Full text of "The living animals of the world; a popular natural history with one thousand illustrations;"

V OF THE

NIVERSITY,

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz, Berlin.

OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.

This is one of the most beautifully marked of all Mammals. The ornamental colouring
is seldom quite the same in any two specimens.

THE

LIVING A

NIM

OF THE WORLD

AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF BEASTS, BIRDS, FISHES
REPTILES, INSECTS, ETC., WITH AUTHENTIC ANECDOTES

Photo by Otto^llar Ansc/iiitz, Berlin

VOL. I.

MAMMALS

C. J. CORNISH, M.A., F.Z.S. (Editor.}

F. C. SELOUS

SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B

C. H. LANE, F.Z.S.

LOUIS WAIN

W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.

H. A. BRYDEN

F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S.

W. SAVILLE-KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

567 ILLUSTRATIONS

(INCLUDING 13 COLOURED PLATES)

FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

LONDON: HUTCHINSON CO., PATERNOSTER Row

BIOLOGY

LIBRARY

LETTERPRESS PRINTED BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY

COLOURED-PLATES PRINTED BY
A. C. FOWLER, MOORF1ELDS, LONDON

VOL. I.

INTRODUCTION . .

BOOK I. MAMMALS.
I. APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS
II. THE CAT TRIBE

III. THE FOSSA, CIVETS, AND ICHNEUMONS

IV. THE HYAENAS AND AARD-WOLF
V. THE DOG FAMILY .

VI. THE BEARS ....
VII. THE SMALLER CARNIVORA
VIII. MARINE CARNIVORA : THE SEALS, SEA-
LIONS, AND WALRUS

IX. THE RODENTS, OR GNAWING ANIMALS

X. THE BATS AND INSECT-EATING

MAMMALS

XI. THE ELEPHANT, TAPIR, HYRAX, AND
RHINOCEROS

CONTENTS

PACK

CHAP.

. i

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

ONS 74

. 80

XV.

. 84

XVI.

. 114

XVII.

. 125

XVIII.

EA-

. 136

XIX.

ALS 146

XX.

165

172

XXI.
XXII.

PAflC

THE HORSE TRIBE . , .189

THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS :
OXEN, BISON, BUFFALOES, AND
MUSK-OX 207

THE SHEEP AND GOATS . .221
THE ANTELOPES .... 239
THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI . . 264
THE DEER TRIBE . . .271

THE CAMEL TRIBE AND THE
CHEVROTAINS .... 302

THE PIG AND HIPPOPOTAMUS . 310

THE DUGONG, MANATEES, WHALES,
PORPOISES, AND DOLL>IIINS . . 327

THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND
ARMADILLOS .... 336

MARSUPIALS AND MONOTRKMUS . 344

Ocelot from Central America
The largest Gorilla ever captured
African Lion and Lioness . .
Wolf from Central Europe . .
Himalayan Black Bear
Raccoon

COLOURED

Facing page i

. 33

,, ,, 97
. 129
Chapman's Zebras ,,1(51

PLATES.

Highland Cattle . . . . Facing page 193

Female Kudu 225

Northern Giraffe ,,257

Fallow Deer ,,289

A Hippopotamus gaping . . . 321

The Great Kangaroo ... ... 353

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.

PAGE

Pekin Deer in summer dress .

Negro Boy and Apes

Skeletons of Man and Gorilla .

Sea-swallows ....

African Leopard . .

East African Giraffe . .

Flying-fox . .

Dolphins .

A Happy Family ,

Elephants .

Giant Tortoise ....

A group of Crocodilians .

Somali Zebras ....

Sun-fish viii

A young Chimpanzee (Anger,
Pleasure, Fear) .

Arabian Baboon

"Jenny," the well-known
Chimpanzee at the Zoo

A young Chimpanzee . .

Htad of male Gorilla .

A male Gorilla .

Young Orang-utans . . .

Baby Orang-utans at play

Two baby Orang-utans. The
tug-of-war ....

White-handed Gibbon

Hulock Gibbon ....

Head of Proboscis Monkry

Cross-bearing Langu rand young 11

Male Himalayan Langur .

Gelada Baboons at home . .

Mantled Guereza . .

Diana Monkey ....

Barbary Ape . . .

Rhesub Monkey .

Rhesus Monkey and Sooty
Mangiibey ....

Grey-cheeked Mangabey .

Chinese Macaque

Grivet Monkey ....

Bonnet Monkey and Arabian
Baboon .

Rhesus Monkeys

Orange Snub-nosed Monkey

Pig-tailed Monkey ,

Chaccia Baboon

PAGE

PAGK

FAGK

A young male Chucma Baboon

Puma. .....

Large Indian Civet

Head of male Mandrill

Female Puma ....

African Civet ....

Brown Capuchin . . .

Ocelot

African Civet . .

Drill

Ocelot from Central America .

Sumatran Civet . . .

Red Howler Monkey .

Clouded Leopard . . .

A Spider Monkey . .

Fishing-cat . .

Two-spotted Palm-civet .

Patas Monkey . .

Marbled Cat .

Masked Palm-civet . .

Wanderoo Monkey .

Golden Cat

Binturong . .

Common Squirrel Monkey

Pampas-cat .

Black-eared Marmoset

Meercat ....

Humboldt's Woelly Monkey .

Bay Cat

Spotted Ilyajna ....

Pig-tailed Monkey catching a fly

Kaffir Cat

Spotted Hyjena . . .

Ringed-tailed Lemur

African Chaus, or Jungle-cat .

Striped Hyaena . .

A Dwarf Lemur .

Aaid-wolf . . .

Black Lemur .

Male Serval

Young Grey Wolf . .

Coquerel's Lemur .

Serval climbing . .

A growing Cub . . .

Rutted Lemur .

European Wild Cat .

Wolf Cubs

Garnett's Galago .

Scotcli Wild Cata

White Wolf ....

Muholi Galago . .

Lynx . . .

Prairie-wolf, or Coyote

Slender Loris .

European Lynx .

" The Wolf with privy paw " .

Slow Loris. .

Canadian Lynx

Russian Wolf ....

Tarsier .

Cheetas . . .

A Wolf of the Carpathians

Head of Aye-aye

A Cheeta hooded .

Indian Wolf

African Lion . . .

A Cheeta on the look out .

Wolf's head

An Unwilling Pupil .

Domestic Cats :

Russian Wolf .

Lioness aroused

White Short-haired

North African Jackal

Algerian Lioness

Long-haired White

Indian Jackal . .

A Foster-mother .

Mackerel -marked Tabby

Maned Wolf

/* perforrcinsr Lion .

Cat carrying Kitten

Turkish Jackal . . .

Lioness and Cub .

Blue Long-baired, or Persian

Wild Dog ...

9 J

A young Lioness

Smoke and Blue Long-haired

Dingo

A Happy Family
A cross between Lion and Tigress

38
38

Orange Tabby
Long-haired Tabby

69
69

Dingoes ... .
Cape Hnnting-dog .

95
9(5

A hunf^rv T ion

Silver Persian . . .

Lioness and Tiger .

Smoke Long-haired, or Persian

Mountain-fox . . .

Tigress . .

Short-haired Blue . .

Leicestershire Fox . .

Tiger Cub .

Silver Tabby .

Too difficult ! .

A Royal Tiger .

Short-haired Tabby

Arctic Fox (In summer ; Chang-

A Tiper before sleeping .

Long-haired Orange

ing his coat ; In winter)

100

A half-grown Tiger Cub .

Manx

Fennec-fox

100

Tigers in Italy .

Siamese ...

Domestic Dogs :

A Leopard-puma Hybrid .

Blue Long-haired, or Persian

Stag-hound Puppies

101

Leopards .

Silver Persians

7-2

Greyhound ....

102

A young Leopard
Snow-leopard, or Ounce

47
48

Long-haired Chinchilla .
The "Bun" or "Ticked"

Retriever . . .
Blood-hound ....

103
104

Cheeta

Short-haired Cat .

English Setter

104

Jaguar ,

FORM

74 Smooth-coated Saint Btuuard

10/,

689239

Illustrations in the Text, Vol. I.

run

Domestic Dogs (con(inu<ci) :
Grest Dane . 105

Dachshund . . 105

Dalmatians . . . 10'>

Newfoundland . . 106
Bull-dogs . . .107

Old English Sheep-dog . . 108
Mastiff ... .108

Deer-hound . . 109

Pointer ... .109

Skyc Terrier . . . .109
Corded Poodle . 109

Pomeranian . . . 109

Scottish Terrier . 109

Maltese Toy Terrier . .109
Butterfly-dog . . . .109
Her Majesty Queen Alex-
andra, with Chow and
Japanese Spaniels . . 110
Sand-dog . . . .110
Pug and Pekinese Spaniel .111
Fox-terrier . . . .111
Blenheim and Prince Charles

Spaniels . . . .112
Pariah Puppies . . . 112
Common Brown Bear . .113
An inviting attitude . . 114
'I bree performing Bears . . 114
Eunip';in Brown Bear . .115
Syrian Hear . . . .116
Large Russian Brown Beat . 116
American Black Bear . . 117
Young Syrian Bear from the

Caucasus .... 118
& Brown Bear in search of

insects 119

Polar Bears . . . .120
Two Polar Hears and a Brown

Bear 121

Polar Bear 122

Half-grown Polar Bears . . 128
The Ice-bear's conch . . .124
Common Raccot I 125

Itaccoon . . . 125

Great Panda . . . .126

Kinkftjon 127

Young Otters . . 127

Two tame Otters . . 126

Sea-otter 128

A Skunk 129

A Badger in the water . .129
European Badger . . .130

Ratel 131

Pint-marten . . . 182

Pofccat 183

Himalayan Weasel . . . 133
Common Stoat (In summer and

winter coats) . . . 184
Glutton . ... 134

Califomian Sea-lions, or Eared

Seals 135

Rtellcr's Sea-lion . . .130

Sea-lion 137

Sea-lion ... .188

Female Walrus . . . 139

Mala Walrus . . 140

Walrus and Sea-lion . . 141

Grey Seal . .142

Giey Seal 143

Harp-seal . 144

Sea-elephant . 145

Cnpybara 146

Flying-squirrel . . . 140

Flying-squirrel . . . .147
Dorsal Squirrel from Central

America .... 148
Asiatic Chipmunks . . . 148
Red-footed Ground -squirrel . 149
Black Fox-squirrel . . . 149
Long-tailed Marmot . . . I'd
Prairie-dogs, or Marmots . . 151
American Bearer . . . 152

Bearer 153

Beaver . .154

Musk-rat ... .154

Gambian Pouched Rat . .155
Pocket-gopher . . 156

Long-eared Jerboa . 157

Cape Jumping- hare . 157

Octodont ... . H,8

Coypu ... .158

Short-tailed Hntia . . 159

Porcupine . .159

Porcupine . .160

Tiscacha . . . ICO

Chinchilla ... .161

Agutis 161

Paca, or Spotted Gary . . 162
Pacas, or Spotted Caries . . 162
I'atagonian Cavj . . . 103
Wood-hare . . . 1C8

Wild Rabbits . 104

Australian Fruit-bat, or "Fly-
ing-fox " . 165
Australian Fruit-bats . 166
Tube-nosed Fruit-bat 166
Pipistrelle Bat 1<>7
Leaf -nosed Bat 167
Cobego . 168
Cobego . .169
Cobego asleep . . 170
Three baby Hedgehogs . 170
Common Mole . . 171
Qolden Mole . . . .171
A fin* Tusker . . . .172
A young Indian Elephant . 173
The Chief of Cliiengmai's Car-
riage 174

Timber-elephants . . .175
Fenmle Indian Elephant drag-
ging teak .... 176
Indian Elephants bathing . 177
African Elephant . . .178
Male African Elephant drinking 179
Malayan Tapir . . . 180
Common American Tapir . 181
Hairy-eared Sumatran Rhino-
ceros 182

Great Indian Rhinoceros . . 183
Great Indian Rhinoceros . . 184
Black African lihinoceroses . 185
One of the same Rhinoceroses

dead .... 185

Rhinoceros bathing . . 186

Black African Rhinoceros . 187
Sumatran libinoceros . 188

Mountain-zebra . . 189

Grevy's Zebia . . .100

Burcliell's Zebra at home . 191
The lion. Walter Rothschild's

team of Zebras . . . 192
Bnrcliell's Zebra, Chapman's

variety .... 193
Mare and Foal of Burchell's

Zebra 194

Burchell's Zebra . . . 194
Zebras on Table Mountain . 195

Quagga 195

Baluchi Wild ABB . 106

Male Kiang . . 197

Yearling Arab Colts . . 198

Arab Mare 199

Arab Mares and Foals . 200

Percheron Horse . . . 201
Hackney and Foal . 201

Ladas 202

Florizel II 202

Shetland Pony and Foal . . 203
Champion Shire Stallion . . 203
Shire Mare and Foal. . .204
Welsh Pony . . 204

Polo-pony . . . 205

Donkey . . 205

Egyptian Donkeys . . 206

Mules. ... 206

English Park-cattle . . 207

English Park Bull . . .208
Calf of English Park-cattle 208
Jersey Cow . . . 209

Spanish Cattle . . 200

Young Gaur . . . 210

Cow Gayal 211

Indian Humped Bull . 212

Indian Humped Cattla . .213
Domesticated Yak 214

American bull Bison . . 215
European Bison . . 216

American Bison. . 217

Cape Buffalo . .218

Domesticated Indian Buffalo . 218
A pair of Anoas. . . . 219
Young bull Musk-ox . 220

Young Barbary Sheep 221

Siberian Argali . . 222

Baibary Sheep . 223

Barbary Sheep . . 223

Burhal Wild Sheep . 224

Punjab Sheep 225

Fat-tailed Sheep . 225

Four-horned Sheep . 226

South Down Sheep 226

Merino Hams . . , 227

Black-faced Mountain-h*p . 228
Leicester Ewe . 228

Cross-bred Sheep 229

Lonk Ram . 230

Welsh Ewes . 280

Female Angora Goat . 231

Angora Ram , 231

British Goat . . . 232

Femala Topgenburg Goat . . 238
Stud Togpenburg Got . . 233
Schwartzals Goat . . 234

Male Alpine Ibex . . . 235

PAGE

Young male Alpine Ibe . 235
Nubian Goat . . .236
Italian Goat . .237
Rocky Mountain Goat . 238
Himalayan Tahr and ymiug 238
Bubaline Hartebeest . . 230
Blesbok .... 240
White-tailed Gnu and Calf 240
A cow Brindled Gnu. . 241
Red-flanked Duiker . . .241
Klipspringer .... 242
Sing-sing Waterbuck. . . 243
Mountain Reedbuck . . . 244
Male Impala, or Palla . . 244
Male Saipa Antelopes . . 245
Arabian Gazelle. . . .246
Goitred Gazelles from Mesopo-
tamia 247

Speke's Gazelle . . . .248
Gazellbs from Egypt . . .248
'/tad-fronted Gazelle . . .249
Hed-fronted Gazelle (another

view) 249

Male Springbuck . . . 250
Sable Antelope . . . .251
Roan Antelope .... 252
Male of Grant's Gazelle . . 252
Group of Beisa Oryx. . .253
White Oryx . . . .254

Beisa Oryx 254

Gerenuk 255

Female Nilgai . . . .256

Addax 256

A pair of young Prongbucks . 2'>7
Female Goral . . . .258
Harnessed Antelope . . . 258
Male Kudu .... 259

Eland 200

Eland Cows . . 261

Bull Eland 262

The Southern Giraffe . 268

Southern Giraffe lying down . 264
Male Southern Giraffe . . 265
A Giraffe grazing . . . 2f>(>
A Giraffe browsing . . . 2i>7
Male and female Giraffes . . 268
The OKapi of the Congo Forest 209
Head of Okapi . . . .270
Scandinavian Reindeer . . 271
Woodland Caribou . . .272
Immature Scandinavian Elk . 273
Female American Elk, or Moose 274

Park Red Deer

An Asiatic Wapiti .

American Wapiti

American Wapiti .

A1I..U Wapiti

Manchurian Wapiti calling

An Axis Hind ....

A stag Axis, or Indian Spotted

Deer

A Spotted Oriental Deer .

A young Fallow Buck of the

Brown Breed

A Sambar Stag ....
Formosan Sika Stag .
Javan Rusa Stag
Hog-deer .

Young male Swamp-deer .
Indian Muntjac.

Male Silurian Roe . . 291

Female Siberian Roe. . 291

Siberian Roebuck . . . 202
Female European Roe Deer . 203
1'ere David's Deer . . .294
Group of Virginian Deer (two

bucks, four does) . 295

A Mule-deer Fawn 296

Virginian Deer . . 297

Mule-dear Stag . . 298

Young Marsh-deer . 299

Young Himalayan Musk-deer . 300
The Camel - plough, used in

Algiers 801

A White Camel . 302

Arabian Camel . 302

A Camel 803

A spring of Camels near Port Said 30:(
Head of Bactrian Camel . . 804
An old male Bactrian Camel . 305
Bactrian Camel . . . 806

Young Bactrian Camel SOS

Guanaco 807

Llamas . 308

Llama . 309

Alpaca . . . 309

A Domesticated Sow and her

Progeny . . . .310
Wild Boar . .311

Diving-pigs . 312

PAGE

Jaran Wild Pig . . 313

Male and female Babirusa . 313
Wart-hog .... 814

jElian's Wart-hog . . 314

Head of male Wart-hog . .815
Collared Peccary . . .816
A young Collared Peccary . 317
A three-year-old Hippopotamus 318
Hippopotamus drinking . 319

Hippopotamuses bathiuc. . 820
Baby Hippopotamus, aged six

months . . . .321
Dental operations on a Hippo-
potamus . . . 322, 323
Female Hippopotamuses . . 324
A Hippopotamus Family

father, mother, and young 324
Hippopotamus .... 325
MaleandfemaleHippopotamuses 326

Dugong 327

American Manatee . . . 328

Narwhal 829

Grampus, or Killer . . .380
Short-beaked River-dolphin . 331
Sowerby's Beaked Whale . . 832
Common Porpoise . . . 833
Elliott's Dolphin . . .334
Risso's Dolphin . . . .334
Bottle-nosed Dolphin . . 335
Heavyside's Dolphin . . 335
Northern Two-toed Sloth . . 336
Three-toed Sloth . . . 3:'.7
The Great Ant-eater . . 338
Tamandua Ant-eater . . 339
Two-toed Ant-eater . . .340
Weasel-headed Armadillo . 841
Hairy-rumped Armadillo. 841

Peba Armadillo . . .841
Kapplers' Armadillo . . . 341
Cape Aard-vark .... 842
The Great Grey Kangaroo . 843
Silver-grey Kangaroo . . 844
Black-striped Wallaby . . 345
Bennett's Wallaby and the

Great Grey Kangaroo . 345
Albino Red Kangaroos . . 34tt
Tasmanian Wallaby . . .347
Albino Hed-belKed Wallaby . 348
Rock-wallaby . . . .849
Parry's Wallaby . . .350
Parry's Wallaby . . .850
Foot of Tree-kangaroo . . 851
Brown Tree-kangaroo . 852

Tree-kangaioos .... 853
Gaimard's Rot-kangaroo . . 854
Rat-kangaroo from New South

Wales 854

Koala, or Australian Native

Bear, and Cub . . .355
Koala, or Australian NativeBear 356
Koala, or Australian Native Hear 357
Squirrel-like Flying-phalanger

of Victoria .... 358
Larger Flying-phalanger . . 359
Lesser Flying-phalanger . . 3i>0
Pygmy Flying-phalanger . . 301
Common Grey Opossum, or

Pluilanger .... 362
Australian Urey Opossum, or

Phalanger .... 863
Front view of Grey Opossum,

or Phalanger . . .864
Profile view of Grey Opossum,

or Phalanger . . 861
Ring-tailed Opossum, or Pha-
langer, and nest . 365
Spotted Cuscus . . . 866
Common Wombat . . 367
Hairy-nosed Wombat . 368
Common Wombat . . . 808
Lonp-nosed Australian Bandi-
coot 870

Rabbit-bandicoot . . . 871
Pouched Mole .... 372
Under surface of Pouched Mole S72
Tasmanian Wolf . SfH

Tasmanian Wolf 373

Tasmanian Devil . 874

Spotted Dasyures, or Australian

Native Cats . . .875
Brush-tailed Pouched Mouse, or

Phascogale .... 376
Banded Ant-eater . . 877
Yapock, or Water-opossum . 878
Young Opossum (nato*-.*! size) . 879
Woolly American Ope 'Bum . 880
Common or Virginian Opossum 381
Echidna, or Ant-eating Porcu-
pine 382

Tasmanian Echidna, or Porcu-
pine Ant-eater . 883
Duck-bilUd Platypus . . 884

HH. -The photograph afdolphint on page v vat inadvertently attributed to Mr. F. 0. AHalo. The name of the photographer ihould have been
Mr. T. Ltml>er v , who kindly gave permitfion for hit capital tnap that If be reproduced in Uieie paga

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford]

PEKIN DEER IN SUMMER DKESS.
An eiample of the white spotted type of coloration so common among herbivorous mammals.

[ Wobur*.

INTRODUCTION.

welcome accorded to
-- "The Living Races of
Mankind," of which the present
work is the natural extension,
would be a practical encourage-
ment, if such were needed, to
treat of the Living Eaces of
Animals in like fashion. But
the interest now taken in
Natural History is of a kind
and calibre never previously
known, and any work which
presents the wonders of the
Animal World in a new or
clearer form may make some
claim to the approval of the
public. The means at the
disposal of those responsible
for the following pages are, by
mere lapse of time, greater
than those of their predecessors.
Every year not only adds to
the stock of knowledge of the
denizens of earth and ocean,
but increases the facilities for
presenting their forms and

By permission o) Herr Carl ffagenbcck] [Hamburg.

NEGRO BOY AND APES.

An interesting picture of a Negro boy, with a young Chimpanzee (left side of figure) and
young Orang-utan (right side of figure).

The Living Animals of the World

surroundings pictorially. Photography applied to the illustration of the life of beasts, birds,
fishes, insects, corals, and plants is at once the most attractive and the most correct form of
illustration. In the following pages it will be used on a scale never equalled in any previous
publication. Without straining words, it may be said that the subjects photographed have been
obtained from every part of the world, many of them from the most distant islands of the
Southern Ocean, the great barrier reef of Australia, the New Zealand hills, the Indian jungle,
the South African veldt, and the rivers of British Columbia. Photographs of swimming fish,
the flying bird, and of the leaping salmon will be reproduced as accurately as those of the large
carnivora or the giant ungulates. In accordance with the example now being set by the

Museum of Natural History, the
living breeds of domesticated
animals will also find a place.
The time and expenditure
employed in illustration will
be equalled by the attention
given to the descriptive por-
tion of the work. The Editor
will have the assistance of
specialists, eminent alike in
the world of science and
practical discovery. Mr. F. C.
Selous, for example, will deal
with the African Lion and the
Elephants, and other sportsmen
with the big game of the Dark
Continent. Mr. W. Saville-Kent,
the author of " The Great
Barrier Reef of Australia," will
treat of the Marsupials of Aus-
tralia and the Reptilia; Sir
Herbert Maxwell will write on
the Salmonidae, and Mr. F. Gr.
Aflalo on the Whales and other
Cetacea of the deep seas ;
while Mr. R. Lydekker, Dr.
Bowdler Sharpe, Mr. W. F.
Kirby, and other specialists
have kindly agreed to supervise
the work. Where possible the
illustrations will show the crea-
tures in their natural surround-
ings, and in all cases the

By permission oj Herr Umlauff]

SKELETONS OF MAN AND GORILLA.

{Hamburg.

This photograph shows the remarkable similarity in the structure of the human frame
(left) and that of the gorilla (right). This gorilla happened to be a particularly large
specimen ; the man was of ordinary height.

Photo ly Q. Watmoitgh Webster & Son]

[Chester.

SEA-SWALLOWS.
From their long wings, forked tail, and flight, the Terns are popularly called Sea-swallows.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by Ottomar Antchutz] [Berlin.

AFRICAN LEOPARD.

An example of tlitt black-spotted type of coloration BO prevalent in
Garni vora.

intelligence and the mind of the man-like
apes, the likeness both in form and action of
the latter to man has never failed to suggest
that there may have existed, or may even
still exist, a higher anthropoid ape nearer
to the human being than those now known.
The idea has taken shape in the term " the
missing link." The phrase is misleading in
itself. Such a creature would be no more
a link in the descent of man than one im-
perfectly developed limb of a tree is a link
between the other branches and the stem.
But it was always possible that we might
find another branch which had attained a
higher type than those terminating in the
gorilla or chimpanzee. Recent search seems
to have discovered the remains of such a
creature.

photographic portraits of the animals will, by
the nature of things, present true and living
pictures, in place of the often curiously
incorrect and distorted objects, the product
of illustrators' fancy rather than the record
of facts, not infrequently seen in previous
illustrated natural histories.

It is possible that while these pages are
in the press discoveries of new animals may
be made, or living representatives of creatures
supposed to be extinct may be discovered.*
One band of explorers is engaged in seek-
ing on the plains of South America for
recent remains and possible survivors of the
giant ground-sloths. Another expedition is
engaged, in the island of Java, in an even
more interesting quest. Great as is the
difference between even the lowest human

EAST AFRICAN GIRAFFE.

This photograph was taken in the wilds of Africa by Lord Delamere,
and shows the animal at home. The tree Is a mimosa, on the top shoots of
which the giraffe habitually feeds.

* Since this was in type, Sir Harry Johnston has reported the existence in the Congo forest, on the borders of
Uganda, of a large unknown type of ruminant, the Akapi of the natives.

Photo by W. Savilie-Kent, F.Z.S.}

FLYING-FOX.

[Oroydon.

This bat, which is a native of Australia (where it was photographed), is commonly called the Flying-fox. Great flocks set out at sunset
from the forest to feed upon the indigenous fruits, such as that of the native fig.

In the island of Java, near one of the homes of the man-like apes of to-day, a
naturalist, M. Dubois, employed by the Dutch Government, excavated some fossil-bearing gravels
on a river called the Solo. These gravels
belong to a period when civilised man, at
any rate, did not exist. In them he found a
great quantity of bones of mammals and of
prehistoric crocodiles. There were no perfect
skeletons, and it was fairly plain that the
bodies of the creatures had been floated down
the river, and there pulled to pieces by the
crocodiles, just as they are in India to-day.
In this place, lying within a distance of
about fifteen yards from each other, he made
an extraordinary discovery of animal remains.
This was no less than the top of the skull
of a creature much higher in development
than the chimpanzee or gorilla, but lower

than the lowest type of human skull. Near Photob y P . G .Ajiaio,F.z.s.

it were also found two of the teeth and DOLPHINS.

. This photograph was taken in rmd-ocean, and show, a couple of dolpnms

Olie OI the bones OI the thigh. Ihe tlllgn following a ship across the Atlantic

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly Frutdti Alinari]

A HAPPY FAMILY.

[Florence.

Hyrena, tiger, and lions living in amity a remarkable proof of their tamer's power. In
the same park at Hamburg, belonging to Herr Hagenbeck, are also bears, dogs, leopards, and
pumas, all loose together.

bone resembles very nearly

that of a man, though Dr.

Virchow, whom Englishmen

remember in connection with

the fatal illness of the German

Emperor Frederick, considered

it did not differ from that of

one of the gibbons. The

inference is that the creature

walked upright ; and this fact

is recorded in its scientific

name.

As regards the skull, some

specialists in anthropology said

that it was that of a large ape,

of a kind of gibbon (a long-
armed, upright-walking ape,

described later), of a "higher anthropoid ape," and of a low type of man. Finally, Dr.

Cunningham, the able secretary of the Royal Irish Zoological Society, said it resembled that

of a " microcephalous idiot." It is rather strange if the remains of the first and only man
,,__.-,- found in the Lower Pleistocene should

happen to be those of a microcephalous
idiot, for out of many millions of men born
there are perhaps only one or two of this
type. Compared with the head of any
of the living apes, it is very large. Its
brain-holding power is about five to three
compared with the skull of a gorilla, and
two to One compared with that of a
chimpanzee.

There is a tradition in Sumatra that
man-like apes exist, of a higher character
than the orang-utan. Pending the discovery
of more remains, the following extract is
worth quoting, as giving shape to current
ideas about such creatures both here and
among the Malays. They take form in a
very curious and interesting book, called
" The Prison of Weltevreden," written by
Walter M. Gibson in the middle of the last
ELEPHANTS. century. His story is that he was kept in"

This is another of Lord Delameres East African photographs, and

shows a couple of wild elephants in the open. prison at Weltevreden, in Java, by the Dutch,

Introduction

vii

after leading a life of adventure and enquiry
among the islands of the South Atlantic
and Indian Ocean ; that he came in his
own small vessel to the Malay Archipelago,
and spent some time in the interior of
Sumatra, where he saw apparent evidences
of semi-human beings. He saw the orang-
utans in their native forest, and noted that
they were covered with red hair, and was
surprised at the slowness of their move-
ments. Among some men engaged in
building a stable for the raja, he saw " a
dark form, tall as a middle-sized man,
covered with hair, that looked soft and
flowing ; the arms, hands, legs, and feet
seemed well formed, like the Malays' ; the
body was straight, and easily bore, on the
right shoulder, the yoke of two heavy
panniers filled with material for the build-
ing which was going on." Gibson says that
" the eyes were clearer, the nose fuller, and the lips thinner than those of the common

By permission of the Son. Walter Rothschild]
GIANT TORTOISE.

[Tring.

This photograph of Mr. Walter Rothschild riding on one of his huge
tortoises gives a good idea of the relative sizes of one of the " giant tortoises"
and a human being.

[Florence.
Photo by Fratelli Alinari]

A GROUP OP CROCODILJANS.

A wonder of modern animal-training. The photograph shows a number of living crocodilians with their trainer. They have been on
exhibition in Florence for some years past, and are still to be seen there.

Vlll

The Living Animals of the World

Malay, but the mouth was wide,
the lips protruding, and a chin
formed no part of its hairy face ;
yet it was pleasantly human in
expression," much more so than the
dirty, mottle-faced coolies and lascars
he had seen. We quote the ac-
count, as showing, if true, that
Gibson saw an anthropoid ape taught
to work.

It may be a mere coincidence,
but it is nevertheless somewhat
remarkable that the two great black
man-like apes, the chimpanzee and
the gorilla, inhabit the same con-
tinent as some of the blackest races
of mankind, while the red orang-
utan is found in countries where
the yellow-skinned Malay races of
man are indigenous.

SOMALI ZEBRAS.

This is a photograph of a group of zebras taken in Africa by Lord Delamere, and gives
some idea of the surrounding country, where they live in happy freedom.

The special thanks of the Editor and
Publishers are due to a great many
naturalists and, zoologists for the valuable
help they have given to, and the interest

they have taken in, this work while it has been in preparation. No doubt, before the complete work is published, a
great many more names will be added to the list, but meanwhile grateful acknowledgment should be made to the following :
Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford, who has kindly allowed many of her fine photographs to be reproduced in these
pages; the Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P., for the splendid collection of photographs taken especially for him in all
parts of the world ; Lord Delamere, for several unique photographs taken with a telephoto lens during his celebrated
expedition to Africa; Major Nott, F.Z.S., for the use of his scientific series of animal jjhotographs ; Dr. R. W. Shufeldt,
of Washington, for many photographs of fish and other
animals in their natural surroundings; Mr. W. Savllle-
Kent, F.Z.S., F.L.S., for the photographs taken by him
while in Australia,; Mr. Lewis Medland, F.Z.S.,for the
use of his singularly complete set of animal photographs ;
Herr Carl Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, for permission to
use his photographs of some extremely rare specimens
of animals which from time to time have found a tem-
porary home at his wonderful Thierpark; the Trustees of
the British Museum, for permission to photograph some
of their animals ; Professor E. Ray Lankester, Director
of the Natural History Branch of the British Museum;
and the Zoological Society, for permission to photo-
graph some of the animals. And also to Herr Ottomar
Anschiltz, of Berlin ; Messrs. Bond 4* Graver, of the
Scholastic Photographic Co.; Signor Allnari, of Florence ;
Messrs. Kerry $ Co. and Mr. Henry King, of Sydney ; Mr.
Charle* Knight ; Mr. J. W. McLdlan ; Messrs. Charles
and William Reid; Messrs. A. S. Rudland $ Sons;
and Messrs. York fy Sons, for permission to reproduce
their photographs.

Photo ly Dr. R. W. Shufeldt]

SUN-FISH.

[ Washington.

This photograph was taken through the water by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, who
has made a speciality oi this kind of photography.

Photos by Q. W, Wition <fc Co., Ltd..}
Anger.

A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE.
Pleasure.

[Aberdeen.

Fear.

THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD.

BOOK I. MAMMALS.

CHAPTER I.

APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS.

Photo by Fratetli Alinari, Florence.
ARABIAN BABOOX.

THE MAN-LIKE APES.
THE CHIMPANZEE.

OF all the great apes the CHIMPANZEE most closely approaches
man in bodily structure and appearance, although in height
it is less near the human standard than the gorilla, 5 feet
being probably that of an adult male.

Several races of this ape are known, among them the TRUE
CHIMPANZEE and the BALD CHIMPANZEE. The varieties also include
the Kulo-kamba, described by Du Chaillu, and the Soko, discovered
by Livingstone, who confounded it with the gorilla. But the
variations in neither of these are sufficiently important to justify
their being ranked as species.

The first authentic mention of the chimpanzee is found in
" The Strange Adventures of Andrew Battell," an English sailor
taken prisoner by the Portuguese in 1590, who lived eighteen
years near Angola. He speaks of two apes, the Pongo and
the Enjocko, of which the former is the gorilla, the latter the
chimpanzee. The animal was first seen in Europe in 1641, and
described scientifically fifty-eight years later, but we are indebted
"

" .The Living Animals of the World
t 1 1 .*

to Dr. Savage, a missionary, for
our first account of its habits,
in 1847.

The chimpanzee, like the
gorilla, is found only in Africa.
The range includes West and
Central Equatorial Africa, from
the Gambia in the north to near
Angola in the south, while it
occurs in the Niam-Niam country
to the north-west of the great
lakes, and has been discovered
recently in Uganda. The new
Uganda Railway, which will open
out the great lakes to the east,
will bring English travellers well
within reach of the nearest haunt
of these great apes. It is on
the likeness and difference of
their form and shape to those of
man that the attention of the
world has been mainly fixed.

The chimpanzee is a heavily
built animal, with chest and arms
of great power. The male is
slightly taller than the female.
The crown is depressed, the chin
receding, the ridges which over-
hang the eye-sockets more
prominent than in man, less so
than in the gorilla. The nose
has a short bridge, and a flat
extremity. The ear is large, and
less human than that of the gorilla.

The hands and feet are comparatively long ; the digits are, except the thumb and great toe, joined
by a web. The arms are short for an ape, reaching only to the knees. The teeth are similar
to those of man, and the canines of only moderate size. The chimpanzee has thirteen pairs of
ribs, and, like man, has a suggestion at the end of the vertebra? of a rudimentary tail. It
walks on all-fours, with the backs of its closed fingers on the ground, and can only stand upright
by clasping its hands above its head. The skin is of a -reddish or brown flesh-colour, the hair
black, with white patches on the lower part of the face. The bald chimpanzee has the top,
front, and sides of the face bare, exceedingly large ears, thick lips, and black or brown hands
and feet.

The chimpanzee's natural home is the thick forest, where tropical vegetation ensures
almost total gloom. But near Loan go it frequents the mountains near the coast. It is a
fruit-feeding animal, said to do much damage to plantations, but the bald race, at all
events in captivity, takes readily to flesh, and the famous " Sally " which lived in the Zoo for
over six years used to kill and eat pigeons, and caught and killed rats. The male chimpanzee
builds a nest in a tree for his family, and sleeps under its shelter ; when food becomes scarce
in the vicinity, a move is made, and a new nest built. This ape lives either in separate families
or communities not exceeding ten in number, and is monogamous.

As to the animal's courage, it is difficult to get accurate information, as the sins of the

fkoto by Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green.

"JENNY," THE WELL-KNOWN CHIMPANZEE AT THE ZOO.
A VERY CHARACTERISTIC POSE.

In this picture the rounded ear, human-liko wrinkles on the forehead, and length of
the toes should be noted.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

gorilla and baboon have often been laid on its shoulders, and information derived from natives
is usually untrustworthy. Apparently the chimpanzee avoids corning into collision with man
although, when attacked, it is a formidable antagonist. Tales of chimpanzees kidnapping
women and children need stronger evidence than they have yet obtained. The natives kill
this ape by spearing it in the back, or by driving it into nets, where it is entangled and easily
dispatched. According to Livingstone, the soko, as the chimpanzee is called in East Central
Africa, kills the leopard by biting its paws, but falls an easy prey to the lion.

In captivity it is docile and intelligent, but usually fails to stand a northern climate for
more than a few months. It is easily taught to wear clothes, to eat and drink in civilised
fashion, to understand what is said to it, and reply with a limited vocabulary of grunts.
Sally learnt to count perfectly up to six, and less perfectly to ten ; she could also distinguish
white from any colour, but if other colours were presented her she failed, apparently from
colour-blindness. Of this ape the late Dr. Gr. J. Ilomanes wrote with something more than the
enthusiasm of a clever man pursuing a favourite theme : " Her intelligence was conspicuously
displayed by the remarkable degree in
which she was able to understand the
meaning of spoken language a degree
fully equal to that presented by an
infant a few months before emerging
from infancy, and therefore higher than
that which is presented by any brute, so
far at least as I have evidence to show."
Romanes here speaks only, be it noticed,
of ability to understand human speech
not to think and act. But this is in
itself a great mark of intelligence on
human lines. " Having enlisted the
co-operation of the keepers, I requested
them to ask the ape repeatedly for one
straw r , two straws, three straws. These
she was to pick up and hand out from
among the litter of her cage. No
constant order w r as to be observed in
making these requests ; but whenever
she handed a number not asked for her
offer was to be refused, while if she
gave the proper number her offer was
to be accepted, and she was to receive
a piece of fruit in payment. In this
way the ape had learnt to associate these
three numbers with the names. As
soon as the animal understood what was
required, she never failed to give the
number of straws asked for. Her educa-
tion was then completed in a similar
manner from three to four, and from
four to five straws. Sally rarely made
mistakes up to that number ; but above
five, and up to ten, to which one of
the keepers endeavoured to advance her
education, the result is uncertain. It is
evident that she understands the words

Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.]

A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE.

[Aberdeen.

This excellent photograph, by Major Nott, F.Z.S., is partkutoly good, as
showing the manner in which these animals use their hands and

The Living Animals of the World

seven, eight, nine, and ten to betoken
numbers higher than those below them.
When she was asked for any number above
six, she always gave some number over six
and under ten. She sometimes doubled over
a straw to make it present two ends, and
was supposed (thus) to hasten the attain-
ment of her task." By no means all the
chimpanzees are so patient as Sally. One
kept in the Zoological Gai'dens for some
time made an incessant noise by stamping on
the back of the box in which it was confined.
It struck this with the flat of its foot wlwle
hanging to the cross-bar or perch, and made
a prodigious din. This seems to bear out
the stories of chimpanzees assembling and
drumming on logs in the Central African
forests.

THE GORILLA.

The name of this enormous ape has been
known since 450 B.C. Hanno the Cartha-
ginian, when off Sierra Leone, met with wild
men arid women whom the interpreter called
GORILLAS. The males escaped and flung stones
from the rocks, but several females were
captured. These animals could not have been
gorillas, but were probably baboons. Andrew
Battell, already mentioned, described the gorilla under the name of Pongo. He says it is like
a man, but without understanding even to put a log on a fire ; it kills Negroes, and drives
off the elephant with clubs ; it is never taken alive, but its young are killed with poisoned
arrows; it covers its dead with boughs. Dr. Savage described it in 1847. Later Du Chaillu
visited its haunts, and his well-known book relates how he met and killed several specimens.
But Mr. Winwood Keade, who also went in quest of it, declared that Du Chaillu, like himself,
never saw a live gorilla. Von Koppenfels, however, saw a family of four feeding, besides
shooting others. The late Miss Kingsley met several, one of which was killed by her
elephant-men.

The gorilla has a limited range, extending from 2 north to 5 south latitude in West
Africa, a moist overgrown region including the mouth of the Gaboon River. How far east it
is found is uncertain, but it is known in the Sierra del Cristal. In 1851-52 it was seen in
considerable numbers on the coast.

The gorilla is the largest, strongest, and most formidable of the Primates. An adult male
is from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet high, heavily built, with arms and chest of extraordinary
power. The arms reach to the middle of the legs. The hands are clumsy, the thumb short,
and the fingers joined by a web. The neck scarcely exists. The leg has a slight calf. The
toes are stumpy and thick; the great toe moves like a thumb. The head is large and
receding, with enormous ridges above the eyes, which give it a diabolical appearance. The
canine teeth are developed into huge tusks. The nose has a long bridge, and the nostrils
look downwards. The ear is small and man-like.

In colour the gorilla varies from deep black to iron-grey, with a reddish tinge on the
head ; old animals become grizzled. The outer hair is ringed grey and brown ; beneath it is
a woolly growth. The female is smaller not exceeding 4 feet 6 inches and less hideous, as

Photo by A. S. KvMand <k Sons,

HEAD OF MALE GORILLA.

This is a photograph of one of the first gorillas ever brought to England
It was sent by the famous It. dfl Chaillu.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

the canines are much smaller, and the ridges above the eyes are not noticeable, a feature
common also to the young.

Timid, superstitious natives and credulous or untrustworthy travellers have left still wrapped
in mystery many of the habits of this mighty ape, whose fever-stricken, forest-clad haunts
render investigation always difficult, often impossible. Many tales of its ferocity and strength
are obviously untrue, but we think that too much has been disbelieved. That a huge arm
descends from a tree, draws up and chokes the wayfarer, must be false, for intelligent natives
have confessed to knowing no instance of the gorilla attacking man. That it vanquishes the
leopard is probable ; that it has driven the lion from its haunts requires proof. Nor can we
accept tales of the carrying-off of Negro women ; and the defeat of the elephants, too, must
be considered a fiction.

But we must believe that this ape, if provoked or wounded, is a terrible foe, capable of
ripping open a man with one stroke of its paw, or of cracking the skull of a hunter as easily
as a squirrel cracks a nut. There is a tale of a tribe that kept an enormous gorilla as
executioner, which tore its victims to pieces, until an Englishman, doomed to meet it,
noticing a large swelling near its ribs, killed it with a heavy blow or two on the weak spot.

Gorillas live mainly in the trees on whose fruit they subsist ; they construct a shelter in the
lower boughs for the family, and as a lying-in place for the female. The male is said to sleep
below, with his back against the tree a favourite attitude with both sexes to keep off leopards.
On the ground it moves on all-fours, with a curious swinging action, caused by putting its
hands with fingers extended on the ground, and bringing its body forward by a half-jump.
Having a heel, it can stand better than other apes ; but this attitude is not common, and
Du Chaillu appears to have been mistaken when he describes the gorilla as attacking upright.

In captivity only immature
specimens have been seen Barnum's
great ape being one of the larger
forms of chimpanzee. Accounts vary
as to the temper of the gorilla, some
describing it as untamable, while
others say it is docile and playful
when young. There is an Ameri-
can tale that a gorilla over 6 feet
high was captured near Tanganyika,
but nothing more has reached us
about it.

When enraged, a gorilla beats its
breast, as the writer was informed
by a keeper, who thus confirmed
Du Chaillu's account. Its usual voice
is a grunt, which, when the animal
is excited, becomes a roar.

THE ORANG-UTAN.

This great red ape was men-
tioned by Linnaeus in 1766, and at
the beginning of the last century a
specimen living in the Prince of
Orange's collection was described by
Vosmaer.

There are three varieties of the
ORANG, called by the Dyaks MIAS-

By permisiion of Merr Umlaujf J

A MALE GOBILLA.

[Hamburg.

This photograph of the largest gorilla known was taken immediately after death
by Herr Paschen at Yaunde, and gives an excellent idea of the size of these animals
as compared with Negroes. The animal weighed 400 Ibs.

The Living Animals of the World

PAPPAN, MIAS-RAMBI, and MIAS-KASSU, the third of which is smaller, has no cheek-excrescences,
and very large teeth. Some naturalists recognise a pale and a dark race.

Most of our information is due to Eaja Brooke and Dr. Wallace. The species is confined
to Borneo and Sumatra, but fossils have been found in India of this genus, as well as of a
chimpanzee. The orang is less man-like than the chimpanzee and gorilla. In height the
male varies from 3 feet 10 inches to 4 feet 6 inches, the female being a few inches shorter.
It is a heavy creature, with large head often a foot in breadth thick neck, powerful arms,
which reach nearly to the ankles, and protuberant abdomen. Its legs are short and bowed.
The forehead is high, the nose fairly large, the ears very human. The throat is ornamented
with large pouches, and there are often callosities on the cheeks. The fingers are webbed, the

thumb small, the foot long
and narrow, the great toe
small and often without a
nail. The brain is man-like,
and the ribs agree in number
with those of man ; but there
are nine bones in the wrist,
whereas man, the gorilla, and
the chimpanzee have but
eight. The canine teeth are
enormous in the male. The
hair, a foot or more long on
the shoulders and thighs, is
yellowish red : there is a
slight beard. The skin is
grey or brown, and often, in
adults, black.

The orang is entirely a
tree-living animal, and is only
found in moist districts
where there is much virgin
forest. On the ground it
progresses clumsily on all-
fours, using its arms as
crutches, and with the side
only of its feet on the ground.

YOUNG ORANG-UTANS. In trees ifc travels deliber-

ately but with perfect ease,
swinging along underneath
the branches, although it also

walks along them semi-erect. It lives alone with mate and young, and builds a sleeping -
place sufficiently low to avoid the wind. Its food is leaves and fruit, especially the durian ;
its feeding-time, midday.

No animal molests the mias save so say the Dyaks the python and crocodile, both
of which it kills by tearing with its hands. It never attacks man, but has been known to
bite savagely when brought to bay, and it is very tenacious of life, one being found by
Mr. Wallace still alive after a fall from a tree, when " both legs had been broken, its hip-joint
and the root of the spine shattered, and two bullets flattened in neck and jaws."

In captivity young orangs are playful and docile, but passionate. Less intelligent than
chimpanzees, they may be taught to eat and drink nicely, and to obey simple commands.
One in the Zoo at present has acquired the rudiments of drill. They will eat meat and eggs,
and drink wine, beer, spirits, and tea. An orang described years ago by Dr. Clarke Abel was

Photo by Ottomar Anschutz)

[Berlin.

It will be seen here, trom the profile, that the young anthropoid ape has only the upper part of the
bead at all approacning the human type.

The Living Animals of the World

allowed the run of the ship on the voyage to England, and would play with the sailors in
the rigging. When refused food he pretended to commit suicide, and rushed over the side,
only to be found under the chains.

The orang is the least interesting of the three great apes ; he lacks the power and brutality
of the gorilla and the intelligence of the chimpanzee. "The orang," said its keeper to the
writer, " is a buffoon ; the chimpanzee, a gentleman."

It is worth remark that, although all these apes soon die in our menageries, in Calcutta,
where they are kept in the open, orangs thrive well.

THE GIBBONS.

Next after the great apes in man-like characters come a few long-armed, tailless apes,
known as the GIBBONS. Like the orang-utan, they live in the great tropical forests of

Photo by Oltomar Anschiitz]

[Berlin.

TWO BABY OEANG-UTAXS. THE TTJG-OF-WAK.

Asia, especially the Indian Archipelago ; like the latter, they are gentle, affectionate creatures ;
and they have also a natural affection for man. But it is in mind and temperament, rather
than in skeleton, that the links and differences between men and monkeys must be sought.
It will be found that these forest apes differ from other animals and from the true monkeys
mainly in this that they are predisposed to be friendly to man and to obey him, and that
they have no bias towards mischief, or " monkey tricks." They are thoughtful, well behaved,
and sedate.

The SIAMANG, one of the largest of the long-armed, tailless gibbons, lives in the Malay
Archipelago. The arms of a specimen only 3 feet high measured 5 feet 6 inches across.
This, like all the gibbons, makes its way from tree to tree mainly by swinging itself by its
arms. But the siamang can walk upright and run. One kept on board ship would walk

By permission of Herr I'mlfinff.

THE LARGEST GORILLA EVER CAPTURED.
This huge ape, 5 feet 5 inches high, measures a distance of over 8 feet from finger to finger.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

[Dotting llill.

Photo by York & Son]

WHITE-HANDED GIBBON.
This gibbon is found in the forests of the Malay Archipelago.

down the cabin breakfast-table without
upsetting the china. The WHITE-HANDED
GIBBON is found in Tenasserim, south-west
of Burma. This ape has a musical howl,
which the whole flock utters in the early
mornings on the tree-tops. In Northern
India, in the hills beyond the Brahmaputra,
lives another gibbon, the H CLOCK. One
of these kept in captivity soon learnt to
eat properly at meals, and to drink out
of a cup, instead of dipping his fingers
in the tea and milk and then sucking
them. The SILVERY GIBBON kept at the
Zoological Gardens was a most amiable

pet, and had all the agility of the other

gibbons. It is very seldom seen in this

country, being a native of Java, where it

is said to show the most astonishing

activity among the tall cane-groves. One

of the first ever brought to Engjand

belonged to the great Lord Clive. The

AGILE GIBBON is another and darker ape

of this group.

The list of the man-like apes closes

with this group. All the gibbons are .

highly specialised for tree-climbing and an

entirely arboreal life; but it is undeniable that, apart from the modifications necessary for this,

such as the abnormal length of the arms, the skeleton closely resembles that of a human being.

In their habits, when wild, none of these apes show any remarkable degree of intelligence;

but their living is gained in so simple a
way, by plucking fruits and leaves, that
there is nothing in their surroundings
to stimulate thought. They do not need
even to think of a time of famine or
winter, or to lay up a stock of food for
such a season, because they live in the
forests under the Equator.

MONKEYS.
THE DOG-SHAPED MONKEYS.

AFFER the gibbons come a vast
number of monkeys of every conceiv-
able size, shape, and variety, which
naturalists have arranged in consecu-
tive order with fair success. Until
we reach the Baboons, and go on to
the South American Monkeys and
the Lemurs, it is not easy to give
any idea of what these monkeys do
or look like merely by referring to
their scientific groups. The usual
order of natural histories will here be

Photo by York Jc Son\

[Kotting IliU.

HULOCK GIBBON.

The great length of arm in comparison with the body and head should here
be noted.

The Living Animals of the World

[London,

followed, and the descriptions will,
so far as possible, present the
habits and appearance of the
monkeys specially noticed.

This great family of true
monkeys contains the Sacred
Monkeys, or Langurs, of India,
the Guerezas and Guenons of
Africa, the Mangabeys, Macaques,
and Baboons. Most of them have
naked, hard patches of skin on the
hindquarters, and the partition
between the nostrils is narrow.
Some have tails, some none, and
they exhibit the most astonishing
differences of size and shape.
Perhaps the most grotesque and
astonishing of them all is the
PROBOSCIS MONKEY. It is allied
to the langurs, and is a native
of the island of Borneo, to which
it is confined ; its home is
the west bank of the Sarawak
River. It is an arboreal creature,
living in small companies. Mr.
Hose, who saw them in their
native haunts, says that the pro-
boscis monkeys kept in the trees
overhanging the river, and were

most difficult to shoot. "I saw altogether about 150 of these monkeys, and without a single
exception all were in trees over the water, either lake, river, or in submerged forest. As long
as they are in sight, they are very conspicuous objects, choosing the most commanding positions
on open tree-tops. Once I saw thirteen in one tree, sitting lazily on the branches, as is
their habit, sunning themselves, and enjoying the scenery." They are very striking animals
in colour, as well as in form. The face is cinnamon-brown, the sides marked with reddish
brown and white, the belly white, the back red-brown and dark brown. Next to the orang-utan,,
these are the most striking monkeys in the Malay Archipelago.

The greater number of the species intermediate between the gibbons and the New World
species are called "DOG-SHAPED" MONKEYS. We wonder why? Only the baboon and a few
others are in the least like dogs. The various SACRED MONKEYS of India are often seen in this
country, and are quite representative of the "miscellaneous" monkeys in general. Most of
them have cheek-pouches, a useful monkey-pocket. They poke food into their pouches, which
unfold to be filled, or lie flat when not wanted; and with a pocketful of nuts or rice on
either side of their faces, they can scream, eat, bite, or scold quite comfortably, which they
could not do with their mouths full. The pouchless monkeys have only their big stomachs
to rely on.

The ENTELLUS MONKEY is the most sacred of all in India. It is grey above and nutty
brown below, long-legged and active, a thief and an impudent robber. In one of the Indian
cities they became such a nuisance that the faithful determined to catch and send away some
hundreds. This was done, and the holy monkeys were deported in covered carts, and released
many miles off. But the monkeys were too clever. Having thoroughly enjoyed their ride, they
all refused to part with the carts, and, hopping and grimacing, came leaping all the way back

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons]

HEAD OF PROBOSCIS MONKEY.

A native of Borneo. Next to the orang-utan, the most striking monkey in the
Malay Archipelago.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

beside them to the city, grateful for their outing. One city obtained leave to kill the
monkeys; but the next city then sued them for "killing their deceased ancestors." In
these monkey-infested cities, if one man wishes to spite another, he throws a few handfuls
of rice on to the roof of his house about the rainy season. The monkeys come, find the
rice, and quietly lift off many of the tiles and throw them away, seeking more rice in the
interstices.

This is not the monkey commonly seen in the hills and at Simla. The large long-tailed
monkey there is the HIMALAYAN LANGUR, one of the common animals of the hills. " The langur,"
says Mr. Lockwood Kipling in his " Beast and Man in India," " is, in his way, a king of the

Photo by A. S. Rudiand & Sons]

[London*

CROSS-BEARING LANGUR AND YOUNO.
A forest monkey of Borneo.

jungle, nor is he often met with in captivity. In some parts of India troops of langurs
come bounding with a mighty air of interest and curiosity to look at passing trains, their long
tails lifted like notes of interrogation; but frequently, when fairly perched on a wall or
tree alongside, they seem to forget all about it, and avert their heads with an affectation
of languid indifference."

In India no distinction is made between monkeys. It is ari abominable act of sacrilege
to kill one of any kind. In the streets holy bulls, calves, parrakeets, sparrows, and monkeys
all rob the shops. One monkey-ridden municipality sent off its inconvenient but holy guests
by rail, advising the stationmaster to let them loose at the place to which they were consigned.

The Living Animals of the World

The station, Saharanpur, was a kind of Indian Crewe, and the monkeys got into the engine-
sheds and workshops among the driving-wheels and bands. One got in the double roof of
an inspection-car, and thence stole mutton, corkscrews, camp-glasses, and dusters. Among
many other interesting and correct monkey stories of Mr. Kipling's is the following : " The
chief confectioner of Simla had prepared a most splendid bride-cake, which was safely put by
in a locked room, that, like most back rooms in Simla, looked out on the mountain-side. It
is little use locking the door when the window is left open. When they came to fetch the
bride-cake, the last piece of it was being handed out of the window by a chain of monkeys,
who whitened the hill-side with its fragments."

From India to Ceylon is no great way, yet in the latter island different monkeys are found.
The two best known are the WHITE-BEARDED WANDEROO MONKEY and the GREAT WANDEROO.
Both are grave, well-behaved monkeys. The former has white whiskers and a white beard,
and looks so wise he is called in Latin Nestor, after the ancient counsellor of the Greeks.
Nice, clean little monkeys are these, and pretty pets. The great wanderoo is rarer. It lives
in the hills. " A flock of them," says Mr. Dallas, " will take possession of a palm-grove, and
so well can they conceal themselves in the leaves that the whole party become invisible. The
presence of a dog excites their irresistible curiosity, and in order to watch his movements they
never fail to betray themselves. They may be seen congregated on the roof of a native hut.
Some years ago the child of a European clergyman, having been left on the ground by a
nurse, was bitten and teased to death by them. These monkeys have only one wife." Near
relatives of the langurs are the two species of SNUB-NOSED MONKEYS, one of which (see figure on

page 18) inhabits Eastern Tibet
and North-western China, and the
other the valley of the Mekong.

THE GUEREZAS AND GUENONS.

Among the ordinary monkeys
of the Old World are some with
very striking hair and colours.
The GUEREZA of Abyssinia has
bright white-and-black fur, with
long white fringes on the sides.
This is the black-and-white skin
fastened by the Abyssinians to
their shields, and, if we are not
wrong, by the Kaffirs also.
Among the GUENONS, a large
tribe of monkeys living in the
African forests, many of which
find their way here as " organ
monkeys," is the DIANA, a most
beautiful creature, living on the
Guinea Coast. It has a white
crescent on its forehead, bluish-
grey fur, a white beard, and a
patch of brilliant chestnut on
the back, the belly white and
orange. A lady, Mrs. Bowditch,
gives the following account of
a Dj ana monkey on board ship.
MALE HIMALAYAN LANGUID It jumped on to her shoulder.

A king of the jungle, not of ten met within captirity. Stared into her face, and then

[London.

GELADA BABOONS AT HOME.

This photograph is probably unique, as a gelada baboon has been rarely seen. It shows them at home looking for food on the ground under the
bamboos and palms. It was taken by Lord Delamere in the East African jungle.

The Living Animals of the World

made friends, seated itself on her knees,
and carefully examined her hands. " He
then tried to pull off my rings, when I
gave him some biscuits, and making a
bed for him with my handkerchief he
then settled himself comfortably to sleep ;
and from that moment we were sworn
allies. When mischievous, he was often
banished to a hen-coop. Much more
effect was produced by taking him in
sight of the panther, who always seemed
most willing to devour him. On these
occasions I held him by the tail before
the cage ; but long before I reached it,
knowing where he was going, he pre-
tended to be dead. His eyes were closed
quite fast, and every limb was as stiff
as though there were no life in him.
When taken away, he would open one
eye a little, to see whereabouts he
might be; but if he caught sight of
the panther's cage it was instantly closed,
and he became as stiff as before." This
monkey stole the men's knives, tools,
and handkerchiefs, and even their caps,
which he threw into the sea. He would
carefully feed the parrots, chewing up
biscuit and presenting them the bits ;
and he caught another small monkey
and painted it black ! Altogether, he
must have enlivened the voyage. The
GRIVET MONKEY, the GREEN MONKEY, the
MONA MONKEY, and the MANGABEY are
other commonly seen African species.

THE MACAQUES.

The MACAQUES, of which there are many kinds, from the Rock of Gibraltar to far Japan,
occupy the catalogue between the guenon and the baboon. The COMMON MACAQUE and many
others have tails. Those of Japan, and some of those of China, notably the TCIJELI MONKEY,
kept outside the monkey-house at the Zoo, and the JAPANESE MACAQUE, at the other entrance,
are tailless, and much more like anthropoid apes. The Tcheli monkey is large and powerful,
but other macaques are of all sizes down to little creatures no bigger than a kitten. Some
live in the hottest plains, others in the mountains. The COMMON MACAQUE, found in the
Malay Archipelago, is a strong, medium-sized monkey. The FORMOSAN MACAQUE is a rock-
living creature; those of Japan inhabit the pine- groves, and are fond of pelting any one
who passes with stones and fir-cones. The BONNET MACAQUE is an amusing little beast, very
fond of hugging and nursing others in captivity. The BANDAR or RHESUS MONKEY, a common
species, also belongs to this group. But the most interesting to Europeans is the MAGOT, or
BARBAUY APE. It is the last monkey left in Europe. There it only lives on the Rock of
Gibraltar. It was the monkey which Galen is said to have dissected, because he was not
permitted to dissect a human body. These monkeys are carefully preserved upon the Rock.
Formerly, when they were more common, they were very mischievous. The following story was

Photo ly A. S. Rudland <b Sons]

MANTLED GUEREZA.

[Lorn Ion.

This group of monkeys supplies the " monkey muffs " once very fashionable. The
species with white plumes is used to decorate the Kaffir shields.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

Pkoto by L. Mcdlaud, F.Z.S.] [A'ort/i Finc/tley.

DIANA MONKEY.
One of the most gaily coloured monkeys of Africa.

THE BABOONS.

Far the most interesting of the apes in
the wild state are the BABOONS. Their dog-
like heads (which in some are so large and
hideous that they look like a cross between
an ill-tempered dog and a pig), short bodies,
enormously strong arms, and loud barking
cry distinguish them from all other creatures.
The greater number for there are many
kinds live in the hot, dry, stony parts of
Africa. They are familiar figures from the
cliffs of Abyssinia to the Cape, where their
bold and predatory bands still occupy Table
Mountain. They are almost the only animals
which the high-contracting Powers of Africa
have resolved not to protect at any season,
so mischievous are they to crops, and recently
to the flocks. They kill the suckling lambs,
and tear them to pieces for the sake of the
milk contained in their bodies.

One of the best-known baboons is the
CHACMA of South Africa. The old males grow
to a great size, and are most formidable
creatures. Naturally, they are very seldom
caught; but one very large one is in the
Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, at the time
of writing. The keeper declares he would
rather go into a lion's cage than into the den
of this beast when angry. Its head is neaily
one-third of its total length from nose to the
root of the tail. Its jaw-power is immense,
and its forearm looks as strong as Sandow's.

told by Mr. Bidcup : "The apes of the
Rock, led by one particular monkey, were
always stealing from the kit of ascertain
regiment encamped there. At last the
soldiers caught the leader, shaved his head
and face, and turned him loose. His friends,
who had been watching, received him with
a shower of sticks and stones. In these
desperate circumstances the ape sneaked
back to his old enemies, the soldiers, with
whom he remained." Lord Heathfield, a
former Governor of the Rock, would never let
them be hurt ; and on one occasion, when
the Spaniards were attempting a surprise, the
noise made by the apes gave notice of their
attempt.

"halo by G. W. Wilion & Co., Ltd.}

BARBARY APE.

The last of the European monkeys ; on this side of the Mediterranean
it is only found on the Rock of Gibraltar.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by C. Reid] [Wihaw, N.B.

RHESUS MONKEY.
A young specimen of the common Bengal monkey.

Like all monkeys, this creature has the power of
springing instantaneously from a sitting position ; and
its bite would cripple anything from a man to a
leopard. The chacmas live in companies in the kopjes,
whence they descend to forage the mealie-grounds,
river-beds, and bush. Thence they come down to steal
fruit and pumpkins or corn, turn over the stones and
catch beetles, or eat locusts. Their robbing expedi-
tions are organised. Scouts keep a look-out, the
females and young are put in the centre, and the
retreat is protected by the old males. Children in
the Cape Colony are always warned not to go out
when the baboons are near. When irritated and
they are very touchy in their tempers the whole
of the males will sometimes charge and attack. The
possibility of this is very unpleasant, and renders
people cautious.

Not many years ago a well-known sportsman
was shooting in Somaliland. On the other side of
a rocky ravine was a troop of baboons of a species
of which no examples were in the British Museum.
Though he knew the danger, he was tempted to shoot

and to secure a skin. At 200 yards he killed one dead, which the rest did not notice. Then
he hit another and wounded it. The baboon screamed, and instantly the others sat up, saw
the malefactor, and charged straight for him. Most fortunately, they had to scramble down
the ravine and up again, by which time the sportsman and his servant had put such a
distance between them, making "very good time over the flat,'' that the baboons contented
themselves by barking defiance at them when they reached the level ground.

They are the only mammals which thoroughly understand combination for defence as
well as attack. But Brehm, the German traveller, gives a charming story of genuine courage
and self-sacrifice shown by one. His hunting dogs gave chase to a troop which was retreating
to some cliffs, and cut off a very young one, which ran up on to a rock, only just out of
reach of the dogs. An old male baboon saw this, and came alone to the rescue. Slowly

and deliberately he descended,
crossed the open space, and
stamping his hands on the ground,
showing his teeth, and backed by
the furious barks of the rest of
the baboons, he disconcerted and
cowed these savage dogs, climbed
on to the rock, picked up the
baby, and carried him back safely.
If the dogs had attacked the old
patriarch, his tribe would probably
have helped him. Burchell, the
naturalist after whom Burchell's
zebra is named, let his dogs chase
a troop. The baboons turned on
them, killed one on the spot by
biting through the great blood-
vessels of the neck, and laid bare
the ribs of another. The Cape

Photo ly A. S. liudland J: Sons]

RHESUS MONKEY AND SOOTY MANGABEY.

[London.

The sooty mangabey (to the right of the picture) is gentle and companionable, but petulant

and active.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North finchtey.
GREY-CHEEKED MANGABEY.
One of the small African monkeys.

Photo by A. S. Rudland <fc Sons, London.

CHINESE MACAQUE.

This monkey lives in a climate as cold as that
of England.

Dutch in the Old Colony
would rather let their
dogs bait a lion than
a troop of baboons.
The rescue of the infant
chacma which Brehm
saw himself is a remark-
able, and indeed the
most incontestable,
instance of the exhi-
bition of courage and
self-sacrifice by a male
animal.

If the baboons
were not generally
liable to become bad-
tempered when they
grow old, they could
probably be trained to

be among the most useful of animal helpers and servers : but they are so formidable,
and so uncertain in temper, that they are almost too dangerous for attempts at semi-
domestication. When experiments have been made, they have had remarkable results. Le
Vaillant, one of the early explorers in South Africa, had a chacma baboon which was a better
watch than any of his dogs. It gave warning of any creature approaching the camp at
night long before the dogs could hear or smell it. He took it out with him when he was
shooting, and used to let it collect edible roots for him. The latest example of a trained
baboon only died a few years ago. It belonged to a railway signalman at Uitenhage station,
about 200 miles up-country from Port Elizabeth, in Cape Colony. The man had the
misfortune to undergo an operation in which both his feet were amputated, after being
crushed by the wheels of a train. Being an ingenious fellow, he taught his baboon, which was
a full-grown one, to pull him along the line on a trolly to the "distant" signal. There the
baboon stopped at the word of command, and the man would work the lever himself. But in
time he taught the baboon to do it, while he sat on the trolly, ready to help if any mistake

were made.

The chacmas have for
relations a number of
other baboons in the rocky
parts of the African Conti-
nent, most of which have
almost the same habits,
and are not very different
in appearance. Among
them is the GELADA
BABOON, a species very
common in the rocky high-
lands of Abyssinia ; another
is the ANUBIS BABOON of
the West Coast of Africa.
The latter is numerous
round the Portuguese
settlement of Angola.
Whether the so-called

Photo by York <fc Son, dotting Hill.
GRIVET MONKEY.

This is the small monkey commonly taken about
with street-organs.

Photo by A. S. Rudland Sons, London.

BONNET MONKEY, AND ARABIAN

BABOON (ON THE RIGHT).

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by L. Medland f.Z.S.]

RHESUS MONKEYS.

[North Finchley.

This photograph is particularly interesting. It was actually taken by another
monkey, which pressed the button of Mr. Medland's camera.

COMMON BABOON of the menageries is a
separate species or only the young of some
one of the above-mentioned is not very
clear. But about another variety there
can be no doubt. It has been separated
from the rest since the days of the
Pharaohs. It does not differ in habits
from the other baboons, but inhabits the
rocky parts of the Nile Valley. It appears
in Egyptian mythology under the name
of Thoth, and is constantly seen in the
sculptures and hieroglyphs.

Equally strong and far more repulsive
are the two baboons of West Africa the
DRILL and the MANDRILL. As young
specimens of these beasts are the only
ones at all easily caught, and these nearly
always die when cutting their second teeth
when in captivity, large adult mandrills are
seldom seen in Europe. They grow to a

great size, and are probably the most hideous of all beasts. The frightful nose, high cheek-
bones, and pig-like eyes are the basis of the horrible heads of devils and goblins which Albert

Diirer and other German or Dutch mediaeval painters sometimes put on canvas. Add to the

figure the misplaced bright colours cobalt-blue on the cheeks, which are scarred, as if by a

rake, with scarlet furrows, and

scarlet on the buttocks and it

will be admitted that nature has

invested this massive, powerful,

and ferocious baboon with a re-

pulsiveness equalling in complete-
ness the extremes of grace and

beauty manifested in the roe-deer

or the bird of paradise.

The natives of Guinea and

other parts of West Africa have

consistent accounts that the

mandrills have tried to carry off

females and children. They live

in troops like the chacinas,

plunder the fields, and, like all

baboons, spend much time on

the ground walking on all-fours.

When doing this, they are quite

unlike any other creatures. They

walk slowly, with the head bent

downwards, like a person walking

on hands and knees looking for a

pin. With the right hand

(usually) they turn over every

stick and stone, looking for insects, Photo by A _ s , Rutland & sons]

scorpions, or snails, and these they ORANGE SNUB-NOSED MONKEY.

Seize and eat. The Writer has Seen This should be contrasted with the Proboscis Monkey.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

baboons picking up sand, and straining it through their fingers, to see if there were ants in
it. He has also seen one hold up sand in the palm of its hand, and blow the dust away with
its breath, and then look again to see if anything edible were left. Mandrills kept in
captivity until adult become very savage. One in Wombwell's menagerie killed another monkey
and a beagle. Mr. Cross owned one which would sit in an armchair, smoke, and drink porter ;
but these convivial accomplishments were accompanied by a most ferocious temper.

One of the earliest accounts of the habits of the Abyssinian baboons was given by Ludolf
in his " History of Ethiopia." It was translated into quaint, but excellent old English : " Of
Apes," he says, "there are infinite flocks up and down in the mountains, a thousand and
more together, and they leave no stone unturned. If they meet with one that two or three
cannot lift they call for more aid, and all for the sake of the Worms that lye under, a sort
of dyet which they relish exceedingly. They are very greedy after Emmets. So that having

Photo by Ottomar Aiiscltutz]

[Berlin.

PIG-TAILED MONKEY
" Footing the line." Note how the monkey uses its feet as hands when walking on a branch.

found an emmet hill, they presently surround it, and laying their fore paws with the hollow
downward upon the ant heap, as soon as the Emmets creep into their treacherous palms they
lick 'em off, with great comfort to their stomachs. And there they will lye till there is not an
Emmet left. They are also pernicious to fruits and apples, and will destroy whole fields and
gardens unless they be looked after. For they are very cunning, and will never venture in
till the return of their spies, which they send always before, who, giving all information that
it is safe, in they rush with their whole body and make a quick despatch. Therefore they go
very quiet and silent to their prey; and if their young ones chance to make a noise, they
chastise them with their fists; but if the coast is clear, then every one has a different nou
to express his joy." Ludolf clearly means the baboons by this description.

A more ancient story deals with Alexander's campaigns. He encamped on a mountain on
which were numerous bands of monkeys (probably baboons). On the following morning the
sentries saw what looked like troops coming to offer them battle. As they had just won a

The Living Animals of the World

victory, they were at a loss
to guess who these new foes
might be. The alarm was
given, and the Macedonian
troops set out in battle-array.
Ihen through the morning
mists they saw that the
enemy was an immense troop
of monkeys. Their prisoners,
who knew what the alarm
was caused by, made no small
sport of the Macedonians.

THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS.

Something should be said
of the alleged " speech of
monkeys " which Professor
Garner believed himself to
have discovered. He rightly
excluded mere sounds showing
joy, desire, or sorrow from the
faculty of speech, but claimed
to have detected special words,
one meaning "food," another
"drink," another "give me
that," .another meaning
" monkey," or an identification
of a second animal or monkey.
He used a phonograph to keep
permanent record of the
sounds, and made an expe-
dition to the West African

forests in the hope that he might induce the large anthropoid apes to answer the sounds
which are so often uttered by their kind in our menageries. The enterprise ended, as might
have been expected, in failure. Nor was it in the least necessary to go and sit in a cage in
an African forest in the hope of striking up an acquaintance with the native chimpanzees. The
little Capuchin monkeys, whose voices and sounds he had ample opportunity of observing here,
give sufficient material for trying experiments in the meaning of monkey sounds. The writer
believes that it is highly probable that the cleverer monkeys have a great many notes or
sounds which the others do understand, if only because they make the same under similar
circumstances, otherwise they would not utter them. They are like the sounds which an
intelligent but nearly dumb person might make. Also they have very sharp ears, and some
of them can understand musical sounds, so far as to show a very marked attention to them.
The following account of an experiment of this kind, when a violin was being played, is related
in " Life at the Zoo " : " The Capuchin monkeys, the species selected by Professor Garner
for his experiments in monkey language, showed the strangest and most amusing excitement.
These pretty little creatures have very expressive and intelligent faces, and the play and
mobility of their faces and voices while listening to the music were extraordinarily rapid.
The three in the first cage at once rushed up into their box, and then all peeped out, chattering
and excited. One by one they came down, and listened to the music with intense curiosity,
shrieking and making faces at a crescendo, shaking the wires angrily at a discord, and

Photo by Ottomar AnsckGiz] [JJerlin.

CHACMA BABOON.
This photograph shows his attitude when about to make an attack.

Photo by C. Reid] {WiiUaw, N.B.

A YOUNG MALE CHACMA BABOON.

Note the protruding tusk in the upper jaw. A baboon sitting in this position of rest can instantly leap six or seven feet, and inflict a

dangerous bite.

The Living Animals of the World

putting their heads almost upside-down in
efforts at acute criticism at low and musical
passages. Every change of note was marked
by some alteration of expression in the faces
of the excited little monkeys, and a series of
discordant notes roused them to a passion
of rage." At the same time a big baboon,
chained up near, evidently disliked it. He
walked off in the opposite direction to the
farthest limits of his chain.

THE NEW WORLD MONKEYS.

Mention of the Capuchins takes us to
the whole group of the New World Monkeys.
Nearly all of these live in the tropical forests
of Brazil, Guiana, Venezuela, and Mexico.
They are all different from the Old World
monkeys, and many are far more beautiful.
The most attractive of the hardier kinds
are the Capuchins ; but there are many
kinds of rare and delicate little monkeys
more beautiful than any squirrel, which
would make the most delightful pets in the
world, if they were not so delicate. To
{London. try to describe the Old World monkeys in

separate groups from end to end is rather a
hopeless task. But the American monkeys
are more manageable by the puzzled amateur.
Most of them have a broad and marked

division between the nostrils, which are not mere slits close together, but like the nostrils
of men. They also have human-looking rounded heads. Their noses are of the " cogitative "

order, instead of being

snouts or snubs with narrow

openings in them; and the

whole face is in many ways

human and intelligent. Th'e

HOWLER MONKEYS, which

utter the most hideous

sounds ever heard in the

forests, and the SPIDER

MONKEYS are the largest.

The latter have the most

wonderfully developed

limbs and tails for catching

and climbing of any living

animals. As highly special-

ised creatures are always

interesting, visitors to any

zoological garden will find

j Worth while to Watch a

.
Spider monkey climbing,

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons]

HEAD OF MALE MANDRILL.

This is one of the most hideous of living animals. The natives ef
West Africa hold it in greater dislike even than the large carnivora, from
the mischief which it does to their crops.

Photo i y L. Mcdiand, F.Z.S., North Fin
BROWN CAPUCHIN.

The most intelligent of the common monkeys
of the New World. It uses many sounds to
express emotions, and perhaps desires.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., Korth Flnchley.
DBILL.

Only less ugly than the Mandrill. Its habits are
the same.

Apes Monkeys, and Lemurs

[London

Photo by A. S. Rudland cfc Sons]

RED HOWLER MONKEY.

The males possess a most extraordinary voice.

just as it is always worth while to watch a great
snake on the move. The tail is used as a fifth
hand : the Indians of Brazil say they catch fish with
it, which is not true. But if you watch a spider
monkey moving from tree to tree, his limbs and tail
move like the five fingers of a star-fish. Each of
the extremities is as sensitive as a hand, far longer
in proportion than an ordinary man's arm, and
apparently able to work independently of joints. The
monkey can do so many things at once that no
juggler can equal it. It will hold fruit in one hand,
pick more with one foot, place food to the mouth
with another hand, and walk and swing from branch
to branch with the other foot and tail, all simultane-
ously. These monkeys have no visible thumb, though
dissection shows that they have a rudimentary one ;
but the limbs are so flexible that they can put one
arm round behind their heads over on to the opposite
shoulder, and brush the fur on their upper arm.

The end of the tail seems always "feeling" the air or surroundings, and has hairs, thin

and long, at the end, which aid it in knowing when 'it is near a leaf or branch. It is

almost like the tentacle of some sea zoophyte. Gentle creatures, all of them, are these

spider monkeys. One of them, of the species called WAITA, when kept in captivity, wore the

fur off its forehead by rubbing its long gaunt arms continually over its brow whenever it

was scolded. The spider monkeys differ only in the degree of spidery slenderness in their

limbs. In disposition they are always amiable, and in habits tree-climbers and fruit-eaters.
The CAPUCHINS are, in the writer's opinion, the

nicest of all monkeys. Many species are known,

but all have the same round merry faces, bright

eyes, pretty fur, and long tails. There is always

a fair number at the Zoological Gardens. They

are merry, but full of fads. One hates children

and loves ladies; another adores one or two other

monkeys, and screams at the rest. All are fond

of insects as well as of fruit. A friend of the writer

kept one in a large house in Leicestershire. It

was not very good-tempered, but most amusing,

climbing up the blind-cord first, and catching and

eating the flies on the window-panes most dexterously,

always avoiding the wasps. This monkey was taught

to put out a lighted paper (a useful accomplishment)

by dashing its hands on to the burning part, or,

if the paper were twisted up, by taking the un-

lighted end and beating the burning part on the

ground ; and it was very fond of turning the leaves

of any large book. This it did not only by vigorous

use of both arms and hands, but by putting its

head under too, and "heaving" the leaves over.
In the private room behind the monkey-house

at the Zoo there are always a number of the rare

and delicate monkeys from the New World,

which cannot stand the draughts of the outer acts as a fifth hand.

"Sr

Photo ly A. S. Rudland & Soni] [.London.

A SPIDER MONKEY
This monkey is specially adapted for arboreal life. The tail

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Ureen.

PATAS MONKEY.
Found in West Africa. A large and brilliantly coloured species.

house, like the Capuchins and spider monkeys.
The greater number of these come from
tropical America. There, in the mighty
forests, so lofty that no man can climb the
trees, so dense that there is a kind of upper
storey on the interlaced tree-tops, where nearly
all the birds and many mammals live without
descending to earth, forests in which there
is neither summer nor winter, but only the
changes from hour to hour of the equatorial
day, the exquisite MARMOSETS, whose fur looks
like the plumage and whose twittering voices
imitate the notes of birds, live and have their
being. They are all much alike in shape,
except that the LION MARMOSET'S mane is like
that of a little lion clad in floss silk ; and
they all have sharp little claws, and feed on
insects. The PINCHE MARMOSET from the
Guiana forests has a face like a black Indian
chief, with white plumes over his head and
neck like those worn by a " brave " in full
war-paint. Merchants who do business with
Brazil very frequently import marmosets and
the closely allied tamarins as presents for
friends in England; the Brazilians them-
selves like to have them as pets also ; so

there is to some extent a trade demand for them.

Among the most delicate of American monkeys are the

OUKARIS, which have somewhat human faces, exquisite soft fur,

and are as gentle as most of these forest creatures. They

seldom live long in captivity, a few months being as much

as they will generally endure, even in Brazil. Perhaps the

rarest of all is the white-haired SCARLET-FACED OUKARI. This

monkey has long white hair from neck to tail, sandy

whiskers, and a bright scarlet face. It lives in a district

of partly flooded forest, and is only obtained by the Indians

using blow-pipes and arrows dipped in very diluted urari

poison. The WHITE-HEADED SAKI is a rare and very pretty

little monkey of Brazil ; and there are a very large number

of other species of this group whose names it would be

mere weariness to mention. All these small monkeys are

very quick and intelligent, while the rapidity of their

movements, their ever-changing expression, and sharp,

eager cries heighten the idea of cleverness given by their

general appearance. Other little imps of these forests are

the SQUIRREL MONKEYS. In the common species the face

is like a little furry man's, its arms brilliant yellow (as

if dipped in gamboge dye), the cheeks pink, and eyes

black. In habits it is a quick-tempered, imperious little

creature, carnivorous, and a great devourer of butterflies and

beetles.

Pkoto by V. Reid\ [ Wishaw, M.B.

WANDEROO MONKEY.

The number of monkeys which have leonine
manes is large. The manes act as capes to keep

The most beautiful and entertaining Of all monkeys the dew and wet from their chests and shoulders.

Photo by A. S. Kudtand d: Sons.

COMMON SQUIRREL MONKEY.

The squirrel monkeys have soft, bright-coloured fur, and long, hairy tails. They are found from Mexico to Paraguay.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

BLACK-EARED MARMOSET.

These are among the prettiest of small tropical monkeys from the New World. 1 hey
are insect-feeders, and very delicate.

are these New World species. No

person clever at interpreting the ways

of animals would fail to consider them

far more clever and sympathetic than

the melancholy anthropoid apes, while

for appearance they have no equals.

Probably the most attractive monkey

in Europe is a South American one

now in the London Zoological Gardens.

It was first mentioned to Europeans by

Baron von Humboldt, who saw it in the

cabin of an Indian on the Orinoco.

These forest Indians of South America

are gentle creatures themselves. Among

other amiable qualities, they have a

passion for keeping pets. One who

worked for a friend of the writer, with

others of his tribe, was asked what he

would take in payment, which was

given in kind. The others chose cloth, axes, etc. This Indian said that he did not care for

any of these things. He said he wanted a " poosa." No one knew what he meant. He signed

that he wished to go to the house and would show them. Arrived there, he pointed to the

cat ! " Pussy," to the Arawak Indian, was a " poosa," and that was what he wanted as a

month's wages. Humboldt's Indian had something better than a "poosa." It was a monkey,

as black as coal, with a round head, long thickly furred tail, and bright vivacious eyes. The-

explorer called it the LAGOTHKIX, which means Hare-skin Monkey. The fur is not the least like-

a hare's, but much resembles that of an opossum. The more suitable name is the WOOLLY

MONKEY. The one kept at the Gardens is a most friendly and vivacious creature, ready to<

embrace, play and make friends with any well-dressed person. It dislikes people in working-
clothes which are dirty or
soiled a not uncommon
aversion of clever animals.

In spite of all the-
varieties of temperament in
the monkey tribe, from the-
genial little Capuchins to the-
morose old baboon, they
nearly all have one thing in-
common that is, the monkey
brain. The same curious-
restlessness, levity, and want
of concentration mark them
all, except the large anthro--
poid apes. Some of these
have without doubt powers
of reflection and concentra-
tion which the other monkeys-
do not possess. But in all
the rest, though the capacity
for understanding exists, the-
wish to please, as a dog does,
and the desire to remember-

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.']

HUMBOLDT'S WOOLLY MONKEY.

[Korth Finchley.

This is the most popular monkey in England. He looks for all the world like a Negro, and
has a most beautiful, soft, woolly coat. He is very tame, and loves nothing better than being
petted.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

and to retain what it has learnt, seem almost entirely wanting. Egoism, which is a sign of
human dementia, is a very leading characteristic of all monkeys. There is no doubt that
the baboons might be trained to be useful animals if they always served one master. Le
Vaillant and many other travellers have noted this. But they are too clever, and at the
bottom too ill-tempered ever to be trustworthy, even regarded as "watches," or to help in
minor manual labour. Baboons would make an excellent substitute for dogs as used in
Belgium for light draught ; but no one could ever rely on their behaving themselves when
their master's eye was elsewhere.

Taken as a family, the monkeys are a feeble and by no means likeable race. They
are " undeveloped " as a class, full of promise, but with no performance.

THE LEMUES.

THE South American monkeys, with their
forms and fur, are followed by a beautiful
group of creatures, called the LEMURS, with
Lorises, Maholis, and Pottos. Their resem-
mainly in their hands and feet. These are
developed hands, with proper thumbs,
foot nearly always terminates in a long,
naturalist, who kept them as pets
themselves with. Some of them
a sensitive disk, full of extra
"Unlike the lively squirrels
hiding-places till the tropical
when they seek their
but by ascending to the
and again, at the first ap-
the light in the recesses
The KING-TAILED LEMUR
most of the race are
the light seems to
they turn over
same inarticu-
But at night
they fly from
so that the
whether they

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz] [Berlin.

PIG-TAILED MONKEY CATCHING A FLY.

Most of the smaller monkeys, as well as the baboons, are fond of eating
insects. Beetles, white ants, and flies are eagerly sought and devoured.

~ squirrel-like
and interesting
their cousins the
blance to monkeys is
real and very highly
The second toe on the hind
sharp claw. " Elia," the Indian
noticed that they used this to scratch
have the finger-tips expanded into
nerves. Lemur means "ghost."
and monkeys, they do not leave their
darkness has fallen on the forest,
food, not by descending to the ground,
upper surface of the ocean of trees,
proach of dawn, seek refuge from
of some dark and hollow trunk.
is as lively by day as night ; but
entirely creatures of darkness that
stupefy them. When wakened,
like sleeping, children, with the
late cries and deep, uneasy sighs,
most are astonishingly active ;
tree to tree, heard, but invisible ;
natives of Madagascar doubt
are not true lemures, the un-
of their departed dead.

quiet ghosts

Though the lemurs are here treated apart from the other animals of Madagascar, it will
be obvious that they are a curious and abnormal tribe. This is true of most of the animals
of that great island, which has a fauna differing both from that of the adjacent coast of
Africa and from that of India or Australia. In the FOSSA, a large representative of the
Civets, it possesses a species absolutely unlike any other. The Aye-aye is also an abnormal
creature. Nor must it be forgotten that Madagascar was until recently the home of some of
the gigantic ground-living birds. But, after all, none of its inhabitants are more remarkable
than its hosts of lemurs, some of which are to be met with in almost every coppice in the
island. There are also many extinct kinds.

Exquisite fur, soft and beautifully tinted, eyes of extraordinary size and colour (for the
pupil shuts up to a mere black line by day, and the rest of the eye shows like a polished
stone of rich brown or yellow or marble-grey), are the marks of most of the lemurs.
But there are other lemur-like creatures, or "lemuroids," which, though endowed with the

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.]

RING-TAILED LEMUR.

[North Finchley.

This lemur is often kept as a domestic animal, and allowed to ran about the
bouse like a cat.

same lovely fur, like softest moss, have
no tails. The strangest of all are two
creatures called the SLENDER LORIS and
the SLOW LORIS. The slender loris, which
has the ordinary furry coat of the lemurs,
and no tail, moves on the branches
exactly as does a chameleon. Each hand
or foot is slowly raised, brought forward,
and set down again. The fingers then as
slowly close on the branch till its grasp
is secure. It is like a slow-working
mechanical toy. Probably this is a habit,
now instinctive, gained by ages of cautiously
approaching insects. But the result is to
give the impression that the creature is
almost an automaton.

Madagascar is the main home of the

l emurs thoUffh Some of the related animals

are also found in Africa and in the East
Indies. But the dense forests of the great island are full of these curious nocturnal beasts, of
which there are so many varieties presenting very slight differences of form and habit, that
naturalists have some difficulty in giving even a complete list of their species. Add to this
that nearly all of them are intensely and entirely nocturnal, and the scarcity of data as to
their habits is easily accounted for. When seen by us, their faces all lack expression that is
to say, the eyes, which mainly give expression, seem entirely vacant and meaningless. But
this is due to their special adaptation to seeing in the dark tropical night. By day the pupil
of the eye almost disappears. If only we could also see in the dark, the eyes of the lemur
might have as much expression as those of a faithful dog. The change which night makes
in their general demeanour is simply miraculous. By day many of them are like hibernating
animals, almost incapable of movement. When once the curtain of night has fallen, they are
as active as squirrels, and as full of play as a family of kittens. The KING-TAILED LEMUR is
often kept as a pet, both in Madagascar and in the Mauritius. It is one of the very
few which are diurnal in their habits. When in a hurry it jumps along, standing on its
hind feet, like a little kangaroo, but holding its tail upright
behind its back. It will follow people upstairs in this
way, jumping from step to step, with its front paws out-
stretched, as if it were addressing an audience. The
French call these day lemurs MAKIS. The ring-tailed lemur
lives largely among rocks and precipices. Most of these
creatures live upon fruit, the shoots and leaves of trees,
and other vegetable food. But, like the squirrel, they have
no objection to eggs and nestlings, and also kill and eat any
small birds and insects. Some of the smaller kinds are
almost entirely insect-feeders. The largest kind of lemur
belongs to the group known as the INDRIS. The BLACK-
AND-WHITE INDRI measures about 2 feet in length. It has
only a rudimentary tail, large ears, and a sharp-pointed
nose. The amount of white colouring varies much in different
individuals. This variation in colouring a very rare feature
among wild mammalia, though one of the first changes
shown when animals are domesticated is also found in the
next three species, called SIFAKAS. The DIADEMED SIFAKA,

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.
A DWARF LEMUR.

These tiny animals take the place of the
dormouse in Madagascar.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

the WOOLLY INDRI, and the BLACK INDRI all belong

to this group. The SIFAKAS, as some of these and the

allied forms are called, are venerated by the Mala-

gasys, who never kill one intentionally. Mr. Foster

observes that " they live in companies of six or eight,

and are very gentle and inoffensive animals, wearing

a very melancholy expression, and being as a rule

morose, inactive, and more silent than the other

lemurs. They rarely live long in captivity. In

their native state they are most alert in the morning

and evening, as during the day they conceal them-
selves under the foliage of trees. When asleep

or in repose, the head is dropped on the chest

and buried between the arms, the tail rolled up on

itself and disposed between the hind legs. The

sifakas live exclusively on vegetable substances, fruits,

leaves, and flowers, their diet not being varied, as

in the

other lemurs, by small birds, eggs, or insects.
Their life is almost entirely arboreal, for which
the muscles of their hands and feet, as well as
the parachute-like folds between their arms and
bodies, and their peculiar hooked fingers, are well
fitted. The young one is carried by the mother
on its back, its hands grasping her armpits
tightly."

This is not the universal way of carrying the
young among lemurs. The CROWNED LEMUR, a
beautiful grey -and- white species, often breeds at
the Zoo. The female carries its young one
partly on its side. The infant clings tightly with

Photo by L. Medtand, F.Z.S.} [North Finchley.

BLACK LEMUR.
Found on the coast of Madagascar.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.

COQUEREL'S LEMUR.

A lemur which strongly objects to being awakened in the
daytime.

arms and tail round the very
slender waist of the lemur, and
pushes out its sharp little face
just above the thigh of the
mother. The WOOLLY INDRI has
more woolly fur than the others of
its tribe, a shorter nose, and a
longer tail.

THE TRUE LEMURS

Of these there are several
species, all confined to Mada-
gascar and the Comoro Islands.
One of the best known is the KING-
TAILED LEMUR, mentioned above.
It is called LEMUR CATTA, the Cat
Lemur, from being so often kept
in domestication. The WEASEL

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z &} Finchley.

RUFFED LEMUR.
Another of the nocturnal lemurs. It lives mainly on fruit and insects.

The Living Animals of the World

LEMUR, the GREY LEMUR, the MOUSE LEMUR, the
GENTLE LEMUR, the SPORTIVE LEMUR, the CROWNED
LEMUR, and COQUEREL'S LEMUR, all represent
various small, pretty, and interesting varieties
of the group. The BLACK-AND-WHITE LEMUR, one
of the larger kinds, is capable of domestication.
A specimen kept in a London house, where
the present writer saw it, was always called
"Pussy" by the children. The other small
kinds are very like squirrels, mice, weasels,
and other creatures, with which they have no
connection. It seems as though the curiously
limited and primitive fauna of Madagascar tried
to make up for its want of variety by mimick-
ing the forms of other animals, and something
of the same kind is seen in Australia, where the marsupials take the place of all kinds
of ordinary mammals. There are marsupial rats, marsupial wolves, marsupial squirrels,
and even marsupial moles. The small squirrel and rat-like lemurs are called CHIROGALES.
COQUEREL'S LEMUR is really a chirogale. It is a quaint and by no means amiable little
animal, sleeping obstinately all day, and always ready to growl and bite if disturbed. Its
colour is brownish grey and cream-colour. A pair of these, rolled up tightly into balls in a
box of hay, will absolutely refuse to move, even when handled. They only feed by night.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.] [North Finchley.

GARXETT'S GALAGO.
One of the squirrel-like lemuroids.

THE GALAGOS.

An allied group, confined to tropical Africa, is that of the GALAGOS. They are most beautiful
little creatures, whose nearest relatives are the Malagasy lemurs. Generally speaking, they have
even more exquisite fur than the lemurs. It is almost as soft as floss silk, and so close that the
hand sinks into it as into a bed of moss. The colour of the fur is rich and pleasing, generally
some shade of brown. The head is small, the nose pointed, and the ears thin, hairless, and
capable of being folded up, like the wings of a beetle. But the most beautiful feature of the
galagos is their eyes. These are of immense size, compared with the head. The eye is of
the richest and most beautiful brown, like a cairngorm stone, but not glassy or clear. Though
quite translucent, the eye is marked with minute dividing-lines, like the grain in an agate a
truly exquisite object. When handled or taken
in the arms, the little galago clasps the fingers
or sleeve tightly, as if it thought it was holding
a tree, and shows no disposition to escape.
A family of three or four young ones, no
larger than mice, with their large-eyed mother
attending to them, forms an exquisitely dainty
little group. The galagos vary from the size
of a squirrel to that of a small cat. The kind
most often seen in England is the MAHOLI
GALAGO from East Africa. Another species
comes from Senegal, and others from Calabar
and the forests of the Gold Coast. GARNETT'S
GALAGO, another species, is shown above.
They may be regarded as nocturnal tropical
lemuroids, analogous to the chirogales of Mada-
gascar. It has been suggested, with great
probability, that the intensely drowsy sleep

[North Finchley.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

MAHOLI GALAGO

Thia little animal is a native of East Africa. It has very large eyes,
and fur as soft as the chinchilla's.

Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs

Plioto by L. Medtand, F.Z.S.} [North Finchley.

SLENDER LORIS.

This extraordinary creature has the habits of a chameleon when
seeking insects for food. The photograph is unique.

of many of the lemuroid animals corresponds to the
hibernation of many northern mammals. Tropical
animals often become torpid to avoid the famine
caused by the hot season, just as creatures in cold
countries hibernate to avoid the hunger which would
otherwise come with winter.

THE SLOW LEMURS OR LORISES, AND TARSIERS.

Another group of lemuroids is distinguished from
the foregoing by having the second finger of the
fore paws either very short or rudimentary. The
thumb and great toe are also set very widelv
apart from the other fingers and toes. A far
more striking distinction to the non-scientific eye
is their astonishingly deliberate and slow movements.
They have no tails, enormous eyes, and very long,
slender legs.

The SLOW LORIS is found in Eastern India and
the Malay countries, where it is fairly common in
the forests. The Bengali natives call it sharmindi
billi (" bashful cat "), from its slow, solemn, hesitating
movements when in pursuit of insects. Of a slow
loris kept by him, Sir William Jones, in the " Asiatic
Researches," wrote : " At all times he seemed pleased at being stroked on the head and throat,
and he frequently allowed me to touch his extremely sharp teeth. But his temper was always
quick, and when he was unseasonably disturbed he expressed a little resentment, by an obscure
murmur, like that of a squirrel. . . . When a grasshopper or any insect alighted within his
reach, his eyes, as he fixed them on his prey, glowed with uncommon fire; and having drawn
himself back to spring on his prey with greater force, he seized it with both his fore paws,
and held it till he had devoured it. He never could have enough grasshoppers, and spent
the whole night in prowling for them."

The SLENDER LORIS, an equally curious creature, is only found in Southern India and
Ceylon. Its food consists entirely of insects, which it captures by gradual, almost paralysed
approach. It has been described as a "furry-coated chameleon." A group of slow lemurs,
living in Western Africa, are known as
POTTOS. They are odd little quadrupeds,
in which the "forefinger" never grows to
be more than a stump. The tail is also
either sharp or rudimentary. They are as
slow as the lorises in their movements.

In the Malay islands a distant rela-
tive, even more curiously formed, is found
in the TARSIER. It has the huge eyes,
pointed ears, and beautiful fur of the
galagos, but the tail is long, thin, and
tufted. The fingers are flattened out into
disks, like a tree-frog's. These creatures hop
from bough to bough in a frog-like manner
in search of insects. They are not so large
as a good-sized rat. Our photograph does photo ^ L - mdland > F - z ^

. , ., r c . ,. SLOW LORIS.

not give an adequate idea ot the size 01 ot _: ma i ,, n t nhown to

Another of the slow-moving loris group. These animals are
the eyes. the general public at the Zoo, but kept in a specially warmed room.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

TARSIER.

These little animals hop about in the trees like frogs. They are nocturnal, and seldom

seen.

THE AYE-AYE.

Last, and most remarkable
of all these weird lemuroids, is
the A YE- AYE. It is placed in a
group by itself, and has teeth like
those of the Eodents, a large
bushy tail, and most extra-
ordinarily long, slender fingers,
which it probably uses for pick-
ing caterpillars and grubs out of
rotten wood. It is nearly as large
as an Arctic fox, but its habits
are those of a lemur. In Mada-
gascar it haunts the bamboo
forests, feeding on the juice of
sugar-cane, grubs, and insects.
The fingers of its hands are of
different sizes and lengths, though
all are abnormally long and slender.
The second finger seems to have
" wasted," but is said to be of
the utmost value to its owner in
extracting grubs and insects from
the burrows in which they dwell, or the crannies in which they may have taken refuge. Very
seldom is this animal seen alive in captivity. Although commonly called Aye-aye in this
country, it is doubtful if this is really its native name. The aye-aye was long a puzzle to
naturalists, but is now classed as a lemuroid.

THE living races of animals have thus far been reviewed along the completed list of the
first great order the Primates. Even in that circumscribed group how great is the tendency
to depart from the main type, and how wonderful the adaptation to meet the various needs
of the creatures' environment ! The skeletons, the frames on which
these various beings are built up, remain the same in character;
but the differences of proportion in the limbs, of the muscles
with which they are equipped, and of the weight of the bodies to
be moved are astonishing. Compare, for instance, the head of the
male Gorilla, with its great ridges of bone, to which are attached
the muscles which enable it to devour hard tropical fruits and
bite off young saplings and bamboos, with the rounded and
delicate head of the Insect-eating Monkeys of South Africa; or
set side by side the hand of the Chimpanzee with that of the Aye-
aye, with its delicate, slender fingers, like those of a skeleton
hand. What could be more diverse than the movements of these
creatures, whose structure is nevertheless so much alike ? Some of
the lemuroids are as active as squirrels, flying lightly from branch
to branch ; in others, as the Slow Lorises, the power of rapid move-
ment has disappeared, and been replaced by a creeping gait which
cannot be accelerated. Already, in a single order, we see the rich
diversity of nature, and its steady tendency to make all existing
things serviceable by adapting other parts of creation to their use
or enjoyment.

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S., N. Finchley.
HEAD OF AYE-AYE.

The aye-aye lives mainly in the wild,
sugar-cane gro% - es, and feeds on insects and
grubs, as well as on the juice of the sugar-
cane.

Photo by Charles Knight, Aldershot.

AFRICAN LION AND LIONESS.

These animals are so numerous in the new British Protectorate of East Africa
that they are exempted from protection.

Photo by Fratelli Alinari]

[florenvt.

AFKTCAX LION.
'This lion is almost in the attitude of those sculptured by Sir Edwin Landseer for U.e Xelson Monuineut, but the feet are turned in, and not lying flat.

CHAPTER II.

THE CAT TRIBE.

THOUGH only one species is entirely domesticated, and none of the Cats have flesh
edible by man, except perhaps the puma, no group of animals has attracted more interest
tluin tliis. Containing more than forty species, ranging in size from the ox-devouring

tiger or lion to the small wild cats, they are so alike in
habit and structure that no one could possibly mistake the
type or go far wrong in guessing at the habits of any one
of them. They are all flesh-eaters and destroyers of living
animals. All have rounded heads, and an extraordinary
equipment of teeth and of claws, and of muscles to use them.
The blow of the forearm of a lion or tiger is inconceivably
powerful, in proportion to its size. A stroke from a tiger's
paw has been known to strike off a native's arm from the
shoulder and leave it hanging by a piece of skin, and a
similar blow from a lion to crush the skull of an ox. The
true cats are known by the power to draw back, or " retract,"
their claws into sheaths of horn, rendering their footsteps
noiseless, and keeping these weapons always sharp. The
hunting-leopard has only a partial capacity for doing
this.

The characteristics of the Cats and their allies are too well
known to need description. We will therefore only mention
the chief types of the group, and proceed to give, in the fullest
detail which space allows, authentic anecdotes of their life
and habits. The tribe includes Lions, Tigers, Leopards.
Pumas, Jaguars, a large number of so-called Tiger-cats (spotted
and striped), Wild Cats, Domestic Cats, and Lynxes. The
Hunting-leopard, or Cheeta, stands in a sub-group by itself,
as does the Fossa, the only large carnivore of Madagascar.

S3 5

By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbtck, Hamburg.

AN UNWILLING PUPIL.

This is one of Herr Hagenbeck's famous per

forming tigers.

The Living Animals of the World

This closes the list of the most cat-like
animals. The next links in the chain
are formed by the Civets and Genets,
creatures with more or less retractile
claws, and long, bushy tails; the still
less cat-like Binturong, a creature with
a prehensile tail ; and the Mongooses
and Ichneumons, more and more nearly
resembling the weasel tribe.

THE LION.

KECENT intrusions for railways,
sport, discovery, and war into Central
and East Africa have opened up new
lion countries, and confirmed, in the most
striking manner, the stories of the power,
the prowess, and the dreadful destruc-
tiveness to man and beast of this king
of the Carnivora. At present it is
found in Persia, on the same rivers
where Nimrod and the Assyrian kings
made its pursuit their royal sport ; in
Gujerat, where it is nearly extinct,
though in General Price's work on
Indian game written before the middle
of the last century it is stated that a
cavalry officer killed eighty lions in three

years ; and in Africa, from Algeria to the Bechuana country. It is especially common in
Somaliland, where the modern lion-hunter mainly seeks his sport. On the Uganda Eailway,
from Mombasa to Lake Victoria, lions are very numerous and dangerous. In Khodesia and
the Northern Transvaal they have killed hunters, railway officials, and even our soldiers near
Komati Poort. It has been found that whole tracts of country are still often deserted by
their inhabitants from fear of lions, and that the accounts of their ravages contained in the
Old Testament, telling how Samaria was almost deserted a second time from this cause,
might be paralleled to-day.

THE AFRICAN LION.

BY F. C. SELOUS.

When, in the latter half of the seventeenth century, Europeans first settled at the Cape
of Good Hope, the lion's roar was probably to be heard almost nightly on the slopes of Table
Mountain, since a quaint entry in the Diary of Van Eiebeck, the first Dutch governor of the
Cape, runs thus : " This night the lions roared as if they would take the fort by storm " the
said fort being situated on the site of the city now known as Cape Town.

At that date there can be little doubt that, excepting in the waterless deserts and the
dense equatorial forests, lions roamed over the whole of the vast continent of Africa from
Cape Agulhas to the very shore of the Mediterranean Sea ; nor was their range very seriously
curtailed until the spread of European settlements in North and South Africa, and the
acquisition of firearms by the aboriginal inhabitants of many parts of the country, during the
latter half of the nineteenth century, steadily denuded large areas of all wild game.

As the game vanished, the lions disappeared too; for although at first they preyed to a
large extent on the domestic flocks and herds which gradually replaced the wild denizens of

Photo by York & Son] [NoMng Hill.

LIONESS AROUSED.
The pose of the animal here shows attention, but not anger or fear.

Photo by JV/. Geiser]

[Algiers.

ALGERIAN LIONESS.
This lioness, sitting under an olive-tree, was actually photographed in the Soudan hy the intrepid M. Geiser.

The Living Animals of the World

the once-uninhabited plains, this practice
brought them into conflict with the white
colonists or native herdsmen armed with
weapons of precision, before whom they
rapidly succumbed.

To-day lions are still to be found
wherever game exists in any quantity,
and their numbers will be in proportion
to those of the wild animals on which
they prey.

The indefinite increase of lions must
be checked by some unknown law of

A FOSTER-MOTHER.

This is a remarkable photograph of a setter suckling three lion cubs which
had lost their mother. It is reproduced here by permission of the Editor of
the Irish Field,

nature, otherwise they would have become so
numerous in the sparsely inhabited or altogether
uninhabited parts of Africa, that they would first
have exterminated all the game on which they
had been wont to prey, and would then have
had to starve or to have eaten one another.
But such a state of things has never been
known to occur; and whenever Europeans have
entered a previously unexplored and uninhabited
tract of country in Africa, and have found
it teeming with buffaloes, zebras, and antelopes,
they have always found lions in such districts
very plentiful indeed, but never in such numbers
as to seriously diminish the abundance of the

Photo by G. W. Wilson A Co., Ltd.] [Aberdeen.

LIONESS AND CUB.
Lion cubs thrive both in Dublin and Amsterdam, but not so well at the London Zoo.

By permission of //err Carl ffagenbeck] [Hamburg.

A PERFORMING LION.

Lions, it would seem, are capable of being taught almost anything,
even tricycle-riding.

game upon which they de-
pended for food.

It is easy to understand
that the increase of a herd
of herbivorous animals would
be regulated by the amount
of the food-supply available,
as well as constantly checked
by the attacks of the large
carnivora, such as lions,
leopards, cheetas, hyaenas, and
wild dogs ; but I have never
been able to comprehend
what has kept within bounds
the inordinate increase of
lions and other carnivorous
animals in countries where
for ages past they have had
an abundant food-supply, and

The Cat Tribe

at the same time, having been almost entirely unmolested by human beings, have had no
enemies. Perhaps such a state of things does not exist at the present day, but there are
many parts of Africa where such conditions have existed from time immemorial up to within
quite recent years.

Since lions were once to be found over the greater portion of the vast continent of Africa,
it is self-evident that these animals are able to accommodate themselves to great variations of
climate and surroundings ; and I myself have rnet with them, close to the sea, in the hot and
sultry coastlands of South-east Africa; on the high plateau of Mashonaland, where at an
altitude of 6,000 feet above sea-level the winter nights are cold and frosty ; amongst the
stony hills to the east of the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi ; and in the swamps of the Chobi.
In the great reed-beds of the latter river a certain number of lions appeared to live
constantly, preying on buffaloes and lechwe antelopes. I often heard them roaring at nights

Photo by Pratelli Alinari]

[ftorence.

A YOUNG LIONESS.
The sole of the hind foot shows the soft pads on which the Cats noiselessly approach their prey.

in these swamps, and I once saw two big male lions wading slowly across an open space
between two beds of reeds in water nearly a foot in depth.

Although there are great individual differences in lions as regards size, general colour
of coat, and more particularly in the length, colour, and profuseness of the mane with
which the males are adorned, yet as these differences occur in every part of Africa where
lions are met with, and since constant varieties with one fixed type of mane living by
themselves and not interbreeding with other varieties do not exist anywhere, modern zoologists
are, I think, now agreed that there is only one species of lion, since in any large series of
wild lion skins, made in any particular district of Africa or Asia, every gradation will be found
between the finest-maned specimens and those which are destitute of any mane at all. Several
local race? have, however, been recently described by German writers.

In the hot and steamy coastlands of tropical Africa lions usually have short manes, and
never, I believe, attain the long silky black manes sometimes met with on the high plateaux
of the interior. However, there is, I believe, no part of Africa where all or even the majority

The Living Animals of the World

By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck]

A HAPPY FAMILY.

[Hamburg.

Here is a group of animals and their keeper from Herr Hagenbeck's Thierpark. The animal in front
is a cros3 between a lion and a tigress ; he lives on quite friendly terms with his keeper, and also with
lions, tigers, and leopards, as seen in the photograph.

of male lions carry heavy
manes, the long hair of
which does not as a rule
cover more than the neck
and chest, with a tag of
varying length and thick-
ness extending from the
back of the neck to
between the shoulder-
blades. Lions with very
full black manes, covering
the whole shoulders, are
rare anywhere, but more
likely to be encountered
on the high plateaux,
where the winter nights
are extremely cold, than
anywhere else. In such
cases, in addition to the
tufts of hair always found

on the elbows and in the
armpits of lions with
fair-sized manes, there
will probably be large
tufts of hair in each

flank just where the thighs join the belly ; but I have never yet seen the skin of a lion

shot within the last thirty years with the whole belly covered with long, thick hair, as may

constantly be observed in lions kept in captivity in the menageries of Europe. There is,

however, some evidence to show that, when lions existed on the high plains of the Cape

Colony and the Orange River Colony, where the winter nights are much colder than in the

countries farther north where lions may still be encountered, certain individuals of the species

developed a growth of long hair all over the belly, as well as an extraordinary luxuriance of

mane on the neck and shoulders.

From the foregoing remarks it will

be seen that wild lions, having as a rule

much less luxuriant manes than many

examples of their kind to be seen in

European menageries, are ordinarily not so

majestic and dignified in appearance as

many of their caged relatives. On the

other hand, the wild lion is a much more

alert and active animal than a menagerie

specimen, and when in good condition is

far better built and more powerful-looking,

being free from all appearance of lankiness

and weakness in the legs, and having strong,

well-formed hindquarters. The eyes of the

menagerie lion, too, look brOWn and USUally By permission of Herr Carl Hagtnbeck] [Hamburg.

sleepy, whilst those of the wild animal are A CROSS BETWEEN LION AND TIGRESS.

yellow, and extraordinarily luminOUS even This unique photograph shows a remarkable hybrid and its proud parents.

after death. When WOUnded and Standing e father (on the right) is a lion, and the mother (on the left) a tigres^

The offspring (in the centre) is a fine, large male, now four years old ; it u
at bay, With head held low between his bipger than an average-sized lion or tiger.

Photo by Ottomar Anscliiitz]

{Berlin.

A HUNGRY LION.

Notice that the mane, as in most wild lions, is \eryscanty.
39

The Living Animals of the World

By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck]

LIONESS AND TIGER.

[Hamburg.

The straightness of the lioness's tail is here shown. It is not in the least like that of the tiger

or of the cat.

shoulders, growling
hoarsely, and with
twitching tail, even if he
is not near enough to be
observed very closely, a
lion looks a very savage
and dangerous animal ;
but should he be wounded
in such a way as to admit
of a near approach
perhaps by a shot that
has paralysed his hind-
quarters his flaming
eyes will seem to throw
out sparks of living fire.
Speaking generally,
there is little or no
danger in meeting a
lion or lions in the day-
time. Even in parts of
the country where fire-
arms are unknown, and
where the natives seldom
or never interfere with
them, these animals seem
to have an instinctive

fear of man, and even when encountered at the carcase of an animal freshly killed, and at a
time when they may be supposed to be hungry, they will almost invariably retreat before
the unwelcome presence, sometimes slowly and sulkily, but in districts where much hunting
with firearms has been going on at a very rapid pace. However, I have known of two cases
of Europeans mounted on horseback having been attacked by lions in broad daylight, and
Dr. Livingstone mentions a third. In one of the instances which came within my own knowledge,
a lion sprang at a Boer hunter as he was riding slowly along, carrying an elephant-gun in his
right hand and followed by a string of natives on foot. The lion attacked from the left side,
and with its right paw seized my friend from behind by the right side of his face and neck,
inflicting deep gashes with its sharp claws, one of which cut right through his cheek and
tore out one of his teeth. My friend was pulled from his horse, but, clutching the loosely
girthed saddle tightly with his knees, it twisted round under the horse's belly before he fell
to the ground. Instead of following up its success, the lion, probably scared by the shouting
of the Kaffirs, trotted away for a short distance, and then turned and stood looking at the
dismounted hunter, who, never having lost his presence of mind, immediately shot it dead
with his heavy old muzzle-loading elephant-gun. Besides these three instances of Europeans
having been attacked in the daytime by lions, I have known of a certain number of natives
having been killed in broad daylight. Such incidents are, however, by no means every-day
occurrences, and, speaking generally, it may be said that the risk of molestation by lions in
Africa during daylight is very small. It is by night that lions roam abroad with stealthy
step in search of prey; and at such times they are often, when hungry, incredibly bold and
daring. I have known them upon several occasions to enter a hunter's camp, and, regardless
of fires, to seize oxen and horses and human beings.

During the year following the first occupation of Mashonaland in 1890, a great deal of
damage was done by lions, which could not resist the attractions of the settlers' live stock.
For the first few months I kept as accurate an account as I could of the number of horses,

The Cat Tribe

donkeys, oxen, sheep, goats, and pigs which were killed by lions, and it soon mounted up to
over 200 head. During the same time several white men were also mauled by lions, and one
unfortunate man named Teale was dragged from beneath the cart, where he was sleeping by
the side of a native driver, and at once killed and eaten. Several of the horses were killed
inside rough shelters serving as stables. In the following year (1891) over 100 pigs were
killed in one night by a single lioness. These pigs were in a series of pens, separated one
from another, but all under one low thatched roof. The lioness forced her way in between two
poles, and apparently was unable, after having satisfied her hunger, to find her way out again,
and, becoming angry and frightened, wandered backwards and forwards through the pens,
killing almost all the pigs, each one with a bite at the back of the head or neck. This
lioness, which had only eaten portions of two young pigs, made her escape before daylight, but
was killed with a set gun the next night by the owner of the pigs.

When lions grow old, they are always liable to become man-eaters. Finding their strength
failing them, and being no longer able to hunt and pull down large antelopes or zebras, they
are driven by hunger to killing small animals, such as porcupines, and even tortoises, or they
may visit a native village and catch a goat, or kill a child or woman going for water ; and
finding a human being a very easy animal to catch and kill, an old lion which has once tasted
human flesh will in all probability continue to be a man-eater until he is killed. On this
subject, in his "Missionary Travels," Dr. Livingstone says: "A man-eater is invariably an old
lion ; and when he overcomes his fear of man so far as to come to villages for goats, the
people remark, ' His teeth are worn ; he will soon kill men/ They at once acknowledge the
necessity of instant action, and turn out to kill him." It is the promptness with which
measures are taken by the greater part of the natives of Southern Africa to put an end to

Photo ly Ottomar Anschiit:]

TIGRESS.

Were the grass seen here the normal height of that in the Indian jungles, the upright lines uld harmonise with the stripes, and r,

tiger almost invisible.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z S., North Finchley.
TIGEB CUB.

any lion which may take to eating men that prevents
these animals as a rule from becoming the formidable pests
which man-eating tigers appear to be in parts of India. But
man-eating lions in Africa are not invariably old animals.
One which killed thirty-seven human beings in 1887, on the
Majili River, to the north-west of the Victoria Falls of the
Zambesi, was, when at last he was killed, found to be an
animal in the prime of life ; whilst the celebrated man-
eaters of the Tsavo River, in East Africa, were also apparently
strong, healthy animals. These two man-eating lions caused
such consternation amongst the Indian workmen on the
Uganda Railway that the work of construction was con-
siderably retarded, the helpless coolies refusing to remain
any longer in a country where they were liable to be
eaten on any night by a man-eating lion. Both these lions
were at last shot by one of the engineers on the railway
(Mr. J. H. Patterson), but not before they had killed and
devoured twenty-eight Indian coolies and an unknown
number of native Africans.

Note the great development of the legs THE TIGER.

and paws.

TIGERS are the " type animal " of Asia. They are

found nowhere else. Lions were inhabitants, even in historic times, of Europe, and are
still common on the Euphrates and in parts of Persia, just as they were when the Assyrian
kings shot them with arrows from their hunting-chariots. They survived in Greece far later
than the days when story says that Hercules slew the Nemean lion in the Peloponnesus, for the
baggage-animals of Xerxes'
army of invasion were attacked
by lions near Mount Athos.
But the tiger never comes,
and never did come in historic
times, nearer to Europe than
the Caucasian side of the
Caspian Sea. On the other
hand, they range very far
north. All our tiger-lore is
Indian. There is scarcely
a story of tigers to be found
in English books of sport
which deals with the animal
north of the line of the
Himalaya. These Chinese
northern tigers and the
Siberian tigers are far larger
than those of India. They
have long woolly coats, in
order to resist the cold.
Their skins are brought to
London in hundreds every

year to the great fur-sales. * BOYAL TIGER.

But the animals them-

Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd.]

[Dundee.

This is an old Bengal Tiger, with the smooth, short coat grown in that hot climate.

The Cat Tribe

Photo by Fratelli Alinart^

A TIGER BEFOBE SLEEPING.
Tigers, when about to sloep, sit in this position ; whan more drowsy, they lie down or roll oyeron their backs.

(Florence.

selves we never see. The present writer was informed by a friend that in the Amur
Valley he shot three of these tigers in a day, putting them up in thick bush- scrub by the
aid of dogs.

The EOYAL BENGAL TIGER, so called, and very properly called in the old. books of natural
history, is a different and far more savage beast. It is almost invariably a ferocious
savage, fierce by nature, never wishing to be otherwise than a destroyer of beasts mainly,
but often of men. Compared with the lion, it is far longer, but rather Lighter, for the
lion is more massive and compact. " A well-grown tigress," says Sir Samuel Baker, " may
weigh on an average 240 Ibs. live weight. A very fine tiger may weigh 440 Ibs., but if
fat the same tiger would weigh 500 Ibs. There may be tigers which weigh 50 Ibs. more
than this; but I speak according to my experience. I have found that a tiger of
9 feet 8 inches is about 2 inches above the average. The same skin may be stretched
to measure 10 feet. A tiger in the Zoological Gardens is a long, lithe creature with little
flesh. Such a specimen affords a poor example of this grand animal in its native jungle's,
with muscles in their full, ponderous development from continual exertion in nightly
travels over long distances, and in mortal struggles when wrestling with its prey. A well-fed
tiger is by no means a slim figure. On the contrary, it is exceedingly bulky, broad in
the shoulders, back, and loins, and with an extraordinary girth of limb^, especially in the
forearms and wrists."

This ponderous, active, and formidably armed creature is, as might be expected, able to hold
its own wherever Europeans do not form part of the regular population. In India the peasants
are quite helpless even against a cattle-killing tiger in a populous part of the country. In
the large jungles, and on the islands at the mouths of the great rivers, the tigers have things

The Living Animals of the World

all their own way. Things are no better in the Far East. A large peninsula near Singapore
is said to have been almost abandoned by its cultivators lately, owing to the loss of life caused
by the tigers. In the populous parts of India the tiger is far more stealthy than in the
out-of-the-way districts. It only hunts by night ; and after eating a part of the animal killed,
moves off to a distance, and does not return. Otherwise the regular habit is to return to the
kill just at or after dusk, and finish the remainder. Its suspicions seem quite lulled to sleep
after dark. Quite recently a sportsman sat up to watch for a tiger at a water-hole. It was
in the height of the Indian hot season, when very little water was left. All the creatures
of that particular neighbourhood were in the habit of coming to drink at one good pool still
left in the rocky bed of the river. There the tigers came too. The first night they did not
come until all the other creatures hog, deer, peacocks, and monkeys had been down to drink.
They then came so softly over the sand that the gunner in waiting did not hear them pass.
His first knowledge that they were there was due to the splashing they made as they entered
the water. It was quite dark, and he felt not a little nervous, for the bush on which he was

seated on a small platform
was only some 10 feet high.
He heard the two tigers pass
him, not by their footsteps,
but by the dripping of the
water as it ran off their
bodies on to the sand. Next
night they came again. This
time, though it was dark,
he shot one in a very in-
genious manner. The two
tigers walked into the water,
and apparently lay down or
sat down in it, with their
heads out. They only moved
occasionally, lapping the water,
but did not greatly disturb
the surface. On this was
reflected a bright star from
the sky above. The sports-
man put the sight of the rifle
on the star, and kept it up
to his shoulder. Something

obliterated the star, and he instantly fired. The "something" was the tiger's head, which the
bullet duly hit.

The hill-tigers of India are, or were, much more given to hunting by day than the jungle-
tigers. In the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India the late General Douglas Hamilton said that
before night the tigers were already about hunting, and that in the shade of evening it was
dangerous to ride on a pony not because the tigers wished to kill the rider, but because they
might mistake the pony and its rider for a sambar deer. He was stalked like this more than
once. Often, when stalking sambar deer and ibex by day, he saw the tigers doing the same,
or after other prey. "My brother Kichard," he writes, "was out after a tiger which the
hillmen reported had killed a buffalo about an hour before. He saw the tiger on first getting
to the ground, and the tiger had seen him. It was lying out in the open watching the buffalo,
and shuffled into the wood, and would not come out again. Next morning, when we got to
the ground, the tiger was moving from rock to rock, and had dragged the body into a nullah.
. . . We were upon the point of starting home when we observed a number of vultures coming
down to the carcase. The vultures began to collect in large numbers on the opposite hill. I

[Panon't Green.

flioto by Scholastic Pkoto. Co.]

A HALF-GROWN TIGER CUB.

Tigerg " grow to their head," like children. The head of a half -grown cub is as long, though not
so broad, as that of tbe adult.

Photo by Fratelli Alinari]
These tigers were

[Florence.

TIGERS IX ITALY.

photographed in Turin. Italy was the first European country to which these animals were brought from the East.

The Living Animals of the World

[Hamburg.

soon counted fifty ; but they would not go

near the buffalo. Then some crows, bolder

than the rest, flew down, and made a great

row over their meal. All of a sudden they

all flew up, and I made certain it was the

tiger. Then my brother fired, and there

he was, shot right through the brain, lying

just above the buffalo. He had been brought

down by the noise the crows were making.

Upon driving the skolas (small woods on

these hills), tigers were often put out. Some-
times they availed themselves of the drive

to secure food for themselves. A wood was

being driven, when a tremendous grunting

was heard, and out rushed an old boar, bristling

and savage. B was about to raise his

rifle, when a growl like thunder stopped

him, and a great tiger with one spring

cleared the nullah, and alighted on the back

of the old boar. Such a battle then took

place that, what with the growls of the tiger

and the squeals of the boar, one might believe

oneself in another world. I thought of nothing

but of how to kill one or the other, or both ;

so, as they were rolling down over and over,

about fifty yards from me on the open hill-
side, I let fly both barrels. For a second or

two the noise went on ; then the tiger jumped

off, and the boar struggled into the nullah

close by. The tiger pulled up, and coolly

stared at us without moving ; but his courage seemed to fail him, and he sprang into the

nullah and disappeared."

In most parts of India tigers are now scarce and shy, except in the preserves of the

great rajas, and the dominions of some mighty and pious Hindu potentates, such as the

Maharaja of Jeypur, who, being supposed to be descended from a Hindu god, allows no wild

animals to be killed. There the deer and
pig are so numerous that tigers are welcome
to keep them down. But the Sunderbunds,
unwholesome islands at the Ganges mouth,
still swarm with them. So does the Malay
Peninsula.

Mr. J. D. Cobbold shot a tiger in
Central Asia in a swamp so deep in snow
and so deadly cold that he dared not stay
for fear of being frozen to death. Tigers
sometimes wander as far west as the
Caucasus near the Caspian. The farther
north, the larger your tiger, is the rule.
The biggest ever seen in Europe was
a Siberian tiger owned by Herr Carl

BJI permission of Herr Carl Hagtnbtck]

A LEOPARD-PUMA HYBRID.

This is a photograph from life of a very rare hybrid. The animals'
father was a puma, its mother a leopard. It is now dead, and may bt
seen stuffed in Mr. Rothschild's Museum at Tring.

Photo by L. Mcdland, F.Z.S.]

LEOPARDS.

(North Finchley.

A pair of leopards, one spotted, the other black. Black leopards may be the
offspring of the ordinary spotted form : they are generally much more savage

Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, and the largest
known skin and skull is from the Far

The Cat Tribe

North. The skin is 13 feet 6 inches from the nose to the end of the tail. The largest
Indian tiger-skin, from one killed by the Maharaja of Cuch Eehar, measures 11 feet 7 inches.

LEOPARDS.

LESS in size, but even more ferocious, the LEOPARD has a worse character than the tiger.'
Living mainly in trees, and very nocturnal, this fierce and dangerous beast is less often
seen than far rarer animals. It is widely spread over the world, from the Cape of Good
Hope to the Atlas Mountains, and from Southern China to the Black Sea, where it is
sometimes met with in the Caucasus. There seems to be no legend of its presence in '
Greece, Italy, or Spain; but it was quite common in Asia Minor; and Cicero, when governor
of Cilicia, was plagued by an aristocratic young friend in Koine to send him leopards to
exhibit in a fete he was giving.

Any one who has frequented the Zoo for any time must have noticed the difference in
size and colour between leopards from different parts of the world. On some the ground-
colour is almost white, in others a clear nut-brown. Others are jet-black. Wherever they
live, they are cattle thieves, sheep thieves, and dog thieves. Though not formidable in
appearance, they are immensely strong. Sometimes one will turn man-eater. Both in India
and lately in Africa cases have been known where they have " set up " in this line as
deliberately as any tiger. They have four or five young at a birth, which may often be kept
tame for some time and are amusing pets. But the following plain story shows the danger
of such experiments. At Hong-kong an English merchant had a tame leopard, which was
brought into the room by a coolie for the guests to see at a dinner party. Excited by the
smell of food, it refused to go out when one of the ladies, who did not like its looks, wished
for it to be removed. The man took hold of its collar and began to haul it out. It seized
him by the neck, bit it through, and in a minute the coolie was dying, covered with blood,
on the dining-room floor !

Photo by C, Reid]

[Wiiliav:, N.B.

A YOUNG LEOPARD

opard oib is far more cat-like in appearance than the young tiger or lion.

The Living Animals of the World

The Chinese leopard ranges as fur north as the Siberian tiger, and, like the latter, seems
to grow larger the farther north it is found. The colour of these northern leopards is very
pale, the spots large, and the fur very long. At the March fur-sales of the present year,
held at the stores of Sir Charles Lampson, there were Siberian leopard-skins as large as those
of a small tiger.

Leopards are essentially tree-living and nocturnal animals. Sleeping in trees or caves by
day, they are seldom disturbed. They do an incredible amount of mischief among cattle,
calves, sheep, and dogs, being especially fond of killing and eating the latter. They seize
their prey by the throat, and cling with their claws until they succeed in breaking the spine
or in strangling the victim. The largest leopards are popularly called PANTHERS. In India they
sometimes become man-eaters, and are always very dangerous. They have a habit of feeding
on putrid flesh ; this makes wounds inflicted by their teeth or claws liable to blood-poisoning.
Nothing in the way of prey comes amiss to them, from a cow in the pasture to a fowl up at
roost. " In every country," says Sir
Samuel Baker, " the natives are unani-
mous in saying that the leopard is more
dangerous than the lion or tiger.
Wherever I have been in Africa, the
natives have declared that they had no
fear of a lion, provided they were not
hunting, for it would not attack unpro-
voked, but that a leopard was never to
be trusted. I remember when a native

boy, accompanied by his grown-up brother,

Photo by J. W. McLellan] [Highbury.

SNOW-LEOPARD, OR OUNCE.
This is a striking portrait of a very beautiful animal. Note the long bushy tail, thick coat, and large eyes.

was busily employed with others in firing the reeds on the .opposite bank of a small stream.
Being thirsty and hot, the boy stooped down to drink, when he was immediately seized by
a leopard. His brother, with admirable aim, hurled his spear at the leopard while the boy
was in his jaws. The point separated the vertebrae of the neck, and the leopard fell stone-
dead. The boy was carried to my hut, but there was no chance of recovery. The fangs had
torn open the chest and injured the lungs. These were exposed to view through the cavity
of the ribs. He died the same night."

In the great mountain-ranges of Central Asia the beautiful SNOW-LEOPARD is found. It
is a large creature, with thick, woolly coat, and a long tail like a fur boa. The colour is
white, clouded with beautiful grey, like that of an Angora cat. The edges of the cloundings
and spots are marked with black or darker grey. The eyes are very large, bluish grey or
smoke-coloured. It lives on the wild sheep, ibex, and other mountain animals. In captivity it
is far the tamest and gentlest of the large carnivora, not excepting the puma. Unlike the
latter, it is a sleepy, quiet animal, like a domestic cat. The specimen shown here belonged to
a lady in India, who kept it for some time as a pet. It was then brought to the Zoological
Gardens, where it was more amiable and friendly than most cats. The writer has entered its
cage with the keeper, stroked it, and patted its head, without in the least ruffling its good-
temper. The heat of the lion-house did not suit it, and it died of consumption.

Photo ly OUomar Angchiltz}

[Berlin.

CHEETA.

A cheeta is a hunting-leopard ; this one is a particularly large specimen. The cheetas are dealt with later on in this chapter.

49 7

The Living Animals of the World

Pltoto by U. W. Wtison On C'o., Ltd.\

JAGUAB.
The largest and strongest of the Cats of the Kew World. A South American species.

THE NEW WORLD CATS.

THE cats, great and small, of the New World resemble those of the Old, though not quite
so closely as the caribou, wapiti deer, and moose of the northern forests resemble the reindeer.
red deer, and elk of Europe. They are like, but with a difference. The Jaguar and the
Ocelot are respectively larger and far more beautiful than their counterparts, the leopard and
serval cats. Bat the Puma, the one medium-sized feline animal which is unspotted, is
something unique. The jaguar and puma are found very far south in South America; and
though the jaguar is really a forest animal, it seems to have wandered out on to the Pampas
of Argentina, perhaps attracted by the immense numbers of cattle, sheep, and horses on these

plains.

THE JAGUAR.

The JAGUAR is as savage as it is formidable,
but does not often attack men. Its headquarters
are the immense forests running from Central
America to Southern Brazil ; and as all great forests
are little inhabited, the jaguar is seldom encoun-
tered by white rnen. By the banks of the great
rivers it is semi-aquatic; it swims and climbs with
equal ease, and will attack animals on board boats
anchored in the rivers. As there are few animal*
of great size in these forests, its great strength is
not often seen exercised, as is that of the lion ; but
it is the personification of concentrated force, and
its appearance is well worth studying from that
point of view. The spots are larger and squarer than
in the leopard, the head ponderous, the forearms
and feet one mass of muscle, knotted under the
velvet skin. On the Amazons it draws its food
alike from the highest tree-tops and the river-bed ;
in the former it catches monkeys in the branches,
fish in the shallows of the rivers, and scoops out
turtles' eggs from the sandbanks. Humboldt, who
visited these regions when the white population

Photo Uy Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green.

PUJJA.
A puma in the act of lying down, like a domestic cat.

The Cat Tribe 51

was scarce, declared that 4,000 jaguars were killed annually, and 2,000 skins exported from
Ihienos Ayres alone. It was clearly common on the Pampas in his day, and made as great
havoc among the cattle and horses as it does to-day.

THE PUMA.

The PUMA is a far more interesting creature. It is found from the mountains in Montana,
next the Canadian boundary, to the south of Patagonia. Yankee stories of its ferocity may
have some foundation ; but the writer believes there is no recorded instance of the northern
puma attacking man unprovoked, though in the few places where it now survives it kills
cattle-calves and colts. It is relentlessly hunted with dogs, treed, and shot. As to the puma

Photo by Ottomar Anschutz]

FEMALE PUMA.
This shows a puma alert and vigilant, with ears pricked forward.

[Berlin.

of the southern plains and central forests, the natives, whether Indians or Gauchos, agree with
the belief, steadily handed down from the days of the first Spanish conquest, that the puma
is the one wild cat which is naturally friendly to man. The old Spaniards called it amigo del
Cristiano (the Christian's friend) ; and Mr. Hudson, in " The Naturalist in La Plata," gives
much evidence of this most curious and interesting tendency : " It is notorious that where the
puma is the only large beast of prey it is perfectly safe for a small child to go out and sleep
on the plain. . . . The puma is always at heart a kitten, taking unmeasured delight in its
frolics ; and when, as often happens, one lives alone in the desert, it will amuse itself for hours
fighting mock battles or playing hide-and-seek with imaginary companions, or lying in wait
and putting all its wonderful strategy in practice to capture a passing butterfly." From
Azara downwards these stories have been told too often not to be largely true ; and in old natural

The Living Animals of the World

histories, whose writers believed
the puma was a terrible man-eater,
they also appear as " wonderful
escapes." One tells how a man
put his poncho, or cloak, over his
back when crawling up to get a
shot at some duck, and felt some-
thing heavy on the end of it. He
crept from under it, and there was
a puma sitting on it, which did
not offer to hurt him.

As space forbids further
quotation from Mr. Hudson's
experiences, which should be read,
the writer will only add one
anecdote which was told him by
Mr. Everard im Thurn, C.B.,
formerly an official in British
Guiana. He was going up one
of the big rivers in his steam-
launch, and gave a passage to an
elderly and respectable Cornish
miner, who wanted to go up to
a gold-mine. The visitor had his
meals on the boat, but at night
went ashore with the men and
slung his hammock between two
trees, leaving the cabin to his
host. One morning two of the
Indian crew brought the miner's hammock on board with a good deal of laughing and
talking. Their master asked what the joke was, whereupon, pointing to the trees whence
they had unslung the hammock, one said, "Tiger sleep with old man last night." They
were quite in earnest, and pointed out a hollow and marks on the leaves, which showed that
a puma had been lying just under the man's hammock. When asked if he had noticed
anything in the night, he said, " Only the frogs croaking wakened me up." The croaking of
the frogs was probably the hoarse purring of the friendly puma enjoying his proximity to
a sleeping man. Mr. Hudson quotes a case in which four pumas played round and leapt over a
person camping out on the Pampas. He watched them for some time, and then went to sleep !
Many of those brought to this country come with their tempers ruined by ill-treatment and
hardship ; but a large proportion are as tame as cats. Captain Marshall had one at Marlow which
used to follow him on a chain and watch the boats full of pleasure-seekers at the lock.

The puma is always a beautiful creature, the fur cinnamon-coloured, tinged with gold ; the
belly and chest white ; the tail long, full, and round. Though friendly to man, it is a desperate
cattle-killer, and particularly fond of horse-flesh, so much so that it has been suggested that
the indigenous wild horses of America were destroyed by the puma.

There are two other cats of the Pampas the GRASS-CAT, not unlike our wild cat in
appearance and habits, and the WOOD-CAT, or Geoffrey's .Cat. It is a tabby, and a most elegant
creature, of which there is a specimen, at the time of writing, in the London Zoo.

THE OCELOT.

In the forest region is also found the most beautiful of the medium-sized cats. This
is the OCELOT, which corresponds somewhat to the servals, but is not the least like a lynx, as

Photo by Ottomar Ansdiiitz]

[.Berlin.

OCELOT.
Note the elongated spots, and their arrangement in chains.

The Cat Tribe

the scrvals are. It is entirely a tree-cat, and lives on birds and monkeys. The following
detailed description of its coloration appeared in "Life at the Zoo":

" Its coat, with the exception perhaps of that of the clouded leopard of Sumatra, marks
the highest development of ornament among four-footed animals. The Argus pheasant alone
seems to offer a parallel to the beauties of the ocelot's fur, especially in the development of
the wonderful ocelli, which, though never reaching in the beast the perfect cup-and-ball
ornament seen on the wings of the bird, can be traced in all the early stages of spots and
wavy lines, so far as the irregular shell-shaped rim and dot on the feet, sides, and back, just
as in the subsidiary ornament of the Argus pheasant's feathers. Most of the ground-tint of
the fur is smoky-pearl colour, on which the spots develop from mere dots on the legs and

[Berlin.

Photo by Ottnmnr AnchHtz]

OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.
The ocelot can be tamed and almost domesticated if taken young, and is occasionally kept as a pet by the forest Indians.

speckles on the feet and toes to large egg-shaped ocelli on the flanks. There are also two
beautiful pearl-coloured spots on the back of each ear, like those which form the
ornaments of the wings of many moths."

The nose is pink ; the eye large, convex, and translucent.

A tame ocelot described by Wilson, the American naturalist, was most playful an-
affectionate, but when fed with flesh was less tractable. It jumped on to the back o a horse
in the stable, and tried to curl up on its hindquarters. The horse threw the oce o t off and
kicked it curing it of any disposition to ride. On seeing a horse, the ocelot always ran off to
as kennel aftenvards. When sent to England, it caught hold of and threw down a child of
four years old, whom it rolled about with its paws without hurting it.

The Living Animals of the World

OTHER WILD CATS.

A HANDSOME leopard-like animal is
the CLOUDED LEOPARD. It is the size
of a small common leopard, but far
gentler in disposition. Its fur is not
spotted, but marked with clouded
patches, outlined in grey and olive-brown.
Its skin is among the most beautiful
of the Cats. It is found in the Malay
Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Formosa,
and along the foot of the Himalaya
from Nepal to Assam. Writing of
two which he kept, Sir Stamford
Raffles said : " No kitten could be more
good-tempered. They were always
courting intercourse with persons pass-
ing by, and in the expression of
their countenance showed the greatest
delight when noticed, throwing them-
selves on their backs, and delighting

Photo by A. S. Rudland <k Son*.

FISHING-CAT.
This wild cat haunts the sides of rivers, and is an expert at catching fish.

are yellow and spotted, those which are
grey and spotted, and those which are
grey and striped, or "whole-coloured."
There is no wholly grey wild cat, but
several sandy-coloured species. All live on
birds and small mammals, and probably
most share the tame cat's liking for fish.
Among the grey-and-spotted cats are the
MOTTLED CAT of the Eastern Himalaya
and Straits Settlements and islands ; the
TIBETAN TIGER-CAT; the FISHING-CAT of
India and Ceylon, which is large enough
to kill lambs, but lives much on fish and
large marsh-snails ; GEOFFROY'S CAT, an
American species; the LEOPARD-CAT of Java

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

CLOUDED LEOPARD.
It shares with the ocelot the first place among the highly ornamented cats.

in being tickled and rubbed. On board
ship there was a small dog, which used to
play around the cage with the animal. It
was amusing to watch the tenderness and
playfulness with which the latter came
in contact with its smaller-sized com-
panion." Both specimens were procured
from the banks of the Bencoolin River, in
Sumatra. They are generally found near
villages, and are not dreaded by the
natives, except in so far that they destroy
their poultry.

The number of smaller leopard-cats
and tiger-cats is very great. They fall,
roughly, into three groups : those which

Photo by A. S. Rudland <k lions.

MARBLED CAT.

Another beautifully marked cat. The tail is spotted and very long, the
marbled markings being on the body only

Photo b

[Berlin.
GOLDEN CAT.

,urnatra is the borne of this very beautifully coloured cat. The general tint is that of gold-stone. Sometimes the belly is pure white.

The Living Animals of the World

Phntn by A. S. Rvdland & Sont.

PAMPAS-CAT.

Note the likeness of the thick tail and barred legs to our English wild cat.
" Inexpressibly savage in disposition " (Hudson).

the most beautiful is the GOLDEN CAT of
Sumatra, one of which is now in the
Zoological Gardens. It has a coat the
colour of gold-stone. The nose is pink,
the eyes large and topaz-coloured, the
cheeks striped with white, and the under-
parts and lower part of the tail pure
white.

Four kinds of wild cats are known in
South Africa, of which the largest is the
SERVAL, a short-tailed, spotted animal, with
rather more woolly fur than the leopard's.
The length is about 4 feet 2 inches, of
which the tail is only 12 inches. It is found
from Algeria to the Cape; but its favourite
haunts, like those of all the wild cats of
hot countries, are in the reeds by rivers.

and Japan, which seems to have grey fur
in Japan and a fulvous leopard-like skin
in India, where it is also called the TJGEH-
CAT ; and the smallest of all wild cats, the
little RUSTY-S POTTED CAT of India. This
has rusty spots on a grey ground. "1 had
a kitten brought to me," says Dr. Jerdon
of the species, "when very young. It
became quite tame, and was the delight
and admiration of all who saw it. When
it was about eight months old, I introduced
the fawn of a gazelle into the room where
it was. The little creature flew at it the
moment it saw it, seized it by the nape
of the neck, and was with difficulty taken
off. Of the whole-coloured wild cats which
include the BAY CAT, the American PAMPAS-
CAT, PALLAS' CAT of Tibet and India

Photo by A. S. Rudland <t Sons.

BAY CAT.
This is an example of the completely tawny small cats.

t'kolo by A. is. Jiudland tic Sons.

EYRA CAT.

The lowest and longest of the cats, shaped more like a civet ; it is readily
tamed, and makes a charming pet.

It kills hares, rats, birds, and small mammals
generally.

The BLACK-FOOTED WILD CAT is another
African species. It is a beautiful spotted-
and-lined tabby, the size of a small domestic
cat, and as likely as any other to be the
origin of our tabby variety, if tame cats
came to Europe from Africa. At present
it is only found south in the Kalahari
Desert and Bechuanaland.

The KAFFIR CAT is the common wild
cat of the Cape Colony, and a very in-
teresting animal. It is a whole-coloured
tawny, upstanding animal, with all the
indifference to man and generally in-
dependent character of the domestic tom-cat.

The Cat Tribe

Photo by A. S. Rudland <i- Sons.

KAFFIR CAT.

The common wild cat of South Africa. It will interbreed with
domestic cats.

It is, however, much stronger than the
tame cats, with which it interbreeds freely.
In the Colony it is often difficult to
keep male tame cats, for the wild Kaffir
cats come down and fight them in the
breeding-season. The Egyptian cat is really
the same animal, slightly modified by
climate. A very distinct species is the
= JUNGLE-CAT, ranging from India, through
Baluchistan, Syria, and East Africa, and called
in Hindustani the CHAUS. The European
striped wild cat extends to the Himalaya,
where the range of the lion-coloured,
yellow-eyed chaus begins. The chaus has
a few black bars inside the legs, which
vary in different regions. The Indian

chaus has only one distinctly marked; the Kaffir cat has four or five. The EGYPTIAN
FETIERED CAT has been said to be the origin of the domestic and sacred cats of
Egypt- A male chaus is most formidable when "cornered." General Hamilton chased
one, which had prowled into the cantonments on the look-out for fowls, into a fence.
"After a long time I spied the cat squatting in a hedge," he writes, "and called for
the dogs. When they came, I knelt down and began clapping my hands and cheering
them on. The cat suddenly made a clean spring at my face. I had just time to
catch it as one would a cricket-ball, and, giving its ribs a strong squeeze, threw it to
the dogs ; but not before it had made its teeth meet in my arm just above the wrist. For
some weeks I had to carry my arm in a sling, and I shall carry the marks of the bite to
my grave."

The chaus, as will be seen from the above, wanders boldly down into the outskirts of large
towns, cantonments, and bungalows, on the look-out for chickens and pigeons. Its favourite
plan is to lie up at dawn in some piece of thick cover near to where the poultry wander out
to scratch, feed, and bask. It then pounces on the nearest unhappy hen and rushes off with it
into cover. An acquaintance of the writer once had a number of fine Indian game fowl, of
which he was not a little proud. He noticed that one was missing every morning for
three days, and, not being able to
discover the robber, shut them up in
a hen-house. Next morning he heard
a great commotion outside, and one
of his bearers came running in to say
that a leopard was in the hen-house.
As this was only built of bamboo or
some such light material, it did not seem
probable that a leopard would stay there.
Getting his rifle, he went out into the
compound, and cautiously approached
the hen-house, in which the fowls were
still making loud protests and cries of
alarm. The door was shut; but some
creature certainly not a leopard might
have squeezed in through the small en-

, , . TT , ,, Photo ly A. S. Rudland & Sons.

trance used by the hens. He opened the AFRICAN CHAUS, OR JUNGLE-CAT.

door, and Saw at the back Of the hen-house The chaus . g the Indlan and African equivalent of our wild cat. It is

a chaUS Sitting, With all its fur On end, equally strong and savage.

. 1 :
Jit.

The Living Animals of the World

looking almost as large as a small leopard. On the floor was one dead fowl. The impudent
jungle-cat rushed for the door, but had the coolness to seize the hen as it passed, and with
this in its mouth rushed past the owner of the hens, his servants and retainers, and reached
a piece of thick scrub near with its prize.

As the chaus is common both in India and Africa, a comparison of its habits in both
continents is somewhat interesting. Jerdon, the Indian naturalist, writes : " It is the common
wild cat from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, and from the level of the sea to 7,000 or 8,000
feet elevation. It frequents alike the jungles and the open country, and is very partial to long
reeds, and grass, sugarcane-fields, and corn-fields. It does much damage to all game, especially
to hares and partridges. Quite recently I shot a pea-fowl at the edge of a sugarcane-field.
One of these cats sprang out, seized the pea-fowl, and after a short struggle for the bird was
not quite dead carried it off before my astonished eyes, and, in spite of my running up, made
his escape with his booty. It must have been stalking these very birds, so closely did its spring
follow my shot. It is said to breed twice a year, and to have three or four young at a birth. I
have very often had the young brought to me, but always failed in rearing them ; arid they always
showed a savage and untamable disposition. I have seen numbers of cats about villages in
various parts of the country that must have been hybrids between this cat and the tame ones."

The late Sir Oliver St. John was more fortunate with his jungle-cat kittens. He obtained
three in Persia. These he reared till they were three months old, by which time they became
so tame that they would climb on to his knees at breakfast-time, and behave like ordinary
kittens. One was killed by a greyhound, and another by a scorpion a curious fate for a kitten
to meet. The survivor then became morose and ill-tempered, but grew to be a large and strong
animal. "Two English bull-terriers of mine, which would make short work of the largest
domestic cat, could do nothing against my wild cat," says the same writer. " In their almost
daily battles the dogs always got the worst of it."

In Africa the chaus haunts the thick cover bordering the rivers. There it catches not

only water-fowl, but also fish. According to Messrs. Nicolls and Ellington, " its spoor
may constantly be seen imprinted on the mud surrounding such pools in the periodical
watercourses as are constantly being dried up, and in which fish may probably be imprisoned
without, chance of escape." The chaus has for neighbour in Africa the beautiful SERVAL, a
larger wild cat. This species is reddish in colour, spotted on the body, and striped on the
legs. The ears are long, but not tufted, like those of the lynx. The serval is more common
in North and Central Africa than in the South. But it is also found south of the Tropic of
Capricorn. Messrs. Nicolls and Eglington say of it : "Northward through South Central Africa it

is fairly common. It frequents the thick
bush in the vicinity of rivers. The
karosses, or mantles, made from its
skins are only worn by the chiefs and
very high dignitaries amongst the native
tribes, and are in consequence eagerly
sought after, on which account the
species runs a risk of rapid extermi-
nation. Its usual prey consists of
the young of the smaller antelopes,
francolins, and wild guinea-fowls, to
the latter of which it is a most
destructive enemy in the breeding-
season. When obtained young, the
serval can be tamed with little trouble ;

by L. Midland, F.Z.S.] [Xorth FincUey. but it is difficult to rear, and always

SERVAL. shows a singular and almost unaccount-

This is a spotted cat, with long ears, but no tufts on them, as in the true lynxes. able aversion to black men. Its

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz]

[Berlin.

MALE SEEVAL.

The serval is a link between the leopards and tiger-cats, quite large enough to kill the young of tho smaller antelopes.

The Living Animals of the World

otherwise even temper is always aroused at
the sight of a native. When in anger, it is
by no means a despicable antagonist, and
very few dogs would like to engage in a
combat with one single-handed."

THE COMMON WILD CAT.

The WILD CAT was once fairly common
all over England. A curious story, obviously
exaggerated, shows that traditions of its
ferocity were common at a very early date.
The tale is told of the church of Barn-
borough, in Yorkshire, between Doncaster and
Barnsley. It is said that a man and a wild
cat met in a wood near and began to fight;
that the cat drove the man out of the wood
as far as the church, where he took refuge
in the porch ; and that both the man and
cat were so injured that they died. Accord-
ing to Dr. Pearce, the event was formerly
commemorated by a rude painting in the
church.

Mr. Charles St. John had an experience
with a Scotch wild cat very like that which
General Douglas Hamilton tells of the jungle-
cat. He heard many stories of their attack-
ing and wounding men when trapped or
when their escape was cut off, and before
long found out that these were true. " 1
was fishing in a river in Sutherland," he
wrote, "and in passing from one pool to
another had to climb over some rocky ground.
In doing so, I sank almost up to my knees
in some rotten heather and moss, almost upon
a wild cat which was concealed under it.
I was quite as much startled as the cat itself
could be, when I saw the wild-looking beast
rush so unexpectedly from between my feet,
with every hair on her body on end, making
her look twice as large as she really was. I had three small Skye terriers with me, w r hich
immediately gave chase, and pursued her till she took refuge in a corner of the rocks, where,
perched in a kind of recess out of reach of her enemies, she stood with her hair bristled out,
spitting and growling like a common cat. Having no weapon with me, I laid down my rod,
cut a good-sized stick, and proceeded to dislodge her. As soon as I was within six or seven
feet of the place, she sprang straight at my face over the dogs' heads. Had I not struck her
in mid-air as she leaped at me, I should probably have received a severe wound. As it was,
she fell with her back half broken among the dogs, who with my assistance dispatched her.
I never saw an animal fight so desperately, or one which was so difficult to kill. If a tame
cat has nine lives, a wild cat must have a dozen. Sometimes one of these animals will
take up its residence at no great distance from a house, and, entering the hen-roosts and
outbuildings, will carry off fowls in the most audacious manner, or even lambs. Like other

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz']

SERVAL CLIMBING.
Note the active, cat-like method of climbing.

[Berlin.

The Cat Tribe

vermin, the wild cat haunts the shores of lakes and rivers, and it is therefore easy to know
where to set a trap for them. Having caught and killed one of the colony, the rest of them
are sure to be taken if the body of their slain relative is left in the same place not far from
their usual hunting-ground and surrounded with traps, as every wild cat passing that way
will to a certainty come to it."

The wild cat ranges from the far north of Scotland, across Europe and Northern Asia,
to the northern slopes of the Himalaya. It has always been known as one of the fiercest and
wildest of the cats, large or small. The continual ill-temper of these creatures is remarkable.
In the experience of the keepers of menageries there is no other so intractably savage. One
presented to the Zoological Gardens by Lord Lilford some eight years ago still snarls and spits
at any one who comes near it, even the keeper.

The food of the wild cat is grouse, mountain-hares, rabbits, small birds, and probably fish
caught in the shallow waters when chance offers. It is wholly nocturnal; consequently no
one ever sees it hunting for prey. Though it has long been confined to the north and north-
west of Scotland, it is by no means on the verge of extinction. The deer-forests are saving
it to some extent, as they did the golden eagle. Grouse and hares are rather in the way
when deer are being stalked; consequently the wild cat and the eagle are not trapped or
shot. The limits of its present fastnesses were recently fixed by careful Scotch naturalists
at the line of the Caledonian Canal. Mr. Harvie Brown, in 1880, said that it only survived
in Scotland north of a line running from Oban to the junction of the three counties
of Perth, Forfar, and Aberdeen, and thence through Banffshire to Inverness. But the
conclusion of a writer in the Edinburgh Review of July, 1898, in a very interesting article
on the survival of British mammals, has been happily contradicted. He believed that it only
survived in the deer-forests of Inverness and Sutherlandshire. The wild cats shown in the
illustrations of these pages were caught a year later as far south as Argyllshire. The father and
two kittens were all secured, practically unhurt, and purchased by Mi. Percy Leigh Pemberton for
his collection of British mammals at Ashford. in Kent. This gentleman has had great success
in preserving his wild cats. They, as well as others martens, polecats, and other small
carnivora are fed on fresh wild rabbits killed in a warren near; consequently they are in
splendid condition. The old "torn" wild cat, snarling with characteristic ill-humour, was well
supported by the wild and savage little kittens, which exhibited all the family temper. Shortly

Sit permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.

EUROPEAN WILD CAT.

The British representative of this species is rapiuly becoming extinct. The specimen whose portrait i* given here was caught in Argyllshire.

The Living Animals of the World

By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.

SCOTCH WILD CATS,

These wild cats, the property of Mr. P. Leigh Peruberton, though regularly fed and well treated, show their natural bad-temper in their faces.

before the capture of these wild cats another family were trapped in Aberdeenshire and
brought to the Zoological Gardens. Four kittens, beautiful little savages, with bright green
eyes, and uninjured, were safely taken to Kegent's Park. But the quarters given them were
very small and cold, and they all died. Two other full-grown wild cats brought there a few
years earlier were so dreadfully injured by the abominable steel traps in which they were
caught that they both died of blood-poisoning.

The real wild cats differ in their markings on the body, some being more clearly striped,
while others are only brindled. But they are all alike in the squareness and thickness of
head and body, and in the short tail, ringed with black, and growing larger at the tip, which
ends off like a shaving-brush.

It may well be asked, Which of the many species of wild cats mentioned above is the
ancestor of our domestic cats? Probably different species in different countries. The African
Kaffir cat, the Indian leopard-cat, the rusty-spotted cat of India, and the European wild cat
all breed with tame cats. It is therefore probable that the spotted, striped, and brindled
varieties of tame cats are descended from wild species which had those markings. The
so-called red tame cats are doubtless descended from the tiger-coloured wild cats. But it is a
curious fact that, though the spotted grey-tabby wild varieties are the least common, that colour
is most frequent in the tame species.

THE LYNXES.

IN THE LYNXES we seem to have a less specially cat-like form. They are short-tailed, high
in the leg, and broad-faced. Less active than the leopards and tiger-cats, and able to live
either in very hot or very cold countries, they are found from the Persian deserts to the far
north of Siberia and Canada.

The CARACAL 'is a southern, hot- country lynx. It has a longer tail than the others, but
the same tufted ears. It seems a link between the lynxes and the jungle -cats. It is found
in India, Palestine, Persia, and Mesopotamia. In India it was trained, like the cheeta, to

The Cat Tribe

catch birds, gazelles, and hares. The COMMON LYNX is probably the same animal, whether
found in Norway, Kussia, the Carpathians, Turkestan, China, or Tibet. The CANADIAN LYNX
is also very probably the same, with local differences of colour. The NORTHERN LYNX is
the largest feline animal left in Europe, and kills sheep and goats equally with hares and
squirrels. The beautiful fur, of pale cinnamon and light grey, is much admired. In some
southern districts of America we have the RED LYNX, or so-called " wild cat," which is distinct
from the lynx of Canada. The MEDITERRANEAN or SPANISH LYNX seems likewise entitled to
rank as a distinct species.

Of the lynxes the CARACALS are perhaps the most interesting, from their capacity for
domestication. They are found in Africa in the open desert country, whereas the SERVAL is
found in the thick bush. In Africa it is believed to be the most savage and untamable of
the Cats. That is probably because the Negro and the Kaffir never possessed the art of training
animals, from the elephant downwards. In India the caracal's natural prey are the fawns of deer
and antelope, pea-fowl, hares, and floricans. The caracal is the quickest with its feet of any of
the Cats. One of its best-known feats is to spring up and catch birds passing over on the
wing at a height of six or eight feet from the ground. A writer, in the Naturalist's
Library, notes that, besides being tamed to catch deer, pea-fowl, and cranes, the caracal was
used in ''pigeon matches." Two caracals were backed one against the other to kill pigeons.
The birds were fed on the ground, and the caracals suddenly let loose among them, to strike
down as many as each could before the birds escaped. Each would sometimes strike down
with its fore paws ten or a dozen pigeons. " Caracal " means in Turkish " Black Ear," in allusion
to the colour of the animal's organ of hearing.

The COMMON LYNX is a thick-set animal, high in the leg, with a square head and very
strong paws and forearms. It is found across the whole northern region of Europe and Asia.
Although never known in Britain in historic times, it is still occasionally seen in parts of the
Alps and in the Carpathians ; it is also common in the Caucasus. It is mainly a forest animal,
and very largely nocturnal; therefore it is seldom seen, and not often hunted. If any enemy
approaches, the lynx lies perfectly still on some branch or rock, and generally succeeds in
avoiding notice. The lynx is extremely active; it can leap great distances, and makes its

[Berlin.

LYNX,

This animal is a uniformly coloured specie common to India and Africa.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sow.

EUROPEAN LYNX.
The largest of the cat tribe left in Europe.

attack usually in that way. "SVlien
travelling, it trots or gallops in a
very dog-like fashion. Where sheep
graze at large on mountains, as in the
Balkans and in Greece, the lynx is a
great enemy of the flocks. In Norway,
where the animal is now very rare,
there is a tradition that it is more
mischievous than the wolf, and a high
price is set on its head.

In Siberia and North Russia
most of the lynx-skins taken are
sold to the Chinese. The lynx-skins
brought to London are mainly those
of the Canadian species. The fur is
dyed, and used for the busbies of
the officers in our hussar regiments.
These skins vary much in colour, and
in length and quality of fur. The
price varies correspondingly. The
Canadian lynx lives mainly on the
wood-hares and on the wood-grouse

of the North American forests. The flesh of the lynx is said to be good and tender.

Brehm says of the Siberian lynx : " It is a forest animal in the strictest sense of the

word. But in Siberia it occurs only singly, and is rarely captured. Its true home is in the

thickest parts in the interior of the woods, and these it probably never leaves except when

scarcity of food or the calls of love tempt it to wander to the outskirts. Both immigrants and

natives hold the hunting of the lynx in high esteem. This proud cat's activity, caution and

agility, and powers of defence arouse the enthusiasm of every sportsman, and both skin and

flesh are valued, the latter not only by the Mongolian tribes, but also by the Russian hunters.

The lynx is seldom captured

in fall-traps; he often

rendeis them useless by walk-
ing along the beam and

stepping on the lever, and

he usually leaps over the

spring-traps in his path. So

only the rifle and dogs

are left."

The RED LYNX is a small

American variety, the coat of

which turns tawny in summer,

when it much resembles a

large cat. It is called in some

parts of the United States

the Mountain-cat. This lynx

is 30 inches long in the body.

with a tail 6 inches long. It
is found on the eastern or
Atlantic side of the continent,
and by no means shuns the
neighbourhood of settlements.

By permission of Mr. S. B. Gundy] [Toronto.

CANADIAN LYNX.
Great numbers of these are trapped every year for the sake of their fur.

Phnta by Ottomar AnschUte, Berlin.

WOLF FROM CENTRAL EUROPE.
The last persons recorded as killed by these animals were an artist and his wife travelling in Hungary.

Pkoto by Ottomar Anschiitz] [Berlin.

CHEETAS.

Cheetas can be distinguished at a glance from ordinary leopards by the solid black spots on the back instead of the " rosettes."

65 9

The Living Animals of the World

THE CHEETA.

THE NON-RETRACTILE-CLAWED CAT.

THE CHEETA, or Hunting-leopard, is
the only example of this particular group,
though there was an extinct form, whose
remains are found in the Siwalik Hills, ir
the north of India. It is a very widely
dispersed animal, found in Persia, Turkestan,
and the countries east of the Caspian, and in
India so far as the lower part of the centre
of the peninsula. It is also common in
Africa, where until recent years it was found
in Cape Colony and Natal. Now it is
banished to the Kalahari Desert, the Northern
Transvaal, and Bechuanaland.

The cheeta is more dog-like than any
other cat. It stands high on the leg, and
has a short, rounded head. Its fur is short
and rather woolly, its feet rounded, and its
claws, instead of slipping back into sheaths
like a lion's, are only partly retractile.

Mr. Lockwood Kipling gives the follow-
ing account of the cheeta and its keepers :
" The only point where real skill comes into
play in dealing with the hunting-leopard
is in catching the adult animal when it
has already learnt the swift, bounding onset,
its one accomplishment. ' The young cheeta is not worth catching, for it has not yet learnt
its trade, nor can it be taught in captivity. . . . There are certain trees where these great
dog-cats (for they have some oddly canine characteristics) come to play and whet their claws.
The hunters find such a tree, and arrange nooses of deer-sinew round it, and wait the event.
The animal comes and is caught by the leg, and it is at this point that the trouble begins.
It is no small achievement . for two or three naked, ill-fed men to secure so fierce a capture
and carry it home tied on a cart. Then his training begins. He is tied in all directions,
principally from a thick rope round his loins, while a hood fitted over his head effectually
blinds him. He is fastened on a strong cot-bedstead, and the keepers and their wives and
families reduce him to submission by starving him and keeping him awake. His head is made
to face the village street, and for an hour at a time, several times a day, his keepers make
pretended rushes at him, and wave clothes, staves, and other articles in his face. He is
talked to continually, and the women's tongues are believed to be the most effective of things
to keep him awake. No created being could withstand the effects of hunger, want of sleep,
and feminine scolding; and the poor cheeta becomes piteously, abjectly tame. He is taken
out for a walk occasionally if a slow crawl between four attendants, all holding hard, can be
called a walk and his promenades are always through the crowded streets and bazaars, where
the keepers' friends are to be found ; but the people are rather pleased than otherwise to see the
raja's cheetas amongst them." Later, when the creature is tamed, " the cheeta's bedstead
is like that of the keeper, and leopard and man are often curled up under the same blanket !
When his bedfellow is restless, the keeper lazily stretches out an arm from his end of the col
and dangles a tassel over the animal's head, which seems to soothe him. In the early morning
I have seen a cheeta sitting up on his couch, a red blanket half covering him, and his tasselled
red hood awry, looking exactly like an elderly gentleman in a nightcap, as he yawns with the
irresolute air of one who is in doubt whether to rise or to turn in for another nap."

Photo ly York & Son] [Notting Rill.

A CHEETA HOODED.

The cheeta is not unheeded until fairly near his quarry, when he is given
a sight of the game, and a splendid race ensues.

The Cat Tribe

This charming and accurate description shows the cheeta at home. In the field he is
quite another creature. He is driven as near as possible to the game, and then unhooded
and given a sight of them. Sir Samuel Baker thus describes a hunt in which a cheeta was
used: "The chase began after the right-hand buck, which had a start of about 110 yards.
It was a magnificent sight to see the extraordinary speed of pursuer and pursued. The
buck flew over the level surface, followed by the cheeta, which was laying out at full
stretch, with its long, thick tail brandishing in the air. They had run 200 yards, when the
keeper gave the word, and away we went as fast as our horses could carry us. The horses
could go over this clear ground, where no danger of a fall seemed possible. I never saw
anything to equal the speed of the buck and the cheeta; we were literally nowhere, although
we were going as hard as horseflesh could carry us ; but we had a glorious view. The cheeta
was gaining in the course, while the buck was exerting every muscle for life or death in its
last race. Presently, after a course >of about a quarter of a mile, the buck doubled like a
hare, and the cheeta lost ground as it shot ahead, instead of turning quickly, being only
about thirty yards in rear of the buck. Recovering itself, it turned on extra steam, and the
race appeared to recommence at increased speed. The cheeta was determined to win, and
at this moment the buck made another double in the hope of shaking off its terrible pursuer ;
but this time the cheeta ran cunning, and was aware of the former game., It turned as
sharply as the buck. Gathering itself together for a final effort, it shot forward like an arrow,
picked up the distance which remained between them, and in a cloud of dust we could for
one moment distinguish two forms. The next instant the buck was on its back, and the
cheeta's fangs were fixed like an iron vice in its throat. The course run was about 600 yards,
and it was worth a special voyage to India to se that hunt."

Pkoto l>y Otlomar Anschiitz]

Berlin.

A CHEETA OK THE LOOK-OUT.
Cheetas are common to Africa and India. By the native prince of the latter country they are much used for taking antelope and other gama

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by T. Fall]

[Baker Street.

WHITE SHOET-HAIKED.

Most white cats are not albinoes that is to say, they have ordinarily
coloured and not red eyes.

THE DOMESTIC CAT.

BY LOUIS WAIN.

OF the domestication of the cat we know
very little, but it is recorded that a tribe
of cats was trained to retrieve i.e. to fetch
and carry game. In our own time I have
seen many cats fetch and carry corks and
newspapers, and on one occasion pounce upon
a small roach at the end of a line and place
it at its owner's feet. Gamekeepers whom I
have known agree that, for cunning, craftiness,
and tenacity in attaining an object, the semi-
wild cat of the woods shows far superior
intelligence to the rest of the woodland
denizens. It is quite a usual thing to hear
of farm cats entering upon a snake-hunting
expedition with the greatest glee, and showing

remarkable readiness in pitching upon their quarry and pinning it down until secured.
These farm cats are quite a race by themselves. Of decided sporting proclivities, they roam the
countryside with considerable fierceness, and yet revert to the domesticity of the farmhouse fireside
as though innocent of roving instincts. They are spasmodic to a degree in their mode of life,
and apparently work out one mood before entering upon another. It will be remembered that
this spasmodic tendency the true feline independence, by-the-bye is and has been characteristic
of the cat throughout its history, and any one who has tried to overcome it has met with failure.

Watch your own cat, and you will see that he will change his sleeping-quarters
periodically ; and if he can find a newspaper conveniently placed, he will prefer it to lie upon,
before anything perhaps, except a cane-bottomed chair, to which all cats are very partial. If
you keep a number of cats, as I do, you will find that they are very imitative, and what one
gets in the habit of doing they will all do in time : for instance, one of my cats took
to sitting with his front paws inside my tall hat and his body outside, and this has
become a catty fashion in the family, whether the object be a hat, cap, bonnet, small
basket, box, or tin. If by chance one of the cats is attacked by a dog, a peculiar cry from
the aggrieved animal will immediately awaken the others
out of their lethargy or sleep, and bring them fiercely to
the rescue. They are, too, particularly kind and nice to
the old cat, and are tolerant only of strange baby
kittens and very old cats in the garden as long as
they do not interfere with the " catty "
subject. The same quality obtains in Spain
or Portugal, where a race of scaveng-
ing cats exists, which go about in
droves or families, and are equal
to climbing straight walls, big
trees, chimneys, and mountain-
sides. Long, lanky, and thin,
they are built more on the lines
of a greyhound than the ordinary
cat, and are more easily trained
in tricks than home cats. .

The TORTOISESHELL has long
been looked upon as the national

Photo l>y T. Fall]

[Bilker Street.

LONG-HAIBED WHITE.

White cats with blue eyes are generally deaf, or at all events hard of hearing.

Photo by Fratdli Alinari, Florence.
MACKEREL-MARKED TABBY.

Tabbies are probably the best known and the
commonest cats in England.

Photo ly L. Midland, F.Z.S., Soi-th Finchley.
CAT CARRYING KITTEN.

A unique photograph, showing the way in which
the cat carries its young.

Photo ly E. Landor, Eiilimj.
BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.

Persian or long-haired cats are of various
colours ; this is one of the least common.

Photo 'by E. Landor, Eating.
SMOKE AND BLUE LONG-HAIRED.
Two pretty and valuable Persian kittens.

By permission of Lady Alexander.

ORANGE TABBY.
A champion winner of 90 first prizes.

Photo by E. Landor, Baling.

LONG-HAIRED TABBY.

A pretty pose.

Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.
SILVER PERSIAN.
A handsome specimen.

r.n

Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.

SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.

A new breed.

The Living Animals of the World

SHOET-HAIRED BLUE.

This champion cat belongs to Lady Alexander, by whose
kind permission it is here reproduced.

cat of Spain, and in fact that country is overrun with
the breed, ranging from a dense black and brown to
lighter shades of orange-brown and white. The pure
tortoiseshell might be called a black and tan, with no
white, streaked like a tortoiseshell comb if possible, and
with wonderful amber eyes. It is characteristic of their
intelligence that they will invariably find their way
home, and will even bring that mysterious instinct
to bear which guides them back long distances to the
place of their birth; and, with regard to this cat, the
stories of almost impossible journeys made are not one
bit exaggerated. The tom-cats of this breed are very
rare in England ; I myself have only known of the
existence of six in fifteen years, and of these but three
are recorded in the catalogues of our cat shows.

The BLACK CAT has many of the characteristics
of the tortoiseshell, but is essentially a town cat, and
is wont to dream his life away in shady corners, in
underground cellars, in theatres, and in all places where he can, in fact, retire to monastic
quiet. The black cat of St. Clement Danes Church was one of the remarkable cats of
London. It was his wont to climb on to the top of the organ-pipes and enjoy an occasional
musical concert alone. A christening or a wedding was his pride ; and many people can
vouch for a lucky wedding who had the good-fortune to be patronised by the black cat of
St. Clement Danes, which walked solemnly down the aisle of the church in front of the
happy couples.

My old pet Peter was a black-and-white cat, and, like most of his kind, was one of the
most remarkable cats for intelligence I have ever known. A recital of his accomplishments
would, however, have very few believers a fact I find existing in regard to all really
intelligent cats. There are so many cats of an opposite character, and people will rarely take more
than a momentary trouble to win the finer nature of an animal into existence. Suffice it to
say, that Peter would lie and die, sit up with spectacles on his nose and with a post-card
between his paws a trick I have taught many people's cats to do. He would also mew silent
meows when bid, and wait at the door for my home-coming. For a long time, too, it was
customary to hear weird footfalls at night outside the bedroom doors, and visitors to the house
were a little more superstitious as to their cause than we were ourselves. We set a watch upon
the supposed ghost, but sudden opening of the doors discovered only the mystic form of Peter
sitting purring on the stairs. He was. however, ultimately caught in the act of lifting the

corner of the door-rug and letting it fall back
in its place, and he had grown quite expert in
his method of raising and dropping it at regular
intervals until he heard that his signals had
produced the required effect, and the door was
opened to admit him.

WHITE CATS I- might call musical cats,
for it is quite characteristic of the albinoes
that noises rarely startle them out of their
simpering, loving moods. The scraping of a
violin, which will scare an ordinary cat out
of its senses, or the thumping of a piano,

photo by T. Fail] \jtakerstreet. which would terrorise even strong-nerved cats,

SILVER TABBY. would only incite a white cat to a happier

A beautiful variety of the typical British cat. mood. Certainly all white cats are somewhat

The Cat Tribe

Pkoto by E. Landor] [Enlmj.

SHORT-HAIRED TABBY.

This is perhaps the most famous cat now living. It has won no less than 00 prizes. Lady

Decies is its owner.

deaf, or lack acute quality of
senses ; but this failing rather
softens the feline nature than
becomes dominant as a weak-
ness.

The nearest to perfection
perhaps, and yet at the same
time extremely soft and finely
made, is the BLUE CAT, rare
in England as an English cat,
but common in most other
countries, and called in
America the Maltese Cat for
Cushion's sake probably, since
it is too widely distributed
there to be localised as of
foreign origin. It is out
in the mining districts and
agricultural quarters, right
away from the beaten tracks of humanity, where the most wonderful breeds of cats develop
in America ; and caravan showmen have told me that at one time it was quite a business for
them to carry cats into these wildernesses, and sell them to rough, hardy miners, who dealt
out death to each other without hesitation in a quarrel, but who softened to the appeal of an
animal which reminded them of homelier times.

One man told me that upon one occasion he sold eight cats at an isolated mining township
in Colorado, and some six days' journey farther on he was caught up by a man on horseback
from the township, who had ridden hard to overtake the menagerie caravan, with the news
that one of the cats had climbed a monster pine-tree, and that all the other cats had followed
in his wake ; food and drink had been placed in plenty at the foot of the tree, but that the
cats had been starving, frightened out of their senses, for three days, and despite all attempts
to reach them they had only climbed higher and higher out of reach into the uppermost

and most dangerous branches of the pine. The showman
hastened with his guide across country to the town-
ship, only to find that in the interval one bright
specimen of a man belonging to the village had sug-
gested felling the tree, and so rescuing the cats from
the pangs of absolute starvation, should they survive
the ordeal. A dynamite cartridge had been used to
blast the roots of the pine, and a rope attached to
its trunk had done the rest and brought the monster
tree to earth, only, however, at the expense of all the
cats, for not one survived the tremendous fall and
shaking. A sad and tearful procession followed the
remains of the cats to their hastily dug grave, and
thereafter a bull mastiff took the place of the cats in
the township, an animal more in character with the
lives of its inhabitants.

Analogous to this case of the travelling menageries,
we have the great variety of blues, silvers, and whites
which are characteristic of Russia. There is a vast
tableland of many thousands of miles in extent,
intersected by caravan routes to all the old countries

J'hoto by E. Landor] [Ealing.

LONG-HAIRED ORANGE.

good specimen of this variety is always large and
finely furred.

The Living Animals of the World

[THi/iaic, X.J3.

MANX.

These tailless cats are well known ; they were formerly called " Corn-
wall cats." Note the length of the hind legs, which is one of the
characteristics of this variety of the domestic cat.

SIAMESE.

These strikingly coloured cats are now fairly numerous in England,
but command high prices. They have white kittens, which subse.
quently become coloured.

of the ancients, and it is not astonishing to hear of attempts being made to steal the
wonderful cats of Persia, China, and Northern India, as well as those of the many dependent
and independent tribes which bound the Russian kingdom. But it is a remarkable fact that
none but the blues can live in the attentuated atmosphere of the higher mountainous
districts through which they are taken before arriving in Russian territory. It is no
uncommon thing to find a wonderful complexity of blue cats shading to silver and white
in most Russian villages, or blue cats of remarkable beauty, but with a dash of tabby-
marking running through their coats. Their life, too, is lived at the two extremes. In
the short Russian summer they roam the woodlands, pestered by a hundred poisonous insects;
in the winter they are imprisoned within the four walls of a snow-covered cottage, and are
bound down prisoners to domesticity till the thaw sets in again. Many of the beautiful furs
which come to us from Russia are really the skins of these cats, the preparation of which for
market has grown into a large and thriving industry. The country about Kronstadt, in the
Southern Carpathian Mountains of Austria, is famous for its finely developed animals; and
here, too, has grown up a colony of sable-coloured cats, said to be of Turkish origin, where the
pariahs take the place of cats.

The TABBY is remarkable to us in that it is characteristic of our own country, and
no other colour seems to have been popular until our own times. If you ask any one
which breed of cat is the real domestic cat, you will be told the tabby, probably because
it is so well known to all. The complexity of the tabby is really remarkable, and

BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.
This cat belonged to Queen Victoria.

SILVER PERSIANS.

Three of Mrs. Champion's celebrated cats.

The Cat Tribe

Photo by E. Landor]

LOXG-HAIRED CHINCHILLA.
Note the beautiful " fluffiness " of this cat's fur.

[Baling.

for shape and variety of colouring it has no
equal in any other tribe of cat. It has
comprised in its nature all the really great
qualities of the feline, and all its worst attri-
butes. You can truthfully say of one of its
specimens that it attaches itself to the indi-
vidual, while of another in the same litter you
will get an element of wildness. A third of the
same parents will sober down to the house,
but take only a passing notice of people. You
can teach it anything if it is tractable, make
it follow like a dog, come to whistle, but it will
have its independence.

The SAND-COLOURED CAT, with a whole-
coloured coat like the rabbit, which we know
as the ABYSSINIAN or BUNNY CAT, is a strong
African type. On the Gold Coast it comes

down from the inland country with its ears all bitten and torn away in its fights with rivals.

It has been acclimatised in England, and Devonshire and Cornwall have both established a

new and distinct tribe out of its parentage. The MANX CAT is nearly allied to it, and

a hundred years ago the tailless cat was called the Cornwall Cat, not the Manx.

Siam sends us a regal animal in the SIAMESE EOYAL CAT ; it has a brown face, legs, and

tail, a cream-coloured body, and mauve or blue eyes. The Siamese take great care of their

cats, for it is believed that the souls of the departed are transmitted into the bodies of animals,

and the cat is a favourite of their creed; consequently the cats are highly cultivated and

intelligent, and can think out ways and means to attain an end.

I have tried for years to trace the origin of the LONG-HAIRED or PERSIAN CATS, but I cannot

find that they were known to antiquity, and even the records of later times only mention the

SHORT-HAIRED. European literature does not give us an insight into the subject ; and unless

Chinese history holds some hidden

lights in its records, we are thrown

back upon the myths of Persia to

account for the wonderful modern

distribution of the long-haired cat,

which is gradually breeding out

into as many varieties as the short-
haired, with this difference that

greater care and trouble are taken

over the long-haired, and they will,

as a breed, probably soon surpass

the short-haired for '"ntelligence and

culture.

One variety is quite new and

distinctive the SMOKE LONG-
HAIRED, whose dark brown or black

surface-coat, blown aside, shows

an under-coat of blue and silver,

with a light brown frill round its

neck. All the other long-haired cats

AT. it. -U A -u J f Photo by H. Trevor Jessop.

can pair with the short-haired for THE .^^ QR (ITICKED> , SHOET . HAIRED CAT .

Colouring and marking, but I have This . g one of the rarest ^ in Ensland . It belongs to Miss K. Maud Bennett who has

not yet seen a BUNNY LOMJ-II AIRED. kindly had it photographed for this work.

CHAPTER III.

THE FOSSA, CIVETS, AND ICHNEUMONS.

Photo by A. S. liudland tfc Sons.

FOSSA.
The only feline animal of Madagascar.

THE FOSSA.

"N the FOSSA Madagascar
possesses an altogether
peculiar animal. It is a
very slender, active creature,
with all its proportions much
elongated. It is of a bright
bay uniform colour, with thick
fur, and has sharp retractile
claws. It has been described
as the natural connecting-link
between the Civets and the
Cats, anatomically speaking.
Thus it has retractile claws,
but does not walk on its
toes, like cats, but on the
soles of its feet (the hind pair
of which is quite naked), like
a civet. Very few have been

brought to England; indeed, the first time that one was exhibited in our Zoological Gardens

was only ten years ago. Formerly stories were told of its ferocity, which was compared to

that of the tiger. These tales were naturally the subject of ridicule. The fossa usually

attains a length of about 5 feet from snout to tail, and is the largest of the carnivora of

Madagascar. A fine young specimen lately brought to London, and in the Zoological Gardens

at the time of writing, is now probably full

grown. It is about the same length and height

as a large ocelot, but with a far longer tail, and

is more slenderly built. The extreme activity

of the fossa no doubt renders it a very formid-
able foe to other and weaker creatures. It has

been described by a recent writer as being

entirely nocturnal, and preying mainly on the

lemurs and birds which haunt the forests of

Madagascar. The animal kept at the Zoological.

Gardens has become fairly tame. It is fed

mainly on chickens' heads and other refuse from

poulterers' shops. Apparently it has no voice

of any kind. It neither growls, roars, nor

mews, though, when irritated or frightened, it

gives a kind of hiss like a cat.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.} [North Fincldey.

LARGE INDIAN CIVET.

Civets are nocturnal in their habits. That shown here has just awakened
in broad daylight.

The Fossa, Civets, and Ichneumons

THE CIVETS AND GENETS.

TITE CIVETS are the first marked deviation from the Cat Family. Their bodies are elongated,
their legs short, their claws only partially retractile. Some of them have glands holding
a strong scent, much esteemed in old days in Europe, when " The Civet Cat " was a common
inn-sign even in England. The civets are generally beautifully marked with black stripes and
bands on grey. But none of them grow to any large size, and the family has never had the
importance of those which contain the large carnivora, like the true cats or bears. Many of the
tribe and its connections are domesticated. Some scholars have maintained that the cat of
the ancient Greeks was one of them the common genet. The fact is that both this and
the domestic cat were kept by the ancients ; and the genet is still used as a cat by the
peasants of Greece and Southern Italy.

The AFRICAN CIVET and INDIAN CIVET are large species. The former is common almost
throughout Africa. Neither of them seems to climb trees, but they find abundance of food
by catching small ground-dwelling animals and birds. They are good swimmers. The Indian
civet has a handsome skin, of a beautiful grey ground-colour, with black collar and markings.
It is from these civets that the civet-scent is obtained. They are kept in cages for this
purpose, and the secretion is scooped from the glands with a wooden spoon. They produce
three or four kittens in May or June. Several other species very little differing from these
are known as the MALABAR, JAVAN, and BURMESE CIVETS.

The KASSE is smaller, has no erectile crest, and its geographical distribution extends from
Africa to the Far East. It is commonly kept as a domestic pet. Like all the civets, it will
eat fruit and vegetables.

The GENETS, though resembling the civets, have no scent-pouch. They are African
creatures, but are found in Italy, Spain, and Greece, and in Palestine, and even in the
south of France. Beautifully spotted or striped, they are even longer and lower than the
civet-cats, and steal through the grass like weasels.

The COMMON GENET is black and grey, the latter being the ground-colour. The tail is
very long, the length being about 15 inches, while that of the body and head is only
19 inches. Small rodents, snakes, eggs, find birds are its principal food. It is kept in

Photo by A. S. Jiudland & Sons.

AFEICAX CIVET.

This is one of the largest of the Civet Tribe. The perfume known as " civet " is obtained from it.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green.

AFRICAN CIVET.

This photograph shows the finely marked fur of the species and the front view
of the head.

Southern Europe for killing
rats. Several other very
similar forms are found in
Africa. The presence of such
a very Oriental-looking animal
in Europe is something of a
surprise, though many persons
forget that our South European
animals are very like those
of Africa and the East. The
porcupine, which is common
in Italy and Spain, and the
lynx and Barbary ape are
instances. A tame genet
kept by an acquaintance of
the writer in Italy was abso-
lutely domesticated like a
tame mongoose. It had very
pretty fur, grey, marbled and

spotted with black, and no disagreeable odour, except a scent of musk. It was a most active
little creature, full of curiosity, and always anxious to explore not only every room, but every
cupboard and drawer in the house. Perhaps this was due to its keenness in hunting mice,
a sport of which it never tired. It did not play with the mice when caught as a cat does,
but ate them at once.

The LINSANGS, an allied group, are met with in the East, from India to Borneo and
Java. They are more slender than the genets, and more arboreal. Of the NEPALESE LINSANG
Hodgson writes : " This animal is equally at home on trees and on the ground. It breeds
and dwells in the hollows of decaying trees. It is not gregarious, and preys mainly on living
animals." A tame female owned by him is stated to have been wonderfully docile and tractable,
very sensitive to cold, and very fond of being petted. There is an allied West African species.
The PALM-CIVETS and HEMIGALES still further increase this numerous tribe. Slight
differences of skull, of the markings on the tail, which may only have rings on the base,
and of the foot and tail, are the naturalist's guide to their separation from the other
civets; HARDWICKE'S HEMIGALE has more zebra-like
markings. Borneo, Africa, India, and the Himalaya
all produce these active little carnivora; but the
typical palm-civets are Oriental. They are sometimes
known as Toddy-cats, because they drink the toddy
from the jars fastened to catch the juice. The groves
of cocoanut-palm are their favourite haunts ; but they
will make a home in holes in the thatched roofs of
houses, and even in the midst of cities. There are
many species in the group.

The BINTURONG is another omnivorous, tree-
haunting animal allied to the civets ; but it has a
prehensile tail, which few other mammals of the Old
World possess. It is a blunt-nosed, heavy animal,
sometimes called the Bear-cat. Very little is known
of its habits. It is found from the Eastern Himalaya

to Java. Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.] [North Flnddey.

The last of the Civet Family is BENNETT'S CIVET, SUMATRA* CIVET.

.1 ,. ,, ,1-1' i -,i A small and very beautiful member of the Civet Family. It

the only instance 01 a cat-like animal with partly feeds largely on fish.

The Fossa, Civets, and Ichneumons

webbed feet. Found in the Malay Peninsula and in Sumatra and Borneo, it is very rare, but
is known to feed on fish and Crustacea, and to be semi-aquatic. The author of the chapter
on the civets in the Naturalist's Library says, " It may be likened to a climbing otter."

THE MONGOOSE AND ICHNEUMON FAMILY.

THESE are a numerous and useful race of small mammals, feeding mainly on the creatures
most annoying to man within tropical countries. Snakes, the eggs of the crocodile, large
lizards, rats, mice, and other creatures known generally as "vermin," are their favourite food.
It must be added that, though they are most useful in destroying these, they .also kill all
kinds of birds, and that their introduction into some of the West India Islands, for the purpose
of killing rats, has been fatal to the indigenous bird life.

THE INDIAN MONGOOSE.
This universal favourite is one of the largest, the head and body being from 15 to

Photo ly A. S. Rudland & Sons.

GENET.
The genets are smaller than some civets, but allied to them. One was anciently domesticated like a cat.

1 8 inches long, and the tail 14 inches. The fur is loose and long, and capable of being erected.
As in all the tribe, the tint is a "pepper and salt," the "pepper" colour being sometimes
blackish and sometimes red, but a speckled appearance characterises the whole group. This is
the animal supposed to be immune from snake-bite. It is possibly so to some extent, for it
kills and eats the poisonous snakes, and it is now known that the eating of snake-poison
tends to give the same protection as inoculation does against certain diseases. But it is
certain that in most cases the mongoose, by its activity, and by setting up the hair on its
body, which makes the snake " strike short," saves itself from being bitten.

Many descriptions of the encounters between these brave little animals and the cobra have
been written. Here is one of the less known : " One of our officers had a tame mongoose, a
charming little pet. Whenever we could procure a cobra and we had many opportunities
we used to turn it out in an empty storeroom, which had a window at some height from the
ground, so that it was perfectly safe to stand there and look on. The cobra, when dropped
from the bag or basket, would wriggle into one of the corners of the room and there coil
himself up. The mongoose showed the greatest excitement on being brought to the window,

The Living Animals ot the World

Photo l>y L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

[Sorth Finchley.

TWO-SPOTTED PALM-CIVET.

This is a West African species, which, with an allied form from East
Africa, represents the palm-civets in the Dark Continent.

and the moment he was let loose would
eagerly jump down into the room, when his
behaviour became very curious and interest-
ing. He would instantly see where the
snake was, and rounding his back, and making
every hair on his body stand out at right
angles, which made his body appear twice as
large as it really was, he would approach
the cobra on tip-toe, making a peculiar
humming noise. The snake, in the meantime,
would show signs of great anxiety, and I
fancy of fear, erecting his head and hood
ready to strike when his enemy came near
enough. The mongoose kept running back-
wards and forwards in front of the snake,
gradually getting to within what appeared
to us to be striking distance. The snake

would strike at him repeatedly, and appeared to hit him, but the mongoose continued his comic
dance, apparently unconcerned. Suddenly, and with a movement so rapid that the eye could
not follow it, he would pin- the cobra by the back of the head. One could hear the sharp
teeth crunch into the skull, and, when all was over, see the mongoose eating the snake's head
and part of his body with great gusto. Our little favourite killed a great many cobras, and,
so far as I could see, never was bitten."

The EGYPTIAN MONGOOSE, or ICHNEUMON, has an equally great reputation for eating the
eggs of the crocodile ; and the KAFFIR MONGOOSE, a rather larger South African species, is kept
as a domestic animal to kill rats, mice, and snakes, of which, like the Indian kind, it is
a deadly foe. There are more than twenty other species, most of much the same appearance
and habits.

The smooth-nosed mongoose tribe are closely allied creatures in South Africa, mainly
burrowing animals, feeding both on flesh and fruit. The CUSIMANSES of Abyssinia and West
Africa are also allied to them. Their habits are identical with the above.

THE MEERKATS, OR SURICATES.

Most people who have read Frank Buckland's Life will remember the suricate which was his
chief pet in Albany Street. The
SURICATES, or MEERKATS, burrow all
over the South African veldt, espe-
cially in the sandy parts, where they
sit up outside their holes like prairie-
dogs, and are seen by day. They
are sociable animals, and make most
amusing pets. A full-grown one is
not much larger than a hedgehog,
but more slender. It barks like a
prairie-dog, and has many other noises
of pleasure or anger. A lady, the
owner of one, writes in Country Life :
" It gets on well with the dogs and
cats, especially the latter, as they are
more friendly to her, and allow her to

." I'lwto ly L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

sleep by their side and on the top of MASKED PALM . CIVET .

them. One old cat brings small birds A whole-coloured species of the group.

[Ewlh Flncldey

The Fossa, Civets, and Ichneumons

L_J

Photo by Robert 1). Carson} [Philadelphia.

BLNTUROXG.

The binturong is placed with the civets. It has a prehensile
tail like the kinkajou (see page 127).

to her (her favourite is a sparrow), and makes her
usual cry, and Janet runs to her and carries off the
bird, which she eats, feathers and all, in a very few
minutes, if she is hungry." When near a farm, the
meerkats will devour eggs and young chickens.
They are also said to eat the eggs of the large
leopard-tortoise. The commonest is the SLENDKR-
TAILED MEERKAT. It is found all over South Africa,
and is very common in the Karroo. It eats insects
and grubs as well as small animals, and is commonly
kept as a pet throughout the Colony.

WE have now traced the long line of the
Carnivora from the lordly Lion, the slayer of man and
his flocks and herds, and the Tiger, equally formidable
and no less specially developed for a life of rapine on
a great scale, to creatures as small and insignificant
as the Meerkat, which is at least as much an insect-
feeder as a devourer of flesh, and the Ichneumons
and Civets. The highest form of specialisation in the
group is the delicate mechanism by which the chief
weapons of offence, the claws, are enabled to keep
their razor edge by being drawn up into sheaths when
the animal walks, but can be instantly thrust out at pleasure, rigid and sharp as sword-blades.
The gradual process by which this equipment deteriorates in the Civets and disappears in the
Mongoose should be noted. There are many other carnivora, but none so formidable as those
possessing the retractile claws. Thus the Bears, though often larger in bulk than the Lion,
are far inferior in the power of inflicting violent injury. At the same time such delicate
mechanism is clearly not necessary for the well-being of a species. The members of the
Weasel Tribe are quite as well able to take care of themselves as the small cats, though they
have non-retractile and not very formidable claws.

Such a very abnormal animal as the BINTURONG of which we are able to give an excellent
photograph is doubtless rightly assigned to the place in which modern science has placed
it. But it will be found that there are several very anomalous forms quite as detached from
any general type as is the binturong.
Nature does not make species on any
strictly graduated scale. Many of
these nondescript animals are so un-
like any other group or family that
they seem almost freaks of nature.
The binturong is certainly one of
these.

The next group with which we
deal is that of the Hyaenas. In these
the equipment for catching living
prey is very weak. Speed and pursuit
are not their m&ier, but the eating
of dead and decaying animal matter,
and the consumption of bones. Hence
the jaws and teeth are highly de-
veloped, while the rest of the body
is degenerate.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

[Sorth Flncldey.

MONGOOSE.

The Indian mongoose is the great enemy of snakes. Another species eats the eggs of
the crocodile.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly A. S. liudland d; Sons.

MEERKAT.

A small, mainly insectivorous animal, found in South Africa ; all
called the Suricate

The question of the comparative intelli-
gence of the Apes and Monkeys, and the
carnivorous animals subsequently described in
these pages, is an interesting one. It would
seem at first as if the Cat Tribe and their
relations, which have to obtain their prey by
constant hunting, and often to make use of
considerable reflection and thought to bring
their enterprises against other animals to a
successful issue, would be more likely to develop
intelligence and to improve in brain-power than
the great Apes, which find an easy living in
the tropical forests, and only seek fruits and
vegetables for their food. Yet it is quite
certain that this is not the case. The Git
Tribe, with the exception of the domesticated
cats, does not show high intelligence. Even
the latter are seldom trained to obey man,
though they learn to accommodate themselves
to his ways of life. There is no evidence that
cats have any sense of number, or that any
of them in a wild state make any effort to
provide shelter for themselves or construct a
refuge from their enemies, though the Leopard
will make use of a cave as a lair. In matters
requiring intelligence and co-operation, such
rodents as the Beaver, or even the Squirrel,
are far beyond the feline carnivora in sagacity
and acquired or inherited ingenuity. Except
the Stoat, which sometimes hunts in packs,
no species of the carnivora yet dealt with in
this work combines to hunt its prey, or for
defence against enemies. Each for itself is
the rule, and even among the less-specialised
flesh-eating animals of the other groups it is
only the Dog Tribe which seems to understand
the principles of association for a common
object.

CHAPTER IV.

THE HYENAS AND AARD-WOLF.

IF every animal has its place in nature, we must suppose that the hyaena's business is to
clear up the bones and such parts of the animal dead as the vultures and other
natural " undertakers " cannot devour. Hyaenas have very strong jaws, capable of crushing
almost any bone. In prehistoric times they were common in England, and lived in the caves
of Derbyshire and Devon. In these caves many bones were found quite smashed up, as if by
some very large wild animal. It was supposed that this was done by bears Dean Buckland
said " by hyaenas." He procured a hyaena, kept it at his house, and fed it on bones. Th*
smashed fragments he laid on the table at a scientific lecture beside the fragments from the
caverns. The resemblance was identical, and the Dean triumphed.

The Hyaenas and Aard-wolf

Photo by A. S. liudland <L- Sons.

SPOTTED HY^INA.

The largest of the carrion-feeding animals. A South African
species.

The hyaenas are carnivorous animals, with the
front limbs longer than the hind. The tail is
short, the colour spotted or brindled, the teeth
and jaws of great strength.

The BROWN HYAENA, or STRAND-WOLF, is an
African species, with very long, coarse hair, reaching
a length of 10 inches on the back. It is not
found north of the Zambesi ; and it is nocturnal,
and fond of wandering along the shore, where
it picks up crabs and dead fish. Young cattle,
sheep, and lambs are also killed by it, and offal
of all kinds devoured.

The SPOTTED HYAENA is a large and massive'
animal, the head and body being 4 feet 6 inches
long without the tail. It is found all over Africa
from Abyssinia and Senegal southwards. A few
are left in Natal. It is believed to be the same
as the cave-hyaena of Europe. By day it lives
much in the holes of the aard-vark (ant-bear) ; by
night it goes out, sometimes in small bands, to
seek food. It has a loud and mournful howl,
beginning low and ending high. It also utters a

horrible maniacal laugh when excited, which gives it the name of Laughing-hyaena. "Its

appetite," says Mr. W. L. Sclater in his " South African Mammals," " is boundless. It is

entirely carnivorous, but seems to prefer putrid and decaying matter, and never kills an

animal unless driven to do so by hunger. Sheep and donkeys are generally attacked at the

belly, and the bowels torn out by its sharp teeth. Horses are also frequent objects of attack ;

but in this case shackling is useful, as the horse, unable to escape, faces the hyaena, which

instantly bolts. It is an excellent scavenger, and it has been known to kill and carry off young

children, though the least attempt at pursuit will cause it to drop them. Many stories

are told, too, of its attacking sleeping natives ; in this case it invariably goes for the man's

face. Drummond states that

he has seen many men who

had been thus mutilated,

wanting noses, or with the

whole mouth and lips torn

away. This is confirmed by

other authors." Drummond

gives an instance of seven

cows being mortally injured

in a single night by two

hyaenas, which attacked them

and bit off the udders.

Poisoned meat is the only

means to get rid of this

abominable animal.

Sir Samuel Baker says:

" I can safely assert that the

bone-cracking power of this

animal is extraordinary. I

cannot say that it exceeds the

lion or tiger in the strength

Photo by A. S. Mudland <fr Sons.

The jaws of the hysena are specially made for cracking bones. They will smash the thigh-bona

of a buffalo.

The Living Animals of the World

Plioto ly L. MvUand, F.Z.S.']

[North Finchley.

STRIPED

This is the hysena of Northern Africa, Palestine, and India,

of its jaws; but they will
leave bones unbroken which
a hyaena will crack in halves.
Its powers of digestion are
unlimited. It will swallow
and digest a knuckle-bone
without giving it a crunch,
and will crack the thigh-bone
of a buffalo to obtain the
marrow, and swallow either
end immediately after. . . .
[ remember that once a
hysena, came into our tent at
night. But this was merely
a friendly reconnaissance, to
see if any delicacy, such as
our shoes, or a saddle, or
anything that smelt of leather,
were lying about. It was
bright moonlight, and the air
was calm. There was nothing
to disturb the stillness. I

was awakened from sleep by a light touch on my sleeve, and my attention was directed by
my wife to some object that had just quitted our tent. I took my rifle from beneath the
mat on which I lay, and, after waiting for a few minutes sitting up in bed, saw a large
form standing in the doorway preparatory to entering. Presently it walked in cautiously, and
immediately fell dead, with a bullet between its eyes. It proved to be a very large hyaena,
an old and experienced depredator, as it bore countless scars of encounters with other strong
biters of its race."

The STRIPED HYAENA is found in India as well as in Africa. In portions of Abyssinia these
animals are so numerous that on the Nile tributaries Sir Samuel Baker used to hear them
cracking the bones after supper every
night just as they had been thrown
by the Arabs within a few feet of the
deserted table. In this way they are
useful scavengers.

THE AARD-WOLF.

This small African hyaena-like
creature stands in a family by itself.
The animal is like a small striped
hyaena, with a pointed muzzle, longer
ears, and a kind of mane. It is
common all through South and East
Africa, where it lives on carrion, white
ants, and lambs and kids. It has not
the strong jaws and teeth of the dog or
hyaena family. The colonists commonly
hunt and kill it with fox-terriers.

Photo by A. S. Rudland <i

AARD-WOLF.

The aard-wolf stands in a family by itself. It is allied to the hyaenas, but is a faj
feebler animal.

I'holo ly A'ao York Zoological Society.

rOTJNG GREY WOLF.

The grey wolf of North America, which once preyed mainly on young bison calves, is now a formidable enemy to tbe increasing flocks of slieep and

herds of cattle in the north and west.
83

CHAPTER V.

THE DOG FAMILY.

rTIHE tribe now treated is called the Dog Family, and 5
j rightly so, for our domestic dogs are included
in the group, which comprises the "Wolves, Dogs,
Jackals, Wild Dogs, and Foxes. Their general characters
are too familiar to need description, but it should be noted
that the foxes differ from the dogs in having contracting
pupils to the eye (which in bright sun closes like a cat's
to a mere slit) and some power of climbing. The origin
of the domestic dog is still unsettled.

THE WOLF.

This great enemy of man and his dependants the
creature against the ravages of which almost all the
early races of Europe had to combine, either in tribes,
villages, or principalities, to protect their children, them-
selves, and their cattle was formerly found all over the
northern hemisphere, both in the Old and New Worlds.
In India it is rather smaller, but equally fierce and
cunning, though, as there are no long winters, it does
not gather in packs. It is still so common in parts of
the Eocky Mountains that the cattle and sheep of the
ranch-holders and wild game of the National Yellow-
stone Park suffer severely. In Switzerland the ancient

organisations of wolf clubs in the cantons are still maintained. In Brittany the Grand
Louvetier is a government official. Every very hard winter wolves from the Carpathians and
Russia move across the frozen rivers of Europe even to the forests of the Ardennes and of
Fontainebleau. In Norway they ravage the reindeer herds of the Lapps. Only a few years
ago an artist, his wife, and servant were all attacked on their way to Budapest, in Hungary,
and the man and his wife killed. The last British wolf was killed in 1680 by Cameron of
Lochiel. Wolves are common in Palestine, Persia, and India.

Without going back over the well-known history of the species, we will give some anecdotes
of the less commonly known exploits of these fierce and dangerous brutes. Mr. Kipling's
" Jungle Book " has given us an " heroic " picture of the life of the Indian wolves. There is
a great deal of truth in it. Even the child-stealing by wolves is very probably a fact, for native
opinion is unanimous in crediting it. Babies laid down by their mothers when working in the
fields are constantly carried off and devoured by them, and stories of their being spared and
suckled by the she-wolves are very numerous.

Indian wolves hunt in combination, without assembling in large packs. The following is a
remarkable instance, recorded by General Douglas Hamilton : " When returning with a friend
from a trip to the mountain caves of Ellora, we saw a herd of antelope near a range of low
rocky hills; and as there was a dry nullah, or watercourse, we decided on having a stalk.
While creeping up the nullah, we noticed two animals coming across the plain on our left.
We took them at first for leopards, but then saw that they were wolves. When they were

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green.
A GROWING CUB.

Note how the wolf cub develops the long pasterns,
large feet, and long jaw before its body grows in pro-
portion.

The Dog Family

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.\

[Parson's Green.

WOLF CUBS.

These are evidently the foster-brothers of Romulus and Remus.

about 500 yards from the
antelope, they lay down
quietly. After about ten
minutes or so, the smaller
of the two got up and trotted
off to the rocky hills, and
suddenly appeared on the
ridge, running backwards and
forwards like a Scotch collie
dog. The larger wolf, as soon
as he saw that the antelope
were fully occupied in watch-
ing his companion, got up
and came as hard as he could
gallop to the nullah. Un-
fortunately he saw us and
bolted ; and his companion,
seeing there was something
wrong, did the same. Now,
it is evident that these
wolves had regularly planned
this attack. One was to

occupy the attention of the antelope, the other to steal up the watercourse and dash into the
midst of them. At another time a brother-officer of mine was stalking a herd of antelope
which were feeding down a grassy valley, when suddenly a wolf got up before him, and then
another and then another, until fourteen wolves rose out of the grass. They were extended
right across the valley in the shape of a fishing-net or jelly-bag, so that as soon as the herd
had got well into the jelly-bag they would have rushed on the antelope, and some must have
fallen victims to their attack." They have been known to join in the chase of antelopes by
dogs. Captain Jackson, of the Nizam's service, let his dogs course an antelope fawn. A
wolf jumped up, joined the dogs, and all three seized the fawn together. He then came
up, whipped off the dogs and the wolf, and secured the fawn, which did not seem hurt.
The wolf immediately sat down and began to howl at the loss of his prey, and in a few
moments made a dash at the officer, but when within a few yards thought better of it, and
recommenced howling. This brought another wolf to his assistance. Both howled and looked
very savage, and seemed inclined to make another dash at the antelope. But the horse-
keepers came up, and the wolves retired.

The Indian wolf, if a male, stands about 26 inches high at the shoulder. The length of
head and body is 37 inches; tail, 17 inches.

The same species practically haunts the whole of the world north of the Himalaya, It varies
in colour from almost black to nearly pure white. In the Hudson Bay fur-sales every variety
of colour between these may be seen, but most are of a tawny brindle. The male grows to a
very great size. One of the largest ever seen in Europe was for years at the London Zoo.
It stood 6 feet high when on its hind legs, and its immense head and jaws seemed to occupy
one-third of the space from nose to tail. Horses are the main prey of the NORTHERN WOLF.
It will kill any living creature, but horseflesh is irresistible. It either attacks by seizing the
flank and throwing the animal, or bites the hocks. The biting power is immense. It will tear
a solid mass of flesh at one grip from the buttock of a cow or horse. In the early days of the
United States, when Audubon was making his first trip up the head-waters of the Missouri, flesh
of all kinds was astonishingly abundant on the prairies. Buffalo swarmed, and the Indians
had any quantity of buffalo-meat for the killing. Wolves of very large size used to haunt
the forts and villages, and were almost tome, being well fed and comfortable. Far different

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by L. MeMand, F.Z.S.]

WHITE WOLF.

[JXorth Finchley.

White wolves are quite common in North America. Recently two
white wolves were brought to the Zoological Gardens from Ilussia.

was the case even near St. Petersburg at the
same period. A traveller in 1840 was chased
by a pack of wolves so closely that when the
sledge-horses reached the pos<>house and rushed
into the stable, the doors of which were open,
seven of the wolves rushed in after them.
The driver and traveller leaped from the sledge
just as it reached the building, and horses and
wolves rushed past them into it. The men
then ran up and closed the doors. Having
obtained guns, they opened the roof, expecting
to see that the horses had been killed. Instead
all seven wolves were slinking about beside
the terrified horses. All were killed without
resistance.

In Siberia and Russia the wolves in winter
are literally starving. Gathering in packs, they haunt the roads, and chase the sledges with
their unfaltering gallop. Seldom in these days does a human life fall victim ; but in very
hard winters sledge-horses are often killed, and now and then a peasant. Rabies is very
common among wolves. They then enter the villages, biting and snapping at every one.
Numbers of patients are sent yearly from Russia and Hungary to the Pasteur Institutes, after
being bitten by rabid wolves. In Livonia, in 1823, it was stated that the following animals
had been killed by wolves : 15,182 sheep, 1,807 oxen, 1,841 horses, 3,270 goats, 4,190 pigs,
703 dogs, and numbers of geese and fowls. They followed the Grand Army from Russia to
Germany in 1812, and restocked the forests of Europe with particularly savage wolves. It is
said that in the retreat freni Moscow twenty-four French soldiers, with their arms in their
hands, were attacked, killed, and eaten by a pack of wolves.

From very early times special breeds of dogs have been trained to guard sheep against
the attacks of wolves. Some of these were intended to defend the flock on the spot, others
to run down the wolves in the open. The former are naturally bred to be very large and
heavy ; the latter, though they must be strong, are light and speedy. Of the dogs which
guard the flocks several races still survive. Among the most celebrated are those of Albania
and the mountainous parts of Turkey, and the wolf-dogs of Tibet, generally called Tibetan Blood-
hounds. The Tartar shepherds on the steppes near the Caucasus also keep a very large and
ferocious breed of dog. All these are of the mastiff type, but have long, thick hair. When
the shepherds of Albania or Mount Rhodope are driving their flocks along the mountains to
the summer pastures, they sometimes travel a distance of 200 miles. During this march the

dogs act as flankers and scouts by day and
night, and do battle with the wolves, which
know quite well the routes along which the
sheep usually pass, and are on the look-out to
pick up stragglers or raid the flock. The
Spanish shepherds employ a large white
shaggy breed of dog as guards against wolves.
These dogs both lead the sheep and bring up
the rear in the annual migration of the flocks
to and from the summer pastures. In the west
of America, now that sheep-ranching on a large
scale has been introduced, wolf-dogs are bred to

Photo iy scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green. live entirely with the sheep. They are suckled

PKAIRIE-WOLF, OR COYOTE. when puppies by the ewes instead of by their own

This is the small, grey, thickly furred species found on the prairies. mothers, and become as it Were a part of the flock.

The Dog Family

Colonel Theodore Roosevelt gives an interesting account of wolf-coursing in Russia, in an
article contributed to " The Encyclopaedia of Sport " (Lawrence & Bullen). " In Russia the sport
is a science," he writes. "The princes and great landowners who take part in it have their
hunting-equipages equipped perfectly to the smallest detail. Not only do they follow wolves
in the open, but they capture them and let them out before dogs, like hares in a closed
coursing-meeting. The huntsman follows his hounds on horseback. (These hounds are the
Borzoi, white giant greyhounds, now often seen in England.) Those in Russia show signs oi
reversion to the type of the Irish wolf-hound, dogs weighing something like 100 Ibs., of
remarkable power, and of reckless and savage temper. Now three or four dogs are run together.
They are not expected to kill the wolf, but merely to hold him. . . . The Borzois can readily

Photo by Ottomar Anschutz] [Sa-l<.i.

"THE WOLF WITH PRIVY PAW."

The photograph shows admirably the slinking gait and long stride of the wolf.

overtake and master partly grown wolves, but a full-grown dog-wolf, in good trim, will usually
gallop away from them."

A number of these Borzoi dogs have been imported into America, and are used to course
wolves in the Western States. But there professional wolf-hunters are employed to kill off the
creatures near the ranches. One such hunter lives near Colonel Roosevelt's ranche on the
Little Missouri. His pack of large dogs will tear in pieces the biggest wolf without aid from
the hunter. Of his own efforts in wolf-coursing he writes : " We generally started for the
hunting-ground very early, riding across the open country in a widely spread line of dogs
and men. If we put up a wolf, we simply went at him as hard as we knew how. Young
wolves, or those which had not attained their full strength, were readily overtaken, and the
pack would handle a she-wolf quite readily. A big dog-wolf, or even a full-grown and powerful
she-wolf, offered an altogether different problem. Frequently we came upon one after it had

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly J. W. Mclellan]

RUSSIAN WOLF.

This is a. most characteristic photograph of one of the so-called "greyhound wolves" of the

Bussian forests.

gorged itself on a colt or a
calf. Under such conditions,
if the dogs had a good start,
they ran into the wolf and
held him. . . . Packs com-
posed of nothing but specially
bred and trained greyhounds
of great size and power made
a better showing. Under
favourable circumstances three
or four of these dogs readily
overtook and killed the
largest wolf. . . . Their dash-
ing courage and ferocious
fighting capacity were mar-
vellous, and in this respect I
was never able to see much
difference between the smooth
and rough the Scotch deer-
hound or the greyhound
type."

Wolf cubs are born in
April or May. The litter is
from four to nine. There was
one of six a few years ago at

the Zoological Gardens at the Hague, pretty little creatures like collie puppies, but quarrel-
some and rough even in their play. When born, they were covered with reddish-white down ;
later the coat became woolly and dark.

The European wolf's method of hunting when in chase of deer is by steady pursuit. Its
speed is such and its endurance so great that it can overtake any animal. But there is no
doubt that the favourite food of the wolf is mutton, which it can always obtain without risk
on the wild mountains of the Near East, if once the guardian dogs are avoided. M. Tschudi,
the naturalist of the Alps, gives a curious account of the assemblage of wolves in Switzerland
in 1799. They had, as is mentioned above, followed the armies from Eussia. Having tasted
human flesh, they preferred it to all other, and even dug up the corpses. The Austrian,
French, and Russian troops penetrated in 1799 into the highest mountain valleys of Switzerland,
and fought sanguinary battles there. Hundreds of corpses were left on the mountains and in
the forests, which acted as bait to the wolves, which were not destroyed for some years.

Wolves will interbreed with dogs readily, which the red fox will not. The progeny do
not bark, but howl. The Eskimo cross their dogs with wolves to give them strength.

THE COYOTE, OR PKAIRIE-WOLF.

Besides the large grey wolf, a smaller and less formidable animal is common on the
prairies and mountains of the northern half of the continent of America. This is the COYOTE.
It takes the place of the hyaena as a scavenger, but has some of the habits of the fox. It
catches birds and buck-rabbits, and feeds on insects, as well as small rodents like prairie-dogs
and mice. Its melancholy howls make night hideous on the northern prairies, and it is the
steady foe of all young creatures, such as the fawns of prong-horned antelope and deer. Its
skin, like that of most northern carnivora, is thick and valuable for fur wraps. The coyotes
assemble in packs like jackals.

In the National Park in the Yellowstone Valley grey wolves and coyotes are the only
animals which it is absolutely necessary to destroy. As the deer and antelope and other game

The Dog Family

increased under State protection, the wolves and coyotes drew towards a quarter where there
were no hunters and a good supply of food. It was soon found that the increase of the
game was checked. The coyotes used to watch the hinds when about to drop their calves,
and usually succeeded in killing them. The large grey wolves killed the hinds themselves,
and generally made life most unpleasant for the dwellers in this paradise. Orders were issued
to kill off all the w r olves by any means. Poison was found to be the best remedy ; but in
the winter, when all the game descended into the valleys, the wolves found so much fresh
food in the carcases of the animals they killed for themselves that they would not eat very
eagerly of the poisoned baits. The coyotes were killed off fairly closely, as they are less able
to obtain living prey ; but the grey wolves are constantly reinforced from the mountains, and
are a permanent enemy to be coped with.

A curious instance of change of habit in wolves on the American prairies was recently
noted in the Spectator. Formerly they followed the caravans ; now they come down to the
great transcontinental railways, and haunt the line to obtain food. Each train which crosses
the prairie is, like a ship, full of provisions. Three meals a day take place regularly, and
these are not stinted. The black cooks throw all the waste portions beef-bones, other bones,
stale bread, and trimmings overboard. The wolves have learnt that the passing of a train
means food, and when they hear one they gallop down to the line, and wait like expectant dogs
in the hope of picking up a trifle. The coyotes come close to the metals, and sit like terriers,
with their sharp noses pricked up. The big grey wolves also appear in the early morning,
standing on the snow, over which the chill wind of winter blows, gaunt and hungry images
of winter and famine.

Fhoto by Ottomar Anscltiitz]

[Berlin*

A WOLF OF THE CARPATHIANS.
This wolf Is a shorter and more heavily built specimen than the Russian wolf on the previous page.

The Living Animals of the World

Pkoto by L. Medland, F.Z.S.} [North FinclUey.

INDIAN WOLF.

This photograph shows the Indian wolf alarmed. It has a
reputation for stealing children as well as killing cattle.

Some years ago experiments were made at
the Eegent's Park Zoological Gardens to ascertain if
there were any foundation for the old legends that
wolves feared the sound of stringed instruments such
as the violin. Every one will remember the story of
the fiddler pursued by wolves. It is said that as the
pack overtook him he broke a string of his instru-
ment, and that the sudden noise of the parting cord
caused the pack to stand still for a minute, and
so enabled him to reach a tree, which he climbed.
Further, that when he improved on the hint so given,
and played his fiddle, the wolves all sat still ; when
he left off, they leapt up and tried to reach
him. Experiments with the Zoo wolves showed that
there was no doubt whatever that the low minor
chords played on a violin cause the greatest fear and
agitation in wolves, both European and Indian. The
instrument was first played behind the den of an
Indian wolf, and out of sight. At the first sound the
wolf began to tremble, erected its fur, dropped its

tail between its legs, and crept uneasily across its den. As the sounds grew louder and more
intense, the wolf trembled so violently, and showed such physical evidence of being dominated
by excessive fright, that the keeper begged that the experiment might be discontinued, or
the creature would have a fit. A large European wolf is described in " Life at the Zoo ''

as having exhibited its dislike
of the music in a different
way. It set up all its fur till
it looked much larger than its
ordinary size, and drew back
its lips until all the white
teeth protruding from the red
gums were shown. It kept
silent till the violin-player
approached it ; then it flew at
him with a ferocious growl,
and tried to seize him.

There are instances of
wolves having been quite
successfully tamed, and de-
veloping great affection for
their owners. They are
certainly more dog-like than
any fox; yet even the fox
has been tamed so far as to
become a domesticated animal
for the lifetime of one par-
ticular individual. An
extraordinary instance of this
was lately given in Country

Pkoto ly Ottomar AnsMtz] [Berlin. j^f ^^ & photograph Q f the

WOLF S HEAD. ft

tox. It was taken when a

A very fine etudy of the bead, jaws, and teeth of a female wolf. The head of the male is

much larger. cub. and brought up at a large

The Dog Family

Pkoto ly Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green.

RUSSIAN WOLF.
Note the expression of fear and ferocity on the face of this wolf ; also the enormously powerful jaws.

country house with a

number of dogs. Among

these were three terriers,

with which it made friends.

There were plenty of wild

foxes near, some of which

occasionally laid up in the

laurels in a shrubbery not

far from the house. These

laurels were, in fact, a

fairly safe find for a fox.

It was the particular sport

of the terriers to be taken

to " draw " this bit of cover,

and to chase out any fox

in it. On these expeditions

the tame fox invariably ac-
companied them, and took

an active part in the chase,

pursuing the wild fox as

far as the terriers were

able to maintain the hunt.

In Central Asia the

wolves lie out singly on
the steppes during the

summer, and feed on the

young antelopes and the lambs and kids of the Tartars' flocks. The Kirghiz organise wolf-
killing parties, to which as many mounted men and dogs come as can be brought together.
In order to aid the dogs, the Tartars often employ eagles trained to act like falcons, which
sit on the arm of the owner. As the eagle is too heavy to be carried for any time in this way,
a crutch is fastened to the left side of the saddle, on which the bearer of the falcon rests his
arm. When a wolf is sighted, the eagle is loosed, and at once flies after the wolf, and overtakes
it in a short time, striking at its. head and eyes with its talons, and buffeting it with its wings.
This attack so disconcerts the wolf that it gives time for the dogs to come up and seize it.
The habits of the Siberian wolf are rather different from those in West Russia, and the
settlers and nomad Tartars of Siberia are far more adventurous and energetic in defending
themselves against its ravages than the peasants of European Russia. Being mounted, they
also have a great advantage in the pursuit. The result is that Siberian wolves seldom appear
in large packs, and very rarely venture to attack man. Yet the damage they do to the flocks
and herds which constitute almost the only property of the nomad tribes is very severe.

Both the Russians and Siberians believe that when a she-wolf is suckling her young she
carefully avoids attacking flocks in the neighbourhood of the place where the cubs lie, but
that if she be robbed of her whelps she revenges herself by attacking the nearest flock. On
this account the Siberian peasants rarely destroy a litter, but hamstring the young wolves,
and then catch them when partly grown, and kill them for the sake of their fur. Among
the ingenious methods used for shooting wolves in Siberia is that of killing them from sledges.
A steady horse is harnessed to a sledge, and the driver takes his seat in front as usual.
Behind sit two men armed with guns, and provided with a small pig, which is induced to
squeak often and loudly. In the rear of the sledge a bag of hay is trailed on a long rope.
Any wolf in the forest near which hears the pig concludes that it is a young wild one
separated from its mother. Seeing the hay-bag trailing behind the sledge in the dusk, it
leaps out to seize it, and is shot by the passengers sitting on the back seat of the sledge.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.] [North Finchley.

NORTH AFRICAN JACKAL.
This is the common jackal of Cairo and Lower Egypt.

TEE JACKAL.

Of the Wild Canine Family, the JACKAL is
the next in numbers and importance to the
wolves. Probably in the East it is the most
numerous of any. In India, Egypt, and
Syria it regularly haunts the outskirts of
cities, and lives on refuse. In the Indian
plains wounded animals are also killed by the
jackals. At night the creatures assemble in
packs, and scour the outskirts of the cities.
Horrible are the bowlings and weird the cries
of these hungry packs. In Ceylon they live
in the hills and open country like foxes,
and kill the hares. When taken young
jackals can be tamed, and have all the
manners of a dog. They wag their tails,
fawn on their master, roll over and stick
up their paws, and could probably be domesti-
cated in a few generations, were it worth
while. They eat fruits and vegetables, such
as melons and pumpkins, eagerly.
In Africa two species are found the BLACK-BACKED JACKAL and the STRIPED JACKAL; the
former is the size of a large English fox. The young jackals are born in holes or earths;
six seems- to be the usual number of puppies. They have nearly always a back door by
which they can escape ; this is just large enough for the puppies to squeeze through, what-
ever their size. When fox-terriers are put into the earth, the jackal puppies fly out of their
back doors, through which, as a rule, the terriers are unable to follow them. Should there
be no one outside, the puppies race out on to
the veldt as hard as they can go. This jackal
is terribly destructive to sheep and lambs in
the Colony. A reward of 7s. 6d. per tail is
paid to the Kaffirs for killing them. The SIDE-
STRIPED JACKAL is a Central African species,
said to hunt in packs, to interbreed with
domestic dogs, and to be most easily tamed.
Both in India and South Africa the jackal
has been found to be of some service to the
white man by providing him with a substi-
tute for the fox to hunt. It has quite as
remarkable powers of endurance as the fox,
though it does not fight in the same
determined way when the hounds overtake it.
But it is not easy to estimate the courage of
a fox when in difficulties. The writer has
known one, when coursed by two large grey-
hounds, to disable both almost instantaneously.
One was bitten across the muzzle, the other
through the foot. The fox escaped without

a bite from either. In India the hounds ^nwtoiyA. s. Rutland & sons.
used are drafts from English packs. The INDIAN JACKAL.

, ,, , -A- it. j ji This Indian jackal might te sitting for his portrait in Mr. Rudyard

hOt Weather does not SUlt them, and they Kip i ing - s tale of the "undertakers "-the jackal, alligator, and adjutant.

The Dog Family

are seldom long-lived ; but while they
are in health they will run a jackal
across the Indian plains as gaily as
they would a fox over the Hampshire
Downs. The meet is very early in the
morning, as the scent then lies, and
riding is not too great an exertion. The
ground drawn is not the familiar English
covert, but fields, watercourses, and old
buildings. A strong dog-jackal goes
away at a great pace, and as the ground
is open the animal is often in view for
the greater part of the run ; but it
keeps well ahead of the hounds often
for three or four miles, and if it does
not escape into a hole or ruin is usually
pulled down by them. Major-General
R. S. S. Baden-Powell has written
and illustrated an amusing account of
his days with the fox-hounds of South
Africa hunting jackals. The local Boer
farmers, rough, unkempt, and in ragged
trousers, used to turn up smoking their
pipes to enjoy the sport with the
smartly got-up English officers. When
once the game was found, they were just
as excited as the Englishmen, and on
their Boer ponies rode just as hard, and
with perhaps more judgment.

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.]

TURKISH JACKAL.

[North Finchley.

This jackal is common in both Turkey in Europe and in Asia. Near
Constantinople it feeds largely on the bodies buried in the cemeteries
at Scutari.

Photo ly A. S. liudland & Sons.

MANED WOLF.
A South American animal ; its coat is a chestnut-red.

Jackals are said to be much increasing
in South Africa since the outbreak of the
war. The fighting has so far arrested
farming operations that the war usually
maintained on all beasts which destroy cattle
or sheep has been allowed to drop. In parts
of the more hilly districts both the jackal
and the leopard are reappearing where they
have not been common for years, and it
will take some time before these enemies of
the farmer are destroyed.

THE MANED WOLF.

This is by far the largest of several
peculiar South American species of the Dog
Family which we have not room to mention.
It occurs in Paraguay and adjoining regions,
and is easily distinguishable by its long
limbs and large ears. It is chestnut-red in
colour, with the lower part of the legs
black, and is solitary in its habits.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by A. S. Rudland <t Sons.

WILD DOG.

These animals range from the plains of India and Burma .to the Tibetan Plateau and Siberia.
They hunt in small packs, usually by day, and are very destructive to game, but seldom attack
domestic animals.

THE WILD DOG OF AFRICA,
OR CAPE HUNTING-DOG.

This is a most interest-
ing creature, differing from
the true dogs in having
only four toes on both fore
and hind feet, and in being
spotted like a hyaena.
These dogs are the scourge
of African game, hunting
in packs. Long of limb
and swift of foot, in-
cessantly restless, with an
overpowering desire to snap
and bite from mere animal
spirits, the Cape wild dog,
even when in captivity and
attached to its master, is
an intractable beast. In
its native state it kills the farmers' cattle and sheep and the largest antelopes. A pack
has been seen to kill and devour to the last morsel a large buck in fifteen minutes.
Drummond says : " It is a marvellous sight to see a pack of them hunting, drawing cover
after cover, their sharp bell-like note ringing through the air, while a few of the fastest of
their number take up their places along the expected line of the run, the wind, the nature
of the ground, and the habits of the game being all taken into consideration with wonderful
skill." The same writer says that he has seen them dash into a herd of cattle feeding not
a hundred yards from the house, drive out a beast, disappear over a rising ground, kill it, and

pick its bones before a horse
could be saddled and ridden to
the place.

THE INDIAN WILD DOGS.

Mr. Rudyard Kipling's
stories of the " Dhole," the red
dogs of the Indian jungle, have
made the world familiar with
these ferocious and wonderfully
bold wild dogs. There is very
little doubt that they were
found in historic times in Asia
Minor. Possibly the surviving
stories of the " Gabriel hounds "
and other ghostly packs driv-
ing deer alone in the German
and Russian forests, tales which
remain even in remote parts of
England, are a survival of the
days when the wild dogs lived
in Europe. At present there
is one species of long-haired

Photo l>y Scholastic Photo. Co.]

DINGO.

The wild dog of Australia, It was found there by the first discoverers, but was probably
introduced from elsewhere

9 6

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly A. S. Rudland & Sons.

CAPE HUNTING-DOG.

This animal hunts in packs. It is very active and most destructive to large game
of many kinds.

wild dog in "West Central Siberia.
These dogs killed nearly all the
deer in the large forests near Omsk
some years ago. Across the Himalaya
there are several species, one of
them as far east as Burma ; but the
most famous are the RED DOGS OF
THE DECCAN. They frequent both
the jungles and the hills ; but their
favourite haunt is the uplands of the
Indian Ghats. They are larger than
a jackal, much stronger, and hunt
in packs. They have only ten teeth
on each side, instead of eleven, as
in the other dogs and foxes. There
is no doubt that these fierce hunting-
dogs actually take prey from the
tiger's jaws, and probably attack the

tiger itself. They will beset a tiger at any time, and the latter seems to have learnt from
them an instinctive fear of dogs. Not so the. leopard, which, being able to climb, has nothing
to fear even from the "dhole." A coffee-planter, inspecting his grounds, heard a curious noise
in the forest bordering his estate. On going round the corner of a thick bush, he almost trod
on the tail of a tiger standing with his back towards him. He silently retreated, but as he did
so he saw that there was a pack of wild dogs a few paces in front of the tiger, yelping at him,
and making the peculiar noise which had previously attracted his attention. Having procured
a rifle, he returned with some of his men to the spot. The tiger was gone, but they disturbed
a large pack of wild dogs feeding on the body of a stag. This, on examination, proved to
have been killed by the tiger, for there were the marks of the teeth in its neck. The dogs
had clearly driven the tiger from his prey and appropriated it. The dread of the tiger for
these wild dogs was discovered by the sportsmen of the Nilgiri Hills, and put to a good
use. They used to collect scratch packs and hunt up tigers in the woods. The tiger, thinking
they were the dreaded wild pack, would either leave altogether or scramble into a tree. As
tigers never do this ordinarily, it shows how wild dogs get on their nerves.

Several South American wild dogs and foxes are included in the series with the wolves
and jackals. Among these are AZARA'S DOG and the RACCOON-DOG. These are commonly
called foxes, though they have wolf-like skulls.

THE DINGO.

The only non-marsupial animal of Australia when the continent was discovered was the
WILD DOG, or DINGO. Its origin is not known ; but as soon as the settlers' flocks and herds
began to increase its ravages were most serious, though doubtless some of the havoc with
which it was accredited was due in a great measure to runaways from domestication. Anyhow,
in the dingo the settlers found the most formidable enemy with which they had to contend,
and vigorous measures were taken to reduce their numbers and minimise their ravages, so
that by now they are nearly exterminated in Van Diemen's Land and rare on the mainland
of Australia.

It is a fine, bold dog, of considerable size, generally long-coated, of a light tan colour,
and with pricked-up ears. It is easily tamed, and some of those kept in this country have
made affectionate pets. Puppies are regularly bred and sold at the Zoological Gardens. The
animal has an elongated, flat head which is carried high ; the fur is soft, and the tail bushy.
In% the wild state it is very muscular and fierce.

Photo by OttoiiHir Anxchutz, Berlin.

HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR.
This photograph shows the most active climber of the two Himalayan bears.

The Dog Family

THE FOXES.

FOXES form a very well-marked group. They have very pointed muzzles, strong though
slightly built bodies, very fine thick fur, often beautifully coloured and very valuable, bushy tails,
pricked-up ears, and eyes with pupils which contract by day into a mere slit. They are quite
distinct from dogs (although wolves are not), and will not interbreed, though stories are told to
the contrary. The smell of a fox is disgusting to a dog, and quite sufficient to distinguish it.

If the present writer takes a simpler view of the kinds and species of foxes than that
adopted by many naturalists, he must plead to a study of the subject on slightly different lines
than those usually followed. The skins of all foxes are valuable, some more than others. But
they are sent in hundreds of thousands, and from all parts of the northern hemisphere, to
London to the great fur-sales. There these differences can be studied as they can be studied

Photo l>y C. Reid} [ mshaw, N.B.

FOX CUBS.
Fox cubs are born from March 25 till three weeks later, the time when young rabbits, their best food, are most numerous.

nowhere else. As the habits and structure of foxes are much alike, allowing for differences
of climate, and the discrepancies in size, not more than can be accounted for by abundance or
scarcity of food, it seems pretty certain that these animals are some of the few, almost alone
among mammals, showing almost every variety of colouring, from black to white, from splendid
chameleon-red to salmon -pink, and many exquisite shades of brown, grey, and silver. At the
Hudson Bay Company's sales you may see them all, and trace the differences and gradations over
whole continents. The most important are those of North America. There the EED CANADIAN
Fox, of a ruddier hue than brown, shades off into the yellow and grey CROSS Fox of farther north.
But of these there are many varieties. Then farther north still comes an area where red foxes,
cross foxes, and black foxes are found. The black fox, when the fur is slightly sprinkled with
white, is the famous SILVER Fox. This and the black fox are also found in North Siberia
and Manchuria. Farthest north we find the little stunted ARCTIC FOXES. In the Caucasus
and Central Asia large yellowish-red foxes live, and in Japan and China a very bright red
variety. A small grey fox lives in Virginia, and is hunted with hounds descended from packs

9 8

The Living Animals of the World

taken out before the American Revolution. India has
its small DESERT-FOXES ("the little foxes that eat the
grapes ") and the BENGAL Fox.

The value of the foxes as fur-bearing animals is
immense. Only white, blue, and black skins seem to be
appreciated in England. The black fox has been known
to fetch 150 guineas a skin. But in the East, from
Asia Minor to China, red, grey,
and yellow fox-skins are the
lining of every rich man's winter
wraps. Splendid mixed robes
are made by the Chinese by in-
serting portions of cross fox-skins
into coats of cut sable, giving

the idea that it is the fur of f^to i y a. w. wnson t Co., Ltd.]
a new animal. MOUNTAIN-FOX.

rpr P'OMMmvr T^r>Y tViA * n kiUy countries the fox becomes a powerful and destructive animal, killing not only game

foundation or type of all the

above, is the best-known carnivorous animal in this country. Abroad its habits do not greatly
differ, except that, not being hunted much with hounds, it is less completely nocturnal. It
drops its young in an earth early in April. Thither the vixen carries food till late in June,
when the cubs come out, and often move to a wood or a corn-field. There they are still fed,
but learn to do a little on their own account by catching mice and moles. By late September
the hounds come cub-hunting, partly to kill off superfluous foxes, partly to educate the young
hounds, and to teach the foxes to fear them and to make them leave cover easily. Four or
five cubs in a litter are commonly seen. The distance which a fox will run is extraordinary.
The following is a true account of one of the most remarkable runs ever known. The hounds
were those of Mr. Tom Smith, master of the Hambledon Hunt. He was the man of whom
another famous sportsman said that if he were a fox he should prefer to be hunted by a pack
of hounds rather than by Tom Smith with a stick in his hand. The fox was found in a cover
called Markwells, at one o'clock in the afternoon in December, near Petersfield. It crossed into
Sussex, and ran into an earth in Grafham Hill a little before dark. The fox had gone twenty-
seven miles. The hounds had forty miles to go back to kennel that night, and three only
found their way home four days afterwards. Dog-foxes assemble in considerable numbers

when a vixen is about in spring,
and at all times common foxes
are sociable creatures, though not
actually living in societies. Some-
times as many as five or six are
found in a single earth. Two
years ago five foxes and a badger
were found in one near Romford.
They eat mice, beetles, rats, birds,
game, poultry, and frogs. Their
favourite food is rabbits. If there
are plenty of these, they will not
touch other game. They hunt along
the railway-lines for dead birds
killed by the telegraph-wires. In

PHotoly C.Reid], IWisUaw, N.B. fche Ngw Forest th ^O gO down

LEICESTERSHIRE FOX. ,, , j i j j n i

to the shore and pick up dead nsn.

Leicestershire is the best fox-hunting county in England. The foxes are famous for *

their speed and endurance. One in the Writer's pOSSCSSion

Photo by Ottomar Anschuts [Berlin.

TOO DIFFICULT !

Foxes can easily climb trees with small projecting branches. One was found 37 feet up a tree in Savernake Forest ; but a branchless stump such as

that here shown no fox could climb.

100

The Living Animals of the World

Photos ly Scholastic Photo. Co.]
In summer.

ARCTIC FOX.
Changing his coat.

[Parson's Green.
In winter.

The Arctic Fox is one of the few animals showing different phases of colour, some being blue at all seasons, wliile others are white in winter

and mottled brownish in summer.

shot when carrying away a lamb from a sheepfold near the cliffs of Sidmouth, in Devon.
The shepherd thought it was a marauding dog, and lay in wait with a gun.

THE ARCTIC Fox.

The ARCTIC Fox is somewhat different in habits from others. It is also much smaller
than the red foxes. Its fur is almost as soft as eiderdown, and so thick that the cold does
not penetrate. In winter the whole coat changes colour, not gradually, but in patches. At
the same time a dense growth of under-fur comes up on the body. In summer this is shed
in patches, almost like loose felt. The foxes live in colonies, but are so hard put to it for
food in the winter that they desert their homes to gather round whaling-ships or encampments.
There they steal everything edible, from snowshoe-thongs to seal-flesh. Blue foxes are bred
and kept for the sake of their fur on some of the islands in Bering Sea. They are fed on the
flesh of the seals killed on the neighbouring islands, and are, like them, killed when their
coat is in condition.

THE FENNECS.

Africa has a group
Some of th em
Maholis and other
Several are not more
long; they are a
but the eyes are very

The COMMON
over the whole of
food is dates and
but it is also fond
eat mice and insects,
original hero of the
and the grapes,
fennec, which is
the SILVER Fox, is
Cape to as far
It is 23 inches
mainly on insects

of small foxes of its own.

Photo ly A. S. Rudland <fc Sons.

FENJSTEC-FOX.

Remarkable for the great size of the ears. An African species. Its sense
of hearing is probably very acute.

They have very large ears and dark eyes,
remind us of the
large-eyed lemuroids.
than 9 or 10 inches
whitish-khaki colour,
dark and brilliant.
FENNEC is found
Africa. Its favourite
any sweet fruit,
of eggs, and will
It is probably the
story of the fox
The large-eared
sometimes called
found from the
north as Abyssinia,
long, and lives

and fruit.

The Dog Family

101

DOMESTIC DOGS.

BY C. II. LANE.

THE DOG, almost without exception, shows a marked liking for the society'- of Kumari"
beings, and adapts itself to their ways more than any other animal.

Fox-, Stag-, and Hare-hounds the latter better known as Hariers and Beagles have
many points in common, much beauty of shape and colour, and great suitability for their
work, though differing in some other particulars.

Another group Greyhounds, Whippets, Irish Wolf-hounds, Scottish Deer-hounds, all of which
come under the category of Gaze-hounds, or those which hunt by sight are built for great
speed, to enable them to cope with the fleet game they pursue. In the same group should be
included the BORZOI, or Russian Wolf-hound, now very popular in this country, with something
of the appearance of the Scottish deer-hound about it as to shape, but with a finer, longer
head, deeper body, more muscular limbs, and shaggier in the hair on body and tail.

The OTTER-HOUND is one of the most picturesque of all the hound tribe. This variety
somewhat reminds one of a large and leggy Dandie Dinmont terrier, with a touch of the
blood-hound, and is thought to have been originally produced from a cross between these or
similar varieties.

The BLOOD-HOUND is another, with much style and beauty of shape, colour, and character
about it which cannot fail to favourably impress any beholder. The matches or trials which
have of late years been held in different localities have been most interesting in proving its
ability for tracking footsteps for long distances, merely following them by scent, some time
after the person hunted started on the trail. By the kindness of my friend Mr. E. Brough,
I am able to give as an illustration a portrait of what he considers the best blood-hound
ever bred.

Much valued by sportsmen with the gun are POINTERS, so called from their habit of remaining
in a fixed position when their quarry is discovered, eagerly pointing in its direction until the
arrival of the guns. They are most often white, with liver, lemon, or black markings ; but
occasionally self colours, such as liver or black, are met with. They have been largely bred

Photo by F. H Dembrey]

{Bristol.

STAG-HOUND PUPPIES.

This gives an interesting group of hounds in kennel.

102

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by T. Fall]

[Baker Street.

GBEYHOUND.

A typical specimen of this elegant variety.

in the west of England. I
have been fortunate in
obtaining one of Mr. E. C.
Norrish's celebrated strain
as a typical specimen for
illustration.

The SETTER group, which
comprises three varieties, are
all useful and beautiful in
their way. The English are
usually white, with markings
or tickings of blue, lemon,
or black ; they are rather
long and narrow in the head,
with bodies and sterns well
feathered, and are graceful
and active movers. Gordon
setters, which are always
black and tan in colour, and
preferred without any white,
are generally larger and
stronger in build than the
last-named. Irish setters are
more on the lines of the
English, being a rich tawny
red in colour, rather higher
on the leg, with narrow skulls, glossy coats, feathered legs and stern, ears set low and lying
back, and lustrous, expressive eyes.

KETRIEVERS may be divided into flat-coated and curly-coated. Both are usually black,
but other colours are occasionally seen. The coats of the first-named are full, but without
curl in them; while the latter have their bodies, heads, legs, 'thighs, and even tails covered
with small close curls. The eyes of both should be dark, and the ears carried closely to the
sides of the head. In an article dealing with retrievers, which appeared in the Cornhill
Magazine under the title of " Dogs which Earn their Living," the author writes : " There
is not the slightest doubt that in the modern retrievers acquired habits, certainly one
acquired habit, that of fetching dead and wounded game, are transmitted directly. The
puppies sometimes retrieve without being taught, though with this they also combine a
greatly improved capacity for further teaching. Kecently a retriever was sent after a winged
partridge which had run into a ditch. The dog followed it some way down the ditch,
and presently came out with an old rusty tea-kettle, held in its mouth by the handle.
The kettle was taken from the dog, amid much laughter ; then it was found that inside the
kettle was the partridge ! The explanation was that the bird, when wounded, ran into the
ditch, which was narrow. In the ditch was the old kettle, with no lid on. Into this the bird
crept ; and as the dog could not get the bird out, it very properly brought out the kettle
with the bird in it. Among dogs which earn their living, these good retrievers deserve a place
in the front rank." The illustration shows a good flat-coated retriever at work.

The SPANIEL group is rather large, including the English and Irish water-spaniels, the
former an old-fashioned, useful sort, often liver or roan, with some white or other markings,
and a good deal of curl in the coat and on the ears. His Irish brother is always some shade of
liver in colour, larger in the body and higher on the leg, covered with a curly coat, except on the
tail, which is nearly bare of hair, with a profusion of hair on the top of the head, often hanging
down over the eyes, giving a comical appearance, and increasing his Hibernian expression. They

Photo by C. Reid]

RETRIEVER.

This represents a flat-coated retriever at work, and is remarkably true to life.
103

[ Wiahaw, K.B.

104

The Living Animals of the World

make lively, affectionate companions and
grand assistants at waterfowl-shooting.

CLUMBER SPANIELS are always a
creamy white, with lemon or light tan
markings, and are rather slow and de-
liberate in their movements, but have a
stylish, high-class look about them.

SUSSEX SPANIELS are also rather heavy
in build and of muscular frame, but
can do a day's work with most others.
They are a rich copper-red in colour,
with low short bodies, long feathered
ears, full eyes of deep colour, and are
very handsome.

BLACK SPANIELS should be glossy
raven-black in colour, with strong
muscular bodies on strong short legs,
long pendulous ears, and expressive eyes.
Good specimens are in high favour, and
command long prices. I regret I cannot
find room for an illustration of this breed,
so deservedly popular.

COCKERS, which are shorter in the back, higher on the leg, and lighter in weight, being
usually under 25 Ibs., are very popular, full of life, and very attractive in appearance.

BASSET-HOUNDS, both rough- and smooth-coated, are probably the most muscular dogs in
existence of their height, with much dignity about them. In the Sporting Teams at the
Royal Agricultural Hall there were some thirteen or fifteen teams of all kinds of sporting
dogs, and of these a team each of rough and smooth bassets was in the first four.

DACHSHUNDS are often erroneously treated as Sporting Dogs. There are certainly not
so many supporters of the breed as formerly. Their lean heads, with long hanging ears,
long low bodies, and crooked fore legs, give them a quaint appearance. The colours
are usually shades of chestnut-red or black and tan ; but some are seen chocolate and
" dappled," which is one shade of reddish brown, with spots and blotches of a darker shade
all over it.

GREAT DANES, though mostly classed amongst Non-sporting Dogs, have much of the
hound in their bearing and appearance. The whole-coloured are not so popular as the various

BLOOD-HOUND.

This photograph shows what an almost perfect blood-hound should be like.

ENGLISH SETTER.
A typical but rather coarse specimen of a beautiful variety.

Pholo by E. landor] [Baling.

SMOOTH-COATED SAINT BERNARD.
The illustration gives a capital idea of these handsome dogs.

The Dog Family

105

shades of brindle and harlequin, but I have seen many beautiful fawns, blues, and othei
whole colours. They are being bred with small natural drooping ears. One of the first I
remember seeing exhibited was a large harlequin belonging to the late Mr. Frank Adcock.
with the appropriate name of " Satan," as, although always shown muzzled, he required the
attentions of three or four keepers to deal with him; and at one show I attended he over-
powered his keepers, got one of them on the ground, tore his jacket off, and gave him a

rough handling.

NON-SPORTING VARIETIES.

SAINT BERNARDS, although
sometimes exceeding 3 feet at
the shoulder, are as a rule very
docile and good-tempered, and
many are owned by ladies. The
coat may be rough or smooth,
according to taste; but either
are splendid, animals. They are
sometimes seen self-coloured,
but those with markings shades
of rich red, with white and
black, for preference are the
handsomest. They are still used
as " first aids " in the snow on
the Swiss mountains. So far as
I remember, this is the only
breed of dog used for stud and
exhibition for which as much as
1,500 has been paid; and this
has occurred on more than one
occasion.

NEWFOUNDLANDS have re-
gained their place in popularity, and many good blacks and black-and-whites can now be seen.

Numerous cases are on record of their rendering aid to persons in danger of drowning, and

establishing communication with wrecked vessels and the shore.

MASTIFFS are looked on as one of the national breeds. Their commanding presence and

stately manner make them highly suitable as guards, and they are credited with much

attachment and devotion to their owners.

The colours are mostly shades of fawn with f

black muzzle, or shades of brindle. I am able

to give the portrait of one of the best speci-
mens living, belonging to Mr. K. Leadbetter.
BULL-DOGS are also regarded as a national

breed. They are at present in high favour.

The sizes and colours are so various that all

tastes can be satisfied. Recently there has

been a fancy for toy bull-dogs, limited to

22 Ibs. in weight, mostly with upright ears

of tulip shape. In spite of the many

aspersions on their character, bull-dogs are

usually easy-going and good-tempered, and

are often very fastidious feeders what fanciers

call " bad doers."

Photo by Fratelli Alinari] [Florence.

GREAT DANE.

This shows a typical specimen of this breed, with cropped ears, which will be dis
continued in show dogs.

Photo by T. Fall]

[Baker Street.

DACHSHUND.

The photograph conveys a fair idea of these quaint dogs.

io6

The Living Animals of the World

ROUGH COLLIES are very
graceful, interesting creatures,
and stand first in intelligence
amongst canines. They are
highly popular. Several have
been sold for over 1,000,
and the amounts in prize-
money and fees obtained by
some of the " cracks " would
surprise persons not in "the
fancy." A high-bred specimen
" in coat " is most beautiful.
The colours most favoured are
sables with white markings ;
but black, white, and tans,
known as "tricolors," are

pleasing and effective. I quite hoped to give a portrait of one of the most perfect of present-
day champions, belonging to H.H. the Princess de Montglyon, but could not find room.

SMOOTH COLLIES are a handsome breed, full of grace, beauty, and intelligence, and very
active and lively. A favourite colour is merle, a sort of lavender, with black markings and
tan and white in parts, usually associated with one or both eyes china-coloured. Specimens
often win in sheep-dog trials ; a bitch of mine won many such, and was more intelligent in
other ways than many human beings.

OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOGS are a most fascinating breed, remarkably active, possessed of
much endurance and resource, and very faithful and affectionate. I have often made long

Photo by Kitchener Portrait Co.

DALMATIANS.

All are typical, but the first is the best in quality and markings.

Photo by T. Fall]

NEWFOUNDLAND.
The dog shown here gives a good idea of size and character, but is not in best coat

[Baker Street

The Dog Family

107

journeys through cross-country roads accompanied by one or more of them, and never
knew them miss me, even on the darkest night or in the crowded streets of a large town.
The favourite colour is pigeon-blue, with white collar and markings. The coat should be
straight and hard in texture. The illustration is from a portrait of one of the best bitches
ever shown, belonging to Sir H. de Trafford.

DALMATIANS are always white, with black, liver, or lemon spots, the size of a shilling or
less, evenly distributed over the body, head, ears, and even tail, and pure, without mixture
of white. There is much of the pointer about this variety, which has long been used for
sporting purposes on the continent of Europe. I can testify to their many good qualities
as companions and house-dogs. To quote again from the article above mentioned : " It is
commonly believed that the spotted carriage-dogs once so frequently kept in England were

BULL-DOGS.

The photograph is remarkably good and characteristic of this variety.

[Baker Street.

about the most useless creatures of the dog kind, maintained only for show and fashion.
This is a mistake. They were used at a time when a travelling-carriage carried, besides its
owners, a large amount of valuable property, and the dog watched the carriage at night
when the owners were sleeping at country inns. We feel we owe an apology to the race of
carriage-dogs. . . . While this dog is becoming extinct, in spite of his useful qualities, other breeds
are invading spheres of work in which they had formerly no part." There is only one point in
which I differ from the above, and that is contained in the last sentence. There are a number
of enthusiastic breeders very keen on reviving interest in this variety, and I have during the last
few years had large entries to judge, so that we shall probably see more of them in the future.

POODLES are of many sizes and colours. They are very intelligent, easily taught tricks,
and much used as performing dogs. They have various kinds of coats : corded, in which
the hair hangs in long strands or ringlets ; curly, with a profusion of short curls all over

io8

The Living Animals of the World

OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG.

them, something like retrievers ; and fluffy,
when the hair is combed out, to give much
the appearance of fleecy wool. A part of
the body, legs, head, and tail is usually
shorn.

BULL-TERRIERS are now bred with
small natural drooping ears, and should
have long wedge-shaped heads, fine coats,
and long tails. There is also a toy variety,
which hitherto has suffered from round
skulls and tulip ears, but is rapidly im-
proving. I have bred many as small as
3 Ibs. in weight. In each variety the
colour preferred is pure white, without any
markings, and with fine tapering tails.

IRISH TERRIERS are very popular, and
should be nearly wholly red in colour, with
long lean heads, small drooping ears, hard

This is a remarkably fine photograph of a well-known specimen of this

interesting variety. COatS, not tOO much leg, and Without

coarseness. They make good comrades.

BEDLINGTON TERRIERS have long been popular in the extreme north of England, and are
another fighting breed. It is indeed often difficult to avoid a difference of opinion between
show competitors. Their lean long heads, rather domed skulls, with top-knot of lighter hair,
long pointed ears, and small dark eyes, give them a peculiar appearance. The coats, which
are " linty " in texture, should be shades of blue or liver.

Three breeds, all more or less hard in coat-texture, and grizzled in colour on heads and
bodies, while tanned on other parts, are AIREDALE, OLD ENGLISH, and WELSH TERRIERS, which
may be divided into large, medium, and small. The first-named make very good all-round
dogs ; the Old .English, less in number, make useful dogs, and are hardy and companionable ;
while Welsh terriers are much the size of a small wire-haired fox-terrier, but usually shorter
and somewhat thicker in the head. I intended one of Mr. W. S. Glynn's best dogs to
illustrate the last-named.

FOX-TERRIERS are both smooth- and wire-haired. Their convenient size and lively tempera-
ment make them very popular as pets and companions for both sexes and all ages. The

colour is invariably white, with or without
markings on head or body, or both.

BLACK-AND-TAN and WHITE ENGLISH
TERRIERS are built upon the same lines,
differing chiefly in colour, the former being
raven-black, with tan markings on face, legs,
and some lower parts of the body, and the
latter pure white all over. Both should have
small natural drooping ears, fine glossy coats,
and tapering sterns. The toy variety of the
former should be a miniature of the larger, and
is very difficult to produce of first-class quality.
SCOTTISH TERRIERS are very interesting,
often with much " character " about them.
The usual colours are black, shades of grey,

MASTIFF or brindle, but some are seen fawn, stone-

colour, and white. The ears should be carried

The photograph gives almost an ideal picture of this national breed, the

colour i>eing known as biack-brindie. bolt upright, the coat as hard as a badger's,

Photo by Lambert Lambert] [Hath.

DEER-HOUND.
This is a capital portrait of one of the best of this graceful variety.

Photo by H. Cornish] \_Crediton.

POINTER.
This is a young dog not yet shown, but full of quality and type.

Photo by VUliers & Sons] [Newport.

SKYE TERRIER.
The photograph is of a well-known winner in show form.

Photo by T. Fall] [Baker Street.

CORDED POODLE.
The length of the cords of which the coat is composed is clearly shown.

By permission of Mrs. Hall- Walker.

POMERANIAN.
Probably about the best all-black Toy Pomeranian ever shown.

A smart picture of one of tho best of these popular dogs.

Photo by G. y. Taylor] [Cowley Road. Photo by E. Landor]

MALTESE TOY TERRIER. BUTTERFLY-DOG.

A very excellent representation of one of the best specimens of The photograph gives an excellent idea of this somewhat rare variety,
the present day.

109

The Living Animals of the World

Pltoto by T. Fall} [Baker Street.

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ALEXANDRA, WITH CHOW AND

JAPANESE SPANIELS.
A group which will be studied with much interest by all.

teeth even, small dark expressive eyes, fore
legs straight, the back short. One I brought
from Skye many years since I took with me
when driving some miles into the country;
coming back by a different route, he missed
me; but on nearing my starting-point I
found him posted at a juncture of four roads,
by one of which I must return. He could
not have selected a better position. The
illustration is that of a first-rate specimen of
the variety, "Champion Balmacron Thistle."

DANDIE DINMONT TERRIERS have many
quaint and charming ways. They are very
strongly built, being among the most muscular
of the terriers, of high courage, devotedly
attached to their owners, and admirably
adapted for companions, being suitable for
indoors or out, and at home anywhere. The
colours are pepper (a sort of darkish iron-
grey) and mustard (a yellowish red-fawn),
both with white silky hair on head, called
the top-knot, and lustrous dark eyes, very
gipsy-like and independent in expression.

SKYES, both PRICK- and DROP-EARED, are
another Scottish breed which well deserve their popularity, as they are thorough sporting
animals. The colours are chiefly shades of dark or light grey, but sometimes fawn with dark
points and whites are seen. The texture of coat should be hard and weather-resisting ; the
eyes dark and keen in expression ; bodies long, low, and well knit ; legs straight in front ; even
mouths ; tails carried gaily, but not curled over the back.

SCHIPPERKES are of Belgian origin. To those who do not know them, they are something
like medium-sized Pomeranians, short of coat, but without tails. They are nearly always pure
black in colour, with coats of hardish texture, fullest round the neck and shoulders, the ears
standing straight up like darts, short cobby bodies, and straight legs. They make smart guards
and companions.

CHOWS originally came from China, but are now largely bred here. They are square-built
sturdy dogs, with dense coats, tails carried over the side, blunt-pointed ears, and rather short

thick heads. They have a little of a large coarse Pomeranian,
with something of an Eskimo about them, but are different
from either, with a type of their own. The colour is usually
some shade of red or black, often with a bluish tinge in it.
One marked peculiarity is that the tongues of chows are
blue-black in colour.

POMERANIANS can be procured of any weight from 3 to
30 Ibs., and of almost every shade of colour. At present
brown of various shades is much in favour, but there are
many beautiful whites, blacks, blues, sables, and others. They
are very sharp and lively, and make charming pets and
companions. Really good "specimens command high prices.
The illustration is of one of the best of his colour ever seen

Photo by T. Fall] [Baker Street. "Champion Pippin."

SAND-DOG. PUGS, both fawn and black, are old-fashioned favourite?

A quaint picture of a quaint variety, quite hair- . i ,. . rriu v u i.

less, and much the colour of Castuie soap. V61 T quaint and peculiar in appearance. They should have square

The Dog Family

111

heads and muzzles, with small ears, large protruding eyes,
short thick bodies, and tails tightly curled over the back. The
illustration, "Duchess of Connaught," is of a well-known winner.

MALTESE TERRIERS are very beautiful when pure bred.
They have a long straight coat of silky white hair nearly
reaching the ground, black nose and eyes, and the tail curled
over the back of their short cobby body. Their beauty well
repays the trouble of keeping them in good condition. The
illustration, from a photograph taken for this article, is that
of the high-class dog " Santa Klaus."

YORKSHIRE TOY TERRIERS, with their steel-blue bodies
and golden-tanned faces, legs, and lower parts, and long
straight coats, require skilful attention to keep in order, but
are very attractive as pets.

TOY SPANIELS are very old members of the toy division,
dating from or before the time of His Majesty King Charles :
KING CHARLES SPANIELS being black and tan ; PRINCE
CHARLES SPANIELS black, white, and tan ; another strain,
the BLENHEIM, white, with shades of reddish-tan markings
on the head and body, and a spot of same colour on fore-
head ; and the RUBY, a rich coppery red all over. They

should be small and stout in size and shape, without coarseness, long in the ear, with large
full protruding eyes of dark colour, a short face, a straight coat, and not leggy.

JAPANESE SPANIELS carry heavy coats, usually black, or yellow, and white in colour, shorter
in the ears, which are carried more forward than in the last-named, broader in the muzzle, with
nearly flat faces, dark eyes, and bushy tails carried over the back. They have very short legs
and their hair nearly reaches the ground as they walk. When I kept them they were .much
larger in size, but they are often now produced under 6 Ibs. in weight.

PEKIN SPANIELS, the last of the toy spaniels I need mention, come from China. They
should have soft fluffy coats, tails inclined to turn over the back, short faces, broad muzzles,
large lustrous eyes, and a grave, dignified expression. The colour is usually some shade of
tawny fawn or drab, but I have seen them black and dark brown ; whatever colour, it should be
without white. The illustration, Mrs. Lindsay's " Tartan Plaid," was one of the early importations.

Photo by County of Gloucester Studio, Clidtenham.

PUG AND PEKINESE SPANIEL.

A typical portrait of two well-known winners in

these popular varieties.

Photo by C. Reid]

FOX-TERRIER.
A picture full of life and go at present odds :a favour of our friend with the prickly coat.

[ Wishaic, N.B.

112

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by H. Lanavr'j

BLENHEIM AND PRINCE CHARLES SPANIELS.
This little group will serve to show the appearance of these charming little pets.

[Baling.

ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS, another old-fashioned variety of toy dog, should not exceed 12 Ibs.
in weight, but in my opinion are better if they are some pounds less. Much like miniature
greyhounds in shape and build, they are elegant, graceful little creatures, very sensitive to
cold. Shades of fawn, cream, or French grey are most common ; but some are slate-blue,
chestnut-red, and other tints. Of late years the breed has met with more encouragement, and
there is less fear of its being allowed to die out.

GRIFFONS BRUSSELOIS have been greatly taken up the last few years. They are something
like Yorkshire toy terriers in size and shape, but with a shortish harsh coat, generally of some
shade of reddish brown, very short face, small shining dark eyes, heavy under-jaw, short thick
body, and an altogether comical appearance. Imported specimens, particularly before reaching
maturity, are often difficult to rear.

The AFRICAN SAND-DOG occasionally seen in this country (mostly at shows) is remarkable
for being entirely hairless, except a few hairs of a bristly character on the top of the head

and a slight tuft at the end of
or mottled in colour, something
black-and-tan terrier, and very
Having been supplied with
I will say a few words about this
numbers at Constantinople and
roam about unclaimed, and act as
said to divide the places they
each with its own leader, and
authority. I have known cases
mined attack on travellers out
rather a cowardly race, and easily
the part of the attacked. Prob-
of the dogs so often mentioned
and, among Eastern peoples, to
the most insulting epithet that
ancient times, the dog never seems
in hunting and pursuing game
guardian of their flocks, herds, and

Pkoto by the Duchess of Bedford,
Woburn Abbey.

PARIAH PUPPIES.
This capital photograph of a variety
seldom seen in this country will be
very interesting.

the tail ; it is chiefly blue-black
in shape and size like a coarse
susceptible to cold,
an illustration of PARIAH PUPPIES,
variety, which is seen in large
other Eastern cities, where they
amateur scavengers ; they are
inhabit into districts or beats,
resent any interference with their
where they have made a deter-
late at night; but they are
repulsed with a little firmness on
ably these are the descendants
in Scripture with opprobrium ;
call a man " a dog " is even now
can be used. By the Jews, in
to have been used, as with us,
and wild animals, but merely as a
sometimes dwellings.

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz]

COMMON BROWN BEAR.

In Scandinavia a few still haunt the highest mountain-ridges, as here shown
113

{Berlin.

CHAPTER VI.

THE BEARS.

Ij EXCEPT the great cats, no creatures have longer held a place in
fij human interest than the BEARS. Their size and formidable
equipment of claws and teeth give the touch of fear which
goes with admiration. On the other hand, they do not, as a rule,
molest human beings, who see them employing their great strength
on apparently insignificant objects with some amusement. Except
one species, most bears are largely fruit and vegetable feeders. The
sloth-bear of India sucks up ants and grubs with its funnel-like
lips ; the Malayan bear is a honey-eater by profession, scarcely
touching other food when it can get the bees' store ; and only the
great polar bear is entirely carnivorous. The grizzly bear of the
Northern Rocky Mountains is largely a flesh-eater, consuming great
quantities of putrid salmon in the Columbian rivers. But the ice-
bear is ever on the quest for living or dead flesh ; it catches seals, devours
young sea-fowl and
eggs, and can
actually kill and eat
the gigantic walrus.
Every one will
have noticed the
deliberate flat-
footed walk of the
bears. This is due
partly to the for-

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz, Berlin.
AN INVITING ATTITUDE.

The upright position is not natural
to the brown bear. It prefers to sit
on its hams, and not to stand.

mation of the feet
themselves. The
whole sole is set flat
upon the ground,
and the impressions
in a bear's track are

not unlike those of a man's footsteps. The
claws .are not capable of being retracted, like
those of the Cats; consequently they are
worn at the tips where the curve brings them
in contact with the ground. Yet it is sur-
prising what wounds these blunt but hard
weapons will inflict on man wounds resembling
what might be caused by the use of a very
large garden-rake. Against other animals
protected by hair bears' claws are of little
use. Dogs would never attack them so readily
as they do were they armed with the talons
of a leopard or tiger. The flesh-teeth in both
jaws of the bear are unlike those of other
carnivora. The teeth generally show that

Photo by Fratelli AUnari] {Florence.

THREE PERFORMING BEARS.

Those on the right and left are Himalayan black bears. The white collar is
plainly seen.

bears have a mixed diet.
Bears appear to have
descended from some dog-
like ancestor, but to have
been much modified.

Except the ice-bear, all
the species are short and
very bulky. It is said that
a polar bear has been killed
which weighed 1,000 Ibs. It
is far the largest, and most
formidable in some respects,
of all the Carnivora. The
claws of the grizzly bear are
sometimes 5 inches long over
the outer curve. All bears can
sit upright on their hams,
and stand upright against a
support like a tree. Some
can stand upright with no aid
at all. Except the grizzly
bear, they can all climb, many
of them very well. In the
winter, if it be cold, they
hibernate. In the spring,
when the shoots of the early
plants come up, they emerge,
hungry and thin, to seek their
food. Bears were formerly
common in Britain, and were
exported for the Eoman
amphitheatres. The prehis-
toric cave-bears were very
large. Their remains have
been found in Devon, Derby-
shire, and other counties.
The species inhabiting Britain during the Koman period was the common brown bear of Europe.

THE COMMON BROWN BEAR.

Only one species of bear is found in Europe south of the ice-line, though above it the white
ice-bear inhabits Spitzbergen and the islands off the White Sea. This is the BROWN BEAR, the
emblem of Eussia in all European caricature, and the hero of innumerable fragments of folk-
lore and fable, from the tents of the Lapps to the nurseries of English children. Except the
ice-bear, it is far the largest of European carnivora, but varies much in size. Eussia is
the main home of the brown bear, but it is found in Sweden and Norway, and right across
Northern Asia. It is also common in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Caucasus, and in
Mount Pindus in Greece. In the south it is found in Spain and the Pyrenees, and a few
are left in the Alps. The dancing-bears commonly brought to England are caught in the
Pyrenees. The " Queen's bear," so called because its owner was allowed to exhibit it at
Windsor, was one of these. But lately dancing-bears from Servia and Wallachia have also
been seen about our roads and streets. In Eussia the bear grows to a great size. Some have
been killed of 800 Ibs. in weight. The fur is magnificent in winter, and in great demand

Photo by Ottomar Anschiitz] [Berlin.

EUROPEAN BROWN BEAR.

The specimen of the brown bear of Europe from which this picture was taken was an unusually
light and active bear. Its flanks are almost flat.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by E. Landor]

SYRIAN BEAR.
This is the bear generally alluded to in the Old Testament.

for rich Kussians' sledge-rugs.
The finest bear-skins of all are
bought for the caps of our
own Grenadier and Coldstream
Guards. In the Alps the bears
occasionally visit a cow-shed
in winter and kill a cow ; but
as a rule the only damage
done by those in Europe is
to the sheep on the hills
in the far north of Norway.
Tame brown bears are amusing
creatures, but should never be
trusted. They are always
liable to turn savage, and the
bite is almost as severe as
that of a tiger. Men have
had their heads completely
crushed in by the bite of one
of these animals. In Russia
bears are shot in the following manner. When the snow falls, the bears retire into the densest
thickets, and there make a half-hut, half-burrow in the most tangled part to hibernate in.
The bear is tracked, and then a ring made round the cover by beaters and peasants. The
shooters follow the track and rouse the bear, which often charges them, and is forthwith shot.
If it escapes, it is driven in by the beaters outside. High fees are paid to peasants who send
information that a bear is harboured in this way. Sportsmen in St. Petersburg will go 300

or 400 miles to shoot one on receipt of a telegram.

The brown bear, like the reindeer and red deer,
is found very little modified all across Northern Asia r
and again in the forests of North America. There,
however, it undergoes a change. Just as the red deer
is found represented by a much larger creature, the
wapiti, so the brown bear is found exaggerated into
the great bear of Alaska. The species attains its
largest, possibly, in Kamchatka, on the Asiatic side
of Bering Sea ; but the Alaskan bear has the credit
with sportsmen of being the largest. A skin of one of
the former, brought to the sale-rooms of Sir Charles
Lampson & Co., needed two men to carry it. Last
spring, in the sale-rooms of the same great firm, some
persons present measured the skin of ar> Alaskan bear
which was 9 feet across the shoulders from paw to paw.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR.

This is a very distinct race of brown bear. It
has a flat profile, like the polar bear; in addition it
grows to a great size, is barely able to climb trees,
and has the largest claws of any they have been
known to measure 5 inches along the curve. The
Cent's Park. iv ^ grizzly, which used to be found as far north as

LARGE RUSSIAN BROWN BEAR. />i o i J.-.L j T .-, p TUT

~ . , ol latitude and south as far as Mexico, is a rare

The picture shows to what a size and strength the brown

bear attains. animal now. Its turn for cattle-killing made the

The Bears

ranchmen poison it, and rendered the task an easy one. It is now only found in the Northern
Rocky Mountains, and perhaps in North California and Nevada. Formerly encounters with
"Old Ephraim," as the trappers called this bear, were numerous and deadly. It attacked
men if attacked by them, and often without provocation. The horse, perhaps more than
its rider, was the object of the bear. Lewis and Clarke measured a grizzly which was 9 feet
long from nose to tail. The weight sometimes reaches 800 Ibs. Measurements of much
larger grizzly bears have been recorded, but it is difficult to credit them. On a ranche
near the upper waters of the Colorado River several colts were taken by grizzly bears.
One of them was found buried according to the custom of this bear, and the owner sat up
to shoot the animal. Having only the old-fashioned small-bored rifle of the day, excellent
for shooting deer or Indians, but useless against so massive a beast as this bear, unless hit
in the head or heart, he only wounded it. The bear rushed in, struck him a blow with its
paw (the paw measures a foot across), smashed the rifle which he held up as a protection,
and struck the barrel on to his head. The man fell insensible, when the bear, having satisfied
himself that he was dead, picked him up, carried him off, and buried him in another hole
which it scratched near the dead colt. It then dug up the colt and ate part of it, and went
off. Some time later the man came to his senses, and awoke to find himself " dead and
buried." As the earth was only roughly thrown over him, he scrambled out, and saw close
by the half-eaten remains of the colt. Thinking that it might be about the bear's dinner-
time, and remembering that he was probably put by in the larder for the next meal, he
hurried home at once, and did not trouble the bear again. Not so a Siberian peasant, who had
much the same adventure. He had been laughed at for wishing to shoot a bear, and went out
into the woods to do so. The bear had
the best of it, knocked him down, and
so frightfully mangled his arm that
he fainted. Bruin then buried him in
orthodox bear fashion ; and the man, when
he came to, which he fortunately did
before the bear came back, got up, and
made his way to the village. There he
was for a long time ill, and all through
his sickness and delirium talked of
nothing but shooting the bear. When
he got well, he disappeared into the forest
with his gun, and after a short absence
returned with the bear's skin !

THE AMERICAN BROWN BEAR.
The brown bear of America is closely
allied to that of Europe; it was first
described by Sir John Richardson, who
called it the Barrenlands Bear, and noted,
quite rightly, that it differed from the
grizzly in the smallness of its claws. The
difference in the profile is very marked
the brown bear having a profile like that
of the European bear, while that of the
grizzly is flat. The brown bear of
North America lives largely on the fruits
and berries of the northern plants, on
dead deer, and on putrid fish, of which
quantities are left on the banks of the

Photo ly New York Zoological Society.

AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.

The black bear was the species first encountered by the early settlers on the
Atlantic side of America. The grizzly belongs to the Rocky Mountain region.

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by L. Mcdland, F.Z.S.]

YOUNG SYRIAN BEAR FROM THE CAUCASUS.

[ North Finchley.

This is, properly speaking, a Syrian bear, but the species is found in the Caucasus and in the Taurus

Range.

northern rivers. Whether the
large brown bear of the Rocky
Moun tains is always a grizzly
or often this less formidable
race is doubtful. The writer
inclines to think that it is
only the counterpart of the
North European and the
North Asiatic brown bear.
The following is Sir Samuel
Baker's account of these bears.
He says : " When I was in
California, experienced in-
formants told me that no
true grizzly bear was to be
found east of the Pacific
slope, and that Lord Coke
was the only Britisher who

had ever killed a real grizzly in California. There are numerous bears of three if not four
kinds in the Rocky Mountains. These are frequently termed grizzlies ; but it is a misnomer.
The true grizzly is far superior in size, but of similar habits, and its weight is from 1,200 Ibs.
to 1,400 Ibs." After giving various reasons for believing this to be a fair weight, Sir Samuel
Baker adds that this weight is equivalent to that of an English cart-horse. There are certainly
three Rocky Mountain bears the Grizzly, the Brown, and the small Black Bear. There is
probably also another a cross between the black and the brown. It is ridiculous to say that
the brown bears which come to eat the refuse on the dust-heaps of the hotels in the Yellow-
stone Park, and let ladies photograph them, are savage grizzly bears.

THE SYRIAN BEAR.

This bear, which figures in the story of Elisha, is a variety of the brown bear. It is
found from the Caucasus to the mountains of Palestine, and is a smaller animal than the true
brown bear, weighing about 300 Ibs. The fur in summer is of a mixed rusty colour, with a
whitish collar on the chest. It steals the grapes on Mount Horeb, and feeds upon ripe fruits,
apples, chestnuts, corn, and the like. It is then ready to face the long winter sleep.

THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.

This is the smallest North American species, and perhaps the most harmless. It seldom
weighs more than 400 Ibs. Its coat is short and glossy, and its flesh, especially in autumn, is
esteemed for food. The early backwoodsmen found it a troublesome neighbour. The bears
liked Indian corn, and were not averse to a young pig. " Like the deer," says Audubon, " it
changes its haunts with the seasons, and for the same reason viz. the desire of obtaining food.
During the spring months it searches for food in the low alluvial lands that border the rivers,
or by the margins of the inland lakes. There it procures abundance of succulent roots, and of
the tender, juicy stems of plants, upon which it chiefly feeds at that season. During the
summer heat it enters the gloomy swamps, and passes much of its time in wallowing in the
mud like a hog, and contents itself with crayfish, roots, and nettles; now and then, when
hard pressed by hunger, it seizes a young pig, or perhaps a sow or calf. As soon as the
different kinds of berries ripen, the bears betake themselves to the high grounds, followed by
their cubs. In much-retired parts of the country, where there are no hilly grounds, it pays
visits to the maize-fields, which it ravages for a while. After this the various kinds of nuts
and grapes, acorns and other forest fruits, attract its attention. The black bear is then seen

The Bears

119

wandering through the woods to gather this harvest, not forgetting to rob every tree which
it comes across."

THE INDIAN SLOTH-BEAR.

Few people would believe that this awkward and ugly beast is so formidable as it is. It
is the commonest Indian species, seldom eats flesh, prefers sucking up the contents of a white
ants' nest to any other meal, and is not very large ; from 200 Ibs. to 300 Ibs. is the weight of
a male. But the skull and jaws are very strong, and the claws long and curved. As they are
used almost like a pickaxe when the bear wishes to dig in the hardest soil, their effect upon
the human body can be imagined.

Sir Samuel Baker says that there are more accidents to natives of India and Ceylon from
this species than from any other animal.

Mr. Watts Jones writes an interesting account of his sensations while being bitten by

Photo ly C. Reid]

\_Wishaw, N.B.

A BROWN BEAR IN SEARCH OF INSECTS.
The photograph shows a bear feeding on insects, possibly large ants, which he licks up from the ground, after scratching them out with his claws.

one of these bears : " I was following up a bear which I had wounded, and rashly went to the
mouth of a cave to which it had got. It charged. I shot, but failed to stop it. I do not know
exactly what happened next, neither does my hunter who was with me ; but I believe, from the
marks in the snow, that in his rush the bear knocked me over backwards in fact, knocked me
three or four feet away. When next I remember anything, the bear's weight was on me, and
he was biting my leg. He bit two or three times. I felt the flesh crush, but I felt no pain
at all. It was rather like having a tooth out with gas. I felt no particular terror, though I
thought the bear had got me; but in a hazy sort of way I wondered when he would kill me,
and thought what a fool I was to get killed by a stupid beast like a bear. The shikari then
very pluckily came up and fired a shot into the bear, and he left me. I felt the weight lift
off me, and got up. I did not think I was much hurt. N. . . The main wound was a flap of
flesh torn out of the inside of my left thigh and left hanging. It was fairly deep, and I could
see all the muscles working underneath when I lifted it up to clean the wound." This anecdote

12O

The Living Animals of the World

was sent to Mr. J. Growth er Hirst to illustrate a
theory of his, that the killing of wild animals by
other animals is not a painful one.

Rustem Pasha, once Turkish Ambassador in
England, had an accident when brown bear shooting
in Russia, and writes of it in the same sense : " When
I met the accident alluded to, the bear injured
both my hands, but did not tear off part of the
arm or shoulder. In the moment of desperate
struggle, the intense excitement and anger did,
in fact, render me insensible to the feeling of
actual pain as the bear gnawed my left hand,
which was badly torn and perforated with holes,
most of the bones being broken."

There is good reason to believe that when
large carnivora, or beasts large in proportion to
the size of their victims, strike and kill them
with a great previous shock, the sense of pain
is deadened. Not so if the person or animal is
seized quietly. Then the pain is intense, though
sometimes only momentary. A tigress seized
Mr. J. Hansard, a forest officer in Ceylon, by the
neck. In describing his sensations afterwards, he
said : " The agony I felt was something frightful.
My whole skull seemed as if it were being crushed
to atoms in the jaws of the great brute. I
certainly felt the most awful pain as she was biting
my neck ; but not afterwards, if I can remember."
Sir Samuel Baker says he has twice seen the sloth-bear attack a howdah-elephant. Lord Edward
St. Maur, son of the Duke of Somerset, was killed by one. Mr. Sanderson, the head of the
Government Elephant-catching Department, used to hunt bears in the jungle with bull-terriers.
Against these the bear was unable to make a good fight. They seized it by the nose ; and
as its claws were not sharp like those of the leopard, the bear could not get them off.

This bear seldom produces more than two or three young at a birth. The young cub
is very ugly, but very strong, especially in the claws and legs. A six weeks' old cub has been
turned upside-down in a basket, which was shaken violently, without dislodging the little animal
clinging inside.

THE ISABELLINE BEAR AND HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR.

The former animal is a medium-sized variety of the brown bear. The coat in winter is
of a beautiful silver-tipped cinnamon colour. The HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR has a half-moon
of white on its throat. The habits of both do not differ markedly from those of the brown
bear of Europe.

Recently black bears have been most troublesome in Kashmir, attacking and killing and
wounding the woodcutters with no provocation. Dr. E. T. Vere, writing from Srinagar, says :
"Every year we have about half a dozen patients who have been mauled by bears. Most of
our people who are hurt are villagers or shepherds. Bears have been so shot at in Kashmir
that, although not naturally very fierce, they have become truculent. When they attack men,
they usually sit up and knock the victim over with a paw. They then make one or two bites
at the arm or leg, and often finish up with a snap at the head. This is the most dangerous
part of the attack. One of our fatal cases this year was a boy, the vault of whose skull was
torn off and lacerated. Another man received a compound fracture of the cranium. A third

Photo by Fratelli Alinari] [Florence.

POLAR BEAES.

Though Arctic animals, polar bears can endure great heat.
During a " heat wave " at Hamburg, Herr C. Hagenbeck found
two of his leopards suffering from heat apoplexy, but the polar
bears were enjoying the sun.

Photo ly Fratelli Alinari] [Florence.

TWO POLAR BEARS AND A BROWN BEAR.

Although this is a photograph from life, it is scarcely a very natural scene ; as a matter of fact, all three animals belong to Herr Carl Hagenbeck's

remarkable menagerie.

121 16

122

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by J. W. McLellan]

(Highbury.

POLAR BEAR.

This beards the. most formidable of all aquatic mammals. It is almost as much at home
in the water as a seal.

had the bones of his face smashed
and lacerated. He had an axe,
but said, ' When the bear sat up,
my courage failed me.' "

THE MALAYAN SUN-BEAR.

These small, smooth-coated
bears have a yellow throat-patch
like a mustard plaster, and are
altogether the most amusing
and comical of all the tribe.
They are almost as smooth as a
pointer dog, and are devoted to
all sweet substances which can
be a substitute for honey, their
main delicacy when wild. There
are always a number of these
bears at the Zoo incessantly
begging for food. When one
gets a piece of sugar, he cracks
it into small pieces, sticks them

on the back of his paw, and licks the mess until the paw is covered with sticky syrup,
which he eats with great gusto. This bear is found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo,
Sumatra, and Java. It is only 4 feet high, or sometimes half a foot taller. It is more in
the habit of walking upright than any other species.

THE POLAR BEAR.

ICE-BEAR is the better name for this, the most interesting in its habits of all the
bears. It is an inhabitant of the lands of polar darkness and intense cold, and one of
the very few land animals which never try to avoid the terrible ordeal of the long Arctic
night, which rolls on from month to month. It can swim and dive nearly as well as a seal,
climbs the icebergs, and goes voyages on the drifting ice, floating hundreds of miles on the
polar currents, and feeding on the seals which surround it. Of the limits of size of the
ice-bear it is impossible to speak with certainty. From the skins brought to this country
the size of some of them must be enormous. One which lived for more than thirty years
at the Zoo was of immense length and bulk. When the first discoverers went to the Arctic
Seas, dressed in thick clothes and skins, the polar bears took them for seals. On Bear Island,
below Spitsbergen, a Dutch sailor sat down on the snow to rest. A bear walked up behind
him, and seized and crushed his head, evidently not in the least aware of what kind of animal
it had got hold of. When the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition was wintering in Franz-Josef
Land, the bears were a positive nuisance. They were not afraid of man, and used to come
round the huts at all hours. The men shot so many that they formed a valuable article of food
for the dogs. The flesh is said to be unwholesome for men. The power of these bears in the
water is wonderful ; though so bulky, they are as light as a cork when swimming, and their
strong, broad feet are first-class paddles. Whenever a dead whale is found near the shore, the
polar bears assemble to feed upon it. In the various searches for the Franklin Expedition they
pulled to pieces nearly all the cabins erected to hold provisions for the sledge-parties. In
one case it was found that the bears had amused themselves by mounting the roof of a half-
buried hut, and sliding down the snowy, frozen slope. Cubs are often brought home in whaling-
and sealing-ships, after the .mothers have been shot. There is a ready sale of them for
Continental menageries. Herr Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, by purchasing them quite young, has
induced bears to live on good terms with tigers, boar-hounds, and leopards.

The Bears

123

The manoeuvres of an ice-bear in the water are marvellous to watch. Though so bulky a
beast, it swims, dives, rolls over and over, catches seals or fish, or plays both on and under
the water with an ease and evident enjoyment which show that it is in its favourite element.
One favourite game of the ice-bear is to lie on its back in the water, and then to catch hold
of its hind toes with its fore feet, when it resembles a half-rolled hedgehog of gigantic size.
It then rolls over and over in the water like a revolving cask. Its footsteps are absolutely
noiseless, as the claws are shorter than in the land-bear's, and more muffled in fur. This
noiseless power of approach is very necessary when it has to catch such wary creatures as
basking seals. A very large proportion of the food formerly eaten by ice-bears in summer was
probably putrid, as they were always supplied with a quantity of the refuse carcases of whales
and seals left by the whaling-ships. This may account for the bad results to the sailors who
ate the bears' flesh. Now the whaling industry is so little pursued that the bears have to catch
their dinners for themselves, and eat fresh food.

Photo by the New York Zoological Society.

HALF-GROWN POLAR BEARS.

When young polar bears are brought to England or New York on board ship, they arrive with coats almost as yellow as a sponge. It takes a

week's bathing to restore the pure white colour.

The Arctic explorer Nordenskiold saw much of the ice-bears on his voyages, and left us
what is perhaps the best description of their attempts to stalk men, mistaking them for Bother
animals "When the polar bear observes a man," he writes in his "Voyage of the Vega,
commonly approaches him as a possible prey, with supple movements and a hundred zigzag
bends, in order to conceal the direction he means to take, and to prevent the man feeling
frightened. During his approach he often climbs up on to blocks of ice or raises himseli
his hind legs, in order to get a more extensive view. If he thinks he has to ^do With , a seal
he creeps or trails himself forward on the ice, and is then said to conceal with his fore paws
the only part of his body that contrasts with the white colour of the snow-las large b ack
nose. If the man keeps quite still, the bear comes in this way so near that it can be shot at
the distance of two gun-lengths, or killed with a lance, which the hunters consider safer

When a vessel lies at anchor, a polar bear sometimes swims out to it, to inspect U
visiting ship; it has also a special fancy for breaking open and searching stores of provisions,

124

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by G. W. Wilson Co., Ltd.]

THE ICE-BEAR'S COUCH.

[Aberdeen.

A favourite attitude of the polar bear is to lie stretched on its stomach, with the hind and fore
legs extended flat. The head often lies between the fore paws. Notice the hair on the feet, which
keeps the animal from slipping when on the ice.

Fl^^^___^__._^^^_|_^^^^^__ ___._|_ beats abandoned and
covered over, and cabins
of wrecked ships. One
Wk - bear which had looted a

provision depot was found
to have swallowed a
quantity of sticking-
plaster. The ice-bear has
been met swimming at a
distance of eighty miles
from land, and with no
ice in sight. This shows
how thoroughly aquatic
its habits and powers are.
Polar bears do not husf their

victims, like the brown
bear, but bite, and use
their immense feet and
sharp claws. It has been
said that when one catches
a seal on the ice it will
play with it as a cat does with a mouse. The size of these bears varies very much. Seven
or eight feet from the tip of the nose to the tail is the usual length ; yet they have been
known to exceed even 13 feet in length. This would correspond to an immense difference
in bulk and weight. An ice-bear was once found feeding on the body of a white whale,
15 feet in length, and weighing three or four tons. The whale could not have got on to
the ice by itself, and it is difficult to imagine that any other creature except the bear could
have dragged it there from the sea, where it was found floating. "When hunting seals, polar
bears will chase them in the water as an otter does a fish, but with what result is not known.
Besides stalking them in the manner described above, they will mark the place at which seals
are basking on the rim of an ice-floe, and then dive, and come up just at the spot where the
seal would naturally drop into the water. Those shot for the sake of their skins are nearly all
killed when swimming in the sea. The hunters mark a bear on an ice-floe, and approach it.
The bear always tries to escape by swimming, and is pursued and shot through the head from
the boat. When the females have a cub or cubs with them, they will often attack persons
or boats which molest them; otherwise they do not willingly interfere with man, except, as
has been said above, when they mistake men for seals or other natural prey.

The instances recorded of the affection shown by these animals for their young are
somewhat pathetic. When the Carcase frigate, which was engaged on a voyage of Arctic
discovery, was locked in the ice, a she-bear and two cubs made their way to the ship, attracted
by the scent of the blubber of a walrus which the crew had killed a few days before. They
ran to the fire, and pulled off some of the walrus-flesh which remained unconsumed. The crew
then threw them large lumps of the flesh which were lying on the ice, which the old bear
fetched away singly, and laid before her cubs as she brought it, dividing it, and giving each a
share, and reserving but a small portion for herself. As she was fetching away the last piece,
the sailors shot both the cubs dead, and wounded the dam. Although she could only
just crawl to the place where the cubs lay, she carried the lump of flesh which she had last
fetched away, and laid it before them ; and when she saw that they refused to eat, laid her
paws on them, and tried to raise them up, moaning pitifully. When she found she could not
stir them, she went to some distance, and looked back, and then returned, pawing them all
over and moaning. Finding at last that they were lifeless, she raised her head towards the
ship and uttered a growl, when the sailors killed her with a volley of musket-balls.

CHAPTER VII.

THE SMALLER CARNIVORA.

THE RACCOON FAMILY.

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.]

COMMON RACCOON.

[Parson's Green.

A LINK between the Bears and the Weasel
Tribe is made by the RACCOONS and their
allies. They are bear-like in having a
short, thick body, and in their flat-footed manner
of walking ; also in their habit of sitting up on
end, and using their paws as hands, to some
extent, in aiding them to climb. But they are
also much like the Civets ; and the pretty
little CACOMIXLE, or KING-TAILED CAT of Mexico,
was formerly classed with the civets. They
are all very active, enterprising, and quick-witted
creatures of no great size, very different in
temperament from the bears.

THE RACCOON.

This is the typical representative of the Raccoon Family. It is found
in most parts of the United States, and also in South America.

The type of the family is the AMERICAN
RACCOON itself. Its scientific name of " Lotor,"
the " Washer," was given to it from an odd habit these creatures have of wetting and
washing their food in any water which is near. One kept at the Zoo washed her kittens so
much when they were born
that they all died.

The 'coon inhabits
America from Canada to the
south as far down as Para-
guay. In size it is equal to
a common fox, but is short
and stout. Restless, inquisi-
tive, and prying, it is a most
mischievous beast where farm-
yards and poultry are within
reach. It kills the fowls,
eats the eggs, samples the
fruit, and if caught shams
dead with all the doggedness
of an opossum. It is very
fond of fish and shell-fish.
Oysters are a special dainty,
as are mussels and clams.

A ffentleman Who ker)t One

Photo by c. Reid]

This animal has the
125

RACCOON.

of always washing its food, if possible, before it eats it.

The Living Animals of the World

refuge.

says : " It opens oysters with
wonderful skill. It is sufficient
for it to break the hinge with
its teeth ; its paws complete
the work of getting out the
oyster. It must have a
delicate sense of touch. In
this operation it rarely avails
itself of sight or smell. It
passes the oyster under its
hind paws; then, without
looking, it seeks with its
hands the weakest place. It
there digs in its claws, forces
asunder the valves, and tears
out the flesh in fragments,
leaving nothing behind." Its
favourite haunt is in the cane-
brakes of the south. There
the planters follow it by night
with dogs, and shoot it in
the trees in which it takes
The skins, with handsome alternations of yellow and brown, make fine carriage-rugs.

THE COATIS.

Photo by A. S. Rudland <C Sons.

GREAT PANDA.
This very rare animal is found on the high plateau of Tibet.

The COATIS are small arboreal creatures, with the habits of a raccoon and squirrel fairly
proportioned. They are flesh-eaters, but active and playful. Their long pig-like snouts give
them an unpleasant appearance. They inhabit Mexico and Central and South America as far as
Paraguay. Several specimens are generally to be seen at the Zoological Gardens. Their habits
are much the same as those of the small tree-climbing cats, but with something of the badger
added. Insects and worms, as well as birds and small animals, form their food.

THE PANDAS AND KINKAJOU.

Among the small carnivorous mammals the BEAR-CAT, or PANDA, is a very interesting
creature. Its colour is striking a beautiful red-chestnut above, the lower surface jet-black,
the tail long and ringed. The quality of the fur is fine also. It is found in the Eastern
Himalaya, and is as large as a badger. The GREAT PANDA, from Eastern Tibet, is a much
larger, short-tailed, black-and-white animal, once thought to be a bear. The KINKAJOU has a
prehensile tail, and uses its paws as hands so readily that it was formerly placed among the
lemurs. It is a native of Southern and intertropical America. Nocturnal, and living in the
great forests, it is seldom seen by man. Its head is round and cat-like, its feet are the same,
but with non-retractile claws, and it has a long, full tail. It has a long tongue, with which it
can lick out insects from the crevices and holes of trees. Baron von Humboldt says that it
attacks the nests of wild bees. It uses its tongue to draw objects of food towards it, even
if they are not living. A pleasant description of this animal appeared in Charles Knight's
" Museum of Animated Nature," published many years ago : ' In its aspect there is something
of gentleness and good-nature. In captivity it is extremely playful, familiar, and fond of being
noticed. One lived in the gardens of the Zoological Society for seven years. During the
greater part of the morning it was asleep, rolled up in a ball in its cage. In the afternoon
it would come out, traverse its cage, take food, and play with those to whom it was accustomed.
Clinging to the top wires of its cage with its tail and hind paws, it would thus swing itself

The Smaller Carnivora

127

backwards and forwards. When thus hanging, it would bring
its fore paws to the bars, as well as the hind pair, and in
this manner would travel up and down its cage with the
utmost address, every now and then thrusting out its long
tongue between the wires, as if in quest of food, which, when
offered to it, it would endeavour to draw in between the
wires with this organ. It was very fond of being gently
stroked and scratched, and when at play with any one it
knew it would pretend to bite, seizing the hand or fingers
with its teeth, as a dog will do when playing with its
master. As the evening came on, it was full of animation,
and exhibited in every movement the most surprising energy."

THE OTTERS.

As the badgers and ratels seem specially adapted to

an underground and cave-making existence, so the OTTERS

all conform in structure to an aquatic life ; yet, except the

webbing of the space between the toes and the shortening

and flattening of the head, there is very little obvious change

in their structure to meet the very great difference in the

conditions under which they live.

The SHORT-TOED OTTER is a small Indian species. It

has nails on its hands in place of claws. One kept at the

Zoo was a most amusing and friendly little pet, which let

itself be nursed like a kitten.

The NORTH AMERICAN OTTER has the same habits as the

English kind, but is somewhat larger, and has a far finer coat.

It is trapped in thousands, and the fur sent over to this country to the Hudson Bay Company's

and Sir Charles Lampson's fur- sales. These otters, like all their family, are very fond of playing.

One of their regular games is to make a snow-slide or an ice-slide down a frozen waterfall.

The alighting-place from this
chute is, if possible, in the
water. There the trapper
sets his traps, and the poor
otters are caught.

The COMMON OTTER is far
the most attractive of the
British carnivora. It is still
fairly common all over Britain
where fish exist. It is found
on the Norfolk broads and
rivers, all up the Thames,
in Scotland, Devonshire, Wales,
Cumberland, and Northumber-
land. It travels considerable
distances from river to river,
and sometimes gets into a
preserved trout-pool or

By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberto-, Eiq. breeding-pond, and does much

YOUNG OTTERS. mischief. The beautiful

, _ ,

young otters here figured are

Photo ly Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green.

KINKAJOU.

The kinkajou eats birds and eggs as well as
honey and fruit. One kept in South America
killed a whole brood of turkeys, and was partial to
birds' eggs.

Otters, when taken young, can be trained to catch fish for their owners. In India several tribes

employ them for this purpose.

128

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly the Duchess of Bedford]

TWO TAME OTTERS.

I Woburn Abbey.

These two little otters were photographed by the Duchess of Bedford. Alluding
to the old signs of the zodiac and their fondness for the watering-pot, their portrait
was called "Aquarius" and " The Twins."

in Mr. Percy Leigh Pemberton's
collection of British mammals at
Ashford, Kent. Their owner made a
large brick tank for them, where
they were allowed to catch live fish.
Once one of them seized a 4-lb. pike
by the tail. The pike wriggled round
and seized the otter's paw, but was
soon placed hors de combat. The
largest otter which the writer has
seen was bolted by a ferret from
a rabbit-warren on the ed^e of the

Norfolk fen at Hockwold, and shot
by the keeper, who was rabbiting.

English dog otters sometimes
weigh as much as 26 Ibs. They
regularly hunt down the rivers by
night, returning before morning to
their holt, where they sleep by day.
No fish stands a chance with them.
They swim after the fish in the open
river, chase it under the bank, and
then corner it, or seize it with a
rush, just as the penguins catch
gudgeon at the Zoo. Captain Salvin
owned a famous tame otter which
used to go for walks with him, and
amuse itself by catching fish in the
roadside ponds.

THE SEA-OTTER.

Common otters killed on the coast are often confounded with the SEA-OTTER. This is
a great mistake. The sea-otter is as much a marine animal as the seal or the sea-lion.
It swims out in the open ocean, and is even more of a pelagic creature than the seal, for
it either produces its young when in the water, or at any rate carries and suckles them
on the open sea. The sea-otter is much larger than the common otter. Unfortunately the
fish and other marine creatures which form the food of the sea-otters are found mainly
near the coast. Following them, the otters come near the Aleutian Islands, where the
hunters are ever on the watch for
them. If a single otter is seen,
five or six boats, with a rifleman
in each, at once put out, and the
otter stands little chance of escape.
It never was a common animal, and
the prices given for the fur, up
to 200 for a first-class skin, have
caused its destruction. The skin,
when stretched and cured, is some-
times 5 feet long, and is of an exquisite

natural rich brown, like long plush, photo iy A. s. Kwiiand d- sons.
sprinkled all over with whitish hairs SEA-OTTER.

like hoarfrost. The sea-otter has the most valuable fur of any animal.

Photo bij Dr. R. TF. Shufeldt, Washington.

RACCOON.
This animal is found from Alaska, through the United States, to Central America.

The Smaller Carnivora

129

Photo by A. S. Rudland <t Sons.

A SKUNK.

An American animal, noted chiefly for the scent-gland it possesses, from which it
emits a most obnoxious-smelling fluid.

THE SKUNKS.

OF all the strange equipments
given by nature to animals for their
protection that possessed by the various
species of SKUNK is the most effec-
tive. These animals are able to emit
a fluid so vile in odour that it seems
equally hateful to all animals. Dogs,
pumas, men, alike shun them, and the
animals seem to know this and to pre-
sume on their immunity. An ordinary
skunk is about the size of a cat,
black, with bright white stripes down
the sides and back. The fur is thick
and handsome, and, if the animal be
killed before it discharges its fluid,
is not too strongly odorous to make
trimmings for jackets. Mr. Hudson,

in his " Naturalist in La Plata," says : " In talking to strangers from abroad, I have
never thought it necessary to speak of the dangers of sunstroke, jaguars, or the assassin's
knife. But I have never omitted to warn them of the skunk, minutely describing its habits
and personal appearance. I knew an Englishman who, on taking a first gallop across the
Pampas, saw one, and, quickly dismounting, hurled himself bodily on to it to effect its
capture. Poor man ! He did not know that the animal is never unwilling to be caught.
Men have been blinded by them for ever by a discharge of the fiery liquid in their faces.
The smell pervades the whole system of any one subjected to it, like a pestilent ether,
nauseating the victim till sea-sickness seems pleasant in comparison." Dogs can be taught to
kill skunks; but they show the greatest disgust and horror when the fluid of the animal

falls upon them, and
sometimes roll in mud
or dust in the en-
deavour to get rid
of it.

THE BADGERS.

THE BADGERS in-
clude several genera.
The SAND-BADGERS of
the East have a naked
snout, small ears, and
rough fur, with softer
fur underneath. The
INDIAN BADGER is
larger than that of
Europe, while that of
Java, Sumatra, and
Borneo is smaller, and
has a very short tail.

The FERRET-
BADGERS from the
East have elongated

Photo by C. Reid]

[ Wishaw, N.B.

A BADGER IN THE WATER.

Badgers are increasing in many parts of England. They are nocturnal animals.

130

The Living Animals of the World

Photo liy Scholastic Photo. Co.] iParson's Green,

EUROPEAN BADGER.

Badgers can be readily kept in confinement, and are not difficult to tame
thoroughly.

bodies and short tails. They are tree-
climbers, and as omnivorous as the
badger itself. The CAPE ZORILLA, with
another species found in Egypt, is
more nearly allied to the polecats, but
is striped like a skunk.

The EUROPEAN BADGER is still fairly
numerous. There is not a county in
England where it is not found. A
large colony has been established in
Epping Poorest, some fifty yards square
of hillside being honeycombed with
badger-earths. The European badger
is found all over temperate Northern
Europe and Asia ; but being shy, wary,
and mainly nocturnal, is seldom seen.
At night it wanders about, and in
August gets into the corn-fields,
whence it is chased and caught by
dogs. A Somersetshire farmer had a
pointer and sheep-dog which were
adepts at this night-catching of badgers. They would accompany their master along the roads,
and the pointer instantly winded any badger which had crossed. Both dogs then bounded
off, and soon their loud barking showed that they had found and "held up" the badger.
The dogs' owner then came up, picked the badger up by its tail, and dropped it in a
sack. The badger's " earth " is wonderfully deep and winding ; in it the badger sleeps
during the winter, and gives birth to its young, three or four of which are produced at a
time. The end of March is the period of birth, but the cubs do not come out until June.
In October they are full-grown. The badger carries in a great quantity of fern and grass as
a bed for its cubs. Mr. Trevor-Battye writes : " I had a pair which were probably about
six weeks old. They were called Grripper and Nancy. They would rest on my lap when
feeding, and sit up and beg like dogs. Their hearing and power of scent were remarkable.
The badgers were in a closed yard ; but if any of the dogs came near, even following
a path which ran at a distance of six or seven yards, they would instantly jump off my lap
and disappear into a corner. The animals could walk and trot backwards with the
greatest ease." I have never seen this noticed elsewhere, yet it is worth mentioning, because
it is characteristic of the Weasel Family, not being shared, to my knowledge, by any other
mammal not, for instance, by the Bears.

Mr. A. E. Pease says of the badger: "It is easily domesticated, and if brought up by
hand is found an interesting and charming companion. I had at one time two that I could
do anything with, and which followed me so closely that they would bump against my boots
each step I took, and come and snuggle in under my coat when I sat down.'*

THE EATELS.

As the mink is adapted for an aquatic diet, so the EATELS, a link between the Weasels
and the Badgers, seem to have been specialised to live upon insects and honey as well as flesh.
They are quaint creatures, with rounded iron-grey backs, and black bellies, noses, and feet. The
African kind is found in Cape Colony and East Africa, and is believed to live largely on honey
and bee-brood. The habits of the ratel are almost identical with those of the badger, except
that it is less shy and very restless. A nearly similar species of ratel is found in Southern
Asia from the Caspian to India.

The ratels are strictly nocturnal, and make their lair by day in hollow trees, though they

The Smaller Carnivora

are said not to climb. The skin is protected by thick, close hair, so that bees cannot
sting through the fur. The skin is also very loose. If a dog bites it, the ratel can generally
twist round and bite back. The African ratel is omnivorous. It eats snakes and birds. The
body of a cobra has been found in the stomach of one.

THE WEASEL TRIBE.

No animals are more bloodthirsty and carnivorous than most of the Weasel Tribe. They
are also well equipped both in actual weapons and in activity of body, and have powers quite
out of proportion to their size. They are also gifted with magnificent coats, and constitute
the most valuable source of choice furs. Sable, Marten, Mink, Wolverine, Ermine, Otters, and
several others are among the most highly prized. Their claws are sharp, but not retractile.
It is indeed fortunate that these creatures are so small in size, otherwise they would be
among the greatest enemies of animal life. As things are, they are useful in keeping down the
numbers of creatures which, like field-mice, moles, rabbits, and rats, might, and occasionally
do, become a pest.

THE MARTENS.

There are two species of marten in Europe the BEECH- and the PINE-MARTEN. The
latter has a yellow throat, the former a white one. The fur is almost as fine as sable. All
so-called Canadian sables are really martens. These animals are found throughout Northern
Europe and Northern Asia, in Japan, and all over Northern America. In Scotland the
pine-marten survives in the pine forests ; also in Ireland, where it is occasionally killed on
the Wicklow Mountains, near Dublin, and on the Mourne Mountains. It is believed to
remain in Cumberland, Devonshire, and possibly in parts of Wales. It is a tree-loving animal,
and feeds mainly on squirrels, which it pursues through the branches. It is also fond of
fruit. .Mr. Charles St. John discovered this in a curious way. He noticed that his rasp-
berries were being stolen, so set a trap among the canes. Next day all he could see was a
heap of newly gathered raspberry leaves where the trap was. Stooping down to move them, a
marten sprang up and tried to defend itself. The poor beast had come to gather more rasp-
berries, and had been caught. Unable to escape, it gathered the leaves near and concealed itself.

THE SABLE.

This is so little different
from the marten that some
have thought it only a
northern variety. That is not
the case, as both are found
in the same area, and no one
who knows anything of form
and colour could mistake the
true sable's fur. This fur is
so fine and even that each
single hair tapers gradually
to a point : that is why
sable brushes for painting are
so valuable ; they always form
a point when wet. The price
of these brushes, which are
of genuine sable fur, though
made up from fragments of
the worst- coloured or damaged
skins, varies yearly with the
price of sable in the market.

Plcoto ly A. S. Rudtand it Sons.

RATEL.
Ratels are curiously restless little animals, with a peculiar trot-like walk.

132

The Living Animals of the World

THE MINK.

Ladies are very familiar with the fur of the MINK, which is one of the best of the less
expensive varieties ; it is not glossy as marten or sable, and of a lighter and more uniform
brown. The mink is a water-haunting polecat, found in Siberia, North America, and Japan.
Its main home is in North America, where the immense system of lakes and rivers gives
scope for its aquatic habits. The under-fur is particularly warm and thick, to keep out the
cold of the water, in which the animal spends more time than on land. It is not stated to
catch fish, as does the otter, in the water ; but it lives on frogs, crayfish, mussels, and dead
or stranded fish. Minks have been kept in confinement and regularly bred in " minkeries,"
as is the blue fox, and in Manchuria the chow dog, for the sake of its fur.

THE POLECAT.

This is now probably the rarest of the British weasels. It is almost identically the same
as the polecat-ferret, a cross-breed between it and the domesticated variety. It survives in a
few of the great woodlands of the Midlands and of Oxfordshire, in Scotland, and Wales. It is
found in Cumberland, near Bowness, and on Exmoor and Dartmoor where rabbits abound. It
is an expert swimmer. Its habits are the same as those of the stoat, but it is slower in its
movements. It catches fish, and can pick up food from the bottom of the water. Wild ones
can be trained to work like ferrets. " They do not delay in the hole, but follow the rat out
and catch it in a couple of bounds" (Trevor-Bat tye). The FERRET is a domesticated breed
of polecat. It is identical in shape and habits, but unable to stand the cold of our climate
in the open.

By permission of Percy Leigh Peinbcrton, /.

PINE-MARTEN.

Pine-martens have most beautiful fur, and for that reason are much hunted in America.

The Smaller Carnivora

133

By permission of Percy LwjU Pemberton; Esq.

POLECAT;

In England this animal is becoming very scarce.

THE WEASEL.

The smallest, fiercest, and
commonest of its race, the
little WEASEL is by no means
the least formidable to other
animals of the carnivora of
England. It is cinnamon-
coloured, with a white throat
and belly, and climbs as
neatly as a cat, running up
vertical boughs with almost
greater facility. A weasel in
a high hedge will run the
whole length of the fence,
from twig to twig, without
descending ; it threads the
galleries of the field-mice,
sucks the eggs of small birds
in their nests, and attacks
rats, mice, rabbits, and even
such large birds as grouse

without fear or hesitation. During a great plague of field-voles in the Lowlands of Scotland
in the years 1890 and 1891 the weasels increased enormously. A shepherd took the trouble
to follow a weasel down a hollow drain in the Vole-infested hillside ; he found the bodies of no
less than thirteen field-mice, which the weasel had amused itself by killing. In winter weasels
hunt the corn-stacks for mice, and often make a home among the sheaves. One was seen
chasing a vole by Mr. Trevor-Battye, who picked up the vole, which the weasel was just about
to jump up for, when he threw it into the hedge. There the weasel pounced on it and
carried it off !

The main food of the weasel is the field-mouse and small voles. Weasels are very devoted
to their young; they will pick them up and carry them off as a cat does a kitten, if the
nest is in danger. Their hunting shows great marks of cunning. One was seen in a field
in which a number of corn-buntings
were flying about, alighting on thistles.
The weasel went and hid under one
of the tallest thistles, on which a
bunting soon alighted ; an instant
after it sprang up and caught and
killed the bird.

THE STOAT, OR ERMINE.

This is the commonest and most
widely distributed of all the Weasel
Tribe. In winter the fur turns to
pure white in the northern countries,
and occasionally in Southern England.
It is then known as the ERMINE, and
yields the ermine fur. In every
country where it is found it is the Photo i y A.

deadly foe of all small animals, from HIMALAYA* WEASEL.

J "Weasels are still common in England. They are fierce, and absolutely fearless

the hare to the smallest field-mice. when in pursuit of game.

134

The Living Animals of the World

Photos by A. S. Rudland d> Sons.

COMMON STOAT.

Iii summer coat. In winter coat.

These photographs show the stoat (or ermine, as it is often called) in its summer and winter coats. This animal gives us the well-known ermino fur.

It has the same passion for killing for killing's sake shared by the ferret. If a stoat finds a
rabbit's nest, for instance, it always murders all the young ones. These creatures sometimes
contrive to hunt in packs, or to migrate in society. They are very fond of their young, which
they lay up in old crows' nests, holes in banks, or straw-stacks. They have often been seen
to carry them out of danger in their mouths. The length of the head and body is lOf inches,
and of the tail 6| inches. The young are usually from five to eight in number, and are born
in April or May. They soon move into the long standing-grass, and remain there till it is cut.
After that they move to the woods and covers, and great numbers are trapped. If not, they
attack the young pheasants, and do great damage. They can climb well, and are known, as
is the polecat, to ascend trees and kill birds on their nests. They also suck eggs. Forty-two
pheasants' eggs were taken by Mr. de Winton from one stoat's hole.

THE GLUTTON, OR WOLVERINE.

This largest and most destructive of all the Weasel Tribe is found all round the
northern edge of the Arctic Circle, from Norway to Hudson Bay. It is a large heavy
animal, with a short head, sharp claws, long thick fur, and a clumsy gait. Its tusks
are very long and sharp; and its appetite, if not so insatiable as the old travellers were
told, is sharp enough to keep it always hunting. It follows the fur-trappers in the

woods, and, being very cunning,
breaks in at the back of their
fall-traps, and robs the baits
or the prey caught. When Lord
Milton and Dr. Cheadle made
the North-west Passage by
land, they lost nearly all their
furs in this way. Once, having
trapped a valuable silver fox,
the only one caught by them,
they found nothing but shreds
of fur left by the glutton. As
the marten-hunters' line of
traps is perhaps fifty or sixty
miles long, the loss and
damage caused by the glutton
is most mortifying. This

Photo ly A. s. Rudiand & sons animal can only be caught in

steel traps, and that with great

GLUTTON.

A cunning, destructive animal, which follows the trappers and robs them of the animals taken

in the traps.

difficulty.

By permission of the New York Zoological Society.

CALIFORXIAX SEA-LIONS, OR EARED SEALS.

Seal-herds form " rookeries " when on land at the breeding-season, during which time they undergo a complete fast.

135

CHAPTER VIII.

MARINE CARNIVORA: THE SEALS, SEA-LIONS, AND WALRUS.

Photo Inj G. Tr. Wilson <k Co.j Ltd.]

STELLER'S SEA-LION ;

[Aberdeen^

are three families
1 of the Sea Carnivora,
the Fur-seals, or
Eared Seals ; the Walrus ;
and the True or Earless Seal?.
The first group, which
are called EARED SEALS, and
occasionally SEA- LIONS and
SEA-BEARS, have a small outer
ear, and when on land the
hind flippers are folded
forwards beneath the body.
There is a distinct neck, and
on the flippers are rudi-
mentary claws. Some of the
eared seals have the close
and fine under-fur which
makes their capture so re-
munerative. Under the skin
there is often a thick layer
of blubber, which is also
turned to commercial uses by
the sealers.

The WALRUS stands by itself. It is a purely Arctic species, whereas fur-seals are found
from Bering Sea to the Antarctic ; and forms in some degree a connecting-link between the eared
seals and the true seals. Like the former, it tnrns the front flippers forwards and inwards
when on land ; but it resembles the true seals in having no external ears. The upper canine
teeth are developed into enormous tusks of hard ivory.

The COMMON SEALS are the most thoroughly aquatic. The hind flippers seem almost to
have coalesced with the tail, and are always directed backwards in line with it. They have no
under-fur. On land they can only use the front flippers to aid their progress.

Most seals are marine, though some are found in the land-locked sea of Lake Baikal, in
Central Asia, and the true seals often come up rivers.

THE EARED SEALS, OR SEA-LIONS.

These and the walrus have their hind limbs so far free that they can crawl on land and
use their flippers for other purposes than swimming ; they can comb their hair with them, and
walk in an awkward way. They are divided into the fur-seals and hair-seals in the language
of trade. The fur-seals are those from which ladies' seal-skin jackets are made; the hair-
seals are sought for their hides and oil. A demand has sprung up for the latter to make
coats for automobilists to wear when riding at high speed in cold weather. The "porpoise-
hide " boots are really made from the skin of the hair-seal.

Both hair-seals and fur-seals have in common the remarkable habit of assembling in large

The eared seal, or sea-lion, has the hind flippers divided, and is thus able to move with com-
parative ease on land;

Marine Carnivora

137

herds during the breeding-season, and of spending a long period on land after the young are
born. The male seals reach the islands, or "rookeries," first, followed by the females. The
latter give birth to their young almost as soon as they reach the rocks, and are then seized
and gathered into harems by the strongest and oldest males. The sea-lions of Patagonia,
equally with the fur-seals of Bering Sea and the Pribyloff Islands, never feed during the whole
time which they spend on the rocks, often for a period of two months.

THE FUR-SEALS.

The NORTHERN FUR-SEAL is the only member of this group surviving in any number. These
animals still annually resort to the Aleutian Islands, in the territory of Alaska, in great herds to
produce their young, and to certain other islets off the coast of Japan. This northern fur-seal,
from the fur of which the seal-skin jackets are obtained, is, when full grown, between 6 and 7 feet
long. The females are only 4 feet or 4| feet in length. The shoulder of the male is grey, the
rest of the body varying between reddish grey and deep black. The female is lighter in colour.
Males of this species are not full grown till six years of age, but breed when four years old.
The females produce young at three years of age. The male seals take possession of the females
almost immediately after reaching the breeding-grounds, each male collecting as many females
as it can round it. The pups keep with their mothers. This assemblage is surrounded by
great numbers of young male or bachelor seals, which the old males prevent from annexing
any of the females. The greatest of all these gathering-places are on the Pribyloff Islands and
certain other islets in Bering Sea. By the end of May both male and female seals swim in flocks
through Bering Straits, making for the islands. The islands themselves are leased to American
merchants. But as those seals killed on the way are all just about to bring forth young, the waste
and cruelty of this " pelagic sealing " will be easily understood. On the islands, or " rookeries,"
the males, mothers, and pups remain till August, when the pups take to the water. The male
seals have remained for at least two months, incessantly fighting and watching, without taking
any food. By that time they are quite exhausted, the fat which they laid up previously being
all absorbed. The fur has not naturally either the colour or texture which art gives it. The

Photo by. Cl. II

[Aberdeen.

SEA-LION.

This photograph shows the dry mane of the sea-lion, a rather uncommon sight, as it rarely remains long enough out of the water for its

fur to become absolutely dry.

138

The Living Animals of the World

outer fur is long and coarse, and only the inner fur
of the exquisite texture of the "made" skin. The
former is removed, and the latter dyed to the rich
brown colour which we see. The fur-seals are steadily
diminishing, and each year's catch is smaller than
that of the year before.

The CAPE FUR-SEAL, SOUTHERN FUR-SEAL, and NEW
ZEALAND FUR-SEAL are practically extinct for com-
mercial purposes.

THE HAIR-SEALS.

Among these are the large so-called " sea-lions "
of Patagonia and the North Pacific. We are familiar
with their appearance, because for many years
specimens have been kept at the Zoological Gardens.
Their habits are much the same as those of the fur-
seals. The principal species are, in the north,
STELLER'S SEA-LION, and the PATAGOXIAN SEA-LION in
the south. Those kept at the Zoological Gardens
are usually of the latter species.

STELLER'S SEA-LION is already on the road to
extinction. When the annual catch of fur-seals
reached 100,000 a year, the total number of
these northern sea-lions was estimated at between
30,000 and 40,000. They repair every year to
the Pribyloff Islands to breed, as the fur-seals do,
but are shier and more entirely aquatic. The fur
of the old males is tawny, and makes a kind

All sea-lions are polygamous. The males guard their of mane OV6r' the shoulders, whence its name,
harenjs very jealously, and fight determinedly with any Qf g an FrancisCO there is a Small rocky island,

one of the ancient " rookeries " of these sea-lions,

where they are carefully preserved by the United States Government as one of the sights
of the bay. Another favourite haunt in old days was on the Farralone Islands, thirty miles
from the bay.

Southwards, towards the Antarctic, on the desolate and uninhabited coasts and islets of
the Far Southern Ocean, the most characteristic of the fauna still remaining are the sea-lions.
Formerly they swarmed in great packs, crowding at the breeding-season the seaweed-covered
rocks with their huge and unwieldy forms, and at other times cruising in uncouth and noisy
companies in search of the fishes and squids, which they pursued like packs of ocean-wolves.
In spring the sea-lions used to struggle on to the flat shore, where the equally aquatic
tribes of penguins, which had lost the use of their wings, covered acre after acre of rock with
their eggs and young. These the sea-lions devoured. When the men of the first exploring-
ships visited the penguins' nurseries, all the ungainly birds began to hop inland, evidently
taking the men for seals, and thinking it best to draw them as far from their native element
as possible. But the eared seals can make good progress of a kind on land. When Captain
Musgrave and his crew were cast away for twenty months on the Auckland Islands, they
found their tracks on the top of a hill four miles from the water. Captain Musgrave also
saw the mother seals teaching their puppies to swim ; they were by no means inclined to
do this, and were afraid of the water fairly clear presumptive evidence that seals have only
recently, so far as natural time is counted, taken to the aquatic life, and modified their form
so profoundly as they have.

The PATAGONIAN SEA-LION is perhaps the most numerous species, though its numbers

JJy permission of Professor Jiuntpt

SEA-LION.

York.

Marine Carnivora

have been greatly reduced by whalers in search of skins and oil. The first sea-lion ever
brought to England was one of these. The Zoological Society did not import it ; they found
it in the possession of a Frenchman called Lecomte, who had taken it on the Patagonian
coast, trained it, and brought it home, where he showed it in a caravan. Its training was
long and difficult; it bit like a bull-dog, and Lecomte's limbs were scarred all over with its
bites. In spite of this it was the cleverest performing animal ever seen up to that time
in England. This sea-lion died from swallowing a fish-hook concealed in some fish with which
it was fed. Lecomte was then sent out by the Zoological Society to obtain some more. With
the greatest difficulty several were secured, but all died on the voyage to New York. Lecornte
returned and obtained others, one of which he succeeded in bringing to England. The
cleverness of these animals or rather their power of understanding what they are required to
do, and their willingness to do it probably exceeds that of any other animal, except the
elephant and the dog. Why this is so is not easy to conjecture, except that the brain is
more developed. They have been taught to fetch and carry on dry land like a retriever, in
addition to the well-known tricks exhibited by those at the Zoo. One belonging to Barnum's
Show caught strawberry-punnets on its nose when they were thrown to it, and waved a torch,
which it held in its teeth and caught after tossing it into the air.

The sea-lions are much more powerful animals than the fur-seals. The male of Steller's
sea-lion attains a length of 10 feet and a weight of 1,000 Ibs. The AUSTRALIAN SEA-LION is
even larger than that of the North Pacific. Some specimens are said to attain 12 feet in
length. Captain Cook mentions seeing male Patagonian sea-lions 14 feet long and from 8 to
10 feet in circumference. Though none are now seen of such dimensions, skulls found on the
beach show that anciently some of the sea-lions were larger than any now known.

It should be noted that all these creatures are carnivorous, yet the supply of food for them
never seems to fail, as undoubtedly it would were the animals dependent for their food on land.

By permission of Her r Car

Hamburg.

FEMALE WALRUS.

This is a photograph of the only walrus which has ever been tamed and taught to perform tricks. It was taken when she was two years old
and weighed 380 Ibs. At that time she consumed 70 Ibs. of boneless fish a day ; a year later not less than 100 Ibs. satisfied her. She is now an
inmate of the Roumanian Zoological Gardens.

140

The Living Animals of the World

By permission of the Hon. Waller Rotluschild] \_Tring.

MALE WALRUS.

The "tusks" of the walrus are put to many practical uses during life,
and after death are much valued for the ivory.

THE WALRUS.

The distinguishing features of the walrus
have been mentioned in the introductory
remarks to this chapter. It should be added
that it has an external ear-passage, though
no external ears, and very thick and bristly
whiskers. It is practically confined to the
Arctic Circle, though once its range extended
to the British coasts (where its bones are
found in the Suffolk Crag) and to Virginia.
The skull of one was found in the peat at
Ely evidence that it once ascended rivers.

The walrus stands alone ; it is a real
monster of the deep. Strange and awful
stories were told of it by some of the early
voyagers to the Arctic Seas ; but Captain Cook

gave a very different account of his impressions of the walruses which he saw on the north coast
of America : " They lie in herds of many hundreds on the ice, huddling over one another
like swine. (They lie just like a lot of pigs in a yard.) They roar and bray so very loud,
that in the night, or in foggy weather, they gave us notice of the vicinity of the ice
before we could see it. We never found the whole herd asleep, some being always on the
watch. These, on the approach of the boat, would awaken those next to them ; and the
alarm being thus gradually communicated, the whole herd would awake presently. But they
were seldom in a hurry to get away, till after they had been once fired at; they then would
tumble over one another into the sea in the utmost confusion. They did not appear to us
to be that dangerous animal which authors have described, not even when attacked. Vast
numbers of them would follow us, and come close up to the boats ; but the flash of the
musket in the pan, or the bare pointing of it, would send them down in an instant. The
female will defend her young to the last, and at the expense of her own life, whether in
the water or upon the ice ; nor will the young one quit the dam, though she be dead ; so that
if one be killed the other is certain prey." The long pendent tusks, bristly whiskers, small
bloodshot eyes, and great size lent colour to the terrifying tales of the walrus. But more
ancient voyagers than Captain Cook told the truth that the " morses," as they called them,
were harmless creatures, which often followed the ships from sheer curiosity. The}- sleep on
the ice like elephantine pigs, and dive and rout on the sea-bottom for clams, cuttle-fish,
and seaweeds. Probably the long tusks are used to rake up mussels and clams ; they also help
the walrus to climb on to the ice. A young walrus was kept for some time by the members
of the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, and was found to be an amusing pet. One kept on
board a Dundee whaler used to sleep with an Eskimo dog, and got into the same kennel
with it. It ate blubber and salt pork, but liked the sailors' pea-soup better than anything
else ; it was most sociable, and could not bear to be alone would tumble down the hatchway
to seek the society of its beloved sailors, and scramble into the cabin if the door were open.
When it fell ill and before it died, it seemed most grateful for any attention shown to it. The
parent walrus shows the greatest courage in trying to defend the young one. Walruses are
now scarce ; but as the ivory is the only part of them of much present value, there is a chance
that they may not be killed off entirely.

THE TRUE SEALS.

The TRUE SEALS, with their greatly modified forms, heads set almost on to their shoulders,
with no neck visible, have well-developed claws on all the toes, and in the typical species have
double-rooted and small cheek-teeth. The number of the incisors is variable. The GREY SEAL

Marine Carnivora

141

of the North Atlantic is a large species which visits the North British coasts and the Hebrides.
One old male shot off the coast of Connemara weighed nearly 400 Ibs., and was 8 feet long.
It is found off Scandinavia and eastwards to the coast of Greenland, and breeds off our coasts
in October and November. This is the large seal occasionally shot up Scotch lochs. Its colour
is yellowish grey, varied with blots and patches of dirty black and brown.

THE COMMON SEAL.

This seal is smaller than the preceding. It breeds on parts of the Welsh and Cornish
coasts, and is found on both sides of the Atlantic and in the North Pacific. It assembles in small
herds, and frequents lochs, estuaries, and river-mouths. In the summer it is fond of following
flounders and sea-trout up rivers. A few years ago one came up the Thames and was shot at
Richmond. The young are born in June, and are greyish white. The adults are variously
mottled with grey, brown, and black. The fondness of seals for music is proverbial. Macgillivray,
the Scotch naturalist, said that in the Hebrides he could bring half a score of them within forty
yards of him by a few notes on his flute, when they would swim about with their heads above
water like so many black dogs. A seal was captured by the servants of a landowner near
Clew Bay, on the west coast of Ireland, and kept tame for four years. It became so attached
to the house that, after being carried out to sea three times, it returned on each occasion.
The cruel wretches who owned it then blinded it, out of curiosity to see whether it could find
its way back sightless. The poor animal did so after eight days.

The common seal is still fairly numerous on the rocky western coasts of the British
Islands, though a few old seals, unable to forget their early habits, appear now and then in
Morecambe Bay and in the Solway. It is not uncommon off the coasts of Caithness and
Sutherland. It also frequents a sandbank in the Dornoch Firth, though it has been much
persecuted there. The common
seal is gregarious, while the grey
seal usually lives only in pairs, or
at most in small companies. Two
or three dozen like to lie closely
packed on shore with all their
heads turning seawards. The
white hair of the young seals
which, as already said, are born in
Jane is shed in a day or two,
when the young take to the
water. With regard to their re-
puted musical proclivities, some
experiments made at the Zoo-
logical Gardens did not bear out

this belief; but there is much
evidence that in a state of nature
they will approach and listen to
music. The common seal has
a large brain- capacity, and is a
very intelligent creature. The
upper parts of this seal are
yellowish grey, spotted with black
and brown, the under parts being
silver-grey.

The HARP-SEAL is an Arctic y permission of HerrCarlffagenbeck] [Hamburg.

i WALRUS AND SEA-LION.

Or ice-Seal Which Sometimes t ^^ photograph of the wa i rus temed by Her r Carl Hagenbeck. Notice the sea-lion in
its Way to Britain. The yOUn tie right-hand corner, which also formed one of the same performing troupe.

142

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by York <k Son]

GREY SEAL.

[Sotting Hill.

Seals are not so well adapted as sea-lions for getting about on the dry land, and, except for
their habit of coming ashore to bask in the sun, are thoroughly aqxiatic.

are born on ice-floes. It is>
found in great herds in Davis
Straits, on the coasts of Green-
land, and in the greater part of
the frozen Arctic Ocean. It is
the animal which the sealing-
vessels which hunt seals for oil
and "hair" that is, the leather
of the skins, not the fur seek
and destroy. In the old days
they could be seen in tens of
thousands blackening square miles
of ice. They are still so numerous
that in Danish Greenland more
than 30,000 are taken each year.
The KINGED SEAL is a small
variety, not more than 3 or 4 feet
in length, found in great numbers
in the Far North. Its flesh is
the main food of the Eskimo,

and its skin the clothing of the Greenlanders. The seals make breathing-holes in the ice.
There the Eskimo waits with uplifted spear for hours at a time, until the seal comes up to
breathe, when it is harpooned. The BLADDER-NOSED SEAL is a large spotted variety, with a
curious bladder-like crest on the head and nose of the male. Unlike all other seals, it
sometimes resists the hunters and attacks the Eskimo in their kayaks.

If any evidence were needed of the great destruction which the sealing and whaling
industry causes, and has caused, among the large marine animals, the case of the ELEPHANT-SEALS
ought to carry conviction. These are very large seals, the male of which has a projecting nose
like a proboscis. They were formerly found both north and south of the Equator, their main
haunts being on the coast of California, and on the islands of the South Pacific and Antarctic
Ocean. They are gigantic compared with the common seals, some of the males being from 16
to 20 feet long. Cuttle-fish and seaweed are the principal food of this seal, which was formerly
seen in astonishing numbers. The whaling-ships which hunted both these seals and sperm-
whales at the same time almost destroyed those which bred on the more accessible coasts, just
as the earlier whalers entirely destroyed Steller's sea-cow, and their modern descendants
destroyed the southern right-whales. The elephant-seal is now very scarce, and when one is
killed the skin is regarded as something of a curiosity.

In the records of the voyage of the Challenger it is stated that there were still great
numbers of the elephant-seals surviving near Heard Island, and not a few round the shores of
Kerguelen Island. Professor Moseley states that on the windward shore of Heard Island "there
is an extensive beach, called Long Beach. This was covered with thousands of sea-elephants in
the breeding-season; but it is only accessible by land, and then only by crossing two glaciers. '
No boat can safely land on this shore; consequently men are stationed on the beach, and
live there in huts. Their duty is constantly to drive the sea-elephants from this beach into the
sea, which they do with whips made out of the hides of the seals themselves. The beasts
thus ousted swim off, and often 'haul up,' as the term is, upon the accessible beach beyond.
In very stormy weather, when they are driven into the sea, they are forced to betake themselves
to the sheltered side of the island. Two or three old males, which are called ' beach-masters,'
hold a beach for themselves and cover it with cows, but allow no other males to haul up.
They light furiously, and one man told me that he had seen an old male take a young one
up in his teeth and throw him over, lifting him in the air. The males show fight when
whipped, and are with great difficulty driven into the sea. The females give birth to their

'GREY SEAL.

Note the difference between the seal's and the sea-lion's hind flippers. When on land, the seal advances by a jumping movement, produced by the

muscles of the body, assisted forward by the front flippers^

143

144

The Living Animals of the World

young soon after their arrival. The new-born young ones are almost black, unlike the adults,
which are of a light slate-brown. They are suckled by the female for some time, and then
left to themselves, lying on the beach, where they seem to grow fat without further feeding.
They are always allowed by the sealers to lie like this, ' in order to make more oil.' This
account was corroborated by all the sealers I met, but I do not understand it. Probably
the cows visit their offspring unobserved from time to time. Peron says that both parent
elephant-seals stay with the young without taking any food at all till the latter are about
six or seven weeks' old, and that the old ones conduct the young to the water and carefully
keep them company. The rapid increase in weight is in accordance with Peron's account.
Ooodridge gives a somewhat different story namely, that after the females leave the
young the old males and the pups proceed inland, as far as two miles sometimes, and
stop without food for more than a month, during which time they lose fat. The male
sea-elephants come ashore for the purpose of breeding about the middle of August, the
females a little later."

Formerly the elephant-seals were found as far north as the Californian coast, where their
capture was the main business of the sealing-traders. This species also formed the mainstay
of the far southern sealers. As the elephant-seals were killed off, so the business became less
and less profitable. It is to be hoped that the voyages of exploration to the Antarctic ice-fringe
will not lead to the discovery of fresh sealing-grounds, for if this is the case there is little
chance that any of the southern seals will escape entire destruction. Some form of close
time has already been enforced in the pursuit of the hair-seals of Northern Europe; but it
is very desirable that the species still found on our own coasts should also receive protection.
Except when they paid visits to the fixed salmon-nets, they never did any harm ; and fixed
nets are now illegal. When a seal learned the use of the stake-nets, which these animals
were very quick to understand, it would wait quietly till it saw a fish caught, and then swim
up and carry it off before the fishermen could take it.

Two species namely, the COMMON SEAL and GREY SEAL still regularly visit our shores.
The common seal breeds on our south-western coasts, and the grey seal off the Hebrides. If
the common seal were accorded a close time, its numbers would probably increase ; and the
spectacle of such interesting creatures visible on our coast could not fail to be of great
interest. All the old legends of mermaids and wild men of the sea are based on the capture
of seals. Perhaps the most ancient is one which records such a capture in the river near
Orford Castle, in Suffolk, in the reign of Henry II. The ignorant soldiers were persuaded
that it was a man, and tortured it to make it speak. They then took it to the church,

and showed it the sacred emblems.
As it " showed no reverence,"
they took it back to the castle,
and fed it on fish. It was allowed
to go into the river, but returned
to its captors of its own accord.
Later it swam away to the sea.
The monk who recorded the story
stated his conviction that this
seal was an evil spirit which had
got into the body of a drowned
sailor. A grey seal was taken
not many years ago in the creek
leading up to the little town of
Wells, in Norfolk. It was so tame

By. permission of tit* Hon. Walter Rothschild] [Tr'uiy. that the fishermen Caught it by

HARP-SEAL, throwing coats over it as it lay on

The harp-seal ccmes. from Greenland. the mud.

y perniit

[ Tring.

SEA-ELEPHAXT.

These enormous seals (about 20 feet in length) are becoming very scarce. When they come ashore, they are easily approached, though
not so easily killed. They are much valued for their oil. Note the trunk-like prolongation of the nose, which, when the animal is excited,
becomes distended.

145 19

CHAPTER IX.

THE RODENTS, OR GNAWING ANIMALS.

HE Rodents, or Gnawing Mammals, have all the
same general type of teeth, from which the order
receives its distinctive name. There are a very
large number of families and of genera among the
rodents, more than in any other order of mammals.
All the rodents possess a pair of long chisel-shaped
incisor teeth in each jaw. The ends of these teeth
are worn into a sharp edge which cuts like a steel-
tool. In most rodents these are the only teeth in-
that part of the jaw, a wide gap intervening between
them and the other teeth. The hares, rabbits, and
calling-hares have a minute pair of teeth set just
behind the large pair in the upper jaw. The grinding-
teeth are set far back, and are never more than six
in number, these being sometimes reduced to four.
Rodents generally have five toes on the fore feet; in<
the hind feet there are in some cases only four, or
even three. None of the species are of great size;
the largest, the CAPYBARA, a water-living animal of
South America, is about the dimensions of a small
pig. But the number of species of small rodents is
prodigious, and
their fecundity so

great that they ^^

constantly increase
in favourable

seasons until they become a plague. Voles, lemmings, field-
mice, and rabbits are constant sources of loss to agriculture
in their seasons of extraordinary increase. Most rodents feed ^K. l

on vegetables, though rats and mice have developed car-
nivorous tastes. No rodents have canine teeth.

Photo ly W. P. Dando] [Regent's Park.

CAPYBARA.

This, the largest of the Rodents, is found by the rivers of
South America.

THE SQUIRRELS.

Those of the order of Gnawing Animals which have only
two incisors in each jaw, and no rudimentary teeth like
those possessed by the hares, are called "Simple-toothed
Rodents." Of these the family usually placed first in order
is that of the SQUIRRELS and their allies. The True Squirrels
and Marmots have five molar teeth on each side of the
upper jaw.

Squirrels are found in nearly every temperate part of
the globe, from Norway to Japan, and in very great numbers

146

Jiy permission of Professor Bumpus, At- 1'urk.

FLYING-SQUIRREL.
One of the small species of the group.

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

147

in India and the tropics.
Everywhere they are favour-
ites ; and though they do
some mischief in highly
cultivated countries, they are
among the most harmless of
creatures. Most of them
live on wild nuts and the
kernels of fruit ; they suck
eggs occasionally, and in
Canada will come to the
traps in extreme cold and
eat the meat with which they
are baited.

THE RED SQUIRREL.

This, the common
squirrel of England, is repre-
sentative of the whole order.
In old Scandinavian legends
the squirrel is represented
as the messenger of the gods,
who carried the news of what
was going on in the world
to the other animals. To-
gether with its close relations,
it is the most graceful of
all climbers of trees. With
its long tail waving behind
it, it races up or down the
trunks and across the forest
from branch to branch as
easily as a horse gallops across
a plain. It will descend
the trunk head downwards
as fast as it runs up.
Squirrels pair for life, and

Photo by A. S. liudland & Sons.

FLYING-SQUIRREL.

The large flying-squirrels are mainly nocturnal. They can leap a distance of 40 feet with the aid
of the parachutes of skin stretching from the fore to the hind limbs.

are most affectionate little

creatures, always playing or doing gymnastics together. The squirrel builds a very good
house, in which he shows himself far more sensible than the monkeys and apes ; it is made
of leaves, moss, and sticks. The sticks come first as a platform; then this is carpeted, and
a roof put on. No one who has seen English squirrels at work house-building has ever
described exactly how they do it; it is the best nest made by any mammal, thoroughly
well fitted together and waterproof. In this nest the young squirrels are born in the
month of June ; that year they keep with the parents, and do not " set up for themselves "
till the next spring. The red colour is very persistent in squirrels. One Chinese variety,
black and red, has even bright red teeth. In cold countries the red squirrels make stores of
food, but spend much of the winter asleep.

It is a great pity that in England no one tries to tame the squirrels as they do in
America; there they are the greatest ornament of the parks of cities, coming down to be
fed as tamely as our sparrows. The writer has known one instance in which a lady

148

The Living Animals of the World

induced wild squirrels to pay
daily visits to her bedroom for
food ; they used to climb up
the ivy and jump in at the
open window. The great
enemies of squirrels near houses
are the cats, which kill all the
young ones when they first
come down from the trees.
In a garden in Berkshire a
pair of squirrels had a family
every summer for five years,
but none ever survived the cats'
persistent attacks. These
squirrels were most amusing
and improvident. They used
to hide horse-chestnuts, small
potatoes, kernels of stone fruit,
bulbs of crocuses, and other
treasures in all kinds of places,
and then forget them. After
deep snows they might be seen
scampering about looking into
every hole and crevice to see
whether that happened to be the place where they had hidden something useful. Much of the
store was buried among the roots of trees and bushes, and quite hidden when the snow fell.

Photo ly IP. P. Dando] [Regent's Park.

DORSAL SQUIRREL FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.

A most beautiful species. The main colour is red, but the back is French grey, and the tail
French grey and red mingled.

THE GREY SQUIRREL.

In Northern Europe, and across Northern Asia and America, a large grey squirrel is found.
From its fur the " squirrel-cloaks " are made. These squirrels live mainly on the seeds of
pines in winter, and on wild fruits, shoots, and berries in summer. It has been noticed that
they will entirely forsake some great area of forest for a year or two, and as suddenly return
to it. The marten and the sable are the great enemies of the grey squirrel, but the eagle-owl
and goshawk also kill numbers of them. In many countries the flesh of the squirrel is eaten.

The grey-and-black squirrel of the
United States was thus described some
sixty years ago : " It rises with the
sun, and continues industriously en-
gaged in the search for food for four
or five hours every morning. During
the warm weather of spring it pre-

!4L. w^Htt BP"^%bif^P pares its nest on the branch of a

tree, constructing it first of dried
sticks, which it breaks off, or, if these
are not at hand, of green twigs as
thick as a finger, which it gnaws off
from the boughs. These it lays in the
fork of a tree, so as to make a frame-

to by A. s. Rudiand <. sons. work. It lines this framework with

ASIATIC CHIPMUNKS. leaves, and over these again it spreads

Small ground-aquirrels which store food for the winter. mOSS. In making the n6St, the pair

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

149

Photo l,it If. P. Dando] [Regent's Park.

KED-FOOTED GROUND-SQTJIBREL.

This species has some of the characteristics of the tree-squirrels, among
them the bushy tail.

is usually engaged for several days, spending
an hour in the morning hard at work. The
noise they make in cutting the sticks and
carrying material is heard at some distance."
In winter they reside entirely in the holes
of trees, where their young are in most
cases born. Green corn and young wheat
suffered greatly from their depredations, and
a wholesale war of destruction used to be
waged against them everywhere. In Penn-
sylvania an old law offered threepence a
bead from the public treasury for every
squirrel destroyed, and in 1749 the enormous
sum of 8,000 was paid out of the public
funds for this purpose. In those days vast
migrations of these squirrels used to take
place, exciting not only the wonder but the
fear of the old settlers. In the Far North-
west multitudes of squirrels used to congre-
gate in different districts, forming scattered
bands, which all moved in an easterly direc-
tion, gathering into larger bodies as they
went. Neither mountains nor rivers stopped

them. On they came, a devouring army, laying waste the corn- and wheat-fields, until guns.

cats, hawks, foxes, and owls destroyed them.

THE FLYING-SQUIRRELS.

One of the finest squirrels is the TAGUAN, a large squirrel of India, Ceylon, and the
Malacca forests. It is a "flying-squirrel," with a body 2 feet long, and a. bushy tail
of the same length. Being nocturnal, it is not often seen ; but when it leaps it unfolds
a flap of skin on either side, which is stretched (like a sail) when the fore and hind
limbs are extended in the act of leaping; it then forms a parachute. The colour of
this squirrel is grey, brown, and pale chestnut. There are a number of different flying-
squirrels in China, Formosa, and Japan, and on the forests of Central America. One small
flying-squirrel, the POLATOUCHE, is found in North-east Russia and Siberia. It flies from
tree to tree with immense bounds,
assisted by the " floats " on its sides.
Though only 6 inches long, it can
cover distances of 30 feet and more
without difficulty. Wherever there
are birch forests this little squirrel
is found. One nearly as small is
a native of the Southern States of
America, ranging as far south as Guate-
mala.

In Africa, south of the Sahara,
the place of the Oriental flying-
squirrel is taken by a separate family.
They have a different arrangement of

the parachute from that of the flying- Photo ^ Dr - R - w - Shufeldt]

squirrels of India. This wide fold of BLACK FOX-SQUIRREL,

skin is Supported in the Asiatic The fur of this species is as valuable as that of the grey squirrel.

[ Washington.

150

The Living Animals of the World

squirrels by a cartilage extending from
the wrist. In the South African
flying-squirrels this support springs
from the elbow, not from the wrist ;
they have also horny plates on the
under-surface of the tail. Many of
the tropical flying-squirrels are quite
large animals, some being as large as
a small cat.

Mr. W. H. Adams says of PEL'S
FLYING-SQUIKKEL, a West African
species : " These squirrels come out of
their holes in the trees some hours
after sunset, and return long before
riwto ly scholastic Photo. Co.] [i>ano,is Green, daybreak. They are only visible on

LONG-TAILED MARMOT. bright moonlight nights. The natives

The marmots live by preference on high and cold mountains just below the Say that they do liot COme Out of
line of eternal snow in Europe. In Asia, where the snow-line is higher, they arc 1 i i 11 ,1

found at altitudes of 12,000 feet. thelr holes at a11 m stormy weather,

or on very dark nights; they live on

berries and fruits, being especially fond of the palm-oil nut, which they take to their nests
to peel and eat. They pass from tree to tree with great rapidity, usually choosing to jump
from a higher branch to a lower one, and then climbing up again to make a fresh start. . . .
They litter about twice in a year, once in September. The young remain in the nest for
about nine weeks, during which they are fed by the old ones on such food as shoots and
kernels. They do not attempt to jump or 'fly' till the end of that period, extending the
length of their jumps with their growth."

The ETHIOPIAN SPINY SQUIRRELS have coarse spiny fur; the little INDIAN PALM-SQUIRREL
is marked with longitudinal dark and light stripes on the back; others have light bands on
their flanks.

THE GROUND-SQUIRRELS.

Many tree-living squirrels pass a good deal of their time on the ground ; but there
are others which burrow like mice, and, though they climb admirably, prefer to make their
nest, and the regular squirrel's store of nuts, in the earth, and not in the branches. The
best known is the little CHIPMUNK of the United States, the favourite pet of all American
children. There are many kinds of chipmunks, all of which have pouches in their cheeks
for carrying food. The commonest is the STRIPED CHIPMUNK. It is from 8 to 10 inches
long, with white stripes, bordered with dark brown on each side. The chipmunks' hoards of
grain and nuts are so large that the Indians used to rob them in times of scarcity. There
is also a ground-squirrel in Northern Europe and Northern Asia with much the same habits
as the chipmunk.

The burrows of the chipmunks are deep and extensive, and into them these rodents
convey such quantities of grain and maize as to inflict considerable loss on the farmer. The
SIBERIAN GROUND-SQUIRREL has been known to conceal over 8 Ibs. weight of corn in its hole.
This has a sleeping-chamber at the end, filled with moss and leaves, on which the family
sleep. From this side passages are dug, all leading to chambers stocked with food, often far
in excess of the wants of these provident little creatures. The surplus stores are said to be
eaten in the spring by wild boars and bears.

THE PRAIRIE-DOGS AND MARMOTS.

Between squirrels which live in holes in the ground and the marmots and their
relations no great gap is found. These creatures drop the climbing habit and increase

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

that of burrowing. In disposition most of them are still very squirrel-like, though thov gain
something in solemnity of demeanour by never going far from their holes. A prairie-dog
or marmot is like a squirrel which has left society and settled down in a suburb. The little-
creatures known in America as PRAIRIE-DOGS have in Northern Europe and the steppes of Asia
some first cousins, called SUSLIKS. Both live in colonies, burrow quickly and well, feed
on grass, and have a habit of sitting bolt upright outside their holes, keeping a look-out for
enemies. The prairie-dogs also bark like a little dog when alarmed. Before going to sleep,
the latter always carry the dry grass on which they slept out of their burrow, and carefully
bite up into short lengths a fresh supply to make their beds. The susliks and prairie-dogs-
are of a khaki colour, like the sand in which they delight to burrow. Every one has heard
that the little burrowing-owls live in the same holes in company with the prairie-dogs, and'

By permission of the New York Zoological Society.

PRAIRIE-DOGS, OR MARMOTS.
A most characteristic picture. It shows the prairie-dogs' method of holding their food while they eat, or cutting up grass to make their teds.

that the rattlesnake sometimes eats both the young prairie-dogs and the young owls. An
acquaintance of the writer who had killed a rattlesnake actually took a young prairie-dog from
its mouth. The snake had not struck it with the poison, but had begun to swallow it
uninjured. It was still alive, and recovered.

The suslik was once found in England; its remains, with those of other steppe animals,
are found in the river gravels and brick earth in the London basin. The prairie-dogs form a-
kind of connecting-link between the susliks and the true marmots. They have short ears,
short tails, rounded bodies, and possess great powers of digging. When a prairie-dog has
nothing better to do, it usually spends its time either in digging holes or in cutting up
grass or anything handy to make its bed with. Young prairie-dogs are not so large as a
mouse when born. The adult animals feed almost entirely on grass and weeds in their wild
state ; they seem quite independent of water, and able to live in the driest places.

The ALPINE MARMOT is a much larger species than the prairie-dog. It lives on the

152

The Living Animals of the World

Alps- just below the line of perpetual snow. From five to fifteen marmots combine in
colonies, dig very deep holes, and, like the prairie-dogs, carefully line them with grass ; they
also store up dry grass for food. In autumn they grow very fat, and are then dug out of
the burrows by the mountaineers for food. Young marmots used to be tamed and carried
about by the Savoyard boys, but this practice is now rare. The monkey is probably more
attractive to the public than the fat and sleepy marmot. Marmots are about the size of
a rabbit, and have close iron-grey fur.

Tschudi, the naturalist of the Alps, says of the marmots that they are the only mammal
which inhabits the region of the snows. No other warm-blooded quadrupeds live at such an
altitude. In spring, when the lower snows melt, there are generally small pieces of short turf
near their holes, as well as great rocks, precipices, and stones. Here they make their burrows,
outside which they feed, with a sentinel always posted to warn them of the approach of the
eagle or lammergeir. The young marmots, from four to six in number, are born in June.
When they first appear at the mouth of the holes, they are bluish grey; later the fur gains
a brownish tint. The burrows are usually at a height of not less than 7,000 or 8,000 feet.
Winter comes on apace. By the end of autumn the ground is already covered with snow,
and the marmots retire to sleep through the long winter. As they do not become torpid for
some time, they require food when there is none accessible ; this they store up in the form
of dried grass, which they cut in August, and leave outside their burrows for a time to be
turned into hay.

The ALPINE MARMOT is also found in the Carpathians and the Pyrenees. Another species,
the BOBAC, ranges eastward from the German frontier across Poland, Kussia, and the steppes
of Asia to Kamchatka. In Ladak and Western Tibet a short-tailed species, the HIMALAYAN
MARMOT, is found, sometimes living at a height of nearly 17,000 feet. The GOLDEN MARMOT
is found in the Pamirs.

THE BEAVERS.

The BEAVERS are classed as the last family of the squirrel-like group of the Eodents, and
the largest creatures of that order in the northern hemisphere. The value of their fur has
caused their destruction in great measure where they were once numerous, and has led to

their total extirpation where there
is evidence that they existed as a
not uncommon animal. They were
formerly distributed over the greater
part of Europe. In England semi-
fossilised remains show that they were
not uncommon. In Wales beavers'
skins were mentioned in the year
940 in the laws of Howel Dha. and
in 1188 Giraldus stated that they
were living on the river Teify, in
Cardiganshire. Beavers were formerly
found in France, especially on the
Rhone, where a few are still said to
survive, in Germany, Austria, Eussia,
Poland, and in Sweden and Norway,
on the rivers Dvvina and Petchora, and
on the great rivers of Siberia. A
few still remain in two districts of

By permission of the Acw Tort Zoological Society.

AMERICAN BEAVEE. Norway, and some were known to

The engineering feats of the beavers, in damming streams and forming pools, are the ireqiient the Elbe in 18/8. The
most remarkable achievements performed by living animals. MoldaU, in Bohemia, is also Credited

153

154

The Living Animals of the World

BEAVER.

This is a. photograph of a swimming beaver. Note the advantage which it has taken of the
eddy in the stream.

with a colony ; but parts of the
Danube are believed to be the
chief haunt of the European beaver
at the present time. The American
beaver, though its range has
greatly contracted, is still sufficiently
numerous for its fur to be a valuable
item in the winter fur-sales.

The beaver's tail is flattened
like a paddle and covered with
scales ; its hind feet are webbed
between the toes; it has sharp
claws, w r hich aid it in scratching
up mud, and a thick, close fur r
with long brown hair above, and
a most beautiful and close under-
fur, which, when the long hairs
have all been removed, forms the
beaver-fur of which hats were once

made, and trimmings for ladies' jackets and men's fur coats are now manufactured. There

are two separate lines of interest in connection with the animal political and zoological. The

value of the fur was anciently such that, when the first French explorers began to search the

Canadian lakes, and later when the Hudson Bay Company succeeded to the French dominion,

the history of Canada was largely bound up with beaver-catching and the sale of the skins. In

the early days of the Company the " standard of trade " of the North-west was a beaver-skin.

For nearly a century the northern territories were organised, both under French and English rule,

with a view to the beaver trade. The beaver was, and is, the crest of the Canadian Dominion.
The beavers' engineering feats have for their object to keep up a uniform depth of water

in the streams where they live. On large rivers there is always enough water for the

beaver to swim in safety from its enemies, and to cover the mouth of the hole which

it makes in the bank, just

as a water-rat does. But

on small streams, especially

in Canada, where during the

winter the frost prevents the

springs from running, there

is always the danger that the

water may fall so low that the

beavers would be left in shallow

water, a prey to the wolverine,

wolf, lynx, or human enemies.

To keep up the water, the

beavers make a dyke or dam

across the stream. This they

go on building up and

strengthening until they have

ponded back a large pool. In

time, as they never seem to

stop adding to their dam, the

pool floods the ground on either

side of the stream and makes

& small lake. It flows over the

Photo liy Dr. R. W. Shufeldt]

[ Washington.

MUSK-RAT.

A small water rodent, a native of the North American rivers. Immense numbers are killed for

the sake of their fur.

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals 155

parts of the bank where their holes are; these also become filled up, because the beavers carry
into them every day fresh quantities of wood-chips to make their beds. The beavers then
scrape out the earth on the top, pile sticks over this, plaster the sticks with mud, and so build
a dome over their bedroom. In time this is raised higher and higher, the artificial lake rises
too, and the complete "beaver-lodge" surrounded with water is seen. The old trappers who
found these in situ imagined they were built at once and outright in the water. The
experiments and observations at Leonardslee, in Sussex, where Sir E. G. Loder has kept
beavers in a stream for ten years, show that the "evolution" of the lodge is gradual and only
incidental. But the building of the dyke, the cutting of the trees, and the making of the
pool are done with a purpose and definite aim.

What this is, and how done, is explained in the following description of the beaver
colony at Leonardslee: "Their first object was to form in the brook a pool, with water
maintained at a constant height, to keep the mouth of their burrow in the bank submerged
during the droughts of summer. To this end they built a dam, as good a specimen of
their work as can be seen
even in Canada. Its situa-
tion was carefully chosen.
A small oak, growing on
what appears to have been
a projection in the bank,
gives support to the work.
It may be concluded that
this was part of their
intention ; for though they
have cut down every other
tree in their enclosure to
which they had access,
except two or three very
large ones, they have left
this small tree which
supports the dam un-
touched. (Later, when
the dyke was stronger,
they cut it down.) Above
this stretches the dam,
some 12 yards wide, and
rising 5| feet from the

base to the crest. The beavers built it solidly of battens of alder, willow, larch, and other
straight-limbed trees, cut into lengths of from 2 to 3 feet. The bark of each was carefully
gnawed off for food ; and the whole work, constructed of these cut and peeled logs, has a
very regular and artificial appearance. Smaller twigs and sticks are jammed in between the
battens, and the interstices are stuffed with mud, which the beavers bring up from the
bottom of the pool in their mouths, and push in with their feet, making the whole structure
as watertight as a wall." This dam converted what was a narrow brook into a long lake, some
50 yards by 15 or 20 yards broad. Later the beavers made another larger dam below this,
cutting down some more trees. One tree gave them a great deal of trouble ; it was a beech,
40 feet high, and hard to gnaw; so they waited till the water rose round it, and then dug
it up. When the large dam was made, quite a considerable lake was formed below the
first. They then neglected their first dam, and let the water run out of the top lake into
the lower one. At the time of writing there are five old beavers and a family of young ones
at Leonardslee. The work -done by these beavers, so few in numbers, shows how large colonies
may alter the course of rivers.

Photo by W, P. Dando\

GAMBIAN POUCHED RAT.
These rats are able to carry food in their cheek-pouches, which are used as pockets.

[Regent's Part:.

156

The Living Animals of the World

THE DORMICE.

There are a considerable number of animals, even in England, which hibernate. Most
of these feed largely on insect food, which in winter is unobtainable in any great quantity.
Consequently the hedgehog and the badger, which live largely on snails and worms, go to
sleep in the famine months. So does the sleepiest of all the DORMOUSE. This alone
would show that this little rodent probably feeds on insects very largely, for if it only
ate nuts and berries it could easily store these, and find a good supply also in the winter
woods. It has been recently proved that dormice are insectivorous, and will eat aphides, weevils,
and caterpillars. But a dormouse hibernates for so long a time that one might imagine its
vitality entirely lost ; it sleeps for six months at a time, and becomes almost as cold as

a dead animal, and breathes very slowly and
almost imperceptibly. Mr. Trevor-Battye says
that if warmed and made to awaken suddenly
in the winter it would die in a minute or two,
its heart beating very fast, " like a clock running
down." Before their hibernation dormice grow
very fat. There is a large species, found in
Southern Europe, which the Romans used to eat
when in this fat stage. In winter dormice
usually seek the nest of some small bird, and
use it as a sleeping-place. They pull out arid
renew the lining, or add a roof themselves. Into
the interior they carry a fresh supply of moss,
and sleep there in great comfort. Their great
enemy at this time is the weasel. There are
two main groups of the dormice, divided by
naturalists in reference to the structure of their
stomach. The South African GRAPHIURES have
short tufted tails. The hibernating habit is
confined to the more northern species.

THE MOUSE TRIBE.

This family, which includes the MICE, RATS,
and VOLES, contains more than a third of the
number of the whole order of Rodents. Some
are arboreal, others aquatic ; but most are
ground-living animals and burrowers. The
number of known species has been estimated at
330. Among the most marked types are the
WATER-MICE of Australia and New Guinea, and
of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The feet of the Australian species are webbed,
though those of the Philippine form are not. The GERBILS form another group, mainly
inhabitants of desert districts. They have very large eyes, soft fur, and tails of various length
and form in different species. They have greatly developed hind legs, and leap like jerboas,
and are found in Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. The PHILIPPINE RATS, large and long-
haired, and the TREE-MICE of Africa south of the Sahara, form other groups. A very
mischievous race of rodents is represented in Europe by the HAMSTERS, and in the New
World by a closely allied group, the WHITE-FOOTED MICE.

J'koto by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

POCKET-GOPHER.

The pocket-gophers are almost entirely subterranean. Their
burrowing powers are remarkable. The teeth as well as claws are
used to aid them.

THE HAMSTERS.
The HAMSTER is a well-known European species, and represents the group of pouched rats.

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

157

fltoto by A. S. Rudland <i- Sons.

LONG-EAKED JERBOA.

These curious little animals are mainly desert creatures. They move by
a seiies of leaps.

These creatures have cheek-pouches to
aid them in carrying food. In addition
they are most voracious and inquisitive,
so that the hamster is a type throughout
Central Europe of selfishness and greed.
We are sorry to add that John Bull
occasionally appears in German cartoons
as the " Land-hamster," or land-grabber.

7 O

Hamsters are numerous from the Elbe
to the Obi. They burrow and make
cellars in the corn- and bean-fields, and
convey thither as much as a bushel of
grain. As soon as the young hamsters
can shift for themselves, each moves off,
makes a separate burrow, and begins to
hoard beans and corn. As the litter
sometimes contains eighteen young, the
mischief done by the hamster is great.
Its coloration is peculiar. The fur, which
is so thick as to be used for the linings
of coats, is a light yellowish brown
above. A yellow spot marks each cheek.

The lower surface of the body, the legs, and a band on the forehead are black, and the feet
white. Thus the hamster reverses the usual natural order of colour in mammals, which
tends to be dark on the back and light below. The animal .is 10 inches long, and very
courageous. Hamsters have been known to seize a horse by the nose which stepped on their
burrow, and at all times they are ready to defend their home. Besides vegetables and
corn, they destroy smaller animals. They spend the winter in a more or less torpid state in
their burrows, but emerge early in spring. They then make their summer burrows and
produce their young, which in a fortnight after birth are able to begin to make a burrow for
themselves.

Among the South American members of the group to which the hamster belongs are the
FISH-EATING RATS, with webbed hind feet. .The RICE-RAT, which is found from the United
States to Ecuador, lives on
the Texas prairies much as
do the prairie -mar mots, though
its burrows are not so exten-
sive, and often quite shallow.
In these the rats make beds
of dry grass.

THE VOLES.

The VOLES are allied to
the preceding groups, but are
marked externally by a shorter
and heavier form than the
typical rats and mice. Their
ears are shorter, their noses
blunter, their eyes smaller,

and the tail generally shorter. Photo *v A - s - Rudland * Sons -

They are found in great num- CAPS JUMPING-HABE.

berS fit Certain Seasons, When This animal is very common in South Africa. The Boers call it the " Springh.ias

158

The Living Animals of the World

fUoto ly A. S. Rudland ct Sons.

OCTODONT.

The octodonts, so called because they have four molar teeth on each side of the jaw,
are a group of rodents found mainly in South America.

they often develop into a pest. The
SHORT-TAILED FIELD-VOLE is responsible
for much destruction of crops in
Europe. One of the latest plagues
of these animals took place in the
Lowlands of Scotland, where these voles
devoured all the higher pastures on
the hills. Nearly at the same time
a similar plague occurred in Turkish
Epirus. When an English commis-
sioner was sent to enquire into the
remedies (if any existed) there in
use, he found that the Turks were
importing holy water from Mecca to
sprinkle on the fields affected. The
BANK- VOLE is a small English species,
replaced on the Continent by the SOUTHERN FIELD-VOLE.

The WATER-RAT belongs to the vole group. It is one of the most commonly seen
of all our English mammals probably, except the rabbit, the most familiar. Although not
entirely nocturnal, it prefers the darkness or twilight ; but whenever the visitor to the waterside
keeps still, the water-rats will allow him to watch them. The writer has had rather an
extensive acquaintance with these cousins of the beavers, and, while watching them, has never
ceased to be struck with their close resemblance to those creatures. At Holkham Lake, in
Norfolk, he noticed a willow-bush, in which a number of twigs had been gnawed off; and
then saw the missing sticks lying neatly peeled, just like "beaver-wood," in the water below.
Waiting quietly, he noticed a water-rat climb into the bush, gnaw off a willow twig, descend
with it to the edge of the water, and there, sitting on some crossed boughs, peel and eat the
bark, just as a beaver does. By the Thames a sound is often heard in the round reeds as of
something tearing or biting them; it is made by the water-rats getting their supper. The rat
cuts off three or four sedges and makes a rough platform. It then cuts down a piece of one of
the large round reeds full of pith, and, holding it in its hands, seizes the bark with its teeth, and
shreds it up the stem, peeling it from end to end. This exposes the white pith, which the
rat then eats. Water-rats have been seen to swim out
and pick up acacia blossoms floating on the water.
When swimming under water, each hair is tipped by
a little bubble, which makes the rat look like quick-
silver. When it comes out, the rat shakes itself with
a kind of shiver, throwing all the water off its coat.
Though so good a swimmer, its feet are not webbed.
It is found from Scotland to the Bering Sea, but not
in Ireland.

In the Far North the LEMMING takes the place of
the voles. It is a very small, short-tailed creature, like
a diminutive prairie-dog. Like the voles, lemmings
have seasons of immoderate increase. They then
migrate in enormous flocks, and are said never to
stop till they reach the sea, into which they plunge.
It is believed that they are following an inherited
instinct, and that where there is now sea there once
was land, over which they passed onwards.

The MUSK-RAT inhabits the same waters as the . This ". a larg . e t ^atic rodent, found on the south

American rivers. Its fur, called "nutria, forms a valuable

beaver of North America. It makes a house, generally export from Argentina.

by L. Mcdland, F.Z.S.]
COYPU.

[North Fincldey.

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

159

of reeds piled in a mound, in the lakes and
swamps. The body is only 12 inches long,
but the fur is thick and close, and much
used for lining coats and cloaks. The vast
chains of rivers and lakes in Canada make
that country the favourite home of the musk-
rat. This creature lives upon roots of aquatic
plants, freshwater-mussels, and stems of juicy
herbs. Besides making the domed houses of
grass, reeds, and mud, it also burrows in the
banks of streams. There it makes rather an
elaborate home, with numerous passages leading
to the water. The odour of musk is very
strong even in the skin. The tail is narrow
and almost naked. This species is the largest
of the vole group.

THE TYPICAL EATS AND MICE.

Photo by A. S. Kudland & Sons.

SHORT-TAILED HUTIA.

The hntias are another group of octodonts, found in the West India
Islands.

These animals were originally an Old
World group. Though the brown rat is now
common in America, it is believed to have
come originally from China.

A very large number of animals are now almost dependent on man and his belongings.
Such creatures are said to be " commensalistic," or eaters at the same table. They are often
very unwelcome guests, whether they are flies, sparrows, or cockroaches; but probably the
least welcome of all are the rats and mice. The BROWN RAT is the best known of any. It
has come into worse repute than usual of late, because it is now certain that it harbours the
plague-bacillus, and communicates the disease to man. Its habits and appearance need no
description. The BLACK RAT is the older and smaller species indigenous in Europe, which
the brown rat has almost extirpated from England. A few old houses still hold the black
rat, and there are always a few wild ones at the Zoological Gardens which feed in the animals'
houses. The BLACK-AND-WHITE RAT (not the albino white rat) kept tame in this country is
probably a domesticated form of the ALEXANDRINE RAT of Egypt.

The HOUSE-MOUSE is now found in all parts of the world to which Europeans have access.
In England its main home is in the corn-ricks.
Were the farmers to thresh the grain, as is done in
the United States, as soon as it is cut, mice would
be far less common. Besides these parasitic mice,
there are a host of field- and forest-mice in this and
other countries. One of the best-known English
species is the HARVEST-MOUSE, which makes a globular
nest of grass in the wheat-fields, attached to stems
of corn or weeds. In this the young are born. In
winter the mouse lives in holes in banks, and lays
up a store of kernels and grain. The WOOD-MOUSE
is larger than the former, or than the HOUSE-MOUSE.
It is yellowish brown in colour, lays up a great
store of winter food, and is itself the favourite prey
of the t^easel.

By permission of the Hon. Walter Rotluchild, Tring.

PORCUPINE.

The common porcupine is found in Italy, Spain, and
North Africa. This one was kept by Mr. Rothschild, who
A Very mischieVOUS claSS Of ratS is represented had it photographed by Mr. S. G. Payne, of Aylesbury.

THE BANDICOOTS.

i6o

The Living Animals of the World

by the various species of BANDICOOT. They
are found throughout Southern Asia as far
as Ceylon, and in Kashmir and Turkestan.
The BANDICOOT-RAT of India is a large and
destructive species which is sometimes
brought to the London docks in ships, but
has not spread into the country.

OTHER MURINE RODENTS.

Among the numerous other rodents
allied to the rat group are the MOLE-RATS,
with short mole-like bodies. The largest
is the GREAT MOLE-RAT, found in South-
eastern Europe, South-western Asia, and
North-eastern Africa. It is a subterranean
creature, burrowing for food like a mole.
The BAMBOO-RATS have minute eyes, small
external ears, and a short tail partly
covered with hair. In Somaliland a small,
almost naked SAND-RAT is found, which burrows in the sand of the desert, throwing up little
heaps like mole-hills.

THE GOPHERS.

In North and Central America the POCKET-GOPHERS form a curious group of small rodents
with cheek-pouches opening on the outside. They spend their entire existence underground,
and are said to use their incisor teeth as picks to open the hard earth in their tunnels. They
push the loosened soil out by pressing it with their chests and fore feet. When a gopher has
eaten enough to satisfy the immediate calls of hunger, it stores all spare food away in the
large cheek-pouches. When gophers desire to empty the pouches, they pass their feet along
their cheeks from behind, and press the food forwards on to the ground.

I'/toto by A. H. liadland d- o,i..

PORCUPINE.

This phonograph shows the arrangement of the porcupine's defence of
spines ; but when frightened it erects these, so as to form a complete protection
to the body.

THE JERBOAS, SPRINGHAAS, AND JUMPING-MICE.

The hopping rodents have an immense range, from Southern Europe, through Africa.

Arabia, India, and Ceylon, and even in the New
World, where the AMERICAN JUMPING-MOUSE is
found throughout the northern part of the con-
tinent. The latter is only 3 inches long. The
true JERBOAS are mainly found in Africa. All
these, when excited, move like kangaroos. Their
main home is the Central Asian steppe region,
but they are found in Egypt, India, Syria, and
Arabia. The hind legs are much elongated, the
fore legs very small, and the body usually of a
sandy colour. The American jumping-mouse,
though a very small creature, can cover from 3 to
5 feet at each leap. It inhabits the beech and
hard-wood forests. In winter it makes a globular
nest about 6 inches under the surface of the ground.

IReg^sPark. ^ ^^ J UMpISG . HARB forms a f ami]y

VISCACHA

T , . , f by itself, with no near allies. It is of a tawny

The viscacha forms colonies like those of the prairie-dogs. It is * J

found on the pampas south of the La Plata. brOWIl Colour, becoming almost pUl'6 white below.

C/2

< E

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

161

Photo by Jf. P. Dando]

[Regent's Park,

CHINCHILLA.

A small rodent of the Andes, possessing very soft and valuable grey fur.

The tail is long, and carried upright as
the animal leaps. The head and body
are nearly 2 feet long, and the tail
20 inches. It is found both in the plains
and mountains of South Africa, where
it makes deep burrows, in which several
families live. It is mainly nocturnal.

THE OCTODONT FAMILY.

America is the main home of this
family of rodents, though there are several
representatives in Africa. Their name
is due to the fact that they have four
molar teeth on each side of the jaw.
The best-known species is the COYPU, or
NUTRIA, of South America, an aquatic,
fur-bearing animal. It is very plentiful
in the large rivers of that continent,
where its fur is a valuable commodity
for export. When swimming, the female

coypu carries its young on its back. The coypu is usually 20 inches long, with a tail two-thirds
of the length of its head and body. The general colour is brown above and brownish yellow
below. Coypus live in pairs in holes in the river-banks. In the Chonos Archipelago they
frequent the seashore, and burrow near the beach.

The HUTIA, another large octodont, is found in the West Indies. There are two species,
both partly arboreal. The TUCO-TUCOS, burrowing octodonts of the pampas and the far south
of the American Continent, are rat-like animals, with large claws and very small eyes and ears.

THE PORCUPINES.

These animals are either tree-climbers or ground-dwellers. The former are found in South
America, though one, the CANADIAN PORCUPINE, is
found in the North ; the latter are European and
Asiatic. In Africa they are also common. The
Canadian porcupine passes nearly all its life in
trees, feeding on the leaves ; but it has not a
prehensile tail. The COMMON PORCUPINE is abundant
in Italy (where it is eaten by man), Greece, Spain,
and Africa. It lives in burrows or among rocks.
In India a very similar species is found. The head
and shoulders of these ground-porcupines are not
protected by the larger sharp spines which guard the
rest of their bodies.

The tree-porcupines of the forests of Central
America have long prehensile tails, and are very
lightly built. The quills are short, the head
rounded, and the appearance very different from
that of the European or African species. The
common porcupine of Europe and North Africa
measures about 28 inches in length from the nose
to the root of the tail. The head, neck, and
shoulders are covered with short spines and hairs,
and the shoulders and back by a crest of long

Photo ly York tfc So/i]

[Sotting Hill.

AGUTIS.

The agutis are also a South American group, found both in
the forests and on the plains.

l62

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

PACA, OR SPOTTED CAVY.

The pacas are among the larger rodents, found mainly in the northern part of
the South American region.

spines, varying from 12 to 15 inches in
length. The tail also carries spines.

VlSCACHAS AND CHINCHILLAS.

On the plains of La Plata the
commonest large rodent is the VISCACHA.
It assembles in societies like the prairie-
dogs, but is a much larger animal, from
18 inches to 2 feet long. Yiscachas
always set a sentinel to give warning
of danger. They cut every kind of
vegetable near and drag them to their
holes ; they also have a habit of picking
up and collecting round the burrows any
object which strikes them as curious-
Articles lost by travellers, even whips or
boots, may generally be found there. The
viscacha belongs to the chinchilla family,
but differs much from the beautiful
creature of the high Andes from which chinchilla fur is taken. The COMMON CHINCHILLA is
about 10 inches long, and the SHORT-TAILED CHINCHILLA rather smaller. The exquisite fur
is well known. Two other chinchillas are more like hares in appearance. All four creatures
are found on the Andes.

THE AGUTIS AND PACAS.

South America also produces a family of rodents not unlike small pigs, but nearer to the
mouse-deer in general appearance ; they are called AGUTIS. Mainly forest animals, but living
also in the plains, they feed on grass, leaves, and plants of all kinds ; they are very swift
in their movements, and have much the habits of the small South African bucks. The fur is
long, olive- or chestnut-coloured, and thick.

The PACAS are allied to the agutis, but are stouter ; they live either in burrows made
by themselves, or in holes in the banks of rivers, or in old tree-roots. The pacas are
spotted and rather ornamentally marked ; they are found from Ecuador to Brazil and Paraguay.

THE CAVIES.

The DiNOMYS, a spotted rodent known by one
example from Peru, has been thought to form a link
between the pacas and the cavies, of which the
guinea-pig is the most familiar and the aquatic capy-
bara the largest. The original of our guinea-pig is
believed to be the RESTLESS CAVY, a small rodent
common on the plains of La Plata. It is dark blackish,
with yellowish-grey and white hairs of the domesti-
cated species ; and it is suggested that the original
of the present name was " Guiana pig." This cavy
lives in thickets rather than in forests or plains.

The PATAGONIAN CAVY is a larger form, about
twice the size of our hare. It burrows in the
ground, and has a grey coat, with yellowish markings

on the sides. It has been acclimatised successfully notoiy York* son} Dotting

in France and England. The flesh is like that of PACAS > OE SPOTTED CAVIES.

f V ViK'f TtiS l )llot S ra l )h ' which represents young animals, shows ir

ttie raDDlt. grea t perfection the linear arrangement of the stripes.

The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals

163

The CAPYBARA is the largest of all
rodents. This species is, in fact, a gigantic
water-guinea-pig. It is found in all the
great rivers of South America, from the
Orinoco to the La Plata. It swims as well
as a water-rat, though it is as large as a
small pig. Tt feeds on reeds, water-plants,
and grass. A capital photograph of this
animal appears on page 146.

PIKAS, HARES, AND RABBITS.

^^^ataa^jm. The last two families of the Rodents

I l^nF -*'" ' '

|w-_. #a!P have a small pair of rudimentary incisor

' .Mt . . ' k i ^,*- "" teeth behind the large ones in the upper

jaw. The PIKAS, or CALLING-HARES, resemble
the marmot tribe in general appearance.
Their heads are short, their ears rounded,
and, being tailless, they still less resemble
the common hare ; but their dentition
marks them as allied. One species, about
9 inches long, is found in Siberia ; and
another, only 7 inches long, in the Rocky
Mountains. The former has a habit of
cutting grass and storing it in small stacks
outside its hole for winter use ; the Rocky
Mountain species carries its hay into its
burrows.

The HARES are a widely distributed

group. They are found from the north of Scotland (where the grey mountain species

turns white in winter) to the south of India, in South Africa, and across the continent

of Asia to Japan. The MOUNTAIN-HARE takes the place of the brown species in Scandinavia,

Northern Russia, and Ireland ; it is rather smaller, and has shorter ears and hind legs.
As early as 54 B.C., Caesar, in

his account of Britain, writes that

the COMMON HARE was kept by the

ancient Britons as a pet, but not

eaten by them. It was protected by

the Normans in the second list, or

schedule, of animals reserved for

sport. The first list included the

Beasts of the Forest, the second

the Beasts of the Chase, of which

the hare was one of the first. The

word " chase " has here a technical

meaning, by which was understood

an open park, or preserved area,

midway in dignity between a forest

and an enclosed park. " Hare parks "

were also made, perhaps the most

recent being that made at Bushey

for the amusement of the sovereign

when at Hampton Court Palace. The

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co ] [Parson's Green.

PATAGONIAN CAVY.

This large species of cavy has been acclimatised successfully both in
England and in France.

By permission of Professor

, ,.-, ,

WOOD-HARE.

[New York.

This is one of the forms intermediate between the hares and rabbits.

164

The Living Animals of the World

name is often found surviving elsewhere. At Hokham, the Earl of Leicester's seat in Norfolk,
a walled park of 1,500 acres holds almost all the hares on the estate. If these parks and
forest laws had not existed at an early date, it is probable that the hare would have become
very scarce in this country.

Hares produce their leverets about the middle of April, though in mild seasons they are
born much earlier. The number of the litter is from two to five. They are placed in a
small hollow scraped out by the doe hare, but not in a burrow of any kind.

The instinct of concealment by remaining still is very highly developed in the hares and
rabbits. They will often " squat " on the ground until picked up rather than take to flight.
This seems almost a perverted instinct ; yet hares often exhibit considerable courage and resource
when escaping from their enemies. The following is an instance : A hare was coursed by two

Photo by C. Reid}

[ Wishate, N.B.
WILD RABBITS.

The wild, rabbit has now spread to the north of Scotland, where this picture was taken. It is also common in the Hebrides.

young greyhounds on some marshes intersected by wide ditches of water. It first ran to the
side of one of these ditches, and doubled at right angles on the brink. This caused the outer
dog to lose its balance and to fall heavily into the deep and cold water. The hare then
made straight for the line of walkers, and passed through them, with the other greyhound
close behind it. The dog reached out and seized the hare by the fur of the back, throwing
it down. The hare escaped, leaving a large patch of fur in the dog's jaws, doubled twice, and
was again seized by the second dog, which had come up. It escaped from the jaws of the
second pursuer, leapt two ditches 12 feet wide, and then sat for a moment behind a gate on
a small bridge. This use of the only cover near caused the dogs to lose sight of it ; they
refused to jump the second drain, and the hare escaped.

The BABBIT is too well known to need description either of its habits or appearance. It
originally came from the countries south of the Mediterranean, but is now common in Northern
Europe, and has become a pest in Australia and New Zealand. The rabbit breeds when, six
months old, and has several litters in each year.

CHAPTER X.

THE BATS AND INSECT-EATING MAMMALS.

BY AV. P. PYCKAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.

rTlHESE two groups are really closely allied ; but the bats are generally considered apart, on

1 account of their totally different mode of life. Originally, like their more commonplace

relatives, they were dwellers upon the earth, or, more correctly, among the trees. By

gradual modification of the fore limbs, and a corresponding development of folds of skin

attached thereto, and to the body, they have acquired the power of flight. The cobego, to be

mentioned presently, gives us a hint of how this may have come about.

The bats are the only members of the Mammalia which possess the power of true flight.
The so-called flying-squirrels do not rightly deserve this title, for they have no wings. The
wings of the bat have been formed by modification of the fore limbs, the finger-bones having
become excessively lengthened, so as to serve as a support to a thin web of skin extending
outwards from the body, much as the ribs of an umbrella support the covering. The hand
of the bat is therefore a quite unique organ.

Photo by W. Samite-Kent, F.Z.S.]

[Croydon.

AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BAT, OR " FLYING-FOX."
This photograph shows the " flying-fox" in its customary resting position. A photograph of it flying is shown on page v of Introduction.

1G3

i66

The Living Animals of the World

The wing-membrane serves yet
another purpose, for its sense of touch
is exceedingly delicate, enabling even
blind bats (for bats are not blind
usually, as is popularly supposed) to
avoid objects placed in their path.
Some bats, however, appear to depend
also in some slight degree upon hear-
ing. The sense of touch is still further
increased by the development of frills
or leaf-like expansions of skin round
the nose and mouth, and by the ex-
cessive development of the external
ears. Delicate hairs fringing these
membranes probably act like the
" whiskers " of the cat.

Insect-eating bats inhabiting
regions with a temperate climate
must in winter, when food-supplies
cease, either hibernate or migrate to
warmer regions. The majority
hibernate ; but two species at least
of Canadian bats perform extensive
migrations, it is supposed to escape
the intense cold.

The power of flight has made
the bats independent of the barriers
which restrict the movements of
terrestrial animals, and accordingly
we find them all over the world, even
as far north as the Arctic Circle.
But certain groups of bats have an
extremely restricted range. Thus thfe
Fruit-bats occur only in the warmer
regions of the Old World, the
Vampires in America, whilst some of the more common insect-eating forms are found
everywhere. Those forms with a restricted distribution are, it should be noticed, all highly
specialised that is to say, they have all become in some way adapted to peculiar local
conditions, and cannot subsist apart therefrom. It is the more lowly less specialised forms
which have the widest geographical range. There are some spots, however, on the world's
surface from which no bat has yet been recorded such are Iceland, St. Helena, Kerguelen, and
the Galapagos Islands.

THE FRUIT- BATS.

These represent the giants of
the bat world, the largest of them, the
KALONG, or MALAY FOX-BAT, measuring
no less than 5 feet from tip to tip
of the wing. The best known of the
fruit-bats is the INDIAN FOX-BAT. Sir rhoto ^ A - s - Rudiand * SOHS -

T -,-, m , -,, ,, f ., TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT.

J. E. Tennent tells us that a favourite

The tubular nostrils distinguish tbis and a species of insect-eating oat from all other

resort of theirs near Kandy, in living mammals.

Photo by Henry King]

[Sydney.

AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BATS.

In their roosting-places these bats hang all over the trees in enormous numbers,
looking like great black frnits. Although shot in thousands, on account of the
damage they do to fruit orchards, their numbers do not appear to be reduced.

The Bats and Insect-eating Mammals

Photo ly Fratdli Alinari] [Florence.

PIPISTRELLE BAT.
This is one of the commonest of the British bats. It is the first to appear in the spring, and the last to retire at the fall of the year.

Ceylon, was some indiarubber-trees, " where they used to assemble in such prodigious numbers
that large boughs would not infrequently give way beneath the accumulated weight of the
flock." An observer in Calcutta relates that they occasionally travel in vast hordes, so great
as to darken the sky. Whether they are performing some preconcerted migration or bent
only on a foray to some distant feeding- ground is a matter for speculation. These hordes are
quite distinct from the " long strings " which may be seen every evening in Calcutta on their
way to neighbouring fruit-trees.

One of the most remarkable of this group is the TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT, in which the
nostrils are prolonged into a pair of relatively long tubes. Strangely enough, a group of
insect-eating bats has developed similar though smaller tubes. Except in these bats, such
tubes are unknown among mammals. Their function is not known.

INSECT- EATING BATS.

The vast majority of the bats comprising this group feed exclusively on insects.
however, have acquired the habit of
fruit-eating, like the true fruit-bats ;
and a few have developed quite ogre-
like habits, for they drink blood
indeed, they subsist upon nothing else.
This they obtain from animals larger
than themselves.

Many of the bats of this group
have developed curious leaf-like expan-
sions of skin around the nose and mouth,
which are supposed to be endowed
with a very delicate sense of touch.
In some, as in the FLOWEK-NOSED BAT,
the nose-leaf is excessively developed,
forming a large rosette. The upper
border of this rosette is furnished with
three stalked balls, the function of
which it is surmised is probably orna-
mental from the bat's point of view.
To our more aesthetic taste the whole

Some,

T"-TS3

Photo by A. s. Rudiand & sons.

LEAF-NOSED BAT.

The leaf-nosed are the most highly organised of all the bats. The remarkable
leaf -like folds of skin around the nose or chin, as the case may be, serve as delicate
Limited as is OUr Space, We organs of perception. There are numerous species of leaf-nosed bats.

,' V,irlormo

i68

The Living Animals of the World

cannot pass over the SUCKER-FOOTED BATS. These are met with, strangely enough, in countries
so far apart as Brazil and Madagascar. The suckers from which they derive their name, in
the Brazilian species, are small circular, hollow disks, attached to the thumb and the sole of
the foot, recalling the suckers of the cuttle-fish and brown water-beetle. By their means he
animal is enabled to climb over smooth vertical surfaces.

A white bat is a rarity in the bat world. We cannot therefore afford to pass without
mention the fact that Central and South America possess two species of WHITE BATS. This
colour is probably developed for protection's sake, the bats being found nestling between the
silvery leaves of a cocoanut-
palm. Brilliant coloration, on
the other hand, is by no
means so rare. WELWITSCH'S
BAT, for instance a West
African species is remarkable
for its gorgeous coloration, the
colours being orange and black.
An Indian species, known as
the PAINTED BAT, is said to be
so brilliantly coloured as to
resemble a gorgeous butterfly
rather than a bat.

Ugliness is more common
than beauty amongst the bats,
and perhaps the ugliest of all
the tribe is the NAKED BAT
of the Malayan region. It is
absolutely repulsive. The skin
is naked, save for a collar of
hair round the neck; whilst
on the throat it gives rise
to an enormous throat-pouch,
which discharges an oily fluid
of a peculiarly nauseating
smell. On either side of the
body is a deep pouch, in
which the young are carried
a very necessary provision, for
they would be quite unable
to cling to the body of the
parent, as do the young of Photo *>y w - Savute-Kent, F.Z.S.]

COBEGO.

Back view of the cobego, with the limbs extended, showing the great size of the flying-membranes,

or parachute.

\Croydon.

fur-bearing bats, on account
of the naked skin.

Of the great group of the
VAMPIRE-BATS we can only make mention of the blood-sucking species. These are natives of
South America. It is to Dr. Darwin that we owe our first absolutely reliable information
about these little animals. Before the account in his Journal, it was uncertain to which of
the vampires belonged the unenviable distinction of being the blood-sucker. During the stay
of the great naturalist in Chili one was actually caught by one of his servants, as evening was
drawing on, biting the withers of a horse. In the morning the spot where the bite had been
inflicted was plainly visible, from its swollen condition. These two species, it has been stated,
"are the only bats which subsist entirely on a diet of blood, yet it is possible that . . . some
of the JAVELIN-BATS or their allies may on occasion vary their ordinary food with it."

The Bats and Insect^eating Mammals

169

THE IXSECTIVORA, OR FLIGHTLESS INSECT-EATERS.

Some members of this group have departed from the traditional insect diet. Thus the
cobego feeds upon leaves, a curious aquatic shrew the Potamogale of West Africa upon fish,
and the moles upon worms.

The group has a very wide geographical distribution, but there are nevertheless large
portions of the globe in which they are conspicuous by their absence. They are never found
in Australia or South America. Madagascar, Africa, and the West India Islands produce the

most remarkable forms.

THE COBEGO.

This is a peculiarly inter-
esting animal, which lives in
the forests of Sumatra, Borneo,
the Malay Peninsula, and the
Philippine Islands. It dwells
among the trees, moving from
one to another by taking
flying leaps through the air,
covering as much as seventy
yards at a jump. Prodigious
leaps like this would be quite
impossible but for the fact
that the animal, which is
almost as large as a cat, is
provided with a sort of para-
chute, formed by a broad web
of skin stretched between the
body on either side and the
fore and hind limbs, and
between the hind limbs and
the tail.

SHREWS, HEDGEHOGS,

AND TENRECS.
The variation in form
presented by the members
of this group is considerable.
The most noteworthy examples
of this variation are furnished
by the pretty little squirrel-
like TREE-SHREWS of India
and Borneo and neighbouring
lands, the mouse-like JUMPING-SHREWS of Africa, the HEDGEHOGS, the TENRECS, the elegant
little MOUSE-LIKE SHREWS of almost world-wide distribution, and the WATER-SHREWS. Of these,
hedgehogs and tenrecs have undergone the greatest transformation. By a curious modification
of their original hairy covering they have developed a formidable armour of sharp spines
When alarmed, the former roll themselves up into a ball by the contraction of powerful
muscles, and so present an almost impregnable armour to an enemy. Stoats and^ ioxes,
however, appear at least occasionally to succeed in overcoming this defence and
meal of the vanquished. .

Tenrecs are found in Madagascar. The COMMON TENREC is the largest of all insect-eaters,

fim

Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.]

[Croydon.

COBEGO.

Vertical (front) view of the cobego, with newly born and naked young attached. Note the
extension of the membrane between the toes of the fore feet of the adult.

iyo

The Living Animals of the World

and one of the most prolific, as many as
twenty-one having been produced at birth.
Of all living mammals it is the one most
nearly allied to the Marsupials.

THE MOLES.

The COMMON MOLE shows a most perfect
adaptation to its underground mode of life.
The general form of the animal is long,
cylindrical, and pointed in front, whilst the
legs are exceedingly short, the foot only
in the fore limb projecting from the body.
This foot is very broad and spade-like and
immensely powerful, its use being to force
a way often with incredible speed through
the soft, yielding soil, and not to support
the body, as in running or walking. The
hind feet are weak, but resemble those 'of
its allies the shrews, for instance. The eyes
have become reduced to mere vestiges, very
difficult to find. The fur has become so
altered in structure that it will lie equally
smooth whether brushed towards head or tail,
so that it should not be damaged when
the animal travels backwards in its burrow.
External ears have been dispensed with.

Worms form the staple diet of the mole,
but besides underground insects of all kinds
are greedily devoured. This animal is one of
the most voracious feeders, falling ravenously
upon its prey. It has been said with truth

that so great is the ferocity displayed by the mole that if it could be magnified to the size

of the lion it would be one of the most terrible of living creatures. That a constant supply of

food is necessary to satiate its enormous

appetite is shown by the fact that a mole

will succumb to an abstinence of from

ten to twelve hours. Moles fight among

themselves furiously; and if two are

confined together, the weaker will be

attacked and devoured. They take

readily to the water, and instances of

moles observed in the act of crossing

streams are numerous.

It is a curious fact, but the mole

is unknown in Ireland ; yet it ranges

from England in the west through Asia

to Japan.

Careful observation seems to have

shown that with the common mole

males are more numerous than females.

Whether this is true of other species

remains to be seen. The moles of North

I'hoto by W. SavUU-Kcnt, F.Z.S.] [<

COBEGO ASLEEP.

All four limbs are used in suspending itself when asleep, as in the
sloths. In this position the cobego closely resembles, and is mistaken by
its enemies for, the fruits of one of the native trees. It is a nocturnal
animal.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

THREE BABY HEDGEHOGS.

[North Finchley.

Young hedgehogs are bom blind and naked. The spines on their first
appearance are quite soft ; they soon harden, and at the same time the power to
roll the body up into a ball is acquired.

The Bats and Insect*eating Mammals

171

Photo oy A. IS. liudland tfc {suits.

COMMON MOLE.
Note that this mole is changing its coat.

)f'". UMiiuu-J^tiit, i-'.4.z>.\ [Croydon.

COMMON MOLE.
The skeleton is here revealed by the Rontgen rays.

America form a group distinct from those of the Old World, though closely allied thereto.
The WEB-FOOTED and the STAR-NOSED MOLES are the most interesting of the American forms.

Speaking of the prodigious speed with which these animals burrow their way through the
ground, Dr. Hart Merriam remarks that in a single night, after rain, they have been known
to make a gallery several yards in length, and that he had himself traced a fresh tunnel for
nearly a hundred yards. As he says, we can only appreciate the magnitude of this labour
by comparison, and " computation shows that, in order to perform equivalent work, a man would
have to excavate in a single night a tunnel thirty-seven miles long, and of sufficient size to
easily admit of the passage of his body."

The star-nosed mole is peculiar in that its nose is surrounded by a ring of finger-like
processes, forming a kind of rosette, which probably acts as a highly sensitive organ of touch ;
furthermore, it differs from other moles in the great length of its tail, which is nearly as long
as its body. Like the mole, this species makes its way through the ground with great speed.
Beneficial as moles undoubtedly are in destroying worms and obnoxious insects, yet they
are regarded as a pest both by the farmer and gardener. That there is some justification for
this dislike must be admitted; for the farmer suffers in that, in the search for food, crops are
damaged by cutting through the roots of plants the gardener not only for the same reason,
but also because the ridges and hillocks which they make in their course disfigure the paths
and beds of a well-kept garden.

The nearest allies of the moles are the curious aquatic DESMANS of Russia, and the SHREWS,

quite mole-like in
having adopted a
life.

ING SHREWS are not
great group which
mole-like shape, for
hog-like TENRECS is
animal known as
The mole-like shape
animal is another
tion to a similar
fore limb of the
provided with huge
used for digging
is not broadened
the common mole,
this unnecessary.

some of which are
form, owing to their
similar mode of
The BURROW-
the only forms in the
have assumed a
allied to the hedge-
a r em arkable
the GOLDEN MOLE.
of the body of this
instance of adapta-
mode of life. The
golden mole is
claws, which are
purposes; the hand
out spade-like, as in
the claws rendering

Photo by A. S. Rudland, <fc Sons.

GOLDEN MOLE.

This is found only in South Africa. The name is derived from the wonderful
metallic lustre of the fur : the brilliancy of the hues is intensified by immersion

in spirit.

CHAPTER XI.

THE ELEPHANT, TAPIR, HYRAX, AND RHINOCEROS.

THE ELEPHANT.

BY F. C. SELOUS.

T once the mightiest and most majestic of all terrestrial
mammals, the elephant appeals to the imagination more
forcibly than any other living animal, not only on
account of its great sagacity and the strangeness and singularity
of its outward appearance, but also because it is such an obvious
link 'between the world of to-day and the dim and distant past
of Pleiocene and Miocene times.

There are two existing species of elephant, the AFRICAN
and the ASIATIC, the latter, from the structure of its molar
teeth and the shape of its skull, appearing to be very nearly
related to the MAMMOTH, which lived upon the earth in
comparatively recent times geologically speaking and was
undoubtedly contemporary with man in Europe during the
Stone Age.

There are very considerable differences both in the external
appearance and also in the habits of the two existing forms
of elephant. In the African species the forehead is more
convex and the eye relatively larger than in its Asiatic cousin ;
and whilst the ears of the latter are only of moderate size,
those of the former are so large that they at once arrest the
attention, and are one of that animal's most remarkable external
characteristics. Both sexes of the African species, with few
exceptions, carry well-developed tusks, but in the Asiatic form
the tusks of the females are so small as scarcely to protrude
beyond the jaws. In Asia, too, tuskless bull elephants are
common, whilst males of the African species without tusks
are extremely rare. The latter species has but three nails on
the hind foot, the Asiatic elephant four. In the African
species the middle of the back is hollowed, the shoulder being the highest point, whilst
in the Asiatic elephant the back is arched, and the top of the shoulder lower than the highest
part of the back. The extremity of the proboscis is also different in the two species, the
African elephant being furnished with two nearly equal-sized prolongations, the one on the
front, the other on the hinder margin, with which small objects can be grasped as with
the finger and thumb of the human hand, whilst in the Asiatic species the finger-like
process on the upper margin of the end of the trunk is considerably longer than that on
the under-side. In external appearance the skin of the African elephant is darker in colour
and rougher in texture than that of the Asiatic form. The molar teeth of the former animal
are, too, of much coarser construction, with fewer and larger plates and thicker enamel

172

Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.

A FINE TUSKEB.

The male Indian elephant has smaller
tusks than the African species.

Photo by Fratelli Alinu,ri]

[Florence.

A YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT.
This animal has heen trained to " salute " by raising its trunk and foot. It has lost the end of its tail.

173

174

The Living Animals of the World

than in the latter, which would naturally lead one to suppose that the African elephant is
accustomed to eat coarser, harder food than the Asiatic species. This supposition is borne out
by fact ; for whilst the Asiatic elephant feeds mainly upon grass, the leaves and fruit of the
wild plantain, and the young shoots of the bamboo, together with the leaves, twigs, and bark
of certain trees, the African species never eats grass, and, although very fond of certain kinds
of soft and succulent food, such as wild fruits and the inner bark of certain trees, is constantly
engaged in chewing up the roots and branches of trees as thick as a man's wrist for the sake
of the sap and bark, the woody portions being rejected after having been reduced to pulp. The
Asiatic elephant appears to be far less tolerant of exposure to the heat of the sun than the
African ; and whilst the latter may often be found standing at rest or sleeping throughout
the hottest hours of the day in long grass or scrubby bush of a height not sufficient to
afford any protection from the sun to the whole of the upper portion of the head and body,
the former, when in a wild state, is said to always seek the shade of the densest forests it can
find during hot weather.

The Asiatic elephant often lies down when resting and sleeping. This is in marked
contrast to the African species, which, if it ever does lie down at all, except to roll in mud or
rub itself against an ant-heap, can only do so very rarely, since in all my experience, though I
have seen some thousands of African elephants standing sleeping during the heat of the day,
I have never yet seen one of these animals lying down, nor found the impress in the ground
where one had been so lying.

When excited and charging, both species of elephant raise their heads and cock their ears,
which in the African animal stand out at such a time like two sails, and, being each upwards of
3| feet in breadth, cover, together with the animal's head, an expanse of fully 10 feet. The
Asiatic elephant is said to remain mute whilst charging, and to hold its trunk tightly curled
up between its tusks. The African elephant, on the other hand, usually accompanies a charge
with a constant succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams. Sometimes, though rarely,
however, animals of this species remain mute whilst charging, but they never, I believe, coil
their trunks up under their throats. Often an African elephant will swing round for a charge
with a loud scream and. trunk held high in the air; but in my experience, when settling
down to a chase, it drops its trunk and holds it pointing straight down in front of its chest.

In the southern portions of the

African Continent the average standing
height at the shoulder of full-grown bull
elephants ranges from 10 feet to 10 feet
6 inches, though individuals have doubtless
been met with in those districts which
have much exceeded these dimensions. In
North Central Africa the average standing
height appears to be some inches higher,
approaching 1 1 feet, and in those districts
it is quite possible that individuals exist
which exceed 12 feet in height. African
cow elephants stand from 8 feet to 8 feet
6 inches at the shoulder. The Asiatic
species is considerably smaller than the
African, the average height of full-grown
males not exceeding 9 feet, though certain
individuals now and then attain to a much
greater size, as is indicated by the fact
that there is a mounted skeleton of an
Indian elephant in the Museum at Cal-
cutta which stands 1 1 feet 3 inches at the

Esq.

THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAl'S CAUKIAGE.
This victoria was drawn l>y a young Indian elephant.

The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and Rhinoceros 175

Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.

TIMBER-ELEPHANTS.
This photograph was taken at Lakou, in Upper Siam. Notice the large teak log in the foreground.

shoulder. In the size of its tusks the African elephant far surpasses the Asiatic species. In
India a pair of tusks measuring 5 feet in length and weighing 70 Ibs. the pair would, I think,
be considered large, though an elephant was killed by Sir Victor Brooke in the Garo Hills with
a single tusk measuring 8 feet in length, 17 inches in circumference, and weighing 90 Ibs.,
and a few tusks even exceeding these dimensions have been recorded. In Southern Africa
the tusks of full-grown bull elephants usually weigh from 80 to 120 Ibs. the pair, and
measure about 6 feet in length, with a circumference of from 16 to 18 inches; but these
weights and measurements have often been much exceeded, and in my own experience I have
known of two pairs of elephants' tusks having been obtained south of the Zambesi, each of
which weighed slightly over 300 Ibs., each tusk measuring upwards of 9 feet in length, whilst
a single tusk brought from the neighbourhood of Lake N garni in 1873 weighed 174 Ibs.
The average weight of cow-elephant tusks in Southern Africa is from 20 to 30 Ibs. the pair,
but I have seen the tusk of a cow elephant killed in Matabililand which weighed 39 Ibs.
and measured over 6 feet in length, whilst its fellow almost equalled it in size and weight.
In North Central Africa, according to Sir Samuel Baker, the tusks of full-grown elephants
average about 140 Ibs. the pair, and tusks weighing upwards of 100 Ibs. each are not at all
uncommon, whilst many of a much greater size have been obtained.

Until quite recently a tusk in the possession of Sir E. Gr. Loder, which weighs 184 Ibs.
and measures 9 feet 5 inches in length, with a circumference of 22 inches, was supposed
to be the largest in existence; but in 1899 two tusks were obtained near Kilimanjaro, in
East Central Africa, both of which much exceed this weight. These enormous tusks were at
first stated to be a pair taken from a single elephant ; but though nearly equal in weight
they are said to be differently shaped, and as their history is not yet fully known it is
possible, though not probable, that they originally belonged to two different elephants. The
larger of these two tusks has recently been purchased for the collection of the British

The Living Animals of the World

FEMALE INDIAN ELEPHANT DRAGGING TEAK.
The teak logs are floated down the Burmese rivers and dragged out by elephants.

Museum (Natural History), where it may now be seen. It weighs 228 Ibs., measures 10 feet
2 inches on the outside curve, and 24 in girth at the thickest part. The tusks of cow
elephants are also considerably larger and heavier on the average in East Central and North
Central Africa than in the southern portions of the continent.

At the present time the Asiatic elephant is found in a wild state in most of the forest-
covered tracts of India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, Siarn, Cochin-China, Sumatra, and Borneo ;
whilst the African species, although it has been hunted out of large tracts of country in South
and South-western Africa, still inhabits the greater part of the continent south of the Sahara,
and in many districts of Central Africa appears to be extraordinarily abundant. In the Cape
Colony two herds still exist under the protection of the Government.

As might be expected from the greater length of its legs, and consequent longer stride,
the African elephant is admitted by those who have had experience of both species to be a
more active animal than its Asiatic cousin. Speaking of the walking and running powers of
the Indian elephant, that great authority Mr. Sanderson says that " the only pace of the
elephant is the walk, capable of being increased to a fast shuffle of about fifteen miles an hour
for very short distances. It can neither trot, canter, nor gallop. It does not move with the
legs on the same side, but nearly so. A very good runner might keep out of an elephant's
way on a smooth piece of turf, but on the ground in which they are generally met with any
attempt to escape by flight, unless supplemented by concealment, would be unavailing." This
description exactly coincides with my own experience of the African elephant, except that I
think that animals of the latter species, especially cows and young bulls, are capable of getting
up a pace of at least twenty miles an hour, and keeping it up for from 100 to 200 yards,
when charging.

The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and Rhinoceros 177

In disposition both African and Asiatic elephants are as a rule timid animals, and, excepting
in the case of males of the latter species when suffering from seiual excitement, are always
inclined to shun danger. I have never heard of male elephants of the African species
becoming savage and aggressive at any season of the year; indeed, old bulls always appeared to
me to be less inclined to charge than cows or young bulls. The eyesight of the elephant of
the African species at least is bad, and his hearing not particularly acute ; but 1 his olfactory
nerves are probably more highly developed than in any other animal, and, aided by thin
exquisite sense of smell, he will avoid a human being if possible. But if elephants are
attacked and wounded, they become savage and dangerous animals; and the charge of an
African elephant, coming on with the great ears outspread, to the accompaniment of a quick
succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams, besides being very sudden and rapid, is very
disconcerting to the nerves of a man unaccustomed to such experiences. I remember the case
of a young Englishman who was killed in Matabililand many years ago by the first elephant
he had ever seen. This animal an old bull had retired, after having been wounded, into a
small but dense patch of thorn-bush, into which its pursuer thought it unadvisable to follow
on horseback. He therefore left his horse, and advanced on foot towards the cluster of trees
amongst which the elephant was concealed. The latter, having either seen or smelt the
approaching enemy, at once charged out, screaming loudly ; and the young hunter, instead of
standing his ground and firing at the advancing monster, lost his presence of mind, and, turning,
ran for his horse; but before he reached it he was overtaken and killed. It seemed to the
friend who found his body (he was close at hand shooting another elephant at the time, and
pieced the story together from the tracks of man, horse, and elephant) that the victim had first
been struck in the back of the head by one of his pursuer's tusks at any rate his skull had
been smashed to pieces and emptied of its brains. Then the elephant had rushed upon him
where he fell, and, after first having driven a tusk right through his chest and deep into the

Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.

INDIAN ELEPHANTS BATHING.
These animals love a bath, and will walk on the bottom of a deep river with only their trunks raised above the water.

1 7 8

The Living Animals of the World

ground, had stamped him into a bloody pulp with his huge feet. A waggon was brought
the same night, and the mangled body carried to the hunter's camp on the banks of the
Kamokwebani, where it was buried.

The strength of the elephant is proverbial; and in India and Burma, where this animal
has for ages past been trained in the service of man, this power is habitually made use of
in moving and stacking large baulks of timber, or in dragging heavy guns through muddy
ground or up steep ascents. In Africa the traveller is often astonished at the size of trees-
which have been uprooted and overturned by elephants. These trees, however, have no tap-
root, and have not therefore a very firm hold in the ground, especially during the rainy
season, when the ground is soft. At this time of year large trees are butted down by
elephants, which push against their stems with the thick part of their trunks, and get them
on the swing, until the roots become loosened and the trees are at last overturned. Small
trees of 2 or 3 inches in diameter, as well as branches, they break off with their trunks. In
1878 a tuskless bull elephant I met the same animal again in 1885, and he is the only
African bull elephant without tusks I have ever seen killed a native hunter in Mashonaland.
This man, a big powerful Zulu and a great friend of my own, was torn into three pieces.
I imagine that, after having caught him, the elephant held the unfortunate man down with
his foot or knee, and then, twisting his trunk round his body, tore him asunder surely a
terrible exhibition of strength.

The elephant is a very slow-growing and long-lived animal, not arriving at maturity until
upwards of thirty years of age; and since cases are on record of elephants having lived for
upwards of 130 years in captivity in India, it is probable that in a wild state these animals r
both in Asia and Africa, often attain to an age of 150 years. The female elephant produces,.
as a rule, but one calf at birth, the period of gestation lasting from eighteen to nearly
twenty-two months. The mammse of the cow elephant are placed between the fore legs, and
the, new-born calf sucks with its mouth, holding its trunk turned back over its head. I have
seen elephant calves so engaged.

Although there is no reason to doubt that the African elephant is as intelligent as the-
Asiatic species, its domestication has never been attempted by the Negro or Bantu races of
Africa. It is believed, however, that the
African elephant was in ancient times
domesticated by the Carthaginians, and used
by them in their wars with the Eomans.
The opinion, too, is generally held that the
elephants with which Hannibal crossed the
Alps were of the African species, as well as
those which, after the conquest of Carthage,
were used in the Eoman amphitheatres and
military pageants. On the other hand, it is
well to remember that the late Mr. W. Cotton
Oswell, who had had great experience both
with African and Asiatic elephants, wrote as
follows on this subject: "I believe some
people suppose the Carthaginians tamed and
used the African elephant ; they could hardly
have had mahouts Indian fashion, for there is
no marked depression in the nape of the neck
for a seat, and the hemming of the ears when
erected would have half smothered them. My
knowledge does not allow me to raise any
argument on this point ; but might not the
same market have been open to the dwellers

[Highbury.

Photo by J. W. McLdlan}

AFRICAN ELEPHANT.

The difference in profile between this and the Indian species is noticeable
The forehead is receding and the ears much larger in the African species.

The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and Rhinoceros 179

-at Carthage as was afterwards
to Mithridates, who, I suppose,
drew his supply from India ?
I know in the representations
of elephants on the medals
of Faustina and of Septimus
Severus the ears are African,
though the bodies and heads
are Indian ; but these were
struck nearly 400 years after
Carthaginian times, when the
whole known world had been
ransacked by the Romans for
beasts for their public shows;
and I still think it possible
that the Carthaginians the
great traders and colonisers
of old may have obtained
elephants through some of
their colonies from India."

An interesting example
of the intelligence of these
animals can be seen any
day at the London Zoological
Gardens. A large African ele-
phant restores to his would-be
entertainers all the biscuits,
whole or broken, which strike
the bars and fall alike out
of his reach and theirs in
the space between the barrier
and his cage. He points his
trunk at the biscuits, and

blows them hard along the floor to the feet of the persons who have thrown them. He clearly knows
what he is doing, because, if the biscuits do not travel far enough, he gives them a harder blow.

TAPIRS AND HYRAX.

BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.

TAPIRS are -odd-looking creatures, and, strange as it may seem, are nevertheless related
on the one hand to the rhinoceroses, and on the other to the horses. They are furthermore
extremely interesting animals, because they have undergone less modification of form than any
other members of the group to which they belong. This we know because fossil tapirs,
belonging to a very remote period of the world's history, are practically indistinguishable from
those now living.

The general form of the body may perhaps be described as pig-like ; the head, too,
suggests that animal. But the pig's snout is here produced into a short proboscis, or trunk.
'The feet are quite unlike those of the pig, and resemble those of the rhinoceros. The fore
feet have each four and the hind feet three toes ; these are all encased in large horse-like
'hoofs. The tail is reduced to a mere stump.

Tapirs are shy and inoffensive animals, living in the seclusion of dense forests in the
neighbourhood of water, in which element they are quite at home ; indeed, it is said that
they will frequently dive and walk along the bed of the river. They are also fond of

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT DRINKING.
Note the great size of the tusks and base of the trunk.

[Nmlh Finchley.

i8o

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by York & Son] {Notting Hill.

MALAYAN TAPIR.

The largest of all the tapirs. Is easily distinguished from the American tapirs by the patch of
white on the middle of its body.

wallowing in mud, partly, it
is believed, that they may
encase themselves with it as a
protection against the annoy-
ance of flies. They feed on
shoots of trees, bushes, leaves,
and fallen fruits, foraging
during the evening, and
possibly far into the night.

Tapirs are hunted by the
natives for the sake of their
thick hides, which are cut into
thongs for reins and bridles.
The flesh also is esteemed
by some. There are three
methods of capture. In South
America the lasso is used
with occasional success. But
when not foiled by under-
growth, the hunter often loses
his victim by reason of the
violence and force of its rush, which snaps the thong. The Gauchos intercept it with dogs on
its way to the water, when it will fight furiously, and many dogs may be killed before its
dispatch is accomplished. Others imitate its peculiar, shrill call, and shoot it on its approach
in answer thereto. Captives are easily tamed, and may be seen walking about the streets in
many South American towns. They wander into the forest by day, returning in the evening
to be fed, and are said to display great affection. On account of their great strength, it has
been suggested that such captives should be used as beasts of burden.

Except the MALAYAN TAPIR, which is black and white, tapirs are black or dark brown in
colour, and but scantily clothed with hair ; but the young, it is interesting to note, are
spotted and striped with white or fawn-colour on a dark ground, a coloration recalling that of
the wild pig.

There are five different species of tapir. Their geographical distribution is remarkable,
four species being South American, and one belonging to the Malayan region. But far back in
the world's history, as we know from fossils, tapirs roamed over the warm and temperate regions
of Europe, and their remains have been found in China and the United States. Thus the
intervening gaps existing to-day have been made by the extinction of these intermediate species.

By nature the tapir appears to be a harmless and inoffensive animal, flying even before the
smallest dog. Occasionally, however, it displays great courage and ferocity, and this appears to
be especially the case with females deprived of their young. - At such times they will charge
with great spirit, and knock down, trample on, and bite their victim after the fashion of
wild swine.

Man alone excepted, the most deadly foe of the AMERICAN TAPIR is the jaguar, as is the
tiger of the Malay species. The American tapir often gets rid of the jaguar by rushing at full
speed into the dense jungle, thus sweeping its assailant from its back, the jaguar's claws
finding but an insecure hold on its victim's thick hide. Tapirs are often found bearing scars
all over the back, witnessing the terrible nature of the wounds received at such times.

That the tapir is a comparatively unknown animal is partly accounted for by the fact that
it is but little sought after by the big-game hunter who finds more excitement in pursuit
of its larger relative the rhinoceros and partly, perhaps, owing to its inhabiting regions
comparatively little visited by Europeans. Nevertheless, the tapir is an animal of quite peculiar
interest, having undergone but little change during long ages, whilst its ally the horse has

The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and Rhinoceros 181

effected in the same time a complete transformation, not only in its general shape, but more
especially in its teeth and feet. The gradual steps by which this transformation has been
brought about we can trace through certain fossil forms, of which we can say little here.

Amongst these fossils occur remains of an animal bearing a very strong resemblance to
the living tapir, but which, strangely enough, is not really so closely related thereto as to the
horses. It does not, however, stand in the direct line of descent of these latter, but must be
regarded as representing a collateral branch thereof. The occurrence of this distinct tapir-like
animal is of great scientific interest.

The short, stout legs and spreading toes of the living tapirs, rhinoceroses, and ancestral
horse are admirably adapted for plodding deliberately over soft and yielding ground, such as
is afforded by reed-beds and banks of rivers, or the shady depths of forests. Speed in such
surroundings is not necessary, food in plenty being always at hand, and escape from enemies
being sought by concealment in thick herbage rather than flight. With a migration to drier
and higher plains, the spreading foot has undergone a change. The short legs and numerous
toes have given place to long ones, and of the several toes growth has taken place in one
only the third; whilst the others have slowly dwindled, till eventually only traces of the
second and fourth remain, as in the modern horse. Thus has a firmer support over hard,
unyielding ground been brought about, and great speed gained. The animals with this type
of foot (in which the third is the largest toe) are known as the Odd-toed Hoofed Animals. The
pigs, sheep, deer, and oxen
have gained an equally
efficient foot, yet retaining
four toes. Of these, the third
and fourth are equal in size,
and serve as a support to the
body, whilst the second and
fifth have now become func-
tionless, and do not reach the
ground. This type of foot
characterises that group of
the hoofed animals known as
the Even-toed.

THE HYRAX.

This is one of the most
remarkable of living mam-
mals, and one of the greatest
puzzles to zoologists, having no
near living relatives. Though
bearing some resemblance to
an earless rabbit, it really
belongs to the hoofed
animals, and amongst them
comes perhaps somewhat
nearer the rhinoceros than
to any other animal. It is
the CONEY of the Bible. It
inhabits the rocky districts
of Syria and parts of Africa.
It is a vegetable-feeder, and
very wary. About a dozen
species are known.

Photo by G. W. Wilson

Co., Ltd.}
COMMON AMERICAN TAPIR.

[Aberdeen.

This tapir inhabits tropical America. It is a nocturnal animal, frequenting the depths
of shady forests in the neighbourhood of water, to which it frequently resorts for the purpose of
bathing, or as a refuge from pursuit.

182

The Living Animals of the World

t.^- _,; - -, --*- / - ^

Photo by JT. P. Dando] [Regent's Park.

HAIRY-EARED SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS.

This species is found in Eastern Bengal and in the Malay Peninsula and
adjacent large islands.

THE RHINOCEROS.

BY F. C. SELOUS.

OF the five existing species of RHINO-
CEROS, three are found in Asia, whilst two
are inhabitants of Africa.

Of the three Asiatic species, two, the
INDIAN and the JAVAN, are one-horned, and
have a single pair of broad incisor teeth in
the upper jaw, and a pair of sharp-edged and
pointed tusks in the lower, the nasal bones
being long and narrow, and terminating in
a point. In both these species the skin is
hairless (except for tufts or fringes at the
extremity of the tail and on the edges of
the ears), and is arranged in shield-like
folds over the body. The arrangement of
these folds, however, differs somewhat in
the two species, and the large round
tubercles with which the skin of the great
Indian rhinoceros is profusely studded are
wanting in the Javan species.

The INDIAN EHINOCEROS inhabits the
Terai at the foot of the Himalaya from
Bhutan to Nepal, and is said to be very
abundant in Assam and the Bhutan Dooars.

It frequents swampy ground, and lives amongst jungles and dense growths of reeds and grass,
which attain a height sometimes of 20 feet, and cover vast areas of ground in the valley of
the Brahmaputra and other rivers.

Owing to the nature of the country in which it lives, the Indian rhinoceros cannot often
be hunted with much prospect of success, except with the aid of elephants, which sagacious
animals are not only employed to carry the hunters, but are also used to beat the great grass
jungles in which the rhinoceroses lie hidden, and drive them towards the guns.

Despite its great size and strength, the Indian rhinoceros seems to be regarded as, in
general, a timid and inoffensive animal, and even when wounded it seldom charges home.
Elephants, however, appear to be as a rule nervous when in the near proximity of rhinoceroses,
perhaps objecting to the smell of those animals. When the Indian rhinoceros does make good
its charge against either man or elephant, it cuts and rips its enemy with its teeth, and
makes little use of its horn as an offensive weapon.

The Indian rhinoceros is said to live principally, if not entirely, on grass and reeds. As
a rule it is a solitary animal, but sometimes several are found living in a comparatively small
extent of grass-covered plain.

Large males of this species will stand from 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet at the shoulder, and
they are enormously bulky. Both sexes carry well-developed horns, which, however, do not
usually attain a length of upwards of 12 inches. There is a specimen in the British Museum
measuring 19 inches, and it is believed that in very exceptional instances a length of 2 feet
has been attained.

The JAVAN RHINOCEROS, though it has been called the Lesser Indian Rhinoceros, is said
by a late authority Mr. C. E. M. Russell to stand about the same height at the shoulder as
the Indian species. It is found in the Sunderbunds of Eastern Bengal, and has been met with
in the Sikhim Terai and in Assam, ranging eastwards through Burma and the Malay Peninsula
to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

Photo ly J. W. McLMa.nl

GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS.

The largest land mammal of the East after the elephant.

183

[Jfig/tburi/.

184

The Living Animals of the World

But little appears to be known of the habits of this species of rhinoceros. Although it is
found in the swampy grass-covered plains of the Sunderbunds, its more usual habitat seems
to be hilly forest-covered country, and both in Burma and Java it ascends to a height of
several thousand feet above sea-level. It feeds principally upon leaves and the young shoots
of trees and bushes. In disposition it is timid and inoffensive. Only the male carries a horn,
which, being very short, is a very poor trophy for a sportsman.

The third Asiatic species of rhinoceros, known as the SUMATRAN, is the smallest of all
living rhinoceroses. This species carries two horns, and its skin, which is very rough, is usually
thinly covered with hair of a dark brown colour and of considerable length. The folds in the
skin of the Sumatran rhinoceros are not nearly so well developed as in its single-horned
relatives, and the one behind the shoulders is alone continued over the back. Although
furnished- with tusks in the lower jaw, the small pair of incisor teeth, which in the other
two Asiatic rhinoceroses are always present in front of these tusks, are wanting in the
Sumatran species.

The Sumatran rhinoceros is rare in Assam, but is found in Burma and the Malay
Peninsula, as well as in Siam, Sumatra, and Borneo. The two horns of this species are placed

at some distance apart. Although
they are as a rule very short, the
front horn occasionally grows to a
considerable length, sweeping back-
wards in a graceful curve.

In height adult males of the
Sumatran species stand on the average
from 4 feet to 4| feet at the shoulder,
and females sometimes not more than
3 feet 8 inches.

Like the Javan rhinoceros, the
Sumatran species is by preference
an inhabitant of hilly, forest>covered
country, and browses on the leaves
and shoots of trees and bushes. It
is a timid and inoffensive animal,
soon becoming tame in captivity. Its
flesh is said to be much appreciated
by the Dyaks of Borneo; and as its

horns are of value for export to China, where they are used for medicinal purposes, it has
of late years very much decreased in numbers in the province of Sarawak, but is more
plentiful in Central and North Borneo. Living as it does in dense jungle, it is an animal
which is seldom seen by European sportsmen, and its habits in a wild state have never been
yet very closely studied.

Turning to the two species of rhinoceros which inhabit the continent of Africa, both are
double-horned, and neither furnished with incisor teeth, the nasal bones being thick, rounded,
and truncated in front. Both, too, are smooth- skinned and entirely hairless, except on the edge
of the ears and extremity of the tail, which are fringed or tufted.

Of the two African species, the WHITE or SQUARE-MOUTHED KHINOCEROS is the larger and
the rarer. Until quite recently the range of this huge ungainly-looking animal, the biggest
of all terrestrial mammals after the elephant, was supposed to be entirely confined to the
southern portions of the African Continent; for although from time to time horns had found
their way to Zanzibar which seemed referable to the square-mouthed rhinoceros, the fact of
the existence of the white rhinoceros in any part of Africa north of the Zambesi remained
in doubt until a female was shot in the year 1900, in the neighbourhood of Lado, on the
Upper Nile, by Captain A. St. II. Gibbons, who brought its skin, skull, and horns to England.

Photo by York <!; Son]

GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS.
This species inhabits the grass jungles of North-eastern India.

[Notting Hill,

The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and Rhinoceros 185

PAoto 6y 6'. 5. Ilausbury, E#I.

BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES.

A splendid snapshot of two black African rhinoceroses taken on the open veldt. They were afterwards shot by the party.

The fact, however, that the white rhinoceros has never been encountered by any other traveller
in Central Africa seems to show that the animal is either very rare in those districts, or that
it has an exceedingly limited range.

In the early years of the nineteenth century the square-mouthed or white rhinoceros
was found in large numbers over the whole of South Africa from the Orange River to the
Zambesi, except in the waterless portions of the Kalahari Desert, or those parts of the country
which are covered with rugged stony hills or dense jungle.

Speaking of his journey in 1837 through the western part of what is now the Transvaal
Colony, Captain (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis Harris wrote : " On our way from the waggons to a hill
not half a mile distant, we counted no less than twenty-two of the white species of rhinoceros,
and were compelled in self-defence to slaughter four. On one occasion I was besieged in a bush
by three at once, and had no little difficulty in beating off the assailants." Even so lately as
thirty years ago the white rhinoceros was still to be met with in fair numbers in Ovampoland and
other districts of Western South Africa, whilst
it was quite plentiful in all the uninhabited
parts of Eastern South Africa from Zululand
to the Zambesi. In 1872 and 1873, whilst
elephant-hunting in the uninhabited parts of
Matabililand, I encountered white rhinoceroses
almost daily, and often saw several in one
day. At the present time, however, unless it
should prove to be numerous in some as yet
unexplored districts of North Central Africa,
this strange and interesting animal must be
counted one of the rarest of existing mammals,
and in Southern Africa I fear it must soon
become extinct. A few still exist amongst
the wild loquat groves of Northern Mashona-
land, and there are also a few surviving in
Zululand; but I fear that even with the

Photo by C. S. Hamburg, Esq.

ONE OF THE SAME RHINOCEROSES DEAD.
This picture gives some idea of the size of the commonest surviving species.

i86

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by J. W. McLtllan]

RHINOCEROS BATHING.
All the Asiatic species of rhinoceros are fond of bathing and wallowing in mud.

most rigid protection they are too
few in number to restock the country.
They have a better chance, I think,
of increasing in numbers in Zululand
than in Mashonaland, in which latter
country it is at present impossible
to afford them any protection either
from natives or Europeans.

A full-grown bull white rhinoceros
stands from 6 feet G inches to 6 feet
9 inches at the shoulder, and is very
massively built, with short, stout legs.
The head is very much elongated,
and the mouth square, like that of
an ox. When white rhinoceroses
were still plentiful, very considerable
differences were observable in the
length and shape of their horns. The
anterior horns of full-grown bulls might measure from 18 inches to 40 inches in length; those of
cows from 24 inches to 60 inches. The longest horn known that of a cow which was brought
from South Africa by the well-known hunter the late Koualeyn Gordon Gumming, measures
62| inches over the curve. As a rule, the front horn of the white rhinoceros curved slightly
backwards, but was often straight or bent slightly forwards, and sometimes curved strongly
backwards. The posterior horn varied from a few inches to 2 feet in length.

The white rhinoceros lived in families, usually a bull, cow, and calf being found together ;
but there might be two or even three calves of different ages, and of which the youngest
alone would be suckling, living with the father and mother. In the early South African spring
(September and October), when the young green herbage was just sprouting after the first rains,
two or three families of white rhinoceroses might be seen feeding in close proximity, presenting
the appearance of a herd ; but I fancy the several families of these animals had only been
brought together for the sake of the young green grass. In Southern Africa the white
rhinoceros lived entirely on grass, and I have never seen any evidence of their having eaten
anything else. When either walking, trotting, or galloping, the white rhinoceros always
carried its nose close to the ground. A calf always preceded its mother, and she appeared to
guide it by holding the point of her horn on the little creature's rump ; and in all changes of
pace, no matter how sudden, this position was always maintained. The white rhinoceros was
easily killed by a shot through the heart or through both lungs, but would travel very long
distances, and probably, as a rule, ultimately recover from wounds in other parts of the body.
They could travel at a great rate and for a considerable distance with a broken fore leg or
shoulder, but if a hind leg were broken they were rendered almost immediately helpless. In
disposition they were sluggish and inoffensive animals, lying asleep in the shade of trees or
bushes during the heat of the day, and coming to the water to drink at night or often before
sundown in parts of the country where they had not been much molested. When disturbed,
white rhinoceroses would go off at a swift trot, but if chased on horseback would break into a
gallop, which they were capable of maintaining for a considerable distance, and at a wonderful
pace for so large and heavy an animal. The meat of the white rhinoceros was most excellent, the
part in greatest favour amongst hunters being the hump on the back of the neck in front of
the shoulder, which was cut off whole and roasted in the skin in a hole dug in the ground.

The colour of the so-called white rhinoceros is dark grey. The second species of African
rhinoceros, which is also dark grey in colour, is known as the BLACK or PREHENSILE-LIPPED
EHINOCEROS.

Less than a hundred years ago the range of this fast-disappearing species extended from

The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and Rhinoceros 187

the north-western districts of the Cape Colony to Abyssinia, and at that time it must have
been plentiful over almost the whole of the intervening country. It never seems to have
penetrated into the equatorial forest regions of West Central Africa, where the climate is
probably too damp to suit its requirements ; for both species of African rhinoceros appear to
like a dry climate, and not to object to very arid surroundings. At the same time they never
wander many miles from a river or pool, and drink regularly every night, and in hot weather
probably very often a second time in the early morning.

In Southern Africa the black rhinoceros appears to attain to a larger size than in the
countries farther north To the south of the Zambesi large bulls of this species will stand
5 feet 8 inches at the shoulder ; whilst the height of an adult bull, as taken by Mr. F.
Jackson at Naivasha, in East Africa, was 5 feet 5 inches ; and Mr. A. H. Neumann gives the
standing height of another adult bull shot by himself still farther north, near Lake Kudolph,
as only 4 feet 9 inches.

It is now gener-
ally recognised that
there is but one species
of prehensile-lipped
rhinoceros in Africa,
though the horns, and
especially the hinder
one, differ in length
and shape to such an
extent that it was long
thought that there
were at least two
distinct species, those
with both horns of
equal or nearly equal
length having been
distinguished from the
more common form,
with a comparatively
short second horn, as
the KEITLOA, this
being the name in
the Sechuana dialect
for a prehensile-lipped

rhinoceros with horns of equal length. Speaking on this subject, Mr. A. H. Neumann, who
has had great experience with the black rhinoceros in East Africa, writes : " Length of horn
is a purely fortuitous individual trait ; and the extremely long horns (mostly of females) which
have occasionally been obtained from traders on the east coast, and brought home, are merely
exceptionally fine specimens, selected from among large numbers brought to the coast (the bulk
of which, I am told, go to China to be ground up into medicine), and do not belong to any
distinct species, nor come from any particular region. In proof of this contention I may
mention that I have a 40-inch horn, the owner of which I myself shot at the northern base
of the Jambeni Range (near Kenia), in a neighbourhood where I hunted a great deal and saw
great numbers of rhinos, and shot a good many. The vast majority have quite short horns
under a foot and anything over 18 inches is uncommon, while a length of 30 inches or
upwards is extremely rare." The black rhinoceros, I believe, never eats grass, but browses on
the young shoots of trees and bushes, which are often quite leafless and seem excessively
dry. In this way it chews up and swallows great quantities of dry-looking twigs, much of
which passes through its stomach undigested.

Photo by Korman B. Smith, Esq.

BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROS.
This photograph, taken by a sportsman in Africa, shows a charging rhinoceros just before it was shot.

188

The Living Animals of the World

There has been a good deal of
controversy as to the character and
disposition of the black rhinoceros, some
hunters and travellers regarding it as
most dangerous and aggressive, whilst
others are inclined to take an almost
opposite view. That some black
rhinoceroses are certainly aggressive and
therefore dangerous animals, the experi-
ences of C. J. Anderson and W. Cotton
Oswell in South Africa many years ago ?
and of many travellers and hunters in
East Africa during the last few years,
certainly prove beyond a doubt; and as
one never knows that any particular
rhinoceros, when encountered, may not
prove to be a vicious brute, a certain
amount of caution should be employed
in approaching one of these animals.
In my own experience 1 always found
that black rhinoceroses ran off at once
on getting the wind of a human being ;
whilst, on the other hand, if they only
heard one approaching, they would come
towards the noise, and I have often
known them to trot up to within
twenty yards of where I was standing,

snorting and puffing loudly ; but as these animals always turned round and went off eventually
without charging, I came to the conclusion that they were inquisitive and very short-sighted
rather than vicious. When fired into, a black rhinoceros goes off at a gallop his usual pace,
when alarmed, being a very fast trot puffing and snorting loudly. He can gallop at a very
great pace, considering his size and weight; but a South African shooting-pony can easily come
up with him, or get away from him if pursued. In death a black rhinoceros will often sink
down on its knees, and remain in that position, looking as if it were simply resting. When
dying, it often gives vent to a pitiful squeal, the sound seeming very small and thin for so large
a beast. The meat of the black rhinoceros is not ill-flavoured, and, if fat, very palatable ; but
as a rule these animals are very lean, and their flesh tough and coarse. The tongue, however,
if well cooked, is always good; and the liver, if first roasted under the ashes, and then, after
being beaten up in a native wooden mortar, cooked with rice and fat, makes a dish which
is good enough for a hungry man.

During the making of the Uganda Eailway the engineers came upon something like a
preserve of this species of rhinoceros, especially in the thick and waterless thorn jungle near
the coast. The rhinoceros was almost the only animal, except the lion, which was able to
penetrate the bush. As many as five of these animals were seen in one day when the line
was being made ; they did no injury to the coolies, other than by frightening them, and
appeared to be stupid and by no means vigilant animals, perhaps because no other creature
attacked them. The lion never meddles with a grown-up rhinoceros, though it might and
probably does kill a calf occasionally, when the latter is no larger than a full-grown pig.
The horns of some of these East African black rhinoceroses were of unusual length and thinness.

Photo by York Son] [Netting Hill.

ST7MATRAX RHINOCEROS.

This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the three Oriental forms. It has
two horns.

CHAPTER XII.

THE HORSE TRIBE.

ZEBRAS AND WILD ASSES.

BY P. C. SELOUS.

ZEBRAS.

r I ^HE ZEBRAS have many points in common with the asses, from which latter group
JL of animals they are principally distinguished by their beautifully striped skins. Both

asses and zebras carry short,
erect manes, and in both the upper
portion of the tail is free from long
hair. In both groups there are
naked callosities on the fore legs
only, whilst the head is larger in
proportion to the size of the animal,
and the ears longer than in the horse.
In BURCHELL'S and GREVY'S ZEBRAS
the hoof is intermediate between
that of the horse and the ass ; for
although narrower than the hoof of
the horse, it is broader and more
rounded than that of the ass. In
the TRUE ZEBRA, however, the hoof is
thoroughly asinine in character, and
the ears very long.

The TRUE or MOUNTAIN ZEBRA
appears never to have had a very
extended range. It was once an
inhabitant of all the mountainous
regions of the Cape Colony as well
as of the great Drakensberg Eange,
and fifty years ago was also found
amongst the rugged hills of Great
Namaqualand. The mountain-zebra
is the smallest of the group, standing
only from 12 to 12| hands at the
shoulder. It is a most beautiful
animal, the whole of the head, body, ?**-

and limbs, with the exception of the HHHHHiBfc-
under-parts and the insides of the fhoto by G ' w ' Wilaon Co " Ltd ^

fh' V, Vi f rl TV, rl MOUNTAIN-ZEBRA.

tmgnS, Deing Striped. ine ground- T b e trae or mountain zebra is now becoming scarcer than formerly. At one time it

Colour of the body is White, the Stripes was to be seen in great numbers on the mountains of Cape Colony.

189

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by W. P. Dando]

{Regent's Park.

GREVY S ZEBRA.

This species of zebra comes from the Galla country, and lias narrower and more numerous stripes
than the mountain-zebra.

being black and the muzzle
bright brown. Both hind and
fore legs are banded down to
the hoofs. The stripes on the
neck and body are narrower
and more numerous than in
Burchell's zebra, and on the
hindquarters the median
stripe, which runs down the
centre of the back from the
mane to the tail, is connected
with the uppermost of the
oblique longitudinal stripes by
a series of short horizontal
bars. The ears in this species
are much larger than in
Burchell's zebra.

The true zebra seems
never to have been an in-
habitant of the plains, like
all its congeners, but to have
confined its range entirely to

mountainous districts. Speaking on this point, Captain (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis Harris wrote
upwards of sixty years ago: "This beautiful and wary animal never of its own free will
descends into the plain, as erroneously asserted by all naturalists, and it therefore never herds
with either of its congeners, the quagga and Burchell's zebra, whose habitat is equally limited to
the open and level lowlands. Seeking the wildest and most sequestered spots, the haughty troops
are exceedingly difficult of approach, as well on account of their watchful habits and extreme
agility and fleetness of foot, as from the abrupt and inaccessible nature of their highland abode."

An allied species, of which examples have been obtained by Mr. G. W. Penrice, occurs in
Benguela, Portuguese West Africa.

I once saw the carcase of a zebra stallion which had been sent by rail to the Cape Town
Museum by a farmer living in the neighbourhood of the village of Worcester. This animal
had come down from the mountains, and joined a troop of donkeys running on the farm. Its
intrusion was, however, resented by a male donkey, which fought with and overpowered it, and,
having seized it with its teeth by the back of the neck, held it fast until it was secured by
the farmer and his men. The captured animal, however, refused food, and soon died, when its
carcase was sent to the Cape Museum for preservation.

GREVY'S ZEBRA is the largest and perhaps the handsomest of all the zebras. This fine
animal is an inhabitant of Eastern Africa, its range extending from the central portion of
Somaliland southwards to the Tana Eiver. It appears to be plentiful in the country between
Mount Kenia and Lake Rudolph, but has not, I believe, been met with to the west of that
lake. Full-grown specimens of Grevy's zebra will stand from 14 to 15 hands at the shoulder^
with a girth of body immediately behind the shoulders of nearly 5 feet. The arrangement of
the stripes in this species differs considerably both from that of the mountain-zebra of the Cape
Colony and also from Burchell's zebra. The body-stripes are very narrow, numerous, and deep
black in colour, and are separated by equally narrow white bands. The longitudinal stripes
on the haunches are also shorter and finer than in any other species of zebra, and on the top of
the quarters there is a white unstriped space on each side of the median line which runs down
the centre of the back from the neck to the tail. The belly and insides of the thighs are
white, and the legs banded right down to the hoofs as in the mountain-zebra, and the ears
are as large as in that species.

Photo by Percy Ashenden.

BURCHELL'S ZEBRA AT HOME.

This excellent photograph was taken in South Africa, and shows these animals in their native state

191

The Living Animals of the World

Grevy's zebra is, as a rule, an inhabitant of open or thinly wooded country, and it
appears to avoid anything in the nature of thick cover. In Central Somaliland Major Swayne
met with it on low plateaux some 2,500 feet above sea-level, the sides of which fell in broken
ravines to the river- valleys. This country is described as broken and hilly, and here Grevy's
zebras were met with in small droves of about half a dozen. In the country between Mount
Kenia and Lake Eudolph, Mr. A. H. Neumann frequently met with herds of Grevy's and
Burchell's zebras consorting together. The contrast between the two species when thus seen
side by side was very marked, the former animals looking like horses among a flock of ponies.
Mr. Neumann never observed stallions of the two species fighting together, but on the other
hand he states that the stallions of the larger species fight viciously amongst themselves
for possession of the mares. Grevy's zebras seem never to collect in large herds, more than
twenty, or at the outside thirty, being very seldom seen together.

Although this species is an inhabitant of arid plains and bare stony hills where the herbage

is short, it requires
to drink daily, and
is never therefore
found at any great
distance from water.
The cry of
Grevy's zebra is
stated to be quite
different from that
of Burchell's. Mr.
Neumann describes
it as a very hoarse
kind of grunt, varied
by something
approaching to a
whistle, the grunts
being long drawn
out, and divided by
the shrill whistling
sound, as if the latter
were made by draw-
ing in the breath
which had been ex-
pelled during the
sustained grunt.

Like all other

species of the genus to which they belong, Grevy's zebras, especially the mares when in foal,
become very fat at certain seasons of the year, and their flesh is much appreciated both by
natives and lions, the latter preying on them and their smaller congeners, Burchell's zebras,
in preference to any other animal, now that the rinderpest has almost exterminated the great
herds of buffalo which once roamed in countless numbers all over East Central Africa.

BURCHELL'S ZEBRA once inhabited the whole of South-western, South-eastern, Central, and
Eastern Africa from the Orange Eiver to Lake Eudolph ; and though it has long ceased to
exist in the more southerly portions of its range, it is still the most numerous and the best
known of all the species of zebra.

The typical form of this species was first met with early last century by Dr. Burchell in
Southern Bechuanaland. In this form the legs are white below the knees and hocks, and the
body-stripes do not join the median stripe of the belly. In examples met with farther north
the legs are striped down to the hoofs and the body-stripes join the belly-stripe. South of

Photo by J. T. Newman'] [Berkliamsted.

THE HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD'S TEAM OF ZEBRAS.

Mr. Rothschild was practically the first Englishman to break in zebras to harness. At one time these animals

were thought to be quite untamable.

s e

o c
CO **-'

The Horse Tribe

193

the Zambesi all forms of Burchell's zebra seem to have faint markings, known as shadow-
stripes, on the pale yellow ground-colour of the spaces between the broad black stripes.
North of the Zambesi varieties are met with in which these shadow-stripes are wanting. As,
however, the differences between all the various sub-species of BurchelL's zebra are superficial
and not structural, and as, moreover, the habits of these animals seem to be the same in every
part of their widely extended range, I shall henceforth speak of them as one species.

Burchell's zebra is without the small horizontal bars on the hindquarters, which in the
mountain-zebra connect the dorsal stripe with the uppermost of the broad longitudinal bands
running across the flanks. Its ears, too, are smaller than in the latter species, and its mane
fuller. In size Burchell's zebra is intermediate between the mountain-zebra and Grevy's
zebra, standing from thirteen to thirteen and a half ha.nds at the shoulder.

By permission of Mr. William Cross] [Liverpool.

BURCHELL'S ZEBRA, CHAPMAN'S VARIETY.

This zebra is one of several trained in Mr. Cross's well-known establishment at Liverpool. Mr. Cross has been very successful in breaking
in zebras, and is frequently to be seen driving a pair about Liverpool.

Where they have not been shot down, Burchell's zebras often live in large herds of from
fifty to over a hundred together. I have met with them almost at the level of the sea, as in
the Pungwe district of South-east Africa, and all over the high plateaux of the interior up to
a height of 5,000 feet above sea-level. They are partial to sparsely forested country intersected
by open glades, but also frequent open plains entirely devoid of trees or bush, having been
once numerous on the open downs of the "Western Transvaal and Orange Eiver Colony. They
never live in dense jungle, but I have met with them frequently amongst broken rugged hills.
Burchell's zebras are both fleet and enduring, but I have often galloped right amongst a herd
of them when mounted on a fast horse, and in good ground. In broken, hilly, and stony
ground, however, no horse can live with a Burchell's zebra. The hoofs of this species seem
made for running in rocky ground, being deeply hollowed and as hard as iron.

I have always found the presence of Burchell's zebras a sure indication that water was not

194

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by York d: Son] [3

MARE AND FOAL OF BURCHELL'S ZEBRA.
These animals breed regularly in captivity.

far distant, and it is my experience

that these animals require to drink

daily, and never wander more than

a few miles away from the pool or

river they frequent.

This species of zebra may often

be seen in Southern Africa in

company with other animals, such

as buffaloes, blue wildebeests, elands,

gemsbucks, roan and sassaby ante-
lopes, and ostriches, and I have upon

several occasions seen them come up

to domestic cattle and horses. They

are naturally not very wary, and in

parts of the country where they

have not been much molested are

often very inquisitive, and will come

trotting quite close up to a caravan,

provided they do not get the scent

of human beings. Foals of this

species are easily caught, and become at once very tame and confiding ; nor do I believe that

adult Burchell's zebras are such vicious animals as is generally supposed, since I have seen

several which were very quiet and well broken, whilst even the half-broken animals, which

were at one time used on one of the coach-lines in the Transvaal, did not appear very vicious.
As with Grevy's zebra, the flesh of the species under consideration is much appreciated

both by natives and Hons. I have often seen the fat on the quarters of the mares quite an

inch thick. It is of a dark yellow colour, and too rich to suit the stomach of a European.

The meat is rather sweet in taste, but if fried with bacon not at all unpalatable.

Professor Ewart has lately carried out a very
interesting series of experiments on the hybrid-
ising of zebras and horses. The results were very
satisfactory. The zebra cross proved to be very
hardy creatures, capable of wintering in the open
on the hills of Scotland. The scientific data
obtained were of singular value, as showing the
effect of crossbreeding on subsequent generations
of foals of the same mother. It has long been
believed that the influence of the first sire was seen
in foals of which other animals were subsequently
the fathers. Thus, if a white mare threw a foal
to a black stallion, it was considered that her
subsequent progeny would occasionally be black,
and instances were freely quoted to support this
theory. The scientific name of "telegony" was
given to this supposed influence of previous sires
on future offspring. Professor Ewart's experiments,
in which pony mares were first mated with a
zebra and afterwards with horses, show that this
theory of telegony is erroneous. The foals sired
afterwards by ponies and horses showed no trace
whatever of zebra stripes, but were normal pony
foals, and not altered either in shape or disposition.

Photo by Karma* B. 6'/;i<(

BURCHELL'S ZEBRA.

This species is occasionally domesticated and driven in South
Africa, as it is not injured by the tsetse fly.

The Horse Tribe

195

The QUAGGA, which became
extinct about thirty years ago,
never had a very extended range,
but in the early part of the
last century it existed in great
numbers on all the upland plains
of the Cape Colony to the west
of the Kei Eiver, and in the
open treeless country lying be-
tween the Orange and Vaal
Rivers. North of the Vaal it
appears to have been unknown.

The quagga seems to have
been nearly allied to Burchell's
zebra especially to the most
southerly form of that species
but was much darker in general
colour, being of a dark rufous
brown on the neck and upper-
parts of the body, becoming
lighter on the sides, and fading
off to white beneath and behind. Instead of being striped, too, over the whole body, it was
only strongly banded on the head and neck, the dark brown stripes becoming fainter on the
shoulders and dying away in spots and blotches. On the other hand, in size and build, in
the appearance of its mane, ears, and tail, and in general habits, it seems to have nearly
resembled its handsomer relative. The barking neigh " qua-ha-ha, qua-ha-ha " seems, too, to
have been the same in both species. The word " quagga " is pronounced in South Africa
" qua-ha," and is of Hottentot origin, being an imitation of the animal's neighing call. To-day
Burchell's zebras are invariably called Qua-has by both Boers and British colonists.

Photo by Percy Ashenden.

ZEBRAS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN.
Another South African photograph. Xoiice Cape Town in the far distance.

WILD ASSES.

[Notting Hill.

QUAGGA.

This is, we believe, the only known photograph from life of this very
rare animal. There will probably never be another, for the quagga is generally
supposed to be extinct.

The true asses are without stripes
on the head, neck, and body, with the
exception of a dark streak down the
back from the mane to the tail, which
is present in all members of the group,
and in some cases a dark band across
the shoulders and irregular markings
on the legs.

In Africa the wild ass is only
found in the desert regions of the
north-eastern portion of that continent,
being an inhabitant of Abyssinia,
Somaliland, Gallaland, the Soudan, and
the arid districts bordering the Red
Sea. The form of wild ass found in
Somaliland differs in some respects from
its near relative of the Nubian Desert,
in that it is of a paler colour, has the
dorsal stripe but faintly marked, and is
without a cross- stripe over the shoulders.

196

The Living Animals of the World

whilst on the other hand it has numerous markings both on the front and hind legs. Naturalists
are, however, agreed that, although there may be certain small differences in the colour and
markings of the wild asses found in different localities of Northern Africa, such variations are
of no specific value, and only one species is recognised.

The AFRICAN WILD Ass is a fine animal, standing between 13 and 14 hands at the shoulder.
It lives in small herds or families of four or five individuals, and is not found in mountainous
districts, but frequents low stony hills and arid desert-wastes. It is as a general rule an
alert animal and difficult to approach, and so fleet and enduring that, excepting in the case
of foals and mares heavy in young, it cannot be overtaken even by a well-mounted horseman.
Notwithstanding the scanty nature of the herbage in the districts they frequent, these desert-
bred asses are always in good condition. They travel long distances to water at night, but
appear to require to drink regularly. Their flesh is eaten by the natives of the Soudan. The
bray of the African wild ass is said to be indistinguishable from that of the domesticated
animal, which latter is undoubtedly descended from the wild African breed.

In Asia three varieties of the wild ass are found, which were formerly believed to
represent three distinct species ; but since the points of difference between these varying forms
do not appear to be of specific -value, all the local races of the Asiatic wild ass are now
considered to belong to one species.

These wild asses have a wide range, and are met with in the deserts of Asia from
Syria to Persia and Western India, and northwards throughout the more arid portions of
Central Asia.

In Tibet and Mongolia the wild ass inhabits the high mountain-plateaux, and lives at
elevations of 14,000 feet and upwards above the sea. This local race, known as the KIANG,
approaches in size to the African wild ass, standing 13 hands at the shoulder. It is dark
reddish brown in colour, with a very narrow dorsal stripe. The ONAGER of Western India
and Baluchistan is a smaller and lighter-coloured animal, with a broader stripe down the
back. In parts of its range it is found at sea-level. In Persia and Syria a third local race
of wild ass is found, which, however, differs from the two forms already enumerated in no
essential particular.

Like their African congeners, the wild asses of Asia are inhabitants of the waste places
of the earth, frequenting desert plains and wind-swept steppes. They are said to be so fleet
and enduring that, except in the case of a mare heavy with foal, they cannot be overtaken
by a single horseman.

The wild asses of the
desert plains of India and
Persia are said to be very wary
and difficult to approach, but
the kiang of Tibet is always
spoken of as a much more
confiding animal, its curiosity
being so great that it will
frequently approach to within
a short distance of any un-
familiar object, such as a
sportsman engaged in stalking
other game.

Asiatic wild asses usually
live in small families of four

or five, but sometimes congre-

gate in herds. Their food Photo i y j.w. MeLeUa ^

. . f . BALUCHI WILD ASS.

consists ot various grasses in , ., .... .,, Tt , a f _ liru1 .- n i\>tpm India

This is one of the three leading varieties of the Asiatic wild ass. It is found

the low-lying portions of their and Baluchistan.

The Horse Tribe

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford] [ Woburn Abbey.

MALE KIANG.

The kiang comes from the Tibetan highlands. It is the largest and most horse-like of the wild asses of Asia.

range, but of woody plants on the high mountain-plateaux, where little else is to be obtained.
Of wild asses in general the late Sir Samuel Baker once said : " Those who have seen donkeys
only in their civilised state can have no conception of the wild or original animal ; it is the
perfection of activity and courage."

DOMESTICATED HORSE, ASSES, AND MULES.

BY \V. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.

THE DOMESTICATED HORSE.

LIKE the wild camels, genuine wild horses are very generally believed to be extinct. The
vast herds which occur to-day in a wild state in Europe, America, and Australia are to be
regarded, say those who believe in the extinction theory, as descended from domesticated
animals which have run wild. So far as the American and" Australian horses are concerned,
this is no doubt true ; but of the European stocks it is by no means so certain. For
Dr. Nehring and he speaks with authority assures us that the wild horses known as
TARPANS, which occur on the steppes north of the Sea of Azoff, between the river Dnieper and
the Caspian, are veritable wild horses, the last remaining members of enormous herds which
occurred in Europe before the dawn of civilisation. These horses formed no small part of the
food of the savage races of men then inhabiting this continent. This we know because of the
quantities of their remains found in the caves of the south of France, for instance, associated
with the remains of the men who hunted them. Further evidence of this we have in the
shape of crude engravings on pieces of bone and deer horns, carved by the more artistic
spirits amongst these early hunters. From these drawings we gather that the horse they
hunted was small in size and heavy in build, with a large head and rough, shaggy mane and

The Living Animals of the World

tail a horse, in fact, almost identical with the above-mentioned tarpan. But long before
historic records begin these horses must have been domesticated ; man discovered that they
could be even more useful alive than dead, and from that time forth the horse became his
inseparable companion. "Caesar found the Ancient Britons and Germans using war-chariots
drawn by horses."

But the stock of domestic horses drawn from this tarpan breed appears to have died
out almost entirely, the majority of horses now existing being probably descendants of the
native wild horses of Asia, the product of a still earlier domestication. In Egypt the horse,
as a domestic animal, seems to have been preceded by the ass; but about 1900 B.C. it
begins to appear in the role of a war-horse, to draw chariots. Its use, indeed, until the
Middle Ages was almost universally as a war-horse.

From the time of its domestication till to-day the history of the horse has been one
of progress. The care and forethought of the breeder have produced many varieties, resulting
in such extremes as the London Dray-horse, the Eacer, and the Shetland Pony.

The coloration of our various breeds of horses is generally without any definite marking,
piebald and dappled being the nearest approach to a pattern. Occasionally, however, horses are

found with a dark
stripe along the back,
and sometimes with
dark stripes on tne
shoulders and legs.
Darwin, discovering a
number of horses so
marked belonging to
different breeds, came
to the conclusion that
probably all existing
races of horses were
descended from a
" single dun- coloured,
more or less striped
primitive stock, to
which [stock] our
horses occasionally

Note the colts examining the photographer's bag. They are very inquisitive creatures, but easily frightened. revert."

" If we were not

so habituated to the sight ' of the horse," says the late Sir William Flower, " as hardly ever
to consider its structure, we should greatly marvel at being told of a mammal so strangely
constructed that it had but a single toe on each extremity, on the end of the nail of
which it walked or galloped. Such a conformation is without parallel in the vertebrate series."
By the aid of fossils we can trace out all the stages through which this wonderful foot has
passed in arriving at its present state of perfection : we can see how it has become more
and more beautifully adapted to fulfil the requirement demanded a firm support to enable
its owner to cover hard ground at great speed. The study of the structure of this foot, and a
comparison with the intermediate forms, make it clear that this toe corresponds to the third
finger or toe of the human hand or foot according as we compare the fore or hind limbs
and that its development was at the expense of the remaining toes, which gradually dwindled
and disappeared, leaving in the living one-toed horse only traces of the second and fourth toes
in the shape of a pair of splint-bones, one on either side of the excessively developed third toe.
The horses, it must be remarked, may be distinguished from the asses by the fact that the
tail in the former is clothed with long hair throughout; in the latter long hair springs only
from the sides and end, forming a tuft. Furthermore, the horses have a remarkable horny

Photo by T. Fall}

IJJaker Street.

YEARLING AEAB COLTS.

Photo by T. Fait}

ARAB MAKE.

[Baker Street.

Xothing \rould induce this horse to stand still in order to be photographed ; so as a last resource Lady Anne Blunt put on her Arab costume. This

acted like magic, for under its spell the animal at once became quiet.

199

2OO

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly T. Fall]

[Baker Street.

ARAB MAKES AND FOALS.
A pretty group of some of Lady Anne Blunt's famous Aral

excrescence, resembling a huge black and flattened wart, on each hind leg just below the
" hock," or heel-joint. This excrescence is commonly known as the " chestnut." Its function
is unknown. A similar pair of " chestnuts " occurs on the inner side of the fore limb just
above the wrist, or " knee," as it is generally called. The " chestnuts " of the fore limb occur
also in the asses, but not those of the hind limb.

THE ARAB HORSE.

This magnificent and justly celebrated animal is chosen first for consideration because
it is probably a direct descendant of an original wild breed the Asiatic wild horse. How
far back the domestication of this breed began will probably never be exactly known. Till
the third century after Christ the Arabs were almost certainly camel-riders; but by the
sixth century of our era we find them in possession of a breed of horses which they regarded
with great reverence, and spoke of as an heritage from their forefathers. They were probably
introduced from the Caucasus or Asia Minor. The Arab horse found its way into Europe, perhaps
accompanied by an allied breed the Barb with the Arab invasion of Spain in the eighth and
ninth centuries, leaving traces of its sojourn in the Andalusian and the French Limousin. But
the great value of Arab blood was not appreciated till armour ceased to be used, the excessive
weight of this demanding a horse of heavy build.

The Arab does not appear to have been introduced into England till the seventeenth
century ; but the result of that introduction, as we shall see presently, has been fraught with
tremendous consequences. In its native land it appears to have been bred chiefly for the
purposes of warfare. The success with which the breeders' judicious selection has been
rewarded is plainly seen in the wonderful powers of endurance on long marches; so that, at
the end of a raid, the animal is still fresh enough either for flight, if necessary, or for a final
rush on a retreating enemy. Besides, Arabs possess great courage, and are frugal both in the
matter of food and drink.

The Horse Tribe

201

[ TTobwrn Abbey.

As a race-horse, one enthusiast
assures us, the Arab is superior to
every other natural breed; he is
beaten only by his own half-breed
offspring the English Eace-horse.
But this seems to be rather an over-
estimate.

The colour of the Arab varies ;
white is the most highly esteemed,
but bay and chestnut are common,
black being rare. Strange as it may
seem, the white breed is never born
white.

The great affection of the Arab
for his horse is proverbial. The
following story is certainly worth
repeating: "The whole stock of an
Arab of the desert consisted of a
mare. The French Consul offered to
purchase her, in order to send her
to his sovereign, Louis XIV. The
Arab would have rejected the pro-
posal ; but being miserably poor, with
scarcely a rag to cover him, his wife
and children starving, he was tempted
greatly. At length he yielded. He
brought the mare to the consul's

Photo l>ij the Duchess of Bedford]

PEBCHEEON HOESE.
A Continental breed. This horse is believed to be the only one of its kind in England. hoUS6, and Stood leaning On her neck

and looking, now at the gold, and now
at the horse. The gold was good to
look upon ; it would make him rich
for life. Turning at last to his
favourite, he said : ' To whom is it
I am going to yield thee up ? To
Europeans, who will tie thee close,
who will beat thee, who will make
thee miserable. Keturn with me, my
beauty, my jewel, and rejoice the
hearts of my children.' At the last
of these words he sprang upon her
back, and was in a few moments out
of sight."

THE BARB.

This is an African breed, which,
like the generality of African horses,
is distinguished from those of Asia
by its long limbs 'and small girth
at the loins, thus resembling the
foals of other breeds. It displays
great powers of enduring hunger and

Photo by T. Fall}

HACKNEY AND FOAL.
A specimen of the English carriage -horse.

202

The Living Animals of the World

thirst ; and is fleet, with a high
and graceful action. The barb takes
its name from its native land
Barbary. It
the Arab.

is a larger breed than

the

Photo ly C. Reid]

A perfect English thoroughbred.

[ Wishaw, N.B.

LADAS.

With this racer Lord Rosebery won the Derby
in 1894.

LEVANT AND PERSIAN HOUSES.

These are very closely allied to
Arab, but generally of larger
size ; and in Southern Persia, at least,
less delicately framed. The Turkoman
horses are related to those of Northern
Persia.

THE ENGLISH EACE-IIOJISE.
This animal is the product of
very careful selection and gradual
improvement of an original native
breed, extending over several centuries.
Long since, so long ago as the reign
of James I., it had reached a high
degree of excellence.

Upon this native stock there has
been built up, by the infusion of Arab blood, the swiftest horse which the world has ever
known the BRITISH THOROUGHBRED. " Of this breed, it may be stated," says Mr. Allison,
"that every such animal in the stud-book of the present day, in this country or any other,
descends . . . from one of three original Eastern sires the Darley Arabian, the Byerley Turk,
or the Godolphin Arabian." This is an extremely interesting fact, and constitutes a lasting
monument to the enterprise and acumen of the British horse-breeder.

The Byerley Turk hailed from
the Levant, and was introduced by
Captain Byerley about 1689. From
the Byerley Turk came Herod, the
most celebrated of his descendants,
who has given rise to the Herod line,
which to-day is but feebly represented.
The Godolphin Arabian, or the
Godolphin Barb, was born about 1724.
From his grandson Matchem is derived
the Matchem line, which is also to-day
bordering on extinction.

The Darley Arabian carries us
back to the reign of Queen Anne.
Flying Childers and Bartlett's Childers
are directly descended from him ; and
from the latter is descended Eclipse,
1 the fastest horse which the turf has
\ ever known. It is interesting to note
'that the descendants in the Eclipse
'line enormously outnumber those of

FLORIZEL ii. the other two lines which we have con-

of the King's racing-stud. sidered. Of his descendants, one of the

The Horse Tribe

203

most illustrious is Stockwell,
who has been described as the
most extraordinary sire of all
time, whose blood is coming
more than ever to the front.

THE TROTTIXG-HORSE.

This is an American breed.
The trotting-horse is a com-
bination of barb and Arab
on an English stock. Most
if the trotting- and pacing-
horses of America may be
traced to an English thorough-
bred Messenger who was
imported into America in 1780.
This horse became the founder
of the greatest trotting family
in the world. The speed
attained by some of the
fastest trotters is wonderful,
a mile being covered in some
three or four seconds over two
minutes.

Eussia is the only Euro-
pean country with a distinct
breed of trotter the ORLOFF.
the native races. The Orloff
has not the speed of the
American horse, but has
greater powers of endurance.
The trotting-season in Russia
is winter, the races taking
place on the ice.

The PACER is not a
distinct breed, but so called
on account of its curious
method of trotting. In
trotting the left fore and
right hind leg strike the
ground at the same moment ;
in pacing the fore and hind
leg of the same side move in
unison. Some wild animals
as the giraffe are pacers.
" Many American horses," says
Mr. Winans, "are able to
move with either action, a
set of lighter shoes often
sufficing to convert a trotter
into a pacer." Pacing is
a swifter mode of motion

f/tolo by T. J''ali]

SHETLAND POXY AND FOAL.

These ponies belong to Lady Mary Hope and her sister, who have been very successful in

breeding them.

This breed was made by crossing Arab and English horses with

Photo bit T. t\

CHAMPION SHIRE STALLION.
One of Sir Walter Gilbey's celebrated cart-horses.

Photo by T. Fall}

SHIRE MARE AND FOAL.
Another of Sir Walter Gilbey's champion cart-horses showing mother and young

Photo by T. Fall}

[faker Street.

WELSH PONY.

This photograph shows the Duchess of Newcastle with one of her white Welsh ponies.

204

[Baker Street.

The Horse Tribe

205

[ irishair, X.B.

POLO-PONY.

Various breeds of ponies are used in this game, but the most esteemed at the
present day are the English-bred Xew Forest, Dartmoor, or Exmoor, or Welsh
ponies.

than trotting. The record time stands
at one mile in 1 minute 39 seconds, as
against the trotting record of one mile
in 2 minutes 3| seconds.

THE HUNTER.

This also is not a distinct breed, as
some suppose. Any good riding-horse
may be used as a hunter. " Hunters "
have been made by infusing the blood
of the race-horse with native breeds.
The chief requirements are a muscular
neck and chest, with a rather short
body, and shorter and stouter legs than
the race-horse.

From the half-bred hunter we pass
by insensible gradation to the ordinary
saddle- and carriage-horses. The ideal
carriage-horse, however, is more of a
distinct breed than the hunter, and
known as the CLEVELAND BAY. It has
been produced by mingling the blood
of the thoroughbred with that of a
horse of stouter make than that of the
hunter type.

The record broad jump for the hunter, we might mention in passing, is variously stated
to be from 33 to 37 feet!

THE SHETLAND PONY.

This is a native of the Shetland
Islands, and remarkable for its small
size, docility, and hardihood. It is
allowed to run nearly wild, and made to
forage almost entirely for itself. In the
winter it grows a coat of great length,
which, soon becoming matted, forms a
most effective protection against cold and
wet. The DARTMOOR, EXMOOR, and NEW
FOREST are likewise small breeds, but
lack the symmetry and beauty of the
Shetland.

CART-HORSES.

Under this head are included all
the large, heavily built draught-horses.
These are of European origin, and
without intermixture of foreign Asiatic
or African blood. In England the most
important breeds are the BLACK or SHIRE

Photo by T. Fall] [Baker Street. HORSE, the CLYDESDALE, and the SUFFOLK

DONKEY. PUNCH. These are wonderful instances

Uhis is a typical English coster s dockey, and won the first prize at the Southwark

show. of the results of selective breeding

2O6

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by W. Reid] [ Wishaw, N.S.

EGYPTIAN DONKEYS.

The ass has long been known to the Egyptians, having been in use by
them before the introduction of the horse.

towards a definite end large size, accom-
panied by great physical strength and powers
of endurance. To accomplish this, speed has
had to be sacrificed.

ASSES AND MULES.
ASSES.

THE DOMESTIC Ass, so common to-day
in these islands, is of African origin, and
has, moreover, departed but little in either
form or colour from the wild race. This is
probably due to the fact that the ass has
not been subjected in this country to that
process of rigorous and careful selection that
the horse has undergone.

We have no record of its first intro-
duction to these islands, but it was certainly
known in the reign of Ethelred, though it
was a rare animal. Later it appears to
have died out, and to have been reintroduced
in the reign of Elizabeth ; but it has never
become popular. This is unfortunate; its
sterling qualities have never been really
appreciated by us. Spain, Italy, and Malta
have all succeeded in raising some fine breeds.
The United States has, however, produced
the finest of all in animals standing some
15 or 16 hands (5 feet or 5 feet 4 inches)
high.

MULES. .

The term MULE, strictly speaking, should be reserved for the offspring of the male ass and
the mare : the offspring of the opposite cross is called the HINNY. Mules are valued on account
of their great powers of endurance and their sure-footedness. The finest and handsomest are
bred in Spain, the United
States, and North-west India.

It is interesting to note
that mules exhibit a strong
tendency to revert to the dun-
coloured and striped coloration
believed to belong to the
primitive horses. The spinal
and shoulder stripes which
sometimes appear in horses,
and more frequently in asses,
occur yet more frequently in
mules. The legs of the mules
appear particularly liable to
revert to this striped colora-
tion in the United States, it
is said nine out of ten being MULES.

SO marked. A couple of fine mules belonging to Lord Arthur Cecil.

photoiyc.Reid]

CHAPTER XIII.

THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS: OXEN, BISON,
BUFFALOES, AND MUSK-OX.

, Deer, Camels, Pigs, Horses, Tapirs, Khinoceroses, and Elephants differ greatly in
\_J structure from the orders already described. They are classed as the Ungulates, or
Hoofed Mammals. In most of these, such as the Horse, Deer, and Oxen, the toes are
contained within a solid hoof; in others, such as the Khinoceros, they are protected by broad
nails. Great differences exist in the feet of the various groups of Ungulates, caused by the
degree in which the digits, or " toes," remain in use or not. Except in the Elephant, where
there are five, the greatest number of "working" digits found in existing forms is four. In
the Horse and its surviving allies the digits are reduced to one ; in the Giraffes, to two.

The general process, as it can be learnt from the remains of the horse-like animals of the
past, seems to have been as follows. One or more of the toes were developed in length and
strength at the expense of the others, until, in the case" of the Horse, only one toe remained,
which was enclosed in a large and solid hoof, little splints on either side of the cannon-bone
being left to hint where the second and fourth toes had once been. In the Oxen and Deer the
third and fourth toes developed equally, at the expense of the others, and each gained a case
or covering, which makes the two parts of the "cloven hoof" of these groups.

The first group of the order of Ungulates is represented by the Hollow-horned Kuminants.
These have horns set on a core of bone, the horns themselves being hollow throughout. They
"chew the cud," after receiving the food eaten into the first of four divisions in the stomach,
whence it is brought up into the mouth, and then swallowed again for digestion. The Oxen,
Sheep, and Goats have no popular name by which they are collectively distinguished, but their
characteristics are sufficiently
well known. The horns are
never shed annually, as is the
case with the Deer ; and the
hoofs are cloven. They have
no incisor teeth in the upper
jaw, a characteristic also shared
by the Giraffes, the Prongbuck
(or American antelope), and the
Deer. The lower jaw has its
full complement of incisor teeth.

The Oxen and the allied
Bison, Yak, and Buffaloes are
the bulkiest and most impor-
tant to man of all ruminants.
Some are found in nearly all
inhabited parts of the Old
World, and there is one North
American species, now practi- ^^ PARK . CATTLE>

Cally exterminated as a Wl Id Tt . g p hotogra ph represents two animals of different types. The bull (on the right) is from Earl
animal Ferrers' herd at Chartley Castle ; the cow is a cross-bred.

207

20b

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by JJ". P. UciMlol [Regent's Park.

ENGLISH PARK BULL.
The similarity in shape to the best-bred modern shorthorns is obvious.

BRITISH PARK-CATTLE, AND
THE AUROCHS.

THE so-called "WiLD CATTLE" found in
the parks of Chillingham and Chartley, as
well as in Lord Leigh's park at Lyme, and
in that of the Duke of Hamilton at Cadzow
Castle, Scotland, are probably not the
descendants of an indigenous wild race. It
is not without reluctance that the belief in
their wild descent has been abandoned. .But
the evidence seems fairly conclusive as to
the antiquity of these white cattle, regarded
as a primitive breed, and of the unlikelihood
of their being survivors of a truly wild stock.
They are almost identical in many points
with the best breeds of modern cattle, and
probably represent the finest type possessed
by the ancient inhabitants of these islands.
But they are far smaller than the original
WILD Ox, or AUROCHS, the ancestor of our
domestic breeds. The skulls of these large

wild oxen, which still survived in the Black Forest in Caesar's time, have been dug up in

many parts of England, especially in the Thames Valley, and may be seen at the Natural

History Museum. The remains of the extinct wild ox, the Bos urus of the Romans, show

that, if not so large as an elephant, as Caesar heard, its size was gigantic, reckoned by any

modern cattle standard whatever. It probably stood 6 feet high at the shoulder, and there

is every reason to believe that it was the progenitor of the modern race of domestic cattle

in Europe. It seems certain that the Chartley Park herd did once run wild in Needwood

Forest ; but so do the Italian buffaloes in the Maremma, and the Spanish bulls on the plains

of Andalusia. Those at Chartley have been kept in the park, which is very wild and remote, so

long that they have gradually lost

many of the attributes of domestica-

tion. This is even more marked in

the case of Lord Tankerville's white

cattle at Chillingham. An observant

visitor to Chillingham lately noted

that the bulls fight for the possession

of the cows, and that one is occasion-

ally killed in these combats. The

cows still " stampede " with their.

calves when alarmed, and hide them

for a week or ten days after they are

born. The horns of the Chillingham

cattle turn up; those of the bulls of

the Chartley herd are straight or

slightly inclined downwards. Cross-

breds between the Chartley cattle and

some other herds of reputed ancient

descent may generally be seen at the

Zoological Gardens. They remain

remarkably true tO type.

Photo i y w. p.

[Regent's

CALF OP ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE.

Though the stock is very old and inbred, the white park-cattle are still fairly prolific.

The Hollow'horned Ruminants

209

Photo l>y J. T. Newman]

[Berkhamsted.

JERSEY COW.

The property of Lord Braybrooke. Though small in size, the Jersey cows produce more butter than

any English breed.

Formerly there were
several other herds of ancient
white cattle. One was at
Gisburne, in Yorkshire;
another at Chatelherault Park,
in Lanarkshire ; and records
of herds at Bishop Auckland
in Durham, Barnard Castle,
Blair Athol, Burton Constable,
Naworth Castle, and other
ancient parks are preserved.
Probably all were of a breed
highly prized in ancient days,
which was allowed the run of
the forests adjacent to the
homes of their owners ; then,
as the forests were cleared,
they were gradually taken up
and enclosed in parks. Another
theory is, that they were the
white cattle of North-western
Italy, imported by the first settlements of Italian monks after the conversion of the Saxons.

SOME DOMESTICATED CATTLE.

THE various species of European domestic cattle have in most cases been brought to a
degree of excellence even higher than that which might be expected from the long period of
time in which their improvement has been an object of solicitude to man. Of the foreign
races, the dark red cattle of the Spanish Peninsula animals which have been exported to the
Canary Islands and Madeira with great success are justly famous. The white oxen of North-
east Italy have been famous since the days of the Romans. The tall long-horned cattle of
Hungary are excellent alike as beasts of draught and for beef. The black-and-white Dutch cows
are, and have been, the mainstay of the dairy industry of Holland, and later of Denmark;
while the small Brittany cows are perhaps the best butter-producers on the continent of
Europe. But England and the Channel Islands may justly claim to rear the finest cattle of the
temperate parts of the world. The diminutive
Jersey cows, now reared in all parts of the
kingdom, surpass all the animals of Europe
or America in the richness of their milk,
while stock from the pedigree herds of
various English breeds is eagerly sought by
foreign and continental buyers on both sides
of the Atlantic, and in New Zealand and
Australia. These foreign strains need constant
replenishing from the English herds, and the
result is a golden harvest to the breeders in
these islands.

The SHORTHORN was the first breed to be
brought to perfection. Two main stocks
one for producing beef, the other for the
dairy are recognised; they are the "all- ^oto^w.p.v^ vvKt.fa*.

SPANISH CATTLE

round breed" most in favour, and it is said These belong to Uie long .; or J d race of Southe ; n and Eastern Eur0 pe. m

that the improvement in this race alone has the bulls the horns are shorter, and of ten turn downwards.

210

The Living Animals of the World

raised the value of average Irish store cattle 2 per head during the last twenty years. The
shorthorns are level-backed, large animals, maturing very quickly. The commonest colours
are roan, white, red, and red-and-white. HEREFORD CATTLE are red, with white faces and long,
upturned horns ; they fatten quickly on good grass, and are in most demand for summer
beef. HIGHLAND CATTLE have long horns, rough, shaggy coats, and bodies of moderate size
and great symmetry ; they are grazed on the mountains of the West Highlands mainly, and
fattened in the south. The beef is of the finest quality. SUSSEX CATTLE are an " all red "
variety, large, and formerly much used for draught and farm work. The DEVONS are another
red variety, very like the Sussex, yielding excellent and rich milk, and, when fattened, being
little inferior to any breed as beef. The long-horned black WELSH CATTLE grow to a great
size, as do the polled ANGUS breed of Scotland. The polled or hornless cattle include the
red SUFFOLKS, a most valuable breed, hardy, and wonderful producers of milk. The cows
often give milk every day of the year. The LONGHORN breed is almost disappearing, as the

horns are a disadvan-
tage both in the fields
and when the animals
are carried on board
ship or in the train.
The HUMPED CATTLE of
India and East Africa
belong to a race
different from European
cattle, of which the
parent stock is not
known. They have a
hump upon the withers,
drooping ears (a sign
of ancient domestica-
tion), and a very large
dewlap. The coat is
always exquisitely fine.
They are of all sizes,
from the tall Brahminee
bull to dwarf breeds
not larger than a New-
foundland dog. The

commonest colours are cream, grey, mouse-colour, and white. They do not low, but grunt,
and are by no means so fond of shade and water as European cattle.

WILD OXEN.

THIS group consists of the GAUR of India; the GAYAL of Assam, which is possibly a
domesticated form of the gaur, but rather smaller in size, with skull and horns different in
character; and the BANTING, a lighter and more slender wild ox, of which different varieties
are found in Burma, in Java (where it is kept in a half-domesticated condition), and in
Manipur.

THE GAUR.

The GAUR, the so-called INDIAN BISON, is probably the largest of all the wild bovine
animals. It is found at the foot of the North-eastern Himalaya, in the Central Provinces
of India, the forests of Madras and Mysore, and in parts of Burma and the Malay Peninsula,
but not in Ceylon. Its range eastward is not accurately known. In habits the gaur is
mainly a forest animal, retiring always at daybreak into the depths of the jungle. It
sometimes attains a height of over 6 feet at the shoulder, and a length of 9 feet 6 inches

[Aberdeen.

YOUNG GATJB.
The largest and handsomest of the wild oxen.

The Hollow-horned Ruminants

211

I'hutu by York d> Sun] [Netting JIM.

COW GAYAL.

This animal is not at all dissimilar to the gaur. Its chief points of differ-
ence are in the horns and :n the colour of its skin.

from the nose to the tail. The colour of
the full-grown gaur is dark brown, turning
to black ; the legs from above the knees
and hocks to the hoofs are white, the
hair being short and fine. Its horns are
upturned, and tipped with black, with white
hair covering the junction on the top of
the skull. The cows are much smaller than
the bulls, standing about 5 feet high at the
shoulder. This species feeds both on grass
and on the young shoots of trees and of
bamboos. The calves are dropped in August
and September. The pure-bred animal does
not appear capable of domestication.

Hunting gaur by tracking in the jungle
has long been a favourite sport of Anglo-
Indians. General Douglas Hamilton says :
"I have killed bulls measuring 6 feet at
the shoulder, and the average height of the
male is from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10
inches. An old bull gaur is a magnificent
animal. The normal colour is a brownish black, sometimes in very old specimens almost
quite black. The white stockings reach from the hoof to above the knee, and are very
conspicuous. When on the Anamalies, I had a grand fight with a big bull. I was out early,
and came on the spoor of bison, and soon saw two, one a very large bull. To my disgust he
lay down, and was completely covered by creepers and bushes. After a bit I attempted to
move to get a better view ; but there to my left was a cow bison staring at me. She at once
gave the alarm, and I waited for the large bull to rise. This he did so quickly, and disappeared
so suddenly, that I only got a snapshot. As I stopped to load, I saw a young calf squatting
at the foot of a tree like a hare, intently watching me. I put the rifle down, crept up
behind the tree, and suddenly threw myself on the little calf, and managed to get hold of its
hind legs, but it got from under me. I managed, however, to tie its fore legs securely by
means of some slender stems from the creepers. All this time it continued to bellow and to
make a great row, and I fully expected to see the mother come charging down. I went back
to the bungalow, and got some men to bring my little captive home. After breakfast I started
again, and got on the track of the bison. ... I saw some branches move, and on looking
carefully perceived a large bull bison ; but he was among the thick bushes, and I could not
see his outline. I guessed as nearly as possible the position of the shoulder, and fired the
big rifle at him. He g ave a bound forward, and then stopped long enough for me to give him
a shot with the other barrel. . . . The next moment I saw the bull standing on the high
ground above us. I fired again, and hit him well behind the shoulder. He dashed off, but
only went fifty yards, and then stopped. I walked up, thinking to finish him, when he made
a fearful rush at me. My man put the double rifle into my hands and then bolted, and I
thought it prudent to retire and await my opportunity. But he only moved a few paces
forward, and then stopped. Then began a regular siege of his position." The result of the
siege was that the bison received four more bullets, charged and routed the hunter twice,
and then walked off. It was shot twice more, charged again, and was finally killed by
General Hamilton with his hunting-knife tied to a bamboo spear-pole.

Considering the size and tenacity of life of the gaur, it is rather wonderful that more
accidents do not occur in the pursuit of this animal ; but as it lives mainly in thick jungle,
where large trees grow, the sportsman has more chance of getting out of sight of a wounded
animal than when attacked by the Indian buffalo, which generally haunts jungles of high grass.

212

The Living Animals of the World

Cy ptnnusion oj Herr Carl Hagenbeck\

INDIAN HUMPED BULL.

The hump and dewlap mark the Oriental cattle. The ears are often more drooping
than in this specimen.

THE GAYAL.

The doubt whether this animal
is found in a wild state has recently
been considerably increased. It is
well known in a semi-domesticated
condition, in which it is kept by
the tribes in and around the Assam
Valley, where the wild gaur is also
found. These herds roam during the
day freely in the jungle, and return
to be fed at the villages. It has
been stated that wild gayal are
enticed to join the tame herds by
feeding them with balls of meal
and salt ; but these " wild " speci-
mens may be only those which have
belonged to or have descended from
the domesticated herd. Gayal have
been kept in England not only in
the Zoological Gardens but in some
parks, and crossed with English cattle.
The offspring furnished excellent beef, but were rather wild and intractable. The horns of the
gayal are thicker and flatter than those of the gaur, and placed lower on the skull and farther
apart. The domesticated gaval stands lower than the gaur, but is a very massive animal.

THE BANTING.

The common wild ox of the Malay countries of Borneo, Java, Eastern Burma, and
northwards, in Manipur resembles the European oxen rather more than does the gaur. In size
the bulls sometimes reach 5 feet 9 inches. The old bulls are black, the younger bulls
chocolate-red, and the cows a bright reddish brown. The rump is marked with a large white
patch, and all have white stockings from above the knees and hocks down to the hoofs. The
tail is considerably longer than in the gaur, coming well below the hocks. As might be
expected from its distribution, the size of this animal and the shape of the horns vary
considerably in the different districts which it inhabits. In Borneo the horns often curve
forwards ; in Java they spread outwards. In the latter island large herds of this species are
kept in a state of domestication. When wild, banting live in small herds, and in Burma
feed from early morning until ten o'clock, when they retire into the jungle for shelter. The
Manipur race is smaller than that of Burma (of which the males are not black), and the bulls
have not the white rump.

THE YAK.

THE YAK is naturally an inhabitant of the very high plateaux and mountains of Tibet,
where the climate is cold and the air excessively dry. Lower down on the Indian side of the
Himalaya a smaller race is found domesticated, which is the only one able to stand the
climate of India, or of Europe, where it is now kept in some parks as a curiosity. - The tamed
yaks are usually much smaller than the wild; these sometimes reach a weight of between
1,100 and 1,200 Ibs. In form they are long and low, very massive, and with hair almost
entirely black ; this falls off along the sides into a long sweeping fringe. The tail is thickly
tasselled with fine hair, and is employed by Indian princes for fly-flaps. The wild yak has
large, massive black horns, curved upwards and forwards in the male. In Ladak and Chinese
Tibet the yaks inhabit a desolate and barren country, in which their main food is a dry,

The Hollow'horned Ruminants

213

coarse grass, on which they nevertheless contrive to keep themselves in condition, feeding in
the mornings and evenings, and lying down by day to rest among the rocks.

THE BISON.

THE BISON form a marked group, differing from others of the Ox Tribe. They possess
fourteen pairs of ribs, while the oxen have only thirteen (the yak has fourteen) ; and have very
heavy, massive heads, broader and more convex foreheads than the oxen, longer spinal processes
on the vertebrae of the front part of the back, and larger muscles to hold the ponderous head,
causing a hump, which in the American bison is very marked. There are two living species
of bison, one of which is found in Europe, the other in North America.

THE EUROPEAN BISON.

This is the most interesting survival of the primitive fauna of the Old World. It is still
found wild, though protected, in a large forest in Lithuania, the property of the Czar of Eussia,
called the Forest of Bielowitza. A few are also left of the purely wild stock in the Caucasus.
Those in Lithuania have been protected for several centuries, and the herd is numbered from
time to time. In 1857 there were 1,898 of these bison left; in 1882 there were only 600;
in 1889 the herd had sunk to 380, but in 1892 it had risen to 491. The presence of
the bison in the Caucasus had been almost forgotten till Mr. Littledale and Prince Demidoff
gave accounts of hunting it there quite recently. The ZUBR, as it is called, only survives
in some very inaccessible parts of the mountains, preserved by the Grand Duke Sergius
Michaelovitch, in the Kouban district. There it exists as a really wild animal. The dimensions
of one recently shot were 10 feet from the muzzle to the end of the last vertebra of the
tail. The Grand Duke has to obtain special permission from the Czar to shoot one whenever
he goes to the Caucasus.

This bison seems to have been an inhabitant of most of the forests of Europe and
Northern Asia ; its remains show that it existed in Britain, and it was plentiful in the Black
Forest in the time of Csesar. It is the largest of all European quadrupeds, measuring as
much as 10 feet 1 inch from the nose to the root of the tail, and standing nearly 6 feet
high at the shoulder. Prince Demidoff states his belief that it is found on the southern
slopes of the Caucasus Range between the hills and the Black Sea. The weight of this bison
reaches 1,700 Ibs. It is now
rare to see more than five
or six together. Though the
animal is so massive, its horns
are rather small and slender,
and curve upwards. The
mane which, like the rest of
the coat, is of a uniform rich
brown is thick and curly, but
not developed like that of the
American bison.

THE AMERICAN BISON.

The American bison is
the western representative of
the bison of Europe. The
almost complete disappear-
ance of this species is one of

the warnings against reckless p/ i0to i y w. P. Dando} [Regent's Park.

destruction of animal life. It INDIAN HUMPED CATTLE.

formerly found in millions These are often called Zebu in Europe, but the origin of the name is unknown.

214

The Living Animals of the World

udoJ [/< :" *t* J'" I*.

DOMESTICATED YAK.
The wild Iwvine animal of the Central Asian plateau, tamed and domesticated.

on the prairies, and its meat formed
the staple food of the Red Indians,
who lived on the flesh and used the
"robes" of those killed in winter
for great coats and bedding. When
Audubon went up the Upper Missouri,
bison were in sight almost through-
out the voyage ; they were even
carried down on ice-flows on the river.
The bulls were very large, and were
occasionally savage, especially when
attacked and wounded ; but usually
they were harmless animals. Every
winter and spring they made migra-
tions along regular routes to fresh
pastures. These lines of travel were
then black with bison. The females
had their calves by their sides, and
all travelled in herds, feeding as

' O

they went. At the present time the
only remains of the bison are the
paths they left on the prairies, and
their bones and skulls. The paths
are still distinctly seen, worn by the
" treks " of the great beasts which
have now perished. The bones were collected in stacks and sold to make manure.

Colonel Roosevelt, in an article contributed to " The Encyclopaedia of Sport," thus describes
the destruction of the bison : " Pursuit by sportsmen had nothing to do with the extermination
of the bison. It was killed by the hide-hunters, redskin, white, and half-breed. The railways,
as they were built, hastened its destruction, for they gave means of transporting the heavy
robes to market. But it would have been killed out anyhow, even were there no railroads in
existence. Once the demand for the robes became known to the Indians, they were certain to
exterminate it. Originally the bison ranged from the Rocky Mountains to the Alleghanies, and
from Mexico to the Peace River. But its centre of abundance was the vast extent of grass-land
stretching from the Saskatchewan to the Rio Grande. All the earlier explorers who crossed
these great plains, from Lewis and Clarke onwards, spoke of the astonishing multitudes of the
bison, which formed the sole food of the Horse Indians. The herds were pressed steadily back,
but the slaughter did not begin till after the Civil War; then the commercial value of the
robes became fully recognised, and the transcontinental railways rendered the herds more
accessible. The slaughter was almost incredible, for the bison were slain literally by millions
every year. They were first exterminated in Canada and the southern plains. It was not till
1883 that the last herd was killed off from the great north-western prairies."

The height of a fine bull American bison at the shoulder is 6 feet. The horns are
short, blunt, and curved, and set farther back on the forehead than in the European species.
The hindquarters are low and weak, and the mane develops in winter into a thick robe,
covering the neck, shoulders, and chest. An adult bull bison was found to weigh 1,727 Ibs.
The woodland-bison of Athabasca, now nearly exterminated, are larger than the prairie-bison,
and have finer coats. In 1897 there were said to be between 280 and 300 head remaining
in two herds.

THE BUFFALOES.

THE BUFFALOES are so far distinct from other wild cattle that they will not interbreed
with them ; yet one species, the INDIAN BUFFALO, has been domesticated for a long, though

By permission of the Sew York Zoological Society.

AMERICAN BULL BISON.

The American bison (locally called " buffalo") is lower behind than its European brother ; but the withers, as will be seen from the photograph, are

stronger and more massive, and its mane considerably longer.

215

2l6

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by the Duchess of Bedfo

EUROPEAN BISON.

unknown period, and is
among the most valuable of
tame beasts of draught, as
well as for dairy purposes.
The various buffaloes usually
have little hair, especially
when old, and have flatter
shoulders than the gaur,
gayal, or bison. The pairs
of ribs number thirteen.

THE AFRICAN BUFFALO.

Great differences in size
and colour exist in the
AFRICAN BUFFALOES. Whether
they are separate species or
not may be doubtful; but
the small yellow CONGO
BUFFALO, with upturned short

These wild animals of the Caucasus are very ranch scarcer than formerly, and are in danger DOmS, IS a Vastly different

of becoming extinct. creature from the large black

CAPE BUFFALO. There is also an Abyssinian or brown race of African buffalo, and another in
Senegambia smaller than the former, and a reputed grey race near Lake Tchad. The Cape
buffalo is a heavy, thickset animal, ah 1 black in colour, with large massive horns covering the
skull, and nearly meeting in the middle line of the forehead. In height it varies from 4 feet
10 inches to 5 feet at the shoulder. This species ranges from South Africa to the Congo on
the west, and to the region of the Equator on the east of the continent. Firearms, and
lately rinderpest, have greatly reduced the number of these creatures. They live and feed
in herds, and, like the Indian species, are fond of the neighbourhood of water, in which they
bathe, but are not so dependent on bathing and wallowing as the former.

Fully as formidable as the Indian buffalo, and much like it in habits, the African species
is quite distinct. It has different horns, broad at the base and curled and tapering at the
ends. Among the extreme measurements of the Indian buffalo's horns recorded is one of
12 feet 2 inches from tip to tip along the curve. Those of the African buffalo are seldom
more than 6 feet, measured in the same way. By far the greatest number of hunting accidents
in Africa are caused by the buffalo. Sir Samuel Baker shot a buffalo bull one evening near
the White Nile. His men actually danced upon the body, when the animal rose to its feet,
and sent them flying into the river like so many frogs. It then disappeared in the thick
vegetation. On the following day, supposing that it must have died during the night, thirty
or forty men, armed with double-barrelled guns, went to look for it. The result was thus
recorded by Sir Samuel Baker : " They had not been ashore for many minutes when I
first heard a shot and then a regular volley. My people returned with the head of the
buffalo and a large quantity of meat, but they also carried the body of my best man, who,
when leading the way through the high reeds, following the traces of blood, actually stumbled
upon the buffalo lying in the swamp, and the light guns failed to stop its charge. The
crooked horn had caught him behind the ear, and, penetrating completely through the neck,
had torn out the throat as though it had been cut. The savage beast had then knelt upon
the body, and stamped it into the muddy ground, until it fell beneath the fire of thirty men."

The head and body of a male Cape buffalo are 9 feet long. It is stated that the parasite
conveyed by the tsetse fly remains in the blood of the buffalo (which is not affected by it),
and that this forms a reserve whence the fly, after sucking the blood of the buffalo, poisons
other animals.

The Hollow'horned Ruminants

217

THE CONGO BUFFALO.

This is a very small race, the height at the shoulder being about 3 feet 6 inches. The
shape of the horns varies, but they are wrinkled at the bases and flattened, and turn upwards,
ending in thin, sharp tips. The hair is bright reddish yellow. It is entirely a West African
species. Sir Samuel Baker records an instance in which his brother was nearly killed by a
small West African buffalo, probably one of the species in question. It is said to be less
gregarious than the Cape buffalo, and usually found in pairs.

THE INDIAN OR WATER-BUFFALO.

Very great interest attaches to this animal, if only from the fact that it is evidently a
species domesticated directly from the wild stock. It therefore deserves consideration both as
a wild and as a domesticated animal. It is found wild in the swampy jungles at the foot of
the Himalaya, in the Ganges Delta, and in the jungles of the Central Provinces; also, it is
believed, in the jungles of West Assam. Like the African species, it is an animal of great
size and strength, with short brown hair, white fetlocks, and immense long, narrow, flattened
horns. It is almost aquatic by preference, passing many hours of each day wallowing in the
water, or standing in any deep pool with only the tips of its nostrils and its horns out of
the water. By general consent it is the most dangerous of Indian animals after the tiger. A
buffalo bull when wounded will hunt for its enemy by scent as persistently as a dog hunting
for a rabbit. A writer in County Life lately gave an account of a duel between himself,
armed with a small and light rifle, and a buffalo bull, in which the latter hunted him for
more than an hour, each time being driven off by a shot from the light rifle, and each time
returning to the search, until it was killed. Sir Samuel Baker, when he first went to Ceylon,
found the buffaloes practically in possession of the meadows round a lake in the neighbourhood
of his quarters, and waged a war of extermination against the bulls, which were very dangerous.

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford']

I Woburn Abbey.

AMERICAN BISON.

Notice the difference in the fore and hind quarters of this animal and the European representative of the same group. (See page 216.)

218

The Living Animals of the World

The buffaloes of Ceylon
are the same as those of
India, but the horns are
inferior in size. " The charge
of a buffalo is a serious
matter," says Sir Samuel
Baker. "Many animals charge
when infuriated, but they can
generally be turned aside by
the stunning blow of a rifle-
shot, even if they be not
mortally wounded. But a
buffalo is a devil incarnate
when it has once decided on
the offensive ; nothing will
turn it. It must be actually
stopped by death, sudden and
instantaneous, as nothing else
will stop it. If not killed,
it will assuredly destroy its
adversary. There is no creature
in existence so determined
to stamp the life out of its
opponents, and the intensity
of its fury is unsurpassed
when a wounded bull rushes
forward upon its last desperate
charge. Should it succeed in
overthrowing its antagonist, it
will not only gore the body

with its horns, but will kneel upon the lifeless form, and stamp it with its hoofs till the

mutilated remains are beyond recog-
nition."

The true Indian buffalo is usually

shot from the back of an elephant.

Hunting it on foot is dangerous in

the extreme, for the buffalo can crash

through obstacles which would prevent

any man from making his way through

them when escaping. When domesti-
cated, the Indian buffalo loses most

traces of its savageness ; it is habitually

managed by the children, who take

the herds out to graze in the jungle,

and drive them back, often riding on

one of the bulls, at night. They

dislike Europeans, and often show

this by attacking them ; but other-
wise they are quite tame, and are

docile when in harness or carrying -.***-*** [**,***.

, . DOMESTICATED INDIAN BUFFALO.

burdens. The burlalo s milk i 3 very Th . g animal ig found M a wild and domesticated species in India . It i s valuable as a

rich, and makes a much larger per- beast of draught and for the dairy.

Photo by York <t Son]

CAPE BUFFALO.

Notice the striking difference depicted on this page between the two species of buffalo-the

Indian and the Cape.

The Hollow'horned Ruminants

219

centage of butter than ordinary cow's milk. So useful is this mud- and water-loving animal
in all swampy districts, that wherever rice is cultivated it is almost indispensable. The
result is that the Indian buffalo has been transported, probably in comparatively modern
times, to many distant quarters of the globe. When this was done is not known ; but it is
probable, for instance, that it was not known in Egypt in the days of the Pharaohs, for its
form never appears in the paintings and sculptures. Now it is seen very far up the Nile, and
plays an important part in Egyptian agriculture ; it is also the general beast of burden and
for the dairy in the Pontine Marshes of Italy. In Spain it was probably introduced by the
Arabs, and is used to cultivate the marshy plains near the mouths of the rivers of Andalusia ;
it is also in use in the marshes of Hungary, in the Crimea, and across Western Asia to
Afghanistan. We have thus the curious fact that a wild animal once confined to the jungles
of the Indian Peninsula is now domesticated on two other continents. It has not been

[ Woburn Abbey.

A PAIR OP ANOAS.
The anoa is the smallest and most antelope-like member of the Ox Tribe.

introduced into America yet, though it would be useful in the Mississippi swamps ; but the
Chinese have taken it to the Far East, and established it as their favourite beast of burden.

THE TAMARAU AND ANOA.

In the island of Mindoro, in the Philippines, a small black buffalo, with upright, slightly
incurved horns, is found in the dense forests. The height at the shoulder is about 3 feet
6 inches ; a few irregular marks of white are found on the fore legs, face, and occasionally
the throat. It is called the TAMARAU by the natives, most of whom fear to attack it. Its
habits are said to be much the same as those of the other buffaloes ; but it is reputed to fight
with the Indian buffaloes which have escaped and become semi-wild in the forests.

In Celebes a still smaller wild forest-buffalo is found, called the ANOA. It is only 3 feet
3 inches liigh at the shoulder, and has upright, almost straight horns. The general colour
is brownish, tinged with yellow, that of the adults being very dark brown or black. Scarcely
anything is known of its habits.

22O

The Living Animals of the World

THE MUSK-OX.

THE MUSK-OX was formerly
found in immense numbers on
the barren lands and other regions
bordering on the Arctic ice. The
hair of this animal reaches almost
to the ground, and the horns are
large and massive. At present it
is only common in the corner of
North America north and east of
a line drawn from Fort Churchill,
on Hudson Bay, to the mouth of
the Mackenzie, and on the adjacent
islands of the Arctic Sea. In
former Arctic expeditions the flesh
of the musk-oxen was a great
LVlir A and relive source of food. Now

some parts of the herds seem to
have retired inland, and in the
winter to become mainly forest-
dwellers ; but large numbers seem
to endure the coldest parts of the
Arctic winter in the open country
of the Far North, in the snows
of Grinnell Land and of Northern
Greenland. The remains of musk-
oxen have been found in the river
gravels of the Thames Valley, with
those of the reindeer and other
northern species. The musk-ox

gallops at a great rate of speed when disturbed in the open, and makes as little of a steep
mountain-side as does the wild sheep. When fat, the flesh is very tolerable food ; but if the
animals grow thin, the taste of musk is very unpleasant. The colour of the coat is dark
brown ; ; it. is now in great demand for sledge-rugs in Canada. This remarkable animal appears
to be a form standing apart both from the oxen and the sheep.

IT will be seen from the above accounts of the whole wild bovine race that they all exhibit
in a high degree many of the traits which are seen in domesticated animals of the same
tribe. The chief differences made by man's selection and breeding affect the form of the body
and the development of the udder, otherwise there is no great modification, except the production
of the drooping ear in some of the Indian species of domesticated oxen. No wild cattle have
the level, flat back and rectangular body which mark all the best shorthorns and other breeds
intended for beef. In the Asiatic and Galla humped breeds, the races which first domesticated
the original wild species seem to have used the long processes of the vertebrae which cause
the back of many wild cattle to form a hump as the basis of a valuable feature, the hump
becoming as it were another joint of meat. The development of the udder has for untold
centuries been the object of the breeders of cows ; consequently we find that in the domesticated
races this has become abnormally large. There is at present a very general tendency to get
rid of the horns among all breeds of high quality, as these appendages cause much loss by
wounds inflicted by cattle upon each other; but even in this respect sentiment rather tends to
preserve the horns as an ornament in some of the best milking breeds, such as the Jerseys.

Photo by Hie Duchess of Bedford]

YOUKG BULL MUSK-OX.

[ Wobwn Abbey.

The musk-ox is nearly allied to the sheep. It is about the size of Highland cattle, and
inhabits Arctic America and Northern Greenland.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE SHEEP AND GOATS.

THE SHEEP.

THE sheep are represented at the present time by several wild species, one of which is
found in Northern India east of the Indus, in the Punjab, and in Sind ; one in
North America ; and another in North Africa. The rest inhabit the high ground of
Europe and Asia as far south as the Himalaya. These mountains, with the adjacent plateaux
of the Pamirs and the great ranges of Central Asia, form the main home of the group.
Wild sheep are of various types, some so much like the goats that it is difficult to draw a
hard-and-fast line between them; while others, especially the Curly-horned Argalis, Bighorns,
Oorial, and Kamchatka Wild Sheep, are unmistakably ovine in type. The wild original of
the domesticated breeds of sheep is unknown; but the extreme differences between various
breeds of tame sheep as, for instance, between the smooth-coated, drooping-eared breed of
Nubia and the curly-horned, woolly sheep of Dorsetshire must not be allowed to divert the
attention from the considerable likeness of habit which still remains between other breeds
and the wild species. Domesticated sheep which live on hills and mountains are still inclined
to seek the highest ground at night. The rams fight as the wild rams do, and many of them
display activity and powers of climbing and of finding a living on barren ground scarcely less
remarkable than in the wild races.
The apparent absence of wool in
the latter does not indicate so
great a difference as might be
thought. The domesticated sheep
have been bred by artificial selection
for unnumbered ages in order to
produce wool. It is said that in
some of the wild breeds there is
an under-fur which will " felt " like
wool. Most of the species are short-
tailed animals, but this is not the
case with the Barbary wild sheep.
Wild sheep are mainly

mountain-living animals or

frequenters of high ground. They

generally, although not always,

frequent less rugged country than

that affected by the wild goats, and

some are found at quite low levels.

The altitude at which other wild

sheep are found is, however, very

great ; on the Pamirs it reaches photo oy G. w. wuson & <*> Ltd.} [Aberdeen.

20,000 feet. Here the country is YOUNG BARBARY SHEEP.

Quite Open. Note the lensrtb of the tail as compared with other wild sheep.

221

222

The Living Animals of the World

THE EUROPEAN MOUFFLON.

The only wild sheep of Europe is the MOUFFLON, found in the mountains of Corsica and
Sardinia. Its height at the shoulder is about 27 inches. In the rams the horns are strong,
and curved into a spiral, forming almost a complete circle. The hair is close, and in winter
has a woolly under-fur. In summer and autumn the coat is a bright red-brown on the neck,
shoulders, and legs ; the rump and under-parts are whitish, and the back and flanks marked with
a white saddle. In winter the brown becomes darker and the white saddle broader. A rather
larger moufflon is found on Mount Elburz in Persia, in Armenia, and in the Taurus Mountains.
A smaller variety exists in Cyprus, where it has been preserved since the British occupation.
The moufflon is a typical wild sheep. In Sardinia and Corsica are dense scrubby forests of
tall heather, some 5 feet high. This maquia is practically impenetrable to hunters. When
alarmed, the moufflon dash into it, and are safe. The maquia has preserved two very interesting
survivals of antiquity the moufflon, and the Corsican or Sardinian bandit. The Corsican bandit,
like the moufflon of the same island,
is nearly extinct. In Sardinia both
flourish. Many English sportsmen
have had their first taste of big-game
shooting in the difficult pursuit of
the moufflon on the Sardinian
mountains. Some declare that the
sport is so fascinating that they have
seldom found much to equal it since.
Mr. S. H. Whitbread, whose notes' in
" The Encyclopedia of Sport " are
very full on this subject, deems that
the best season to stalk moufflon is
in October or November. The animals
are then less disturbed by shepherds
and dogs, and the moufflon are on
the move and more easily seen during
the day than in summer, when they
feed at night and rest or sleep by day.

Sir E. Gr. Loder has a small herd
of moufflon running wild in his park
at Leonardslee, near Horsham. They one of the large wild sheep of Central Asia.

have a specially built " mountain-top "

of stone to make a home of, but are free to feed where they like in the park. They produce
lambs yearly. It is an interesting sight to see the quick rush of the little flock, when
frightened, to their sheltering-place, led by an old white-saddled ram.

THE ARGALIS.

The ARGALIS are the largest of all living wild sheep. Some measure from 3 feet 9 inches
to 4 feet at the shoulder. The horns are broad, corrugated, and curling in the male, and
in the female short, erect, and curving backwards. The male TIBETAN ARGALI has a ruff on
the throat. The usual colour is a stony grey, mingled with white in the summer in the case
of the old males. The name is applied collectively to several wild sheep found in Northern
and Central Asia. Whether these are only varieties or separate species it is difficult to say;
but the following are some of the most marked forms.

The SIBERIAN ARGALI is the characteristic wild sheep of the rocky hills and mountains of
Southern Siberia, the Altai Mountains, and Northern Mongolia. The horns curve so as to form
more than a complete circle; the upper parts are tinged with grey, and the lower are white.

Photo by W. P. Dando]

[Regent's Park.

SIBERIAN ARGALI.

The Sheep and Goats

223

Photo by J. T. atteman] [Berkliamstcd.

BARBARY SHEEP.
These fine wild sheep are found in the Atlas and Aures Mountains of Jsorth Africa.

The TIBETAN ARGALI is a little
smaller in size, and has slightly
smaller horns. The rams have also
a large white ruff on the throat.
These sheep descend in winter to the
lower valleys of the Tibetan plateau,
returning to the higher ground in
spring. The lambs are born in May
or June.

LITTLEDALE'S SHEEP is a smaller
animal, found on the Sair Mountains
in the Great Altai, on the north-
western border of Mongolia. It is
darker in colour than the argali or
Marco Polo's sheep, and has dark
under-parts.

Writing of the argali of Southern
Siberia, the naturalist Brehm says
that when the Tartars want mutton
an argali hunt is organised. The
Tartar hunters advance on their horses
at intervals of 200 or 300 yards, and
when the sheep are started generally
manage, by riding, shooting, coursing them with dogs, and shouting, to bewilder, shoot, or
capture several.

On the high plateau of the Pamirs and the adjacent districts MARCO POLO'S SHEEP is
found. The rams are only slightly less in size than the Siberian argali ; the hair is longer than
in that species, and the horns are thinner and more slender and extend farther in an outward
direction. An adult ram may weigh 22 stone. The first description of this sheep was given
by the old traveller whose name it now bears. He said that on the Pamir plateau wild

animals are met with in large numbers,
particularly a sheep of great size,
having horns three, four, and even
six palms in length, The shepherds
(? hunters) form ladles and vessels
from them. In the Pamirs, Marco
Polo's sheep is seldom found at less
than 11,000 or 12,000 feet above the
sea. In the Thian-shan Mountains
it is said to descend to 2,000 or
3,000 feet. They prefer the hilly,
grassy plains, and only seek the hills
for safety. On the Pamirs they are
said to be very numerous in places,
one hunter stating that he saw in
one day not less than 600 head.

THE BIGHORN SHEEP OF AMERICA
AND KAMCHATKA.

Photo by H". P. Sand

BARBARY SHEEP.

This shows a fine ram, with a mane reaching almost to its hoofs.

.North America has its parallel
to the argalis in the famous BIGHORN.
It is now very rare even in Northern

224

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by J. W. McLellan]

[Highbury.

BURHAL WILD SHEEP.

Sometimes called the Blue Sheep. They have a wide range both on the Himalaya and
north of those mountains.

Canada, and becoming scarce in the
United States, though a few are
found here and there at various
points on the Rocky Mountains
as far south as Mexico. In habits
it is much the same as other
wild sheep that is to say, it
haunts the rock-hills and " bad
lands " near the mountains, feeding
on the scanty herbage of the high
ground, and not descending unless
driven down by snow.

The bighorn sheep are very
partial to salt. Mr. Turner
Turner, who hunted them in
East Kooteney, says : " Wild sheep
make periodical excursions to the
mountain-tops to gorge themselves
with salty clay. They may remain
from an hour to two days, and
when killed their stomachs will
be found full of nothing but the
clay formed from denuded lime-
stone, which they lick and gnaw until sometimes deep tunnels are formed in the cliffs, large
enough to hide six or seven sheep. The hunter, standing over one of these warrens, may
bolt them within two yards of him. In the dead of winter sheep often come to the woods to
feed on fir-trees. At such times they may be seen mixed with black-and-white-tailed deer,
low on a river-bank. I have known them come within forty yards of an inhabited hut."

While on the subject of the fondness of sheep and deer for salt, we may mention an
anecdote told by Mr. H. C. Nelson in Country Life. He was sleeping with two other friends
in a hut in the mountains where some miners had lived for a time. These men, when
they washed up their pots and pans, threw the slops away at a certain place close by the
hut. As all water used for cooking meat has salt put into it, a little salt remained on the
surface. This the wild deer had found out, and were in the habit of coming to lick it at
night. Mr. Nelson had a shot at one some twenty yards from the hut.

The bighorn sheep stands from 3 feet 2 inches to 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The
horns are of the general type of the argalis, but smoother. Another bighorn is found in
Kamchatka. There is also a beautiful white race of bighorn inhabiting Alaska. The typical
Rocky Mountain race is browner than the Asiatic argalis, and in winter is dark even beneath
the front parts of the body. It is not found on the high peaks of the great ranges, but on
difficult though lower ground on the minor hills.

THE OORIAL.

The vast range of the Himalaya affords feeding-ground to other species of wild sheep
and wild goat, so different in the shape of the horns that the variations of the ovine race
under domestication need not be matter for wonder when so much variety is seen in nature.

The OORIAL, or SHA, is found in North-west India, on the Trans-Indus Mountains, and
in Ladak, Northern Tibet, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Turkestan, and Southern Persia. The
horns make a half-curve backwards, and are flattened. The angle with the horizontal line
across the ears is about half a right angle. The coat is of a reddish-brown colour, with white
on the belly, legs, and throat. This species has a very wide geographical distribution, and is-
the only wild sheep found in India proper.

Photo by The Duchesx of Bedford, Woburn Abbe.y.

FEMALE KUDU.

The Kudu is one of the handsomest of the African Antelopes, the corkscrew-like horns of the bucks
forming some of the most striking of all sporting trophies.

The Sheep and Goats

225

[Bcrl-liafttstal.
PUNJAB SHEEP.
This is an example of one of the breeds which carry no wool whatever.

I'koto by J. T. Newman]

chamois-stalking ; but the pursu't seems to fascinate
gave some charming descrip-
tions of the silence, the rugged
rocks, and the astonishing
views over the great orange
Sahara Desert seen from the
tops of these haunts of the
Barbary sheep mountains on
the summits of which his Arab
guides would prostrate them-
selves in evening prayer as
the sun sank over the desert,
and then, rising, once more
resume the chase. The young
lambs of the Barbary sheep
are charming little creatures,
more like reddish kids. They
can follow the mother over the
steepest ground at a great
pace. When caught, as they
sometimes are by the Arabs,
they soon become tame. The

THE BARBARY SHEEP, AOUDAD,
OR ARUI.

This is a large wild sheep of
the North African highlands. The
old rams have a very fine appearance,
with a long flowing beard or mane,
and large horns. These wild sheep,
though somewhat goat-like in appear-
ance, are typical of their race in
general habits. They live in the
Atlas Eange, and in the splendid
heights of the Aures Mountains, which
lie at the back of Algeria and fringe
the great Sahara Desert. In the
isolated and burning rocks which jut
up in the desert itself into single
mountains they are also found, living
on ground which seems absolutely
destitute of water, grass, or vegetation.
They live singly or in small families;
but the rams keep mainly alone.
Sometimes they lie in shallow caves
during the heat of the day. These
caves smell like a sheep-fold. More
generally the sheep repose on some
shelf of rock, where they exactly
match the colour of the stone, and
are invisible. The ground is among
the most difficult in which any hunt-
ing is attempted, except perhaps in
sportsmen. Mr. A. E. Pease recently

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.]

The fat tail of this sheep was

[North Finchley.
PAT-TAILED SHEEP,
considered by Charles Darwin as due to degeneration.

226

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by IK. f. Dando} [AV/../if* I

FOUB-HOBNED SHEEP.

There are several breeds of these sheep, some from China, some from Iceland, and others from

South Africa.

tail is longer than in other
wild sheep, and in the males
a large mane covers the chest.

THE BURHAL, OR BLUE SHEEP.

This species possibly indi-
cates the transition-point from
the sheep to the goats. It
was pointed out by Mr. Brian
Hodgson that it had certain
features more like the goats
than the sheep, and later
other writers laid stress on
structural differences of the
same kind, both in skull and
horns. It has not the dis-
agreeable odour of the goats;
but the black markings which
separate the white of the belly
from the brown of the flanks, and run down the front of the legs, are like those seen on some goats.
The horns rise in a curve outwards and downwards. The largest are only some 30 inches long.
'Burhal are perhaps the commonest of all Asiatic wild sheep. They inhabit the whole
length of the higher Himalayan Eange, and are found over and round the Central Asian plateau
as far north as Yarkand. The horns make two half-moons at right angles to the skull. Unlike
some 'of the other wild sheep, burhal often climb the very highest ground of all. Much of
the best burhal ground is above 17,000 feet high, and, as Mr. Whitbread remarks, this alone
makes the chase of such an animal difficult. As in the moufflon, the mutton is excellent.
There is no difficulty whatever in taming these wild Himalayan sheep ; those in the Zoological
Gardens are practically domesticated.

DOMESTICATED SHEEP.

Under domestication sheep exhibit a wide variety of coat, shape, and size, very striking
to the eye, and very important in regard to
the produce of wool or mutton. The intro-
duction of a particular breed, with long wool
or short wool as the case may be, has often
saved or altered for a time the economic
condition of a colony or province. It was
the introduction of the sheep which gave
Australia first rank among the rich colonies
of the world; and the discovery that the
Cheviot breed would thrive on the Scotch
hills made millions of acres remunerative
which might otherwise have been very un-
productive. But the only important change
in the structure of the sheep in domestica-
tion is the lengthening of the tail. The
carcase may be fat mutton or thin mutton,
'the wool long or short, fine or coarse ; but
the sheep itself remains true to type, and of
much the same docile habits, under all the

Changes of the breeders.

Phol b v J-

[Serklian

SOUTH DOWN SHEEP.

The finest breed of down-sheep.

The Sheep and Goats

227

We may first say a word or two as to foreign breeds of sheep, especially those of the East.
Some of these resemble the wild breeds in having smooth coats and almost no wool. The SOMALI
SHEEP, for instance, yield no wool useful for felting or spinning. They have drooping ears and
black heads. Some of the finest natural wool is developed by a white sheep in Tibet. The fur
is usually sold as Tibetan lamb. The wool is exactly like white floss-silk. When cured by
the Chinese, the leather is like white kid, with this flossy wool attached.

In India and Persia the sheep is sometimes used as a beast of burden. Mr. Lockwood
Kipling, in his " Beast and Man in India," says : " Borax, asafcetida, and other commodities
are brought into India on the backs of sheep in bags. The flocks are driven in large numbers
from Tibet into British territory. One of the sensations of journeying in the hills of the
* interior,' as the farther recesses of the mountains are called by Anglo-Indians, is to come
suddenly on such a drove, as it winds, with the multitudinous click of little feet, round the

P koto by W. Heidi

MERINO BAMS.
The best wool-producing sheep. Imported from Spain to Australia.

[Wishaic, N.B.

shoulder of some Himalayan spur. The coarse hair bags scrape the cliffside from which the
narrow path is built out or hollowed, and allow but scant room for your pony, startled by the
hurry and the quick-breathing rush of the creatures as they crowd and scuffle past. Only
the picturesque shepherds return from the^e journeys. The carriers of the caravan (i.e. the
sheep), feeding as they go, gather flesh in spite of their burdens, and provide most excellent
mutton. ... In the towns of the plains rams are kept as fighting animals. A Mohammedan
swell going out for a stroll with his fighting-ram makes a picture of foppery not easily
surpassed by the sporting 'fancy' of the West. The ram is neatly clipped, with a judicious
reservation of the salient tufts, tipped with saffron and mauve dye, and besides a large collar
of blue beads it wears a necklace of hawk-bells."

The FAT-TAILED SHEEP of Persia and Tartary exhibits a curious provision of nature. When
food is plentiful, a quantity of fat accumulates on the tail and croup. As the pasture dries up
and the animal finds little food, this store of fat is gradually absorbed. Another fat-tailed
sheep is found from Syria and Egypt to the Cape. This has a long tail reaching to the

228

The Living Animals of the World

ground. In the Egyptian breed the tail is
broad throughout ; in the Syrian it narrows
to a point. The ordinary weight of the
Syrian sheep's tail is 15 Ibs. ; but in some
well-fattened examples it reaches 70 or
80 Ibs. Ludolph saw in Egypt a sheep's tail
of 80 Ibs. weight. This overgrown tail is a
great encumbrance to the animal. In order
to lighten the burden, the shepherds fasten
under it a small board, sometimes with wheels
attached, to make it easy to draw over the
ground.

In Greece, Wallachia, and Western Asia
a fine breed of sheep, quite different from
the English forms, is seen. It is called the
WALLACHIAN SHEEP. When the Zoological
Gardens were first founded here, some of
these sheep were introduced and crossed with
English breeds. The horns are tall spirals,
as in the great kudu antelope. The body
is large, and the fleece long and straight,
and more like that of the long-haired goats
than curly wool.

There are now few countries in the
world to which sheep have not been intro-
duced. They were probably among the
earliest animals to be domesticated.
Certainly they are the first to be mentioned ;

for we learn that "Abel was a keeper of sheep," while Cain tilled the earth. The feud

between the keeper of flocks and the grower of crops

typified in this ancient quarrel still goes on wherever

the wild mountain breeds of sheep are kept, for

there is of necessity always danger that the wander-

ing sheep may raid the plots of corn. In Spain a

curious and ancient set of laws regulates the passage

of the flocks to and from the mountain pastures

through the corn-lands.

It is said that the name of the famous breed of

Spanish sheep known as MERINOS recalls their foreign

origin from across the sea, and that they were originally

imported into Spain from England. Whether that be

so or not, it is certain that no one could recognise

them now. The finest merino sheep, especially those

bred in Australia, into which country they were

imported some forty years ago, look as if covered

with a dense growth of moss. The close wool grows

not only on their backs, sides, and bellies, but on legs,

forehead, and nose. There are believed to be ten

millions of merino sheep in Spain, most of which

are migratory. They are called " transhumantes,"

and are taken from the plains to the mountains LEICESTER EWE.

and from the mountains to the plains yearly. These A heavy, long-wooiied breed.

Photo li> J. T. -Kemnan} [Serkluansted.

BLACK-FACED MOUNTAIN-SHEEP.
The sheep of the high mountains and heather-moors.

Phoio by /.

The Sheep and Goats

229

" transhumantes " are divided into flocks, each under a head shepherd, or " majoral." The
flocks follow the shepherds, who lead the way, and direct the length and speed of the journey.
A few wethers, trained to the business, follow the shepherds, and the rest come in due order.
Powerful dogs accompany them as guards. This system of sheep migration is controlled by
a tribunal termed the Mesta. It can be traced back to the middle of the fourteenth century.
By it persons are prohibited from travelling along the course of the route pursued by the
flocks so long as they are on the road. It also maintains the right for the flocks to graze
on all the open or common land that lies in the way. Moreover, it claims a path ninety
yards wide through all enclosed and cultivated country. The length of the journey is over
400 miles, which is accomplished in six or seven weeks. The system works greatly to the
injury of local cultivators and stationary flocks, whose fields are injured by the migratory sheep.

Photo by W.

[Withaw, N.B.

CROSS-BRED SHEEP.
The class of sheep kept mainly on cultivated land in the North Midlands.

ENGLISH BREEDS OF SHEEP.

In England are reared the finest and most valuable sheep. This is evident from the
prices paid for them by foreigners and breeders in our colonies. Except for merinos, no
one comes to any other country but this when about to seek new blood for their flocks or
to stock new lands. Kecently 1,000 guineas were paid by a firm in Argentina for a single
Lincoln ram.

Differences, well marked and of great importance, exist between our different breeds. Each
suits its own district, and each is carefully improved and kept pure by herd-books, in which all
pedigree animals are entered.

The " general utility sheep " in England is the SOUTH DOWN ; in Scotland, the BORDER
LEICESTER. The former is a small, fine sheep, with close wool, and yielding excellent mutton.
It provides the meat sold in our best shops, and has largely stocked New Zealand. The
original breed of England was possibly the COTSWOLD; it is a tall, long-woolled, white-fleeced

230

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by J. T. Kemnan]

listed.

LONK RAM.

This is a photograph of the largest sheep on record.

sheep. Later a large heavy
sheep, with long wool and a
massive body, was bred in
the Midlands, and called the
LEICESTER LONG-WOOL. This
sheep gives a great cut of
wool, and much coarse mutton.
The CHEVIOT SHEEP, originally
bred on the hills of that
name, is now one of the
mainstays of the Scotch
mountain farmer. The
Cheviots eat the grass on
the high hillsides, while the
BLACK-FACED HIGHLAND SHEEP
live on the heather higher
up. The SUFFOLK, OXFORD,
HAMPSHIRE, and other " Down "
sheep are larger breeds than
the Soutih Down. The
ROMNEY MARSH SHEEP are a
heavy long-woolled breed.
The EXMOORS are small

heather-sheep like those of Wales, and the SOA and ST. KILDA SHEEP, which are often four-
horned, the smallest of all.

The maintenance of flocks is now almost an essential part of English agriculture on all
chalk lands, which comprise a very large percentage of the southern counties. On the chalk
downs the flocks are the great fertilisers of the soil. Every night the sheep are folded on
the fields which are destined to produce corn in the following year. The manure so left on
the soil ensures a good crop, with no expense for carting the fertiliser from the farmyard, as
is the case with manure made by oxen kept in straw-yards.

On the South Downs, Oxfordshire Downs or Chiltern Hills, Salisbury Plain, and the
Berkshire Downs the farms have been mainly carried on by the aid of the flocks. Where
these are no longer kept the land reverts to grass, and the growing of corn ceases. On the
coarse, new-sown grasses cattle take the place of sheep, and an inferior style of farming, like
the ranches of South America, replaces the /
careful and high-ly skilled agriculture of Old
England. In the far north of Scotland cross-
bred sheep are now reared and fed in winter
on turnips, which will grow luxuriantly where
the climate is too bleak and wet for wheat.

Formerly cattle were the main source
of wealth to the owners of Highland estates.
The sheep was only introduced after the
Highlands were subdued subsequently to
the rebellion in 1745. It was found that
the rough-coated heather-sheep throve on the
wet and elevated hills. This led to their
substitution for cattle, as wool was then dear.

Sheep are now in their turn giving way to Pkoto hy ^ r> Newman]

grouse and deer over much of the Central WELSH EWES

Highlands, as the price of wool has fallen. A small breed of hill . sheep .

[Serkhamsted.

The Sheep and Goats

231

Photo by E. Landor]

FEMALE ANGORA GOAT.
The breed from which mohair is obtained.

[Eating.

THE GOATS.

THOUGH the dividing-line between
the Sheep and Goats is very indistinct,
some differences are of general applica-
tion. The goats are distinguished by
the unpleasant " hircine " odour of the
males, and by beards on the chins
of the same sex, by the absence of
glands in the hind feet, which sheep
possess, and by certain variations in
the formation of the skull. The
difference between the temperament
of the sheep and goats is very curious
and persistent, showing itself in a
marked way, which affects their use
in domestication to such a degree that
the keeping of one or the other often
marks the owners as possessors of
different degrees of civilisation. Goats
are restless, curious, adventurous, and
so active that they cannot be kept
in enclosed fields. For this reason
they are not bred in any numbers in
lands where agriculture is practised

on modern principles ; they are too enterprising and too destructive. Consequently the goat is

usually only seen in large flocks on mountain pastures and rocky, uncultivated ground, where the

flocks are taken out to feed by the children.

On the high Alps, in Greece, on the Apennines, and in Palestine the goat is a valuable

domestic animal. The milk, butter, and cheese, and also the flesh of the kids, are in great

esteem. But wherever the land is enclosed, and high cultivation attempted, the goat is banished,

and the more docile and controllable

sheep takes its place. In Syria the

goat is perhaps more docile and better

understood as a dairy animal than

elsewhere in the East. The flocks are

driven into Damascus in the morning ;

and instead of a milk-cart calling, the

flock itself goes round the city, and

particular goats are milked before the

doors of regular customers.

The EUROPEAN GOAT is a very

useful animal for providing milk to

poor families in large towns. The

following account of its present uses

was recently published : " The sheep,

while preserving its hardy habits in

some districts, as on Exmoor, in Wales,

and the Highlands, adapts itself to

richer food, and acquires the habits as

well as the digestion of domestication. ,

Inese goats were originally obtained from Turkey in Asia, and exported to South

The goat remains, as in old days, the Africa.

Photo by E. Landor]

[Ealing.

ANGORA RAM.

232

The Living Animals of the World

enemy of trees, inquisitive, omnivorous, pugnacious. It is unsuited for the settled life of the
English farm. Rich pasture makes it ill, and a good clay soil, on which cattle grow fat, kills it.
But it is far from being disqualified for the service of some forms of modern civilisation by the
survival of primitive habits. Though it cannot live comfortably in the smiling pastures of the
low country, it is perfectly willing to exchange the rocks of the mountain for a stable-yard in
town. Its love for stony places is amply satisfied by the granite pavement of a 'mews,' and
it has been ascertained that goats fed in stalls and allowed to wander in paved courts and yards
live longer and enjoy better health than those tethered even on light pastures. In parts of
New York the city goats are said to nourish on the paste-daubed paper of the advertisements,
which they nibble from the hoardings. It is beyond doubt that these hardy creatures are
exactly suited for living in large towns ; an environment of bricks and mortar and paving-
stones suits them. Their spirits rise
in proportion to what we should deem
the depressing nature of their sur-
roundings. They love to be tethered
on a common, with scanty grass and
a stock of furze-bushes to nibble. A
deserted brick-field, with plenty of
broken drain-tiles, rubbish-heaps, and
weeds, pleases them still better.
Almost any kind of food seems to
suit them. Not even the pig has so
varied a diet as the goat ; it consumes
and converts into milk not only great
quantities of garden-stuff which would
otherwise be wasted, but also, thanks
to its love for eating twigs and shoots,
it enjoys the prunings and loppings
of bushes and trees. In the Mont
d'Or district of France the goats are
fed on oatmeal porridge. With this
diet, and plenty of salt, the animals
are scarcely ever ill, and never suffer
from tuberculosis; they will often
give ten times their own weight of
milk in a year."

The Kashmir shawls are made of
the finest goats' hair. Most of this
very soft hair is obtained from the
.under-fur of goats kept in Tibet, and
by the Kirghiz in Central Asia. Only

a small quantity, averaging 3 ozs., is produced yearly by each animal. The wool is purchased
by middlemen, and taken to Kashmir for manufacture.

In India the goat reaches perhaps the highest point of domestication. The flocks are in
charge of herd-boys, but the animals are so docile that they are regarded with no hostility
by the cultivators of corn and cereals. Tame goats are also kept throughout Africa. The
valuable ANGOHA breed, from which " mohair " is obtained, is now domesticated in South Africa
and in Australia. In the former country it is a great commercial success. The animals were
obtained with great difficulty, as the Turkish owners did not wish to sell their best-bred
goats; but when once established at the Cape, it was found that they proved better producers
of mohair than when in their native province of Angora. The "clip" from their descendants
steadily improves.

Photo by E. Landor]

[Baling.

BKITISH GOAT.

A much-neglected breed in this country. Note the shape of this animal.

The Sheep and Goats

233

WILD GOATS.

THE TUR.

IN the Caucasus, both east and
west, in the Pyrenees, and on the
South Spanish sierras three fine wild
goats, with some features not unlike
the burhal sheep, are found. They
are called TUR by the Caucasian
mountaineers. The species found in
the East Caucasus differs from that
of the west of the range, and both
from that of Spain. The EAST
CAUCASIAN TUR is a massive, heavy
animal, all brown in colour (except on
the fronts of the legs, which are
blackish), and with horns springing
from each side of the skull like half-
circles. The males are 38 inches high
at the shoulder. The short beard and
tail are blackish, and there is no white
on the coat. The WEST CAUCASIAN

rp, . , ,. , , . , Ey permission of P. Thomas, Esq.

TUR is much lighter in colour than FEMALE TOGGENBURG GOAT .

that OI the iiaSt CaUCaSUS, and the These goats are milk-goats par excellence ; they remain in profit for at least ten

homS point backwards more like those montlls in tne y^ 1 Each goat produces on an average from 110 to 120 gallons of
, ' milk during the year

oi the ibex, though set on the skull
at a different angle. The SPANISH *~
TUR has the belly and inner sides of
the legs white, and a blackish line
along the flank, dividing the white
from the brown ; also a blackish chest,
and some grey on the flank.

In the Caucasus the tur are
found on the high crags above the
snow-line in summer, whence they
descend at night to feed on patches
of upland grass; but the main home
of the tur by day is above the snow-
line. The Spanish species modifies its
habits according to the ground on
which it lives. Mr. E. N. Buxton
found it in dense scrub, while on the
Andalusian sierras it frequents bare
peaks 10,000 feet high. In Spain
tur are sometimes seen in flocks of
from 100 to 150 each.

THE PERSIAN WILD GOAT. This breed originally came from Switzerland, but is now well known in

England. The animals are fine in bone, have a long, thin neck, with two tassel-like

The original of our domesticated appendages.
goat is thought by some to be the

PASANG, or PERSIAN WILD GOAT. It is a fine animal, with large scimitar-shaped horns, curving
backwards, flattened laterally, and with knobs on the front edge at irregular intervals. It is
more slender in build than the tur, light brown in general colour, marked with a black line

By permission of P. Thomas, Esq.

STUD TOGGENBURG GOAT.

234

The Living Animals of the World

along the nape and back, black tail, white belly, blackish shoulder-stripe, and a black line
dividing the hinder part of the flank from the white belly. Formerly found in the islands of
South-eastern Europe, it now inhabits parts of the Caucasus, the Armenian Highlands, Mount
Ararat, and the Persian mountains as far east as Baluchistan. A smaller race is found in Sind.
It lives in herds, sometimes of considerable size, and frequents not only the high ground, but
the mountain forests and scrub, where such cover exists. The domesticated goat of Sweden is
said to be certainly a descendant of this species.

THE IBEX.

Of the IBEX, perhaps the best known of all the wild goats, several species, differing
somewhat in size and in the form of their horns, are found in various parts of the Old World.
Of these, the ARABIAN IBEX inhabits the mountains of Southern Arabia, Palestine, and Sinai,

J3y permission of P. Thomas, Esq.

SCHWARTZALS GOAT.

A large, long-haired breed, which derives its name from its peculiar colour, the fore part of the body being black and the hinder part white.

These goats are good milkers.

Upper Egypt, and perhaps Morocco. The ABYSSINIAN IBEX is found in the high mountains of
the country from which it takes its name. The ALPINE IBEX is now extinct in the Swiss
Alps and Tyrol, but survives on the Piedmontese side of Monte Rosa. The ASIATIC IBEX is
the finest of the group; its horns have been found to measure 54f inches along the curve.
This ibex inhabits the mountain-ranges of Central Asia, from the Altai to the Himalaya, and
the Himalaya as far as the source of the Ganges.

The King of Italy is the great preserver of the ALPINE IBEX, and has succeeded where
the nobles of the Tyrol have failed. The animals are shot by driving them, the drivers being
expert mountaineers. The way in which the ibex come down the passes and over the precipices
is simply astonishing. One writer lately saw them springing down perpendicular heights of
40 feet, or descending " chimneys " in the mountain-face by simply cannoning off with their
feet from side to side. Young ibex can be tamed with ease, the only drawback to their
maintenance being the impossibility of confining them. They will spring on to the roof of

The Sheep and Goats

235

a house, and spend the day there by prefer-
ence, though allowed the run of all the premises.
The kids are generally two in number; they
are born in June.

The ibex was long one of the chief
objects of the Alpine hunter. The Emperor
Maximilian had a preserve of them in the
Tyrol mountains near the Aachen Sea ; these
he shot with a cross-bow when they were
driven down the mountains. Sometimes they
were forced across the lake. A picture in
his private hunting-book shows the Emperor
assisting to catch one in a net from a boat.
He notes that he once shot an ibex at a
distance of 200 yards with a cross-bow, after
one of his companions had missed it with a
gun, or "fire-tube." When away on an ex-
pedition in Holland, he wrote a letter to the
wife of one of the most noted ibex-poachers
on his domain, promising her a silk dress if
she could induce her husband to let the
animals alone. In the Himalaya the chief
foes of the ibex are the snow-leopard and
wild dog.

THE MARKHOR.

The very fine Himalayan goat of this
name differs from all other wild species. The
horns are spiral, like those of the kudu

Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, ly permission of the Hon. Waltsr
Rothschild.

YOUNG MALE ALPINE IBEX

The photograph shows the corrugated horns of the male.

Photo l>y the Duchess of Bedford] [ Woburn Abbey.

MALE ALPINE IBEX.

The finest wild goat of Europe, formerly common on the Swiss Alps,
now only on a limited area on the Italian side.

antelope and "Wallachian sheep. It may well
be called the king of the wild goats. A
buck stands as much as 41 inches at the
shoulder, and the maximum measurement of
the horns is 63 inches, or over 5 feet ! It
has a long beard and mane, and stands very
upright on its feet. Besides the Himalaya,
it haunts the mountains on the Afghan
frontier. The markhor keep along the line
between the forest and snow, some of the
most difficult ground in the hills. The horns
are a much-prized trophy.

THE TAHR.

The TAHR of the Himalaya is a very
different-looking animal to the true goats,
from which, among other characters, it is
distinguished by the form and small size

236

The Living Animals of the World

of the horns. The horns, which are
black, spring in a high backward
arch, but the creature has no beard.
A buck stands sometimes as much a&
38 inches high at the shoulder. It
has a long, rough coat, mainly dark
stone-colour in tint.

Tahr live in the forest districts-
of the Middle Himalaya, where they
are found on very high and difficult
ground. General Donald Macintyre
shot one standing on the brink of
an almost sheer precipice. Down this
it fell, and the distance in sheer
depth was such that it was difficult
to see the body even with glasses.
The tahr is fairly common all along
the higher Himalayan Kange. Its-
bones are believed to be a sovereign
cure for rheumatism, and are exported

to India for that object. A smaller kind is found in the mountains of Eastern Arabia, where

very few English sportsmen have yet cared to attempt to shoot them.

by permission oj P. ThomiUf, MJ.

NUBIAN GOAT.

These goats come from Nubia and Upper Egypt. They are generally hornless
and short-haired ; the colour varies, being sometimes black, and sometimes tan and
spotted.

THE NILGIRI TAHR, OR NILGIRI IBEX.

Though not an ibex, the sportsmen of India early gave this name to the tahr of the
Nilgiri and Anamalai Hills. The Himalayan species is covered with long, shaggy hair ; the
South Indian has short, smooth brown hair.

"The ibex," says Hawkeye, the Indian sportsman, of this animal, "is massively formed,
with short legs, remarkably strong fetlocks, and a heavy carcase, short and well ribbed up,
combining strength and agility wonderful to behold. Its habits are gregarious, and the does
are seldom met with separate from the flock or herd, though males often are. The latter
assume, as they grow old, a distinctive appearance. The hair on the back becomes lighter,
almost white in some cases, causing a kind of saddle to appear; and from that time they
become known to the shikaries as the saddle-backs of the herd, an object of ambition to
the eyes of the true sportsman. It is a pleasant sight to watch a herd of ibex feeding
undisturbed, the kids frisking here and there on pinnacles or ledges of rock and beetling
cliffs where there seems scarcely safe hold for anything much larger than a grasshopper, the
old mother looking calmly on. Then again, see the caution observed in taking up their
resting- or abiding-places for the day, where they may be warmed by the sun, listening to
the war of many waters, chewing the cud of contentment, and giving themselves up to the
full enjoyment of their nomadic life and its romantic haunts. Usually, before reposing, one
of their number, generally an old doe, may be observed gazing intently below, apparently
scanning every spot in the range of her vision, sometimes for half an hour or more,
before she is satisfied that all is well, but, strange to say, seldom or never looking up to-
the rocks above. Then, being satisfied on the one side, she follows the same process on the
other, and eventually lies down calmly, contented with the precautions she has taken.
Should the sentinel be joined by another, or her kid come and lie by her, they always lie
back to back, in such a manner as to keep a good look-out to either side. A solitary
male goes through all this by himself, and wonderfully careful he is ; but when with
the herd he reposes in security, leaving it to the female to take precautions for their
joint safety."

Plioto by Fratdli Al'uuai}

ITALIAN GOAT.
Prom the earliest Roman days these goats have been the main form of livestock kept by the mountaineers of the Apennines.

237

[Florence.

238

The Living Animals of the World

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.

America possesses only one species of wild
goat, the place of this genus being taken in the
southern part of the continent by the camel-like
guanacos. The ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT, the North
American representative of the group, is a some-
what anomalous creature. It has very few of the
characteristics of the European and Asiatic species.
In place of being active in body and vivacious
in temperament, it is a quiet, lethargic creature,
able, it is true, to scale the high mountains of the
North-west and to live among the snows, but with
none of the energetic habits of the ibex or the
tahr. In form it is heavy and badly built. It is
heavy in front and weak behind, like a bison. The
eye is small, the head large, and the shoulders
humped. It feeds usually on very high ground ;
but hunters who take the trouble to ascend to these
altitudes find little difficulty in killing as many wild
goats as they wish. These goats are most numerous
in the ranges of British Columbia, where they are
found in small flocks of from three or four to
twenty. Several may be killed before the herd is
thoroughly alarmed, possibly because at the high
altitudes at which they are found man has seldom
disturbed them. None of the domesticated sheep
or goats of the New World are indigenous to the
continent of America. It is a curious fact, well
worth studying from the point of view of the history
of man, that, with the exception of the llama, the

dog, and perhaps the guinea-pig, every domesticated animal in use from Cape Horn to the

Arctic Ocean has been imported. The last of these importations is the reindeer, which, though

the native species abounds in the Canadian woods, was obtained from Lapland and Eastern Asia.
The history of this effort at acclimatisation is curious, and may be quoted in this connection.

When the first rush to Klondike was made, the miners were imprisoned and inaccessible during

the late winter. The coming of spring was the earliest period at which communication could

be expected to be restored, and even then

the problem of feeding the transport animals

was a difficult one. The United States

Government decided to try to open up a

road from Alaska by means of sledges drawn

by reindeer, and the Canadian Government

devised a similar scheme. Agents were sent

to Lapland and to the tribes on the western

side of Bering Sea, and deer, drivers, and

harness obtained from both. The deer

were not used for the Klondike relief ex-
peditions by the Americans ; but the animals

and their drivers were kept in Alaska, native

reindeer were caught, and the latest news of Pkoto by Migs E - J - Beck -

the experiment is that the deer were found HIMALAYAN TAHR AND YOUNG.

Very Useful for Carrying the mails in winter. The typical representative of the short-horned wild goats.

Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.

This is one of the few animals which are white at all seasons
of the year. The horns and hoofs are jet- black, forming a
striking contrast to the beautiful coat.

CHAPTER XV.

THE ANTELOPES.

BY F. C. SELOUS.

rTIHE TRUE ANTELOPES (including the Gazelles) are strictly
1 confined to the Old World, the Prongbuck of North
America differing so much from all other living
ruminants, in its horn growth and other particulars, that
it is considered to be the sole representative of a distinct
family.

THE HARTEBEESTS.

With the exception of one species the Bubal which is
found both in North Africa and Arabia, the HARTEBEESTS are
entirely confined to the African Continent. They are animals
of large size, standing from 43 to 48 inches at the shoulder,
and are characterised by their long, narrow faces, high withers,
and doubly curved horns, which are present in both sexes.
Nine different species of this group are known to exist.

Although the ranges of these various species of harte-
beest cover the greater part of the African Continent, it is
noteworthy that each species keeps to its own ground, their
several ranges but rarely overlapping.

All the hartebeests have a strong family resemblance,
and are very similar in their habits. They are never found
either in dense forests or in swampy or mountainous country,
but are inhabitants of the arid deserts of Northern and
South-western Africa, and of the open grassy plains and
thinly forested regions of the high plateaux of the interior
of that continent. They are extraordinarily fleet and enduring,
and in my own experience I have never heard of one of
these animals, of whatever species, having been overtaken or

ridden to a standstill by a man on horseback. They are very inquisitive, and where they
have not been molested will allow any unaccustomed object such as a European in clothes
to walk to within easy shot of them before running off. They soon gain experience, however;
and in countries where they have been most persecuted hartebeests are the keenest-sighted
and the most wary of all African game. They are very fond of climbing to the top of the
large ant-heaps with which the plains of Africa are profusely studded, and from this point of
vantage surveying the surrounding country. They live, I believe, entirely upon grass, and
in the desert areas of their range seem able to subsist for long periods without drinking
water. Their meat I have always thought very palatable. They are generally in fairly good
condition, though they seldom carry much fat. Their fat, after being melted, becomes solid
again immediately on cooling, and clogs on the teeth whilst being eaten. But very few African
species, except the eland, ever become really fat ; their life is too active, and the food-supply
too uncertain, for them to put on flesh like European deer.

239

Photo by Miss E J. Beck.

BUBALINE HARTEBEEST.

A small species, found in Syria as well as in
North Africa.

240

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by Percy Askmden
A species

BLESBOK.

formerly very numerous in South Africa, but now -well-nigh
exterminated.

BONTEBOK AND BLESBOK GROUP.

Nearly allied to the hartebeests are
certain other anteloj.es, of which it will be
sufficient to mention but two species viz.
the BONTEEOK and the BLESBOK. These two
antelopes, though doubtless distinct, since
their points of difference are constant and
unvarying, are nevertheless so much alike,
and evidently so closely allied, that I look
upon the former as a highly coloured and
sjiecialised race of the latter. The blesbok
once had a far wider range than the
bontebok, and ran in countless herds on
the plains of the northern districts of the
Cape Colony, the Orange Biver Colony, the
Transvaal, Griqualand West, and British
Bechuanaland, whilst the latter animal has
always been confined to the sandy wastes
in the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, the
extreme southern point of Africa.

I think it, however, not improbable
that ages ago the blesbok ranged right
through Cape Colony to the sea-shore, and
that subsequently the gradual desiccation

of the south-western portions of the country which is still continuing or several years of

continuous drought, caused the withdrawal of the species northwards from the waterless parts

of the country. Those, however, which had reached the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, where

there is plenty of water, would have remained behind and formed an isolated race, which, being

influenced by local conditions, would naturally in course of time have become differentiated

from the parent stock. Be this as it may, the bontebok of to-day is nothing but a glorified

blesbok, being slightly larger and

more richly coloured than the

latter animal. Its horns, too, are

always black, whilst those of the

blesbok are of a greenish hue.

When they are in good condition,

the coats of both these species

of antelope, as well as of the

SASSABY, another member of this

grouj), show a beautiful satiny

sheen, which plays over their

purple-brown hides like shadows

on sunlit water.

The few bonteboks which still

survive are now all preserved on

large enclosed farms; but their

numbers are very small less than

300, it is believed. The farmers

of Dutch descent now do their

best to preserve rare species on WHITE-TAILED GNU AND CALF.

their land. This" Wildebeest' io now believed to be practically exterminated as a wild animal

Photo i y /. w.

[Highbury.

241

Shotu by the Duchess of Bedford]

A COW BRINDLED GNU.

This gnu, which is still found in great numbers in Bast Central Africa, indulges in the same curious antics as the white-tailed species.

THE GNUS.

These remarkable animals were once distributed throughout the greater part of Africa from
the Cape to Abyssinia, and their range is even now very extensive, though what was once the
most numerous and the most eccentric-looking species of the group has almost ceased to exist.

The gnus are of large size, and at first sight appear to have the head of a buffalo, the
tail of a horse, and the limbs and hoofs of an antelope. Their heads are very massive, with
broad muzzles and widely separated, hairy nostrils; their necks are maned, tails long and
bushy, and both sexes carry horns. They are known as " wilde beeste." or " wild cattle," to
the Dutch colonists of South Africa.

The WHITE-TAILED GNU, or BLACK
WILDEBEEST, as it is more commonly called,
was once found in great numbers on the
karroos of Northern Cape Colony, and through-
out the vast plains of the Orange River
Colony, Transvaal, Griqualand W^est, and
British Bechuanaland. Its range, in fact,
was coequal with that of the blesbok. Even
as lately as in 1875 and 1876 I personally
saw very considerable herds of these quaint
animals in the Orange River Colony and the
Western Transvaal. When the present war
broke out in 1899, there were only two
herds of black wildebeest left alive. These
animals numbered some 500 head altogether,
and were protected by Dutch farmers. There

o 1

Photo by MitsE.J. Beck.

RED-FLANKED DUIKER.

The duikers are for the n)ost p ^ rt diminutive and graceful
simple, spike-like homs.

, with

242

The Living Animals of the World

are probably very few of them left to-day, and it is scarcely possible that this most interesting
animal will long escape complete extinction.

Black wildebeests, before they had been much persecuted, were so inquisitive that, in the
words of Gordon Gumming, they would " caper and gambol " round a hunter's waggon or any
other unusual object, and sometimes approach to within a couple of hundred yards, when,
whisking their long white tails, they would gallop off with loud snorts. They were always,
however, very keen-sighted, and soon became extremely wary and almost impossible to approach
on foot in the open plains they frequented, whilst their powers of endurance and fleetness of
foot were such that they could only be overtaken by a well-mounted hunter. In spite of
these advantages, however, the value of their skins, and the ever-increasing number of hunters,
armed with long-range rifles, practically brought about the extermination of this species of gnu
in a few decades.

The BRINDLED GNU is a larger animal than the last-named species, standing 4^ feet and
upwards at the shoulder. This animal once ranged from the Vaal Kiver northwards, throughout
Eastern and Central Africa, to the north of Kilimanjaro, where its range overlaps that of
a closely allied form, the WHITE-BEARDED GNU, which is only found in certain districts of
Eastern Africa. In general habits these two varieties seem to be identical.

In the interior of Southern Africa, both north
and south of the Zambesi, I have met with very
large numbers of BLUE WILDEBEESTS. They usually
run in herds of from ten to twenty individuals, but
towards the end of the dry season collect in droves of
200 or 300. They are often found in company with
zebras and sassaby antelopes. Their flesh resembles
coarse beef, and, to my thinking, is not ill-flavoured.

THE SMALLER BUCKS.

In addition to the great number of antelopes
of large size which inhabit the African Continent,
there are also very many small species, the life
'history and habits of some of which are as yet
but imperfectly known, since they are denizens of
dense forests, and feed principally at night.

All these small African antelopes are divided into
two sub-families. The first comprises the African
DUIKERS and the Indian FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE, and
the second the DIK-DIKS, ORIBIS, KLIPSPRINGER, and
certain other small bush-antelopes.

The African duikers are distributed throughout
Africa south of the Sahara, and are represented
by some twenty different species, the largest of
which approaches a small donkey in size, whilst the
smallest is not much larger than a hare.

The majority of these dainty little antelopes
are inhabitants of the dense tangled forests of the
coast-belts of Africa, and are therefore but seldom
seen by travellers and sportsmen. One species of
the group, however, the COMMON DUIKER of South
Africa, is a very well-known animal. This little
antelope inhabits much more open country than
most of its congeners, and has an enormous range,
extending from Cape Agulhas to Somaliland, whilst

Photo ly Miss E. J. Beck.

KLIPSPRINGER.

The " cliff-jumper " is as active in its habits as a chamois, and
is found in most of the mountain-ranges of Africa.

Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd,]

SING-SING WATERBUCK.
The sing-sing and its relatives differ from the true waterbuck by the absence of the white elliptical ring on the rump.

243

[Aberdeen.

244

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by IF. P. Dando"] [Regent's Park.

MOUNTAIN EEEDBUCK.
One of a group of small antelopes still common in many parts of Africa.

two very nearly allied forms are found
in Senegal and Abyssinia respectively.
In most species of duikers both
sexes are horned, but in the case of
the common duiker it is very excep-
tional to find a female with horns,
and in all my experience I have only
known of three such cases.

The FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE is the
Indian representative of the African
duikers, and is found along the foot
of the Himalaya from the Punjab to
Nepal, and in suitable localities through-
out the peninsula of India. It frequents
wooded hills, but avoids dense jungle.
Like its nearest allies, the duikers, it
is solitary in its habits, more than
two of these antelopes seldom being
seen together. The growth of four horns
on the skull of this antelope and on

certain breeds of domesticated sheep is a curious fact which has not roused as much comment

as it deserves.

THE KLIPSPRINGER.

Turning to the second sub-family, we may select the KLIPSPRINGER as the most characteristic
species to describe. This beautiful little animal, which is often called the African Chamois, is
found in suitable localities from the Cape to Abyssinia. In the southern and northern portions
of its range the klipspringer is an inhabitant only of rugged mountain-ranges, and ascends
to a height of 9,000 or 10,000 feet above sea-level. In the more central regions of its
habitat, however, although it always lives amongst rocks, and thoroughly justifies its name
of "rock-jumper," it is often found in regions where there are no high mountain-ranges. It
used to be very common in Matabililand, both in the Matopo Hills and on the isolated
granite kopjes which are so numerous
in that country, and usually are
not more than 200 or 300 feet in
height. In Mashonaland I have found
it living amongst granite rocks in
the beds of the larger rivers, and
actually on the same level as the
surrounding country ; whereas on
Wedza, a great mountain-mass of
slate and ironstone, which rises to
a height of about 2,000 feet above
the surrounding country, and to the
top of which I once climbed, I did
not see any klipspringers. The hoofs
of this little animal are curiously
different from those of any other
African antelope, being remarkably
short and small, with very deep

holloWS. This adaptation to its Photo ^ S.O. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.

requirements enables the klipspringer MALE IMPALA ' OR PALLA '

, . . PIII i, The beautifully curved horns of the male palla form some of the most gracetul or

to obtain a foothold on any small trophies.

The Antelopes

245

projecting piece of rock, and to climb in a series of little jumps up the faces of cliffs which
seem almost perpendicular.

In height the klipspringer stands about 1 foot 9 inches at the shoulder. The males alone
carry horns, which are straight and ringed at the base, and vary from 3 to 5 inches in
length. The coat is of a greeny yellow-brown colour, with the hairs hollow and brittle. These
little animals are usually met with singly, or in twos and threes together. When caught
young, they become wonderfully tame, and make the most charming pets, being very playful
and fond of jumping, with surprising ease and grace, from the floor of a room on to any
elevated position, such as a table, mantelpiece, or window-sill.

THE WATERBUCKS.

The largest animals in the first of three groups now to be considered are the WATERBUCKS,.
antelopes of stout and sturdy build, standing from 45 to 50 inches at the shoulder, and covered
with long, coarse hair, especially on the neck, in both sexes. The males alone carry horns,
which vary from 20 to 36 inches in length, and are strongly ringed in front for three-fourths
of their length. They are sublyrate in shape, being first inclined backwards and then forwards
at the tips. There are three well-marked species of waterbuck viz. the COMMON WATERBUCK
of South Africa, whose range
extends from the Limpopo
northwards, through Nyasa-
land to German and British
East Africa, and to the
Shebeyli Eiver, in Somali-
land ; the SING-SING of Senegal
and Gambia ; and the DEFASSA
WATERBUCK of Western
Abyssinia and the Nile Valley,
south to Uganda and British
and German East Africa. In
habits all species of water-
buck are very similar. They
live generally, though not
invariably, in herds of from
ten to twenty individuals, and
in such small herds there is

seldom more than one full-grown male present. In the interior of South Africa the waterbuck
is often met with amongst steep stony hills and at a distance of more than a mile from the
nearest river. Speaking generally, however, this antelope may be said to frequent the near
neighbourhood of water, but to prefer dry to swampy ground. When chased by dogs it always
makes for water, and will plunge fearlessly into broad, deep rivers, regardless of crocodiles, to
which ravenous reptiles it sometimes falls a victim. In South Africa waterbuck vary much in
colour even in the same district, some being reddish brown, whilst others are of a very dark
grey. The flesh of the waterbuck is coarse, and sometimes rather strongly tasted, and when
in good condition the fat is very hard.

The REEDBUCKS are similar in essential characters to the waterbucks, but are of
smaller size, and have more bushy tails, and naked spots on the sides of the head beneath
the ears.

Of this group the COMMON REEDBUCK of South Africa is the best known. This animal
stands 3 feet at the withers, and is of a soft greyish fawn-colour, with a large fluffy tail, which
is always thrown up when the animal runs, exposing the white under-surface. The males alone
carry horns, which curve backwards and then forwards, and attain a length of from 12 to 16
inches. Reedbucks are met with singly or in twos and threes, and never congregate in herds,

Photo by S. ff. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission

MALE SAIGA ANTELOPES.

These antelopes inhabit the Bast Russian steppes. The thick woolly coat turns nearly white in

winter.

246

The Living Animals of the World

though I have seen as many as eight, belonging probably to three or four families, feeding in
close proximity to one another on young green grass.

Another member of the reedbuck group is the Eooi EHEBUCK of South Africa. This
latter species, though a much smaller animal, is very similar to the common reedbuck in
colour, shape, and general appearance ; it is quite distinct in its habits and mode of life, as it
lives in small herds of from four or five to fifteen head, amongst rugged stony hills, often far
from water.

THE BLACKBUCK OF INDIA.

This handsome species is found throughout India wherever there are open cultivated
plains. The male stands about 32 inches at the shoulder, and when full grown is of a
glossy black colour, with the exception of a chestnut-coloured patch at the back of the neck,
and some markings of the same colour about the face. The belly and insides of the limbs
are pure white, the line between the black and white being very clearly defined. The whole
body and frame are very compact, strong, and beautifully proportioned, and the head is carried

high. The males alone
in shape, annulated almost to
from 18 to 28 inches. Young
coloured instead of black,
met with in considerable
cultivated tracts alternate with
much damage to the natives'
first execute a series of pro-
before finally settling down to
prisingly fleet, and can seldom
greyhounds, although they
down without difficulty by
are often called, hunting-
The PALLA, which is
Eastern Africa from Bechuana-
the most graceful of animals,
and is never found far from
general bright reddish brown,
alone carry horns, which are
vary from 14 to upwards of
finest specimens of the palla
southerly and most northerly
animals inhabiting the inter-
and carrying shorter horns,
in herds of from twenty to
alarmed, they bound over

Photo by Miss . J. Beck.

ARABIAN GAZELLE

Gazelles are some of the most slenderly built
of all antelopes.

carry horns, which are spiral
the tips, and vary in length
bucks and does are fawn-
These antelopes are usually
herds on open plains in which
waste land, and they often do
crops. When alarmed, they
digious bounds into the air
a steady run. They are sur-
be overtaken by the fastest
can be caught and pulled
trained cheetas, or, as they
leopards.

found in Southern and
land to Kordofan, is one of
It is a forest-loving species,
water. Both sexes are of a
with white bellies. The males
very graceful in shape, and
20 inches in length. The
are met with in the extreme
portions of its range, the
mediate districts being smaller
Pallas are gregarious, living
over one hundred. When
bushes or any other obstacles

with the utmost ease and grace, and appear to get over the ground at a high rate of speed.
They are, however, very commonly run down and torn to pieces by wild dogs, which hunt in
packs, and are very destructive to African game.

Of far less graceful appearance than the two preceding species is the SAIGA, which,
though structurally closely allied to the gazelles, has been placed by naturalists in a genus
by itself.

This curious-looking animal, which is chiefly remarkable for its large swollen-looking nose
and light-coloured horns, is an inhabitant of the steppes of South-eastern Europe and
Western Asia. In height it stands about 30 inches at the withers, and is of a dull yellowish
colour in summer, turning to nearly white in winter. The males alone carry horns, which are
sometimes 13 or 14 inches long, and of a peculiar colour which has been likened to pale amber.

The Antelopes

247

At the present day the saiga is only found in Europe on the plains between the Don
and the Volga, but to the east of the Ural Kiver its range extends over the Kirghiz Steppes
and the high plains of all Western Siberia. Living in open country, and having the senses of
hearing, sight, and scent all highly developed, the saiga is a difficult animal to approach, and
can only be successfully stalked by an expert hunter. In summer it is usually met with in
small, scattered bands, which, when driven southwards by snow and cold, are collected into
considerable herds in the more southerly portions of its range. In very severe winters whole
herds have been known to perish in snow-drifts, and in such inclement seasons large numbers
are also killed by the natives. The flesh of the saiga is said to resemble mutton, and is held
in much esteem.

THE G-AZELLES.

We now come to the Gazelles, among which are comprised many of the best known
and most beautiful of the small or medium-sized antelopes. In the true gazelles both sexes
generally carry horns. Indeed, this rule is universal in those of Africa and Arabia ; and there

By permission of fferr Carl Hagenbeck]

GOITEED GAZELLES PROM MESOPOTAMIA.

These animals are inhabitants of rocky and desert ground. They are often kept tame by the wandering Arabs.

[Hamburg.

are only four species known all Asiatic in which the females are hornless: viz. the TIBETAN
GAZELLE, PREJEVALSKI'S G-AZELLE, the MONGOLIAN GAZELLE, and the PERSIAN GAZELLE.

The range of the various species belonging to this large group is very extensive, comprising
the whole of Northern and Eastern Africa, Arabia, and Western and Central Asia, as well as
Mongolia and India. The gazelles are inhabitants of the open plains and arid desert regions
of the Old World, and, although sometimes met with in tracts of country where there is a
certain amount of scattered bush or open stunted forest, are never found in any kind of jungle
or thick cover.

On the sandy plains of North-western Africa are found the BED-FRONTED GAZELLE of
Senegal and Gambia ; the little-known MHORR GAZELLE of South-western Morocco ; and the
DAMA GAZELLE, a species which has been known to naturalists ever since the time of Buffon.
A near ally of the last-named animal is the EED-NECKED GAZELLE of Dongola and Senaar. In
North-eastern Africa are found the large and handsome SOEMMERRING'S G-AZELLE; the ISABELLA
GAZELLE, of the coastlands of the Eed Sea ; HEUGLIN'S GAZELLE ; PELZELN'S GAZELLE, of the
maritime plains of Northern Somaliland ; and SPEKE'S GAZELLE, of the interior of the same
country; whilst farther south the group is represented by the large and beautiful GRANT'S

248

The Living Animate of the World

ledland, F.Z.S.'} [Sortlt. Fincldey.

SPEKE'S GAZELLE.

Found in the interior of Northern Somaliland.

GAZELLE, with its allies PETERS'S
GAZELLE and THOMSON'S GAZELLE. The
well-known DORCAS GAZELLE is an
inhabitant of Morocco and Algeria,
ranging through Egypt into Palestine
and Syria ; the MARICA GAZELLE, the
MUSCAT GAZELLE, and the ARABIAN
GAZELLE inhabit the deserts of Arabia ;
the EDMI GAZELLE is found in the
mountain-ranges of Morocco, Algeria,
and Tunis ; while LODER'S GAZELLE
inhabits the sandy tracts of the interior
of Algeria and Tunis. In Asia, besides
the four species of gazelle already
enumerated in which the females are
hornless, one other member of the
group is met with. This is the INDIAN
GAZELLE, a species very closely allied to
the Arabian form.
Of the whole genus GRANT'S GAZELLE is the most beautiful. This handsome animal, which

was first discovered by the explorers Speke and Grant in 1860, is an inhabitant of Eastern

Africa, from the neighbourhood of Lake Kudolph southwards to Ugogo. In size the average

height at the shoulder of males of this species is about 34 inches. The coat is close and

short and of a general fawn colour, the rump and belly pure white, and the face marked with

a rufous band from the horns to the nose and with streaks of white on each side. The upper

surface of the tail is white, with a black and tufted tip. The horns, which are very elegant

in shape, being first curved slightly forwards and then backwards, are much longer and more

powerful than in any other gazelle, and attain a length of 30 inches in the males and 17 inches

in the females.

Grant's gazelles, though they undoubtedly find their most congenial home in open

country, have also been met with by recent travellers in bush-sprinkled wastes and stony,

rugged hills. They are, however, never found in dense jungles or high mountains. They live

in herds of from half a dozen to twenty or thirty individuals, though in certain localities as

many as 200 have been seen together. They

are fond of consorting with other game, such as

Burchell's and Grevy's zebras, Coke's hartebeest,

and the beisa oryx, and are often met with at

long distances from the nearest water. They

are keen-sighted and wary, and from the open

character of the country in which they are

usually encountered are often difficult to stalk.

When in good condition, the meat of this gazelle

is said to be excellent.

The nearest ally of the true gazelles is

undoubtedly the SPRINGBUCK of South Africa.

Owing to the protection which it has received

of late years, this graceful antelope is now a

common animal in many parts of South Africa,

and in the north-western portions of the Cape

Colony still sometimes collects into prodigious P hoto i y w. p. Dando] [Regent* Park.

herds, which travel through the country in dense GAZELLES FROM EGYPT.

masses, destroying every Vestige of graSS On the Seen in great numbers when our troops crossed the Bayuda Desert.

The Antelopes

249

Photo by W. P.

[Regent's Park.

BED-FRONTED GAZELLE.
Inhabits Dongola and Senaar.

line of their advance, and causing considerable
anxiety to farmers, whose flocks of sheep
and goats are sometimes swept away by the
migrating springbucks. In former years the
migration of these antelopes in countless
thousands from the deserts of Namaqualand
to the countries farther south was a common
occurrence, an unerring instinct guiding the
wandering herds to districts where rain had
lately fallen and caused a new growth of
green grass. The animals composing these
migrating herds were called by the Dutch
settlers of the Cape Colony " Trekbokken," or
" travelling-bucks."

Two other antelopes, the DIBATAG and
the GERENUK, are included in the present
group; but both, whilst typically gazelline
in certain respects, differ so much in other
ways from all members of that group that
each has been placed in a separate genus.

The DIBATAG is a very remarkable-
looking antelope, only found in certain

districts of Central Somaliland, where it was first discovered by Mr. T. W. H. Clarke in 1890.
This species shows the face-markings of the gazelles, whilst the horns, which are only present
in the males, much resemble in shape those of a reedbuck. They are rather short, attaining
a length of only 11 or 12 inches, and their basal halves are strongly ringed in front.
The neck of this antelope is singularly long and thin, and the tail, which is held curved
forwards over the back when the animal is in motion, is also much elongated, and only tufted
at the tip. The dibatag frequents sandy ground sparsely covered with low thorn-bushes,
and lives in small families, being usually met
with in twos or threes, whilst it is rare
to find more than four or five consorting
together.

The GERENUK, like the last-named animal,
is an East African species, but has a
more extended range, being found all over
Somaliland, and thence southwards to the
Tana Valley and the Kilimanjaro district of
British East Africa. The most remarkable
external characteristic of this species is the
excessively long neck. The males alone
carry horns, which attain an average length
of 12 or 13 inches, and, though somewhat
gazelle-like in shape, are more strongly
crooked forwards at the points. The skull
of this species is more dense and solid in
structure than in the true gazelles, and the
cheek-teeth are smaller in size.

Coming now to the Sable Antelope
group, we find an assemblage of antelopes
which are all of large size and handsome
appearance, and in all of which both the

Photo by W. P. Dando]

RED-FRONTED GAZELLE.

Another view of the specimen shown above.

250

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by Percy Ashenden]

[Cape Town.

MALE SPRINGBUCK.

Once the most numerous species in South Africa, where it is still not uncommon. Its migrations, or "treks," at certain seasons were one

of the sights of the veldt.

males and females are horned. With the single exception of the BEATRIX ORYX, which
inhabits Arabia, all these antelopes are denizens of Africa. One species of the group, the
BLUEBUCK, which appears to have been entirely confined to the mountainous districts of the
Cape Peninsula, became extinct during the first decade of the last century. Little is known
as to the life history of this animal, but it was undoubtedly nearly allied to the larger and
more handsomely marked KOAN ANTELOPE. This latter animal once had a more extensive
range than any other antelope, as it was found in almost every part of Africa south of
the Sahara, with the exception of the Congo forest region. It has now been exterminated
in the more southerly portions of the country, but from the Limpopo to the Upper Nile,
and thence to the Niger, it is still to be found wherever the surroundings are suitable to its
requirements.

A large bull roan antelope will stand 4 feet 9 inches at the withers. The general colour
of the body differs in individuals, even in the same district, varying from a very light shade
of brown to dark grey or red-roan. The front and sides of the face are jet-black in the adult
male, and dark reddish brown in the female, with two long white tufts of hair under the
eyes. The muzzle and extremity of the lower jaw are white. The hair on the under side of
the neck is long and coarse, and a stiff mane about 3 inches in length runs from behind
the ears to the withers. The ears are very long, and in the females and young males
tufted. The horns are curved backwards, and in the male are very stout and strong, attaining

The Antelopes

251

a length of from 26 to 34 inches. In the female the horns are shorter and slighter, and
not so strongly ringed.

Eoan antelope are usually met with in small herds of from six to a dozen members, and
never congregate in large numbers. I do not think I have ever counted as many as thirty
together. I have found them fairly common in certain districts, but nowhere very plentiful.
They frequent open plains and thinly forested country, and are never found far away from water.
Bucks often become savage when wounded, and will sometimes charge viciously if approached
incautiously. They can use their horns with great dexterity, and play havoc with a pack of dogs.

The SABLE ANTELOPE, though considerably smaller than the roan, is yet a handsomer
animal. In colour the adult male, when in high condition, is jet-black all over with the
exception of the white face-markings and the snow-white of the belly and insides of the
thighs. The mane is longer and more bushy than in the roan antelope, and often hangs down
on either side over the withers. The horns, too, are much finer, and, sweeping backwards
in a bold curve, are commonly upwards of 42 inches long, and have been known to reach
50 inches. The striking colour, large size, and horns of this creature make it one of the
most-prized trophies of the sportsman. The skin, when prepared and laid down as a rug
in halls or dwelling-rooms, is far more handsome than that of any deer. The female of this
species is usually of a rich
red-brown in colour instead
of black as in the male.
South of the Zambesi, how-
ever, old cows become almost
absolutely black. North of
the Zambesi both male and
female sable antelopes are
dark red in colour rather
than black. The horns in
the female are slighter and
less curved than in the
male, and are also consider-
ably shorter, as a rule not
measuring over 30 inches in
length.

The range of the sable
antelope extends from the
northern districts of the
Transvaal to German East
Africa. In the country be-
tween the Limpopo and the
Central Zambesi it used to
be a very common animal,
especially in the northern
districts of Mashonaland. It
is partial to open forests
intersected by grassy, well-
watered glades, and is never
found on open plains entirely
devoid of bush. It is usually
met with in herds of from
twelve to twenty individuals,
but I have often seen as
many as fifty, and once

Photo ly S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.

SABLE ANTELOPE.

A near ally of the Boan Antelope, from which it is broadly distinguished by its striking colora-
tion black and white.

252

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by the Duchea of Bedford}

[ Woburn Abbey.

KOAN ANTELOPE.

In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry

horns.

had four valuable hounds
killed and four others
grievously wounded by one
of these animals in less than
a minute. I once knew a
native hunter who was stabbed
through the kidneys and
killed by a sable antelope cow.
The nearest allies of the
sable and roan antelopes are
the various species of the
genus Oryx. In this group
are included the WHITE ORYX,
which inhabits the desert
regions of the interior of
Northern Africa from Dongola
to Senegal ; the BEATRIX
ORYX of Southern Arabia ;
the G-EMSBUCK of South-
western Africa ; the BEISA,.
which is found in North-east
Africa from Suakim south-
wards to the river Tana ; and
the TUFTED BEISA, which is

counted between seventy and
eighty together. However large
a herd of sable antelopes may
be, it is very exceptional to
find with it more than one fully
adult male, from which fact I
should judge that these animals
are of a very jealous and
pugnacious disposition. ^ When
wounded and brought to bay by
dogs, a sable antelope defends
itself with the utmost fury,
using its long scimitar-shaped
horns with most wonderful quick-
ness and dexterity. If badly
wounded it will lie down, other-
wise it fights standing. Keeping
its face to some of its foes, with
a sideways twist of its head
it will transfix and throw into
the air any dog which attempts
to attack it from behind. I
have seen a wounded sable
antelope, when lying down,
drive one of its horns clean
through a large dog deep into
its own haunch, and I have

Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.]

MALE OP GRANT'S GAZELLE.

This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind.

The Antelopes

253

very nearly related to the last-named species, whose place it takes south of the Tana River in
certain districts of British and German East Africa. In general appearance there is a strong
family resemblance between the different species of oryx. In all of them both sexes carry
horns, which are considerably longer, though somewhat slighter, in the females than in the
males. In the white oryx the horns are curved backwards ; but in the other four species they
are straight, or nearly so. In all the faces are conspicuously banded with black and white,
and the tails long, with large dark terminal brushes. The two most desert-loving species, the
white and the Beatrix oryx, are paler in general body-colour than the other three, and
the latter animal is considerably smaller than any other member of the group, standing not
more than 35 inches at the withers. The gemsbuck is the largest and undoubtedly the
handsomest of the group, standing 4 feet at the shoulders ; the horns of the females are
often upwards of 40 inches long, and have been known to attain a length of 48 inches.

In habits ail species of oryx seem to be very similar. They are denizens of the arid sun-
scorched plains of Africa, which are not necessarily devoid of all kind of vegetation, but are
often covered with stunted bush, and carry a plentiful crop of coarse grass after rain. Oryx
usually run in herds of
from four or five to fifteen
or twenty, though the
beisa, the most abundant
of the group, has been
met with in troops
numbering 400 or 500
head. All the oryx are
shy and wary, and in the
open country they usually
frequent are difficult to
approach on foot. If
pursued on horseback,
they run at a steady
gallop, which they can
maintain for long
distances, swinging their
bushy black tails from
side to side, and holding
their heads in such a
way that their long
straight horns are only

sloped slightly backwards. Fleet and enduring, however, as oryx undoubtedly are, I am of
opinion that in these respects the gemsbuck of South Africa, at any rate, is inferior to all
other large antelopes living in the same country, with the single exception of the eland. I
have often, when mounted on a fast horse, galloped right up to herds of gemsbuck, and on
two occasions have run antelopes of this species to an absolute standstill. Oryx of all
species should be approached with caution when badly wounded, as they are liable to make
short rushes, and can use their horns with great effect.

Nearly related to the antelopes of the Oryx group in many essential characteristics, yet at
once distinguishable by its spiral horns and broad reindeer-like feet, the desert-haunting ADDAX
has been placed in a separate genus, of which it is the sole representative.

This remarkable animal stands about 38 inches in height at the withers, and varies in
general colour at different seasons of the year, from brownish grey to a reddish hue. The
forehead is covered with a thick growth of bushy black hair, beneath which there is a patch
of white extending across the nose to under the eyes. The hindquarters, tail, and legs
are white. The horns are spiral, aiid are present in both sexes. In the male they attain

GROUP OF BEISA ORYX.

This most interesting photograph, taken by Lord Delamere, shows a group of these fine antelopes on the

Bast African plains.

254

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by S:G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.

WHITE ORYX.
Found in Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal.

a length of about 28 inches in
a straight line, and about 36
inches following the spiral. In
the female they are thinner and
less spirally curved. The addax
is confined to the desert regions
of Northern Africa from Dongola
to Senegal, and the broad, rounded
hoofs, so unlike those of any
other antelope, would seem to
show that it inhabits countries
where the soil is deep, soft
sand.

Very little is known of the
life history or habits of this
antelope. It is said to associate
in pairs or small herds, and to
be entirely independent of water,
though it travels great distances
over the desert in the track of
thunder-storms for the sake of
the young herbage which grows
so quickly wherever rain falls in

those thirsty regions. It is killed in considerable numbers by the Arabs for the sake

of its flesh and hide, and is either stalked or hunted on horseback, with the help of

greyhounds, by Europeans.

The last of the sub-families into which modern

naturalists have divided the antelopes of the

world comprises some of the handsomest species

of the whole group, and includes the largest of

all antelopes, the Eland, as well as such small

and beautifully marked creatures as the Harnessed

Bushbucks.

With one exception the Nilgai all the

members of this sub-family are denizens of the

great African Continent.

The NILGAI, or BLUE BULL, is an inhabitant

of India, and is found throughout the greater portion

of the peninsula, from the base of the Himalaya

to the south of Mysore. It is an animal of large

size, standing about 4 feet 6 inches at the shoulder.

In general colour the male is of a dark iron-grey,

the female tawny fawn. White spots on the cheeks

and just above the hoofs on the fore and hind feet

are the outward signs of its affinity to the African

harnessed antelopes. The male alone carries horns,

which are nearly straight and very small for the

size of the animal, rarely exceeding 9 inches in

length.

Passing now to the Harnessed Antelopes of

Africa, our attention is first claimed by the BUSH-
BUCKS. Excluding the Inyala and the Broad-

Photo by W. P. Dando]

BEISA OKYX.

[Regents Park.

The beisa is found in North-east Africa ; by some it is believed
to have suggested the original idea of the unicorn.

The Antelopes

255

horned Antelope, we find
several forms of the smaller
bushbucks recognised by
naturalists : viz. the
HARNESSED ANTELOPE of the
forest regions of Western
Africa; the CAPE BUSHBUCK
of South Africa ; CuMMlNG's
BUSHBUCK of Eastern Africa;
and the DECULA BUSHBUCK of
Abyssinia. The various forms
of bushbuck vary in general
colour from very dark brown
to various shades of grey-
brown, yellow-brown, and rich
red. In all species the young
are more or less striped and
spotted ; but whereas in some
forms the adult animals lose
their stripes and spots almost
entirely, in others the adults
are more richly marked than
immature specimens. For my
part, I am inclined to believe
that, if large series of bush-
buck-skins were collected
from every district through-
out Africa, it would be found
that all the varieties of this
animal at present accepted
as distinct species would be
found to grade into one
another in such a way that
only one true species could
be recognised.

The bushbucks vary in height at the shoulder from 28 inches to 33 inches, and only the
males carry horns, which are nearly straight, with a close spiral twist, and measure in adult
animals from 10 inches to 18 inches in length.

Bushbucks are not found in open country, but live in forest or thick bush near the
bank of a river, stream, or lake, and are never met with far from water. They are very
partial to wooded ravines amongst broken, mountainous country, provided such districts are well
watered ; and are very solitary in their habits, both males and females being usually found
alone, though the latter are often accompanied by a kid or half-grown animal. They are shy
and retiring, and should be looked for between daylight and sunrise, or late in the evening, as
they are very nocturnal in their habits, and lie concealed in long grass or thick bush during the
heat of the day. Their call resembles the bark of a dog, and may often be heard at nights.

The BROAD-HORNED ANTELOPE is only found in the forests of the West African coast range,
from Liberia to Gaboon. The male of this species is a very handsome animal, standing about
43 inches at the Withers, and is a bright chestnut-red in general colour, with a white spinal
stripe extending from the withers to the root of the tail, and fourteen or fifteen white stripes
on the shoulders, flanks, and hindquarters. The ears are large and rounded, and the horns very
massive, and about 30 inches in length, measured over the single spiral twist. There are two or

Plioto by S. Q. Payne, Ayivsbwry, by permission of the Hon. Walter Kotlvtchild.

GERENUK.
A gazelle : ttke antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting Xorth-east Africa.

256

FEMALE NILGAI.
The largest of the antelopes of India, and a distant cousin of the Kudu.

horns, which are only present in the male,
attain a length of about 2 feet in a straight
line, and 30 inches along their spiral curve.
The standing height at the. shoulder of males
of this species is about 42 inches.

This most beautiful antelope has a very
restricted range, being only found in a narrow
belt of coastland extending from St. Lucia Bay
to the Sabi River, in South-east Africa, and in
a still smaller area in the neighbourhood of the
Upper Shiri Kiver, in British Central Africa.

Before the acquisition of firearms by the
natives in South-east Africa, the inyala was very
plentiful in Northern Zululand and Amatonga-
land, and was then to be met with in herds of
from ten to twenty individuals ; whilst the males,
which at certain seasons of the year separated
from the females, were in the habit of consorting
together in bands of from five to eight. Constant
persecution by the natives in Amatongaland and
the countries farther north very much reduced
the numbers of inyalas in those districts a long
time ago ; but in Zululand, where this animal
has been strictly protected by the British
authorities for the last twenty years, it was still
plentiful up to 1896, when the rinderpest swept
over the country, and committed such sad

three large white spots on the cheeks, and a
broad white arrow-shaped mark across the nose
below the eyes. The female is similar in
coloration to the male, but smaller and hornless.

Little or nothing is known as to the
habits of this very beautiful antelope. Du
Chaillu, who met with it in the interior of
Gaboon between 1856 and 1859, says that it
is "very shy, swift of foot, and exceedingly
graceful in its motions " ; but he does not
tell us whether it lives in pairs like the
bushbucks, or in small herds like some of its
other near allies.

The INYALA is another bush-loving ante-
lope closely allied to the bushbucks. In this
species the general colour of the adult male
is a deep dark grey, that of the female and
young male bright yellow-red, and both sexes
are beautifully striped with narrow white
bands on the body and haunches. In the
male long dark hair hangs from the throat,
chest, and each side of the belly, and fringes
the front of the thigh almost to the hock,
and the back of it up to the root of the
tail. The ears are large and rounded ; and the

Photo by York 0: Son]

[Kottwg Hill.

ADDAX.

Unfortunately, the specimen from which this photograph was taken
had lost its splendid spiral horns.

Photo by York & Son, Netting Hill.

NORTHERN GIRAFFE.

Two distinct types of Giraffe exist ; the northern form, which has a large third horn, may be described as a

chocolate-coloured animal marked with a network of fine buff lines ; the southern form, in which

the third horn is small, is fawn coloured with irregular brown blotches.

The Antelopes

257

ravages amongst all the tragelaphine antelopes that it is to be feared the inyala can now no
longer be found anywhere in any considerable numbers. Where I met with these antelopes
some years ago, in the country to the south of Delagoa Bay, I found them living either alone
or in pairs like bushbucks. They frequented dense thickets in the immediate neighbourhood
of a river or lagoon, and I never saw one in anything like open country or far away from
water. Their tracks showed me that at night they were accustomed to feed in open spaces in
the bush, but they always retired to the jungle again at daylight, as they had become very
wary and cunning through constant persecution at the hands of the natives.

Closely allied to the bush-antelopes of the present group are the swamp-haunting SITATUNGAS.
Three species of these have been described, one from East Africa, named after Captain Speke ;
another from tropical West Africa ; and a third from Lake Ngami and the Chobi River, named
after the present writer.

There is very little difference between the adult males of these three species, except that
in the West African form the coat is of a darker colour than in the other two. The main
difference consists in the fact that,
whereas the female of Selous' sitatunga
is light brown in colour like the male,
and the newly born young are very
dark blackish brown (the colour of a
mole), beautifully striped and spotted
with pale yellow, the female and young
of the other two forms are red in
ground-colour, with white spots and
stripes. However, personally I am of
opinion that there is only one true
species of sitatunga in all Africa,
and that the differences between the
various forms are superficial, and
would be found to grade one into the
other, if a sufficiently large series of
skins of all ages and both sexes could
be gathered together from all parts
of the continent. In the Barotse
Valley, on the Upper Zambesi, my
friend Major K. T. Coryndon informs
me that both red and brown female
-sitatungas are met with. On the
Lower Chobi and Lake Ngami region

the females are never red, but always of the same brown colour as the males, whilst on the
Congo all the females are red.

The male sitatunga stands about 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, and varies in general
colour in different localities from light to dark brown. The adult females are either red with
a few faint stripes and spots, or light brown, only retaining very faint traces of any stripes or
spots. The young are, both in tropical West and Central East Africa, red, striped, and spotted
with white ; but in South-west Africa dark blackish brown, with spots and stripes of yellowish
white. The hoofs are excessively long, and the skin which covers the back of the pastern is
hairless, and of a very thick and horny consistency. The males alone carry horns, which are of
the same character as in the iriyala, but more spiral and longer, having been known to attain
& length of 28 inches in a straight line and 35 inches over the curve.

The sitatunga is an inhabitant of the extensive swamps which exist in many parts of the
interior of Africa. It may be said to live in the water, as it passes its life in flooded beds of
ceeds and papyrus, into the muddy bottoms of which its long hoofs, when splayed out, prevent

Photo by Mr. W. Rau]

A PAIR OP YOUNG PROXGBUCKS.

[Philadelphia.

From the fact that the horns of the males are annually shed, the prongbuck is
assigned to a group apart from the Antelopes.

258

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly the Duchess of Bedford]

FEMALE GORAL.

[Woburn Abbey.

The goral is a Himalayan antelope, with somewhat the habits of a chamois.

it from sinking.

When forced out into

dry ground by heavy

floods, the formation

of its feet so hinders

it in running that it

can be overtaken and

speared by a native

on foot. I was

informed by the

natives on the Chobi

River that, when the

floods enabled them

to paddle their canoes

through the reed-beds,

they often killed con-
siderable numbers of

the sitatungas. These

animals, they said,

when they saw a canoe

approaching, would

often not attempt to

seek safety by flight, but would sink down in the water, submerging their whole bodies, and

leaving only their nostrils above the surface, and in this position were easily speared.

The sitatunga is not gregarious, but is met with singly or in pairs. The hair is long,

but soft and silky; and the skins are much sought after by the natives for blankets.

In addition to the bushbucks and sitatungas, two more very notable spiral-horned African

antelopes remain to be mentioned namely, the GREATER KUDU and the LESSER KUDU.

The GREATER KUDU is one of the most magnificent-looking of the whole family of antelopes,

and is an animal of
large size, an adult
male standing 4 feet
9 inches and upwards
at the withers. The
general colour of this
species is light brown
to dark grey, the old
males looking much
darker than females
or younger animals,
because the scanti-
ness of their coats
shows the dark colour
of the skin beneath.
On each side of the
body and hind-
quarters there are
several white stripes,
which vary in number
from four to eight or
nine. As in all this
group of antelopes,

Photo by W. P. Dfindo]

[Regent's Park.

HARXESSED ANTELOPE.

A very beautiful species, in which the pround-colour of the coat is a rich chestnut, while the spots and stripes

are pure white.

The Antelopes

259

there are two or three cheek-spots, as well as an arrow-shaped white mark across the nose,
below the eyes. In the male there is a slight mane on the back of the neck, and a fringe
of long white and blackish-brown hair intermixed, extending from the throat to the chest. The
ears are very large and rounded, and the male is adorned with magnificent spiral horns, which
have been known to attain a length of 48 inches in a straight line from base to tip, and
64 inches over the curve.

The greater kudu once had a very wide range, which extended from the central portions
of the Cape Colony to Angola on the west, and on the east throughout East Africa up to
Abyssinia; but, with the single exception of the buffalo, no species of wild animal suffered
more from the terrible scourge of rinderpest which recently swept over the continent than
this lordly antelope, and it has almost ceased to exist in many districts of South and South
Central Africa, where up to 1896 it was still very numerous.

The greater kudu is a bush-loving antelope, and very partial to wooded hills, though it is
also plentiful in the neighbourhood of rivers which flow through level tracts of country covered
with forest and bush. In my own experience it is never found at any great distance from
water. It eats leaves and wild fruits as well as grass, and lives in small herds or families,
never, I believe, congregating in large numbers. In Southern Africa, at any rate, it was always
exceptional to see more than twenty greater kudus together, and I have never seen more than
thirty. At certain seasons of the year the males leave the females, and live alone or several
together. I once saw nine magnificently horned kudus standing on the bank of the Chobi, and

I have often seen four or five males
of this species consorting together.
As a rule the greater kudu is met
with in hilly country or in bush so
dense that a horse cannot gallop
through it at full speed ; but if met
with in open ground, a good horse
can overtake an old male without
much difficulty. The females are
much lighter and faster, and cannot
be overtaken in any kind of ground.
The greater kudu is one of the
most timid and inoffensive of animals,
and when attacked by dogs will not
make the slightest attempt to defend
itself either with its horns or by
kicking.

The LESSER KUDU in general
colour nearly resembles its larger
relative, but is much smaller, the
males only standing about 40 inches
at the withers, and it lacks the long
fringe of hair under the throat.
The white stripes on the body and
hindquarters are, however, more
numerous from eleven to fourteen ;
and the horns, which are only present
in the males, are less divergent, and
with the spiral curvature much closer
than in .the greater kudu.

The lesser kudu is an inhabitant
of Somaliland and the maritime

Photo by Percy Ashenden]

MALE KUDU.

A kudu bull stands about 5 feet or a little more at the withers, being in size only
inferior to the eland. The horns form a corkscrew-like spiral.

26o

The Living Animals of the World

districts of British East Africa. It frequents thick scrubby jungle, and is said to be exceedingly
watchful and wary. It lives either in pairs or in small families, but never congregates in large
herds. Like all the tragelaphine antelopes, this species is a leaf-eater, and feeds principally
during the night, lying up in thick bush during the heat of the day.

There remains to be mentioned but one other group of antelopes, the ELANDS, large,
heavily built animals, which belong to the present group, but differ from all species of kudu,
sitatunga, and bushbuck, inasmuch as both sexes are horned. There are two forms of the
COMMON ELAND namely, the grey variety of South-western Africa, and the striped animal, which
is found in the countries farther north and east. The two forms grade one into the other,
and are absolutely identical in their habits and mode of life, the differences between them
being merely superficial. To the south of the twenty-third parallel of south latitude all elands
are of a uniform fawn colour, except the old animals, which look dark grey, from the fact that

the scantiness of their coats allows the
dark colour of the skin to show through
the hair. Old males, when standing in
the shade of a tree, appear to be of a
deep blue-grey in colour, and are known
to the colonists of South Africa as " blue
bulls." In Ehodesia, South-east Africa,
and the countries to the north of the
Zambesi, all the elands are bright
chestnut-red when young, with a black
line down the centre of the back from
the withers to the tail, broad black
patches on the backs of the fore legs above
the knees, and eight or nine white stripes
on each side. When they grow old, the
ruddiness of the ground-colour gradually
fades, the black markings on the fore legs
die out, and the white stripes become
indistinguishable at a short distance, the
old bulls looking deep blue-grey in
general colour. Every intermediate stage
of colouring between the unstriped and
the highly coloured forms of eland is to
be found in the district lying between
the central portions of the Kalahari
Desert and the Zambesi Kiver. Old male
elands south of the Zambesi develop a
growth of long, bristly black hair on the

forehead, which often hangs over their eyes and extends half-way down their noses. North of
the Zambesi this growth of hair is not nearly so luxuriant.

I have carefully measured the standing height at the withers of many old male elands in
the interior of South Africa, and found that it varied from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches.
The horns of bulls in their prime measure from 26 inches to 33 inches in length, but old
bulls wear their horns down very much. The cows carry longer, though thinner horns than
the bulls.

The range of the eland once extended from Cape Agulhas to the White Nile, but it has
become extinct in many districts of Southern Africa, and in almost every other portion of its
range has, like all other tragelaphine antelopes, suffered so cruelly from the recent visitation
of rinderpest that it has now become a scarce animal all over Africa.

During the rainy season elands are usually met with in small herds of from four or five

Photo by J. W. McLellan]

[Highbury.

ELAND.

A feature of the eland is the large " dewlap." Unlike the kudu, both sexes are
horned.

Photo by Hie DucJtess of Bedford]

ELAND COWS.

Female elands carry longer, although more slender horns than the bulls.
261

[ Woburn Abbey.

262

The Living Animals of the World

to ten individuals ; but towards the end of the dry season they collect into large herds,
and at such times I have often seen from fifty to over two hundred of these animals in
one troop.

In my experience elands live for two-thirds of the year in forest or bush-covered country,
or amongst rugged hills; and in such localities they are difficult to overtake on horseback;
but in the middle of the dry season, as soon as they smell the smoke of the grass fires lighted
by the natives on the open plateaux, they leave their retreats, and, collecting in herds, wander
out on to the treeless plains in search of young grass. They then fall an easy prey to a
mounted hunter, especially the heavy old bulls, which can be run to a standstill with ease by
a very moderate horse.

The flesh of the eland is excellent when the animal is in good condition, as at such a
time these animals become very fat, especially the old bulls, whose hearts become encased in
a mass of fat which will often weigh 20 Ibs. It is a mistake, however, to think that
eland -meat is always good; for towards the end of the dry season, when there is little grass
to be got, they feed extensively on the leaves of certain bushes, and their meat at such times
becomes very poor and tasteless.

Besides the common eland of Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa, another distinct
species is met with in Senegal and the Gambia Colony. This is the DERBIAN ELAND, about
which animal our knowledge is still very slight, as I believe that it has never yet been shot
nor its habits studied by a European traveller. A good many skulls and horns and a few skins
have been obtained from natives, from which it appears that in general colour this species is
of a rich reddish-fawn colour, becoming nearly white below, the middle of the belly being
black. The neck is covered with long hair of a dark brown or black colour, blacker towards
the shoulder than in front. A broad black stripe extends all down the centre of the back
from the neck to the root of the tail, and there are large black patches on the backs and

inner sides of the
fore legs above the
knees. On each
side of the body
and haunches
there are thirteen
or fourteen narrow
white stripes. The
horns are larger
and more massive
and divergent than
in the common
eland.

The Derbian
eland is said to be
a forest - loving
animal, never of its
own accord coming
out into the plains.
It lives in small
herds, is very shy
and not at all
abundant, and
browses on the
leaves and young
shoots of various
trees and bushes.

Photo by W. P. Dando]

BULL ELAND.

The flesh of the eland is of better flavour than that of most other large game.

species will thrive in English parks.

{Regent's Park.

If sheltered in winter, the

Photo by W. P. Dando}

THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.

The tallest mammal ever known to walk the earth.

263

CHAPTER XVI.

THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI.

THE GIRAFFE.

BY H. A. BRYDEN.

IKAFFES, which are found only in the
continent of Africa, are the tallest of
all living creatures. They belong to
the Ruminants, or Cud-chewers, and naturalists
are inclined to place them somewhere between
the Deer Family and the Hollow-horned
Ruminants, in which latter are to be found
oxen, buffaloes, and antelopes. Riitimeyer, the
Swiss naturalist, once defined them as " a most
fantastic form of deer," w T hich is, perhaps, as
good a definition of them as one is likely
to hit upon. Fossil discoveries show that, in
ages long remote, great giraffe-like creatures,
some of them bearing horns or antlers, roamed
widely in the south of Europe, Persia, India
and even China.

Of living giraffes, two species have thus
far been identified, the SOUTHERN or CAPE
GIRAFFE, with 1 a range extending from Bechua-
naland and the Transvaal to British East
Africa and the Soudan ; and the NUBIAN or
NORTHERN GIRAFFE, found chiefly in East Africa,
Somaliland, and the country between Abyssinia
and the Nile. The southern giraffe, which,
from its recent appearance in the Gardens of
the Zoological Society, is now the more familiar
of the two animals, has a creamy or yellowish-
white ground-colour, marked by irregular
blotches, which vary in colour, in animals of different ages, from lemon-fawn to orange-tawny,
and in older specimens to a very dark chestnut. Old bulls and occasionally old cows grow
extremely dark with age, and at a distance appear almost black upon the back and shoulders.
The northern giraffe is widely different, the coloration being usually a rich red-chestnut,
darker with age, separated by a fine network of white lines, symmetrically arranged in
polygonal patterns. At no great distance this giraffe, instead of having the blotchy or dappled
appearance of the southern giraffe, looks almost entirely chestnut in colour. Again, the
southern giraffe has only two horns, while the northern species usually develops a third,
growing from the centre of the forehead. These horns, which are covered with hair in both
species, and tufted black at the tips, are, in the youthful days of the animal, actually
separable from the bones of the head. As the animal arrives at maturity, they become firmly

264

Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.

SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN.

This giraffe was a present to Queen Victoria ; it only lived fourteen
days after its arrival.

The Giraffe and Okapi

265

united to the skull. A third race or sub-species of giraffe has been identified in Western
Africa, mainly from the skull and cannon-bones of a specimen shot in 1897 at the junction of
the Binue and Niger Rivers ; but very little is known about this form. Other varieties or
sub-species may yet be discovered in other parts of the Dark Continent. It is lacking in the
giraffe's long neck.

The towering height of the giraffe is entirely attributable to the great length of the neck
and limbs. A full-grown bull giraffe will certainly measure occasionally as much as 19 feet in
height. I measured very carefully a specimen shot by my hunting friend, Mr. W. Dove, in the
forests of the North Kalahari, South Africa, which taped 18 feet 11^ inches. A fine cow, shot
by myself in the same country, measured 16 feet 10 inches, and there is no reason to suppose
that cow giraffes do not easily reach fully 17 feet in height. These animals feed almost
entirely upon the leaves of acacia-trees, the foliage of the kameel-doorn, or giraffe-acacia,
affording their most favourite food-supply. It is a most beautiful spectacle to see, as I have
seen, a large troop of these dappled giants creatures which, somehow, viewed in the wild state,
always seem to me to belong to another epoch quietly browsing, with upstretched necks and
delicate heads, among the branches of the spreading mokala, as the Bechuanas call this tree.

The giraffe's upper lip is long and prehensile, and covered, no doubt as a protection
against thorns, with a thick velvety coating of short hair. The tongue is long some 18 inches
in length and is employed for plucking down the tender leafage on which the giraffe feeds.
The eyes of the giraffe are most beautiful dark brown, shaded by long lashes, and peculiarly
tender and melting in expression. Singularly enough, the animal is absolutely mute, and never,
even in its death-agonies, utters a sound. The hoofs are large, elongate, nearly 12 inches in
length in the case of old bulls, and look like those of gigantic cattle. There are no false
hoofs, and the fetlock is round and smooth. The skin of a full-grown giraffe is extraordinarily
tough and solid, attaining in the case of old males as much as an inch in thickness. From
these animals most of the sjamboks, or colonial whips, in use all over South Africa, are now
made ; and it is a miserable fact to record that giraffes are now slaughtered by native and
Boer hunters almost solely for the value of the hide, which is worth from J 3 to 5 in the
case of full-grown beasts. So perishes the
giraffe from South Africa.

Giraffes live mainly in forest country, or
country partially open and partially clothed with
thin, park-like stretches of low acacia- tree.s.
When pursued, they betake themselves to the
densest parts of the bush and timber, and, their
thick hides being absolutely impervious to the
frightful thorns with which all African jungle
and forest seem to be provided, burst through
every bushy obstacle with the greatest ease.
They steer also in the most wonderful manner
through the timber, ducking branches and
evading tree-boles with marvellous facility. I
shall never forget seeing my hunting comrade
after his first chase in thick bush. We had
ridden, as we always rode hunting, in our flannel
shirts, coatless. Attracted by his firing, I came
up with my friend, who was sitting on the
body of a huge old bull giraffe, which had
fallen dead in a grassy clearing. He was looking
ruefully at the remains of his shirt, which hung
about him, literally in rags and ribbons. Blood
was streaming from innumerable wounds upon

Photo by W. P. Dando] [Regent's Park.

MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.

The coloration of these animals harmonises exactly with the dark
and light splashes of their surroundings.

266

The Living Animals of the World

Photo 6y A . S. Kudfond fc -Sons.

A GIRAFFE GRAZING.

Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals, which are essentially

browsers.

his chest, neck, and arms.
Always after that we donned cord
coats, when running giraffes
in bush and forest country.

In regions where they
have been little disturbed,
giraffes no doubt wander across
open plains, and are to be seen
well away from the denser
forests, feeding among scattered
islets of acacias, easily exposed
to the human eye. But in
South Africa they are now
seldom to be met with out of
the forest region. Once, and
once only, have I seen giraffes
in the open. This was on the
outskirts of the forest, and
the great creatures had been
tempted to a little knoll of
mokala trees, rising like an
islet from the sea of grass.
One's first impression of these creatures in the wild state is very deceptive. I well
remember first setting eyes upon a troop of five or six. As they swung away from the leafage
on which they were feeding, my friend and I cantered easily, thinking that we should soon
come up with them. "We were completely deceived. With those immense legs of theirs, the
great creatures, going with their easy, shuffling, but marvellously swift walk, were simply
striding away from us. Discovering our mistake, we rode hard, and the giraffes then broke into
their strange, rocking gallop, and a headlong, desperate chase began, to be terminated by the
death of a fine cow. Like the camel, the giraffe progresses by moving the two legs upon
either side of the body simultaneously. At this strange, rocking gallop these animals move at
a great pace, and a good Cape horse is needed to run into them. By far the best plan, if you
are bent on shooting these animals, is to press your pony, so soon as you sight giraffes, to the
top of its speed, and force the game beyond its natural paces in one desperate gallop of a
couple of miles or so. If well mounted, your nag will take you right up to the heels of the
tall beasts, and, firing from the saddle, you can, without great difficulty, bring down the game.
The giraffe, unlike the antelopes of Africa, is not very tenacious of life, and a bullet planted
near the root of the tail will, penetrating the short body, pierce a vital spot, and bring
down the tall beast crashing to earth. Having tasted the delights of fox-hunting and many
other forms of sport, I can testify that the run up to a good troop of giraffes is one
of the most thrilling and exciting of all human experiences. There is nothing else quite
like it in the wide range of sporting emotions. Having enjoyed this thrilling pleasure a few
times, however, the humane hunter will stay his hand, and shoot only when meat, or perhaps
an exceptionally fine specimen, is absolutely needed. Giraffes are, of course, utterly defenceless,
and, save for their shy, wary habits and remote, waterless habitat, have nothing to shield
them from the mounted hunter.

Giraffe-hunting on foot is a very different matter. In that case the giraffe has the better
of it, and the stalker is placed at great disadvantage. These animals are in many places
found in extremely waterless country, where even the mounted hunter has much trouble to
reach them. Like elands and gemsbok and other desert-loving antelopes, they can exist for
long periods months together without drinking. In the northern portions of the Kalahari
Desert, where I have carefully observed their habits, as well as hunted them, it is an undoubted

The Giraffe and Okapi

267

fact that giraffes never touch water during the whole of the dry winter season for several
months on end. Gremsbok and elands in the same waterless tract of country are complete
abstainers for the same period. The flesh of a giraffe cow, if fairly young, is excellent, tender,
and well tasted, with a flavour of game-like veal. The marrow-bones also, roasted over a gentle
wood fire, and sawn in half, afford delicious eating, quite one of the supreme delicacies of the
African wilderness.

THE OKAPI.

BY SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, K.C.B., F.Z.S.

HEADERS of " The Living Animals of the World " are in all probability readers of
newspapers, and it would therefore be affectation on the part of the writer of these lines
to assume that they have not heard more or less of the discovery which he was
privileged to make of an entirely new ruminant
of large size, dwelling in the forests bordering
the Semliki Kiver, in Central Africa, on the border-
land between the Uganda Protectorate and the
Congo Free State. The history of this discovery,
stated briefly, is as follows: In 1882-83 I was
the guest of Mr. (now Sir Henry) Stanley on the
Kiver Congo at Stanley Pool. I was visiting the Congo
at that time as an explorer in a very small way and
a naturalist. Mr. Stanley, conversing with me on the
possibility of African discoveries, told me then that he
believed that all that was most wonderful in tropical
Africa would be found to be concentrated in the
region of the Blue Mountains, south of the Albert
Nyanza. This feeling on Stanley's part doubtless was
one of the reasons which urged him to go to the
relief of Emin Pasha. His journey through the great
Congo Forest towards the Blue Mountains of the
Albert Nyanza resulted in his discovery of the
greatest snow mountain -range of Africa, Euwenzori,
and the river Semliki, which is the Upper Albertine
Nile ; of Lake Albert Edward, from which it flows
round the flanks of Euwenzori; and, amongst other
things, in more detailed information regarding the
dwarf races of the Northern Congo forests than we
had yet received. Stanley also was the first to draw

the attention of the world to the dense and awful character of these mighty woods, and to
hint at the mysteries and wonders in natural history which they possibly contained. The
stress and trouble of his expedition prevented him and his companions from bestowing much
attention on natural history ; moreover, in these forests it is extremely difficult for persons
who are passing hurriedly through the tangle to come into actual contact with the beasts that
inhabit them. Sir Henry Stanley, discussing this subject with me since my return from
Uganda, tells me that he believes that the okapi is only one amongst several strange new
beasts which will be eventually discovered in these remarkable forests. He describes having seen
a creature like a gigantic pig 6 feet in length, and certain antelopes unlike any known type.
In regard to the okapi, the only hint of its existence which he obtained was the announcement
that the dwarfs knew of the existence of a creature in their forests which greatly resembled
an ass in appearance, and which they caught in pits. This tiny sentence in an appendix to
his book " In Darkest Africa " attracted my attention some time before I went to Uganda.
It seemed to me so extraordinary that any creature like a horse should inhabit a dense

Photo by Charles Knight] [Aldershot.

A GIRAFFE BROWSING.
Here the posture is seen to be thoroughly natural.

268

The Living Animals of the World

forest, that I determined, if ever fate should lead me in that direction, I would make
enquiries.

Soon after reaching the Uganda Protectorate at the end of 1899, I came in contact with
a large party of dwarfs who had been kidnapped by a too enterprising German impresario, who
had decided to show them at the Paris Exhibition. As the Belgians objected to this procedure,
I released the dwarfs from their kidnapper, and retained them with me for some months in
Uganda, until I was able personally to escort them back to their homes in the Congo Forest.
I had other reasons connected with my Government business for visiting the north-western
part of the Congo Free State. As soon as I could make the dwarfs understand me by means of
an interpreter, I questioned them regarding the existence of this horse-like creature in their
forests. They at once understood what I meant ; and pointing to a zebra-skin and a live mule,
they informed me that the creature in question, which was called OK API, was like a mule with

zebra stripes on it. When I reached Fort
Mbeni, in the Congo Free State, on the west
bank of the river Semliki, I put questions
to the Belgian officers stationed there.
They all knew the okapi, at any rate, when
dead. As a living animal they had none
of them seen it, but their native soldiers
were in the habit of hunting the animal
in the forest and killing it with spears,
and then bringing in the skin and the
flesh for use in the fort. One of the
officers declared there was even then a
freshly obtained skin lying about in the
precincts of the fort. On searching for
this, however, it was discovered that the
greater part of it had been thrown away,
only the gaudier portions having been cut
into strips by the soldiers to be made into
bandoliers. These strips, together with
similar ones obtained from natives in the
forest, I sent to England, to Dr. P. L.
Sclater, for his consideration. Furnished
by the Belgian officers with guides, and
taking with me all the dwarfs whom
I had brought from Uganda, I entered
the forest, and remained there for some
days searching for the okapi. All this

time I was convinced that I was on the track of a species of horse; and therefore when the
natives showed the tracks of a cloven-footed animal like the eland, and told us these were
the foot-prints of the okapi, I disbelieved them, and imagined that we were merely following
a forest-eland. We never saw the okapi ; and as the life in the forest made the whole expedition
extremely ill, and my time was required for official work elsewhere, I was obliged to give up
this search. Meantime, I had elicited from the natives, whom I questioned closely, that the
okapi was a creature without horns or any means of offence, the size of a large antelope or
mule, which inhabited only the densest parts of the forest and generally went about in pairs,
male and female. It lived chiefly on leaves. The Belgian officers, seeing that I was disappointed
at not obtaining a complete skin, offered to use their best efforts to obtain one for me, and
send it on to Uganda after my departure.

This promise was eventually redeemed by Mr. Karl Eriksson, a Swedish officer in the
Belgian service. Mr. Eriksson sent me a complete skin and two skulls. The skin and the

Photo by York <fr Son] \_Kotting Hill.

MALE AND FEMALE GIRAFFES.
Giraffes are said to be very affectionate animals.

269

270

The Living Animals of the World

bigger of the two skulls belonged to a young male. This is the skin which is now set up
in the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, and of which a photographic illustration
accompanies this notice. Upon receiving this skin, I saw at once what the okapi was namely,
a close relation of the giraffe. From the very small development of the horn-bosses, I believed
that it was nearer allied to the helladotherium than to the living giraffe. In forwarding
the specimens to Professor Kay Lankester, I therefore proposed that it should be called
Helladoiherium tigrinum. Professor Ray Lankester, having examined the specimens with a
greater knowledge than I possessed, decided that the animal was rather more closely allied to
the giraffe than to the helladotherium, but that it possessed sufficient peculiarities of its own
to oblige him to create for its reception a new genus, which he proposed to call Ocapia.

Meantime, the original strips of the skin (which apparently belonged to an older and

larger animal than the
specimen mounted at
South Kensington)
had been pronounced
by experts to whom
they were submitted
to be the skin of an
undiscovered species
of horse, and this
supposed new horse
had been tentatively
named by Dr. P. L.
Sclater Equus john-
stoni. The full dis-
covery obliged
Professor Ray Lan-
kester to set aside
any idea of the okapi
being allied to the
horse, but he was
good enough to attach
Mr. Sclater's specific
name of johnstoni to
his newly founded
genus of Ocapia.

Up to the time of writing this is all that is known of this extraordinary survival in the
Congo Forest of the only living relation of the giraffe. We know by palseontological discoveries
in Europe and in Asia that there existed a large family of ruminants which in their develop-
ment and features were neither of the Ox group nor of the Deer, but in some respects
occupied a position midway between these two branches of cloven-hoofed, horned, ruminating
Ungulates. To this family the Giraffe, the Okapi, the Helladotherium, the Samotherium, the
Sivatherium, and the Bramatherium belong. In all probability bony projections arose from the
skulls of these creatures similar in some measure to the prominent bony cores of the horns of
oxen. From the top, however, of these bony cores there would seem to have arisen anciently
antlers, possibly deciduous like those of the prongbuck. In time creatures like the giraffe
lost any need for such weapons of offence, and ceased to grow antlers; but the bony cores
from which these antlers once proceeded still remained, and in the case of the giraffe remaii
to the present day. In the helladotherium and in the okapi these bony cores have dwindled
to mere bumps.

HEAD OF OKAPI.
The enormous size of the ears is very noteworthy.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE DEER TRIBE.

BY H. A. BRYDEN.

DEER represent as a family the non-domesticated class of ruminants. Generally speaking,
the males are distinguished by antlers, which are shed periodically, usually once a year,
and again renewed. Comprising as it does some of the noblest mammals to be found
on the face of the earth, this large and important tribe is to be found distributed over a large
portion of the world's surface, from the Arctic North, the home of the wild reindeer, to
Patagonia, in Southern South America. Deer are, however, not found in the continent of
Africa south of the Sahara, nor in Madagascar or Australia. They are not indigenous to New
Zealand ; but the red deer, introduced there some years ago for purposes of sport, have thriven
wonderfully well, and are now completely acclimatised.

From the earliest times deer, especially those species known as the true or typical deer,
of which red deer may be said to be a type, have been animals of considerable importance
to mankind. Their flesh has been always eagerly sought after ; deer-skin is still, even in
these days of high civilisation,
useful for many purposes; and
the antlers are almost equally
in request.

It is more than probable
that, in the vast and still little-
explored regions of Central,
East, and Northern Asia, new
species of deer remain to be
discovered. At the present time
there are known to exist, in
various parts of the world, close
on a hundred species and varieties.
Within the space allotted to
these animals it is, of course,
manifestly impossible to notice
all these in anything like detail.
Many of the varieties or sub-
species closely resemble one
another, so much so that the
differences between them are only
apparent to the eyes of naturalists
or acute observers.

THE EEINDEER.
REINDEER are distinguished
from all other kinds of deer by

, _ , . ,, , Photo by Valentine < Sons, Ltd.] [Dundee.

the fact that antlers are borne SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER.

by both males and temaleS. J.ne The spreading hoofs enable the reindeer to traverse snow and swamps without sinking

271

272

The Living Animals of the World

antlers, as may be seen by the illustration, differ materially from those of the red deer, elk,
and other species ; the brow-tines, especially, are often much palmated. These animals are
heavily built, short-legged, and, as beseems dwellers in a snowy habitat, provided with round,
short, and spreading hoofs. For ages reindeer have been domesticated by the Lapps of
Scandinavia, the Samoyeds, and other primitive races of Northern Europe and Asia. Trained
to harness, and drawing a sledge, they traverse long distances, while their milk, flesh, and

hides are of great
importance to the
people who keep
them. The COMMON
or SCANDINAVIAN
REINDEER ranges
from Norway through
Northern Europe
into Asia, though
how far eastward is
not yet accurately
determined. It is
interesting to note
that these animals
were once denizens
of Britain, and so
lately as the twelfth
century the Jarls of
Orkney are believed
to have been in the
habit of crossing to
the mainland for the
purpose of hunting
them in the wilds of
Caithness. Wild
reindeer are still to
be found in the
remoter parts of
Norway, though,
from much persecution, they are becoming comparatively scarce in most parts of the country.

Mr. Abel Chapman, in his " Wild Norway," gives some excellent accounts of sport with
these fine deer. Speaking of a good herd of twenty-one, discovered in Ryfylke, he says :
"Most of the deer were lying down, but both the big stags stood upright in dreamy, inert
postures. ... I now fully realised what a truly magnificent animal I had before me. Both in
body and horn he was a giant, and his coat was no less remarkable ; the neck was pure white,
and beneath it a shaggy mane hung down a foot in length. This white neck was set off by
the dark head in front and the rich glossy brown of his robe behind. Besides this the
contrasting black and white bars on flanks and stern were conspicuously clean-cut and defined,
and the long and massive antlers showed a splendid recurved sweep, surmounted by branch-like
tines, all clean." For three long, agonising hours the stalker watched this noble prize, and then
one of those lucky chances which occasionally gladden the hunter's heart occurred, and the
reindeer approached within a hundred yards. "Half-a-dozen forward steps, and his white neck
and dark shoulder were beautifully exposed. Already, ere his head had appeared, the rifle had
been shifted over, and now the foresight dwelt lovingly on a thrice-refined aim. The '450 bullet
struck to an inch, just where the shaggy mane joined the brown shoulder. The beast winced
all over, but neither moved nor fell. A moment's survey, and I knew by the swaying of his

By permission of the New York Zoological Society.

WOODLAND CARIBOU.
This specimen has shed its horns, which are of the general type of those of the Scandinavian race.

CEU

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford]

IMMATURE SCANDINAVIAN ELK.
The largest of all the Deer Tribe, and has antlers of an altogether abnormal type.

273

[ Woburn Abbey.

274

The Living Animals of the World

head that he was mine." The weight of this big reindeer stag was estimated at 450 Ibs.,
or 32 stone. lie carried twenty-five points to his antlers, which measured 51 inches in
extreme length.

In addition to the common or Scandinavian reindeer, there are closely allied races, showing,
however, slightly varying characteristics, found in Spitzbergen and Greenland. In North
America, where only wild reindeer are found, these animals are known as CARIBOU. Here several
sub-species are known : among them, the NEWFOUNDLAND CARIBOU ; the WOODLAND CARIBOU of
the mainland; and the BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU, found in the arctic wastes of the Far North-
west, towards the Polar Ocean.

THE ELK, OR MOOSE.

This gigantic creature, the largest of all the numerous tribe of deer, is found, in the Old
World, in Northern Europe, Siberia, and Northern China. Its range extends for there is no
real distinction between the elk of the Old and the New Worlds to Northern America, where
it is always known as the MOOSE. Its transatlantic habitat runs from the mouth of the
Mackenzie Kiver to the St. Lawrence. Wherever its abiding-place may be, it will be found that
the elk is essentially a forest-loving creature, partial to the loneliest stretches of the woods and
dreary marshes. Its fleshy, bulbous, prehensile muzzle shows plainly that the elk is a browsing
beast, and not a grazing animal, like most other deer. The male carries vast palmated horns,
measuring sometimes as much as 6 feet 1 inch in span from tip to tip; this measurement
is from an American specimen in the possession of the Duke of Westminster. A fine
Scandinavian bull will measure 18 hands at the withers and weigh as much as 90 stone,
while the North American elk is said to attain as much as 1,400 Ibs. In colour the elk is a
dark brownish grey ; the neck, body, and tail are short ; while the animal stands very high

By permission of the New York Zoological Society.

FEMALE AMERICAN ELK, OR MOOSE.
The elk of the two hemispheres are so alike that they cannot be regarded as anything more than races of a single species.

The Deer Tribe

275

Photo by C. Reid]

[ Wishaw, N.B.

upon the legs. Under the
throat of the male hangs a
singular appendage, a sort of
tassel of hair and skin, known
to American hunters as the
" bell." The build of the elk
is clumsy, and the mighty
beast entirely lacks the grace
characteristic of so many
others of the deer kind. It
has in truth a strangely
primeval, old-world aspect, and
seems rather to belong to
prehistoric ages than to
modern times.

In Scandinavia elk are
hunted usually in two ways
by driving, or with a trained
dog held in leash. In the
royal forests of Sweden great
bags are made at these
drives; and in the year 1885,
when a great hunt was got
up for the present King of
England, forty-nine elk were
slain. Except during the
rutting-season these titanic
deer are extremely shy and
suspicious creatures, and the greatest precautions have to be taken in hunting them.

In Canada moose are often shot during the rutting-season by " calling," a rude horn of
birch-bark being used, with which the hunter simulates the weird, hoarse roar of the animals,
as they call to one another, or challenge in the primeval woodlands and morasses of the wild
North. Still-hunting or tracking spooring, as it would be called in South Africa is another
and extremely fatiguing method ; while yet another mode of hunting is that practised by Indian
and half-breed hunters in winter, when, the sportsman being mounted on snow-shoes, the moose
is followed, run into and shot in deep snow. In this sport the hunter has much the better
of it. The moose, with its vast weight and sharp hoofs, plunges through the frozen snow-crust,
over which the snow-shoes carry the biped easily enough, and, becoming presently exhausted,
is shot without much difficulty. Elk usually run at a steady, slinging trot, and traverse
extraordinary distances, apparently with little fatigue.

KED DEER.

We come now to a group of what are called typical deer, the KED DEER, found in various
parts of the world. The red deer, which once roamed over much of Britain, is now in the
wild state confined chiefly to the Highlands of Scotland, Exmoor, part of County Kerry in
Ireland, and various islands on the west coast of Scotland. A good male specimen will stand
about 4 feet or a little less at the shoulder, carry antlers bearing twelve or fourteen points,
and weigh from 16 to 20 stone clean that is, with the heart, liver, and lungs taken out.
The woodland stags of Perthshire, however, not infrequently reach 25 stone, while Mr. J. G.
Millais mentions a stag, killed by Colonel the Hon. Alastair Fraser at Beaufort, Inverness-shire,
which scaled 30 stone 2 Ibs. clean. This seems to be the heaviest British wild stag of modern
times. The summer coat is short, shining, and reddish brown in hue ; in winter the pelage is

PARK BED DEEE.
The typical representative of the entire Deer Tribe.

276

The Living Animals of the World

thicker and rougher and greyish brown in colour. Stalking the red deer stag in its native
fastnesses is beyond all doubt the finest wild sport now left to the inhabitants of these islands.
Mr. J. Gr. Millais, author of "British Deer and their Horns" and other works, himself a
first-rate sportsman in many parts of the world, compares the style of shooting red deer in
vogue forty or fifty years ago with that obtaining in the Highlands at the present day. "A
stalker in Black Mount, Argyllshire," he says, "told me of a typical day's sport in which he
took part some forty years ago. Fox Maule and Sir Edwin Landseer were the two rifles (they
frequently stalked in pairs at that time), and, on the side of Clashven, Peter Robertson, the
head forester, brought them within eighty yards of two exceptionally fine stags. Maule fired and
missed, as did also Sir Edwin as the stags moved away ; then, on a signal from Robertson,

Peter McColl, the gillie, slipped the hounds
the two best ever owned by the late Marquis of
Breadalbane, and whose portraits are still pre-
served in the famous picture of ' The Deer
Drive' and away they went in hot pursuit
of the deer. An end- on chase now ensued,
the line taken being due east down the great
glen towards Loch Dochart, and at last the
stalkers were brought to a standstill, being
fairly exhausted both in wind and limb. At
this moment, however, four dark spots, like
small rocks, standing out at the point of a
little promontory in the lake, attracted their
attention, and, on drawing nearer, they saw, to
their surprise, each of the big stags being
held at bay by a gallant hound. A couple of
shots then settled the business, and so ended
what was then considered a grand day's sport.
No doubt it was most exciting to see the
struggle of bone and sinew between two such
noble quadrupeds, but it was not rifle-shooting.
To-day the gallant but disturbing deer-hound
has given place to the cunning and obedient
collie, and the success of the stalker depends,
for the most part, on the accuracy of his rifle
and his skill in using it."

Here are a couple of sketches of modern
stalking taken from Mr. Millais' own diary :

" Wednesday, October 4th. Started for
the big corrie with McColl, and saw nothing
till we got to the Eagle Hill. On this were

three stags and about twenty hinds, the property of a magnificent fellow carrying one of the
best heads I have ever seen on Black Mount. For some time McColl thought he was just
a bit too good to shoot, for the very best in this forest are generally left for stock purposes.
Finding, however,, that he was not Royal [a twelve-pointer], my companion agreed to a shot
that is, if he got within shooting distance, which was not too likely, the Eagle Hill being
one of those queer places where back eddies are carried down from almost every ' airt ' from
which the wind is blowing. Luck is apparently entirely my way this week, so far at any rate.
The big stag was very ' kittle,' frequently roaring and keeping his hinds moving before him
along the hillside, in the direction of another corrie running at right angles, the entrance to
which, if reached, would checkmate us. A quick, stiff climb, and a dashing piece of stalking
on the part of McColl, brought us in front of the herd only just in time, for I had hardly got

Photo by W. P. Dando]

AN ASIATIC WAPITI.

[Regent's Park.

All the races of the wapiti are easily recognisable by the large fourth tine
of the antlers and the short tail.

Photo by the Ihichess of Bedford]

[Woburn Abbey.

AMERICAN WAPITI.

The giant deer of the Rocky Mountains, formerly very plentiful, now scarce.
277

278

The Living Animals of the World

into position when the first
few hinds moved past a
hundred yards below us.
They were very uneasy and
highly suspicious, but fortu-
nately did not stop ; and in
another moment, to my joy,
the big stag came slowly
behind them, and offered a
fair broadside in the very spot
where I should have wished
him to stand. The bullet
took him through the ribs,
certainly a trifle too far back,
but he gave in at once, and
roiled 150 yards down the
hill, fortunately without hurt-
ing his horns. A really fine
Highland stag in his prime;
weight, 16 stone 2 Ibs., with
a good wild head of ten points,
and good cups on the top."
" Thursday, October 5tk.
We negotiated the stifl
climb, and McLeish, leaving
me behind a rock on the
summit, returned some
distance to signal directions
to the pony-man. He came
back just as the stag returned
roaring down the pass he had
ascended ; and as the mist
was blotting out the land-
scape, I feared he would come
right on to us without being
seen, but, as luck would have
it, he stopped and recom-
menced bellowing within
seventy yards. I never heard a stag make such a row, but nothing of him could we see. It
was most exciting, lying flat on a slab of rock, hoping devoutly that the mist would rise, if
only for a few seconds. The tension had grown extreme, when there was a momentary lift in
the gloom, and I made out the dim forms of the deer just as a big hind, which I had not
noticed, * bruached ' loudly within twenty yards of us. The outline of the stag was barely
visible when, after carefully aiming, I pressed the trigger, knowing that a moment later there
would be no second chance. At the shot the deer at once disappeared, but I felt sure I had
hit him, and, on following the tracks for some fifty yards, there he lay as dead as a door-nail.
Weight, 13 stone 6 Ibs.; a wild head of ten points; thin, and evidently that of a deer on
the decline."

In England the wild red deer are hunted with stag-hounds on Exmoor, and first-rate sport
is obtained on the great moorlands of Somerset and Devon. During the last fifty years the
deer have much increased in numbers, and no less than three packs the Devon and
Somerset, Sir John Heathcoat-Amory's, and Mr. Peter Ormrod's are now engaged in hunting

Photo by Mr. W. Ran]

[Philadelphia.

AMEEICAN WAPITI.

The dark head, fore-quarters, and under-parts, so distinctive of the wapiti, are here well displayed.

The Deer Tribe

279

them. In the five years ending in 1892, 276 deer were killed by the Devon and Somerset
hounds.

The young of the red deer are in Europe usually dropped in June. The fawn is dexterously
concealed by the hind amid the heather, and is left in concealment during the day. Scrope,
a great authority on these animals, states that the hind induces her fawn to lie down by
pressure of the nose : " It will never stir or lift up its head the whole of the day, unless you
come right upon it, as I have often done ; it lies like a dog, with its nose to its tail. The
hind, however, although she often separates herself from the young fawn, does not lose sight of
its welfare, but remains at a distance to windward, and goes to its succour in case of an attack
of the wild cat or fox, or any other powerful vermin."

On the Continent far finer examples of red deer are to be found than in the British Isles,
and the antlers and records of weights preserved at the Castle of Moritzburg in Saxony, and
elsewhere, show that two hundred years ago the stags of Germany were far superior even to
those of the present day, which are much heavier and afford finer trophies than do the
Highland red deer. Even in Germany, however, marked deterioration has taken place during
the last two centuries. A stag, for example, killed by the Elector of Saxony in 1646 weighed
not less than 61 stone 11 Ibs. ; while from the Elector's records between 1611 and 1656 it
appears that 59 stags exceeded 56 stone, 651 exceeded 48 stone, 2,679 exceeded 40 stone,
and 4,139 exceeded 32 stone. These figures are given by Mr. W. A. Baillie-Grohman, a
distinguished sportsman, in a very interesting chapter contributed to the " Big Game Shooting "
volumes of the Badminton Library.

This deterioration among the red deer of the forests of Central and Northern Europe is,
however, not traceable among the red deer of the wild mountainous regions of Austria-Hungary

By permission of the New York Zoological Society.

AMERICAN WAPITI.
In the United States this species is universally miscalled the Elk.

280

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by W. P. Dando]

[Regent's Park.

ALTAI WAPITI.

This is one of several Asiatic forms of the wapiti.

and South-eastern Europe. Here,
at the present day, stags of
enormous size and weight are
still to be found. In the Car-
pathian Alps, for example, red
deer stags are still to be shot
scaling more than 40 stone (clean)
in weight. Climate and feeding
have, of course, much to do with
the weight of stags and the size
and beauty of their antlers. The
Carpathian stags have enormous
range, rich food, and, as Mr. Baillie-
Grohman points out, are suffered
during the summer to " make
undisturbed raids upon the rich
agricultural valleys . . . the feudal
sway exercised by the great terri-
torial magnates permitting the deer
to trespass upon the crops with
impunity, and thus grow to be
the lustiest of their race."

In addition to the British
Islands, the red deer of Europe
is found on the island of Hitteren

on the western coast of Norway, in the south of Sweden, and in Germany, Kussia, France,
Spain, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Greece.

In Corsica and Sardinia a local and smaller race is found, probably closely allied to the
stag of North Africa. The BARBARY STAG is somewhat smaller than its first cousin of Europe,
and carries antlers which usually lack the second, or bez, tine. The colour of this stag is "a
dark sepia-brown, a little lighter and greyer on the back. Faint yellowish spots can occasionally
be distinguished on the fur in the adults," says Sir Harry Johnston. The hinds are of the same
colour as the stags, but lack the grey tint on the back. These fine deer are found in Algeria
and Tunis, their habitat being chiefly in pine and cork forests. They are found also in parts
of Morocco, near the frontiers of Algeria and Tunis, where their range extends from near the
Mediterranean to the verge of the Sahara Desert. Formerly the Barbary stag was hunted by
the Arabs on horseback by the aid of greyhounds. In Tunis, where it is protected by the
French, it is now fairly abundant.

THE MARAL AND KASHMIR STAG.

The CASPIAN RED DEER, or MARAL, is a magnificent sub-species, incomparably the finest
representative of the red deer species. Standing about 4 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, a good
stag will weigh as much as 40 stone clean, in exceptional specimens probably a good deal more.
The range of this noble beast includes the Caspian provinces of North Persia, Transcaucasia, the
Caucasus, and the Crimea. There can be little doubt that the great stags shot in the Galician
Carpathians are Caspian red deer, and not the ordinary red deer of Western Europe. The
red deer of Turkey is, too, no doubt referable to this sub-species.

Continuing our survey of typical deer, we come to the KASHMIR STAG, which is a magnificent
beast, standing as much as 4 feet 4 inches at the shoulder, and carrying antlers approaching
the red deer type, which measure in fine specimens from 45 to 48 inches. The Kashmir stag,
often miscalled Barasingh by Indian sportsmen, makes its home in the forest regions of the
north side of the Kashmir Valley, ranging chiefly on altitudes of from 5,000 to 12,000 feel.

The Deer Tribe

281

The summer coat is rufous ; in winter the pelage is of a darkish brown. The Yarkand stag
is an apparently allied species, found in the forests bordering on the Yarkand or Tarim Eiver.

Two more stags close the list of those Asiatic deer which approximate more or less closely
to the red deer type. These are the SHOU, or SIKHIM STAG, and THOROLD'S DEER, concerning
neither of which animals is much known at present. The shou, of which only the head
has yet been brought to England, appears to be a very large stag, in size approximating to
the gigantic wapiti. The antlers are very large, extending to as much as 55 inches over the
outer curve. So far as is at present known, this great deer is found in the country "north of
Bhutan and the valley eastward of Chumbi, which drains northward into the Sangpo." No
European hunter, it is believed, has ever yet levelled a rifle or even set eyes on this noble deer.

In England Thorold's deer is known from two specimens shot by Dr. W. G. Thorold,
during a journey across Tibet, at an elevation of about 13,500 feet. The high Tibetan plateau
and other adjacent parts of Central Asia form the habitat of this species. In size Thorold's
deer is about on a level with the Kashmir stag : the coat is dark brown ; the antlers are
distinctive in their backward curve, in the lack of the bez tine, and their flattened appearance.
The muzzle and chin are pure white, as is the inner surface of the ears.

WAPITI.

WAPITI are the giants of the red deer group, carrying enormous antlers, and attaining as
much as 1,000 Ibs. in weight. The true wapiti of North America, known in that country
chiefly by the local name of Elk, carry by far the finest and the heaviest heads of any of
the typical deer kind. Mr. Eowland Ward, in his book " Records of Big Game," gives the
length of antlers of a twelve-pointer shot in the Olympic Mountains, Washington State, as
70 inches over the outer curve ; while another specimen, also a twelve-pointer, taken from a
wapiti shot in Wyoming, measures 66 inches.
Occasional heads bear as many as 17, 19, and
even 20 tines, or points, but from 12 to 14
points are more usual in fine average heads.
A good stag will stand from 5 feet 4 inches
to 5 feet 8 inches at the shoulder. Mag-
nificently shaped, splendid in form and bear-
ing, as in the size of its antlers, a more lordly
creature than the stag wapiti does not pace
the earth.

" The wapiti," says Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt in " The Encyclopaedia of Sport,"
"is highly polygamous, and during the rut
the master bulls gather great harems about
them and do fierce battle with one another,
while the weaker bulls are driven off by
themselves. At this time the bulls are
comparatively easy to approach, because they
are very noisy, incessantly challenging one
another by night and day. Settlers and
hunters usually speak of their challenge as
'whistling,' but this is a very inadequate
description. The challenge consists of several
notes, first rising and then falling. Heard
near by, especially among unattractive sur-
roundings, it is not particularly impressive, PhotobyG.W.WUion<bO>.,ltd.] [Aberdeen.

varying in tone from a squeal to a roar, MANCHURIAN WAPITI CALLING.

i TJ.J.I T^ 6 great si 26 of the fourth tine, characteristic of the species, is very

and ending with grunts ; but at a little noticeable.

282

The Living Animals of the World

distance it is one of the most musical sounds in nature, sounding like some beautiful wind
instrument. Nothing makes the heart of a hunter leap and thrill like the challenge of a wapiti
bull, as it comes pealing down under the great archways of the mountain pines, through the
still, frosty, fall weather ; all the more if it be at night, under the full moon, and if there is
light snow on the ground."

Wapiti in North America have suffered much from persecution, and it is now difficult
indeed to secure fine heads like those that fell to hunters twenty or thirty years since. Twelve
or fifteen years ago, during winter-time, bands of wapiti in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana
were to be seen gathered together to the number of thousands ; now a score or two is the rule,
where these animals are to be found at all. However, by those who know where to go for their
game, and can hold a rifle straight, wapiti are still to be obtained.

Mr. Selous, in his " Sport and Travel, East and West," thus describes a recent experience :
"After a few seconds of agonising suspense a noble-looking monarch of the mountains walked
slowly from the shelter of the pine-trees and followed the ladies of his household, who had
now halted about fifty yards down the slope, passing in quite open ground not more than sixty
or seventy yards below me ; and as the stag followed them, I waited until he came past, though
he had been well within shot ever since he came out from among the trees. As he did not
know where I was, and probably had not the least idea why the hinds had trotted off, he came
along very leisurely, looking magnificent; for although his antlers were but moderate in size,
there were no others of larger proportions near to dwarf them, and even a very ordinary
wapiti stag, seen at short range in its native wilds, is a glorious sight to look upon. I let
him get a little past me, and then put one of Holland's peg-bullets just behind his shoulder,
low down. I saw by the convulsive rush forwards that he made that he was struck through
the heart, but I did not expect so large an animal to collapse so quickly. He had not gone
twenty paces after being hit, when he fell suddenly right on to the prostrate stem of a large
tree, which did not, however, stop him, as the impetus of his fall carried him over it, and he
then went sliding at a terrific pace down the steep snow-slope below, and disappeared from
sight almost immediately." The dead wapiti was ultimately found 500 feet below, with the
antlers, strangely enough, scarcely injured, but the body and quarters much bruised by the

fall. He was "a very pretty
fourteen-pointer of moderate
size."

A fight between two
wapiti stags is a terrific
encounter. " With heads
lowered between their fore
feet," says Mr. Perry, "the
two adversaries walk around,
waiting for an opening; and
when one is thrown off his
guard, the other makes a
savage rush ; but his opponent
instantly recovers, counters the
charge, and as they rush
together the antlers strike
each other with such terrific
force that the report can be
heard for a long distance.
Slowly retreating, bellowing,
grumbling, and grinding their
teeth in a paroxysm of rage,
they again circle round. . . .

Photo by C. Reid]

[ Witiwm, ff.f.

AN AXIS HIXD.
A species spotted at all seasons.

By permission of the Neio York Zoological Society.

A STAG AXIS, OR INDIAN SPOTTED DEER.

One of the most common animals in an Indian jungle scene.

283

284

The Living Animals of the World

The challenging wapiti usually does most of the offensive fighting until he finds (if such be
the case) that he is the weaker; then he suddenly retires, bellowing as he goes." In the old
days the Indians of North America were in the habit of organising great wapiti drives. Entire
herds were surrounded by a ring of mounted men, and forced over precipices.

In recent years it has been discovered that wapiti are also denizens of certain parts
of Asia. At least two sub-species the ALTAI WAPITI and the MANCHURIAN WAPITI have thus

far been identified. The former, some-
times known as the Thian-shan Stag,
is found in the forests of the Altai
and Thian-shan Mountains, west of the
Mongolian Desert. Compared with its
American congener, it is inferior in stature,
has shorter legs, a longer body, and pro-
portionately larger antlers, though none
have yet approached those of the longest
American specimens. These splendid stags,
of which living specimens have been
maintained by the Duke of Bedford at
Woburn, are captured alive by the Altai
natives, and kept in domestication for
the sake of their antlers, which are sold
in China for purposes of medicine at as
much as the value of 10 apiece.

The MANCHURIAN WAPITI, or LUEH-
DORF'S STAG, is a well-marked local race
of the wapiti, which turns reddish in

By ptrmuiion of Professor Bumpus]

A SPOTTED ORIENTAL DEEE.
One of the numerous Philippine species.

[New York.

summer. It has received several names,
and is well characterised by the form
of its antlers. It has been kept alive
in the Duke of Bedford's park at Woburn

Abbey. It seems probable that the Siberian stags will eventually be referred to the wapiti

group.

BOKHARA DEER.

A fine deer from Kussian Turkestan is at present known as the BOKHARA DEER. It is
said to resemble the shou of Northern Bhutan more than any other species, and, standing
about 4 feet at the shoulder, is of an ashen-grey colour, tinged with yellow. A living specimen
has been exhibited at Moscow, and it is believed that specimens in the collection of the
Duke of Bedford belong to this form.

SIKAS.

The SIKAS, as typified by the JAPANESE DEER, are a group of deer of moderate size,
distinguished from the preceding assemblage by antlers of simpler type, each antler having
usually four points, and lacking the second, or bez, tine. The coat is spotted with white,
and white markings appear about the tail. The tail is much longer than in the red deer
group. The Japanese deer, found in Japan and North China, is a beautiful creature, somewhat
smaller than the fallow deer of Europe, having a coat of brilliant chestnut, thickly spotted with
white in curious longitudinal markings. This is the summer pelage; in winter the colour
changes to dark brown, and the spots mostly disappear. When in the velvet, the antlers are
of a bright chestnut-red, with black tips, and at this season the bucks look their handsomest.
A good head measures from 25 to 31 inches, and carries usually eight points.

The MANCHURIAN SIKA may be looked upon as a larger variety of the Japanese deer, with
a somewhat darker coat.

The Deer Tribe

285

Another closely allied form is the FORMOSAN SIKA, which bears a rather paler summer
coat, and carries spots in its winter pelage. This deer is found on the mountains of the island
from which it takes its name. The few antlers which have reached this country seem to
indicate that in this respect this deer is inferior to the other sikas. The longest pair yet
recorded measure not more than 19| inches.

The PEKIN SIKA, sometimes known as Dybowski's Deer, is considerably larger in size than
the rest of the group, standing well over 3 feet at the shoulder. The horns are large and
rugged, and measure as much as 27 inches in length. The coat is thick and shaggy, and well
adapted for life in a harsh climate. The habitat of this species is North-eastern Manchuria
and the borders of Korea.

FALLOW DEER.

FALLOW DEER are, perhaps, to English people, the most familiar of all the cervine race,
forming as they do, in the semi-domesticated state, the adornments of most of our parks. The
flesh of this handsome deer furnishes the well-known venison of this country, and is perhaps
the best-tasted of all deer-meat. A good fallow buck stands about 3 feet at the shoulder, and
weighs (clean) about 150 Ibs., though specimens have been shot weighing as much as 204 Ibs.,

Photo by C. Reid]

A YOUNG FALLOW BUCK OP THE BROWN BREED.

The favourite park-deer of England.

[ Wishaw, N.B.

but this is exceptional. The horns are strongly palrnated. Originally this deer was not
indigenous to Britain, but is often said to have been introduced by the Romans from Eastern
Europe.

The COMMON FALLOW DEER is found in the wild state in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Austria,
Rhodes, Sardinia, Asia Minor, and North Palestine. It is doubtful whether, as has been stated,
this deer ever existed in modern times in the wild state in North Africa. This is a highly
gregarious species, delighting to move in considerable herds. In some parts of Scotland fallow
deer have reverted completely to the wild state, and afford excellent sport. And even park-

286

The Living Animals of the World

deer, once they are shot at,
exhibit extraordinary wariness
and cunning, so much so that
curious tricks and disguises
have often to be resorted to
when a fat buck has to be
shot for venison.

The beautiful MESOPO-
TAMIAN FALLOW DEER, found
in the mountains of Luristan,
in Mesopotamian Persia, is
somewhat larger than the
common species, while its
coat is much more brightly
coloured. The antlers bear
little resemblance to those
seen in the park-deer of
this country, being far less
palmated and spreading, and
more vertical.

The enormous horns of
the extinct deer once known
as IRISH ELK are now con-
sidered by naturalists to be
those of a gigantic species
of fallow deer. By the kind-
ness of Mr. J. Gr. Millais,
I am enabled to give the
dimensions of a pair of antlers
of one of these wonderful
beasts from his museum.
These antlers measure in
spread, from tip to tip, 9 feet
4 inches ; length round inside
of right horn, 6 feet; round
left horn, 5 feet 8 inches,
a marvellous trophy, truly.
This specimen was dug up

in County Waterford. These colossal fallow deer, which roamed the wastes of Ireland in
prehistoric times, must have afforded fairly exciting sport to the feebly armed human beings
who then existed.

THE SAMBAR, OR KUSINE DEER.

SAMBAR may be shortly described as large deer, having rough, shaggy coats, and big.
rugged antlers of simple type, usually displaying but three tines. They belong to the group
known as Typical Deer, although they are but distantly connected with the red deer. The colour
of the coat is usually dark umber-brown, marked with chestnut about the rump and under-parts.
The well-known sambar of India stands as much as 5 feet 4 inches at the withers, and weighs,
before being cleaned, some 600 Ibs. The longest pair of antlers yet recorded (Eowland Ward's
" Kecords of Big Game ") measure 48 inches in length over the outer curve. Usually to be
found among jungly, wooded hills and mountains in many parts of India and Ceylon, this fine stag
affords first-rate sport, and is much sought after by shikaris. It is to be met with in small

Plioto by Miss E. J. Beck.

A SAMBAK STAG.

The only Indian deer of which the fawns are unspotted.

The Deer Tribe

287

troops of from four to a dozen, or singly,
while during the rutting-season the animab
rove in more considerable herds. In jungle
and thickly forested regions it is a hard
matter to come up with the sambar on foot,
and it is there usually shot from elephant-
back, by the aid of beaters. In more
open hill country it affords good stalking,
hi Ceylon it is hunted with hounds, and
yields in this way also capital sport. These
animals seem to revel in heat, and love
to shelter themselves in hot, stifling valleys ;
they drink only once in two or three days.
Lt is a noticeable feature in connection
with the antlers of the sambar that they
are not invariably shed annually, as with
most of the deer kind. In Ceylon, accord-
ing to Sir Samuel Baker, they are shed
"with great irregularity every third or
fourth year."

Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Heber Percy
thus Writes concerning the sambar, or sam-
bur : " Compared with the Kashmir stag,
red deer, or wapiti, he looks an ugly,

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford] [ Woburn Abbey.

JAVAN RUSA STAG.

This deer is a near relative of the sambar, but has a somewhat different
type of antler.

Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.

FORMOSAN SIKA STAG.
Like its Japanese kindred, this deer is spotted only in summer.

coarse, underbred brute. ... As the sambur
is almost entirely nocturnal in its habits, it
is most commonly shot in drives, and in many
places it is almost impossible to obtain
sambur otherwise; but where it can be
managed, stalking is, of course, far better fun.
The sportsman should be on his ground just
before daylight, and work slowly through the
forest at the edge of the feeding-grounds,
taking the bottom of the hill if there are
crops on the plain below, or, failing these,
the edges of the open glades in the forest.
Presently, if there are any sambur about, he
will hear their trumpet-like call, and, creep-
ing on, see two or three dark forms moving
among the trees. In the grey of the morn-
ing it is often very hard to distinguish a
stag from a hind, and the writer has on
several occasions had to wait, after viewing
the herd, till there was light enough to
pick his stag. Even in broad daylight it is
difficult to judge the size of a stag's horns
as he stands motionless in the deep gloom
of the forest, and what little can be seen

288

The Living Animals of the World

[ Woburn Abbey.

of them makes them look three times their
real size the beam is so massive and the
tines so long. The stag, too, is such a
big beast, standing nearly a hand taller
than a barasingh, that if seen in the open
he looks as big as our Irish elk. . . . All
driving should be done during the heat
of the day, when the animals are lying
down ; trying to drive when beasts are
naturally on the move generally results
in the game leaving the beat before the
men are in their places. It may sound
ridiculous for a man to get up a tree in
a sambur drive, but he is far more likely
to get an easy shot in this position, as
the deer will neither see nor wind him ;
he commands more ground, and he runs
no risk of heading back the wary old
hind which often leads the herd, the
chances being that if he is rightly posted
the herd will come right under his tree.
Another advantage is that, his fire being
plunging, he can shoot all round without
danger to the beaters. In some parts of
the Himalaya native shikaris declare that
they often shoot sambur by selecting a
likely path and improvising a salt-lick,
after the fashion of Laplanders when they
want to catch their tame reindeer." The
flesh of this deer is coarse and only moderately good eating.

The MALAYAN SAMBAR, found from Assam, through Burma, to the Malay Peninsula, and in
Siam, Hainan, Borneo, and perhaps Sumatra, is slightly less in size than its Indian prototype ;
the antlers vary somewhat, and are shorter and stouter. The longest antlers yet recorded
measure 30f inches over the outer curve; these come from Borneo.

The FORMOSAN SAMBAR, sometimes called Swinhoe's Deer, is, again, closely connected with
the Malayan sambar, and may be looked upon as purely a local race. The antlers appear to
run smaller, the best recorded examples only extending to 19| inches.

The LUZON SAMBAR (Philippines), a small sub-species, and the SZECHUAN SAMBAR (North-
west China), are also local races of the same species. This last seems thus far to occupy the
most northerly habitat of this group.

The BASILAN SAMBAR (Philippines) is, like its congener of Luzon, a small sub-species,
standing no more than from 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, of slender build, and with the
hindquarters higher than the withers. The best antlers yet recorded measure no more than
15| inches. It is interesting to note that as the island of Basilan is the smallest of the
Philippines, so is this sambar by far the smallest of its group. Its restricted habitat has no
doubt conduced, during long ages, to bring about this result.

The JAVAN SAMBAR, or KUSA, is a distinct species, found, as its name implies, in the island
of Java. The antlers are somewhat slender, but are, next to those of the sambar of India, the
longest of the group. The best recorded pair measure 35 inches, while another pair from
Mauritius, where this animal has been introduced, measure half an inch longer. This sambar
is smaller than the great sambar of India, and is about on a par with a good red deer.

The MOLUCCAN RUSA, a sub-species somewhat smaller than the Javan deer, is found in

Plwto by the Duchess of MetJj'ord]

HOG-DEER.
The smallest Indian representative of the samhar group.

Photo by The Duchexs of Hertford, Woburn Abbey.

FALLOW DEER.

There are two breeds of these beautiful deer in the British Isles ; in the one the summer coat is fawn
* dappled with white; in the other the colour is dark brown at all seasons.

The Deer Tribe

289

Celebes and certain islands Boru, Batchian, and Amboina in the Moluccan group ; while the
TIMOR EUSA, a closely allied congener, is found on the islands of Timor, Semao, and Kambing.
It is possible nay, even probable that the Malays may, in times gone by, have introduced
certain of these rusine deer from one habitat to another. Such, at least, seems to be the
presumption among naturalists.

Dr. Guillemard, in that charming book " The Cruise of the Marchesa " (p. 357), gives some
interesting information concerning Moluccan sambar in the little-known island of Batchian.
The inhabitants, " living for the most part in the hills, kill and smoke the deer, and bring the
meat into the villages for sale. We were fortunate enough to assist at one of their hunts, in
which no other weapon than the spear is used. The side of a large ravine, which had been
partially cleared, and presented a confused jumble of fallen trees and low brushwood, was
assigned to us as our post, and, from the extensive view it commanded, we were able later in
the day to watch one run almost from start to finish, although at first the sport appeared to
be successful in every direction but our own. At length a stag broke covert about five
hundred yards above us, and descended the slopes of the ravine, but shortly afterwards turned
and made for the forest again. He was met by some of the hunters and driven back ; but the
dogs were now in full cry, and pressed him hard, the hunters meanwhile racing at their utmosl
speed above, in order to prevent his regaining the jungle. He now altered his direction, and
turned down once more towards us; but the fallen trees were so thick that the dogs gained
rapidly on him. He made one more effort for his life by doubling, but it was too late, and
in another minute the dogs and hunters had fairly run him down."

Deer were probably the earliest animals of the chase. Their bones are found in the cave-
dwellings of prehistoric man, and some of the earliest efforts at drawing represent these animals.

tnoto by the Ducliess of Bedford]

YOUNG MALE SWAMP-DEER.

This species is the Barasingh of the natives of India. It is by no means addicted to swampy localities.

[ Woburn Abbey.

290

Animals of the World

Photo by Tort Son] [Netting Hill.

INDIAN MUNTJAC.

Sometimes called the Barking-deer. The Indian species
stands only 2 feet high.

OTHER TYPICAL DEER.

So numerous are the typical deer that they are not
concluded even by the long list of animals already
enumerated. We proceed now to glance briefly at the
remainder of this important group.

The PHILIPPINE SPOTTED DEER, or PRINCE ALFRED'S
DEER, is a small but extremely handsome species, found
in the islands of Samar and Leyte. The height is under
30 inches; the colour very dark brown, spotted with
white, the under-parts, chin, and upper portion of the
legs also white.

Another small cervine from the Philippine group is
the CALAMIANES DEER, a darkish brown beast, found in
the island of that name.

The little BAVIAN DEER, another island-deer, from
the Bavian group, between Borneo and Java, should also
be mentioned. Very little is known of the habits of
these three deer, and few specimens even of their skins
and horns have reached Europe.

The HOG-DEER, allied to the last-named species, is
an animal much better known, found as it is in many
parts of India and Burma. This handsome little deer
stands from 24 to 28 inches at the shoulder, and carries
antlers which average from 10 to 15 inches, and reach
occasionally as much as 21 or 22 inches one specimen
is recorded measuring 23^ inches. It has a yellowish or reddish-brown coat, minutely speckled
with white. The summer coat is paler and marked with white or palish-brown spots. This

sturdy little cleer is found usually in long grass, and
affords excellent snap-shooting ; it is also run into with
dogs and speared by mounted sportsmen. Major Fitz-
Herbert thus describes a chase of this kind : " He [the
little stag] stood at bay, with head down and bristles
raised like a miniature red deer of Landseer's, but broke
away when I came up. Once he charged the bitch
and knocked her over. He stood at bay two or three
times ? :butf I could never get a spear into him for fear of
hurting the dogs. At last one time, as he was break-
ing bay, I came up, and he charged me with such
force as to break one of his horns clean off against the
spear. However, I struck him in the spine, and rolled
him over." These little deer have quite extraordinary
pluck, and have been known even to charge and wound
a horse.

The CHITAL, or INDIAN SPOTTED DEER, often called
the Axis Deer, a very beautiful species, is the common
jungle-stag of India. Standing about 3 feet or a little
over, its lovely coat of bright reddish fawn is thickly
spotted with white at all seasons of the year. The horns
are somewhat of the sambar type, and measure as much
as 36 or 38 inches in length in fine specimens. These
exquisite deer are often found in considerable herds, and
are a forest-loving species.

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey.

YOUNG MALE CHINESE WATER-DEER.
One of the few deer which have no antlers.

The Deer Tribe

291

.. J

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford} [Wobur/i Abbey.

MALE SIBERIAN EOE.

A very large species of roebuck, with more rugged antlers than the
European-roe.

The SWAMP-DEER, the true Barasingh of
India, as distinguished from the Kashmir
stag, which is often loosely called Barasingh,
is a plain-loving species, found in various
parts of India, and characterised by hand-
some antlers, bearing as many as from 10 to
16 points. This is a big, heavy deer, stand-
ing nearly 4 feet at the withers, and weigh-
ing as much as 40 stone. The summer coat
is light rufous, more or less spotted with
white. The winter coat is yellowish brown.
A near relative to this deer is SCHOMBURGK'S
DEER, found in Northern Siam. The antlers
of this stag are most curiously forked and
bifurcated.

The THAMIN, or ELD'S DEER, sometimes
called the Brow-antlered Deer, is another
plains-deer, found chiefly from Manipur,
through Burma, to the Malay Peninsula.
It is a good-sized species, standing about
3 feet 9 inches at the shoulder, and weighing
as much as 17 stone. The large antlers are
simple in type, the brow-tines curving down
curiously over the forehead ; the tail is sharp,
and the neck provided with a mane, the young
being spotted. A Siamese race of Eld's deer, found in Siam and Hainan, differs somewhat from
the Burmese type.

THE MUNTJACS.

The MUNTJACS, or BARKING-DEER, are a
group of small deer found in India, Burma,
and the Malay region. The INDIAN MUNTJAC
stands about 2 feet in height, and weighs
some 28 Ibs. The antlers, which average 5
or 6 inches in length, bear two points
brow-tine and beam ; the lower portions, or
pedicles, are curiously covered with hair, and
the front of the face is ribbed or ridged in
V fashion. The general colour is a golden
bay, the face and limbs brown, and the lower
parts white. The buck has sharp tusks in
the upper jaw, and, at a pinch, knows how to
make use of them. A shy, stealthy little
creature, the muntjac loves dense cover, and
the sportsman usually obtains but a quick
snapshot at this active and wary little deer
as it flashes across him much as does a bolting
rabbit scuttling across a narrow drive. Local
Indian names for the barking-deer are Jungle-
sheep, Ked Hog-deer, and Eib-faced Deer.

Other muntjacs, varying somewhat from the photo by the Duchess of Bedford} [Wobum Abbey.

Indian form, are the HAIRY-FRONTED, the TENAS- FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE.

SERIM, the TIBETAN, and the CHINESE MUNTJACS. The absence of a tail, characteristic of all roes, is well shown.

292

The Living Animals of the World

[Hamburg.

TurrED DEER.

Near relatives of the odd little muntjacs
are the TUFTED DEER, of which two species,
the TIBETAN and MICHIE'S, are known to
naturalists. The former, found in Eastern
Tibet, is about the size of the Indian muntjac,
and has a coat of dark chocolate-brown,
curiously speckled on the face, neck, and fore
parts ; the frontal tuft is nearly black. The
antlers of the bucks of both this and Michie's
deer are extremely small, scarcely observable
at a first glance. Both species have long
curving tusks projecting from the upper jaw.
Michie's tufted deer is of a greyish-black
or iron-grey colour, the face and neck dark
grey. This animal is found in the reed-beds
bordering the Ningpo and other rivers in
Eastern China.

WATER-DEER.

The CHINESE WATER-DEER is another
diminutive deer, standing no more than 20
inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring
is pale rufous yellow, the head and the back
of the ears being darker in hue than the rest
of the body. The males carry no antlers.
This tiny deer is found in North-east China,
and is well known on the islands of the

Yangtse-kiang Eiver. It loves thick cover, especially reeds and long grass. So apt is it at
concealment, that at Woburn Abbey, where specimens are kept in a paddock of long tussocky
grass, hours may be spent without catching a glimpse of it. When disturbed, it scurries off
with short, quick leaps, very much after the manner of the hare. The males of the Chinese
deer, like the muntjacs, carry long curved tusks in the upper jaw.

ROE DEER.

The EUROPEAN EOE, one ot the handsomest of all the smaller deer, is still happily found
in many parts of Scotland. In England, where it had at one time become well-nigh extinct,
it has been here and there reintroduced with some success. In Ireland it seems never to have
been found. On the Continent its range is wide, extending from the south of Sweden, through
France and Germany, to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Spain. Found in
Southern Russia and the Caucasus, it makes its way eastward as far as North Palestine and
Persia. The roe stands, in good adult specimens, 26 inches at the shoulder, and weighs about
60 Ibs. The handsome arid very characteristic horns measure in good specimens from 10 to
13 inches over the outer curve. The summer coat of this beautiful little deer is a bright
rufous brown ; in winter a darker and duller brown, with a notable white patch about the tail.
The roe is always more or less a wood-loving creature. In winter, especially, it seldom cares
to quit the shelter of the forest ; in summer, however, the deer wander into more open localities.
The fawns are born generally towards the end of May, and two young are usually produced. In
the rutting-season the males fight savagely with one another.

Mr. J. G. Millais gives an instance of a buck^ killed in one of these desperate battles, in
which one antler of the victor, having penetrated the brain of the vanquished buck, had been

By permission oj Hen- Carl Hagenbeck]

SIBERIAN ROEBUCK.
Shows a magnificent pair of antlers.

Photo by Ottomar Anschutz]

FEMALE EUROPEAN ROE DEER.
Though common in the Scotch woods, these deer are rarely seen, keeping close in cover all day.

293

294

The Living Animals of the World

broken clean off and remained embedded in the skull, firmly wedged between the ears and the
antlers. "When wounded and brought to bay by a dog," says Mr. Millais, "a roebuck brings
into play both head and fore legs in his defence, using his horns as described, and striking out
with his legs, more as if to push off his antagonist than to cause a forcible blow, for he gives
no shock, as a hind can. A doe, too, uses her fore legs and boxes with her head ; and
Mr. Steel, who has had wide experience in roe-shooting, tells me that he has seen a doe use
her hind legs as well. The bark of the buck is loud, sharp, and deep in tone, not unlike what
a single call might be from an old collie. At this season, too, the female gives an amorous call
when she wishes the male to come to her. If he is within hearing, he puts his neck out
straight and comes full speed to her. In Germany many roebucks are shot by alluring them
in this manner, and calls exactly imitating her voice are made for the sportsman's use. One
who has shot roe in this manner tells me it is most exciting sport, for the buck comes straight

Photo ly the Duchess of Bedford]

[ Woburn Abbey.

PERE DAVID'S DEEK.
Nineteen of these deer are at Woburn Abbey ; three are at Berlin. It is believed that these are the only deer of this species in existence.

for the sound at full speed, and will only stop startled for a second when he discovers the
fraud, and as often as not he passes right on without giving a chance."

Eoe have a curious trick of chasing one another in play, and certain roe-rings in the woods
near Cawdor Castle, according to Mr. Millais, demonstrate the fact that for ages the deer have
been in the habit of disporting themselves in these strange circles over the same pieces of
ground. The fact is very singular. " These curious circles are most used in early summer ; and
Sutherland, the head keeper, tells me," says Mr. Millais, " that hardly a morning passes without
there being one or two roe playing in the rings, and sometimes there is quite a party of them."
Koe feed chiefly on grass ; they will eat also rowan (mountain-ash) berries, of which they are
especially fond, as well as turnips, grain, heather tops, and various other roots and plants.
Certain fungi, to which they are partial, they take much pains to dig out with their sharp
hoofs. "A roebuck that I once kept," says Mr. Millais, "was a good Scotchman, though he
had a beastly temper, for he liked nothing so much as oatmeal porridge." Roe make delightful
pets, but the bucks are not to be trusted after the third year. One of these animals, supposed

The Deer Tribe

295

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford] [Woburn Abbey.

GROUP OP VIRGINIAN DEER (TWO BUCKS, FOUR DOES).

These are the common deer of the Eastern United States.

to be tame, has been known
to kill a lad. In Scotland
and on the Continent roe
deer are usually killed by
driving, and large bags
are often made. Even
within recent times, as
many as sixty-five roebucks
and thirteen hinds have
been shot at Beaufort, Lord
Lovat's place in Inverness-
shire, during a day's
driving. Shot-guns are
employed for this kind of
sport. Stalking the roe is
not so much pursued in
Scotland as it might be.
It is a first-rate and most
interesting form of sport,
and in certain districts the
rifle might very well be
substituted for the shot-
gun. " Roe-stalking," says
Mr. Millais, "possesses

many charms of its own. In the first place, you can enjoy it at a season when there is no
other shooting going on; secondly, it takes you out in the early morning, when all nature is
full of life and beauty, and before the heat of the day commences ; and, thirdly, where the
chase of the animal is systematically conducted, as with red deer, the nature of the sport is
everything that can be desired. I would therefore put forward a plea that tenants and owners
of part-wood, part-forest lands in Argyll, Inverness, Ross, and Aberdeen should turn their
attention to stalking the roe in preference to killing them during the usual winter wood-shoots."
Roe deer are exceedingly abundant in the great forest regions of Germany and Austria-
Hungary. In Austria alone, not including Hungary, during the year 1892, no less than 68,110
of these beautiful little deer were shot on various estates.

The SIBERIAN ROE, found from the mountains of the Altai and Turkestan to Siberia, is a
somewhat larger species than its European cousin, measuring from 28 to 34 inches at the
shoulder. The antlers are also larger, extending to as much as 16 and even 18 inches in
measurement. As beseems its habitat, the coat of this species is also thicker and rougher
than is the case with the European roe. Mr. Lydekker gives some interesting particulars
regarding this animal : " When the snows of November fall, the roe themselves commence to
collect in herds, which may number from 300 to 500 head, and soon after migrate southwards
into Manchuria, whence they return about the end of March or beginning of April. On the
Ussuri, which they must cross, they are at this season slaughtered in thousands by the hunters,
without regard to age or sex."

One other species, the MANCHURIAN ROE, found chiefly in mountainous habitats, whence
it never descends, should be noted. This is a smaller deer than the Siberian roe, and
approximates in size and length of horn to the European race.

PERE DAVID'S DEER.

This remarkable animal, which apparently bears little or no resemblance to any of the other
deer of the Old World, has been placed by some naturalists between the roe deer and the
American deer. Its habitat is North China, and, strangely enough, it seems to be unrecognised

296

The Living Animals of the World

By permission of Professor Bv.mpu*]

A MULE-DEER FAWX.

York.

in the wild state, being apparently only
known in China in the Imperial Park at
Pekin. This deer approaches in size the
red deer of Europe. The general colouring
is greyish brown, white about the eyes,
ears, rump, and under- parts ; the horns,
which lack the brow-tine, are very singular
in shape, and measure as much as 32
inches in length ; the tail is long, reaching
to the hocks ; the gait is " lolloping " and
mule-like. This is a marsh-loving species,
and at Woburn Abbey, where specimens
are kept, "they may be seen wading far
into the lakes and even swimming in
the deeper water."

THE AMERICAN DEER.

Excepting always the elk, wapiti,
and reindeer, which have been already
described, the deer of North and South
America stand quite apart from those
of the Old World, and are placed in a
genus of their own. Usually the tail is
long, and the brow-tine is always wanting.
The most familiar species is the common
AMERICAN DEER, of which the VIRGINIAN
or WHITE-TAILED DEER is the type. This
deer is found in varying forms in both continents, and was regularly hunted by the ancient
Mexicans with trained pumas.

The well-known VIRGINIAN DEER, found in Eastern North America, and believed to range
as far south as Louisiana, stands a trifle over 3 feet in height, and weighs, clean, about 12 stone
7 Ibs. The coloration is chestnut in summer, bluish grey in winter. The antlers are of good
size, and measure as much as 27| inches in length. As a sporting animal the white-tailed
deer is not popular. Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley describes him as " an exasperating little beast,"
possessing every quality which a deer ought not to, from the sportsman's point of view. "His
haunts are river-bottoms, in choking, blinding bush, and his habits are beastly. No one could
ever expect to stalk a white-tail ; if you want to get one, you must crawl." Mr. Selous, in
1897, bagged one of these deer somewhat curiously. "He was coming," he writes, "through
the scrubby, rather open bush straight, towards me in a series of great leaps, rising, 1 think,
quite four feet from the ground at every bound. I stood absolutely still, thinking to fire at
him just as he jumped the stream and passed me. However, he came so straight to me that,
had he held his course, he must' have jumped on to or over me. But when little more than
the width of the stream separated us when he was certainly not more than ten yards from me
he either saw or winded me, and, without a moment's halt, made a prodigious leap sideways.
I fired at him when he was in the air, and I believe quite six feet above the ground."
The deer, an old buck with a good head, was afterwards picked up dead. In different parts
of America, as far south as Peru and Bolivia, various local races of this deer are to be found.

TRUE'S DEER is a small species, not unlike the Virginian deer, found from South Mexico
to Costa Eica. The antlers are "in the form of simple spikes directed backwards," and the
body-colouring is in summer light chestnut, in winter brownish grey. Little is at present
known of this species.

The MULE-DEER, found in most parts of North America west of the Missouri, as far south

The large ears, from which the American species takes its name, are noticeable
even in the young.

The Deer Tribe

297

as Southern California, stands about 3 feet 3 inches at the shoulder, and weighs over 17 stone
clean. It carries good antlers, measuring as much as 30 inches, and in colour is tawny red in
summer, brownish grey in winter. It is a far better sporting animal than the sneaking white-
tailed deer, and affords excellent stalking. These deer are still abundant in many localities.
Mr. Phillipps-Wolley writes thus of them in " Big Game Shooting " : " Some idea of the number
of these deer in British Columbia may be gathered from the fact that in one district I have
had a chance of killing seventeen separate stags in an hour's still hunt, whilst one settler in
the Similkameen country fed his hogs on deer-meat through a whole winter." Four races of
mule-deer the TYPICAL, the CALIFORNIAN, the LA PAZ, and the WESTERN DESERT race have
been identified by naturalists.

The BLACK-TAILED DEER is another well-known cervine of Western North America, closely
allied to the mule-deer, but distinguished from that species by its inferior size and its much
blacker tail. The antlers, as a rule, run somewhat smaller than in the case of the mule-deer.
This, too, is a very abundant species, affording fairly good sport (considering its liking for
timber and dense bush) and excellent venison.

In South America are to be found several kinds of marsh-deer, of which the best known is
the handsome MARSH-DEER, having its range from Brazil to the forest country of the Argentine
Republic. Little is known of this and other South American deer by British sportsmen. The
marsh-deer is almost equal in size to the red deer of Scotland, but somewhat less stout of
build ; the colouring is bright chestnut in summer, brown in winter ; the coat is long and
coarse, as befits a swamp-loving creature ; the antlers usually display ten points, and measure
in fine specimens as much as 23 or 24 inches.

The PAMPAS-DEER, a species closely allied to the marsh-deer, is of small size, standing
about 2 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The antlers, usually three-pointed, measure no more
than from 12 to 14 inches in fine specimens. This deer is found from Brazil to Northern
Patagonia.

The PERUVIAN and CHILIAN GUEMALS are small deer, found on the high Andes, and are
somewhat inferior in size to the Virginian deer. The males carry simple antlers forming a
single fork, and measuring about 9 inches. The coat, yellowish brown in hue, is coarse, thick.

ermission of Professor Bumpus\

VIRGINIAN DEER.

This deer is the best-known representative of a species displaying extraordinary local variation in size and colour.

[New York.

298

The Living Animals of the World

and brittle. The Chilian
guemal is found also in most
parts of Patagonia ; unlike its
congener of Peru, which
delights in altitudes of from
14,000 to 16,000 feet, its
habitat lies chiefly in deep
valleys, thick forest, and even
the adjacent plains, to which
it resorts in winter.

The BROCKETS, of which
seven species are found in
South and Central America
and Trinidad, are small deer,
having spike-like antlers and
tufted crowns. The largest is
the KED BROCKET, found in
Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay,
which stands 27 inches at the
shoulder. The body-colouring
is brownish red. Like most
of the group, this brocket is
extremely shy ; although fond
of dense covert, it is found
also on open campos. The
PYGMY BROCKET, a tiny dark
brown deerlet, less than 19
inches in height, found in
Central Brazil, is the smallest
of these very small deer.

Two other diminutive

deer, known as PUDUS, closely allied to the brockets, are found in South America. These are
the CHILIAN and ECUADOR PUDUS, of which the former is no more than 13| inches in height,
the latter about 14 or 15 inches. Little is known of the history and life habits of these
charming little creatures, one of which, the Chilian species, has occasionally been seen in the
Zoological Society's Gardens.

THE MUSK-DEER.

This brief account of the deer of the world closes with the MUSK-DEER, which differ from
almost all others of their kind the Chinese water-deer being the sole exception in the
absence of antlers. In place of these defensive and offensive weapons, nature has provided the
musk-deer with long canine tusks, projecting downwards from the upper jaw. The musk, from
which these curious deer take their name, is secreted during the rutting-season in the male
only in a pouch or gland contained in the skin of the stomach.

The well-known HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER is a stout, heavily made deer for its size, measuring
20 inches at the shoulder, about 2 inches higher at the rump, and having a coat of coarse,
brittle hair of a dark brown colour. This musk-deer, which is nowadays by no means common
is found in the forests of the Himalaya, Tibet, Siberia, and Western China, often at altitudes
of about 8,000 feet. These animals are extraordinary mountaineers, active, daring, and
apparently quite unconscious of or indifferent to danger.

Another species, the KANSU MUSK-DEER, found in the province of Kansu, China, has only
been discovered within the last ten years. Concerning this deer very little is at present known.
In general characteristics it resembles its more familiar congener of the Himalaya.

permission of the New York Zoological Society.

MULE-DEER STAG.
Shows the large blackish-brown patch on the forehead, so distinctive of the species.

The Deer Tribe

299

A WORD should be
said upon the subject
of the acclimatisation of
various members of the
Deer Tribe in countries
which are distant from
their native ground, but
in which they are found
to thrive and breed,
some with greater and
some with less success.
It will be seen that
several of the illustrations
in this chapter are taken
from deer living in
natural conditions at
Woburn Abbey, the seat
of the Duke of Bedford.
Others were photographed
out of doors in zoologi-
cal parks or private
menageries. There is a
considerable degree of
transferability among
deer, not only among

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford]

[ Woburn Abbey.

YOUNG MARSH-DEER.

A very elegant South American species. The main colour is a bright chestnut, with the lower part
of the legs black. The insides of the ears are filled with white hair, looking like silver filigree.

those found in temperate or northern regions, but also those which inhabit the tropical jungles
of Southern India.

The Axis, or Chital Deer of India, is the most striking example. It lives in the hot
jungles, where it is the usual food of the tiger. Yet it has been transferred to the forests of
France and to English parks, and not only lives, but breeds and increases in numbers. It is
kept in this country mainly at "Woburn Abbey, and at Haggerston Castle, in Northumberland.
In France and Germany herds of axis deer have been maintained long enough to observe a
curious and noteworthy incident in acclimatisation. The axis deer breeds naturally in October,
after the Indian rainy season. This habit, if persisted in in Europe, would expose the fawn
to the rigours of the French or English winter. Gradually and after some time the herds
become irregular in the time of reproduction, and later produce the fawns in June, at the
time which is best suited to their survival. This is a real instance of acclimatisation.

The Japanese Deer, or Sika, was introduced into the park at Powerscourt by Viscount
Powerscourt some thirty years ago. Now it is one of the commonest of recently introduced
park-deer both in this country and in France. The venison is excellent, and the herds are
prolific. The stags are small, but very strong, and at Powerscourt always get the better of
the red deer stags, and sometimes carry off their hinds. Wapiti Deer are kept in several
English parks, but so far the Sambar has proved a failure. Hog-deer and Chinese Water-deer
do very well both in England and France.

But it is in New Zealand that the best results have been obtained with imported deer.
The English Ked Deer, some of which were originally sent out by the Prince Consort, reinforced
by some of the same species bred in Australia, have become indigenous. They grow far faster
and to a larger size than those on the Scotch moors, and rival the great stags of the
Carpathians. The antlers also increase in size at an abnormal rate. Licences are regularly
issued to stalk and shoot these deer, which, like the brown trout and the pheasant, are now
among the stock of established wild fauna. Moose and a few Sambar stags and herds have
also been turned out in New Zealand. The latter are said to be doing well.

300

The Living Animals of the World

There is no particular reason why the
deer of cold countries should not be inter-
changed ; they seem to have the natural
adaptability of oxen. But it is not a little
surprising that the species from warm climates
should nourish in damp and cold ones. The
axis deer would be a real addition to the
fauna of the great European forests, if it
is found that it survives the winter snows
without some form of artificial shelter. No
one seems to have considered the advisa-
bility of introducing the mule-deer into the
Central European woods. It is a much finer
animal than the fallow buck, and the venison
is excellent. In those woods where fallow
deer are preserved in a wild state, as on
many of the German Emperor's sporting-
estates, the mule-deer would be a far more
ornamental animal. Few people know what
immense herds of red and fallow deer, as
well as of wild boars, still exist, under
careful preservation, in the forests of the
great German, Austrian, and Russian princes,
and in the royal forests of their respective
countries.

When the Kaiser holds his great Court
hunting-parties, to which the guests all come
dressed in the uniform of the Order of
St. Hubert, as many as 200 deer are shot in a day. They are driven past the guns by
beaters. After the day's sport is over all the antlers are wreathed with boughs of spruce fir,
and the stags laid out like rabbits after an English battue.

It is rather surprising that only one species of deer has been entirely domesticated viz.
the Reindeer. Deer's meat is as highly prized as that of any other game, perhaps even more
so. There is almost no part of the animal which is not useful. The horns are valuable for
knife-handles, and always command a good price ; they were prized even by prehistoric man,
who converted them into pick-axes, and made spear-heads and daggers of them. The leather of
the hide makes the softest and best of all hunting-garments : the American Indian or trapper
always wears, or used to wear, a deer-skin shirt and deer-skin leggings, made as exquisitely soft
as chamois leather by a process known to the squaws. At the present time all the best gloves
are made of doe-skin ; they are far the most costly of any gloves. Doe-skin breeches are
also a luxurious garment to ride in. For ornamental rugs few skins beat those of the Dappled
Deer, laid on the floor of some finely furnished hall or room.

Thus we have the curious spectacle of the wild men of the Far North, the Lapps and
Ostiaks, taming and keeping in domestication great herds of deer, milking them, using them
as beasts of draught, and feeding on their flesh, while far more civilised races in the South have
not taken the trouble to do so. The reason is not easy to surmise, unless it be that the idea
of making use of the Deer Tribe solely as beasts of the chase was so rooted in the European
ruling races, and their kings and nobles, that the agriculturist never had a chance of trying
to tame and use them for other purposes. It is certain that during the yMiddle Ages law and
custom made any such attempt quite impossible. The deer were a valuible sporting asset, so
hedged round with an atmosphere of feudal privilege, that to convert/them into something
useful to the common people would have been regarded as an insult t/ the powers that were.

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford] [ Woburn Abbey,

YOUNG HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER.

The male carries a pouch on the abdomen, from which the musk is
obtained. There are no antlers.

3C1

CHAPTER XVIII.

Photo by E. Landor]

WHITE CAMEL.

A light sandy is the common colour, though white, grey, brown, and
black occur ; but black camels are held by the Arabs to be worthless.

THE CAMEL TRIBE AND THE CHEVROTAINS.

BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., P.Z.S.

r I THE Camels and Llamas, constituting the
_L present group, form a very distinct
section of the great assemblage of
animals known as the Ruminants, or Cud-
chewers. The Camel Tribe are peculiar
amongst the Ruminants in that they never
possess horns, and in that the stomach is
only divided into three instead of four com-
partments this division into compartments
being intimately connected with the ruminat-
ing habit. Furthermore, the upper jaw
bears cutting-teeth, or "front teeth," as
they are popularly called : though the full
set (three pairs) is only complete in the
young, in the adult but one pair remains,
the others being shed. The canine or " eye "
teeth are also peculiar in their position,
those of the lower jaw being separated from the cutting-teeth by a very considerable gap.
In the structure of the feet the Camel Tribe are no less peculiar; indeed, it is on this
character that the scientific name of the group is founded. Only two toes are present; these
are of equal size, and, instead of being protected by hoofs, are provided with a hardened skin,
covering a cushion-like pad, which expands when the weight of the body is thrown upon the
foot, as in walking. This is an admirable adaptation for walking on soft and yielding sands.
Hoofs are represented only by a pair of broad nails.

The three-chambered stomach is remark-
able because the chamber known as the
"paunch" lodges in its walls a large collec-
tion of "water-cells," in which can be stored
as much as a gallon and a half of water.
This faculty of storing water is invaluable
to an animal which has often to subsist for
days on absolutely waterless deserts.

Note the slit-like nostrils in the illus-
tration of the Bactrian Camel on page 306.
These can be closed at the will of the animal,
a useful precaution against the entrance of
sand during the violent sand-storms which
often arise in the desert.

The True Camels are distinguished by
the possession of a hump or humps : there
are never more than two. It is in these
humps that the camel was popularly supposed

Photo ly Cliarles K

[Aldershot.

ARABIAN CAMEL.

This individual belongs to the heavy breed employed for carrying
merchandise and baggage.

302

The Camel Tribe and the Chevrotains

303

to store water ; in reality they are huge masses of fat,
serving as a reserve store of food. The accumulation
of fat for this purpose is a common feature amongst
the Mammalia. Most animals which hibernate, or lay up
and sleep during the winter, store up fat; but, except in
the camel, it is distributed more or less evenly over the
body. With hard work or bad feeding the camel's hump
dwindles almost to nothing. When on the eve of a long
journey, the Arab looks anxiously to the state of this hump,
for on the size of this depends the animal's condition and
ability to undertake the march.

The Arabian camel as a wild animal has long since
been extinct. Of the hordes of so-called wild camels which
abound in the desert regions of Central Asia (Gobi Steppe),
some are probably descendants of domesticated animals
which have escaped from captivity, but others may be
aboriginally wild. From the evidence of fossil camels, there
seems little doubt that this animal originated in North
America one branch of the family (the Llamas) migrating
into South America, and the other (the Camels) crossing
Bering Sea into the Old World.

THE TRUE CAMEL.

Before proceeding further, it may be well to refer to
the confusion which exists in the use of the names Camel
and Dromedary. The latter name seems popularly to be
applied to the two-humped species, the name Camel being reserved for the one with a single
hump. This is a mistake. The DROMEDARY is a swift breed of riding-camel of the one-
humped species, and is so called to distinguish it from its slower brother, the Pack-camel, or

Photo by York & Son} [Sotting Hill.

A CAMEL.

A half-breed between the Arabian and Bactrian
species.

Photo by W. Reid]

A STRING OP CAMELS NEAR PORT SAID.
These are the typical desert-camels of the East.

304

The Living Animals of the World

Baggage-camel. The pack-camel, it is interesting to note, has been introduced into Australia,
where it has proved invaluable in crossing the vast waterless deserts, on account of its power
to exist for long periods without drinking.

The TRUE or ARABIAN CAMEL is found in a domesticated state in Africa and Asia, and, as
we have just indicated, belongs to the one-humped species. It is a long-limbed, short>haired
animal, standing as much a* 7 feet high. \s a wild animal it is extinct. Much mystery,

indeed, surrounds the question of its origin. It
has been suggested that the Arabian camel, or
its immediate parent, may have sprung from an
Indian ancestor, and thence made its way through
Arabia and Syria into Northern Africa.

Not only is the camel indispensable as a
beast of burden, but it is esteemed also for its

(jRj hair, its flesh, bones, and milk. The hair is

woven into cloth. In some parts of India the
bones are used instead of ivory for inlaid work.
The milk is unusually thick and rich, so much
so that it cannot be used for tea or coffee, as it
curdles when mixed with either.

The camel is popularly supposed to be *.
very docile animal; but those who speak from
experience declare it to be stupid, surly, and
vicious to the last degree. It is, however, not
entirely void of understanding, and apparently
cherishes feelings of revenge, as the following
story shows : " A camel, working in an oil-mill,
was severely beaten by its driver. Perceiving

that the camel had treasured up the injury, and was only waiting a favourable opportunity
for revenge, he kept a strict watch upon the animal. Time passed away ; the camel, perceiving
it was watched, was quiet and obedient, and the driver began to think the beating was
forgotten, when one night, after the lapse of several months, the man was sleeping on a
raised platform in the mill, whilst the camel, as is customary, was stabled in a corner.
Happening to awake, the driver observed by the bright moonlight that, when all was quiet,
the animal looked cautiously round, rose softly, and, stealing towards a spot where a bundle
of clothes and a bernous, thrown carelessly on the ground, resembled a sleeping figure, cast
itself with violence upon them, rolling with all its weight, and tearing them most viciously
with its teeth. Satisfied that revenge was complete, the camel was returning to its corner,
when the driver sat up and spoke. At the sound of his voice, perceiving the mistake it had
made, the animal was so mortified at the failure and discovery of its scheme, that it dashed
its head against the wall and died on the spot."

It is said that when camels pass a mounted man in a narrow path they will turn their
heads suddenly round and endeavour to inflict a bite on the rider's arm or shoulder. This
is naturally much dreaded, as a camel's bite is particularly severe.

Much care has been spent in the breeding of the camel. " In the Sahara Desert," says
Canon Tristram, " the Tourareg is as careful in the selection of his breeding mahari (a fine
race of the dromedary) as the Arab is in that of his horse. The pedigrees are handed down,
and many a dromedary can boast a genealogy far longer than the descendants of the Darley
Arabian" (page 202).

THE BACTRIAN CAMEL.

This species is often called the Dromedary ; but, as we have already remarked, this is an
error. The dromedary is a swift breed of the Arabian camel. The BACTRIAN CAMEL may be

Photo l>y the Duchess of Bedford] [iroburn Alley.

HEAD OF BACTRIAN CAMEL.

The hair of this species is used to felt into material for tents. It
is longest on the top of the head, neck, humps, and parts of the
fore limbs.

Photo by the Duchess of Bedford] [ Woburn Abbey.

AN OLD MALE BACTKIAN CAMEL.
This animal is a magnificent representative of the two-humped species, so widely distributed in Central Asia.

305 39

306

The Living Animals of the World

distinguished from its Arabian relative by the
fact that it has two humps, is shorter in
the leg and heavier, and has longer hair
and stouter and harder feet. The shorter
legs are distinctly advantageous, enabling the
animal to get about with ease and safety over
rocky and hilly ground.

The hordes of wild camels found in
Turkestan, in the neighbourhood of Kashgar,
are believed by Major C. S. Cumberland to
be descended from camels which escaped
when the district known as Takla Makan was
buried in a great sand-storm 200 years ago.
From the fury of that storm it is said no
human being escaped alive. Some camels
apparently did, perhaps owing their survival
to the power they possess of closing the
nostrils, and thereby keeping out the sand.

The Bactrian camel lives upon the salt
and bitter plants of the steppes, which are
rejected by almost all other animals. It is
further able to drink brackish water from the
salt lakes by which it is surrounded. When
pressed by hunger, it will even eat felt blankets,
bones and skins of other animals, and fish !

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.J [Parson's Green.

YOUNG BACTBIAN CAMEL.
The two humps are just beginning to grow.

Photo by Charles Kniyht] [AMtfthot,

BACTRIAN CAMEL.
The most useful transport animal of Central Asia.

THE LLAMAS.

THE LLAMAS are humpless camels, and
confined to the western and southernmost
parts of South America. Two wild and two
domesticated species are known. The name
Llama, it should be mentioned, properly belongs
to the domesticated animal of that^name.

THE VicutfA.

This is the smaller of the two wild
species. Vicunas live in herds in the
mountain-ranges of Peru, dwelling during the
wet season high up amid rocks and precipices,
near the region of perpetual snow. In the
dry season they descend to the higher valleys.
Their capture is a matter of great difficulty;
for, apart from the inaccessible nature of their
haunts, they are exceedingly shy and vigilant.
They are clothed in a woolly coat of extremely
delicate texture, much in demand for weaving
purposes.

The baby vicuna, it is interesting to
note, is able to run swiftly directly after
its birth, and possesses great powers of

The Camel Tribe and the Chevrotains

307

endurance. This is the more noteworthy since the young of the camel are exceedingly
helpless.

Vicunas are hunted by the Indians and captured by driving them into an enclosure of
perhaps half a mile in diameter. This is hung round with bits of coloured rag, which,
fluttering in the wind, appear to deter the captives from breaking through.

THE GrUANACO.

This is larger than the vicuna, and is described as an elegant animal, being possessed
of a long, slender, gracefully curved neck and fine legs. It ranges from the highlands of the
Andes to the plains of Patagonia and the islands of Tierra del Fuego. As Mr. Darwin points
out, the behaviour of guanaco when alarmed is very contradictory. At one time they will
sound the danger-signal, and put themselves out of harm's way long before the enemy has
perceived them ; at another they exhibit the most extraordinary curiosity, and pay the death-
penalty in consequence. " That they are curious is certain ; for if a person lies on the ground
and plays strange antics, such
as throwing up his feet in
the air, they will almost
always approach by degrees
to reconnoitre him. It was
an artifice that was repeatedly
practised by our sportsmen
with success, and it had,
moreover, the advantage of
allowing several shots to be
fired, which were all taken as
part of the performance. On
the mountains of Tierra del
Fuego, I have more than
once seen a guanaco, on being
approached, not only neigh
and squeal, but prance and
leap about in the most ridi-
culous manner, apparently in
defiance, as a challenge.

ft..

Photo by J. W. McLdlan]

[Highbury.

GUANACO.
The wild original of the llama and alpaca.

These animals are very easily
domesticated, and I have seen
some thus kept in Northern
Patagonia near a house, though not under any restraint. They are in this state very bold,
and readily attack a man by striking him from behind with both knees. The wild guanacos,
however, have no idea of defence ; even a single dog will secure one of these large animals till
the huntsmen can come up. In many of their habits they are like sheep in a flock. Thus,
when they see men approaching in several directions on horseback, they soon become bewildered,
and know not which way to run. This greatly facilitates the Indian method of hunting, for
they are thus easily driven to a central point, and are encompassed."

Guanacos readily take to the water, and have been frequently seen swimming from one
island to another. Here again the llamas differ from the camels, for these can swim but
little, if at all. Like the Bactrian camel, the guanaco can drink salt water with impunity.

One of the most remarkable traits of the guanaco is that which induces it, when it feels
its end to be near, to seek out the dying-place of the tribe, and there breathe out its last.
" The guanacos," says Mr. Darwin, " appear to have favourite spots for lying down to die. On
the banks of the St. Cruz, in certain circumscribed places, which were generally bushy and all
near the river, the ground was actually white with bones. On one such spot I counted

308

The Living Animals of the World

between ten and twenty heads. . . . The animals in most cases must have crawled, before
dying, beneath and amongst the bushes."

THE LLAMA.

This is the first of the two domesticated offshoots of the guanaco, the other being the
Alpaca. The LLAMA is a larger beast than the guanaco, and variable in colour. The ancient
Peruvians bred it as a beast of burden or for riding, and before the Spanish conquest kept
it in enormous numbers. Soon after the Spanish conquest " it was not uncommon to meet
droves of from 300 to 500, or even 1,000 llamas, each laden with silver ingots, and the
whole in charge of a single native. ... Only the male llamas were used as beasts of
burden, while the smaller females were kept for their milk and flesh. In travelling along
the roads, the droves marched in single file, under the guidance of a leader; and such a line
would traverse the highest passes of the Cordillera, and skirt the most stupendous precipices
with perfect safety. . . . The Spanish conquerors of Peru spoke of llama-flesh as being fully
equal to the best mutton, and they established shops in the towns for its regular sale. At
the time of the conquest it is estimated that upwards of 300,000 llamas were employed in
the transport of the product of the mines of Potosi alone."

THE ALPACA.

This animal is bred solely for the sake of its wool, which is of great length and fineness.
From it is made the well-known fabric which bears, in consequence, the name " alpaca."

The alpaca is kept in herds on the high grounds of Bolivia and South Peru, whence
it is annually driven down to be sheared. The Incas dyed the wool wnich is of two
qualities, a fine and a coarse with bright colours, and made it up into cloth or blankets, as
the occasion served.

The earliest account of this animal is by Augustin de Zarate, the Treasurer-General of
Peru in 1544. He speaks of the beast as a sheep ; but since he describes it as camel-like in
shape, though devoid of a hump, there can be no doubt that it is the llama he is describing.

Photo by the Duches of Bedford]

LLAMAS.
Largely used as beasts of burden in Peru, where these and the alpaca were formerly the only domesticated ruminants.

[ Woburn Abbey.

The Camel Tribe and the Chevrotains

309

He says : " In places where there is no snow the
natives want water, and to supply this they fill the
skins of sheep with water, and make other living
sheep carry them; for, it must be remarked, these
sheep of Peru are large enough to serve as beasts
of burden. They can carry about 100 Ibs. or more,
and the Spaniards used to ride them, and they
would go four or five leagues a day. When they
are weary, they lie down on the ground; and as
there are no means of making them get up, either
by beating or assisting them, the load must of
necessity be taken off. When there is a man on
one of them, if the beast be tired and urged to
go on, he turns his head round and discharges his
saliva, which has an unpleasant odour, into the rider's
face. These animals are of great use and profit to
their masters, for their wool is very good and fine
. . . and the expense of their food is trifling, as a
handful of maize suffices them, and they can go four
or five days without water. Their flesh is as good
as that of the fat sheep of Castile. There are now
public shambles for the sale of their flesh in all parts
of Peru, which was not the case when the Spaniards
came first."

The particularly offensive habit of spitting in
the face of people who may be obnoxious to it is
well known to those who are in the habit of seeing much of this animal.

Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.

LLAMA.

The larger of the two domesticated forms descended from
the guanaco.

THE CHEVEOTAINS.

MENTION must be made,
before passing to the Pig
Tribe, of the smallest of hoofed
mammals, the Eoyal Antelope
excepted the CHEVROTAINS.
These little animals are horn-
less, and intermediate in
character between the Deer,
Camels, and Pigs. The males
have large canine teeth, like
those of>the Musk-deer, with
which the Chevrotains have
long been confounded. The
range of these animals, of
which there are five species
known, extends from India
and Ceylon, through the
Malayan countries, as far east
as the island of Palawan, in
the Philippine group. One
species, the largest of the
group, occurs on the west
coast of Africa.

Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.] [Aberdeen.

ALPACA.
A domesticated form, bred solely for its wool, which is of a dark brown or black colour.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE PIG AND HIPPOPOTAMUS.

THE PIG TRIBE.

BY H. A. BEYDEN.

MANY species and varieties of swine are found in different parts of the world, most of
them exhibiting strong traces of a general family resemblance, although widely
sundered as to habitats and often markedly differing in outward appearance. All are
omnivorous ; all have the stomach simpler in type than in the Ruminants ; and all have front
or incisor teeth in the upper jaw. The two great families of swine proper are the Pigs and
Peccaries.

There has been much discussion among scientists as to the early origin of the various
breeds of domestic swine found in different parts of the world. There can be little doubt
that, although selective breeding has produced extraordinary differences in outward appearance,
even among the domestic pigs of our own islands, the origin of the numerous tame races is
to be sought in the ancestry of the wild breeds of the countries in which they are found.
Darwin has some very apposite remarks on the differences to be observed in domesticated
swine. " The peculiar form of the skull and body in the most highly cultivated races is,"
he observes, "not characteristic of any one race, but is common to all when improved up to

Photo ly W. Reid] [Withaic, N.B.

A DOMESTICATED SOW AND HER PROGENY.

The absence of stripes and spots on the young is a feature in which they differ from those of nearly all wild swine.

310

The Pig and Hippopotamus

Photo by Ottomar Amchiitz] {Berlin.

WILD BOAK.

In its long, bristly hair and powerful lower tusks, the wild boar is a very different animal from its domesticated descendants.

the same standard. Thus the large-bodied, long-eared English breed, with a convex back, and
the small-bodied, short-eared Chinese breeds, with a concave back, when bred to the same
state of perfection, nearly resemble each other in the form of the head and body. This
result, it appears, is partly due to similar causes of change acting on the several races, and
partly to man breeding the pig for one sole purpose namely, for the greatest amount of
flesh and fat; so that selection has always tended towards one and the same end. With
most domestic animals the result of selection has been divergence of character; here it has
been convergence."

THE TRUE PIGS.

True pigs are found only in the Old World, and even there in very widely different forms.
Typical of these quadrupeds is the well-known WILD BOAR, found abundantly in many parts
of Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. In the British Islands the wild boar
must once have been extraordinarily plentiful, especially in Ireland, where its tame descendants
still so greatly flourish. In the days of the Plantagenets wild swine fed and sheltered in the
woodlands close to London. James I. hunted them near Windsor in 1617, and even down to
the year 1683 these animals still had their haunts in the more secluded parts of England.
Although now extinct in these Islands, the wild boar is to be found plentifully at the present
day in France, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Spain, Greece, Albania, and other countries of the
Mediterranean. In most parts of Europe the wild boar is shot during forest drives, but in
the Caucasus and round the Black Sea the hardy peasants lie in wait for these animals by the
fruit-trees on autumn nights or waylay them going to the water and shoot them single-handed.
Many an old Cossack, writes Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley, bears the scars of some desperate
encounter with these formidable foes. In Spain, where in the old days the boar was pursued by
cavaliers with spear and pike, it is still, in the forests of Estremadura, followed with horse and
hound, usually, says Mr. Abel Chapman, " during the stillness of a moonlight night, when the
acorns are falling from the oaks in the magnificent Estremenian woods."

312

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by J. Turner-Turner, Eq.

DIVING-PIGS.

Half-wild pigs, found in Florida, -where they live on refuse fish. (See next page.)

In India the wild boar of Europe and North Africa is replaced by a closely allied species
(distinguished by a crest of long black bristles upon the neck and back), which furnishes some
of the finest and most exciting sport in the world to mounted hunters armed with a sharp
spear. There is not a pluckier or more fearless beast living than the boar ; and as he carries
long and extremely sharp tusks, and never scruples to use them, he is an exceedingly dangerous
opponent when wounded and enraged. Severe and even fatal accidents have happened in the
pursuit of this determined beast of chase. When at bay, the boar is absolutely reckless of
life; and although pierced and mortally wounded by the spear, will yet force himself up the
shaft, and with his dying effort inflict gaping wounds on the horse bearing his attacker.
Indian shikaris, to illustrate the courage of the wild boar, say that he has the hardihood to
drink at a river between two tigers; and Colonel K. Heber Percy mentions, in the Badminton
volumes on "Big Game Shooting," that "several cases are on record in which an old boar
has beaten off a tiger, and some in which the latter has been killed by a boar. The boar's
extraordinary activity and sharp tusks make him no mean adversary, and his short neck makes
it difficult for a tiger to seize it and give it that fatal wrench with which he likes to polish
off his victims." A wild boar will stand as much as 3 feet at the shoulder some sportsmen
affirm considerably more and weigh more than 300 Ibs. The finest boar's tusk known is
one mentioned in Eowland Ward's "Kecords of Big Game." This measures 11| inches over
the curve. It came from the Caucasus, and is in the possession of Colonel Veernhof.

It is worthy of note that, while the full-grown individuals of the various species of wild
swine are uniformly coloured, their young are longitudinally striped and spotted. In India,
besides the common boar, a tiny wild swine, known as the PYGMY HOG, is found in the
Bhutan Terai and the forests of Nepal and Sikhitn. This pig, which is little bigger than a
fox-terrier, runs in considerable troops, or sounders, and is said to attack intruders into it>
domain much in the same fearless way in which the peccary of America defends its sanctuaries.
The height of this diminutive species is given as from 8 to 10 inches the weight at 10 Ibs.

The Pig and Hippopotamus

313

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Panon's drr
JAVAN WILD PIG.

One of several nearly allied species inhabiting the Malay
Islands.

Wild swine are nocturnal in their habits, frequenting

moist and marshy country, loving the shade of forests,

and making their lairs in tall grass, reed-beds, and similar

covert. They go far afield for their food-supplies, and do

a great deal of damage to crops in cultivated districts.

The European wild sow produces from six to ten young,

and at least two litters are usually brought forth in

the year.

It is remarkable how quickly pigs, as well as other

domesticated animals, revert to a semi-feral state of

existence, and develop habits suited to a fresh environ-
ment. Mr. J. Turner-Turner sends us the following

interesting note in connection with this trait: "DrviNG-

PIGS. These pigs live in an almost wild condition on

certain of the islands off Florida, and subsist chiefly upon

the refuse fish cast away by the netsmen. To obtain

this, the pigs dive under water, walking on the land at

a depth of 5 feet below the surface."

Among other Asiatic wild swine are to be mentioned

the COLLARED PIG, found in Java, Sumatra, and Borneo ;

the WHITE-WHISKERED JAPANESE PIG; the PAPUAN and

FORMOSAN PIGS ; the WARTY PIG of Java and Borneo ; the CERAM PIG ; the CELEBES PIG ;

and the BEARDED PIG of Borneo, a species distinguished by a quantity of long hair carried

upon the cheeks. In the Andaman Islands a small, shaggy wild pig, standing about 20 inches

at the shoulder, is found in the forests. Although distinguished from the well-known wild

boar of India by certain peculiarities, there is a strong family resemblance to that well-known

species in most of these various Asiatic species and races.

Among the many kinds of domesticated swine found in Asia, perhaps the strangest and

most curio as is the JAPANESE MASKED PIG. This animal is described by Darwin as having

"an extraordinary appearance, from its short head, broad forehead and nose, great fleshy ears,

and deeply furrowed skin. Not only is the face furrowed, but thick folds of skin, which are

harder than the other parts, almost
like the plates on the Indian
rhinoceros, hang about the
shoulders and rump. It is
coloured black, with white feet,
and breeds true. That it has
long been domesticated there can
be little doubt; and this might
have been inferred even from the
circumstance that its young are
not longitudinally striped."

In Africa, besides the Euro-
pean wild boar, which there
extends its range to Algeria and
Morocco, a little-known wild pig
is the SENAAR BOAR, found in
Senaar, Kordofan, and the Soudan
region. In the late Dr. Gray's
" Catalogue of Carnivora " this
wild pig is described as having
the fur dense and bristly, and
40

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.]

MALE AND FEMALE BABIRUSA.

[Parson's Green.

The chief characteristic of this pig is the peculiar and enormous development of the tusks in
the male, the upper pair of which grow through the lips and curve backwards.

314

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.

WART-HOG.

Shows the great size of the head in proportion to
the body.

being in colour dull olive-black, varied with yellow. Possibly

this little-known swine may prove to be merely a sub-species

of the common wild boar of Europe and North Africa. Now

that the Soudan regions have once more been opened up

to Europeans, we may expect shortly to hear more of this

wild swine, as well as of other rare and interesting animals.
Still dealing with the true pigs, we come now to the

BUSH-PIGS of Africa and Madagascar. These differ somewhat

from the typical wild boars of Europe and India in the

structure of the teeth, the long pencilled ear-tufts, the

elongated snout, and other characteristics. The tusks are

considerably smaller, and seldom exceed 6 or 7 inches in

length. The BED EIVEE-HOG, or WEST AFRICAN BUSH-PIG, is

decidedly the most striking of this group. Smaller than

the bush-pig of South Africa, and- seldom exceeding 2 feet

in height at the shoulder, the colour of this animal is

a brilliant reddish brown, with tints of yellow. Noticeable

streaks of white are found round the eyes and on the cheeks.

The ear-tufts, forehead, and limbs are blackish; more white

markings are seen at the tips of the ear-tufts, along the

thick mane, and round the margins of the ears. The under-parts are whitish grey in colour.

This very handsome pig runs in considerable herds, and is found chiefly in forest and jungle

near the banks of the various rivers in West Africa. Its range extends from Angola to

Senegambia, and eastwards into the continent as far as Monbuttu.

The well-known BUSH-PIG OF SOUTH AFRICA, the BOSCH-VARK of the Boers, is a fine species,

having a wide range over much of the southern and south-eastern parts of the continent,

extending as far north as Central Africa. In the Eastern Transvaal and Swaziland these animals

attain their greatest size, an adult boar standing from 2 feet 4 inches to 2 feet 7 inches in

height, and weighing as much as from 150 to 170 Ibs. The usual colour is brownish red, the

face and mane greyish ; but in different specimens and at different ages great variations are

to be noticed. Pale greyish brown or mottled brown are colours often to be found. These

bush-pigs are formidable-looking
creatures, with thick bristling
manes, small deep-set eyes, and
sharp if somewhat short tusks,
which they know well how to
use. Among the old-fashioned
Boers cured hams from these
animals were, when they were
more plentiful in Cape Colony,
often to be found in up-country
farmhouses. The bosch-vark is
a beast of shy, nocturnal habit,
and, loving as it does the shade
and protection of dense covert
and bush, is, unless carefully
sought for, not often seen by
sportsmen. The herds range
usually from half a dozen to
as many as twenty in number.
When once encountered and
set up at bay, this wild swine

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.]

i's Green.

S WART-HOG.

Displays the broad muzzle and huge tusks, which are nearly as large in the sows as in

the boars.

The Pig and Hippopotamus

315

will be found a most tough and courageous adversary, capable and willing to defend itself
stoutly against all foes. " They are," says Mr. F. Vaughan Kirby, who has had much
experience in hunting these animals, "expert swimmers and swift of foot, and can get over
the roughest ground at a great pace. There is no pluckier beast in Africa than a bush-pig,
and even a leopard will hesitate before attacking a full-grown boar. Like all wild creatures,
they have an instinctive dread of man, and will always make their escape from him if possible ;
but if surrounded or wounded and brought to bay, they appear to accept the situation with
stolid imperturbability, and die fighting with rare pluck, against all odds, grim and silent to
the last. . . . Face to face in the middle of a 'fast' bush, and only a Swazi ' stabbing-assegai '
with which to kill him, ... I have seen an old boar, after receiving nine thrusts from those
terrible weapons, two of which were still fast in him, make a charge that scattered us
like chaff, and in three consecutive lunges lame one of our number for life, and disembowel
two of the finest ' pig-dogs ' I ever hunted with. In such encounters a boar inflicts terrible
wounds with his teeth, as well as with his tusks." Few men care to face a wart-hog on foot.

Another bush-pig is
found in Madagascar, and is
known as EDWARDS' BUSH-PIG.
Its habits are very similar
to those of its brethren in
the neighbouring continent of
Africa.

THE BABIRUSA.

Quitting the true pigs,
we come now to perhaps the
very strangest and most
singular of all the great
tribe of swine. This is the
BABIRUSA, that curious and
grotesque creature found in
the island of Celebes, in the
Malay Archipelago. The

name Babirusa signifies pig- Photo ly Scllolaitic P/loto Co>]
deer. It is 01 course a HEAD OF MALE WART-HOG.

misnomer, and tne animal p ro fii e showing the large conical warty growths on the side of the face so characteristic of

has no kinship whatever with these animals,

the cervine race. The babi-

rusa is a wild swine, having a dark slate-grey skin, very sparsely covered with hair along
the ridge of the spine. This skin is very extraordinarily wrinkled. The ears are much
smaller than is the case with other members of the swine group, while the tail is short,
straight, and lacks any semblance of tuft. The females have small tusks. In the boars the
tusks are most singularly and abnormally developed. From the upper jaw, instead of curving
from the side of the lips, the tusks grow from the centre of the muzzle, penetrate right
through the skin, and curve backwards often till they touch the forehead. The lower tusks
have also a strong curve, but are not so long as those of the upper jaw. Although thus
superabundantly provided with tushes, the babirusa is, as regards the rest of its teeth, less
well off, having only thirty-four, as against the forty-four of the European wild boar. In their
habits these singular pigs much resemble other wild swine, going in herds and frequenting
forest, jungle, and the banks of rivers. They are excellent swimmers. The young are, unlike
other wild swine in the infant state, unstriped. These animals are often found domesticated
about the dwellings of native chiefs in Celebes. The weight of a good male is as much as
128 Ibs. ; height at shoulder, 27 inches. The longest tusk recorded measures 17 inches

[Parson's Green.

316

The Living Animals of the World

Photo ly If. P. Dando]

[Regent's Park.

COLLARED PECCARY.

Peccaries are the New World representatives of the Swine, and are characterised by a large gland on

the back.

over the curve. These
animals are driven into
nets and speared by the
natives of Celebes, and
afford excellent sport, the
boars especially charging
viciously at their assailants.

THE WART-HOGS.

If the babirusa of the
Malay Archipelago is a
sufficiently bizarre-looking
creature, the wart-hog of
Africa yields to none of
the wild pigs in sheer,
downright hideousness of
aspect. The WART-HOG
OF SOUTH AFRICA, the
VLAKTE-VARK (Pig of the
Plains) of the Boers, has
long been familiar to
hunters and naturalists.
Standing some 30 inches
in height, this wild swine
is distinguished by the
disproportionate size of
the head, extreme length,

breadth, and flatness of the front of the face and muzzle, smallish ears, huge tusks, and the
strange wart-like protuberances from which it takes its name. Three of these wen-like
growths are found on each side of the face. The tusks of the upper jaw, unlike the teeth
of the true pigs, are much larger than those protruding from the lower jaw. The lower
tusks seldom exceed 6 inches in length ; those of the upper jaw occasionally reach as much
as 20 inches over the curve. A pair from North-east Africa (Annesley Bay, on the Abyssinian
littoral) measure respectively 27 and 26 inches truly gigantic trophies. The skin of this
wild hog is nearly naked, except upon the neck and back, where a long, coarse main of dark
bristly hair is to be observed. Wart-hogs, as their Dutch name implies, in the days when
game was plentiful, were often found in open country, on the broad grass-plains and karroos.
At the present day they are less often seen in the open. They run in small family parties,
usually two or three sows and their litters. The old boars, throughout a great part of the year,
prefer a more solitary existence. These animals, when pursued, usually betake themselves to an
open earth, not of their own making, and, slewing round sharply just as they enter, make
their way in hind end first. They afford no great sport to the hunter, and are usually
secured with a rifle-bullet. The flesh is fairly good eating, especially that of a young and
tender specimen. Speaking generally, wart-hogs are nothing like such fierce and determined
opponents as the wild boars of Europe and India, or even the bush-pig. They will, however,
charge occasionally, and have been known to attack and rip up a horse. A northern species
^ELIAN'S WART-HOG is found in Abyssinia, Somaliland, and other parts of East Africa,
where especially in Abyssinia it roams the mountains and their vicinity, occasionally to
a height of 9,000 or 10,000 feet. There is little difference between this and the southern
form. Wart-hogs produce usually three or four young, and the sow makes her litter in
a disused burrow. Unlike those of the majority of wild swine, the young of the wart-hog are
uniformly coloured, having no white stripes or spots.

The Pig and Hippopotamus

317

THE PECCARIES.

Peculiar to the American Continent, the PECCARIES differ considerably from the wild swine
of the Old World. They are of small size ; the dentition is not the same, the stomach is
more complicated in structure, and the hind feet have three instead of four toes. In general
appearance peccaries are not unlike small dark-coloured pig, well covered with bristles, and
having, as well as a prominent mane, a deep fringe of hair beneath the throat. They are
essentially forest-loving animals, roaming over large tracts of country and making considerable
migrations in search of food. Two species have been distinctly identified by naturalists the
COLLARED PECCARY, and the WHITE-LIPPED PECCARY. Of these, the former species is found from
Texas, in North America, as far south as the Kio Negro, in Patagonia. The habitat of the
white-lipped peccary is more circumscribed, and the animal is seldom found except in that
part of South and Central America lying between British Honduras and Paraguay. No
members of the Pig Family are fiercer or more tenacious of their sanctuaries than the white-
lipped peccary, which roams the dense forests of Brazil and Paraguay in large herds. A
human being, attacked and surrounded by a herd of these savage little creatures, would indeed
stand but a poor chance of his life, and many a hunter and traveller has been compelled to
seek refuge in a tree and sustain some hours of siege. Of the two species, the white-lipped
peccary is somewhat the larger, standing from 15 to 17 inches in height. The collared
peccary averages from 13| to 15^ inches. The flesh of these wild swine is not in much
repute, and unless the back-gland is at once cut out a freshly killed specimen will become
quickly spoiled as a human food-supply. Young peccaries appear to be easily tamed, fierce
as is their nature in the wild state. In contrast with the abundant litters of other pigs, wild
and domesticated, only one offspring is ordinarily produced at birth. In fighting, the peccary
does not rip like the wild boar, but inflicts savage and severe bites.

"Untrained dogs," says President Roosevelt, "even those of a large size, will speedily
be killed by a single peccary, and if they venture to attack a herd will be literally torn
into shreds. A big trained dog, however, can, single-handed, kill a peccary, and I have
known the feat performed several times."

Azara, the eminent Spanish naturalist of the end of the eighteenth century, had
considerable experience of the peccaries of Central and Southern America, where the Indians
are much addicted to taming wild animals, and keep both the peccary and the tapir in
a state of semi-domestication. The peccary
he found to be domesticated more easily
than might be expected. Though so fierce
in its wild state, it soon becomes trouble-
some from its familiarity.

Mr. Schomburgk, the explorer of Central
America, whose travels were so constantly
quoted during the Venezuelan arbitration,
saw much of the white-lipped species in
the forests. He found the animals in large
troops under the leadership of an old boar.
When attacked, they were ready to surround
man, dog, or jaguar; and if there were no
means of escape, the enemy was certain to
be cut to pieces. He himself had a narrow
escape from an infuriated herd, the leader
of which he shot in the act of rushing at
him. As the herd approached the sound
was like that of a whirlwind through the
bushes.

ass

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.] [Parson's Green.

A YOUXG COLLARED PECCARY.

In this specimen the white collar from which the species takes its name is
very clearly displayed.

318

The Living Animals of the World

By penniision offferr Carl Hagenbeck, Hamburg.

A THREE- YEAR-OLD HIPPOPOTAMUS.

In this specimen the great lower tusks are not yet developed.

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.

BY F. C. SELOUS.

Two species of the Hippopotamus Family exist
on the earth to-day, both of which are inhabitants
of Africa, and are not found in any other country ;
but the remains of many extinct forms of this genus
which have been discovered in various parts of Europe
and Asia show that in Pleistocene and Pliocene times
these strange and uncouth animals must have been
widely distributed throughout the greater part of the
Old World. The fossil remains of the large form of
hippopotamus which once frequented the lakes and
rivers of England and Western Europe cannot be
distinguished from the bones of the common African
species of to-day, which latter is possibly the only
animal in the world which has undergone no change
in form or structure since the prehistoric savages
of the Thames Valley threw stone-headed spears at
their enemies.

The COMMON HIPPOPOTAMUS, though it has long
been banished from the Lower Nile, and has more
recently been practically exterminated in the British
colonies south of the Limpopo, was once an inhabitant
of every lake and river throughout the entire African
Continent from the delta of the Nile to the neigh-
bourhood of Cape Town. Now it is not found below

Khartum, on the Nile ; but in Southern Africa a few hippopotamuses are said still to exist in
the lower reaches of the Orange River. When Van Riebeck first landed at the Cape, in 1652,
he found some of these animals in the swamp now occupied by Church Square, in the centre
of Cape Town, and the last in the district was only killed in the Berg River, about seventy
miles north of that city, as recently as 1874. This animal, which had been protected for some
years, was at last shot, as it had become very savage, and was in the habit of attacking any
one who approached it. In my own experience I have met with the hippopotamus in all the
large rivers of Africa where I have travelled, such as the Zambesi, Kafukwe, Chobi, Sabi,
Limpopo, and Usutu, and also in most of the many large streams which take their rise on
the plateau of Matabililand and Mashonaland, and flow north, south, and east into the Zambesi,
the Limpopo, or the Sabi. I have also seen them in the sea, at the mouth of the Quillimani
River, and have heard from natives that they will travel by sea from the mouth of one river
to another.

Hippopotamuses live either in families of a few individuals or in herds that may number
from twenty to thirty members. Old bulls are often met with alone, and cows when about
to calve will sometimes leave their companions and live for a time in seclusion, returning,
however, to the herd soon after the birth of their calves. Although, owing to the shortness
of its legs, a hippopotamus bull does not stand very high at the shoulder about 4 feet
8 inches being the average height yet its body is of enormous bulk. A male which died
some years ago in the Zoological Gardens of London measured 12 feet in length from the nose
to the root of the tail,' and weighed 4 tons ; and these dimensions are probably often exceeded
in a wild state.

The huge mouth of the hippopotamus (see Coloured Plate), which the animal is fond of
opening to its widest extent, is furnished with very large canine and incisor teeth, which
are kept sharp by constantly grinding one against another, and thus enable their possessor

Photo by J. IF. McLellan]

[Highbury.

HIPPOPOTAMUS DRINKIXG.
The enormous breadth of the muzzle, as well as the small nostrils, which can be closed at will, are clearly displayed in this posture.

319

320

The Living Animals of the World

to rapidly cut down great quantities of the coarse grass and reeds upon which these animals
exclusively feed when living in uninhabited countries. When, however, their haunts are in
the neighbourhood of native villages, they often commit great havoc in the corn-fields of the
inhabitants, trampling down as much as they eat; and it was their fondness for sugar-cane
which brought about the destruction of the last herd of hippopotamuses surviving in Natal.

The lower canine teeth or tusks of the hippopotamus grow to a great size, and in bulls
may weigh from 4 Ibs. to 7 Ibs. 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 30 inches
over the curve. In life, however, not more than a third of their length protrudes beyond
the gums.

During the daytime hippopotamuses are seldom met with out of the water. They lie and
doze all day long in the deep pools of the rivers they frequent, with only their eyes, ears,
and nostrils above the surface, or else bask in the sun on the tail of a sandbank, looking like
so many gigantic pigs with their bodies only partially submerged. Sometimes they will lie
and sleep entirely out of water amongst reeds. I have seen them feeding in the reed-beds
of the great swamps of the Chobi just at sundown, but as a rule they do not leave the water

until after dark. At night
they often wander far afield,
especially in the rainy season,
in search of suitable food ;
and after having been fired
at and frightened, I have
known a herd of hippopota-
muses to travel at least five-
and-twenty miles along the
course of a river during the
ensuing night, in order to
reach a larger and deeper pool
than the one in which they
had been molested.

Although the hippopota-
mus is thoroughly at home
in the hottest parts of Africa,
and appears to thrive in the
tepid waters of all the rivers

which flow through the malarious coast regions of the tropical portions of that continent,
it is also found at a considerable altitude above the sea, and in quite small streams where
the temperature of the water during the winter months cannot be many degrees above
freezing-point. I have personally met with hippopotamuses in the Manyami River, not far from
the present town of Salisbury, in Mashonaland. The country there has an altitude of about
5,000 feet above sea-level ; and the water was so cold on the last occasion on which I came
across the animals in question July, 1887 that, if a basinful was left out during the night,
ice quite an eighth of an inch in thickness would be formed over it before morning. There
was, however, never any ice on the river itself. During the rainy season, when the grass
and reeds are green and succulent, hippopotamuses become enormously fat, especially in the
higher and colder portions of their range, and retain a good deal of their fat right through
the driest season of the year. Old bulls are usually very lean ; but I have seen cows the
greater part of whose carcases, after the skin had been stripped off, was covered with a layer
of fat from 1 inch to 2 inches in thickness. The meat of these animals is dark red in
colour, and more like beef than pork. To my mind, that of a young animal is most
excellent in flavour, and far preferable to that of a lean antelope. The fat, when prepared, is
as good as the best lard, from which, indeed, it is hardly distinguishable. The skin of the

Photo by Lord Delamere]

[NortJiwich.

HIPPOPOTAMUSES BATHING.

A. hippopotamus stays under water for about 2J minutes at a time, and then just shows part of its
head above water while it draws a fresh breath.

Photo by J. W. McLellan, Highbury

A HIPPOPOTAMUS GAPING

The position of the animal displays the enormous capacity, and likewise the powerful lower tusks ; the
shortness of the limbs is also well exhibited.

The Pig and Hippopotamus

321

By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck]

[Hamburg.

BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS, AGED SIX MONTHS.

The flesh of a, young hippopotamus is said to have an excellent flavour. Natives often follow shooting expeditions in order to secure some

of its meat.

hippopotamus is smooth and hairless, and in adult animals quite 1 inch in thickness on the
upper parts of the body.

Hippopotamuses are said to be capable of remaining under water for. ten or twelve
minutes. Should, however, a herd of these animals be watched but not fired at from the
bank of a river in which they are passing the day, they will all sink below the surface of
the water as soon as they become aware of and more or less alarmed by the presence of
the intruder, but each member of the herd will come up to breathe at intervals of from one
to two minutes. I have seen hippopotamuses so tame and unsuspicious of danger that they
allowed me the first human being probably with any kind of hat or clothes on him that
they had ever seen to take up a position within fifty yards of them on the edge of the deep
rock-bound pool in which they were resting without showing any signs of alarm. They simply
stared at me in an inquisitive sort of way, raising their heads higher out of the water, and
constantly twitching their little rounded ears ; and it was not until a number of natives came
up and began to talk loudly that they took alarm, and, sinking out of sight, retreated to the
farther end of the pool. I once took the length of time with my watch for more than an hour
that a hippopotamus which I was trying to shoot remained under water. This animal, a cow
with a new-born calf, had made an attack upon one of my canoes. It first came up under the
canoe, tilting one end of it into the air and almost filling it with water. Then it made a
rush at the half-swamped craft, and, laying its huge head over it, pressed it down under the
water and sank it. There were four natives in the canoe at the time of the attack, all of
whom swam safely to an island in the river the Zambesi. After the accident which caused
me a good deal of loss and inconvenience I tried to shoot this unprovoked aggressor, but
unsuccessfully, as the river was too broad to allow me to get anything but a long shot at her.
The shortest time she remained under water during the seventy minutes I was paying attention

322

The Living Animals of the World

to her was forty seconds, and the longest four minutes and twenty seconds the usual time
being from two to two and a half minutes. She always remained a long time under water
after having been fired at.

The capsizing of canoes by these animals is quite a common occurrence on most African
rivers, and the great pains the natives will take in certain districts to give these animals a
wide berth seem to prove that they have good reason to dread them. Solitary bulls and
cows with young calves are the most feared. Such animals will sometimes, I have been
assured by the natives, tear out the side of a canoe with their teeth, and even crunch up
some of its occupants whilst they are trying to save themselves by swimming. Sipopo, a
chief of the Barotse tribe, who was deposed by his nephew Mona Wena in 1876, was said
to have been attacked and killed by a hippopotamus whilst lying wounded amongst the reeds
on the southern bank of the Zambesi, but I cannot vouch for the truth of the story.

Bull hippopotamuses must be rather quarrelsome, as I have shot several whose hides were

deeply scored with wounds, no doubt
inflicted by the tusks of their rivals.
Once I killed a hippopotamus in a
shallow lagoon amongst the swamps
of the Chobi, whose enormously thick
hide had been literally cut to pieces
from head to tail. The entire body
of this animal was covered with deep
white scores, and we were unable to
cut a single sjambok from its skin.
We found, on examination, that this
poor beast had been wounded by
natives, and then in its distress most
cruelly set upon by its fellows, and
finally expelled from their society. It
was in the last stage of emaciation,
and a bullet through the brain must
have been a welcome relief. On
another occasion a hippopotamus bull,
which I had wounded in the nose,
became so furious that it dived down
and attacked one of its fellows which
had already been killed and was
lying dead at the bottom of the pool.
Seizing this latter animal by the
hind leg, it brought it to the surface

of the water with such a furious rush that not only half the body of the dead animal it had
attacked was exposed, but the whole of its own head and shoulders came above the water.
A bullet through the brain killed it instantly, and it sank to the bottom of the pool, still
holding its companion's hind leg fast in its jaws.

When a hippopotamus is killed in the water, the carcase sinks to the bottom, and in the
cold water of the rivers of Mashonaland will not rise to the surface till six hours after death.
In the warmer water of the Lower Zambesi a dead hippopotamus will come up in about half
that time. When it rises, the carcase comes up like a submerged cork, with a rush as it were,
and then settles down, only a small piece of the side showing above the surface. As decom-
position sets in, it becomes more and more swollen, and shows higher and higher above the
water. When the body of a dead hippopotamus has been taken by the wind or current to
the wrong side of a river, I have often climbed on to it and paddled it with a stout stick
right across the river to a spot nearer camp. A dead hippopotamus is not the easiest or the

DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS KO. I.

This and the next two photographs probably constitute the most remarkable
series of animal photographs ever seen. No 1 shows a hippopotamus about to be
trapped, preparatory to having its teeth attended to.

The Pig and Hippopotamus

323

DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS NO. II.

This shows the process of filing one of the lower tusks.

pleasantest thing to sit on in deep

water with crocodiles about, especially

in a wind, as it is very much like

sitting on a floating barrel, and unless

the balance is exactly maintained one

is bound to roll off.

Although it is often necessary

for an African traveller to shoot one

or more of them in order to obtain

a supply of meat for his native

followers, there is not much sport

attached to the killing of these animals.

The modern small-bore rifles, with

their low trajectory and great pene-
tration, render their destruction very

easy when they are encountered in

small lakes or narrow rivers, though

in larger sheets of water, where they

must be approached and shot from

rickety canoes, it is by no means a

simple matter to kill hippopotamuses,

especially after they have grown shy

and wary through persecution. As

these animals are almost invariably

killed by Europeans in the daytime,

and are therefore encountered in the

water, they are usually shot through the brain as they raise their heads above the surface to

breathe. By the natives hippopotamuses are killed in various ways. They are sometimes

attacked first with harpoons, to which long lines are attached, with a float at the end to mark

the position of the wounded animal, and then followed up in canoes and finally speared to

death. Sometimes they are caught in huge
pitfalls, or killed by the fall of a spear-head
fixed in a heavy block of wood, which is re-
leased from its position when a line, attached
to the weight and then pegged across a
hippopotamus's path a few inches above the

,/' } '-^^^^^ If "^H. f7 "''' r - i* 1 ' 7 -'^' ground, is suddenly pulled by the feet of

-^ K i*'* ** '"'' * ''" one of these animals striking against it. A

friend of mine once had a horse killed under
him by a similar trap set for buffaloes. His
horse's feet struck the line attached to the
heavily weighted spear-head, and down it
came, just missing his head and entering his
horse's back close behind the saddle. Where
the natives have guns mostly old muzzle-
loading weapons of large bore they often
shoot hippopotamuses at close quarters when
they are feeding at night. The most destruc-
tive native method, however, of killing these
monsters with which I am acquainted is one

DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS NO. in. which used to be practised by the natives

sawing off one of the lower tusks. of Northern Mashonaland namely, fencing in

324

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by York <fc Son] [Hotting Hill.

FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES.
Exhibits A very characteristic attitude of the animal.

strengthened, and platforms some-
times built to command naturally
weak places, and from these points
of vantage the poor animals were
speared when in their desperation
they tried to leave the pool.
Gradually the whole herd would be
speared or starved to death.

Once, in August, 1880, I came
upon a native tribe engaged in
starving to death a herd of hippo-
potamuses in a pool of the Umniati
Kiver, in Northern Mashonaland.
When I came on the scene, there
were ten hippopotamuses still alive
in the pool. Eight of these appeared
to be standing on a sandbank in the
middle of the river, as more than
half their bodies were above the
water. They were all huddled up
together, their heads resting on each
other's bodies. Two others were
swimming about, each with a heavily
shafted assegai sticking in its back.
Besides these ten still living hippo-
potamuses two dead ones were being
cut up on the side of the pool, and
many more must already have been

a herd of these animals and starving
them to death. As there is a very
rapid fall in the country through
which all the rivers run to the
Zambesi from the northern slope of
Mashonaland, these streams consist of
a series of deep, still pools (called
" sea-cow holes " by the old hunters),
from a hundred yards to more than
a mile in length, connected with one
another by shallow, swift-flowing water,
often running in several small streams
over the bed of the river. A herd of
hippopotamuses having been found
resting for the day in one of the
smaller pools, all the natives in the
district, men, women, and children,
would collect and build strong fences
across the shallows at each end. At
night large fires would be kept blazing
all round the pool and tom-toms
beaten incessantly, in order to prevent
the imprisoned animals from escaping.
Day after day the fences would be

Photo by York <fc Son] [dotting Hill.

A HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY FATHER, MOTHER, AND YOUNG.

Hippopotamuses are very sociable animals, and are often to be met with in large

herds.

The Pig and Hippopotamus

325

Photo by Q. W. WIUUH & Co., Ltd.]

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

The skin of the hippopotamus is often as much as an inch and a half in thickness on the upper parts of the body.

killed, as all round the pool festoons of meat were hanging on poles to dry, and a large
number of natives had been living for some time on nothing but hippopotamus-meat.
Altogether I imagine that a herd of at least twenty animals must have been destroyed.
Much as one must regret such a wholesale slaughter, it must be remembered that this great
killing was the work of hungry savages, who at any rate utilised every scrap of the meat
thus obtained, and much of the skin as well, for food; and such an incident is far less
reprehensible indeed, stands on quite a different plane as regards moral guilt to the wanton
destruction of a large number of hippopotamuses in the Umzingwani Eiver, near Bulawayo,
within a few months of the conquest of Matabililand by the Chartered Company's forces in
1893. These animals had been protected for many years by Lo Bengula and his father
Umziligazi before him ; but no sooner were the Matabili conquered and their country thrown
open to white men than certain unscrupulous persons destroyed all but a very few of these
half-tame animals, for the sake of the few paltry pieces of money their hides were worth !

Gradually, as the world grows older, more civilised, and, to my thinking, less and less
interesting, the range of the hippopotamus, like that of all other large animals, must become
more and more circumscribed ; but now that all Africa has been parcelled out amongst the
white races of Western Europe, if the indiscriminate killing of hippopotamuses by either white
men or natives can be controlled, and the constant and cruel custom of firing at the heads of
these animals from the decks of river-steamers all over Africa be put a stop to, I believe that
this most interesting mammal, owing to the nature of its habitat, and the vast extent of the
rivers, swamps, and lakes in which it still exists in considerable numbers, will long outlive
all other pachydermatous animals. Hideous, uncouth, and unnecessary as the hippopotamus

326

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by York 0; Son}

[Notting Hill.

MALE AND FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES.

A hippopotamus is almost inseparable from the water ; it never goes farther away
than possible from a river or lake.

may seem when viewed from behind
the bars of its den in a zoological
garden, it is nevertheless true that,
when these animals have been
banished from an African river by
the progress of civilisation, that river
has lost one of its highest charms
and greatest ornaments.

The PYGMY or LIBERT AN HIPPO-
POTAMUS is confined to Upper Guinea,
and, compared with its only existing
relative, is a very small animal, not
standing more than 2 feet 6 inches
in height, and measuring less than
6 feet in length. In weight a full-
grown specimen will scale about
400 Ibs. But little is known of
the habits of this rare animal, speci-
mens of which, I believe, have never
been obtained, except by the German
naturalists Herrn Biittikofer and
Jentink. When alive, the colour of
the skin of the pygmy hippopotamus
is said to be of a greenish black,
changing on the under-parts to
yellowish green. The surface of the
skin is very shiny. This species,

unlike its giant relative, does not congregate in herds, nor pass its days in rivers or lakes, but
lives in pairs in marshes or shady forests. It sleeps during the day, and at night wanders
over a great extent of country, eating grass, wild fruits, and the young shoots of trees. Its
flesh is said to be very succulent and much esteemed by the natives.

A hippopotamus, apparently of the same species as that now found in Africa, formerly
inhabited the Thames Valley. Great quantities of fossil remains of another species are also
found in the island of Sicily. The bones found in England are mainly in the river gravel
and brick earth of the south and midland districts of England. This seems to show that at
the time when the animal existed our rivers rnust have been open all the year, and not
ice-bound, for it is certain that no hippopotamus could live in a river which froze in winter.
Yet among the remains of these animals are also found those of quite arctic species like the
Musk-ox and the Eeindeer, together with those of the Saiga Antelope, an inhabitant of the
cold plateau of Tibet. The problem is : How could these creatures, one a dweller in warm
rivers and the others inhabitants of cold arctic or sub-arctic regions, have existed together,
apparently on the same area of ground ? The answer, which does not seem to have occurred
to naturalists who have discussed the question, seems to be plain enough. Any one who
knows the conditions of the great rift valleys of Central Africa has the key to the solution
of the puzzle. There was probably a very great difference in the vertical plane. Deep in
the rift was probably a warm river, while above it may have been mountains from 10,000
to 20,000 feet high, with snow on the summits and glaciers in their valleys. On these cold
and arctic heights the reindeer and the musk-ox would find congenial homes. Thousands
of feet below, in the hot and narrow valley, the hippopotamus would revel in a warm and
steamy climate. This is what actually occurs in the rift valleys of Central Africa, where
the hippopotamus swims in rivers that are at no great distance from snow-covered and ice-
capped mountains.

CHAPTER XX.

THE DUGONG, MANATEES, WHALES, PORPOISES, AND DOLPHINS.

BY F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S.

THE DUGONG AND MANATEES.

r 1 1HESE curious creatures, which seem to have been the basis of much of the old mermaid

JL legend, have puzzled many eminent naturalists. Before they were placed in an order

by themselves, Linnaeus had classed them with the Walrus, Cuvier with the Whales, and

another French zoologist with the Elephants. They are popularly regarded as the cows of the

sea-pastures. Their habits justify this. I have often watched dugongs on the Queensland

coast browsing on the long grasses, of which they tear up tussocks with sidelong twists of the

head, coming to the surface to breathe at short intervals.

Omitting the extinct Ehytina, otherwise known as Steller's Sea-cow, which was exterminated
in the Bering Strait not very long after civilised man had first learnt of its existence, we
have to consider two distinct groups, or genera, of these sirenians. The DUGONG is the
representative of the first, and the two MANATEES belong to the other.

The dugong is found on the coasts of Northern Australia, in many parts of the Indian
Ocean (particularly off Ceylon), and in the Eed Sea. It is easily distinguished, by even
superficial observation, from the manatees. Its tail is slightly forked, somewhat like that of
the whales : the tail of manatees, on the other hand, is rounded. The dugong's flippers, to
which we also find a superficial resemblance in those of the whale, show no traces of external
nails : in those of the manatees, which show projecting nails, there is a considerable power of
free movement (the hands being, in fact, used in manipulating the food), which is not the

Fhoto by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

DUGONG.

A vegetable-feeding sea-mammal from the Indian Ocean and North Australian waters.

327

328

The Living Animals of the World

I'liolo by A. S. liudland <L- Sons.

AMERICAN MANATEE.
Found in the Amazons River. The Matatees differ remarkably from the Dugorjg in the number and structure of their teeth.

case in the limbs of the whale. The body of the dugong is almost smooth, though there are
bristles in the region of the mouth : that of the manatees is studded with short hairs. The
male dugong has two large tusks : in neither sex of the manatees are such tusks developed.
Finally, a more detailed examination of the skeletons would reveal the fact that, whereas the
dugong has the usual seven bones in the neck, that of the manatees has only six.

When we come to the Whales, we shall encounter that very characteristic covering known
as " blubber " ; and, though it is present in smaller quantity, these sirenians have blubber as
well. Complex stomachs they also have, like the whales, only in their case both the nature
of the food and the structure of the teeth point clearly to a ruminating habit, which, for
reasons that will be given in the right place, seems inadmissible in the whales. In both
dugong and manatees the mouth is furnished with singular horny plates, the precise use of
which does not appear to have been satisfactorily determined ; and the upper lip of the
manatee is cleft in two hairy pads that work laterally. This enables the animal to draw
the grass into its mouth without using the lower lip at all.

In their mode of life > the dugong and manatees differ as widely almost as in their
appearance ; for the former is a creature of open coasts, whereas the manatees hug river-
estuaries'? and even travel many miles up the rivers. Of both it has been said that they leave
the water at night, and the manatees have even been accused of plundering crops near the
banks. The few, however, which have been under observation in captivity have always been
manifestly uncomfortable whenever, by accident or otherwise, the water of their tank was run
off, so that there is not sufficient reason for believing this assertion.

This group of animals cannot be regarded as possessing any high commercial value, though
both natives and white men eat their flesh, and the afore-mentioned rhytina was, in fact,
exterminated solely for the sake of its meat. There is also a limited use for the bones as
ivory, and the leather is employed on a small scale, a German writer has, in fact, been at
great pains to prove that the Tabernacle, which was 300 cubits long, was roofed with dugong-
fikin, and the Eed Sea is certainly well within the animal's range.

The Dugong, Manatees, Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins 329

THE WHALES, PORPOISES, AND DOLPHINS.

Although anatomists have good reason for suspecting that all the members of the Whale
Tribe are directly descended from river-dwelling forms, if not indeed, more remotely, from
some land animal, there is something appropriate in the fact of the vast ocean, which
covers something like three-quarters of the earth's surface, producing the mightiest creatures
which have ever lived. There should also be some little satisfaction for ourselves in the
thought that, their fish-like form notwithstanding, these enormous beings really belong to
the highest, or mammalian, class of animal life.

One striking feature all these many-sized cetaceans have in common, and that is their
similarity of form. Though they may vary in length from 70 to 7 feet, their outline shows
a remarkable uniformity. Important internal and even external differences there may be.
A whale may be toothed or toothless ; a dolphin may be beaked or round-headed ; either may
be with or without a slight ridge on the back or a distinct dorsal fin ; but no cetacean could
well be mistaken for an animal of any other order. It is as well to appreciate as clearly as
possible this close general resemblance between the largest whale and the smallest dolphin,
as the similarity is one of some interest ; and we may estimate it at its proper worth if we
bear in mind that two species of cetaceans, outwardly alike, may not, perhaps, be more closely
allied than such divergent ruminant types as the elephant, the giraffe, and the gazelle.

Reference has already been made to the fact that the whales are true mammals, and we must
now clearly set before us the justification for separating them from the Fishes to which any one
with a superficial knowledge of their habits and appearance would unhesitatingly assign them
and raising them to the company of other mammals. Let us first separate them from the
Fishes. The vast majority of fishes, with some familiar exceptions like the conger-eel, are covered
with scales : whales have no scales. The tail of fishes, often forked like that of whales, is
set vertically : in whales the tail is set laterally, and for this a good reason will presently be
shown. Fishes have anal fins : whales not only have no anal fins, but their so-called pectoral
fins differ radically from the fins of fishes. Fishes breathe with the aid of gills : whales have

Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.

NARWHAL.
An Arctic whale, with one or rarely two long spears of bone projecting from the head.

330

The Living Animals of the World

no gills. Fishes, in the vast majority of cases, reproduce their young by spawning, the eggs
being left to hatch out either in gravel-beds or among the water-plants, lying on the bottom
(as in the case of the herring), or floating near the surface (as in that of the plaice) : whales
do not lay eggs, but bear the young alive. This brings us to the simple points of resemblance
between them and other mammals. When the young whale is born, it is nourished on its
mother's milk. This alone would constitute its claim to a place among the highest class.
Whales breathe atmospheric air by means of lungs. Hair is peculiarly the covering of mammals,
just as scales are characteristic of fishes and feathers of birds. Many whales, it is true, have no

Photo by A, S. liudland d- Song.

GRAMPUS, OE KILLER.
A carnivorous cetacean with large teeth, often found in British seas.

hair ; but others, if only in the embryonic stage, have traces of this characteristic mammalian
covering. It must, moreover, be remembered that in some other orders of mammals the amount
of hair varies considerably as, for instance, between the camel and rhinoceros.

Having, then, shown that whales are mammals, we must now determine the chief features
of the more typical members of the order. The extremities of whales are characteristic :
a large head, occupying in some species as much as one-third ' of the total length ; and
the afore-mentioned forked, or lobed, tail set laterally. The flippers, which bear only a
slight resemblance to the pectoral fins in fishes, are in reality hands encased in swimming-
gloves. In some whales these hands are five-fingered, in others the fingers number only four.

The Dugong, Manatees, Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins 331

but many of the fingers contain more bones than the fingers of man. In some whales we
find a dorsal fin, and this, as also the flippers, acts as a balancer. In no whale or
porpoise is there any external trace of hind limbs, but the skeleton of some kinds shows in
varying stages of degradation a rudimentary bone answering to this description. Perhaps
however, the most distinctive feature of whales is the blow-hole, situated, like the nostrils
of the hippopotamus, on the upper surface of the head, and similarly enabling the animal to
breathe the air without exposing much of its head above the surface of the water. The
blow-hole (or blow-holes, for whalebone-whales have two) may be said to take the place of
nostrils as regards the breathing, though perhaps no sense of smell is included in its functions.
In the Sperm-whale, or Cachalot, there is a single c/)-shaped blow-hole near the end of -the
snout. The well-known spouting of whales is merely the breathing out of warm vapour, which,
on coming in contact with the colder air and it should be remembered that most whaling is
carried on in the neighbourhood of icebergs condenses in a cloud above the animal's head.
I have seen many a sperm-whale spout, and the cloud of spray, often mixed with a varying
volume of water if the whale commences to blow before its blow-hole is clear of the surface,
drifts forward over the forehead. This is due to the forward position of the blow-hole. I never
to my knowledge saw a whalebone-whale spouting, but its double jet is said to ascend vertically
over its back, and this would in like manner be accounted for by the more posterior position
of the blow-holes. Having filled its lungs, which are long and of simple structure, with fresh
air, in enormous draughts that fill the great cavities of its chest, the whale sinks to the
depths. There, in ordinary circumstances, it will lie for a quarter of an hour or more, but
the pain of the harpoon and the knowledge that there is danger at the surface may keep it
below for as much as an hour. When it has to breathe again, a few powerful strokes from
the laterally set tail suffice to bring it quickly to the surface. This is not the place for a
detailed anatomy of the whale;* but no one can fail to notice with admiration such parts of
its equipment for the battle of life as the structure of its windpipe, which enables it to breathe
with comfort with its mouth full of water, the complicated network of blood-vessels that
ensures the slow and thorough utilising of all the oxygen in its lungs while it remains at the
bottom, and the elastic cushion of blubber that makes this gigantic animal indifferent to
extremes of pressure and temperature. Thanks mainly to its coat of blubber, the whale
exists with equal comfort at the surface or hundreds of fathoms below it ; in the arctic or in
tropical seas.

It is not perhaps in keeping with the plan of this work that we should consider in detail
the soft parts of the whale's inside. One or two parts of its feeding and digestive mechanism
may, however, offer some points of passing interest. The complex stomach, which is divided
into chambers, like that of the ruminants already described, has suggested that the latter function

Photo by A. S. Rudland it- Song.

SHOKT-BEAKED KIVEK-DOLPHIN.
In this type the head is produced into a beak, supported in the upper jaw by a mass of ivory-like bone.

332

The Living Animals of the World

may in a modified process be performed by whales. It is, however, evident that the teeth of
toothed whales are in no way adapted to the act of mastication, which is inseparable from any
conception of ruminating, while the toothless whales have as complicated a stomach as the
rest. Mr. Beddard, writing on the subject in his interesting " Book of Whales," takes the
more reasonable view that the first chamber of the stomach of whales should be regarded
rather as a storehouse in which the food is crushed and softened. The teeth of whales, the
survival of which in the adult animal offers the simplest basis of its classification under one
or other of the two existing groups, or sub-orders, are essentially different from the teeth
of many other kinds of mammals. It cannot, perhaps, be insisted that the distinctive terms
employed for these two categories of whales are wholly satisfactory. For instance, the
so-called " toothless " whales have distinct teeth before birth, thus claiming descent from toothed
kinds. On the other hand, the so-called ' ; toothed " whales are by no means uniformly equipped
in this respect, some of the porpoises having as many as twenty-six teeth, distributed over
both jaws, while the bottlenoses have no more than two, or at most four, and these in
the lower jaw only. Only the lower jaw, in fact, of the great sperm-whale . bears teeth that
are of any use, though there are smaller and functionless teeth in the gums of the upper.
The teeth of whales, by the way, are not differentiated like our canines and molars, but are-
all of one character. Although, in " toothless " whales, the fetal teeth disappear with the
coming of the baleen,
or whalebone, the latter
must not, in either struc-
ture or uses, be thought
to take their place. The
plates of whalebone act
rather as a hairy strainer.
Unless we seek a possible
analogy at the other end
of the mammalian scale,
in the Australian duck-
bill, the feeding of the
whalebone-whales is
unique. They gulp in
the water, full of plank-
ton, swimming open-
mouthed through the streaks of that substance. Then the huge jaws are closed, and the
massive tongue is moved slowly, so as to drive the water from the angles of the mouth
through the straining-plates of baleen, the food remaining stranded on these and on the
tongue. The size and number of the baleen-plates appear to vary in a degree not yet
definitely established ; but there may, in a large whale, be as many as between 300 and 400-
on either side of the cavernous mouth, and they may measure as much as 10 or 12 feet in
length and 7 or 8 feet in. width.

An enumeration of such whales and porpoises and dolphins as have at one time or other
been stranded on the shores of the British Isles may serve as an epitome of the whole
order. Only one interesting group, in fact the Eiver-dolphins of the Ganges and Amazons
is unrepresented in the British list. Whales, either exhausted or dead, are periodically thrown,
up on our coasts, even on the less-exposed portions one of the most recent examples in
the writer's memory being that of a large specimen, over 60 feet long, stranded on the sands
near Boscombe, in Hampshire, and the skeleton of which at present adorns Boscombe Pier.
It was one of the rorquals, or finbacks, probably of the species called after Rudolphi; but the
skeleton is imperfect, though its owner, Dr. Spencer Simpson, appears to have preserved some
details of its earlier appearance. It should be remembered that many of the following can
only be regarded as " British " with considerable latitude, the records of their visits being in.

Photo by A. S. Rudtand a,- Soitx.

SOWERBY'S BEAKED WHALE.

One of the rarest of British whales, and very scarce elsewhere. It probably inhabits the open seas.

The Dugong, Manatees, Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins 333

some cases as rare as those of the rustic bunting and red-necked nightjar among birds, or of
the derbio and spotted dragonet among fishes.

British zoologists, however, usually include the following : WHALEBONE-WHALES : Southern
Right-whale ; Humpback ; Finbacks, or Rorquals. TOOTHED WHALES : Sperm-whale, or Cachalot ;
Narwhal ; Beluga, or White Whale ; Grampuses ; Beaked Whale ; Broad-fronted Whale ; Cuvier's
Whale ; Sowerby's Whale ; Pilot-whale ; Porpoise ; Dolphin ; White-sided Dolphin ; W'hite-beaked
Dolphin ; Bottlenose.

A selection may therefore be made of five of the most representative of these species the

SOUTHERN WHALE, the CACHALOT, the NARWHAL, the PORPOISE, and the DOLPHIN.

The SOUTHERN WHALE, which, in common with the closely allied polar species, whaling-
crews call "right," seeing that all other kinds are, from their point of view, "wrong," is
probably the only right-whale which has ever found its way to our shores. Some writers
include the Greenland Right-whale, but their authority for this is doubtful. It is said to grow
to a length of at any rate 70 feet, though 55 feet would perhaps be more common for even
large specimens. In colour it is said to be dark above, with a varying amount of white
or grey on the flippers and under-surface. The head and mouth are very large, occupying
in some cases one-third of the total length, and the baleen-plates measure as much as 8 or
10 feet in length and 5 or 6 feet in width. The species has no back-fin, but there
is a protuberance on the snout, known technically as the " bonnet." This whale appears to
give birth to its single calf some time in the spring months, and the mother shows great
affection for her offspring. The HUMPBACK is distinguished from the right-whales externally
by its longer flippers and the prominence on its back, and internally by the fluted skin
of the throat. The FINNERS, or RORQUALS, have a distinct back-fin. They feed on fishes
and cuttles, and I have more than once known a rorqual, which looked fully 50 feet long
(comparing it roughly with my 24-foot boat), to swim slowly round and round my lugger,
down on the Cornish coast, puffing and hissing like a torpedo-boat on its trial trip, rounding
up the pilchards in a mass, and every now and then dashing through them open-mouthed with
a terrific roar, after several of which helpings it would sink out of sight and not again put in
an appearance.

The SPERM-WHALE, or CACHALOT, may serve as our type of the toothed whales. It
attains to the same great dimensions as the largest of the whalebone group. A more active

Photo by A. S. liudiand .1- Sons.

COMMON POEPOISE.

From 4 to 5 feet long. It lives in " schools," or companies, and pursues the herrings and mackerel.

334

The Living Animals of the World

animal for its size could scarcely be conceived ; and I have seen one, in the Indian Ocean,
fling itself three or four times in succession out of water like a salmon, striking the surface
each time as it fell back with a report like that of a gun. No one appears to have explained
whether performances of this sort are due to mere playfulness, or, as seems more probable, to
the attacks of parasites or such larger enemies as sharks or "killers." I have also seen four
thresher-sharks leaping out of water, and , falling with a loud blow on the whale's back ; but
the victim lay quite still in. this case, and may in fact have been worn out before we came
upon the scene. I wish to add that I took the word of the skipper, himself an old whaling-
captain, for their identity as threshers. The dazzling sun shone full on them, and on the
sea between, and it was impossible, even with the ship's telescope, to recognise them with

any accuracy. The
cachalot has a very
different profile from what
any one who had seen
only its skull in a
museum would be led to
expect, for the sperm-
cavity in the forehead
is not indicated in the
bones. The structure of
the head enables the
animal to drop the lower
jaw almost at right angles
to the upper ; and Mr.
Frank Bullen quotes, in
his fascinating " Cruise
of the Cachalot," the
current belief that it does
so to attract its prey by
the whiteness of its teeth
and palate. Although
both fishes and cephalo-
pods are very curious,
even to their own destruc-
tion, it is doubtful
whether the whale could
not catch its food more

Photo by A. S. Kudliuid <fc Sons.

ELLIOTT'S DOLPHIN.

One of the commoner Indian species.

Photo by A. S. liudlaiid it

KISSO'S DOLPHIN.
About 13 feet in length, found in almost all oceans.

rapidly by swimming
open-mouthed through
the acres of floating squid
encountered all over the
warmer waters of the ocean.
The NARWHAL, an arctic type, may be distinguished from all other cetaceans by the single
spiral tusk in the left side of the head of the male. Sometimes the right tusk grows as
well, and either may attain a length of as much as 8 feet; but in the female both teeth
remain undeveloped.

The COMMON PORPOISE of our own seas, distinguished by its rounded head from the
equally common beaked dolphin, is too familiar to need much description. It grows to a
length of 5 or 6 feet, and is dark in colour on the back and white beneath. Its conspicuous
back-fin is always recognisable when it gambols with a herd of its fellows; and a line
of these sea-pigs, a mile or sc in length, is no uncommon sight, their presence inshore being
indicative on some parts of the coast of the coming of east wind. The porpoise which has.

The Dugong, Manatees, Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins 335

Photo by A. S. Hiu/(a,u( A tivnx.

BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN.
From 8 to 9 feet long, found from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.

like many of its group,
teeth in either jaw, is a
voracious feeder, preying in
estuaries on salmon and
flounders, and on more open
parts of the coast on pilchards
and mackerel. It is occasion-
ally a serious nuisance in
the Mediterranean sardine-
fisheries, and I have known
of the fishermen of Collioure,
in the Gulf of Lyons, appeal-
ing to the French Govern-
ment to send a gunboat from
Toulon that might steam after
the marauders and frighten
them away. One of the most
remarkable cases of a feeding
porpoise that I can recall was that of one which played with a conger-eel in a Cornish harbour
as a cat might play with a mouse, blowing the fish 20 or 30 feet through the air, and
swimming after it so rapidly as to catch it again almost as it touched the water.

The DOLPHIN, which is in some seasons as common in the British Channel as the more
familiar porpoise, is distinguished by its small head and long beak, the lower jaw always
carrying more teeth than the upper. It feeds on pilchards and mackerel, and, like the porpoises,
gambols, particularly after an east wind, with its fellows close inshore. There are many other
marine mammals somewhat loosely bracketed as dolphins. Kisso's DOLPHIN, for instance, a rare
visitor to our coasts, has a striped skin, and its jaws are without teeth, which distinguish it
from the common dolphin and most of the others. It cannot therefore feed on fishes, and
most probably eats squid and cuttle-fish. The BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN, a species occurring in
the greatest numbers on the Atlantic coast of North America, is regularly hunted for its oil.
HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN, which hails from South African waters, is a smaller kind, chiefly remarkable
for the curious distribution of black and white on its back and sides.

A word must, in conclusion, be said on the economic value of the whales. Fortunately, as
they are getting rarer, substitutes for their once invaluable products are being from time to time
discovered, and much of the regret at their extermination by wasteful slaughter is sentimental
and not economic. For whalebone it is not probable that a perfect substitute will ever be
found. It therefore maintains a high price, though the former highest market value of over
2,000 per ton has fallen to something nearer the half. The sperm-oil from the sperm-whale,

_ and the train-oil from that
of the right-whales, the sper-
maceti out ,of the cachalot's
forehead and the ambergris
secreted in its stomach, are
the other valuable products.
Ambergris is a greyish, fatty
secretion, caused by the irri-
tation set up in the whale's
inside by the undigested beaks
of cuttle-fish. Its market

photobyA.s.iuUandd;Sons. price is about 5 per ounce.

HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN. A lump of 240 Ibs. sold for

A small, peculiarly coloured species from the Cape. nearly 20,000.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND ARMADILLOS.

BY W. P. PVCHAFT, A.L.S.. F.7.8.

r 1 1HE very remarkable-
I assemblage of
animals we are-
now about to consider
includes many diverse
forms, bracketed together
to constitute one great
group ; and this on account
of the peculiarities of the
structure and distribution
of the teeth, which are
never present in the front
of the jaw, and may be
absent altogether. Of the
five groups recognised,
three occur in the New
and two in the Old World.
All have undergone very
considerable modification of
form and structure, and in
every case this modification
has tended to render them
more perfectly adapted to
an arboreal or terrestrial
existence. Flying or
aquatic types are wanting.
Whilst one great group
the Sloths is entirely
vegetarian, the others feed
either on flesh or insects.

THE SLOTHS.
In the matter of
personal appearance Nature
has not been kind to the
SLOTH, though it is cer-
tainly true that there are
many uglier animals not
including those, such as
some of the Monkey Tribe
and certain of the Swine,
which are positively
hideous. The mode of life of the sloth is certainly remarkable, for almost its whole existence
is passed among the highest trees of the densest South American forests, and passed, too, in

336

' fhoto by A. S. HuMand io/u.

NORTHERN TWO-TOED SLOTH (COST A KICA).

This is also known as Hoffmann's Sloth. The appellation " two-toed " refers to the fore limb only
The hind foot has three toes.

The Sloths, Ant-eaters, and Armadillos

337

a. perfectly topsy-turvy manner, inasmuch as it moves from bough to bough with its legs up
in the air and its back towards the ground. It walks and sleeps suspended beneath the
boughs instead of balanced above them, securely holding itself by means of powerful hooked
claws on the fore and hind feet. This method of locomotion, so remarkable in a mammal,
coupled with the deliberate fashion in which it moves, and the air of sadness expressed in its
quaint physiognomy large-eyed, snub-nosed, and earless on which there seems to dwell an
ever-present air of resignation, led the great Buffon to believe that the sloth was a creature
afflicted of God for some hidden reason man could not fathom! His sympathy was as
certainly wasted as his hasty conclusion was unjustified. There can be no doubt but that the
life led by the sloth is at least as blissful as that of its more lively neighbours the spider
monkeys, for instance. Walking beneath the boughs comes as natural to the sloth as walking
on the ceiling to the fly.

The sloth sleeps, as we have already remarked, suspended from a bough. During this
time the feet are drawn close together, and the head raised up and placed between the
fore legs, as in the cobego,
which we depicted asleep on
page 170, as our readers will
remember. In the sleeping
position the sloth bears a
striking resemblance to the
stump of a lichen-covered
bough, just as the cobego
resembles a fruit. Thus is
protection from enemies
gained. The resemblance to
lichen is further aided by the
fact that the long, coarse hair
with which the sloth is clothed
becomes encrusted with a
peculiar green alga a lowly
form of vegetable growth
which lodges in certain grooves
or flutings peculiar to the
hair of this animal. Such a
method of protection is unique
amongst the Mammalia. As
the sloths sleep by day
and feed by night, the usefulness of such a method of concealment is beyond question.

The strange form of locomotion of the sloths renders separate fingers and toes unnecessary,
and so the fingers and toes have come to be enclosed in a common fold of skin, extending
down to the base of the claws.

The sloths stand out in strong contrast to the volatile spider monkeys, with whom they
share the forest; these have added a fifth limb in the shape of a prehensile tail, by which
they may suspend themselves at will. The sloths, on the contrary, have no tail ; they move
deliberately, and do not require it. The monkeys move by prodigious leaps, taken not seldom
by gathering impetus by swinging on their tails.

The great naturalist Bates writes of the sloth : " It is a strange sight to watch this
uncouth creature, fit production of these silent shades, lazily moving from branch to branch.
Every movement betrays, not indolence exactly, but extreme caution. He never loses his hold
from one branch without first securing himself to the next. . . . After watching the animal
for about half an hour, I gave him a charge of shot; he fell with a terrific crash, but caught
a bough in his descent with his powerful claws, and remained suspended. Our Indian lad

Photo by L. Medium'., F.Z.S.] [North finckley.

THREE-TOED SLOTH.

A remarkable peculiarity about the three-toed sloths is the fact that they have no less than nine
vertebrae in the neck, instead of seven, as is usual among mammals.

338

The Living Animals of the World

tried to climb the tree, but was driven back by swarms of stinging ants; the poor little
fellow slid down in a sad predicament, and plunged headlong into the brook to free himself."

On another occasion the same writer tells us he "saw a sloth swimming across a river at
a place where it was 300 yards broad. I believe it is not generally known that this animal
takes to the water. Our men caught the beast, cooked and ate him."

In past ages gigantic ground-sloths roamed over South America. The largest of these, the
Megatherium, rivalled the elephant in size. Descendants of these giants appear to have lingered
on till comparatively recent times, as witness the wonderful discovery by Moreno, made during
last year (1900) in a cave in Patagonia. This was nothing less than a skull and a large
piece of the hide of one of these monsters in a wonderful state of preservation, showing
indeed undoubted traces of blood and sinew. That the hide was removed by human hands
there can be no doubt, for it was rolled up and turned inside-out. Immediately after this
discovery was announced, an expedition was dispatched from England to hunt, not so much
for more remains, but for the animal itself. Time will show whether these efforts will prove
successful.

THE ANT-EATERS.

Unlike as the ant-eaters are to the sloths, they are nevertheless very closely related thereto.
This unlikeness at the present day is so great that, were it not for " missing-links " in the
shape of fossils, we should probably never have discovered the relationship. The head of the
typical ant-eaters has been drawn out into a long tubular muzzle, at the end of which is a tiny
mouth just big enough to permit the exit of a long worm-like tongue, covered with a sticky
saliva. This tongue is thrust out with great rapidity amongst the hosts of ants and termites
and their larvae, on which they prey. These victims are captured by breaking open -their nests.
At once all the active inhabitants swarm up to the breach, and are instantaneously swept away
by the remorseless tongue. The jaws of the ant-eaters are entirely toothless, and the eyes and
ears are very small.

The largest species of ant-eater is about 4 feet long. It lives entirely upon the ground.
Generally speaking, it is a harmless creature; but at times, when cornered, it will fight

furiously, sitting up on its
hind legs and hugging its
foe in its powerful arms.
Bates, the traveller-
naturalist, relates an
instance in which a dog
used in hunting the GREAT
ANT-EATER was caught in
its grip and killed. The
tail of this large species
is covered with very long
hair, forming an immense
brush. The claw on the
third toe of each fore limb
is of great size, and used
for breaking open ants' and
other insects' nests.

But besides the great
ground ant-eater there are
some tree-haunting species.
These have a shorter muzzle,
and short hair on the tail,
which is used, as with
the spider monkeys, as a

Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co. \

[Parson's Green.

THE GREAT ANT-EATEB.

In walking the ant-eater turns its toes inwards, so that the claws turn upwards and inwards,
the weight of the body being borne by a horny pad on the fifth toe, and the balls of the third and
fourth toes.

The Sloths, Ant-eaters, and Armadillos

339

Photo by A. S. Rudlam

TAMANDUA ANT-EATER.

This species, which is a. smaller animal than the Great Ant-eater, lives almost entirely in the trees, instead of on the ground.

fifth limb. Curled round the bough of a tree, its owner is free to swing himself out on to
another branch.

The smallest of the tree-dwelling species is not larger than a rat, and is a native of the
hottest parts of the forests of South and Central America. The muzzle in this species is quite
short, not long and tubular, as in the larger species. It is a very rare animal, or is at least
very seldom seen, a fact perhaps due to its small size. It is known as the TWO-TOED ANT-
EATEK, only the second and third ringers of the fore feet bearing claws.

Von Sack, in his " Narrative of a Voyage to Surinam," tells us that the natives of Surinam
call this little animal " Kissing-hand " " as the inhabitants pretend that it will never eat,
at least when caught, but that it only licks its paws, in the same manner as the bear; that
all trials to make it eat have proved in vain, and that it soon dies in confinement. When
I got the first, I sent to the forest for a nest of ants ; and during the interim I put into its
cage some eggs, honey, milk, and meat ; but it refused to touch any of them. At last the
ants' nest arrived, but the animal did not pay the slightest attention to it either. By the
shape of its fore paws, which resemble nippers, I thought that this little creature might
perhaps live on the nymphae of wasps, etc. I therefore brought it a wasps' nest, and then
it pulled out with its nippers the nymphae from the nest, and began to eat them with the
greatest eagerness, sitting in the posture of a squirrel. I showed this phenomenon to many
of the inhabitants, who all assured me that it was the first time they had ever known that
species of animal take any nourishment."

THE ARMADILLOS.

Readers of this book will doubtless have noticed long ere this how manifold are the devices
for the purpose of defence adopted by the Mammalia. The ARMADILLOS have certainly selected
the most complete, having encased themselves in an impenetrable bony armour as perfect as
the coat of mail of the warrior of the Middle Ages. Concerning this and the variations
thereon adopted by the different members of the group we shall speak presently.

Armadillos are mostly confined to South America, and occur both in the open pampas and
the shady depths of the forest. They live in burrows, which they dig with incredible speed.
These burrows are generally found in the vicinity of the nests of ants and termites, which
form their staple diet. One species, however, at least feeds apparently with equal relish upon
vegetable matter, eggs, young birds, mice, snakes, and carrion.

34Q

The Living Animals of the World

The bony armour is disposed over the crown of the head, back, and flanks. It is made up
of numerous small, bony plates, buried deep in the skin, and each overlaid by a horny scale.
The tail is protected by bony rings. The plates covering the shoulders and those directly over
the hindquarters fuse into a solid mass, thus forming chambers into which the limbs can be
withdrawn. In the region of the body, between these two shields, the plates are arranged in
rows encircling the body, thus permitting the animal to roll itself up as occasion may require.
Hairs grow out between the plates, and in- some cases give the animal quite a furry appearance.
Speaking of the burrowing powers of the armadillo, Darwin, in his most fascinating "Voyage
of the Beagle," tells us that "the instant one was perceived, it was
necessary, in order to catch it, almost to tumble off one's horse ; for
in soft soil the animal burrowed so quickly that its hinder quarters
would almost disappear before one could alight. It seems almost a pity
to kill such nice little animals ; for as a Gaucho said, while sharpening
his knife on the back of one, 'Son tan mansos' (They are so quiet).' r
As a rule, armadillos are regarded as animals loving dry, sandy wastes ;
nevertheless, they are said to be able to swim both well and swiftly.
The flesh of the armadillo is apparently by no means unpalatable.

THE PICHICIAGO.

One of the most remarkable of the armadillos is the PICHICIAGO, or
FAIRY ARMADILLO. It is a tiny creature of some 5 inches long, found in
the sandy wastes of the western part of the Argentine Eepublic. The
horny covering of the bony plates is pinkish colour, and the hair is
silky in texture and snow-white. But it is not on this
account that the fairy armadillo is remarkable : its claim
to notoriety rests on the peculiar arrangement of the
bony plates constituting the armour. These bony plates-
are small and thin, and covered, as in other species, with
a horny coat ; but instead of being embedded in the
skin, they are attached only along the middle of
the back, and project freely over the body on either
side, leaving a space between the shield and the
body. The hinder end of the body is specially
protected by a nearly circular vertical shield, firmly
fixed to the hip-girdle. This shield, it is said, is
used as a plug to fill up its burrow with.

THE PELUDO -

TWO-TOED ANT-EATER. Armadillos of the normal type, wherein the body

Although the fore feet have four toes, only the second and third armour is embedded in the skin, are represented by

bear claws ; hence the name "Two-toed" Ant-eater. f\f i

numerous species. Of one, known as the PELUDO,.

Mr. Hudson has given us some interesting details. " It feeds," he tells us, " not only upon insects,
but also upon vegetable matter, eggs, young birds, and carrion. Its method of capturing mice
was certainly ingenious. It hunted by smell, and when nearing its prey became greatly agitated.
The exact spot discovered, the body was raised slowly to a sitting posture, and then flung
suddenly forwards, so that the mouse or nest of mice was imprisoned beneath, and promptly
dispatched." "Still more remarkable," says Mr. Lydekker, "is the manner in which a peludo
has been observed to kill a snake, by rushing upon it and proceeding to saw the unfortunate
reptile in pieces- by pressing upon it closely with the jagged edges of its armour, and at the
same time moving its body backwards and forwards. The struggles of the snake were all in
vain, as its fangs could make no impression upon the panoply of its assailant, and eventually
the reptile slowly dropped and died, to be soon afterwards devoured by the armadillo, which
commenced the meal by seizing the snake's tail in its mouth, and gradually eating forwards."

Photo by A. S.

The Sloths, Ant-eaters, and Armadillos

341

Photo by York tfc Son] [Hotting Sill.

WEASEL-HEADED ARMADILLO.

The weasel-headed armadillos have from six to eight movable bands in
the bony armour in which they are encased.

Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.] \_No-,-th Finchley.

HAIRY-BUMPED ARMADILLO.

This species, like the Peba Armadillo, varies its diet with
carrion.

THE PANGOLINS.

The PANGOLINS, or SCALY ANT-EATERS, are perhaps even more curious creatures than the
armadillos. They have been likened in appearance to animated spruce fir-cones, to which indeed
they bear a strange resemblance. This resemblance is due to the wonderful armature of the
skin, which takes the form of large overlapping, pointed, horny plates or scales. The pangolins
are confined to the Old World, occurring in South Africa and South-eastern Asia. Like the
American Ant-eaters, teeth are wanting, and the tongue is long and worm-like, being employed
in the capture of insects, as in the New World ant-eaters.

The scales of the MANIS are formed by the fusion together of fine hairs. Like the spines
of the hedgehog and porcupine, they serve the purpose of offensive defence ; for when the
manis rolls itself up, these pointed scales project at right angles to the body, and offer a
formidable resistance to any enemy whatsoever. They also serve to break the force of a fall,
which, indeed, is often voluntary; for should the animal wish to descend from the branch of
a tree, it will often take a short cut to the ground by deliberately dropping, the force of the
fall being entirely broken by the elastic scales.

In climbing, the tail is of the greatest service, its under-surface being clothed with
pointed scales, which serve as so many climbing-hooks. The grasp of a tree-trunk gained by
the hind legs and tail is so secure that the body can be moved to a horizontal position with
ease. In a specimen kept in captivity by Mr. Fraser, this horizontal movement was a form
of exercise which appeared to afford the greatest pleasure.

Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.] [North Finchley.

PEBA ARMADILLO.

This species lives largely upon carrion, which it buries in its burrow
till wanted.

Photo by York <fc Son]

KAPPLERS' ARMADILLO.

This is a variety of the Peba Armadillo, inhabiting
Surinam.

34 2 The Living Animals of the World

THE AARD-VARK.

The custom of naming newly discovered animals after well-known forms to which they
are supposed to bear some resemblance, physically or otherwise, is a common one. The
animal now under consideration shows this once more, having originally received the name
of AARD-VARK (Earth-pig) from the Boers of the Cape. The aard-vark is a most decidedly
ugly animal, and justifies its name in several particulars. It is hunted for the sake of its
hide, which is of great thickness and resembles that of the pig, but is sparsely covered with
hairs, the general shape of its body being not unlike that of a long-headed, short-legged,
heavy-tailed pig. The whole animal is about 6 feet long. In a wild state, or even in
captivity, it is but rarely seen, since it is a night-feeder, and passes the day in sleep deep
down in a burrow. This burrow it digs for itself with the aid of powerful claws borne
on the fore feet. It lives principally on ants and termites, breaking down their nests, and
remorselessly sweeping up the frightened occupants with a long, sticky tongue, as soon as
they rush to the seat of the disturbance which has broken up the harmony and order of
their community. At one time it was believed that the aard-vark was a close ally of the
pangolin, but later researches have disproved this, and have furthermore thrown doubt upon
the probability of its relationship with any of the members of this group of mammals at all.

There are two species of this animal the CAPE AARD-VARK of South and South-east
Africa, and the ETHIOPIAN AARD-VARK of North-east Africa.

Where the nest-building ants are most common, there will the aard-vark or Innagus,
as the Boers sometimes call it be most plentiful. The nests of these ants are huge structures
of from 3 to 7 feet high, and often occupy vast areas of ground, extending as far as the eye
can reach. They are substantially built, and swarm with occupants, and consequently are
quite worth raiding. But the aard-vark has become much less common since a price has
been set upon its skin. The powers of digging of these animals are so great that they can
completely bury their large bodies in a few minutes, even when the ground has been baked
by the sun into something like adamantine hardness. In excavating their burrows, the
ground is thrown out by the fore feet, in huge lumps, through or rather between the hind
legs. Shy and suspicious, the least unusual sound will send them scuttling to earth, for their
sense of hearing is very keen. They seem to change their minds somewhat frequently, when
engaged in digging out a new burrow ; for half-excavated burrows in the side of ant-hills
are very commonly met with. A fully grown aard-vark is about 6 feet long generally rather
more. Although this animal is frequently kept in captivity, it is but rarely seen by visitors,
owing to its nocturnal habits, of which we have already spoken.

The teeth of the aard-vark are sufficiently remarkable to justify notice here. Only the
crushing teeth are represented that is to say, the front or cutting teeth are conspicuous by
their absence. These crushing teeth number from eight to ten in the upper and eight in
the lower jaw, on each side ; but in the adult fewer would be found, the number being
reduced to five in each side of the jaws that is to say, there are but twenty all told. In
structure these teeth
are quite remarkable,
differing entirely from
those of all other
mammals, and re-
sembling those of

some fishes; further- ^^^^^^ |HR^' '*

more, they have no
" roots," but instead .
grow continually

i t IT i T By permission of the. Hon. Walter llothsckild] [Tring.

throughout life, which

CAPE AARD-VAEK.

*' rooted teeth do

The ants upon which the aard-vark largely subsists appear to be very fattening, and impart a delicate flavour
not. to the flesh, especially to the hams, which are greatly esteen.ed.

Photo by Billingtons Wueenslarut.

THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO.

The massive hind limbs and tail of the animal constitute, in its characteristic resting pose, a most efficient supporting tripod.

343

CHAPTER XXII.
MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES.

BY W. SAVILLE-KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

MARSUPIALS.

WITH the order of the Pouched Mammals we arrive with the exception of the Echidna
and Platypus, next described at the most simply organised representatives of the
Mammalian Class. In the two forms above named, egg-production, after the manner
of birds and reptiles, constitutes the only method of propagation. Although among marsupials
so rudimentary a method of reproduction is not met with, the young are brought into the
world in a far more embryonic condition than occurs among any of the mammalian groups
previously enumerated. There is, as a matter of fact, an entire absence of that vascular or blood
connection betwixt the parent and young previous to birth, known as placentation, common
to all the higher mammals, though certain of the more generalised forms have been recently
found to possess a rudiment of such development. In correlation with their abnormally
premature birth, it may be observed that a special provision commonly exists for the early
nurture of the infant marsupials. In such a form as the Kangaroo, for example, the young
one is placed, through the instrumentality of its parent's lips, in contact with the food-supplying
teat, and to which for some considerable period it then becomes inseparably attached. Special
muscles exist in connection with the parent's mammary
glands for controlling the supply of milk to the young
animal, while the respiratory organs of the little creature
are temporarily modified in order to ensure unimpeded
respiration. The fact of the young in their early life being
commonly found thus inseparably adhering to the parent's
nipple has given rise to the falacious but still very widely
prevalent idea among the Australian settlers that the
embryo marsupial is ushered into the world as a direct
outgrowth from the mammary region.

At the present day, with the exception of
the small group of the American Opossums and
the Selvas, the entire assemblage of marsupials,
comprising some 36 genera and 150 species,
are, singularly to relate, exclusively
found in Australia, New Guinea, and
the few neighbouring islands recog-
nised by systematic zoologists as
pertaining to the Australasian
region. What is more, this region
of Australasia produces, with some
few insignificant exceptions, chiefly
rodents, no other indigenous
mammals.

It is interesting to note that
-within the limits of this isolated

Photo by Billington]

SILVER-GREY KANGAROO.

In general form the kangaroos are so like one another that one figure would almost serve

for all.
344

Marsupials and Monotremes

345

Photo by E. Landor]

BLACK-STRIPED WALLABY.
Female with half -grown young in her pouch.

mammals find their counterparts
in the family group of the
Kangaroos, in which, in addition
to their essentially herbivorous
habits, the contour of the head
and neck, together with the ex-
pressive eyes and large expanding
ears, are wonderfully suggestive of
the various members of the Deer
Family. The Cuscuses of New
Guinea and the adjacent islands,
both in form and habits, some-
what resemble their geographical
neighbours, the Lorises, belonging
to the Lemur Tribe, compared
with which higher mammals, how-
ever, they possess the advantage
of an eminently serviceable pre-
hensile tail The Australian

\Ealing.

and anciently founded marsupial order
we have an epitome, as it were, of
many of the more important groups
of an equivalent classificatory value
that are included among the higher
mammalia previously described. In this
relationship we find in the so-called
Tasmanian Wolf, the Tasmanian Devil,
and the " Native Cats " carnivorous
and eminently predatory forms whose
habits and general conformation are
immediately comparable to those of
the typical Carnivora. The Bandicoots,
Banded Ant-eater, and Phascogales
recall in a similar manner the higher
Insectivora. In the tree-frequenting
Opossums and Phalangers the external
likeness and conformity in habits to
the arboreal rodents is notably apparent,
several of the species, moreover, possess-
ing a parachute-like flying-membrane
essentially identical with that which is
found in the typical Flying-squirrels.
An example in which the ground-
frequenting or burrowing rodents are
closely approached is furnished by the
Australian Wombat, an animal which
may be appropriately likened to an
overgrown and lethargic Marmot. In
this form, moreover, the rodent-like
character of the dentition is especially
noteworthy. The higher grass-eating

Photo by J. T. Newman] [Herkhamsted.

BENNETT'S WALLABY AND THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO.

This photograph illustrates the relative sizes of these two species.

346

The Living Animals of the World

[Melbourne.

ALBINO RED KANGAROOS.

Albino kangaroos and other Australian animals have been observed
to be the product of special, narrowly limited locations.

Koala, or so-called " Native Bear," has been
commonly compared by zoologists with the
Kdentate Sloths ; while in the most recently
discovered marsupial, the Pouched Mole, we have
a counterpart, in both form and habits, of the
familiar European species, finally, in the small
American section of the Mursupialia, we meet
with a type the so-called Yapock, or Water-
opossum in which the resemblances to an Otter,
in both aspect and its aquatic habits, are sa
marked that the animal was originally regarded
as a species only of the Otter Tribe.

The character of the marsupium, or pouch,
differs materially among the various members of
their order. It presents its most conspicuous
and normal development in such animals as
the Kangaroos, Wallabies, and the Australian
Opossums or Phalangers. In the Tasmanian
Wolf and the Bandicoots the pouch opens back-
wards. In such forms as the Phascogale, or
Pouched Mouse, the pouch is reduced to a few
rudimentary skin-folds, while in the Banded Ant-
eater its position is occupied by a mere patch
of longer hairs, to which the helpless young
ones cling. On the same lucus a non lucendo
principle there is no trace of a pouch in the
Koala, nor in those smaller species of the

American Opossums which habitually carry their young upon their back. Even in these
pouchless marsupials, however, the peculiar marsupial bones are invariably present, and in
all other essential details their accord with the marsupial type of organisation and development
is fully maintained.

THE KANGAROOS.

The typical and most familiar member of the Marsupial Order is the KANGAROO the
heraldic mammal of that vast island-continent in the South Seas, whose phenomenal advance
by leaps and bounds, from what scarcely a century since was represented by but a few
isolated settlements, has been aptly likened to the characteristic progression of this animal.
Of kangaroos proper there are some twenty-four known species distributed throughout the
length and breadth of Australia, extending southwards to Tasmania, and to the north as far
as New Guinea and a few other adjacent islands.

In point of size the GREAT GREY KANGAROO and the RED or WOOLLY species run each other
very closely. A full-grown male of either species will weigh as much as 200 Ibs., and measure
a little over 5 feet from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, this latter important
member monopolising another 4 or 4 feet. The red or woolly species more especially affects
the rocky districts of South and East Australia, while the great grey kind is essentially a
plain-dweller and widely distributed throughout the grassy plains V>f the entire Australian
Continent and also Tasmania. It is to the big males of this species that the titles of " Boomer,"
"Forester," and "Old Man Kangaroos" are commonly applied by the settlers, and the species
with which the popular and exciting sport of a kangaroo hunt the Antipodean substitute
for fox-hunting is associated. The pace and staying power of an old man kangaroo are
something phenomenal. Our home country fox-hounds would have no chance with it ;
consequently a breed of rough-haired greyhounds, known as kangaroo-dogs, are specially trained

Marsupials and Monotremes

347

for this sport. A run of eighteen miles, with a swim of two in the sea at the finish, and all
within the space of two brief crowded hours, is one of the interesting records chronicled.
The quarry, when brought to bay, is, moreover, a by no means despicable foe. Erect on its
haunches, with its back against a tree, the dogs approach it at their peril, as, with a stroke
of its powerful spur-armed hind foot, it will with facility disembowel or otherwise fatally
maim its assailant. Another favourite refuge of the hunted " boomer " is a shallow water-hole,
wherein, wading waist-deep, it calmly awaits its pursuers' onslaught. On the dogs swimming
out to the attack, it will seize them with its hand-like fore paws, thrust them under water,
and, if their rescue is not speedily effected, literally drown them. Even man, without the
aid of firearms, is liable to be worsted in an encounter under these conditions, as is evidenced
in the following anecdote.

A newly arrived settler from the old country, or more precisely from the sister island,
ignorant of the strength and prowess of the wily marsupial, essayed his maiden kangaroo
hunt with only a single dog as company. A fine grey boomer was in due course started,
and after an exciting chase was cornered in a water-hole. The dog, rushing after it, was
promptly seized and ducked ; and Pat, irate at the threatened drowning of his companion,
fired, but missed his quarry, and thereupon jumped into the water-hole, with the intention,
as he afterwards avowed, " to bate the brains out of the baste " with the butt-end of his gun.
The kangaroo, however, very soon turned the tables upon Pat. Before he had time to realise
the seriousness of the situation he found himself lifted off his feet, and soused and hustled
with such vigour that . both Pat and his dog most narrowly escaped a watery grave. A couple
of neighbours, by good luck passing that way, observed the turmoil, and came to the rescue.

Photo by W. Reid]

TASMANIAN WALLABY.
Has softer and thicker fur than its relative of the Australian mainland.

[Wishaic, N.B.

348

The Living Animals of the World

Between them they beat off and killed the kangaroo, and dragged Pat to land in a half-
drowned and almost insensible condition. Pat recovered, and vowed "niver to meddle with
such big bastes " again.

The doe kangaroos, while of smaller size and possessing much less staying power than
their mates, can nevertheless afford a good run for horses and dogs, arid are commonly known
as "flyers." When carrying a youngster, or "Joey," in her pouch, and hard pressed by the
dogs, it is a common thing for the parent to abstract her offspring from the pouch with her
fore paws, and to throw it aside into the bush. The instinct of self-preservation only, by
the discharge of hampering impedimenta, is usually ascribed to this act; but it is an open
question whether the maternal one of securing a chance of escape for her young, while feeling
powerless to accomplish it for herself, does not more often represent the actual condition of
the case.

In proportion to the size of its body the kangaroo yields but a limited amount of meat
that is esteemed for food. The tail represents the most highly appreciated portion, since from
it can be compounded a soup not only equal to ordinary ox-tail, but by gourmands considered

so superior that its conservation and export
have proved a successful trade enterprise.
The loins also are much esteemed for the
table, but the hind limbs are hard and coarse,
and only appreciated by the native when
rations are abnormally short. " Steamer, ' r
composed of kangaroo-flesh mixed with slices
of ham, represented a standing and very
popular dish with the earlier Australian
settlers ; but with the rapid disappearance of
the animal before the advance of colonisation
this one time common concoction possesses
at the present day a greater traditional than
actual reputation.

The hunting of the kangaroo is con-
ducted on several distinct lines, the method
of its pursuit being varied, according to
whether the animal is required for the
primary object of food, for the commercial
value of its skin, as a matter of pure

Many of the Marsupials, including Kangaroos and the Opossum-like Sport, Or to accomplish its wholesale destrUC-

tion in consequence of its encroachments on
the pasturage required for sheep- and cattle-grazing.

The greatest measure of healthy excitement in hunting the kangaroo, from the standpoint
of pure sport, is no doubt to be obtained when running the marsupial down with horse and
hounds in congenial company, as referred to on a previous page. The stalking of the animal
single-handed on horseback or on foot, much after the manner of the deer, has also its
enthusiastic votaries, and calls into play the greatest amount of patience and savoir-faire on
the part of the sportsman. It has been affirmed by a Queensland writer, "To kill kangaroos
with a stalking-horse requires the practice of a lifetime, and few ' new chums ' have the
patience to learn it. It is, in fact, only stockmen, black-fellows, and natives of the bush who
can by this method expect to make kangaroo-shooting pay." The horse which is successfully
employed by experienced bushmen for stalking purposes is specially trained to its work, and y
walking apparently unconcernedly in the direction of the selected quarry, brings the gunners,
if they are experts in the art of keeping themselves well concealed, within easy range. In
this manner two or three kangaroos are not infrequently shot in the same stalk, the animals
having a tendency, on hearing the report of the gun, but not locating the direction from which

Photo by D. Le Souef] [Melbourne.

ALBINO RED-BELLIED WALLABY.

349

350

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by D. Le Souef]

PARRY'S WALLABY.

In attitude of listening.

it was discharged, to rush about
in an aimless manner, and, as
frequently happens, in the im-
mediate direction of the hidden
sportsman. In the good old times
it is recorded that an experienced
hand might kill as many as
seventy or eighty kangaroos in
a day by this stalking method.
The marsupials are at the present
date, however, so severely deci-
mated that even in the most
favourable settled districts a bag
of from twelve to twenty head
must be regarded as exceptional.
Stalking the kangaroo on foot
without the horse's aid is more
strongly recommended to those
to whom an occasional shot is
considered sufficiently remunera-
tive. Taking full advantage of
intervening bushes and other
indigenous cover, an approach to

within a hundred yards or so of the quarry may be usually accomplished, though not quite so
easily, perhaps, as might be at first anticipated". It is the habit of the kangaroo to sit up
waist-high in the midst of the sun-bleached grass, which corresponds so closely in colour
with its own hide that unless the animal is silhouetted against the sky-line it readily escapes
detection.

The conditions under which the kangaroo is obtained for the main purpose of supplying
the human commissariat is perhaps most aptly illustrated in connection with its chase as
prosecuted by the Australian
aborigines. In Tasmania
and the Southern Australian
States the primeval man is
either extinct or more rare
than the kangaroo. In the
extreme north and far north-
west, however, he still poses
as "the lord of creation,"
and conducts his hunting
expeditions on a lordly scale.
The food-supply of the
Australian native is essenti-
ally precarious. Long inter-
vals of " short commons "
are interspersed with brief
periods of over-abundance,
in which he indulges his
appetite to its fullest bent.
A kangaroo drive on native
lines represents to the PARRY'S WALLABY.

Australian, mind One Of these Characteristic feedi.g attitude.

Photo by D. Lc Soucf]

[Melbourne.

Marsupials and Monotremes

351

last-named superlatively memorable occasions. The entire
tribe, men, women, and all capable youths, participate in
the sport. Fires are lit by one section of the tribe, accord-
ing to the direction of the wind, encircling a vast area of
the country, while the other section posts itself in detach-
ments in advantageous positions to intercept the terrified
marsupials as they fly in the presumed direction of safety
to escape the devouring element. Spears and waddies and
boomerangs, in the hands of the expert natives, speedily
accomplish a scene of carnage, and the after feast that
follows may perhaps be best left to the imagination of
the reader. The encroachments of neighbouring natives
on the happy hunting-grounds that time and custom have
conceded to be the sole monopoly of any one particular
tribe is most strenuously resented, and constitute one of
the commonest sources of their well-nigh perpetual inter-
tribal battles.

A kangaroo battue, as carried into practice by European
settlers in those few remaining districts where the animal
is sufficiently abundant to constitute a pest by its whole-
sale consumption of the much-prized pasturage, is far more
deadly in its results to the unfortunate marsupials. Exist-
ing sheep-fences, supplemented by a large suitably en-
closed yard, are first specially prepared for the reception
of the expected victims. All the settlers, stockmen,
and farm hands from the country round are pressed inlo
service, and assemble on horseback or on foot at the
appointed rendezvous at break of day. A widely spreading
cordon of beaters being told off, a systematic drive is then
commenced, which results in all the animals being driven
towards and collected within the enclosed yard. The cul-
minating scene is one of wholesale slaughter with club and
gun. From these battues none of the unfortunate animals
escape, as they are so closely hemmed in.

The first record of the existence of the kangaroo, coupled with its characteristic name, is
found associated, it is interesting to observe, with the history of one of the earlier voyages of
Captain Cook. The neighbourhood of Cooktown, in Queensland, claims the honour of supplying
the first example of the animal which was brought to Europe and astonished the zoologists
of that time by the singularity of its form and reported habits. Captain Cook happened
in July, 1770 to be laying up his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs, after narrowly
escaping total wreck on the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef, in the estuary of the river
subsequently coupled with his ship's name. Foraging parties, dispatched with the object of
securing, if possible, fresh meat or game for the replenishment of the ship's well-nigh
exhausted larder, returned with reports of a strange creature, of which they subsequently
secured specimens. Skins were preserved and brought to England, but it was some little time
before the zoological position and affinities of the creature were correctly allocated. By some
naturalists it was regarded as representing a huge species of Jerboa, its near relationship to
the previously known American Opossums being, however, eventually substantiated. The closer
acquaintanceship with the peculiar fauna of Australia that followed upon Captain Cook's
memorable voyage of discovery along the coast-line of that island-continent soon familiarised
naturalists with many other of the allied species of which the kangaroo constitutes the leading
representative.

I'kolo by 1). Le Souef, Melbourne.

FOOT OP TREE-KANGAROO.

Underside, showing peculiar skin-corrugations and
the united second and third toes.

352

The Living Animals of the World

Some considerable amount of obscurity is
associated with the prime origin of the animal's
almost world-wide title of "Kangaroo." It is
most commonly accepted as representing the
native name for the creature in that Queens-
land district from whence it was first reported
by Captain Cook. No later investigations and
enquiries have, however, in any way established
the correctness of this hypothesis, those ex-
plorers who have made a special study of the
dialects and habits of the aboriginal inhabitants
entirely failing to elicit anything even remotely
coinciding with the name in question. It has,
in fact, been reluctantly concluded by one of
the most experienced Queensland authorities
on these matters that the name originated
as a mere miscomprehension of the information
elicited from the natives. Verbal communi-
cation with the native tribes under the most
favourable circumstances is liable to a vast
amount of misunderstanding, and where other
than linguistic experts are present it frequently
happens that much mongrel or "pidgin
English " gets mixed up with the native terms.
Assuming this to have been the case in the
present instance, it has been suggested that
the name of Kangaroo, or " Kanguroo," as it
was originally spelt, implied some form of
negation of the knowledge which the enquiring
white man was seeking to elicit, or, maybe,

partly even a phonetic and parrot-like repetition of the constantly recurring query that was doubt-
less current among the " handy men " of the Endeavour's commission, such as " Can you " tell
me this or that concerning the many unfamiliar objects that greeted the eyes of the new arrivals
in this strange land. The writer retains a vivid recollection of a closely analogous manner in
which the rural inhabitants of Vigo Bay, on the Spanish coast, appropriated a common phrase
used by the crew of the yacht with whom he landed there. Having evidently noted that the
two words " I say " prefaced the majority of Jack-tar's speeches, this catch-phrase was adopted and
applied by them as a greeting and as a reply to almost every interrogation in dumb-show or
otherwise that was addressed to them. An unknown animal submitted to these rustic Solons
would doubtless have been dubbed the " I say " ; and had the land been a new one say, some-
where in the South Seas that name would probably have stuck to it. Applying this interpretation
to the kangaroo, and bearing in mind the fondness of the Australian native to duplicate his
name-words or syllables e.g. ivagga-wagga, debil-debil, and so forth the " Kang-you-you " or
a closely resembling phonetic expression would present itself to the native mind as a much
more correct rendering of the simpler " Can you " or " Kang you " which he had picked up
as a catch-phrase from the Endeavour's crew. In the absence, at all events, of any more
rational interpretation of the mystery, this one would seem to merit consideration.

While the kangaroo is being speedily dethroned from the dominant position it originally
occupied in the indigenous Australian fauna, praiseworthy and highly successful attempts have
been made to acclimatise this marsupial on British soil. At Tring Park, Lord Kothschild's estate,
Woburn Abbey, and elsewhere, troops of these graceful creatures may be seen under conditions of
happiness and liberty scarcely inferior to those by which they are environed in their native " bush."

ffioto by W. Savillc-Kcnt, F.Z.S.] [Milford-on-Sea.

BBOWX TREE- KANGAROO.
This species represents the group in Xorth Queensland.

Marsupials and Monotremes

353

Of smaller members of the Kangaroo Family,
there are some thirty distinct forms, popularly
known in Australia as WALLABIES, WALLAROOS,
PADDY-MELONS, POTOROOS, KANGAROO-HARES,
KANGAROO-RATS, etc. The wallabies, which represent
the most important group with regard to their
larger size and economic utility, number some
fourteen or fifteen species, and are distinguished,
-with relation more especially to their habitats or
peculiar structure, as ROCK-, BRUSH-TAIL, and SPUR-
TAIL WALLABIES, etc. Among the rock-wallabies
the yellow-footed species from South Australia is
undoubtedly one of the. handsomest as well as
the largest member of its group, the uniform
.grey characteristic of the majority of its members
being in this instance represented by an elegantly
striped and banded form, in which the several
tints of brown, yellow, black, and white are
pleasingly interblended. A very fine example of
this wallaby was included in the valuable collec-
tion of animals, formerly at Windsor, recently
presented to the Zoological Society by His Majesty
King Edward, and is now on view at the Regent's
Park. The successful stalking of rock-wallabies in
their native fastnesses entails no mean amount
of patience and agility. Although these animals
are so abundant in favoured localities as to make
hard-beaten tracks to and fro betwixt their rock-
dwellings and their pasture-grounds, one may
traverse the country in broad daylight without
catching a glimpse of a single individual. One
species, about the size of a large rabbit, is very
plentiful among the rocky bastion-like hills that
border the Ord River, which flows into Cambridge
Gulf, in Western Australia. Efforts to stalk ex-
amples in broad daylight proved fruitless ; but by
sallying out a little before daybreak, so as to
.arrive at their feeding-grounds while the light
was still dim, the writer succeeded in securing
several specimens. Many of these rock-wallabies
Are notable for the length, fine texture, and pleas-
ing tints of their fur, their skins on such account
being highly esteemed for the composition of
carriage-rugs and other furry articles.

Of the larger brush or scrub varieties, the species known as the BLACK WALLABY is the
most familiar form. It is particularly abundant in the Southern Australian States, and also
in Tasmania. Its flesh is excellent eating, and, dressed and served up in the orthodox manner
of jugged hare, can scarcely be distinguished from that toothsome dish. Some of the smaller
species, such as the hare- and rat-kangaroos or potoroos, are, as their names denote, of no
larger dimensions than the familiar rodents from which they are popularly named. Several
of these smaller species, including notably the potoroo, or kangaroo-rat of New South Wales,
.are addicted to paying marked attention to the settlers' gardens, and, being to a large extent

Photo by D. Le Souef]

[Melbourne.

TREE-KANGAROOS.

Examples acclimatised in the Melbourne Zoological
Gardens.

354

The Living Animals of the World

Pkoto'by York

[Kotting Hill.

GAIMAUD'S RAT-KANGAEOO.

A species named after the French naturalist, Gaimard.

root-feeders, have acquired a special
predilection for the newly planted or
more fully matured potato crops.

The most abnormal group of the
Kangaroo Family is undoubtedly that
of the TREE-KANGAROOS, formerly sup-
posed to have been limited in its
distribution to the island of New
Guinea, but which has within recent
years been found to be represented
by one or more species in Northern
Queensland. At the Melbourne Zoo
they have been found, except in the
coldest weather, to thrive well in the
open a moderate-sized tree, with a
small fenced-in enclosure around it r
being admirably suited to their re-
quirements, at the same time providing
a most instructive exhibition of their
peculiar forms and idiosyncrasies. Seen at its best, however, the tree-kangaroo, or " boongarry,"
as it is known amongst the Queensland natives, is a most clumsy, melancholy-looking beast,
which has apparently found itself " up a tree," not as the outcome of its personal predilections,
but owing to the force majeure of untoward pressure in the form either of relentlessly
persecuting enemies or the failure of its normal terrestrial commissariat. Compared with the
graceful and superlatively agile tree-frequenting phalangers, between whom and the ordinary
kangaroos it has been sometimes, but erroneously, regarded as representing a connecting-link r
the boongarry presents a most ungainly contrast. Its climbing powers are of the slowest and
most awkward description, the whole of its energies being concentrated on its endeavour to

preserve its balance and to retain a tight hold upon the
branches of the trees it frequents, and to which it clings
with such tenacity with its long sharp claws that it can
with difficulty be detached. In its wild state, moreover,,
these claws can be very effectively used as weapons of
defence ; and hence the natives, with whom the animal
is highly esteemed as an article of food, are careful to
give it its quietus with their clubs or waddies before
venturing to handle it. The tree-kangaroos inhabit the
densest parts of the forests or " scrubs " of New Guinea
and tropical Queensland, and appear to confine their move-
ments chiefly to the trees of moderate size, or the lower
branches only of the taller ones.

The species which constitutes the most natural known
connecting-link between the typical Kangaroos and the
family of the Phalangers, next described, is the FIVE-TOED-
EAT-KANGAROO, or POTOROO. As its name implies, it is-
a small creature of rat>like aspect and dimensions, and
possesses, like a rat, a long, cylindrical, naked, scaly tail,
It is the structure of the feet, however, that constitutes the
important distinction. In place of the four toes only to the

Photo by w. savuie-Kent, F.z.s., Miiford-on-sea. hind limbs it possesses the full complement of five, and
BAT-SANGAKOO FEOM NEW SOUTH WALES. the first ^^ moreover, is set farther back, and is opposable
one of the small jerboa-iike species. for grasping purposes. This animal is from Queensland.

Marsupials and Monotremes

355

THE PHALANGERS.

The Phalanger Family of
Marsupials, which next invites
attention, is constituted of
animals especially adapted to
lead an arboreal life, though
among themselves they ex-
hibit very considerable struc-
tural variations. The species
usually placed at the head of
this group is the essentially
droll and in many respects
abnormal form known as the
KOALA, or AUSTRALIAN NATIVE
BEAR. Its little podgy tailless
body, short thick-set head,
and round tufted ears lend
some countenance perhaps to
the ursine analogy ; but there
the likeness ends.

The koala is limited in
its distribution to the south-
eastern region of the Australian
Continent, and is there found
inhabiting the loftiest gum-
trees, on the leaves and flowers
of which it almost exclusively
feeds. Compared with the
opossum and squirrel-like
phalangers, the koala is a
very slow and sedentary little
animal, remaining stationary
in and browsing upon the
leaves of the same gum-tree
for days or even weeks at a stretch. Taking advantage of this home-staying propensity,
examples are established, with full liberty to wander at will among the large gum-trees, in
the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, and have never abused the confidence reposed in them by
surreptitiously absconding. The young koalas in particular make the most droll and delightful
of household pets, speedily becoming attached to and following their owners about the premises,
or contentedly settling down to the possession of an allotted corner of the verandah, in which
an improvised perch has been erected and a constant supply of its favourite gum-leaves is daily
assured. One such example, kept in Brisbane, Queensland, furnished the writer with the material
for the photograph on this page ; also of another one that illustrated in an interesting manner
the very singular attitude assumed by the animal when asleep. Instead of creeping into the
hollow trunk or spout of a gum or other tree, as the opossums and other phalangers are wont
to do, the little " bear " simply sticks tight to his supporting branch, and, -tucking in his
head and ears and limbs, converts himself into an apparently homogeneous rounded mass of
fur or moss, and, thus disguised, peacefully sleeps. Seen at some little distance, in fact,
none but a trained eye could distinguish this sleeping bear from one of the round woody
excrescences or bunches of misletoe-like parasitic growths that are of common occurrence on
the trees in every gum forest. In this way the little creature secures immunity from the

[Milford-on-Sea.
KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR AND CUB.

An excellent illustration of the way in which the female koalas carry their young securely
perched on their backs.

356

The Living Animals of the World

attacks of enemies by mimicking the character-
istic peculiarities of its environment, as obtains-
so generally among insects and other of the
lower orders of animated nature. A closely
analogous sleeping attitude, it may be mentioned.,
is assumed by one of the African lemurs or
pottos, which have been dealt with in a previous-
chapter.

Although in captivity the koala takes-
kindly to a mixed diet in which bread-and-milk
and fruit may form substantial elements, it
can rarely be induced to altogether dispense
with its customary gum-leaf regimen, and it
is this circumstance that mainly accounts for
its rarity in European menageries. Time and
again, however, this interesting animal has put
in an appearance at the Eegent's Park ; but
in spite of Kew Gardens arid other sources-
being laid under contribution for a supply of
gum-tree leaves, its sojourn there has been but
brief. As a matter of fact, the common or
blue gum-tree, which is alone cultivated and
available in any quantity in this country, and
which is indigenous to Tasmania, is not the
species on which the koala is accustomed to
feed. Of gum-trees there are some hundred
species, every one differing in the peculiarity
of its aromatic s<3ent and flavour, and having
its special clientele among the ranks of leaf-
browsing animals. So far as the writer's obser-
vations extended, it was the big Queensland

" white " and " swamp " gurns that were especially patronised by the Australian bears, and these
are not grown in England.

Although at first sight, and normally so far as the younger individuals are concerned, the
koala would appear to represent the most perfect embodiment of peace and goodwill among
mammals, he is accredited at a maturer age, when crossed in love or goaded to resentment
by some other cause, to give way to fits of ungovernable rage. These temporary lapses are,,
however, very transient, and our little friend soon recovers his customary bland placidity.
While it is being threshed out, nevertheless, the " burden of song " delivered by rival claimants
for a partner's favours is a remarkable phenomenon. The circumstance that the vocal duet
is commonly executed high up among the branches of the loftiest gums no doubt adds very
considerably to both the timbre of the " music " and the distance to which it is carried.
The old-time phrase of "making the welkin ring" would undoubtedly have been applied with
alacrity and singular appropriateness by the poets of the departed century to the love-song of
the koala, had they been privileged to hear it.

Among the examples of the koala which have been in residence at the Zoo, one of
them came to a pathetic end. As told to the writer by Mr. A. D. Bartlett, the late
superintendent, it appears that the little animal, on exhibition in the gardens during the
day, was brought into the house at night, and allowed the run of a room which, among other
furniture, included a large swing looking-glass. One morning the little creature was found
crushed to death beneath the mirror, upon which it had apparently climbed and over-balanced.
The information that the animal was a female evoked the suspicion that personal vanity and

Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.] [Milford-on-Sea.

KOALA, OB AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR.

The koala has no tail, and is a stout, clumsily built animal, about
32 inches in length, with thick woolly fur of a greyish colour.

Photo by W. SavilU-Kent, F.Z.S.]

KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR.

These animals make a peculiarly plaintive cry when molested in any way by human beings.

357

[Miljurd-on-Sea.

358

The Living Animals of the World

the admiration of its own image in the glass had some share in compassing its untimely end.
Possibly, however, it hailed in the reflection the welcome advent of a companion to share its
lone banishment from the land of the gum-tree, and in its efforts to greet it thus came
to grief.

The female koala produces but one cub at a time. At an early period after its birth
this is transferred to its mother's back, and is thus transported until its dimensions are
about one-half of those of its parent. The pair as shown in the illustration on page 355
presents, under these conditions, an essentially grotesque aspect.

It is a noteworthy circumstance that, compared with the male, the female koala is but
rarely to be observed wandering abroad during broad daylight. As with the typical phalangers,
food is consumed chiefly at night or during the brief Australian twilight hours. While the
male at certain periods, more especially the months of March and April, is much in evidence
in daytime to both the senses of sight and hearing, as attested to on a previous page, the
female spends the whole or greater portion of the day clinging as an inert sleeping mass to a
-convenient branch. " Bear "-shooting in Australia, as might be anticipated from the description
here given of the animal's habits and temperament, affords but sorry sport. It may further
be remarked that those who have shot at and only disabled one of these inoffensive little
creatures are scarcely likely to repeat the experiment. The cry of a wounded koala has been
aptly compared to that of a distressed child, but still more pathetic. When fatally shot, it
also more frequently than otherwise clings tenaciously back-downwards, like the South American
sloths, to the supporting . tree-branch, and is thus frequently irrecoverable. With the non-
sentimental Australian furrier the koala's pelt of soft, crisp, ashy-grey fur is unfortunately in
considerable demand, being made up mostly, with the quaint round head and tufted ears
intact, into, it must be confessed, singularly attractive and warm rugs.

The correspondence of the koala in form and habits to the sloths among the higher
mammalia has been previously mentioned. The parrallelism might be pursued in yet another
direction. In earlier times the small tree-inhabiting South American sloths were supplemented

by ground -frequenting species, such as the
Megatherium, which were of comparatively titanic
proportions. The epoch of the accredited exist-
ence of these huge ground- sloths was so com-
paratively recent the later tertiaries that it is
even yet not regarded as altogether improbable
that some existing representative of the race
may yet be discovered in the fastnesses of the
South American forests, and thus claim a niche
in the pages of a subsequent edition of
"LIVING ANIMALS." In a like manner the little
sloth-like tree-frequenting " Australian Bear "
had his primeval ground-dwelling colossi, and
there is yet a lurking hope among enthusiastic
zoologists that some surviving scion of the little
koala's doughty forebears may yet turn up in
the practically unexplored Central Australian
wildernesses. Some such anticipations, as a
matter of fact, stimulated the hopes and aspira-
tions of the participators in one of the latest
of these exploring expeditions, which, while not
successful in this instance in obtaining so great

Photo by w.saviiie.Kent,F.z.s.] [Miford-on-sea. a prize, secured for science that most interesting

SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYiNG-pnALANGER OP VICTORIA. and previously unknown marsupial mammal the

This animal has soft grey fur like that of the chinchilla. Pouched Mole.

Marsupials and Monotremes

359

THE TYPICAL PHALANGERS.

The typical PHALANGERS, or OPOSSUMS,
as they are familiarly known throughout
Australia, include a very considerable number
of representatives, ranging in size from that
of a small mouse to that of a full-grown
cat. All are essentially arboreal in their
habits, feeding principally on the leaves and
flowers of the various gums. They are for
the most part strictly nocturnal in their
habits, and make their homes and retiring-
places during the day in the hollow trunks
and limbs that are of such abundant occur-
rence in the periodically fire-swept Australian
forests. Almost all the larger species are
notable for the length, thickness, and ex-
quisitely fine texture of their fur, a circum-
stance for which they are consequently laid
under heavy penalties for the sake of their
pelts. The island colony of Tasmania, in the
extreme south, with its colder climate, as
might be anticipated, produces the finest
qualities of these furs, that of the BLACK or
SOOTY OPOSSUM, which is peculiar to the island,
being most highly prized. The length and
furry character of their in many instances
prehensile tails also form a conspicuous feature
of this group. Nature, in fact, apparently
distributed caudal material so over-liberally
among these marsupials that the little koala
had to make shift without.

The group of the Phalanger Family

popularly known as FLYING-SQUIRRELS, or more correctly as FLYING-PHALANGERS, is almost
universally admitted to include some of the most beautiful of living mammals. In external
structure, so far as their peculiar so-called " flying " mechanism is concerned, these animals
coincide in a remarkable manner with the true flying-squirrels, belonging to the Eodent Order,
indigenous to the Asiatic and American Continents. In neither instance is there flight, in
the true sense of the term, similar to that of birds and bats, but the fore and hind limbs are
connected by a parachute-like membrane, which, outstretched when the animal leaps from tree
to tree, buoys it up and enables its owner to traverse, in a straight and gradually descending
line only, very considerable distances.

The smaller squirrel-like form common to the south-eastern districts of Australia, and
on account of its predilection for sweets commonly known as the SUGAR-SQUIRREL, makes a
most charming little pet. For the most part addicted to sleep, and impatient at being disturbed
during the day, towards sundown it wakes up, and is full of frolic. One such example was
the writer's travelling companion for a considerable interval in Western Australia. While
remaining packed conveniently away in a small box throughout the day, it was accustomed
to enjoy the liberty of whatever apartment its owner occupied in the evening and throughout
the night, returning of its own accord to its sleeping-box with the approach of dawn. On
one exceptional occasion, however, Master Tiny, as this individual was named, was missing in
the morning from his accustomed crib, and a prolonged search and examination of every

Photo ly W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.] [Milford-on-Sea.

LARGER FLYING-PHALANGER,

A nearly pure white example.

The Living Animals of the World

corner and article of furniture that could afford shelter failed to recover him. That the
little creature was lost through some one having unwittingly left the door of the apartment
open, permitting its escape, was the only and much-deplored conclusion that could be arrived
at. Towards evening, however, there was a slight rustle close at hand, and Master Tiny
was discovered emerging, like Minerva from the head of Jupiter, from the top of one
of the old-fashioned china dogs that decorated the hotel- room mantelpiece. The ornament,
seemingly intact from the front, had the back of the head battered in. Through the resulting
crevice the little animal had managed to squeeze itself, having come to the conclusion, doubtless,
that this newly chosen retreat more nearly resembled the cavernous shelter of its native
tree-spout than its accustomed artificially constructed box. This singular domicile Master
Tiny was permitted to monopolise for the remainder of his sojourn at that hostelry. One of
the favourite diversions of this little phalanger during the evenings was to climb up the
curtain and cornice of the room he occupied, and thence hurl himself through the air with
outspread parachute to the writer at the opposite end. The apartment, happening to be the
commercial room of the hotel, some thirty feet in length, gave him good scope for exercising
his characteristic flying leaps. The attitude invariably maintained during these flights is
aptly illustrated in the accompanying photograph ; the body is never poised with the head
inclined downwards, as is commonly depicted in artists' fancy sketches of the animal contained
in popular natural histories. A friend of the writer's in Tasmania, who kept one of these
flying-phalangers as a household pet, was accustomed to leave a crevice of the window open at
night, so that the little fellow could go in and out as it liked. After the manner of most
pets, however, a day arrived upon which its box was found vacant, a marauding cat or other
disaster having apparently compassed its untimely end.

by W. Sacillc-Kcnt, F.Z.S.}

LESSEE FLYING-PHALANGER.

Illustrating position maintained during its remarkable flying leaps.

[Milj'ord-on-Sea.

Marsupials and Monotremes

361

The larger flying-
phalanger, the dimensions
of our domestic tabby, and
with fur as long and as soft
as the Persian variety, is
less frequently domesticated.
It has, in fact, an evil reputa-
tion for scratching, biting,
and general untamableness.
One that was kept for some
little time by the late Dr.
Bennett, of Sydney, and
brought to England, never
entirely lost its innate
savagery. On the voyage
from Australia it became
sufficiently tame as to be
allowed occasionally to run
about on the deck, and was
so far amiable as to lay on
its back and permit itself to
be tickled. On attempting
to handle it, however, " it
displayed its usual savage
disposition, digging its sharp
claws and teeth into the
hands of its captor." The
writer was fortunate in being
the recipient in Queens-
land of a couple of these
large phalangers which were
exceptions to the usual rule.
These specimens a mother
and its young male offspring
also varied in colour from
normal examples, which
are usually dark slate or
blackish brown above and
whitish underneath. The
mother in this instance was

a beautiful cream-white throughout; and her young one, while dark chinchilla-grey upon
the back, limbs, and tail, had white ears and breast. Both were very friendly, and would of
their own accord climb over their owner's person, seeking in his pockets for hidden lumps
of sugar and other acceptable dainties. As with the smaller sqairrel-like forms, they slept
throughout the greater portion of the day, waking to activity and making excursions in search
of their food as soon as the sun went down. The tail of this species of phalanger is abnormally
long and furry, but not prehensile. It was observed of them that when feeding leisurely on
the gum-tree leaves this appendage was permitted to hang or rest loosely, but that when walking
along the branches they would very frequently coil this member into a tight spiral coil, like
a watch-spring or the proboscis of a butterfly, against their hindquarters. This phenomenon is
apparently unique among mammals. Although generally seeking the darker retreat of their box
for their long daylight sleep, the female, more particularly, would frequently simply curl herself

Hit-Kent, F.Z.S.]

PYGMY FLYING-PHALANGER.

[Mllfonl-on-Sea.

A life-size photograph. The hairs of the tail in this animal are arranged in two parallel lines, like
the vanes of a bird's feather.

362

The Living Animals of the World

up into a furry white ball in one corner of
the cage, the head, limbs, or other features
being at such times altogether indistinguish-
able. The aid of the magnesium flash-light
was successfully called into service to secure
the photographic likeness of this animal, here
reproduced, which was taken while it was
enjoying its evening meal.

As previously mentioned, some representa-
tives of the flying-phalanger group are no
larger than mice, and are furnished in a similar
manner with a parachute-like membrane that
enables them to take abnormally long flying
leaps, or as it were to sail horizontally through
the air. The PYGMY FLYING-PHALANGER, whose
length of body does not exceed 2J inches, is one
of the most interesting. The tail in this form
is also adapted for aerial flotation, the long hairs
that grow upon this appendage being arranged in
two parallel lines like the vanes of a feather. Its
distribution is limited to the south and eastern
districts' of the Australian Continent. There
are also a number of mouse- and squirrel-like
phalangers destitute of the flying-membrane,
which in this respect very closely resemble in
external aspect more typical members of the
Eodent Order. One form in particular, the
STRIPED PHALANGER of New Guinea, decorated
with broad longitudinal black and white stripes, is singularly suggestive of some of the variously
striped American squirrels. This interesting island of New Guinea also produces a little PYGMY
PHALANGER with a feather-like tail which, except for the absence of a parachute or flying-
membrane, is the very counterpart of the Australian kind. Another species, which in shape,
size, and more especially with reference to its long, pointed snout, closely resembles a shrew-
mouse, is found in Western Australia. The tail of this species, known as the LONG-SNOUTED
PHALANGER, is highly prehensile ; and it is also provided with a long, slender, protrusile tongue,
with which it abstracts the honey from Banksias and other flowers, upon which it customarily feeds.
The two large phalangers known as the BLACK and GREY or VULPINE OPOSSUMS, which are
chiefly laid under contribution for the Australian fur supplies, are provided with prehensile
tails, the under side of the extremity of which grasps the supporting fulcrum and is devoid
of hair. The adaptation of the tail for use as a fifth hand as in the New World monkeys
is, however, much more conspicuously manifested in what are known to the colonists as the
RING-TAILED OPOSSUMS, and to zoologists as CRESCENT-TOOTHED PHALANGERS. In these the
tail tapers to a fine point, and the hair throughout the terminal third of this appendage
is so fine and short that it at first sight presents the appearance of being entirely naked.
This terminal third of the tail, moreover, in the greater number of species, contrasts with the
remaining portion by being white in hue. It occasionally happens, however, that individuals
occur which are entirely white. One such which came into the writer's possession was
obtained from the Bruni Islands, in the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania, and afterwards became
a great pet with the young people at Government House, Hobart. It is an interesting
circumstance that the Bruni Islands were noted for the production of albino animals of
various descriptions, white kangaroos and white emus having also been obtained from this
locality. Probably some peculiarity of the soil, and its action on the vegetable food the animals

Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.] [Milford-on-Sea.

COMMON GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGEK.
The fur of this species is in great demand for the manufacture of
carriage-rugs.

Photo by Henry King]

AUSTRALIAN GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER.

On account of its "foxy" appearance, this species is also known as the Vulpine Phalanger.

363

[Sydney.

364

The Living Animals of the World

BBBBBBBBBBB

Photo by 1C. Hiu-Mi.Kcnt, F.Z.S.] ' [Milford-on-Sca.

FRONT VIEW OF GUEY OPOSSUM, Oil PHALANGER.

Displays the bare under-surface of the prehensile tail.

consumed, played an impor-
tant part in the unusually
frequent occurrence of this
phenomenon.

The ring-tailed opossums
differ essentially from the
common opossum or phalanger
and its allies in their life
habits. While these latter
habitually take up their abode
and bring forth their young
in hollow trees, the ring-
tailed species construct a
regular nest of interlaced
sticks, leaves, grass, or any
other available material for
their domicile. The structure
much resembles the nest, or
" drey," of our own familiar
European squirrel, and may
be perched high up among
the tree branches or within
only a few feet from the

ground among the scrub thickets. In New Guinea a variety of these ring-tailed phalangers

occurs, not found in Australia, which has no white tip to its tail, and the ears are very short

and wide. The group as represented by this species leads to the consideration of the so-called

CUSCUSES or typical phalangers indigenous to New Guinea and North Queensland, though but

rarely seen there, which, as an exception to the Marsupial Tribe, are distributed among the

Indo-Malay Islands as far westward as Celebes. In the cuscuses the tail is altogether naked,

and pre-eminently prehensile throughout

almost its entire terminal moiety; the ears

are round and, proportionately, exceedingly

small; while the fur is very short, thick,

and woolly. Compared with the opossums

or phalangers, the cuscuses are very dull

and sluggish in their movements, creeping

slowly among the branches of the trees to

browse on the fruit and leaves which

constitute their principal diet. Like the

opossums, however, or even to a greater

extent, they vary this vegetarian regimen

with insects or an occasionally captured bird.

THE CUSCUSES.

The familiar SPOTTED Cuscus of New
Guinea is the most ornate marsupial
mammal. The males, more especially, are
as variegated in colour as a tortoiseshell cat.
their tints, moreover, closely corresponding

in hue With those Of the feline. No tWO Pl,otolyW.Samlle-Kcnt,F.Z.S.} [Miljm-d-on-Sea.

individuals, however, are precisely alike in PROFILE VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALAXGER.

.1 TT 11 4. v, j i r ii The opossums are usually shot by moonlight, as seen silhouetted against

this respect. Usually the ground-colour of the the sky.

Marsupials and Monotremes

365

back is a dirty or creamy
white, interspersed with
various-shaped blotches of
nut-brown or black ; the chin,
breast, and under-parts are a
purer white, and the limbs
grey or reddish brown, or,
as shown in the photograph
over-leaf, mottled like the
body. The BLACK Cuscus
of Celebes is, as its name
denotes, a much more sombre-
looking animal, and is also the
largest species, its dimensions
equalling or exceeding those
of a large cat. The uniformly
tinted GREY Cuscus of Timor,
Amboina, and other of the
Indo-Malay Islands is very
similar in size and aspect,
excepting for the half-naked
tail, to the common ring-
tailed phalanger. All the
cuscuses are of rare
occurrence in even their most
favoured habitats. On one
occasion the writer came
across an example of the
grey species in the scrub
forest of Thursday Island,
Torres Straits. In this
instance, however, it is
doubtful if the animal was
not an escaped pet brought
over from the neighbouring
coast of New Guinea.

Much interesting in-
formation concerning
different varieties of the
cuscus is contained in Dr.
Alfred Wallace's interesting
work " The Malay Archipelago." An anecdote of one which was brought to this naturalist
during his residence in the Aru Islands the headquarters of the great bird of paradise is
thus related : " Just as we had cleared away and packed up for the night, a strange beast
was brought, which had been shot by the natives. It resembled in size and in its white
woolly covering a small fat lamb, but had short legs, hand-like feet with large claws, and a
long prehensile tail. It was a Spotted Cuscus. one of the curious marsupial animals of the
Papuan region, and I was very desirous to obtain the skin. The owners, however, said they
wanted to eat it; and though I offered them a good price, and promised to give them all the
meat, there was great hesitation. Suspecting the reason, I offered, though it was night, to set
to work immediately, and get out the body for them, to which they agreed. The creature was
much hacked about, and the two hind feet almost cut off, but it was the largest and finest

ssion of S. Sinclair, Esq.]

RING-TAILED OPOSSUM, OK PHALANGER, AND NEST.
This is the only Australian opossum which builds a regular nest.

[Sydney.

366

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.] \Croydon.

SPOTTED CUSCTJS.

The cusouses are sleepy animals, with soft, woolly fur, which in this
species is curiously variegated in colour.

specimen of the kind I had seen ; and after an
hour's hard work I handed over the body to the
owners, who immediately cut it up and roasted
it for supper."

The remarkable tenacity of life possessed by
the cuscus is fully attested to by Dr. Wallace.
He says : " They move about slowly, and are most
difficult to kill, owing to the thickness of their
skins and tenacity of life. A heavy charge of shot
will often lodge in the skin and do them no
harm, and even breaking the spine or piercing the
brain will not kill them for some hours. The
natives everywhere eat their flesh; and as their
motions are so slow, easily catch them by climbing;
so that it is wonderful that they have not been
exterminated. It may be, however, that their dense
woolly fur protects them from birds of prey, and
the islands they live in are too thinly inhabited
for man to be able to exterminate them."

One of the most notable circumstances re-
specting the cuscus is the fact that it is one of
the few marsupials whose geographical distribution
extends so far east in the Malay Archipelago as
to be found associated with many of the higher
mammalia which are altogether unrepresented in
Australia or New Guinea. The Moluccas, includ-
ing notably the islands of Silolo, Ceram, Boru, and many smaller ones, for example, produce
no less than three species of cuscus, and are also the home of a species of baboon, a civet-
cat, a deer, and that remarkable pig the babirusa. One other marsupial, a little flying-
phalanger, is likewise a denizen of these islands. It has been suggested by Dr. Wallace that
none of the foregoing higher mammals are possibly indigenous to the Moluccas. The baboon,
he remarks, is only found in the island of Batchian, and seems to be much out of place
there. It probably originated from some individuals which escaped from confinement, these
and similar animals being often kept as pets by the Malay inhabitants and carried about in
their praus. The civet-cat, which is more common in the Philippines and throughout the
Indo-Malay region, is also carried about in cages from one island to another, and not infrequently
liberated after the civet has been abstracted from them. The deer, which is likewise tamed
and petted, its flesh also being much esteemed for food, might very naturally have been
brought by the Malays from Java with the express object of its acclimatisation. The babirusa,
whose headquarters are in the island of Celebes, is only found in Boru, its nearest neighbour
in the Moluccan group. Dr. Wallace anticipates that these two islands were in former times
more closely connected by land, and that under such conditions the babirusa may have swum
across the intervening channel. Should these several hypotheses be correct, the Molucca
Islands must be regarded, from a zoological standpoint, as an essentially Australasian or
marsupial-producing region.

THE WOMBATS.

The Wombat Family, claiming the next position in the marsupial galaxy, constitutes the
very antithesis to the light, and graceful arboreal phalangers. There are but three known species,
one of these inhabiting Tasmania and the adjacent islands, while the other two are peculiar
to the southern region of the Australian Continent. In forms and gait their thick-set tailless
bodies suggest a cross between a small bear and a capybara, and as "bears" and "badgers"

Marsupials and Monotremes

36?

they are familiarly known by the Australian colonists. The badger simile is perhaps the most
pertinently applied with reference to their habit of excavating huge earth-burrows as dwelling-
place^, and out of which they customarily emerge only at night to feed. The TASMANIAN
WOMBAT, at all events, is essentially gregarious in its habits. In the neighbourhood ol
Swansea, on the east coast, it is, or was, particularly abundant, forming regular warrens among
a lighlt undergrowth of vegetation, through which travelling on horseback is a distinctly risky
proceeding. The temperament of the wombat is peculiarly placid ; and hence, as it might be
anticipated, they are essentially long-lived. One, Charlie by name, which has been domiciled
at the Zoo for the past thirty years, is still hale and hearty, and evidently disinclined yet
awhile to immolate himself on the altar of fame as a much-needed successor to the antique
effigy which has for so long represented his species in the British Natural History Museum.
Waiting for dead men's shoes is a proverbially tedious task, and for a coveted wombat's skin
evidently more so.

The tough hide, with its thick, harsh fur, of the Tasmanian wombat, or "badger," as it is
locally dubbed, is somewhat highly prized in the land of its birth. For floor- and door-mats and
rugs the pelt is practically indestructible ; and as such, though scarcely a thing of beauty, the
special pride of the thrifty housewife. This animal is also not infrequently made a household
pet, and will waddle as complacently as an over-fed poodle around the premises 'after its owner.
The wombat, like the large majority of the marsupial animals, is for the 'most part nocturnal
in habits, and a strict vegetarian.

The wombats present several interestingly distinct structural peculiarities. In the first
place, their teeth, which are twenty-four in number, all grow uninterruptedly throughout life,
and are consequently devoid of roots. The incisor teeth are represented by but a single pair
in each jaw, and, having enamel only on their front surfaces, wear away in a chisel-like form,
as in the beavers and other rodents. Superficially in both form and habits, as well as in the
character of their dentition, the wombats may in fact be aptly likened to some unwieldy
representative of the Rodent Order. Another structural peculiarity of the wombat is that it is
the proud possessor of two more pairs of ribs than any other marsupial.

Of the three known species, the COMMON WOMBAT of the South and Eastern Australian
States is the largest,
attaining to a length
of as much as 3 feet.
The colour of this form
is subject to consider-
able variation, being
sometimes yellow,
yellow more or less
mixed with black, or
completely black. Al-
binism, as in the kan-
garoos and phalangers,
is of apparently rare
occurrence. The hair,
while coarse, is less so
than in the Tasmanian
species. What is known
as the HAIRY-NOSED
WOMBAT, inhabiting
South Australia, is in-
termediate in Size be- Photo by E. Landor] [Baling,

tween the common and COMMON WOMBAT.

the Tasmanian Varieties ; A burrowing animal about the size of a small pig.

368

The Living Animals of the World

its most distinctive features are the soft and silky character of its brownish hair, and its longer
and more pointed ears. The coarseness of the hair of the Tasmanian species has been
previously referred to ; in colour it is most usually a dark greyish brown, while the ears are
small and rounded.

The flesh of the wombat is somewhat esteemed for food, being regarded by some as equal
to pork, and much resembling it in flavour. The predilection of tame specimens for milk is
very strong, and it has been recorded of one animal that it was not only in the habit of
seeking out the milk-pans and pushing off the covers in order to drink the contents, but
afterwards of taking a bath in what was left.

A remarkable habit has been accredited to the wombat which invites scientific
investigation. It is said to be capable of sustaining life for an abnormally long period

under water, and that when
in the course of its travels it
meets with a pond or river
it does not attempt to swim,
but, deliberately entering the
water, walks along the bottom,
and so emerges on the opposite
bank.

The animals of Australia
living in not very remote
geological times included a
near ally of the wombat
which equalled a tapir in
dimensions.

THE BANDICOOTS.

The Australian BANDI-
COOTS not to be confounded
with their namesake of India,
which is a big rat constitute
a very distinct little family

group. They number in all some eight or nine species, distributed throughout the length
and breadth of Australia and Tasmania, and found also in New Guinea. The largest member
is about the size of a rabbit; and as its general shape, long ears, and soft silky hair impart
some slight resemblance to that rodent, it is commonly known as the BABBIT-BANDICOOT. With
the above-enumerated points, however, the likeness ceases its possession of a moderately
long tail, pointed snout, and feet 'modified on a plan closely resembling those of the
kangaroo's indicating its essentially distinct nature. In a second variety, having somewhat
the same external contour, but smaller in size, the fore limbs are very short, and the
feet so modified that only two toes are visible externally. With reference to this peculiar
feature, it is known as the PIG-FOOTED BANDICOOT. In a third kind of similar dimensions,
with harsh brown fur, the ears are comparatively short, and the snout is so abnormally
prolonged that it has been appropriately named the LONG-NOSED BANDICOOT. Superficially,
in point of fact, this and other allied species so closely resemble certain of the long-snouted
insectivorous mammals, such as the Tenrec and Solenodon, that they might be excusably
mistaken by the non-scientific for members of the same group. The bandicoots are chiefly
nocturnal, and at all events incorrigible " sun-downers," turning up for their meals when
the evening shadows fall, and taking a heavy and unwelcome toll of the farmers' potatoes,
beets, or other root crops. Like the wombat, already described, they are earth -burrowers. Some
of them, however, construct nests above-ground in long coarse grass or low tangled shrubs,
which are so ingeniously built in accord with their environment as to readily escape detection.

Photo by E.

[Eating.

HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT.
A form peculiar to South Australia.

Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.]

COMMON WOMBAT.

The Wombats may be said to hold the place occupied in other parts of the world by the Badgers.

369

[Aberdeen,

370

The Living Animals of the World

Insects and worms, in addition to a main diet of vegetable matter, contribute to the bandicoot's
somewhat heterogeneous menu.

The wood- and root-boring larvae of a moth which infests the Australian wattle- or acacia-
trees are a very favourite food with several of the species, and it is worthy of remark that
the bandicoots are not alone in displaying a penchant for this delicacy. Under the title of
" bardies " they are collected and highly esteemed for food by the natives of Western Australia,
who eat them either cooked or raw. These larvae are, moreover, acceptable to many European
palates, and the writer has witnessed little faggot-like bundles of them brought round by the
natives to the hotels at Geraldton, Western Australia, for sale or barter to chance customers.
It may be observed in this connection that the analogous wood-boring larvae of the goat-moth,
which were kept and specially fattened for the occasion, constituted one of the dainty dishes of
the luxurious Eomans.

One of the commonest species found in Tasmania is known as the BANDED or STRIPED-
BACKED BANDICOOT, being so named on account of the characteristic markings of its far. The
general ground-colour of the coat is an almost equal admixture of black and yellow hairs, the
black tint, however, prevailing on the back, and the lighter one on the sides. The hind-
quarters are, however, variegated by the presence of some three or four broad transverse stripes
that are almost entirely black, while the intervening spaces are a light whitish yellow. A
few shorter stripes are sometimes continued as far as the root of the tail, this appendage also
having a dark line running along its upper surface. The head is of a somewhat lighter tint
than the remainder of the body, while the breast, abdomen, and feet are white, slightly
tinged with grey. The transversely striped pattern of ornamentation of the hindquarters
of this bandicoot is of interest with relation to the circumstance that a similarly located
banded variegation of the fur occurs also in the Tasmanian wolf, or thylacine, and in the
banded ant-eater, described in a following section. As a colour-pattern it would appear to
be quite peculiar to these marsupials, no such restriction of the markings occurring among the
higher or placental mammals. In the South African suricate, a member of the Ichneumon
Tribe, in which the nearest approach to this dorsal banding is met with, the stripes are
equally developed as far forward as the base of the neck.

Both the banded and other species of bandicoots are extremely swift and active in their
movements, and are at the same time noted for the singularity of their gait. This consists
of a half-running and half-jumping action, induced by the peculiar structure of their feet and
greater length of the hind legs, which are modified on a plan intermediate between that of
the kangaroos and the dasyures, or native cats. The back of the animal while running being

highly arched, adds to the grotesque-
ness of its appearance. Like the native
cats, the pouch in the bandicoots
opens backwards; it is furnished
with eight teats, but not more than
two young are usually produced at
a birth.

The striped-backed bandicoot is-
not infrequently adopted as a house-
hold pet, in spite of its notorious
garden depredations. When thus
domesticated, it appears to be capable
of developing a strong attachment for
its owner. One that was owned by
friends of the writer especially attached
itself to the lady of the house. It was-
acquired when quite young, having
escaped from the pouch of an adult

Photo by W. SavMe-Kent, F.Z.S.] [Milford-on-Hta.

LOXG-XOSED AUSTRALIAN BANDICOOT.
Bandicoots, although larger, have somewhat the appearance of shrews.

Marsupials and Monotremes

371

Photo by IF'. Samlle-Kent, F.Z.S.~]

RABBIT-BANDICOOT.
The largest of the bandicoots ; about the sizt of a rabbit.

\_Milford-on-Sea,

female which the dogs had killed, and

being then about the size of a mouse.

It speedily learned to lap milk, and

throve on a diet of bread and raw

potato. As it grew larger it was

allowed the run of the house, and

also of the garden, but habitually

returned to the sleeping-quarters

selected by itself, and represented by

the woolly depths of its mistress's

work-basket. In this haven of rest

it slept all day, scolding and snapping

at any intruding hand. Towards dusk

it would waken up and bustle about

in a most energetic manner, with the

air, in fact, of having an immense

amount of business to transact within

the very shortest limits of time. Its

first dart was always towards a corner

where a supper of bread-and-inilk

and potato was usually placed. This meal discussed, its evening's occupation commenced

of scampering around the room and over every accessible article of furniture. Nor was it

shy of climbing up and resting for a few seconds on the shoulders of its human friends,

being always, however, in too great a hurry to prolong the visit. Finally, as with all pets,

"Coota," as he was familiarly named, came to an untimely end not a cat, however, on

this occasion, but, if rumour whispers true, through over-indulgence in a too liberally furnished

meal of custard pudding.

The flesh of this and other species of bandicoots is esteemed for food both by the natives
and the white settlers in Australia. It is noteworthy of the banded variety, more especially,
that the skin adheres so tightly to the flesh that its removal is a matter of some considerable
difficulty. When full grown, this species measures as much as 18 inches in total length,
and is little inferior to a rabbit with regard to the amount of good meat it provides for
the larder.

THE POUCHED MOLE.

A still more essentially insectivorous marsupial is represented by the little mammal
discovered only a few years since in the wild sandy wastes of Central Australia. In form
and habits it so nearly resembles the familiar European mole that the title of the POUCHED
MOLE has been very suitably given to it. At the same time, with regard to its remarkable
organisation, it constitutes the sole representative of its peculiar family group. The first
suspicions of the existence of this singular little animal were raised by the observation of
peculiar sinuous three-lined tracks at irregular intervals on the surface of the sandy regions it
inhabits.

After a long quest, with the aid of the aborigines, the first specimen was discovered
reposing under a tuft of coarse porcupine-grass. A further investigation elicited the fact that
its burrowing proclivities were much less pronounced than those of the ordinary moles, the
little creature progressing alternately over the surface of the sand, and then ploughing its
way, for several feet or yards, two or three inches only beneath the surface. All efforts
to preserve examples of this marsupial alive for longer periods than three or four days
proved abortive : for though the remains of ants and other insects were found within its
viscera, it refused to feed upon the living supplies that were provided for it. In fact, the
animal itself apparently ran the greater risk of being eaten.

372

The Living Animals of the World

r *

I'/ioto by A. S. Jtudland ifc Sons.

POUCHED MOLE.

This animal is of a pale golden-red colour, and about 5 inches long. It spends most of its
time burrowing, which it can do with great rapidity, in the sand of the Australian deserts in
search of insects.

Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., MdJord-on-Sea.
UNDER SURFACE OP POUCHED MOLE.
Notice the abnormal size of the third and fourth
toes of the fore limbs, and their peculiar scoop-Jike
tape.

The colour of the pouched
mole is for the most part
light fawn, varying in parts
to golden yellow. One of
its most conspicuous features,
as illustrated in the accom-
panying photographs, is the
abnormal size of the third
and fourth toes of the fore
limbs, their peculiar scoop-like
character proving of eminent
service to the animal in
its customary sand-burrowing
habits.

THE TASMANIAN WOLF.

The remaining family of
the Australian marsupials
constitutes a parallel to the
carnivorous order of the higher
mammalia, all its members
being more or less flesh-
eaters, and having their
dentition modified with relation to such habits. One
of these (the TASMANIAN WOLF, or TIGER of the colonists,
better known to zoologists as the THYLACINE) is an animal
of considerable size. Its dimensions equal those of a wolf
or mastiff, with which the contour of its body and more
especially that of the head very nearly correspond. In
common with the true dogs, the thylacine hunts its
prey by scent. This is well attested to by the following
incident, as related by eye-witnesses. While camping out
among the hills in Tasmania their attention was attracted
very early one morning by a brush-kangaroo hopping past
their fire in an evidently highly excited state. Some ten
minutes later up cantered a she thylacine with her nose
down exactly on the track, evidently following the scent, and
in another quarter of an hour her two cubs came by also
in the precise track. While not very swift, the Tasmanian
" tigers " possess immense staying power, and will keep up
a long, steady canter for many hours on end. Accustomed
in its primitive state to run down and prey upon the
kangaroos, wallabies, and other weaker marsupial mammals
indigenous to the regions it inhabits, the Tasmanian wolf
speedily acquired a predilection for the imported flocks of
the settlers, and proved almost as destructive to them as
its Old World namesake. To check its ravages, a price
was put upon its head by the Tasmanian Government;
and this measure, in conjunction with the rapid advances
towards the complete settlement of the country which
have been accomplished within later years, has compassed
this animal's extermination in all but the wildest and

Marsupials and Monotremes

373

most inaccessible mountain districts. The colour-markings of
this animal are somewhat striking, the grey-brown tints which
characterise the ground-hues of the body and limbs being
varied by a series of dark bands traversing the buttocks, these
being widest in this region, and continued forwards to the
middle of the back. A somewhat similar cross-stripe pattern
of ornamentation occurs in the relatively small member of the
same family described later on as the Banded Ant-eater.

Examples of the Tasmanian wolf have frequently been on
view at the Eegent's Park Gardens, a very fine young male
specimen being at present located in the marsupial section.
Within a few weeks of its arrival it was on excellent terms
with its keeper, though, owing to its somewhat imperfect sense
of vision during the daytime, it was apt to snap somewhat
promiscuously at those attempting to cultivate its close ac-
quaintanceship. That a bite from its formidable teeth is not
to be lightly risked will be made abundantly apparent by a

glance at the successful yawning pose photograph secured of
this example by Mr. Medland, and here reproduced. Although the thylacine is at the
present time entirely limited in its distribution to Tasmania, it occurs in the fossil state
on the Australian mainland; while, singularly to relate, the remains of a closely allied form
have within recent years been unearthed in Patagonia. This circumstance, taken in conjunc-
tion with the fact that many other fossil types with Australian and New Zealand affinities
have been discovered in the same South American strata, has strengthened the supposition
maintained by many zoologists that in bygone ages a vast Antarctic continent, spreading;
through the areas now occupied by the Southern Indian and Pacific Oceans, temporarily united"
the now distinct lands of South America and Australasia.

Photo ly L. M&tland, F.Z.S., SorthFlnchley.

TASMANIAN WOLF.

This photograph shows the great width of
gape of this ferocious animal.

THE TASMANIAN DEVIL.

Next in size to the thylacine, but possessing a more unenviable notoriety for the
uncompromising sulkiness and
savagery of its disposition,
is the animal which, in virtue
of the aforesaid qualities, is
known by the title of the
TASMANIAN DEVIL. In shape
and dimensions this marsupial
carnivore somewhat resembles
a badger ; but the head is
abnormally large, the masseter
muscles which control the
action of the powerful jaws
monopolising a very consider-
able share of the face area.
The limbs are short and also
very powerful, the front paws
being well adapted to its
burrowing habits. There is
some slight variation in the

3 Pliotoby L. Medland, F.Z.S.} [ Sorth FinchUy.

colours of this marsupial TASMANIA* WOLF.

and, aS the In this photograph are shown nearly all the chief characteristic points of the Tasmanian wolf.-

374

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by York <L- 80

[Notting Hill.

TASMANIAN DEVIL.

A small, but stout and powerful animal, very destructive, and absolutely untamable.

aphorism runs concerning
his sable namesake, he is
not always so black as he
is painted. More or less
or in fact mostly black he
always is, but there is
usually a redeeming thread
or patch of white upon his
coat. This may take the
form of a small star-like
spot only on the front of
its chest, which not infre-
quently extends to a narrow
crescent-shaped band or line
continued round the neck
almost to the shoulders.
One or more supplementary
spots of white may also be
developed upon the flanks
and hindquarters.

The destructive pro-
pensities of the Tasmanian

devil, wherein the farmers' sheep and poultry are concerned, are in no way inferior to those of
the Tasmanian wolf, and in consequence of their former much greater abundance the havoc
these animals committed was the more serious. Placed, like the last-named type, under
Government ban, these native devils have, in comparison with the earlier days of colonisation,
very considerably ceased from troubling, and with the ever-progressing march of settlement and
-civilisation will probably be altogether exterminated at a no very distant date. A bag of no
less than 150 of these marauders, in the course of one winter, was recorded from an upland
sheep-station some twenty or thirty years ago. In common with the thylacine, it has been
observed that the Tasmanian devil has a marked predilection for prowling along the seashore
in search apparently of crabs, fish, or any acceptable flotsam and jetsam that may be cast up
by the waves.

Examples of this most unamiable of mammals were brought in alive on several occasions
to the Hobart Museum during the writer's residence in Tasmania, but in all cases obstinately
resisted every attempt towards the establishment of a friendly footing. Their ultimate
relegation to the specimen-cases was, under the circumstances, unattended by any very
poignant manifestations of regret. A fact brought into prominent notice during subsequent
post-mortem investigations was the extraordinary extent to which these animals are infested
with vermin. Possibly this circumstance is to a considerable extent accountable for the creature's
unconquerable irritability. The experiment as to whether a course of disinfecting treatment,
by baths or otherwise, would not conduce towards the taming of this native devil, where all
other applied methods have failed, would at all events be worth the trial. The bath pure
and simple is & wonderful soporific for unruly tempers. As most schoolboys know, a pail of
water, from which the patient is withdrawn when a watery grave is apparently inevitable, is
an unfailing specific for the taming of mice and other "small deer." The writer's experience
with a villainously savage cat which one night fell incontinently into an uncovered cistern, and
was rescued by him at almost the last gasp, will not be readily forgotten. That cat, though
still a vixen to the ordinary members of the household, forthwith attached itself affectionately
to its rescuer, and would sit for hours awaiting his arrival on the doorstep when the business
of the day was over. Other fierce creatures, including the Tasmanian devil, would possibly
prove amenable to the judicious application of the " water cure."

Marsupials and Monotremes

375

THE NATIVE CATS.

The animals common in Tasmania and throughout the greater portion of the Australian-
Continent, and familiarly known as SPOTTED or NATIVE CATS, and to zoologists as DASYURES,
enjoy also an unenviable reputation for their depredations among the settlers' hen-roosts. To
look at, these native cats are the most mild-mannered and inoffensive of creatures. Actually,
however, they possess the most bloodthirsty proclivities, and may be aptly compared in their
habits to the stoats, weasels, polecats, and other Old World carnivora. There are some five known
species, the largest being equal to an ordinary cat in size, and the smaller ones about half
these dimensions. All of them are distinguished by their spotted pattern of ornamentation,
such spots being white or nearly so, and more or less abundantly sprinkled over a darker
background which varies from light grey to chocolate-brown. In the commonest form, represented
in the accompanying photograph, the ears and the under surface of the body are also often
white. No two individuals, however, are to be found precisely alike in the pattern of their

Sy permission of S. Sinclair, Esq.] [Sydney.

SPOTTED DASYURES, OB AUSTRALIAN NATIVE CATS.
This species is rather smaller than an ordinary-sized cat. All the dasyures are aboroal in their habits, and very destructive to birds.

markings. The dasyures differ from the two preceding types, the Tasmanian wolf and the
devil, in being essentially arboreal in their habits, living by day and breeding, as the majority
of the Australian opossums, in the hollow gum-tree trunks, from which they emerge at nightfall
to seek their food. This, in their native state, when hen-roosts are not accessible, consists-
mainly of birds and such smaller marsupial forms as they can readily overpower.

THE POUCHED MICE.

The so-called POUCHED MICE represent a group of smaller-sized carnivorous mammals which
have much in common with the dasyures, but are devoid of their spotted ornamentation.
None of them exceed a rat in size. They number about twelve or fourteen known species,
and are distributed throughout the greater part of Australia and New Guinea, and extend
thence to the Aru Islands. They are said not to occur in the extreme north of the
Australian Continent. The writer, however, obtained an example of the brush-tailed species,

376

The Living Animals of the World

here illustrated, from the neighbourhood
of Broome, in the farthest north or
Kimberley district of Western Australia.
This specimen, which was caught alive
in a rat-trap, exhibited astonishingly
potent gnawing powers, almost succeeding
one night in eating its way through the
wooden box in which it was temporarily
confined. The habits of this species are
omnivorous, and chiefly akin to those of
the ordinary rats, it being accustomed
to prowl round the out-buildings at
night, picking up any unconsidered trifles
in the way of food that may be left
unprotected.

Many of the smaller members of
this tribe are no larger than mice ; and
in one form, known as the JERBOA
POUCHED MOUSE, inhabiting Queensland
and New South Wales, the hind limbs
are abnormally prolonged, and the animal
progresses by leaps and bounds, after
the fashion of the true jerboas, or its
nearer relatives, the ordinary kangaroos
and rat-kangaroos.

THE BANDED ANT-EATER.

One of the most interesting from the
zoologist's standpoint, and the last on

OUr list of the Australian marsupials, is
the ^^ crea ture, limited in its habitat

to Western Australia, locally known as the SQUIRREL. The BANDED ANT-EATER, with reference
to its striped ornamentation and ant-eating habits, is the name by which it is usually chronicled
in natural history works. In size and shape, except for its more pointed snout, its squirrel-
like aspect is certainly somewhat striking. Like the true ant-eaters of the Edentate Mammalian
Order, it, however, possesses a long protrusile tongue, with which it is accustomed in a similar
manner to lick up the ants which constitute its main food-supply.

The most interesting biological peculiarity of this animal is the abnormal development
of its teeth. These number as many as from fifty-two to fifty-six, and exceed the dental
formula of any other known existing marsupial. The usual colour of this interesting little
animal is a warm chestnut-brown, banded transversely over the back with white, these stripes
being widest and most conspicuous over the hindquarters. This somewhat paradoxical marsupial
possesses no pouch, the young, when first born and attached to the nipples in the manner
characteristic of ordinary marsupials, being covered over and concealed among the longer hairs
that clothe the abdominal region. In the dasyures, or native cats, previously described, the
pouch exists only in a rudimentary condition, its function being fulfilled by merely a few
okin-folds ; while in the " tiger " and native devil the pouch, contrary to that of the kangaroos,
opens backwards.

In disposition the banded ant-eater presents a marked contrast to that of many of the
preceding types. Caught in its native habitat, it does not attempt to bite, and soon becomes
reconciled to captivity. The peculiar nature of its diet, however, militates against its being
easily transported over-sea from the Antipodes.

PMo * w. sa.iae.Kent, F. Z . 8 . }

BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE, OR pHAscoGALE.

A slender and graceful animal, the largest of the thirteen known species, and
abont the size of an ordinary, at.

Marsupials and Monotremes

377

Photo by W. Samlle-Kent, F.Z.S.]

BANDED ANT-EATEK.

[MUfonl-on-St'

From an anatomical point of view, this is one of the most remarkable of the pouched

mammals.

THE AMERICAN OPOSSUMS.

The little group of the
American marsupials contains
some three or four generically
distinct types whose relation-
ship with the Australian
members of the order is in
the direction of the dasyures
and bandicoots rather than
with the kangaroos and
phalangers. Included in one
family, they are popularly
known as Opossums, but differ
among themselves very consider-
ably both in aspect and habits.
The most remarkable among
them is undoubtedly the so-
called YAPOCK, or WATER-
OPOSSUM, an inhabitant of South America, and ranging in its distribution from Guatemala to
Brazil. In both form and habits this animal so closely resembles an otter that it was referred
by the earlier naturalists to the Otter Tribe. It tunnels holes in the banks of the rivers it
frequents, and feeds entirely upon fish, Crustacea, and aquatic insects. The feet, and more
especially the hind ones, are distinctly webbed ; the tail is naked, scaly, and non-prehensile ;
and the fur is short and thick, as in the ordinary otters. The ground-tint of the fur is a
light grey : this is diversified by a black or dark brown stripe that runs down the centre of
the back, and expands over the shoulders, loins, and hindquarters into saddle-shaped patches
or bands of the same dark hue.

The COMMON or VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM, while the only representative of the Marsupial Order
found in the temperate latitudes of the North American Continent, has a very considerable
range of distribution, occurring in equal abundance throughout the tropical regions of South
America. In these warmer latitudes it differs to such an extent in the character of its
fur and other minor points that it was for some ' time regarded as a distinct species, and
was distinguished by the title of the CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM. Biologists are, however, now
agreed that the supposed species is only a local variety. As a matter of fact, a very consider-
able amount of variation in the colour and markings is found to exist among the individuals
of the most familiarly known northern race. In form the animal may be suitably compared
to a huge rat, nearly equalling a cat in size, with an abnormally large head and pointed
snout. The tail is long, almost naked for the greater portion of its length, and pre-eminently
prehensile. The fur is of a mixed character, consisting of an undergrowth of a fine, close,
woolly texture, through which protrudes a less dense series of long bristle-like hairs. The
colour of the fur ranges from black to white, and includes all varieties of intermixture. The
face, more especially in the northern race, is usually much the lightest or altogether white,
while in the tropical South American examples it is more often darker, or it may be
completely black.

The opossum, like the rat, is an omnivorous feeder ; and being of so much larger size, and
possessing an insatiable appetite, constitutes itself a veritable pest to the fruit-grower, the
agriculturist, and the poultry-farmer. In effecting its entrance to hen-roosts or other food-
yielding enclosures, it exhibits an amount of cunning and pertinacity possessed by no other
mammal. Caught red-handed in these depredations, it has recourse to stratagems which
have won for it a reputation that has long since passed into a household word. Feigning
death, or "playing 'possum," is a game at which it is well known to be a past-master, but by

378

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by W.

YAPOCK, OB WATER-OPOSSUM.
In habits, although not in size and colour, this marsupial may be compared to a wolf.

which it still frequently succeeds
in hoodwinking the unwary, and
so saves its skin. Discovered
thieving, and receiving perhaps
a haphazard but by no means
disabling blow, it at once
collapses, and with film-covered
eyes and protruding tongue is to-
all intents and purposes dead.
It may be kicked round the
premises, and finally probably
taken up by the tail and flung
ignominiously outside, without
betraying vitality by even so-
much as a wink. But no sooner
is the coast thoroughly clear of
the avenger than the stiffened
limbs relax, the eyes reopen, and
Brer 'Possum trots off, as fresh
as ever. Maybe it is the ripen-
ing maize or the persimmon-patch
that next engages his attention, and in either case he walks in and feeds right royally,,
laying up a goodly store of fat against the approaching winter months of scarcity.

Away from human habitations the opossum is an essentially arboreal animal, living and
breeding for the most part, like his Australian cousins, in hollow trees, and making excursions
therefrom in all directions in quest of food. His much-mixed natural diet may consist of
tender shoots and leaves, and the wild grapes and the many other berries and fruits the forest
produces. He craves, however, after a due admixture of animal pabulum, and birds and their
eggs, insects, lizards, and the smaller mammals furnish their quota to his menu. Crustacea,
such as crabs and the crayfish which abound in the American streams and marshes, have an.
irresistible attraction for him ; and it is on this account that, in the southern area of his
distribution, where these Crustacea are so plentiful as to constitute his main diet, and his face-
is browned by the more glowing sun, he is known by the title of the Crab-eater.

Although fattening up against the winter, he, even in his most northern limits, does not
hibernate, but may even be seen leisurely picking his way over the snow, probably tracking
some unfortunate squirrel to its lair, which in due time is located, dragged out, and
devoured. While assimilating his meal of flesh or fruit, Brer 'Possum likes to have all four
hands at liberty, his hind feet being also graspers ; and so he twists his tail round a convenient
branch, and, hanging perdu, leisurely enjoys his feast. The opossum, like the rat to which
it has in aspect and many of its habits been likened is a most prolific breeder, as many as
from six to sixteen young being comprised in the litter. When born, they are immediately
transferred to the somewhat capacious pouch, and remain there without venturing outside until
they are about the size of an ordinary mouse.

A third and very distinct type of American opossums is the one represented on-
page 380, which, from its mouse-like size and aspect, is commonly known as the MuiiiNE
OPOSSUM. The most distinct feature of this little animal is that, though a genuine marsupial,
it has no pouch, but carries its young on its back, the little creatures twining their tails
round that of their mother, and so securing a stable anchorage. Although thus loaded up and
transformed for the time being into a sort of combination perambulator and feeding-flask, the
happy but anxious parent pursues the even tenor of her way among the tree-branches and
thicket-growths with almost unabated agility. This species, in common with MERIAM'S OPOSSUM
and the WOOLLY OPOSSUM and several others which carry their young, to as many as a dozen

Marsupials and Monotremes

379

in number, on their
backs, are denizens
of tropical South
America. One of
these, named the
PHILANDER OPOSSUM,
attains to the some-
what larger size of
about 2 feet in total
length, the long
prehensile tail
representing, how-
ever, the greater
moiety of these
dimensions.

THE SELVA.

South America
has one other mar-
supial the SELVA
an animal which,
while possessing the
dimensions and
much of the aspect
of an ordinary rat,
is remarkable as
differing so materi-
ally in the character
of its teeth and
other structural
points that it cannot
be referred to any
existing marsupial
family. On the
other hand, this type
is found to coincide
in the above par-
ticulars with species
hitherto only known
in the fossil state,
and excavated from
the same tertiary
deposits in Pata-
gonia which have
been productive of
the distant ally of
the Tasmanian wolf.
It is yet hoped by

zoologists that the discovery of other interesting and possibly some supposed extinct mammals
may reward the thorough exploration of the vast South American forests. The capture in the
flesh of some form allied to the huge ground-sloths, such as the Mylodon and Megatherium,
is, however, now considered to be quite beyond the pale of possibility.

Photo by Dr. R. W. Sliufeldt]

YOUNG OPOSSUM (NATURAL SIZE).

This is an interesting photograph , as it is reproduced life-size, and gives an excellent idea of the animal in its

native land.

38o

The Living Animals of the World

Photo by W. Saville-Kcnt, F.Z.S.]

[Milford-oii-tiea.

MONOTREMES, OR EGG-LAYING
MAMMALS.

WITH this group or order of the Mam-
malian Class we arrive, as it were, on the
borderland between the mere typical Mammals
and Keptiles. In the last group, that
of the Marsupials, it was observed that the
young were brought into the world at an
abnormally early and helpless phase of their
existence, and usually consigned, until able
to see and walk, to a variously modified pro-
tective pouch. With the Monotremes a yet
lower rung in the evolutional ladder is reached,
and we find that the young are brought into
the outer world as eggs, these being in the one
case deposited in a nest or burrow, and in the
other carried about by the parent in a rudi-
mentary sort of pouch until they are hatched.
The living representatives of this singular
mammalian order are but few in number, being
restricted, in point of fact, to only two distinctly
differentiated family types the Echidna or
Porcupine Ant-eater, and the Platypus. These
monotremes, moreover, like the majority of
the existing marsupials, are limited in their
distribution to the Australasian region. The
single species of the Platypus is only found
in Tasmania and the southern and eastern

districts of the Australian Continent, while the Echidna numbers some three recognised species,
two of which belong to Australia and Tasmania and the third to New Guinea.

THE ECHIDNA.

The ECHIDNA, PORCUPINE ANT-EATER, or "PORCUPINE," as it is commonly called by the
Australian colonists, would seem at first sight to represent an animal in which the characters
of the hedgehog and the common porcupine are inter blended, the innumerable spines being
longer than those of the former, but less in length than those of the last-named animal. The
head, with no externally visible ears and remarkable elongated beak-like snout, however, at
once proclaims it to be altogether distinct from these. The animal has no teeth, and the
tiny mouth at the termination of the beak-like snout simply constitutes an aperture for the
extrusion of the worm-like glutinous tongue, wherewith, after the manner of the true ant-eaters,
it licks up the inhabitants of the ants' nests upon which it feeds. For tearing down the
ants' nests and obtaining its customary food, as also for its inveterate burrowing propensity,
the feet, and more especially the front ones, are provided with strong, blunt, and very powerful
claws. The male animal is in addition armed on the hind feet with a peculiar supplementary
spur, which is, however, still more conspicuously developed in the platypus.

Three distinct species of the echidna are recognised by zoologists. The one peculiar to
the cooler climate of Tasmania is remarkable for its more slender spines, the much greater
abundance of the long bristle-like hairs, and the thickness of the seal-brown under-fur, as
compared with the typical Australian form. In North-west New Guinea the largest and most
aberrant form is met with. Normally it has only three toes in place of five to each foot,
the spines are very long and thick, the body is deeper and more compressed, and the animal
stands comparatively high upon its feet.

WOOLLY AMERICAN OPOSSUM.

This animal is about the size of a large mouse. It carries its young on
its back, their tails being entwined round that of their parent.

Marsupials and Monotremes

381

The writer, during his residence in Tasmania, had several examples of the local species as
domestic pets. For the first few days they were very shy and untractable, burrowing into
the earth and seeking to escape, or presenting an impenetrable chcval de frise of sharp-
pointed spines to the hands that sought to caress them. After a short interval, however, the
creatures became entirely reconciled to human society and the small amount of restraint to which
they were subjected. They would follow their owner about the garden, or, flattening their
bodies and spreading out their limbs to the greatest extent, lie basking in the sun close to
where he might be seated. They also apparently appreciated being carried, slung across their
owner's arm after the manner of a lap-dog. Living in the near vicinity of unreclaimed
bush-land, it was found possible to keep these echidnas well supplied with their customary
food; they were, in fact, permitted to forage on their own account. Liberated amidst their
normal surroundings, they would walk leisurely from one ant-hill to another, tearing down
the side of it with their powerful front claws, and appropriating its living contents with the
greatest relish. It was observed, however, in this connection that the echidna paid attention
entirely to the succulent white larvae and pupal phases of the insects with which the inner
chambers of the ant-hills are customarily crowded, and that adult ants, as they abounded in
the tracts near at hand or elsewhere, were altogether neglected. In addition to this natural
food these animals were supplied daily with a saucer of either well-softened bread or porridge
and milk, for which they evinced a decided appreciation, assimilating this food dexterously,
though somewhat slowly, with the aid of their long protrusile tongues. Allowed to wander
about the house, they displayed a most inquisitive turn of mind, peering into every crevice, and
climbing upon every accessible article of furniture.

The echidna usually produces only one egg at a time ; it is relatively small, not larger
than a sparrow's egg, but equally and obtusely rounded at both extremities, and with a white
leathery shell like that of a reptile. For some time previous to hatching, this egg is carried
in a skin-fold or rudimentary pouch in the parent's abdomen, much similar to that possessed
by many of the marsupials. The young one is also retained in this pouch for some weeks
after escaping from the egg. When finally leaving the pouch, it is between three and four
inches in length, and the spines are in an altogether rudimentary condition.

Examples of the Australian echidna have on several occasions been " in residence " at the
Zoo; while the Hon. Walter Rothschild
has been fortunate in keeping living
specimens of both this and the very rare
three-toed New Guinea variety in his
admirably appointed menagerie at Tring.

THE PLATYPUS.

The egg-laying mammal known as
the DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS differs very
essentially from the echidna both in
aspect and habits. It is adapted espe-
cially for an amphibious life, and for
feeding on molluscs, worms, and insects,
which it abstracts from the muddy bed
or banks of the rivers that it frequents.
The somewhat depressed ovate body is
covered with short dense fur much re-
sembling in colour and texture that of
an otter. The tail is short and flattened

like that of a beaver, but in place of rhotobyW.saviae-Kc,it,F.z.a.}

being naked and scaly, as in that animal, COMMON OR VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM.

is COVered, On the Upper Surface more The only marsupial animal found north of Mexico.

382

The Living Animals of the World

particularly, with long, coarse, bristle-like hairs that intercross one another in all directions.
Neither is this tail used, as with the beaver, as a mason's trowel, it being simply subservient
as a steer-oar. The feet are all four distinctly webbed, the membranes of the front feet in
particular projecting to some distance beyond the extremities of the claws, and so com-
municating to these members a singular resemblance to the feet of a duck. The head of the
platypus tapers off from the body without any conspicuous neck, and terminates in a most
remarkable duck-like beak, having at its base a supplementary membranous ferrule-like structure
which would seem to serve the purpose of limiting the distance into which the beak of the
animal is thrust into the mud during the quest for its accustomed food, and at the same
time protecting the creature's eyes. The mouth of the adult platypus contains no teeth,
simply a few horny plates; but, singularly to relate, rudimentary teeth exist temporarily in the
young animals. These provisional teeth, moreover, correspond in a marked manner with those
of some ancient types of mammals which occur as fossils in the tertiary deposits of North
America. The platypus, with relation to the obliteration of its teeth in the adult state,
is regarded as a very exceptionally modified form and not as the immediate prototype of the
ordinary mammals.

The platypus is found in Tasmania and in the south and eastern districts of Australia
only, being altogether unknown in the west and north. Being especially shy and retiring,
and to a large extent nocturnal in its habits, it is not frequently seen even in districts where
it may be rather abundant. The animal excavates burrows of so great a length as from thirty
to fifty feet in the river-banks that it frequents, and at the extreme end of these burrows it
constructs a loose nest of weeds and root-fibres, which it uses as its retreat, and also for the
production of its eggs and young. There are invariably two entrances to these burrows, the
one being under water, and the other usually opening into a tangle of brushwood at some
little distance from the water's edge. As many as from one to four eggs and young may be
produced at a time, but two is the more general number. From the first it would appear
that the eggs and young are deposited and nursed in the nest, not being retained or carried
about in a pouch, as observed of the echidna.

The late Dr. George Bennett, of Sydney, New South Wales, has probably placed on record
the most detailed account of the ways and life-habits of these remarkable animals, though it did
not fall to him to solve the much-vexed question as to whether or not they were oviparous.
This discovery, as applied also to the like phenomenon in the case of the echidna, was the
outcome within quite recent years of the researches of Mr. Caldwell. After much indefatigable

exploration, in which he was ably
assisted by the natives, Dr. Bennett
obtained from the extremity of an ex-
ceptionally long burrow a mother and
pair of half-grown young. The young
ones survived several weeks, and
proved most droll and interesting pets.
In playful habits they much resembled
puppies, chasing and rolling one
another over, and pretending to bite
with their toothless bills. They were
also much addicted to climbing every
scalable article of furniture, including
even a tall book-case, which they
would negotiate by "swarming" up
behind it as a sweep climbs a chimney,

Photo ly D. Le Sou e f } [Melbourne. with their ^^ ^ ^ ^ ftnd their

ECHIDNA, OE ANT-EATING PORCUPINE. ' f +V, V, V f fli "K V

The female echidna can carry two eggs in her pouch, which in due course are hatched

by the heat of her body. case. The sleeping and waking hours

Marsupials and Monotremes

383

TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE ANT-EATER.

This is the largest variety of the five-toed species ; it grows to a length of 20 inches, and has the fur so long as almost to conceal the spines.

that both these and other examples kept were observed to be very irregular ; for while usually
most lively and disposed to ramble after it grew dusk, they would at other times come out of
their own accord in the daytime, or perhaps one would ramble about while the other slept.
When going to sleep, they would roll themselves up in a perfect ball, the head, tail, and limbs
being closely folded over the abdomen.

The food question appears to have presented almost insurmountable difficulties so far
against the permanent acclimatisation of these interesting animals in any of our European
zoological gardens. At the Melbourne Zoo some considerable success was obtained by fencing
off a small pond abounding with insects and well-established water-plants for their reception,
and in this instance they had also the advantage of being brought speedily and within a few
hours of their capture to their new home. For their long voyage to Europe the provision of
an adequate quantity of living insects or other aquatic organisms is a by no means easy task.
They have, however, been known to thrive on broken-up river-mussels for the space of two or
three weeks, and would probably have done so for a longer period. This material might easily
be stored for their use on board ship.

An incident concerning the natural predilections of the platypus that fell within the writer's
observation in Tasmania might also be utilised in their experimental transportation. At the
trout- and salmon -rearing establishment on the river Plenty of which the writer was at
the time superintendent the platypuses proved to be most destructive to the spawn both
deposited in the hatching-boxes and upon the natural spawning-beds, or " redds," and they had
in consequence to be systematically destroyed. This being the case, it is probable that they
would be found to thrive well on a diet consisting to a large extent of the preserved roes
or spawn of any easily procurable fish such as the Murray perch and cod and of which
adequate supplies might with facility be stored aboard ship. The admixture in all cases of
a certain amount of sand or mud with their provided pabulum would appear to be essential
for digestive purposes, such material being always found in considerable quantities in their
stomachs when dissected.

384

* t

The Living Animals of the World

A distinguishing feature which the male platypus shares in common with the echnida is
the peculiar spur developed on its hind foot. It is in this case, however, much larger and
sharper, and has been accredited with aggressive functions and poisonous properties. There can
be little doubt, however, that they are normally used by the animal only as clasping or retaining
instruments during intercourse with the female at the breeding-season. At the same time,
undoubted cases of persons receiving severe wounds from these animals' spurs have been placed
on record. One such that fell within the writer's cognisance happened on the Murray Kiver,
on the Victorian and New South Wales boundary. A young fisher-lad, on taking up his nets,
found a half-drowned platypus entangled in them, and, whilst disengaging it, it convulsively

I'hotoby W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S

\_Miljord-on-Sea.

DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.
This curious egg-laying mammal, the only representative of its family, is mainly nocturnal in habits.

gripped his hand between the two spurs, the points penetrating deeply into the flesh on either
side. The result was a festering wound that refused to heal for many months, and for such
time entirely deprived the lad of his use of that hand.

The fur of the platypus, dressed so as to remove the outer and longer series of hairs,
nearly resembles that of the fur-seal in both colour and texture, and as a rare local product is
highly prized for the manufacture of carriage-rugs and other articles.

WITH the egg-laying Echidna and Platypus we terminate the Mammalian Series, and they
pave the way to the typical egg-laying animals which follow.

END OF VOL. I.

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31 tf/.io