, for hard weather means hard hunting
for both man and beast.
“Wild creatures, it should be noted in passing, do not suffer so
much from cold as from hunger, but some tiny folk—wiser perchance
in their time and generation than their brethren—make up their
minds, so soon as the chill of Autumn is in the air, to retire to
some secluded nook and there pass the Winter.
“There has been a keen hoar-frost overnight; let us put on our
thick clothes and take a little journey into the country. At almost
the first step we are wandering in Wonderland, for see how the trees,
hedgerows and grasses by the wayside are literally festooned with
ice-crystals which sparkle in the Winter sunshine like jewels in a
King’s crown.
“People often complain of the dulness and monotony of the
country, but if they took intelligent interest in the wild tenants of
the countryside, they would find themselves in a wonderland of
beauty at all seasons of the year.
“The air is decidedly nippy, but the ground is clean and hard,
218 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and as we tread upon a dead branch that has been torn from its
moorings in the tree-top overhead, it cracks like a pistol-shot and
frightens a courageous Rabbit which had been tempted to come
from its underground home by the invigorating rays of the warm
sunlight.
“The lane we are traversing is arched over with the naked and
yet beautiful branches of some tall elm-trees, and on the summits
of these numbers of noisy Starlings are perched, bathing their dark
bodies in the sunshine; and uttering in chorus a perfect pan-
demonium of extraordinary music.
“As the feathered throng comes and goes—the birds evidently
paying a round of visits this cold, frosty morning—they send down
little showers of crisp hoar-frost, reminding us of the salt spray
thrown up by some angry sea.
“And the little slumberer about whom I set myself out to write!
Where and what is he? Peep into this bramble bush, and there
you will espy a neat, round nest of dead grasses ingeniously knit
together. Go quietly, for see, a company of Greenfinches—hand-
some fellows in green and gold—are engaged feeding upon a
few dried-up blackberries which still remain, reminding us of the
rich feast of the luscious fruit which the bramble gave us last
Autumn.
“Do you hear the Greenfinch singing when upon the wing? This
is one of the few British birds that perform this interesting feat.
To-day, in the still wintry air, its singing has a most pleasant effect.
“Now the birds have disappeared from the bush, and we can
approach it more closely. The little ball of dead grasses may now
be plainly seen, and could we peep inside, a pretty sight would meet
our gaze. We are tempted to do so, but a timorous Hedge Sparrow
in brown and steel-grey uniform utters a note of warning, and we
must leave the little slumberer in peace.
“Tt is the home of the Dormouse we have found, and it is here,
during the rigours of King Winter, that he, brave little mammal,
tucks himself up and slumbers until the Spring. Could we see him
in his bed we should find that he is coiled right round, feet to feet,
these latter being flesh-coloured and beautifully clean.
“His bright little eyes—like black diamonds—-are tightly closed,
his long tail is wrapped right round his warm brown body, and
nought disturbs him until Fairy Spring comes forth with her
wondrous wand and summons her wild children from slumber.
FIG, 172.—-FAT MOUSE
FIG. 174.—CAIRO SPINY MOUSE
FIG. 175-—~STRIPED MICE
FIG. 176.—FANCY MICE
RATS AND MICE 219
“Sometimes I have found the Dormouse awake on a mild day;
I have seen him peep outside his little citadel in the hedgerow-fast-
ness, but withdraw inside the home in less time than it takes to tell
the story. Such a rude awakening temporarily disturbed him, but,
curiosity aroused and satisfied, back he went to the round grass
cradle to slumber whilst yet keen Winter was upon the face of
the land.
“How snug and warm the little homestead must be !_ How peaceful
and secure the slumberer in his grassy home! Little cares he
for the turmoil and strife of a wide and oftentimes unthinking world,
for in the hedge I know he often sleeps for six months at a stretch.
“And who shall say that, as a result of an active and busy life
during the Spring, Summer and Autumn, he does not deserve a well-
earned repose?
“Bright, merry little Dormouse; wee mite, a ball of soft brown
hair, we bode you no harm. Stay inside your homestead where
nought may disturb you. There, among the naked branches of the
hedgerow, may you dwell in safety. There, where the hungry
Greenfinch comes to appease its frequent hunger; there where the
Brown Wren flits hither and thither like a butterfly rather than a
bird; there where the Yellow Bunting mounts the topmost twigs and
sings his impetuous song so long as the sun casts a shadow on the
dial; there where so many animal and vegetable treasures are hidden
until a more favourable season; there, little slumberer, shal! you be
left securely until Winter is past and gone and the good Fairy Spring
sounds the bugle-call to her wondrous children to rise from their
long but necessary sleep.”
The subject of this little sketch, the Dormouse, might be mistaken
for a small kind of Squirrel, and I have before now had the animal
brought to meas such. It has a long Squirrel-like tail, large ears and
eyes, and short limbs, but, as so often happens among mammals, the
teeth at once identify this gay little sprite, the presence of “‘a single
pair of pre-molars in each jaw” and “all the cheek teeth being rooted
and having their crowns inter-penetrated by transverse enamel-folds ”’
serving to distinguish it from all the other British members of the
order to which it belongs. There are internal differences also, but
these need not be detailed.
Outside Britain, Dormice are found in various other parts of
Europe, as well as Africa and some portions of Asia.
In colour the Common Dormouse is warm tawny on the upper-
220 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
parts, with yellowish below; there is an elongated patch of white on
the throat and chest. The total length of body and tail is about five
and a half inches. The usual habitats are hedges, woods and
plantations. Green lanes—fast disappearing features of rural Eng-
land—are, I find, favourite haunts, and I have during a few hours’
ramble found quite a number of these trim and elegant little beasts
snugly tucked up in a grassy ball-like nest in the hedgerow during
early Spring.
It is a good plan to search for it where the nut-hazel flourishes,
as the animal exhibits a partiality for the nuts and will often make
its nest in the stump of a hazelabush. It also partakes of grain,
acorns, fruit and the seeds of various woodland trees. Beyond this
dietary it has the habit of taking birds’ eggs (like that woodland
rover the Squirrel) as well as insects.
The lengthy sleep it undergoes during the Winter is one of the
most interesting phases connected with the life of this small creature,
as it will often hibernate for six months at a stretch. A change in
the temperature from cold to warmth will, however, tempt it from
its snug Winter quarters, when it feeds upon the store it has wisely
provided in case of emergency, but, having had a good fill, it retires
again until the advent of brighter days. When it commences to
undergo its long fast the Dormouse is fat and well calculated to go
without food for some months, but at the conclusion of its sleep it
has become considerably lessened in bulk and eagerly partakes of
food. So securely tucked up is this animal, and so soundly does it
slumber, that I have taken it from the nest, carried it home in my
warm hand, and rolled it across a table without the slightest effect
on the little slumberer. Continuous handling of the creature at such
time, however, is bound to awaken it sooner or later, and the look
of surprise and the bright black glistening eyes are a study worthy
of an artist’s brush.
The young are generally four in number and are produced during
the Spring. They are blind at birth, but when a few days old
acquire their sight and are soon able to forage for themselves. At
first the young Dormice have a mouse-grey dress with the exception
of the head and flanks, but by degrees the reddish-brown of the
adult animal is assumed. ;
CANADIAN JUMPING MOUSE.— This interesting rodent (Fig. 171)
belongs to a family in which the Jerboas are included, and all the
species lead a terrestrial life. They possess very long hind-limbs
RATS AND MICE 221
and tails, as may be seen by referring to the Canadian Jumping
Mouse shown in the photograph. In their movements upon the
ground these small mammals resemble the Kangaroos treated of in
the last chapter. As a rule the Jumpers, as we may popularly
designate them, are inhabitants of “open and dry districts, such as
grassy steppes or sandy deserts,” and are so coloured that their
bodies resemble the environment frequented.
The species illustrated, which represents this interesting family
of small rodents, has a wide distribution in North America, but this
animal, according to Mr. Ingersoll, is a dweller in woods and fields,
and not deserts. It is also non-gregarious.
In colour it is dark on the back, reddish-yellow on the flanks, and
whitish on the under-parts. It attains a body length of about three
inches, the almost naked tail being some five inches longer.
It is during late Summer that this Mouse constructs its home,
and this consists of a globular ball of grass. This homestead is
tenanted until the approach of Winter, “when the pair find a deep
cranny among rocks or dig a hole a little way into the ground, and
there, in a snug bed of shredded bark, leaves, and so forth, go sound
asleep with the first severe frost, and never wake up before May-day.”
The sleep, therefore, is of long duration, and it is extremely
sound. Probably no animal exhibits a deeper slumber—at any rate
among American kinds.
The great majority of rodents are of nocturnal habits, but the
species under review differs in this respect, as it may often be located
during the day, and especially towards early evening.
Its movements are always well worth watching, for it possesses
a wonderful knack of leaping, or jumping, a distance of several feet.
It exhibits considerable ingenuity in these movements, as sometimes
they take an irregular course, and the wary little beast will if closely
pursued by an enemy, instantly squat upon terra firma—or, as Mrs.
Brown has it, upon terra cotta—and so escape the attack of a Weasel,
Hawk, Owl, Snake or other predatory creature.
Like the Dormouse, it rolls itself into a ball when about to sleep,
the feet being brought close together, the head snugly tucked near
the hind-quarters, and the long tail wrapped right round the
body.
JERBOA, OR KANGAROO RAT.—This interesting little rodent is
also worthy of mention here. It has a somewhat wide distribution,
being found in Central Asia, India and Ceylon, South-East Europe,
222 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and ‘“‘from Syria and Arabia it extends to Egypt and a great portion
of Africa.”
It measures from six to eight inches in length, and has a long
tufted tail. The fur is as a rule sandy colour, but the most interesting
feature of its structure is the difference in the length of the fore- and
hind-legs. It has but three of the toes on the hind-foot well devel-
oped, but elastic pads on the sole aid the little beast in skipping
over the ground in a remarkable way. It only uses the hind-limbs
when making its wonderful bounding movements, and attains a great
speed when thus engaged.
It is a gregarious animal, dwelling in underground burrows
during the day, and coming out at night to feed.
Major A. E. Stanton, in a paper read before the Royal Colonial
Institute on ‘“‘Khartoom and the Sudan,” says—
“One of the most remarkable proofs of instinct in animals is to
be seen in these deserts. The Jerboa, or Kangaroo Rat, is found in
considerable numbers in places miles and miles away from any water
or even dew, and I was at a loss to understand how these little
animals could exist through the ten months of drought. It appears,
however, that after the scanty rains a small wild melon, of bitter
taste but full of juice, flourishes in the desert. The Jerboa, as soon
as the melon is ripe, bites off the stem and proceeds to dig away the
sand under the melon, so that it gradually sinks below the level of
the ground; the constant wind soon covers it over with six or eight
inches of sand, which protects it from the scorching sun and from
drying up. When all other moisture has evaporated, the Jerboa
goes to his larder of melons and drinks the juice of these till the rains
come on again. One Jerboa will bury as many as forty of these little
melons to last him through the dry season.”
FAT MOUSE, AND FAT-TAILED DESERT MOUSE.—The Fat
Mouse (Fig. 172) and Fat-Tailed Desert Mouse (Fig. 173) are
worthy of mention here. The first-named is a native of South Africa,
and is so called because of its plump appearance. Little seems to
be known of its habits, and it has only once been represented at the
London Zoo. It is rather larger than the common House Mouse
and mostly brown in colour. At one time a happy family of Fat-
Tailed Desert Mice lived in the old Squirrel-house at Regent’s
Park. Here they bred regularly and freely, but the stock has now
quite died out, and the Zoological Society has been without any for
five years or more. In size this Mouse is somewhat bigger than a
RATS AND MICE 223
large Dormouse, having most beautiful thick, soft, plushlike fur,
and a remarkably fat tail from which it has acquired its name. This,
as is well known by animal students, helps the little beast to store
up fat in time of need, in the same way as the Camel with its hump,
the Fat-Rumped Sheep, Dormouse, Bear and other animals which
need not be detailed.
SPINY MICE.— The Spiny Mice are represented in our illustra-
tions by the Cairo Spiny Mouse (Fig. 174). There are two genera;
in the first we find the Malabar Spiny Mouse, which is an inhabitant
of Southern India, and in the second there are several species
characterized by the possession of thick, rigid, grooved spines on
the hinder portion of the back in place of hair. They have been
compared to small Hedgehogs, and it is to the genus containing
the Hedgehogs that the Cairo Spiny Mouse belongs. These animals
are dwellers in the desert, and range “from Syria to Eastern Africa,
as far south as Mozambique, while a single example of one of the
species has been found in Sind.”
The Malabar Spiny Mouse resembles the Common Dormouse
in both appearance and habits, being arboreal. The teeth are the
distinguishing features, as well as the thickly haired tail. The
pointed ears and broad flat spines which are intermixed with the
hair on the upper parts are also worthy of note. The colour above is
reddish-brown, and white underneath. It attains a length of about
four and a half inches, the short tail being half an inch more.
It is a tree-loving species, and makes a suitable hollow in which
to build its nest of moss and leaves.
The Striped Mice (Fig. 175) are at once identified by the stripe
which runs along the top part of the back, whilst there are few boys
who have not at some time or other kept Fancy Mice, as shown in
Fig. 176.
Frank Buckland, in his own inimitable way, refers to the presence
of Rats and Mice at the London Zoo, and attention may be drawn to
this interesting habit of both animals, for to the observant visitor
the Mice at any rate are sure to arrest attention, and their bravado
im feeding within striking distance of a Lion or an Eagle has always
struck me as very remarkable, and is apparently an apt illustration
of the old adage that “familiarity breeds contempt.”
Buckland writes that ‘‘as a curious way in which animals always
find out the place best adapted for their habitation, I may adduce
the fact that at the Zoological Gardens, although the Rats swarm
224 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
not ten yards away from the Parrot-house, yet they. never come into
this building. Here Mice take their place. How is this? The
Rats have probably found out that it is no use going there; they
would get nothing for their trouble, for they could not get through
the bars of the birds’ cages to get at the seed; the little Mice, on the
contrary, who, as all well know, are great seed-eaters, with ease run
in and out between the wide bars of the Parrots’ cages, and help
themselves to both seed and water. They have found out that,
although the great Cockatoo has such an enormous and formidable-
looking bill, it won’t hurt them, and that Mr. Cockatoo is not a
carnivorous bird. When, therefore, these gaudy denizens of the
tropics have finished their day’s screaming and ‘pretty pollying,’
out pop the little Mice, taking tithe of all the seed-boxes they can get
at. Having finished their meal they retire behind the hot-water pipes
which run round the room, and with full stomachs lie lazily in their
warm and comfortable quarters alongside the pipes till they are
hungry again. No wonder, therefore, they obey the law ‘ increase
and multiply.’ ”
FIG. 178.—BLANFORD’S SHEEP
FIG. 180.—BURRHEL WILD SHEEP
CHAPTER XII
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS
URIAL, OR PUNJAB WILD SHEEP.—The first representative we
have of the Wild Sheep, the Urial (Fig: 177), ranges from Bokhara
in Asiatic Russia, through Persia, Afghanistan and the Ladak
territories of Northern India to the Punjab. It is sandy-coloured,
the ram having a black or black and white ruff, and is about equal
in size to the common Sheep known to every one. Both sexes have
horns, but those possessed by the female are much less significant
than those of the ram shown in Fig. 177. Whilst known in the
Punjab as the Urial, to the north of that territory, in Ladak, it is
called the Sha, a name which would surely be more appropriate if
applied to this animal in Persia!
The fine circular sweep of the horns both in this species and
also in Blanford’s Sheep (Fig. 178), which is merely a variety of
the Urial, are well worth noting, and it should be stated that in
the case of Blanford’s Sheep the horns are larger and the spiral is
greater. The short horns of the ewe are almost straight.
The Urial attains a height of about two and a half feet at the
shoulder, but this applies to the animal inhabiting the Punjab, as
the beast found in Ladak is its successful rival, attaining a height of
at least three feet. This Ladak variety is distinguished also by the
less developed ruff of the adult ram and the thicker horns at the
base. Ewes and young rams differ from the rufous-grey or sandy
of the adult male in being uniform greyish-brown.
This Sheep has a wide geographical distribution, for it is found
inhabiting countries with cold or hot climates, and has a more
extensive range than any other kind of Old World Sheep. In some
districts it frequents grassy habitats, in others open valleys and
hilly environments are resorted to, whilst in others, again, it is found
on precipitous hills among bushes. It is of wary disposition, utter-
ing a shrill sort of whistle when disturbed, as well as an ordinary
bleat so characteristic of Sheep generally.
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226 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
The breeding season varies in different localities, for whereas
June sees the same in full swing in one district, it is not until
September that it takes place in another. One or two lambs are
produced, and not only will this species mix and feed with domestic
Sheep, but it will also interbreed with them. Briefly, the Urial may
be written of as a most interesting species because of its wide range,
great variety, remarkable adaptability to different climates, active dis-
position, and the ease with which its traverses over rocky situations.
The long legs are specially well displayed in Blanford’s Sheep
(Fig. 178), this being a further characteristic worthy of note.
BARBARY SHEEP.—The next species on our list, the Barbary
Sheep (Fig. 179), is exceedingly interesting if for no other reason
because it is the sole representative of the group to which it belongs
which is found in Africa. It is also known as the Maned Sheep,
presumably on account of the lengthy hair situate on the throat,
chest and fore-limbs. The thickly-haired tail is also of note.
It stands about three feet high, and in colour is almost pale
rufous-yellow over the whole body. The ewe has shorter hair on the
fore-quarters, but the horns of both sexes are almost the same size
as Fig. 179 displays. These horns attain a length of about two feet,
and although those possessed by the lambs are of a wrinkled descrip-
tion, those of the adult animals are almost smooth.
Unlike the Urial last under review, the Barbary Sheep is not
found in herds, being located either as a solitary animal, or at most
two or three together. It loves to keep within the range of the
desert, being found sparingly in regions of a precipitous character
such as “the arid southern slopes of the Atlas range, from the
Atlantic to Tunis.” It presents an instance of protective coloration,
as eye-witnesses inform us that its colour is harmonious with the
limestone rocks which are found in mountainous districts. An
instance of this protective coloration is given by Mr. E. N.
Buxton, who says that when the Arabs frequent the haunts of this
Sheep, the latter, finding escape difficult, resort to the habit of
hiding their bodies successfully, and are evidently conscious of the
protection which is afforded them by the environment. He states
that on one occasion he was seated on a knoll which commanded a
view of a small shallow hollow. Very little cover was available in
which even so stiall an animal as a Rat could contrive to hide its
body, but on rising from the position he occupied he found that a
female Barbary Sheep and two lambs had been lying within a short
FIG. 181.—HIMALAYAN GORAL
FIG. 182.—TAHR
FIG. 184,—CHAMOIS
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS 227
distance of him, and must have been aware of his presence the
whole time he was in the vicinity. In this habit the Barbary Sheep
resembles, states the same observer, the Pyrenean Ibex, which
inhabits similar ground, and also trusts to concealment in preference
to flight.
BURRHEL WILD SHEEP.— The Burrhel, Bharal, or Blue Sheep
(Fig. 180) is an inhabitant of Tibet and those parts of the Hima-
layas bordering thereon. It is an interesting species and well worthy
of inclusion here because, in a way, it is a sort of connecting-link
between the Sheep and the Goats. Structurally it certainly is as
much a Sheep as a Goat, but owing to the absence of a beard and
the odour given off by the ram, it is best for it to occupy a place
among the Sheep, and any one possessing a knowledge of this
animal would not hesitate to accord it a position among the Wild
Sheep. In general appearance it is most certainly like a Sheep and
not a Goat, but, in spite of this, we are told that “it exhibits a
marked difference from other species of the same general size in
refusing to breed with domestic Sheep; and its relationship to the
Goats is so strong that, were it not for convenience, there are
considerable grounds for including both Sheep and Goats in a single
genus.”
It is in regard to the horns and skull that this animal resembles
the Goat, the first-named being less spiral than those possessed by
the more typical Sheep. These appendages are almost smooth and
reach a length of two feet or more in the male, those of the ewe
being short and curving upwards and outwards.
The smooth, compact fur is very distinctive, being brownish-
grey on the upper parts in Summer, and stone-grey in Winter, with
white underneath. The ram has a prominent black band on the
sides of the body and down the front of the legs, and the same
colour on the front of the face and chest and on the greater part of
the tail. The ewe lacks the black markings on the face, chest and
flanks. The last-named is a smaller beast than her mate, the ram
standing about three feet high at the withers.
The Bharal inhabits craggy districts where the ground is undulat-
ing, and, like the Goat, it is a fine climber, picking its way over
precipitous cliffs with consummate skill and ease. It is gregarious
in its habits, herding together in companies of from a few to as
many as a hundred individuals, and occupying high-lying situations
often out of reach and secure from the hunter. The colour of the
Q2
228 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
fur ably protects this animal, especially when it is snugly ensconced
near stones. Whilst both sexes may be observed together all
through the year, during the Summer they are usually separated,
and at this latter season they frequent high altitudes, ascending to
aS much as fourteen to sixteen thousand feet above sea level, and
rarely, it is said, being found at any time at a lower elevation than
ten thousand feet.
HIMALAYAN GORAL.—This animal (Fig 181) is a further interest-
ing beast because it claims kinship with “an assemblage of
Mountain-haunting Ruminants which to a great extent connect the
Goats with the Antelopes.” It is distinctly Goat-like in more ways
than one, and there are three or four kinds, such as the Himalayan
Goral, the Ashy Goral, the Grey Goral, the Long-Tailed Goral, and
a further addition has recently been made of another form which
appears to be distinct from the Grey Goral, and known by the
Latin name of Nemorhedus bedfordianus.
The Goral has small cylindrical horns; a short tail (excepting
the Long-Tailed species found in Formosa) (Fig. 183); Goat-like
teeth, and does not possess a beard. It stands a little over two feet
high at the shoulder, has coarse brown hair with a patch of white on
the throat, a black tail and a naked muzzle. The hair is raised along
the back part of the neck and forms a sort of crest.
It does not frequent the high altitudes mentioned in the case of
the Bharal, selecting rocky forests or grassy slopes not more than
eight thousand feet in height. It is not of a very gregarious dis-
position, for old bucks are, as a rule, found singly, but usually a
male and female may be located, or even a few individuals number-
ing from four to eight.
The state of the weather controls the feeding habits of this
species, for when the atmosphere is dull and overcast the Goral
feeds during the day, but at other times partakes of its meals in
the morning and evening, resting among rocks in the daytime. It
sticks to the same feeding-ground, and although wary enough when
real danger threatens, it does not exhibit much fear for mankind,
and when one remembers that there is more preferable game not far
away, such as the Chamois, the sportsman need not trouble this
animal to any great extent.
TAHR.— The Tahr (Fig. 182) is a Himalayan Goat which is
characterized by the absence of a beard, and has the end of the
muzzle naked. The skull is longer and not so broad as in the case
FIG. 185.—ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT
FIG. 186.—MARKHOR (MALE)
FIG. 187.-—MARKHOR (FEMALE) WITH YOUNG
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS 229
of the true Goats; the eye-sockets are not so pronounced, and the
horns are comparatively short and about the same size in both sexes.
What then, it may be asked, distinguishes a Sheep from a Goat?
They certainly differ in form, clothing and habits, but the matter is
not thus easily disposed of, for whilst domestic Sheep have a woolly
coat known to every one, Wild Sheep, as we have already seen, do
not possess one, and if domestic Sheep are given their unrestricted
liberty in a hot country, and allowed to return to a wild state, in
course of time the fleecy coat of wool is exchanged for one of hair,
and thus the animal resembles a Goat. In some cases, of course,
the horn is a distinguishing feature, but here again care is necessary
before it is certain that a correct identification has been made.
Again, the absence or presence of a beard may prove useful as a
means of identification, but whereas some Goats and Sheep possess
beards and others do not, care must be exercised also on this score.
True, some kinds of Sheep have only slight beards, but they are such
as would do infinite credit to some members of the genus homo of my
acquaintance! And so the matter may be summed up in the words
of Mr. Protheroe, who writes that “while we place the Sheep in the
genus Ovis and the Goats in the Capra, we may very well consider
that the terms are almost interchangeable, trusting to the descrip-
tions of the various selected animals to afford us the few safe means
of identification.”
To return to the Tahr, this animal is at once distinguished from
any others by the structure of the black horns, “which have their
lateral surfaces flattened and shelving regularly up to the sharp and
beaded keel on the inner front border; they diverge regularly from
their bases, at the same time curving sharply backwards, with a
slight inward inclination at the tips.’ The general colour of the
hair is dark or reddish-brown. It is short on the head, but
more lengthy on the body; indeed in old bucks it becomes so long
on the neck, chest and shoulders as to form a long shaggy mane
reaching below the knees. The animal has a very dark face and is
also dark on the front of the limbs; the young are a uniform greyish-
brown, whilst kids are stated to be quite pale in colour. The female,
it is most interesting to note, is quite different from every other kind
of Goat or Sheep by possessing four teats instead of two, although
another species of Tahr is now known which nas the more usual
number.
Standing somewhere about three feet high at the shoulder (the
230 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
female is not nearly so high), the male Tahr has a pair of horns
which, measured along the curve, attain a length of from twelve
to fifteen inches, those possessed by the doe being several inches
less.
It is among the elevated forest regions of the Himalayas that this
species makes its home, and it is in the habit of frequenting such
precipitous spots that the sportsman, having shot his quarry, often
has the mortification of seeing it fall down a precipice from which
it is impossible to obtain it unless at very grave risk. It revels in
steep hillsides clothed with trees, and traverses almost perpendicular
slopes where it would seem no animal could possibly obtain a foot-
hold. During the Summer the adult male keeps apart from the
females as a general rule, but later in the year the breeding season
brings the two sexes together, a single young one being born the
following Summer.
CHAMOIS. — With the exception of the Saiga Antelope found in
Russia, the Chamois (Fig. 184) is the only kind of Antelope which
is an inhabitant of Europe, and as a sporting animal is much sought
after by those who take pleasure in the chase. The Chamois is not
found outside Europe, belonging to a group of Antelopes which
frequent high mountain ranges where the stalker has to exercise
considerable prowess before he obtains his quarry. In the Alps it is
known as the Gems, whilst in the Pyrenees it goes under the name
of Izard.
Both male and female possess horns, and both resemble one
another in general appearance. The horns are black in colour and
smooth in structure. They are straight for the most part, but
towards the tip they curve abruptly backwards into a hook. It
attains a height of about two feet at the shoulder, and the body is
clothed underneath with thick wool, over this being a layer of hair
which is brown in Summer and black in Winter. The coat is
longer during the cold season than the hot weather, but whilst the
Chamois appears to be quite impervious to the cold, it cannot
tolerate heat a little bit.
Goat-like in many respects, and classed as such by some
Zoologists, this interesting beast does not possess a beard, and when
the hunter wishes to have a trophy “a tuft of the hair which grows
along the back” is taken. It is undoubtedly due in a large measure
to the excitement of the chase, the bravado it calls forth, and the
high altitudes at which it is found that so much attention has been
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS 24
bestowed upon this Antelope by those who go forth to hunt it, as its
flesh does not offer any great attraction for the purpose of food, and
excepting that a nicely mounted head may in after years be regarded
as a well-won trophy, there is little more to recommend this animal
to the hunter. It is splendidly adapted for frequenting high,
precipitous situations among the mountains, and it is wonderfully
sure-footed as well as of active disposition. A more sluggish animal’
would never be likely to be sought after to the same extent as this
attractive species, and although it has acquired a reputation by
reason of the so-called “Chamois” leather which is made from its
skin, this is ill-deserved and erroneous, because this kind of leather
is prepared for the most part from the skins of domestic beasts such
as Deer, Sheep and Goats.
It travels about in companies consisting of several individuals,
but these do not usually number more than about twenty. The old
bucks, however, do not congregate with the herd, preferring to
remain solitary. Although it will as far as possible restrict its
haunts to the high mountain ranges on the snow line, or as near
same as possible, when difficulty is experienced in obtaining an
adequate food supply the Chamois must of necessity forsake the
high altitudes and come down towards the valley to feed. The food
is made up of various kinds of Alpine plants, the mere mention
of which is sufficient to inspire with enthusiasm any one possessing
a knowledge of the flowering plants of the Alps.
When the pairing season of the Chamois is in full swing during
the Autumn, then it is that battles-royal may be witnessed between
the bucks, the latter displaying savage tactics for the possession of
afemale. It is in the Spring that the mother gives birth to one, or
at most two, kids, and the young follow her about very soon after
birth.
This is, as may be supposed, a wary animal, and when a
company of them are feeding on some lonely mountain-side pre-
caution is taken to depute one of the herd to act the part of scout
or sentry. This individual is posted on some prominent elevation
from which a general view of the surrounding country may be
obtained, and as soon as anything occurs which necessitates a
signal being given to the beasts who are busily engaged feeding,
the sentry sounds an alarm by making a loud hissing noise. This
is quite sufficient to put the rest of the company on their guard, for
feeding operations are immediately stopped, and the beasts gallop
232 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
off at breakneck speed, clearing awful-looking chasms, a fall down
which would mean instant death, springing on to rocks upon which
one would imagine no animal living could possibly obtain a foothold,
and often leaping down a precipice and landing in perfect safety.
Small wonder then that, in view of this, the Chamois should make
such a strong appeal to the legitimate sportsman who is willing’ very
often to risk his own life in pursuit of wild beasts such as this, for
he must of necessity exhibit great skill, pluck and wonderful
endurance.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.—The Rocky Mountain Goat (Fig.
185), or White Buffalo, as the Indians called it, is another species
about which Zoologists differ as to the place that should be accorded
to it, for whereas it is called a Goat and is placed among this group
by some naturalists, by others it is relegated to the Antelopes. It
is certainly a difficult matter, in view of this divergence of opinion,
for a popular writer to decide where to assign two such animals as
the Chamois and the present species; thus some amount of licence
must be allowed, and the critic must not be too hasty in condemning
me for including the last-named and the present animal in this
section. Mountain Antelopes both of them may be, and as such
should perhaps have occupied a place in a previous chapter; but
equally trustworthy authorities class them with the Goats, and here
at any rate they have been accorded attention in the present volume.
The picture of this animal has a somewhat melancholy interest,
for the specimen has died since its photograph was taken. It was a
male which thrived well at the London Zoo for several years and
was the only living specimen in Europe. It may be well imagined
the great loss the Zoological Society sustained when this rare captive
succumbed, and we are fortunate in having a photograph of it from
life which adds interest to this sketch of its history. It is, as will be
seen, a peculiar-looking beast, the oddest perhaps of all the
ruminants. It has a white coat, all white and shaggy, the long hair
hanging over the body in a way which has prompted one writer to
compare it to the Polar Bear! The white coat, low-carried head,
short legs, stout thick-set body and black nose, horns and hoofs are
salient features worthy of note, and to these may be added the thick
neck and legs. Indeed, the animal is thick all over, both in body
and covering, and, this being so, the thin slightly-spread horns are
more noticeable than if they were in keeping with the rest of the body.
Although only about the size of a large Goat, this animal looks
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS 233
almost twice the size of any other living Goat, but it is the long,
shaggy hair that makes the appearance deceptive. The pelage is
only exceeded for softness and fineness by one other American
hoofed mammal, namely, the Musk Ox, “but the hairs are coarser
and stiffer along the spinal column. The wool was formerly formed
into a sort of felted yarn by the Indians by teasing it and then
rolling it under the palm on the bare thigh.”
It inhabits the upper forest regions of the Rocky Mountains,
and although it is an adept at climbing, it is quite unlike the last
species under review so far as concerns its mobility and active
disposition, for it neither bounds, leaps nor springs, relying largely
on “sheer muscular power and flexibility of limb” to carry it to its
high haunts in the mountain tops. It is found where the climate is
damp and where the snow is abundant, but once the stalker gets
over these difficulties, and those of circumventing dangerous moun-
tain-sides and precipices, the Rocky Mountain Goat is said to fall
an easy prey, being gentle and unsuspicious. ?
Although slow in its movements as compared with the Chamois,
it is wonderfully sure-footed, and gets over the ground slowly but
surely, mounting higher step by step. If the hunter can keep up
with his quarry his first experience must be one of surprise, for we
are told that when the White Goat knows you are after him, he
will stop and turn back, “to peer around the corner and see what
you are”! It has been aptly called a stately animal with a long
white apron; it has straw-yellow eyes (those of the kids being black),
and, according to Frederick Irland, really seems “too unsophisticated
to shoot.”
An interesting account of a climb after this North American
animal was given by Mr. Grinnell in Scribner’s Magazine, and with
a quotation from this sketch the notes concerning it may be con-
cluded. Mr. Grinnell says: “Although the (Rocky Mountain) Goat
is nearly related to the Chamois it has little of the activity of that
nimble species. The Bighorn is the runner and jumper of the
Western Mountains, whilst the Goat is the plodder. He gets over
the ground and climbs the loftiest peaks by main strength and
awkwardness. The Bighorn rushes away along the mountain-side
at a headlong pace; the alarmed Goat starts straight for the moun-
tain-top at a rate which seems slow, often no more than a walk, but
which is so steady and continuous that it soon carries the animal
out of the way of danger.
234 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
“The Goat is marvellously sure-footed, and from the day of its
birth is practised in climbing over the rocks, but it must not be
imagined that it never falls from the insecure perches which it
frequents. Such falls are not uncommon, but seem rarely to result
in serious injury. Kids which have been captured when very
young, and kept in captivity, have been observed to play at rolling
down steep banks, repeating the tumble over and over again, as if
practising for the falls which they might be obliged to take later
in life.”
MARKHOR.— The Markhor, of which a coloured representation is
given in Plate XV., as well as photographs of a fine male (Fig. 186)
and a female with her young one (Fig. 187), is a remarkable Goat,
the horns of the male being very powerful, long, twisted appendages,
and the hair on the chest and shoulders—a sort of extension of the
beard—is also a very striking feature which cannot fail to arrest
attention.
Markhor, being literally translated, means Snake-Eater, and
this animal is also called the Spiral-Horned Goat. The horns vary
in both size and form, for whilst one variety has them twisted some-
what like a corkscrew, another kind possesses horns in which three
complete turns may be detected. At one time it was considered
that the animals having these two forms of horns were distinct
species, but Zoologists are now of opinion that they are merely
varieties. In any case, it is important to recognize that the horns
of the Markhor, which exhibit a corkscrew-like twist, are to be
reckoned as the most remarkable appendages possessed by any
species of living Goats.
The male, which with his remarkable horns makes such a
striking figure that we have thought him worthy of inclusion
among the coloured plates, attains a height of about three and a
half feet at the withers, and the general form is enhanced in attraction
by reason of the black and grey beard. The extension of this on
to the crest and shoulders is confined to the male, the female (see
Fig. 187) only possessing the beard upon the chin. The Markhor
has a reddish-brown fur in Summer and grey in Winter; the
under-parts are paler, and there is a dark stripe on the bottom parts
of the front of the legs. Old males, it should be stated, turn whitish
during the Summer; the young ones are uniform greyish-brown,
with the exception of a black stripe down the back.
This splendid Wild Goat is found, according to Mr. Finn, “in
PLATE XV.
MARKHOR.
WILD SHEEP AND GOATS 235
the mountain ranges of the Indian North-West, the Pir Panjal to
the south of Kashmir, and the Baltistan, Astor and Gilgit ranges
to the north, as well as in many of the Afghanistan hills, including
the Sulaiman range, where the poorest specimens, of comparatively
small size, with straight screw horns are found, the splendid open
spiralled specimens attaining their fullest development in the Astor
and Baltistan ranges.” There are at least four distinct varieties of
this noble beast found inhabiting different localities, and these not
only vary in size and in the character of the horns, but also in habits.
One kind, for example, tenants high forest mountains near the
snow, whilst another makes its home amid barren and rocky hills
at a very much lower elevation.
The males and females usually keep in distinct flocks, and
whilst comment has already been made as to the prowess and en-
durance that is necessary to successfully stalk the Chamois, in the
Himalayas, we are told, there is hardly another animal “whose
pursuit habitually entails so much difficult climbing” as the Mark-
hor. It haunts environments where man dare not venture to tread,
even if he could, and has the habit of keeping to the rocky forests
which afford it concealment. It rarely comes out into open ground,
but when a male is observed his massive form and noble bearing
make a strong appeal to the sportsman who is fortunate enough to
see him in his native wilds.
In spite of some varieties inhabiting high snow-clad mountains,
the Markhor is very sensitive to the cold, and in Winter, although
having a longer coat to withstand the change of temperature, has
no under-fur like the Chamois, and invariably descends to protected
areas.
Not only is this one of the most remarkable animals now living,
but it possesses an ancient pedigree which stamps it as “one of the
oldest types of Wild Goat, since a fossil species which cannot at
present be satisfactorily distinguished from the living one, occurs
in the Pliocene rocks of the Siwalik hills at the foot of the Hima-
laya.”
The name of Markhor—or Snake-Eater—has resulted from the
reports of natives as to its being fond of eating snakes, but this
lacks authenticity and must be accepted with great reserve.
It may here be stated that naturalists seem to agree that the
ancestor of the Domestic Goat is the Persian Ibex. It is very like
the tame animal known to every one; it is light-brown during the
236 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Summer and grey in Winter. It haunts craggy districts in South-
Western Asia, and travels about in herds. Probably no domestic
animal is so easily acclimatized as the Goat; cold and heat come
alike to it, and it thrives well no matter in what part of the world
it happens to be stationed.
HIMALAYAN SEROW, OR GOAT-ANTELOPE.—This is the last
species which it is proposed to include in the present section, and
Fig. 188 will afford the reader a good general idea of the kind of
beast it is with which we are now concerned. There is more than
one species, and all have thick coats, short backward-curved horns,
and are stoutly built. In size they have been compared to a
Donkey, “and rather resembling one owing to their long ears.”
The Serows vary a great deal in colour, and they range from
the Himalayas to Sumatra and Tibet. The species illustrated is
black for the most part, tan colour on the flanks, with white on
the legs and belly. It is not a common animal by any means, being
of a solitary disposition and inhabiting hillsides where forests and
rocks afford it necessary cover.
Its looks belie its habits, for although “awkward and uncouth”
at first sight and when seen in captivity, in its native haunts it is
of active disposition, possesses indomitable pluck, and rather than
make good its own escape will fight without hesitation if its mate
happens to be wounded. It is an adept at going down steep hill-
sides, and although exhibiting an awkward gait it manages to over-
come insuperable obstacles during its wanderings, and if only on
account of the courage it displays when its partner is wounded, is a
worthy beast with which this chapter may be brought to a close.
FIG. 189.—ALBANIAN, OR EUROPEAN, WILD PIG
N WILD PIG
NDIA
BABY I
FIG. 190.
ae
§
+?
“4 Beg 4 ; e .
“ae! ie
191.——BABIRUSA
1G.
F
CHAPTER XIII
WILD PIGS
Few people there are who appear to evince any real interest in
Pigs. True enough the poor, the farmer and the large American
packer do devote a good deal of attention to them because of the way
in which they may be made to pay, but it is not from this point of
view that it is desirable to approach the animals with which we are
concerned in this section of our work.
Attention is to be devoted to a selection of Wild Pigs which are
inhabitants of various parts of the world, but before dealing
specifically with the subjects illustrated in Figs. 189 to 196 inclusive,
it will be as well to point out many interesting features connected
with these wild species. For this purpose I have made reference to
Dr. Otto Schmeil’s Textbook of Zoology, and wish, thus early, to
acknowledge my indebtedness to the work in question for much of
the information which follows.
Wild Pigs belong to the sub-order of Even-Toed Ungulates
known as Non-Ruminants, the members of which have all three
kinds of teeth developed in both jaws, with the canine teeth fre-
quently appearing as strong tusks. They do not chew the cud
or ruminate. They possess stout bodies; the skin is in many
instances sparsely covered with hair or bristles; there is often a
remarkable accumulation of fat under the thick skin (the fattened
Domestic Pig sent to market is an apt example of this), and these
animals do not possess either horns or antlers, although the remark-
able tusks of the Babirussa, or Pig-Deer, are worthy of mention in
this respect.
EUROPEAN WILD PIG, AND WILD PIGS GENERALLY. — The
European Wild Boar, or Albanian Wild Pig (Fig. 189), was at one
time an inhabitant of Britain, for its remains are frequently being
discovered, especially in those districts where, in mediaeval days,
Wild Boar hunting was one of the chief sports indulged in. An
237
238 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
instance came under my notice recently of how important it is to
carefully examine the remains of animals before casting them on one
side as useless and uninteresting. Excavations were being made
near an old manor house whose history is mostly obscured in the
mist of ages, for in its immediate vicinity a Roman Villa of great
antiquity was discovered not long since, and beautiful examples of
Roman pottery and other epitaphs of the Roman era have been
unearthed close by. A biological friend of mine happened to be
present during the time the excavations were taking place, and he
was handed some bones of an animal which might or might not
have been of interest. My friend pronounced the bones to be those
of a Wild Boar, which assurance met with some amount of derision
from certain so-called wiseacres who had assembled. They made
fun of his pronouncement, ventured the opinion that the bones were
probably those of a Domestic Pig, and the matter ended for the
time being. Presently one of the men engaged in the work of
excavation dug out the tusks of a Wild Boar, and my friend was
at once heralded as a remarkable prophet. A little incident, it is
true, but one which clearly illustrates how important it is to always
be on the look-out for the remains of animals, for, as a result, an
interesting link in a broken chain may often be supplied.
The Wild Boar, then, chooses as its habitat a swampy forest-
thicket, an uncommon environment which is little resorted to by
many kinds of mammals. We thus find that the beast is particularly
adapted for frequenting such a habitat, and can the better appreciate
how it is that the domestic animal known to every one seems to revel
in wallowing in slush amid the squalid surroundings of its pigsty
home. The Wild Boar attains a height of about three feet up to the
shoulders, a length of about six and a half feet, and weighs about
four hundred pounds.
Dr. Schmeil considers this animal from five very interesting
standpoints, namely, as an inhabitant of the forest, as an inhabitant
of the marsh, as an omnivorous feeder, as a burrowing animal,
and from its position in the economy of nature and in tegard to
man.
Briefly summarized, the results of Dr. Schmeil’s investigations
under these five heads may thus be given. As an inhabitant of the
forest the Wild Boar is, like the Elephant, well adapted for forcing
its way through the thickets and undergrowth by reason of the
conical-shaped head which it pushes like a wedge through the bushes.
FIG. 193.—-EAST AFRICAN RIVER HOG
FIG. 195.—-RED RIVER HOG
WILD PIGS 239
Having effected an opening in the thicket by this means, the Boar
has the way made clear for forcing its rigid body through the under-
growth, and, once having obtained an opening, we learn that its
rate of progress is both swift and sure. It is also largely assisted
in its movements by the short, powerful legs and the two central
toes which are encased in strong hoofs. By means of these the
animal is able to obtain a firm purchase upon the ground, and it
is easy to understand that a beast possessing long legs and hoofless
toes would be much less capable of doing this.
The skin being so tough acts as an admirable protection when
the Wild Boar is making its way through the forest, the bristles
with which the skin is coated do not hamper the animal’s advance
as would, for instance, the wool upon a Sheep, and the small, deep-
set and strong eyes are well protected by bristles and thus take no
harm. Finally under this head, it is important to note that the thick
impenetrable forest-thicket affords the Boar admirable protection
both in regard to the adult animal, and also its defenceless young
ones, against the attacks of enemies.
Being a lover of water and marshy surroundings, and exhibiting
a keen delight in wallowing in mud and slush, we find that this
animal, as an inhabitant of the marsh, is wonderfully well structurally
adapted to undergo what is evidently a most enjoyable existence.
lt is excellently suited for pursuing such a life and is prevented
from sinking in the mire ‘‘by the separation of the broad central
toes, the area of the surface of support” being increased; “this
happens even on hard ground, but still more on mud, because the
latter penetrates between the toes. When these toes sink in further,
the smaller hind-toes reach the ground and give further support.”
Then again, writes Dr. Schmeil, “by again bringing the toes
together into their normal position, the animal, on sinking in a
swamp, soon manages to liberate its feet. For a man this is a much
more difficult performance, for on raising the foot a vacuum is
formed below its surface. The two-toed Ox can also walk on
swampy meadows, but not the one-toed Horse.” Wonder may be
expressed as to how it is possible for the Wild Boar to welter in
swamps for a -considerable time without inducing an excessive
cooling of the body. What provision then is made against this ?
The thick layer of fat situate beneath the skin—and to which: refer-
ence has already been made in passing—is of vital importance in
this connection, as it has been proved to be a bad conductor of heat,
240 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and beyond this the fat is of assistance to the animal when it is
swimming, being of less specific weight than water. Added to these
remarkable devices for assisting this animal to pursue its inhabitance
among marshy surroundings, there is the fact of the bristles drying
quickly and the colour of the skin well protects it from being
espied.
As omnivorous feeders the Wild Boar and its domestic relation
are well known, for whilst the latter does not appear to disdain
anything in the eatable way, its wild cousin feeds on acorns, nuts,
wild fruits, fungi, roots, potatoes, turnips, cereals, snails, insects,
mice, worms and carrion. It is certainly not a vegetarian, partaking
as it does of a large amount of animal food as well, and its teeth
are adapted for procuring and masticating both.
The Wild Boar is largely a nocturnal animal, wallowing in the
water during the heat of the day and coming out at night-time to
appease its hunger. It is somewhat of a blunderbuss in its wander-
ings; that is to say, when feeding among crops it certainly destroys
more than it eats, and when resorting to a district where farming
operations are carried on, it undoubtedly perpetrates much damage.
Being a night hunter it is essential that this beast should possess
keen senses of smell and touch, and an acute sense of hearing.
These are all prominently developed, the sense of sight being very
weak. The sensitiveness of the snout is well known to those who
have kept Domestic Pigs, and their habit of finding truffles (a kind
of mushroom) need only be mentioned as illustrative of this.
We now pass on to consider the Wild Boar as a burrowing
animal, for it has the habit of digging up roots, bulbs and insects
found below the soil. In this, as may be supposed from what
has already been written of its structure, the beast under review
is well assisted by the pointed head, upon the end of which
the nose is prolonged into a snout or proboscis. We find, too,
that the nostrils are well protected when burrowing operations
are taking place by being placed at the “anterior end on the
terminal burrowing disc.” Further, the canine teeth being
developed into strong tusks and directed upward in both the upper
and the lower jaws, serve the Boar well in its digging, for by means
of them it is capable of tearing up the ground in search of delicacies,
“and for lifting up roots as thick as a man’s arm as easily as with
a crowbar.” The short, powerful neck, and the muscles at the
nape, ably serve the Boar in its burrowing operations and otherwise,
WILD PIGS 241
for whatever work the head is called upon to perform, it does not
bend under the strain, no matter how violent the labour involved
may be. It may be thought perhaps by the casual observer that
too much stress has been laid upon the feeding habits of this and
other kinds of animals treated of in this book, but an instance of
how important it is to pay some amount of regard to these is well
exemplified in the case of the Wild Pigs, for, as a matter of fact,
the method of feeding accounts for their distribution. They inhabit
Southern and Central Europe, Northern Africa and West and
Central Asia, and thus it is obvious that in countries where
any prolonged frosts are experienced the Wild Boar cannot find a
congenial home; consequently it is not found there.
We may now briefly consider the animal under review from the
position it occupies in the economy of nature and in regard to man.
Has it any enemies, and if so, what are they? What damage does
it perpetrate, and to what extent, and what are the animal’s uses?
The answer to the first question is that since the Wolf and the
Lynx have disappeared from the haunts of the Boar, it has few, if
any, enemies, with the exception of man himself. He likes it because
of the sport which it affords, and probably he alone would regret
its total abolition, though the Zoologist would also no doubt not
agree to its extinction without dissent. It is stated that the Fox does
attack young Wild Boars, and that in some regions the larger Wild
Cats may be considered enemies of this beast, but it is pretty well
calculated to take care of itself either when attacked by man or wild
creatures, for by means of its powerful tusks it can direct ominous
blows at its adversary. The blows are always directed upwards, the
tusks “at every movement of the lower jaw are whetted against each
other, and thus remain constantly sharp and pointed,” and it is said
that a single blow is sufficient to rip open the belly of a dog. The
Domestic Pig, it will doubtless have been noticed, has not lost the
blind rage of its wild cousin, and I have myself seen Pigs assume
quite a threatening attitude, although in their case, of course, being
minus the tusks, little harm is likely to be done.
Mention has already been made as to the amount of damage that
Wild Swine are capable of doing when they frequent the vicinity of
lands that bear crops, and it can be imagined how a herd can devas-
tate whole areas when once they start on a foraging expedition. In
consequence of this, few there are who are willing to say much in
favour of this beast; it has been relentlessly persecuted in some
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242 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
districts and become entirely exterminated as a result, and whilst
it is also looked upon with disfavour by the forester, who recognizes
the damage it does by ripping up the roots and trampling down
plantations, it is as well to remember that “by incessant burrowing
it destroys an immense quantity of injurious insect larve, and at the
same time, by burying underground the fruits of the trees, it brings
about involuntarily a sort of natural sowing of the forest.”
The Domestic Pig has, of course, been utilized by man for a
great number of years, and by judicious selection has been brought
to a remarkable state of perfection, but even to the casual observer
distinguishing differences will at once be apparent, for in the better
known animals of the pigsty it will be noticed that the tusks are
absent, the skull is shorter and higher, and the body is not clothed
with hairs to the same extent. Yet we learn that when Domestic
Pigs are given their freedom and allowed to return to a wild
state, they “reassume the form and structure of their ancestral
parents.”
Beyond being in such request for the purpose of food, domestic-
ated Swine are of use, for pig-skin makes a most serviceable leather
and is particularly useful for saddles; from the bristles hair brushes
are manufactured, and in many other ways these animals are of use,
one writer facetiously remarking that everything in connection with
them is useful with the exception of their “squeal.”
The Wild Boar of Europe is dusky-brown or grey in colour,
tending to black, whilst the young ones are white, and, as a rule,
marked with yellow longitudinal stripes. In a wild state the old
boar is found to be of a solitary disposition, and it is he who is such
a dangerous adversary, as he has longer tusks than the sow and
is of larger size. The sow and young keep together in small
parties.
In Britain, where many of the forests in which it roamed are now
no more, the Wild Boar was protected by William I. After the
decease of that monarch the animal died out, but later on it was
reintroduced by Charles I into the New Forest in Hampshire. The
advent of the Civil War, however, soon put an end to its reintro-
duction and the animals were all destroyed. After this, so far as
I am aware, no further effort was made to reintroduce them, but I
remember some years ago seeing some at Windsor which belonged
to Queen Victoria, and which I believe were a present from some
Indian Chief to ‘the Great White Queen.”
ED PECCARY
—COLLAR
- 196.
FIG
SS
cee
ye
Ry Sesh
NG
BACTRIAN CAMEL AND YOU
wiO7..
FIG
FIG. 199.—VICUNA
WILD PIGS 243
Mr. Ernest Protheroe gives some interesting figures concerning
how Pig rearing varies in different stock-raising countries, and
remarks that “in the British Isles there are, roughly, four million
Pigs to thirty million Sheep and eleven million Cattle. Australasia
has but one million Pigs to a hundred million Sheep. The Argen-
tine possesses only about three-quarters of a million Swine to
seventy-four million Sheep and twenty-one million Cattle; but in
the United States are forty million Pigs to about the same number
of Sheep and Cattle. Austria, Russia and Germany are also big
Swine raisers, the two former possessing about ten million each,
while the last-named has half as many again. These figures show
the immense importance of Swine in providing food for man. Pork
is the most popular meat in France and many countries in Europe.
In Chicago alone there are firms which each kill twenty-five thousand
hogs a day; and in a single year the United States sends to the
United Kingdom alone, bacon and hams to the value of
411,000,000.” (Vide The Handy Natural History.)
It is probable that the Domestic Swine found in various parts
of the world are descended from either the European Wild Pig or
the Indian kind, but frequent interbreeding and crossing have taken
place to such an extent that it is difficult to arrive at a correct
solution. of this interesting problem.
What has already been written of the Wild Boar applies almost
equally well to all the species that are illustrated, but a few further
notes may be given as to some of these and other kinds. The various
species are allocated to different genera; thus the European Wild
Boar is accorded pride of place among the true Pigs in the genus
Sus, and the same remark applies to its Indian cousin (Fig. 190).
INDIAN WILD PIG.— Many Zoologists are of opinion that the
latter is not specifically distinct from its European relative, but it
may be pointed out that it is a taller animal, has a thinner coat of
hair and no under-fur, and is characterized by a crest or mane of
long black bristles which run from the nape of the neck along the
back, and there are distinguishing differences in regard to the teeth
which need not be detailed.
OTHER WILD PIGS.—In the Andaman Islands there is a smaller
species inhabiting the forests which has a shaggy coat and short
tail; then there is the Pigmy Hog, which inhabits the forests “at
the foot of the Himalayas in Bhutan, Sikhim and Nipal,” this
small species being no larger than a Hare. In the Malayan region,
R2
244 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and also in Japan, there are other Wild Pigs which belong to the
same genus as the European species, and we may now pass on to
the Babirusa (Fig. 191), which is placed in a genus of its own.
BABIRUSA. — This species has a naked skin of a dark ashy-grey
colour, but is distinguished by the remarkable development of the
tusks possessed by the male, there being two pairs of these, called
the upper and lower tusks respectively. They curve upwards like
those of the ordinary Wild Pig, but “instead of protruding from
the margins of the jaws, arise close together near the middle line of
the face, and thence, after being directed upwards for a short
distance, sweep backwards, frequently coming into contact with
the surface of the forehead, and are then finally directed forwards
towards the tip.” The lower tusks are somewhat similar, but are
not often curved so strongly. The effect on first seeing these, and
having no knowledge of the animal, is that it has a malformation.
This species inhabits Celebes and Boru, and its name—Babirusa—
given to it by the Malays, means Pig-Deer, and sufficiently indicates
the extraordinary tusks which it bears.
WART HOGS.—The Wart Hogs (Fig. 194) are African beasts,
there being two closely allied species, and whilst the Red Bush-Pig
(see Fig. 195) is stated to be the handsomest member of the Swine
family, we are told that among the Wart Hogs there are forthcoming
the most hideous-looking representatives not only of the group to
which these beasts belong, but also of all the species included among
the Ungulates.
These Wart Hogs are so called because of the large heads which,
whilst flat and broad on the lower part of the face, have tremendous
warty excrescences beneath each eye, and also two smaller ones
between the eye and the tusk. Both sexes have enormous tusks, the
muzzle of the head is very elongated and reminds one of the
Hippopotamus, and the eyes in consequence are placed in a backward
position.
GIANT BUSH-PIG.—Mr. Radclyffe Dugmore tells in his Camera
Adventures in the African Wilds, how one day he came across, in
a thickly-wooded region, an animal which he took to be a young
Rhinoceros, but a second look proved it to be an animal which he had
not met before. He says, “I was scarcely ready when it looked up,
and as I pressed the shutter release I realized that the animal I was
photographing was none other than the Forest Hog or Giant Bush-
Pig (Hylocherus meinertzhageni), one of the rarest animals in East
WILD PIGS 245
Africa. This huge creature, the largest of the Pigs, has only been
known to science since 1904, when it was discovered, I believe, by
Captain R. Meinertzhagen, and since that time very few specimens
have been secured. In general appearance it differs from the Wart
Hog, not only in size, but in the enormous wart-like excrescences
protruding immediately below the eyes, and by the inconspicuous-
ness of the tusks, which in the one I saw were practically invisible.
The colour of this one was a decidedly reddish-brown, but that may
have been due to its having rolled in the dust, as it was of nearly
the same tone as the sandy clay of the district. Needless to say, I
was greatly delighted at such a stroke of good luck, for in my wildest
dreams I had never expected to have an opportunity of photograph-
ing this rare and very shy animal.”
PECCARIES.— The Peccaries, of which there are two recognized
species, known as the Collared Peccary (Fig. 196) and the White-
Lipped, come between the Swine and the Hippopotami, and are, as
a matter of fact, the American cousins of the animals with whom
we have been so far concerned in this section. They have been
deemed worthy of assignment to a separate family, and they con-
stitute the only genus included in it.
A characteristic feature that will at once be apparent is in regard
to the tusks, for, instead of being directed upwards as in the last
group under review, the Peccaries have their tusks directed down-
wards. They exhibit differences, too, in their hind-limbs, for
instead of having four toes, they have three only, whilst could we
explore inside the animal’s “little Mary” we should find that that
part of the anatomy is not of simple construction as in the Old
World Swine, but “a complex one approaching that of the Rumi-
nants.” In this, then, and other ways, the Peccaries are accorded
a higher position in the scale of animal life than their Old World
cousins, and they are “clearly one step in advance of their
allies... .” Further still, the Peccaries can at once be distin-
guished, at close quarters at any rate, by a beastly odorous oily
substance which is exuded from a large gland situate in the middle
of the back.
Note the slender limbs of the Peccary shown in Fig. 196, the
absence of any visible tail; also the small, tapering ears; the bristles
with which the body is thickly clothed, and which form a mane on
the neck and a fringe on the throat; and the long snout.
The Collared Peccary is an inhabitant of America like its White-
246 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Lipped relative, but is found further north than the last-named
species, “its range extending from Arkansas and Texas to the Rio
Negro in Patagonia.” Both species haunt the dense forests, and in
some districts of South America ascend to an altitude of several
thousand feet. They make their homes among the cover afforded
by the forest, or else take advantage of a burrow made by some other
wild beast, or dwell in the snug retreat of a hollow tree. These
Peccaries appear to be chiefly vegetarians, and hence differ from
those animals treated of earlier, but it is stated that they vary their
bill of fare by partaking of insects, worms or carrion.
CHAPTER XIV
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS
WE have now reached a very important section of our work, and
shall make the acquaintance of quite a number of interesting and
useful animals during the present expedition, among these being the
Camels, Bears, Foxes, Skunks, Chinchilla, Marmots, Seals, Beavers
and Otters. Although many of these animals are very valuable com.
mercially on account of the wool or fur which they produce, it is
essential that first place should be assigned to the Camel, and it is
not intended to treat at any length of the animals included from the
standpoint of their commercial utility.
BACTRIAN AND ARABIAN CAMELS.—If only on account of its
antiquity, the Camel is worthy of occupying a foremost position in
this section, for authentic records prove that this ‘Ship of the
Desert” was well known in Egypt over three thousand years ago.
It is usually most highly regarded because of its usefulness as a
beast of burden, traversing the desert regions and undergoing great
trials of endurance which no other animal could withstand. But it
is as well to recognize that it is not only on account of its use as a
beast of burden the Camel makes a strong appeal, for the Arabs
make a favourite dish with its milk by boiling it with a mixture of
rice and flour, and even when the milk is sour it is mixed with flour
and made into a kind of bread. The flesh, too, is of value,
resembling veal, the hump being especially looked upon as a real
delicacy. But this does not exhaust the usefulness of this animal,
for the Arabs make harness and shoes from its skin, and clothing
and tents from the hair with which its body is covered.
It seems remarkable, in spite of the fact that the Camel has been
used for so long a time in the world’s history, that it has never
become reconciled as a beast of burden, preserving very largely
its vicious temperament.
Beyond this, the beast under review has played at times an
important part in history, for it is quoted in the book of Genesis
247
248 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and elsewhere in the Bible, and there are many instances recorded
showing how its use has had an important bearing concerning the
decision of a battle. Mr. Harold J. Shepstone, in the course of
a most interesting paper entitled “The Camel at Home,” in The
Animal World, writes—
“We are told that when Jacob fled across the wilds of Mesopo-
tamia he ‘rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon Camels.’
These creatures are among the presents given to Abram by the
King of Egypt, and by Jacob to his brother Esau. Joseph is drawn
up from the pit, into which he had been cast by his jealous brethren,
and sold to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites, who came by ‘ with
their Camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it
down to Egypt.’ Later on, in the days of the Judges, there was an
invasion of the land of Israel by the Midianites and the Amalekites,
of whom we are told ‘their Camels were without number, as the
sand by the seaside for multitude.’
“Again, in what we may call a border raid by Amalekites in
David’s day, we find that warrior hero swooping down upon a party
of plunderers while they were feasting and exulting over their spoils,
not one of them escaping except ‘four hundred young men who
rode upon Camels.’ The long, swinging stride of this desert steed
must have carried many a defeated fighter safely out of the battle in
ancient days. But where horses were used even his long legs were
outmatched, as when, for instance, Zenobia, the warlike Queen of
Palmyra, fled from the victorious Romans. Her city having been
taken, she mounted her swift Camel and hurried off across the desert
sands. But a troop of Roman cavalry espied her and gave chase,
and the galloping horses easily came up with the Camel, and she
was made captive.
“But history is replete with instances showing how the use of
Camels has decided a battle. When Cyrus fought the rich Croesus
he dreaded his enemy’s cavalry, so he resorted to a stratagem. He
collected his baggage Camels and replaced their loads with soldiers,
whom he ordered to advance against the cavalry of Croesus. Behind
the Camels Cyrus placed his foot-soldiers, and behind them his
cavalry. The stratagem was successful, for when the horses of
Croesus saw and smelt the Camels they at once turned tail and
bolted. Thus Cyrus won the battle.
“Speaking of the part the Camel has played in early history, one
writer says: ‘The Arabian conquest of North Africa, the rise of
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 249
the Moorish kingdoms, the bringing of Moorish art and Moorish
science to Western Europe, would never have taken place, or at all
events would have been greatly delayed, were it not for the Camel.’
But here one is naturally inclined to ask, who first tamed the
Camel? Curiously enough, no one knows. Although it has been
the subject of much research there is no satisfactory evidence of the
existence of the Camel in an original wild state at any period what-
ever. True, some little time ago naturalists declared that they had
found the true Wild Camel on the dry, wind-swept plain of Tsaidam,
in Central Asia. The Camel there is certainly a healthy, hard-living
beast and able to endure much that would kill his tame relatives in
the sunnier lands of the south. But it is the opinion of Major
Cumberland, an admitted authority on Camels, that these Wild
Camels of Central Asia are the descendants of herds whose masters
perished in a great sandstorm which swept over the district some
two centuries ago.”
There are two kinds of Camels, the Bactrian, or Two-Humped
Camel, shown in Fig. 197 with a young one, and the Arabian, or
One-Humped Camel. People generally appear to regard the
Camel as an animal inhabiting warm sandy deserts, and this is
doubtless due to the animal’s long association with Eastern
countries; but the Bactrian Camel is an inhabitant of the desert
regions of Central Asia, and the fine shaggy coat of the creature at
once shows how well calculated it is to withstand the cold climate of
such a country as Siberia.
The Bactrian is readily distinguished by its two humps; it is
a heavier-looking beast than the Arabian, and has shorter legs but
longer hair. It is interesting to compare the legs of these two species
of Camels, for whereas those of the Bactrian are short and admirably
adapted for traversing rocky districts, those possessed by the better
known Arabian, or One-Humped Camel, are longer and well suited
to carry the beast and its burden across vast wastes of desert.
In both disposition and habits the Bactrian resembles its relative,
and in the countries it inhabits it is equally useful. It is, as in the
days of old, still of service in war, or in preparations for war, for
we learn that “the Persians use it for their celebrated Camel artillery,
a light swivel-gun being mounted on the saddle and worked by
the rider.”
Leaving the Bactrian Camel, we may now consider in greater
detail the Arabian species, stating straight away that the Dromedary
250 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
is merely a high-bred, fast-moving Camel, and the difference between
the ordinary One-Humped Camel and this latter may be compared
to the ordinary Horse and the Racehorse. A Dromedary can travel
eight miles an hour with ease for several hours a day, and has been
known to traverse a distance of six hundred and thirty miles in five
successive days.
Besides being an inhabitant of Arabia, the species now under
review is found in Asia Minor, Syria, Persia, Afghanistan, India,
Egypt and Northern Africa generally. Mr. Protheroe says that
“it has been introduced, among other places, into the South of
Europe, United States and Australia. In the New World is was not
a success, and the few animals in Italy are very inferior to those
on the other side of the Mediterranean; but in Australia the Camel
has proved invaluable in the desert regions, and the thorough
exploration of the interior would have been practically impossible
without it.”
The Arabian Camel attains a length of almost seven feet and
stands about the same in height at the shoulder, or two feet more to
the top of the head. The latter is borne on a long curved neck, -and
the high arched back is also a characteristic feature. As a general
rule the soft, woolly hair is reddish-grey, but there are many differ-
ent breeds in Arabia, and these vary in the colour of their coats.
On the chest and joints of the legs there are pads of hard skin
admirably adapted for serving the beast when it wishes to lie down
and rest. The small, rounded ears are worth noticing, and the
prominent eyelids and eyebrows well protect the eyes from the sand-
storms which are so often encountered upon the desert, and the
nostrils can be opened and closed at will, and are thus similarly
protected.
The féet are covered with hardened skin instead of bearing hoofs;
there are two elongated toes which are furnished with soft pads, and
these, when opened, enable the Camel to traverse the treacherous
sandy desert with a firm tread and without sinking or slipping.
The more the construction of this beast is considered the more
interesting are its details revealed, for if we examine its inside, we
find that 'is has a collection of water cells, or pockets, in which
water may be stored, and upon which the animal can draw as it
requires.
There are, as will be seen, many reasons which fit the Camel as
an admirable beast of burden in regions where other animals would
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 251
fail, not the least of which is the length of time it can go without
food, and the remarkable habit it exhibits of scenting water at a
distance often saves both the animal and its driver from suffering
agony through thirst. The wide expanse of arid desert is its home,
and whilst it is a mistake to suppose that the Arabian species cannot
traverse rocky ground successfully in the same way as its Bactrian
relative, it is a fact that on wet and slippery ground the beast is out
of its element and quite unable to secure a foothold. The hind-legs
“slide asunder on a treacherous surface, and the animal is unable
to bring them back; and the result is that the weight of the body,
to say nothing of a burden, forces the bones out of their sockets, and
nothing can be done with the unfortunate creature but destroy it.”
Beyond the water pockets already referred to, the Camel is well
served by its hump, which is made up of fatty cells, and thus
supplies a reserve of food in the same way as the fatty accumulation
stored up in the bodies of animals which hibernate for a lengthy
period, and to which attention has already been drawn in a previous
chapter. When starting on a long journey and the animal has been
well supplied with nourishment, the hump is in a fine condition, but
should the food supply fail, the reserve of fat stored up in the hump
is drawn upon, and as this takes place so surely enough the hump
disappears, until at the end of the pilgrimage it is found to have
shrunk to almost nothing.
The Camel is capable of carrying enormous burdens upon its
back; its powers of endurance are very remarkable, and although
used ‘to some extent for agricultural purposes, it is because of its
great service as a beast of burden that it is most highly regarded.
To the Arab it is indispensable, for without it the burning tracts of
the great Sahara desert could not be penetrated, whilst our know-
ledge of these vast regions would be very sparse had it not been
for the services rendered to travellers by this wonderful beast.
And yet, although for so long a period it has been acquainted
with mankind, serving him, as we have already seen, in so many
directions, it is an unintelligent creature, ill-tempered, and does
not, for example, learn to know its owner in the same way as a
Horse. It has a great aversion to water—excepting when thirsty—
and rather than ford a river will permit its body to become immersed,
to roll over and drown. Its movements are directed with great
difficulty—if it is possible to direct them at all—for the beast goes
just that way which best suits its purpose, and to ride it for the
262 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
first time is an experience not easily forgotten. Mr. Shepstone
says—
“There is no doubt that Arabs can do more with Camels than
Europeans. This is because they understand their ways and
peculiarities. The animals are certainly stubborn and cannot be
hurried. The proverb about the last straw breaking the Camel’s
back is no fiction. Place a burden which is in the least degree too
heavy upon a Camel’s back and wild horses will not persuade it to
get up, let alone start upon its journey. Then it is not a creature
blessed with too much intelligence and is inclined to be stupid.
Again, it must be left to fix its own pace while on the march. For
these reasons the Government now, when they requisition the
services of Camels for transport work in hot countries, use native
drivers. In the Afghan War we lost, it is stated, 20,000 of these
useful beasts because we did not understand how to manage them.
In the more recent Somaliland campaign Somalis were put in charge
of the Camels. They understood them, sang to them as they marched
along, and the results were most gratifying.”
HUANACO, OR GUANACO.—The Huanaco (Fig. 198) belongs to
the genus of New World Camels which includes, in addition to the
present species, the Llama, Alpaca and Vicuna (Fig. 199). None
of these possess the hump of the Camels of the Old World last
under consideration, and Figs. 198 and 199 will at once show that
they are of lighter build, smaller size, but in other respects akin.
Their habits are, however, entirely different, for instead of inhabit-
ing flat sandy deserts, they are natives of lofty mountainous regions.
Having, unlike the Old World Camels, two sharp, hard hoofs
instead of small nails, they are enabled to traverse precipitous
regions where the Old World Camel would not dare to tread, even
if it could obtain a foothold, and have been compared as little
inferior to the Chamois in regard to their agility.
The Huanaco is the ancestor of the Llama and the Alpaca, the
Peruvians having domesticated the wild beast aforementioned, and
producing from it the two animals referred to, the Llama serving
as a beast of burden, and the Alpaca being domesticated for the
purpose of providing the wool so well known as an article of com-
merce. Thus the Huanaco may be called the true Wild Llama,
for it is a wild and wary animal. with a rough, short coat of a
brown colour. Its range extends through the Andes from the
Equator to Cape Horn.
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 253
VICUNA.—The Vicuna (Fig. 199) is very inferior in size to either
the Llama or the Huanaco, standing about the height of an ordinary
Donkey. It does not enjoy such a wide range as the Huanaco,
being found in and around the region “of which Peru is the centre,”
but ascends to higher altitudes and, therefore, colder regions. It has
a more or less light-brown coat, with white under-wool. The flesh
of the Vicuna is much esteemed, whilst the wool is of very fine
quality.
LLAMA,—It remains to be said that the Llama attains a height
of at least four feet at the shoulder, and, like its Old World repre-
sentatives, is capable of carrying a heavy load, and possesses great
powers of endurance as a beast of burden. This “ American Camel,”
as it may be designated, resembles those recently under review in
disposition, progressing as and when it pleases, exhibiting a sulky
temperament, and, beyond this, has a nasty habit of spitting in the
face of a person with whom it is not on the best terms. Those
visiting Zoological Gardens may have evidence of this if they
approach too close to the beast and annoy it in any way, and I have
myself seen visitors at the Gardens in Regent’s Park who got more
than they bargained for when looking at the animals there located.
All the Llama family exhibit this curious habit.
ALPACA.—The Alpaca has a longer neck than the Llama, but it is
a smaller animal and more often bears brown or black wool. It
varies in colour like the Llama, and is sometimes wholly white, or
white marked with brown or black. The Alpaca carries its head
in an erect position, and although it thrives well in the country in
which it makes its native home, it does not succeed outside, as
although experiments have been made in Europe, and also in
Australia, all have failed. The famous Alpaca wool is yellowish-
brown, grey, white or black, and-although it was used for many
years for various purposes, its real value and use was not made
manifest until machinery was invented by means of which the fibre
constituting it could be properly dealt with. Since that time the
demand for the wool has increased, until it is to-day responsible for
a very large industry.
It is only during the important season of shearing that the
Alpacas are allowed to temporarily quit the high mountain table-
lands upon which they pasture. This process over, the animals
leave the valleys and are taken back to their fastnesses for the
greater part of the year.
254 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
POLAR BEAR.—The picture depicting a pair of Polar Bears (Fig.
200) at the London Zoo is of interest because it is one of the last
taken showing these two animals in their old home. Sam and
Barbara, as they are popularly known, have recently been transferred
to much improved quarters, where they provide a fund of interest and
amusement to visitors. Quite a number of incidents might be
mentioned concerning these two well-known inmates of the Regent’s
Park collection, not the least exciting of which was the breaking of
a padlock and their subsequent escape and recapture two or three
years ago. Not long since Barbara gave birth to two cubs, but
although Sam was temporarily removed and every precaution was
taken, the young ones were not reared.
Reaching a length of as much as thirteen feet, and a weight of
1,600 lb.; clad in a warm coat of yellowish-white, and with a
mobility of body and a silent footfall, the Polar Bear is always a
favourite beast in a Zoological Garden. But in its native home on
the coasts and islands of the Arctic Ocean, it must present a fine
sight to those who have the good fortune to observe it amid the
splendours of ice-bound Polar Seas.
How well provisioned this fine beast is against the fierce Winter
cold which it encounters in its own wild haunts! It has thick,
shaggy fur, between the hairs of which there are large air-spaces.
What purpose, then, do these serve? Air being a bad conductor of
heat, the animal is thus well served by these air-spaces, and a thick
layer of fat beneath the skin also affords protection, fat also being
a bad heat conductor.
Its whitish coat assists the Polar Bear to secure food, for, by
means of it, it is better able to creep towards its prey unobserved,
being protected by its harmony with the surroundings of snow and
ice; and the hairy covering on the soles of the feet ably assists it in
securing a firm and silent foothold on even the most slippery ice.
It is a good climber, feeding not only on the few kinds of mammals
that inhabit its Arctic home, but also birds, their eggs and young.
Beyond this it also partakes of a vegetable diet, such things as
grass, berries, lichens and mosses being consumed, “which, during
the short Summer of the Arctic North, grow upon the thawed
surface layers of the soil.”
But in those desolate regions the Polar Bear often experiences
considerable difficulty in supplying its bodily needs from the few
other animals which eke out an existence in a land of perpetual
suvad uwv1IOd—'00z ‘ord
FIG. 201.—ISABELLINE BEAR
FIG. 202.—JAPANESE BEAR
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 255
snow and ice; thus we find that the food supply on land being
restricted, the Bear makes the sea its chief hunting ground. It is
as much at home in the water as on land, a fact which may be
verified by visiting the new Polar Bear enclosure at the London
Zoo, for the splendid creature swims easily and with great powers
of endurance. Not only is the body ably protected “from the fatal
effects of cooling in the icy water by the large air-spaces between
the hairs of its fur,” but also “by the thick and adipose layer under
the skin . . . and by the copious secretion of fat from the glands
of the skin by means of which the furry coat is kept constantly
lubricated, and thus never allowed to get wet.” Then again, as
Dr. Schmeil states, swimming is “facilitated by the large air-
spaces between the hairs of the shaggy coat and the fat accumu-
lations within the body; for air as well as fat, being lighter
than water, helps to diminish the specific weight of the body.”
It has enormous strength, and this, together with the wide paws
and the cutaneous webs between the toes, assist it greatly and enable
it to swim both rapidly and with endurance.
It can catch fish with much cleverness, and in stalking Seals,
Walruses and other marine creatures exhibits a strategy which shows
the born hunter, the animal diving noiselessly and swimming
cautiously until well within striking distance of its prey.
As it can so well secure animal or vegetable food, both on the
land and in the sea, it is not necessary that this Bear should under-
take any migration movements, or enter into a Winter sleep, whilst
its thick coat and other provisions already alluded to ably protect
it throughout the rigours of the Arctic Winter.
When hunted, it is a dangerous foe to encounter, and the very
fact that it is able to successfully attack such large prey as the
Walrus—which is comparable in bulk to that of a small Elephant—
is sufficient indication of its enormous strength and clever stalking.
It does not hug the hunter like its relatives next to be dealt with,
but bites and claws in no half-hearted manner whenever opportunity
presents itself.
Although regarded as a solicitous and devoted mother when in a
wild condition, the experience of the Zoo authorities in London with
Barbara in 1908, and again in 1910, tells a different story, for in
1908 Barbara cared no more about her young one than to pick it up
soon after it was born and drop it heavily on the concrete floor!
Again in 1910 two cubs were born, one of which was, I under
256 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
stand, eaten by the mother, and the remaining one did not long
survive.
BROWN BEAR.—Ail the members of the Bear family present a
striking resemblance to one another if exception be made of the
handsome Polar Bear last under review. The fur is coarse and long,
thick and shaggy in those beasts which inhabit the colder regions.
Those kinds which resort to hot countries have shorter and thinner
fur, a thick coat not being so essential as in the case of the Bears
which inhabit cold climates.
Brown or black is the prevailing colour of all the Bears, but in
some a white collar is present on the throat. The black coloration
is most interesting for the reason that it “is a feature unknown in
any other group of Carnivores, and is, indeed, rare among mammals
in general.”
Passing by the Isabelline Bear (Fig. 201) with the remark that it
is closely related to the Brown Bear and a resident of the Hima-
layas, we may, before dealing with the Japanese, Malayan and
Sloth Bears, devote attention to the Brown Bear, which deserves
recognition in view of the fact that it is most typical of the whole
family, and the commonest of them all.
The Brown Bear varies a great deal in colour, various shades of
brown being forthcoming in different races. This has resulted in
several so-called species being established, but these are, at best,
simply local races of the species now under consideration.
The Brown Bear has a wide distribution, for “its range extends
throughout almost the whole of Europe, particularly Russia,
Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Pyrenees and the Balkan Penin-
sula; in Asia it is found throughout Siberia to the shores of the
Pacific; and it also inhabits the colder regions of North America.”
It is interesting to notice that evidence has been collected which
proves that the Brown Bear was an inhabitant of the British Isles
in the eighth century, and, before this, when the Romans held
undisputed sway in this country, this species was used by them
wherewith to fight in the arena. The extinct Cave Bear (Ursus
speleus) was a different species, for it was a gigantic beast whose
remains have been found “in such profusion in the caverns of
Europe, and less commonly in the brick-earths and other superficial
deposits.” In the olden days this huge creature was, we are
informed, “a contemporary of the Mammoth and early human
inhabitants of Europe,” and one wonders at this time of day how
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 257
it was possible for rude, uncouth savages to fight such a formidable
wild beast. Armed only with flint hatchets and spears, what a con-
trast these rude hunting implements are to the modern firearms.
It is obvious that these ancient Britons must have possessed remark-
able powers of both offence and defence to successfully overcome
such a powerful adversary which tenanted the forests of Britain in
the remote past, and at a period in the history of our land which
is largely obscured by the mist of ages.
Even in the days of Queen Elizabeth the Brown Bear was used
for Bear-baiting, but in that remarkable reign, which produced such
men as Shakespeare, Bacon, Drake and Raleigh, it is obvious that
the animals were imported, the species having become exterminated
as a native some considerable time previously.
Of the European Carnivora, the Brown Bear is the largest repre-
sentative, the Polar Bear, of course, being excepted. It attains a
height of about three and a half feet at the shoulder, and a length
of from five to seven feet. It has a long, shaggy dark-brown coat,
what has been well described by Mr. Protheroe as a “shambling
gait,” and, what is not quite so accurate in my opinion, it is said
to be ‘‘an uncouth-looking brute.” I have often been criticized with
regard to my innate love for the brute creation, and, in spite of this,
I cannot bring myself to describe any living thing as “hideous,”
“distasteful” or “an uncouth-looking brute.” I believe strongly
that man is far too prone to ill-judge some of the less appealing and
attractive-looking animals, and although I know full well that Sir
Herbert Maxwell, among others, has expressed the opinion that he
cannot follow me in my principle of laissez-faire with regard to birds,
I would, if I had my way, give a fair chance of existence to every
living creature. My knowledge of animals leads me to the con-
clusion that few are inimical to mankind, and those of my friends
who have travelled extensively in foreign countries where innumer-
able wild beasts populate the air, the earth and the fresh and salt
waters, have convinced me that there are not a great number of the
brute creation whom man, in his wisdom, need dread as mortal
enemies. I certainly regard no living thing as “hideous” or “an
uncouth-looking brute,” for all forms of life have an interest for me,
and whilst we do not all see or think or reason alike (and I admit it
is a real blessing we do not), I do not think that any one interested
in the outdoor world should apply unnecessary epithets towards any
wildling, no matter how distasteful its form or habits may be. I
s
258 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
often hear people venture their opinions concerning both animals
and plants. Most people love Roses and Violets, but few have a kind
word to say for the humble Dandelion and Daisy. Bird-lovers who
are friends of mine are in the seventh heaven of delight if they
chance to stalk an uncommon feathered creature, but pay little or no
attention to our common resident birds, whose constant presence
does so much to make the countryside and our gardens such pleasant
places in which to pass our daily lives.
The reader must pardon this digression from the Brown Bear,
but an opportunity presented itself of writing as I have done, and,
with a promise not to return to the subject again, we may now
pass on.
Like the Polar Bear, our Brown friend loves water, and is an
expert swimmer. Beyond this it is also a good climber, as all
visitors to the Bear Pit at the London Zoo can testify, and when
coming down a tree or elsewhere, it takes the precaution of
descending backwards after the manner of a human being.
Its diet is made up mainly of various kinds of vegetable matter,
such things as roots, leaves, corn, berries and fruit being eaten.
Sometimes the diet is varied with the grubs of wasps and bees,
and, on occasions, it takes to killing cattle.
When attacking, the Brown Bear exhibits a quickness of move-
ment which is very remarkable, and the power it possesses is not less
striking. It exhibits an uncertain temper, although, when obtained
young, it is not difficult to tame, but cannot always be trusted.
In America there are, of course, the Grizzly Bear of the Rocky
Mountains—which is not only the most formidable animal of the
North American continent, but the most ferocious of the Bear
family—and the American Brown Bear. This latter is quite distinct
from the Grizzly, or “Old Ephraim,” as it is also known, and in
Alaska attains a very large size, exceeding even the Russian Bears,
which have magnificent coats and possess a stature of great
dimensions.
JAPANESE BEAR. — Little need be written of this species (Fig.
202) excepting that it is closely allied to thé Himalayan Bear, and is
regarded by many Zoologists as only a variety, the chief distin guish-
ing feature being the less prominent white mark around the throat.
It is a common inhabitant of Northern Japan.
MALAY BEAR.—The Malay, or Malayan, Bear (Fig. 203) is a
resident, as its name implies, of the Malay Peninsula and the
FIG. 203.—MALAY BEAR
FIG. 204.—-SLOTH BEAR
FIG. 205.—-ARCTIC FOX IN WINTER COAT
FIG. 206.—FENNEC FOX
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 259
adjacent islands. It is an interesting species and makes a good pet,
the one shown in the photograph having served a well-known regi-
ment in that capacity. There is also, at the time of writing, a young
Bear of this species at the London Zoo with which I have the
honour of being on intimate terms of acquaintance. True enough
the little beast is too fond of a desire to hug one’s leg, but it appears
to be more in play than otherwise, and I have seen it allow quite
young children to fondle it without any harm accruing. To see the
baby Bear walk on its hind legs in a sedate sort of way, and in a
bolt-upright position, is a delightful experience, and I hope that some
day Mr. Berridge may be prevailed upon to snapshot the animal in
the act. In a wild state the Malayan Bear exhibits a great preference
for honey, whilst it is also said to perpetrate a great deal of damage
in cocoa plantations. I have noticed with interest that when feeding
in captivity both the young and adult animals lie on their backs
whilst thus engaged, taking the food in the front paws and enjoy-
ing their meals in this way. I cannot account for this strange pro-
ceeding, and imagine that it can be only a habit that has been
acquired in captivity.
SLOTH BEAR.—The last of the Bears with which we are at present
concerned is the shaggy-coated individual shown in Fig. 204. This
is an Indian species which is commonly known in its own country
as the Bhalu, and by the Mahrattas as the Aswal.
It is an important animal which should not be overlooked, as it
differs so much from its relatives that it has been placed in a separate
genus of its own. We need not enter into the reasons for this generic
distinction excepting to state that the structure and number of the
teeth are mainly responsible, and that the large and powerful claws,
the elongated and mobile snout and lower lip are salient character-
istics.
It has been described as being “at best but an ugly-looking
animal,” and although I am desirous of adhering to my promise, I
cannot refrain from stating that there is something quite distinct
which makes a strong appeal to me in this rough, shaggy-coated
warrior. Its very presence denotes in a way the wilds which it
frequents, and one is able to conjure up in the mind the place it
occupies in the fauna of the Indian Empire, difficult as that may
be when the beast is surveyed behind iron bars.
It is not such a large beast as might be supposed ‘from an
examination of Fig. 204, but it makes up for its comparative
$2
260 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
diminuty of stature by being a very formidable beast to tackle.
Indeed it has been described by an eye-witness in its native haunts
as ‘“‘a perfect fiend, rushing about hither and thither, clawing and
biting anything he comes against, yelling and roaring all the time.
The food of this Bear is made up of flowers, fruits and honey,
whilst the long muzzle and mobile lips admirably assist it to procure
white ants, beetles and grubs. The power of suction is very remark-
able in this animal, as well as the propelling of wind from its mouth,
and it is by this means that it is able to procure the white ants or
termites from their strongholds. The sugar-cane is another delicacy
of which the Sloth Bear takes heavy toll, and whilst the diet men-
tioned is mainly partaken of, instances have been forthcoming of
flesh also being eaten.
Most kinds of Bears usually produce two cubs, and there is no
exception to the general rule in the case of the species under review.
In some instances three cubs are born, but this is an uncommon
occurrence. One well-known observer has recorded that the cubs
are carried on the back of the parent until they are several months
old. It is also well to recognize that such “an ugly-looking animal”
is exceedingly affectionate among its own kith and kin, and capable
of being well tamed when taken young. Of timid disposition as a
general rule, the Sloth Bear has nevertheless been known to attack
a human being without its first having been interfered with, but it
is only fair to state that competent observers have remarked that
these attacks are probably more due to timidity than ferocity. When
once the attack is made, however, the fight is bound to be a stiff
one, for the Sloth, by means of its teeth and claws, is one of the
most dangerous animals to encounter at close quarters.
COMMON RED FOX.—Among the wool- and fur-bearing animals
so far considered we have only made acquaintance with the Old
and New World Camels and the Bears. In such a Section as this
the Foxes must occupy a prominent place, and whilst attention may
be drawn to the various animals shown in F igs. 205 to 209 inclusive,
a great deal cannot be written of all the species illustrated, and a
general account of the Common Red Fox will be sufficient to indicate
their general life and habits. A few notes may be given of the others
at a later stage before concluding our acquaintance with them.
As regards the Common Fox, few people in Britain at any rate
have such fine opportunities of studying it to advantage as game-
keepers, and I am indebted very largely to Mr. Thos. Bamford, head
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 261
keeper to the Earl of Clarendon, for valuable notes supplied by him
in regard to this sagacious beast.
Naturally enough, Reynard, as he is generally known, is not
sought after by sportsmen for the sake of the fur, but on account of
the “sport” he affords, and it is because of this that in England he
is accorded so much protection. Outside the British Isles this Fox,
however, is sought after by trappers, and the beast is killed in large
numbers for its valuable skin.
The period of gestation of the Fox is, roughly speaking, eight
weeks. Cubs may be expected any time between February 15 and
March 15, although I know two instances of cubs having been born
as early as the first week in January. This may, however, be con-
sidered exceptionally early, and a friend of mine once dug out a
vixen with a litter of five cubs not more than two or three days old
as late as April 17. The majority of cubs, no doubt, arrive during
March.
Litters of five and six are the usual number, although I have
known as many as nine in one lot, and as few as three in several
others. They, like nearly all carnivorous animals, are born blind
and remain so for about eight days. The vixen is a very poor navvy,
and, this being so, she has to depend to a great extent upon the
exertions of the Badger and the Rabbit for the making of a home
for herself and family. She never starts an “earth” on her own
account, no matter how easy digging the soil‘ may be, but always
takes possession of one made by a Badger, or, in a neighbourhood
where this animal does not exist, takes to a Rabbit burrow, which
she enlarges by following up and clearing out the passages. In some
localities where there are no Badgers, and the Soil is too heavy and
wet for the Rabbit to make strong burrows, vixens do not attempt
to breed underground, but lay up their cubs in a stub root of a tree,
or in any dry, suitable place.
Some years ago a keeper had occasion to visit some men who
were cutting undergrowth in a big wood in the Woodland Pytchley
country. At the time of his visit the men were sitting round a big
fire eating their dinner. While speaking to them, he noticed a slight
movement in the dry leaves in a big Ash stub about five yards distant
from where the men were sitting. He stepped forward to see what
the stub contained, and there found six cubs only a few hours old.
The poles had been removed that morning from the stub without
the men noticing anything there. I may add this was on February 5,
262 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and frozen snow three inches deep was on the ground at the time.
My friend was very anxious as to the safety of this young family, as
Foxes were strictly preserved in the district. He therefore at once
had the fire put out and the woodcutting operations stopped in that
part of the wood. He was curious to know what steps the mother
would take as a result of this disturbed state of her home, and in
consequence sent for his field-glasses and kept watch, for he felt sure
she would not be absent long if she had any regard for her
youngsters, especially during such severe weather. He had not long
to wait when he saw her come to the edge of the uncut wood, take a
general survey round, and, finding all quiet, she very cautiously took
half-a-dozen circles round the stub, finally entering, curling herself
up, and suckling her cubs in the same way as a bitch would treat
her puppies. The following morning he again went to the spot and
found the youngsters gone. No doubt the vixen had removed them
to a more quiet part of the wood.
It has been said that the offspring of stub-bred Foxes will always
breed above ground, but I have had many instances brought to my
notice of this not being so, for, after removing stub-bred Foxes
into a country where there are plenty of earths, my keeper friends
tell me, the animals go to ground and breed there as freely as the
natives do. I think this is proof that stub-bred Foxes are so only by
compulsion and not from choice.
There is no doubt about Foxes pairing off during the breeding
season, for this is often shown by the fact that where hounds find a
vixen in the early Spring months a Dog Fox is there too. If not
actually with her, he is almost sure to be “viewed away” from the
same covert. That the pair both take an active part in preparing a
home for the expected family is also plainly to be seen by the two
sizes of pads on the fresh-drawn soil at the entrance to the earth.
From observations made over a series of years, I am of opinion
that the Dog Fox does the greater part of the work of clearing out
and making ready the earth. After the cubs are born he still con-
tinues to be a helpmate to the vixen by providing her with food.
Some keepers say he will bring up the family by himself should the
mother get killed. This may be so in some cases, but Mr. Bamford
tells me that he has never known a single instance where this has
taken place, although he has seen many litters left motherless at
various ages. Of course, there is no question as to the result if the
vixen loses her life during the time the cubs are entirely dependent
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 263
on the support they get from her body. For at least ten weeks they
are quite incapable of getting their own living, and are supported
by both parents.
The Dog Fox does the greater part towards getting food, but in
the event of the vixen being killed he has no further interest in the
family, and leaves them to starve to death. This is not so if death
overtakes the dog, for the mother will keep the family going single-
handed. While watching the Dog Fox bring food, he has been seen
to leave it on the earth, but more often he meets the vixen some
distance away with it. ,
One evening a friend of mine was going to visit a Fox earth
two miles distant where there were cubs. On his way, and not more
than one hundred yards from his house, a white Pheasant was sitting
on her eggs in a hedge-bottom. He gave a glance and saw her
there as he passed. He had not been in sight of the earth more than
two minutes when he saw the vixen come out and trot down the wood-
ride in the direction he had come from. To his surprise and annoy-
ance in less than five minutes she returned with his white Pheasant
in her mouth. This clearly shows that the Dog Fox killed the bird
immediately after the keeper had left her on the nest, and met the
vixen with it.
Upon my friend’s return, he not only found the bird gone, but
the eggs too! The Fox, no doubt, had “champed” these up, and
would probably disgorge them for the vixen when delivering up
the bird.
It is very curious that a vixen with cubs nearly always gets the
food supply from a distance, although there may be easy means of
getting it near the earth. Mr. Bamford tells me that he has many
times seen Pheasants and Partridges sitting on their eggs within a
hundred yards of an earth without being molested, while in a neigh-
bourhood a mile or two away every bird has been taken as soon
as they started sitting! Rabbits, too, in plenty were occupying
burrows within a few yards from the earth, yet these were not inter-
fered with. Why this is so appears difficult to explain, unless it is
that there shall be a good supply of food close at home when the
cubs are first learning to catch the same on their own account. One
good authority on Foxes says he is of opinion the vixen does not kill
her prey near home to avoid causing any disturbance which might act
as an advertisement to disclose the situation of her earth, and perhaps
lead to her own destruction. There may be something in this; if so,
264 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
she quite forgets the advertising business when bringing birds from
a distance, for feathers are strewn freely around, which makes
nothing more easy to be seen than an earth where cubs are present.
The slightest interference with a litter of cubs will often be the
means of causing the vixen to shift them. Sometimes this happens
as a result of a person merely walking over the earth! Another
earth is generally in readiness not far away in the event of anything
turning up of a disturbing nature. Some vixens are constantly
shifting their cubs for no apparent reason, while others are reared
where they are born.
I once knew of a vixen drawing an earth ready for cubs near the
boundary of an estate, the owner of which did not look on Foxes as
desirable visitors, much less as residents. For this reason the keeper
was anxious to shift her into an earth in the same wood which had
previously been occupied by Foxes as a breeding earth and on more
welcome ground. He took a Terrier and bolted her. The keeper
took the precaution to taint the earth thoroughly inside and out with
renardine, an offensive preparation which, the manufacturers say,
no Fox will approach! He also well stopped the earth, but upon his
return the next morning he found she had torn it open and was
working freely. He tainted and stopped it up again, and this was
repeated every day for ten days, but eventually it had to be given
up, for, in spite of his efforts, she would persist in opening and
working the earth each night even after the cubs were born and she
had the chance to move them. This, of course, was a very exceptional
case, and proof of how far sometimes one vixen may deviate from
the general rule.
Vixens do not often move their cubs during the first month of
their existence unless they are disturbed in some way. The means
the mother employs for their removal is by carrying them in her
mouth one at a time, just in the same way as a Cat would carry her
kitten. She can do this up to the time they are six weeks old. After
this they are able to follow her any reasonable distance. When
cubs are a month or six weeks old it is not unusual for the vixen to
distribute them into two or three different earths, probably two or
three in each, and sometimes these earths may be as far as a mile
apart, but more often quite close. Much depends on what there is
available.
Vixens prove themselves very devoted mothers when the lives of
their youngsters are at stake, although there is little fear beyond
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 265
man and dogs. It is curious, but nevertheless a fact, that few
Terriers will face and fight a vixen with cubs. A Terrier used for
bolting Foxes, and perhaps good enough to kill one at other times,
will seldom tackle a vixen with cubs; in fact, it is she who becomes
the attacking party, and not the attacked, as was the case before
the cares of a family rested upon her.
Once, while out ferreting, a keeper came across a big sand-earth,
which a Terrier seemed very keen to enter. Thinking it had prob-
ably been worked by a Badger, the dog was let go, but before he
had got a yard in he pushed himself out backwards in a great hurry,
followed by a vixen who had only just laid up her cubs there. So
determined did her ladyship seem to drive him quite off the premises
that she followed him for thirty yards out. This same Terrier had
previously, and has since, bolted many Foxes.
Another curious matter is the Fox and the Badger living on such
neighbourly terms as they do together (often bringing up their
families in the same earth), especially when one considers how
totally different the two animals are in their habits. The Fox is,
perhaps, not dirty in person, but is naturally very untidy in and
about his home, for he will leave the decaying remains of his prey
about the earth in the most filthy manner, whereas the Badger is
particularly clean both in person and home.
Nothing seems to come amiss to the Fox in his bill of fare.
Among some of the most common of his prey are fowls of every
variety from the farmyard, Pheasants, Partridges, Hares, Rabbits,
Rats, Field-Mice, Moles, young Rooks, Pigeons, small Birds, Cock-
roaches, Wild Cherries and Berries (especially Blackberries).
It will be seen that he, like most other animals, has his good
and bad points. Looking at him from a gamekeeper’s point of view,
it must be said his bad qualities far overbalance his good ones. At
the same time he is an excellent vermin killer, and it may not be
generally known, even by those who know him best and often paint
him blackest, that he is a deadly enemy both to the Stoat and
Weasel. He has a bad reputation as a fowl stealer, some part of
which is well earned, for there is nothing he seems to enjoy more
than a chicken, but in this respect he needs a broad back to bear
all the charges brought against him, especially in a hunting district
where a substantial poultry fund exists for damage done by stray
Dogs, Cats and vermin.
It must be admitted he does seem to take a delight in slaughter,
266 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
for I have known a Dog Fox kill more Pheasants and Fowls in one
night than he and his family could eat in a fortnight. However,
after one of these big hauls he is always thrifty enough to bury as
much of it for future use as he can.
It is really wonderful how the Fox holds his own as he does,
considering the many enemies he makes for himself by his raids
on the poultry yard and game preserve. I have known many neatly
laid plans for his destruction, but it is seldom he can be brought to
book, owing to his keen sense of smell, observation and wary ways.
Of course he may be poisoned, and unfortunately often is by those
selfish enough to think of nobody else’s interests and pleasures but
their own. To lay down poison is, besides being illegal, one of the
most cowardly actions imaginable, suspicion and punishment often
resting on the wrong person as a result.
A poisoned Fox will often die some distance from where the
poison was picked up, and perhaps on another’s land. To trap in
hopes of having revenge for some paltry loss of Poultry or
Pheasants, which most hunts are willing to compensate for, is bad
enough, but in this case Reynard has a hundred-to-one chance, for
it is rarely that he is going to be caught by the ordinary methods
of vermin trapping.
A keeper well known to me has been trapping vermin and
Rabbits for over thirty years in many parts of the country where
Foxes have been plentiful, and he tells me that he has never had the
misfortune to catch a Fox. His vermin traps have been baited, too,
with all kinds of birds and other animals, many of which are con-
sidered delicacies by Reynard. He never allows such traps to
remain too long set in one place, and renews the bait often enough,
hence the secret of trapping where Foxes are preserved. To catch
a Fox in a freshly baited trap is very improbable, if not impos-
sible. Rabbit traps left unattended for weeks are liable to do
harm in this way. Run traps may catch cubs if set anywhere near
the earth.
A friend of mine once caught a cub in a drain-pipe where he
always kept a trap set for Stoats. The little chap got his pad rather
badly crushed, but after a few dressings he soon got well. Through
being constantly handled he also became tame to a certain extent,
but never wholly so. He became a great pet and was kept tied up
to a small box-kennel in the corner of a yard. When he was about
a year old he took to killing poultry, and got so bad at this that it
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 267
was sudden death to any fowl that went within reach of his chain!
One day some one on the estate was passing through the yard when
his Terrier (who was very keen on Cats) hustled one of the farm
Cats near Reynard’s kennel. It proved too near, for he sprang out,
seizing her across the shoulders and killing her instantly. My friend
told me he had lost five or six Cats in the same way, and I have
heard since that this Fox got so bad at this kind of thing that his
kennel had to be enclosed with wire. Although he was well and
regularly fed his love of slaughter seemed as if it could not be
resisted when the opportunity came.
Tame, or so-called tame, Foxes are by no means rare. There is
always a demand for them in most of the Midland hunts, not only
for litters of cubs, to turn down in the Summer for the Winter’s
hunting, but also for old Foxes to release late in the hunting season,
where the supply has become exhausted through too many being
killed by hounds, or more likely still, where some shooting man,
who has kept his coverts closed to hounds until the end of the
shooting season, and who never keeps a good wild Fox if he can
help it, through fear of losing some of his game, does not like to
have the reputation of being drawn blank when his coverts are open
to hounds.
Such a Fox as he turns down has probably been shut up ever
since it was a small cub and not released until hounds are perhaps
in the neighbourhood. Should an animal like this be lucky enough
to escape being killed by hounds his future is not likely to be a very
happy one, for he will be anything but favourably situated. In the
first place, he has never had the chance of learning the ways and
means of getting his own living; and, secondly, he is thrown on his
own resources at a time of year when the food supply is at its lowest.
Consequently, he is driven by hunger to pick up all sorts of filth, and
there is no wonder, under such circumstances, that we hear so much
of mangy Foxes in these days. Litters of cubs turned down in the
Summer, and artificially fed, are nevertheless also sources of mange.
Outside the British Islands, the Common Fox is found, with
slight variations in colour, size and strength, throughout Europe,
Northern and Western Asia, and Northern Africa, whilst in India
and North America allied species are forthcoming. It is mainly
reddish-brown in colour, with white underneath and on the tip of
the tail; the outer parts of the ears and some parts of the limbs are
frequently black. The fine bushy tail gives the animal an imposing
268 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
appearance, and the frill on the chest is also very characteristic in a
good specimen.
ARCTIC FOX.—The Arctic Fox (Fig. 205) is a beautiful creature at
all times, but especially when it is wearing its Winter coat, as shown
in the photograph. It is not such a large beast as the Common Red
Fox last described, and is a resident of colder regions, living within
the Arctic Circle. It has a grey or bluish coat during Summer, but
this turns to pure white in Winter. During the Autumn months
large numbers of these Foxes collect together and migrate south-
wards. There they stay until the Spring-time, and are much sought
after by trappers on account of the value of their skins.
FENNEC FOX.—The Fennec Fox (Fig. 206) will at once arrest
attention because of its large ears and tail. This species is an
inhabitant of Northern Africa. It is pale fawn colour, a pretty
creature of nocturnal habits, and only attains a length of about one
foot, excluding the bushy tail.
INDIAN FOX.—The Indian Fox (Fig. 207) is another pretty little
species deserving of mention. It is almost the smallest member of
the true Foxes, and is known in India by the name of Lumri. It
utters a short yelping bark, is not at all shy in disposition, but as it
does not possess the strong scent of its European cousin it is not
hunted to any extent with hounds. It is easily tamed, and this,
together with the absence of any distasteful smell, makes it an agree-
able animal to keep in captivity.
In colour it varies like most of the Foxes, but the general colour
of the fur is grey, with a reddish tinge.
SILVER FOX.—The Silver Fox is a native of North America, and
is also known as the Black Fox. It is a rare beast, and the fur is
stated to be the most valuable in the world. It is deep black in
colour, with white tips to the hair, which gives the animal a beautiful
silvery effect.
Mr. Protheroe states that “the imperial pelisse of the Czar of
Russia, made of the black necks of the Silver Fox, was exhibited
at Hyde Park in 1851. It was valued at £3,500.”
Attention need only be drawn to the Silver-Backed Fox (Fig. 208)
of South Africa, and the Virginian or Silver-Grey Fox (Fig. 209)
of Central America, and we may now pass on to consider the claims
of some other animals who are deserving of a place in this important
section of our work.
COYPU RAT.—This aquatic animal (Fig. 210) is an inhabitant
FIG. 207. INDIAN FOX
FIG. 208.—SILVER-BACKED FOX
FIG. 209. — VIRGINIAN OR SILVER-GREY FOX
FIG. 2 10.—coypu RAT
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 269
of South America, and, in addition to the long tail, attains a length
of nearly two feet. It has a harsh covering which is known as
Nutria fur, Nutria being the Spanish for an Otter. In former times
its skin, like that of the Otter, was largely used in hat-making.
Rivers and lakes are the habitats of this species, a burrow being
made in the banks of same, or, when this is not possible, a nest is
constructed among aquatic herbage. It is a capital swimmer, but
on land exhibits an awkward gait. The food is made up of various
parts of plants which flourish near its environment, but in some
districts the Coypu leads a more terrestrial life than in others, the
burrow being constructed in forests away from the shore. When,
some time since, this valuable animal was threatened with extinction
and became protected by law, its numbers increased enormously.
Thereupon its aquatic habits were temporarily abandoned, and Mr.
Hudson says that it “became terrestrial and migratory, and
swarmed everywhere in search of food. Suddenly a mysterious
malady fell on them, from which they quickly perished and became
almost extinct.”
CHINCHILLA.—The Chinchilla (Fig. 211) is a delightful little
beast measuring about ten inches in length, excluding the prominent
tail, which is well shown in the photograph. It has been described
as something like a Rabbit with a Squirrel’s tail. It is an inhabitant
of the Andes of South America, congregating in burrows like the
prolific Rabbit.
It is highly regarded on account of its beautiful soft grey and
greyish-white fur, and there is a great demand for its skin. It is
interesting to notice that when this agile and fast-moving animal is
being hunted in its burrows a somewhat similar method is adopted
for bolting it as with the Rabbit at home, but instead of a Ferret
being used, the South Americans utilize a species of Weasel. The.
Chinchilla is an exceedingly clean little beast, and in this respect
resembles other wild creatures which possess a covering of fine
texture.
SKUNKS.—The remarkable North American animal commonly
known as the Canadian Skunk (Fig. 212) is chiefly noticeable for
two things. It has the power of emitting a vile odour from two
teats situate under the tail, and also “when hunters are camping
out it is apt to gnaw their hands while they sleep, in most cases
causing death by hydrophobia.” There are several species of
Skunks, but all of them are exclusively American, and whilst they
270 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
inhabit districts which vary in climate, their habits are practically
identical. The fur in the nine species which have been discovered
may be described as long, thick and glossy black, or dark-brown,
variegated with stripes and patches of pure white. The Canadian
Skunk is about eighteen inches long, exclusive of the bushy tail, and
in spite of the abominable acrid liquor which is emitted from the
anal glands, the fur is used in commerce, the smell being got rid
of as a result of great heat being applied to the skin.
These animals are largely insectivorous in diet, but mice,
rabbits and reptiles are preyed upon, and in Texas there is a
species which subsists largely on insects, cacti, fruits and berries.
In spite of their offensiveness, Skunks are stated to perform much
good in ridding the land of insects, mice, etc., but these beasts, like
many other useful creatures, are not always regarded as they
should be.
The young of the Skunk number from six to ten, and these are
born in a deep burrow, hollow stump, cave, stone wall, beneath a
house or barn and other places. The animal is fearless of mankind,
but when taken young may be easily tamed, and is declared to be
a desirable pet, being “attractive in appearance, gentle, cleanly,
playful, and sometimes really affectionate.”
MARMOTS.—I have seen a company of Prairie Marmots (Fig. 213)
holding high revel in an English Park, their burrows being made
in the soft loam of a hillside, but they looked strangely out of place,
possessing a foreign appearance which contrasted strangely with
the native inhabitants, 7. e. Rabbits and Red and Fallow Deer, hard
by. The Prairie Marmot is a small North American species which
inhabits the prairies of that vast continent, but one of the largest
kinds is the Hoary Marmot, which is found in the North-West of
British North America.
Still another, the Bobac, lives in Eastern Russia and elsewhere,
whilst the Alpine Marmot (Fig. 214) resides upon the higher alti-
tudes of the Alps, Pyrenees and Carpathian Mountains. It is twice
the size, or more, of the Prairie Marmot, and may be compared to
the well-known Rabbit in this respect.
Marmots have strong claws wherewith to carry out their under-
ground burrowings; they are stoutly built and have short tails. The
burrows are ingenious arrangements, consisting of several chambers
which are approached by means of narrow tunnels. The food is
made up of various kinds of herbage, and when feeding the wary
FIG. 211.—CHINCHILLA
Nec ces
FIG. 212.—-CANADIAN SKUNK
FIG. 213.—PRAIRIE MARMOT
FIG. 214.—ALPINE MARMOT
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 271
little creatures are always worth watching. They take cover at the
slightest alarm, one of the number being told off as a sort of scout.
As soon as danger is ahead the scout gives the alarm, and the
animals scuttle into their burrows in double-quick time, stopping
temporarily at the entrances to ascertain if it is only a false alarm.
It may be that after only once being disturbed the Marmots will soon
make their appearance again, but if further disturbance takes place
they go to cover a second time, and rarely show themselves any more
for several hours.
During the Winter the Marmot closes up the entrances to its
burrows, and remains underground until it is time to be out and
about again. A supply of food is stored up, and the animal feeds
until it is fat enough to retire for a lengthy sleep of some months’
duration. It is at this time that the fur is in best condition, and, in
consequence of this, the Marmot is then sought after by the hunter.
SEALS.—Although the Californian Sea Lion (Fig. 215 and
Coloured Plate XVI) is not one of the Fur-Bearing Seals, it repre-
sents the type, and as such may be accorded a place in this part of
our work. This is a prominent carnivorous animal of the sea, and
belongs to the Pinnipedia, from the Latin pinna, a fin, and pes,
pedis, a foot. Among the Pinnipedia acquaintance may be made
with the various species known as Seals, also the Sea Leopard, Sea
Elephant, Sea Lion, Sea Bear, or Northern Fur Seal, and the
Walrus.
Important, useful and highly interesting as these fin-footed
animals are, it is not possible to treat of all the species here, for
they are split up into different sections which would demand lengthy
descriptions and technical details outside the scope of this book.
Shortly stated, there are three main groups, consisting of the true or
Earless Seals, the Eared Seals and the Walrus, or, as the fur-trader
adopts, the Hair Seals, Fur Seals and the Walrus, the latter being
probably the only member of the Trichechidze (see also reference on
P- 59).
Admirably adapted for an aquatic life, but ungainly and awkward
in their movements upon land, Seals dive and swim with amazing
cleverness, and visitors to Zoological Gardens where any of these
beasts are on view may see for themselves the remarkable evolutions
they undergo at feeding-time.
If a Seal be examined at close quarters, the short limbs, arranged
after the manner of the pectoral fins and tail of a fish; close, rounded
272 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
body; strong muscles; structure of the nostrils and nature of the
coat, cannot fail to convey to the observer an idea of how excellently
adapted the animal is for pursuing an aquatic existence.
The Common Seal—which we have already met with in Chapter
i1Il—belongs to the Earless, or True Seals, and is widely distributed,
whilst other species belonging to the same group, and which can
only be mentioned by name, are the Grey Seal of the North Atlantic,
the Bladder Nose or Crested Seal, and the Greenland Seal.
The Sea Leopard is a Hair Seal which inhabits Southern Seas
and attains a length of as much as twelve feet; the Sea Elephant is a
larger cousin, being, with the exception of the large Whales, the
biggest marine mammal in existence, attaining a length of from
twenty to thirty feet.
Steller’s Sea Lion belongs to the Eared Seals, and is the largest
member of the genus to which it belongs; the Californian Sea Lion
(Fig. 215) claims kinship with the same genus, but is not restricted
to the country from which it has acquired its name, being found on
both sides of the North Pacific; the Sea Bear, or Northern Fur Seal,
represents the Fur Seals (of which there are also four or five rare
Southern species), and which resorts to the islands in the Behring
Sea, and the last species which can be mentioned is the Walrus (see
Fig. 236). This latter is also known as the Morse, or Sea Horse,
and a full-grown adult weighs at least a ton. It is not often found
outside the Arctic Circle, and, in addition to its immense size and
weight, is chiefly distinguished by means of two enormous canine
teeth, or ivory tusks as they may be called. The uses of these
lengthy teeth are many, for by means of them and its tough hide the
Walrus is well protected against the Polar Bear, and they also assist
the huge monarch in hauling its body out of the water on to the ice,
and in searching for marine creatures hidden in the sand and mud.
Among the valuable kinds of Seals ceaseless hunting has resulted
in many thousands of these animals being killed every year. In
consequence, several species have been reduced to a minimum, but it
must not be overlooked that to the Eskimo and other residents near
the haunts of these mammals of the sea, Seals are of the greatest use,
indeed among the very necessities of life. Thus, whilst we must
deplore the depopulation of our seas as a result of Seal-hunting
expeditions for commercial greed, and, above all, the senseless slay-
ing of those kinds of no economic value, we must not judge too
harshly the primitive races of mankind whose only chance of exist-
at it MD OT i OB
FIG. 217.—COMMON OTTER
18.—BURCHELL’S ZEBRAS
tes)
a
Q
bo
FIG. 219.—GRANT’S ZEBRA
WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 273
ence is to take toll from the wild creatures among whom they pass
their oftentimes dreary lives.
BEAVER.—This large rodent has had an interesting history, for
hundreds of years ago it was a common inhabitant of most parts
of Europe, including Britain and Northern Asia. Now-a-days the
animal has, of course, long since disappeared from Britain, and
even across the water there are few districts in which it still exists,
and then because it is rigorously preserved. In America a somewhat
similar tale has to be told, for, owing to the ceaseless persecution of
the valuable beast on account of its pelage, and an odoriferous sub-
stance known as castoreum, its numbers have been alarmingly
reduced, until to-day it is chiefly in the West and in Canada that
a few animals remain. The photograph (Fig. 216) depicts the
Canadian Beaver, admirably displaying it in a characteristic attitude
and showing to advantage the flat tail.
The last Beaver appears to have disappeared from Great Britain
during the twelfth century, and from a valuable paper read by my
friend Mr. Hugh Boyd Watt, M.B.O.U., before the Glasgow
Natural History Society, I learn that Mr. John Smith has found its
remains in the Ardrossan Shell-mound and in Cleaves Cove, Dalry,
N.B., whilst in 1874 a small colony was established at Mount Stuart,
Bute, by the then Marquess of Bute, but by 1890 the animals had
all died out.
As Fig. 216 shows, this is a stoutly built animal, with short,
strong legs bearing sharp claws; only the hind-feet are webbed.
The large head has short ears, whilst the broad, flat tail is very
distinct, being scaly and furrowed. The thick, soft coat worn by
the Beaver has mostly been accountable for its downfall, for we are
told that about one hundred and sixty years ago no less than 127,000
skins were exported from Quebec alone, whereas to-day its numbers
have been so reduced that probably not more than one-twentieth of
this number of animals are trapped over the whole of America and
Canada.
In colour the coat is chestnut-brown above and greyer under-
neath, and it is interesting to note that the further North the Beaver
inhabits the darker its fur becomes.
It is not only on account of its valuable fur that this rodent has
attracted attention, for it is a wonderfully industrious creature, and
has been well described as “the most methodical engineer and
builder of all animals.”
T
274 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Of sociable disposition, and resorting, as might be supposed, to
water and its immediate vicinity, Beavers construct dwelling-places
with remarkable cleverness, such streams, ponds, lakes, etc., being
frequented near which timber may be procured. Strong teeth
enable the four-footed builders to bite through and collect wood
wherewith to build their homes, and little logs having been prepared
by them of a suitable length, the animals, with the aid of mud,
stones and other material, construct a dam which has been known on
occasions to measure two hundred yards in length and several feet
in thickness. This having been accomplished, and a quiet seques-
tered pool having been walled in, as it were, the Beavers set about
the construction of various dome-shaped residences, each dwelling-
place being capable of housing five or six of their number. From
the houses which constitute the little colony there are burrows con-
nected with the bank, the entrances to these being placed under-
water so that enemies are placed at a discount, and to provide a
means for securing food when the river is frozen.
The roof of each house is built of mud, and when the time for
Spring-cleaning arrives there is great activity among the inhabitants
of the Beaver “village,” each tenement being repaired and made
ready for family affairs. The fore-feet ably assist the animal in
becoming an expert plasterer; the hind-legs are used for swimming,
whilst the tail acts as a sort of rudder. In Winter the Beaver is
less active than at any other time, keeping secure inside one of the
well-constructed habitations, which, during frost and snow, becomes
frozen hard, and thus shelters the beast from its enemies, chief
among which is the Wolverine.
The food consists of various kinds of vegetable matter during
Summer, but in Winter bark from stored-up logs is partaken of
exclusively.
OTTERS.—The Common Otter (Fig. 217) is first cousin to the
larger beast known as the Sea Otter, the latter at no time a very
numerous species, being restricted to the East and West portions
of the North Pacific.
Belonging to the Weasel family, there are several other kinds of
Otters besides the two mentioned, such as the North American Otter,
which has a much larger “naked area at the tip of the muzzle” than
the European animal; the Brazilian and Feline Otters of South
America, the former being the largest of all living kinds and the
latter one of the smallest; the Smooth Indian Otter, Hairy-Nosed
PLATE XVI.
CALIFORNIAN SEA-LION.
WOOL-~ AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 275
Otter, Clawless Otter, and two African species, known as the
African Clawless Otter and Spotted-Necked Otter respectively.
The Common Otter is an inhabitant of many parts of Europe
and Asia, and is a good representative of this highly interesting
genus. A few notes concerning the life and habits of this species
will serve equally well for the other members.
Active both on land and in the water, the Otter has long been
held in high estimation for the sport it presumably affords, for in
the water it is thoroughly at home, the webbed toes, short, flat head
and flattened tail assisting the little beast to carry out remarkable
manoeuvres which, thankful to relate, often baffle the huntsman and
his dogs. Being largely nocturnal, the Common Otter is rarely
seen excepting by those who are frequently near its haunts, and it
is so quick of movement that when fishing I have only had
momentary glances of the wary creature as it has suddenly appeared
close by, and then slipped away in less time than it takes to tell
the story. Accused, no doubt often unduly, of feeding largely upon
the angler’s precious trout and salmon, the Otter has not many
friends, but, as I have written elsewhere on more than one occasion,
I have known many anglers who have, by taking a number of under-
sized fish, done more harm in a few excursions by the river than an
Otter will do in a season. Why grudge an animal its natural food
supply? Does not the beast in question frequent water where fish
are abundant and can best be spared, and is it not a sufficiently
attractive inhabitant of our streams and seas to warrant protection ?
My angling days are over, but I always look back with more satis-
faction upon the wild creatures I was privileged to see during my
fishing exploits than on heavy bags secured. Blank days occur to
me when not a single fish fell to my rod, but at such times many
other delightful interviews took place between myself and wild folk
which more than repaid me for lack of success with rod and line.
Therefore may I make a humble plea for the preservation of the
Otter as a British animal, for only recently in my own neighbour-
hood there have been killed two beasts—a bitch and a dog—which
frequented a stream containing to-day as many trout and other fish
as ever it did!
The last representative in this section of fur-bearing animals, the
Otter, has a coat of short close fur which is light grey in colour on
the under-parts, and long, silky fur of a rich brown colour above. It
attains a length of about three feet, including the tail.
T2
276 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Although possessed of indomitable courage, and exhibiting a
fierce, wild and shy disposition, which gives to the animal the
greater part of its charm when in the full enjoyment of its liberty,
it makes a tame and docile pet when kept in captivity, but, as such,
looks strangely out of place to those who have watched it by some
sylvan stream where the wind sighs through the tall rushes, and
Nature is seen unadorned through non-interference by mankind.
A burrow close to the edge of the water is usually the retreat of
this animal, the burrow extending some way under the bank and
being nicely hidden by the surrounding herbage.
Otters do not restrict their attention to a diet of fish when hunger
presses and food is scarce, for birds’ eggs, frogs, fresh and salt
water crustaceans, water-fowl and poultry are preyed upon, and, it
is said, even young lambs and pigs. The worst accusation that
can be brought against these animals is that—like the Fox—they kill
more food than they can eat, and one can understand how galling it
must be to the owners or tenants of angling waters to find a partly
eaten salmon or trout left by an Otter on the prowl. If such a
habit as this were not possessed by the Otter, surely any other
misdeeds might be overlooked, and the abominable practice of
hounding the creature to death put a stop to.
FIG. 22I1.—MOUNTAIN ZEBRA
CHAPTER XV
ZEBRAS AND ASSES
OF four-footed beasts the Zebras may be reckoned among the
most beautiful, the remarkably striped bodies invariably attracting
attention and eliciting admiration. There are three distinct species
of these animals, known as Burchell’s Zebra, Grévy’s Zebra and the
so-called Common, or Mountain, Zebra, whilst a fourth animal that
may be mentioned before we reach the Asses is the Quagga, which
is a connecting link between the true Zebras and the Asses.
Our illustrations depict the three species of Zebras mentioned, and
also Grant’s Zebra (Fig. 219), but this latter is probably a variety of
Burchell’s Zebra, most authorities agreeing that it is not specifically
distinct from the beast in question.
In many ways the Asses resemble the Zebras, but the last-named
are to be at once distinguished by the heads and bodies being mostly
striped, whilst in the case of the Quagga we have an animal that is
only partially striped, and to this reference will be made later on.
Whilst the Common, or Mountain, Zebra is the most typical
representative of this handsome family of beasts, to facilitate easy
reference, and to follow out the plan which has been more or less
adopted with most of the animals to which attention has been
directed in this work, the species may here be considered in alpha-
betical order. This brings us in the first instance to Burchell’s
Zebra.
BURCHELL’S ZEBRA.—This species (known to the Boers as the
Quagga, but being, of course, distinct from that animal as known
to Science) is shown in Fig. 218. It is often exhibited in Zoological
collections, and the photograph depicts two of these beasts at the
London Zoo. At the time of writing, a further addition of some
animals belonging to this species has been made to the Regent’s
Park collection, and these were heralded by a certain London paper,
which shall be nameless, as beasts new to Science! It is true that
Burchell’s Zebra has disappeared from many of its former strong.
277
278 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
holds in South Africa—especially in the Transvaal—but it is still a
common inhabitant “on the plains of the Chobi and Zambesi, as well
as in East Africa,” and is to be met with in far from scanty numbers
elsewhere on the great continent. But it is certainly not new to
Science ! ;
Burchell’s Zebra attains a height of about four feet to four feet
six inches, and is both taller and stouter than the much rarer
Mountain species shortly to be described. The ears, too, are shorter,
but the mane is heavier, the tail is more profusely haired, and the
gridiron marks on the back of the Mountain Zebra are not possessed
by this species.
Although in both animals shown in Fig. 218 the legs are striped
for almost the entire length, in the typical form of this beast there
are no markings on this part of the body. Burchell’s Zebra is any
colour from white to yellowish-brown, the stripes being either black
or dark-brown.
There seems little doubt that Zebras are well protected when
tenanting certain environments, more especially, it is recorded,
“when standing on sandy ground in full moonlight,” but at other
times the grand picture presented by a herd of these fine creatures
quietly browsing, and heedless of the approach of an observer, has
been commented upon by some of those who have had the good
fortune to see them in their own native homes.
Grant’s Zebra (Fig. 219), as has already been mentioned, is
considered by many authorities as a variety of the last-named, and it
does not call for special mention, excepting to direct attention to the
way in which the legs are marked right down to the hoofs.
GREVY’S ZEBRA.—This species (Fig. 220), it is true, has not
been discovered many years, and is an inhabitant of certain moun-
tainous parts of Africa, outside which continent, of course, no Zebra
is found. Grévy’s Zebra is not so stoutly built as the other kinds,
but, like the animal next to be described, it has the legs well striped
all the way down, as well as prominent ears, and an absence of
markings underneath the body, as the photograph clearly indicates.
This species has a long mane and a well-haired tail, whilst the
stripes upon the body are very profuse, and easily outvie those
possessed by both Burchell’s and the Mountain species. The
stripes and streaks, moreover, are not so broad, and the first-named
are deep black in colour. A still further distinguishing feature that
is worthy of note is the make-up of the stripes, for an examination
ZEBRAS AND ASSES 279
of Figs. 218, 219, 220 and 221 will at once show that in Grévy’s
Zebra the stripes which run transversely across the sides of the body
are much more numerous than in the other beasts, and “the obliquely
longitudinal ones on the haunches are proportionately shortened.”
Whilst Burchell’s Zebra is a dweller upon the plains, Grévy’s Zebra
(which was first discovered by the two well-known explorers, Colonel
J. A. Grant and Speke in the mountainous country north of the
Victoria Nyanza) is a lover of the forest and is rarely found away
from it, in the neighbourhood of water and hills. The noise made
by Burchell’s Zebra has been compared to the subdued whining
bark of a Dog, but Colonel Grant says that the first time he heard
the neighing of Grévy’s; Zebra he “mistook it for that of a bird, and
could scarcely be persuaded till I heard the decided Donkey-notes
following the shriller sounds.” This Zebra travels about in small
companies consisting of only a few individuals, and it is stated, by
the same capable explorer already referred to, that probably the
largest male of the little troop takes general charge.
MOUNTAIN ZEBRA.—At one time a common species deserving
of being known as such, the Mountain Zebra (Fig. 221 and
Coloured Plate XVII), has now almost entirely disappeared
from the mountains of Cape Colony, only a few herds still
remaining on the higher ranges, where, it is pleasant to relate,
they are rigorously protected. This is a lover of high altitudes,
resorting to hilly districts, and is the smallest of the few species
known to us. It does not attain a much greater height than about
four feet at the withers, and it is as well to emphasize that, although
the ears are long, the mane is short, and the tail is not very well
haired. Generally, the Mountain Zebra is white on the greater part
of the body, with bright brown on the lower part of the face, and
black stripes. These stripes are well distributed, as Fig. 221 dis-
plays, only the belly and inner sides of the thigh being devoid of
these highly ornamental markings. The short gridiron-like stripes
along the back have already been mentioned earlier in this chapter,
but should not be overlooked.
QUAGGA.—The Quagga, or Cougga, as it is also called, because
of the shrill nature of its voice, may well be mentioned here before
passing on to the Wild Asses, as it is a connecting link between
the Zebras and the last-named as recently referred to.
Its general colour is a sort of combination between the two kinds
of animals mentioned, but in other respects—as, for instance, the
280 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
shortness of the ears and the hair on the tail—is more nearly akin
to the Horse. :
The Quagga stands about four feet high, and whilst the head,
neck and front part of the body are all marked with stripes of a
chocolate-brown colour, the remaining parts of the body do not
bear the well-known stripes of the true Zebras. There is, it should
be mentioned, a dark stripe which runs along the back as far as the
upper part of the tail. The upper parts are light reddish-brown,
whilst the animal is white underneath.
At one time this species was found in very large numbers in
South Africa south of the Vaal River, but its valuable hide and
flesh have proved a source of great attraction, and, in consequence,
the beast has become entirely extinct. Although some seventy years
or less ago the Quagga was found in large herds, it seems to have
kept to its own kith and kin and did not associate with the Zebras,
although it is recorded that it was not averse to making friends with
the Gnu, Ostrich and Domestic Ass. Man has taken advantage of
the Zebras and the Quagga and domesticated them as beasts of
burden and for other purposes, but many of these experiments have
not proved altogether satisfactory, the Asses being much more
amenable in this respect. It is said, however, that the Quagga,
although a fierce beast to encounter in its native wilds, becomes
docile in captivity, and evidence is forthcoming of a pair having
been driven through the streets of London. Man alone has not
been responsible for the snapping of this interesting link in the
chain of animal life, for its flesh was greatly relished by the King
of Wild Beasts, and the Lion has much to answer for in helping
to exterminate the immense herds which once roamed about on the
plains of South Africa, where, it is now reasonable to suppose, this
animal will never be seen again.
ASIATIC WILD ASS—The Kiang (Fig. 222) belongs to the
Asiatic Wild Asses, whilst the African Wild Ass (Fig. 223) belongs,
of course, to Africa. There are three varieties of Asiatic Wild
Asses, and of these the Kiang is a worthy representative. It is an
inhabitant of Tibet and Mongolia, and, as Fig. 222 displays, it is a
large beast and has a massive head which gives it a very distinct
appearance. In colour it is dark-reddish, with a narrow stripe along
the back. Then there is the Ghorkhar, or Onager, which is a
resident of Western India and Baluchistan. This is a smaller beast
than the Kiang; it is not nearly so dark-coloured as the last
ZEBRAS AND ASSES 281
mentioned, and has a broad dorsal stripe instead of a narrow one.
The third variety of Asiatic Wild Ass is found in Persia and
Syria. It much resembles the two preceding kinds, and although
for some time it was considered that there were at least two distinct
species of these animals, it now seems agreed that the three beasts
referred to are connected with the same species.
In the arid regions of Asia these Wild Asses find a congenial
home; they are possessed of wonderful powers for traversing rough
ground, and travel about at a great speed. They are mostly
gregarious, keeping together in moderately sized companies,
although, on occasions, these have been known to number as many
as one thousand animals.
In some parts these Wild Asses are of a shy and retiring dis-
position, but the Kiang is a notable exception, as this is a most
inquisitive animal, and has been known to walk into camp without
demur, evidently attracted by a curious desire to ascertain what
was going on.
One would imagine that, in view of the arid habitats in which
these Wild Asses are found, difficulty would be experienced in
finding a suitable and abundant food supply, and there is no doubt
that during the Summer, when the pools of water and herbage become
parched, the beasts find it a hard task to make ends meet. It is then
that the Asses must of necessity search for fresh feeding-grounds,
and they migrate to the hills for the purpose of securing both drink
and food. Various kinds of grasses are partaken of, as well as
woody plants which only grow in many of the arid regions inhabited.
The Ghorkhar especially is fleet-footed, and attains a wonderful
speed. It requires a good Horse to successfully overtake it, but,
when hunting these Wild Asses, attention is chiefly devoted to the
foals which, being reared, realize good prices when “sold to the
native princes (of India), by whom high prices are given for these
animals.”
The Asiatic species attains a length of six or seven feet, and
stands about four feet high at the shoulders.
The skin is of considerable value, and is made into shagreen,
this being a kind of leather or parchment, which is prepared,
without having to undergo the process of tanning, from the skins of
Horses and Camels, as well as these and other Asses. The method
adopted seems to be that “the strips, having been softened by
steeping in water, and cleared of the hair, are spread on the floor
282 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and covered with the seeds of the Goose-foot (Chenopodium album).
A covering of felt is laid on, and the seeds are pressed into the skin
by trampling or mechanical means, thus producing the peculiar
granular appearance of shagreen. It is dyed green with sal-
ammoniac and copper filings, red with cochineal, etc. Shagreen is
also made of the skins of Otters, Seal:, Sharks, etc. It was formerly
much used for cases for spectacles, instruments, watches, etc.,” and
who knows but that the covering of the very desk upon which these
notes were written did not at one time help to clothe one of these
Wild Asses of a foreign land?
AFRICAN WILD ASS.—-Fig. 223 represents a specimen of the
African Wild Ass from Somaliland, and it will be at once seen, on
comparing it with the form of the Kiang, that there is a very con-
siderable difference between the two animals. The African Wild
Ass, for example, possesses much longer ears, a shorter mane and
a less profusely haired tail. There is, too, a noticeable divergence
in regard to the colour of the coat, for the present species has creamy
or bluish-grey hair, with dark bars on the limbs and a prominent
dark stripe on the shoulder. The lower part of the head, the throat
and underneath portions are white, and, as a rule, there is a good
deal of white upon the limbs. On occasions the leg stripes shown
in Fig. 223 are absent, whilst there are other variations exhibited
in different animals which need not be detailed.
This Wild Ass attains a height of about four and a half feet or
more at the withers, and has a wide distribution in the desert regions
of the North-Eastern parts of Africa. More than one observer has
drawn attention to the remarkable colour protection afforded to this
beast, and amid the desert surroundings frequented it is essential
that the creature should be protected from enemies. Although, as
with its Asiatic cousin, food is often at a discount and at no time
plentiful, the African Wild Ass invariably seems to be in good
condition, and the Arabs consider its flesh very excellent eating.
Mention has already been made in Chapter II. of various features
of interest concerning the relationship which exists between the
African Wild Ass and our various breeds of domestic beasts, for
there seems little doubt, as has been already pointed out, that the
Domestic Donkey is the tamed African Ass.
I have already drawn attention to certain traits in the character
VuddZ NIVINNOW
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‘MAX S1¥1d
ZEBRAS AND ASSES 283
of this beast as a domestic animal, and it is not necessary to write
more here.
Before bringing this section to a close, however, a few instances
may be given of the legends that have been handed down to us with
regard to the humble and useful Donkey. A writer in The Animal
World says—
“At Killeedy, Co. Limerick, close to ‘St. Ita’s Well,’ there is a
stone supposed to show the print of the hoof of the favourite Donkey
of St. Ita—‘ the Mary of Munster.’ Day by day the animal brought
milk from St. Ita’s farm, four miles to the westward, to her convent
close to the holy well, coming and going without a guide, though
the caretaker at the farm milked the cows and placed the milk in
two pails, which hung at either side of the animal. One day two
robbers made a raid on the dairy farm and found the Donkey ready
to start home with two pails full of new milk. Angry at having
found no treasure at the farm, they overturned the pails and let the
milk run down the hill, but God showed His anger by turning the
milk into blood, and the place is still called ‘ Turna-fulla,’ or ‘ Plenty
of blood,’ to this day, and the angry Donkey kicked and left the
print of its hoof on a stone. Another story tells how the beast once
stood on a strong thorn, which pierced the frog* of its foot, laming
it badly and causing it severe pain. St. Ida pulled out the thorn,
which she stuck in the ground, commanding it not to lame the
Donkey for ever more. It grew into a large whitethorn tree, whose
thorns all pointed downwards! It is said that this tree flourished
till quite recently, and was an object of veneration till some one dug
around it, when ‘St. Ida’s thorn’ withered away.
“St. Patrick is said to have once wandered wearily along the
road, exhausted and footsore, when he met a mule and tried to mount
it and ride on his way, but the stubborn animal kicked him off, and
would not allow him to ride, and the Saint went on sadly. Then he
met a little Donkey, and the kindly beast gladly permitted him to
mount it, and bore him on his journey, and St. Patrick cursed the
mule, saying: ‘ May you be always ill-tempered and stubborn and
may your race be few in the land’; but to the Donkey he said: ‘ May
you be as plentiful as the ferns!’ and ever since Donkeys abound
in Ireland. ,
“When this Saint was about to build his cathedral at Armagh
_ 1A kind of tender horny substance growing in the middle of the foot, dividing
into two branches, which run like a fork towards the heel.
284 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
he could not decide upon a site for a long while, but went to and
fro, as if he were seeking for some sign, till suddenly a doe and
her fawn rushed from the thicket, and as the warriors who accom-
panied the Saint were about to kill them with their spears, both
animals ran fearlessly to St. Patrick, who took up the fawn in his
arms, and, followed by the doe and the assembled company, he
traced the boundary of the future cathedral of ‘ Ardmacha’ (High
Field).
“It is not only Irish Saints who are associated with the humble,
useful Donkey. St. Isidro, or Isidore, a Spanish peasant, who
loved all animals and birds, had a favourite Donkey on which he
rode through the country, and which he once left outside a church
to graze while he went in to pray. Meanwhile a hungry Wolf tried
to devour the poor beast, but was suddenly struck dead. The birds
sang their sweetest as Isidro went by, because when the Saint, who
was a farm servant, went out to sow he scattered seeds for the birds,
saying: ‘ Eat, little birds, for when Our Lord looks forth at dawn
He looks upon us all!’ As he dropped the barley in the furrows
he said: ‘ This for God, this for us, this for the birds, and this for
the ants!’ His companions mocked him, crying, ‘ For the ants!’
‘ For the ants, too,’ said Isidro, ‘ since they are God’s ants, and His
royal bounty is for all His household!’ And God took his fields
under His protection, and though Isidro spent much time praying
in the churches or under the trees, his crops were abundant, and rain
and sunshine never failed to come in due season.
“Once as he bore a sack of corn to the mill on a Winter day,
when the ground was covered with snow, he untied the sack and
strewed the contents on the ground for some hungry pigeons, but
when he reached the mill, lo! the sack was full again.”
FIG. 224.—WHITE-HEADED SAKI
FIG. 226.—HOFFMANN’S SLOTH
FIG. 227.—BHUTAN TAKIN
CHAPTER AVI
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS
Even if in the preceding sections of this work we have made the
acquaintance of many well-known animals, there have no doubt
been several unfamiliar ones which the reader knew very little about,
and in this chapter there are quite a number of rare and unfamiliar
beasts which may engage attention before we pass on to deal with
some Mammals of the Sea and Air.
These could, of course, have been accorded a place among some
of the other sections of which this volume consists, but the result
would have been certain unwieldy chapters, and in their present
position they. may best be considered. There are more than thirty
different kinds of animals included in this sixteenth section, and, this
being so, it will not be possible to give very elaborate accounts
of any of them, the salient and characteristic features alone being
dealt with.
Some of the remarkable creatures here depicted are exceedingly
rare, and it is unlikely that any opportunity will be forthcoming of
securing fresh photographs of several of them for many a long day,
and in this respect may be specially mentioned the White-Headed
Saki, White-Thighed Guereza, Bhutan Takin, Walrus, etc. Prob-
ably the White-Headed Saki is easily the most extraordinary-looking
animal of any included in the representative selection here gathered
together, and a few notes concerning it will doubtless be read
with interest.
WHITE-HEADED SAKI.—As may be assumed from an examina-
tion of Fig. 224, this is a Monkey, but it is a rare and curious
member of that interesting family of wild beasts and hails from
Central America. The specimen shown in the photograph arrived at
the London Zoo during the Autumn of 1909, and caused sensational
interest among zoologists. Unfortunately, however, the wonderful
animal only survived for a few days at the Zoo, but not long after-
wards another of the rare South American Saki Monkeys reached
the famous Gardens in the person of Humboldt’s Saki.
285
286 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
It was thought at one time that the first Saki referred to was
Humboldt’s, but it proved after further examination to be the White-
Headed, the name of which, as Mr. Finn says, “‘is not at all a happy
one, for the hair on the face is straw-yellow—very probably, how-
ever, fading to white in stuffed specimens—and the back of the head,
at all events, is black, the long hair forming a hood.” Humboldt’s
Saki “is a grizzly-grey animal, with the face not differing strikingly
in the colour of its scanty hair from the long coat which covers the
body. Though less striking in appearance than the other, it is a
prettier animal, and being very tame, is an ideal Monkey for a pet.
It has a soft twittering voice very much like that of the Marmosets.”
If such an epithet as “hideous-looking ” can be applied to any
beast, then surely the White-Headed Saki deserves mention in this
respect, for certainly its features repel rather than attract, and
although of extreme value and interest to zoologists, I am not at all
sure that the specimen which was so short-lived would have
attracted much attention from the general public, much less endeared
itself as a popular animal at the London Zoo. The curious facial
expression is very remarkable and is the least attractive part of the
Saki’s body, for it is otherwise a finely-built Monkey, and clothed
with long furry hair. The Saki appears to feed very largely upon
the honeycomb of Wild Bees, and it has been suggested that the
thick body-covering protects it from the stings of the Bees when it is
engaged raiding their citadels.
WHITE-THIGHED GUEREZA.— Coming from an entirely different
part of the world to the Sakis, the White-Thighed Guereza (Fig. 225)
is a resident of West Africa, and presents with its whiskered face a
grandfatherly look deserving of notice. It is interesting to observe,
too, the long white tail, which, as seen in the present photograph, is
apt td be overlooked owing to the fact that it is resting in a line with
the left-hand leg of the stool upon which the Guereza is seated.
This, of course, is still another Monkey, and the last one we
are likely to encounter during our present pilgrimage. It belongs to
the genus Colobus, or Thumbless Monkeys. These are African
beasts, and about twelve species have so far been described by
‘scientists.
The White-Thighed Guereza may be distinguished by the long
appendage which has already been referred to, as also the white
whiskers all round the dark face, and the jet-black head, body and
limbs. The contrast between the black and white in this animal is
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 287
very remarkable, and one well-known naturalist has stated that it is
“without exact parallel among other mammals, although the colora-
tion of the Skunk is somewhat suggestive of it.” It should also be
stated that on each side of the back, or thighs, of this animal there
is a profusion of pure white hairs which hang down like a mantle
over the flanks and give the adult beast a fine appearance. This
White-Thighed Guereza is, it appears, merely a variety of the ordin-
ary animal, as in the commoner kind the tail is black and short-
haired for at least a foot or more, the white tufts of hair being present
only on the last few inches.
The Guereza feeds upon leaves, wild fruits and insects in its
native state, but it is rarely seen in captivity as it is difficult to get
it to successfully overcome a long journey across the sea, even if
it could be reared when it had safely arrived at its destination. It
is said to be a restless and silent animal in its native wilds, and
to be capable of leaping from tree to tree in a most remarkable
way.
SLOTHS.—The Sloths are animals possessing an ancient origin,
for Hoffmann’s species (Fig. 226) is a descendant of the Giant
Ground Sloths which have long since become extinct. And here
attention may be drawn to the plates of extinct animals included in
this volume, namely, Plates II, VIJ, VIII, XI, XIV and XVIII.
At this juncture the last-named plate, showing the extinct Giant
Sloth and two Armadillos, need only be referred to specifically, but
it is highly desirable that the remaining plates should not be over-
looked, and the relationship of the animals depicted with living
representatives of to-day should be closely studied.
At one time the Giant Sloth, a terrestrial and not an arboreal
animal like the living species, was a common inhabitant of South
America, and it is most essential that it and others should be repre-
sented in this book, as it is largely because of the remains which
have been discovered.of these extinct monsters that we are able to
piece together the fascinating story of animal life, and obtain some
conception of the huge creatures which populated the earth and sea
before the advent of man. One species of Giant Sloth now no more
has been compared to the Elephant in size. There was no need for
it to climb trees like the small Sloths of to-day, even if the trees
could bear its weight, for it could easily reach the tree-tops, as
Plate XVIII shows. These Giant Sloths were not distantly related
to the Ant-Eaters, they were herbivorous and heavy beasts, and
288 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
whilst most of them were restricted to South America, one large
species was an inhabitant of North America, and a near relative
belonging to another genus was, it is believed, exclusively North
American.
The living Sloths are divided into two genera, popularly known
as Three-Toed and Two-Toed, and to the former Hoffmann’s Sloth
belongs. The Three-Toed Sloth, or Ai, as it is called, on account
of the curious cry it emits, is a resident of Brazil, and although
possessing a shaggy coat is not a very large beast, attaining a
length of not more than a couple of feet. The specimen shown in
Fig. 226 is portrayed in a very characteristic attitude, as the animal
walks upside down in this way, clinging to branches by means of
the strong toes, and when progressing in its primeval forest home
it is able to turn its head completely round by means of nine
vertebrz instead of the usual seven bones in the neck. The value of
this will be apparent, as by being able to twist the head right round
without having to move the partly anchored body the Sloth can see
where it is going, and be on the look-out for enemies such as snakes
and man, the latter being its remorseless enemy.
The coarse fur is brownish-grey in colour, but the male has a
black patch of hair between the shoulders, the hairs having a fringe
of yellow and giving a very curious effect. This is, like its con-
geners, a vegetarian in the matter of diet, and the succulent fruits,
leaves, etc., upon which it feeds are sufficient to satisfy its thirst, for
it does not, so far as is known, need to drink.
The Two-Toed Sloths are characterized by the possession of two
toes on the fore-foot, but on the hind-foot the three toes are present.
There are at least two well-defined species of these two-toed animals;
they are larger than their three-toed relatives, but, with this excep-
tion, and the loss of one toe on the fore-foot, there are no other
features of great divergence to which attention need be directed.
BHUTAN TAKIN.—This brings us to the Bhutan Takin (Fig. 227),
and it is interesting to note that this is the first specimen of this
animal ever imported alive to Europe. It is still more pleasant to
record that this specimen has already become a general favourite
at the London Zoo, and is thriving splendidly. The beast, by per-
suasive coaxing, will allow visitors to stroke it, and dearly relishes a
scratch of the head. Care should, of course, be exercised in thrust-
ing one’s hand through the bars of its commodious apartment, but
otherwise little need be feared.
‘BOMOULY YNOS UI punoj suremay “zZ puv If ‘ssi ‘sol[Ipeusy ay} 0} 1997e] ay} pue
‘gz “SIJ UL UMOYS YIOTS 24} 0} pare Suraq s9ws0} 94} ‘so[pIpeUTY OMJ pu YJOTS JULTH JOUXAE ayT,
IIAX HLVId*
WILD HORSE
Ss
PREJEVALSKI
FIG. 228.
BONTEBOKS
229.
FIG.
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 289
The Zoo specimen referred to was presented to the Society by
the Maharaja of Sikkim and Mr. Claude White, late British Com-
missioner in Sikkim. It is a young bull, and was procured from
Bhutan in Northern India.
There are two species of Takin, and these are small Ruminants
which are not very distantly related to the Serows or Goat-Antelopes
(see Fig. 188 and Chapter XII). The Takin, however, is neither
a Goat nor an Antelope, and can best be described as occupying an
intermediate position -between the two kinds of animals named.
A writer in the Scientific Monthly says that “it is also possible
that Takin are related to the Musk Ox, now restricted to Arctic
and sub-Arctic America and Greenland, but formerly having a
geographical range extending over the North of Asia and Europe.
A certain similarity of the-horns and the large lateral hoofs, together
with the shortness of the tail in both animals, lends colour to this
assumption. It may also be remembered that both Takin and Musk
Oxen inhabit cold and snow-covered regions, and are adapted to
life in high altitudes. It is not improbable that Takin, Serows,
Musk Oxen and the extinct Bucapra of the Himalayas have a
common origin.”
The adult Takin measures about six feet, and stands about three
and a half feet high at the shoulder. The stout limbs are covered
with shaggy hair in Winter and short hair in Summer; both sexes
possess horns. The general colour of the coat is reddish-brown, with
the face black, and there is a dark stripe along the neck and the
centre of the back.
PREJEVALSKI’S WILD HORSE — Little opportunity has been pre-
sented thus far to pay any tribute to the Horse, but an occasion
now arises when some amount of attention may be devoted to it.
I am under obligation to Mr. Edward G. Fairholme, the inde-
fatigable Secretary of the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, for permission to incorporate in these notes
extracts from two articles which appeared in the Society’s excellent
magazine, The Animal World.
In the first instance preference may be given to a most informa-
tive and highly interesting sketch of the Horse by Mr. Fairholme
himself. He writes—
“Huxley in his Letters on Evolution says: ‘The Horse is in
Many ways a remarkable animal; not least so in the fact that it
Presents us with an example of one of the most perfect pieces of
U
290 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
machinery in the living world. In truth, among the works of human
ingenuity it cannot be said that there is any locomotive so perfectly
adapted to its purpose, doing so much work with so small a quantity
of fuel, as this machine of Nature’s manufacture—the Horse. And,
as a necessary consequence of any sort of perfection, of mechanical
perfection as of others, you find that the Horse is a beautiful
creature, one of the most beautiful of all land animals.’
‘The Horse has been the hero of every nation, and to have been
able to make the Horse not only his friend, but also his constant
companion was the aim of every knight of old, who was wont to con-
sider the comfort of his steed before that of his own. The Horse is,
as it were, a symbol of chivalry, and it is interesting to mention that in
the time of Edward VI it was a capital offence to steal a Horse, and
that such an offender could not, before going to execution, have
‘the benefits of the clergy.’ We need not now consider how the
Horse was treated in those long-ago days, but it should be remem-
bered that the Horse was never subjected to any cruel sports, such
as were the Dog, the Bull, the Cock, etc., and this shows us how far
above other animals this one stood in the estimation of people who
were not too refined to enjoy cruel sights. As was written in the
Koran, Horses were created for man’s use, but they were also ‘to
be an ornament unto him,’ and this idea seems to have existed all
through history ever since the Horse was domesticated and became
the faithful friend and servant of human beings. The man who was
a perfect horseman and rode as though his steed were part and parcel
of himself was looked upon as a leader of men. Indeed, it is said
that Cardinal Wolsey first secured the royal favour of Henry VIII
by his superb horsemanship.
‘““Homer of old, in many stirring passages, testified to the venera-
tion and admiration with which the warriors regarded their horses.
Xanthus, the Horse of Achilles, is rendered famous by the great
poet, and is endowed with a wonderful prophetic power, which
warned Achilles of his approaching death. The name of Alexander
the Great at once suggests that of his Horse, Bucephalus, and one
recalls the story of how this royal Horse, when wearing his regal
trappings, would allow no one but his master to mount him. In
later times the great soldiers possessed heroic horses, whose names
have been linked with the deeds of their great masters. Marengo, a
wonderful, pure white Arab, whose skeleton and hoofs are preserved
in our own Royal United Service Museum in London, is almost
as famous as is the great Napoleon, and Copenhagen, who bore
enraicnor git
FIG. 230—AARD WOLF
FIG. 231.—CAPE ANT BEAR, OR AARD VARK
ATER
ANT-E
GREAT
Q
C7
Q
FIG.
NEY BADGER
HO
\TEL, OR
FIG. 233.-—R
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 291
Wellington to victory at Waterloo, has become a character in
history.
“Horses were sent in ancient, as well as in modern, times as
presents of the highest value to neighbouring kings or mighty
rulers with whom it was desirable to be on terms of peace, and the
breeding of Horses in England, first mentioned by Cesar, has been
considered worthy of the greatest consideration through all ages,
so much so indeed that it was in early times protected by special
laws.
“The Arab steed has always been regarded as the most perfect
animal for speed, lasting, and sagacity, and it has therefore been
the most sought after and, as many travellers have narrated, the
most difficult to obtain. The Eastern blood was first introduced
into England by Charles II, who sent his Master of the Horse to
Asia to buy horses for his own stable. These beautiful animals
were known as ‘ Royal Horses,’ and it is from that time that the
custom arose for the reigning monarch to use cream-coloured
Arabians on State occasions. The French General Daumas asked
the Amir Abd el Kadir what was the origin of the Arabian horse.
The Amir, in his poetic way, informed him that Allah created the
Horse out of the wind as he created Adam out of the mud. This
terse description of the creation explains the relative position in the
mind of the Arabs of the horse and of the man. That the horse has
been the object of admiration and veneration from the very earliest
time is shown by the prehistoric sketch of horses discovered in cave
dwellings, for the artists of those days mostly depicted their Gods
or the animals they feared or venerated.”
It is not possible to set out at this juncture a detailed account
of the evolution of the Horse, or of the many real and so-called wild
kinds which are still found in various parts of the world (including,
for instance, Exmoor and the New Forest in England, to mention
two places at home), but a few particulars concerning Prejevalski’s,
or Mongolian, Wild Horse (Fig. 228) may be quoted from the same
source as recently mentioned before passing on to the next animal
on our list.
“A yellow or dun colour has always been considered the primi-
tive colour of the Horse tribe, and Prejevalski Horses do not
disappoint us in the hue of their livery. They are yellow dun, a
colour which must blend with the sandy desert region in which
these animals make their home and render them comparatively
inconspicuous. The muzzle is cream, and the mane, tail and legs
U2
292 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
blackish. Now, it is often held—and we have no reason to doubt
the truth of the assertion—that the younger a domesticated animal
is the more closely it resembles the wild ancestor of the species. If
we admit the truth of this proposition, then we see at once why
the majority of foals are light bay or dun in their ‘baby’ coat. No
matter whether they are going to be grey, rich bay, or light brown
in later life their foal coat is usually a dun colour, and their mane
and tail shade to black-brown, like those of Prejevalski’s Horse. In
two important points, however, no resemblance can be drawn
between the Wild Horse and the foal, and those are in the carriage
of the mane and in the colour of the legs. The mane of every foal
is erect like that of a Zebra or Ass, and, as one might be led from
analogy to surmise, presumably like that of its wild ancestor also.
There is no forelock. In the Prejevalski’s Horse, however, it will
be seen that the mane is too long to remain erect like that of a foal,
and that it falls between the ears into a decided forelock like the
‘bad’ mane of many British Hill Ponies. The legs of most foals
are creamy white, like those of the Onager, and without the darkness
in the knee and hock regions and down the canon bones shown by
Prejevalski’s Horse, which only comes with the second coat. These
differences incidentally afford somewhat strong proof in favour of
a feral origin of these ugly desert Horses.
“Tt always used to be supposed that the wild ancestor of domestic
horses was ornamented with a black dorsal stripe, some horizontal
stripes about the knees and hocks, and perhaps one or more shoulder
bars on an otherwise yellow coat. This opinion was arrived at by
the facts that so-called reversionary dun-coloured individuals pro-
duced by a process of mongrelization were generally so marked;
that breeds of dun Ponies which exist in various parts of the world
are usually so adorned; and that the dorsal band persists occasion-
ally in Horses of other colours than dun. In the Central Asian
Horse the markings are either entirely absent or are much fainter
and less well defined than they usually are in dun-coloured British
Horses. This fact again suggests that the Wild Horses are not
entitled to be raised to the dignity of specific rank as they lack
uniformity in a well-defined particular. Were they the descendants
of an ordinary unstriped domesticated Horse it is not difficult to
understand how a point of practical unimportance like the one under
consideration might have failed to be reproduced in all the
individuals of a feral race.
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 293
“The one point in which Prejevalski’s Horse differs markedly
from most other known Equidz, and to which those naturalists
anxious to raise it to specific rank attach great importance, is in the
tail, which although long and coarse like the tails of all common
Horses, is singular in that it is sparsely covered with short hair
near the root. In ordinary Horses the hair growing on the upper
part of the dock reaches a considerable length—down to about the
hocks, in fact; in the Wild Horse long hairs only grow from the
lower half of the dock, so that if the animals were docked short
there would be very little hair on the remaining bone at all.”
BONTEBOK.—This animal (Fig. 229) is now extinct in a wild
state, and we owe its preservation to one or two privately owned
herds. It is—or rather was—a South African Antelope, closely
related to the Blessbok, the Bontebok being distinguished by the
white marking on the face being continued as far as the base of the
horns, and also by the patch of white on the buttocks and the white
legs. The Bontebok is the larger animal of the two, attaining a
height of from three to four feet at the withers. Both the species
referred to are at once recognized by the rich purple-red of the
coat, and the white marking, or blaze, as it is called, on the face,
and in days gone by these beasts must have presented a fine sight
to South Africans, although they are wary creatures and difficult
to approach. As showing the effect produced by a sight of them,
and the numbers that existed at one time on the great African
Continent, one writer states that “on my right and left the plain
exhibited one purple mass of graceful Blessboks, which extended
without a break as far as my eye could strain. The depth of their
vast regions covered a breadth of about six hundred yards.”
AARD WOLF.—Another African animal is depicted in Fig. 230.
The Aard Wolf is somewhat of a puzzle to zoologists, for in some
instances we find that it is placed among the Hyznas and in others
with the Civets. Strictly speaking, the best place for it to occupy
is between the two, the beast being relegated to a distinct family
known as the Proteleidz.
The Aard, or Earth, Wolf measures about three feet six inches
in length, is yellowish-grey in colour, with prominent dark stripes
and a long, thickly-haired tail. As its name indicates, it is a burrow-
ing animal, indeed it is to be reckoned among the most remarkable
beasts who resort to an underground dwelling-place, several in-
dividuals occupying the same abode. It is nocturnal in its habits—
294 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
like the Fox and the Badger—of a cowardly nature, slinking away
when observed above ground in double-quick time. In its general
carriage it is certainly Hyzna-like, and whilst its food consists of
somewhat the same kind, i.e. carrion, it also has a liking for ter-
mites, which it is able to unearth from their strongholds by means
of its strong claws.
CAPE ANT BEAR, OR AARD VARK.—Before leaving Africa
acquaintance may be made with still another remarkable beast
found there in the person of the Aard Vark (Fig. 231). This curious-
looking animal is in no way related to the species last under review,
being, as a matter of fact, first cousin to the Great Ant-Eater next
to be described. The large pointed ears, tapering snout and tail,
and stumpy legs will at once arrest attention, and in several ways,
particularly in regard to the long viscid tongue, the Aard Vark
strikingly displays its relationship to the Ant-Eaters. The body,
however, is quite unlike that of the last-named, for instead of being
profusely clothed it is scantily covered with hair. Small wonder
then that the Boers call this creature the Earth Pig, for Pig-like it
most certainly is at a casual glance, and even on further investiga-
tion there is a kinship deserving of notice. It is, for example, very
fond of both grubbing and burrowing, in which it is largely aided
by the pointed snout, and Mr. Protheroe says that “to complete the
appropriateness of the name, it may be mentioned that the hind-
quarters of the animal are cured in the same manner as hams, and
are almost, if not quite, equally esteemed.”
Unlike Pigs, however, this African beast possesses much greater
burrowing powers, and experiences little, if any, difficulty in hiding
its whole body below ground. During the heat of the day the
Aard Vark remains concealed in its burrows, and being nocturnal
in habits, as well as of a shy disposition, it is only observed with
great difficulty. It feeds upon termites. Only one young is born,
and this keeps company with the parents until its babyhood is well
advanced and the youngster is able to secure provender on its
own account.
GREAT ANT-EATER..—In South America, whither we have gone
in search of a number of interesting animals, the Great Ant-Eater
(Fig. 232) is found, but opportunities are sometimes presented of
seeing this beast in Zoological Gardens, where its massive and
remarkable body is sure to elicit admiration. A fine, bulky fellow
this, with tapering snout, long tongue, strong legs, well-haired body
FIG. 235.—MALAYAN TAPIR
FIG. 237.—VISCACHA
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 295
and bushy tail. It is a large beast, attaining a length of four feet
exclusive of the tail.
The coloration is ash-grey to black, whilst, as Fig. 232 well
shows, there is a distinct black stripe across the shoulders edged
with white. Visitors to the Zoo and elsewhere should note, when
one of these animals is on view, the curious manner in which it
walks, the movements being very cumbersome as the beast is unable
to tread on the soles of the fore-feet.
Feeding as it does almost exclusively upon termites, the Ant-
Eater must perform a great deal of good, as these insects are very
injurious, possessing strong jaws which are capable of much
destruction. The animal under review, however, is well calculated
to make short work of a termite’s nest, even although these remark-
able citadels are strongly built and often of huge dimensions.
Having laid bare the homestead, the Ant-Eater gets to work by
means of its long tongue and soon licks up the inhabitants of the
stronghold.
Like the Badger, this beast is quite inoffensive, and unless
attacked will not deign to interfere with any one. If occasion does
arise for it to defend its body, then the strong arms come into use
for holding its adversary, and the claws do the rest.
Possessed of remarkable tenacity, this creature is not easily
despatched, for in addition-to the stiff and bristly hairs which clothe
the body, there is a tough skin underneath which it is not easy to
penetrate.
It is distinctly a rare animal, and well entitled to inclusion in
this section of our work. Nocturnal in habits, it minds its own
business, as it were, like our old friend Brock already dealt with in
a previous chapter, and during the daytime remains concealed
among herbage. The mother Ant-Eater is very solicitous for the
welfare of her one baby. This little one she carries about with her
on her back, and that she is fond of it, and parts with it in regret,
is proved by the fact that it is not until another arrival is almost
due that she leaves her reared youngster to look after itself.
RATEL, OR HONEY BADGER.—Although relegated to a different
genus, the Ratels, or Honey Badgers, as they are also known
(Fig. 233), are closely allied to the Common Badger which we met
with on a previous expedition. The particular specimen figured in
the illustration is famous in the zig-zag at the London Zoo as “These
animals bite!” As Fig. 233 clearly portrays, the Honey Badger is
296 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
distinctly Badger-like in general appearance, although it has been
compared also to a small Bear. There are two kinds, one being
found in Africa and the other in India.
Light above and dark below, with short tails, no external ears,
short, strong limbs with tremendous claws on the fore-feet, may be
given as briefly descriptive of these animals, whilst in size they are
nearly akin to the Common Badger, attaining a length of from
twenty-six to thirty-two inches, excluding the tail.
We appear to have struck quite a number of nocturnal animals
on our present pilgrimage, and it is interesting to note that the
Ratels are also rovers during the darkness, concealing themselves
in burrows in the daytime, these being excavated in all probability
by the animals themselves.
It is the African species which seems to have the most partiality
for honey, whilst Bee grubs are also relished, the beast being able
to extract both from the insect’s homestead in a hollow tree by
means of the enormous claws on the front pair of legs. This African
Ratel enjoys a fairly wide range over the great Continent, but
exhibits a preference for the Southern and Western portions.
Some authorities do not consider that the two animals referred
to are entitled to specific distinction, but, on comparison being
made, it is obvious that the African Ratel can at once be dis-
tinguished from its Indian cousin by means of the prominent line
of white along the sides of the body which divides the black under-
parts from the whitish-grey above. Besides the food mentioned,
Ratels feed upon such creatures as frogs, birds, insects and rats,
and it is stated that in districts where poultry are kept a good deal
of damage is perpetrated.
BRAZILIAN TAPIR.—There are four species of South American
Tapirs, and of these the Brazilian Tapir (Fig. 234) is a worthy repre-
sentative. It is an inhabitant of the forests of Brazil, Paraguay
and Northern Argentina. Curiously enough, outside South America
only one species of Tapir is found, i.e. the Malayan Tapir next to
be described.
The eminent Swedish naturalist Carl Von Linné, or Linnzus,
to whose remarkable classification of animals and plants the scientific
world owes such a debt of gratitude, originally described the Tapir
“as a terrestrial species of Hippopotamus,” and whilst it is true that
in our classification of animals to-day the Tapir is not far removed
from the bulky beast with whom Linnzeus associated it, it is placed
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 297
in a separate family, and comes between the Hippopotami and the
Rhinoceroses.
The Brazilian, or Common, Tapir attains a length of some five
feet. It possesses a strongly built body, a powerful thick neck, short
legs, and a curious proboscis on the upper part of the snout. It
is uniform dark-brown or blackish in colour, but the young, it is
interesting to note, are spotted and striped like the Malayan species.
The South American animal has a short, rigid mane, and the ears
are margined with white. The small eyes, short tail, smooth, thick
skin, and erect oval ears are further features worth recording.
One would have thought that the four species found in Central
and Southern America would all be closely related, but this is not
so, as although two are quite distinct and nearly akin, the remaining
two species are first cousins to the Malayan Tapir, and fossil remains
which have been discovered in Europe, China, the United States and
Brazil go to prove that these forest dwellers of bygone days closely
resembled the living species, and are thus to be numbered among
the most ancient patriarchs of the mammal world.
All the five Tapirs may be written of as shy, retiring and
inoffensive beasts of nocturnal habits, and all are fond of frequenting
the neighbourhood of water, in which they are constantly immersing
their bodies. They feed exclusively upon a vegetable diet, such
delicacies as leaves, buds and shoots being greatly relished.
They possess keen powers of both smell and hearing, carrying
the head close to the ground when walking. When disturbed, the
beasts rush headlong away, paying little regard to any obstacles that
may cross their path, and, when coming to water, plunging in
without the slightest hesitation and swimming with ease and facility.
Tapir hunting, although not affording particularly good sport, is
indulged in to a large extent in South America, the flesh of the
animal being very nice eating, and the tough hide is, after proper
treatment, made into reins and bridles. Whilst man is an enemy
to be reckoned with, there are other foes which have to be overcome,
chief among which is the Jaguar in South America, whilst the Tiger
is an inveterate enemy of the Malayan species.
MALAYAN TAPIR.—This Tapir (Fig. 235) differs in both size and
colour from the animals last under review, as it attains a length over
all of some eight feet and stands from three to three and a half feet
in height at the withers. Constant reference to the latter makes it
necessary to explain that the withers is the junction of the shoulder-
298 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
bones, forming an elevation at the bottom of the neck and mane. In
colour the Malayan Tapir is black or dark-brown on the head and
front part of the body, as well as on the limbs, but on the rest it is
greyish-white. The young, however, differ from their parents until
some few months old, as they are brownish or black, spotted and
streaked with brownish-yellow on the sides of the body and white
on the under parts.
As might be assumed, the Tapir now being dealt with resides in
the Malay Peninsula, its range extending ‘‘northwards to Tenasserim,
and it also occurs in the Island of Sumatra, and perhaps in
Borneo.”
WALRUS. — The Walrus (Fig. 236) has already been referred to
in Chapters II] and XIV, and it is not necessary to do more than
draw attention here to the photograph of this animal, which, rare
and unfamiliar as it is, is deserving of inclusion in this section. It
is an uncommon animal in captivity, and the pair which the Zoo
authorities had at Regent’s Park (of which the photograph shows
one) came to an untimely end, one of the animals being drowned
through getting under some tarpaulin which was placed in the water,
and the remaining one dying of pneumonia, which it is suggested
may have been brought on by the bad fogs that are so characteristic
of London in the fall of the year.
VISCACHA.— This brings us to the Viscacha (Fig. 237), and takes
us back again to the Argentine Republic, in which country we have
already made the acquaintance of quite a number of interesting
mammals aptly entitled to inclusion in this book. One would hardly
imagine that this curious-looking beast is a near relative of the
Chinchilla (see Fig. 211), but such is the case, as the Viscacha
belongs to the same family.
This animal resides on the wide areas of the open pampas,
whereas its near relatives, the Chinchillas, inhabit the higher Andes.
It is a burrowing species, has a long, bushy tail, a stoutly built body
nearly two feet in length excluding the tail, and in general appear-
ance is quite different from the pleasing form of the Chinchilla. In
colour the Viscacha is grey, mottled with dusky and black; the
under parts, however, are white or yellowish-white, whilst there is a
band of blackish across each cheek surmounted by a broad stripe
of white.
On the open plains of the pampas this South American rodent
forms its burrows, and, being a special species, numbers of them
FIG. 238.—PACA
FIG. 239.—WEST INDIAN AGUTI
%
PUNCTATED AGUTI
FIG. 240,
-EATING DOG
241.—CRAB
FIG
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 299
live together, making warrens which are known as viscachera.
Earth brought to the surface as a result of excavations made below
ground results in raised mounds being formed, and it is interesting
to notice that the burrow generally assumes the shape of the letter Y.
These burrows are taken advantage of by other animals after evacua-
tion, much after the manner of some of our British birds which
place their eggs in holes made by rodents in peaty soil, in the north
of our island home; for at least three kinds of birds, including the
Burrowing Owl, take possession of the deserted Viscacha burrows.
The Viscacha feeds upon herbage, including grass, seeds and roots.
It is a nocturnal animal, and when observed on the open pampas
at or about sunset must present a fine sight to any one interested in
the wild life there found. From two to three young ones are born
in the early Autumn, and, in spite of the fact that it takes some
two years before the young attain the adult state, we learn that
previous to the advent of the agriculturist—whose hand is against it
because of the harm done to growing crops—this animal was found
in numbers so enormous as to be hardly credible to-day, when its
ranks have been so greatly reduced.
PACA.— There seem to be a large proportion of South American
animals among the rare and unfamiliar beasts with which we are now
concerned, and it is in that part of the world that the curious-looking
Paca (Fig. 238) resides. It belongs to the same family as the
Agutis next to be described, but is easily distinguished from them
by means of the longitudinal rows of light spots which are admirably
shown in the illustration, and there are structural differences that
need not detain us.
The Paca is a stouter and more clumsily built animal than the
Aguti; it has shorter limbs; the head, as will be noticed by a com-
parison of Figs. 238, 239 and 240, is much broader, and this is due
to the arches of the cheeks being “greatly expanded from above
downwards, so as to form huge bony capsules on the sides of the
face, each of which encloses a large cavity communicating by a
narrow aperture with the mouth.”
The coarse fur varies in colour from fawn to blackish, and the
tows of spots which greatly relieve the coat also vary in number.
The Paca enjoys a wide distribution throughout South America,
for although it is a rare beast in Peru and a few other parts, it is a
common inhabitant of other portions of the Southern Continent.
We have here again both a nocturnal and a burrowing animal,
300 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
and it is interesting to note, as we have done before concerning
animals of a similar nature, that it is a shy, retiring beast. When
disturbed the Paca hies away to the nearest water, for there, being
a good quick swimmer, it is secure from its enemies. It is hunted
on account of the general excellence of the flesh—especially in the
early part of the year, when it is found to be very fat—and also
because there are so few South American mammals which can really
be considered good eating.
AGUTIS.— The Agutis, like the Paca, are South American rodents
of which there are several different kinds inhabiting Central and
South America, whilst one species, the West Indian Aguti (Fig.
239), is found in the West Indies. A second beast is shown in
Fig. 240, this being known as the Punctated Aguti, and is merely
a variety of the West Indian species which is more typical of this
interesting family of beasts. I do not know exactly why the
Punctated Aguti is so called, unless it is that the coat is smoother
than that of its West Indian cousin, and dotted or coloured with
very small round spots. The Agutis possess long, slender limbs;
they have only three toes on the hind feet, instead of five like the
Paca, and all of them are lovers of forest regions, where, during the
- silent watches of the night, they carry out their exploits, remaining
hidden during the day in hollow trees or burrows.
When seen in the open during the daytime, away from the thick
growth of the luxuriant forest home, the Aguti is said to present an
attractive appearance, exhibiting quick and graceful movements
pleasant to watch. And it is not only on land that this South
American animal attracts attention, for it readily takes to the water,
and, although unable to dive, is a really expert swimmer.
The food is made up of plants and wild fruits, but in districts
which are cultivated it is stated that much harm is perpetrated in
plantations, especially among sugar-canes.
Like the Chaffinch among British birds, the Agutis separate
after the breeding season is over, the two sexes keeping apart from
one another until the pairing time again brings them together. The
mother Aguti is most solicitous for the welfare of her progeny
(which may number one, two or more), and prepares a snug home
in which to rear them. She jealously guards her babies, and it is
not until they have been born some little time that she permits the
father to inspect the new arrivals.
CRAB-EATING DOG.—Another South American animal that claims
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 301
attention here is the Crab-Eating Dog (Fig. 241). There are several
different kinds of Wild Dogs on the great continent with which we
have been so much associated in this section, including the solitude-
loving and so-called Maned Wolf, the small Fox-like Azara’s Dog,
the handsome Colpeo (which is an inhabitant of Tierra del Fuego
and Chili), the Short-Eared Dog (of which only one solitary speci-
men seems to have been obtained so far), and others. The Crab-
Eating Dog, or Carasissi, as it is also known, is a dweller in the
forest or jungle, and has acquired the first-mentioned name from its
habit of feeding upon various kinds of crustaceous creatures, as well
as rodents and birds. In colour it varies a good deal, but may be
described generally as brownish-grey on the upper parts, with rufous
on the top of the head, as well as on the sides of the body and
the outside of the limbs. There is black on the back and on the
upper portion of the tail, whilst the tip of the caudal appendage
is invariably black. The ears and tail are both prominent, as
Fig. 241 displays, and the first mentioned are reddish-brown in
colour.
As this is the last member of the Dog tribe with which we are
concerned in this work, a famous legend of the taming of the “ Wolf
of Agobis,” associated with that great lover of animals, St. Francis
of Assisi, may here be told. Says Farm and Home—
“That Wolf was a quadruped without morals; not only had he
eaten kids, but also men. All attempts to kill him failed, and the
townsfolk were afraid of venturing outside the walls even in broad
daylight. One day St. Francis, against the advice of all, went out
to have a serious talk with the Wolf. He soon found him, and,
‘Brother Wolf,’ he said, ‘you have eaten not only animals, but
men made in the image of God, and certainly you deserve the
gallows; nevertheless, I wish to make peace between you and these
people, brother Wolf, so that you may offend them no more, and
neither they nor their dogs shall attack you.’ The Wolf seemed
to agree, but the Saint wished to have a distinct proof of his solemn
engagement to fulfil his part in the peace, whereupon the Wolf
stood upon his hind legs and laid his paw on the Saint’s hand.
Francis then promised the Wolf should be properly fed for the rest
of his days, ‘for well I know,’ he said kindly, ‘ that all your evil
deeds were caused by hunger ’—upon which text several sermons
might be preached, for truly many a sinner may be reformed by a
good dinner and by nothing else. The contract was kept on both
302 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
sides, and the Wolf lived happily for some years—fed by the people
—at the end of which he died of old age, mourned by all the
inhabitants.”
We have already in an earlier section—Cats, Great and Small—
made acquaintance with a goodly array of members of the Cat tribe,
but before concluding our task attention may be directed to a few
rare and unfamiliar kinds deserving notice.
BLACK-FOOTED CAT.— The Black-Footed Cat (Fig. 242) is one
of the smallest Cats and is a very rare African beast, the specimen
depicted hailing from the Zambesi.
CIVET CAT.—The Civet Cat (Fig. 243) is also an African species,
possessing a strongly marked and long body; a narrow elongated
head; short legs; small, rounded feet, and a large tail. Strictly
speaking, neither the African Civet nor its Indian cousin should be
designated Cats, as the Civets (both real and so called), the Genets,
the Linsangs, the Palm Civets, and other genera, which need not be
specifically referred to, are in themselves not altogether easy to
define in a popular way. The African and the Indian Civets belong
to the true Civet genus, the Fossa of Madagascar being the culprit
which has caused zoologists a-good deal of trouble as to the exact
position it should occupy in the classification of animals.
MALACCAN CIVET, OR RASSE.—There are six different kinds of
true Civets, and of these we have a further representative in the
Malaccan Civet, or Rasse, depicted in Fig 244. This is quite a
small beast—indeed the smallest of the six species included in this
genus—and may soon be identified from its relatives ‘‘by the absence
of erectile hairs along the middle of the back.” The Rasse has a
sharply-pointed head, and measures some thirty-six to forty inches,
including the long, ringed tail.
PALLAS’S CAT. — Pallas’s Cat (Fig. 245), it is interesting to note,
is closely related to the Wild Cat already treated of in Chapter VIII
(see also Fig. 114), but is a resident of Siberia, Mongolia and Tibet,
the specimen in the photograph having been procured from the last-
named country. It is further known as the Manul Cat, or, in Latin,
Felis manwul, but is more frequently called Pallas’s Cat, after Pallas
who first described it; but this handsome creature has disappeared
from many of the haunts in which its discoverer found it.
It may be compared in size to our own familiar Pussy, but, as an
examination of Fig. 245 will reveal, it possesses a long, thick, furry
coat and a prominent tail. The breadth of the head is also worth
PAE sat macnn
OBA sor rs ipkcisy
ts,
FIG. 242.—BLACK-FOOTED CAT
LS
CIVET CAT
FIG. 243.
FIG. 244.—MALACCAN CIVET, OR RASSE
FIG. 245.—PALLAS’S CAT
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 303
drawing attention to, as well as the moustaches and the piercing
eyes. In colour Pallas’s Cat may be described as varying from
silver-grey to yellowish-buff, with lighter or darker on different parts
of the body, some stripes on the loins, perhaps-a few bands on the
limbs, a dark ringed tail, and, of course, a pair of transverse streaks
on the cheeks, these being easily distinguished in the picture of
this Cat.
PALM CIVETS.—The Palm Civets—represented in the illustrations
by the one solitary African species (Fig. 246)—are known also as
Tree Cats or Toddy Cats. With the exception of the African Palm
Civet all the species are restricted to Asia, and they are practically
devoted to an arboreal life. They are also nocturnal beasts, feeding
both on animal and vegetable food, for procuring which their teeth
are admirably suited. The tails of these Palm Civets are long
appendages, measuring in the majority of species more than half
the length of the head and body. The name of Toddy Cats has been
applied to these animals because, like the Fox-Bats, they display a
strong liking for palm-juice, or toddy as it is popularly called,
which the natives collect by means of vessels hung on the trees.
Palm Civets have the curious habit of emitting a distasteful odour
when they are irritated, presumably for protective purposes.
GENETS.—The Rusty-Spotted Cat of India—the smallest member
of the Cat tribe—must not be confused with the Rusty-Spotted Genet
(Fig. 247), or vice versa, as the case may be. The Genets are close
relatives of the Civets, but are to be distinguished by the still more
slender bodies, shorter legs, longer tails, etc.
The Rusty-Spotted Genet illustrated in Fig. 247 came from
Northern Rhodesia, but there are many species which reside in other
parts of Africa. There are four species found in the continent which
do not occur elsewhere, indeed only the Common Genet occurs
outside Africa. Genets have close-cropped and soft fur, the general
coloration being either greyish or brownish-yellow. There is a
black line along the centre of the back; there are also brown or black
spots on the sides, light and dark markings on the head, and black
tings on the tail.
CAPE HYRAX, OR KLIP-DAS.- Very few people on being asked
what kind of animal the Cape Hyrax (Fig. 248) was would be able
to give a correct answer. Most of them would probably call it ‘a
kind of Rabbit or Rat,” but it may be known by means of its feet.
It is a delightfully entertaining little beast, and is first cousin, if
304 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
you please, to the Elephant! True enough it belongs to a different
family, known as the Hyracidz, occupying a position in the scale
of animal life between the Hares and Rabbits (Family Leporidz)
and the Elephants (Family Elephantidz).
Being so much like a Rodent in general appearance, it is small
- wonder that, on [learning of its relationship with the Elephant, the
observer should express surprise, but a glance at the toes of the
Hyrax will reveal small hoofs which are joined by skin to the nails,
thus resembling those of both the Elephant and Rhinoceros. Yet
again, the teeth are best compared to those of the Hippopotamus,
and the distinguished French naturalist, Baron Cuvier, referred to
the Hyrax as being, if the horns of the Rhino are excepted, “a
Rhinoceros in miniature.” The reader will thus gain some idea of
the curious build of this little beast which has greatly puzzled
zoologists for a long time past.
There are quite a number of these small relatives of the largest
terrestrial animal now living, and whilst some are exclusively ground
dwellers, there are others whose habits are entirely arboreal, the
name of Tree Hyraces having been conferred upon these. They
are residents of East and West Africa. ‘
The Cape Hyrax is, as its name implies, an inhabitant of
South Africa, where it is also known as the Klip-Das, or Rock
Badger.
Other species inhabit Arabia and Syria, the Syrian Hyrax being
the “Coney” referred to in the Bible. The Cape Hyrax (Fig. 248)
is clothed with soft, fine hair of a dark-brown colour, with specks of
pale-yellow or white, and a black spot on the back. It haunts rocky
places (hence the name of Rock Badger), and may be observed
playing about its environs in a delightful way, similar to the prolific
Rabbit, which it also resembles in exhibiting a preference for feeding
during the morning and evening.
COMMON POLECAT.—This animal (Fig. 249) is a rare British
species to-day, for, being an inveterate enemy of game birds, the
hand of every keeper in the country is against it, and in most
districts it has been entirely stamped out. Reference has already
been made to this savage beast on pages 40-42, to which the attention
of the reader is directed, but before dealing with the Zorilla, or
Cape Polecat, it may be stated that outside Britain the Common
Polecat is found in most other countries of Europe. It is a handsome
creature, having a coat dark above and paler below, with a black
—- i ae PE:
FIG. 246.—AFRICAN PALM CIVET
FIG. 247.—RUSTY-SPOTTED GENET
FIG. 249.—COMMON POLECAT
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 305
and white head. It attains a length of sixteen or seventeen inches
excluding the tail, but the female is some few inches less.
Like its relatives, the Stoat, Marten and Weasel, the Polecat is a
ferocious animal; it is a great enemy of Rabbits and other kinds of
mammals, a splendid swimmer and a lover of fish. Its powers of
hunting and killing are remarkable, and one beast has been known
to account for a large number of Rabbits as the result of a single
visit to a favourite warren. When it was commoner in our own land
than it is to-day, poultry-keepers suffered a great deal from its
ravages, as it has a lust for killing and is to be regarded as one of
those wild hunters which have the habit of slaying far more food
than they can possibly eat.
As a means of protection it is not only a ferocious beast to
encounter, but can at will emit a most distasteful odour calculated
to repel any one excepting the gamekeeper, who thinks lightly of
such things. The fur, too, is saturated with this unpleasant smell,
but when the skin is prepared for commercial purposes the odour
is got rid of.
ZORILLA, OR CAPE POLECAT.—The Zorilla (Fig. 250) is another
evil-smelling animal. It is not at all unlike a small member of the
Skunks, both in colour and general appearance, but belongs to a
genus of its own. The teeth are different in size from those of the
Skunk, and more nearly resemble those possessed by the true
Polecat.
A comparison of Figs. 249 and 250 will, failing observation of
the living animals, reveal a great similarity, as both kinds of beasts
have short limbs, and the shape of the body is also akin. The
long bushy tail of the Zorilla is well displayed in the illustration, as
also the light and dark markings upon the back and sides of the
body, and on the top part of the head. The distribution of this
animal is “from the Cape to Senegal,” but in Northern Africa and
Asia Minor a further species is found of close relationship.
A lover of rocky situations, the Zorilla also frequents bushes
and trees, and is nocturnal in habits. It preys upon various kinds
of small mammals, also birds and their eggs, as well as frogs and
lizards.
This African animal cannot climb like the true Polecat, neither
does it exhibit such a preference for water. It can swim, but does
not possess the same powers as the species last under notice. The
Cape Polecat is tamed and used in the same way as the Ferret, but
x
306 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
instead of Rabbits, the Dutch Boers utilize the beast for the purpose
of keeping down Rats and Mice.
ORKNEY VOLE.— This interesting Vole (Fig. 251) was first noticed
by the well-known naturalist, Mr. J. G. Millais, son of the famous
artist, in the Orkneys in August 1886. It was a most unexpected
discovery in British mammalogy, and only goes to prove how
important it is to pay intelligent attention to any animal that is
encountered which presents any divergence from the recognized
type. Mr. Millais was first attracted to the Orkney Vole by reason
of its dark appearance and its large size, and a comparison between
it and its common mainland relative will reveal the broad, blunt and
heavily furred head of the Orcadian species, while the incisor teeth
are different in size, and the molar teeth are of a different pattern.
It seems curious that whilst a boreal Vole is found in the Orkney
Islands the same is absent from the Shetlands, and a further point of
interest to which notice may be drawn is, that in the case of this
newly discovered British mammal the general rule of island forms
being smaller animals than those found on the mainland is reversed,
for instead of the Orkney animal being smaller than its mainland
cousin, it is decidedly larger over the whole of the body, with the
sole exception of the tail, which is about the same size. The Orkney
Vole is almost twice the size of the Common Field Vole, and the
general colour is dull sandy-brown.
There can be no doubt that if more attention were devoted to
insular faunas and floras much valuable data would result. This
has been carried out in Ireland by enthusiastic naturalists there with
great success during recent years, and their excellent work might
well be followed up by other naturalists in all parts of the world
where it is possible to carry out similar undertakings.
GERBILS.—The Gerbils are small Rodents which are at once
distinguished by having long hind-limbs and long, hairy tails, and
they remind one in appearance and habits of the Jerboas. They are,
however, distinct from the last-mentioned animals in regard to the
muzzle, eyes, toes on the hind-feet, and teeth.
There are a large number of different species of Gerbils found in
both Africa and Asia, and the illustration (Fig. 252) shows the Cape
Gerbil. This species is not so well known as its Indian cousin, and
it is the latter that had best be described. This may be compared
in size to the Brown Rat. It is brownish-rufous on the upper parts
and white below; it has large, bright eyes, a long, tufted tail, and,
RARE AND UNFAMILIAR ANIMALS 307
like its many relatives, is an inhabitant of wide sandy districts, and
of graceful habits. It is a social little animal, living happily enough
in company with its fellows, and constructing burrows in which a
large number of young ones are produced. The Indian Gerbil, for
example, has from twelve to fifteen or more babies at one time, and
thus resembles in fecundity many of its better-known cousins which
belong to the Rodentia.
Gerbils feed for the most part upon roots and grass, but when
tenanting cultivated districts they perpetrate much damage among
growing crops. The long hind-legs enable the interesting little beasts
to take prodigious leaps, the Indian Gerbil being capable of leaping
a distance, it is said, of from twelve to fifteen feet.
CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM.—The Crab-Eating Opossum (Fig. 253)
brings us to the completion of our present expedition among some
of the rarer mammals of the world. A recent popular work on
animal life issued in London states that the mammal chosen as
worthy of concluding this chapter is the only kind of Marsupial
that exists outside the great Australian Continent. This, however,
is incorrect, as there are certainly other Marsupials outside Australia
beyond the Crab-Eating Opossum, although it is no doubt true
that they are little known except by the zoologist.
The species with which we are now concerned is of arboreal habits,
although, curiously enough, it procures its living on the ground, and
often resorts to the seashore when its hunger requires appeasing.
When on terra-firma its movements are ungainly, but in the tree-
tops it finds a congenial habitat, the long prehensile tail enabling
it to perform remarkable feats among the pliant branches. It has
acquired its name by reason of its partiality for various kinds of
small crustaceans, but also eats small mammals, birds and insects.
CHAPTER XVII
GIANTS OF THE DEEP
WHILST pictorially the Whales, Porpoises, Dolphins and Bats
are unrepresented in this work, it would ill become us to conclude
The Book of the Animal Kingdom without devoting attention to
these Giants of the Deep and Mammals of the Air (Bats), for, of
course, all the animals mentioned are mammals, and justly entitled
to inclusion here.
GREENLAND WHALE AND WHALES IN GENERAL.—Before pro-
ceeding to describe a few of the more remarkable species of Whales
and their relatives, the Porpoises and Dolphins, it will be as well
to consider the structure and mode of life of one of these mammalian
monarchs of the sea, and for this purpose we cannot do better than
choose the Greenland Whale, and follow its story as recorded by
Dr. Schmeil in his Textbook of Zoology.
Whales are hairless, fish-like mammals which resort to an aquatic
life, and although regarded by many, if not most, people as fishes,
it will soon be apparent to the reader that the marine beasts we are
now about to deal with are mammals of great usefulness and
immense interest. They do not possess any hind-legs, whilst the
fore-limbs are fin-like and the tail fin is horizontal, a feature of
importance that we shall find out at a later stage.
The Greenland Whale inhabits the most northern portions of
both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, and its structure and mode
of life admirably suit it for an aquatic existence. Although not the
largest Whale—the giant Rorqual being its successful rival—the
species under review attains a length of from sixty to eighty feet,
and a weight of from 220,000 to 330,000 pounds, which Dr. Schmeil
compares to that of 150 to 200 strong oxen!
Among the members of this genus there exist not only the largest
of living mammals, but, with the exception of some of the enormous
land reptiles of the Secondary period, also of pre-existing times, the
terrestrial giants treated of in Chapter I sink into insignificance
when compared with the huge monsters now being considered.
308
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 309
A creature possessed of such enormous bulk must of necessity
live in the water, and, moreover, in the sea. But, it may be asked,
why should this be so? The answer is, that most mammals which
are found on land have the body supported by two pairs of limbs,
and this body may well be compared to a bridge supported by
pillars. If the pillars of a land bridge are not constructed in such
a way that the main portion is well supported, and its arches built
strong and rigid, a sudden collapse is assuredly threatened; but if
the bridge is laid on the water (1. e. a boat-bridge), it is not necessary
that the structure should be of such great strength and solidity,
“since it is supported on the water at all points.” Thus the strength
of the larger land animals and the immense size of the Whale will
be understood from this apt comparison, for, as has already been
noted, the Whale exceeds in size any terrestrial animal. We not
only find this divergence of size and firmness in the animal world—
that is, as between land and aquatic beasts—but even among plants
interesting analogies are forthcoming with regard to the size and
strength of water plants as compared with their neighbours, which
anchor themselves on land, and often have to take advantage of the
surrounding vegetable life, being too weak and fragile to success-
fully fight the great battle of existence without resorting to climbing,
straggling, twining, creeping, or throttling.
The Whale is a superb diver, and in the mazy depths of the
ocean is as much at home as the Squirrel gambolling in the pliant
tree-tops or the Rabbit secure inside its burrow. But how, it may
be asked, is it possible for an animal of such gigantic proportions to
successfully overcome the enormous pressure of water consequent
upon the Whale’s habit of passing the greater part of its existence
far beneath the surface of the sea? At first sight the conundrum
seems impossible of solution, but close acquaintance leads us to an
awakening. For example, ‘most of the bones of the body remain
cartilaginous? at their points of union, the two halves of the
mandible? are only united by ligaments,? and only the first pair of
ribs is directly united with the sternum;‘ all these arrangements
tend to prevent fracture of the bones, and impart great elasticity
to the body.”
We have already seen during some of our previous expeditions
’ Gristly, the bones containing little or no calcareous or limy matter.
2 The lower jaw. 3 Short bands of strong white glistening fibres, by which
the bones are bound together. 4 The breast bone.
310 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
how many kinds of land animals are protected by a thick upper
skin, e.g. Elephant and Rhinoceros, but in the Whale the skin is
exceedingly thin and soft, and thus resembles that possessed by
many other aquatic mammals. The Whale’s body, then, is covered
with this thin skin; it has no hairy coat such as is worn by land or
amphibious animals, and it will at once be recognized by the merest
tyro that such a covering would prove of no service whatever to the
Cetacean. And beneath the thin skin what do we find? There is
a layer of fat, or blubber, from eight to sixteen inches in thickness,
and it is through the agency of this complete envelopment of the
body that this giant of the deep is able to preserve heat, and thus
be permitted to inhabit even the ice-cold waters of the Arctic
Seas.
It is wonderful to notice that, in spite of its enormous bulk, the
Whale’s movements in the water are both nimble and rapid. It
simply revels in the water, for it tumbles about in it as if in play,
much after the manner of a good swimmer who has perfect control
over his movements, and will actually lift its body above the surface
of the waves, or stand on its head and lash the water with its tail !
How is it possible for this huge beast to carry out such extraordinary
evolutions? Briefly they may be described as under. The body is
shaped like a boat, or fish, and hence the animal is still known in
some parts as Whale-Fish, and as a Fish to many people. There is
no visible neck, the vertebre forming only narrow rings, or discs,
which are partially joined together.
It is by means of the large tail that the Whale is able to propel
its huge body through the water, this appendage having powerful
muscles, and, writes Dr. Schmeil, “by its rotatory movements it acts
just like the screw of a steamer in driving the animal forwards, while
by its upward or downward strokes it enables it to sink below or
ascend above the surface. The force located in the tail may be
estimated from the fact that one stroke of it can shatter a stout
boat.”
The fin-like fore-limbs are the steering gear of the Whale, and
as all the parts of these fore-limbs are strongly united, there being
no joints excepting at the shoulder, the limb works like a piece of
wonderful machinery, and the pliancy of the whole body admirably
assists the action of the fore-limbs and the tail.
The fat in which the body is enveloped naturally lightens the
weight of the body in the water, as well as the oil which permeates
GIANTS OF THE DEEP ut
the porous bones. Then again, when we come to examine the inside
of the enormous creature, we find that the very large lung extends
further back than in land animals, and thus the centre of gravity
is shifted further forwards.
Friction in the water is obviated, or at any rate largely dimin-
ished, by the smoothness of the skin, and as the Whale does not
possess any external ears progress is unimpeded, as it would not be
if outside ears were present. It must not be assumed, however, that
this aninial giant of the deep is devoid of the sense of hearing, as
it is stated to exhibit most acute powers in this respect when below
the surface. The eyes are placed close to the angles of the mouth,
and are comparatively small, being about the same size as those of
a Domestic Cow. How does the Whale breathe? Fishes, as we
know, breathe by means of gills, and in their case they take in air
dissolved in water. The Whale, however, inhales free atmospheric air,
and to obtain this life-giving product it rises to the surface every few .
minutes, whereupon it expels the used air through the nostrils, making,
as it does so, a loud noise that may be heard some distance away.
Being an inhabitant of cold latitudes ‘“‘the water-vapour with which
this air is saturated becomes visible (like the vapour of our breath
in Winter), and appears in the form of two huge jets of steam
ejected from the head of the animal. It is this phenomenon which
is spoken of as the ‘ blowing’ or ‘ spouting’ of the Whale.”
It will thus be seen it is an absolute essential that this mammal
should be able to come to the surface of the water to take in a fresh
supply of air, and the powerful tail-fin is the wonderful mechanism
which drives the beast upwards. This is the reason why the tail-fin
occupies a horizontal position. The large lungs are capable of
taking up an abundant supply of air, whence it comes about that it
is not necessary for the animal to take in a fresh store of the neces-
sary of life in less than from ten to fifteen minutes, although, curious
to relate, a wounded beast has the power of remaining in the depths
beneath for an hour or more, surely a wonderful provision of Nature
whereby the giant may be secure from enemies above-board. Look
at a Whale’s head if ever an opportunity occurs, and it will then
be seen that the nostrils are well placed, and that they take the
form of narrow slits. They occupy a position on the summit of a
roundish protuberance on the top of the head, and after a fresh
supply of air has been inhaled the openings close as the monarch
dives below again, and thus water is prevented from entering them.
312 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
We may now consider the food of Whales, and we shall then
learn something of the peculiar structure of the mouth, and shall be
able to ascertain the difference between the toothed and the toothless
species. The Greenland Whale belongs to the last-named, which
is, in itself, probably sufficient to occasion some amount of surprise,
but few people appear to be aware of the fact that, although carni-
vorous, or flesh-feeders, many of the Whales feed upon very small
animals which inhabit the sea. This “whale food,” as it may be
called, consists mostly of a transparent mollusc known as Clio
borealis, which only measures about one and a quarter inches in
length. These molluscs, as well as a creature smaller still which is
allied to the common Fresh-water Shrimp, are found in immense
numbers at or near the surface of the Whale’s native seas, ‘“espe-
cially at the border of the drift ice,” and it is among the inhabitants
of these innumerable shoals of small marine animals that the Whale
makes havoc. The abundance of food which it is necessary for such
a gigantic beast to partake of may well be imagined, and here we
have another reason why it is only possible for it to inhabit the sea,
the latter, “with its superabundance of animal life,” being the only
place which can supply its demands.
One would hardly credit the statement that most kinds of Whales
are unable to swallow a fish larger than a herring—and thus we may
at once conclude that some animal other than a Whale was
the one chosen by Jonah in which to spend three days and three
nights as recorded in the Holy Word—but such is the case owing
to “the remarkably small calibre of the cesophagus.” It must not
be overlooked, however, that the Whale under review has a gigantic
toothless mouth. So large is it that the beast could take in a small
boat with comparative ease, but the smallness of its “swallow”
would bar any further progress, so that Jonah could not, if he had
wished, have safely located himself in the Whale’s belly, even
if he had successfully accommodated his person in the animal’s
mouth !
These small creatures, then, upon which some kinds of Whales
feed, must of necessity be collected in countless numbers, and to
enable them to be scooped up the animal is provided with a remark-
able apparatus, which may be compared to a sieve or a fisherman’s
net. This apparatus consists of a row of triangular-shaped horny
plates, which are suspended from each side of the palate, and may
be likened to skins hanging from a roof. These horny plates are
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 913
known as “baleen,” and from them the “whalebone” of commerce
is furnished. They are from two to three hundred in number,
and the central ones sometimes attain a length of seventeen feet.
The inside edges of these plates are found to be the longest, and
if these are carefully examined it will be observed that they are
“frayed out, as it were, into a close fringe of detached fibres of
whalebone. As the Whale shoots through the water with the large
mouth widely open, a large quantity of the marine molluscs and
crustaceans before mentioned are taken in. When the mouth is
now closed, the tongue, which resembles a lump of fat, and is
firmly united to the floor of the mouth, is applied to the central
part of the palate, which is devoid of baleen, and to the fringes
of the baleen plates. In this way the water is forced out of the
mouth, while the minute molluscs, crustaceans, etc., which have
been caught in the fringes of the baleen are forced into the
cesophagus. Anything left behind in this sieve is washed back
by the next inflowing current of water.”
We thus see that the mouth of this giant of the deep may be
compared to a sort of huge bucket arrangement, and this accounts
for the enormous size of the head and the length of the jaws.
Indeed, the head is responsible for a quarter to one-third of the
entire length of the body.
The reader has no doubt noticed the saliva which issues from
the mouth of a Cow, or some other animal, but this is not present
in the Whale, as the food being itself extremely slimy, salivary
glands are unnecessary; and another feature of interest which may
be referred to before passing on, is that “whilst in all other
mammals the food passes above the larynx” (which on that account
is provided with a lid), “in the Whale it passes around it, the
larynx being firmly wedged into the lower nasal aperture” (in the
throat). “This arrangement enables the Whale to breathe and
swallow food simultaneously.”
It is as well to recognize that little doubt exists as to the evolution
of these giant beasts. They are in no way closely related to
fishes, for they breathe, as we have seen, atmospheric air, and have
no trace whatever of gills. Again, careful examination reveals
traces of a one-time hairy covering—which is so characteristic a
coat worn by mammals—and whilst it is difficult to accurately
determine the terrestrial mammals most closely related to the
Whales, it seems agreed by zoologists that they have derived their
314 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
origin from terrestrial mammals, and are to be regarded as some
of the most specialized of the creatures dealt with in this Book
of the Animal Kingdom. It has been suggested by one eminent
scientist that the Whales are most closely related to the Ungulates,
“but,” writes Mr. Lydekker, “the teeth of the earliest forms are
quite unlike those of any Ungulates, and approximate much more
closely to those of Carnivores. It may, therefore, be suggested that
the alliance between Cetaceans and Carnivores may prove to be
closer than is often considered to be the case.” There are more
species possessing teeth than there are without them, and these
teeth are “of a simply conical or compressed form; and in many of
the Dolphins they are much more numerous than in any other
mammals.” In the toothless species—as the Greenland so far under
consideration—the place of the teeth is occupied by the horny plates
called “baleen,” as already described, but when young, even these
toothless Whales are found to possess rudiments of teeth situate
low down in the gums.
It will be readily conceded that great difficulty must be experi-
enced in studying the habits of these giants of the deep, for,
excepting when coming to the surface to take in a fresh supply of
air, or gambolling in the water as previously referred to, no amount
of continuous observation is possible, and were it not for the
experiences of those who have been engaged in the whaling trade,
our knowledge—poor as it undoubtedly is—would be far less than
at present. When we come to consider the build of the mammalian
monarch, then it is that we are able to ascertain how it is possible
for it to live, but to find out some of the many hidden secrets of
its home life is the intense wish of those who take an intelligent
interest and delight in the world’s animals and their ways.
Occasional glimpses are, it is true, obtained by seafarers of
the Cetacean during some of its more interesting movements,
especially when it has young. The mother Whale is, we are told,
a most solicitous parent, and shelters her young in a most pathetic
way. She is neither a coward nor a giant brute devoid of maternal
cares, and her solicitude for her young one has been touchingly
described by the few reliable persons who have had the good
fortune to watch her when she has had a baby under her care.
When one of these mighty denizens of the deep does happen
to lose its bearings, as it were, and become stranded, the huge form
of the animal is sure to arrest attention, but is a matter of much
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 35
concern for the public authorities upon whose land the Whale is
cast. For example, a large Whale of the Rorqual species became
stranded at Cloughton Wyke, six miles north of the fashionable
watering-place of Scarborough, Yorkshire, as recently as March
of the present year (1910). When first discovered it was still alive,
but soon succumbed. It measured, I am told, fifty feet in length,
seven feet in depth and nine feet across. It was estimated to turn
the scale at not less than seventy tons, but as it was not a full-
grown individual it will be seen that an adult beast would measure
and weigh a great deal more. In September 1900 another large
Rorqual Whale was towed into Scarborough Bay, and this specimen
measured seventy-three feet in length, and within recent years
among other kinds which have been noted there are the Killer,
or Grampus, and the Beluga, or White Whale, the latter being a
very rare species in those waters.
A Whale, having become stranded on some sea-shore near any
inhabited place, will very soon proclaim its presence in no uncertain
way by the stench which its decaying body will create, and hence
the Board of Trade accepted the offer of a Cloughton farmer to cut
up the carcass of the beast already referred to and bury it ten feet
below the surface for the sum of £28. Probably this farmer made
something out of the deal when it is borne in mind that it would,
when buried on his agricultural land, enrich the soil by way of
manure; but a Bournemouth doctor who, in an unguarded moment,
once purchased a stranded giant of the deep, bitterly repented his
bargain, for he narrowly escaped prosecution by the sanitary
authorities, and was eventually much out of pocket as a result of
his ill-considered purchase.
It should be stated that all the members of the order Cetacea
(Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins) are carnivorous, with one single
exception, and that is a kind of Dolphin which inhabits the large
tivers of West Africa. The food of this animal is believed to be
vegetable matter. Then again, it is important to point out that,
whilst the small creatures mentioned earlier in this chapter con-
stitute the food of several kinds of Cetaceans, and they are unable
to swallow any large object, there is one species, i.e. the Killer,
or Grampus, which preys upon Seals, but this is the “only member
of the order which subsists on warm-blooded animals.” It is the
Greenland Whale which is unable to swallow even as small a fish
as a herring.
316 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Generally speaking, Whales are not ferocious creatures, although
perhaps exception should be made in the case of the Killer, which
exhibits a fierce disposition. They travel about for the most part
in “schools,” and among the smaller members (Porpoises and Dol-
phins) we find that, on occasions, a “school” will be comprised of
several thousands of individuals.
It will be observed from what has already been written, there
are two distinct groups of these marine animals, one consisting
of the true, or Whalebone Whales, in which there are no teeth,
and the second comprising the Toothed Whales, which possess
teeth, at any rate in the lower jaw. Beyond these distinguishing
features there are others which are of such a distinct character that
it is considered by one of our greatest authorities on this subject
reasonable to suppose that “the Whalebone and the Toothed Whales
have originated independently of one another from totally distinct
groups of terrestrial mammals.”
We may now consider the chief features of interest in regard
to a few selected species of these animals, and having given a sketch
of the life history and general structure of the Greenland Whale
as a typical example of these monsters, it will not be necessary to
repeat the points to which attention has already been directed when
dealing individually with the different species hereafter.
Among the Right Whales the Greenland holds an honoured
place, and having recently considered the claims of this species in
some detail, we can, after pointing out that it occupies the foremost
position among the members of the order Cetacea, and the genus
Balzna, pass on to remark that although the Whale which inhabits
the South Atlantic has been considered a distinct species from the
one inhabiting the North Atlantic, a remark which also applies to
the beasts found in the North and South Pacific, it is considered
by competent authorities that all these forms are only local races
of one widely distributed species. All these forms claim kinship
with the Right Whales, and it is also interesting to notice that
fossil remains of some members of this genus have been discovered
in England and also on the Continent.
PIGMY WHALE.—The Pigmy Whale—so called because it does
not attain a length of more than twenty feet—need not detain us,
as it is a rare species which is found in the seas round New Zea-
land, Australia and South America. This brings us to the Grev
Whale.
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 317
GREY WHALE.—This is the only species included in the genus
to which it belongs, and it has acquired its name from the greyish-
blue colour of the skin. The female is the larger of the two sexes,
attaining a length of from forty to forty-four feet, the male being
several feet less. This species is not found away from the North
Pacific, but from fossil remains that have been discovered it is con-
sidered probable it may in by-gone days have also been an inhabitant
of the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps more than any other Whale this
species exhibits wonderful affection for its young, sheltering its
offspring in a most solicitous and delightful way and defending
the same with immense zeal. One often hears people who know
little about such things talk of the migration of birds, for it is well
known that during the Summer the fields, lanes and woods of
England are tenanted by a feathered population which largely
seeks more congenial climes when Autumn’s lease has almost run
out, and in a few instances (i.e. Cuckoo'and Swift) even before
the lease has commenced to lapse. Few seem to realize, however,
that other animals besides birds undertake migration movements,
but this is a mistake, as instances of this wonderful spirit of unrest
are forthcoming among Mammals (including Whales), Fishes,
Reptiles, Batrachians, Insects, etc. Thus the Grey Whale is found
in southern latitudes when breeding, but, after rearing its young,
it proceeds northwards to within the Arctic Circle, the progeny
accompanying the parents.
HUMPBACK WHALE.—This species is called Humpback because of
“the prominence on the back which carries the fin,” but individuals
vary as to this prominence, and it is not always a safe guide to follow
for identification purposes. It has a large head, a short, deep body,
and long flippers which attain a length of from ten to fourteen feet.
The beast measures up to fifty feet, and is black on the upper parts,
marbled with white underneath.
The Humpback enjoys a wide distribution, and although some
amount of variation is exhibited in different individuals, these are
all believed to be local races of one species. It appears to be both
gregarious and solitary, enjoying life equally well under either con-
dition, and is fond of carrying out its frolics ‘‘near extensive coasts
or about the shores of islands, in all latitudes between the equator
and the frozen oceans, both north and south.”
The yield of oil from the Humpback is also subject to variation,
for, whilst in some instances as much as seventy-five barrels has
318 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
been forthcoming, in others eight or ten barrels, or even less, may
be considered a good average.
FIN-WHALES, OR RORQUALS.—We are still among the Whale-
bone, or Toothless, Whales, but the last representatives of these
species brings us to the Fin-Whales, or Rorquals. They are also
known as Fin-Backs, or Razor-Backs, and there are four well-known
kinds. All these are distinguished from the last species with which
we made acquaintance by having a more elongated and slender form
and smaller heads. The flippers, too, are shorter, and are narrow
and pointed. These Rorquals are the commonest Whales we have,
and this is not difficult to account for when it is remembered that,
in addition to being possessed of great speed and activity, the oil
which they yield is comparatively small and the quality of their
whalebone very inferior. As a consequence of this, the Rorquals
have not been so relentlessly persecuted as some of their more
valuable cousins. The incessant warfare waged against good oil
and whalebone-producing species has, however, told its own tale,
and of recent years both these Rorquals and the Humpback have
been more sought after than heretofore.
Brief reference may be made to the four species included in
this genus.
LESSER FIN-WHALE.—The smallest of the four is known as the
Lesser Fin-Whale. It rarely attains a greater length than some
thirty feet, and the general colour is greyish-black above and white
below. This species may, however, be readily identified by means
of the prominent broad white band on the upper outside surface of
the flippers. It is a rare species in British waters, and appears to
be most common on the shores of Norway. Alli the Fin-Whales,
however, are of wide distribution, and ‘are found in nearly all seas
except those of the Antarctic regions.”
EDEN’S AND RUDOLPHI’S FIN-WHALES.—Eden’s Fin-Whale is a
rare species restricted to the seas of India, and need only be men-
tioned in passing, and Rudolphi’s Fin- Whale is rarer still. This latter
attains a length of about forty feet, or even more, and is bluish-black
on the upper parts and white below. There are oblong spots of
white above. Whilst the whalebone of the Lesser Fin-Whale is
white, that of this species is black. It is believed that Rudolphi’s
Whale feeds exclusively on small crustaceans and does not eat fish.
It is a quick swimmer, and does not have to come to the surface
to take in a fresh supply of air so frequently as some of its relatives,
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 319
being able to remain in the vast recesses of the mighty deep for
several hours at a stretch.
COMMON FIN-WHALE, OR RORQUAL.—The Common Fin-Whale,
or Rorqual, is a much larger animal, as it grows to a length of
sixty to seventy feet. It has an elongated body, fairly lengthy
jaws, and long flippers. It is slate-grey on the upper parts and
white beneath.
This is a common Cetacean, occurring in numbers “throughout
the more northern seas of Europe, ranging as far as the 7oth or 75th
parallels of latitude. It is likewise widely distributed in American
waters, where it is commonly known as the Fin-Back; and it appears
that the so-called Southern Fin-Whale of New Zealand is not
specifically separable.”
SIBBALD’S FIN-WHALE.—The largest Rorqual of all is Sibbald’s
Fin-Whale, for this species attains a length of from seventy to
eighty odd feet. Indeed, Mr. Lydekker says it enjoys the distinction
of being the largest of living animals. In colour it is dark-greyish-
blue, spotted with white on the chest. The American whalers call
this animal the “Sulphur Bottom,” by reason of the “more or less
marked yellowish tinge on the under surface of the body, which has
given origin to the popular name.”
Sibbald’s Fin-Whale passes the Winter amid the storms of the
wide open sea, a typical oceanic species during that season; but
when the cares of parentage come upon it in the Spring, it migrates
northwards and clings near the coast. The food is made up of
crustaceans and fish, and although not exhibiting the daring of
the Common Rorqual, it will follow a ship for several days at a
stretch, and “is considered to be the fastest of all the larger
Cetaceans.”
SPERM WHALE.—We now come to the Toothed Whales, and of
these the Sperm Whale is the first representative. From none of
the remaining species on our list is whalebone to be obtained, and
beyond this these Toothed Whales are characterized by the posses-
sion of permanent teeth, at any rate in the bottom jaw. There are
several other structural distinctions, but these need not detain us.
The Sperm Whale is a large beast which attains a length of
from fifty to sixty feet, although the female is not much more than
half the proportions of her mate. The Cachalot, as it is also called,
has a tremendous head, and has from twenty to twenty-five teeth on
each side of the lower jaw. It is difficult to accurately determine,
320 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
unless closely acquainted with this species, its exact form, for the
head is characterized by “the great height and abrupt truncation of
the enormous muzzle,” giving the animal the appearance of having
been chopped off, so to speak. The mouth is situated some way
from the tip of the muzzle, and it is of large dimensions. The
general colour is black or blackish-brown above, and silver-grey
on the chest.
This Sperm Whale must be a remarkable ocean wanderer. It
loves the warm open sea, but has been hunted so persistently that
it has disappeared from many of its former haunts. As showing
the great distance this species can travel, an instance is recorded of
a specimen being killed in the Atlantic Ocean which it was ascer-
tained had been harpooned in the Pacific.
Gregarious in habits the Sperm Whale not only displays much
solicitude for the welfare of its own young, but this kinship is also
apparent among the adult beasts. This solicitude is, it appears,
restricted to the females, for we learn that young males are “far less
chivalrous in disposition, and will at once leave a wounded com-
panion to its fate.” When the young Sperm Whale is born (there
is usually only one, but two are sometimes produced), it measures,
it is stated, from eleven to fourteen feet.
It is not intended to enter into an account of Whale-hunting in
this book, for exhaustive descriptions of this industry may be found
elsewhere, and it is not in keeping with the plan already adopted
to set out in any lengthened manner the commercial uses of these
mammals of the world. It is necessary to state, however, that of all
the Cetaceans the Sperm Whale is the most sought after, as the
sperm oil yielded by the thick layer of blubber with which the body
is enveloped, and “the spermaceti contained in the cavity of the
head,” are of high commercial value, and, in addition, the product
known as ambergris also comes from this animal. This ambergris
is found floating in the sea, or washed upon some shore, as the
Sperm Whale casts it up when an accumulation of it has gathered
in its intestines. It consists of the indigestible parts of various
marine creatures that have been swallowed, and although in days
gone by it was in request for medicinal purposes, it is used now only
in the preparation of perfumes.
BOTTLENOSE-WHALE.—This Whale is, like the species last under
notice, an inhabitant of the open sea, but, in spite of this, it is of
no uncommon occurrence for it to be found stranded. It differs
FIG. 250.——ZORILLA, OR CAPE POLECAT
FIG. 251 »—ORKNEY VOLE
FIG. 252.—-CAPE GERBIL
FIG. 253.—CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM
GIANTS OF THE DEEP cea
from the Sperm Whales in regard to the teeth, as in the Bottlenose
there are only a single pair, and these are of large size. One species
belonging to this genus, however, possesses two pairs of teeth. In
front of the blowhole there is a prominent elevation caused by a
sort of fatty cushion, and this accounts for the popular name
accorded.
Squids and Cuttlefish are the common food of this Whale, and
it inhabits the North Atlantic Ocean. Although it sometimes
exhibits a solitary disposition, or travels about in pairs, at others
“schools” of many individuals may be located. The female is
the smaller of the two sexes, for whereas she attains a length of
only some twenty to twenty-four feet, the male grows several feet
longer. The adult is light-brown to yellow above and greyish-
white underneath, but the young are black on the upper parts.
Very tenacious, and exhibiting little fear of mankind, the Bottle-
nose is an active Whale, and has the power of leaping several feet
out of the water. As they do this the head is turned round so that
the giants may take their bearings, as it were, and, when descending,
the water is re-entered head-first, “instead of falling helplessly on
their sides like the larger Whales.”
From this species oil similar to that obtained from the Sperm
Whale is procured, as well as spermaceti, and it is stated that an
adult male will yield two tons of oil, and some two hundredweight of
spermaceti.
Cuvier’s Whale—named after the great French naturalist—is a
rare beast which need only be mentioned by name, and of the Beaked
Whales we may select Sowerby’s as the first representative.
SOWERBY'S WHALE.—The members of this genus (the Beaked
Whales) have been accorded their English name by reason of the
presence of long and narrow solid and ivory-like bone which is found
on the skull and resembles a beak, whilst the scientific name has
been acquired from a pair of teeth which are usually present not far
from the centre of either side of the lower jaw. The ivory-like bones
are of great density, and it is stated that they are probably the most
substantial bones found among the Vertebrates.
This Whale was first discovered by Sowerby. off the Elgin coast
in 1800. It is not a large species, as it grows to only a length of
about fifteen feet, and in colour appears to vary from bluish-slate to
blackish-blue on the upper parts and light slate below. It resorts
to northern seas, and, although the genus is represented in southern
Y
322 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
oceans, the species under review has not at present been found
there.
LAYARD’S WHALE.—This Whale is a typical southerner, being
found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere, and is characterized
by the possession of two large teeth which “become lengthened by
continuous growth of the fangs into long curved tusks. These arch
over the upper jaw or beak, and crossing one another above it at
their tips, form a ring round it, and lock the lower jaw, so that the
animal can only open its mouth for a very short distance indeed.
The tusks are seen always to be worn away in front by the grating
of the confined upper jaw against them. How the animal manages
to feed itself under these conditions is a mystery.”
It is stated by competent authorities that these remarkable teeth
hamper rather than help Layard’s Whale, and afford an instance of
one of those curious developments in an animal which it is difficult
to understand the meaning of. This is a very rare species, but is
worth mention by reason of the growth of the teeth just alluded
to.
ARMUX’S WHALE.—Before coming to the Porpoises and Dolphins
brief reference may be made to Armux’s Whale, which is an inhabit-
ant of the seas round New Zealand. It is a larger beast than the
last mentioned, attaining a length of some thirty feet, and is
distinguished from its relatives by having two pairs of teeth which
are situated close to the front part of the jaw.
FRESH-WATER DOLPHINS.—There are three species of these
animals, and they are closely related to the true Dolphin to be con-
sidered towards the end of this section. They are small beasts, and
whilst two are restricted to fresh water, the third is a tenant of estu-
aries. The best known of the three species is the Susu, or Gangetic
Dolphin, which inhabits the Indus, Ganges, and Bramaputra Rivers
of India. It attains a length of some seven or eight feet, perhaps
more, and the female is larger than her mate. Curious to relate,
this Dolphin is quite blind, and it has been suggested that in view
of the turbid nature of the waters it frequents sight would be of
little, if any, use to it. It is not particularly gregarious, although, on
occasions, several individuals may be seen together, and those who
are acquainted with the habits of these interesting creatures are able
to locate them by means of the blowing noise they make when
engaged in rising to breathe. This detection, however, is only
possible when the water frequented is comparatively quiet in the cold
GIANTS OF THE =DEEP 323
weather, for when the rainy season comes on, and the rush of water
is considerably increased, it is not possible to detect any sound.
The Gangetic Dolphin has a long snout, and with the aid of this
it is able to probe among mud for food, this consisting of various
kinds of fish and prawns. Only one young one is as a rule produced
at a birth, and this takes place from Spring to Mid-Summer.
In the Amazon River of Brazil there is another species of Fresh-
Water Dolphin which may be called the Amazonian Dolphin, but is
known in South America as the Bonto, or Inia. Although the male
grows to a length of some seven feet the female is about only half
that size. The general colour is blackish above and reddish beneath.
Another species found tenanting the Amazon is known as the
Tucuxi, and there is still a further one which is pale flesh-colour.
Bates writes that “in the broader parts of the Amazon, from its
mouth to a distance of fifteen hundred miles in the interior, one or
other of the three kinds here mentioned are always heard rolling,
blowing and snorting, especially at night, and these impressions con-
tribute much to the impression of sea-wide vastness and desolation
which haunts the traveller.”
NARWHAL.—This remarkable species is at once recognized by
the tremendous spirally-twisted tusk which projects from one side
of the upper jaw of the male. It has been ascertained that this tusk
is almost invariably situated on the left side, that on the right
attaining a length of only a few inches. Those possessed by the
female are quite rudimentary and are entirely hidden within the
jawbone. The tusk of the male Narwhal is composed of ivory, and
may attain a length of seven or eight feet.
This Dolphin, for such it is, has a blunt, rounded head; it has
not a back fin, and has short, broad and rounded flippers. It is dark-
grey on the upper parts and white below, whilst the back and sides
have irregular mottlings of grey of various shades. With the tusk,
the male measures some twelve to sixteen feet. The Narwhal is
an inhabitant of cold seas, and, similar to the Greenland Whale, “is
circumpolar in its distribution.” It has been subjected to consider-
able persecution, and, in consequence, has been much reduced in
numbers. In spite of this, large “schools” are sometimes located
by those who visit its haunts, the species being generally gregarious.
From it oil and ivory are obtained, and the former is of excellent
quality.
WHITE WHALE, OR BELUGA.—This animal is first cousin to the
V2
324 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Narwhal, and like it is an inhabitant of the cold seas of the Arctic
regions. It does not possess a back fin, a ridge alone indicating the
position such would occupy were it present. It grows to a length
of about sixteen feet, and is of a bright white colour; the young,
however, are brownish-grey.
The Beluga is fond of ascending rivers, and when it is located is
found in considerable numbers. It is a timorous beast of the sea,
for on the slightest alarm it will take the precaution to dive below,
where, under shelter of the mighty deep, it is secure from enemies.
It is quick of movement, and when fishing exhibits an adroitness
delightful to notice. The prey appears to consist chiefly of
flounders, halibut, cuttles and crustaceans.
Not only is the Beluga prized for the oil yielded by the blubber,
for its flesh is much relished, and its glistening white unmarked hide
serves as a fine trophy for the huntsman. The inhabitants of the
North (the Eskimos) value its flesh not only for their own use,
but also wherewith to feed their indispensable dogs.
COMMON PORPOISE.—Excepting when seen stranded, or on ex-
hibition, few people have had the good fortune to observe a living
Cetacean, unless, indeed, it be the species now under consideration.
In European seas the Common Porpoise may often be seen, and
the appearance of a shoal of the marine beasts, or the capture
of one by some local fishermen, is sure to arrest attention. The
fisherman detests this creature, as it has a nasty habit of tearing
his nets, and is regarded by him in no respectful manner. After
capture, the Porpoise will perhaps be brought ashore with the rest
of the catch, and exhibited to visitors for the purpose of bringing
in a few stray pennies, but beyond this the carcass is considered
of little service.
The small, barrel-shaped body of the Porpoise is well known,
and, like nearly all the animals described in this section, it has
two distinct colours on the upper and under parts, the coloration
above being dark-slate or blackish and silvery-white below. The
beach boys call it the ‘‘Porpus-Pig,” and, anxious to make hay
whilst the sun shines, pester visitors with continual entreaties to
have a penny peep at the dead beast.
Shoals of these animals may often be observed from the shore,
and, when gambolling in the water, the sight is a very pleasant
one, for, with the exception of observing the inevitable Gulls and
prying into rock-pools—where .such abound—few visitors to the
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 30%
seaside appear to take any intelligent interest in the wild life that
may be observed for the searching. I have long made a practice
of seeing as much as I possibly can during my pilgrimages by the
sea, and it adds a zest to one’s holiday to gather as much informa-
tion as possible of the fauna and flora of a strange neighbourhood.
Lists may be made of the different kinds of animals and plants
that come under observation, and in after years it is useful and
interesting to compare these local lists, and, moreover, one is able,
as a result of compiling them, to answer queries respecting some
portion of our island home, and perchance put a kindred spirit on
the track of some animal or plant with which he or she desires to
make acquaintance.
To return to the Common Porpoise after this digression; it
attains a length of some five feet, and frequents the North Atlantic
and North Pacific Oceans, the North Sea and the coasts of Europe.
It is an active, and, indeed, elegantly mobile beast when seen
pursuing its movements in the water, turning and twisting in a
most engaging way, showing as it does so now the dark upper
parts and now the pure white belly. It simply revels in the sea,
and when a company are engaged at play their antics cannot fail
to arrest attention. It feeds entirely upon fish, and the fishermen
also fall foul of this animal because of this, such fish as herrings,
mackerel and pilchards being much sought after by this Cetacean.
Only one young is born, and this happens some time during
the Summer months.
It must not be supposed that because the fisherman discards
the body of the Porpoise that it is of no commercial value, as oil
is obtained from it and the skin is also of service. In days gone
by the flesh also of the animal was esteemed in England. The
body of one individual yields about three gallons of oil, but it is
necessary to capture a great many of them before it is worth while
making raids upon them.
INDIAN PORPOISE, AND OTHERS.—The Indian Porpoise is dis-
tinguished from the Common species by the absence of the back-
fin, and it does not possess so many teeth. It is also a smaller
animal, measuring only some four feet and is black all over. It
is an inhabitant of shallow water, and is said to be of a sluggish
disposition. .
Passing by Heaviside’s Dolphin, which resides in the sea near
the Cape of Good Hope, and the Irawadi Dolphin, which is a large
326 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
species frequenting the river of that name, we come to the largest
and most ferocious of all the Dolphin family.
KILLER, OR GRAMPUS.—This large species is black above and
whitish beneath, and attains a length of as much as twenty feet
or more. Above and behind the eye there is a prominent streak
of white. The Killer has a remarkable distribution, “ranging from
Greenland in the north to the coasts of Australia in the south.” It
is an inhabitant for the most part of open seas, but is not averse
to ascending tidal rivers, for not many years ago three of these
Dolphins were seen in the Thames, almost within a stone’s throw
of the very heart of the greatest city in the world.
Fish, Seals, and even relatives of their own order, constitute
the food, and in procuring the same the Killer—by name and nature
it is such—exhibits a great daring, as befits its “carnivorous pro-
pensities.” They travel about in little companies, or squads, and
have been compared to a small regiment of soldiers disporting in
the water, for their movements are stated to present “a pleasing
and somewhat military aspect.”
The Killer is possessed of great power of movement and has
no difficulty in catching up with and overtaking its prey, swallow-
ing the smaller Dolphins alive without even taking the trouble to
kill them. As showing what a ravenous beast this is, an instance
is recorded of one animal being known to swallow four Porpoises
one after the other, and “from the stomach of another individual,
whose length did not exceed sixteen feet, were taken fourteen Seals.”
Union being strength, the Killer will, when assisted by its
fellows, even attack the Greenland Whale, of which a full account
has already been given at the commencement of this chapter, and,
wonderful to relate, the largest mammalian monarch of the deep,
and, indeed, in the world, seems powerless to defend itself against
the attacks of these military pirates of the sea. It has been
described as a Wolf of the ocean, and its attacks “may be likened
in some respects to a pack of Hounds holding a stricken Deer at
bay.”
There is a smaller species belonging to a different genus, known
as the Lesser Killer, which also enjoys a cosmopolitan range. It
grows to a length of some fourteen feet, and its habits are believed
to be similar to those of the remarkable beast just described.
As this book does not pretend to be scientific or to treat of every
known mammal, but merely to give a bird’s-eye view of a selection
GIANTS OF THE DEEP 327
of them, many species of Cetaceans as well as other mammals
must of necessity be passed by, and if the reader is desirous of
following up the subject further, some standard work should be
consulted. Before bringing this chapter to a close, however, it
may be stated that there are various kinds of Short and Long
Beaked Dolphins, Bottlenosed Dolphins, and Rough-Toothed
Dolphins. With these it is not intended, nor is it possible, to
deal, but before passing on to consider the claims of some mammals
of the air reference may be made to the Common Dolphin
(Delphinus delphis) which represents the true Dolphins belonging
to the genus Delphinus.
COMMON DOLPHIN.—This species inhabits both cold and warm
seas. It has a long narrow beak—as indeed have all the forms
included in the genus—a number of sharply-pointed teeth, a small
head and slender body. The flippers are long and pointed, and
the usual colour of the body is dark-grey, with white or whitish
underneath. The Common Dolphin measures up to seven or seven
and a half feet in length. It is a sociable beast like somany of its
relatives, and is full of activity and playfulness. It appears to
delight in following a ship, and affords considerable pleasure to
passengers who are glad of having the monotony of a long voyage
relieved by watching the manceuvres of these children of the sea.
The food is made up of various kinds of fish, but some of the
other species of the true Dolphins partake also of both crustaceans
and molluscs.
Only one young is born, but this single offspring is, it is pleasant
to notice, tended with loving solicitude, and thus this creature
resembles some of its larger relatives described at an earlier stage
in this section of our work.
True enough, this chapter deals for the most part with the
animals whose claims for inclusion among “Giants of the Deep”
could not be disputed, but other members of the same great order
of mammals are included whose claims to be designated “Giants”
are not worthy of consideration. Yet it’>has been thought best not
to ostracize these from the rest, and, as has been remarked else-
where, some amount of latitude must be allowed in a book which
purports to set out in a popular way a general survey of some of
the more interesting mammals of land and sea.
CHAPTER AVITI
MAMMALS OF THE AIR
CHIEF FEATURES OF BATS.—The mammals which we now have
to consider are not only difficult to observe in their home life—and
thus somewhat resemble the beasts under review in the last section—
but very peculiar notions exist as to their construction, their life and
habits, and the place they occupy in the economy of Nature. Thus,
before proceeding to describe a few of the more noteworthy species,
it will be as well to pay attention to several general features of interest
concerning them. .
These mammals of the air, as we may call them, are either insect
or fruit eaters, and day or night fliers. Some of them are both
diurnal and nocturnal, for the commonest British species—the
Pipistrelle—may often be seen out and about at midday as well as
at night.
The lives of these remarkable creatures are spent either in flight,
resting or hibernation, and when we come to examine them we find
that they are perfectly adapted to their mode of life and habits. They
differ from all other mammals in being able to fly, and hence it
comes about that their bodies are constructed in many ways quite
differently from those of all the animals already treated of in this
book. The Bat possesses a flying membrane which extends between
the lengthy fore-limbs and the short hind-limbs, and by means of
this and the tail, flight is made possible. When not in flight this
membrane is closed up something like the folds of an umbrella, but
when unfolded the animal rests in the air upon a very large surface.
This, however, is not sufficient in itself to enable the body to be
propelled through the air, and the Bat has to resort to a continuous
downward movement of the fore-limbs, “each depression of these
limbs bringing in its train a condensation of the atmosphere. The
larger the flying membrane, the more easily will the animal be able
to support itself in the air, and the more rapidly will it be able to
progress. Hence the strikingly large size of the flying membrane.”
Then again, the bones of the arm act after the manner of the ribs
328
MAMMALS OF THE AIR 329
of an umbrella by keeping stretched out during flight that portion
of the membrane which projects beyond the lower arm. The thumbs
and feet are not enclosed within the membrane, and consequently
are not increased in length. The reason for this will be ascertained
later on.
A further important part of the anatomy is a bony process known
as the spur which is found from the heel backwards, and this spur,
it is interesting to notice, does not occur in any other mammal. It
serves as a support for that part of the flying membrane situate
between the legs and the tail. The membrane is of great elasticity,
and as it is highly important for a man-made machine to be well and
regularly oiled in order that it may run smoothly, so it is essential
that the Bat should be able to maintain the membrane in an elastic
condition. Such being the case, the animal is able, by means of
fat which is secreted in special glands situated between the nose
and eyes, to lubricate the membrane on each occasion a flight is
about to be taken.
Having to undergo much endurance upon the wing in order that
at any rate the insectivorous species may procure the necessaries
of life, it is essential that the muscles of the Bat should be of great
strength, and this we find to be the case, for it has “very powerful
thoracic muscles which are attached to remarkably large shoulder-
blades and to a high bony crest developed along the median line of
the sternum, which thus presents arrangements very similar to
those which obtain in birds.” There is, however, this distinguish-
ing characteristic: whilst the bones of birds are hollow, or, as one
might say, pneumatic, like the tyres of the modern bicycle, those of
the Bat are not hollow, but, excepting the bones of the shoulder-
blades and clavicles, are very thin and yet quite rigid. There are
no air-sacs within the body cavity as in birds, so that the Bat has
to rely upon other means whereby the weight of the body is dimin-
ished, whilst the surface which goes to support the body is much
larger in the winged mammal than in the case of the bird. The
supporting surface in a bird is formed by the wings and the feathers
borne upon them, but in a Bat it extends beyond the legs to
the tail.
Whilst, as is well known, the Bat possesses a remarkable flight,
it is not able to carry out the same wonderful evolutions in the air
as its companionable rivals just referred to. The flight of the
mammal is mostly jerky. It cannot poise or soar like the Skylark,
330 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
for example, yet it can dip down and swoop in an uncertain, hesi-
tating way, as those who have watched it can well testify. The Bat.
must of necessity be continually using its flying membrane when
engaged in flight, as it is only by this means that it prevents itself
from falling, and if it does happen to come to ground it is not easy
for it to rise again, and reminds one of the Swift among birds in
this respect.
Yet the mammal we have under review is possessed of wonderful
powers of endurance upon the wing; indeed, it is because it has to
constantly keep its flight organs in full working order that its endur-
ance isso marked. It cannot temporarily check its progress through
the air like the Kingfisher, for instance, which, when dashing
like a feathered meteor down stream, can pull itself up suddenly and,
without any apparent discomfiture, hover over the surface of the
water more like a large tropical Butterfly than a bird.
Neither can the Bat free-wheel in the air with the amazing clever-
ness and great delicacy of movement exhibited by the Ring Dove,
nor sweep along and upwards with the dexterity of the Swallow.
The tail of the mammal, however, ably assists it and acts as a rudder.
By means of it the animal is able to execute rapid turns when flying,
and in many ways exhibit when in the air active and nimble move-
ments which cannot fail to be noticed.
In the construction of the limbs, however, it will be found upon
examination that the Bat is well adapted for executing other move-
ments that its mode of life demands. By means of them it can both
creep and climb, and the claw-shaped thumb enables it to hook itself
on to the ground or other solid object. When upon the ground the
Bat shambles along and reminds one of a decrepit old man more
than anything else, the body being pushed forward with its feet.
This, it will be recognized, would not be possible if the thumb and
feet were included in the flying membrane. The claw-like thumb
and feet enable the creature to climb up trees, posts, walls, or other
objects, and then, having ascended, it is able, by flinging its body
into the air, to pursue its aerial movements. It is for this reason,
too, that a Bat, when resting, is always found suspended head
downwards, for, if it drops, it can immediately expand the flying
membrane. The feet are very slender, but, in spite of this, the
animal is able to secure a firm hold of the support to which it
becomes attached, so much so that during the period of hibernation
it is able to keep its position for some months at a stretch.
MAMMALS OF THE AIR 331
During the daytime most Bats at any rate devote their time to
slumber, resting so that at the gloaming hour they may come forth
from their hiding-places in a fresh condition ready to pursue their
prey during the silent watches of the night. The insectivorous
species prey upon such creatures as moths, beetles, flies, gnats and
other insects, and I have observed with interest that the Long-Eared
Bat has a partiality for the Stag Beetle and of partaking of its meals
in a favourite habitat. One individual over which I kept careful
watch resorted at nightfall to the porch of a house for feeding
purposes, and every morning the ground was strewn with the dis-
carded wings of moths which had been captured during the night.
The eyes are not developed to any appreciable extent, and con-
sequently the sight powers are not great, but the senses of touch and
hearing are very remarkable. It is said that so acute is the sense
of touch that even the vibrations of the air generated by the strokes
of their flying membranes and reflected by surrounding objects is
responsible for the instance which has often been alluded to of a
Bat having been known to fly in a room from which threads were
extended without ever coming into contact with one of them. And
this in spite of the fact that the animal’s eyes had been covered over
with sticking-plaster! Dr. Schmeil says that “the fineness of the
threads in the above experiment itself shows how faint such vibra-
tions must be. In the same way the animal becomes sensible of
the faint air vibrations generated by a flying insect. It feels its
prey, as it were, from afar.” It differs entirely from insect-eating
birds in this respect, for the Spotted Flycatcher, adept as he is,
must first see his prey before catching it.
Has the reader ever heard a Bat utter any sound? The proba-
bility is that the reply is in the negative, and this leads one to
observe that the sense of hearing in the Bat is wonderfully acute,
for the voice is so fine and high-pitched that many, if not most,
people are unable to hear it at all. Yet the Bat itself must be
well able to distinguish quiet sounds, and we are told that “the
large pinnz, which are movable and capable of being laid back,
in fact, represent ear-trumpets. At the commencement of the aerial
voyage they are erected, and probably enable the animal to hear
sounds inaudible to human ears, such as the flight of a moth,
more especially as the animal itself moves without sound.” This
reminds one of the keen powers of hearing exhibited by the Cat
and the Owl, yet the mammal and bird named are themselves
332 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
capable of moving without creating any sound audible to a human
being.
As it catches its food upon the wing it is necessary that the Bat
should have a wide-cleft mouth. Such it possesses, and thus reminds
us of the wide aperture of the Nightjar (which feeds upon very
similar creatures to the Bat, and is a nocturnal bird), and also the
more familiar Swallow.
The sharp, needle-like teeth of the Bat enable it to bore through
the outer covering of its prey, and it uses its teeth only for biting
and boring, gnawing and grinding being unnecessary. The short
neck is in keeping with the other structure of the body, as a long
neck would be of no service in view of the fact that when upon the
wing it is an easy matter for the head and body to be turned together
in any desired direction.
Unlike birds, the Bat is unable to undertake a perilous journey
over land and sea, hence at the approach of Winter it does not migrate
to a warmer climate where an abundant food supply would also be
procurable, although it is stated that one species in North America
does migrate to warmer climes. Thus, when the chill of Autumn is
upon us, the Bat adopts the habit of hibernating, and for this
purpose it selects a hiding-place where it may be secure for the
Winter. In such a snug retreat as a cave, roof of a house or barn,
chimney, hollow tree, quarry, cellar or among ruins, this mammal
seeks out a congenial spot where it may rest during the cold weather,
and large numbers of them may very often be found hibernating
together, hanging up by their feet, unconscious, stiff and motionless.
Dr. Schmeil states that when in this condition the pulse only beats
about once every three minutes, and the respirations are rare and
hardly perceptible.
It is essential, of course, that while in this comatose state the Bat
should be guarded against sinking below a certain minimum of body
heat, and this is provided against by means of the uncommonly
thick, heavy covering of the body, and also the flying membrane,
which, by enfolding the body similar to a mantle, “likewise forms a
protection against an excessive loss of body heat, since the air
enclosed within it acts as a bad conductor of heat.”
During the time it is out and about the Bat stores up within its
body a supply of fat which stands it in good stead when it is neces-
sary for it to go into temporary retirement, for “although during its
Winter sleep the Bat is suspended like a corpse, life is by no means
MAMMALS OF THE AIR 333
extinct in the interior of the body. The lungs, the heart and the
other organs continue their work slowly but uninterruptedly.” Thus
it is essential that, even with this small amount of work, the com-
bustion of food material must take place. Hence the superabundance
of its food during the mild seasons is stored up, and “this fat by
degrees enters the circulation, and is conducted thence to all the
organs in which it undergoes combustion. In this manner the
needful quantities of heat and force are continually produced afresh,
so that, though the animal machine works slowly, it is not brought
to a standstill.”
Bats, being insect or fruit eaters, are naturally enough found only
in those countries where an abundant food supply is forthcoming.
Consequently their distribution in the world is rendered explicable
from their mode of life. In a very cold country, where insect life
is at a discount, it is obvious that this flying mammal would, if it
inhabited it, have a sorry time, for, in view of the long Winter and
the extreme cold, it would undoubtedly perish from want of food
or loss of heat—would, in fact, either starve or freeze. In spite of
this we are told that at least one species is found within the Arctic
Circle.
These creatures have for long been regarded with superstition
and, indeed, dread by many country people. These latter call
them Flitter Mice, and having done that their practical acquaint-
ance with them begins and ends. Owing to their noiseless flight
and nocturnal exploits, these harmless beasts were, once upon a
time, looked upon as evil spirits, and two stupid notions which are
hardly worth giving further publicity to, are that they eat up the
bacon in the larder and sometimes entwine themselves in the hair
of people.
That Bats are beneficial animals goes without saying. They
perform useful work in the economy of Nature, and the insectivorous
species take up at nightfall the good deeds carried out by insect-
eating birds during the day. It has been conclusively proved that
Bats in feeding, for instance, upon a certain kind of moth, known
as the Processional Moth, do inestimable good, for in Germany at
the beginning of the nineteenth century “a large number of oak-
trees were cut down in the neighbourhood of Hanau, in the
hollow trunks and branches of which thousands of Bats were found
in the hibernating condition. In sawing and splitting up these
trees many of the animals perished from the cold, many were killed
334 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
wantonly. The result was a marked and rapid increase in the
larve of the Processional Moth, which latter had been hitherto for
the most part destroyed by the Bats. From that time onwards
these insect pests increased to such a degree, that in the course
of the following years first all the oaks, and afterwards also many
other trees, for miles around, were exterminated.”
And what enemies has the Bat? It does not appear to possess
many, because of its being nocturnal and continually on the wing
when away from. its hiding-place, and also by reason of the in-
accessibility of its retreat. Another member of the nocturnal police
force, the Owl, will pounce upon a Bat when on the wing, and it
is stated that the Marten, Polecat, Weasel, and Cat will do so
while it is at rest. A Dog, however, does not care to touch it.
In addition to their usefulness as insect-eaters, Bats are of service
to man and bring him considerable wealth where they congregate
in any large numbers, for, when such is the case, guano or excre-
ment is found in great quantity.
This is especially so in the guano caves of San Antonio in
Texas, but the valuable excretion has also been located in other
countries such as Italy, France and the Pyrenees. It will naturally
be concluded that to be found in a marketable quantity a tremendous
number of Bats must be congregated in the cave frequented, and
we are told that the number of animals in the largest cave is
enormous. Mr. Protheroe says that “when evening comes it is a
wonderful sight to see them issue forth from the mouth of the
cave in a dark stream, like a moving cloud, for quite two hours,
with a noise of whirring wings which sounds like a gale of wind.
The sight is wonderfully interesting, but the stench from the
creatures is almost unbearable. The supply of guano is naturally
not inexhaustible. When the guano has been taken from a cave
it is closed for a period of four years, by which time there is another
deposit well worth removal.”
There are more than four hundred and fifty different species of
Bats known to science, and probably many more remain to be
discovered. One, or at most two, young are produced during the
Summer. It would serve no good purpose in a popular work of
this description to set out reiterated details of a large number of
species, as they are more or less alike in their general characteristics,
and a few typical kinds need only be mentioned. Before coming
to these, however, it will be as well to state that, except in cold
MAMMALS OF THE AIR 335
countries, Bats are found. They have a wide distribution, but are
most numerous and attain their greatest size in the Eastern tropics.
They are divided into two groups, Insect-Eaters and Fruit-
Eaters. Those coming under the first named are the species found
in Europe, “and most of those of America, as well as portions of
Asia and Africa,” and the fruitarians are mostly inhabitants of the
south-east of Asia.
KALONG.— Among the Fruit Bats we find the largest members
of the order Chiroptera, meaning “hand-winged” animals, and
these are generally known to many people as Flying Foxes. The
Kalong of Java is an immense Bat, for its wings when spread out
measure almost five feet across, and it has been compared for size of
body with that of the Common Rook. In spite of its size this species
has a perfectly noiseless flight, and as Mr. Protheroe has well said,
“it is a wise arrangement of the Creator that gives muffled wings
to all night-flying creatures, whether Birds, Moths, or Bats.”
These Fruit Bats—indeed, most kinds of these flying mammals
—are of gregarious disposition, living in large companies, and
when a horde of these beasts of the air come forth from their
hiding-places and commence feeding upon soft fruits, such as figs
and bananas, it may well be imagined that it does not take long
for considerable damage to be perpetrated. So that against the real
good deeds of the insectivorous species, we have to place the mis-
deeds of the frugivorous kinds. It must be remembered, however,
that the Kalong at any rate does not disdain lizards and small birds,
and helps by partaking of these to preserve the balance of Nature.
With a long pointed muzzle and large full eyes (for a Bat), the
Kalong has a somewhat Fox or Dog-like appearance about the
head. It belongs to those kinds of Bats which, unlike the majority
of their fellows, are not distasteful of light, for we find that, instead
of hiding their bodies in dark places, like the species known by
sight to most people, these Fruit Bats suspend their bodies from
the summits of tall trees. “When sleeping an anchorage is obtained
by hanging on to a bough with one foot only, the second one being
tucked away underneath the wing. It seems curious why this
should be, for although, as has been well stated, “the Goose sleeps
upon one leg lest upon some frosty night it may get frozen hard
and fast to the ice,” it seems difficult to account for any kind of
Bat carrying out such a practice when a double anchorage would
make it more secure in the dizzy heights it frequents.
336 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
VAMPIRE BAT.—Short reference may be made to the Vampire
Bat, for in olden days this and other species were the objects of
superstitious dread. This Vampire Bat belongs to the Leaf-Mouth
or Spectre Bats, and when seen flying about silently it is perhaps
small wonder that these Vampires of the air should have become
associated with evil designs and foul deeds. We do not now live in
such a superstitious age—although it is remarkable to notice how
old customs and habits are still observed in remote country districts
—and seem more concerned in seeking for the truth and endeavour-
ing to learn about the real home life of these creatures of the wild,
whether of air, land or sea.
The Vampire Bat is not so large as the Kalong, as the wing-
stretch does not exceed some two and a half feet. Yet it is the
largest of its family, and by no means a small species when com-
pared with some of the common kinds known to us. It has no
tail, and thus resembles its other fruit-eating relatives, for, as insects
are not captured, it is not so essential that the powers of flight
should be so rapid or exact, and whilst it seems agreed that it is
for the most part a fruitarian, there is every reason to believe that
it has some first cousins who are not so easily satisfied with a fruit
diet, but who “are in the habit of sucking the blood from the
bodies of the larger mammals, not excluding man, while the victim
is asleep.”
That the Vampire Bat is well calculated to be able to do this
is proved by an examination of its teeth, for these are very sharp-
pointed and “so placed as to make a triple puncture like the bite
of a leech.”
LONG-EARED BAT.— This well-named species represents, with the
Pipistrelle next to be described, the Insect-Eaters among these
mammals of the air. It is sometimes called the Rabbit-Eared Bat,
the large ears being somewhat like a miniature edition of those
possessed by the well-known rodent. When a large Bat is seen
in England it is usually this species, for it is fairly well distributed
in our country, and outside it is found in various other parts of
Europe as well as Northern Africa and Central and Western Asia.
Compared with the one or two Fruit-Eaters with which we have
already made brief acquaintance, the Long-Eared Bat is quite a
pigmy, for it only measures about four inches if the tail be included,
whilst the wing-structure is a little more than one foot. The large
ears form the most characteristic feature of this species, and as the
MAMMALS OF THE AIR Bau
mammal pursues its airy course it will be seen, if carefully watched,
to move its ears backwards and forwards as if the beast were eagerly
trying to catch the slightest sound. And when flight is over and
rest is needed, the Bat retires to its chosen habitat and hangs head
downwards at peace with all the world, but before it passes into
slumberland it takes the precaution to fold up its ears, and displays,
when doing so, a care which one exhibits when putting away a
dress suit !
Catch the Long-Eared Bat asleep and you will probably be
surprised to find that it looks a different animal when thus seen.
Look at its head! The long ears are gracefully folded up, but
what is that small appendage? ‘That is the inner lobe, or tragus
as it is called, and you may well be excused if you imagine that
this species is possessed of two pairs of ears, an outer and an inner
pair.
These insect-eating Bats are very voracious feeders, and in a
season when we are threatened with a plague of insect denizens
they perform an immense amount of good, and blessed be their
appetites at such times.
Brief reference may be made to the Greater and Lesser Horse-
shoe Bats, which are so called because they have what is known
as a nose-leaf in the form of a horseshoe, and to the fact that whilst
British Bats are dull coloured there are species which inhabit other
climes whose fur is beautifully coloured, and those examples of the
large Fruit Bat that I have seen in collections have been most
attractive by reason of the brilliant orange-yellow upon the belly.
These captive Bats are seen to little advantage, for they rarely take
to flight, stretching a wing occasionally and giving one an idea
of their immense wing-stretch, but that is all. Anchored towards
the top of their cage, there they remain day in and day out and
look strangely out of place when it is known that flight to them
at any rate has been made impossible.
PIPISTRELLE.— Last among the few kinds of Bats that it has
been found possible to notice is the Pipistrelle, and this little species
deserves inclusion because it is the commonest British Bat and the
smallest we possess, being comparable in size to the Common
House Mouse, and resembling that little rodent in more ways than
one.
It is not so fond of sleep nor of the hours of. darkness as some
of its relatives, as it hibernates for only some three months out
z
338 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
of the twelve, and may often be seen flying about during the day-
time. Then is a good opportunity to carefully watch its fly-catching
manceuvres, and a good idea may at such time be gained of its
remarkable powers to which attention has already been drawn
earlier in this chapter.
The colour of the fur and the ears of the Pipistrelle resemble
those of a Mouse, and the old country people who still persist in
calling this little Bat the “Flitter Mouse,” may well be excused for
confusing it with a flying edition of the cheeky rodent which has
such a nasty habit of nibbling at the cheese or finding out where
the bacon is kept in the larder!
CHAPTER XIX
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO
THE STORY OF THE EARTH.—Extinct animals, of whose appear-
ance and general characters we learn from fossil remains preserved
in the strata of the earth, are no less interesting than existing species ;
indeed, they are a most fascinating subject of investigation and
study. Unfortunately the vicissitudes of time and accident have
completely déstroyed myriads of life-forms which existed in past
ages, but the remains which have been preserved in the various
stratified rocks of the world are sufficiently numerous and varied to
enable us to understand that for vast ages the earth has been popu-
lated by teeming multitudes of curious creatures. Some kinds of
creatures have persisted through long ages of geological time, and
we still have their living descendants with us; many of these have
preserved the characteristics of their kind from a very remote period,
while others have undergone various modifications in order to meet
changed circumstances, and to secure victory in the ceaseless struggle
for existence.
In this chapter an attempt is made to give the reader some descrip-
tion of a few out of the many extinct animals of which remains have
been found in such quantity and state of preservation to enable
skilful anatomists to reconstruct their skeletons and give a very fair
idea of their original appearance and habits. It is not the writer’s
intention, nor is it within the scope of this volume to present an
elaborate and detailed thesis on the subject. In fact it is hoped that
these altogether inadequate lines will stimulate the reader to investi-
gate the subject for himself by a careful perusal of such books as
Extinct Monsters and Creatures of Other Days, by the Rev. H. N.
Hutchinson; Extinct Animals, by Sir E. Ray Lankester, as well as
numerous other books of a more technical character. The knowledge
and pleasure gained from such a study will amply repay the effort
involved.
Extinct animals, of course, are such as do not exist to-day; they
12 339
340 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
are kinds of life-forms which, in the procession of life, have fallen
out by the way and perished. Their remains, as found in the
earth’s strata, are known as fossils (literally, something dug up). The
study of these remains, or fossils, is called Paleontology, which
means the science of ancient life.
It must be borne in mind that our earth is very old and has been
inhabited by living creatures of various kinds for zons. Man is
quite a recent arrival, and has been fittingly called “the crown of
creation.” The first living forms were characterized by simplicity
of organization, and as the world has grown older there has been
a remarkable succession of life-forms, exhibiting more and more
elaborate developments. The simplest life-forms are found in the
oldest sedimentary rocks, and as strata have succeeded strata so
have the creatures peculiar to them betrayed variations and greater
complexity.
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of rocks which enter
into the composition of the earth as we know it to-day—the igneous,
or fire-formed rocks, and the sedimentary or deposited rocks. The
sedimentary rocks are made up in their first origin of the wear and
tear of igneous rocks, and have been deposited in the form of mud
and sand; they also consist of limestones which in some instances
have been chemically precipitated, but in most cases are made up of
the calcareous remains of occupants of seas and lakes. Naturally, we
do not look for fossil remains in the igneous rocks; it is to sedimen-
tary deposits, or stratified rocks, that we must turn if we would find
vestiges of ancient life-forms. The oldest strata are, of course, the
lowest and most interior of the sedimentary deposits, and had the
succession of strata laid above them been evenly deposited, and left
undisturbed, we should know little or nothing of them; indeed, they
would be many thousands of feet below the present surface and
beyond our reach. Fortunately, many forces have been at work by
which even the oldest strata have been exposed. Later deposits have
been washed away; streams of water have cut through strata and
made their succession and contents evident, and there have been earth
movements, causing faulting by which recent deposits are lowered
and older ones raised. In many instances strata have been turned
on edge, and as one walks over the ground where this phenomenon
has taken place, one progresses across the upturned edges of strati-
fications which are the work of ages upon ages. There are numerous
cases in which rocks have actually been folded by earth movement,
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 341
and instances are observable where older rocks have been thrust
above newer ones. Needless to say, such phenomena greatly com-
plicate geological problems.
THE FOUR GREAT EPOCHS.—For convenience of study, the strati-
fied rocks of the earth have been classified. The geologist speaks of
four epochs—
1. The Primary or Palzeozoic (ancient-life) Epoch.
2. The Secondary or Mesozoic (middle-life) Epoch.
3. The Tertiary or Cainozoic (modern-life) Epoch.
4. The Quaternary or Recent Epoch.
The rocks of the Primary Epoch contain fossils of the oldest life-
forms, whilst the Quaternary deposits are quite recent. The Epochs
are divided into Systems, and the Systems into Strata.
The Primary Epoch includes the strata of the following systems—
Archzan, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous
and Permian. Each system is remarkable for the peculiar fossils
which predominate in its strata.
The ARCHAAN system includes strata estimated to be some 50,000
feet in thickness. This system is often called Eozoic (Greek, eos=
dawn, zoe=life) because its rocks betray evidence of the beginning
of life; but the organic remains they contain have been so changed
by the vicissitudes of time and the exigencies of change that their
nature cannot be definitely determined.
The Camprian rocks, consisting of coarse sediments which were
evidently laid down as shore deposits in shallow seas, contain fossils
known as Trilobites, or three-lobed creatures, thought by some
authorities to be akin to wood-lice, or shrimps. SirE.Ray Lankester,
however, considers it probable that they were a primitive marine
group allied to the scorpions, spiders and king-crabs.1_ These Trilo-
bites were fairly well organized creatures, and it isremarkable that they
are among the earliest life-forms discoverable in a fossil state. We
can hardly expect to find perfectly preserved fossils of lower forms,
as such would not lend themselves to preservation. There can be no
doubt, however, that in Archzan times much lowlier forms of life
existed. The Cambrian rocks are estimated to be about 12,000 feet
thick.
The ORDOVICIAN system gets its name from the Ordovices, a tribe
1 See Extinct Animals, 1909 Edition, p. 274.
342 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
anciently occupying territory in Shropshire, bordering on Wales.
The Ordovician rocks are noted for their curious fossil remains
known as Graptolites, which are creatures allied to the modern sea-
firs, discoverable on our coasts. Trilobites and some molluscs and
worms also thrived in Ordovician times. The thickness of these
rocks is calculated to be about 15,000 feet, and the system includes
grits, shales, slates, limestones and sandstones. The rocks are espe-
cially well developed in Shropshire and Eastern Wales.
In the S1LuRIAN rocks, estimated at a thickness of some 7,000 feet,
we find, in addition to many of the fossils peculiar to the Cambrian
and Ordovician, remains of fishes and marine scorpions. These
rocks consist of sandstones, conglomerates, limestones, shales, mud-
stones and flagstones. Here are discovered traces of land-plants.
The fish appear towards the top of the series, and they are the earliest
vertebrate or backboned animals of which we have found fossil
remains. The name Silurian is associated with the tribe of the
Silures who, in Roman times, occupied ground in Shropshire and
Central and South Wales, where the rocks of this system are
typically developed.
_ Next in order to the Silurian rocks come those of the DEVONIAN
system, attaining a thickness of about 5,000 feet, and found in
Devonshire, Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. The rocks called
Devonian are principally marine in origin, but the Old Red Sand-
stone was laid down at the same time, though under different con-
ditions. Remains of fish are so numerous in Devonian rocks that
the period during which they were deposited is commonly known as
“The age of fish.” The fish of Devonian age are called ganoids on
account of the coat of armour with which nature had provided them
as a protection against their enemies. This armour was made up of
a series of bony plates which can be easily recognized in well-
preserved specimens.
The CARBONIFEROUS system succeeds the Devonian, and its rocks
attain an approximate thickness of 12,000 feet. They are usually rich
iu fossil remains, and they include the coal measures. The remains
of this system give evidence of great developments in life-forms
and an increasing variety thereof. Its limestones contain corals,
sea-lilies and shells of various species. In Carboniferous times there
were huge club-mosses and horsetail plants which must often have
reached a height of thirty or forty feet; tree-ferns were also numer-
ous. Some of the club-mosses and horsetails at present extant are
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 343
probably the dwarfed descendants of gigantic Carboniferous
ancestors; and our valuable coal seams have been formed from the
vegetation of this period. A fact of the greatest interest is the appear-
ance of remains of Amphibians in the Carboniferous rocks. To this
class belong Toads, Salamanders and Frogs, but the Amphibians
of Carboniferous times were rather different from their modern repre-
sentatives, and much more numerous in species. They are termed
Labyrinthodonts, a name given to their kind on account of their
peculiar teeth, which have a curiously complicated structure somewhat
after the nature of a labyrinth. Labyrinthodont means “labyrinth-
toothed.” The Amphibia originating in Carboniferous times per-
sisted into later periods, the Permian and Triassic; they varied in
size from an inch or two to seven or eight feet. They tenanted the
coal-forests of America and Europe and must have spent a large part
of their existence in the extensive marshes of their time.
The PERMIAN rocks succeed the Carboniferous, and are of the
comparatively moderate thickness of about 1,500 feet. They get their
name from the province of Perm in Russia, where they are well
developed; indeed, they appear over the greater part of European
Russia. They are also developed in India, Southern Africa, New
South Wales, Texas and Kansas. The Trilobites, first found in
Cambrian rocks, persisted up till Permian times and then dis-
appeared. Great amphibia abounded in the marshes and ganoid fish
still existed. With the Permian rocks the Primary or Palzozoic
Epoch is terminated.
The Secondary or Mesozoic Epoch comprises the Triassic,
Jurassic and Cretaceous Systems.
The Triassic system covers rocks of about 3,000 feet in thickness,
including the New Red Sandstone. The remains of Labyrinthodonts
still occur, even the impressions of their footprints being in some
instances preserved. The chief interest of the Triassic rocks to the
student of extinct animals, however, is the existence in them of
remains of what are known as Theromorphic Reptiles, so named
because in some characteristics of their jaws and skulls they resemble
the Theria or Mammals; indeed, they seem to be an approach to that
point in the development of backboned animals from which Amphib-
ians, Reptiles and Mammals have branched off. Their remains have
been discovered in Triassic rocks in Scotland, India, South Africa
and Russia. One of these Theromorphs known as the Pareiasaurus
(Greek, “surpassing a reptile”) is represented by a reconstructed
344 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
skeleton from Cape Colony, and exhibited in the Natural History
Museum in London. It has the appearance of a huge pug-dog, its
length being about nine feet. Its teeth are quite small and indicate
a herbivorous habit.
The Jurassic rocks, taking their name from the Jura Mountains
and attaining a thickness of some 5,000 feet, are noted for their
fossil remains of Great Reptiles as well as for the large number of
Ammonites and Belemnites they contain.
The CRETACEOUS system, so called on account of its chalk (Latin,
creta), includes rocks of 2,500 feet in thickness. Its fossils indicate
land occupied by forests of trees akin to ferns and known as Cycads.
These forests provided home and food for huge Reptiles called
Deinosaurs (Greek, deinos, terrible; sauros, reptile).
The TERTIARY or CaAINOzOIC Epoch includes the Eocene, Oligo-
cene, Miocene and Pliocene rocks.
The EocENE rocks, some 800 feet thick, are so named because
therein we find fossils of living species of shells to the extent of
about three per cent. The name is derived from the Greek eos,
dawn, and kainos (cene), recent, and it therefore indicates the dawn
of recent species.
The OLicocEeNnE (Greek, oligos, few, and kainos, recent) rocks
contain a larger number of living species of shells, although they are
still comparatively few. These strata are estimated at a thickness of
about 600 feet.
The Miocene (Greek, meion, less, and kainos, recent) strata
bear remains of even more living species of shells, but they are
less numerous than the extinct species. The Miocene formations are
said to be about 1,000 feet in thickness.
PLIOCENE rocks are so called because they contain a large
proportion of fossil remains of shells that still exist. The derivation
of the term is from the Greek pleion, more, and kainos, recent.
Pliocene strata are the highest and most recent series of rocks of the
Tertiary Epoch. They approximate a depth of some 250 feet.
The Tertiary or Cainozoic rocks bear fossil remains of absorbing
interest, remains which indicate the preponderance of mammals
during the epoch which they represent. The higher strata of the
Primary rocks yield remains of great amphibia; the Secondary or
Mesozoic rocks bear fossils of great reptiles, and the Tertiary forma-
tions are noted for the remains of great mammals which they
preserve. The reader will note the ascending scale of life-forms as
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 345
preserved in the deposits of the world; the merest traces of lowly
organisms in the Archzan ; the invertebrates, crustaceans and worms
of the Cambrian, Ordovician and lower Silurian; the armoured
fishes of the Devonian; the amphibia of the later Carboniferous,
Permian and Triassic; the reptiles of the Secondary Epoch, and the
mammals of Tertiary age and more recent times. The mammal is a
late arrival upon the arena of existence, but it has the elements of
victory in its composition, and has come to stay.
The QUATERNARY Epoch, succeeding the Tertiary, is also called
Pleistocene, meaning most recent, and obviously its rocks and
deposits bear fossil remains of a comparatively recent flora and fauna.
The strata are said to be some 200 feet thick.
CREATURES OF THE PAST.—Having presented the reader with
a cursory survey of the world’s sedimentary deposits and given a
general idea of their extent and typical fossil remains, an attempt
will now be made to describe in greater detail some of the creatures
of long ago. A beginning will be made with the Amphibians,
and to do this we must go back in imagination to the period in
Palzozoic time when the coal deposits were in process of formation.
The seams of coal, often buried hundreds of feet below the surface
of the earth, are evidences of old land surfaces which have gradually
subsided, and their vegetation has been covered with mud and sand
ultimately transformed into shale and sandstone. Seams of coal
lie in succession one above another with intervals of shale and
sandstone. As the Carboniferous land-surfaces subsided and were
covered with mud and sand, there were halts in the process of subsi-
dence, and during these halts fresh vegetation sprang up, flourished
and perished, in course of time to sink below the level of surround-
ing land and to be covered with sediment at the bottom of a marsh
or lake. Ultimately the vegetable remains, mingled perhaps with
those of fish, scorpions, etc., were converted through pressure and
other agencies into coal. The coal measure land-surface bore curious
plant life. There were forests of giant horsetails, club-mosses and
tree-ferns growing in a humid, warm atmosphere in damp ground
beside shallow seas and lakes. The land was intersected by rivers
carrying in suspension the débris of older rocks broken up by water,
chemical action and other denuding agencies. This material was
deposited in banks, in lakes and seas, and in course of time silted
them up, making new land-surfaces to be invaded by vegetation.
Animal life must have been abundant, although much of it has left
346 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
no trace of itself. We know from fossils that have been identified
that there were large Scorpions and Spiders as well as Dragon-Flies.
Beetles were in evidence, Cockroaches and Walking-Stick Insects.
The plants produced spores, but no seeds; they bore no flowers
in the ordinary sense of the term, and so provided no nectar for
bees, wasps and honey-feeding insects. The ancient Trilobites were
becoming rare, and among the shell-animals the lower molluscs,
known as Brachiopods, were giving way to more fully developed
Lamellibranchs, bivalves like the Oyster, Cockle and Mussel; and
to the Gasteropods, which are univalves, and of which our modern
Snails may be taken as types. There were Fishes in the Carbon-
iferous waters, chiefly Ganoids, especially in the lagoons. Sharks
existed and preyed upon smaller fry.
In such an environment the earlier Amphibia known as Laby-
rinthodonts, to which some reference has already been made, were
the probable monarchs. They are certainly the most highly-
developed animals of which the Carboniferous rocks yield remains.
They may be likened to our modern Newts and Salamanders.
Several kinds have been found varying in size from an inch or two to
seven or eight feet ; the larger ones were the lagoon monsters. It has
been surmised that the amphibian known as Archegosaurus was
among the first of the vertebrate air-breathers; its remains suggest
a likeness to the Mud-fish, which in the wet season lives in water, but
in dry times buries itself in mud and breathes by the agency of an
air-sac, which is a primitive lung. Some of the Carboniferous
amphibians dispensed with legs, although the majority possessed
them; their tails were well developed and strong, enabling them to
swim with a powerful movement.
The amphibians reached the height of their development in the
Permian period, when many new forms appeared. It is in Permian
strata that remains of true Reptiles are found, and they indicate
a marked forward movement in the development of life-forms. But
it is in the Secondary strata that they reach their finest growth.
The Ichthyosaurs (Fish Reptiles) attained large dimensions. The
head of one possessed by the Geological Society, and preserved in
its rooms in London, is some five and a half feet long, and theanimals
must often have been upwards of forty feet from tail to snout. They
had thick bodies, and possessed a pair of big paddles to the fore
and a smaller pair behind. Their tails were fishlike. They could
swim easily in the sea, which was their favourite element, but on
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 347
occasion they could crawl on the shores. Being air-breathers,
possessing lungs, they would need to appear often on the water’s
surface. Their large eyes indicated sharp vision, and their jaws,
armed with sharp teeth, a predatory habit. The eyes were protected
by circular bony plates. The probability is that they were vivi-
parous, giving birth to their young in an active condition, not laying
eggs. They would present an appearance somewhat similar to that
of a Grampus.
PLESIOSAURS.— Mention must also be made of the Plesiosaurs
(literally, near to reptiles)—-small-headed, small-brained, long-
necked Sea-Lizards. They attained a size equal to that of the
Ichthyosaurs. The body of the Plesiosaurus has been likened to the
hull of a submarine. The creature had four paddles with a leg-like
structure; it had strong jaws in which many pointed teeth were set.
It revelled in the sea, probably not venturing to great depths, but
haunting the shores; its long neck would enable it to reach out to
small animals on the shore and secure them for food without leaving
the water. It would propel itself through the water principally by
means of its paddles, for its tail was comparatively short, and
nothing like so powerful as that of the Ichthyosaurus. The paddles,
on the other hand, were well developed and reached out from the
body like great oars.
TELEOSAURUS AND PTERODACTYLE,—Plate XIV represents two
curious creatures of Mesozoic age, the Teleosaurus and the Ptero-
dactyle. The Teleosaurus (meaning complete reptile) was similar to
the modern Crocodile; some species were at least thirty-three feet
long, the head being no less than three feet in length. The species
known as Teleosaurus cadomensis was armoured with two cuirass-
like arrangements, one on the back and the other beneath its belly.
It had terrible jaws, opening to the extent of six feet, and could
provide doubtful hospitality for animals of considerable proportions.
The Pterodactyles (Greek, pteron, wing; dactylos, finger) were, as
the illustration suggests, winged reptiles, and had we lived in their
day, the larger species might well have inspired us with terror.
It takes a little time to get our minds accustomed to the idea of
flying reptiles, as such creatures are foreign to our experience. How
these reptiles acquired the power of flight is a difficult story to relate,
or rather, riddle to interpret. The struggle for the means of exist-
ence must have been very keen among the reptiles of Mesozoic
times; certain species may have taken to trees and cliffs to secure
348 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
food and have gradually developed their limbs in adaptation to their
surroundings. In the course of time the wing-like membrane would
become more and more extensive, until a creature originally of the
land became a beast of the air. But such a development would
involve the activity of the law of natural selection through very
many generations. Certain it is that winged reptiles were actually
in existence “once upon a time.” They had not the wings of a
bird, but a loose thin membrane such as our modern Bats possess.
Many of the Pterodactyles were quite small, perhaps not so large as
the Common Bat, but some species attained great size, their flying
apparatus extending between twenty and thirty feet. Their remains
indicate big heads, strong, toothed jaws, large eyes, giving good
vision, and the power to perch on trees and hang on cliffs. These
reptiles must have fulfilled the réle of the fiend as given in the
lines—
“ The fiend
O’er bog or steep, through strait, rough, dense, or rare,
With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way,
And sinks, or swims, or wades, or creeps, or flies.”
They could fly with ease, stand erect upon the ground and crawl
by the aid of their four limbs, the wings being neatly tucked up for
the occasion. It is not unlikely that they sometimes swooped upon
fish as they rose in the water, and they may also have consumed
the insects common in their time. Perhaps it was these creatures,
aptly termed the “Flying Dragons,“ that in some way yet to be
explained gave rise to the idea of the mythical dragons of the fables.
DEINOSAURS.—The Deinosaurs (Greek, deinos, terrible; sauros,
reptile) appeared in Triassic time, but reached a greater state of
development in the Jurassic period. These were the greatest of
Land Reptiles. One of their number, the Megalosaurus (large
reptile) is figured on Plate VIII. It is correctly represented as a
carnivorous beast, for its teeth were like those of a Tiger. Doubt-
less it had no compunction in killing and eating its herbivorous
cousins. It will be noticed that it had a Kangaroo-like build. It
walked mainly upon its massive hind-legs, although it may some-
times have gone on all-fours. Its fore-legs were used for grasping
prey. It would occupy shallow waters on occasion, but would
generally move along the margins of lakes and marshes in search
of food. The appearance of this creature could not have been
particularly inviting, but it was not so huge as some of its relatives,
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 349
although it may have attained the considerable length of twenty-
five feet.
STEGOSAURUS.—Another of the Deinosaurs is named the Stego-
saurus, and is represented on Plate VII. This is the Plated Lizard,
protected, as the illustration shows, by spines and plates of bone
along its back. A skeleton of a Stegosaur found in Jurassic strata
in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains shows a length of
twenty-five feet. The fore-legs are shorter than the hind limbs:
the former, however, were strong, although the remarkable size
and power of the hind-leg bones indicate their more extensive use.
The animal may have used these hind limbs and its tail as a kind
of tripod upon which to rest or support itself. Some of the plates,
already referred to, are two to three feet in diameter. These
remains are fully described and explained by the Rev. H. N.
Hutchinson in his Extinct Monsters and Creatures of Other Days.
BRONTOSAURUS.—The Brontosaurus was another of the Deino-
saurs. It was a huge beast which may have weighed anything
from twenty to thirty or more tons. Its remains have been dis-
covered in the Jurassic rocks of North America; they indicate an
animal from fifty to sixty feet long with a shortish, thick body, a
short, small-brained head on a long neck, and a long tail. Its feet
were of great size; they have left impressions nearly a yard square
in area. It had no bony plates as a protection to its body, such as
the Stegosaurus possessed, and it must have used its powerful tail
for aggressive or defensive purposes. It was a vegetarian. Its
remains are usually found where it had become bogged. We can
quite understand that an animal so bulky and heavy would have
difficulty in negotiating bogs. Mr. Henry R. Knipe, in his Nebula
to Man, speaks of the Brontosaurs in these terms—
“ But forms surpassing Stegosaurs are seen,
In point of size, and of as weird a mien.
Some here there are that look like Plesiosaurs
With elephantine legs, as on all fours
They creep along. And some among the band
From nose to tail-end eighty feet command.
Some twenty tons a monster maybe weighs,
And woe to him if into bogs he strays,
For going there, for ever there he stays.
Small headed are these Brontosaurs, since named,
Although in trunk and limb they huge are framed.
Quite simple are their tastes. The trees and plants
Afford them all they need for sustenance.”
OTHER DEINOSAURS.—Other Deinosaurs were the Diplodocus, one
350 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
of the biggest of its kind, attaining a length of about eighty feet ;
the Atlantosaurus, possessing a thigh-bone bigger than a man, and
perhaps thirty feet high; the Cetiosaurus, not less than sixty feet
in length, and the Iguanodon, so named because its teeth resemble
those of a West Indian land-lizard called the Iguana.
But the king of the Deinosaurs was the Tyrannosaurus. Al-
though shorter than the Brontosaurus, he was quite superior to
that animal. The total length of a specimen in the American
Museum of Natural History in New York is thirty-nine feet. His
anatomy suggests brain power and agility. The specimen is
remarkable for the immense size of the feet, which are no less than
four feet long by three feet wide. Some of the teeth measured six
inches. He is thus described by a writer in Knowledge: “We
have every reason for congratulating ourselves that Tyrannosaurus
Rex is not our contemporary. He was practically a biped, with
an agile, bird-like manner of progression, the immense feet possess-
ing three enormous toes projecting forward, and one extending
backward—all furnished with huge tearing claws. The head is
much larger than that of the Brontosaur, and the great teeth are
serrated and sharp-edged. Tyrannosaurus seems to have come in
about the time that Brontosaurus went out—perhaps he materially
hastened the departure of the latter.” This animal is declared to
be “the largest carnivorous land animal yet discovered, and the
most ferocious monster of the Reptile Age.” The remains were
found at a place called Hell Creek in Montana.
THE FIRST BIRDS.—It will be borne in mind that the Ptero-
dactyles already described were not birds, but Bat-like flying
reptiles. The first birds seem to have appeared in Jurassic times,
but they differed greatly fri? -eny birds that exist in the present
age. They bore indications of 4leptile origin. Their jaws were
armed with teeth; they had long tails similar to those of lizards,
and each of the tail vertebre bore a pair of feathers. Their bones
were solid and their flight must have been clumsy. The Archzo-
pteryx (Greek, arche, a beginning; pteron, a wing) was discovered
in Bavaria, in the quarries of Solenhofen. The stone containing
the fossil is in the Natural History Museum; it was purchased for
a sum of £950. These birds were no bigger than Rooks.
In the Cretaceous rocks of North America, in the neighbour-
hood of the Rocky Mountains, remains of a bird, to which the name
of Hesperonis regalis has been given, were found by Professor
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 351
Marsh. The reconstructed skeleton shows the bird to have been
a diver, in size about five feet from bill to toe. Like the Archxo-
pteryx its jaws were furnished with teeth, and it was probably
addicted to fishing. To some extent it was like the modern Pen-
guin, but it had not the same wing development. It would depend
mainly upon its tail for propulsion through the water. The wings,
indeed, were quite rudimentary. Another Cretaceous bird was the
Ichthyornis, which differed from Hesperonis in having its wings
well grown. It was of the aquatic type, its jaws were toothed, but
it was no bigger than a Rook. Quite a score of species of
Cretaceous birds have been found in fossil state.
THE DODO.—While the subject of extinct birds is before us, it
may be well for us to give some attention to the famous Dodo
(Didus ineptus). This bird, now extinct, but which was found alive
in the island of Mauritius so late as the seventeenth century, was
allied to the Pigeons, but was larger than a Swan. Owing to
generations of laziness, probably caused by absence of necessity to
fly far afield in search of food, the wings of this bird degenerated
to such an extent that they were useless for flight. The Dodo
seems to have settled down to a life of ease and the development
of adipose tissue. It was fat and heavy, but managed to maintain
a tolerable existence until man arrived in Mauritius and introduced
Pigs there. The Pigs occupied the island and devoured the eggs
and young of the Dodo, and the seamen and colonists killed the
old birds, defenceless and flightless, in great numbers. The
Mauritius was uninhabited by man until 1598, when some Dutch
seamen were wrecked there; it was colonized in 1644, and in 1693
not a single Dodo was in existence. A live Dodo was exhibited
in London in 1638. This bulky and « fenceless bird could exist so
long as the environment to wh’ . it had adapted itself remained
undisturbed, but its extinction was inevitable when man arrived
upon the scene. Extinction was the price it had to pay for genera-
tions of indolence and the consequent atrophy of the power of
flight. It is a law of Nature that organs not used degenerate, and
in course of time disappear.
THE MOA.—The Moa is another bird which is said to have be-
come extinct through the incursions of man. The Moas inhabited
New Zealand and must have been common there. About fifteen
species were once in existence. They were land-running birds,
after the nature of the Ostrich; they varied in size, the dwarf species
352 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
being only three feet high, but the Giant Moa (Dinornis maximus)
attained a height of some eleven feet. These birds were quite
flightless and appear to have been extinguished by the Maoris, who
settled in New Zealand about the fourteenth century.
It is claimed by evolutionists that birds have been derived from
a reptilian ancestry and have developed their characteristics by
natural selection. Sir E. Ray Lankester says: “It is now certain
that Reptiles similar to the _Iguanodon were the stock from which
birds have been derived, the front limb having become probably
first a swimming flipper or paddle, and then later an organ for
beating the air and raising the creature out of the water for a brief
flight. From such a beginning came the feather-bearing wing of
modern birds.” +4 The testimony of the rocks favours this declara-
tion. The Archzeopteryx already described bears many reptilian
features, and seems to be a link between a reptilian ancestry and
more fully developed birds.
THE AGE OF MAMMALS.—We now turn to the Tertiary or
Cainozoic Epoch, which was conspicuously the Age of Mammals.
Sir Archibald Geikie, in his Class Book of Geology (page 366,
edition 1903), gives an excellent conception of the earth in Tertiary
time which I cannot do better than set down in his own words.
“The importance of this part of the geological chronicle may be
inferred from the following facts: During Tertiary time the sea-
bed was ridged up into land to such an extent as to give the con-
tinents nearly their existing area and contour. The crust of the
earth was upturned into great mountain ranges, and notably into
that long band of lofty ground stretching from the Pyrenees right
through the heart of Europe and Asia to Japan. Some portions
of the Tertiary sea-bed now form mountain peaks 16,000 feet or
more above the sea. The generally warm climate of the globe,
indicated by the world-wide diffusion of the same species of shells
in Palzozoic, and less conspicuously in Mesozoic times, now slowly
passed into the modern phase of graduated temperatures, from great
heat at the equator to extreme cold around the poles. At the be-
ginning of the Tertiary or Cainozoic periods, the climate was
mild even far within the Arctic Circle, but at their close, it became
so cold that snow and ice spread far southward over Europe and
North America.
“The plants and animals of Tertiary time are strikingly modern
1 Extinct Animals, p. 202, 1909 Edition.
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 353
in their general aspect. The vegetation consists, for the most part,
of genera that are still familiar in the meadows, woodlands and
forests of the present day. The assemblage of animals, too, be-
comes increasingly like that of our own time, as we follow the
upward succession of strata in which the remains are preserved.
. .. As the manifold reptilian types died out, the mammals, in
ever-increasing complexity of organization, took their place in the
animal world. By the end of the Tertiary periods they had reached
a variety of type and a magnitude of size altogether astonishing,
and far surpassing what they now present. The great variety of
pachyderms” (thick-skinned animals) “is an especially marked
feature among them.”
THE PALZOTHERIUM.—In the lowest Tertiary strata (Eocene)
remains have been found of an early mammal which has received
the name Palzotherium (literally, ancient wild beast). It is thus
described in a volume called The Primeval World, published in
1876: “Its body was short, thick and ungainly; it had short but
very robust legs; the feet were supported by three toes enclosed
in a hoof; the head was immensely large, with a nose terminating
in a muscular fleshy trunk, or rather snout, like a Tapir’s; eyes
small, dull and displaying little intelligence; the general size that
of a large Horse. Its remains have been found in such quantities
as to show that it must have lived in great herds in the valleys
round the Paris basin, the lacustrine districts of Orleans and
Argenton, the Tertiary formations of Rome, and the limestone plains
of the Isle of Wight. In each jaw it had six incisors and two
canine teeth ; its molar teeth resembled those of the Rhinoceros; the
upper were square, with projecting ridges of diverse configuration ;
the lower, shaped like crescents. Their feet were divided into three
toes; in the Tapirs, the two fore-feet have four.”
The Paleotherium lived at the same time as the Anoplotherium
(literally, a beast without arms, or defenceless). Cuvier suggested
that this creature had an aquatic habit, but this is by no means
demonstrated. It was about the size of a Deer; it had divided
hoofs, a long tail, and may have been a ruminant; its build was
much lighter than that of the Palzeotherium.
ANIMALS OF EOCENE DAYS.—In Eocene times hornless Deer
and Antelopes as well as herds of hog-like animals occupied the
land, and in the woodlands were the primitive ancestors of our
Lemurs, Hedgehogs, Squirrels and Bats. The Uintatherium
(literally, the wild beast of the Uinta Mountains) equalled the
AA
354 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Elephants in size and the Rhinoceroses in form. The skull, how-
ever, bore three pairs of horns, or horn-like projections, one pair
on the forehead, one on the snout and one on the cheeks. This
animal was one of the earliest of the Dinocerata, a name descriptive
of a group of horned monsters; more highly developed members
of the same ground were Dinoceras ingens, which would weigh nearly
three tons, and Dinoceras mirabile. The brains of these animals
were very small; but what they lacked in intelligence was com-
pensated for by brute strength. Massive bodies are often associated
with scanty brains, and the brain is generally developed at the
expense of the body. But intelligence can accomplish more than
brute force, as the study of the history of life-forms amply reveals. The
amphibians, reptiles and early mammals had small brains, and it is
no wonder that they were outwitted by their more intelligent suc-
cessors. Physically, man is a weakling in comparison with an
Elephant, but his intelligence enables him to subjugate the huge
brute and make him serve his ends.
BRONTOPS— The Eocene Dinoceras were succeeded in Miocene
times by another remarkable family of animals, of which Brontops
robustus may be taken as a type. Brontops was a four-footed beast
with an Elephant-like body and tail, but with limbs rather shorter
than those of that animal. It had a big skull of curious shape, in-
dented above the eyes and terminating at the snout with two horn-
like projections. It stood some eight feet high and twelve feet long.
The skull alone was a yard in length, but it was shallow and
allowed small space for brains. The Miocene fauna also included
Hogs as big as Rhinoceroses, Lions, Wolves, Bears, Camels and
Stags.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE HORSE.—Among the many interesting
remains of Tertiary age are those which throw considerable light
upon the life-story—especially the past history—of the Horse. No
more remarkable or complete record has been discovered. The
Horse appears to have evolved from a small five-toed ancestor,
which probably existed in Eocene times. There are European
remains which exhibit a line of development varying in some details
from that indicated by American fossils. The American remains
are the most complete. The story begins with the Eohippus (Greek,
eos, dawn; hippos, horse), the remains of which were found by
Professor Marsh in the lowest strata of the Eocene rocks. This
animal was about as big as a small Fox, Pony-like in appearance. It
had four well-developed toes on the front foot, three on the hind foot
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 355
and, in addition, the remains of another, or fifth toe on the fore feet.
Higher in the strata was found the Orohippus (literally, the moun-
tain horse, so named on account of being found near the Rocky
Mountains). This animal (also called the Hyracotherium) was
larger than the Eohippus—about the size of a Fox—it had the same
number of complete toes, but no remnant of a fifth. Passing from
the Eocene to the higher Miocene rocks a somewhat larger animal
was discovered and called the Mesohippus (Middle Horse); it had
three toes to the fore, in addition to a large splint of bone, and
three toes behind. This corresponds with the European Anchi-
therium, although there are points of divergence. Next in order,
and found in the lower strata of the Pliocene rocks, was unearthed.
the Protohippus (First Horse). In this animal the centre toe, or
digit, of each foot was large and evidently got the work to do,
while there were two digits, quite small, with their tips above the
level of the big central digit: a European specimen presenting
similar features has been called the Hipparion. The Protohippus
was larger than its Miocene ancestor. It was the size of a Donkey.
In the higher Pliocene strata discovery was made of another link
in the chain of development, in the remains of the Pliohippus
(Pliocene Horse). The foot of this animal differed from that of
the modern Horse in some small details. At the top of the Tertiary
rocks remains of the true Horse are found.
In order to give the reader a clearer view of these remarkable
facts it may be well to present them in tabular form.
Name. Strata, Description,
1. Eohippus Eocene Four toes on front feet, three on the back.
Traces of a fifth digit on the fore feet.
Size of a small Fox.
2. Orohippus, or Higher Eocene As above, but minus remains of fifth digit.
Hyracothertum Size of ordinary Fox.
3. Mesohippus Lower Miocene Three toes on all four limbs. A largé
splint of bone on front limbs. Similar
to European Anchitherium.
4. Protohippus Pliocene One large digit and two small ones. The
small ones not touching the ground.
Corresponds to European ipparion.
Size of a Donkey.
5. Pliohippus Pliocene Bigger than Protohippus, feet much the
same as modern Horse.
6. The Modern Horse
AA2
356 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
The interpretation of these facts is not difficult. The Eohippus
is the descendant of a five-toed ancestor, the progeny of which had
no use for all its toes. That ancestor may have been the five-toed
Eocene Phenacodus, which some claim to have been the original
parent of all hoofed animals: but the claim is disputed. According
to the laws of natural development, the used limb becomes stronger,
the disused ones atrophy. So in the history of the Horse. Out of
the five toes of the Horse’s original ancestor, the Eohippus had lost
two from its hind feet, and one was disappearing from the front
feet. The middle toe of each foot was being used most extensively,
and becoming stronger and bigger. This does not mean that these
missing toes suddenly disappeared: the atrophy was a very gradual
process, and must have been due to the operation of natural selec-
tion through very many generations. The five-toed originals must
have been handicapped in the struggle for existence; the progeny
that used fewer toes became swifter and were favoured in that
respect. The slower ancestors perished, while the swifter progeny
bred and produced young with tendency to use fewer toes. The
toes that were used remained in the Eohippus, those that had not
been used for many generations had disappeared. Some day
remains may be found of intermediate developments of this gradual.
process. The Orohippus represents another stage in the evolution
of the Horse—the entire loss of the fifth digit and an increase in
size. The Mesohippus exhibits a stronger growth of the central
toe due to much usage; it had lost completely two toes from each
limb, and other two were showing signs of disuse, and the promise
of decay. In the larger Protohippus the process was greatly
accentuated ; the central toe was still increasing in power and use-
fulness; the two smaller digits no longer touched the ground and
had fallen into desuetude. That same desuetude doomed them to
atrophy, the promise of which is fulfilled in our noble, swift, useful
and intelligent one-toed Horse.
This developmental story is rendered clearer by knowledge of
some elementary facts concerning the Horse. The hoof of this
animal is really a big nail of a highly developed middle digit.
Quadrupeds usually have two distinct bones, known as the ulna and
radius, in their fore limbs. An examination of the fore limb of a
Horse would seem, at first glance, to show but one bone where two
are naturally expected. A closer scrutiny, however, discloses the
fact that two bones have been blended into one. The knee of the
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 357
Horse is really its wrist. The “canon bone” corresponds to the
middle one of the five metacarpal bones which support the palms
of our hands. The remaining bones, commonly called ‘‘pastern,”
“coronary” and “‘coffin,” are the joints of the central digit greatly
strengthened. They correspond to the joints of our middle fingers.
The second and fourth digits are represented by thin bones like
splints. At the base of these splints small bony knots are occasion-
ally found, and these may be taken as representing the missing
first and fifth digits. Thus we see the Horse actually bears traces
of its five-toed ancestor! Students of embryology (the science of
pre-natal developments) assure us that an embryonic foal at an early
stage of its growth actually has five toes. “This is not surprising
in the light of the facts we have already considered. It is a recog-
nized principle in embryology that an embryo epitomizes the life
history of its ancestors. But the fact noted is further confirmation
of the testimony of the rocks. It is also interesting to note that
horses are occasionally born in these modern days with two extra
hoofed toes depending from the splint bones which have their place
on either side of the big toe, now looked upon as a hoofed foot.
Julius Cesar, it was declared by Suetonius in his life of that in-
dividual, rode a Horse with almost human feet, with hoofs cleft
like toes. Professor Marsh describes a Horse from Cuba, which
had two well-grown toes on each foot.
Remains of the horse’s curious ancestors may be seen in the
American Museum of Natural History in New York. There is a
set of casts of skulls and bones in the London Natural History
Museum. It is curious that when America, so conspicuously the
home of the Horse’s ancestors, was discovered, it yielded no traces
of the modern Horse. The wild Horses of the Pampas are the
descendants of Horses introduced by Spanish colonists at least three
centuries ago.
SABRE-TOOTHED TIGER. — The extinct Sabre-Toothed Tiger,
called the Macherodus (Greek, machaira, a sabre), figured on
Plate XI, roamed the earth in Pliocene times, and a terrible enemy
it must have been to its herbivorous contemporaries, which included
in their number ancestors of our Camels, Deer, Antelopes and
Apes. It was the monarch of the Pliocene forests. Its canine teeth
resembled the blade of a poignard, and by their instrumentality
the animal! could easily and effectively rip the hides even of the
Pachyderms. The teeth blades were some twelve inches long. In
358 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
South America remains have been found indicating a beast larger
than the modern Lion, possessing fore limbs of great power and
armed with large claws, which could be drawn back when not in
use, in the same manner as those of a Cat. Remains of this Tiger
have also been found in parts of France, Hungary and Italy. It
probably glutted itself on the blood of its victims, for the reason
suggested in these words written by Mr. Henry R. Knipe—
“ Brutes tusked and tiger-like still wend their way,
Seeking by means more sly than brave their prey.
And some with little ease can eat their food,
So long and thick their ‘ sabre’ teeth protrude.”
It does not require a great stretch of the imagination to see in this
sabre-toothed carnivore the ancestor of the modern Tiger.
GIANT SLOTH, OR MEGATHERIUM,—Plate XVIII figures the
Giant Sloth of Pleistocene times, the remains of which have been
found in the alluvial deposits of Paraguay. It has been dignified
by the name Megatherium (Greek, megas, great; therion, animal)
and fully justifies the appellation. Living Sloths are quite dwarfs
in comparison with this monster, which was almost the size of an
Elephant. In the Natural History Museum, London, there is a
cast of its skeleton, which gives a good idea of what the animal
must have been like in a living state. The length is eighteen
feet. The hinder parts of the skeleton exhibit a combination of
weight and strength; the bones are bigger than those of an
Elephant, the thigh bone being especially massive. To the fore,
the skeleton is more slender, but not to the sacrifice of power. The
living Sloth, as was pointed out in Chapter XVI, is arboreal in
habit; that is to say it lives in trees, suspending itself by its feet
from the branches, and it feeds on fruits, leaves and young herbage.
The extinct Megatherium, on the contrary, had no need to climb
trees; he was tall enough to reach all the food he required. His
was a case of the mountain coming to Mahomet. He took the
vantage-point of the ground beneath a tree, making his powerful
hind legs and tail a tripod upon which his body rested. The weight
ofthe hinder parts made the upright position easy. Stretching out
his fore-legs, or arms, and extending his claws, he firmly grasped
the trunk of a tree and bent it downwards so that he could get the
leaves; or mayhap he snapped the trunk and brought the foliage to
the ground. He was certainly powerful enough to accomplish
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 359
almost anything in the way of bending or breaking even good-sized
trees. The jaws of the Megatherium suggest the possession of a
long tongue, which would be useful to its possessor for stripping
branches. It has been thought that living species of little Sloths
are descendants of these extinct giants; but the notion is open to
question on several grounds.
THE MYLODON.—The Megatherium was not the only big Sloth
of Pleistocene times. The Mylodon was contemporaneous with it,
but was not so huge; its length being some eleven feet. It was
similar in build in nearly all respects to its bigger cousin, and like
it was a vegetable feeder. Sir E. Ray Lankester in his Extinct
Animals relates facts which go to prove that the Mylodon was
actually in existence at the same time as man. He tells us that
some years ago a Dr. Nordenskjold discovered a cavern at the end
of a fiord near the Chilian coast, and in this cavern some white
settlers had found and removed thence a big piece of ip covered
with greenish-brown hair and studded on the inner side with little
knobs of bone. This turned out to be a portion of the skin of a
Mylodon. Dr. Moreno, of the La Plata Museum, explored the
cave and gathered an immense quantity of bones as well as more
pieces of hairy skin. The cavern had probably been inhabited a
long time ago by Indians, for a number of the bones had been cut
or broken by human agency in order that the marrow might be
extracted for food. The same writer continues to tell us that
Mylodons had evidently lived in the cave, for big balls of dung
made up of the refuse of masticated grass were found; and the
discovery of a large quantity of cut grass suggested the idea that
the Indians had actually kept the Mylodons alive in the cavern and
fed them with hay. If this last surmise is true, it would seem
that Mylodons were amenable to human discipline and could be
to some extent domesticated. However that might be, the animals
are now extinct, and their extinction, like that of the Dodo and the
Moa, has been hastened by man. It seems a pity that so interesting
a creature has not been preserved so that its habits might be
observed in a living state. It should be added that the bones of at
least twenty Mylodons were found in the cavern referred to.
SCELIDOTHERIUM.— Among the extinct Sloths mention should
also be made of the Scelidotherium, literally, the limb beast, so
called on account of its conspicuously long limbs. It was the size
of a Polar Bear. Charles Darwin, in his South American travels,
360 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
secured a nearly complete skeleton. In-regard to the remains of
this beast the great investigator says in his Journal of Researches:
‘The number of the remains of these quadrupeds embedded in the
vast estuary deposits which form the Pampas and cover the granitic
rocks of Banda Oriental must be extraordinarily great. I believe
a straight line drawn in any direction through the country would
cut through some skeleton or bones. As far as I am aware, not
one of these animals perished, as was formerly supposed, in the
marshes or muddy river-beds of the present land, but their bones
have been exposed by the streams intersecting the sub-aqueous
deposit in which they were originally imbedded. We may conclude
that the whole area of the Pampas is one wide sepulchre of these
extinct gigantic quadrupeds.”
ARMADILLOS.—It is suggested that there was a relationship
between the extinct Sloths and Armadillos, although they were very
different in appearance. Their bones present striking resemblances
and they certainly both belonged to the Edentata (literally, the
toothless animals), a name which rather misrepresents the facts: the
animals did have teeth, but possessed none in the front of their
mouths. Two extinct Armadillos are figured on Plate XVIII. Their
modern representatives do not attain more than three feet in length;
they are protected by scales which may number from three to thirteen,
and these scales are so arranged that the animals can roll them-
selves up somewhat after the manner of a Hedgehog. The fore feet
are very strong and are used for burrowing, which the animal can
accomplish at an astounding rate. The extinct Armadillos were
built on a larger scale, and their protective armour was all of a piece,
not divided into separate scales as in living species. Their remains
are found in the Pleistocene beds of the Argentine in South America;
they were contemporary with the Giant Sloths. These animals have
been named Glyptodons (carved tooth) on account of a carved appear-
ance of the surface of their teeth. They would be as large as an
Ox. Their carapace being solid, they could not roll themselves up
as modern Armadillos can, and their fore feet do not seem to have
been used for burrowing.
ANCESTORS OF THE ELEPHANT.—A chapter on extinct animals
would not be complete without some reference to the extinct ancestors
of the modern Elephant. The evolution of this monster mammal has
been practically traced, although the chain of evidence is perhaps not
quite so complete as in the case of the Horse. An examination of
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 361
the skull of a full-grown Elephant shows a remarkable straightness
of face and absence of snout; in fact the skull shows no sign of a
snout. A new-born Elephant’s skull, however, shows indications
of a snout. Now it is quite usual for young beasts to epitomize the
peculiarities of their ancestry, and the young Elephant is no excep-
tion in this respect. The indications of a snout exhibited in skulls
of new-born Elephants disappear as the animal grows in years and -
stature, but they are sufficiently marked to connect the race with
a long-snouted ancestry. To what extinct animal of elephantine
characteristics must we go in order to find the snout which is betrayed
in the young of the modern Elephant? The remains of the animal
we are looking for have been found amongst deposits of Miocene
age in Egypt. They are of Tetrabelodon augustidens—a long-jawed
Mastodon. This Mastodon resembled the modern Elephant in many
important particulars; it was nearly the same size, but its trunk was
somewhat shorter, and it had a long lower jaw armed with two
short tusks meeting together; there were two long upper tusks
spreading outwards and a snouty prominence was in evidence. But
Tetrabelodon was probably the descendant of the Palzeomastodon,
a much smaller animal about five feet high. The remains of this
beast have been found in the later Eocene beds of Egypt. The skull
is some three feet long, the snout is better developed than in Tetra-
belodon, but there are signs of a much shorter trunk, which would
rest upon the lower jaw, and would not be flexible. The tusks of
both jaws are comparatively short, the neck more in evidence. In
Egyptian Eocene beds remains of the Meritheriwm have been dis-
covered, and it is conjectured, with great probability, that this
animal, which was small in comparison with our present-day
Elephants, being only three feet high at the shoulder, was the
original of those creatures. The skull of the Mceritherium indicates
an animal the size of a Tapir; its length is about sixteen inches and
the snout is distinctly prominent. The tusks in both jaws are small
and the trunk must have been quite short. The leading facts relating
to these extinct animals and the chain of development will be better
comprehended if the story is presented in tabular form.
Name. Period. Leading Details.
Meritherium Eocene Skull sixteen inches long, short tusks and
trunk. Prominent snout.
Paleomastodon Later Eocene Skull three feet long. Longer tusks and
trunk. Less prominent snout.
362 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Name. Period. Leading Detatls.
Tetrabelodon Miocene Elongated lower jaw. Trunk and tusks
fi still longer. Snout still less prominent.
The Elephant Recent Long trunk and tusks. Short neck.
(Elephas Africanus) Snouty prominence absent in skulls of
adults, but detected in infants.
The Elephant’s tusks have evidently been developed from promi-
nent teeth of a remote ancestor, and its trunk or proboscis is the
result of a gradual extension of the face and upper lip. The lower
jaw seems to have shortened as the trunk has developed, until it
presented no obstacle to its falling over and hanging freely in the
regulation way. Fuller facts and evidences of the Elephant’s
history and ancestry will be found in Sir Ray Lankester’s Extinct
Animals, to which I have already had occasion to refer several times.
Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S., thus concisely sums up the
changes involved: “They gradually increased in size without essen-
tially altering their limbs and body; but as their legs lengthened and
their neck shortened, their face and chin gradually became elongated
to reach the ground for browsing. When this strange adaptation had
reached its maximum degree, the chin suddenly shrivelled, leaving
the flexible toothless face without any support. Thus arose the
unique proboscis of the Elephants, which has become prehensile by
stages which cannot be traced, because soft parts are not preserved
in ordinary geological formations.”! It will be noticed, if the
theories presented are correct, that both the Elephant and the Horse
have evolved from quite small ancestors. This finding, of course, is
quite contrary to the superstitious imaginings of those who people
the old world with monsters and fail to realize that we have monsters
in the world of to-day bigger than any of which the fossilized
remains have been discovered.
THE MAMMOTH.—(See Plate II.) No extinct animal has been
the subject of greater interest than the Mammoth (Elephas primi-
genius). The Plate referred to gives a fair idea of its appearance.
In height it was from fifteen to eighteen feet; its skin was clothed
with wool of a reddish-brown hue, and it had what might be termed
a mane of black hairs along its back. It possessed enormous tusks.
This shaggy-hided Elephant is said to be akin to the existing Indian
Elephant. Quite possibly the Mammoth and the Indian Elephant
may have been derived from a common ancestor; the former having
adapted itself to a cooler climate and the latter to a tropical. Remains
1 Quoted by Rev. H. N. Hutchinson in his Extinct Monsters and Creatures of
Other Days.
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 363
of the Mammoth are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere ;
they have been found in Britain, Central Europe, Germany; Russia,
Spain, Italy, Greece; also in Asia, Africa and North America. The
range of the animal must have been between the fortieth and the
sixtieth degree of latitude, and it may have penetrated as far north
as the seventieth degree. To understand its movements we must
bear in mind that it thrived in Pleistocene times and lived during
the great Glacial Period. It might not be correct to say that it
haunted cold regions, but it was certainly equipped to endure a
greater degree of cold than its Indian relation, and it did not suffer
any great discomfort when cold descended upon it. During the
Glacial Period great ice sheets reached from the far north into the
very heart of Europe and stretched over North America well into the
United States. These ice-sheets did not remain set and motionless,
but flowed glacier-like from the heights into the lowlands and finally
to the sea, catrying along with them débris from the hiils and
remains of any living creatures that became imbedded in them.
The sheets were often of enormous thickness; perhaps no less than
six thousand feet thick in the region of Scandinavia; upwards of five
thousand in Scotland; but they thinned as they approached the less
arctic temperature of the south. In this period of intense cold
Northern Europe would be as cold, ice-bound and desolate as North
Greenland is now. The temperature was not regular, however.
There were alternations of arctic cold and moderate temperature in
those southerly regions upon which the ice had descended. The ice
receded to the north during the warmer periods, but gained on the
south again as the colder temperature returned. When warm times
drove the ice northwards, the country it had covered, instead of
providing a habitat for hardy, arctic fauna and vegetation, became
hospitable to animals and plants delighting in a temperate climate ;
while the arctic forms receded northwards with the ice. The
Mammoth, along with its contemporary the Woolly Rhinoceros,
roamed in search of food over a vast territory, and seems not to
have been above seeking “fresh fields and pastures new.” It
followed the retreating ice in interglacial intervals, browsing upon
such vegetation as it could find. Its teeth were able to crush, and help
in the mastication of, quite tough vegetable fibre such as is developed
in the hardy trees of northern regions. If, therefore, the Mammoth
found itself bewintered near the glaciers it could maintain itself
‘upon fir-trees which its teeth could easily grind down to pulp; and
364 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
the shaggy coat provided fair protection from the cold. Probably
the Mammoth often roved too near to the edge of the glaciers and
was entrapped in an avalanche, with the inevitable consequence—
death; its remains being discovered centuries later, to the astonish-
ment of curious humanity. The territory of the Mammoth would be
restricted in glacial times, but its extent would be greatly increased
during a warm interval, and perhaps even more so when the glacial
period came to a close.
The Mammoth, we must remember, was in existence when the
earliest men roamed the earth in search of food and clothing. The
requirements of primitive man were simple, but he often had to go
far afield to secure them. A water-worn cave or overhanging ledge
of rock was accepted for shelter, the skins of animals served for
clothing and their flesh for food. Failing flesh food, or fish or
fowl, fruits, nuts and roots, and even grubs and worms might be
made to minister to his appetite. Our Palzolithic (old stone age)
ancestors must have been mighty hunters. They pursued with
success the Bison, Horse, Cave-Bear, Rhinoceros and Reindeer.
But the Mammoth was probably their most exciting quarry. We
can imagine them eagerly looking for signs of their presence, track-
ing them by their spoor to their haunts, making traps for them and
when caught killing them with flint-tipped arrows and spears, after-
wards flaying them with their rudely-shaped flint knives and scrapers.
After spending many weary days in their hunt, we can understand
these primitive men, tired and hungry, gorging themselves with their
vittim’s carcass, breaking their bones to secure the coveted marrow,
and storing hide and sinews, splints of bone and tusks for use in
their daily avocations. Perhaps it was primitive man who drove
the Mammoth northwards, pressing him ever closer and closer to
the ice, making his existence a constant terror. The extinction of
our shaggy subject is not difficult to understand. The brains of
man were too quick and subtle for him. Man interfered with his
breeding, captured the young when they happened to come to the
birth, and literally hunted him to extinction. The experience of
the Mammoth in the Northern Hemisphere was probably akin to that
of the Mylodons of South America.
The cave men of La Madelaine, in France, must have had some
artistic feeling. At least one of their number was an artist, for he
has left us a memorial of his ability in the form of a Mammoth well
engraved upon Mammoth ivory. This is an interesting, tell-tale
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 365
telic. It shows that man hunted the Mammoth, that indeed the
Mammoth existed not so very long ago, when we consider how
recently man appeared, and what ages passed before his coming.
All doubt as to the actual proportions and appearance of the
Mammoth has been dispelled by the finding of a frozen body in
Siberia. ‘The story is an interesting one, and will bear re-telling. A
Tungusian fisherman, yclept Schumachoff, in the year 1799, descried
at Tamut, near the mouth of the Lena, amongst blocks of ice, a
shapeless fragment, the import of which he did not then discover. A
year after he saw the same fragment in a somewhat altered condition,
but still failed to divine its nature. Again in 1801 he visited the
spot, and to his astonishment saw one side and one tusk of a
Mammoth freed from ice. By 1803 the ice had cleared away so that
the frozen animal fell on to a bank of sand. The fisherman visited
the place again in 1804, secured the tusks and disposed of them to a
merchant. In 1806 Mr. Adams, a Moscow professor and member
of the Russian Academy of Sciences, visited the frozen Mammoth,
but found it greatly mutilated. Wild beasts had fed on the flesh,
and some of it had been given to dogs. One leg was missing, other-
wise the skeleton was complete. The length of the animal from
forefront of skull to end of tail was sixteen feet four inches; in height
it was nine feet four inches. Measured along the curve the tusks
extended to nine feet, six inches; from point to base in a straight
line they were three feet, seven inches. Mr. Adams got together
what was left of the interesting discovery and dispatched it to St.
Petersburg—a distance of more than seven thousand miles. In one
account it is said that no less than sixty pounds weight of the
teddish-brown wool and black, bristly hairs were collected and
preserved ; another account, however, states the weight to be “more
than thirty-six pounds.” The skeleton of this Mammoth is to be
seen in the Museum of the St. Petersburg Academy.
It is related that in 1800 one Gabriel Saryschew saw an entire
Mammoth embedded in ice, standing erect on the banks of the
Alaseia.
Many Mammoth remains,have been found in Great Britain.
It probably made its way there in the wake of retreating ice, under
the pursuit of its human enemies at a time when what are now
the British Isles were attached to the European mainland. Then
the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the English Channel were not in
existence; where their waters now ebb and flow there were great
366 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
plains, which were, probably, fens, and continental animals and
men could come and go as their requirements demanded.
CONCLUDING REMARKS.—For a more complete account of the
animals of long ago the reader must be referred to volumes specially
devoted to the subject. But even from such a general review as
has here been made, some idea may be formed of the moving
panorama of life, and of the strange, and even romantic, drama
that has been enacted. There has been much shifting of scenery,
many entrances and exits have been effected; altogether it has been
“a strange coming and going of feet.” Nothing but the Eternal
Law is fixed. All living creatures are subject to variations, no
physical form is settled for eternity. The posterity of an animal
may preserve the ancestral type for a million years, and exhibit
promise of generations upon generations to follow. But a new
factor introduced into the environment may bring about its extinc-
tion in less than a century. When we consider the arrival of such
creatures as the Sabre-Toothed Tiger we can easily understand the
extinction of multitudes of beasts which had few, if any, means of
protecting themselves against its sly, subtle, but ferocious and
destructive incursions. If we are asked why animals have become
extinct, the answer is that they have not been capable of adapting
themselves to changed circumstances. That creature survives that
can readily adapt itself to changes in temperature, change of food
and habitat, and defend itself against the attacks of invaders. The
advent of carnivorous mammals wrought mighty changes, and
determined numerous extinctions. In considering causes of extinc-
tion we have to remember that even the geography of the world
is not settled. The continents of to-day did not always have their
present configuration. The waters of the restless sea cover ancient
land surfaces, and old sea bottoms have been upheaved into con-
tinents and mountain chains. Geological changes have been
accompanied by changes in both flora and fauna. Earth move-
ments may affect sea-currents and modify the winds, and these in
turn may make great differences in climate. Although geological
developments are usually gradual, creatures may not necessarily
modify themselves to meet even a gradual change. Failure in such
modification leads to inevitable extinction. Perhaps man has done
more to bring about the rapid extinction of animals, and even
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 367
plants, than any other factor introduced into the arena of Nature.
If what we have surmised be true, the Mylodon and Mammoth have
disappeared under his dominion. He has extinguished the Wild
Boar in Britain, the Dodo in Mauritius, the Moa in New Zealand.
Man has probably also been the chief agent in the extinction of
the famous Irish Elk, or Great-Antlered Stag (Cervas megaceros).
The remains of this beautiful animal have been found in Ireland
in great abundance, particularly in the mosses and peat-bogs. The
position of the remains as found in bogs indicates that the animals
had ventured on the treacherous ground and been engulfed, perish-
ing miserably. The head was thrown upwards, with stretched
neck and horns backwardly inclined, in the final, desperate attempt
to secure air as the body sank in the spongy moss. The horns of
the Irish Elk were from nine to eleven feet from point to point,
and the skeleton shows that the animal was not only bigger than
the modern Stag, but equally as beautiful and graceful. It is con-
jectured that both males and females were horned, no specimens
having been found without horns; and in this respect they were
similar to the Reindeer—a creature that once inhabited Britain,
but for various reasons retired to more northerly regions. Remains
of the Irish Elk are not confined to Ireland, where it is likely it
made its last stand; they have been found in the Isle of Man,
France, Poland, Germany and Italy. It lived at the same time as
the Cave-Bear and Cave-Tiger.
The Brown Bear is no longer to be found in Scotland, although
it lived among the mountains there so late as 1707. The British
Wild Cat has been driven to Argyllshire fastnesses, where an
occasional specimen is got; but its extinction is assured. So
ferocious an animal will not be endured by civilized men. The
Red Deer would have disappeared long ere this had it not been
carefully preserved. In some cases it has been introduced at places
where it had become extinct. A number of British Game Birds
would not have survived in the struggle for existence had not man
lent them his aid—for his own special reasons. Man has waged
unceasing warfare against animal pests, and will continue to do
so; he has also hunted beasts that he considered good for food
until none of them were left. Other animals have survived because
they have been domesticated; many of them would stand a sorry
chance if they were left to the tender mercies of Nature. We.may
have strong feelings about a few wealthy individuals holding up
368 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
large tracts of land for Deer-forests and game preserves; but the
naturalist must admit that these gentlemen have been the means of
preserving a number of animals that otherwise would have become
extinct. Their preserves are sanctuaries of wild life, both animal
and vegetable. Their keepers sometimes commit the indiscretion
of shooting rare birds which might with advantage be permitted
to increase, and their Deer and Pheasants are not beloved of the
farmers who suffer their depredations. For the sake of sport, the
Fox is kept in existence, much to the annoyance of the chicken-
raiser; but the general tendency of man’s dominion in Nature is
undoubtedly in the direction of the survival of the useful and the
extinction of pests. Man may have that in him which in a certain
sense raises him above Nature, but as to his physical life and in
his physical requirements he is a part of Nature—a member of
the animal kingdom. His arrival has changed the countenance of
things in a more marked and speedy fashion than the arrival of
any of his predecessors; but he is the supreme factor in Nature’s
ever-changing panorama; an aider and abettor of the process of
natural selection. Through him a mighty work is being accom-
plished—the elimination of the foul and vicious, and the perpetua-
tion and supremacy of the harmless, clean and useful.
But in spite of the changes wrought by man, the great struggle
for existence has not been arrested; indeed, he has been compelled
to take part in that struggle, not only with lower nature, but also
with his own kind. The struggle of man with man for the necessi-
ties of life has been long and keen; but we are slowly learning better
ways. Co-operation, mutual aid and the solidarity of the race enter
into our visions and dreams. However, the ground of competition
is only shifting, the spirit of it is taking new and harmless forms,
but will never perish. In sub-human realms the struggle is as keen
as ever, the race is still to the swift and the battle to the strong.
The strange drama goes on and develops in its own wonderful way.
The fauna of a thousand, nay, a hundred years ago was not that
of to-day; what is common now may be extinct a few centuries
hence, perhaps much sooner.
The original ancestors of man are extinct. His remains have
been discovered, and they show that there is as much difference
between him and highest man, as there was between him and
highest ape. Primeval man had to disappear; he could not com-
pete with his bigger-brained progeny.
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 369
Nature, quite unintentionally, has been kind in preserving
memorials of the past. More have perished than have been pre-
served, but the investigator is thankful for what he is able to find.
From what has been discovered we are able to form some concep-
tion of the history of this world of ours and, in imagination,
reconstruct the past. It is remarkable that we have so much
evidence to work upon, that remains ages old have not utterly
perished. As Emerson wrote: “Nature will be reported. All
things are engaged in writing their history. The planet, the pebble
goes attended by its shadow. The rolling rock leaves its scratches
on the mountain; the river, its channel in the soil; the animal, its
bones in the stratum; the fern and leaf, their modest epitaph in
the coal. The falling drop makes its sculpture in the sand or stone.
Not a foot steps into the snow, or along the ground, but prints,
in characters more or less lasting, a map of its march ... the
ground is all memoranda and signatures; and every object covered
over with hints, which speak to the intelligent.”
Ripple marks made by the waves of the sea on shore sands
millions of years ago are sometimes observable on sandstones; even
the processes of solidification of the sand into rock, and a super-
imposed weight of millions of tons of strata, have not been suffi-
cient to remove the evidence of the action of those ancient waves.
The footprints of birds and reptiles have made impressions so
lasting that they still remain, and are a testimony in stone of the
life-forms that existed in the period the rocks they are associated
with represent. Even raindrop impressions on mud, and sun-cracks
made untold ages ago may be detected by the practised eye of the
geologist. Pieces of the huge horsetail plants and club-mosses
of Carboniferous times fell into streams and were carried by them
into lakes where they were covered by mud and sand washed from
the land: to-day we find them fossilized in our sandstone quarries,
can recognize them, tell what they were, and imagine their story.
The preservation of animal remains in sedimentary deposits is easily
accounted for. Carcasses of animals are often drifted by rivers in
flood into estuaries, seas and lakes, where their flesh gradually
disappears, but the harder bones are preserved in sedimentary
matter which gradually accumulates about and above them. Bodies
of ancient beasts were carried into lakes and seas in a similar manner.
The sediment with which they were covered has now become rock.
Such sediment is often deposited in great quantities at a remarkable
BB
370 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
speed, and we know that what happens to-day in this regard hap-
pened also in past ages. Skeletons left on dry land soon disappear ;
they are at the mercy of living animals and the disintegrating power
of the atmosphere; but skeletons protected by sediments under
water escape the attentions of both animals and atmosphere, and
readily become fossilized. It is related by the editor of Dean Buck-
land’s work on Geology, that when the river wall of the water-
works at Kingston-on-Thames was being built, the skeleton of a
man was found embedded in the mud, at a level above the ordinary
height of the water. Nothing like clothes were found upon him;
but close to the bones of the heels were two portions of iron which
had been nailed on to his boots. This was probably some poor
labourer who had been drowned many years ago, and whose body
had been subsequently washed by a flood into the place where it
was found. What happened to this unfortunate drowned man in
our own times, happened also to the carcasses of the ancient beasts
that lived long before the appearance of man upon this earth.
An animal, perhaps, came to an untimely end in Tertiary times.
It may have perished in a lake or its carcass was carried into one by
a river in high flood. The same river gave the body decent burial
under the sediment it was constantly depositing, and made uncon-
scious provision for the preservation of the bones for indefinite time.
The sediment, in course of time, became rock. To-day a quarry-
man splits the rock and finds the fossilized remains of the animal.
If he be a sensible man he will notify a local expert concerning
his find, and perhaps be the means of adding to the sum of human
knowledge. It is not improbable that he will think it is no business
of his and will throw the fossils on a refuse heap, no one being
the wiser. Thoughtless folk take the easy course, the line of least
resistance ; it is less trouble not to bother; calling in experts requires
some effort.
The writer cannot close this chapter without exhorting his
readers to pay attention to the claims of Geology and the possibili-
ties of Palzontology; and he will feel that he has altogether failed
in his purpose if some of his readers do not beget some enthusiasm
and zeal in the pursuit of these studies. Practical workers are
needed in all branches of Nature Study; workers who will go out
into the fields, through the woods, over the mountains and by the
sea in order to get first-hand knowledge of natural objects. The
absorbing interest that is awakened by the study of living things
ANIMALS OF LONG AGO 371
should not detract from what will be discovered to be the equally
fascinating study of the life-forms of long ago. The ordinary
amateur naturalist who loves birds, beasts and flowers, and goes
out alone, or in company with companions like-minded with him-
self, to study them in their natural haunts, will be wise, in the
interests of his own pleasure and of knowledge generally, if he
carries with him a geological hammer and chisel, and gives some
of his attention to stone quarries, clay beds and sand-pits. Wher-
ever rocks are exposed they should be examined, especially if they
are of a sedimentary nature. Sandstones, shales, limestones and
chalk cliffs should be carefully worked for fossils; the alluvium of
ancient streams should receive particular attention.
While rapid strides have been made in geological knowledge
during the last half-century, the subject has not been exhausted; great
discoveries await the earnest investigator. The amateur naturalist
might chance to find links in the chain of ancient life equally as
readily as the learned specialist. Even if the remains of gigantic
reptiles are not found by the amateur, he cannot fail to be rewarded
for his efforts by the collection of scores of curious relics of by-gone
days; and he will have interest and delight in finding out their
names, imagining the manner of their life, and arranging them in
their proper order and classification. Such workers are needed all
over the world, workers who, although they may not have time
and opportunity to go far afield, will thoroughly investigate the
deposits of their own districts. There are many books which can
be consulted when difficulties arise in the pursuit of investigations,
and experts are always willing to do what they can to help earnest
amateurs.
A little boy of nine years of age known to the writer has, during
a few months’ diligent searching, found quite a number of most
interesting mementoes of the past, and, as a result, takes an intelli-
gent interest in creatures whose fossilized remains cannot fail to
arrest attention.
Belemnites—or, as they are commonly called, “Thunderbolts”
—may be found in some districts very commonly, and the boy in
question has collected quite a large number of them. Many country
people still believe that these are “Thunderbolts” hurled from the
clouds during a storm, and a good deal of persuasion is often neces-
sary to convince them that such is not the case, and that no such
thing as a “Thunderbolt” has ever been discovered |
BB2
372. THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Few people, at any rate, would associate these ‘‘ Thunderbolts”
with the Cuttlefish of our seas, and yet all are willing to admit the
likeness of the fossil Gryphza to the well-known Oyster.
Curious-shaped stones should never on any account be passed
by, but may be added to a collection, and little by little the young
geologist will gather together an interesting series of specimens,
which, when submitted to an expert, may perchance contain some
valuable data worth noting. In any case, the young collector will
have his powers of observation quickened and interest stimulated
and a foundation laid for the cultivation early in life of a sensible
hobby. This is bound in after years to help him to appreciate
more fully, and to the best advantage, the story of the earth whose
very stones, as Shakespeare reminds us, preach eloquent sermons
to those who are willing to listen.
Every boy who has a penchant for Nature study—and especially
Geology—would do well to read the life of the eminent Scottish
geologist, Hugh Miller, which is an admirable instance of how a
man rose in the world from being a working stone-mason to one
of the most noted geologists of his time.
INDEX
A B
Aard Vark, 294 Babirusa, 244
Aard Wolf, 293 Baboon, Dusky Gelada, 167
African Buffalo, 17 »» » Guinea, 168
Aguti, Punctated, 300 »» » bean, 168
»» » West Indian, 300 Badger, Common, 77
Agutis, 300 » » Honey, 295
Alpaca, 253 » » Rock, 304
Altai, 131 » » Sand, 80
American Bison, 19 Bandicoot, Short-Nosed, 208
Animal Giants, 1 Bandicoots, 208
» Pets, 43 Banting, 37
Animals of Long Ago, 339 Barasingha, 130
» With Armour, 92 Barbary Sheep, 29, 226
Ant-Eater, Great, 294 Bat, Fruit, 335
Antelope, Addax, 108 », » Greater Horseshoe, 337
» » Beatrix, 108 » » Kalong, 335
» » Dik-Dik, 109 », » Lesser Horseshoe, 337
»» , Four-Horned, 120 », , Long-Eared, 336
», » Indian, 120 » », Pipistrelle, 337
» » Nagor, 109 », » Rabbit-Eared, 336
» ,Nilgai, 109 » » Vampire, 336
» » Prong-Horned, 110 Bats, 328
» , sable, 113 Bear, American Brown, 258
» , Saiga, 230 », » Brown, 256
Antelopes and Deer, 108 » » Grizzly, 258
Armadillo, Giant, 94 », » Isabelline, 256
3 » Hairy, 93 »» » Japanese, 258
$3 » Tatouay, 94 » » Malay, 258
ns , Pink Fairy, 95 »» » Polar, 254
Armenian Wild Sheep, 29 », » Sloth, 259
Asiatic Wild Ass, 280 Beaver, 273
Ass, African Wild, 25, 282 Beluga, 323
» , Asiatic Wild, 280 Bharal, 227
»» » Hybrid, Somali and Domestic, 25 Bhutan Takin, 288
» » Hybrid Zebra and Pony, 25 Black Buck, 120
», » Spanish and English Domestic, 25 Blanford’s Sheep, 225, 226
» , Spanish Domestic, 25 Blessbok, 293
Asses, 24, 280 Blue Sheep, 227
Aurochs, 32 Bontebok, 293
Azara’s Dog, 301 Bonto, 323
373
374 INDEX
British Park Cattle, 34
Burrhel Wild Sheep, 227
D
Dasyures, 208
Cc Deer, Altai, 131
,, , Axis, Chital, or Spotted, 129
Californian Sea-Lion, 59 », » Barking, or Muntjac, 130
Camel, Arabian, 247 », » Eld’s, or Panolia, 130
», , Bactrian, 247 », » Fallow, 121
»» » One-Humped, 249 »» , Japanese, or Sika, 131
», » Lwo-Humped, 249 »» » Mouse, 132
Cape Ant-Bear, 294 » ,» Musk, 131
» Hunting Dog, 72 », » Red, 121, 127
» Hyrax, 303 » »Red Brocket, 132
Caracal, 147 »» , Sambar, 130
Carpincho, 58 »» » Swamp, 130
Cat, Australian’ Native, 208 Dhole, 74
», » Black-Footed, 302 Dingo Dog, 60, 179
», »Caffre, Egyptian, or Fettered, 90 Dog, Crab-Eating, 300
» » Leopard, 153 », » Indian Wild, 74
»» » Manul, 302 »» » Short-Eared, 301
»» » Pallas’s, 302 » » Siberian Wild, 74
» » Rusty-Spotted, 303 Dolphin, Amazonian, 323
»» » Servaline, 154 », »Common, 327
>» » Wild, 149 », , Gangetic, 322
Cats, Great and Small, 134 » » Heaviside’s, 325
Cavies, 40 » , Irawadi, 325
Cavy, Cutler’s, 58 », , Narwhal, 323
» » Restless, 58 Dolphins, Fresh-Water, 322
sy » Spix’s, 58 Domestic and Semi-Domestic Animals,
Cawquaw, 100 24
Cetaceans, 308 55 Cattle, 34, 83
Ceylonese Langur, 89 ‘ Dog, 61
Chamois, 230, 233 an Donkey, 25, 282
Chimpanzee, 45, 158 5 Horse, 24, 289, 354
Chinchilla, 269, 298 35 Oxen, 32, 83
Chousingha, 120 + Rabbits, 38
Civet Cat, 302 5 Sheep, 27
Civet, African, 302 Dormouse, 217
», » African Palm, 303 Douroucolis, 172
» 3 Indian, 302 +5 , Azara’s, 173
» » Indian Palm, 303 5 , Feline, 173
»» » Malaccan, 302 _ , Lemurine, 173
» » Palm, 303 5 , Red-Footed, 173
Coati, Ring-Tailed, 49 PA , Three-Banded, 173
Coatis, 49 Dromedary, 249
Colpeo, 301 Duiker, Abyssinian, 115
Coney, 304 » », Banded, 115
Cougga, 279 », ,»Common, 115
Coyote, 70 » , Jentink’s, 115
Coypu Rat, 268 », , Yellow-Backed, 115
Crab-Eating Dog, 300 Duikers, 115
Cuscus, Spotted, 197 Dumba Sheep, 27
Cuscuses, 197 Dwarf Buffalo, 17
E
Earth, the story of the, 339
Echidna, 211
Eland, 20
Elephant, African, 1
ae , Ancestors of the, 360
5 » Indian, 1
Elk, 22
English Wild Bull, 32
Extinct Animals, 339
Ancestors of the Elephant, 360
Animals of Eocene Days, 353
Archzopteryx, 350
Armadillos, 360
Atlantosaurus, 350
Brontops, 354
Brontosaurus, 349
Cetiosaurus, 350
Cycads, 344
Deinosaurs, 348
Dinocerata, 354
Diplodocus, 349
Dodo, 351
Eohippus, 354
Glyptodons, 360
Hesperonis, 350
Hyracotherium, 355
Ichthyornis, 351
Ichthyosaurs, 346
Iguanodon, 350
Macherodus, 357
Mammals, 352
Mammoth, 362
Mastodon, 361
Megatherium, 358
Mesohippus, 355
Moa, 351
Meeritherium, 361
Mylodon, 359
Orohippus, 355
Palzomastodon, 361
Palzotherium, 353
Phenacodus, 356
Plesiosaurs, 347
Pliohippus, 355
Protohippus, 355
Pterodactyle, 347
Sabre-Toothed Tiger, 357
Scelidotherium, 359
Stegosaurus, 349
Teleosaurus, 347
Tetrabelodon, 362
Tyrannosaurus, 350
Uintatherium, 353
INDEX 375
F
Fat-Rumped Sheep, 27
Ferret, 40
Fin-Whales, 318
Flying Foxes, 335
Fossa, 302
Fox, Arctic, 268
» » Black, 268
», » Common Red, 268
sy » Fennec, 268
»,» » Indian, 268
» » Silver, 268
», » Silver-Backed, 268
», » Silver-Grey, or Virginian, 268
G
Galago, Allen’s, 172
Demidoff’s, 172
Garnett’s, 172
Great, 172
Kirk’s, 172
»» , Senegal, 172
Galagos, 171
Galla Ox, 88
Gayal, 35
Genet, Common, 303
», , Rusty-Spotted, 303
Genets, 303
Geological Epochs, 341
Gerbil, Cape, 306
»» » Indian, 306
Gerbils, 306
Ghorkhar, 25, 280
Giant Bush-Pig, 244
Giants of the Deep, 308
Gibbon, Hoolock, 161
Gibbons, 161
Giraffe, 15
Gnu, Brindled, 119
3» » White-Tailed, 119
Goat-Antelope, 236
Goat, Rocky Mountain, 232
»» » Spiral-Horned, 234
Goral, Ashy, 228
» » Grey, 228
», » Himalayan, 228
» 5 Long-Tailed, 228
Gorilla, 157
Grampus, 326
Guanaco, 252
Guenons, 162
Guereza, White-Thighed, 286
ew ew
376
Guinea Pigs, 40
», » Abyssinian, 40
3 » » Bolivian, 40
a », » English, 40
sy », » Long-Haired, 40
ya », » Peruvian, 40
35 » ,» Short-Haired, 40
i 5» » Smooth, 40
H
Hare, Common, 62
Haussa Sheep, 27
Hedgehog, Common, 102
Hedgehog-Tenrec, 107
Himalayan Goral, 228
se Serow, 236
Hippopotamus, 8
Horse, Prejevaliski’s Wild, 24, 289
Horse, the evolution of the, 354
Huanaco, 252
Humped Cattle, 82
me » , Guzerat, 82
” » » Gynee, 82
r »,» » Hissar, 82
Hunia, 27
Hyzna, Brown, 75
"4, », Spotted, 76
» » Striped, 76
Hyrax, Cape, 303
» » Syrian, 304
I
Indian Chevrotain, 132
<5 Domestic Sheep, 27
Inia, 323
J
Jackal, Black-Backed, 71
Jackals, 71
Javan Ox, 37
Jerboa, Egyptian, 64
Jerboa Rat, 180
Jerboas, 64, 221
K
Kalong, 33
Kangaroo Rat, 221
INDEX
Kangaroo, Bennett’s Tree, 193
, Brush-Tailed Rat, 195
, Common Rat, 194
, Great Grey, 187
, Great Red, 187
, Lesueur’s Rat, 195
, Lumholtz’s Tree, 192
, Prehensile-Tailed Rat, 194
, Rat, 194
» Tree, 192
Kangaroos, 182
Kiang, 25, 280
Killer, 326
Kinkajou, 48
Klip-Das, 303
Koala, 195
L
Langurs, 89
Lemur, Black, 169
”
”
”
, Coquerel’s Dwarf, 170
» Dormouse Dwarf, 170
, Dwarf, 170
, Fork-Marked Dwarf, 170
, Ring-Tailed, 47
» Ruffled, 48
, Small Dwarf, 170
, Smith’s Dwarf, 170
Lemurs, 47, 170
Leopard, 143
Lesser Killer, 326
Lion, 134
Llama, 253
Loris, Grey Slow, 170
”
Slender, 171
Lovers of the Chase, 66
Lynx, Canadian, 149
1» » European, 148
» » Northern, 148
M
Macaque, Barbary, 166
”
”
”
”
Maholi Galago, 169
Mammals of Australia, 174
Mammals of the Air, 328
Mammoth, 2, 362
Mandrill, 155
Maned Sheep, 226
, Crab-Eating, 166
, Japanese, 164
, Magot, 166
» Moor, 165
, Pig-Tailed, 166
INDEX ae
Maned Wolf, 301
Mangabey, Grey-Cheeked, 164
a » Hamlyn’s, 164
33 , Jamrach’s, 164
8 » Sooty, 164
o , White-Collared, 164
7 , White-Crowned, 164
Mangabeys, 164
Margay, 153
Markhor, 234
Marmoset, Black-Eared, 51
i , Lion, 51
iy , Pinché, 51
Marmosets, 50
Marmot, Alpine, 270
» » Bobac, 270
», » Prairie, 270
Marmots, 270
Marsh Buck, 115
” »» » Congo, 115
Meerkat, 52
Mice, Pouched, 206
5 » » Brush-Tailed, 206
5 » » Narrow-Footed, 206
Mithan, 36
Mole, Marsupial, 205
Mongoose, 52, 53
ss , Grey Indian, 53
” , Egyptian, 54
Monkey, Bengal or Rhesus, 166
Bonnet, 166
Brazza’s, 162
Brown Stump-Tailed, 166
Diana, 163
Hanuman, 89
Lion-Tailed, 166
Moustache, 162
Patas, 162
Red-Eared, 163
43) Roloway, 163
» » Schmidt’s, 163
1, » Wariegated Spider, 168
»» , Vervet, 162
Monkeys, Apes, etc., 155
Monotremes, 209
~Moufion, 29
Mountain Lion, 145
Mouse Lemurs, 171
” » » Black-Eared, 172
” » , Crossley’s, 172
3 », », Hairy-Eared, 172
or » » Milius’, 172
Mouse, Cairo Spiny, 223
» » Canadian Jumping, 220
x» » Fancy, 223
Mouse, Fat, 222
»» » Fat-Tailed Desert, 222
»» » Malabar Spiny, 223
» 4 Striped, 223
Musk Ox, 289
Narbada Ox, 89
Narwhal, 323
Ocelot, 147
Onager, 25, 280
One-Horned Indian Domestic Sheep, 27
Opossum, Common, 198
» » Crab-Eating, 307
» » Flying, 201
Greater Flying, 201
Lesser Flying, 202
Long-Snouted, 203
Ring-Tailed, 200
Short-Eared, 200
Squirrel-Like Flying, 202
5 Yellow-Bellied Flying, 202
Opossums, 197
Orang-Utan, 45, 159
Otter, African Clawless, 275
3, » Brazilian, 274
Clawless, 275
Common, 274
Feline, 274
Hairy-Nosed, 274
North American, 274
Sea, 274
»» » Smooth Indian, 274
», » Spotted-Necked, 275
Oxen, 83
wee ewe wie
”
we ee ew
Paca, 299
Pangolin, 95
Peccary, Collared, 245
», 5 White-Lipped, 245
Persian Ibex, 235
Phalangers, 195
Phatagin, 96
Pichiciago, 95
Pig, European Wild, 237
» » Indian Wild, 243
378
Pigmy Hog, 243
Pigs, Wild, 237
Platypus, 210
Polar Bear, 254
Polecat, 41
» » Cape, 305
»» » Common, 304
Porcupine, Brush-Tailed, 100
a , Canadian, 100
o , Common, 97
Porpoise, Common, 324
» » Indian, 325
Prejevalski’s Wild Horse, 24, 289
Puma, 145
Punjab Wild Sheep, 225
Pyrenean Ibex, 227
Q
Quagga, 279
R
Rabbit, Angora, 38, 39
, Belgian Hare, 38
, Black and Tan, 39
, Blue and Tan, 39
, Dutch, 38, 39
, English, 38, 39
, Flemish Giant, 38
» », Himalayan, 38, 39
, Japanese, 39
» Lop, 38, 39
, Patagonian, 39
, Siberian, 39
, Silver, 38
» Wild, 39, 62, 64
Raccoon, 54
» , Crab-Eating, 55
Rare and Unfamiliar Animals, 285
Rasse, 302
Rat, Black, 215
» » Brown, 213
» » Cane, 216
», » Coypu, 268
5» » Jerboa, 180
Ratel, a
rican, 296
» » Indian, 296
Rats and Mice, 213
Red Bush-Pig, 244
Rhinoceros, African, 12
35 , Indian, 12
9 , Javan, 12
, Sumatran, 12
Rorquals, 318
INDEX
Ss
Sacred Animals, 82
Saki, Humboldt’s, 285
1» » White-Headed,. 285
Sea Bear, 272
» Horse, 272
», Leopard, 272
», Lion, Californian, 271
», Lion, Steller’s, 272
Seal, Common, 59, 272
» » Northern Fur, 272
Seals, 59, 271
Serows, 236
Sha, 225
Sharp-Fronted Ox, 89
Sheep, Cheviot, 30, 31
», » Domestic, 27
Dorset, 30, 31
Heath, 30, 31
Irish, 30
Irish Wicklow, 31
Kerry, 31
Long-Woolled, 30, 31, 32
Merino, 30
Moor, 30
Norfolk, 30, 31
Orkney, 30
Scotch, 30
Shetland, 30
Southdown, 30, 31
, Welsh, 30
Sing Sing Water Buck, 116
Sitatunga, 115
Skunk, Canadian, 269
Skunks, 269
Sloth, Giant Ground, 287, 358
» , Hoffmann’s, 288
»» » Lhree-Toed, 288
» » Two-Toed, 288
Sloths, 287
Springbok, 116
Squirrel, American Grey, 56
ee
», » British, 56
Sunga, 88
Suricate, 52
Susu, 322
T
Tahr, 228
Takin, Bhutan, 288
Tapir, Brazilian, 296
», , Malayan, 297
Tapirs, 297
Tasmanian Devil, 207
Tenrec, Common, 106
» » Long-Tailed, 107
» » Rice, 107
» » Streaked, 107
Tenrecs, 106
Tiger, 140
» » Sabre-Toothed, 357
» » Tasmanian, 207
Toddy Cats, 303
Tree Cats, 303
» Hyraces, 304
Turkestan Wapiti Stag, 21
U
Urial, 29, 225
Urson, 100
Vv
Vicuna, 253
Viscacha, 298
Vole, Common Field, 306
» » Orkney, 306
Ww
Wallaby, Black-Gloved, 190
» » Bridled, 189
» 4 Dama, Ig1
», » Pademelon, 190
Wallaroo, 189
Walrus, 59, 272, 298
Wapiti Stag, 21
Wart Hogs, 244
Water Bucks, 116
Whale, Armux’s, 322
Whale, Bottlenose, 320
» » Fin, 318
xy yd Common, 319
» » Eden’s, 318
> » Lesser, 318
» »» » Sibbald’s, 319
, Greenland, 308
» » Grey, 317
» Humpback, 317
, Layard’s, 322
, Pigmy, 316
, Sowerby’s, 321
, Sperm, 319
» , White, 323
Whales, 308
White Buffalo, 232
Wild Ass, 25
1» Ox, 325 83
» Pigs, 237
» Sheep, 225
3, Sheep and Goats, 225
Wolf, Common, 66, 70, 301
», » Great Grey, 68
s» » Prairie, 70
»» » Tasmanian, 207
» » Timber, 68
Wombat, Common, 203
» » Hairy-Nosed, 205
» » Tasmanian, 204
», » Rudolphi’s, 318
379
Wool- and Fur-Bearing Animals, 247
Z
Zebra, Burchell’s, 277
» » Grévy’s, 278
», » Mountain, 279
Zebras and Asses, 277
Zebu, 82
Zorilla, 305
THE END
RicHArp Cray & Sons, Limiren,
BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND
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