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ZOOGEAPHY;

OR, THE

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ZOOGRAPHY;

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SELECT DESCRIPTIONS

FROM

THE ANIMAL, AND VEGETABLE,

WITH ADDITIONS FROM

THE MINERAL KINGDOM.

SYSTEMATICALLY ARRANGED.

BY W. WOOD, F. L. S.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES, DESIGNED AND ENGRAVED
BY MR. WILLIAM DANIELL.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR CADELL AND DAVIES, IN THE STRAND,
By Richard Taylor and Co. Shoe Lane.

1807.

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THIS WORK

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BY HER MAJESTY^ GRACIOUS PERMISSION

MOST HUMBLY INSCRIBED

HER VERY DEVOTED AND OBLIGED SERVANT

THE AUTHOR.

LONDON,

NOVEMBER 1807.

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PREFACE.

46 Were a savage of America possessed of

a watch, and had by frequent observations

on the movements attained to the thorough

©

knowledge of the action of the wheels, the
disposition and correspondence of the se-
veral parts of it, without knowing the di-
vision of time, or any use of his watch, he
would in reality be more ignorant with re-
gard to all the intents and purposes of this
machine, than a European who knows how
to inform himself by it of the time and hour
of the day, without having made any ob-
servations on its mechanism and structure.
Just so it is with him who has spent his life
in the study of natural history, and taken
no pains to acquaint himself with the ends

a 2

VIII

PREFACE.

and designs of Providence in the oeconomy
of the world. This philosopher, notwith-
standing all his study and learning, is more
devoid of true useful knowledge than the
illiterate upright man, who, without having
made any curious researches into the laws
of motion, or the particular structure and
frame of the universal system, sees enough
to lead him to pay his constant adorations
and thanks to that great and good Being,
who created and sustains this wonderful
machine for his use, and continues to shower
down daily his gifts and blessings on man-
kind. We may then collect and treasure
up rarities from the four quarters of the
world, cast up the number of the stars, cal-
culate the motions of the planets, and ven-
ture to foretel the return of the comets ; we
may be able to dissect insects with all ima-
ginable art, and anatomize the elements
themselves, and even trace Nature through
all its curious phenomena, and yet remain
profoundly ignorant. The whole system of
Nature may very aptly be compared to a

PKEFACE.

IX

large watch, the springs and movements of
which are employed to teach us something
more than is visibly represented by them ; and
therefore the naturalist who spends his whole
time in barely observing the play and action
of these movements, without carrying his in-
quiries further, is no better than an American
savage ; he labours to find out what is not
necessary for him to know, and perhaps im-
possible for him to comprehend, and neglects
the only main point, which is to know what
the watch is good for.”

How many persons daily verify these ob-
servations of the excellent Abbe LaPluche!
IIow many examine the different objects of
the three natural kingdoms, not as if they
were created for any good or particular pur-
pose ; not as if a designing Providence had
any share in their formation ; but as matters
of idle curiosity, that are to be seen to-dajr,
and forgotten to-morrow. Nature has no
charms to arrest the attention of these per-
sons beyond the moment ; they feel no in-
clination to be better acquainted with her;

X

PREFACE.

and leave her productions with the greatest
indifference when once they have gratified
their sight. Many, on the contrary, anxi-
ously collect every specimen throughout the
wide field of Nature, that will either deco-
rate their museum or increase their cabinet;
they arrange them with the most studious
care, class them with the greatest correct-
ness, and are never satisfied with looking at
their treasures : but they go no further.
The animal is admired for its singularity,
the bird for its beautiful plumage, the shell
for its varied tints, the plant because it
came from some one of our distant colonies,
and the mineral for its glittering surface ;
while the instructive history which is at-
tached to all these different objects, and
which would tend to lead us by gentle and
pleasing steps to the knowledge of an all-
powerful Being, is totally neglected. To
use the words of the celebrated Derham,
“ rIhe Creator did not bestow so much cu-
riosity and workmanship on his creatures, to
be looked on with a careless incautious eye,

PREFACE.

XI

especially to have them slighted or con-
temned ; but to be admired by the rational
part of the world, to magnify his own power
to all the world and the ages thereof : and
since the works of the creation are all of
them so many demonstrations of the infinite
wisdom and power of God, they may serve
to us as so many arguments exciting us to
a constant fear of the Deity, and a steady
and hearty obedience to all his laws.”

Considered in this light, how much may
be gained by the study of Nature when
properly directed ! The wonders which it
unfolds will be constantly raising our vene-
ration towards God, while the various uses
to be derived from it will be of the ut-
most service to man. The magnetic needle
which directs the mariner in his course, and
without which he would be reduced to a
state of the most dreadful uncertainty, is
one instance among many of the great use
of minerals.

In the vegetable kingdom innumerable
instances occur to prove the value of a pro-

Xll PREFACE*

per knowledge of its inhabitants. W e are
surrounded on every side by plants of dif-
ferent descriptions, and of different virtues ;
scarcely any of the inhabitable part of the
world is left without its verdant carpet,
and few situations occur that do not afford
plants of a higher order than grasses. From
this extensive kingdom, so essentially ne-
cessary to the support of animated nature,
by far the greater part of the materia me-
dica is derived, and daily improvements are
still made in the practice of physic by dis-
covering the virtues of plants. Among this
vast and salutary multitude there are but
few, comparatively, of a poisonous nature,
and even some of these in the hands of the
skilful physician are made subservient to the
best of purposes.

If we ascend to a higher class of beings,
and contemplate the extensive range of the
animal creation, we shall there find a host of
objects which cannot fail to attract our at-
tention. If we examine this multitude col-
lectively, we shall perceive that the whole

PREFACE.

Xlll

is conducted in the wisest manner for the
welfare of each individual, and that all is
harmony, from the ourang-outang, (whose
striking resemblance both in outward ap-
pearance and inward conformation has
ranked him, with naturalists, above the other
inhabitants of the forest,) down to the ten-
der polype, which forms the connecting link
between the animal and the vegetable king-
dom. Among the quadrupeds we meet with
instances of sagacity, of faithfulness, of do-
cility, and many other good qualities, from
which mankind derive innumerable bene-
fits. In birds we may observe a wonderful
instinctive faculty guiding them in the for-
mation of their nests, in the rearing of their
young, and in their periodical migrations
from one part of the world to another. If
we continue to descend, we shall still find
the animal inhabitants of the earth busied
in those respective, though humble, occupa-
tions to which it has pleased the Creator to
appoint them ; and from the lives of many
may be drawn lessons of industry, patience,

X)V

PREFACE.

and perseverance, which some of us would
do well to study. In short, the great book
of Nature will always afford us both amuse-
ment and instruction, if we will but take
the trouble to peruse it. Some of the sub-
jects indeed will be less interesting than
others ; some will seem to be insignificant ;
and millions will be found in the waters
that elude our search without the assistance
of a microscope : yet all these, however
trifling they may appear, were most as-
suredly created for some good purpose, and
to answer some particular end.

With respect to the Work which we have
now ventured to lay before the public, it
consists of a selection of those objects in
natural history which appeared to us best
calculated to excite the attention of those
who have any relish for this rational pur-
suit, and most likely to aftord amusement
to the many who care but little about the
study.

We have not scrupled to adorn our bird
with borrowed plumes, and will ingenuously

PREFACE.

XV

confess, that wherever we have met with
materials to our mind we have freely made
use of them. This, however, has not been
done without acknowledgment, as the
names of the different authors, from whom
we have derived information, are for the
most part mentioned throughout the work.
It will be but just in this place to confess
our obligations to the engaging Spectacle de
la Native, since we have taken from that
book whatever has suited our purpose.
From the excellent mineralogical works of
Patrin * and Brongniart -f* we have also re-
ceived great assistance, which we the more
readily mention here, as we have not al-
ways noticed their names when we have
quoted their books. “ I am very sensible,”
says Rollin, “ that it is not so much for a
person’s reputation to make use of other
men’s labours, and that it is in a manner
renouncing the name and quality of author.

* Histoire Naturelle des Miner aux, Paris 1803.

t Traite Elementaire de Mineralogie , Paris 1807.

XVI

PREFACE.

But I am not over fond of that title ; and
shall be extremely well pleased, and think
myself very happy, if I can but deserve the
name of a good compiler, and supply my
readers with a tolerable history, who will
not be over solicitous to inquire what
hand it comes from, provided they are but
pleased with it.” If so celebrated and ex-
cellent a writer as Rollin could preface his
Antient History with this candid confession,
it would surely be great presumption in
us to consider our humble undertaking as
worthy a better title.

We have endeavoured to render our de-
scriptions familiar to every one, and oc-
casionally to enliven them with anecdotes
illustrative of the manners and habits of
the different animals. We are well aware
that among these there are some which
either from their want of importance, or
from having been repeated before, we might
have dispensed with ; but it was difficult to
draw the line, especially as we rather pro-

PREFACE.

XVI 1

fess to lead others to study this captivating
science, than to teach those who are already
acquainted with its beauties.

The systematic arrangement we have pur-
sued, in conformity with the present en-
lightened state of the science, will be found
of considerable service to those who take
up the book with a view to profit by the
study, as we have been careful to give, to
all the leading subjects, a concise Linnaean
specification, accompanied by references to
several authors of acknowledged reputation
and value. In our arrangement of the qua-
drupeds, we have adopted the celebrated
Ray's method, in preference to that of Lin-
naeus. Had our work been calculated
merely to satisfy the rigid naturalist, this
would hardly have been excused ; but as it
is, we may perhaps be pardoned for the re-
pugnance we feel to place the monkey at
the head of the brute creation, and thus to
associate him, as it were, with man.

We conceive it unnecessary to say much
respecting the embellishments which ac-

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CONTENTS

OF THE

FIRST

VOLUME.

QUADRUPEDS.

Page

Horse

• • • •

1

Ass

• • • •

6

Ox

• • • •

12

Buffalo

• • • •

19

Wild Sheep

• • • •

30

Wild Goat

• » * • •

34

Giraffe

• • • •

42

Elk . .

• • • •

47

Rein Deer

• • • « •

54

Virginian Deer

• • • •

64

Camel

• • • •

70

Ethiopian Hog

• • • •

78

Rhinoceros

• • • •

81

Hippopotamus

• • • •

9 6

Elephant

• • • •

103

Orang Outang

• • • •

145

VOL. I.

a

VI

CONTENTS.

Monkey .

•

Page

150

Lemur .....

158

Dog . « • • * ■ •

165

Wolf

1 77

Fox ......

184

Jackall .....

192

Hyaena .....

195

Lion . . . . . •

202

Tiger .....

217

C at . . . . . .

228

Bear . . . . .

234

Opossum .....

248

Sable .....

251

Ichneumon ....

256

Otter . . ....

260

Hare . . .

267

Beaver .....

274

Porcupine . . ...

287

Squirrel .....

280

Dormouse ...

294

Jerboa .....

298

Economic Rat ....

304

Hamster .....

309

Platypus .....

315

Arctic Walrus ....

320

Seal

327

Manati .....

339

Bat

342

CONTENTS.

Vll

Page

BIRDS . . .

351

Condur .....

371

Carrion Vulture . ...

375

Eagle .....

380

Hawk .....

395

Owl ......

408

Shrike .....

417

Parrot .....

421

Raven .....

435

Cuckoo .....

440

Kingfisher ....

449

Humming Bird . . .

455

Ostrich .....

460

Ruffed Grous ....

470

Passenger Pigeon

474

Water Ouzel ....

479

Grosbeak .....

482

Nightingale ....

486

Tailor Bird ....

491

Penduline Titmouse

493

Swallow .....

497

Goat-sucker ....

509

Crane .....

512

Stork .....

519

Heron .....

523

Wild Swan ...

530

Goose .....

535

Bernacle Goose . ...

542

Vlll

CONTENTS.

Mallard

Pelican

Frigate

Gannet

Penguin

Page

545

553

557

56l

568

ZOOGRAPHY;

OR THE

Beauties of J!2atute stsplapeu*

HOOFED QUADRUPEDS.

PIORSE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Hoof consisting of one piece.

Six cutting teeth in each jaw.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Equus CabAueus. E. pedibus solidungulis, cauda undique setosa.

IAnn. Syst.Nat. Gm. 1. p.20C). Hoofs solids
tail entirely covered with long hairs.

Equus auriculis brevibus erectis, juba longa.
Briss. Regn. An. p. 100. n. 1.

Common Horse. Sm. Buff. v. 3. p. 307- pb 11. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. v. 1 . p. 1 . Penn. Br. Zool. v. 1 . pi. 1 .
Betv. Quadr. p. 1. Shaw Gen. Zool. 2,
pi. 214.

The horse is endowed with so many noble and en-
gaging qualities, that he seems better to deserve the
title of king of beasts than the lion, upon whom
that dignity has so long been conferred. The lion
only exerts his strength to the prejudice of other

VOL. I.

B

horsR.

2

animals ; he never raises his paw but for the pitr^
pose of destruction, and seldom sleeps unstained
with blood. On the contrary, the horse is never
injurious to other creatures ; he discovers nothing
that can expose him to the least aversion ; he pos-
sesses no bad quality, and enjoys all those that are
amiable. Of all animals, he has the finest turn of
shape, is the most noble in his inclinations, and the
most liberal of his services.

Arabia, of all countries in the world, produces the
most beautiful wild horses ; and the Arabs, beyond
all others, are the most sensible of their value. Al-
most every Arabian is provided with his horse ; and
as they chiefly live in tents, the animal becomes
truly one of the family : the mare, the foal, the hus-
band, the wife, and the children, lie all together in-
discriminately, the little children often sleeping
upon the neck or body of the mare without the least
apprehension of danger. The kind and familiar
manner in which they are treated by the family,
the soothing language, and the many little acts of
kindness they receive from their masters, together
with that constant intercourse which exists between
them, create a tractability in the Arabian horses
which is not equalled in those of other countries.
Spurs are quite unnecessary ; the least touch with
the stirrup is sufficient to make these airy coursers
bound across the plain with a swiftness that nothing
can surpass. The ostrich, whose amazing speed
enables it to escape from other animals, cannot elude
the fleetness of the Arabian horse; but, after having

HORSE,

3

in vain attempted to outrun him, the poor and
jaded animal, finding all its efforts to escape hope-
less, hides its head wherever it can, and tamely
suffers itself to be taken. The Arabian will some-
times mount his horse without either bridle or sad-
dle ; and such is the animal’s compliance to the
rider’s will, that the mere motion of a switch is suf-
ficient to direct him in his course. Mr. Pennant,
in his British Zoology, has given a proof of the esti-
mation in which this creature is held, in the la-
mentation of an Arab who was obliged through po-
verty to part with his mare; andM. Saint Pierre, ir>
his Studies of Nature, has given the following in-
stance of the very great attachment which the Ara-
bians have for their horses :

“ The whole stock of a poor Arabian of the de-
sert consisted of a beautiful mare ; this the French
consul at Said offered to purchase, with an intention
to send her to Louis the Fourteenths The Arab,
pressed by want, hesitated a long time, but at
length consented, on condition of receiving a very
considerable sum of money which he named. The
consul wrote to France for permission to close the
bargain, and having obtained it, sent the informa-
tion immediately to the Arab. The man, so poor
as to possess only a miserable rag, a covering for his
body, arrived with his magnificent courser : he dis-
mounted, and looking first at the gold, and then
steadfastly at his mare, heaved a sigh. ‘ And to
whom is it,’ he exclaimed, £ that I am going to yield
thee up ? To Europeans ! who will tie thee close,

B 2

4

HORSE.

who will beat thee, who will render thee miserable !
Return with me, my beauty ! and rejoice the hearts
of my children.’ As he pronounced the last w ords,
he sprang upon her back, and was out of sight almost
in a moment.”

Experience has taught the Arabians that mares are
more serviceable to them than horses. They endure
fatigue, thirst, and hunger better than horses : they
are of a more harmless and gentle nature ; and are
so little inclined to hurt each other, that they may
be left together for several days without doing any
mischief.

The noble deportment of this beautiful creature
cannot fail to make an impression even on those
who are least acquainted with his virtues. He is
still more engaging in his inclination ; and indeed
can properly be said to have but one, which is to
render service to his master. He seems sensible of
the honour of his caresses, studies how to please
him, and at the least signal varies his pace ; is al-
ways ready to slacken, redouble, or precipitate it,
when he is acquainted with his rider’s will. Nei-
ther the length of a journey, nor ditches, nor rivers
the most rapid, can discourage him ; he springs
through every obstacle as a bird whose career no im-
pediment can check.

At the same time that we bestow a panegyric on
the animal whose superior breed places him in the
fh st 1 ank among his species, the tribute of praise
should not be withheld from those of an inferior
cast, who, destined all their lives to bear the heavy

HORSE.

5

burthens we impose upon them, show a degree of
patience and perseverance that cannot be too much
admired. An intelligent writer informs us, that when
pack-horses were used, they strictly adhered to the line
of order and regularity which custom had taught them
to observe, when they journeyed over trackless moors
to carry the different manufactures and articles of
traffic from one part of the kingdom to another. The
leading horse, which was always chosen for his sa-
gacity and steadiness, being furnished with bells,
gave notice to the rest, who followed the sound, and
generally without much deviation, though some-
times at a considerable distance. The following in-
stance will show with what obstinate perseverance
they have been known to observe the line of their or-
der. Some years ago, one of these horses which had
been long accustomed to follow next to his leader, by
accident or fatigue was thrown into an inferior rank :
the poor animal, as if sensible of his disgrace, by the
most strenuous exertions at length recovered his
usual station, which he maintained during the re-
mainder of his journey ; but on his arrival in the inn-
yard he dropped down and died upon the spot, his
life falling a sacrifice to his ambition.

ASS,

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Equus Asinus. E. pedibus solidungulis, cauda extremitate setosa^
cruce nigra (mari) supra humeros.

Hoofs solid, the end of the tail furnished with
long hairs, a black cross on the shoulders of
the male,

Equus auriculis longis flaccidis, juba brevi. Briss.
Quadr. 70.

Ass. . . . Sm. Buff. v. 3. p. 398. pi. 12. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. v. 1. p. 8. Bep\ Quadr. p. 17. Shaw
Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 216.

PASSAGE OF THE ANDES.

These stupendous mountains, running almost the
whole length of South America, may literally be
said to hide their heads ip the clouds : the storms
often roll, and the thunders burst, beneath their
summits ; which, though exposed to the rays of the
sun, in the very centre of the torrid zone, are co-
vered with everlasting snows. The manner in which
the asses descend the precipices of these Alps is
truly astonishing. In the passes of the mountains
there are often on one side steep eminences, and on
the other frightful abysses ; and as these generally
follow the direction of the mountain, the road, in-

ASS.

stead of lying on a level, forms at every little
distance steep declivities of several hundred yards
downwards. These can be descended only by asses
or mules ; and the animals themselves seem sen-
sible of the danger, by the caution they use. When
they come to the edge of one of the descents, they
stop of themselves, without being checked by the
rider ; and, if he inadvertently attempts to spur
them on, they continue immovable. They seem
all this time ruminating on the danger which lies
before them, and preparing themselves for the en-
counter. They not only attentively view the road,
but tremble and snort at the danger. Having pre-
pared for the descent, they place their fore-feet in a
posture as if they were stopping themselves ; they
then also put their hinder feet together, but a little
forward as if they were about to lie down. In,
this attitude, having taken a survey of the road,
they slide down with the swiftness of a meteor. In
the mean time all that the rider has to do is to keep
himself fast on the saddle, without checking the
rein; for the least motion is sufficient to. disorder
the equilibrium of the ass ; in which case both must
unavoidably perish. But their address in this rapid
descent is truly wonderful ; for, in their swiftest
motion, when they seem to have lost all govern-
ment of themselves, they follow exactly the dif-
ferent windings of the road, as if they had pre-
viously settled in their minds the route they were
to follow, and taken every precaution for their
safety. In this joujmey, the natives, who are placed

s

ASS.

along the sides of the mountains, and secure them-
selves by the roots of the trees, animate the beasts
with shouts, and encourage them to perseverance.
Some asses, after being long used to these journeys,
acquire a kind of reputation for their safety and
skill ; and their value rises in proportion to their
fame.

The ass was originally imported into America by
the Spaniards ; and that country seems to have
been so favourable to this race of animals, that where
they have run wild they have multiplied in amaz-
ing numbers, and become quite a nuisance. In the
kingdom of Quito, says Ulloa, the owners of the
grounds where they are bred, suffer all persons to
take away as many as they can, on paying a small
acknowledgment, in proportion to the number of
days their sport lasts. They catch them in the fol-
lowing manner : a number of persons go on horse-
back, and are attended by Indians on foot : when
arrived at the proper places, they form a circle in
order to drive them into some valley ; where, at full
speed, they throw the noose, and endeavour to
halter them. Those creatures, finding themselves
inclosed, make very furious efforts to escape ; and
if only one forces his way through, they all follow
with an irresistible impetuosity. ‘How'ever, when
noosed, the hunters throw them down, and secure
them with fetters ; and thus leave them till the
chase is over. Then, in order to bring them aw ay
with greater facility, they pair them with tame

ASS.

9

beasts of the same kind : but this is not easily per-
formed ; for they are so remarkably fierce that they
often hurt the persons who undertake to manage
them. It is this superior breed that the inhabitants
of Quito use in, their passage across the mountains.
They have all the swiftness of horses, and neither
acclivities nor precipices retard them in their ca-
reer ; they are very spirited, and when attacked de-
fend themselves with their mouth, with such ac-
tivity that, without slackening their pace, they often
maim their pursuers : but the most remarkable pro-
perty in these creatures is, that after carrying the
first load, their celerity leaves them ; their danger-
ous ferocity is lost, and they soon contract the stupid
look and dullness peculiar to the asinine species. It
is also observable that these creatures will not per-
mit a horse to live among them; they always graze
together ; and if a horse happens to stray into
the places where they feed, they all fall upon
him, and bite and kick him till they leave him
dead on the spot. They are very troublesome
neighbours, making a most horrid noise : for, when-
ever one or two of them begins to bray, they are an-
swered in the same vociferous manner by all within
the reach of the sound, which is greatly increased
and prolonged by the repercussions of the valleys and
breaches of the mountains.

The asses in the principal streets of Cairo stand
ready to be hired ; they are properly bridled and
saddled, and attended by the person who lets them.
This man runs behind, to goad on his ass and cry

10

ASS.

out to those on foot to make way. They are regu-
larly fed, rubbed down, and washed; which so
greatly improves them that they grow to a large
size, and are occasionally sold at a very high price.
In this country, on the contrary, this useful animal
is much neglected and abused. We educate the
horse with the greatest care ; nothing is spared to
render him beautiful ; he is dressed, attended, in-
structed, and exercised ; while the poor ass is aban-
doned to the brutality of the meanest servants, or to
the malicious abuse of children. If he had not a
great many good qualities, he would never be able
to bear the hard usage he daily meets with, and
which certainly makes him more stupid and in-
docile than he otherwise would be. He is in the
power of every rustic, and is frequently beaten with-
out a cause, and loaded without mercy. We do not
consider, that if the horse had no existence, the ass,
both in himself, and with regard to us, would be the
first and most distinguished animal in the creation.
It is comparison alone that degrades him.

The ass is temperate both as to the quantity and
quality of his food. He eats contentedly the hard-
est and most disagreeable herbage, which the horse
and other animals pass by and disdain. He is par-
ticularly nice with regard to water, and only drinks
from the clearest brooks he can find. In drinking
he is equally moderate as in eating. He never
sinks his nose in the water, being afraid, as has
been alleged, of the shadow of his ears. As no
person ever takes the trouble to comb him, he often

ASS.

II

rolls on the grass among thistles or fern ; and he
frequently takes this liberty without paying any re-
gard to the load he carries, seemingly with a view'
to reproach the neglect of his master ; for he never
wallows, like the horse, in the mire, or in the water.
He is even afraid to wet his feet, and turns off the
road to avoid a puddle.

The wild ass, or onager of the antients, is much
higher than the tame ass, which it resembles in
the narrowness of its chest and body. The head
is carried with more spirit, and the skull is said to
be surprisingly thin. This species, according to
Mr. Pennant, inhabits the dry and mountainous
parts of the deserts of Great Tartary. They are
migratory, and arrive in vast troops, to feed during
the summer, in the tracts east and north of Lake
Aral. About autumn, they collect in herds of
hundreds, and even thousands, and direct their
course towards the north of India, to enjoy a warm
retreat during winter. But it appears that Persia is
their most usual place of retirement, where some of
them are found in the mountains of Casbin at all
times of the year.

The Arabians take them in snares for the sake of
their flesh, which, although hot and unsavoury when
fresh killed, becomes very good meat, if not eaten
till a day or two after it has been boiled. The Ro-
mans were likewise fond of them; and Pliny tells us
that the epicures preferred those of Africa to all
others.

ox.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Horns concave, bending out laterally.

Eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw, none in the upper.
Skin along the lower side of the neck pendulous.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Bos Taurus. B . cornibus teretibus extrorsum curvatis, palearibus
laxis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 202.

Horns round and curved outwards; pendent dew-
lap.

Bos cornibus crassis brevibus sursum reflexis,
fronte crispa. Briss. Regn. An. p. 80. n. 3.

Ox. . . . Penn. Hist. Quadr. v. 1. p. id. pi. 2 — 5. Bew,

Quadr. p. 34. Penn. Brit. Zool. 1. p. 18. Shaiv
Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 208.

Oxen are still found wild in some parts of Europe ;
and although the original stock has long since
been extinct in our island, yet their offspring are
still preserved in the parks of Drumlanrig and Chil-
lingham. They retain their white colour, and their
savage disposition, but have lost their manes. The
late Mr. Tunstall, of Wycliff, Yorkshire, collected
some curious information respecting these cattle.

ox.

13

which he published in Bewick’s History of Qua-
drupeds ; to which book we are principally indebted
for the following account :

Numerous herds of a very singular spedes of
wild cattle were formerly kept in several parks in
England and Scotland ; but they have been de-
stroyed by various means ; and the only breeds now
remaining in the kingdom are in the park at Chil-
lingham-castle, in Northumberland ; at Wollaton,
in Nottinghamshire, the seat of lord Middleton ; at
Gisburne, in Craven, Yorkshire; at Lime-hall, in
Cheshire ; and at Cartley, in Staffordshire.

The principal external appearances which distin-
guish this breed of cattle from all others are the
following : their colour is invariably white ; muz-
zles black ; the whole of the inside of the ear, and
about one-third of the outside, from the tip down-
wards, red ; horns white, with black tips, very fine,
and bent upwards. Some years ago, there were a
few at Chillingham with black ears, but they have
been all destroyed by the present park-keeper.
Some of the bulls have a thin upright mane, about
an inch and a half or two inches long.

At the first appearance of any person, they set
off in full gallop; and at the distance of two or
three hundred yards make a wheel round, and
come boldly up again, tossing their heads in a me-
nacing manner : on a sudden they make a full stop,
at the distance of forty or fifty yards, looking wildly
at the object of their surprise; but, upon the least
motion being made, they all again turn round, and fly

ox.

i4

off with equal speed, but not to the same distance/
forming a shorter circle ; and again returning with
a bolder and more threatening aspect than before,
they approach much nearer, probably within thirty
yards ; when they make another stand, and again
fiy off. This they do several times, shortening
their distance, and advancing nearer, till they Come
within ten yards ; when most people think it pru-
dent to leave them, not choosing to provoke then!
further ; for there is little doubt but in two or three
turns they would make an attack;

The mode of killing them was, perhaps, the only
modern remains of the grandeur of antient hunting.
On notice being given that a wild bull would be
killed on a certain day, the inhabitants of the neigh-
bourhood came mounted, and armed with guns, &c.
sometimes to the number of a hundred horse, and
four or five hundred foot, who stood upon the walls,
or climbed into trees, while the horsemen rode off
the bull from the rest of the herd, until he stood at
bay ; when a marksmaU dismounted and shot. At
some of these huntings, twenty or thirty shots have
been fired before he was subdued. On such oc-
casions, the bleeding victim grew desperately fu-
rious, from the smarting of his wounds, and the
shouts of savage joy that were echoing from every
side : but from the number of accidents that hap-
pened, this dangerous mode has been little prac-
tised of late years ; the park-keeper alone generally
shooting them with a rifle gun at one shot.

When the cows calve, they hide their offspring for

15

OX.

a Week or ten days in some sequestered situation,
and go and suckle them two or three times a-day.
If any person come near the calves, they clap their
heads close to the ground, and lie like a hare in
form, to hide themselves. This is a proof of their
native wildness, and is corroborated by the follow-
ing circumstance that happened to the writer of this
narrative, who found a hidden calf, two days old,
very lean and very weak. On stroking its head, it
got up, pawed two or three times like an old bull,
bellowed very loud, stepped back a few steps, and
bolted at his legs with all its force ; it then began 1 6
paw again, bellowed, stepped back, and bolted as
before ; but he knowing its intention, and stepping
aside, it missed him, fell, and was so very weak '
that it could not rise, though it made several ef-
forts : but it had done enough : the whole herd were
alarmed, and, coming to its rescue, obliged him to
retire ; for the dams will allow no person to touch
their calves without attacking them with impetuous
ferocity.

When any one happens to be wounded, or is
grown weak and feeble through age or sickness, the
rest of the herd set upon it, and gore it to death.
Mr. Tunstall concludes his remarks by adding, that
the weight of the oxen is generally from forty to
fifty stone the four quarters ; that of the cows about
thirty. The beef is finely marbled, and of excel-
lent flavour.

Our savage cattle have been frequently men-
tioned by historians. It is related, that Robert

16

ox.

Bruce, during the chase of these animals, was pre-*
served from the rage of a wild bull by the intre-
pidity of one of his courtiers ; from which he and
his lineage acquired the name of Turn-bull. The
varieties of domestic cattle sprung from the wild stock
are very numerous: among them is the great Indian
ox, esteemed for the vast lump on his shoulders,
which is reckoned most delicious food. There is like-
wise in India a very small sort, with a lump on the
shoulders like the former ; but this animal is not
much bigger than a large dog, and is used in the East
to draw children. Two of these little bulls were
brought from India to this country, and are now * in
Exeter Change.

Of the European cattle the most famous are those
of Holstein and Jutland. They grow to a large
size, in consequence of their pasturage, which is
very rich. The English breed is derived from the
foreign; and by cultivation, those in many parts of
England will now rival the best cattle that can be
produced from the continent.

We are beyond measure indebted to our cattle
for the many benefits we receive from them. The
flesh of these animals is so nourishing and perfect
that we leave the most exquisite delicacies to re-
turn to it, and are never satiated with the re-
pasts it affords us. We feed them with a few
herbs, or allow them the liberty to range in the
fields, and supply themselves with those productions

* May 1806.

ox.

17

that are least beneficial to us ; and they return every
evening to repay this obligation with a liberal flow
of milk. The night is no sooner passed, but they
earn by a second payment the sustenance of the
succeeding day. There is scarce any part of their
bodies without its use ; the hide, when properly
prepared, serves for boots, shoes, and numberless
other purposes. Vellum is made of calves’ skin.
Of their horns we make combs, boxes, handles for
knives, and drinking-vessels ; and when softened in
water, they serve the purpose of glass for the sides
of our lanterns. Even medicine was formerly in-
debted to this part of them for an antidote against
poison, under the title of the English bezoar, and
they were found to be full as efficacious as the
Oriental hind. The large bones are used by me-
chanics in the place of ivory ; and from the smaller
ones an oil is produced, much used by many in
cleaning harness, and all the trappings belonging to
a coach. The blood is an excellent manure for
fruit-trees, and is the basis of that fine colour the
Prussian blue. In short, the blood, fat, marrow,
hide, hair, horns, hoof, milk, cream, butter, cheese,
whey, liver, gall, spleen, and bones, have each their
particular use in manufactures, commerce, and me-
dicine.

If the value of these presents is any way dimi-
nished, it is because we daily receive them, and
think no more of them ; they are depreciated by
the easiness of obtaining them : but, in reality, this
is a circumstance which enhances their merit. A

VOL. i.

c

18

OX.

liberality which knows no interruption, and is daily
repeated, is ever worthy of new returns of grati-
tude ; and the least we can do when we receive a
benefit, is to vouchsafe an acknowledgment to the
donor.

The belief in a transmigration of souls is so
strongly impressed on the mind of the simple Gen-
too, that he would not on any account destroy a
bull or a cow, lest he should at the same time in-
jure one of his fellow-creatures. This is alleged by
Grose as a cause for their forbearance ; yet it seems
principally to proceed from their gratitude to these
animals, for providing them with their four greatest
luxuries ; their milk, their cream, their butter, and
their cheese.

I

BUFFALO.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Bos Bubalus. B. cornibus resupinatis intortis, antice planis.

Syst. Nat. Linn. ed. Gmel. 1 . p. 20(5.

Horns straight to a great length from the base,
then bending upwards ; flat on the forepart.
Bos indicus. Plin. Hist. Nat. viii. c. 45.
Buffle. Kolle. Desc. du Cap de Bonne Esp.
t. 3. p. 25. pi. at p. 54. fig. 3.

Buffalo. . . Sm. Buff. v. 6. p. 150. pi. 170. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. ed. 3. v. 1. p. 2S. Bew. Quadr. p. 43.
Shaw Gen. Zool. 1. p. 401.

Buffaloes are natives of the southern regions of
Asia and Africa, and in size give place only to the
elephant, the rhinoceros, and the hippopotamus.
The Cape variety of this animal ( Bos Coffer Linn.)
is a very strong and fierce creature. His frame is
remarkably muscular; and although not taller than
a common-sized ox, the African buffalo is at least
twice his bulk. The horns at the base are each
twelve or thirteen inches broad, and are separated
only by a narrow channel, which fills up with age,
and gives to the animal a forehead completely co-
vered with a rugged mass of horn as hard as rock.
From the base they diverge downwards, and are in-

c 2

20

BUFFALO.

curved towards the points, which are generally
distant from each other about three feet. Mr. Bar-
row informs us, that the fibres of its muscles are
like so many bundles of cords ; and they are covered
with a hide little inferior in strength and thickness
to that of the rhinoceros.

The peasantry prefer this hide to the skin of all
other animals for cutting into thongs, to be used as
traces and harness for their carts and waggons. The
flesh is too coarse-grained to be good; yet the
farmers generally salt it as food for their Hottentots.
A singular circumstance is mentioned by Mr. Bar-
row respecting this kind of buffalo. He says that
the teeth are always so perfectly loose in their
sockets as to rattle and shake in the head.

Buffaloes are domesticated in India and in Italy,
but it seems that no attempts have been made by
the Dutch to render them useful in Africa. “ Any
other nation,” says Barrow, “ possessing the Cape
for one hundred and fifty years, would certainly
have effected it.” Though the buffalo and the ox
are very similar, and, where domesticated, not only
live under the same roof, and enjoy the same liberty,
but feed in the same pastures ; yet we are assured
they will never intermix ; that cows will refuse to
suckle young buffaloes, and that female buffaloes
will refuse to suckle calves. A mutual antipathy
seems to have been planted in them by nature. The
habits of this animal are gross and brutal, and he is
said to be the dirtiest of all creatures except the
hog. Fond of wallowing in the mud, the buffalo

BUFFALO.

21

seldom passes an opportunity of indulging himself ;
and even in India, where he is domesticated, the
drivers are in continual fear, when he crosses a river,
that he will he down with his load.

The violent and impetuous disposition of the buf-
falo is such, that the inhabitants are exceedingly
afraid of him, and, unless numerous, seldom dare to
attack him openly : he is no sooner wounded, than
he becomes the most furious and formidable animal
that can be imagined ; nothing stops his career till
he overtakes the object of his revenge ; when, not
content with the death of the unfortunate person,
he will return to the slaughtered body, stand over it
for a time, trample on it, crush it with his knees,
and deliberately mangle the remains with his
horns and teeth. This sort of insult the buffalo
will repeat at certain intervals, till the corpse is
completely disfigured, and he has nearly stript off
the skin with his tongue. He frequents the bor-
ders of woods ; and as his sight is not very good,
he remains there with his head placed near the
ground, that he may be enabled to distinguish ob-
jects among the roots of the trees. Whenever he
perceives any disagreeable object near him, even a
piece of red cloth (for which he has a singular
aversion), he darts suddenly upon it, bellowing
hideously at the same time with a tone much deeper
and stronger than that of the bull. A large herd of
wild buffaloes grazing together on a plain in the in-
terior of Africa, presented to Dr. Thunberg a very
terrific spectacle. He and his companions, when

22

BUFFALO.

they had got a little way into a wood, perceived a.
herd, which appeared to consist of about five or six
hundred large beasts, grazing in a plain that was
skirted by the wood. The animals, intent upon
their food, did not perceive the party till they ar-
rived within three hundred paces ; when the whole
herd lifted up their heads, and viewed them with
attention. We should naturally suppose that a
sight so truly terrific as this must have been, was
sufficient to appall the stoutest heart : nevertheless,
as they were apprised of the nature of these ani-
mals, and how reluctantly they attack any one in
the open plains, they did not seem to dread either
their strength or number; but, not to frighten them,
stood still, till they again stooped down to feed.
Three of the party were Europeans, and as many
Hottentots, trained to shooting, and provided with
muskets, besides others who only carried javelins.
Armed in this manner, with a determined air, they
marched within forty paces of the buffaloes, who
now began to look up again with a brisk and un-
daunted mien. They then judged it proper to dis-
charge their muskets at once amongst them : and
the effect was instantaneous ; for the whole of them,
intrepid as they appeared, surprised by the sudden
flash and report, immediately made for the woods,
leaving those that were wounded to follow as well as
they could. “ Amongst these,” says our traveller,
(i was an old bull buffalo, who came close to the
side where we stood, and obliged us to take to our
heels and fly before him.” He however passed on

BUFFALO.

23

one side, and proceeded towards the wood, but did
not reach it before he fell. Dr. Thunberg describes
this beast as having an extremely thick body, with
short legs. He was of a dark gray colour, and al-
most destitute of hairs, which on the young animal
are black. This and a female were the only two
they killed with their muskets.

It appears that to meet a single buffalo is much
more dangerous than to face a herd. Dr. Thunberg,
having left his Hottentots and baggage behind him,
crossed the Koukuma rive r with a guide and his
sergeant, intending to pass through a thicket to a
farm, which they discovered on the other side. But
they had not gone far into the wood before they
met with a large male buffalo, lying down alone in
a spot that was free from bushes for the space of a
few yards. As soon as he discovered the guide, who
went first, he rushed upon him ; but the man turn-
ing his horse behind a great tree avoided the beast,
and got out of his sight. The sergeant, however,
was not so fortunate, his horse being killed by the
animal ; though he escaped into a tree, where he
was followed by the guide, who to save himself had
left his horse to the mercy of the buffalo. The
Professor, unconscious of what had happened, was
collecting plants at a distance behind his com-
panions. Just as the furious animal was mangling
the second horse he came up to the opening,
where the wood was so thick that he had neither
room to turn his horse round nor to get on one
side ; he was therefore obliged to abandon him to

24

BUFFALO.

his fate, and take refuge in the branches of a tree.
The buffalo, however, seemed satisfied with the
mischief he had already done, and, leaving the other
horse untouched, suddenly turned round and gal-
loped off.

Dr. Sparrman, accompanied by some other gen-
tlemen, attacked one of these ferocious creatures,
which was preparing to make towards them from
behind a bush. He fell, however, the moment they
discharged their guns, but got upon his legs again,
and ran down into the thickest part of the wood.
Induced from this circumstance to suppose his
wound mortal, they had the imprudence to follow
him into the close thickets, through which they
fortunately could not penetrate, and therefore re-
tired to a rising ground to rest themselves. Soon
afterwards, the buffalo, who only proved to be
slightly wounded, came to the skirts of the wood
opposite the gentlemen, and was making towards
them; when a shot entered his belly, and forced the
animal again to retire, dyeing the ground and bushes
all the way he went with his blood. The party
then advanced with the greatest caution, attended
by their Hottentots, through the thin and more
pervious part of the wood, where the buffalo had
taken shelter. The furious animal had still strength
enough left to renew the attack, and would have
probably sacrificed some of them to his revenge,
had he not received a shot in the lungs, which
proved mortal. cc During his fall, and before he
died,” says the doctor, “ he bellowed in a most

BUFFALO.

25

stupendous manner; and this death song of his
filled us all with no small degree of joy, on account
of the victory we had gained : and so thoroughly is
the human heart sometimes steeled to the sufferings
of the brute creation, that we hastened forwards,
in order to have the pleasure of seeing the buffalo
struggle with the pangs of death. I chanced to be
first at the spot ; but think it impossible ever to be-
hold anguish, accompanied by a savage fierceness,
painted in stronger colours than they were in the
countenance of this buffalo. I was within ten steps
of him, when he perceived me, and, bellowing, raised
himself suddenly again on his hind legs. I had
since reason to believe that I was at the time very
much frightened ; for, before I could well take my
aim, I fired off my gun, and the shot missed the
whole of his huge body, and only hit him in the
hind legs, as we afterwards discovered by the size
of the ball. Immediately upon this I ran away like
lightning, in order to look out for some tree to climb
up into: but my apprehensions were groundless; he
was too much exhausted to pursue me, and died
soon after.”

In Caffraria, when several buffaloes are seen to-
gether, and it is intended to hunt them, the man
who discovers the place where they are, blows a
pipe made of the thigh-bone of a sheep, which is
heard at a great distance, and immediately obeyed
by the surrounding inhabitants ; who, armed w ith
their javelins, assemble together, and attack the

26

BUFFALO;

beasts. But it sometimes happens, that while the
buffaloes are running off, one of the hunters is tossed
and killed ; which accident, it seems, is not much
regarded by the people of Caffraria. Dr. Thunberg
assures us, that where there are not more than eight
or twelve buffaloes, the inhabitants are so dexterous
that they rarely suffer one of them to escape.

We shall conclude the natural history of this
ferocious animal with the following account of a
buffalo hunt; where Mr. Bruce’s friend Ammonios
makes such a conspicuous figure, that we cannot
help digressing half a page to introduce him to our
readers :

a Ammonios was a man of approved courage and
conduct, who had been in all the wars of Ras
Michael, and was placed about Ayto Confu, to lead
the troops, curb the presumption, and check the im-
petuosity of that youthful warrior. He was tall,
and awkwardly made ; slow in speech and motion,
so much as even to excite ridicule ; about sixty
years of age, and more corpulent than the Abyssi-
nians usually are ; in a word, as pedantic and grave
in his manner as it is possible to express. He spent
his whole leisure time in reading the scriptures, nor
did he willingly discourse of any thing else. He
had been bred a foot-soldier ; and though he rode
as well as many of the Abyssinians, yet, having long
stirrup-leathers, with iron rings at the end of them,
into which he put his naked toe only, he had no
strength or agility on horseback, nor was his bridle

BUFFALO.

2?_

such as could command his horse to stop, or wind
and turn sharply among trees, though he might
make a tolerable figure on a plain.”

The hunt is introduced by the appearance of a
wild boar, who escapes, after having wounded a
horse and a man belonging to Ayto Confu. Two
buffaloes, who were found by some of the party,
were not so fortunate ; it appears they were both
destroyed. “ And all this,” continues Mr. Bruce,
“ was in little more than an hour, when our sport
seemed to be at the best ; our horses were con-
siderably blown, not tired ; and though we were
beating homewards, still we were looking very
keenly for more game. Ammonios was on the left
among the bushes, and some large, beautiful, tall,
spreading trees, close on the banks of the river
Bedowi, which stands there in pools. Whether the
buffalo found Ammonios, or Ammonios the buffalo,
is what we could never get him to explain to us ;
but he had wounded the beast slightly on the but-
tock, which, in return, had gored his horse, and
thrown both him and it to the ground. Luckily,
however, his cloak had fallen off, which the buf-
falo tore to pieces, and employed himself for a
minute with that and with the horse, but then left
them, and followed the man as soon as he saw him
rise and run, Ammonios got behind one large tree,
and from that to another still larger. The buffalo
turned very awkwardly, but kept close in pursuit ;
and there is no doubt he would have worn our
friend out, who was not used to such quick motion.

28

BUFFALO.

" The unfortunate Ammonios had been driven
from tree to tree, till he had got behind one within
a few yards of the water ; but the brushwood upon
the banks, and his attention to the buffalo, hin-
dered him from seeing how far it was below him.
Nothing could be more ridiculous than to see him
holding the tree with both his hands, peeping first
one way, and then another, to see by which the
beast would turn. And well he might be on his
guard ; for the animal was absolutely mad, tossing
up the ground with his feet both before and be-
hind. c Sir,’ said I to Ayto Confu, f this will be
but an ugly joke to-night, if we bring home that
man’s corpse, killed in the very midst of us, while
wc were looking on.’ Saying this, I parted at a
canter behind the trees, crying to Ammonios to
throw himself into the water, when I would strike
the beast ; and, seeing the buffalo's head turned
from me, at full speed I ran the spear into the lower
part of his belly, through his whole intestines, till
it came out above a foot on the other side; and there
I left it, with a view to hinder the buffalo from
turning. It was a spear, which, though small in
the head, had a strong, tough, seasoned shaft, which
did not break by striking it against the trees and
bushes ; and it pained and impeded the animal’s
motions, till Ammonios, quitting the tree, dashed
through the bushes with some difficulty, and threw
himself into the river. But here a danger occurred
that I had not foreseen. The pool was very deep,
and Ammonios could not swim ; so that, though he

BUFFALO.

29

escaped from the buffalo, he would infallibly have
been drowned, had he not caught hold of some
strong roots of a tree shooting out of a bank ; and
there he lay in perfect safety from the enemy, till
our servants went round, and brought him out of the
pool on the further side.

£t In the mean time, the buffalo, mortally wounded,
seeing his enemy had escaped, kept his eyes intent
upon us, who were about forty yards from him,
walking backwards to us, with intent to turn sud-
denly upon the nearest horse ; when Ayto Confu
ordered two men with guns to shoot him through
the head, and he instantly fell. The two we first
killed were females ; this last was a bull, and one of
the largest, confessedly, that had ever been seen.
Though not fat, I guess that he weighed nearer fifty
than forty stone. His horns, from the root, follow-
ing the line of their curve, were about fifty-two
inches, and nearly nine where thickest in circum-
ference. They were flat, not round. Ayto Confu
ordered the head to be cut off, and cleared of its
flesh, so that the horns and skeleton of the head only
remained : this he hung up in his great hall among
the probosces of elephants, and horns of rhinoceroses,
with this inscription in his own language : c Yagoube ,
the Kipt, killed this upon the Bedowid ”

Our figure was done from a fine portrait of a
wild buffalo, drawn by Mr. S. Daniell during his
travels in Africa.

WILD SHEEP.

f

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Horns twisted spirally and pointing outwards.

Eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw, none in the upper.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Ovis Ammon. O. cornibus arcuatis semicircularibus subtus pla-
niusculis, palearibus laxis pilosis. Linn. Syst .
Nat. Gmel. 1 . p. 200.

With arched semicircular horns, flat beneath $
the dewlaps loose and hairy.

Capra orientalis. Cornibus supra rotundatis,
infra pi an is, semicirculum referentibus. Briss.
Regn. An. p. J\. n. 12.

Musmon. Gesn. Quad. p. Q34.

Ovis fera sibirica, vulgo Argali. Pall. Spic.
Zool. 11. p. 3. pi. 1, 2.

Wild Sheep. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 1. p.44. Arct. Zool.l. p. 12.

Shaw Gen. Zool. 2. p. 379. ph 201. Bew.
Quadr. p. 64. Muflon. Sm. Buff. Q. p.205.
pi. 1/2.

The wild sheep, or argali, as it is named by the
Kirgisian Tartars, is the primitive stock from whence
the different kinds of domestic sheep have sprung.
It is an inhabitant of the alpine regions of Siberia,
and of the mountainous parts of Kamtschatka, where

WILD SHEEP.

31

its attachment to the heights has obtained it the
name of the Upper Rein Deer.

There is a singular difference between this kind
and the domestic sheep; the body of the argali
being covered with hair instead of wool; which, un-
der the throat, is considerably longer than on other
parts. The length of the coat varies according to
the season. In summer it is short and smooth, like
that of a stag ; but in winter, when the severity of
the weather calls for warmer clothing, the hair be-
comes much thicker, and conceals a fine, white,
woolly down. The horns of these animals grow to
an amazing size, having been sometimes found to
weigh fifteen pounds a-piece, and to measure two
Russian yards in length. Father Rubruquis says
that he has met with them too large to be lifted to-
gether, with one hand, without great difficulty, and
that large drinking-cups are made of them by the
Tartars.

These animals are generally found on the tops
of craggy rocks, or near the summits of the highest
mountains, where there is but little wood to in-
tercept the rays of the sun. Here they collect in
small flocks, and dwell together in apparent se-
curity : but even on these almost inaccessible heights
they are not left unmolested ; for the hardy in-
habitants of the northern regions, whose ardour for
the chase stimulates them to surmount every dif-
ficulty, will frequently risk their lives in the pur-
suit of them. The Ramtschatkans, indeed, have a
very reasonable excuse to allege for the danger they

32

WILD SHEEP.

incur, since the flesh of the wild sheep affords them
a wholesome and nourishing food, while the skin
serves them for a warm winter clothing. To ob-
tain these essential necessaries of life, there is no
labour which the Kamtschatkans will not undergo :
they abandon their habitations with all their family
in the spring, and continue the whole summer in
the employ, amidst the rude mountains ; fearless of
the dreadful precipices, or of the overwhelming
masses of snow, which rolling from the heights, and
collecting as they fall, sometimes bury the sports-
man and his family in one common ruin.

As soon as these creatures perceive a man, they
ascend to the highest ground they can find ; and to
accomplish their purpose they will tread the nar-
rowest paths, over the most dangerous places, with
surprising agility. To follow them, as we have al-
ready observed, is both dangerous and difficult, and
to approach near enough to shoot them requires the
utmost stratagem. The rams are very quarrelsome
animals, and fight with great fury. In these com-
bats it frequently happens that one of them is pushed
down a precipice, and sometimes both fall together
entangled by the horns : in this state their remains
are often found at the bottom ; a convincing proof
of their fatal quarrels.

The argali produce their young about the middle
of March ; and when the lambs are first born they
are covered with a soft, gray, curling fleece, which
as the season advances gradually changes, and be-
comes hair by the end of autumn. As the winter

Wild sheep.

33

approaches they descend with their young to feed
on the grass, and such other vegetables as they can
meet with : but their greatest luxury is salt ; and
whenever they can meet with a spot impregnated
with this mineral they constantly leave the marks
of their tongues ; from whence such spots are called
licking-places. The natives take advantage of this
favourite propensity, and place pit-falls in the paths
which lead to these spots, in which the unsuspect-
ing animals are frequently caught. Other animals
are equally fond of this relish, as we have noticed in
the deer, who have their licking-places in America,
to which they resort in large herds.

The rams among the wild sheep are said to be so
strong that ten men can scarcely hold one. The
young are easily tamed ; and it is supposed that the
first trial gave rise, among a gentle race of mankind,
to the domesticating these most useful of quadru-
peds ; which, says Mr. Pennant, the rude Kamts-
chatkans to this moment consider only as objects of
the chase, while every other part of the world enjoy
their various benefits, reclaimed from a state of na-
ture.

VOL. I.

D

WILD GOAT.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Horns rough, compressed, and bent backwards.

Eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw ; none in the upper.
Chin, in the male, bearded.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Capra Ibex. C. cornibus supra nodosis in dorsum reclinatis, gukt
barbata. Linn, Syst, Nat. Gmel. 1. p.ig6.

Horns knobbed on their upper surfaces, and re-
clined backwards j throat bearded.

Capra cornibus lunatis rotundatis, supra rotundatis
in dorsum reclinatis. Erxl. Mamm. p. 261.
n. 2.

Ibex alpium sibiricarum. Pallas. Spic. Zool. xi.
p. 31. pi. 3. et 5. fig. 4.

Steinbock. Gesn.

Wild Goat. Sm. Buff. v. 6. p. 363. pi. 190, 191. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. v. 1. p.55. Beta. Quadr. p. ^0. Shaw
Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 198.

All the earth is replenished with inhabitants, and
each hath its particular situation allotted it. All,
again, differ in their nature and manner of life, yet
each is best calculated for the place consigned it by
Providence. The wild and rugged Alps, whose

WILD GOAT.

35

tops are for ever hid in snow, and whose sides af-
ford but a scanty herbage, seem badly calculated for
the support of animal life ; yet, as the Almighty al-
ways adapts the manners of his creatures to their
means, the wild goat, who is destined to live in the
mountains, finds them clothed with a sufficiency to
satisfy his wants.

The country of the Grisons, the Carpathian and
Pyrenean mountains, and the Rhaetian Alps, give
birth to abundance of goats, which are excessively
wild, and frequently bound from rock to rock, or
fling themselves down the steepest precipices, and yet
escape unhurt. The object of our present attention
is said by M. Buffon to be the stock from whence
our domestic goat is descended, as it strongly re-
sembles that animal in the shape of its body, though
it differs considerably in the size of its horns, which
are much larger. They are bent backwards, and
full of knots ; and it is asserted that the creature
adds one to the number every year of its life. The
ibex has a small head, adorned with a dusky beard;
his coat is thick and warm : it is of a brown colour,
with a black streak running along the top of the
back. The belly, and back of the thighs, are of a
tawny white : a thick and strong body, with mus-
cular legs and very short hoofs, completes the figure
of the animal. The females differ in being less than
the males, in having shorter horns, and but few knobs
on the upper surface.

Wild goats assemble in small flocks seldom ex-
ceeding fifteen in number : as soon as the sun rises,

36

WILD GOAT.

they quit the woods, where they shelter themselves
in the night, and slowly ascend to the highest parts
of the mountains, feeding as they proceed. In the
evening they again descend towards the woods, and
take up their usual residence for the night.

In the months of August and September, the in-
habitants who live amongst the mountains prepare
to hunt the ibex ; for the chase of these animals re-
quires so good a head to bear the tremendous heights
to which the hunters must ascend, and so much
strength, vigour, and activity, that none but those
who are used to an alpine country will dare to at-
tempt it. The hunters generally go two or three
together, armed with rifle-barrelled guns, and fur-
nished with a small bag of provision ; they erect a
miserable hut of turf among the heights, where
they frequently pass the night without fire or co-
vering, and sometimes, on waking in the morning,
find the entrance blocked up with snow three or
four feet deep : when during the chase they are over-
taken by darkness amid crags and precipices, they
are obliged to pass the whole night standing, and
clinging together, in order to support each other
and prevent themselves from sleeping. This de-
scription does not seem calculated to place the chase
of these animals in a very enviable light ; yet Mr.
Coxe, in his travels through Switzerland, had one of
these people for a guide, who expatiated with great
enthusiasm on the profession of a chasseur !

Another animal of similar habits, and living in
the same places, though of a different species, is

WILD GOAT.

37

the chamois. Linnaeus has placed this creature
among -the antelopes ; but as its resemblance to the
goat was sufficient to induce the Count de Buffon to
describe them both under one head, we shall take
the liberty to do the same.

The chamois is about the size of the domestic
goat, and, though a wild animal, is very docile, and
easily tamed. The horns of the chamois are slen-
der, black, upright, and hooked at the end : be-
hind each there is a large orifice in the skin : the
forehead is brown ; the cheeks, chin, and throat
white ; the rest of the body brown, except the belly,
which is yellowish. The hair is long, the tail short,
and the hoofs like those of the goat.

The chamois are found in great plenty in the
mountains of Dauphiny, Piedmont, Savoy, Switzer-
land, and Germany. They usually go out in herds
of twenty or thirty, and are seen feeding upon the
crags of the mountains, with generally one of them
posted as a sentinel upon an adjacent height, who
is relieved at short intervals by another. The sen-
tinel looks around with great solicitude, and on the
least suspicion of danger alarms the herd, and the
whole of them instantly decamp.

The chamois has scarcely any cry, unless it is a
kind of feeble bleat, by which the parent calls his
young. But in cases of danger, and when it is to
warn the rest of the flock, he uses a hissing noise
which is heard at a great distance. It is observed
that this animal is extremely vigilant ; has an ex-
ceedingly quick and piercing eye, and has the sense

38

WILD GOAT.

of smelling in the highest perfection. When the
chamois is surprised by a person, he stops for a mo-
ment, but immediately afterwards flies off, and is
presently out of sight. Such is the timidity of this
creature that he is constantly on the watch, and
upon the least alarm begins his hissing note with
such force that the rocks and forests, re-echo to the
sound. The first hiss continues as long as one in-
spiration. In the beginning it is very sharp, and
deeper towards the close. The animal having, after
the first alarm, reposed a moment, again looks round,
and, perceiving the reality of his fears, continues
to hiss by intervals, until he has spread the alarm
to a very great distance. During this time he
seems in the most violent agitation ; he strikes the
ground with one of his fore feet, and sometimes
with both : he bounds from rock to rock ; he turns
and looks around, then runs to the edge of the pre-
cipice, and, if he still perceives the enemy, flies
with all his speed. The hissing of the male is
much louder and sharper than that of the female ;
it is performed through the nose ; and is nothing
more than a very strong breath driven violently
through a small aperture.

The chamois is choice in his food, picking the
most delicate parts of the herbage, and regaling
upon the aromatic plants which are found upon the
sides of the mountains. He drinks moderately, and
chews the cud in the intervals of feeding. These
animals are so much incommoded by heat, that in
the summer they frequent the caverns of rocks, or

WILD GOAT.

39

retire amidst fragments of unmelted ice, under the
shade of high and spreading trees, or of rough and
hanging precipices, that face to the north, and which
defend them completely from the rays of the sun.
They run along the rocks with such ease, and leap
from one to the other with such agility, that no
dogs can possibly follow them. They climb and
descend precipices that are inaccessible to all other
quadrupeds; and it is really astonishing to see them
descend to a distance in an oblique direction, then
fling themselves down a rock of twenty feet, and
light with great security upon some excrescence,
or fragment, on the side of the precipice, which
is just large enough to place their feet upon. In
their descent they are observed to strike the rock
three or four times with their feet, to stop the ve-
locity of their motion ; and when they have got
upon the base below, they at once seem fixed and
secure. Their legs are well calculated for this ar-
duous employment, the hinder being rather the
longest, and bending in such a manner that when
they descend upon them they break the force of
the fall. During the rigours of winter the chamois
retire into the forests, and feed upon the shrubs and
the buds of the pine-tree. They are likewise very
fond of the rein-deer lichen, ( lichen rangiferinus
Linn.) which is found in such great quantities as in
many places to cover the summits and sides of the
mountains. In order to procure their favourite
food, they, like the rein-deer, clear away the snow

40

WILD GOAT.

with their fore feet, frequently thawing it with
their breath for the purpose of loosening it more
easily.

The hunting of the chamois is both laborious and
difficult. The common way is to hide behind the
clefts of the rocks and shoot them. This however
must be done with great precaution ; the sportsman
must creep for a considerable way upon his belly,
in silence, and be very particular with regard to the
wind, which should not blow from him, lest they
should detect the hunter by the smell. When he
arrives at a proper distance, he advances his rifle-
barrelled piece, loaded with a single ball, and tries
his fortune among them. The chamois are occa-
sionally pursued, by placing proper persons at all
the passages of a valley, and then sending in others
to rouse them. We are assured that dogs are ra-
ther prejudicial than useful in this chase, as they
only serve to alarm the game without being able to
overtake it. This employment is not without dan-
ger even to the men ; for it sometimes happens,
that the animal, when he finds himself overpressed,
will drive at the hunter with his head, and tumble
him down the neighbouring precipice.

A chasseur will kill from six to fifteen chamois
in a year: with the flesh, which is very delicate,
he helps to support his family, and disposes of each
skin for a guinea. In this manner, even in the
wildest solitudes, the poor have their comforts ; and
in these mountainous retreats, where the landscape

WILD GOAT.

41

presents only a scene of rocks, heaths, and shrubs,
that speak the wretchedness of the soil, these sim-
ple people are contented to pass their days : they
are furnished with all the necessaries of life, while
their remote situation happily keeps them ignorant
of greater luxury.

GIRAFFE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Homs short, erect, truncated at the top, and terminated
with a tuft of black hair.

Eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw ; the two outermost
deeply bilobated.

No teeth in the upper jaw.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Camelopardalis Giraffa. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1, p. 181.

CeRVUS CAMELOPARDALIS. C. COP-

nibus simplicibus, pedibus anticis
longissimis. Linn. Syst. Nat.
ed. xii. p. 92.

Horns simple : fore legs, including
the shoulders, very long.

Giraffe Sm. Buff. vol. 7. P- 109. pb 214.

Penn. Hist. Quadr. v. 1. p. 65.
pi. 11. Be iv. Quadr. p. 106.
Shaw Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 181, 182.

This astonishing creature forms a genus of itself,
and is not to be equalled in height by any animal
in the world. He so far overtops every other
quadruped, that we are almost ready to believe
Goldsmith, when he says “ that a man on horse-

GIRAFFE.

43

back could with ease ride under his belly without
stooping.” The giraffe measures seventeen feet
from the crown of the head to the soles of the fore
feet ; though he falls so abruptly from the shoulders,
that from the top of the rump to the bottom of
the hind feet he only measures nine. This is not
owing to any real difference in the length of the
legs, but to the vast length of the shoulders, which
gives the disproportionate height between the fore
and hind parts. On the highest part of the head
are situated two straight horns about six inches
long, tufted at the top. Besides these horns, says
the Count de Buffon, which are found on the head
of the female giraffe, as well as on that of the male,
there is, at almost an equal distance between the
nostrils and eyes, a remarkable excrescence, which
seems to be a bone covered with a soft skin, and
garnished with smooth hair. This osseous excrescence
is more than three inches long, and is much inclined
towards the front, or makes a very acute angle with
the bone of the nose. The colour of this animal’s
robe is a bright shining yellow, and the spots are, in
general, rhomboidal.

The Count thinks it extremely probable, from
the inspection of these horns, which are solid, and
resemble in substance the horns of the stag, that
the giraffe may be ranked in the same genus. Of
this there could not remain a doubt, if we were cer-
tain that he shed his horns annually. But it is
now unquestionable that he ought to be separated

44

GIRAFFE.

from the ox kind, and other quadrupeds whose
horns are hollow. Meanwhile we shall consider
this large and beautiful animal as constituting a par-
ticular and solitary genus, which corresponds very
well with the other facts in Nature, who, in volumi-
nous species, never doubles her productions. The
elephant, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, and per-
haps the giraffe, are animals forming particular
genera, or solitary species, which have no collaterals.
This is a privilege which seems to be conferred
solely on animals that greatly surpass all others in
magnitude.

Buffon received the following description of this
very singular quadruped from a friend in Holland :

“ Africa produces no animal more beautiful or
more curious than the giraffe. From the point of
the nose to the tail, he is twenty-five feet long. He
has received the name of camelopard, because he
somewhat resembles the camel in the figure of his
head, the length of his neck, &c., and because his
robe is variegated with irregular spots, like that of
the leopard. He is found at twenty-four leagues
from the Cape of Good Hope, and is still more fre-
quent at greater distances. The teeth of this ani-
mal are similar to those of the stag. His horns are
a foot long : they are straight as a man’s arm, gar-
nished with hair, and seem to he truncated at their
extremities. The neck constitutes at least one-
half of the length of the animal, which in figure
pretty much resembles that of a horse. The tail

GIRAFFE.

45

would also be pretty similar, if it were equally fur-
nished with hair as that of the horse. The legs
are like those of the stag ; the feet are garnished
with very black, obtuse, and widely separated hoofs.
When the animal leaps, he first raises the two fore
feet, and then those behind, as a horse would do
who had his two fore feet tied together. He runs
slowly, and with a bad grace ; he may be easily
overtaken in the chase. He carries his head always
high, and feeds on the leaves of trees only, being
unable to pasture on the ground, on account of his
great height. When he drinks he is obliged to
rest on his knees. The females are generally of a
bright yellow colour, and the males of a brownish
yellow. Some of them are nearly white, with brown
or black spots.”

All that we at present know of the manners of
the giraffe, independent of what has already been
mentioned, is, that he is very timid ; that of trees,
he prefers the mimosa and wild apricot to all others ;
that, from the length of his fore legs, he cannot
graze without dividing them to a great distance ;
that he is perfectly gentle, and kneels like a camel
when he would lie down. Mr. Pennant says, he
saw the skin of a young one at Leyden, well stuffed
and preserved ; otherwise he might possibly have
entertained doubts in respect to the existence of so
extraordinary a quadruped.

That the giraffe was known to the Romans, in
very early times, appears from the famous Prenes-

GIRAFFE.

tine pavement, in which it is clearly represented,
and not only so, but two of these animals together,
one in the attitude of grazing, the other browsing.
This antient subject gives a very tolerable figure
of the animal, and was long the chief evidence of
its existence.

DEER

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Horns solid, branched; fall off and are renewed annually.
Eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw; none in the upper.

ELK.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Cervus Alces. C. cornibus acaulibus palmatis, caruncula gut-
turali. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 1/5.
Horns with short beams,, spreading into large
and broad palms : a tufted excrescence at the
throat.

Cervus cornibus ab imo ad summum palmatis.

Bris. Regn. Anim. p. 93. n. 9.

Orignal. Charley. Nouv. Franc. 3. p. 126.
Elk. . . . Sm. Buff. v. 6. p. 315. pi. 188. Penn. Hist .

Quadr. v. 1. p. 105. pi. 17. Bew. Quadr.
p, 108. Shaw Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 174 — 175.
Moose. Penn. Arct. Zool. v. 1. p. 17. pi. 8.

The American Indians have many strange opi-
nions relating to the elk. They universally believe
him subject to the epilepsy, and that he cures it by
scratching his ear with his hind hoof till he draws
blood. In consequence of this particular and pow-

48

ELK.

erful virtue in the hoof* it has been celebrated by1
them as a remedy in the falling sickness. The
patient is directed to apply it to his heart, holding
it at the same time in his left hand, and to con-
clude the ceremony with it by imitating the elk.
They likewise pulverize the hoof and drink it in
water, for the cure of the colic, pleurisy, vertigo,
and purple fever. They believe him to be a beast
of good omen, and that those who dream often of
the elk may flatter themselves with long life.

The elk and the moose-deer is the same animal,
only known by the former name in Europe, and by
the latter in America.

The elk is provided with amazing horns ; the
largest Mr. Pennant ever saw weighed fifty-six
pounds, the length thirty-two inches ; they mea-
sured between tip and tip thirty-four inches, and
the breadth of the palm was thirteen and a half.
This palmated part is frequently excavated by the
savages, and converted into ladles which will hold
a pint. The brow antlers are wanting. The nos-
trils are large, the eyes small, and the ears long and
slouching like an ass’s. A remarkable deep fur-
row appears in the middle of the upper lip, which
hangs far over the lower one. Along the top of the
neck runs a short, thick, upright mane, of a light
brown colour. The hind legs are the longest, the
hoofs much cloven, the tail short, and the body
compact, and of a dark brown colour. The greatest
height of the elk is about seventeen hands, and it
has been known to weigh 1229 pounds.

ELK. 49

These animals have such short necks and such
long legs, that they cannot graze with any degree
of comfort, and therefore generally reside amidst
forests, for the purpose of browsing the boughs of
trees. They feed likewise upon water plants, which
their long legs enable them very readily to get at.
They are very fond of the anagyris foelida, or stink-
ing bean trefoil, and will remove the snow to a con-
siderable depth, with their feet, on purpose to ob-
tain it. They are said to feed principally in the
night; and for the reason just mentioned, they al-
ways, when they graze, choose an ascent. From
the appearance of the stuffed specimen preserved in
the Leverian Museum, we conclude that they are
able to run with great swiftness, and would pro-
bably far outstrip the hunters, if they were not pur-
sued in the winter when the ground is covered with
snow to the depth of three or four feet. This is the
season in which the American Indians prepare to
hunt the moose-deer ; and they choose a time when
the sun begins to melt the surface of the snow,
which freezes again at night into an icy crust, by
far too weak to support the weight of the animal,
who sinks and plunges at every step he takes : be-
sides this impediment, which alone is sufficient to
prevent his escape, he has to break his way through
the forests, where the pine branches obstruct his
flight by entangling his lofty horns, and his track
may be very readily traced by the many scattered
fragments which are left behind him. In this man-
ner the chase is continued ; and notwithstanding
VOL. 1. E

50

ELK.

these obstacles, it has been sometimes known to
last for two or three days together before the beast
is captured. The Indian, to prevent his sinking in
the snow, provides himself with broad snow-shoes ;
and with these he goes steadily on till the fatigued
animal suffers him to get near enough to dart his
lance, which he does with a dexterity that seldom
fails to effect his purpose : the poor wounded deer,
thus excited to redouble his exertions, leaves his
pursuer at a distance, till, his strength failing, he is
obliged again to expose himself to the dart of the
hunter, and again attempts to escape. Tired at
length and completely spent with the loss of blood,
he is compelled to submit to a fate, which nothing
but stratagem on the part of his adversary could ever
enable him to effect.

Mr. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, has men-
tioned different ways of hunting these animals,
extracted from Charlevoix. The first and most
simple is before the lakes or rivers are frozen ;
when a great number of Indians assemble in their
canoes, and form with them an extensive crescent,
each horn touching the shore. Another party per-
form their share of the chase in the woods; where
they surround an extensive tract, and, having un-
loosed their dogs, press towards the water with
loud cries. The timid creatures, terrified at the
noise, fly before the hunters, and plunge into the
lake; where they are killed by the people in the
canoes.

The other method is thus described: “ The savages

ELK.

51

enclose a large space with stakes, hedged with
branches of trees, forming two sides of a triangle :
the bottom opens into a second enclosure com-
pletely triangular. At the opening are hung num-
bers of snares made of slips of raw hides. The
Indians, as before, assemble in great troops, and
with ail kinds of noises drive into the first enclo-
sure not only the mooses, but the other species of
deer which abound in that country : some, in forcing
their way into the furthest triangle, are caught in
the snares by the neck or horns; and those which
escape the snares, and pass the little opening, find
their fate from the arrows of the hunters, directed
at them from all quarters.”

The flesh of the elk is very much esteemed, and
said to be far more nourishing than any other animal
food. The tongue is in high request, but not equal
to the nose, which is like marrow, and reckoned a
dainty morsel in all Canada.

The Indians are so superstitious as to believe
that there is an elk of an enormous size, which can
wade with ease through eight feet depth of snow.
This phantom is invulnerable, and has an arm grow-
ing out of its shoulder, which answers all the pur-
poses of the human. It likewise has a court of other
elks, who at all times perform suit and service, ac-
cording to his royal will.

The hide of the elk is dressed by the Indians ;
and after it has been soaked and stretched, they
supple it with a lather made of the brains in hot

E 2

52

ELK.

water. Their snow-shoes are made of the skin, and
they are said even to form canoes of it, by sewing
it neatly together, and covering the seams with an
unctuous earth. In these slight vessels will the
fearless savages embark, and return home, after a
chase, laden with their spoils.

The elk if taken young may be esily tamed,
and will become attached to its master. M. d’Ob-
sonville procured one in India of ten or twelve
days old, and kept it about two years without ever
tying it up. “ I even let it run abroad,” says this
gentleman, “ and sometimes amused myself with
making it draw in the yard, or carry little bur-
thens. I accustomed it to eat any thing : it came
when called, and I found few signs of impatience,
except when it was not allowed to remain near me.
When I departed for the island of Sumatra, I beg-
ged Mr. Law, of Lawriston, governor-general, who
had always testified a remarkable degree of esteem
and friendship for me, to accept it. This gentle-
man had no opportunity of keeping it about his
person, as I had done, but sent it to his country-
house, where it wanted for nothing ; but being
kept alone, and chained in a confined corner, it
presently became so furious as not to be approach-
ed ; insomuch that the person who daily brought
its food was obliged to leave it at a distance. After
some months absence, I returned. It knew me
afar off, and as I observed the efforts it made to get
at me, I ran to meet it; and I confess I can never

ELK.

5a

forget the impression which the caresses and trans-
ports of this unhappy animal made upon me. A
friend of mine, who was present at this meeting,
could not forbear to sympathize with me, and par-
take of my feelings.”

Although these animals are naturally inoffensive,
yet they will sometimes, when wounded, attack the
aggressor with fury, and trample him to death.

REIN DEER.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Cervus Tarandus. C. cornibus ramosis recurvatis teretibus j

summitatibus palmatis. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 176.

Horns rounded, branched, and bent for-
wards, palmated at the top.

Rein Deer. . . . S?n. Buff. v. 6. p. 315. pi. I89. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. 8. v. 1. p. 111. pi. 18.
Penn. Arct. Zool. v. 1. no. 4. Bew.
Quadr. p. 114. Shaw Gen. Zool. 2.
pi. 175.

We trust no apology will be necessary for intro-
ducing our account of this interesting animal, with
a slight comparative view of the value set upon his
services by the different Northern nations. Mr.
Pennant, to whom we are chiefly indebted for what
follows, collected much of his information on this
subject from the writings of Linnaeus.

With the Laplanders the rein deer is the sub-
stitute to the horse, the cow, the sheep, and the
goat. Those most innocent of people have, even
under their rigorous sky, some of the charms of a
pastoral life. They have subdued these animals to
various uses, and reclaimed them from their wild

/

JhzbUshed' .by Mefs™ CadeZL Sc2)aMies .ZoruLon March 1.160 7 ..

REIN DEER.

55

state. When the heat of summer becomes oppres-
sive, and the insects which abound in the marshy
bottoms begin to torment the rein deer, they at-
tend them to the summits of their alps ; to the sides
of their clear lakes and streams, often bordered with
native roses. They know the arts of the dairy,
milk these their cattle, and make from it a rich
cheese. They train them to the sledge, consider
them as their chief treasure, and cherish them with
the utmost tenderness.

Their rein-deer form their riches. These their tents.

Their robes, their beds, and all their homely wealth
Supply, their wholesome fare, and cheerful cups.

Obsequious at their call, the docile tribe
Yield to the sled their necks, and whirl them swift
O’er hill and dale, heap’d into one expanse
Of marbled snow, as far as eye can sweep.

With a blue crust of ice unbounded glaz’d,

Thomson.

The brutish Samoied considers them in no othe^r
view than as animals of draught, to convey them to
the chase of the wild deer; which they kill for the
sake of their skins, either to clothe themselves, or
to cover their tents. They know not the cleanly
delicacy of the milk or cheese; but prefer for their
repasts the intestines of beasts, or the half-putrid
flesh of a horse, ox, or sheep, which they find dead
on the high road.

The Koreki, a nation of Kamtschatka, may be
placed on a level with the Samoieds : these wan-
derers keep immense herds of rein deer, some of

5 6

REIN DEER.

the richest to the amount of ten or twenty thou-
sand; yet so sordid are they as to eat none except
what they kill for the sake of their skins, and a
few which they occasionlly sacrifice to appease the
wrath of a malignant spirit. Unless trading with
their neighbours the Kamtschatkans for their skins,
they content themselves with the flesh of those
which die by disease or chance. They train them
in the sledge, but neglect them for every domestic
purpose.

The inhabitants about the river Kolyma, after
having dressed the soft skins of the rein deer, use
them for sails to a kind of boat called schitiki.

The savage and uninformed Esquimaux and
Greenlanders, who possess, amidst their snows, these
beautiful animals, neglect not only the domestic
uses, but even are ignorant of their advantage in
the sledge. Their element is properly the water;
their game the seals. They seem to want powers
to domesticate any animal but dogs. They are at
enmity with all ; consider them as an object of
chase, and of no utility till deprived of life. The
flesh of the rein deer is the most coveted part of
their food ; they eat it raw, dressed, and dried and
smoked with the snow lichen. The wearied hunt-
ers will drink the raw blood ; but it is usually
dressed with the berries of the heath ; they eagerly
devour the contents of the stomach, but use the in-
testines boiled ; and are so fond of the fat that they
never waste a morsel. The soft and pliant skin,
dressed with the hair on, sometimes serves them for

REIN DEER.

a part of their clothing ; it forms also a warm inner
lining for their tents, and makes most excellent
blankets. The tendons are their bow strings, and,
when split, are the threads with which they sew
their jackets.

The rein deer has large but slender horns, co-
vered with a down like velvet, palmated towards
the top, and bending forwards in a peculiar man-
ner. Here we cannot help remarking the wisdom
of Providence, in thus providing the animal with
the means of satisfying his wants ; for, had the horns
been straight like other deer, they would have
been of no use in removing the deep snow which
covers the ground in those inclement regions, and
hides from them their favourite lichen. The height
of a full grown rein deer is about four feet six. The
animal is admirably defended against the cold by
the great thickness of his hair, which is placed so
close as completely to hide the skin, even if it is
put aside with the greatest care. The colour of
the hair is brownish when the coat is first shed,
but turns of a hoary whiteness after it has been for
some time exposed to the rigoiir of the winter sea-
son. A large tuft of a dirty white colour hangs
from the neck, and the animal has invariably a
black space round the eyes. A white ring sur-
rounds the feet just at the insertion of the hoof,
which is broad and deeply cloven. The crackling
noise which these creatures make when they run,
is owing to their loose hoofs being drawn up forcibly
together ; and they make such a prodigious clatter,

58

REIN DEER.

that we are assured a rein deer may be heard as far
as it can be seen.

The female is provided with horns; but they are
smaller, and have fewer branches than those of the
male. They bring forth two at a time.

The rein deer is only to be found in very high
latitudes, and abounds most in those icy regions
where

“ Earth’s universal face, deep hid and chill.

Is one wild dazzling waste, that buries wide
The works of Man.”

Large herds of them are to be met with within
the Arctic circle, from the country of the Samoieds,
as far as Kamtschatka, and in the inhospitable
island of Spitzbergen. They are not, however,
confined within the polar regions, but are spread
about Hudson’s Bay, Labrador, and the northern
parts of Canada; a single instance is recorded of
one having wandered as far as Quebec. It may
be readily supposed, that an animal formed to en-
dure the extreme severity of these climates, will be
but badly calculated to bear any degree of warmth:
this indeed is the case : nevertheless the rein deer
is obliged to submit to the scorching rays of a Lap-
land sun, which shines, in the most northern parts,
for two months of the year without intermission.
During this time these poor animals suffer the
greatest torment: the sun’s heat brings to life in-
numerable swarms of insects, that not only cover
the weedy lakes with which this country abounds

REIN DEER.

59

beyond all others, but fill the air like clouds of
dust, and almost choke the inhabitants. These in-
sects settle about the heads of the rein deer, and
drive them almost to distraction ; so that they are
obliged to take shelter near a large fire of tree moss,
which the Laplander makes and continually re-
news, that the intense smoke arising from it may
keep off the gnats. Thus, to prevent one incon-
venience they incur another. They have still a
greater plague to fear in the summer : the Lapland
gadfly ( oestrus tarandi Linn.') if possible will de-
posit its eggs under the skin of the rein deer,
where they are hatched ; and the larvae, burrowing
in the body of the animal, wound it in many
places, and often bring on diseases which prove
fatal. The moment one of these insects is dis-
covered in the air, the whole herd is agitated ; and
the poor distressed creatures declare their impa-
tience by flinging up their heads, tossing about
their horns, and moving in every direction to pre-
vent the fly from settling on their bodies : but all
their endeavours prove ineffectual, unless, to avoid
the pest, they seek for protection in the snows
which cover the summits of the loftiest mountains.
There they will remain all day, and rather suffer
from want of food, than run the chance of meeting
with their persecutor. Towards the end of Sep-
tember the winter begins to return, the gnats and
flies are no longer to be feared, the ground becomes
covered with snow, and the rein deer again breathe
with freedom.

6o

REIN DEER.

Their only food at this season is the rein liver-
wort, (lichen rangiferinus Linn.') which frequently
lies buried several feet beneath the snow. We have
already observed, that Providence has prepared for
them a spade in their broad palmated antler, which
never fails to effect their purpose. With this they
dig to any depth, and thus arrive at their beloved
food.

About the middle of May the female brings forth
her young, and continues to give milk for some
months ; thus affording to her master a nourish-
ment superior in richness to the milk of the cow.
Their fondness for their young is remarkable, and
does not cease till they have nearly acquired their
full strength. The Laplander, who is often pos-
sessed of large herds of these useful creatures, drives
them every morning and evening to the cottage to
be milked ; where a fire has previously been kindled,
and the cottage filled with smoke, that the rein
deer may be free from the tormenting gnats, and
remain quiet while milking. When this is done,
the herdsman returns them to their pasture ; where
nature has so amply provided for the few wants of
these animals, that the Laplander gives himself no
concern about their sustenance. They make cheeses
with the new milk : the whey, which remains after
the curd is separated, they feed upon during the
summer. It is said to be pleasant and well tasted,
but not very nourishing. In this manner, says an
interesting writer, the pastoral life is still continued
near the pole ; neither the coldness of the winter.

REIN DEER.

61

nor the length of the nights, neither the wildness of
the forest, nor the vagrant disposition of the herd,
interrupt the even tenour of the Laplander’s life.
By night and day he is seen attending his favourite
cattle, and remains unaffected in a season which
would be speedy death to those bred up in a milder
climate. He gives himself no uneasiness to house
his herds, or to provide a winter subsistence for
them ; he is at the trouble neither of manuring his
grounds, nor bringing in his harvests ; he is not the
hireling of another’s luxury ; all his labours are to
obviate the necessities of his own situation ; and
these he undergoes with cheerfulness, as he is sure
to enjoy the fruits of his own industry. If, there-
fore, we compare the Laplander with the peasant
of more northern climates, we shall have little rea-
son to pity his situation ; the climate is rather ter-
rible to us than to him ; and as for the rest, he is
blessed with liberty, plenty, and ease. The rein
deer alone supplies him with all the wants of life,
and some of the conveniences; serving to show how
many advantages nature is capable of supplying,
when necessity gives the call. Thus, the poor,
little, helpless native, who was originally, perhaps,
driven by fear or famine into those inhospitable
climates, would seem, at first view, to be the most
wretched of mankind: but it is far otherwise ; he
looks round among the few wild animals that his
barren country can maintain, and singles out one
from among them, and that of a species which the
rest of mankind have not thought worth taking

62

REIN DEER*

from a state of nature ; this he cultivates, propa-
gates, and multiplies, and from this alone derives
every comfort that can soften the severity of his
situation.

When the Laplander sets out upon a journey, he
is strapped into a sledge, which is made very light,
and shod at the bottom with the skin of the rein
deer. The animal is yoked to the carriage by a
collar, from which a trace passes under the belly, be-
tween the legs, to the fore part of the sledge, where
it is fastened. The driver guides the animal with
a cord fastened round the horns, with which he
strikes him gently on one side or the other, accord-
ing as he wishes him to turn to the right or left ;
and when he flags, the Laplander encourages him to
proceed with his voice. Thus he is carried across
the country with incredible swiftness, and trans-
ported over frozen snows, where a horse would be
of no service. In general, the deer can travel about
thirty miles without halting, and this without any
great effort ; but when hard pushed they will trot
sixty English miles at a stretch ; though when so
driven the poor creature is almost broken-hearted,
and, if not killed immediately by the Laplander, will
die in a few days.

This mode of travelling, though very expeditious,
is both inconvenient and dangerous ; for, if the
traveller does not balance himself properly in his
sledge, he may chance to be overturned; and, if
the animal proves refractory, which is sometimes
the case with the wild breed that are used to draw.

I

REIN DEER. 6 3

he will turn upon his master, who can only escape
from his fury by turning the sledge over, and lying
close under it till the beast has revenged himself
upon the bottom.

Rein deer seldom live above fifteen or sixteen
years : at a proper period the Laplander kills them,
by thrusting a sharp-pointed knife through the back
of the neck, between the vertebrae, into the spinal
marrow, which deprives them instantly of all sense
and motion. The flesh is dried for provision, the
tongue for exportation, and the skin made into
clothing.

VIRGINIAN DEER.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Cervus virginianus. C. comibus raraosis antrorsum versis

parum palmatis. Linn . Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 179-

Horns much branched ; bending greatly
forwards, and slightly palmated.

Dama virginiana. Raj. Quadr. p. 80.
Cervus Platyceros. Sloan. Jam. 2.
p. 328.

Virginian Deer. . . Penn. Hist. Quadr. i. p. 116. n. 55.

Arct. Zool. 1. p. 28. n. 6.

Large herds of Virginian deer inhabit the southern
provinces of Canada, where they are seen grazing in
the neighbourhood of the great rivers by which that
country is intersected. They are restless animals,
constantly in motion, and subject to worms in their
heads and throats, especially those which live very
near the shore. The deer are in better plight that
keep in the savannas at a distance from the water,
where they are less exposed to the attacks of the
insects from whose eggs the worms are generated.

The body of the Virginian deer is of a brownish
ash-colour ; the belly, sides, shoulders, and thighs
are white mottled with brown ; the tail, which is
ten inches long, is of a dusky colour. This species

VIRGINtAN DEER, 65

c>f deer is not so well haunched nor so active as
the English ; neither is the venison by any means
so good. In summer they feed on the grass which
the savannas afford, and during the winter on the
lichen which hangs from the trees, They are very
fond of salt, and generally leave the marks of their
tongues wherever the earth is impregnated with it.
Great numbers of them may be seen assembled
about these Saline spots, which have been named
licking-places by the hunters, who are sure of finding
the deer there : indeed, they are so much pleased
with the relish, that although they are often driven
away they will return to the spots again.

Mr. Pennant has collected some interesting par-
ticulars respecting the singularities observed by the
hunters in the chase of these animals. He ob-
serves that the deer are of the utmost importance
to the savages, and says that as far back as 17b4^
25,027 skins were imported from New York and
Pennsylvania. The skins, in fact, form the greatest
branch of their traffic, by which they procure from
the colonists, by way of exchange, many of the ar-
ticles of life. When cut into small pieces, and
dried by a gentle fire, it is said to form their prin-
cipal food ; and as it is very portable, and will keep
for a great length of time,* it is particularly calculated
for a people whose pursuits oblige them to be almost
constantly from home.

Hunting is more than an amusement to the sa-
vages, They give themselves up to it not only

VOL. I, r

v

66

VIRGINIAN DEER,

for the sake of subsistence, but to habituate them-
selves to fatigue, that they may make the better
warriors. Those who fail in the sports of the field
are never supposed to be capable of supporting the
hardships of a campaign ; they are degraded to
ignoble offices, such as dressing the skins of the
deer, and other employs allotted only to slaves and
women.

ee When a large party,” says Mr. Pennant, “ me-
ditates a hunting-match, which is usually at the be--
ginning of winter, they agree on a place of ren-
dezvous, often five hundred miles distant from their
homes, and a place, perhaps, that many of them
had never been at. They have no other method of
fixing on the spot than by pointing with their
finger. The preference is given to the eldest, as
the most experienced.

“ When this matter is settled they separate into
small parties, travel and hunt for subsistence all the
day, and rest at night: but the women have no cer-
tain resting-places. The savages have their par-
ticular hunting-countries ; but if they invade the
limits of those belonging to other nations, feuds en-
sue, fatal as those between Percy and Douglas in
the famed Chevy Chase.

“ As soon as they arrive on the borders of the
hunting-country, (which they never fail doing to a
man, be their respective routes ever so distant or so
various) the captain of the band delineates on the bark
of a tree his own figure, with a rattle-snake twined

VIRGINIAN DEER. 67

round him with distended mouth ; and in his hand
a bloody tomahawk. By this he implies a destruc-
tive menace to any who are bold enough to invade
their territories, or to interrupt their diversion.

“ The chase is carried on in different ways. Some
surprise the deer by using the stale of the head, horns,
and hide ; but the general method is performed by
the whole body. Several hundreds disperse in a
line, encompassing a vast space of country, fire the
woods, and drive the animals into some strait or
peninsula, where they become an easy prey. The
deer alone are not the object ; foxes, racoons, bears,
and all beasts of fur, are thought worthy of at-
tention, and articles of commerce with the Eu-
ropeans.

u The number of deer destroyed in some parts
of America is incredible ; it is pretended, from an
absurd idea which the savages have, that the more
they destroy, the more they shall find in suc-
ceeding years. Certain it is that multitudes are
destroyed ; the tongues only preserved, and the car-
cases left a prey to wild beasts. But the motive is
much more political. The savages well discern,
should they overstock the market, that they would
certainly be over-reached by the European dealers,
who take care never to produce more goods than
are barely sufficient for the demand of the season,
establishing their prices according to the quantity
of furs brought by the natives. The hunters live
in their quarters with the utmost festivity, and in-
dulge in all the luxuries of the country. Their

f 2

v

\

68

VIRGINIAN DEER.

viands are exquisite. Venison boiled with red
pease ; turkeys barbecued, and eaten with bears’ fat ;
fawns cut out of the doe’s belly, and boiled in the
native bag; fish, and crayfish, taken in the next
stream ; dried peaches and other fruits, form the
chief of their good living. They bring along with
them their wives and mistresses ; not that they pay
any great respect to the fair. They make, like the
Cathnesians, arrant pack-horses of them, loading
them with provisions, or the skins of the chase ; or
making them provide fire-wood. Love is not the
passion of a savage, at least it is as brief with them
as with the animals they pursue.”

It is highly probable that the anatomical struc-
ture of this species and of the European fallow
deer is the same, and that they are both provided
with similar facial orifices. There is something
extraordinary in these vents. They did not escape
the observation of the late Mr. White, of Selborne,
who tells us that they have a communication with
the nose, and open, one at the inner corner of each
eye. They are of singular service to the animal
when he drinks, as it is his custom to plunge his
nose deep into the water, and continue in that
situation a considerable time. During the draught
he breathes through the vents, which he can open
at pleasure, and thus indulge himself without in-
convenience. It seems this gentleman’s opinion,
that this curious formation of the head may be
of great service to beasts of chase, by affording
them free respiration ; and no doubt these ad-

VIRGINIAN DEER. 69

ditional nostrils are thrown open when they are hard
run.

This peculiarity is not confined to the deer alone;
for Mr. Pennant was surprised to find something
analogous in the conformation of the antelope,
which he remarks as having a long slit beneath
each eye, that the animal can open and shut at
pleasure. He held an orange to one, and found
that the creature made the same use of these orifices
as of his nostrils ; applying them to the fruit, and
seeming to smell it through them.

CAMEL.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Six cutting teeth in the lower jaw ; none in the upper.
Upper lip divided.

Hoofs small.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Camelus Dromedarius. C. topho dorsi unico. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Gmel. 1. p. 168.

With one bunch on the back.

Forsk. Fn. orient, p. 4.

Arabian Camee* t • • Sm. Buff. v. 6. p. 118. pi. 168. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. p. 129. pi. 23. Beiv.
Quadr. p. 140. Shaw Gen. Zool. 2.
pi. 166.

The Arabs emphatically call the dromedary the
ship of the desert ; and the name does not seem
misapplied, when we consider him as the only ani-
mal capable of conveying their merchandise across
the burning sands. The driest thistle, or the barest
thorn, is all the food this useful animal requires ;
and even these, to save time, he eats while ad-
vancing on his journey, without stopping, or oc-
casioning a moment of delay. As these creatures

CAMEL. 7 1

are destined to cross immense deserts where little
water is found, and countries not even moistened
by the dew of heaven, they are endowed with the
power at one watering-place of laying in a store
with which they supply themselves for many days
to come. To contain this enormous quantity of
fluid, Nature has formed large cisterns within them,
from which, once filled, they draw at pleasure the
quantity they want, and pour it into the stomach
with the same effect as if they immediately drew
it from a spring. With this they travel patiently
and vigorously all day long, carrying prodigious
loads through countries affected with poisonous
winds, and glowing with parching and never-cooling
sands.

The following anecdote from Mr. Bruce’s Travels
will serve to show the capability of the camel’s
reservoir to contain large quantities of water:

“ On the 27th, at half past five in the morning,
we attempted to raise our camels at Safficha by
every method that we could devise, but all in vain ;
only one of them could get upon his legs, and that
one did not stand two minutes till he kneeled
down, and could never be raised afterwards. This
the Arabs all declared to be the effect of cold ; and
yet Fahrenheit’s thermometer, an hour before day,
stood at 42°. Every way we turned ourselves death
now stared us in the face. We had neither time
nor strength to waste, nor provisions to support us.
We then took the small skins that had contained
our water, and filled them as far as we thought a

72

CAMEL.

man could carry them with ease ; but after all these
shifts there was not enough to serve us three days,
at which I had estimated our journey to Syene,
which still however was uncertain. Finding, there-
fore, the camels would not rise, we killed two of
them, and took as much flesh as might serve for
the deficiency of bread, and from the stomach of
each of the camels got about four gallons of water,
which the Bishareen Arab managed with great
dexterity.

“ In those caravans, of long course, which come
from the Niger across the desert of Selima, it is
said that each camel, by drinking, lays in a store of
water that will support him for forty days. I will
by no means be a voucher of this account, which
carries with it an air of exaggeration ; but fourteen
or sixteen days, (six or seven,) it is well known, an
ordinary camel will live, though he hath no fresh
supply of water. When he chews the cud, or when
he eats, you constantly see him tfirow from his re-
pository mouthfuls of water to diliite his food ; and
Nature has contrived this vessel with such pro-
perties, that the water within never putrefies, nor
turns unwholesome. It was indeed vapid, and of
a blueish cast, but had neither taste nor smell.”

The Arabian who lives independent in the midst
of his solitudes, and who gives himself up to piracy,
is early accustomed to the fatigues of travelling, to
want of sleep, and to endure hunger, thirst, and
heat. With the same view he instructs, rears, and

CAMEL.

73

exercises his camels. A few days after their birth
he folds their limbs under their belly, forces them
to remain on the ground, and in this situation
loads them with a pretty heavy weight, which is
never removed but for the purpose of replacing a
greater. Instead of allowing them to feed at plea-
sure, and to drink when they are dry, he begins
with regulating their meals, and makes them gra-
dually travel long journeys, diminishing at the same
time the quantity of their aliment. When they
acquire some strength they are trained up to the
course. He excites their emulation by the example
of horses, and in time renders them equally swift,
and more robust. Thus, by means of the camel, an
Arabian finds safety in the deserts ; all the armies
upon earth might be lost in pursuit of a flying
squadron of this country, mounted upon their ca-
mels, and taking refuge in solitudes where nothing
interposes to stop their flight, or to force them to
wait the invader.

The largest kind of camel will carry a load of
1000 or 1 200 pounds weight ; but if the burthen
imposed upon them happens to be too much for
their strength they will utter the most lamentable
cries, and continue lying on the ground till part
of the load is taken off. Though perpetually op-
pressed, their fortitude is equal to their docility ; and
Denon assures us that these patient animals will
go a whole day with a single feed of beans, which

they chew for the remainder of the time, either on
%/

their journey or lying down on the scorching sand.

7 4

CAMEL.

without showing the least symptom of discontent.
They are seldom depressed, except when, travelling
across the extensive deserts, their reservoir of water
becomes exhausted, without any chance of a speedy
supply : then indeed their sufferings are great, they
become feeble, and their weakened limbs are scarcely
able to support them on their journey. In this famish-
ed state they will scent the water at a great distance :
thirst makes them double their pace, and they drink
as much at once as will satisfy them for what they
have suffered, and supply them for the time to
come.

The camel that carries Mahomet’s standard, which
the caravans of pilgrims offer yearly on the tomb of
their prophet, is exempted the rest of its life from
all services. It is even pretended that this happy
beast will rise again at the general resurrection, and
enjoy the pleasures of paradise.

The callosities which appear on different parts
of the camel’s body are entirely owing to his lying-
down when he takes up his burthen. His feet are
adapted for walking on sands, but he cannot sup-
port himself on moist or slippery ground. The
general height of a full-sized camel is about six
feet six inches to the top of the bunch. A Eu-
ropean feels awkward upon first mounting one of
these beasts, as he rises on his hind legs at first
very briskly, and throws him first forward and then
backward; and it is not till the fourth motion, when
the animal is entirely erect, that the rider can find
himself in equilibrio. Denon says, “ It was enter-

CAMEL.

75

taining to See us mount our beasts : none of us had
been able to resist the first shake, and we each had
to laugh at our companions.

cc I had been apprehensive,” continues Denon,
cc of the swinging pace of the camel ; and the
awkward prancing of the dromedary had made me
fear that I should be thrown over his head : but I
was soon undeceived. On being once fixed in the
saddle, we had only to give way to the motion of
the beast, and soon found that it was impossible to
be more pleasantly mounted for a long journey,
especially as no attention is necessary to guide the
animal, except in making him deviate from his
right direction, which very seldom happens in the
desert during the march of a caravan. The camel
very rarely trips, and never stumbles where the
ground is dry. The pace of the dromedary is light ;
the opening of the angle of his long legs, and the
flexible spring of his lean foot, render his trot easier,
and at the same time full as swift as that of the most
active horse.”

The Count de BufFon says, that when all the
qualities of this animal, and all the advantages de-
rived from him, are considered under one point of
view, he must be acknowledged the most useful
creature that was ever subjected to the service of
man. He may truly be called the genuine trea-
sure of Asia ; and is perhaps equal in utility to the
horse, the ass, and the ox, when their powers are
united. He carries as much as two mules, and is
content to feed as coarsely as the ass. The flesh

CAMEL.

76

of the young camel affords a nourishment equal to
veal, and the females give a great quantity of
wholesome milk, from which cheeses are made, that
bear a high price, and are much esteemed among
the Arabs. Their hair is of a very fine texture,
and greatly in request, being manufactured into
shawls, &c. Even the dung is highly serviceable,
and makes excellent fuel after it has been exposed
for a day or two in the sun. It then burns freely ;
and is of great use in the deserts, where not a tree
is to be found, and where, for want of combustible
materials, fire is as scarce as water.

That camels were brought into the field at a very
early period is sufficiently proved by Xenophon,
who, in his minute description of the famous battle
of Thymbra, particularly mentions a considerable
number of camels having two Arabian archers
mounted upon each, who sat back to back, so that
they were enabled to act offensively either advancing
or retreating. These animals were formed by Cyrus
into a squadron, and made to advance into the midst
of the battle; where they fully answered the in-
tended purpose by completely routing the Lydian
cavalry.

It appears that this method of placing the soldiers
upon the camels is still continued ; as Mr. Bruce
describes the arrival of a caravan at Syene, escorted
by four hundred fighting men armed with short
javelins, and mounted back to back.

CAMEL.

77

THE BACtRIAN OR TWO-BUNCHED CAMEL.

We mention this variety merely to distinguish it
from the dromedary, which has but one bunch,
while this invariably has two : in every other re-
spect the Bactrian camel is like the dromedary, and
is as much employed by the Tartars as the single-
bunched is by the Arabians. This is an extremely
hardy animal, and will even bear the severe climate
of Siberia, where numbers of them are to be found
about the lake Baikal, though they are said to be
far less than those which inhabit Western Tartary.
Du Halde, in his History of China, has not forgot-
ten the medical qualities of the camel, whose fat, or,
as the people call it, oil of bunches , is celebrated for
the cure of ulcers, consumptions, &c.

ETHIOPIAN HOG.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

. t ‘ . \

Four cutting teeth in the upper jaw, and generally six in
the lower.

Four tusks, two above and two below : the latter long, and
extending out of the mouth.

Hoofs cloven.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Sus jEtiiioficus. S. sacculo molli sub oculis. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Gmel. 1. p. 220.

A soft bag under the eyes.

Aper aetiiiopicus. Pallas Miscell. Zool.
p. id. t. 2. Spicil. Zool. II. p. 3. t. 1. 11.
p. 84. t. 5. f. 7.

African Wild Boar. Deslandcs Mart.
Men. Acad. 5. 368. Daniell’s African Ani-
mals, pi. 21.

Ethiopian Hog. Sm. Buff. v. 8. p. 281. pi. 297. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. v. 1. p. 144. Bew. Quadr. p. 149.
Shaw Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 223.

This hog is particularly remarkable for the form
of his head, which gives him a monstrous aspect ;
for he has beneath each eye a hollow, formed of
loose skin, soft and wrinkled, and under these a
great lobe or wattle lying almost horizontally, and

ETHIOPIAN HOG.

79

placed so as to intercept the view of any thing im-
mediately beneath it. He is likewise provided with
most tremendous tusks in the upper jaw, about six
inches long, and bending up towards his forehead.
This animal inhabits the hottest parts of the in-
terior of Africa, where he dwells in woods, digging
for himself a habitation under ground, which he
is said to do as expeditiously as a mole, by means
of his callous snout. M.Vosmaer kept one of these
animals in a cage, which he one day suffered to
come out ; and having left him alone for a few
minutes, he found him, on his return, busy in dig-
ging the earth ; where, notwithstanding the pave-
ment was made of small bricks well cemented, he
had already made a hole of an incredible size, with
a view, as Vosmaer afterwards discovered, to reach
a common sewer which passed below at a great
depth. “ I caused,” says this gentleman, “ his
labour to be interrupted ; and it was not without
much trouble, and the assistance of several men,
that we could overcome his resistance, and make
him return to his cage.”

These powerful animals are the dread of the Hot-
tentots ; for they will rush out from their retreat on
a man, snap his legs in two, or rip open his belly
with their tusks.

The chase of some old sows of this species, with
their pigs, afforded Dr. Sparrman great amusement.
The heads of the females became suddenly enlarged,
and more shapeless than they were before. This mo-
mentary and wonderful change astonished him so

80

ETHIOPIAN HOG.

much the more, as, riding hard over a country full of
bushes and pits, he had been prevented from giving
sufficient attention to the manner in which it was
brought about. The whole of the mystery, how-
ever, consisted in this : each of the old ones during
its flight had taken a pig in its mouth : this also
readily explained the reason of his surprise, upon
finding that all the pigs which he had been chasing
along with the old ones had vanished on a sudden.
In this action we find a kind of unanimity among
these animals, in which they resemble the tame spe-
cies, and which they have in a greater degree than
many others. It is likewise very astonishing, that
the pigs should be carried about in this manner, be-
tween such large tusks as those of their mother,
without being hurt, or crying out in the least.

A boar of this species, which was imported into
Holland, is described as having become almost do-
mestic ; but it must be remarked that he was taken
very young, and had been several months on board
a vessel. However, his savage disposition so far pre-
vailed, that, at one time, he conceived a resentment
against his keeper, whom he wounded so desperately
in the thigh that the man died next day.

Two Horned Rhinoceros

RHINOCEROS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

With one, sometimes two large horns on the nose.

Each hoof cloven into two parts.

Rhinoceros unicornis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gruel. 1. p. 5J.
Rhinoceros. .... Penn. Hist. Quadr. l.p. 154, Edw.Av.

tab. 221. f. 2. Sm. Buff. 6. p. 02.
pi. 1 67. Bew. Quadr. 156. Shaw
Gen. Zool.

Rhinoceros bicornis. Linn. Syst. flat. Gmel. l. p. 57.
Two-horned Rhinoceros. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 1. p. 150. pi. 29.

Bew. Hist. Quadr. p. 160. I haw
Gen. Zool. pi. 60. Daniell’s Afr.
An. pi. 30.

Nature, who has bestowed so many brilliant
qualities on the elephant, has denied this clumsy
animal the smallest share of intelligence. Rash
and brutal, without sentiment or docility, he seems
to exist merely to gratify a voracious appetite ; and,
being covered with an almost impenetrable skin,
frequently commits the greatest devastations with,
impunity.

VOL. I,

82

RHINOCEROS.

The rhinoceros is a native of Asia and Africa,
and is usually found in those extensive forests
that are frequented by the elephant and the lion.
This animal is neither so useful nor so common
as the elephant, the female producing but one at
a time, and that at considerable intervals. The
most singular part of the creature is the horn which
grows upon the nose, and which is sometimes found
above three feet long. This formidable weapon,
rendered doubly so by its advantageous situation,
is so much the terror of the savage tiger, that he
generally chooses to attack any other animal in
preference ; being perfectly aware that, even if he
escapes the horn, he will not be able to make any
impression on the skin ; which, like a thick, dark
blanket, falling in folds over the body of the rhino-
ceros, presents a barrier which renders all the ef-
forts of his enemy to penetrate it unavailing.

A pig-like head with two little dull eyes, a short
thin tail with a few hard hairs at the extremity, and
a huge uncouth body supported by four short,
strong, and thick legs, will complete the general
outline of this ugly animal.

It seems the opinion of Mr. Bruce, that the
rhinoceros lives entirely upon trees, and that he
does not spare the most thorny ones, but rather
seems to be fond of them. Besides the trees ca-
pable of most resistance, there are in the vast
forests of Africa, within the rains, trees of a softer
consistence, and of a very succulent quality, which
seem to be destined for his principal food. For the

RHINOCEROS.

m

purpose of gaining the higher branches of these,
his upper lip is capable of being lengthened out,
and (like the finger at the end of the elephant’s
trunk) serves to convey the food to his mouth.

With this lip, and the assistance of his tongue,”
says Mr. Bruce, “ he pulls down the upper branches
which have most leaves, and these he devours first :
having stript the tree of its branches, he does not
directly abandon it, but, placing his snout as low in
the trunk as he finds his horn will enter, he rips
up the body of the tree, and reduces it to thin
pieces, like so many laths ; and when he has thus
prepared it, he embraces as much as he can of it in
his monstrous jaws, and twists it round with as
much ease as an ox would do a root of celery.”

The rhinoceros which came to London in the
year 1739 was sent from Bengal. Though not
above two years of age, the expense of his food
and journey amounted to near one thousand pounds
sterling. He was fed with rice, sugar, and hay.
He had daily seven pounds of rice mixed with
three pounds of sugar, and divided into three por-
tions. He had likewise both hay and green herbs,
but greatly preferred the latter. He took large
quantities of water at a time, was of a peaceable
disposition, and allowed all parts of his body to be
touched. When hungry, or provoked by any person,
he became mischievous, and in both cases nothing
appeased him but food. When enraged he sprung
forward, and nimbly raised himself to a great height,
at the same time pushing his head furiously

84

RHINOCEROS.

against the walls; which he performed with amazing
quickness, notwithstanding his heavy aspect and
unwieldy mass. “ I often observed/’ says Dr. Par-
sons, tf these movements produced by rage or im-
patience, especially in the mornings before his rice
and sugar were brought to him. The vivacity and
promptitude of his movements led me to think
that he is altogether unconquerable, and that he
could easily overtake any man who should offend
him.”

The roughness of the tongue of the rhinoceros
seems to have been a matter of dispute among na-
turalists. By some it has been said to be so rough,
that the animal can lick off the flesh from a man’s
bones, while others tell us that its softness equals
that of the calf. Both these are in some mea-
sure true, but aggravated by the reporters. The
tongue of the young rhinoceros is soft, and has ap-
parently some furrows or wrinkles in it ; but it has
no prickles, nor rudiments of any, that are dis-
cernible. On the other hand, the tongue and in-
side of the upper lip of the old rhinoceros are very
rough ; and this appears to arise from the constant
use he makes of these parts in seizing the branches
of trees which have rough barks, particularly the
acacia.

This animal is of a solitary and savage disposition;
and such is his great strength, that, in combats with
the elephant, he is said frequently to come off vic-
torious. They never attack men unless they are
provoked ; when they become furious, and very

RHINOCEROS.

85

formidable, on account of their hard skin, which
will resist even a musket-ball. The only pene-
trable parts of the body are the belly, the eyes,
and about the ears. Hence the hunters, instead
of attacking them face to face, follow them at a
distance by the tracks of their feet, and watch till
they lie down to sleep. We are informed that
twenty-eight hunters, having assembled to attack a
female rhinoceros, followed her at a distance for
some days, detaching one or two of their number,
from time to time, in order to reconnoitre her
situation : by these means they surprised her when
asleep, and silently approached so near, that the
whole twenty-eight muskets were discharged at once
into the lower part of her belly,

Mr. Bingley, in his Animal Biography, has given
an interesting account of the rhinoceros which was
brought into this country in the year 1790, in the
Melville Castle East Indiaman. This creature was
sent as a present to Mr. Dundas, who, not wishing
to have the trouble of keeping him, gave the ani-
mal away. He was afterwards purchased by Mr.
Pidcock for seven hundred pounds, and exhibited in
Exeter Change.

The animal when first brought to England was
about five years old. He was tolerably tractable,
would at the command of his keeper walk about
the room, and exhibit himself to the numerous
spectators who came to visit him, and even allow
them to pat him on the back and sides. His daily
allowance was twenty-eight pounds weight of clover.

86

RHINOCEROS.

about the same weight of ship biscuit, and a vast
quantity of greens. Five pails of water, twice or
thrice a day, served him to dilute his food. A ves-
sel that contained about three pails was given him
at a time, which was filled up as the animal drank
it ; and it was observed that he never ended his
draught till the water was exhausted. Sweet wines
were so much to his taste, that he would drink three
or four bottles in the course of a few hours. When
any person came with fruit or other favourite food in
his hand, he appeared anxious to have it given him,
and then exerted his voice, which was not unlike
the bleating of a calf.

This rhinoceros died of an inflammation, occa-
sioned by accidentally slipping the joint of one of
his fore legs ; and it is a singular fact, that the in-
cisions made through his hard skin, on the first at-
tempts to recover the animal, were invariably found
to be healed in the course of twenty-four hours. He
died in a caravan at Corsham, near Portsmouth, and
the stench was so intolerable that the mayor was
obliged to order the body to be immediately buried.
This was accordingly done on South Sea common :
but about a fortnight afterwards it was dug up
again, to preserve the skin and some of the most
valuable of the bones. It appears that the stench
was so insufferable, that it was with the utmost dif-
ficulty the persons employed could proceed in their
operations.

RHINOCEROS.

$7

THE TWO-HORNED RHINOCEROS.

There is a striking difference between the Asiatic
and the African rhinoceros. The former, with its
rough and almost impenetrable hide, bids defiance
to the attack of its enemies; whilst the skin of the
latter, or two-horned rhinoceros, is comparatively
smooth, is capable of being pierced with a lance,
and has none of the folds so remarkable in the
one-horned species. It is, however, thick enough
for the Dutch boors in the vicinity of the Cape to
cut out of it their largest samboes , or horse rods,
which, if well prepared, are better than those of
the hippopotamus. The head of this animal is
very remarkable : not only the horns sit upon the
nose, but the eyes also are placed in it, being di-
rectly under the root of the larger horn ; and they
are so minute, that one would suppose them of
little use to so huge a creature. But Nature, al-
ways provident, has remedied this inconvenience
by placing them in projecting sockets, in which
they turn in all directions, like those of the little
chameleon. Mr. Barrow, to whose excellent Travels
in Southern Africa we are indebted for much use-
ful information, says that he has not seen any
figure that conveys an accurate representation of this
animal, except in two varieties, by Mr. Daniell,
who has made excellent drawings of them ; in one
of which the upper horn is almost as large as the
lower, and is pointed towards it ; the other figure.

88

RHINOCEROS.

from which our plate was taken, has not hitherto been
published. There is a circumstance worthy of re-
mark respecting these horns. When the animal is
browsing and undisturbed, the horns remain loose
upon the nose ; but the moment he is alarmed they
become perfectly stiff, and ready to act in the
most offensive manner. Sparrman, when in Africa,
watched the arrival of those and other animals at a
muddy water, whither the wild beasts resort to
quench their thirst, and some to indulge, in that
hot climate, in rolling in the mud. In that spot
he shot two rhinoceroses ; one was so large that the
united force of five men could not turn it. The
lesser he measured : its length was eleven feet and
a half ; the girth twelve ; and the height between
six and seven.

Mr. Bruce informs us, “ that when pursued, and
in fear, the rhinoceros possesses an astonishing de-
gree of swiftness, considering his size, the apparent
unwieldiness of his body, his great weight before,
and the shortness of his legs. He is long, and has
a kind of trot, which after a few minutes increases
in a great proportion, and takes in a great distance.
It is not true, that on a plain he beats the horse in
swiftness. I have passed him with ease, and seen
many worse mounted do the same ; and though it
is certainly true, that a horse can very seldom come
up with him, this is owing to his cunning, but not
his swiftness. He passes constantly from wood to
wood, and forces himself into the thickest part of
them. The dry trees are broken down as with a

RHINOCEROS.

89

cannon shot, and fall about him in all directions.
Others that are more pliable, greener, or fuller of
sap, are bent back by his weight and the velocity
of his motion ; and, after he has passed, restoring
themselves like a green branch to their natural po-
sition, they sweep the incautious pursuer and his
horse from the ground, and dash them in pieces
against the surrounding trees,”

This gentleman proceeds to say, that the rhino-
ceros seldom turns his head, and therefore sees no-
thing but what is before him ; that it is to this he
owes his death, from which he can never escape,
if there is sufficient room for the horse to get be-
fore him. i( His pride and fury then make him
lay aside all thoughts of escaping but by victory
over his enemy. He stands for a moment at bay,
then at a start runs straight forward at the horse,
like the wild boar, whom in his manner of action
he very much resembles. The horse easily avoids
him, by turning short aside, and this is the fatal in-
stant : the naked man, with his sword, drops from
behind the principal horseman, and, unseen by the
rhinoceros, who is seeking his enemy, the horse,
gives him a stroke across the tendon of the heel,
which renders him incapable of further flight or re-
sistance.”

The method of hunting the rhinoceros in Abyssi-
nia is thus described by Mr. Bruce : “ The next

morning we were on horseback by the dawn of
day, in search of the rhinoceros, many of which
we had heard make a very deep groan and cry as

90 RHINOCEROS.

\

the morning approached : several of the agageers (or
hunters) then joined us; and after we had searched
about an hour in the very thickest part of the wood,
one of them rushed out with great violence, cross-
ing the plain towards a wood of canes that was
about two miles distant. But though he ran, or
rather trotted, with surprising speed, considering his
bulk, he was in a very little time transfixed with
thirty or forty javelins; which so confounded him,
that he left his purpose of going to the wood, and
ran into a deep hole, ditch, or ravine, a cul de sac ,
without outlet, breaking above a dozen of javelins
as he entered. Here we thought he was caught as
in a trap ; for he had scarce room to turn ; when a
servant, who had a gun, standing directly over him,
fired at his head, and the animal fell immediately,
to all appearance dead. All those on foot now
jumped in with their knives to cut him up ; and
they had scarce begun, when the animal recovered
so far as to rise upon his knees : happy then was
the man who escaped first ; and had not one of the
agageers, who was himself engaged in the ravine,
cut the sinew of the hind leg as he was retreating,
there would have been a very sorrowful account of
the foot hunters that day.

“ After having dispatched him,. I was curious to
see what wound the shot had given, which had
operated so violently upon so huge an animal ; and
I doubted not it was the brain. But it had only
struck him on the point of the foremost horn, of
which it had carried off above an inch ; and this

RHINOCEROS. 91 1

occasioned a concussion that had stunned him for a
minute, till the bleeding had recovered him.”

The rhinoceros, like the hog, loves to wallow in
the mire, where he enjoys the rubbing himself so
much, and groans and grunts so loud, that he is
heard at a considerable distance. The evening is
the time he usually indulges himself in this plea-
sure; and the enjoyment he receives from it, toge-
ther with the approaching darkness of the night,
deprives him of his usual vigilance and attention.
The hunters, guided by his noise, steal secretly upon
him, and, while lying on the ground, kill him with
their javelins, by striking him in the belly; where
the wound is mortal.

The quantity of water which this creature re-
quires to satisfy its thirst is so great, that, accord-
ing to our Abyssinian traveller, no country but the
Shangalla, deluged with six months’ rain, and full
of large deep basins, made in the solid rock, and
shaded by dark woods from evaporation, or watered
by large and deep rivers, can supply the vast
draughts of this monstrous animal. But it is not for
drinking alone that he frequents wet and marshy
places ; large, fierce, and strong as he is, he must
submit to defend himself against the weakest of ad-
versaries. The fly, (a species of oestrus,) that un-
remitting persecutor of every animal that lives in
the black earth , does not spare the rhinoceros, nor
is afraid of his fierceness. It attacks him in the
same manner as it does the camel, and would as
easily subdue him, were it not for a stratagem prac-

9 2

RHINOCEROS.

tised by him for his preservation. The time of the
fly being the rainy season, the whole black earth
turns into mire. In the night, when the fly is
at rest, he chooses a convenient place, and there,
rolling himself in the mud, clothes himself with a
kind of case, which defends him against his ad-
versary the following day. The wrinkles and plaits
of his skin serve to keep this muddy plaster firm
upon him, all but about his hips, shoulders, and
legs, where it cracks and falls off by motion, leaving
him exposed in those places to the attacks of the
fly. The itching and pain which follow, occasion
him to rub himself in those parts against the rough-
est trees ; and it is the opinion of Mr. Bruce, that
this is at least one cause of the pustules and tu-
bercles which we see upon these places, both on
the elephant and rhinoceros.

The flesh of the rhinoceros is reckoned excellent
by the people of Abyssinia, and is eaten with great
greediness by all the inhabitants of the low country
and Atbara, The most delicate part about him is
supposed to be the soles of his feet, which are soft
like those of a camel, and of a gristly substance ;
the rest of the flesh is not unlike that of the hog,
but much coarser. The only hair about the animal
is at the tip of its tail ; ten of these hairs fastened
side by side at the distance of half an inch from each
other, in the figure of a man’s hand, make a whip,
which, Mr. Bruce assures us, will bring the blood at
every stroke.

Perhaps some apology may be necessary for quot-

RHINOCEROS.

mg an author who has committed himself so pal-
pably in his figure of the two-horned rhinoceros ;
yet, as the account of the animal which he has given
us has been partly confirmed, we thought it our
duty to avail ourselves of the information it affords.

This rare coin, on which the representation of the
two-horned rhinoceros is impressed, has the following le-
gend on the reverse : imp. domit. avg. germ, with the
letters s. c. (reversed by the engraver), which should be
read, Imperator Dotnitianus. Augustus Germanicus. Se-
natus Consulto. ; implying that the coin was struck during
the government of the emperor Domitiart, by the decree or
authority of the senate, which had hitherto retained the re-
publican power of presiding over the coinage of brass or
copper*

The coin is of the smallest size in which Roman copper
coins of the same sera are usually found, and the figure
of the animal is stamped upon it in a clear and distinct
manner, so that each of the horns is accurately marked.
It is indeed improbable, that a rhinoceros without such a
distinction would have been so rare an animal in a Roman
amphitheatre, as to be made the subject of a coin. There

RHINOCEROS.

94

-is, however, an additional circumstance which attaches to
the coin a curious confirmation, and great classical im-
portance.

The exhibition of the two -horned rhinoceros to the Ro-
man people, probably of the very same animal represented
on the coin, is particularly described in one of the epigrams
attributed to Martial, who lived in the reigns of Titus and
Domitian.

The following are the lines :

Sollicitant pavidi dum rhinocerota magistri,

Seque diu magnae colligit ira ferae.

Desperabantur promissi prselia Martis :

Sed tamen is rediit cognitus ante furor.

Namque gravem gemino cornu sic extulit ursum,

Jactat ut impositas Taurus in astra pilas.

By this description it appears that a combat between a
rhinoceros and a bear was intended, but that it was very
difficult to irritate the more unwieldy animal, so as to
make him display his usual ferocity : at length, however,
he tossed the bear from his double horn, with as much facility
as a bull tosses to the sky the bundles placed for the purpose
of enraging him.

Thus far the coin and the epigram perfectly agree as to
the existence of the double horn ; but unfortunately com-
mentators and antiquaries would not be convinced that a
rhinoceros could have more than one horn, and have at once
displayed their sagacity and incredulity in their explanation*
On the subject.

Hence we find a similar coin engraved in the second
volume of Cooke’s Medallic History of Rome, where
the animal is misrepresented, and particularly the horns,
which appear like tusks bending in different directions.
After quoting the lines of Martial, Mr. Cooke observes.

RHINOCEROS. 95

that it is the opinion of Bochart that the disputed line
should be read thus :

Namque gravi geminum cornu sic extulit ursum :

by which alteration we should have two bears instead
of one : but Mr. Cooke proposes to omit only one letter,
the s in the word ursum, by which means he turns the bear
into a wild bull ; and as it is perfectly natural that the wild
bull, or urus, should have two horns, he translates the line
thus :

Struck with amazement, we beheld upborne
The buffal dreadful with his double horn.

If Cooke had seen the coin itself, or had consulted that
book so useful to a medallist, the catalogue of Dr. Mead’s
coins, he would not have deprived the epigram of its original
and curious information.

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Four cuting teeth, and two tusks in each jaw.
Hoof divided into four parts.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Hippopotamus amphibius. Pedibus quadrilobis. Linn. Syst.

Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 214.

Has four rounded hoofs on each foot.
Hippopotamus. .... Sm. Buff. v. 6. p. 277- pi. 18/.

Penn. Hist , Quadr. 1. p. 157.
pi. 31 and 32. Bewick's Quadr .
Shaw Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 21 9.
Daniell's Af. An. pi. 12.

It appears extraordinary that Providence should
have destined this huge animal to inhabit an ele-
ment where it cannot exist, since it eats nothing
that the rivers afford. During the night, the hippo-
potamus leaves the waters to graze, and sometimes
goes as far as six miles from the banks, either in
search of food or of another river ; frequently doing
great damage to the sugar-canes and plantations of
rice and millet. This unwieldy creature moves hut

JPuiUrhed. iy 3£efr" * Davies London .MarchiiBo'j .

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

97

slowly, till he gets to the edge of the water ; when,
if alarmed, he immediately plunges to the bottom,
and may be seen walking there with great ease.
The hippopotamus, however, cannot remain long
without returning to the surface to breathe ; where,
if undisturbed, he will continue for a considerable
time with his monstrous head above the water.
When Mr. Barrow, in his journey into the inte-
rior of Southern Africa, reached the mouth of the
Great Fish river, he saw, towards the evening, a vast
number of hippopotami, or sea cows, as they are
called by the Dutch, with their heads above the
surface. Several of the paths of these animals lead
from various parts of the river to a spring of fresh
water about a mile distant. To this spring they go
in the night-time to drink ; the water of the river,
for a considerable distance from the mouth, being
salt.

The enormous head of this creature is sufficiently
terrific, without considering his mouth, which, when
extended, exposes a monstrous cavity furnished
with about thirty-six large teeth. The tusks, of
which there are two in each jaw, sometimes weigh
six pounds nine ounces' apiece, and are twenty-
seven inches long. The eyes of the hippopota-
mus, like those of the elephant and rhinoceros, are
small in proportion to his bulk. The skin is so
hard, when dried, that the inhabitants of the in-
terior of Africa are said to make shields of it that
will repel a musket-ball ; even in its recent state it

H

VOL. i.

98

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

is so thick as to be almost impenetrable. The tail
is about a foot long, taper, depressed, and naked ;
and, notwithstanding it is an amphibious animal,
the hoofs are unconnected by membranes.

We learn from Mr. Pennant, that this animal is
second in size only to the elephant ; that the length
of the male has been found to be seventeen feet;
the legs near three ; the head above three and a
half ; his girth near nine ; that twelve oxen have
been found necessary to draw one ashore, which had
been shot in a river above the Cape ; and, that his
hide is a load for a camel.

Although the hippopotamus inhabits Africa, from
the Niger to the Berg nver, many miles north of
the Cape of Good Hope ; yet he is not at present
to be met with in any of the African rivers which
run into the Mediterranean, except the Nile ; and
even there only in Upper Egypt, and in the fens
and lakes of Ethiopia which that river passes
through. However, they were formerly seen be-
low the cataracts; for, in the year 1603, Frederico
Zerenghi, a surgeon of Narni in Italy, printed at
Naples the history of two hippopotami, which he
had taken alive in a great ditch dug on purpose in
the neighbourhood of the Nile, near Damietta.

“ With a view,” says Zerenghi, “ of obtaining
a hippopotamus, I stationed men upon the Nile,
who, having seen two of these animals go out of the
river, made a large ditch in the way through which
they passed, and covered it with thin planks, earth.

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

99

and herbage. In the evening, when returning to
the river, they both fell into the ditch. I was im-
mediately informed of the event, and hastened to
the place along with my janissary. We killed both
the animals by pouring three shot into each of
their heads with a large arquebuse. They almost
instantly expired, after uttering a cry which had
more resemblance to the bellowing of a buffalo
than to the neighing of a horse. This exploit was
performed on the 20th day of July, 1600. The
following day they were drawn out of the ditch,
and carefully skinned. The one was a male, and
the other a female. 1 caused these skins to be
salted, and stuffed with the leaves of the sugar-
cane, in order to transport them to Cairo ; where
they were salted a second time with more attention
and convenience. Each skin required 400 pounds
of salt.”

This manner of taking the hippopotamus is oc-
casionally practised in the Caffre country ; but the
usual gait of this animal, when not disturbed, is so
cautious and slow, that he generally finds out the
snare and avoids it. The more certain method of
destroying him is to watch at night behind a bush
close to his path, and as he passes to wound him in
the tendons of the knee joint, by which he is im-
mediately rendered lame, and unable to escape from
the numerous hassagais (spears) with which he i§
assailed by the natives. Hasselquist gives an ac-
count of another method of taking them (the truth

100

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

of which, however, we shall not pretend to warrant).
He tells us that the natives lay a great heap of
pease in the places which the hippopotamus fre-
quents: he eats greedily; then growing thirsty,
drinks immoderately ; the pease in his belly swell,
the animal bursts, and is found dead.

When the hippopotamus is in danger, he seems
to place all his dependence on the water ; where,
if he happens to be wounded, he becomes a very
savage and formidable enemy. One of these ani-
mals has been known (if we may credit Dampier)
to open his jaws, and, seizing a boat between his
teeth, at once to bite and sink it to the bottom.

When Dr. Thunberg visited CafFraria in the year
1773, he met with an elderly man (a keen sports-
man) who had made long journeys at various times
into the interior part of the country. This man
related to him, upon his honour, several circum-
stances to which he had been an eye witness, and
which a traveller is very seldom fortunate enough
to have himself an opportunity of seeing. Once,
for instance, when he was out a-hunting, having
observed a sea-cow ( hippopotamus amphibius ) that
had gone a little way up from a neighbouring river
in order to calve ; he, with his suite, lay still and
concealed in the bushes till the calf made its ap-
pearance, when one of them fired, and shot the
mother dead on the spot. The Hottentots, who
imagined that after this they could catch the calf
alive, immediately ran out of their hiding-places to

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

101

lay hold of it; but though there were several of
them, the new-born calf escaped, and made the
best of its way to the river.

This Homan coin, on one side of which appears the
portrait of Marcia Otacilia Severa, the wife of the emperor
Philip, and on the reverse the figure of the hippopota-
mus, was struck on the occasion of Philip’s celebration
of the Secular Games, when Rome was supposed to have
attained the period of a thousand years from her founda-
tion. The coin itself is of brass, exactly the size of the
figure, and on the reverse are the letters usual on Roman
brass and copper coins. S. C. Senatus Consulto, and the
legend saecvlares avgg. by which are to be under-
stood the words Ludi Saeculares Augustorum, or the Se-
cular Games of the Augusti, celebrated by Philip and by
his son, whom he had appointed his associate in the em-
pire.

On the side of the coin which shows the portrait of the
empress is the following legend : marcia otacil severa

AVG.

The legend on the reverse of the coin shows beyond

102

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

doubt that the hippopotamus was exhibited to the Roman
people on the celebration of the Secular Games, and was
considered by them as a rare and curious animal.

We have thought proper to give the legend as it ought
to appear on the coin in its perfect state : our specimen
wants some of the letters ; and of those which remain, a
few, ffom their obscurity, have been mistaken by the en-
graver. In other respects the figure is a perfect fac simile
of the original coin.

JBiobtisKcd, by J&cfis™ CadelL Sc Davies London,, 2d.archti.j.d O'] .

ELEPHANT.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

No cutting teeth in either jaw; two long tusks; a flexible,
cartilaginous proboscis.

Feet round, terminated by five small hoofs.

Elephas maximus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 58.

Great Elephant. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 1. p. 165. n. 84. pi. 34.

Sm. Buff. 6. p. 1. pi. 166. Bewick
Quad. p. 166. Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 63.
64.

When we contemplate an animal whose size and
strength are so much superior to the rest of the
creation ; when we consider this animal, notwith-
standing his enormous bulk, moving in any direc-
tion at the command of his keeper ; and when we
are convinced, not only on the authority of the best
writers, but on the evidence of our own senses, that
this animal possesses intellects of a superior nature
to any other brute ! we cannot help being surprised
that he, who is so well able to remain his own
master, should so readily become the servant of an-
other.

In the interior parts of Africa, where immense

104

ELEPHANT.

forests line the sides of rivers, large herds of ele-
phants are to be met with in their wildest state ;
the savage inhabitants of that dreary country being
more careful to avoid their fury than anxious to
render them useful. In the civilized parts of Asia,
on the contrary, the people, well aware of the
many services this creature can afford them, spare
no pains to domesticate him ; and have generally
the satisfaction to find their endeavours repaid by
an animal, who becomes as tractable as he is grate-
ful.

The opinion of Aristotle, that the female ele-
phant goes two years with young, has lately been
confirmed by the intelligent Mr. Corse, who in-
forms us that an elephant brought forth a young
one twenty-one months and three days after she
was taken : therefore she must have been pregnant
at that time, though it was too early to be per-
ceived. The young one, a male, was born Octo-
ber l6, 1789, and was thirty-five inches high. It
may be proper to observe in this place, that young
elephants suck constantly with their mouths, and
never with their trunks, as Buffon has asserted ; a
conclusion he made merely from conjecture. “ I
have seen young ones,” says Mr. Corse, u from
one day to three years old, sucking their dams ;
but never saw them use their trunks, except to
press the breast, which by natural instinct they
seemed to know would make the milk flow more
readily.”

Elephants are generally measured at the shoulder,

ELEPHANT.

105

and the usual height of the male is from eight to
ten feet : of the female from seven to eight. This
animal has very large ears, which, like the human,
lie flat upon his head; nevertheless he can move
them backwards and forwards at pleasure. His
eyes, which are very small in proportion to his
bulk, are lively, brilliant, and capable of great ex-
pression. He turns them slowly and with gentle-
ness toAvards his master ; and when he speaks, the
elephant regards him with mildness and attention.
The trunk, which is about eight feet long, and four
feet in circumference near the mouth, is so very
flexible, that the animal can move it in all direc-
tions, and generally rolls it up between his tusks
when he engages with an enemy. The extremity
of the trunk terminates in a protuberance which
stretches out on the upper side in the form of a
finger, by means of which the elephant can pick
up whatever he pleases from the ground. This
appendix, or finger, is situated on the superior part
of the border that surrounds the extremity of the
trunk, in the middle of which there is a concavity
in the form of a cup, and in the bottom of the cup
are the apertures of the two common canals of
smelling and of respiration. The first or milk tusks
never grow to any size, but are shed between the
first and second year, when not two inches in
length. The permanent tusks of the female are
very small in comparison with those of the male,
and do not take their rise so deep in the jaAv ; they

io6

ELEPHANT.

use them as weapons of offence in the same man-
ner as the male, that is, by putting their head
above another elephant, and pressing their tusks
down into the animal. These tusks are never shed,
and sometimes grow to a large size. In Bengal
they seldom exceed seventy-two pounds; but those
brought from other parts of India occasionally
weigh near 150 pounds each. As the tusks of
this animal are apt to split, the natives frequently
arm them with rings of brass. The short foot of
the elephant is divided into five toes, which are so
covered with the skin as not to be visible : we only
see the nails, the number of which varies, though
that of the toes always remains the same. The
tail is generally from three to four feet in length.
It is thin, tapering, and furnished at the extremity
with a tuft of thick hairs, of a black, glossy, solid,
horny substance. This tuft of hair is greatly
esteemed as an ornament by the negro women.
An elephant’s tail is sometimes sold for two or
three slaves ; and the negroes often hazard their
lives to obtain a tail of this kind, as it must be cut
off with a single blow from the live animal ; without
which, superstition allows it no virtue. The colour
of the skin is dusky, with a few scattered hairs
on it ; and, where it is not callous, is extremely
sensible. In the fissures and other places, where
it is neither dry nor hardened, the elephant feels
the stinging of flies in such a lively manner that he
becomes very uneasy ; and when other means to

ELEPHANT.

107

drive them off have failed, he has been seen to col-
lect dust with his trunk, and cover all the sensible
parts of his skin with it.

Wild elephants were caught and trained at an
early period ; since we find Arrian, who flourished
about the 140th year of Christ, giving us the fol-
lowing account of the manner of taking elephants
in India. The Indians enclose a large spot of
ground, with a trench about twenty feet wide, and
fifteen high, to which there is access but in one
part, and this is a bridge, and is covered with turf;
in order that these animals, who are very subtle,
may not suspect what is intended. Of the earth
that is dug out of the trench, a kind of wall is
raised, on the other side of which a little kind of
chamber is made, where people conceal themselves
in order to watch these animals, and its entrance is
very small. In this enclosure two or three tame
female elephants are set. The instant the wild
elephants see or smell them, they run and whirl
about so much, that at last they enter the enclo-
sure ; upon which the bridge is immediately broken
down, and the people upon the watch fly to the
neighbouring villages for help. After they have
been broken for a few days by hunger and thirst,
people enter the enclosure upon tame elephants,
and with these they attack them. As the wild
ones are by this time very much weakened, it is
impossible for them to make a long resistance.
After throwing them on the ground, men get upon
their backs, having first made a deep wound round

108

ELEPHANT.

their necks, about which they throw a rope, in
order to put them to great pain in case they at-
tempt to stir. Being tamed in this manner, they
suffer themselves to be led quietly to the houses
with the rest, where they are fed with grass and
green corn, and tamed insensibly by blows and
hunger, till such time as they obey readily their
master’s voice, and perfectly understand his lan-
guage.

The authority of Arrian is not to be questioned,
and the account which he has given us is not more
valuable for its antiquity than the circumstantial
manner in which it is related.

After having noticed the earliest manner of catch-
ing wild elephants, we shall proceed to relate the
method at present used in India, from an interesting
paper by John Corse, Esq. inserted in the Asiatic
Researches.

“ In the month of November, when the weather
has become cool, and the swamps and marshes,
formed by the rains in the five preceding months,
are lessened, and some of them dried up, a num-
ber of people are employed to go in quest of ele-
phants.

“ At this season the males come from the re-
cesses of the forest into the borders and outskirts,
whence they make nocturnal excursions into the
plains in search of food, and where they often de-
stroy the labours of the husbandman, by devouring
and trampling down the rice, sugar-canes, &c. that
they meet with. A herd or drove of elephants.

ELEPHANT.

109

from what I can learn, has never been seen to leave
the woods ; some of the largest males often stray
to a considerable distance, but the young ones al-
ways remain in the forest, under the protection of
the pcdmai , or leader of the herd, and of the larger
elephants. The goondahs, or large males, come
out singly, or in small parties, sometimes in the
morning, but commonly in the evening, and they
continue to feed all night upon the long grass that
grows amidst the swamps and marshes, and of
which they are extremely fond. As often how-
ever as they have an opportunity, they commit
depredations on the rice-fields, sugar-canes, and
plantain-trees, that are near; which obliges the
farmers to keep regular watch, under a small cover,
erected on the top of a few long bamboos, about
fourteen feet from the ground : and this precaution
is necessary to protect them from the tigers, with
which this province abounds. From this lofty sta-
tion the alarm is soon communicated from one
watchman to another, and from them to the neigh-
bouring villages, by means of a rattle with which
each is provided. With their shouts and cries the
elephants are generally scared, and retire. It some-
times however happens that the males advance even
to the villages, overturn the houses, and kill those
who unfortunately come in their way, unless they
have had time to light a number of fires : this ele-
ment seems to be the most dreaded by wild ele-
phants ; and a few lighted wisps of straw or grass
seldom fail to stop their progress. To secure one

110

elephant.

of the males, a very different method is employed
from that which is taken to secure a herd : the for-
mer is taken by koomkees , or female elephants trained
for the purpose ; whereas the latter is driven into a
strong enclosure called a keddah.

“ As the hunters know the places where the ele-
phants come out to feed, they advance towards
them in the evening with four koomkees , which is
the number of which each hunting party consists :
when the nights are dark, (and these are the most
favourable for their purpose,) the male elephants are
discovered by the noise they make in cleaning their
food, by whisking and striking it against their fore
legs, and by moon-light they can see them at some
distance.

“ As soon as they have determined on the
goondah they mean to secure, three of the koomkees
are conducted silently and slowly by their drivers,
at a moderate distance from each other, near to the
place where they are feeding : the koomkees advance
very cautiously, feeding as they go along, and ap-
pear like wild elephants that had strayed from the
jungle. When the male perceives them approach-
ing, if he takes the alarm, and is viciously inclined,
he beats the ground with his trunk and makes a
noise, showing evident marks of his displeasure,
and that he will not allow them to approach nearer;
and if they persist, he will immediately attack
them with his tusks : for which reason they take
care to retreat in good time. But should he be
amorously disposed, which is generally the case.

ELEPHANT.

Ill

lie allows the females to approach, and sometimes
even advances to meet them.”

When from these appearances the drivers judge
that he will become their prize, they conduct two
of the females, one on each side close to him, and
make them move backwards, and press gently with
their posteriors against his neck and shoulders ; the
third female then comes up and places herself di-
rectly across his tail : in this situation, so far from
suspecting any design against his liberty, he begins
to toy with the females and caress them with his
trunk. While thus engaged the fourth female is
brought near, with ropes and proper assistants, who
immediately get under the belly of the third fe-
male, and put a slight cord (the chilkah ) round his
hind legs : should he move, it is easily broken ; in
which case, if he takes no notice of this slight con-
finement, nor appears suspicious of what is going
forward, the hunters then proceed to tie his legs
with a strong cord (called bunda), which is passed
alternately by means of a forked stick and a kind
of hook, from one leg to the other, forming a figure
of 8 ; and as these ropes are short, for the con-
venience of being more readily put round his legs,
six or eight are generally employed, and they are
made fast by another cord (the dagbearee), which is
passed a few turns perpendicularly between his legs,
where the folds of the bundahs intersect each other.
A strong cable (the phand) with a running noose,
sixty cubits long, is next put round each hind leg,
immediately above the bundahs, and again above

112

ELEPHANT.

them six or eight additional bundahs, according to
the size of the elephant, are made fast, in the same
manner as the others were: the putting on these
ropes generally takes up about twenty minutes,
during which the utmost silence is observed, and
the drivers, who keep flat upon the necks of the
females, are covered with dark-coloured cloths, which
serve to keep them warm, and at the same time do
not attract the notice of the elephant ; for he is so
secured by the pressure of a koomkee on each side
and one behind, that he can hardly turn himself,
or see any of the people, who always keep snug
under the belly of the third female, that stands
across his tail, and which serves both to keep him
steady, and prevent his kicking any of the assistants
who are employed in securing him : but in general
he is so taken up with his decoyers, as to attend
very little to any thing else. In case of accidents,
however, should the goonclcih break loose, the peo-
ple upon the first alarm can always mount on the
backs of the tame elephants, by a rope that hangs
ready for the purpose, and thus get out of his reach.
When his hind legs are properly secured they leave
him to himself, and retire to a small distance. As
soon as the koomkees leave him, he attempts to fol-
low ; but finding his legs tied, he is roused to a
proper sense of his situation, and retreats towards
the jungle: the drivers follow at a moderate distance
from him on the tame elephants, accompanied by a
number of people that had been previously sent for,
and who, as soon as the goondah passes near a stout

ELEPHANT.

113

tree, make a few turns of the phands , or long cables
that are trailing behind him, around his trunk : his
progress being thus stopped, he becomes furious,
and exerts his utmost force to disengage himself ;
nor will he then allow any of the hoovikees to come
near him, but is outrageous for some time, falling
down and goring the earth with his tusks. If by
these exertions the phands are once broken, which
sometimes is effected, and he escapes into a thick
jungle j the drivers dare not advance for fear of the
other wild elephants, and are therefore obliged to
leave him to his fate ; and in this hampered situa-
tion, it is said, he is even ungenerously attacked by
the other wild elephants. As the cables are very
strong, and seldom give way ; when he has exhausted
himself by his exertions, the koomkees are again
brought near, and take their former positions ; viz.
one on each side, and the other behind. After
getting him nearer the tree, the people carry the
ends of the long cables around his legs, then back
and about the trunk of the tree, making, if they
can, two or three turns, so as to prevent even the
possibility of his escape. It would be almost im-
possible to secure an elephant in any other manner,
as he would tear up any stake that could at the
time be driven into the ground, and even the noise
of doing it would frighten him : for these reasons,
as far as I can learn, nothing less than a strong tree
is ever trusted to by the hunters. For still further
security, as well as to confine him from moving to

either side, his fore-legs are tied exactly in the same
VOL. i. I

114

ELEPHANT.

manner as the hind-legs were, and the phunds are
made fast, one on each side, to trees, or stakes driven
deep into the earth. During the process of tying
both the hind- and fore-legs, the fourth koomkee
gives assistance where necessary, and the people em-
ployed cautiously avoid going within reach of his
trunk. When he attempts to seize them, they re-
treat to the opposite side of the koomkees, and get on
them, if necessary, by means of the rope above
mentioned, which hangs ready for them to lay hold
of. Although by these means he is perfectly se-
cured, and cannot escape ; yet, as it would be both
unsafe and inconvenient to allow him to remain at
the verge of the jungle, a number of additional
ropes are afterwards put on, as will be mentioned,
for the purpose of conducting him to a proper
station. When the goondah has become more settled,
and eaten a little food, with which he is supplied
as soon as he is taken, the koomkees are again
brought near, and a strong rope ( pharo ) is then
put twice round his body, close to his fore-legs, like
a girth, and tied behind his shoulder ; then the long
end is carried back close to his rump, and there
fastened, after a couple of turns more have been
made round his body. Another cord is next fastened
to the phara , and from thence carried under his tail,
like a crupper, and brought forward and fastened
by a turn or two to each of the pharas or girths,
by which the whole is connected, and each turn of
these cords serves to keep the rest in their places.
After this a strong rope (the tooman) is put round

ELEPHANT.

115

his buttocks, and made fast on each side to the girth
and crupper, so as to confine the motion of his
thighs, and prevent his taking a full step. These
smaller ropes being properly adjusted, a couple of
large cables (the dools) with running nooses are put
around his neck ; and after being drawn moderately
tight, the nooses are secured from running closer,
and then tied to the ropes on each side, forming
the girth and crupper already mentioned ; and thus
all these ropes are connected and kept in their
proper places, without any risk of the nooses of the
dools becoming tight, so as to endanger the life of
the elephant in his exertions to free himself. The
ends of the secables are made fast to two koomkees ,
one on each side of the goondah, by a couple of
turns round the belly, close to the shoulder, like a
girth, where a turn is made ; and it is then carried
across the chest and fastened to the girth on the op-
posite side. Every thing being now ready, and a
passage cleared from the jungle, all the ropes are
taken from his legs, and only the tooman remains
round his buttocks to confine the motion of his
hind-legs ; the koomkees pull him forwards by the
dools , and the people from behind urge him on.
Instead of advancing in the direction they wish, he
attempts to retreat further into the jungle; he ex-
erts all his force, falls down, and tears the earth
with his tusks, screaming and groaning, and by his
violent exertions often hurts and bruises himself
very much ; and instances happen of their surviving
these violent exertions only a few hours, or at most

I 2

ELEPHANT.

116

a few days. In general, however, they soon be-
come reconciled to their fate, will eat immediately
after they are taken, and, if necessary, may be con-
ducted from the verge of the jungle as soon as a
passage is cleared. When the elephant is brought
to his proper station and made fast, he is treated
with a mixture of severity and gentleness, and in a
few months (if docile) he becomes tractable, and
appears perfectly satisfied with his lot. It appears
somewhat extraordinary, that though the goondah
uses his utmost force to disengage himself when
taken, and would kill any person coming within
his reach, yet he never, or at least seldom, attempts
to hurt the females that have ensnared him, but on
the contrary seems pleased, (as often as they are
brought near, in order to adjust his harnessing, or
move and slacken those ropes which gall him,)
soothed, and comforted, as it were, for the loss of
his liberty. All the elephants, soon after they are
taken, are led out occasionally for exercise by the
hoomhees , which attend for that purpose.

“ Having now related, partly from my own
knowledge, and partly from comparing the accounts
given by different people employed in this business,
the manner in which the male elephants, called
goondahs , are secured, I shall next, entirely from
my own knowledge, describe the methods I have
seen employed for securing a herd of wild ele-
phants. Female elephants are never taken singly,
but always in the herd, which consists of young
and old of both sexes. This noble, docile, and use-

ELEPHANT.

117

fill animal seems naturally of a social disposition,
as a herd in general consists of from forty to one
hundred, and is conducted under the direction of
one of the largest and oldest females, called the
palmai , and one of the largest males. When a
herd is discovered, about five hundred people are
employed to surround it; who divide themselves
into small parties, called cliokeys , consisting gene-
rally of one driver and two coolies, at the distance
of twenty or thirty yards from each other, and form
an irregular circle, in which the elephants are en-
closed : each party lights a fire, and clears a foot-
path to the station that is next him ; by which a
regular communication is soon formed through the
whole circumference from one to the other. By
this path reinforcements can immediately be brought
to any place where an alarm is given ; and it is also
necessary for the superintendants, who are always
going round, to see that the people are alert upon
their posts. The first circle (the daivkee) being
thus formed, the remaining part of the day and
night is spent in keeping watch by turns, or in
cooking for themselves and companions. Early next
morning one man is detached from each station,
to form another circle in that direction where they
wish the elephants to advance. When it is finished,
the people stationed nearest to the new circle put
out their fires, and file off to the right and left to
form the advanced party, thus leaving an opening
for the herd to advance through ; and by this move-
ment both the old and new circle are joined, and

118

ELEPHANT.

form an oblong. The people from behind now be-
gin shouting, and making a noise with their rattles,
tomtoms , &c. to cause the elephants to advance ;
and as soon as they are got within the new circle
the people close up, take their proper stations, and
pass the remaining part of the day and night as
before. In the morning the same process is re-
peated ; and in this manner the herd advances slowly,
in that direction where they find themselves least
incommoded by the noise and clamour of the
hunters, feeding as they go along upon the branches
of trees, leaves of bamboos, &c. which come in their
way. If they suspected any snare, they could easily
break through the circle ; but this inoffensive ani-
mal, going merely in quest of food, and not seeing
any of the people who surround him, and who are
concealed by the thick jungle, advances without
suspicion, and appears only to avoid being pestered
by their noise and din. As fire is the thing ele-
phants seem most afraid of in their wild state, and
will seldom venture near it, the hunters always have
a number of fires lighted, and particularly at night,
to prevent the elephants coming too near, as well
as to cook their victuals and keep them warm.
The sentinels supply these fires w ith fuel, especially
green bamboos, which are generally at hand, and
which, by the crackling and loud report they make,
together with the noise of the watchmen, deter the
elephants from coming near ; so that the herd com-
monly remains at a distance near the centre of the
circle. Should they at any time advance, the alarm

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119

is given, and all the people immediately make a
noise and use their rattles, to cause them to keep at
a greater distance. In this manner they are gra-
dually brought to the keddah , or place where they
are to be secured. As the natives are extremely
slow in their operations, they seldom bring the
herd above one circle in a day, except on an emer-
gency, when they exert themselves and advance
two circles. They have no tents or covering but
the thick woods, which during the day keep off
the rays of the sun ; and at night they sleep by the
fires they have lighted, upon mats spread on the
ground, wrapt up in a piece of coarse cloth. The
season is then so mild that the people continue
very healthy; and an accident seldom happens, ex-
cept to stragglers about the outskirts of the wood,
who are sometimes, though very rarely, carried
off by tigers. The heddah , or place where the
herd is to be secured, is differently constructed in
different places : here it consists of three enclosures,
communicating with each other by means of nar-
row openings or gateways. The outer enclosure,
or the one next to the place where the elephants
are to enter, is the largest ; the middle one is ge-
nerally, though not always, the next in size, and
the third, or furthermost, is the smallest: these pro-
portions, however, are not always adhered to in the
making of a keddah ; nor indeed does there appear
to me any reason for making three enclosures : but
as my intentions are merely to relate facts, I shall
proceed to observe, that when in the third or last

120

ELEPHANT.

enclosure, the elephants are then only deemed se-
cure : here they are kept six or eight days, and
are regularly, though scantily, fed from a scaffold
on the outside, close to the entrance of an outlet
called the roomee , which is about sixty feet long,
and very narrow, and through which the elephants
are to be taken out one by one. In many places
this mode is not adopted ; for, as soon as the herd
has been surrounded by a strong palisade, koomkees
are sent in with proper people, who tie them on
the spot, in the same manner as was mentioned
above of the goondahs , or male elephants, that are
taken singly. These enclosures are all pretty strong,
but the third is the strongest. Nor are the ele-
phants deemed secure, as already mentioned, till
they have entered it. This enclosure has, like the
other two, a pretty deep ditch on the inside ; and
upon the bank of earth that is thrown up from the
excavation a row of strong palisades of middle-sized
trees is planted, strengthened with cross bars, which
are tied to them about the distance of fourteen
inches from each other ; and these are supported
on the outside by strong posts like buttresses, hav-
ing one end sunk in the earth and the other press-
ing against the cross bars to which they are fastened.
When the herd is brought near to the first en-
closure, or baigcote , which has two gateways to-
wards the jungle, from which the elephants are to
advance, the greatest difficulty is to get the ele-
phants to enter; for, notwithstanding the precau-
tions taken to disguise both the entries, as well a$

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121

the palisade which surrounds this enclosure, the
palmai , or leader, now appears to suspect some
snare, from the difficulty and hesitation with which
in general she passes into it : but as soon as she
enters, the whole herd implicitly follows. Imme-
diately, when they are all passed the gateway, fires
are lighted round the greatest part of the enclo-
sure, and particularly at the entries, to prevent the
elephants from returning. The hunters from with-
out then make a terrible noise by shouting, beating
of tomtoms (a kind of drum), firing blunt cartridges,
&c. to urge the herd on to the next enclosure.
The elephants, finding themselves ensnared, scream
and make a noise ; but finding no opening except
the entrance to the next enclosure, and which they
at first generally avoid, they return to the place
through which they lately passed, thinking per-
haps to escape ; but now find it strongly barri-
caded : and as there is no ditch at this place, the
hunters, to prevent their coming near and forcing
their way, keep a line of fire constantly burning all
along where the ditch is interrupted, and supply it
with fuel from the top of the palisade, the peo-
ple from without shouting and hallooing to drive
them away. Wherever they turn they find them-
selves opposed by burning fires, or bundles of reeds
and dried grass, which are thrust through the open-
ing of the palisades, except towards the entrance
of the second enclosure, or cloobrazecote. After tra-
versing the baigcole for some time, and finding no
chance of escaping but through the gateway into

122

ELEPHANT.

the next enclosure, the leader enters, and the rest
follow: the gate is instantly shut by people who
are stationed on a small scaffold immediately above
it, and strongly barricaded, fires are lighted, and
the same discordant din made and continued, till
the herd has passed through another gateway into
the last enclosure, or rajecote, the gate of which is
secured in the same manner as the former was.
The elephants being now completely surrounded
on all sides, and perceiving no outlet through
which they can escape, appear desperate, and in
their fury advance frequently to the ditch, in order
to break down the palisade, inflating their trunks,
screaming louder and shriller than any trumpet,
and sometimes grumbling like the hollow murmur
of distant thunder ; but wherever they make an at-
tack, they are opposed by lighted fires, and by the
noise and triumphant shouts of the hunters. As
they must remain some time in this enclosure, care
is always taken to have part of the ditch filled with
water, which is supplied by a small stream, either
natural, or conducted through an artificial chan-
nel from some neighbouring reservoir. The ele-
phants have recourse to this water to quench their
thirst, and cool themselves after their fatigues, by
sucking the water into their trunks, and then
squirting it over every part of their bodies. While
they remain in this enclosure they continue sulky,
and seem to meditate their escape: but the hunters
build huts, and form an encampment as it were
around them, close to the palisade ; watchmen are

ELEPHANT.

123

placed^ and every precaution used to prevent their
breaking through. This they would soon effect if
left to themselves, notwithstanding the palisade is
made of strong stakes, sunk into the earth on the
outside of the ditch, and strengthened by cross-bars
and buttresses, as already mentioned.

tc When the herd has continued a few days in
the keddah , the doors of the roomee are opened,
into which some one of the elephants is enticed to
enter, by having food thrown first before, and then
gradually further on into the passage, till the ele-
phant has advanced far enough to admit of the gates
being shut. Above this wicker-gate, or door, two
men are stationed on a small scaffold, who throw
down the food. When the elephant has passed be-
yond the door, they give the signal to a man, who,
from without, shuts it by pulling a string, and they
secure it by throwing two bars that stand per-
pendicular on each side, the one across the other,
thus X , forming the figure of St. Andrew’s cross ;
and then two similar bars are thrown across each
other behind the door next the keddah , so that the
door is in the centre. For further security hori-
zontal bars are pushed across the roomee , through
the openings of the palisades, both before and be-
hind those crosses, to prevent the possibility of the
doors being broken. The roomee is so narrow, that
a large elephant cannot turn in it ; but as soon as
he hears the noise that is made in shutting the gate
he retreats backwards, and endeavours to force it.
Being now secured in the manner already noticed.

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ELEPHANT.

his efforts are unavailing. Finding his retreat then
cut off, he advances, and exerts his utmost force to
break down the bars, by running against them,
screaming and roaring, and battering them like a
ram, by repeated blows of his head, retreating and
advancing with the utmost fury. In his rage he
rises and leaps upon the bars with his fore-feet, and
strives to break them down with his huge weight.
In February 1788, a large female elephant dropped
down dead in the roomee , from the violent ex-
ertions she made. When the elephant is some-
what fatigued by these exertions, strong ropes, with
running nooses, are placed in the outlet by the
hunters ; and as soon as he puts a foot within the
noose, it is immediately drawn tight, and fastened
to the palisades. When all his feet have been
made pretty fast, two men place themselves behind
some bars that run across the roomee , to prevent
his kicking them, and with great caution tie his
hind-legs together, by passing a cord alternately
from the one to the other, like the figure 8, and
then fastening these turns as above described. After
this the cords are put on in succession, in the same
manner as on the goondah, only that here the peo-
ple are in greater security. While these ropes are
making fast, the other hunters are careful not to
go too near, but keep on the outside of the pali-
sade, and divert his attention, as much as they can,
from those employed in fastening them, by sup-
plying him with grass, and sometimes with plantain-
leaves and sugar-canes, of which he is remarkably

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125

fond ; by presenting him a stick, giving him hopes
of catching it, or by gently striking or tickling his
proboscis. When the whole apparatus is properly
secured, the ends of the two cables (dools) which
were fastened round his neck are brought forward
to the end of the roomee , where two female ele-
phants are waiting ; and to them these cables are
made fast. When every thing is ready, the door
at the end of the outlet is opened, the cross-bars
are removed, and the passage left clear. The ropes
that tied his legs to the palisades are loosened ; and
if he does not advance readily, they goad him with
long poles, sharpened at the ends or pointed with
iron, and urge him on with their noise and din ;
and at the same time the females pull him gently
forward. As soon as he has cleared the roomee ,
his conductors separate ; so that, if he attempts to
go to one side, he is prevented by the elephant that
pulls in the opposite direction, and vice versa . The
cords which tie his hind-legs, though but loosely,
yet prevent his going fast ; and thus situated he is
conducted like an enraged bull, that has a cord
fastened to his horns on each side, so that he can-
not turn either to the right or left to avenge him-
self. In like manner is this noble animal led to
the next tree, as the goondahs before mentioned
were. Sometimes he becomes obstinate, and will
not advance ; in which case, while one of his con-
ductors draws him forward, the other comes be-
hind, and pushes him on. Should he lie down,
she puts her snout under, and raises him up, sup-

126

ELEPHANT.

porting him on her knee, and with her head push-
ing him forward with all her strength. The hunters
likewise assist, by goading him, and urging him on
by their noise and din. Sometimes they are even
obliged to put lighted torches near, in order to
make him advance. As soon as each elephant is
secured, he is left in charge to the mahote , or
keeper, who is appointed to attend and instruct him ;
and under him there are from two to five coolies ,
according to the size of the elephant, in order to
assist, and to supply food and water, till he be-
comes so tractable as to bring the former himself.
These people erect a small hut immediately before
him, where the keeper, or one of the coolies , con-
stantly attends him, supplies him with food, and
sooths and caresses him by a variety of little arts.
Sometimes the keeper threatens, and even goads
him with a long stick pointed with iron ; but more
generally coaxes and flatters him, scratching his
head and trunk with a long bamboo split at one
end into many pieces, and driving away the flies
from any sores occasioned by the hurts and bruises
he got by his efforts to escape from the roomee.
This animal’s skin is soft, considering his great
size; and, being extremely sensible, is easily cut
or pierced, more so than the skin of most large
quadrupeds. The mahote likewise keeps him cool
by squirting water all over him, and standing with-
out the reach of his trunk. In a few days he ad-
vances cautiously to his side, and strokes and pats
him with his hand, speaking to him all the while

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127

in a soothing tone of voice ; and in a little time
he begins to know his keeper, and obey his com-
mands. By degrees the mahote becomes familiar
to him ; and at length gets upon his back from one
of the tame elephants ; and as the animal becomes
more tractable, he advances gradually forward to-
wards his head, till at last he is permitted to seat
himself on his neck, from which place he regulates
and directs all his motions.

“ In five or six weeks he becomes obedient to
his keeper; his fetters are taken off by degrees; and
generally, in about five or six months, he suffers
himself to be conducted by the mahote from one
place to another. Care, however, is always taken
not to let him approach his former haunts, lest a
recollection of the freedom he there enjoyed should
induce him again to recover his liberty. This obe-
dience to his conductor seems to proceed partly
from a sense of generosity, as it is in some measure
voluntary ; for, whenever an elephant takes fright,
or is determined to run away, all the exertions of
the mahote cannot prevent him, even by beating,
or digging into his head the pointed iron hook with
which he directs him. On such an occasion the
animal totally disregards these feeble efforts ; other-
wise he could shake or pull him off* with his trunk,
and dash him in pieces. Accidents of this kind
happen almost every year, especially to those ma-
hotes who attend the large goondahs ; but such ac-
cidents are in general owing entirely to their own
carelessness and neglect. It is necessary to treat

1-2 8

ELEPHANT.

the males with much greater severity than the fe-
males, to keep them in awe ; but it is too common
a practice among the mcihotes , either to be negligent
in using proper measures to render their elephants
docile, or to trust too much to their good-nature,
before they are thoroughly acquainted with their
dispositions. The iron hook with which they di-
rect them is pretty heavy, about sixteen inches
long, with a straight spike advancing a little beyond
the curve of the hook, so that altogether it is exactly
like that which ferrymen or boatmen use fastened
to a long pole.”

A residence of more than ten years in Tiperah,
a province of Bengal, situated at the eastern ex-
tremity of the British dominions in Asia, where
herds of elephants are taken every season, afforded
Mr. Corse frequent opportunities of observing not
only the methods of taking them, but also the habits
and manners of this noble animal. From the year
1792 till 1797> the elephant hunters were entirely
under his direction ; therefore the above account
may be safely relied upon as strictly correct.

It has been stated, that the sagacity of the ele-
phant is so great, and his memory so retentive, that
when once he has received an injury, or been in
bondage, and afterwards escapes, it is not possible,
by any art, again to entrap him. The following
history of an elephant, taken by Mr. Luke, of
Longford Hall, Shropshire, (then the resident of
Tiperah,) contains many interesting particulars on
this subject :

ELEPHANT.

129

<c The elephant was a female, and was taken at
first with a herd of many others, in the year 1765,
by rajah Kishun Maunick, who, about six months
after, gave her to Abdoor Rezah, a man of some
rank and consequence in the district. In 1767, the
rajah sent a force against this Abdoor Rezah, for
some refractory conduct, who, in his retreat to the
hills, turned her loose into the woods, after having
used her above two years as a riding elephant. In
January 177° she was retaken by the rajah ; but
in April 1771 she broke loose from her pickets, in
a stormy night, and escaped to the hills. On the
25th of December 1782 she was driven by Mr.
Leeke’s elephant hunters into a kecldah ; and, the
day following, when Mr. Leeke went to see the
herd that had been secured, this elephant was point-
ed out to him by the hunters, and particularly by a
driver who had had charge of her for some time,
and well recollected her. They frequently called
to her by name, to which she seemed to pay some
attention, by immediately looking towards them
when her name Juggut-peauree was repeated ; nor
did she appear like the wild elephants, which were
constantly running about the keddah in a rage, but
seemed perfectly reconciled to her situation. From
the 25th of December to the 13th of January (a
space of eighteen days) she never went near enough
the outlet (or roomee) to be secured ; from a recol-
lection, perhaps, of what she had twice before suf-
fered. Orders, however, had been given not to per-
mit her to enter the outlet, had she been so in-

VOL. 1. K

130

ELEPHANT.

dined, as Mr. Leeke wished to be present when
she was taken out of the keddah. On the 13th of
January 1783 Mr. Leeke went out, when there
were only herself, another female, and eight young
ones remaining in the enclosure. After the other
female had been secured by one of the koomkees
sent in for that purpose, the hunters were ordered
to call Juggut-peauree. She immediately came to
the side of the ditch, within the enclosure ; on
which, some of the drivers were desired to carry
in a plantain-tree, the leaves of which she not only
took from their hands with her trunk, but opened
her mouth for them to put a leaf into it; which they
did, stroking her, caressing her, and calling to her
by name. Mr. Leeke, seeing the animal so tame,
would not permit the hunters to attempt tying her ;
but ordered one of the trained elephants to be
brought to her, and the driver to take her by the
ear and order her to lie down. At first she did
not like the koomkee to go near her, and retired to
a distance, seemingly angry ; but when the drivers,
who were on foot, called to her, she came imme-
diately, and allowed them to stroke and caress her
as before ; and in a few minutes after permitted the
trained females to be familiar. A driver from one
of these then fastened a rope round her body, and
instantly jumped on her back ; which at the mo-
ment she did not like, but was soon reconciled to
it. A small cord was next fastened round her neck
for the driver to put his feet in ; who seating him-
self on the neck, in the usual manner, drove her

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131

about the keddah , the same as any of the tame ele-
phants.

“ After this, he ordered her to lie down, which
she instantly did ; nor did she rise till she was de-
sired. He fed her from his seat, gave her his
stick to hold, which she took with her trunk and
put into her mouth, kept and then returned it,
as she was directed, and as she formerly had been
accustomed to do. In short, she was so obedient,
that, had there been more wild elephants in the ked-
dah to tie, she would have been useful in securing
them. Mr. Leeke himself then went up, took her
by the ear, and bade her lie down ; a command she
instantly obeyed.”

Mr. Corse was himself a witness both of the escape
and retaking of one, as related in the following ac-
count :

“ In June 1 787, Jattra-murigul , a male elephant,
taken the year before, was travelling in company
with some other elephants, towards Chittigong,
laden with a tent and some baggage for the accom-
modation of Mr. Buller and myself on the journey.
Having come upon a tiger’s track, which elephants
discover readily by the smell, he took fright and
ran off to the woods, in spite of the efforts of his
driver. On entering the wood, the driver saved
himself by springing from the elephant, and cling-
ing to the branch of a tree, under which he was
passing: when the elephant had got rid of his
driver, he soon contrived to shake off his load. As
soon as he ran away a trained female was dispatched

K 2

132

ELEPHANT.

after him, but could not get up in time to prevent
his escape : she, however, brought back his driver,
and the load he had thrown off, and we proceeded,
without any hope of ever seeing him again.

“ Eighteen months after this, when a herd of ele-
phants had been taken, and had remained several
days in the enclosure, till they were enticed into
the outlet, there tied, and led out in the usual man-
ner, one of the drivers, viewing a male elephant
very attentively, declared that he resembled the one
which had run away. This excited the curiosity
of every one to go and look at him ; but when any
person came near, the animal struck at him with
his trunk, and, in every respect, appeared as wild
and outrageous as any of the other elephants. At
length, an old hunter, coming up and examining
him narrowly, declared he was the very elephant
that had made his escape about eighteen months
before.

“ Confident of this, he boldly rode up to him,
on a tame elephant, and ordered him to lie down,
pulling him by the ear at the same time. The ani-
mal seemed quite taken by surprise, and instantly
obeyed the word of command, with as much quick-
ness as the ropes with which he was tied permitted ;
uttering at the same time a peculiar shrill squeak
through his trunk, as he had formerly been known
to do ; by which he was immediately recognised by
every person who had ever been acquainted with this
peculiarity.”

Thus we see that this elephant, for the space of

ELEPHANT.

133

eight or ten days, during which he was in the
keddah , and even while he was tying in the out-
let, appeared equally wild and fierce as the boldest
elephant then taken ; so that he was not even sus-
pected of having been formerly taken, till he was
conducted from the outlet. The moment, how-
ever, he was addressed in a commanding tone, the
recollection of his former obedience seemed to rush
upon him at once ; and, without any difficulty, he
permitted a driver to be seated on his neck, who in
a few days made him as tractable as ever.

These and several other instances which have oc-
curred, clearly evince that elephants have not the
sagacity to avoid a snare into which they have, even
more than once, fallen.

While Mr. Bruce, in his return from Gondah,
was spending a few days at the house of Ayto
Confu, which he describes as delightfully situated
on the edge of a precipice, he availed himself of
the opportunity to join a party which had met for
the purpose of hunting the elephant; and, as he
gives a particular description of the Abyssinian me-
thod of destroying that noble animal, we shall pro-
ceed to lay his account before our readers.

££ Though we were all happy to our wish in this
enchanted mountain, the active spirit of Ayto Confu
could not rest. He was come to hunt the ele-
phant, and hunt him he would. All those that un-
derstood any thing of this exercise had assembled
from a great distance, to meet Ayto Confu at
Tcherkin. He and Engedan, from the moment

134

ELEPHANT.

they arrived, had been overlooking from the pre-
cipice their servants training and managing their
horses in the market-place below. Great bunches
of the finest canes had been brought from Kaura
for javelins ; and the whole house was employed
in fitting heads to them in the most advantageous
manner. For my part, though I should have been
very well contented to have remained where I was,
yet the preparations for sport of so noble a kind
roused my spirits, and made me desirous to join
in it.

“ On the 6th, an hour before day, after a hearty
breakfast, we mounted on horseback, to the num-
ber of about thirty, belonging to Ayto Confu. But
there was another body, both of horse and foot,
which made hunting the elephant their particular
business. These men dwell constantly in the woods,
and know very little the use of bread, living en-
tirely upon the flesh of the beasts they kill, chiefly
that of the elephant or rhinoceros. They are ex-
ceedingly thin, light, and agile, both on horseback
and foot ; are very swarthy, though few of them
black ; none of them woolly-headed, and all of
them have European features. They are called
. Agageer , a name of their profession, not of their
nation, which comes from the word agar, and sig-
nifies to hough or hamstring with a sharp weapon.
More properly it means the cutting the tendon of
the heel, and is a characteristic of the manner in
which they kill the elephant, which is shortly as
follows :

ELEPHANT.

135

Cf Two men, absolutely naked, without any rag or
covering at all about them, get on horseback ; this
precaution is for fear of being laid hold of by the
trees or bushes in making their escape from a very
watchful enemy. One of these riders sits upon
the back of the horse, sometimes with a saddle,
and sometimes without one, with only a switch or
short stick in one hand, carefully managing the
bridle with the other; behind him sits his com-
panion, who has no other arms but a broad sword,
such as is used by Sclavonians, and which is brought
from Trieste. His left hand is employed grasping
the sword by the handle ; about fourteen inches of
the blade is covered with whip-cord. This part he
takes in his right hand, without any danger of being
hurt by it ; and, though the edges of the lower part
of the sword are as sharp as a razor, he carries it
without a scabbard.

“ As soon as the elephant is found feeding, the
horseman rides before him as near his face as pos-
sible ; or if he flies, crosses him in all directions,
crying out — c I am such a man and such a man ;
this is my horse, that has such a name ; I killed
your father in such a place, and your grandfather in
such another place ; and I am now come to kill you ;
you are but an ass in comparison of them.’ This
nonsense he verily believes the elephant under-
stands, who, chafed and angry at hearing the
noise immediately before him, seeks to seize him
with his trunk, or proboscis, and, intent upon this,

136

ELEPHANT.

follows the horse everywhere, turning and turning
round with him, neglectful of making his escape
by running straight forward, in which consists his
only safety. After having made him turn once
or twice in pursuit of the horse, the horseman
rides close up along-side of him, and drops his com-
panion just behind on the off-side ; and while he
engages the elephant’s attention upon the horse,
the footman behind gives him a drawn stroke just
above the heel, or what in man is called the ten-
don of Achilles. This is the critical moment ;
the horseman immediately wheels round, takes his
companion up behind him, and rides off full speed
after the rest of the herd, if they have started more
than one ; and sometimes an expert agageer will
kill three out of one herd. If the sword is good,
and the man not afraid, the tendon is commonly
entirely separated ; and if it is not cut through, it
is generally so far divided, that the animal, with
the stress he puts upon it, breaks the remaining
part asunder. In either case, he remains incapable
of advancing a step, till the horseman return, or his
companions coming up pierce him through with
javelins and lances : he then falls to the ground, and
expires with loss of blood.

“ The agageer nearest me presently lamed his
elephant, and left him standing. Ayto Engedan,
Ayto Confu, Guebra Mariam, and several others,
fixed their spears in the other before the agageer
had cut his tendons. My agageer, however, having

ELEPHANT.

137

wounded the first elephant, failed in the pursuit of
the second ; and being close upon him at the en-
trance of the wood, he received a violent blow from
the branch of a tree which the elephant had bent
by his weight, and, after passing, allowed it to re-
place itself ; when it knocked down both the riders,
and very much hurt the horse. This, indeed, is
the great danger in elephant-hunting ; for some of
the trees, that are dry and short, break by the
violent pressure of so immense a body moving so
rapidly, and fall upon the pursuers, or across the
roads. But the greatest number of these trees
being of a succulent quality, they bend without
breaking, and return quickly to their former po-
sition, when they strike both horse and man so
violently, that they often beat them to pieces.
Dexterous too as the riders are, the elephant some-
times reaches them with his trunk, with which he
dashes the horse against the ground, and then sets
his feet upon him, till he tears him limb from limb
with his proboscis : a great many hunters die this
way. Besides this, the soil at this time of the year
is split into deep chasms, or cavities, by the heat of
the sun, so that nothing can be more dangerous than
the riding.

tc The elephant once slain, they cut the whole
flesh off his bones into thongs, like the reins of a
bridle, and hang these like festoons upon the
branches of trees, till they become perfectly dry,
without salt ; and they then lay them up for their
provisions in the season of the rains.”

138

ELEPHANT.

A very interesting account of the affection of a
young elephant for its mother, concludes the de-
scription of this cruel amusement.

“ There now remained but two elephants of
those that had been discovered, which were a she
one with a calf. The agageer would willingly have
let these alone, as the teeth of the female are very
small, and the young one is of no sort of value,
even for food, its flesh shrinking much upon dry-
ing : but the hunters would not be limited in their
sport. The people having observed the place of
her retreat, thither we eagerly followed. She was
very soon found, and as soon lamed by the agageers ;
but when they came to wound her with their
darts, as every one did in turn, to our very great
surprise, the young one, which had been suffered
to escape unheeded and unpursued, came out from
the thicket, apparently in great anger, running
upon the horses and men with all the violence it
was master of. I was amazed, and as much as ever
I was, upon such an occasion, afflicted, at seeing
the great affection of the little animal defending its
wounded mother, heedless of its own life or safety.
I therefore cried to them for God’s sake to spare the
mother, — though it was then too late ; and the calf
had made several rude attacks upon me, which I
avoided without difficulty ; but I am happy to this
day in the reflection that I did not strike it. At
last making one of his attacks upon Ayto Engedan,
it hurt him a little upon the leg ; upon which he
thrust it through with his lance, as others did after,

ELEPHAKT. 13$

and it then fell dead before its wounded mother,
whom it had so affectionately defended.”

In the Asiatic Annual Register for 1804 there
is an account of a splendid hunting party of the
late Nawab, Asuf-ud-Dowlah, who with an im-
mense retinue took the field to the destruction of
every animal that came in the way : among the
number of the slain was included an elephant ; and
as a particular account is given of the manner in
which he was attacked, we shall relate it nearly in
the words of the writer. — The next sport of any
magnitude was the attack on a wild elephant, who
was seen on a large plain overgrown with grass.
The Nawab immediately formed a semicircle with
four hundred tame elephants, who were directed to
advance and surround him. When the semicircle
of elephants got within three hundred yards of the
wild one, he looked amazed, but not frightened :
two large and fierce elephants were ordered to ad-
vance against him ; but they were repulsed with a
dreadful shock, and drove-by the Nawab, who, as
the wild one passed, ordered some of the strongest
female elephants to go along-side and endeavour to
entangle him with nooses and running knots : the
attempt, however, was vain, as he snapped every
rope, and none of the tame elephants could stop his
progress. The Nawab, perceiving it impossible to
catch him, ordered his death, and immediately a
volley of above a hundred shots was fired : many
of the balls hit him ; but he seemed unconcerned,
and moved on towards the mountains : an incessant

140

ELEPHANT.

fire was kept up for near half an hour ; the Nawab
and most of his omras, or lords, used rifles which
carried two or three ounce-balls ; but they made
very little impression, and scarcely penetrated be-
yond the skin. Our author, who was mounted
upon a female elephant, went up repeatedly within
ten yards of the wild one, and fired his rifle at his
head ; the blood gushed out, but the skull was in-
vulnerable. Some of the Kandahar horse then gal-
loped up and wounded the beast in several places.
At length being much exhausted with the loss of
blood, from the number of wounds which he had
received ; he slackened his pace, and became quite
calm and serene, as if determined to meet his ap-
proaching end. The horsemen seeing him weak
and slow, dismounted, and with their swords began
a furious attack on the tendons of his hind-legs,
which were soon divided, and the operation com-
pletely disabled the poor animal from proceeding
any further : he staggered, and then fell without a
groan. The hatchet-men now advanced, and be-
gan to cut away his large ivory tusks, while the
horsemen and soldiers in the most unfeeling man-
ner attacked the dying creature with their swords.
We can readily believe the writer, when he says
the sight was very affecting : the noble animal still
breathed, and breathed without a groan ; he rolled
his eyes with anguish on the surrounding crowd,
and, making a last effort to rise, expired with a
sigh.

An elephant in Adsmeer, which often passed

ELEPHANT.

141

through the bazar, or market, as he went by a
certain herb-woman, always received from her a
mouthful of greens. Being one day seized with a
periodical fit of madness, he broke his fetters, and,
running through the market, put the crowd to
flight ; and among others, this woman, who in her
haste forgot a little child at her stall. The ele-
phant, recollecting the spot where his benefactress
was accustomed to sit, took up the infant gently
with his trunk, and conveyed it to a place of

A soldier at Pondicherry was accustomed to give
a certain quantity of arrack to one of these animals
every time he got his pay; and, having one day
intoxicated himself, and being pursued by the
guard, who wanted to put him in prison, he took
refuge under the elephant, and fell fast asleep.
The guard in vain attempted to drag him from this
asylum ; for the elephant defended him with its
trunk. Next day the soldier, having recovered from
his intoxication, was in dreadful apprehensions
when he found himself under the belly of an ani-
mal so enormous. The elephant, which unques-
tionably perceived his terror, caressed him with his
trunk.

A gentleman who resided some years in India
communicated to us the following remarks respect-
ing these animals. The bodies of elephants are
frequently oiled, to prevent the effects of the sun on
them : they are fond of the water in hot weather,

142

ELEPHANT.

and seem delighted while there to be scrubbed
with a bricky or any hard substance, on the upper
part of the head. They are veiy sure-footed, have
an active shuffling gait, and generally travel about
three or four miles an hour, but may be urged on
to six, when goaded by a man who runs behind the
animal for that purpose. They are very fond of
sugar-canes and the leaves of the banyan ; they can
free a cocoa-nut from its tough coat, crack it, and
take out the nut free from the shell. A small race
of elephants, from five to six feet in height, are
much used about the court in the northern part
of India. When the elephant passes through a
crowd, he is very careful to open a way with his
trunk, that he may not injure any one. This ob-
servation is strengthened by M. d’Obsonville, who
informs us that the Baron de Lauriston was in-
duced to go to Laknaor, the capital of the soubah
or viceroyalty of that name, at a time when an
epidemic distemper was making the greatest ra-
vages amongst the inhabitants. The principal road
to the palace-gate was covered with the sick and
dying, extended on the ground, at the very mo-
ment when the nabob must necessarily pass. It
appeared impossible for the elephant to do other-
wise than tread upon and crush many of these poor
wretches in his passage, unless the prince would
stop till the way could be cleared : but he was in
haste, and such tenderness would be unbecoming in
a personage of his importance. The elephant, how-

elephant*

143

ever, without appearing to slacken his pace, and
without having received any command for that pur-
pose, assisted them with his trunk, removed some,
and stepped over the rest with so much address and
assiduity, that not one person was wounded.

Although the Asiatic elephant has in all pro-
bability been subjected by the natives from time
immemorial, yet we do not find any mention made
of his military services till the time of Alexander ;
when Porus, king of India, appeared on the banks
of the Hydaspes, to oppose the passage of the con-
queror, with eighty-five elephants in his train ;
while he, who exceeded the usual stature of men,
clothed in his armour glittering with gold and sil-
ver, and mounted on an elephant of a much larger
size than any of the rest, appeared at the same time
terrible and majestic.

We cannot finish the history of this interesting
animal, without noticing a singular fact respecting
some fossil remains found in this country. The
teeth of a hippopotamus, and the entire tusk of
an elephant, nine feet in length, which is one of
the longest ever discovered, together with other
bones of the same animal, were found buried at
the distance of thirty feet under ground, by some
workmen of Mr. Trimmer, at Brentford, near Lon-
don.

The figure of the elephant which accompanies
this account was done from the animal in a state
of nature, and differs considerably from the figures

144

ELEPHANT.

already given. This at first may induce many t&
consider it as erroneous ; but we do not hesitate
to pronounce it correct, as it rests on the authority
of Mr. Daniell, who carefully studied the elephant
during his residence in India.

DIGITATED QUADRUPEDS.

APE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Four cutting teeth, and two canine, in each jaw.

Feet formed like hands, and, except in one instance, have
four fingers and thumb.

ORANG OUTANG.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

SimIA Satyrus. S. ecaudata ferruginea, lacertorum pilis reversis,

natibus tectis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gniel. 1{

p. 2 6.

Without a tail, colour rusty brown, hair ori
the lower part of the arms reversed, without
callosities behind.

Homo sylvestris. Edw. Av. 5. p. 6. t. 213.
Orang utang sive Homo sylvestris.
Tyson. Anat. Pygm. f. 1, 2.

Orang outang. Sm. Buff. v. 8. p. 77- ph 258. Penn. Hist .

Quadr. v. 1. p. 180. pi. 36. Bew. Quadr.
p. 413. Oran otan Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. \i
2, 3, 4.

Of the very extensive tribe to which this animal
belongs, not one so nearly approaches the human
form, or is so strongly impressed with the human
likeness, as the oran outang, or wild man of the
VOL* I.

b

146 ORANG OUTANG.

woods. It is not in the external form alone that
this creature resembles the human ; for such a sur-
prising similitude is seen to prevail, when examined
anatomically, that we shrink from the sight, and the
mind revolts at the idea of so close a connection be-
tween the monkey and the man.

These animals reside in the warmer parts of
Africa, in India, and in some of the Indian islands,
where they roam about to the great terror of the
Negroes, who dare not pass through the woods
alone, lest they should be attacked by them and
overpowered. The full grown oran outang is said
to be six feet in height, and of great strength. The
general colour is brown ; the face resembles that of
a man, and is equally bare ; the eyes are deep sunk
in the head. The ears, the hands, and the feet,
bear a strong resemblance to the human ; and the
body, which is lightly covered with hair, scarcely
differs from that of a man, except that there are no
calves to the legs. He walks erect, feeds upon
fruits, and sleeps under trees. Warmth is so con-
genial to his nature, that, when the Negroes leave a
fire in the woods, this creature will sit close to it as
long as any embers are left burning, without having-
sense enough to renew it by the addition of fresh
fuel.

Although the oran outang in a wild state appears
so formidable a creature, yet when domesticated he
becomes gentle and obedient, and capable of being-
taught a variety of actions. Buffon describes the
one he saw, as a mild and docile animal ; he had

ORANG OUTANG.

147

neither the impatience of the Barbary ape, the
malice of the baboon, nor the extravagance of the
monkey. He conducted himself with a great deal
of gravity, and constantly presented his hand to the
company who came to visit him. The Count as-
sures us that he has seen him sit down at table,
unfold his towel, wipe his lips, use a spoon or a fork
to carry the victuals to his mouth, pour his liquor
into a glass, and make it touch that of the person
who drank along with him. When invited to take
tea, he brought a cup and saucer, placed them on
the table, put in sugar, poured out the tea, and al-
lowed it to cool before he drank it. But it must
be remembered that he performed all these actions
either by the signs or verbal orders of his master,
who had probably taken much pains to teach him.
He was fond of sweets, and drank a little wine ;
but left it at all times for milk, tea, or other mild
liquors. This animal was afflicted with a teasing
cough, for which such a quantity of sweetmeats
were given him as, it is supposed, contributed to
shorten his life. He lived one year in Paris, and
died in London the following winter.

The account given by Mr. Vosmaer of the man-
ners of an oran outang is too curious and interest
ing to be passed over without notice. This ani-
mal was brought into Holland in the year 177b,
and placed in the Prince of Orange’s menagerie. It
was a female, about two feet and a half high, with-
out any appearance of fierceness or malignity, and
of a somewhat melancholy countenance. It was

148

ORANG OUTANG.

fond of being in company, and seemed sensible of
the attentions showed it by those to whose care it
was committed. Often when they retired it would
throw itself on the ground, as if in despair, uttering
lamentable cries, and tearing in pieces the linen
within its reach. Its keeper having sometimes been
accustomed to sit near it on the ground, it took the
hay of its bed and laid it by its side, and seemed
by every demonstration to invite him to be seated
near. Its usual manner of walking was on all fours,
like other apes ; but it could also walk on its hind
feet only. One morning it got unchained, and
was seen, with wonderful agility, ascending the
beams and rafters of the building : it was not with-
out some pains that it was retaken, and it then
showed an extraordinary degree of muscular power;
the assistance of four men being necessary, in
order to hold it in such a manner as to be pro-
perly secured. During its state of liberty it had,
amongst other things, taken the cork from a bottle
containing some Malaga wine, which it drank to
the last drop, and had set the bottle in its place
again. The chief food of this animal was bread,
roots, and particularly carrots : it was fond of all
sorts of fruit, but gave the preference to straw-
berries, and appeared extremely fond of aromatic
plants. Meat both boiled and roasted, as well as
fish, was eaten. It was not observed to hunt for
insects like other monkeys ; it was fond of eggs,
which it broke with its teeth and sucked com-
pletely ; but fish and roast meat seemed its fa-

ORANG OUTANG.

149

vourite food. It had been taught to eat with a
spoon and a fork, and with the latter would pick
strawberries out of a plate, one by one, and put
them into its mouth, Jts common drink was water;
but it also very willingly drank all sorts of wine, and
particularly Malaga.

Mr. Vosmaer was assured, that on shipboard it
ran freely about the vessel, played with the sailors,
and would go like them into the kitchen for its
mess. At the approach of night it lay down to
sleep, and prepared its bed by shaking well the
hay on which it slept, putting it in proper or-
der, and lastly covering itself with the coverlet.
One day, seeing the padlock of its chain opened
with a key, and shut again, it seized a little bit
of stick, and put it into the key-hole, turning it
about in all directions, endeavouring to see whether
the padlock would open or not. This animal lived
seven months in Holland. On its first arrival it
had but very little hair, except on its back and
arms ; but on the approach of winter it became ex-
tremely well covered, the hair on the back being
three inches in length.

We cannot help confessing, however reluctantly,
that the orang outang very strongly resembles our
image : yet, after all, let us allow the Count de
Buffon to be right, when he observes that the in-
terval which separates the two species is immense.
The ape’s resemblance in figure and organisa-
tion, and the movements of imitation which seem
to result from these similarities, neither make him

150

ORANG OUTANG.

approach the nature of man, nor elevate him above
that of a brute : no disposition of matter will give
mind ; and the body, how nicely soever formed, is
formed in vain, when there is not infused a soul
to direct its operations.

MONKEY TRIBE IN GENERAL.

The other branches of the monkey family are
far more active and mischievous than the orang
outang ; and, although frequently domesticated, they
never lose their capricious disposition : they seem
careless and insensible of the mischief they do ; and
Goldsmith tells us that he once saw a baboon break
a whole table of china, without appearing in the
least conscious of having done amiss. Baboons are
passionately fond of fruit, and will go in troops to
rob orchards, gardens, or vineyards. On such oc-
casions, says Kolben, some of them enter the en-
closure, while others remain on the wall as sen-
tinels, to give notice of any approaching danger.
The rest of the troop are stationed without the
garden, at convenient distances from each other,
and thus form a line, which extends from the place
of pillage to that of their rendezvous. Matters
being disposed in this manner, the baboons begin
the operation, and throw to those on the wall rpe-
lons, gourds, apples, pears, &c. Those on the wall
th row these fruits to their neighbours below : and

Published byM&fsr.s cadeZb Sc Davies. ZoncLon March 1.1.8 b j .

MONKEY.

151

thus the spoils are handed along the whole line,
which generally terminates in some mountain. They
are so dexterous and quick-sighted, that they sel-
dom allow the fruit to fall in throwing it from one
to another. All this is performed with profound
silence and great dispatch. When the sentinels
perceive any person, they cry ; and at this signal
the whole troop fly oft" with astonishing rapidity.

The imitative disposition of these creatures is so
great, that we ought to be careful, when in their
presence, not to set any example that we do not
wish them to follow. Mr. Boodle, a gentleman
of considerable fortune, kept a baboon in his house,
who nearly lost his life by too closely copying
the actions of his master. A large box of cathartic
pills had been sent by the apothecary, with direc-
tions for Mr. Boodle to take two of them occa-
sionally s it so happened that Jack (the baboon’s
name) was present when he took the first dose ; and
without considering the baboon, Mr. B. placed the
box upon the mantle-piece. The cunning animal,
who had been carefully observing his master, was
no sooner left alone than he reached down the box
of pills, and not exactly understanding the label,
he deliberately swallowed them all one after the
other, and, replacing the box upon the mantle,
went down stairs, and seated himself by the kitchen
fire. Here, however, he remained but a short time ;
for the strength of the physic, aided by the heat,
produced such a terrible commotion, that Jack was
obliged to make use of both his hands to prevent

152

MONKEY.

the effect till he had time to reach the garden,
where he ascended a tree, crying piteously, and re-
mained there more dead than alive till the operation
was over.

Near the Cape of Good Hope these animals are
numerous, and will sit undismayed upon the tops
of the rocks, from whence they will throw down
stones of all sorts and sizes on the traveller who
is passing beneath. A gun becomes indispensably
necessary upon these occasions, and is the only
thing regarded by these impudent beasts, who,
alarmed at the report, will fly from the rocks in all
directions. Thunberg says, it is curious to observe
them in their flight. With their cubs on their
backs they will often make astonishing leaps up a
perpendicular rock, and it is but seldom that they
can be shot.

It is highly probable that Robert Lade met with
this species, when he used to traverse the mountain
in the neighbourhood of the Cape for the express
purpose of hunting monkeys. As his account is
expressive of the manners of these creatures, we
shall proceed to relate it in his own words. {{ I
can neither describe all the arts practised by these
animals, nor the nimbleness and impudence with
which they returned after being pursued by us.
Sometimes they allowed us to approach so near
them, that I was almost certain of seizing them ;
but, when I made the attempt, they sprung, at a
single leap, ten paces from me, and mounted trees
with equal agility, from which they looked at us

MONKEY.

153

with great indifference, and seemed to derive plea-
sure from our astonishment. Some of them were
so large, that, if our interpreter had not assured us
that they were neither ferocious nor dangerous, our
number would not have appeared to be sufficient
to protect us from their attacks. As it would serve
no purpose to kill them, we did not use our guns.
But the captain happened to aim at a very large
one which sat on the top of a tree, after having
fatigued us a long time in pursuing him. This
kind of menace, however, of which the animal,
perhaps, recollected his having sometimes seen the
consequences, terrified him to such a degree that
he fell down motionless at our feet, and we had
no difficulty in seizing him. But whenever he re-
covered from his stupor it required all our dex-
terity and efforts to keep him. We tied his pats
together ; but he bit so furiously that we were un-
der the necessity of covering his head with our
handkerchiefs.”

There are not many varieties in the larger tribes
of the monkey kind : but when we come to the
smaller class, the differences among them are ex-
ceedingly increased. Most of the countries in the
tropical climates swarm with them ; where they take
possession of the woody parts, and live in separate
colonies, each of which, we are told, is different
from that of the next district in colour, in size, and
malicious mischief. It has been remarked, that the
monkeys of two cantons are never found to mix
with each other, but rigorously to observe a sepa-

154

MONKEY.

ration : like the savage nations among’ whom they
are found, they guard their limits from the in-
trusion of all strangers of a different race from
themselves. It is of no avail for the lion or the
tiger to dispute the point with these active little
wretches, who carry on an offensive war from the
tops of the trees, and springing from branch to
branch bid defiance to their pursuers. The fea-
thered inhabitants of the woods, who build their
nests upon the trees, are continually disturbed by
the monkeys, who are perpetually on the watch to
rob them ; and such is their mischievous disposition,
that we are assured they will fling their eggs upon
the ground when they want appetite or inclination
to devour them. Snakes are the greatest enemies
the monkeys have ; and the larger kinds will swal-
low them whole if they happen to surprise them
sleeping.

The negroes, who have a strong antipathy to
these animals on account of the great mischief
they do to their plantations, feel delighted when
they can get an opportunity to go a monkey-shoot-
ing. They love the flesh ; and, after having skinned
the creature, serve it up at a negro feast, where it
looks so like a child that none but a negro would
endure the sight.

The late Captain Stedman, who was for some
years in Surinam, and whose feelings were exceed-
ingly acute, being among the woods, and in want
of fresh provisions, shot at two monkeys with the
intention of making broth of them ; but the de-

MONKEY.

155

struction of one of them was attended with cir-
cumstances which made a lasting impression on
his mind. ce Seeing me/’ says the captain, (i nearly
on the bank of the river in a canoe, the creature
made a halt from skipping after his companions,
and, being perched on a branch that hung over the
water, examined me with attention and the strong-
est marks of curiosity, no doubt taking me for a
giant of his own species ; while he chattered pro-
digiously, and kept dancing and shaking the bow
on which he rested with incredible strength and
agility. At this time I laid my piece to my
shoulder, and brought him down from the tree into
the stream ; but may I never again be witness to
such a scene ! The miserable animal was not dead,
but mortally wounded. I seized him by the tail,
and, taking him in both my hands, to end his tor-
ment swung him round, and hit his head against
the side of the canoe ; but the poor creature still
continuing alive, and looking at me in the most af-
fecting manner that can be conceived, I knew no
other means of ending his murder, than to hold
him under the water till he was drowned, while my
heart sickened on his account ; for his dying little
eyes still continued to follow me with seeming re-
proach, till their light gradually forsook them, and
the wretched animal expired. I felt so much on
this occasion, that I could neither taste of him nor
his companions, when they were dressed, though I
saw that they afforded to some others a delicious
repast.”

156

MONKEY.

There is a species of monkey called the preacher,
whose voice is peculiar, and so very loud that it
may be heard at a considerable distance. The
sound proceeds from a peculiar conformation of the
windpipe, in the upper part of which there is a
concave bony process, that exceedingly augments
the voice. This creature has obtained the name
of preacher, from the abominable noise he makes
in the woods every morning and evening, when,
according to Marcgrave, many of them assemble to-
gether ; and one taking his station in a tree, above
the rest, begins to harangue his brethren in a howl
that may be heard at an amazing distance. His
audience seem perfectly sensible of the value of the
discourse, and remain profoundly silent for some
time ; at length the whole body cry together, and
make the woods resound with their terrible noise,
which, however, does not last long before the first
speaker resumes the discourse, and after some time
the assembly breaks up. These animals will leap
from a considerable height, but instead of coming
to the ground they will grasp a branch with their
tails, and hang swinging to and fro like so many
pendulums. Dampier was alarmed by one of them
which jumped immediately at him from the branch
of a tree under which he was passing; but the monkey
caught hold of one of the lower boughs with the tip
of his tail, where he continued swinging and making
faces at him.

The female monkey brings forth sometimes one,
and sometimes two at a birth. If she happens to

MONKEY.

nr

be incumbered with two, she carries one on her
back and the other in her arms. The little one
on her back clasps its hands round her neck and
its feet about her middle, and remains so closely
attached that nothing can shake it off. When she
wishes to suckle it, the two change places, and that
which was on the back, takes the breast, while the
other occupies its situation.

The monkey tribe feed chiefly upon fruits, the
buds of trees, and succulent roots and plants ; these
the warm and fertile regions they inhabit furnish
them in abundance. They, however, do not entirely
confine themselves to a vegetable diet, but some-
times eat insects and worms. If they are within
reach of the sea-coast, they will descend to the
shore and devour what crabs^ oysters, or shell-fish
they can find. They will manage an oyster with
great dexterity, by putting a pebble into the gaping
shell, by which it is prevented from closing, and
then eating the fish at their leisure.

LEMUR.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Four cutting teeth in the upper jaw, and six in the lower.
Two canine teeth in each jaw.

Feet formed like hands.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Lemur tardigradus. L. ecaudatus subferrugineus. Linn. Syst.

Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 41.

Tailless lemur, of a pale rusty brown
colour.

Sinaia unguibus indicis pedum posterio-
rum longis, incurvis et acutis. Briss.
Quadr. 190. n. 3.

Tailless Macauco. Penn. Hist. Quadr.
v. 1. p. 227. pi. 49. Bew. Quadr.
p. 409.

Slow Lemur. . . . Specul. Linn. l.t. 5. Shaw Gen. Zool.

pi. 29.

The late learned Sir William Jones has made one
of these animals the subject of a very interesting
paper, inserted in the fourth volume of the Asiatic
Researches. He has there given so just a descrip-
tion of its form, and so pleasing an account of its

LEMUR. 159

manners, that vve shall extract the account from that
valuable work in the words of the author.

“ The singular animal, which most of you saw,
and of which I now lay before you a perfectly ac-
curate figure, has been very correctly described by
Linnaeus ; except that sickled would have been a
juster epithet than awled for the bent claws on its
hinder indices, and that the size of a squirrel seems
an improper, because a variable, measure : its con-
figuration and colours are particularized with great
accuracy by M. Daubenton ; but the short account
of the loris by M. de Buflfon appears unsatisfactory,
and his engraved representation of it has little re-
semblance to nature * ; so little, that when I was
endeavouring to find in his work a description of
the quadrumane, which had just been sent me from
Dacca, I passed over the chapter on the loris, and
ascertained it merely by seeing, in a note, the Lin-
naean character of the slow-paced lemur. The il-
lustrious French naturalist, whom, even when we
criticise a few parts of his noble work, we cannot
but name with admiration, observes of the loris,
that e from the proportion of its body and limbs,
one would not suppose it slow in walking or leap-
ing,’ and intimates an opinion that Seba gave this
animal the epithet of slow-moving, from some fan-
cied likeness to the sloth of America : but though
its body be remarkably long in proportion to the

* Became he has not figured this animal, but the loris, which
is a distinct species, although it has till lately bee»i considered as
the same.

LEMUR.

l60

breadth of it, and the hinder legs, or more properly
arms, much longer than those before, yet the loris,
in fact, walks or climbs very slowly, and is, pro-
bably, unable to leap. Neither its genus nor species,
we find, are new ; yet, as its temper and instincts
are undescribed, and as the Natural History of M. de
Buffon, or the System of Nature by Linnaeus, can-
not always be procured, I have set down a few re-
marks on the form, the manners, the name, and
the country of my little favourite, who engaged my
affection while he lived, and whose memory I wish
to perpetuate.

“ I. This male animal had four hands, each five-
fingered ; palms naked ; nails round, except those
of the indices behind, which were long, curved,
pointed ; hair very thick, especially on the haunches,
extremely soft, mostly dark-gray, varied with brown
and a tinge of russet ; darker on the back, paler
about the face and under the throat, reddish to-
wards the rump ; no tail, a dorsal stripe, broad ches-
nut-coloured, narrower towards the neck ; a head
almost spherical ; a countenance expressive and in-
teresting ; eyes round, large, approximated, weak
in the day-time, glowing and animated at night ;
a white vertical stripe between them ; eye-lashes
black, short ; ears dark, rounded, concave ; great
acuteness at night, both in seeing and hearing ; a
face hairy, flattish ; a nose pointed, not much
elongated ; the upper lip cleft ; canine teeth com-
paratively long, very sharp.

te More than this I could not observe in the

LEMUR. l6l

living animal ; and he died at a season when I
could neither attend a dissection of his body, nor
with propriety request my medical friends to per-
form such an operation — in the heat of August ;
but I opened his jaw, and counted only two incisors
above, and as many below, which might have been
a defect in the individual ; and it is mentioned
simply as a fact, without any intention to censure
the generic arrangement of Linnaeus.

“ II. In his manners he was for the most part
gentle, except in the cold season, when his temper
seemed wholly changed; and his Creator, who made
him so sensible of cold, to which he must often
have been exposed even in his native forests, gave
him, probably for that reason, his thick fur, which
we rarely see on animals in these tropical climates.
To me, who not only constantly fed him, but bathed
him twice a week in water accommodated to the
seasons, and whom he clearly distinguished from
others, he was at all times grateful ; but when I
disturbed him in winter, he was usually indignant,
and seemed to reproach me with the uneasiness
which he felt, though no possible precautions had
been omitted to keep him in a proper degree of
warmth. At all times he was pleased with being
stroked on the head and throat, and frequently suf-
fered me to touch his extremely sharp teeth : but
at all times his temper was quick ; and when he
was unseasonably disturbed, he expressed a little
resentment by an obscure murmur, like that of
a squirrel, or a greater degree of displeasure by a

VOL. I. M

16*2

LEMUR.

peevish cry, especially in winter; when he was oftert
as fierce, on being much importuned, as any beast
of the woods. From half an hour after sunrise to
half an hour before sunset, he slept without inter-
misssion rolled up like a hedge-hog ; and as soon as
he awoke, he began to prepare himself for the la-
bours of his approaching day, licking and dressing
himself like a cat ; an operation which the flexi-
bility of his neck and limbs enabled him to per-
form very completely : he was then ready for a
slight breakfast, after which he commonly took a
short nap ; but when the sun was quite set, he re-
covered all his vivacity. His ordinary food was the
sweet fruit of this country; plantains always, and
mangos during the season ; but he refused peaches,
and was not fond of mulberries, or even of guaiavas :
milk he lapped eagerly, but was contented with
plain water. In general he was not voracious, but
never appeared satisfied with grasshoppers ; and
passed the whole night while the hot season lasted, in
prowling for them : when a grasshopper, or any in-
sect, alighted within his reach, his eyes, which he
fixed on his prey, glowed with uncommon fire; and
having drawn himself back to spring on it with
greater force, he seized the prey with both his
fore-paws, but held it in one of them while he de-
voured it. For other purposes, and sometimes even
for that of holding his food, he used all his paws
indifferently as hands, and frequently grasped with
one of them the higher part of his ample cage, while
his three others were severally engaged at the hot-

LEMUR.

l63

tom of it; but the posture of which he seemed
fondest was to cling with all four of them to the
upper wires, his body being inverted ; and in the
evening he usually stood erect for many minutes,
playing on the wires with his fingers, and rapidly
moving his body from side to side, as if he had found
the utility of exercise in his unnatural state of con-
finement. A little before day-break, when my early
hours gave me frequent opportunities of observing
him, he seemed to solicit my attention ; and if I
presented my finger to him, he licked or nibbled it
with great gentleness, but eagerly took fruit when I
offered it, though he seldom ate much at his morn-
ing repast : when the day brought back his night,
his eyes lost their lustre and strength, and he com-
posed himself for a slumber of ten or eleven hours.

“ III. The names of loris and lemur will, no
doubt, be continued by the respective disciples of
Buffon and Linnaeus ; nor can I suggest any other,
since the Pandits know little or nothing of the ani-
mal. The lower Hindus of this province generally
call it lajjabanor, or the bashful ape, and the Mus-
selmans, retaining the sense of the epithet, give it
the absurd appellation of a cat : but it is neither a
cat nor bashful ; for though a Pandit who saw my
lemur by day-light remarked that it was lajjalu, or
modest (a word which the Hindus apply to all
sensitive plants), yet he only seemed bashful, while
in fact he was dimsighted and drowsy ; for at night,
as you perceive by his figure, he had open eyes, and

M 2

164

LEMUR.

as much boldness as any of the lemures poetical op
Linnaean.

u IV. As to his country, the first of the species
that I saw in India was in the districts of Tipra,
properly Tripura, whither it had been brought, like
mine, from the Garrow mountains ; and Dr. Ander-
son informs me, that it is fotind in the woods on the
coast of Coromandel : another had been sent to a
member of our society from one of the Eastern isles;
and though the loris may be also a native of Silan,
yet I cannot agree with M. de BufFon, that it is the
minute, sociable, and domestic animal mentioned by
Thevenot, which it resembles neither in size nor in
disposition.

“ My little friend was, on the whole, very en-
gaging; and when he was found lifeless, in the same
posture in which he would naturally have slept, I
consoled myself with believing that he had died
without pain, and lived with as much pleasure as he
could have enjoyed in a state of captivity.”

DOG.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Six cutting teeth, and two canine, in each jaw.

Five toes before, and four behind ; invariable in the wild
species.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Canis familiaris. C. cauda (sinistrorsum) recurvata. Linn.

Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 65.

The tail bent upwards, and towards the left
side.

Faithful Dog. . . Sm. Buff. v. 4. p. 1. pi. 26— 46. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. v. 1. p. 235. Bew. Quadr.
p. 296.

Dogs have at least a certain degree of memory. A
dog is first taught by repeated trials to know some-
thing by a certain mark, and then to distinguish
one ace from another ; they frequently offer him
food on a card he is unacquainted with, after which
they send him to find it out from the rest, and he
never mistakes. The habit of profiting by that
discovery, and receiving caresses, enables him by
degrees to grow acquainted with each particular
card, and he brings them with an air of gaiety,

1 66

DOG.

and without confusion ; and in reality it is no more
surprising to see a dog distinguish one card from
thirty others, than it is to see him distinguish his
master’s door from the rest of the neighbourhood.
All the ingenious qualities, however, which a dog
is capable of acquiring, are not half so valuable as
those lively and courageous instances of friendship
he discovers for his master ; and it is evident that
the dog is consigned by Providence to the care of
man, that he may serve him both as a companion
and a safeguard. His attention is so great, that he
seems to watch night and day to preserve his
master from being injured by any one. He is ac-
quainted with all that passes, and gives his master
intelligence of each particular ; but makes no use
of the information but what is conformable to his
orders.

The services we receive from dogs are as various
as their species. The mastiff and the bull-dog
guard our houses in the night, and reserve all their
malignity for the season wherein people may form
bad designs against us. The shepherds’ dogs are
equally qualified to defend their master’s property
and discipline the flock. Among the class of sport-
ing dogs, the terrier has very short legs, to enable
him to creep under the grass, and dart through
brakes and bushes. The greyhound, to facilitate
his speed through the air, has received a sharp
head and a slender body : his legs, that are so long
and spare, stretch over a large space of ground, and
in swiftness he even exceeds the hare, whose whole

DOG.

1 67

safety consists in the promptitude and stratagems
of her flight. The greyhound is the contrast to
the terrier, as well in the structure of his body as
in his particular functions ; the latter has a weak
sight and a fine nose, because he is in greater need
of a surer scent than a piercing eye when he buries
himself under ground, or forces his way through a
thick underwood. On the other hand, the grey-
hound, who is only useful in the plain, has but an
indifferent nose; but then he never fails to see and
distinguish his prey at a distance through all her
doublings. The setting-dog stops and crouches down
when he sees the game, to give his master notice
of the discovery. There are several sorts of these
dogs, whose names vary according to their quali-
fications; but they are all equally zealous and faith-
ful in accomplishing the service prescribed them.
The master, who is seldom satisfied with those
friends who accompany him, and are irregular at
the sport, is however charmed with the capacity
and understanding of all his dogs. At the con-
clusion of the chase, and the short satisfaction of
the carnage, which is not always granted them,
they all return to the kennel and the string ; they
then forget their fierceness, make a gay surrender
of their liberty, and without murmuring submit to
the coarsest food. In a word, among all these va-
rious domestics who are so submissive and devoted
to our interest, there are none, even down to the
spaniels and the Danish breed, but what render
themselves agreeable by their sprightliness, valua-

168

DOG.

ble by their assiduity, and sometimes beneficial by
a seasonable intimation given to their master in his
slumbers. An instance which occurred near Ham-
mersmith, in the year 1760, will place their use
in this respect in a very strong light. While a
man of the name of Richardson, a waterman of
that place, was sleeping in his boat, the vessel broke
from her moorings, and was carried by the tide
under a west-country barge. Fortunately for the
man his dog happened to be with him ; and the
sagacious animal awaked him by pawing his face,
and pulling the collar of his coat, at the instant the
boat was filling with water ; he seized the oppor-
tunity, and thus saved himself from otherwise in-
evitable death.

The Kamtschatkans, Eskimaux, and Greenland-
ers, strangers to the softer virtues, treat these poor
animals with great neglect. The former, in the
summer season, when the dogs are no longer of
service, turn them loose to seek a living for them-
selves, and care no more about them till the ap-
proach of winter ; when they are recalled to their
usual confinement and labour. Mr. Pennant ob-
serves, that from October till the spring they are
fed with nothing but fish bones and opana ; that is,
putrid fish preserved in pits, and served up to them
mixed with hot water. The Greenlanders are not
better masters : they leave their dogs to feed on
muscles or berries ; unless they happen to be par-
ticularly fortunate in catching seals, when, by way
of an extraordinary luxury, they treat the poor crea-

DOG.

169

tures with the blood and garbage. The natives are
highly indebted to their dogs, which serve them in
the place of horses. They are fastened by the
Greenlanders to their sledges, who are thus en-
abled to pay their visits in savage state, and to
bring home the animals they have killed ; some-
times loading their carriage with five or six large
seals ; and even with this weight in addition to their
master, will the indefatigable creatures travel over
the ice sixty miles in a day. The sledges, says an
intelligent writer, are usually drawn by five dogs,
four of them yoked two and two abreast ; the fore-
most acts as a leader to the rest. The reins being
fastened to a collar round the leading dog’s neck,
are of little use in directing the pack ; the driver
depending chiefly upon their obedience to his voice,
with which he animates them to proceed. Great
care and attention are consequently used in training
up those for leaders, which are valued according
to their steadiness and docility; the sum of forty
rubles, or ten pounds, being no unusual price for
one of them. The rider has a crooked stick, an-
swering the purpose both of whip and reins ; with
which, by striking on the snow, he regulates the
speed of the dogs, or stops them at his pleasure.
When they are inattentive to their duty, the cha-
rioteer often chastises them, by throwing this stick
at them. In picking it up again the Greenlander
shows a great deal of dexterity : and, in truth, it is
highly necessary that he should be expert in this
most difficult part of his exercise ; for the moment

DOG.

170

the dogs find that the driver has lost his stick, un-
less the leader is both steady and resolute, they im-
mediately set off at full speed, and continue to run
till their strength is exhausted, or till the carriage is
overturned and dashed to pieces, or hurried down a
precipice and buried in the snow.

The Greenland dogs live a very hardy life, sleep-
ing constantly abroad, where they make a lodge in
the snow, in which they lie completely covered ex-
cept their noses.

The wild dogs which are found in desert and de-
populated countries, do not differ materially from
wolves, if we except the facility with which they
may be tamed. The wild dogs of America are of
the domestic race, and were transported thither
from Europe. Some of them have been abandoned
in these deserts, where they have multiplied so pro-
digiously that they spread over the inhabited coun-
tries in great packs, attack the domestic cattle,
and even insult the natives, who are obliged to di-
sperse and kill them like other ferocious animals.
Wild dogs, though they have no knowledge of
man, when approached by him with gentleness,
will soon soften, become familiar, and remain at-
tached to their masters. But the wolf, though
taken young, and brought up in the house, is gentle
when a mere cub only, never loses his taste for prey,
and sooner or later indulges his inclination for rapine
and destruction.

The Count de Buffon reared a she wolf, taken in
the woods at the age of three months, along with

DOG.

i;i

an Irish greyhound of the same age. They were
shut up together in a pretty large court, to which
no other beast could have access, and where they
were provided with a shelter for their retirement.
They were equally strangers to any individual of
their own species, and knew no person but the
man who gave them their victuals. They were
kept in this state three years without the smallest
restraint. During the first year they played per-
petually, and seemed to be extremely fond of each
other. The second year they began to quarrel
about their food, though they were supplied in a
plentiful manner. The wolf always began the dis-
pute. When meat and bones were given them on
a large wooden dish, the wrolf, instead of seizing the
meat, instantly drove off the dog, then laid hold of
the edge of the plate so dexterously as to allow no-
thing to fall, and carried off the whole. I have seen
her, says the Count, run in this manner with the
dish between her teeth, five or six times round the
wall, and never set it down, unless to take breath, to
devour the meat, or to attack the dog when he ap-
proached. The dog was stronger than the wolf;
but as he was less ferocious, fears were entertained
for his life, and therefore he was furnished with a
collar. After the second year, these quarrels and
combats became more frequent, and more serious,
and a collar was also given to the wolf, whom the
dog now handled more roughly than before. At
the end of the third year they began to feel all
the ardour of passion ; but discovered no marks of

172

DOG.

love. This condition, instead of softening and
making them approach each other, rendered them
more untractable and ferocious. Nothing now was
heard but dismal howlings and cries of resentment.
In three weeks they were both very meagre ; but
never approached except to tear each other. At
last they -fought so cruelly that the dog killed
the wolf. The dog was shot some days after, for as
soon as he was set at liberty he sprung with fury
upon poultry, dogs, and even men.

We shall conclude the account of these animals
with a few interesting anecdotes respecting their
sagacity ; extracted from different authors.

In December, 1/84, a dog was left by a smug-
gling vessel near Boomer, on the coast of Northum-
berland. Finding himself deserted, he began to
worry sheep, and did so much damage, that he
became the terror of the country within a circuit
of above twenty miles. When he caught a sheep
he bit a hole in its right side, and, after eating the
tallow about the kidneys, left it. Several of them,
thus lacerated, were found alive by the shepherds ;
and, being taken proper care of, some of them re-
covered, and afterwards had lambs. From his deli-
cacy in this respect, the destruction he made may
in some measure be conceived ; as it may be sup-
posed that the fat of one sheep in a day would
hardly satisfy his hunger. The farmers were so
much alarmed by his depredations, that various
means were used for his destruction. They fre-
quently pursued him with hounds, greyhounds,

DOG.

173

he. ; but when the dogs came up with him, he
laid down on his back as if supplicating for mercy;
and in that position they never hurt him : he there-
fore lay quietly, taking his rest till the hunters ap-
proached, when he made off without being fol-
lowed by the hounds, till they were again excited
to the pursuit, which always terminated unsuccess-
fully. And it is worthy of notice that he was one
day pursued from Howick to upwards of thirty
miles distance ; but returned thither and killed
sheep the same evening. His constant residence,
during the day, was upon a rock, on the Heugh-
hill, near Howick, where he had a view of four
roads that approached it ; and in March 1/85,
after many fruitless attempts, he was at last shot
there.

Old Daniel, gamekeeper to the Rev. Mr. Cor-
sellis, had reared a spaniel, which became so fond
of him as to be his constant attendant both by
night and day. Wherever the gamekeeper ap-
peared, Dash was never far distant; and in his
nocturnal excursions to detect poachers, this dog
was of infinite use to him. At these times the dog
altogether neglected the game ; but if a strange foot
had entered any of the coverts. Dash , by a different
whine, informed his master that the enemy were
abroad. Many poachers were detected and caught,
from this singular intelligence.

During the last stage of a consumption, which
carried his master to the grave. Dash unwearily at-
tended the foot of his bed ; and when he died the

174

DOG.

dog would not quit the body, but lay upon the bed
by its side. It was with difficulty he was tempted
to eat any food ; and although after the funeral he
was taken to the house of Mr. Corsellis, and ca-
ressed with all the tenderness which so fond an at-
tachment naturally excited, he took every oppor-
nity to steal back to the room in the cottage where
the gamekeeper breathed his last, and where he
would remain for hours. From thence, for four-
teen days, he constantly visited the grave ; at the
end of which time he died, notwithstanding all the
kindness and attentions that were shown him.

M. d’Obsonville had a mastiff which he had
brought up in India from two months old, and
which accompanied himself and a friend from Pon-
dicherry to Benglour, a distance of more than three
hundred leagues. Their journey occupied nearly
three weeks ; and they had to traverse plains and
mountains, to ford rivers, and go along several by-
paths. The animal, which, M. D\ assures us, had
never been in that country before, lost them at
Benglour, and immediately returned to Pondi-
cherry. The dog went directly to the house of
M. Beylier, then commandant of artillery, the
friend of our author, and with whom he had gene-
rally lived. It is not difficult to know how the dog
subsisted on the road, (for he was very strong, and
able to procure himself food) but it shows an asto-
nishing effort of memory in the animal, who, with-
out being accustomed to the road, could retrace his
way after. an interval of more than a month.

DOG.

175

The following story being inserted in Dibdin’s
Observations in a Tour through England, we have
ventured, upon his authority, to relate it, though
at the same time we must confess our infidelity.

At a convent in France, twenty paupers were
served with a dinner at a certain hour every day.
A dog belonging to the convent did not fail to be
present at this regale, to receive the odds and ends
which were now and then thrown down to him.
The guests, however, were poor and hungry, and
of course not very wasteful ; so that their pensioner
did little more than scent the feast of which he
would fain have partaken. The portions were
served by a person at the ringing of a bell, and
delivered out by means of what in religious houses
is called a tour ; which is a machine like the section
of a cask, that, by turning round upon a pivot, ex-
hibits whatever is placed on the concave side, with-
out discovering the person who moves it. One
day, this dog, who had only received a few scraps,
waited till the paupers were all gone, took the
rope in his mouth, and rang the bell. His strata-
gem succeeded. He repeated it the next day with
the same good fortune. At length the cook, find-
ing that twenty-one portions were given out in-
stead of twenty, was determined to discover the
trick ; in doing which he had no great difficulty ;
for, lying perdu , and noticing the paupers as they
came in great regularity for their different portions,
and that there was no intruder except the dog, he

DOG.

176

began to suspect the real truth ; which he was con-
firmed in when he saw him wait with great de-
liberation till the visitors were all gone, and then
pull the bell. The matter was related to the com-
munity ; and, to reward him for his ingenuity, he
was permitted to ring every day for his dinner ;
when a mess of broken victuals was purposely
served out to him.

WOLF.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Canis Lupus. C. cauda incurvata. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1.
p. 70.

Tail bent inwards.

Canis ex griseo flavescens. Briss. Quadr. p. 170.
Wolf. . . Sm. Buff. 4. p. 196. pi. 67. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 1.

p. 248. n. 159. Arct. Zool. 1. p. 38. Shaw
Gen. Zool. pi. 75. Bew. Quadr. p. 285.

The wolf is naturally savage, but he is at the same
time cowardly ; and although when pressed by
hunger he will attack even man himself, yet if he
happens to be taken in a pit-fall, he is immediately
intimidated, and rendered, from fear, incapable of
resistance. In this situation a person may safely
go in, put a collar about his neck, and drag him
from the hole. A strong natural antipathy exists
between the wolf and the dog: their dispositions
are very opposite, though in external appearance
they are so much alike. A young dog trembles at
the first glance of a wolf; and even his smell, though
new and unknown, excites such an aversion in the
puppy that he flies from it, and comes quivering to
the feet of his master.

VOL. 1. N

1/8

WOLF.

These animals inhabit Europe, Asia, and Ame-
rica, but are not known in Africa. To the north-
ward they stretch as far as Kamtschatka, and even
as high as the arctic circle. Pennant tells us
that in the more uninhabited parts of the country
they go in great droves, and with a hideous noise
hunt the deer like a pack of hounds ; they will
sometimes venture to attack a straggling buffalo :
their supplies frequently fail, and they become so
poor and hungry as to go into a swamp and fill
themselves with mud, which, we are assured, they
will disgorge as soon as they can get any food.
<e Wolves are now so rare,” says Mr. Pennant, £i in
the populated parts of America, that the inhabitants
leave their sheep the whole night unguarded : yet
the governments of Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,
did some years ago allow a reward of twenty shil-
lings,. and the last even thirty shillings, for the
killing of every wolf. Tradition informed them
what a scourge those animals had been to the colo-
nies ; so they wisely determined to prevent the like
evil. In their infant state, wolves came down in
multitudes from the mountains, often attracted by
the smell of the corpses of hundreds of Indians who
died of the small-pox, brought among them by the
Europeans : but the animals did not confine their
insults to the dead, but even devoured in their huts
the sick and dying savages.”

It seems that wolves abounded in England during
the time that the Saxons governed the kingdom,
since we find king Edgar attempting to extirpate

WOLF.

179

them by converting the tax of gold and silver which
the Welsh used to pay him, into an annual tribute
of three hundred wolves’ heads. This, however,
failed of the desired effect ; for, some centuries
afterwards, Edward the First commanded them to
be destroyed in the several counties of Gloucester,
Worcester, Hereford, Salop, and Stafford ; and if
we look back to the reign of Athelstan, we shall
find the wolves so formidable in Yorkshire that it
was thought necessary to build a retreat at Flixton
in that county, to defend passengers from the wolves ,
that they should not be devoured by them. In the
year 168O, the famous Sir Ewan Cameron killed
one of these animals in Scotland; which is supposed
to have been the last that remained in the country,
as Mr. Pennant has since travelled through every
part of it, without being able to learn that there re-
mained even the memory of those animals among
the oldest people.

The female wolves bring forth their young in the
most retired parts of the forest, where they search
for a concealed spot, and make it smooth and even
by cutting and tearing up all the brambles with
their teeth. When the place is properly prepared,
they bring great quantities of moss and make a
commodious bed for their young. They generally
bring forth five or six at a time ; sometimes eight
or nine, but never less than three. They are born
blind, like the dogs, and, after being suckled for
some weeks, are taught by the mother to eat flesh,
which she prepares for them by tearing it into

WOLF.

J80

small pieces. Their savage dispositions are at this
time cultivated by the parent, who brings them dif-
ferent living animals, such as young hares, par-
tridges, and fowls, which they are allowed to play
with and worry till the mother thinks fit to tear
them in pieces, and give a part to each of her young.
The female constantly attends them till their edu-
cation is finished, till they are strong enough to do
without her assistance or protection, and have ac-
quired talents fit for rapine.

In the immense forests of Germany, where wolves
are very numerous, the following, among other
methods, is employed to destroy them. In the
most retired part of the forest, a large piece of
carrion is suspended to the branch of a tree, hav-
ing previously made a train of some miles long,
with small bits of putrid flesh placed at certain in-
tervals to entice the wolves to the spot. The
hunters then wait till it is dark, and approach the
place very cautiously that they may not disturb the
wolves, whom they often find busily employed in at-
tempting to get at the food which is placed just with-
out their reach. While thus engaged, the hunters,
who are provided with fire-arms, have full time to
dispatch them.

The wolf possesses so exquisite a sense of smell-
ing, that the odour of carrion is said to strike him
at the distance of a league. When he issues from
the wood, says Buflfon, he never loses the wind.
He stops upon the borders of the forest, smells on
all sides, and receives the emanations of living or

WOLF.

181

dead animals brought to him from a distance by
the wind. He devours the most putrid carcases,
though he prefers the living to the dead ; and, ac-
cording to Buffon, is so fond of human flesh that
were he stronger he would, perhaps^ eat no other.
It is for this reason he follows armies to the field
of battle, and disinters the slain ; when once accus-
tomed to this food, he prefers it to all others, and
devotirs it with insatiable avidity.

Hunting the wolf is a favourite diversion in some
parts of Europe, and is followed by a number of
people, who assemble together, provided with dogs,
and trace otit the wolf by the print of his feet i the
age is guessed by the mark he leaves on the ground ;
for the older the wolf the larger the track. Be-
sides the other dogs, it is necessary to have a good
blood-hound to start the wolf ; and when he falls
upon the scent, he must be encouraged by every
art the huntsman can use, or his natural aversion
to the animal will get the better of his duty, and
he will refuse to proceed. When the wolf is raised,
the gre-hounds are let loose in pairs. The first
pair is sent after him in the beginning, seconded
by a man on horseback ; the second about half a
mile further ; and the third pair when the rest of
the dogs come up with, and begin to bait him.
Notwithstanding the united efforts of the dogs, he
often maintains his ground against them for a corn
siderable time, and makes some of the boldest repent
the attack. At length, however, his strength fails
him, he is reduced to the last extremity, and the’

182

WOLF.

hunters complete the business by stabbing him with
their daggers.

When very young, that is, during the first year,
wolves are very docile, and even caressing ; they
are quiet, and may be kept with poultry and other
animals without doing any mischief : but this good
humour only lasts about a year and a half, when
their natural ferocity returns, and they can no
longer be suffered to remain at large. “ I reared
one till the age of eighteen or nineteen months,”
says Buffon, “ in a court along with fowls, none
of which he ever attacked ; but for his first essay
he killed the whole in one night, without eating
any of them. Another, having broken his chain,
ran off, after killing a dog with whom he had lived
in great familiarity. I kept a she wolf three years
in a large court ; and though shut up, when very
young, along with a gre-hound of the same age,
she would never suffer him to approach her. She
provoked, she attacked, she bit the dog, who at
first only defended himself ; but at last he worried
her

The wolf grows gray as he grows old, and when
dead is only valuable on account of his skin, which
makes a warm durable fur. The rankness of his
flesh is so great that it is rejected by all other
animals, and nothing but a wolf will eat a wolf.
His breath is abominably offensive, and his ap-

* See the history of the dog for a particular account of this
transaction.

WOLF.

183

petite so voracious, that he has been known to ap-
pease his hunger by swallowing any indigestible
stuff he can find, such as bones, hair, and skins
half tanned, which he will reject from his stomach
when he can procure better food. To sum up his
character, in a word : his aspect is base and savage,
his voice dreadful, his odour insupportable, his dis-
position perverse, his manners ferocious : odious
and destructive when living, and, when dead, al-
most perfectly useless.

FOX.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Vtlpes Lagopus. C. cauda recta, palmis plantisque pilosissimis.

Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 75.

The tail straight j all the feet remarkably
hairy.

Canis hieme albus, aestate ex cinereo caerules-
cens. Briss. Quadr. p. 174.
a. Yulpes alba. Kahn. Bahus. 23&.

|S. Vulpes CiEHULESCENS. Faun. Suec. 14.
Arctic Fox. . . Penn. Hist. Quadr. 2. p. 255. pi. 51. Penn.

Arct. Zool. v. 1. p. 42. n. 10. Bew.
Quadr. p. 283.

The observation of Mr. Pennant, that these animals
have been known to stand by while the trap was
baiting, and instantly after put their heads into it,
reminds us of the ingenuity of Sidrophel ;

“ He made a planetary gin.

Which rats would run their own heads in.

And come on purpose to be taken.

Without the expense of cheese or bacon.”

These hardy creatures are found only in the
Arctic regions, where they brave the inclemency
of the seasons ; and even in the extreme bitterness

FOX.

185

of a Spitsbergen winter they have been seen prowl-
ing about in search of prey. Their principal food
consists of water-fowl, or their eggs ; of hares, or
any lesser animals. And they are so voracious,
when pressed by hunger, that when Beering, after
suffering great hardships at sea, landed his men on
the island that goes by his name, the foxes mangled
the dead before they could be buried, and were even
not afraid to approach the helpless sick, and smell
to them like dogs.

The ears of the Arctic fox, which are short and
rounded, are almost hid in the fur. The long soft
and silky hair with which the animal is covered, is
sometimes blueish gray, and sometimes white. The
toes are entirely covered with a thick fur, and the
tail is shorter and more bushy than that of the com-
mon fox.

Steller, who resided for some time in the midst
of these animals, has given us the fullest account of
their manners, though his description appears to be
a little overstrained.

“ During my unfortunate abode,” says Steller,
“ on Beering’s island, I had but too many oppor-
tunities of studying the nature of these animals ;
which far exceed the common fox in impudence,
cunning, and roguery. The narrative of the innu-
merable tricks they played us might vie with Al-
bertus Julius’s History of the Apes on the island of
Saxenbourg.

“ They forced themselves into our habitations by
night as well as by day, stealing all that they could

186

FOX.

carry off ; even tilings that were of no use to thenf,
as knives, sticks, and clothes. They were so ex-
tremely ingenious as to roll down our casks of pro-
visions several poods (each pood is equal to forty
Russian pounds) in weight ; and then steal the
meat out with such skill, that at first we could not
bring ourselves to ascribe the theft to them. While
employed in stripping an animal of its skin, it has
often happened that we could not avoid stabbing
two or three foxes, from their rapacity in tearing
the flesh out of our hands. If we buried it ever so
carefully, and even added stones to the weight of
earth that was upon it, they not only found it out,
but with their shoulders pushed away the stones,
by lying under them, and in this way helping one
another. If, in order to secure it, we put any ani-
mal on the top of a high post in the air, they either
dug up the earth at the bottom, and thus tumbled
the whole down, or one of them climbed up, and
with incredible artifice and dexterity threw down
what was upon it.

“ They watched all our motions, and accom-
panied us in whatever we were about to do. If the
sea threw up an animal of any kind, they devoured
it before we could arrive to rescue it from them :
and if they could not consume the whole of it at
once, they trailed it in portions to the mountains,
where they buried it under stones before our eyes,
running to and fro so long as any thing remained
to be conveyed away. While this was doing, others
stood on guard and watched us. If they saw any

FOX*

187

one coming at a distance, the whole troop would
combine at once, and begin digging all together in
the sand, till even a beaver, or sea-bear, in their pos-
session, would be so completely buried under the
surface that not a trace of it could be seen. In the
night-time, when we slept in the field, they came
and pulled off our night-caps, and stole our gloves
from under our heads, with the bear coverings and
the skins that we lay upon. In consequence of this
we always slept with our clubs in our hands, that if
they awoke us we might drive them away, or knock
them down.

“ When we made a halt to rest by the way, they
gathered around us, and played a thousand tricks in
our view ; and when we sat still, they approached
us so near that they gnawed the thongs of our
shoes. If we lay down as if intending to sleep,
they came and smelt at our noses, to find whether
we were dead or alive. On our first arrival, they
bit off the noses, fingers, and toes of our dead, while
we were preparing the grave ; and thronged in such
a manner about the infirm and sick, that it was with
difficulty we could keep them off.

“ Every morning we saw these audacious animals
patrolling about among the sea-lions and sea-bears
lying on the strand ; smelling at such as were asleep,
to discover whether some of them might not be
dead : if that hapjjened to be the case, they pro-
ceeded to dissect him immediately, and soon af-
terwards all were at work in dragging the parts
away. Because the sea-lions in their sleep some-

188

FOX.

times overlay their young, the foxes etery morning
examined the whole herd of them, one by one, as
if conscious of this circumstance ; and immediately
dragged away the dead cubs from their dams.

“ As they would not suffer us to be at rest either
by night or day, we became so exasperated against
them that we killed them young and old, and
harassed them by every means we could devise.
When we awoke in the morning, there always lay
two- or three that had been knocked on the head
the preceding night ; and I can safely affirm, that,
during my stay upon the island, I killed above
two hundred of these animals with my own hands.
On the third day after my arrival, I knocked down
with a club, within the space of three hours, up-
wards of seventy of them, and made a covering to
my hut with their skins. They were so ravenous,
that with one hand we could hold to them a piece
of flesh, and with a stick or axe in the other could
knock them down.

u From all the circumstances that occurred during
our stay, it was evident that these animals could
never before have been acquainted with mankind ;
and that the dread of man is not innate in brutes,
but must be grounded on long experience.

u Like the common foxes, they were the most
sleek and full of hair in the months of October and
November. In January and February the growth
of this was too thick. In April and May they be-
gan to shed their coat ; in the two following months
they had only wool upon them, and appeared as if

FOX.

189

they went in waistcoats. In June they dropped
their cubs, nine or ten at a brood, in holes and clefts
of the rocks. They are so fond of their young,
that, to scare us away from them, they barked and
yelled like dogs ; by which they betrayed their
covert : but no sooner did they perceive that their
retreat was discovered, than (unless they were pre-
vented) they dragged the young away in their
mouths, and endeavoured to conceal them in some
more secret place. On one of us killing the young,
the dam would follow him with dreadful howlings,
both day and night, for a hundred or more versts ;
and would not even then cease till she had done
him some material injury, or was herself killed by
him.

“ In heavy falls of snow these animals bury
themselves in that substance, where they live as
long as it continues of a sufficient depth. They
swim across the rivers with great agility. Besides
what the sea casts up, or what is destroyed by other
beasts, they seize the water-fowl, by night, on the
cliffs where it has settled to sleep ; but, on the con-
trary, they are themselves frequently victims to the
birds of prey. Though now found in such num-
bers on this island, they were probably conveyed
thither from the continent, on the drift-ice ; and
being afterwards nourished by the great quantity of
animal substances thrown ashore by the sea, they
became thus enormously multiplied.”

Arctic foxes live in the clefts of rocks, and in
caverns ; they likewise burrow in the earth, and

190

FOX.

form holes many feet in length, strewing the bot-
tom with moss. Two or three inhabit the same
hole. In Lapland, and the northern parts of Asia,
these animals feed principally upon the Leming
rat, a little migratory animal that occasionally leaves
its country to seek an existence elsewhere. This
accounts for the desertion of the foxes, who some-
times are gone for three or four years, and are pro-
bably in search of their prey. Their skins form
an article of traffic, and many come from Greenland,
where the natives have various ways of catching
them. They are either taken in pit-falls dug in
the snow and baited with fish, or in springs made
with whalebone laid over a hole in the snow,
and the bottom baited in the same manner ; or in
traps, made like little huts, with flat stones, so con-
trived that, when the fox enters and takes the bait,
one of them falls upon him and prevents his retreat.
The blue furs are the most costly.

The manners of the fox are nearly the same in all
countries : full of craftiness and address, they will
execute that by cunning which the larger animals
accomplish by force. Our common species, which
is too well known to the farmers of this country,
does not fall short in roguish abilities, and will
listen to the crowing of cocks and the cries of
poultry, till a proper opportunity offers of carrying
a few of them off. He is equally attentive to the
nets of the bird-catcher, which he will visit every
morning, and remove the birds that are entangled
to a secret spot, where he will hide them for two or

FOX.

191

three days, unless he finds it necessary to satisfy his
appetite at the time. Whenever he finds himself
pursued, he runs to his hole, from whence he is
either dug out, or driven by the terriers. When he
is hunted merely for the sake of the sport which he
affords, his hole is carefully stopped by the hunters
before the chase begins ; so that the poor animal is
completely shut out, and has only his speed and
cunning to depend upon for his safety. He gene-
rally runs straight forwards before the hounds, and
as his scent is very strong the dogs follow with great
eagerness. The chase has been known to continue
for ten hours together, without any of the party
having the plea of necessity on his side, except the
fox : — a sufficient proof that there must be a degree
of pleasure derived from the amusement, which can
only be felt by a true fox-hunter.

From Mr. Pennant we learn that there are three
varieties found in the mountainous parts of these
islands, which differ a little in form, but not in
colour, from each other. They are distinguished
in Wales by as many different names. The malgi
or gre-hound fox is bolder and larger than the
others, and will attack a grown sheep or wether :
the mastiff fox is less, but more strongly built ;
and the corgi, or cur fox, which is the least, is the
sworn enemy of poultry, and lurks about hedges,
out-houses, &c. The first of these varieties has a
white tag or tip to the tail : the last a black.

JACK ALL.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Cams aurexjs. Cauda recta, corpore pallide fulvo. Linn. Syst.

Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 72.

Tail straight, body of a tawny yellow colour.
Jackall. . . Sm. Buff. v. 7* P- 255. pi. 241. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. \. 1. p. 261. Bew. Quadr. p. 292.

Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 79-

These animals are found in almost every part of
Asia, and in most parts of Africa from Barbary to
the Cape of Good Hope. They very much re-
semble the fox in the form of the body ; but the
head is not so lung, and they have a blunter nose.
The legs are longer than those of the fox, and the
body is more compressed. They are represented
as great thieves, and bold enough to enter a tent,
and steal whatsoever they can find from the sleep-
ing traveller. They hunt in packs of forty, fifty,
or even two hundred, and continue like hounds in
full cry from evening until morning. Their vo-
racity is so great, that when prey is scarce they will
eat the most infected carrion ; and will even scratch
up the dead, and devour the putrid carcases. To
prevent the depredations of the jackalls the in-

JACKALL.

193

habitants make their graves very deep. The howl-
ings of a pack of them in the night-time must be
very dreadful, if we may be allowed to judge from
the one in Exeter Change, whose lengthened howl
joined with a sort of bark exceeds the noise of all
the other beasts. The length of the jackall is about
thirty inches, not including the tail, which mea-
sures nearly a foot : he stands from the ground ra-
ther more than eighteen inches ; and he is rather
higher behind than before.

In Barbary the jackall is called thaleb, and is
thus described by M. Sonnini : <c His hair is of a
bright fawn colour, deeper on the upper than the
under part of the body. He is particularly re-
markable for his large tail, striped transversely with
black and gray. His eyes are as lively as his mo-
tions. In the height of day he approaches the
habitations of men, establishing near them his sub-
terraneous abode, which he carefully conceals under
thick bushes ; thence creeps out without noise, sur-
prises the poultry, carries off the eggs, and leaves no
other traces of the havock he has made than the
havock itself.

“ Taking one day a contemplative walk in the
garden,” continues Sonnini, ‘£ I stopped near a
hedge : a thaleb, who heard no noise, was coming
towards me through the hedge, and, on his getting
out, he found himself close at my feet. On seeing
me, he was so struck with astonishment, that he
did not even attempt to escape, but, fixing his eyes
upon me, remained motionless for some seconds.

o

VOL. I.

194

JACKALL.

His embarrassment was painted in his countenance,
in a manner of which I could not have conceived
him susceptible, and which indicated a very delicate
instinct. For my part, I was afraid to make any
motion that might disturb this situation, which af-
forded me considerable pleasure. At length, after
taking a few steps from one side to the other, as if
not knowing which way to fly, still keeping his eyes
turned towards me, he made off, not running, but
stretching himself out, or rather creeping away,
placing his feet alternately with singular precaution.
He was so much afraid of letting himself be heard
in his flight, that he held his large tail almost in a
horizontal position, that it might neither drag on
the ground, nor brush against the plants. On the
other side of the hedge I found the remains of his
meal ; it was a bird of prey, which he had nearly
devoured.”

He is said to display so much agility and artifice
in hunting of birds, that scarcely any of them can
escape him.

Published, by ALefsrs CadcZL Sc J) avies .Zondorv d&ardhi,! 8on .

HYiENA.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Canis Hyana. C. cauda recta, pilis cervicis erectis, auriculis

*

nudis, pedibus tetradactylis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 71-

Tail straight, hair erect on the neck, ears
naked ; four toes on each foot.

Taxus porcinus sive hyaena veterum. Kcempfer.
Amcenit. Exot. p. 411. t. 407- f. 4.

Striped Hyaena. Sm. Buff. v. 5. p. 226. pi. 128. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. ed. 3. v. 1. p. 270. Beta. Quadr.
p. 271. Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 78.

When Mr. Pennant visited the Tower in the year
1792j he saw two young hyaenas, not above half a
year old, that were quite tame and inoffensive. He
likewise mentions one in the possession of Mr.
Brooks, that was as quiet as a dog ; and Buffon
saw one at the fair of St. Germain, in the year
177^ which was so remarkably gentle that it fre-
quently played with its keeper ; who, to astonish
the spectators, would occasionally put his hand into
the animal’s mouth, without the least apprehension
of danger. These are merely quoted as instances
of exception to the received opinion of their un-
tameable nature ; not intended to alter our ideas of

o 2

HYAENA.

196

the natural disposition of the animal, which is fierce^
cruel, and rapacious.

The hyaena which we saw in the collection at
Exeter Change was about the size of a large dog,
but of a much more compact and muscular form.
The hair upon the body was long and coarse ; but
the most remarkable part was the bristly mane,
which extended from the head to the end of the
tail, and was constantly erected whenever the ani-
mal was pfovoked. Long dark-coloured stripes,
beautifully disposed in waves, ornamented its back
and sides, making us some amends for the horrid
glare of its eyes, which we could not contemplate
without a mingled sensation of detestation and ter-
ror. This animal has lived in the menagerie for
the last six years, in perfect health, notwithstanding
the rough usage it daily receives from its keeper,
who is not sparing of his blows whenever the com-
pany wish to see it enraged. The average allow-
ance of food is four pounds of shin of beef a day,
which it devours at different times with a most
voracious appetite. The hyaena is lower behind
than it is before, and when feeding constantly erects
the bristles on its back, contracts itself as much as
possible, shows its white teeth, and looks truly
formidable.

It is remarkable that this animal is completely
covered with hair, except on the ears, which are
bare.

The hyaena is a savage, unsociable, and solitary
animal ; it resides in dark caverns, in the clefts of

HYiENA.

197

rocks, or in some gloomy retreat excluded from the
light ; where it remains till the darkness is suf-
ficient to favour its cruel and rapacious deeds. It
then rushes from its hiding-place, ravages the sheep-
fold, and destroys every thing within its reach with
the most insatiable voracity. It inhabits Asiatic
Turkey, Syria, Persia, and Barbary ; and is such a
plague in Abyssinia that Mr. Bruce informs us
Gondah was full of them from the time it became
dark till the dawn of day. It is customary for this
animal to seek its food in the midst of towns and
cities. In those warm climates, where animal sub-
stances soon become putrid, and where the in-
habitants very frequently leave parts of slaugh-
tered carcases exposed in the streets without burial,
the hyaena is evidently of service ; since, by re-
moving the nuisance, it not only rids the people
of an offensive sight, but at the same time secures .
them againt the pestilential effluvia which would
soon arise from the dead bodies. “ Many a time
in the night,” says Mr. Bruce, who was then re-
siding at Gondah, “ when the king had kept me late
in the palace, and it was not my duty to lie there,
in going across the square from the king’s house,
not many hundred yards distant, I have been ap-
prehensive they would bite me in the leg. They
grunted in great numbers about me, though I was
surrounded with several armed men, who seldom
passed a night without wounding or slaughtering
some of them.”

A very unwelcome visit which one of these bold

198

HYiENA.

creatures paid Mr. Bruce, he describes in the fol-
lowing words :

“ One night in Maitsha, being intent on ob-
servation, I heard something pass behind me to-
wards the bed, but upon looking round could per-
ceive nothing. Having finished what I was then
about, I went out of my tent, resolving directly to
return ; which I immediately did, when I perceived
two large blue eyes glaring at me in the dark. I
called upon my servant with a light ; and there
was the hyaena standing nigh the head of the bed,
with two or three large bunches of candles in his
mouth. To have fired at him, I was in danger of
breaking my quadrant or other furniture ; and he
seemed, by keeping the candles steadily in his
mouth, to wish for no other prey at that time.
As his mouth was full, and he had no claws to tear
with, I was not afraid of him, but with a pike
struck him as near the heart as I could judge. It
was not till then he showed any sign of fierceness ;
but upon feeling his wound, he let drop the candles,
and endeavoured to run up the shaft of the spear to
arrive at me ; so that, in self-defence, I was obliged
to draw out a pistol from my girdle and shoot him,
and nearly at the same time my servant cleft his
skull with a battle axe.”

This gentleman assures us, that in Barbary the
hyaena is such a coward in the day-time, that the
hunters, when his cave is large enough to give them
admittance, take a torch in their hand, and go
straight to him ; when pretending to fascinate him

HYiENA. 199

by a senseless jargon of words which they repeat, they
throw a blanket over him, and hawi him out.

Superstition, which has ever influenced the hu-
man mind, has been active in assigning to the
hyaena properties which never existed but in the
imaginations of the antients. They believed that it
changed its sex ; that it imitated the human voice ;
that it had the power of charming shepherds, and
of riveting them to the place where they stood:
even at the present day, whenever the Arabs kill
one of them, they carefully bury the head, lest it
should be applied to magical purposes.

THE SPOTTED HYAENA,

Known at the Cape of Good Hope by the name
of the tiger-wolf, has not been many years distin-
guished by naturalists from the striped species. Its
habits are the same, and its disposition equally
rapacious, cruel, and mischievous. It differs from
the other in being spotted instead of streaked, in
the mane and hair on the body being much shorter,
and in having short hairy ears.

This creature is described as very strong and
voracious. It prowls about for its prey, sending
forth the most hideous yells every night ; and the
howlings of a number of them are dreadful and
alarming beyond description.

200

HYiENA.

The hyaena will follow cattle for several days,
taking the advantage of the nights for seizing its
prey: a gentleman who lately returned from his
travels into the interior of Africa, showed us
the skull of one which he shot after it had fol-
lowed their party for some time, and destroyed
several bullocks. “ One evening,” says Dr. Thun-
berg, u we had turned our oxen out to graze in the
plain, but not far from the farm. The evening
was darker than usual ; the dogs made a terrible
noise, and the whole herd of oxen thronged towards
the house, without our being able, as the night was
so dark, to go to their assistance with fire-arms.
In the morning we found that the cattle had been
pursued by a tiger-wolf, and that one of our oxen
had been bit in the groin, and a portion of the
skin six inches broad had been torn away, but that
the intestines did not hang out, nor were they other-
wise hurt.”

Since the introduction of fire-arms, these ani-
mals have been less daring ; for it appears that for-
merly their undaunted ferocity led them to enter
the very huts of the Hottentots, and sometimes
carry off their children. Numbers of them are
known frequently to attend in the night-time about
the shambles at the Cape, for the sake of the bones
and offal that are left there by the inhabitants ; and
they prove themselves such active scavengers, that
not a vestige of any thing which can possibly be
devoured is to be found in the morning. It is
singular that the dogs, who are their sworn enemies

HYiENA.

201

at all other times, should not then molest them ; and
we are assured, that although fed in the very heart
of the town, they have seldom been known to do any
mischief there.

We shall conclude this account with a pleasant
story related by Dr. Sparrman ; for the truth of
which, however, he does not pretend to vouch; and
if he did, we fear that some of his readers would be
rude enough to doubt it.

<<r One night, at a feast near the Cape, a trumpeter
who had got himself well filled with liquor, was
carried out of doors in order to cool and sober him.
The scent of him soon attracted a tiger-wolf, which
threw him on his back, and dragged him along with
him like a corpse, and consequently a fair prize, up
towards Table mountain. Mean time, however, our
drunken musician awaked, sufficiently sensible to
know the danger of his situation, and to sound the
alarm with his trumpet, which he carried fastened
to his side. The wild beast, as may easily be ima-
gined, was not less frightened in his turn, and the
trumpeter escaped.”

It has been very properly remarked, that any but
a trumpeter, in such a situation, would have fur-
nished the animal with a supper.

CAT.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Six cutting teeth, and two canine, in each jaw.

Tongue covered with rough prickles pointing backwards.
Claws sharp and hooked, capable of being extended or
drawn in at pleasure.

Head round, and visage short.

LION.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

F elis Leo. F. cauda elongata, corpore helvolo. Syst. Nat.
Linn. ed. Gruel. 1. p. 75.

Tail long and flocky; body of a pale reddish colour.
Felis cauda in floccum desinente. Briss. Quadr.
p. 194.

Lios. . . Sm. Buff. v. 5. p. 64. pi. 110. Penn. Hist. Quadr.

ed. 3. 1. p. 274. Bew. Quadr. 179. Shaw
Gen. Zool. pi. 81. 82.

“ We found encamped on the borders of the salt-
water lake, a farmer and his whole family, consist-
ing of sons and daughters, and grandchildren; of
oxen, cows, sheep, goats, and dogs. He was mov-
ing to a new habitation ; and, in addition to his
live-stock, carried with him his whole property in
two waggons. He advised us to make fast our

FublisTzecL by Mefo™ CacLeR £c Davies, Z ondoru, March 1,1 8 o'].

LION.

203

oxen to the waggons, as two of his horses had been
devoured on the preceding night by lions. This
powerful and treacherous animal is very common
in the thickets about the salt-pans ; treacherous, be-
cause it seldom makes an open attack, but, like the
rest of the feline genus, lies in ambush till it can
conveniently spring upon its prey. Happy for the
peasantry, the Hottentots, and those animals that
are the objects of its destruction, were its noble and
generous nature, that so oft has fired the imagina-
tion of poets, realized, and that his royal paw dis-
dained to stain itself in the blood of any sleeping
creature ! The lion, in fact, is one of the most in-
dolent of all the beasts of prey, and never gives
himself the trouble of a pursuit unless hard pressed
with hunger.” Thus has Mr. Barrow contradicted
the popular idea of this animal’s generosity, and
given a much more probable reason for his apparent
want of fierceness.

We believe it is universally allowed, that the
animal inhabitants of warm countries are larger,
fiercer, and stronger, than those of cold and tem-
perate climates. The lions of Mount Atlas, the
tops of which are covered with eternal snows, have
neither the strength nor ferocity of those which
are produced under the burning sun of Africa.
Those who have travelled through the countries
where the lion is chiefly to be met with, assure us
that the species is not very numerous, and that it
seems to be diminishing daily. It is an observation

204

LION.

of Dr. Shaw, that the Romans carried fifty times as
many lions from Libya, in one year, to combat in
their amphitheatres, as are to be found in the whole
country at this time.

The bold and majestic figure of the lion, added
to his noble gait and terrible voice, are calculated
to inspire the beholders with feelings not easily
described. Muscular, compact, and well propor-
tioned, the lion is a perfect model of strength joined
with agility ; and it is only necessary to see him
in order to be convinced of his superior force. His
large head, surrounded with a dreadful mane, which
he can erect at pleasure, all those muscles that ap-
pear under the skin swelling with the slightest
exertions ; and the great breadth of his paws, with
the thickness of his limbs, plainly evince that no
other animal in the forest is capable of opposing
him.

The great strength of the lion’s neck led Ari-
stotle to suppose that it was composed of one solid
bone. On the contrary, it has as many bones as
fall to the share of other quadrupeds, and the error
could only originate from the amazing strength of
the muscles which are connected to the bones of that
part. The tongue is very rough, and beset with
prickles which have the grain turned backward;
the eyes are bright and fiery, and, upon the least
irritation, seem to glow with peculiar lustre; nor
even in death does this terrible look forsake them.
The internal parts of this animal, as well as the

LION.

205

eyes, teeth, tongue, and paws, are so very similar to
those of a cat, that the chief distinction of the anato-
mist arises from the size.

The length of the largest lion from the nose to
the origin of the tail, according to Mr. Pennant,
is above 6ight feet ; he allows four feet for the
length of the tail, which is tufted with long black
hairs. The lioness, or female, is less, and wants
the mane. The eyes of the lion, like those of the
cat, seem fitted for seeing best in the dark ; in-
deed, it has been frequently observed by his keep-
ers, that a strong light greatly incommodes him.
It is for this reason he rarely appears till the even-
ing closes in, when, like the rest of the feline race,
he begins to seek for prey. For this purpose he
crouches on his belly, in some thicket, or among
the long grass, which is found in many parts of the
forest ; in this retreat he continues, with patient
expectation, until his prey comes within a proper
distance ; when he is said sometimes to spring fifteen
or twenty feet, and often seizes the unhappy object
at the first bound.

Although this is the general mode which the
lion chooses, when in search of food, yet he will
Occasionally deviate from his natural manner, and
pursue his prey without waiting for the darkness
of the night. We are informed by Mr. Barrow,
that “ a Hottentot belonging to one of the farmers
had endeavoured for some time, in vain, to drive
his master’s cattle into a pool of water enclosed be-
tween two ridges of rock ; when at length he espied

206

LION.

a huge lion couching in the midst of the pool.
Terrified at the unexpected sight of such a beast,
that seemed to have its eyes fixed upon him, he in-
stantly took to his heels, leaving the cattle to shift
for themselves. In doing this he had presence of
mind enough to run through the herd, concluding
that, if the lion should pursue, he might take up
with the first beast that presented itself. In this,
however, he was mistaken : the lion broke through
the herd, making directly after the Hottentot ; who,
on turning round, and perceiving that the monster
had singled him out for a meal, breathless and half
dead with terror, scrambled up one of the tree
aloes, in the trunk of which had luckily been cut
out a few steps, the more readily to come at some
birds’ nests that the branches contained. At the
same moment the lion made a spring at him, but,
missing his aim, fell upon the ground. In surly
silence he walked round the tree, casting every
now and then a dreadful look towards the poor
Hottentot, who had crept behind some finches’
nests * that happened to have been built in the
tree.

“ It was on one of these edifices that the Hottentot
screened himself from the sight of the lion. Having
remained silent and motionless for a length of time,

* Sometimes one of these clumps of nests will extend a space
of ten feet in diameter, and contain a population of several hun-
dred individuals. Each nest is separate from the other, although
they are all under one common covering. The bird is a species of
the genus loxia. See pi. 15.

LION.

207

he ventured to peep over the side of the nest,
hoping that the lion had taken his departure ; when,
to his great terror and astonishment, his eyes met
those of the animal, to use his own expression,
“ flashing fire at him.” In short, the lion laid him-
self down at the foot of the tree, and stirred not
from the place for four-and-twenty hours. He then
returned to the spring to quench his thirst, and in-
the mean time the Hottentot descended the tree,
and scampered to his home, which was not more
than a mile distant, as fast as his feet could carry
him. The perseverance of the lion was such, that
it appeared afterwards he had returned to the tree,
and from thence had hunted the Hottentot by the
scent, within three hundred paces of the house.”

However singular it may appear, it is, according
to our author, a fact well established, that the lion
prefers the flesh of the Hottentot to that of any
other creature; and frequently singles him out from
a party of Dutch, where the want of clothing and
the difference of colour sufficiently distinguish the
Hottentot from the European.

Nothing can be more dreadful than the roaring
of the lion, which resounding through the exten-
sive forests, in the still hour of the night, is heard
at a very considerable distance. This deep and
hollow roar he is said to send forth particularly be-
fore rain. It differs from his cry of anger, which
is still louder, and always excited by opposition,
when he lashes his sides with his tail, and his
bushy mane, moving in every direction, seems to

208

LION.

rise and stand like bristles round his head : the
skin and muscles of his face are exceedingly agi-
tated, and his huge contracted brows half cover
his glaring eye-balls. He extends his ample jaws
and discovers his teeth, which seem rather formed
for tearing than for chewing his food. A tongue
covered with rough points, and massive claws ex-
tending three inches beyond the foot, will com-
plete the figure of the enraged animal. When he
is prepared in this manner for war, there are few
beasts that will venture to engage him ; and even
the boldest of the human kind are daunted at his
approach.

In his battles with the buffalo, although he al-
ways gains the advantage, he is said to have re-
course to stratagem to effect it, being afraid to at-
tack this formidable enemy in the open plain. He
lies waiting in ambush till a favourable opportunity
offers for springing upon the buffalo ; when fixing
his fangs in his throat, and striking his paw into
the animal’s face, he twists round the head and pins
him to the ground by the horns, holding him in
that situation till he expires from loss of blood.
The lion, while young and active, is very well able
to support himself by hunting down the inhabitants
of the forest. During this period of health and
vigour, he continues in the midst of woods, very
far removed from any human habitation, and sel-
dom quits his retreat while able to subsist by his
natural industry. But when he begins to grow
old, and no longer able to take those lengthened

LION.

209

springs, so necessary for him to secure the active
inhabitants of the forest, he conies boldly down
into places more frequented, where the husbandman
and the shepherd have their habitation, and where
the flocks and herds take shelter under their pro-
tection. Impelled by a hunger which nothing can
withstand, he leaps the enclosure, and frequently
satisfies his appetite at the expense of his life.

A deviation so unusual in the lion’s method of
taking his prey is mentioned by Mr. Sparrman,
that we cannot pass it unnoticed. “ A Hottentot,
perceiving that he was followed by a lion, and con-
cluding that the animal only waited the approach
of night to make him his prey, began to consider
of the best method of providing for his safety; which
he at length effected in the following singular man-
ner:— Observing a piece of broken ground, with a
precipitate descent on one side, he sat down by the
edge of it; and found, to his great joy, that the lion
also made a halt, and kept at the same distance as
before. As soon as it grew dark, the Hottentot,
sliding gently forward, let himself down a little be-
low the edge of the hill, and held up his cloak and
hat upon a stick, making at the same time a gentle
motion with it : the lion, in the mean while, came
creeping softly towards him, like a cat ; and, mis-
taking the skin cloak for the man himself, made a
spring and fell headlong down the precipice.”

When the lion is merely exasperated, and not
impelled by hunger, he will sometimes revenge
himself upon the object of his anger without de-
vol. 1. p

210

LION.

stroying it. When Dr. Thunberg made his second
journey into Caffraria, in the year 1773? he arrived
on November 4th at the celebrated Jacobus Bota’s,
a man who was then eighty-one years of age, and
had a progeny of one hundred and ninety persons,
all alive. It was not this circumstance, however,
says the doctor, singular as it otherwise may be,
that has given this man so much renown ; but a
misfortune that befel him in one of his hunting
expeditions. When he was forty years of age he
shot a lion in a narrow pass in a wood, who im-
mediately fell without his observing that there were
two of them together. The other lion rushed di-
rectly upon him, before he had time to load his
piece, and not only wounded him with its sharp
claws to such a degree that he fainted, but also
gnawed his left arm and side, and lacerated him in
such a dreadful manner that he lay on the ground
apparently dead. The lion left him in this situa-
tion, to be carried home by his servants. His wife,
who is noticed as an active woman, immediately
fetched several vulnerary herbs, which she boiled in
water ; and, with the decoction, daily washed, fo-
mented, and bound up his wounds, the good ef-
fects of which treatment were so evident, that he
was at length restored to perfect health. His arm,
however, was so much disabled that he could never
afterwards handle a musket.

The lion is said to support hunger for a con-
siderable length of time, and when he meets with
food he devours as much as will serve him for two

LION.

211

or three days. This is not the case, however, with
respect to drink : as his constitution is naturally
hot, he is impatient of thirst; and in the interior
parts, amidst the scorched and desolate deserts of
Zaara, or Biledulgerid, where rivers and fountains
are denied, he lives in a perpetual fever, which oc-
casions a sort of madness fatal to every animal he
meets with. The author of the (Economy of Na-
ture gives a wonderful proof of the instinct of these
animals in those unwatered tracts. There the peli-
can makes her nest ; and in order to cool her young
ones, and accustom them to an element they must
afterwards be conversant in, brings from afar, in her
great gular pouch, sufficient water to fill the nest.
The lion and other wild beasts approach and quench
their thirst, yet never injure the unfledged birds, as
if conscious that their destruction would immediately
put a stop to their grateful supplies.

The lion produces but once a year. With re-
spect to the time of gestation, naturalists have been
divided; some asserting that the lioness goes with
young six months, and others but two. The time
also of their growth and their age has till lately
been left in obscurity ; some maintaining that in
three years they arrive at their full size, while
others give them a longer period to acquire their
full growth. Buffon tells us that they live but
twenty or twenty-two years at most : others make
their lives even of shorter duration. All these
doubts, however, are now reduced to certainty, since
several of these animals have been bred in the.

p 2

212

LION.

Tower; and consequently the time of their gesta-
tion, the number they bring forth, and the time
they take to come to perfection, are all very well as-
certained. The lioness, according to the account
of her keeper, does not go more than five months
with young : the young ones, which never exceed
two in number, are, when brought forth, about the
size of a large pug dog, harmless, pretty, and play-
ful ; they continue at the teat for twelve months,
and the animal is more than five years in coming
to perfection. Imprisoned within the space of a
few square feet, and deprived of his natural cli-
mate, food, exercise, and every thing that can ren-
der life desirable, his existence is probably very
much shortened, and no certainty whatever re-
specting the length of his life in a state of free-
dom x:an be derived from the captive animal. We
are told that the great lion called Pompey, who
died in the year 17^0, was known to have been in
^he Tower above seventy years ; and one which
was brought from the river Gambia has since died
there above sixty-three. If these statements may
be depended upon, the lion is a very long-lived ani-
mal, and in his native forests may probably exceed
the aoe of man himself.

o

It is a well known fact, that savage animals be-
come bold in proportion as we appear to fear them,
and that a firm and undaunted conduct will some-
times deter them from attacking us. In proof of
this assertion, we shall relate the following story
from Dr. Sparrman: £< A yeoman of credibility,

LION.

213

whose name was Jacob Kok, of Zeckoe Rivier, told
me an adventure he had, in these words : — As he
was one day walking over his grounds with his gun
loaded, he unexpectedly encountered a lion. Being
an excellent shot, he thought himself pretty sure
of killing it, and accordingly fired his gun. The
charge being unluckily damp, the piece hung fire,
and the ball, falling short, entered the ground close
by the lion. Alarmed at this failure, he was panic-
struck, and instantly betook himself to his heels ;
but being soon out of breath, and closely pursued
by the lion, he jumped on a little heap of stones,
and there made a stand, presenting the butt-end
of his piece to his adversary, and determined to sell
his life as dear as he could. This conduct had
such an effect on the lion that it likewise made a
stand, and presently after laid itself down within
a few paces of the heap of stones, seemingly quite
unconcerned. In this critical and alarming situa-
tion they both waited full half an hour, when the
lion rose up, and at first went away very slowly
step by step, as if it had a mind to steal off; but
as soon as it had got to a greater distance it bound-
ed away at a great rate.” The manner in which
this lion retired is perfectly consistent with its fe-
line character, and may be daily witnessed in our
domestic cat, who, if he thinks his antagonist too
much for him, will slowly steal away till he gets to
a considerable distance.

In Africa they hunt the lion on horseback, but
never venture to pursue him except on the open

214

LION.

plains. If he keeps either in a coppice or wood
on a rising ground, they tease him with dogs till
he is provoked to come out ; they generally go two
or more in company, that one may assist and rescue
the other, if the first shot should chance to miss. If
the lion sees the hunters at a considerable distance,
he endeavours to get out of sight as fast as he can ; but
if he is near when they discover him, he walks off
in a surly manner, without hurrying himself in the
least, as if, says Church, he scorned to show any
fear. When he finds himself vigorously pursued,
he is soon provoked to resist, or at least he dis-
dains to fly any longer. He now slackens his pace,
and at length only slides away slowly, step by step,
eyeing his pursuers askance as he retreats : at
length he makes a stand, turns round to face them,
and giving himself a shake, he roars with a short
and sharp tone, being then in fact ready to spring
on them and tear them in pieces. This is the
precise time for the hunters to approach the lion,
keeping at a proper distance from each other; and
he that is nearest, and has the best mark presented
him of that part of the lion’s body which contains
his heart and lungs, should be the first to jump
from his horse, and, securing his bridle, by putting
it round his arm, discharge his gun ; then instantly
recovering his seat, he must ride obliquely across
his companions, and, giving the reins to his horse,
must trust entirely to his speed and fear, to con-
vey him from the reach and fury of the enraged
beast, if he has only wounded, or totally missed

LION.

215

him. In either case a fair opportunity offers for
some of the other hunters to fire in their turn, in
the same manner, and divert the attention of the
lion from their companion. In this manner, Church
informs us, they mutually relieve each other, till the
destruction of the beast closes the scene.

There has never been an instance known of any
accident happening to those who hunt the lion on
horseback, provided they are accustomed to the
sport, and conduct themselves with prudence. The
lion is easily killed with a bullet : if it enters his
heart or lungs, his death is immediate ; but should
it w'ound the intestines, or lodge in the cavity of the
abdomen, he is presently thrown into vomitings,
which disable him from running.

We are told that twelve or fifteen common farm-
house dogs will readily overcome the largest lion,
provided they attack him in the day-time, and on
an open plain. As soon as the dogs approach the
lion, he disdains to fly any further, but sits himself
down. The hounds then get round him, and,
rushing on him all at once, are thus enabled to tear
him in, pieces, before he has time to give more than
two or three slight strokes with his paws ; each of
which, however, is instant death to the dog which
is unfortunate enough to receive it.

The roaring of the lion serves as a warning for
other animals to betake themselves to flight ; but,
as it is reported he always puts his mouth to the
ground when he roars, the sound is equally diffused

216

LION.

in all directions, so that it is impossible to ascertain
from what quarter it proceeds, and the affrighted
animals, flying about in every direction, frequently
run to the very spot they ought to shun, and be-
come the easy prey of the animal they are so anxious
to avoid. The slow and prolonged note, accom-
panied by the nocturnal darkness, and the terrible
idea one is ready to form of this tremendous animal,
never fails to make the most alarming impression
on the hearer; and such is the power of instinct,
that dogs and cattle are said to betray a conscious-
ness of the vicinity of a lion, whether he roars or
not. Dr. Sparrman, upon whose authority this as-
sertion must rest, assures us, that in this situation his
hounds did not venture to bark, but kept quite close
to the Hottentots ; his oxen and horses sighed
deeply, lay down on the ground and stood up al-
ternately, as if they did not know what to do with
themselves ; frequently hanging back, and pulling
slowly with all their might at the strong straps with
which they were tied up to the waggon : and this,
as he observes, from pure instinct, having never seen
a lion in their lives.

JBublishcdy by Af e/sTs C&cLeZL $c Z)avi&s jO oriuioro, JklarcJbU-8 o 7 .

TIGER.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Felis Tigris. F. cauda elongata, corpore maculis omnibus vir-
gatis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. l.p. 76.

Tail long, body marked with, dark-coloured
streaks.

Felis flava, maculis longis nigris variegata. Briss.
Quadr. p. 195.

Tiger. . . . Sm. Buff. v. 5. p. 153. pi. 112. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. ed. 3. v. 1. p. 277- Bew. Quadr.
p. 186. Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 83.

Some animals are formed to live with man, to be
serviceable to him, and to depend upon him for
their support ; while others are created to range in
woods and deserts, to live by rapine, and to be the
terror of all who approach them. The care of Pro-
vidence does not appear less admirable in the mild-
ness it infuses into animals who live for the benefit
and support of mankind, than in the preservation
of all those savage beasts it nourishes in rocks and
solitudes, without folds or pasture, without maga-
zines, or any assistance from man, but rather in
opposition of all his endeavours to destroy them :
and yet, with all these disadvantages, they are bet-
ter accommodated with every necessary, have more

218

TIGER.

activity for the chase, are stronger, better nourished,
and endued with more vivacity ; are clothed with a
finer skin, and have a more perfect turn of shape,
than the generality of those who have man for their
purveyor.

We select the tiger from the rest of the creation,
as the strongest instance of the above assertion we
can possibly produce. Born with a disposition as
mischievous as his form is beautiful, he seems at
once to be the terror and the admiration of man-
kind. The glossy smoothness of his hair, which
shines with greater brightness than even that of
the leopard ; the extreme blackness of the streaks
with which he is marked, and the bright yellow
ground which they diversify, cannot fail to attract
the attention of the beholder. So much, indeed,
is the skin of the tiger esteemed all over the East,
particularly in China, that the Mandarins cover
their seats of justice with it, and convert it into
coverings for cushions in winter. The length of a
full grown tiger is between eight and nine feet,
when measured from the muzzle to the origin of
the tail ; the height about four feet two or three
inches, though some tigers have been known to ex-
ceed this measurement. The belly, inside of the
legs, and part of the throat, are white; the back
and sides are yellow, becoming gradually lighter
towards the belly. The toes, which are five before
and four behind, are armed with sharp, hooked
claws, lodged in a sheath, which may be exerted or
drawn in at pleasure.

TIGER.

219

The true species of tiger, fortunately for the rest
of the creation, is far from numerous, and, indeed,
may be considered as a rare animal even in those
parts of the East Indies which are most congenial
to its nature. Crouching and concealed in the wood
which borders some river or lake, he waits the ap-
proach of those animals which the heat of the cli-
mate so often obliges to satisfy their thirst. Here he
takes the fatal spring, which scarcely allows the un-
fortunate animal time to utter the cry of despair
before he is torn in pieces ; a bull is presently over-
thrown and dragged away with ease : the wild male
buffalo, indeed, will dart at his enemy ; but if he is
alone, we are assured, he soon falls a victim to his
cruel antagonist.

The amazing strength of the tiger would appear
incredible, if it were not founded on the authority
of so many respectable travellers. Captain Hamil-
ton informs us, that a (C peasant in the Sundah
Rajah’s dominions had a buffalo fallen into a
quagmire ; and while he went for assistance, a large
tiger, with its single strength, drew forth the ani-
mal, though the united force of many men was in-
sufficient for the purpose. The first object which
presented itself to the people on their return to the
place was the tiger, who had thrown the buffalo
over his shoulders, and was carrying it away, with
the feet upwards, towards its den. As soon as it
saw the men, it let fall its prey, and instantly fled
to the woods ; but it had previously killed the buf-
falo and sucked its blood. The Indian buffalo

220

TIGER.

usually weighs a thousand pounds, which is twice
the weight of our black cattle ; from whence some
idea may be formed of the enormous strength of this
cruel and rapacious animal, which could run off with
a creature twice its own weight with such apparent
ease.”

Tiger-hunting is followed in the East, among
other amusements, and is not attended with so
much danger as we should imagine from the attack
of so fierce an enemy. The hunters are mounted
upon elephants, and well provided with fire-arms.
In the Asiatic Annual Register for the year 1804,
is a letter from a gentleman to his friend, giving an
account of a hunting party of the late Nawab, Asuf-
ud-Dowlah, where the writer, after having enu-
merated the immense cavalcade of his excellency,
describes the attack of a tiger in the following
words : — “ The first tiger we saw and killed was in
the mountains ; we went to attack him about noon ;
he was in a narrow valley, which the Nawab sur-
rounded with above two hundred elephants ; we
heard him growl horribly in a thick bush in the
middle of the valley. Being accustomed to the sport,
and very eager, I pushed in my elephant; the fierce
beast charged me immediately : the elephant, a
timid animal, turned tail, and deprived me of the
opportunity to fire. I ventured again, attended by
two or three other elephants : the tiger made a
spring, and nearly reached the back of one of the
elephants, on which were three or four men : the
elephant shook himself so forcibly, as to throw

TIGER.

221

these men off his back ; they tumbled into the
bush. I gave them up for lost, but was agreeably
surprised to see them creep out unhurt. His ex-
cellency was all this time on a rising ground near
the thicket, looking on calmly, and beckoning to
me to drive the tiger towards him. I made another
attempt, and with more success ; he darted out to-
wards me on my approach, roaring furiously and
lashing his sides with his tail. I luckily got a shot
and hit him : he retreated into the bush, and ten or
twelve elephants just then pushed into the thicket,
alarmed the tiger, and obliged him to run towards
the Nawab, who instantly gave him a warm recep-
tion, and with the assistance of some of his omras,
or lords, laid the tiger sprawling on his side. A loud
shout of wha ! wha ! proclaimed the victory.”

This gentleman assures us that these savage beasts
may be hunted upon elephants with perfect safety :
he had been at the killing of above thirty tigers, and
seldom saw any person hurt.

Nothing can give us a stronger proof of the great
strength and courage of the tiger, than the famous
combat between that animal and two elephants, as
related by Father Tachard. A lofty palisade of
bamboo cane was built at Siam ; it occupied an area
of about one hundred feet square, and into this in-
closure the two elephants appointed for the combat
were introduced. It appears from the account, that
the head and part of the trunk of each elephant was
covered with a mask to defend him from the claws
of the tiger ; this gave them a decided and seem-

222

TIGER.

ingly unfair advantage over their enemy. As soon
as Father Tachard arrived at the place, a tiger was
brought from its den, of a much larger size than
he had ever seen before. He was not at first let
loose, but held with cords till one of the elephants
approached and gave him two or three such heavy
blows on the back with his trunk, that the tiger
fell to the ground, stunned, and apparently dead.
In this situation he was unloosed ; and although the
first blows had greatly abated his fury, he had no
sooner sufficiently recovered himself, than with a
dreadful roar he made a spring at the elephant’s
trunk, which was stretched out to strike him : but
the elephant, with his usual dexterity, drew up his
trunk, and, receiving the tiger on his tusks, threw
him into the air. This so daunted the fury of the
animal, that he gave up the contest with the ele-
phant, and ran several times round the palisade,
frequently springing at the spectators. Three ele-
phants were afterwards sent against him, who in
their turns gave the tiger such heavy blows, that
the wretched animal was again deprived of his senses,
and would certainly have been killed, if an end had
not been put to the combat.

M. d’Obsonville, Mr. de Maisonpre, and six
sepoys were traversing one of the defiles of High
Canara, between Boncombondi and Bassavapatnam,
when they were informed that a royal tiger had
for some time past committed the most dreadful
ravages in the place they were then approaching.

“ When we came to the place, we saw him lying

TICER.

223

in the sun ; and, as we approached at the distance
of about twenty paces, he instantly arose : but see-
ing many of us well armed, he climbed with agility
up the other part of the mountain, disturbed, but
not afraid. He appeared to us nearly as high as a
middle-sized pony. As we were accompanied by
six chosen sepoys, it is more than probable we
might have killed him ; but we were incumbered
with horses, and on a stony road, not above eight
or ten feet wide, at the edge of which was a pre-
cipice : it would, therefore, have been very impru-
dent to have attacked an animal, which, though
wounded, would not have fallen unrevenged.

“ We had not gone above ten paces from the
place where the tiger had lain, before we saw a
tolerably large dog, with long hair, come from be-
hind a rock, the master of which had perhaps been
devoured: the poor animal jumped upon us, caressed
us exceedingly, and would not leave us.”

The following narrative by Mr. Pennant will
serve to show that the tiger may be deterred from
his purpose at the moment he is about to seize his
prey. I was informed, says this gentleman, by
very good authority, that in the beginning of this
century, some gentlemen and ladies, being on a
party of pleasure under a shade of trees on the
banks of a river in Bengal, observed a tiger pre-
paring for its fatal spring : one of the ladies, with
amazing presence of mind, laid hold of an um-
brella, and furled it full in the animal’s face ; which

224

TIGER.

instantly retired, and gave the company opportunity
of removing from so terrible a neighbour.

The lamentable fate of the only son of Sir Hector
Monro, who was carried off by a tiger from the midst
of his companions, will make a lasting impression on
the memory of all who are acquainted with the
transaction.

This unfortunate gentleman, accompanied by
three of his friends, went on shore, December 22,
1792, on Sawgar Island, to shoot deer. They con-
tinued their sport till the afternoon, when they re-
tired to the edge of a jungle to refresh themselves;
where they had not remained long, before one of
the party, who was leaving the rest to shoot a deer,
heard a dreadful roar, and saw a large tiger spring
on poor Monro, and rush with him into the jungle,
with the greatest ease, dragging him through every
thing that obstructed his course, as if all were made
to yield to his amazing strength. All that his
companions could do to rescue their friend from
this shocking situation, was to fire at the tiger ; and
it is evident that their shots took place, since in
a few minutes after Mr. Monro staggered up to
them covered with blood, and fell. Every medi-
cal assistance that the ship afforded was procured
for him immediately, but in vain; he expired in
the course of twenty-four hours in the greatest
agonies. His head was torn, his skull fractured, and
his neck and shoulders covered with wounds made
by the claws of the savage beast.

TIGER.

225

It is worthy of observation, that neither the large
fire that was blazing close to them, nor the noise
and laughter which it seems they were making at
the time, could divert this determined animal from
his purpose.

John Mason, the present keeper of the beasts in
Exeter Change, who was formerly of the Tower,
very narrowly escaped the fate of the unhappy
Monro.

About five years ago, a tiger was purchased by
Mr. Alpey to send to the Emperor of Germany,
and placed in the Tower, to remain there for a
few days, till the ship destined to convey him
abroad was ready. The animal was confined in a
large wooden case, sufficiently ventilated, and lined
with iron hoops, some of which he ripped off during
the first night, and gnawed partly through the
case ; which being perceived the next day, the place
was merely repaired by the addition of a strong
piece of wood nailed on the outside. The conse-
quence might well be expected. The tiger re-
newed his efforts, and in the course of the follow-
ing night made his escape, and sprung up a wall
ten feet and a half high, where he remained till
Mason came in the morning. The fear of losing
such a valuable animal induced this poor fellow,
for a reward of ten guineas, to hazard his life in an
attempt to secure the tiger. For this purpose he
engaged a sergeant and some other persons to assist
him, whom he placed in a room, the door of which
opened upon the leads, from whence he could

VOL. i. Q.

226

TIGER.

reach the animal. He then provided himself with
a strong rope, one end of which he gave through
the window to his companions, and with the other,
having a running noose upon it, he slowly approach-
ed the tiger, and threw it over its neck. This was
the critical moment ; the people within were di-
rected to pull the rope and secure the beast: unfortu-
nately, the noose slipped off, and the enraged ani-
mal immediately sprung upon the keeper, fixing his
teeth into the fleshy part of his arm, and tearing his
breast and hand in a dreadful manner with his
claws. In this shocking situation the poor man lay
under the tiger, while the sergeant cut a bullet into
four parts ; and having loaded his musket, he fired
through the window at the animal; who, the moment
he received the shot, quitted his hold, and after stag-
gering for a few minutes expired. The bullet, how-
ever, which destroyed the tiger, had nearly been
equally fatal to the man, one of the quarters having
glanced against his temple, and deprived him of all
sense and motion for a considerable time. Never-
theless, after keeping his bed a fortnight he gradu-
ally recovered, and is now perfectly well, though he
will carry the marks of his enemy about with him
as long as he lives.

W e had this account from the keeper during one of
our visits to Exeter Change in November 1805; and
that we might not doubt the truth of what he as-
serted, he offered to send for the sergeant who had
preserved his life, and who was then living in the
neighbourhood.

TIGER.

227

When a tiger kills a large animal, he does not
devour it upon the spot, but drags the prey with
incredible swiftness to a gloomy part of the near-
est wood, where he can glut himself at leisure, and
indulge his insatiate thirst for blood without inter-
ruption.

The ferocity of the tiger can never be totally sub-
dued, unless, indeed, we quote the account of that
which was brought home in the Pitt Indiaman from
Bengal, and which before he was a twelvemonth old
was so far domesticated as to admit of every kind of
familiarity from the people on board. But it must
be remembered that when this was taken to the ship
its age did not exceed six weeks, and, when arrived
in this country, had not completed a year: therefore
it is impossible to say how much longer his good-
humour would have continued.

The female tiger produces four or five cubs at a
litter, and when robbed of her young becomes de-
sperate to the last degree. She braves every danger,
and commits the most dreadful devastation wherever
she goes; she will then attack every animal that
comes in her way, not excepting even the king of
the forest ; and so great is her fury upon such occa-
sions, that both have been known to perish in the
combat.

a 2

CAT.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

F elis Catus. F. cauda elongata annulata. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 80.

Tail long and annulated.

Felis cauda elongata, auribus equalibus. Faun.
Suec. 3.

Common Cat. Sm. Buff. v. 4. p. 49. pi. 48 & 49. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. v. 1. p. 295. Penn. Brit. Zool.
v. 1. p. 82. Beta. Quadr. p. 208.

Howel dda, or Howel the Good, died in the year
948, after a reign of thirty-three years over South
Wales, and eight years over all Wales. “ That
excellent prince,” says Mr. Pennant, “ did not think
it beneath him (among his laws relating to the
prices, &c. of animals) to include that of the cat ;
and to describe the qualities it ought to have.
The price of a kitlirig before it could see was to
be a penny ; till it caught a mouse, two-pence ;
when it commenced mouser, four-pence. It was
required besides, that it should be perfect in its
senses of hearing and seeing, be a good mouser,
have the claws whole, and be a good nurse ; but
if it failed in any of these qualities, the seller was
to forfeit to the buyer the third part of its value.

CAT.

229

If any one stole or killed the cat that guarded the
prince’s granary, he was to forfeit a milch ewe, its
fleece and lamb ; or as much wheat as when poured
on the cat suspended by its tail (the head touching
the floor) would form a heap high enough to cover
the tip of the former.”

This was a notable custom in days of yore, and
proper to be observed when cats were scarce: at
present, however, affairs are changed, and whole
litters of their blind offspring are daily devoted,
without remorse, to a pail of water.

The above quotation is not only curious, as being
an evidence of the simplicity of antient manners,
but, as Mr. Pennant observes, it almost proves to a
demonstration that cats are not aborigines of these
islands, or known to the earliest inhabitants. The
large prices set on them, if we consider the value
of specie at that time, and the great care taken of
the improvement and breed of an animal that mul-
tiplies so fast, are almost certain proofs of their being
little known at that period.

When M. Baumgarten was at Damascus he saw
there a kind of hospital for cats ; where they were
kept in a large house walled round, and it was said
that the apartments were quite filled with them.
He was told, when he inquired into the origin of
this singular institution, that Mahomet, when he
once lived there, brought with him a cat, which he
kept in the sleeve of his gown, and carefully fed
with his own hands. His followers in this place,
therefore, ever afterwards paid a superstitious respect

230

CAT.

to these animals ; and supported them in this man-
ner by public alms, which were very adequate to the
purpose.

Cats, who prey by night, derive a particular ad-
vantage from the peculiar structure of their eyes.
The pupil in man and the generality of animals
has its power of contraction and dilatation confined
within certain limits. It enlarges a little when the
light is faint, and contracts when the light is too
splendid. But this motion, though very percepti-
ble, is nothing when compared with the pupil of
cats, night-birds, and owls, whose power of altering
the figure of that part of the eye is so great, that
the pupil will vary, according to the degree of light
or darkness, from a perfect circle to a narrow line.
Hence these animals see better in the night than
in the day, when the pupil is so perpetually con-
tracted that they seem to have but an imperfect
vision. It is in the twilight that they begin to en-
joy a perfect sight; the glare of the day no longer
incommodes them ; the pupil reassumes its proper
roundness, and the animals proceed to discover and
surprise their prey. They are strongly attached to
their kittens, and have even been known to suckle,
with tenderness and affection, the young of other
animals. Mr. White in his Natural History of Sel-
borne has related the following instance :

“ My friend had a little helpless leveret brought
to him, which the servants had fed with milk from
a spoon ; and about the same time his cat kittened,
and the young were dispatched and buried. The

CAT.

231

hare was soon lost, and was supposed to have been
killed by some dog or cat. However, in about a
fortnight, as the master was sitting in his garden, in
the dusk of the evening, he observed his cat, with
tail erect, trotting towards him, and calling with
little short inward notes of complacency, such as
these animals use towards their kittens ; and some-
thing gamboling after her, which proved to be the
leveret, that the cat had nourished with her milk,
and continued to support with great affection. Thus
was a granivorous animal nurtured by a carnivorous
and predacious one! This strange affection was
probably occasioned by those tender maternal feel-
ings which the loss of her kittens had awakened ;
and by the complacency and ease she derived from
the procuring of her teats to be drawn, which were
too much distended with milk. From habit she
became as much delighted with this foundling as if
it had been her real offspring.”

Another example of a similar nature is recorded
by the same gentleman in his Naturalist’s Calendar.

<£ A boy had taken three young squirrels in their
nest. These small creatures he put under a cat
who had lately lost her kittens ; and found that she
nursed and suckled them with the same assiduity
and affection as if they had been her own progeny.
So many persons went to see the little squirrels
suckled by a cat, that the foster-mother became
jealous of her charge, and in pain for her safety ;
and therefore hid them over the ceiling, where one
died. This circumstance showed her affection for

232

CAT.

these foundlings, and that she supposed the squirrels
to be her own young.”

We have introduced the following account of a
cat who was the means of detecting a murder, from
the Monthly Magazine for January 1801.

A physician at Lyons, in July 1800, was re-
quested to inquire into a murder that had been
committed on the body of a woman of that city.
In consequence of this solicitation, he went to the
residence of the deceased, where he found her ex-
tended lifeless on the floor and weltering in her
blood. A large white cat was mounted on the cor-
nice of a cupboard, at the further end of the apart-
ment, where he seemed to have taken refuge. He
sat motionless, with his eyes fixed on the corpse,
and his attitude and looks expressing horror and af-
fright. The following morning he was found in the
same station and attitude ; and when the room was
filled with officers of justice, neither the clattering
of the soldiers’ arms, nor the loud conversation of
the company, could in the least divert his attention.
As soon, however, as the suspected persons were
brought in, his eyes glared with increased fury ; his
hair bristled ; he darted into the middle of the
apartment, where he stopped for a moment to gaze
at them ; and then precipitately retreated under the
bed. The countenances of the assassins were dis-
concerted ; and they now, for the first time during
the whole course of the horrid business, felt their
atrocious audacity forsake them.

Cats are to be found in a wild state in almost

CAT.

233

every climate. They do not differ specifically from
our domestic kind ; but they are very fierce and de-
structive, making great havock among poultry, rab-
bits, hares, &c. They are much larger than the
house cat, and are very strongly made, with tre-
mendous claws and teeth. Mr. Bewick says he
recollects one having been killed in the county of
Cumberland, which measured from its nose to the
tip of the tail upwards of five feet.” They are taken
either in traps, or by shooting, but the latter is
a dangerous mode ; for, if they are only slightly
wounded, they will attack the hunter with a fury
which he may have cause to repent.

BEAR.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Six cutting teeth, and two canine, in each jaw.
Eyes provided with a nictitating membrane.
Snout lengthened.

Five toes both before and behind.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Ursus Arctos. U. fiasco nigricans, cauda abrupta. Linrt. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 100.

Of a blackish brown colour, with a very short
tail.

Ursus niger, cauda unicolore. Briss. Quadr.
184.

Common Bear. Sm. Buff. v. 5. p. 1. pi. 103. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. ed. 3. v. 2. p. 1. Bew. Quadr. p. 201.
Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 102.

The black bear, the brown bear, the gray bear,
and the white land bear, are all varieties of each
other, though all naturalists agree that the white
polar or sea bear is a distinct species. Of the
several varieties above mentioned the brown bear is
by far the most common, and is a savage and solitary
animal, residing in the most unfrequented places.

Tubhs fie/Z fiy iMeJs rs Cadeil Sc Davies Xondon iMarchaado-

(

BEAR.

235

and sometimes among the most dangerous precipices
of uninhabited mountains.

The length of a full grown brown bear is about
six feet. He is covered with a hard and thick
skin, and clothed with long coarse hair ; he has
short ears, little eyes, strong and clumsy limbs,
large feet, and a tail which is hardly visible. He
is said to destroy cattle, and feed even on carrion;
nevertheless, he seems intended by Nature to live
upon vegetables, since he will eat potatoes, corn,
different sorts of fruits and roots, and is known to
be fond of peas ; of which, says Mr. Pennant, <<r he
will tear up great quantities, and, beating them out
of their shells on some stone or hard spot of ground,
eats the grain, and carries off the straw.” The
senses of seeing, hearing, and feeling, he possesses
in high perfection, and is even capable of some
degree of instruction, so much indeed, as to move
in awkward measures upon his hind feet to the voice
or instrument of his leader ; and it must be con-
fessed, says Goldsmith, “ that the dancer is often
found to be the best performer of the two ” He
is a most capricious creature, and never, safely, to
be trusted, however mild and gentle his appearance
may be towards his master. In his attacks, instead
of using his teeth he strikes his adversary with his
paws ; and not contented with the usual mode of
warfare, he hugs his enemy with all his might,
who seldom quits his embraces till he is squeezed
to death.

On the approach of the winter months the bear.

236

PEAR.

who is at that time excessively fat, retires to the
most gloomy part of the forest, where in some ca-
vern that has been hollowed out by time, or in the
decayed body of some large tree, he passes several
weeks alone, without provisions, and to appearance
almost without life. Howeyer, he is not entirely
deprived of sensation, like those animals who spend
a part of the year in a truly dormant state, but
seems rather a voluntary prisoner, being provided
by Nature with a sufficient quantity of fat for his
subsistence during the time ; and he only begins to
feel inclined to seek his food when the fat he had
acquired in the summer is almost wasted away. It
is then that he comes from his hiding-place, in
search of fresh nourishment, wasted, lean, and weak.
The common report that the bear lives during his
confinement by sucking his paws, is without the
smallest foundation, and may be classed among the
many vulgar errors which custom has fixed a value
upon.

The female bear brings forth in the winter, and
is very careful in providing a proper retreat for her
young : she prepares for them a soft bed of moss
and herbs, in the bottom of her cavern, and suckles
them till they are able to go abroad with her. She
likewise often conceals them in the most secret and
gloomy places, to secure them from the savage dis-
position of the male, who never fails to devour
them whenever he can get an opportunity. One,
two, or three young ones are generally produced
at a litter ; and an ingenious writer informs us, that

BEAU.

237

when the young are first whelped they are yellow,
with a white mark round the neck, and do not
look much like bears : their eyes are closed during
four weeks ; they are about eight inches long when
first born, but increase to fourteen or fifteen at the
end of three months ; at that age they appear al-
most round, atid their snout is very sharp and
pointed. They do not acquire much strength till
they are full grown, before which time they have
lost their white hair, which gradually decreases, and
the yellow is changed into brown.

The affection of the female for her young is so
great that she will expose herself to every danger
to preserve them, and is then more to be dreaded
than the male. When the spring is sufficiently
advanced for the old bear to leave her retreat, she
comes forth attended by her cubs, and strictly exa-
mines every spot in search of food. Notwithstand-
ing her shapeless form she will ascend a tree with
surprising agility, and devour the fruit in great
quantities, gathering it with one paw, while she
keeps herself firm on the branches with the other.

These animals are so fond of honey that they will
climb hollow decayed trees in search of it, and where
a hive is to be found they never fail to enjoy its
contents.

A singular custom prevails among the savage
Americans respecting the bear, who is held by
them in great veneration. When one is killed, they
paint his head with different colours, and place it
on an elevated situation, where it receives the re-

238

BEAR.

spects of all the guests ; who, after singing songs to
celebrate his praise, conclude the ceremony by feast-
ing on his body.

In passing through Lithuania Mr. Coxe ob-
served, in various parts of a forest, circular ranges
of boards fixed to several trees twelve feet from
the ground, and projecting three from the trunk.
On great hunting parties ladders are placed against
these scafifoldings ; and the hunters, if closely press-
ed by a bear, ascend the ladder and draw it up
after them: the bear, although an excellent climber,
is stopped in his ascent by the projection of the
boards.

Hunting the bear is not attended with much
danger when properly conducted; and as the em-
ployment is very profitable, it is much practised.
In Canada and Louisiana, where the black bears
generally reside in the decayed parts of old trees,
which are sometimes thirty or forty feet high, the
hunters disturb them by lighting a fire at the bot-
tom, and the smoke presently becomes so intolera-
ble that the black family are obliged to retreat. If
there is a female and her cubs, the mother descends
first, and is killed before she reaches the ground: the
young ones, who soon follow, are easily secured, and
are generally killed for the sake of their skm and
delicate flesh.

The manner in which these animals are chased
by the Americans, and the superstitious ceremonies
of the hunters, have afforded a curious subject for
the very intelligent Mr. Pennant, who in his Arctic

BEAR.

m

Zoology has favoured us with the following ac-
count :

“ The chase of these animals is a matter of the
first importance, and never undertaken without
abundance of ceremony. A principal warrior first
gives a general invitation to all the hunters. This
is followed by a most serious fast of eight days, a
total abstinence from all kinds of food ; notwith-
standing which, they pass the day in continual
song. This they do to invoke the spirits of the
woods to direct them to the place where there are
abundance of bears. They even cut their flesh in
divers parts of their bodies, to render the spirits
more propitious. They also address themselves to
the manes of the beasts slain in preceding chases,
as if it were to direct them in their dreams to plenty
of game. One dreamer alone cannot determine the
place of chase, numbers must concur ; but as they
tell each other their dreams, they never fail to
agree: whether that arises from complaisance, or
by a real agreement in the dreams from their
thoughts being perpetually turned on the same
thing.

“ The chief of the hunt now gives a great feast,
at which no one dares to appear without first bath-
ing. At this entertainment they eat with great
moderation, contrary to their usual custom. The
master of the feast alone touches nothing; but is
employed in relating to the guests antient tales of
the wonderful feats in former chases : and fresh
invocations to the manes of the deceased bears con-

240

BEAR.

elude the whole. They then sally forth, amidst
the acclamations of the village, equipped as if for
war, and painted black. Every able hunter is on a
level with a great warrior ; but he must have killed
his dozen great beasts before his character is esta-
blished ; after which his alliance is as much courted
as that of the most valiant captain.

<s They now proceed on their way in a direct
line; neither rivers, marshes, nor any other impedi-
ments, stop their course; driving before them all
the beasts which they find in their way. When
they arrive in the hunting-ground, they surround
as large a space as their company will admit, and
then contract their circle ; searching, as they con-
tract, every hollow tree, and every place fit for the
retreat of the bear, and continue the same practice
till the time of the chase is expired.

“ As soon as a bear is killed, a hunter puts into
his mouth a lighted pipe of tobacco, and, blowing
into it, fills the throat with the smoke, conjuring
the spirit of the animal not to resent what they are
going to do to his body ; nor to render their future
chases unsuccessful. As the beast makes no reply,
they cut out the string of the tongue, and throw
it into the fire ; if it crackles and runs in (which it
is almost sure to do) they accept it as a good omen ;
if not, they consider that the spirit of the beast is not
appeased, and that the chase of the next year will be
unfortunate.

“ The hunters live well during the chase, on
provisions which they bring with them. They re-

BEAR.

241

turn home with great pride and self-sufficiency ; for
to kill a bear forms the character of a complete man.
They again give a great entertainment, and now
make a point to leave nothing. The feast is dedi-
cated to a certain genius, perhaps that of gluttony,
whose resentment they dread if they do not eat
every morsel, and even sup up the very melted
grease in which the meat was dressed. They some-
times eat till they burst, or bring on themselves
some violent disorders. The first course is the
greatest bear they have killed, without even taking
out the entrails, or taking off the skin, contenting
themselves with singeing the skin, as is practised
with hogs.”

Of the many singular customs that have pre-
vailed in different countries, that which is recorded
of the Laplanders is not among the least. The
hunter who had killed a bear was reckoned a great
man, and was held in the highest esteem by both
sexes ; he was caressed, he was feasted ; but he was
denied access to his wife for three days. The bear
was brought home in triumph, and a new tent was
erected for the hero, which, however, he never en-
tered till he had changed his hunting dress : here
he was to remain three days, the women confining
themselves at home during the time. The flesh
of the bear was dressed in the tent of the hero ; the
feast was prepared ; and part of it sent to the fe-
males : but here comes another singularity, the la-
dies were never allowed a bit of the rump ; neither
were they to receive the meat at the common en-

vol. i. R

242

BEAR.

trance of the hut, but through a hole in another
part. The feast being finished, the bones are
buried with great solemnity, every bone being
placed in its proper situation, from a firm persuasion
that the bear will be restored, and reanimate a new
body.

The flesh of a young bear, fattened with the au-
tumnal fruits, is allowed by all who have tasted it
to be very delicious food. It is both wholesome
and nourishing, and resembles pork more than any
other meat. Mr. Pennant says, the tongue and
the paws are esteemed the most exquisite morsels;
the hams are also excellent, but apt to rust if not
well preserved.

The bear is a valuable creature to the inhabitants
of high latitudes ; they not only feed upon his
flesh, and sell his fat, but use his skin for beds and
for coverlets, for bonnets, for gloves, for collars for
their dogs, and soles for their shoes. The shoulder
blades are formed into instruments to cut the grass,
and they cover their faces with the intestines to
protect them from the sun.

THE POLAR BEAR.

The white or polar bear is found within the
whole polar circle of Europe and Asia, and in Ame-
rica as low as Hudson’s Bay and Labrador. He

BEAR.

243

braves the utmost severity of the arctic zone, and is
so little calculated to live in a temperate climate,
that the one which was brought to England some
years ago was restless, very furious, and always in
motion. To keep him tolerably comfortable, the
keeper was frequently obliged to throw over him
pailfuls of cold water. From the coast of Green-
land the white bear is frequently carried out to sea
on pieces of ice, which are detached by winds or
currents from the main body. On one of these
frozen islands, he is often floated to the shore of
Iceland ; where a general alarm is spread upon his
appearance, and the inhabitants join in the pursuit
till the animal is destroyed. A single Icelander,
with no other weapon than a spear, will engage this
formidable creature ; and although the combat is
sometimes obstinate, he never fails to come off vic-
torious. Mr. Pennant mentions a person who lived
near Langeness, the extreme northern point of Ice-
land, as still celebrated for having slain not fewer
than twenty in single combat. To encourage the
destruction of these animals, a reward is offered for
every skin, which must be delivered to the next
magistrate. They were formerly sent by the hunt-
ers to the different cathedrals and churches, for
the use of the priests, who, in the depth of win-
ter, used to stand upon them to defend their feet
from the cold stones while they celebrated high
mass.

This species of bear is so bold and ferocious that
ft has been known to attack an armed vessel at m

244

BEAR.

distance from the shore, and has been with dif-
ficulty prevented from coming on board. In one
instance, related by Bewick, it succeeded in its at-
tempt. The animal was wounded by the crew of
a boat belonging to a ship in the whale-fishery, and
with that steady determination to be revenged,
which is the characteristic of the bear, it imme-
diately ran along the ice towards the boat ; and on
its way received a second shot, which made it still
more furious. It presently swam to the boat, and
in attempting to get on board received a blow with
a hatchet by one of the crew, which cut off its fore
foot while resting on the gunwale. Notwithstand-
ing the loss of a foot, and the two other wounds,
the animal continued to swim after them till they
arrived at the ship; when the bear immediately as-
cended the deck; and the crew, having fled into the
shrouds, would have been pursued by the animal,
if a lucky shot from one of them had not laid it
dead upon the deck. Berentz had reason to re-
member the dreadful vengeance of these creatures,
who frequently attacked and killed his seamen when
they went on shore on the island of Nova Zembla.
Those who were unfortunate enough to be seized
by them were carried away in their mouths, torn to
pieces, and devoured even in sight of their com-
panions. Nothing less than a mortal wound will
make them desist from their purpose ; and one
which was shot while preying on a man, staggered
away with the mangled corpse in its mouth without
quitting its hold till it was killed.

BEAR.

245

But it must be confessed that we are too fre-
quently the aggressors, and that the animal in general
may be rather said to take a just revenge, than exer-
cise a wanton cruelty. It sometimes happens that
a Greenlander in his canoe, passing near an ice float,
is surprised by a visit from a white bear, who, if he
does not overset the boat, will seat himself very
quietly as a passenger, and suffer the Greenlander
to row him ashore. It is said that on such occasions
the bear seldom offers any violence to his water-
man.

They generally spend the summer months on
islands of ice, passing frequently from one to the
other ; and they have been seen on these islands at
the distance of eighty miles from any land. They
are excellent swimmers, and sometimes dive, though
they cannot stay long under the water. Their
lodgings are the natural caverns formed by stu-
pendous masses of ice, which, being piled one over
another, leave large cavities beneath. The long
and dismal winter nights of those inclement regions
are passed by the bears in deep beds of snow, which
they fashion to their purpose, and there remain in
a state of torpidity, till the refreshing appearance
of the vernal sun calls them forth from their re-
treats.

They often feed on whortleberries and crow-
berries, though they greatly prefer the flesh of ani-
mals ; and deer, hares, birds, all sorts of fish, seals,
and the carcases of whales, are alike devoured by
them. Greenland abounds with them, where they

246

BEAR.

collect in great numbers, and, attracted by the smell
of seals’ flesh, frequently surround the habitations
of the natives, and attempt to enter their huts : but
the Greenlander, being aware that his company if
admitted would become troublesome, drives them
away by the smell of burnt feathers.

The white bear grows to a large size, and is said
sometimes to measure thirteen feet in length. A
smaller one measured by order of Captain Phipps
was seven feet and an inch from the snout to the
tail, its height at the shoulder was four feet three
inches, the breadth of the fore paw seven inches,
and the weight of the carcase, without the head,
skin, or entrails, six hundred and ten pounds.

The tendons of this animal are split into threads,
by the Greenlanders, for sewing; and of the skin
they make boots, shoes, and gloves. They like-
wise feed on the flesh and fat ; which last is fre-
quently so excessive, that a hundred pounds has
been taken out of a single beast. The only un-
wholesome part about the animal is the liver; which
is so pernicious, that three of Hemskirk’s sailors be-
came dangerously ill on eating some of it boiled.

Pennant informs us, that the polar bear became
part of the royal menagerie as early as the reign of
Henry III. Mr. Walpole has proved how great a
patron that despised prince was of the arts. It is
not less evident that he extended his protection to
natural history. We find he had procured a white
bear from Norway, which the Norwegians had pro-
bably imported from Greenland, they having pos-

BEAR.

247

sessed that country for some centuries before that
period. In Madox’s Antiquities of the Exchequer,
there are two writs extant from that monarch, di-
recting the sheriffs of London to furnish sixpence
a day to support our white bear in our Tower of
London ; and to provide a muzzle and iron chain
to hold him when out of the water ; and a long and
strong rope to hold him when he is fishing in the
Thames.

OPOSSUM.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two canine teeth in each jaw.

Cutting teeth vary in number.

Five toes on each foot.

Tail very long, slender, and usually naked.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

DiDELrms marsupialis. D.mammis octo intra abdomen. Linn.

Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p, 105.

Has eight teats within the pouch.
Philander maximus orientalis. Sel.
Mus. 1. p. 64. tab. 3 Q.

Opossum Sin. Buff. v. 5. p. 404. pi. l6l, 162.

Penn. Hist. Quadr. v. 2. p. 18.
pi. 63. Bew. Quadr. p. 3Q5. Shaw
Gen. Zool. pi. 10/.

Among the various ways in which Providence hath
chosen to diversify the forms of different animals,
there is hardly one so singular as that which is al-
lotted the opossum for the security of its young.
When the female finds herself near the time of
bringing forth, she prepares a nest of coarse grass
covered with long pieces of stick. Upon this nest

OPOSSUM.

249

the young ones are born ; blind, weak, and naked ;
and the moment they come into the world, as if
they were already tired of it, they retreat into a
large bag or pouch, which is situated on the lower
part of the mother’s belly, within which are the
teats. There they adhere as if they were inani-
mate, till they arrive at a degree of perfection in
shape, and attain sight, strength, and hair. They
are then prepared to undergo what may be called
a second birth ; after which, they no longer attach
themselves to the pouch, but merely make use of it
as an asylum in time of danger. During the period
of this second gestation, says Mr. Pennant, the fe-
male shows an excessive attachment to her young ;
she carries them about with her wherever she goes ;
and would rather suffer any torture, even death it-
self, than permit this receptacle to be opened ; for
she has the power of resisting every effort to un-
close the pouch, by the help of some very strong
muscles with which she can contract or dilate the
orifice at pleasure.

When the young are suddenly surprised, and
have not time to reach their asylum, they will cling
to their mother’s tail and escape with her. The
opossum is about the size of a small cat, is very de-
structive to poultry, and sucks the blood without
eating the flesh. It has a long tail, by which it
will hang from the branches, and, by swinging its
body, fling itself among the boughs of the adja-
cent trees. It will sometimes hang from a bough
for a considerable time, and watch if any lesser ani-

250

OPOSSUM.

mal, which it is able to overcome, passes under-
neath ; when it immediately drops down and de-
vours it. When the opossum finds itself on the
point of being taken, it counterfeits death with such
fortitude, that hardly any torture will make it
move ; but if the person retires, it will soon put it-
self in motion, and creep for shelter into some
neighbouring bush. The female brings forth from
four to six at a time.

WEESEL.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Six cutting teeth, and two canine, in each jaw.

Tongue in several species beset with sharp-pointed papillae.
Five toes both before and behind.

Claws not retractile.

SABLE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Mustela Zibellina. M. pedibus fissis, corpore obscure fulvo,

fronte exalbida, gutture cinereo. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. g 8.

Feet having the toes unconnected,, body
tawny brown, forehead white, throat
cinereous.

Mustela obscure fulva, gutture cinereo.
Briss. Quadr. p. 180.

Sabee Sm. Buff. v. 7- P- 30p. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. v. 2. p. 43. Bew. Quadr.
p. 233.

The thick and beautiful coat of the sable is at once
his greatest friend and his chief enemy. It serves,
indeed, completely to defend the owner from the
cold ; but at the same time it exposes him to the

252

SABLE.

avarice of mankind, who employ every means to
destroy the animal, that they may enrich themselves
by adding another luxury to the many already en-
joyed by the opulent.

In size and figure the sable resembles the martin.
The skin of one which was sent Mr. Pennant, from
Canada, measured twenty inches from the nose to
the tail ; the tail itself measured eight inches from
the base to the end of the hairs. These little ani-
mals are found in the Asiatic part of Russia, in
Kamtschatka, and Japan: but they are by no means
so plentiful as formerly ; and the high price set
upon their skins makes the hunters so eager to ob-
tain them, that the sable will probably in time be
extinct in all the accessible parts of the country.
In the vast forests of fir with which the extreme
parts of Siberia abound, the sables are to be found
in the greatest numbers. There they either live
in holes in the earth, beneath the roots of trees,
or, like the martin, form nests in the hollow trunks,
and skip with great agility from one tree to an-
other, They prey during the summer on such
animals as they can conquer ; in winter they catch
birds ; and in the autumn are content with a vege-
table diet, feeding chiefly on the berries of the ser-
vice-tree, on hurtle-berries and cranberries. At this
season of the year their skins are of least value,
as they are subject to itch, and destroy the fur by
rubbing themselves against the trees. About April
the female brings forth from three to five little

SABLE.

253

ones, which she continues to suckle for four or five
weeks.

Sables are sometimes taken by placing a piece
of timber from tree to tree horizontally : towards
one end of this is placed a bait : over the lower
piece of wood is placed another, suspended ob-
liquely, and resting at one end on a post very
slightly ; a rod extends from it to a noose, to which
the bait is fastened ; and the moment the sable seizes
the meat, the upper timber falls, and crushes it to
death.

Formerly the capture of these animals was al-
lotted as a task to the unhappy criminals confined
in Siberia ; but this is no longer the case. At pre-
sent the hunters of sables form themselves into
companies from five to forty each ; the last sub-
divide into lesser parties, and each chooses a leader;
but the whole is under the direction of a chief.
When every thing is prepared, each party embarks
in a small covered boat, provided with an inter-
preter for the country they intend to penetrate
into ; with provision for the party ; and with a dog
and a net for every two men. Thus equipped they
set out, each boat steering its appointed course till
they all arrive in the hunting country ; there they
stop, build huts, and wait till the waters are frozen
and the season commences. Before they begin the
chase their leader assembles them, they unite in a
prayer to the Almighty for success, and then sepa-
rate. The first sable they take is called God’s sable,
and is dedicated to the church.

254

SABLE.

3

After this commendable ceremony is concluded,*
they penetrate into the woods, marking the trees as
they advance, that they may know their way back ;
and in their hunting quarters form huts of trees, and
bank up the snow round them. Here they begin
by laying some of their traps ; they afterwards ad-
vance further and lay more traps, still building new
huts in every quarter, and return successively to
every old one, to see what luck they have had, and
to take out the game they have caught, and skin it ;
which none but the chief of the party must do.
While they are employed in this cold and uncom-
fortable business, they are provided with provisions
by persons who are appointed to bring it on sledges,
from different places on the road, where magazines
are formed for their use ; as it would be impossible
to convey large quantities of provisions at a time
through the country the hunters are destined to
penetrate, and at that inclement season of the year.
The common trap used by these people is a sort of
pit-fall, with a loose board placed over it, baited
with fish or flesh. When sables are scarce, the
hunters have recourse to nets, and follow their tracks
in the new fallen snow till they discover their holes,
place their nets at the entrance, and sometimes wait
watching two or three days for the coming out of
the animal. We are told that these poor people
have sometimes been so pinched with hunger, by
the failure of their provisions, that they have been
reduced to take two thin boards, one of which they
apply to the pit of the stomach, the other to the

SABLE!.

255

back, drawing them tight together by cords placed
at the ends.

When the chase is over, the company reassemble
at the general rendezvous, and return home in their
respective boats as soon as the rivers become naviga-
ble by the melting of the ice.

Furs were an article of luxury in Wales, even as
early as the reign of Howel daa, about 994, when
they sold for a high price. They soon afterwards
became fashionable throughout Europe ; but in the
year 1337 the luxury had got to such a head, that
it was enacted by Edward the Third, that every per-
son who could not spend a hundred a year should
absolutely be prohibited the use of this species of
finery.

ICHNEUMON.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Viverra Ichneumon. V. cauda e basi incrassata sensim at-

tenuata apice floccoso, pollicibus re-
motiusculis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1.
p. 84.

Tail very thick at the root, gradually ta-
pering to the point, which is woolly $
inner toes somewhat remote from the
rest.

Mustela pilis ex albido et nigro variegatis
vestita. Briss. Quadr. p. 181.

Ichneumon. . . • Sm. Buff. v. 7. p. 210. pi. 225. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. v. 2. p. 54. Beta.
Quadr. p. 237* Shaw Gen. Zool.
pi. 92.

M. d’Obsonville had a young ichneumon which
he brought up, by feeding it at first with milk,
and afterwards with baked meat mixed with rice.
It was even tamer than a cat, came when call-
ed, and followed him, though at liberty, into the
country.

“ One day,” says this gentleman, “ I brought to
him a small water serpent alive, being desirous to
know how far his instinct would carry him against

ICHNEUMON.

257

a being with which he was hitherto totally unac-
quainted. His first emotion seemed to be astonish-
ment mixed with anger, for his hair became erect ;
but in an instant after he slipped behind the rep-
tile, and with a remarkable swiftness and agility
leaped upon its head, seized it, and crushed it be-
tween his teeth. This essay and new aliment
seemed to have awakened in him his innate and
destructive voracity, which till then had given way
to the gentleness he had acquired from his edu-
cation. I had about my house several curious kinds
of fowls, among which he had been brought up,
and which, till then, he had suffered to go and come
twenty times unmolested and unregarded; but a
few days after, when he found himself alone, he
strangled them every one, ate a little, and, as ap-
peared, drank the blood of two.”

This little animal is found in its wild state in
the southern regions of Asia, from Egypt to Java ;
and is common, according to Kolbe, in the fields
about the Cape of Good Hope. He frequents the
banks of rivers, but is frequently driven from them
by inundations ; when he seeks the higher grounds,
and even ventures to approach the habitations of
men in search of prey. Serpents and birds are
equally the objects of his pursuit, and he darts
Undauntedly upon that most venomous of all the
eastern snakes, the cobra di capello , and seldom fails
of victory : however, he is sometimes Wounded in
the combat, and is then said to seek immediate re-
vol. 1. s

258

ICHNEUMON.

lief from a certain herb which has the power of
correcting the poison.

The description which Lucan has given of the
manner in which the ichneumon seizes a serpent
to avoid being injured by ity is thus translated by
Rowe :

Thus oft’ th’ ichneumon, on the banks of Nile,

Invades the deadly aspic by a wile ;

While artfully his slender tail is play’d.

The serpent darts upon the dancing shade ;

Then turning on the foe with swift surprise.

Full on the throat the nimble seizer flies :

The gaping snake expires beneath the wound.

His gushing jaws with pois’nous floods abound.

And shed the fruitless mischief on the ground.

The eyes of the ichneumon are very bright and
full of fire ; the nose is long and slender ; the limbs
are short ; and the whole body is covered with hard
coarse hair varying in colour. The general figure
of the animal is like that of the pole-cat ; but the
fur is more beautiful and elegant, consisting of
shades of brown, fawn-colour, and silvery gray.
The Egyptians always held the ichneumon in great
veneration on account of the number of noxious
animals it destroyed ; and particularly the crocodile,
whose eggs seldom remain undiscovered by the crea-
ture, though hid beneath the sand : we have reason
to admire his usefulness as well as industry in de-
stroying them, when we are told that the crocodile
lays two or three hundred eggs at a time, very few

ICHNEUMON.

259

of which escape destruction. They seem impatient
of cold, and when transported to a temperate cli-
mate take every precaution that instinct can dic-
tate to keep themselves warm ; they roll themselves
into a ball, and in this form continue to sleep all
day long, with the head between the legs. This,
however, is only when the weather is severe ; as
there is one in the collection at Exeter Change,
which was lively enough in the month of November,
and moved about the cage without showing any signs
of torpidity. Seba, the celebrated naturalist, had an
ichneumon sent him from the island of Ceylon,
which he permitted to run for some months about
the house. It was heavy and slothful by day, and
often could not be awaked even with a blow ; but
it made up this indolence by its nocturnal activity,
smelling about without being wholly tame, or
wholly mischievous. It climbed up the walls and
the trees with very great ease, and appeared ex-
tremely fond of spiders and worms, which it pre-
ferred probably from their resemblance toT serpents,
its most natural food. It was also particularly eager
to scratch up holes in the ground ; and this, added
to its wildness and uncleanliness, obliged our na-
turalist to smother it in spirits, in order to preserve, -
and add it to the rest of his collection.

OTTER.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Six cutting teeth, and two canine, in each jaw.

Five toes on each foot; each toe connected by a strong web.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Mustela Lutra. M. plantis palmatis nudis, cauda corpora di-

midio breviore. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gviel, 1.
p. Q3.

Feet webbed and naked 3 tail half the length
of the body.

Lutra digitis sequalibus. Faun. Suec. 1. n. 10.
Lutra castanei coloris. Briss. Quadr. 201.
Common Otter. Sm. Buff. v. 4. p. 232. pi. 71. Penn. Hist.

Quadr. v. 2. p. 77* Bew. Quadr. p. 451.
Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 100.

Would ye preserve a num’rous finny race.

Let your fierce dogs the rav’nous otter chase}

Th’ amphibious monster ranges all the shores.

Darts through the waves, and ev’ry haunt explores.

Gay.

The otter frequents the sides of lakes and rivers,
and generally chooses a stony, uneven bottom, with
many trunks of trees and long roots stretched be-

OTTER.

$6l

neath the water. The shore also is hollow, and
scooped inwards by the waves. These are the
places the otter chooses for its retreat ; and they are
generally discovered by the quantity of dead fish
that are found scattered about upon the banks of
the water. The late Dr. Goldsmith, who added his
own information to that of Mr. Lot’s of the aca-
demy of Stockholm, assures us, that it is no easy
task to take the old ones alive, as they are so very
strong that few dogs will dare to attack them;
They bite with great fierceness, and never let go
their hold when once fastened. The best way
therefore is to shoot them at once, as they will
never be thoroughly tamed unless they are taken
young, when they may be trained to very useful
purposes. The otter goes about nine weeks with
young, and brings forth three, four, or five at a
time : the bed for the reception of the little ones
is made under the hollow banks, of rushes, flags,
or such weeds as the place affords in greatest quan-
tities. It is observed by Mr. Pennant, that this
animal burrows under ground on the banks of some
river or lake, and always makes the entrance of its
hole under water ; works upwards to the surface
of the earth, and forms, before it reaches the top,
several holts, or lodges, that, in case of high floods,
it may have a retreat, for no animal affects lying
drier, and there makes a minute orifice for the ad-
mission of air : it is further observed, that this ani-
mal, the more effectually to conceal its retreat, con-

2 62 OTTER.

s

trives to make even this little air-hole in the middle
of some thick bush. The Doctor acknowledges
that in some places this may be true, but he never
observed any such contrivance : the retreat, indeed,
was always at the edge of the water ; but it was
only sheltered by the impending bank, and the
otter itsnlf seemed to have but a small share in its
formation. Be this as it may, the young ones are
always found at the edge of the water ; and if un-
der the protection of the dam, she teaches them in-
stantly to plunge, like herself, into the deep, and
escape among the rushes or weeds that fringe the
stream. It is there exceedingly difficult to take
them ; for, though very young, they swim with
great rapidity, and in such a manner that no part
of them is seen above water, except the tip of the
nose. It is only when the dam is absent that they
can be taken ; and in some places there are dogs
trained on purpose. When the dog discovers their
retreat, he soon by his barking shows that the
otter is there, which immediately plunges into the
water, followed by all the young. If, however,
the old one be absent, they continue terrified, and
suffer themselves to be taken, rather than venture
forth without their parent for a guide. At first
they are carefully fed with small fish and water; but
in proportion as they gather strength they have
milk mixed among their food, the quantity of fish
provision is retrenched, and that of vegetables is in-
creased, till at length they are fed wholly upon

OTTER.

203

bread, which perfectly agrees with their constitu-
tion. The manner of training them up to hunt for
fish requires both assiduity and patience. The
usual way is first to learn them to fetch as dogs
are instructed ; but as they have not the same do-
cility, it requires more art and experience to teach
them. At first they are accustomed to take a bag
of leather, made in the shape of a fish, and stuffed
with wool, in their mouths, and to drop it when
they are desired ; to run after it when thrown be-
fore them, and to bring it to their master. From
this they proceed to real fish, which are thrown
dead into the water, and which they are taught to
fetch from thence. At length, from the dead they
proceed to hunt the living ; — their education is com-
pleted, and they become perfect masters of the
whole art of fishing. An otter thus taught is a
most valuable animal, and will greatly repay the
teacher for all his trouble. Goldsmith saw one of
these go to a gentleman’s pond at the word of com-
mand, drive up the fish into a corner, and, seizing
upon the largest of the whole, bring it out of the
water to its master.

When thus tamed, they seem to become attached
to their owners. Bewick informs us, that William
Collins, of Rimmerston, near Wooler, had a tame
otter which followed him wherever he went. He
frequently carried it to fish in the river ; and when
satiated, it never failed to return to its master.
One day, in the absence of Collins, being taken

2f>4

OTTER.

out by his son to fish, instead of returning as usual,
it refused to come at the accustomed call, and was
lost. The father tried every means to recover it ;
and after several days search, being near the place
where his son had lost it, and calling it by its name,
to his inexpressible joy it came creeping to his feet,
and showed many genuine marks of affection and
firm attachment.

The otter generally measures about two feet from
the tip of the nose to the base of the tail ; the
length of the tail is fifteen or sixteen inches ; a
male weighs from eighteen to twenty-six pounds:
the female from eighteen to twenty-two. The co-
lour of the body is deep brown ; the legs are short
and thick, and perform the part of fins, each toe
being connected to the other by a broad and strong
web.

These animals are found in most of the northern
parts of Europe. They inhabit America as far
north as Hudson’s Ba}^ and are likewise found in
Kamtschatka, where the inhabitants usually hunt
them with dogs in time of deep snow, when the
otters wander too far from the banks of rivers.

There is another species called sea-otters, from
their inhabiting that element, whose hind feet ex-
actly resemble those of a seal. They have a very
thick skin, covered with long, black, and glossy
hair. They grow to a much larger size than the
common otter, some of the largest weighing seventy
or eighty pounds.

OTTER,

265

These creatures are very harmless, and so singu-
larly affectionate to their young, that they never
desert them, and will even pine to death for their
loss. They are said to produce but one at a time,
which they fondle between their fore-feet ; and be-
fore the young can swim, they carry them in their
paws, lying in the water on their backs, in which
posture they can swim very swiftly. As they never
make any resistance when attacked, they endea-
vour to save themselves by flight ; and, after they
have escaped to some distance, they will stop and
look back at their enemy, holding one of their fore-
feet over their eyes as a shade to defend them from
the glare of light, which their weak sight cannot
bear.

They are taken in several different ways, and
their flesh is preferred to that of seals by the na-
tives of Kamtschatka. The unfortunate crew com-
manded by Captain Bering, however, found it in-
sipid, and so hard and tough that they were
obliged to cut it into small pieces before they could
eat it. They resemble seals, in being almost al-
ways in water, as well as in the form of particu-
lar parts of their bodies. They are such excellent
swimmers that they have sometimes even been seen
at the distance of a hundred leagues from the
land.

Their skins are exceedingly valuable, and are
sold in great quantities to the Chinese. Some of
them will fetch from fourteen to twenty-five pounds

266

OTTER.

apiece. “ What a profitable trade,” says Mr.
Pennant, “ might not a colony carry on, was it
possible to penetrate to these parts of North Ame-
rica, by means of the rivers and lakes ! The access
to Pekin would then be easy, by sailing up the
gulph of Petcheli. At present these valuable furs
are carried by land above three thousand miles to
the frontiers of China, where they are delivered to
the merchants.”

HARE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.
Five toes before ; four behind.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Lepus timidus. L. cauda abbreviata, auriculis apice nigris, ca-
pite longioribus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1 .

p. 160.

Tail very short ; ears longer than the head, and
black at the ends.

Lepus caudatus ex cinereo rufus. Briss. Quadr.
94.

Common Hare. Sm. Buff. 4. p. 137- pb 62. Penn. Brit. Zool. 1.

p. 98. n. 20. Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 102. Bew.
Quadr. p. 337-

This inoffensive creature is so perfectly well known to
every body, that to give a particular description of it
would be trifling with the reader ; indeed we should
have omitted it entirely, but for the very interesting
observations of the late celebrated Mr. Cowper, who
amused himself for several years with the innocent
playfulness of three of these animals, and afterwards

268

HARE.

published an account of them. It was to divert his
thoughts, while labouring under one of those fits of
mental depression which so frequently obscured this
gentleman’s faculties, that he applied himself to the
taming and educating of his hares ; and we shall
gladly avail ourselves of the particulars he has left
behind him, though more than necessary for our
purpose. In the year 1774 he took a leveret under
his protection, which some of his neighbours’ chil-
dren had at first carefully cherished, but afterwards
neglected. As it was soon known in the parish that
Mr. Cowper was pleased with his charge, his neigh-
bours were not backward in bringing others ; so that
in a short time he had as many leverets offered him
as would have stocked a paddock. He undertook
the care of three, whom he distinguished by dif-
ferent names, and immediately set about building
them huts for their accommodation. They soon be-
came perfectly tame : in the day-time they had the
range of a hall, and at night retired each to his own
bed, never intruding into that of another.

Mr. Cowper speaks of the engaging manners of
one of his harmless companions in the following
words : — “ Puss grew presently familiar, would leap
into my lap, raise himself upon his hinder feet, and
bite the hair from my temples. He would suffer
me to take him up and to carry him about in my
arms, and has more than once fallen fast asleep upon
my knee. He was ill three days ; during which
time I nursed him, kept him apart from his fellows
that they might not molest him, (for, like many

HARE.

26*9

other wild animals, they persecute one of their own
species that is sick,) and by constant care, and try-
ing him with a variety of herbs, restored him to
perfect health. No creature could be more grateful
than my patient for his recovery; a sentiment which
he most significantly expressed by licking my hand,
first the back of it, then the palm, then every finger
separately, then between all the fingers, as if anxious
to leave no part of it unsaluted ; a ceremony which
he never performed but once again upon a similar
occasion. Finding him extremely tractable, I made
it my custom to carry him always after breakfast
into the garden, where he liid himself generally
under the leaves of a cucumber vine, sleeping or
chewing the cud till evening ; in the leaves also of
that vine he found a favourite repast. I had not
long habituated him to this taste of liberty, before
he began to be impatient for the return of the time
when he might enjoy it. He would invite me to
the garden by drumming upon my knee, and by a
look of such expression as it was not possible to
misinterpret. If this rhetoric did not immediately
succeed, he would take the skirt of my coat between
his teeth, and pull at it with all his force. Thus
puss might be said to be perfectly tamed ; the shy-
ness of his nature was done away; and on the whole
it was visible by many symptoms, which I have not
room to enumerate, that he was happier in human
society than when shut up with his natural com-
panions.”

The other hares were less gentle, and upon one

270 HARE.

of them the kindest treatment had not the least ef-
fect. Mr.C. describes these animals as having each a
character of his own : — (e Such they were in fact ;
and their countenances were so expressive of that
character, that when I looked only on the face of
either, I immediately knew which it was. It is
said that a shepherd, however numerous his flock,
soon becomes so familiar with their features, that
he can, by that indication only, distinguish each
from all the rest ; and yet, to a common observer,
the difference is hardly perceptible. I doubt not
that the same discrimination in the cast of counte-
nances would be discoverable in hares, and am per-
suaded that among a thousand of them no two could
be found exactly similar ; a circumstance little sus-
pected by those who have not had opportunity to
observe it. These creatures have a singular sagacity
in discovering the minutest alteration that is made
in the place to which they are accustomed, and in-
stantly apply their nose to the examination of a new
object. A small hole being burnt in the carpet, it
was mended with a patch, and that patch in a mo-
ment underwent the strictest scrutiny. They seem,
too, to be very much directed by the smell in the
choice of their favourites : to some persons, though
they saw them daily, they could never be recon-
ciled, and would even scream when they attempted
to touch them : but a miller coming in, engaged
their affections at once ; his powdered coat had
charms that were irresistible. It is no wonder that
my intimate acquaintance with these specimens of

HARE.

271

the kind has taught me to hold the sportsman’s
amusement in abhorrence : he little knows what
amiable creatures he persecutes ; of what gratitude
they are capable ; how cheerful they are in their
spirits ; what enjoyment they have of life ; and that,
impressed as they seem with a peculiar dread of
man, it is only because man gives them peculiar
cause for it.

One of Mr. Cowper’s hares died young, another
lived to be nine years old, and the last, which was
living in May 1784, when this account was sent
to the press, had just completed his tenth year: —
u I cannot conclude,” continues our author, “ with-
out observing, that I have lately introduced a dog
to his acquaintance ; a spaniel who had never seen
a hare, to a hare that had never seen a spaniel. I
did it with great caution, but there was no real
need of it. Puss discovered no token of fear, nor
Marquis the least symptom of hostility. There is
therefore, it should seem, no natural antipathy be-
tween dog and hare, but the pursuit of the one oc-
casions the flight of the other, and the dog pursues
because he is trained to it : they eat bread at the
same time out of the same hand, and are in all re-
spects sociable and friendly.”

It appears, from this gentleman’s account, that
they have no ill scent belonging to them ; that they
are indefatigably nice in keeping themselves clean ;
and that for this purpose Nature has furnished them
with a brush under each foot.

Mr. Cowper has the following remarks respecting

HARE.

272

their food, with which we shall conclude this ac-
count : — “ I take it to be a general opinion that
they graze, but it is an erroneous one, at least grass
is not their staple ; they seem rather to use it me-
dicinally, soon quitting it for leaves of almost every
kind. Sow-thistle, dent-de-lion, and lettuce, are their
favourite vegetables, especially the last. I disco-
vered, by accident, that fine white sand is in great
estimation with them ; I suppose, as a digestive. It
happened that I was cleaning a bird-cage while the
hares were with me ; I placed a pot filled with such
sand upon the floor, which, being at once directed
by a strong instinct, they devoured voraciously :
since that time I have generally taken care to see
them well supplied with it. They account green
corn a delicacy, both blade and stalk, but the ear
they seldom eat : straw of any kind, especially wheat
straw, is another of their dainties ; they will feed
greedily upon oats, but, if furnished with clean
straw, never want them ; it serves them also for a
bed, and, if shaken up daily, will be kept sweet
and dry for a considerable time. They do not, in-
deed, require aromatic herbs, but will eat a small
quantity of them with great relish, and are particu-
larly fond of the plant called musk ; they seem to
resemble sheep in this, that if their pasture be too
succulent they are subject to the rot ; to prevent
which, I always made bread their principal nourish-
ment, and, filling a pan with it cut into small squares,
placed it every evening in their chambers, for they
feed only at evening and in the night. During the

HARE.

273-

winter, when vegetables were not to be got, I min-
gled this mess of bread with shreds of carrot, adding
to it the rind of apples cut extremely thin ; for,
though they are fond of the paring, the apple itself
disgusts them. These, however, not being a suffi-
cient substitute for the juice of summer herbs, they
must at this time be supplied with water ; but so
placed that they cannot overset it into their beds.
I must not omit that occasionally they are much
pleased with twigs of hawthorn, and of the common
briar, eating even the very wood when it is of con-
siderable thickness.”

It appears from at memorandum found among
Mr. Cowper’s papers, that his last hare died in
March 178b, aged eleven years eleven months.
She died of mere old age, and apparently without
pain.

If I survive thee I will dig thy grave 3
Arid when I place thee in it, sighing, say,

I knew at least one hare that had a friend.

The Task,

VOL. I.

T

BEAVER

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.

Five toes on each foot ; hind feet webbed.
Tail compressed, and covered with scales.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Castor Fiber. . C. cauda ovata, plana, calva. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Gmel. 1. p. 124.

Tail nearly oval, flat, and bare.

Castor castanei coloris, cauda horizontaliter
plana. Briss. Quadr. p. 133.

Common Beaver. Catesb. Carol. App. p. 2g. Sm. Buff. v. 5.

p. 21. pi. 105. Penn. Hist. Quadr. ed. 3.
v. 2. p. 114. pi. J\. Penn. Arct. Zool.
v. 1. p. 98. Bew. Quadr. p. 383. Shaw.
Gen. Zool. 2. pi. 128.

Common-sized beavers are about three feet long,
and twelve or fifteen inches broad. Their skin in
the northern regions is generally black, but it '
brightens into a reddish tincture in temperate cli-
mates ; and as they advance to the southward the
beauty of their fur decreases. In the Leverian Mu-
seum there is one quite white. Among the Illinois

13

Scull, Feet and Tail of the Beaver.

.Designed T/y ~W.DemieZi .

-Published by mg's rj CadeZL bziDasries.IondonJlIardis.a-do'j.

I

BEAVER.

275

they are tawny, and even as pale as straw-colour.
They are covered with two sorts of hair, one long',
and the other a soft down ; the latter, which is an
inch in length, is extremely fine and compact, and
accommodates the animal with a necessary warmth.
The long hair preserves the down from dirt and
humidity.

These creatures are found from 30 to 60 degrees
of northern latitude, and particularly abound round
Hudson’s Bay ; from whence they stretch as low as
Carolina and Louisiana. They have been traced
from Hudson’s Bay and Canada to 120 degrees of
west longitude ; and have been found, though in
an unsociable state, in Lapland, Norway, and Swe-
den.

The beaver has four bags under his intestines
impregnated with a resinous liquid, which, when it
is ejected, settles into a thick consistence, and be-
comes the castor of the shops, so long celebrated for
the cure of nervous and spasmodic disorders. This
substance loses some of its virtue by long keeping,
and becomes black. The Americans used to strip
the long hair from the beaver’s skin, and manu-
facture the down into stockings, caps, and stuffs ;
but these have been found liable to harden like felt,
and are therefore disused in most places ; so that at
present the beaver is used for little else than hats
or furs. According to Mr. Pennant, the manufac-
ture of hats from the fur of these animals began in
England in the reign of Charles the First, when the
manufacture was regulated, 1638, by proclamation ;

t 2

LEAVER.

2/6

in which is an express prohibition of using any ma-
terials except beaver stuff or beaver ivool ; and the
hats called demi-castors were forbidden to be made,
unless for exportation. Since that time, the demand
for furs has become so great, that the imports from
America into the ports of London and Rochelle, of
beaver skins alone, as far back as the year 1743, was.

Into the port of London - 26,750

Into Rochelle - - 127,080

153,830

It has been mentioned as a fact, that the beaver
skins are most valuable when the wild natives of
the country have lain upon them a considerable
time ; for by this means the long hair falls off, and
the down becomes compact and moist by transpira-
tion, and consequently fitted to be manufactured.

This sagacious animal is furnished with three
implements well calculated for the purposes they
are intended to fulfil. These are his teeth, his
paws, and his tail. His teeth are strong, and
deeply riveted into his jaws, with a strong and crook-
ed root : with these he cuts, as well the wood with
which he builds as that which furnishes him with
his food. His fore feet resemble those of such ani-
mals as hold what they eat in their paws ; as apes,
for instance, and rats, and squirrels : with these feet
he digs, softens, and works the clay, which we shall
presently see become of great service to him. His
hind feet are accommodated with membranes like

BEAVER. 2/7

those of ducks and other water-fowl. This makes
it evident that the Author of Nature intended the
creature should be amphibious. His tail is about a
foot long, almost flat, entirely covered with scales,
supplied with muscles, and said to be perpetually
lubricated with oil or fat. This animal, who is an
architect from his nativity, uses his tail instead of
a hod for the conveyance of his clay or mortar, and
a trowel to spread and form it into an incrustation :
the scales prevent these materials from penetrating
the tail with their coldness and humidity.

The beavers inhabit the same mansion in great
numbers, unless violent heats or inundations, the
pursuits of hunters, scarcity of provisions, or the
extraordinary increase of their offspring, oblige them
to separate. One would readily suppose that they
would fix their residence on the banks of one of the
large rivers or lakes which are so abundant in Ame-
rica ; but no, their sagacity informs them of the
precarious tenure of such dwellings, which are liable
to be overthrown by every flood. They therefore
choose a situation by the side of some little rivulet,
where they can form a sufficient reservoir of water,
and have nothing to fear, but from land floods or
the sudden melting of the snows. When the bea-
vers have determined on the spot, they begin with
building a mole, or causeway, in which the water
may rise to a level with the first story of their ha-
bitation. This causeway, at the foundation, may
be ten or twelve feet in thickness. It descends in a
slope on the side next the water, which, in propor-

278

BEAVER.

tion to its elevation, gravitates upon the work, and
presses it with a strong tendency towards the earth.
The opposite side is raised perpendicular like our
walls, and the slope, which at its basis is twelve
feet broad, diminishes towards the top, whose
breadth does not exceed two feet. The materials
of this work are wood and clay. The beavers, with
an admirable facility, cut the pieces of wood, some
as thick as one’s arm, others as large as one’s thigh,
and from two, to four, five, or six feet in length,
and sometimes more, in proportion to the ascent of
the slope. They drive the extremity of these very
near each other into the earth, and take care to
interlace them with other stakes more slender and
supple. But as the water, without some other pre-
vention, would glide through the cavities and leave
the reservoir dry, they have recourse to a clay, which
they perfectly know how to procure, and with which
they close up all the interstices both within and
without, and this effectually prevents the water
from oozing through. They continue to raise the
dike in proportion to the water’s elevation and
plenty. They are likewise very sensible that their
materials are not so easily transported by land as
by water, and therefore take the opportunity of its
increase to swim with mortar placed on their tail and
stakes of wood between their teeth, to every place
where they have occasion for these materials. If the
violence of the water, or the footsteps of hunters
who pass over their work, damage it in any degree,
they immediately repair the fracture, visit all the

BEAVER.

279

edifice, and, with indefatigable application, refit and
adjust whatever happens to be disconcerted. But,
when they are too frequently persecuted by the
hunters, they only work in the night, or else dis-
continue their labours. However, they are so
strongly attached to their haunts, that they must
be sadly plagued indeed, before they will quit
them. “ There is a strong instance,” says Charle-
voix, tf on the road between Montreal and Lake
Huron, which travellers, through wantonness, an-
nually molest, yet is always repaired by the indus-
trious inhabitants.”

When the causeway or dike is completed they
begin to form their cells, which are round or oval
apartments, divided into three partitions, raised one
above another. The first is sunk below the level
of the dike, and generally full of water ; the other
two are formed above it. They raise this structure
in a very solid manner, on the edge of their cause-
wav, and always in stories, that, in case the water
should ascend, they may dwell in a higher situa-
tion. If they find any little island near the reser-
voir, they fix their dwelling there, which is then
more solid, and they are less incommoded by the
water, in which they are not capable of continuing
beyond a certain time : but if they are not favoured
with this advantage, they drive stakes into the earth
with their teeth, to fortify the building against the
winds and water. Mr. Pennant describes two open-
ings to each house, one towards the land, and the
other communicating with the water, for the con-

280

BEAVER.

veniency of getting to their magazine of provisions
in frosty weather : — u This orifice is formed so as to
be beyond the thickness of the ice, for they lodge
their provisions under the water, and dive and bring
it into their house according as they want it.” Cap-
tain Cartwright, however, whose residence of nearly
sixteen years on the Labrador coast gave him every
opportunity he could desire of studying this extra-
ordinary animal, assures us that their habitations
have but one hole, which is always next the water.
They sometimes build their houses entirely on the
dry land, and sink ditches five or six feet deep, in
order to descend to the water. They employ the
same materials and industry in the structure of their
dwelling as they use for the causeway. The walls
of the building are perpendicular, and two feet thick.
As their teeth are more serviceable than saws, they
cut off all the projections from the wood that shoots
out beyond the perpendicular of the wall ; after
which they work up a mixture of clay and dry grass
into a kind of mortar, with which, with the aid of
their tails, they rough-cast the out- and insides of
their work.

The edifice is erected on piles, and rises either
of a round or oval figure ; the top is arched, which
gives it the appearance of a dome on the outside, and
within it resembles an oven. The dimensions are
proportioned to the number of the intended inha-
bitants. Twelve feet in length and ten in breadth
are sufficient for eight or ten beavers. They build
their houses of earth, stones, and sticks, cemented

BEAVER,

281

together with great art and ingenuity. Each house
contains from two to thirty beavers. Every beaver
forms its own bed of moss ; and each family fills its
magazine with provisions against the winter, which,
as we have before remarked, they keep under water,
and bring into their apartments as they want them.
It has been asserted for a truth, that there have been
found above four hundred of these creatures in dif-
ferent lodgments communicating with each other.
But these popular societies are very rare, because
they are too unmanageable and tumultuous, and
the beavers are generally better acquainted with
their own interests. From ten to twenty-five of
these houses are generally built ; sometimes a few
more.

The inhabitants of these little mansions are gifted
with a natural arithmetic, which enables them to
proportion the place and provisions to the necessi-
ties of the company ; and as it is customary for
every family to continue in constant possession of
their own habitation, they never charge themselves
with unnecessary expenses for any accidental guests.

All these works, especially in the cold regions,
are completed in August or September, after
which period they furnish themselves with provi-
sions. During the summer season they regale them-
selves w ith all the fruits and plants the country pro-
duces ; but on the approach of winter the tenants
of each house are fully employed in stocking the
magazine with the bark and boughs of the sassafras.

282

BEAVER.

ash, plane, and other trees, which they cut into
lengths from three to six feet ; the larger ones are
conveyed by several beavers to the magazine, and
the smaller by a single animal ; but they take dif-
ferent ways. Each individual has his walk assigned
him, to prevent the labourers from being inter-
rupted by their mutual occasions. The dimensions
of their pile of timber are regulated in proportion to
the number of the inhabitants ; and it has been ob-
served that the provision of wood for ten beavers
comprehended thirty feet in a square surface and
ten in thickness. These parcels of wood are not
piled up in one continued heap, but laid across
one another with interstices between them, that
they may the better draw out the quantity they
want, and always take the parcel at the bottom,
which lies in the water. They cut this wood into
small particles and convey it to their cell, where
the whole family come to receive their particular
share ; and they are said to be supplied with a dou-
ble stomach to facilitate the digestion of such a solid
food. During the winter they never leave their
houses, unless to fetch provisions from their maga-
zines, and in that season grow extremely fat. In
summer the beavers forsake their houses and wander
about from place to place, sleeping every night on
a bed which they prepare of sticks shred fine, under
the shelter of some bush near the water-side. Not-
withstanding the amazing sagacity of these animals,
they are sometimes wrong in the choice of their

BEAVER.

283

situations ; as they have been known to fix their
dwellings in a pond where, from want of food, they
have all died with hunger; and at another time,
they have chosen a flat piece of ground, by the side
of the water, where a sudden thaw has swelled the
stream to such a height, that with resistless force
the whole colony has at once been swept away.

Beavers breed once a-year, bring forth about the
latter end of winter or beginning of spring, and
have two or three at a birth : they are exceedingly
fond of their young, and so affectionate to each other
that the two young beavers mentioned by Mr. Pen-
nant, which were taken alive and brought to a neigh-
bouring factory in Hudson’s Bay, were preserved for
some time, and throve very fast, till one of them was
killed by an accident. The survivor instantly felt
the loss, began to moan, and abstained from food till
it died. The hunters, who are sensible that these
creatures love green wood better than old, place a
parcel of the former about their lodge, and then
have several devices to ensnare them. Sometimes
in long traps baited with poplar sticks, laid in a
path near the water ; and so delicate is the beavers’
sense of smelling, that unless the Indians wash their
hands before they bait the traps, the sagacious ani-
mal is sure to shun the snare. When the winter
grows severe, they sometimes break the ice ; and
when the beavers come to the opening, for the
benefit of the fresh air, they kill them with hatchets;
or make a large aperture in the ice, and cover it
with a very strong net, and then overturn the lodge;

284

BEAVER.

upon which the beavers, who think to escape in
their usual way, by flying to the water, and emerg-
ing at the hole in the ice, fall into the snare, and are
taken.

There is a variety of the beaver which, from
want of sagacity, or inclination, to form a habita-
tion like the others, live in an unsociable solitary
manner. These beavers are called terriers ; they
either burrow in the banks of rivers, or make their
abode in caverns dug in a rising ground, either on
the shore, or at some distance from the water, to
which they scoop out subterranean trenches from
their cavern, which descend from ten to a hundred
feet in depth. These trenches furnish them with
retreats situated at unequal heights, wherein they
enjoy a shelter from the water when it ascends.
They also form their winter magazines of provision,
but make their beds of chips instead of moss, under
which they nestle upon some grass.

It has been affirmed that the beaver, being an
aquatic animal, could not live entirely upon land ;
but the notion is without any real foundation ; for
the young beaver sent Buffon from Canada was al-
ways kept in the house ; and, at first, could not be
induced, without difficulty, to enter the water ;
however, after having been forcibly retained there
a few minutes, it became easy, and seemed to like
its situation so well that it did not attempt to get
out, and when left at liberty would frequently re-
turn to its native element. “ One day,” says Buf-
fon, “ he escaped, and descended by a stair into the

Leaver.

subterraneous vaults in the royal garden. He con-
tinued for some time to swim in the stagnant water1
in the bottom of these vaults. However, as soon as
he saw the light of the torches which were brought
to search for him, he returned to those who called
him, and allowed himself quietly to be taken/’

The figures which accompany this description
were taken from two American beavers, and are the
Only drawings that have ever been made of them ;
naturalists in this country having, almost inva-
riably copied BufFon. These animals, which are
now exhibited at Exeter Change #, were brought
from Canada about five years ago, and have con-
tinued healthy ever since ; they feed them on
bread, greens, and fresh-water fish. We noticed
their manner of feeding; the keeper occasionally
giving them some bread during our stay, which
they took with their fore feet, rising almost up-
right upon their hind legs for that purpose, and at
the same time making a plaintive noise, like the
faint crying of a young child. They feed in the
posture of a rat, holding the bread firmly between
their paws till the whole is consumed. The hind
feet are very strongly webbed, and covered with
short black hair. The tail is much thicker to-
wards the base than the apex, and is about half
the length of the body. BufFon tells us “ that
the continual habit of keeping the tail and pos-
terior parts in the water appears to have changed

* September 1805

286

BEAVER.

the nature of their flesh. That of the anterior part
as far as the reins has the taste and consistence of
the flesh of land animals ; but that of the tail
and hinder parts has the odour and all the other
qualities of fish. The tail, which is a foot long,
an inch thick, and five or six inches broad, is even
an extremity, or genuine proportion of a fish at- ,
tached to the body of a quadruped : it is entirely
covered with scales, and with a skin perfectly simi-
lar to that of large fishes. The scales may be
scraped off with a knife, and after falling they leave
an impression on the skin, which is the case with all
fishes.”

The two animals differ in depth of colour, one
being of a much darker brown than the other, though
in both the shades grow lighter towards the tail and
belly.

These creatures, although confined so long in a
space less than six feet square, have not forgotten
their old instinctive habits, but busy themselves in
peeling the bark from a few willow branches which
the keeper occasionally throws into a trough of water
for their use.

JCiiblished. ly llefs™ Cade, a. Sc Davie*. londm March i,zS o'] .

PORCUPINE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.
Body covered with sharp quills.
Upper lip divided.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

IIystrix cristata. H. palmis tetradactylis, plantis pentadactylis,

capite cristato, cauda abbreviata. Linn.
Syst.Nat. Gmel. l.p. 118.

Fore feet have four toes on each, hind feet
five, head crested, tail short.

Histrix orientalis cristata. Sel. Mus. 1.
p. 79- ph 50. f. 1.

Porcupine. . . Sm. Buff. v. 7* P- 69. pi. 208, 209. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. v. 2. p. 122. Bew. Quadr.
p. 444. Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 122.

The porcupine is about two feet long. He dwells
in large burrows or holes of his own digging, which
have a single entrance, and are divided into many
apartments. He goes about during the night in
search of fruits, roots, and herbs ; and is said to be
particularly fond of the box-wood shrub. He is
shagged all over with hard and sharp hairs of un-

288

PORCUPINE.

equal length ; from two or three to twelve inches,
or more. These are about the thickness of stalks
of corn, with intermixtures of black and white ;
they swell towards the middle, and terminate in a
point. We are told that, when the porcupine is
attacked, he presents his side to his enemy, erects
all his darts with a menacing air, and sometimes
plunges them so deep in the flesh of the creature
by whom he is assaulted, that several of them re-
main in the wounds, and are detached from his
body when he retires. The sockets of these are
afterwards filled by others, which are enlarged by
time. The power which travellers have said the
porcupine possesses, of darting his quills to a di-
stance, is an error, which probably originated from
his ability to erect and move them when irritated,
and from some of them being but loosely attached
to the skin ; and, therefore, sometimes falling to the
ground. It was probably some of these loose quills
that were found by Ellis, at Hudson’s Bay, sticking
in the mouth of a dead wolf, which was far more
likely to be the consequence of his voraciousness,
than of the porcupine’s resentment.

These animals are hunted by the Americans, from
whom we learn that they seldom live longer than
fifteen years ; that the female goes with young seven
months, and only brings forth one at a time : that
she suckles it about a month, and accustoms it be-
times to live, like herself, upon vegetables and the
bark of trees : that while under her protection, she
is very fierce in its defence ; but at other times.

PORCUPINE.

289

fearful, timid, and harmless. The porcupine never
attempts to bite, but is always anxious to evade his
pursuers. If hunted by a wolf, he climbs up the
nearest tree, and waits there till he has completely
exhausted the patience of his adversary : the wolf,
being conscious that he is only wasting his time,
leaves the porcupine to himself, and seeks out for
some more penetrable game. When this animal
meets with a serpent, against whom he carries on a
perpetual war, he rolls himself up like a ball, con-
cealing his head and feet, and then tumbles upon his
enemy, and kills him with his bristles.

Mr. Church gives an account of a live porcupine,
which the late Sir Ashton Lever frequently turned
on a grass-plat behind his house, to play with a
tame hunting-leopard and a large Newfoundland
dog. As soon as they were let loose, the leopard
and dog began to pursue the porcupine, who always
at first endeavoured to escape by flight ; but on
finding that ineffectual, he would thrust his head into
some corner, making a snorting noise, and erecting
his spines ; with which his pursuers pricked their
noses, till they quarrelled between themselves, and
thus gave him an opportunity to escape.

Porcupines are found in India, in Tartary, in
Persia, and in all parts of Africa. They produce a
bezoar, which was very highly valued, and used to
sell for an enormous price, when it was the fashion
to use that stone as a medicine.

VOL. I.

tJ

SQUIRREL.

— -40W-

GENERIC CHARACTER,

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.
Four toes before, and five behind.
Tail clothed with long- hair.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Sciurus vulgaris. S. auricuiis apice barbatis, cauda dorso con-

colore. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 145.

Ears tufted at the end, tail the same colour
as the back.

Sciurus vulgaris rubicundus. Klein. Quadr.
p. 53.

Sciurus (vulgaris) rufus, quandoque griseo
admixto. Briss. Quadr. p. 150. n. 1.
Common Squirrel. Sm. Buff. v. 4. p. 268. pi. 83. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. v. 2. p. 138. Bew. Quadr.
p. 352.

This active little animal resides in the midst of the
tallest trees of the forest, and when alarmed by any
noise, or disturbed by any cause whatever, it bounds
from tree to tree with great agility ; and thus, by
travelling along the tops of the forest, completely
escapes from the impending danger. In the fork

SQ.UIRREL.

291

of one of the larger branches of a great tree the
squirrel constructs its nest, by binding together
moss, twigs, and dry leaves, in such an artful man-
ner that it will resist the most violent storm. The
nest is completely enclosed, except a small open-
ing at top for the animal to creep into ; and this
very opening is so sheltered from the weather by a
conical cover, that the inhabitant remains perfectly
dry in the heaviest rain.

In the high northern latitudes the squirrels are
red in summer, but change at the approach of win-
ter to a gray. This change of colour is effected
gradually, and the furs are greatly esteemed for
their exquisite softness. Whenever they are com-
pelled by want of provisions to quit their lofty
alpine abodes, they migrate in amazing numbers,
and travel directly forwards, with a determination
to overcome every obstacle ; neither rocks, forests,
nor even the broadest waters can stop their pro-
gress. If the credit of Linnaeus did not give a
sanction to what we are going to relate respecting
the extraordinary manner in which they cross the
broadest rivers, it would hardly be believed.— When
they arrive at the edge of the water, and perceive
its breadth, they return in a body to the nearest
wood in quest of bark, which serves them instead of
boats, and upon which they boldly commit them-
selves to the mercy of the waves, every squirrel sit-
ting on its own vessel, and fanning the air with its
tail. In this regular manner they commence their
navigation; but although they set out with every

292

SGIUIRREL.

circumstance in their favour, it frequently happens
that the whole navy is shipwrecked ; for the poor
little mariners are not aware of their danger, and are
so badly provided against a rough wave, or a slight
gust of wind, that they are overset in a moment.
The dead bodies are thrown by thousands on the
Lapland shore, where the inhabitants collect them
for the sake of their flesh and skins.

In North America the squirrels commit the great-
est ravages on the plantations of maize. The da-
mage they do the planters is incredible. Hundreds
of them will come into a field, climb up the stalks,
and eat the sweet corn which is wrapped up in
the heads : thus in one night they will destroy that
crop which it has cost the poor farmer so much to
raise. They are said to swarm in several of the pro-
vinces, and often descend in troops from the
mountains, clearing the ground as they go of the
fallen acorns, nuts, and beech mast, making maga-
zines of the overplus for their winter provisions, in
holes which they dig under ground for that purpose.
Their hoards, however, frequently fall a prey eith-
er to the hogs or the colonists, who seem equally
anxious to discover them. On these magazines they
place all their dependence, and frequently quit their
nests to visit them, always returning with a suf-
ficient quantity of provisions to last them for some
time. During the winter this appears to be their
only employment, as in that season they do not
choose to quit their warm habitations, unless com-
pelled by necessity. Whenever they are observed

S&UIitREL.

293

to be particularly busy in the autumn, and to run
about the woods in greater numbers than usual, it
is a certain sign that the weather will soon become
severe ; for the same instinct that teaches them to
defend their nests from the wet, also directs them to
provide against the inclemency of the approaching
season, by laying in a larger stock than usual, lest
the frost and snow should lock up their subterrane-
ous magazines.

A reward of about three-pence a head was once
offered in America for their destruction ; when in the
province of Pennsylvania alone , 8000 pounds cur-
rency was paid in one year. Therefore the number
killed in that time must have amounted to six
hundred and forty thousand.

DORMOUSE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.

N_>

Muzzle furnished with long whiskers,

Ears naked.

Tail long, and covered with hair.

Four toes before; five behind.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Sciurus striatus. S. flavus, striis quinque fuscis longitudinali-

bus, Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 150.
Of a yellow colour, with five longitudinal
dark stripes.

Sciurus minor virgatus. Nov. Com. Petrop.
344.

Sciurus Carolinensis. Brisson.

Ground Squirrel. Lawson Carol. 122,
Catesly Carol. 2. 75.

Striped Dormouse. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 2. p. 157. n. 355.

Penn. Arct. Zool. 1. p. 12 6. n. 54.

This animal inhabits North America, where it is
said to be common, particularly in Canada. The
French call it Suisse, says Charlevoix, from the
skin being marked with black and white, like the

DORMOUSE. 295

breeches of the Switzers who form the Pope’s
guard.

This species of dormouse is remarkable for five
parallel black lines running along the back, in-
cluding between them two of a yellowish white.
The total length of the animal is about six inches.

We learn from Mr. Pennant that these dormice
are extremely numerous ; that they live in woods,
but never take refuge in the trees unless they are
closely pursued ; and that they form for themselves
habitations under ground, where they pass the
whole of the winter. These subterranean dwellings
are formed with great art, and consist of long gal-
leries with lateral branches, all of which terminate
in spacious apartments, which are calculated for
store-rooms for their winter provisions. In these
they hoard their stock, which consists of different
kinds of food, and each has its separate apartment.
In one the acorns are lodged; in another the maize;
in a third the hickery-nuts ; and in the last their
most favourite food, the chestnut. Like the ham-
ster, they are provided with pouches within their
cheeks, which are highly serviceable to them in
their foraging expeditions, when they intend to
convey a quantity of food to their magazines. Kalm
mentions a Swede, who, making a mill dike late
in the autumn, met by chance with a subterranean
walk belonging to these squirrels. He carefully
traced their path till he discovered a gallery on one
side, like a branch parting from the main stem.

DORMOUSE.

296

This was nearly two feet long, and terminated in
an apartment containing a quantity of fine acorns
of the white oak, which the little dormouse had
provided for his sustenance in the winter. He soon
found another gallery terminated in the same man-
ner, but filled with maize ; in a third he disco-
vered a parcel of hickery-nuts ; and in the last a
large quantity of excellent chestnuts. Pallas informs
us, that in Siberia they live chiefly on seeds, par-
ticularly on the kernels of the stone pine, which
they hoard up to the amount often or fifteen pounds
in a single magazine.

The winter appears to be passed by these ani-
mals in their holes, where they indulge themselves
in sleeping and eating, without ever stirring abroad
while the weather is severe, unless they are forced
from necessity in consequence of a failure of pro-
visions. When this happens they sally forth, and,
burrowing under barns and other places where any
thing is to be had, commit the greatest devastations.
Hunger makes them bold ; and if they do not meet
with a ready supply in the out-houses, they will en-
ter the dwelling, and even eat the corn in the pre-
sence of the farmer.

In the autumn, when grain is abundant, these
creatures are very choice in their food; and it is said
they will even stuff their pouches with rye, and dis-
charge it again upon meeting with wheat, which
they like much better.

They are killed in Siberia with blunt arrows, or

DORMOUSE.

297

caught in fall-traps, for the sake of their skins,which,
however, are not much valued, being used for the
lining of ladies’ cloaks.

We ought not to dismiss this genus without no-
ticing our common dormouse , which is a mild and
gentle animal, living in hedges, and making its nest
in the hollow of a low tree, where the female brings
forth three or four young at a time. In its wild
state it forms magazines of provisions for winter use,
and passes the inclement season in a state of tor-
pidity, occasionally reviving on a warm sunny day,
when it takes a little food, and then relapses into its
former state. The nest of the dormouse is made of
grass, moss, and dried leaves ; it is about six inches
in diameter, and open at the top. It would be su-
perfluous to say more about this little creature, as its
manners are so well known in a domestic state.

JERBOA.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.

Fore-legs very short ; hind-legs remarkably long'.
Tail very long ; tufted at the end.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Dipus jaculus. D. pedibus tetradactylis, palmarum unguiculo
pollicari. Linn. Syst. Nat. Grnel. 1. p. 157-
Four toes on each foot. The two fore-feet have
each a claw instead of a fifth toe.

Mus, pedibus posticis longissimis, cauda corpore
longiore extremo villosa. Hasselq. It. Pal.
198.

Lepus sive Cuniculus indicus ; Utias dictus.
Aldr. Quadr. 395.

Jaculus orientalis. Erxl. Mavim. p. 404.
n. 1.

Mus mqntanus. Moncon. Egypt. 288.
Gerbua. Edw. Av. pi. 219.

Jerboa. . . Sm. Buff. 7. p. 201. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 2.

p. lb’4. n. 364. pi. 80. Bew. Quadr. p. 364.
Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 158.

This singular little animal is a native of Egypt,
Barbary, and Palestine ; it likewise inhabits the de-
serts between Bassora and Aleppo, and is occasion-

JERBOA.

m

ally found in the sandy tracts between the Don
and the Volga. It is somewhat less than a rabbit,
and is remarkable for the length of its hind-legs,
which enable the animal to spring six or eight feet
at a bound. The body of the jerboa is covered with
hair of a pale tawny colour ; the breast and belly
are whitish, and there is an obscure dusky band
across the upper part of the thighs. The tail is
very long, and has a bushy termination ; in walking
they carry it in the form of an S. The habits of
these animals, as far as respects their walking, bear
some resemblance to a bird, as they are constantly
seen upon their hind-legs ; the fore-ones being too
short to be serviceable to them on the ground : they
indeed appear at first sight to have only two legs,
as they generally conceal the fore-feet among the
hair.

Jerboas are animals of mild and gentle manners ;
they live on grain and herbage like the hare, and
in the higher latitudes provide a warm nest against
the rigours of the winter season. We learn from
Mr. Pennant that they burrow under ground, and
in accomplishing their purpose use both the teeth
and fore-feet, flinging the earth behind them as
they proceed, so as to form a heap at the entrance.
The burrows are many yards long, and are con-
ducted by the little animals in an oblique and
winding direction ; but are seldom more than half a
yard below the surface. At the end of this sub-
terranean habitation is situated the nest, in which
they deposit the purest herbs. Their caverns have

300

JERBOA.

but one entrance; yet taught by a wonderful instinct
to provide against danger, they make, from their
nest, another passage to within a very small space
of the surface, which in case of necessity they can
burst through, and so escape.

It has been observed of these animals, that they
sleep rolled up, with their head between their
thighs : that when kept in a stove and suddenly re-
moved from the heat, they seem quite stupefied,
and for a time scarcely find the use of their limbs.
In the evening they leave their holes, and continue
abroad till the return of day. They are very sen-
sible of the approach of danger, and when alarmed
immediately take to flight, and bound across the
plain with such swiftness that it is exceedingly dif-
ficult to overtake them. In making their, escape
they do not go straight forwards, but turn from
side to side in search of a burrow ; which, when
found, they enter without ceremony, whether it is
their own or that of another. When surprised, they
will sometimes go on all fours ; but this seems un-
natural to them, as they soon recover their former
attitude.

' These active creatures are easily tamed, and when
domesticated seem very sensible of cold, always
seeking a warm corner, and wrapping themselves
up in hay on the approach of bad weather. Son-
nini kept six of these little animals for some time,
confined in a cage, without being able to observe
that they were actuated by any particular passions ;
even their gentleness was neither amiable nor in-

JERBOA.

301

teresting ; it appeared to him to be merely the effect
of a cold and complete indifference, approaching to
stupidity.

In a wild state they are said to be particularly
fond of tulips ; and feed, about the lake Baikal, on
the bulbs of the lilium pomponium. They are sup-
posed to bring forth about eight young at a time,
and to sleep the whole winter without nutriment.
It is the opinion of Mr. Pennant, that animals of this
genus were the two-footed mice, and the Egyptian
mice, of the antients, which were said to walk on
their hind-legs, and use their fore-feet instead of
hands. In support of this opinion he has figured
a gold coin, on the reverse of which appears the jer-
boa at the bottom of the plant sylphium, which, to-
gether, were used to denote the country of Cyrene,
where both were found.

The Arabs reckon their flesh a delicacy, and are
very expert in digging them out of their holes.

We are indebted to major-general Davies for a
new species of jerboa, about the size of a small
mouse, which he caught, after an hour’s hard chase,
in a field near the falls of Montmorenci. He has
named it the jumping mouse of Canada, dipus ca-
nadensis, and assures us that its activity was so
great, that, although assisted by three other gentle-
men, he could not take it till it was thoroughly
fatigued. The General observes that it took pro-
gressive leaps, of three, four, and sometimes five
yards, though seldom above twelve or fourteen
inches above the surface of the grass. In woods and

302

JERBOA.

shrubby places it has been observed to jump much
higher ; but in those places it is impossible to take
the little animal, as its wonderful agility, assisted by
the cover of the underwood, will enable it to elude
every pursuit.

In the fourth volume of the Linnaean Trans-
actions, from whence we have this account, there
are two figures of the jumping mouse ; one repre-
sents it in an erect posture, the other in a dormant
state. The latter was found by some workmen in
digging the foundation of a summer-house in a gen-
tleman’s garden about two miles from Quebec, in
the latter end of May 1787- It was discovered en-
closed in a ball of clay, about the size of a cricket-
ball, nearly an inch in thickness, perfectly smooth
within, and about twenty inches Under ground.
The man who first discovered it, not knowing what
it was, struck the ball with his spade, by which
means it was broken to pieces. The General could
not say how long the animal had continued in its
dormant state ; but as he never observed any of the
species after the beginning of September, he very
properly concludes that they lay themselves up
some time in that month, or beginning of October,
when the frost becomes sharp : about the last week
in May, or beginning of June, they again make
their appearance. From their being closely en-
veloped in balls of clay, it is evident that they sleep
during the winter, and remain for that term without
sustenance.

Anxious to renovate his little charge, the General

I

JERBOA. 303

carried it to his house, where it was laid in a small
chip box upon some cotton, and watched with great
care, in hopes that in due time the torpid mouse
would again return to life; but that not taking place
at the season they generally appear, he kept it till
he found it begin to smeli, and then stuffed it, so
as to preserve it in its torpid position. “ I am led to
believe,” says the General, “ its not recovering from
that state arose from the heat of my room during
the time it was in the box, a fire having been con-
stantly burning in the stove, and which in all pro-
bability was too great for respiration. I am led to
this conception from my experience of the snow-
bird of that country, which always expires in a few
days after being caught, (although it feeds perfectly
well,) if exposed to the heat of a room with a fire or
stove ; but being nourished with snow, and kept in
a cold room or passage, will live in the middle of
summer.”

The tail of this little creature is much longer than
its body, and has a row of stiff* hairs on each side.
It sleeps with its head beneath its tail, which lies in
a spiral direction, like a snake, upon its breast ; the
hind-legs at the same time being drawn close to the
body. Thus doubled up, the dipus canadensis is not
so large as a hen’s egg.

RAT.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two cutting teeth in each jaw.

Four toes before ; five behind.

Tail slender; naked, or with very few hairs.

ECONOMIC RAT.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Mus ceconomicus. M. cauda subsesquiunciali, auriculis nudis in

vellere molli latentibus, palmis subtetra-
dactylis, corpore fosco. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 134.

Short tail, ears naked and hid in the fur, body
of a tawny colour, three toes on each of the
fore-feet.

(Economic Rat. . Penn. Arctic Zool. p. 134. Shaw Gen. Zool.

pi. 134.

The manners of the common rat are too well known
to need any comment ; but the habits of this little
creature are so curious and interesting, that they
well deserve to be noticed. Mr. Pennant, who has
given us a very satisfactory account of these ani-
mals, says that they inhabit Siberia in vast abun-

RAT.

305

dance, from the east side of the Uralian chain, even
within the Arctic circle, and quite to Kamtschatka,
where they are distinguished for their curious ceco-
nomy and Vast migrations.

They make their burrows with the . greatest skill
immediately below the surface of the soft turfy soil,
where they form a chamber of a flattish arched
form, of a small height, and about a foot in dia-
meter, to which they sometimes add as many as
thirty small pipes or entrances. Near the cham-
ber they often form other caverns, in which they
lodge their winter stores : these consist of various
kinds of plants, even some of species poisonous to
mankind. They gather them in summer, harvest
them, and even at times bring them out of the cells
to give them a more thorough drying in the sun.
The chief labour rests on the females. The males
during summer go about solitary, and inhabit some
old nests, where they live on berries without ever
having recourse to their hoards in that season. Like
the rest of the genus they multiply quickly, and
the female brings two or three young at a time.

No little animals, continues Mr. Pennant, are so
respected by the Kamtschatkans as these ; for to
them they owe a delicious food ; and with great joy,
about autumn, rob the hoards, and leave there
many ridiculous presents by way of amends : they
also never take the whole of their provisions, and
leave besides a little dried ovaries of fish for their
support.

VOL. i.

x

306*

RAT.

In Iceland, where berries are but thinly di-
spersed, these little creatures are obliged to cross
rivers to make their distant forages. In their re-
turn with the booty to their magazines they are
obliged to repass the stream, of which Mr. Olaffen
gives the following account : — “ The party, which
consists of from six to ten, select a flat piece of
dried cow-dung, on which they place the berries in
a heap in the middle ; then, by their united force,
bring it to the water’s edge; and, after launching it,
embark and place themselves round the heap, with
their heads joined over it, and their backs to the
water, their tails pendent in the stream, serving
the purpose of rudders.” We cannot hesitate to
credit this relation, when we consider the wonder-
ful sagacity of the beaver, and think of the manage-
ment of the squirrel, which, in cases of similar ne-
cessity, make a piece of bark their boat, and tail
their sail !

The migrations of these animals in certain years
is as extraordinary a fact as any in natural-history.
Mr. Pennant confines himself to those of Kamt-
schatka, and informs us that they gather together in
the spring in amazing numbers, except the few that
are conversant about villages, where they can pick
up some subsistence. This makes it probable that the
country is over-stocked, and that they quit it for want
of food. The mighty host proceeds in a direct course
westward, and with the utmost intrepidity swims
over rivers, lakes, and even arms of the sea : many

RAT.

307

are drowned 5 many destroyed by water fowl, or ra-
pacious fish ; those which escape rest awhile, to
bask, dry their fur, and refresh themselves. If the
inhabitants find them in that situation, they treat
them with the utmost tenderness, and endeavour to
bring them to life and vigour. As soon as they have
crossed the river Penchim, at the head of the gulf
of the same name, they turn southward, and reach
the rivers Judoma and Ochot by the middle of July.
The space is most surprising, on consulting a map
of the country. The flocks are also so numerous,
that an observer has waited two hours to see them
all pass. Their return to Kamtschatka in October
is attended with the utmost festivity and welcome.
The natives consider it as a sure prognostic of a
successful chase and fishery : the first is certain, as
the rats are always followed by multitudes of beasts
of prey. They equally lament their migration, as
the season is certainly filled with rains and tempests.

Among the principal articles of food in Kamt-
schatka is the saranne, Lilium kamtschatcense Linn.;
the women are employed to collect the roots of this
plant in the month of August, after which they are
dried in the sun and laid up for use. But it is not to -
the labours of the females alone that the Kamtschat-
kans are indebted for these roots. The oeconomic
rat saves them a great deal of trouble. The saranne
forms part of the winter provisions of that little ani-
mal: they not only gather them in the proper season,
and lay them up in their magazines ; but at times,

X 2

308

RAT.

guided by a wonderful instinct, bring them out
in sunny weather to dry them, lest they should
decay. The natives search for their hoards ; but
with prudent tenderness leave part for the owners,
being unwillittg to suffer such useful caterers to
perish.

HAMSTER,

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Mus Cricetus. M. buccis sacculiferis, corpore subtus aterrimo,
cicatricibus lumbaribus detonsis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gniel. 1. p. 137.

Has cheek-pouches ; lower part of the body ex-
tremely black, with bare places on the sides.
Glis ex cinereo rufus in dorso, in ventre niger,
maculis tribus ad latera albis. Briss. Quadr

p. 166.

Hamster. . Sm. Buff.x. 7. p. 17S. pi. 223. Penn. Hist. Quadr.

v. 2. p. 206. pi. 84. Bew. Quadr. p. 370.
Shaw Gen. Zool. pi. 137.

The manners of different animals are as various as
their species, and many of them are sufficiently in-
teresting to afford a considerable degree of enter-
tainment: among the number, the little hamster
claims a place for his ingenuity in contriving so com-
modious a habitation ; at the same time we must
confess he is a detestable little animal, and does not
even possess one single social virtue. He has no
love but for himself. He attacks and devours every
living creature that he is able to conquer, and is even
unnatural enough to eat his own species. The fe-

310

HAMSTER.

male, who but the hour before was the object of his
attachment, he will now devour without remorse,
unless she has activity enough to avoid, or strength
enough to kill him. He ranks among the small num-
ber of those which pass the winter in a torpid state.

The hamsters construct their habitations different-
ly according to their age, sex, or the quality of the
ground. The male works an oblique subterranean
passage, and disposes of the earth at the mouth, where
it lies in a considerable heap. At a distance from this
oblique passage there is a hole which descends per-
pendicularly into the chambers of the lodging. As
the mouth of this hole has no earth near it, it is
probable that the oblique passage is dug from with-
out, and the perpendicular hole begun from below
and continued upward. The male and female have
each separate dwellings, though they do not differ
materially in their form from each other. The house
of the female, however, is the deepest of the two ;
and besides the oblique opening, it has two, three,
or more perpendicular holes, that her young, if nu-
merous, may pass in and out at pleasure. On each
side of these perpendicular holes, at a proper distance,
the hamsters of both sexes dig from one to four
cavities in the form of vaults ; and, as these places
are intended to serve as magazines for their grain,
they always proportion their size according to the
quantity of their provisions.

The two holes are well contrived to produce a free
circulation through the cavern. They prefer the
upright hole for a common entrance, and only use

HAMSTER.

311

the inclined passage for the purpose of carrying out
the earth. Besides the granaries already mentioned,
the hamster always digs a principal chamber, which
is lined with straw and serves for a lodging. In the
excavations where the female brings forth, there is
seldom above one chamber for provisions, which is
sufficient to maintain her during the short time of
her confinement. She is exceedingly prolific, and
produces from six to eighteen at a birth, and this
two or three times every year. These little creatures
grow so rapidly, that at the age of fifteen days they
begin to dig the earth ; and soon after are banished
by the mother from her habitation, to seek a living
where they can. This want of affection in the pa-
rent discovers itself in a most dastardly manner when
the family is threatened with danger : for then she
is only anxious to provide for her own safety, and is
totally regardless of her offspring. With an astonish-
ing quickness she digs deeper into the earth, and has
presently made a passage, through which the young
would willingly follow ; but the unnatural mother,
deaf to their cries, even shuts the hole she has made
and prevents their escape.

About the end of August the hamster begins to
prepare for his winter stock ; and Nature has admira-
bly calculated him for the purpose, by placing two
pouches within his cheeks, each of which will hold
a quarter of a pint. These pouches serve as recep-
tacles for the booty, and he fills them till the cheeks
seem ready to burst. He brings to his cavern dry
clean grain, corn in the ear, peas and beans in the

312

HAMSTER.

pods, and afterwards removes the husks through the
oblique passage. When the magazines are filled,
which often contain twelve pounds of grain, he co-
vers them, and carefully shuts up all the avenues
with earth, that his retreat may not be discovered :
there he remains in perfect tranquillity till the frost
becomes severe, when he gradually sinks into a state
of complete torpidity.

The peasants during the winter season go, what
they call, a hamster hunting ; and when they find
one of these hoards, which they can only do by the
heap of earth that lies near the entrance of the ob-
lique passage, they open the hole and discover the
little hamster lying upon a bed of soft straw, with
his head bent under his belly between the two fore-
legs, while those behind rest upon his muzzle. This
state of temporary death is so complete, that when
the ejrelids are forced open they instantly close again.
The whole body feels as cold as ice. All the limbs
are stiff, and respiration is no longer to be perceived.
Upon dissecting the animal in this situation, the
heart indeed is seen to contract and dilate, but with so
slow a motion that the pulsations do not exceed fif-
teen in a minute ; the fat appears coagulated ; the
intestines are cold, and so totally lost to all sense of
feeling, that the application of spirit of wine or oil
of vitriol is not sufficient to awaken him entirely
from his lethargy, though he sometimes opens his
mouth, as if he wanted to respire.

It appears that cold alone is not the cause of this
animal’s torpidity ; he must likewise be excluded

HAMSTER.

313

from all communication with the external air. For
we are assured, that when a hamster is shut up in a
cage filled with earth and straw, and exposed in
winter to a degree of cold sufficient to freeze water,
he never becomes torpid : but when the cage is
sunk four or five feet below the surface of the earth,
and completely secured against the access of the
air, the animal will soon become as completely tor-
pid as if he had been in his own burrow.

At the appointed time in the spring for the revi-
val of the hamster, he gradually begins to show
some signs of returning animation. His cold and
rigid limbs begin to relax ; the blood again circulates
through the lungs ; and he sighs deeply, but at long
intervals. After some time his legs begin to move,
he opens his mouth and makes a rattling noise.
By and by, he opens his eyes, and tries to get
upon his legs ; but those members have been so long
unused to support him, that his movements are
reeling and unsteady, like those of a person exceed-
ingly intoxicated. At length, however, he recovers
himself sufficiently to stand with firmness, and gra-
dually begins to walk, to eat, and to pursue his
usual habits.

This active and ferocious little creature seems to
be actuated by such a rage for fighting, that he at-
tacks every animal that comes in his way, without
at all regarding the size of his enemy ; and it is said,
that rather than yield he will suffer himself to be
beaten to pieces with a stick. He will fly at a horse
that happens to come too near him, and hang by

314

HAMSTER.

his nose so firmly, as not to be disengaged without
the greatest difficulty. This ferocious temper will
not allow him to live in peace with any other animal.
Two hamsters will attack each other and fight most
furiously ; but the longest combats are generally
between a male and female. After one or two rounds
they retire to one side in order to take breath ; and
when they find themselves sufficiently recovered,
they renew the combat, and continue engaged till one
of- them is killed.

The males always exceed the females in size, and
some weigh from twelve to sixteen ounces. The fe-
males generally weigh from four to six. They in-
habit many parts of Germany, Poland, Austria, and
Silesia; they are likewise found in all the temperate
parts of Russia and Siberia ; and they swarm to such
a degree near Gotha, that Mr. Sulzer informs us that
in one year 1 1,574 skins, in another 54,429, and in
a third 80, 139, have been brought to the town-house.
The quantity of grain they destroyed made it ne-
cessary to proscribe them and the hunters find their
account in the employment, as, independent of the
furs, which are of value, they frequently get a good
stock of grain from their burrows.

PLATYPUS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Mouth shaped like the bill of a duck.

Feet webbed.

Platypus Anatinus. . . Vivarium Naturae, tab. 385.

The Duck-billed Platypus. Naturalists' Miscellany, pi. 385.

Shaw Gen. Zool. v. 1. p. 228.
pi. 66.

Naturalists received this animal with the utmost
caution when it was first brought from New Holland.
The conformation of the creature was so new, and
the appearance of deception so strong, that it
was not till after two more specimens were sent over
by Governor Hunter to Sir Joseph Banks, that its

316

PLATYPUS.

singular beak was allowed to be naturally attached
to its head. Dr. Shaw is the only naturalist who
has hitherto described the platypus in a satisfactory
manner : and as he had every opportunity he could
desire of examining the animal, and has drawn up
the account with his usual accuracy, we shall beg
leave to avail ourselves of his words :

“ Of all the mammalia yet known, the platypus
seems the most extraordinary in its conformation ;
exhibiting the perfect resemblance of the beak of a
duck engrafted on the head of a quadruped. So
accurate is the similitude, that, at first view, it na-
turally excites the idea of some deceptive prepara-
tion by artificial means ; the very epidermis, pro-
portion, serratures, manner of opening, and other
particulars of the beak of a shoveler, or other broad-
billed species of duck, presenting themselves to the
view : nor is it without the most minute and rigid
examination that we can persuade ourselves of its
being the real beak or snout of a quadruped.

“ The body is depressed, and has some resem-
blance to that of the otter in miniature : it is cover-
ed with a very thick, soft, and beaver-like fur, and
is of a moderately dark brown above, and of a sub-
ferruginous white beneath. The head is flattish,
and rather small than large ; the mouth or snout, as
before observed, so exactly resembles that of some
broad-billed species of duck that it might be mis-
taken for such : round the base is a flat circular
membrane, somewhat deeper or wider below than
above, viz. below near the fifth of an inch, and above

PLATYPUS.

317

about an eighth. The tail is flat, furry like the body,
rather short, and obtuse, with an almost bifid ter-
mination : it is broader at the base, and gradually
lessens to the tip, and is about three inches in length ;
its colour is similar to that of the body. The length
of the whole animal from the tip of the beak to that
of the tail is thirteen inches ; of the beak, an inch
and half. The legs are very short, terminating in a
broad web, which on the fore-feet extends to a con-
siderable distance beyond the claws ; but on the hind-
feet reaches no further than the roots of the claws.
On the fore-feet are five claws, straight, strong, and
sharp-pointed ; the two exterior ones somewhat
shorter than the three middle ones. On the hind-
feet are six claws, longer, and more inclining to a
curved form, than those on the fore-feet: the exterior
toe and claw are considerably shorter than the four
middle ones : the interior or sixth is seated much
higher up than the rest, and resembles a strong sharp
spur. All the legs are hairy above : the fore-feet
are naked both above and below. The internal edges
of the under mandible (which is narrower than
the upper) are serrated or channeled with numerous
striae, as in a duck’s bill. The nostrils are small
and round, situated about a quarter of an inch
from the tip of the bill, and about the eighth
of an inch distant from each other. There is no
appearance of teeth : the palate is removed, but
seems to have resembled that of a duck : the tongue
also is wanting in the specimen. The ears, or audi-
tory foramina, are placed about an inch beyond the

318

PLATYPUS.

eyes : they appear like a pair of oval holes of the
eighth of an inch in diameter, there being no ex-
ternal ear. On the upper part of the head, on each
side, a little beyond the beak, are situated two
smallish oval white spots ; in the lower part of each
of which are imbedded the eyes, or at least the parts
allotted to the animal for some kind of vision ; for,
from the thickness of the fur, and the smallness of
the organs, they seem to have been but obscurely
calculated for distinct vision, and are probably like
those of moles, and some other animals of that tribe,
or perhaps even subcutaneous ; the whole apparent
diameter of the cavity in which they are placed not
exceeding the tenth of an inch.

Cf When we consider the general form of this ani-
mal, and particularly its bill and webbed feet, we
shall readily perceive that it must be a resident in
watery situations ; that it has the habits of digging
or burrowing in the banks of rivers, or under ground,
and that its food consists of aquatic plants and ani-
mals. This is all that can at present be reasonably
guessed at : future observations made in its native
regions, will, it is hoped, afford us more ample infor-
mation, and will make us fully acquainted with the
natural history of an animal which differs so widely
from all other quadrupeds, and which verifies in a
most striking manner the observation of Buffon,
viz. that whatever was possible for nature to produce,
has actually been produced.

“ On a subject so extraordinary as the present, a
degree of scepticism is not only pardonable, but

PLATYPUS.

319

laudable ; and I ought perhaps to acknowledge that
I almost doubt the testimony of my own eyes with
respect to the structure of this animal’s beak, yet
must confess that I can perceive no appearance of
any deceptive preparation, and the edges of the ric-
tus, the insertion &c., when tried by the test of
maceration in water, so as to render every part com-
pletely moveable, seem perfectly natural ; nor can
the most accurate examination of expert anatomists
discover any deception in this particular.”

PINNATED QUADRUPEDS.

ARCTIC WALRUS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Two great tusks in the upper jaw, pointing downwards.
Four grinders on both sides, above and below.

Five palmated toes on each foot.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Trichechus Rosmarus. T. dentibus laniards, superioribus exser-

tis remotis Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1 .
p. 5Q.

Trichechus with distant, exserted tusks.
Rosmarus. Jonst. Pise. t. 44.

Equus marinus sive Hippopotamus falso
dictus. Raj. Quadr. 191. Ellis.
Hudson, t. 6. f. 3.

Wallross. Martens Spitsl. 78. t. 1.

f. B.

Arctic W alrus. . . Sm. Buff. v. 7- p. 354. pi. 256. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. 2. p. 266. pi. 97. Bew.
Quadr. p. 467. Shaw Gen. Zool.
pi. 68.

In all transitions from one kind, to the other, there
is to be found a middle race of animals, that seem
to partake of the nature of both, and that can pre-
cisely be referred to neither. This observation is
strictly true when applied to the walrus, the seal.

ARCTIC WALRUS.

321

and the whale-tailed manati ; who together form a
connecting link in the great chain of nature, that
gradually descends till we lose the quadruped in the
fish.

The body of the arctic walrus is very thick in
the middle, and lessens gradually towards the tail.
The skin, which is two inches thick about the neck,
and half that substance in the other parts of the
body, is covered with short hair of a mouse colour.
It has a round head, and two little fiery eyes sunk a
finger’s depth in the sockets ; the mouth is very
small, and surrounded with great whiskers composed
of transparent bristles as thick as a straw. Two large
tusks, bending downwards, are seen in the upper
jaw. In the icy sea, where these creatures are rarely
molested, and consequently attain their full size, a
single tusk has been known to weigh twenty pounds.
The legs of the walrus are very short, and the feet
are webbed, with a small blunt nail on each toe. The
larger animals of this species have sometimes been
known to measure eighteen feet in length, and to
weigh from fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds.

These animals are generally seen collected together
upon a floating piece of ice, where they lie as close
to each other as possible, and upon the least alarm
plunge into the water and disappear. Sea plants;
fish, and shells, form their principal food ; which
they collect with the assistance of their great teeth.
They are said to be perfectly harmless, except when
wounded or attacked; then indeed they become ex-
ceedingly fierce and vindictive, plunging with their

Y ' *

VOL. I.

ARCTIC WALRUS.

young into the sea ; and, after having placed them
in safety, returning with the utmost fury to the
charge. Upon these occasions they will attempt to
sink the boat with their long teeth, or to overset it
by rising underneath. These attacks are truly for-
midable ; for the whole herd will follow the boat till
they lose sight of it, roaring in a dreadful manner,
and gnashing their teeth with great violence.

Captain Cook has left us the following account of
the arctic walrus, in his last voyage to the icy con-
tinent of America : “ They lie in herds of many

hundreds, huddling over one another like swine; and
roar or bray so very loud, that in the night, or 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 upon the
watch. These, on the approach of the boat, would
wake those next to them ; and the alarm being thus
gradually communicated, the whole herd would be
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 in the
greatest confusion. And if we did not at the first
discharge kill those we fired at, we generally lost
them, though mortally wounded. They did not
appear to us to be that dangerous animal which some
authors have described, not even when attacked.
They are rather more so in appearance than in reality,
past numbers of them would follow and come close,
up to the boats ; but the flash of a musket in the
Van, or even the bare pointing at one of them, would

ARCTIC WALRUS.

323

send them down in an instant. The female will
defend the young to the very 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 is killed the other is cer-
tain prey. The dam when in the water holds the
young one between her fore fins.”

Mr. Pennant has extracted from Hackluyt’s Voy-
ages an account of the famous Octher the Norwegian,
who at a very early period, excited by a most lau-
dable curiosity and thirst of discovery, sailed to the
north of his country, doubled the North Cape, and
in three days from his departure arrived at the fur-
thest place frequented by the horse-whale fishers.
From thence he proceeded a voyage of three days
more, and perhaps got into the White sea. On his
return he visited England, probably incited by the
fame of King Alfred’s abilities, and the great encou-
ragement he gave to men of distinguished character
in every profession. The traveller, as a proof of the
authenticity of his relation, presented the Saxon
monarch with some of the teeth of these animals,
which were at that time highly valued, being used
instead of ivory.

Formerly the teeth used to be applied to all the
purposes of ivory; but atpresentthey are only killed for
the sake of their oil, one walrus yielding about half a
ton. The transparent bristles of this creature’s whis-
kers are supposed to possess the power of prevent-
ing the cramp, and are for that purpose made into
rings, and worn by the seamen. The Greenlanders

324

ARCTIC WALRUS.

put this animal to various uses. They make thread
of the tendons ; of the skin they make straps ; they
use the teeth to head their darts, and burn the fat
in their lamps.

Polar bears are the avowed enemies of the walrus,
and dreadful conflicts frequently ensue between
them : the point of dispute is generally a piece of
ice, both parties claiming the possession, and nei-
ther being willing to give way. In these disputes
the walrus is usually victorious, on account of its
tusks ; though the effects of these battles are very
evident, for the hunters rarely find a beast with the
long teeth entire.

In the fifty-sixth volume of the Philosophical
Transactions, there is a paper by lord Shuldham
giving an account of this animal, with which we shall
conclude :

“ The walrus, or sea-cow as it is called by the
Americans, is a native of the Magdalene Islands,
St. John’s, and Anticosti, in the gulf of St. Law -
rence. They resort, very early in the spring, to the
former of these places, which seems particularly
adapted to the nature of these animals, abounding
with escallops of a very large size, and the most
convenient landing-places called echoueries. Here
they crawl up in great numbers, and remain some-
times for fourteen days together without food when
the weather is fair; but on the first appearance of rain,
they retreat to the water with great precipitation.

“ They are when out of the water very unwieldy,
and move with great difficulty. They weigh from

ARCTIC WALRUS.

325

fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds, producing
according to their size from one to two barrels of oil,
which is boiled out of the fat between the skin and
the flesh. Immediately on their arrival the females
calve. They carry their young about nine months,
and never more than two at a time ; seldom more
than one.

“ The echoueries are formed principally by na-
ture, being a gradual slope of soft rock, with which
the Magdalene islands abound, about eighty or a
hundred yards wide at the water-side, and spreading,
so as to contain near the summit a very large num-
ber of these animals. Here they are suffered to come
on shore, and amuse themselves for a considerable
time, till they acquire a degree of boldness, being
at their first landing so exceedingly timid as to make
it impossible for any person to approach them.

ee In a few weeks they assemble in great multi-
tudes; formerly, when undisturbed by the Americans,
to the amount of seven or eight thousand. The
form of the echouerie not allowing them to remain
contiguous to the water, the foremost are insensibly
pushed above the slope. When they are arrived at
a convenient distance, the hunters, being provided
with a spear sharp on one side, like a knife, with
which they cut their throats, take advantage of a
side wind, or a breeze blowing obliquely upon the
shore, to prevent the animals from smelling them,
because they have that sense in great perfection.
Having landed, the hunters, with the assistance of
good dogs trained for that purpose, in the night-

326

ARCTIC WALRUS.

time endeavour to separate those which are most ad-
vanced from the others, driving them different ways.
This they call making a cut ; it is generally looked
upon to be a most dangerous process, it being im-
possible to drive them in any particular direction,
and difficult to avoid them ; but as the walruses
which are advanced above the slope of the echouerie
are deprived by the darkness of the night from every
direction to the water, they are left wandering about
and killed at leisure, those that are nearest the shore
being the first victims. In this manner have been
killed fifteen or sixteen hundred at a cut.

“ The people then skin them, and take off a coat
of fat which always surrounds them, and dissolve it
into oil. The skin is cut into slices of two or three
inches wide, and exported to America for carriage
traces, and into England for glue. The teeth make
an inferior sort of ivory, and are manufactured for
that purpose ; but very soon turn yellow.”

SEAL.

GENERIC CHARACTER,

Six cutting teeth in the upper jaw, and fqur in the lower.
Two canine teeth in each jaw.

Molares have three knobs on each of their grinding surfaces.
Five palmated toes on each foot.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Piioca vituuna. Ph. capite inauriculato et cervice laevi, corpore

fusco. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1 . p. 63.

Has no external ears, the neck smooth, the
body of a dark brown colour.

Veau marin ou Loup de mer. Belon. Poiss.
p. 25. f. 26.

Commom Seal. . Sm. Buff. v. 7. p. 328. pi. 254. Penn. Brit.

Zool.v. 1. no.37.pl. 12. Penn. Hist. Quadr,
13. 2. p. 270. Bew. Quadr. p. 4 69. Shaw
Gen. Zool. pi. 70.

Seals live in society, and are found in great num-
bers in the northern parts of Europe and America.
In the Caspian sea they abound, and are said to
swarm near the Arctic circle. They are by no means
uncommon on most of the rocky shores of this king-

328

SEAL.

dom, and the capture of them furnishes employment
for the inhabitants of Caithness. The immense
caverns found in that part of Scotland, which open
into the sea, and run some hundred yards beneath
the land, are peculiarly calculated for the resort
of seals, where they remain undisturbed during the
breeding-time, and continue till their young are old
enough to go to sea. The entrance to these caves
is so narrow as only to admit a boat ; but within
they are very spacious and lofty. We are informed
by Mr. Pennant that in the month of October, or
beginning of November, the seal-hunters enter the
mouths of the caverns about midnight, and row
up to the further end, where they land : each pf
them being provided with a bludgeon, and properly
stationed, they light their torches, and make a great
noise, which brings down the seals in a con-
fused body with fearful shrieks and cries. At first
the men are obliged to give way, for fear of being
overborne ; but when the first crowd is past, they
kill as many as straggle behind, chiefly the young,
by striking them on the nose : a very slight blow
on that part dispatches them. When the work is
over, they drag the seals to the boat, which two
men are left to guard. This is a most hazardous em-
ploy; for should their torches go out, or the wind
blow hard from sea during their continuance in the
cave, their lives are Iqgt. The young seals, six
weeks old, yield more oil than their emaciated dams;
'above eight gallons have been got from a single whelp,
which, at the time Mr. Pennant got his information.

-SEAL. 329

sold from sixpence to ninepence the gallon, and th6
skin from sixpence to a shilling.

The seal has a broad flat head and nose, with-
out any appearance of ears, but there are two small
orifices instead of them, through which the sound
is conducted; some bristles are seen on each side the
nose, and a few are scattered over each eye. The
forked tongue with which this animal is provided
is sufficient alone to distinguish it from every other
quadruped. The whole body is covered with short
thick hair, which is frequently spotted like a leopard,
and indeed is subject to great variations of colour ;
some seals being quite white, while others are wholly
black ; they are frequently of a brown colour, and
sometimes of a yellowish white ; the legs protrude
but a little way from the body, and are not at all
adapted for travelling upon land ; but to make up
for this deficiency nature has given them strong
claws to their feet, by means of which they are ena-
bled to climb the rocks, or ascend the top of large
stones, where they bask in the sun, out of the
reach of the tide. It is while they are thus situated
that the hunters frequently shoot them : if they
are fortunate enough to escape, they immediately
scramble towards the water, flinging the stones and
dirt behind them, and making the most bitter la-
mentations, till they have regained their proper ele-
ment. Notwithstanding their apparent cowardice,
these animals will fight very desperately when wound-
ed, and make a vigorous defence with their feet and
teeth till the last.

330

SEAL.

Seals contribute greatly to the support of many of
the people within the arctic circle ; among others, the
Greenlanders must acknowledge themselves highly
indebted to these animals, for furnishing them with
the means of dispelling the gloom of their long and
dreary winter night. But it is not for their oil alone
that the inhabitants have to be thankful : the
flesh serves them for food, they soften their fish in
the train, they make thread of the sinews ; of their
entrails they make their windows, and even their
shirts, and their boats are covered with the skins.

After having enumerated the several uses to which
the Greenlanders put the seals, it is not surprising
that they should be anxious to excel in catching
them, or to train up their children in the art, since
no man is reckoned a true Greenlander, or a bene-
ficial member of the community, who is deficient
in this respect.

Mr. Crantz, a gentleman who spent a conside-
rable time in Greenland, and whose observations
are to be depended on, says that the Greenlanders
have three ways of catching seals; either singly with
a bladder, or in company by the clapper-hunt , or in
the winter on the ice. When the Greenlander sets
out properly equipped for the purpose, and finds a
seal, he tries to surprise it by getting the wind and
sun in his back, that he may not be heard or seen by
the animal; he then rows his boat softly towards it, till
comes within five or six fathoms, taking the utmost
care that the harpoon, line and bladder, lie in pro-
per order. He then throws the harpoon; and if the

SEAL.

331

Greenlander is fortunate enough to pierce the seal,
he must immediately throw the bladder tied to the
end of the string into the water. The seal, who dives
as soon as wounded, carries with it the hunter’s ap-
paratus; but the Greenlander is upon the watch, and
the moment he sees the bladder rise again, hurries
to the spot, and strikes the seal as soon as it appears,
with a lance he carries for the purpose. With this
lance he wounds the creature every time it comes to
the surface of the water, till it is quite spent. He
then;kills it ; but stops the wound directly to pre-
serve the blood (which he boils with other ingre-
dients, and eats as soup) : lastly he makes a hole in
the skin and blows it up like a calf, that it may
float the better ; and having fastened it to the left
side of the boat, he rows home with his prize.

In this employment the Greenlander is exposed
to the greatest danger of his life : for if the line
should entangle itself, as it easily may; or if it should
catch hold of the boat, or wind itself round the oar,
or the hand, or even the neck, as it sometimes does
in windy weather ; or if the seal should turn sud-
denly to the other side of the boat, it would infal-
libly be overturned by the string and drawn under
water. On such desperate occasions the poor Green-
lander stands in need of all his art to disentangle
himself from the string, and to raise himself up
from under the water several times successively ;
for he will continually be overturned till he has
quite extricated himself from the line.

The clapper-hunt is pursued in the following

332

SEAL.

manner : In the autumn, when, in stormy weather,
the seals retire into the creeks or inlets, the Green-
landers cut off their retreat, and frighten them under
water by shouting, clapping, and throwing stones ;
and as often as they rise to the surface to breathe,
the people frighten them down again with their cla-
mour ; till at last they are obliged to stay so long
above water that they fall a prey to the darts of the
inhabitants. During this hunt the Greenlanders
show a great deal of agility. When the seal rises
out of the water, they all fly upon it at the same
time, making such a terrible noise that the poor af-
frighted creature is forced to dive again directly; and
the moment it does they disperse as fast as possible,
and every one is careful to observe where the seal
rises, which is an uncertain thing, and is commonly
three quarters of a mile from the former spot. If
the animal has a good broad water, three or four
leagues each way, it can keep the sportsmen in play
for a couple of hours before it is sufficiently spent
to permit them to surround and kill it. This is
a very profitable diversion for the Greenlanders ;
eight or ten seals sometimes falling to the share of
one man.

Another method of killing seals is practised in
Disko, where the bays are completely frozen over
in the winter. There is some variation in the man-
ner which the inhabitants pursue to capture the
animals. The Greenlander, being well aware that
the seals must come occasionally to the surface to
breathe, proceeds upon the ice till he finds a hole,

SEAL.

333

near which he seats himself on a stool, putting his
feet on a lower one to keep them from the cold. In
this situation he watches very patiently the arrival
of a seal, which he instantly pierces with his har-
poon, and if necessary enlarges the hole, through
which he draws the creature and kills it upon the
ice. Sometimes a Greenlander lays himself upon
his belly, on a kind of sledge, near a large hole,
where the seals come out on purpose to enjoy them-
selves, and bask in the sun. Near this great hole
they make a little one, and another Greenlander
puts a harpoon into it with a very long shaft. He
that lies upon the ice looks into the great hole, till
he sees a seal coming under the harpoon ; then he
gives the other the signal, who runs the seal through
with all his might.

If a Greenlander sees one of these animals lying
near its hole upon the ice, he slides along upon his
belly towards it, wags his head, and grunts like a
seal ; while the silly creature, thinking it is one of
its innocent companions, suffers the man to come
near enough to pierce it with his long dart.

The enterprising French traveller M. Acerbi, in
his Journey through Finland, has mentioned an in-
stance of the great danger to which the inhabitants
of that country sometimes expose themselves for the
sake of the seals’ skin and fat.

A few years ago two Finlanders set out in a boat
together. Having got sight of some seals on a little
floating island, they quitted their boat and mount-
ed the ice, moving on their hands and knees to get

334

SEAL.

near them without being perceived. They had
previously fastened their boat to the little island of
ice which they disembarked upon ; but while they
were busily engaged in the pursuit, a gust of wind
tore it away ; and meeting with other shoals, it was
broken to pieces, and in a few minutes entirely dis-
appeared. The hunters were aware of their danger
only when it was too late. They were now left
without help, without any resource, and without
even a ray of hope, on their floating island. They
remained two weeks on this frail territory. The
heat which diminished its bulk, and also its promi-
nent surface, rendered their situation more alarming
every moment. After having suffered the extreme
anguish of hunger, till their patience was exhausted,
they came to the resolution of plunging together
into the sea, and thus ending their misery with their
lives. At this critical moment they discovered a
sail ; one of them stripped off his shirt, and sus-
pended it on the muzzle of his gun. The signal
was observed from the vessel, which was a whale
fisher. A boat was sent to their assistance, and by
this providential circumstance they were saved from
otherwise inevitable destruction.

The Kamtschatkans sometimes take a hundred
seals at a time, by placing two or three strong nets
across one of the rivers frequented by these animals.
After the nets are properly placed, the seals are
frightened into them by a number of people in ca-
noes, who row up and down the river making as
much noise as they possibly can. As soon as they

SEAL.

335

are entangled, the people kill them with pikes or
clubs ; and after having dragged them on shore,
they are equally divided among the hunters. The
Kamtschatkans are so fond of the fat of seals, that
they never make a feast without introducing it as
one of their principal dishes. That superstition
which has always prevailed amongst the northern
nations, is strongly marked in a very singular
ceremony used by these people, and noticed by
Mr. Pennant.

After the Kamtschatkans take the flesh from the
heads of the seals, they bring a vessel in form of a
canoe, and fling into it all the skulls, crowned with
particular herbs, and place them on the ground. A
certain person enters the habitation with a sack fill-
ed with sweet herbs, and a little of the bark of the
willow. Two of the natives then roll a great stone
towards the door, and cover it with pebbles ; two
others take the sweet herbs and dispose them, tied
in little packets. The great stone is to signify the
sea shore, the pebbles the waves, and the packets
seals. They then bring three dishes of a hash called
tolkoucha ; of this they make little balls, in the
middle of which they stick the packets of herbs ; of
the willow bark they make a little canoe, and fill it
with tolkoucha , and cover it with the sack. After
some time the two Kamtschatkans who had put the
mimic seals into the tolkoucha take the balls and
a vessel resembling a canoe, and draw it along the
sand, as if it were on the sea, to convince the real
seals how agreeable it would be to them to come

336*

SEAL.

among the Kamtschatkans, who have a sea in their
very justs or dwellings. And this they imagine will
induce the seals to suffer themselves to be taken in
great numbers. Various other ceremonies, equally
ridiculous, are practised, in one of which they are
said to invoke the winds, which drive the seals on
their shores, to be propitious.

There are several different species of seal, each of
which differs in some respect in its manners, as well
as in those peculiar marks which distinguish it from
the rest. Among the number, the ursine seal is sur-
rounded by a seraglio of from eight to fifty mis-
tresses ; and we are told that he guards them with
the jealousy of an eastern monarch. Any attempt
to seduce one of his mistresses is followed by an im-
mediate battle ; and if he should unfortunately lose
the day, his whole seraglio will desert him and fol-
low the victorious hero. Every family keeps sepa-
rate from the rest, notwithstanding they lie in great
numbers on the shore; a household consists of about
a hundred and twenty, and any encroachment upon
the station of another is attended with the most
serious consequences, as they always have recourse
to their teeth and claws to settle their differences.
With these they fight in a very tremendous man-
ner, inflicting deep wounds that resemble the cut
of a sabre. At the conclusion of the engagement
they wash off the blood in the sea, and leave the
rest to nature.

The female goes with young eleven months, and
brings forth one or two at a time. We are assured

t

SEAL.

337

by a writer whose veracity has never been question-
ed, that the cubs are as sportive as puppies, have
mock fights, and tumble one another on the ground.
That the male parent looks on them with a sort of
complacency, parts them, licks and kisses them,
and seems to take a greater affection to the victor
than to the others. That they are fierce in the pro-
tection of their offspring ; and, should any one at-
tempt to take their cub, will stand on the defensive,
while the female carries it away in her mouth.
Should she happen to drop it, the male quits his
enemy, falls on her, and beats her against the stones
till he leaves her for dead. The same gentleman
informs us, that as soon as she recovers, she crawls
to his feet in the most suppliant manner, and
washes them with her tears ; he at the same time
brutally insults her misery, stalking about in the
most insolent manner. But if the young is entirely
carried off, he melts into the greatest affliction, like-
wise sheds tears, and shows every mark of deep
sorrow.

Steller lived at one time for six days in a hovel
surrounded by seals, who soon became reconciled
to the sight of him. They used to observe his motions
with attention, would lie down near him, and even
suffer him to take up their cubs. During his stay
among them he had an opportunity of observing
their quarrelsome dispositions, and was witness to
many a battle occasioned by that common cause of
dispute, a female. He likewise once saw a duel be-
tween two males, which lasted three days ; and he

VOL. 1.

z

338

SEAL*

assures us that one of them received above a hun-<
dred wounds.

When the Kamtschatkans discover a seal on the
lonely rocks in the sea, they sometimes shoot it
with poisoned arrows. This is a very barbarous
practice ; as the seal immediately plunges into
the sea, where the salt water so increases the
pain that the distracted creature is obliged to seek
the land in hopes of some relief. Here an end may
possibly be put to its sufferings by the hunters, who,
if they find a good opportunity, will transfix it with
their lances ; if not, they unfeelingly leave it to die
of the poison, which never fails to accomplish its
purpose in twenty-four hours ; during which time
the dying seal suffers the most dreadful agony.

The skin and fat of the seal are now become a
yery considerable article of commerce. The skin,
properly tanned, is of great use in the manufactory
of boots and shoes ; and the oil, made from the fat,
greatly contributes to supply the magnificent pro-
fusion of lamps with which our immense capital
and its neighbourhood abound*

MANATL

GENERIC CHARACTER*

Pinniform fore legs, hind parts ending in a tail horizontally
flat.

Two teats between the legs.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Tricechus borealis* . T. nudus, pedibus nec digitis Dec un~

guibus instructis. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Grnel. l.p. 6l.

Without hair j the feet have neither
toes nor nails.

Whale-tailed Manati. Penn. Hist. Quadr. 1. p. 292. n. 48p,

Arct. Zool. 1. p. 177. n. 81.

These animals are only allied to the quadrupeds
by the two fore feet or hands ; the hinder part of
the body being completely cetaceous, or like that
of the whale : they can hardly be called amphibious,
as they never entirely leave the water, but frequent
the edges of the shores to feed on the weeds that
grow there* They sometimes are found of an ama^
zing size, as poor Steller can testify ; who, during
the sad ten months which he unwillingly passed on

z 2

340

MAN ATI.

Bering’s island, had many opportunities of remark-
ing these creatures, and says that a large one will
weigh eight thousand pounds. They frequent the
shallow and sandy parts of the shores of Bering’s
and other islands, and go in herds ; the old ones
driving their young before them, and some keeping
on their sides to defend them from harm. Their
affection for their young, though very great, seems
to be equalled by their attachment to one another.
We are assured that when one is hooked the whole
herd will attempt its rescue ; some will strive to
overset the boat, by going beneath it ; others will
throw themselves upon the rope to which the hook
is attached, and vainly attempt to break it ; while
many will use every effort to force the instrument
out of their wounded companion. The poor creature
suffers much before it can be landed, as it makes all
possible resistance, and clings so firmly to the rocks,
that the people on shore who have the end of the
rope are obliged to exert all their force to detach
it : the skin of the feet is frequently left sticking to
the rock, and large pieces often fly off before it can
be dragged to land. These animals have no voice, but
sigh deeply when wounded.

Their great conjugal affection is thus noticed by
Mr. Pennant : “ A male, after using all its endea-

vours to release its mate which had been struck,
pursued it to the very edge of the water ; no blows
could force it away. As long as the deceased fe-
male continued in the water, he persisted in his
attendance ; and even for three days after she was

MANATI.

341

drawn on shore, and even cut up and carried away,
was observed to remain as if in expectation of her
return.”

They grow to the length of twenty-eight feet,
and appear very deformed ; the outward skin is de-
scribed as black, rugged, and knotty, like the
bark of an oak. It serves admirably to defend the
creature against the sharp edges of the rocks, as it
is an inch thick, and so hard as scarcely to be cut
with an axe.

WINGED QUADRUPEDS.

BAT.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Teeth erect, sharp-pointed, and standing contiguous to
each other.

Long extended toes to the fore feet, connected together by
membranes extending to the hind legs.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Vespertieio murinus. V. caudatus, naso oreque simplici, auri-

culis capite minoribus. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 48.

Tailed Bat, with the lips and nose
simple j ears smaller than the head.
Vespertilia murini coloris, auriculis
simplicibus. JBriss. Quadr. p. 158.
n. 1.

Common Bat. . . , Sm. Buff. v. 4. p. 317. ph 92. Penn.

Hist. Quadr. 2. p.319. Beta. Quadr.
p. 474. Shaw Gen. Zool. p. 123.

Where swallows in the winter season keep.

And where the drowsy bat and dormouse sleep.

Gay.

The Count de Buffbn having one day descended
into the caverns of Arcy, to examine the stalactites,

BAT.

343

was surprised to find in a place covered with ala-
baster, and so dark and profound, a kind of earth
which was totally different. It was a thick mass
several feet in extent, of a blackish matter, almost
entirely composed of fragments of the wings and
legs of flies and moths, as if immense numbers of
these insects had assembled in order to die and cor-
rupt together. This, however, was nothing else
but the dung of bats, probably amassed during ma-
ny years, in a favourite part of these subterranean
caverns ; for, through the whole of these caverns,
which extend nearly half a mile, he saw no other
collection of this matter, and therefore imagined
that the bats had fixed upon this place for their
common abode, because it was reached by a glim-*
mering light from an aperture in the rock ; and
that they chose not to go further, lest they should
be lost in a darkness too profound. Into these im-
mense caverns they retire at the end of autumn, and
always assemble in such numbers as to secure them-
selves from the effects of cold : here they pass the
winter without food or motion, in a complete state
of torpidity. Some cover themselves with their
wings as with a mantle, and suspend themselves by
the hind feet from the roof of the caverns ; while
others stick fast to the walls, or retire into holes,
where they remain entranced till the vernal sun
once more unlocks the earth, and recalls them
into life and action.

The common bat is about the size of a mouse,
has long extended toes to the fore feet, connected

344

BAT.

by thin broad membranes, extending to the hind
legs ; and from them to the tail. The membranes
are of a dusky colour : a mouse-coloured fur tinged
with red covers the body, which is two inches and
a half in length ; the eyes are very small ; the ears
like those of a mouse. Bats bring forth in the sum-
mer, and are commonly supposed to produce two
young at a birth. The female has two nipples, and
these are prominent on the breast, somewhat re-
sembling the human. It is observed that the fe-
male makes no nest for her young, as most birds
and quadrupeds are known to do ; but is barely con-
tent with the first hole she finds, where she ad-
heres by her hooks, and suffers the young to hang
at the breast; to which they fix so firmly when
recently born, that they are not to be removed with-
out difficulty. In this manner they continue to
suck for a day or two, without altering their posi-
tion. At length, when the dam begins to be ex-
hausted for want of food, we are told that, before
she leaves her hiding-place, she removes her young
from her breast, and sticks them against the wall ;
to which they firmly cling, and patiently wait the
return of the parent.

The observation of Buflfon, that bats eat the whole
of insects, seems to admit of a doubt. Mr. White
of Selborne had an opportunity, in the year 1766,
of seeing a tame bat, and he has left us the following
account of its manner of feeding :

■f It would take flies out of a person’s hand ; if
you gave it any thing to eat, it brought its wings

BAT.

345

round before the mouth, hovering and hiding its
head, in the manner of birds of prey when they
feed. The adroitness it showed in shearing off the
wings of flies, which were always rejected, was worthy
of observation, and pleased me much. Insects
seemed to be most acceptable, though it did not re-
fuse raw flesh when offered ; so that the notion that
bats go down chimneys and gnaw men’s bacon, seems
no improbable story. While I amused myself with
this wonderful quadruped, I saw it several times
confute the vulgar opinion, that bats, when down
on a flat surface, cannot get on the wing again, by
rising with great ease from the floor. It ran, I ob-
served, with more dispatch than I was aware of,
but in a most ridiculous and grotesque manner.”

The cruel experiments tried by Spallanzani on
bats, we consider as disgraceful to humanity, as they
could not lead to any useful discovery ; and it must
surely be at all times beneath the true philoso-
pher, to trifle with the feelings of any being, how-
ever low it may rank in the scale of animated na-
ture.

It appears from his experiments, that the eyes of
bats are not necessary to guide them in their flight,
since he first destroyed them, and then covered the
empty sockets with leather : even in this state the
wretched animals continued to fly round the room,
without touching the sides or striking against any
thing ; they likewise flew out of the door without
touching the architraves. The Abbe, that he might
be certain this ability to dispense with the organ of

346

BAT.

sight was not confined to the common bat, tried it
on several other species, and, we are told, with the
same success. He also tells us, that flying through
the middle of a sewer which turned at right angles,
the bats regularly bent their flight at the curvature,
though two feet distant from the walls. They found
a resting-place on the cornice, and even flew through
threads hung perpendicularly from the ceiling with-
out touching, though they were scarcely at a greater
distance than that of their extended wings ; and
when the threads were brought nearer, they con-
tracted their wings to pass through them. They
equally avoided every obstacle, though the whole
head was covered with a varnish made of sandarach
dissolved in spirit of wine.

It seems from the observations of Mr. Carlisle,
that the sense of hearing greatly assists them in
avoiding those obstacles, which they would other-
wise, when blinded, strike against. This gentle-
man, says Dr. Shaw, collected several specimens of
the vespertilio auritus, or large-eared bat, and ob-
served that when the external ears of the blinded
ones were closed, they hit against the sides of the
room, without being at all aware of their situation.
They refused every species of food for four days, as
did a larger number which were afterwards caught
and preserved in a dark box, for above a week.
During the day-time they were extremely desirous
of retirement and darkness ; and, while confined to
the box, never moved or endeavoured to get out the
whole day ; and when spread on the carpet, they

BAT.

347

commonly rested some minutes, and then, begin-
ning to look about, crawled slowly to a dark corner
or crevice. At sunset the scene was quite changed :
every one then endeavoured to scratch its way out
of the box ; a continued chirping was kept up ; and
no sooner was the lid of their prison opened than
each was active to escape ; either flying away im-
mediately, or running nimbly to a convenient place
for taking wing. When these bats were first col-
lected, several of the females had young ones cling-
ing to their breasts in the act of sucking. One of
them flew with perfect ease, though two little ones
were thus attached to her, which weighed nearly as
much as the parent. All the young were devoid of
down, and of a black colour.

Bats make their first appearance towards the end
of spring, or rather early in the summer, when they
are to be met with in the dusk of the evening, flit-
ting about the sides of woods, and shady walks, in
quest of insects. They likewise frequent the wa-
ters where the gnats abound, skimming along the
surface, and destroying myriads at a meal.

The woods of South America produce a very for-
midable bat, the extent of whose wings is about four
feet, and the body as large as that of a fowl. This
bat, to which Linnaeus has given the nameofVam-
pyre, on account of its inclination to suck the blood
both of men and cattle, resides in the hollow trunk
of some large decayed tree, where it remains till
the twilight calls it forth to seek its prey. Many
extraordinary accounts have been related respecting

348

BAT.

this blood-thirsty animal, and the manner in which
it is supposed to proceed to accomplish its purpose.
It is said to perform the operation by inserting its
aculeated tongue into the vein of a sleeping person,
with so much dexterity as not to be felt ; at the
same time fanning the air with its large wings, and
thus producing a sensation so delightfully cool, that
the sleep is rendered still more profound, and the
unfortunate person reduced almost to death before
he awakes.

Captain Stedman, during one of his military ex-
cursions through the woods of Surinam, was bitten
by one of these creatures while sleeping in his ham-
mock. He was extremely alarmed one morning
about four o’clock, when he awoke and found him-
self weltering in congealed blood without feeling
the least degree of pain. He has thus described the
manner in which they inflict the wound : u Know-
ing, by instinct, that the person they intend to at-
tack is in a sound slumber, they generally alight
near the feet, where, while the creature continues
fanning with his enormous wings, which keeps one
cool, he bites a piece out of the tip of the great
toe, so very small indeed that the head of a pin
could scarcely be received into the wound, which is
consequently not painful ; yet through this orifice
he continues to suck the blood, until he is obliged
to disgorge. He then begins again, and thus con-
tinues sucking and disgorging till he is scarcely able
to fly ; and the sufferer has often been known to
sleep from time into eternity. Cattle they generally

f

BAT. 349

bite in the ear, but always in places where the blood
flows spontaneously. Having applied tobacco ashes
as the best remedy, and washed the gore from my-
self and my hammock, I observed several small
heaps of congealed blood all round the place where
I had lain, upon the ground ; on examining which,
the surgeon judged that I had lost at least twelve or
fourteen ounces during the night.”

There is reason to believe that this thirst after
blood is not confined to the bats of one continent,
nor to one species, since at Java they seldom fail
to attack those persons who lie with their feet un-
covered. It is therefore very unsafe to rest either
in the open air, or to leave open any entrance to
these dangerous animals. In some places they are
extremely numerous. Mr. Foster tells us that he
has seen 500 at a time, hanging some by their fore
and others by their hind legs, in a large tree, in one
of the Friendly Islands.

-

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> . ' :• ' - > •

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BIRDS.

Reas’ning at every step he treads,

Man yet mistakes his way,

While meaner things, whom instinct leads,
Are rarely known to stray.

Cowper.

The universe is replenished with life, and every
part of nature abounds with its proper animals. We
cannot proceed one step without discovering new
traces of a wisdom as inexhaustible in the variety of
its plans, as in the richness and fertility of the exe-
cution. Nothing is more natural than the flight of
a bird, to eyes that have been habituated to such a
sight, and nothing is more astonishing to a mind
disposed to contemplate the phenomenon. A bird
in flight is a mass raised aloft, notwithstanding the
weight of the air, and the powerful gravitation im-
pressed on all bodies, and which impels them to
the earth. This mass is transported, not by any
foreign force, but by a movement accommodated to
the purpose of the bird, and which sustains it a long

352

BIRDS.

time in a very graceful manner. Another subject
of admiration is this : we find that each individual
has the same number of wings, and yet we observe
they differ materially in their flight. Some launch
away in repeated springs, and advance by succes-
sive boundings ; others seem to glide through the
air, or cleave it with an equal and uniform progress.
The former merely skim over the earth, while the
latter are capable of soaring up to the clouds. Some,
again, know how to diversify their flight, to ascend
in a right, oblique, or circular line, to suspend
themselves, and continue motionless in so light an
element as the air ; and afterwards precipitate them-
selves in an instant like a descending stone. In a
word, they transport themselves without opposition
or hazard, wherever their necessities or pleasures
invite them. When we consider them in their ha-
bitations, they are still equally surprising ; and we
are so pleased with the structure of their nests,
the solicitude with which they attend their eggs,
the mechanism of the egg itself, and the birth and
education of the young, that we shall pass them
through all these stages, before we proceed to their
specification.

The perfect similitude that appears in all the
nests of birds of the same species ; the difference
between the nest of one species and that of an-
other ; and the industry, neatness, and precau-
tions which reign through the whole, are matters
that well deserve our attention. “ In my aviary,”
says the engaging author of the Spectacle de la

BIRDS.

353

Nature, “ my little prisoners cannot make excursions
for the necessary materials to build their nests. I,
therefore, take care to supply them with every
thing I imagine can be agreeable to them, and am
curious to observe what composes those nests the
children bring me from all parts : accordingly I
throw into the aviary sprigs of dry wood, shivers
of bark, and dry leaves, hay, straw, moss, down,
wool, silk, spiders-webs, feathers, and a hundred
other little materials that are all useful in the nests.
You would smile to see the inhabitants come to
traffic at this fair ; one wants a bit of moss, another
has occasion for a feather, a third cannot do with-
out a straw ; you will see two outbidding one an-
other for a lock of wool, and this sometimes causes
great quarrels : however, the difference is commonly
adjusted, and each carries what she can to the nest.”

Different species of birds build their nests in dif-
ferent situations ; one kind will occupy the tops of
trees, while another chooses to settle on the ground,
under a canopy of grass : but, wherever they dis-
pose themselves, they are always accommodated
with a shelter, and either make choice of herbs, or a
shady branch, or a double roof of leaves, down the
slope of which the rain trickles, without entering
into the little opening of the nest that lies concealed
below. The nest is raised on more solid materials,
that strengthen it with a foundation ; for which
purpose they make use of thorns, seeds, thick hay,
and compact moss. On this first lay, that seems
very shapeless, they spread and fold in a round, all

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BIRDS.

the most delicate materials, which being closely in-
terwoven prevent the access of winds and insects.
Each species has a particular taste in the building
and furniture of its apartment ; and when this is
completed, they never fail either to hang the inside
faith a tapestry of feathers, or quilt it with wool, in
order to communicate a convenient warmth around
them and their young.

When their supplies fail them, there is scarce
any invention to which they will not have recourse
for a recruit. The author already mentioned, when
he first bred some goldfinches, only furnished them
with hay for the structure of their nest ; and the fe-
male, for want of raw silk or cotton, found out an
expedient that surprised him. She began to un-
plume the breast of the male, without the least op-
position from her mate, and afterwards hung all the
apartment very artificially with the down.

We cannot help admiring, in this particular in-
stance, the wonderful instinctive qualities of these
little creatures. They are inspired by their creator
with an imitation of reason, limited indeed to a.
single point, but admirable in that very limitation.
The female is directed by it to construct a nest ; she
feels assured that she shall lay eggs, and want a
place to preserve them from falling, and to cherish
them faith a genial heat. The same instinct ac-
quaints her, that this dieat would not be concentra-
ted round the eggs, were the nest too large, and
that the rtest would be incapable of containing all
the young, were she to give it less dimensions. %

* •

TublisTved by Mefsr%r Coded Sc Davies London March, ? a.8 orj .

BIRDS.

355

the same rule, she is never mistaken in her time,
so as to lay her eggs before she has completed her
nest. All this is wonderful, and serves as one
among many instances to prove the agency of a
wise and powerful Being ; u the author in nature,”
says Paley, “ of infinitely various expedients for in-
finitely various ends, upon whom we must rely for
the choice and appointment of means adequate to
the execution of any plan which his goodness or
justice may have formed, for the moral and ac-
countable part of his terrestrial creation.”

The different propensities of animals, says Mr.
Barrow, proceeding from the different organs with
which nature has furnished them, are no doubt mo-
dified and altered according to situation and circum-
stances. Most of the small birds of Southern Africa,
continues this gentleman, construct their nests in
such a manner that they can be entered only by one
small orifice, and many suspend them from the slen-
der extremities of high branches. A species ofloxia,
or grossbeak, always hangs its nest on a branch ex-
tending over a river or pool of water. It is shaped
exactly like a chemist’s retort, and is suspended
from the head ; so that the shank of eight or nine
inches long, at the bottom of which is the aperture,
almost touches the water. This curious little habi-
tation is made of green grass, firmly put together,
and very artfully woven. Another small bird, the
Cape titmouse, constructs its luxurious nest of the
down of a species of asclepias. This nest is made
of the texture of fiannel, and the fleecy hosiery is

2 a 2

35 6

BIRDS.

not more soft. Near the upper end projects a small
tube about an inch in length, with an orifice about
three-fourths of an inch in diameter. Immediately
under the tube is a small hole in the side, that has
no communication with the interior part of the nest ;
in this hole the male sits at nights, and thus they
are both screened from the weather. The sparrow
hedges round its nest with thorns ; and even the
swallow, under the eaves of houses, or in the rifts
of rocks, makes a tube to its nest six or seven inches
in length. The same kind of birds in this part of
the world, having nothing to apprehend from mon-
keys, snakes, and other noxious animals, neglect
the same precautions, and construct open nests.
Nevertheless, the European species manifest a great
degree of ingenuity in the formation of their dwell-
ings, though they are not quite so artfully contrived
as the African. The swallow, for instance, con-
structs a nest entirely different from all others ; she
wants neither wood, nor hay, nor bands, but knows
how to make a kind of plaister, or rather cement,
with which she erects a dwelling equally secure and
convenient for herself and all her family. In pass-
ing over a river or pond, she contrives to wet her
wings and breast, after which she sheds the dew
over the dust, and then tempers and works it up
with her bill. The blackbird and lapwing, after
they have made their nest, rough-cast the inside
with a small lay of mortar, that glews and supports
all below ; and by the aid of a little flue or moss,
with which they temper it when it is fresh and soft,

BIRDS.

35/

form a complete and comfortable apartment, pro-
perly calculated to preserve the necessary warmth.

Before we pass to the next stage, we must again
return to Africa, and once more avail ourselves of
Mr. Barrow’s information. This gentleman de-
scribes a small bird of the loxia genus, Loxia soda ,
Lath. Ind. orn. which lives in a state of society with
the rest of its species. These birds construct a whole
republic of nests in one clump, and under one cover.
Each nest, however, has a separate entrance on the
under side, and has no communication with its
neighbour from within. Sometimes one of these
clumps of nests will extend a space of ten feet in
diameter, and contain a population of several hun-
dred individuals.

“The industry of these birds,” says Mr. Patterson,
“ seems almost equal to that of the bee. Through-
out the day they appear busily employed in carry-
ing a fine species of grass, which is the principal
material they employ for the purpose of erecting
this extraordinary work, as well as for additions and
repairs. Though my short stay in the country was
not sufficient to satisfy me by ocular proof, that
they added to their nests as they annually increased
in their numbers ; still from the many trees which
I have seen borne down by the weight, and others
that I have seen with their boughs completely cover-
ed over, it would appear that this is really the case.
When the tree, that is the support of this aerial
city, is obliged to give way to the increase of weight,
it is obvious that they are no longer protected, and

358

BIRDS.

are under the necessity of building in other trees.
One of these deserted nests I had the curiosity to
break down, to inform myself of the internal struc-
ture of it ; and found it equally ingenious with that
of the external. There are many entrances, each
of which forms a regular street, with nests on both
sides, at about two inches distance from each other.
The grass with which they build is called the Bosh-
man’s grass ; and I believe the seed of it to be their
principal food; though, on examining their nests, I
found the wings and legs of different insects. From
every appearance, the nest which I dissected had
been inhabited for many years, and some parts
were much more complete than others. This,
therefore, I conceive to amount nearly to a proof,
that the animals added to it at different times, as
they found it necessary, from the increase of their
family, or rather of the nation and community.”
The annexed plate gives an accurate representation
of a clump of these singular buildings.

The dam, having so far completed her task, pro-
ceeds to lay her eggs, the number of which varies
according to the species : some have only two at a
time; others four or five, and some eighteen. When
the eggs are laid, the male and female brood over
them by turns ; but this is generally the female’s
province. And here we must unavoidably admire
the impression of a superior reason that acts upon
these little creatures. They have no certain know-
ledge either of what their eggs contain, or of the
necessity there is to sit on them, in order to hatch

IN

n

n

BIRDS.

359

them ; and yet this animal, who is so active and un-
settled at other times, in this moment forgets her
natural disposition, and fixes herself on the eggs as
long as is convenient ; she submits to restraint, re-
nounces all pleasure, and continues almost twenty
days inseparable from her brood. The male, on
his part, shares and alleviates her fatigue ; he brings
food to his faithful mate, repeats his journeys with-
out intermission, and waits on her with a collation
ready prepared in his bill. He is indefatigable in
his attendance^ and never discontinues his assiduity
unless it is to entertain her with his warbling. In-
deed they both so admirably fill their particular
departments, that we are at a loss to know, whether
the painful perseverance of the one, or the officious
inquietude of the other, is most to be admired.

It will here be proper, before we proceed to the
brood, to give a description of what the egg con-
tains, as well as of the manner in which the young
is there formed, and how it afterwards issues from
its confinement. The egg of the hen is best adapted
for this purpose, where the parts are sufficiently ap-
parent for us to distinguish them with ease. Besides
the yolk and the whites, which are visible to every
body, we can see the ligaments that sustain the
yolk towards the centre of the egg, and can like-
wise discover several membranes ; one of which en-
folds the yolk, another the first white, a third and
fourth encloses the whole ; and lastly, we see the
shell formed for the preservation and defence of the
rest. What lies within these inclosures has the first

360

BIRDS.

formation; the shell has the last, and hardens from
day to day. The shell enables the mother to dis-
charge the egg without crushing it ; while its soft
contents preserve the young from all accidents, till
it is completely formed, and in a condition to make
its appearance. We may even say, that the egg
performs to young birds the office of the breast
milk, with which the offspring of other animals are
nourished, because the little chick who lies in the
egg is first sustained by the white, and afterwards
with the yolk when the animal has gained a little
strength and its parts begin to be fixed. Under the
membrane which surrounds the yolk is found a lit-
tle cicatrice, or white spot, which is only the seed,
where the chick resides in miniature. It has all its
organs at that time, but they are wrapped up and
comprehended in a point. If the smallest portion
of that vital spirit, which is destined to animate the
mass, be then infused into it, by a process of which
we can have no idea ; the chick receives life at the
same instant, and its whole substance is then in
motion. We have no adequate conception, indeed,
of a vital spirit ; but this expression points out a
reality, which is sufficient for our purpose.

When the vital principle has not been infused into
this speck, which comprehends not only the first
sketch, but every part of the chick, the dam then
sometimes lays that egg; but it will contain nothing
more than an unprolific nourishment, and will never
be a living animal. On the contrary, should this
enlivening spirit be transmitted, in the minutest de-

BIRDS.

36’1

gree, through the pores of those membranes through
which such a diversity of aliment has already flow-
ed, it will then open the small vessels of the chick,
diffuse a general warmth, and convey a nutrimen-
tal fluid to the heart. The structure of this little
muscle enables it to open and dilate, for the recep-
tion of what passes into it on one side, and likewise
to contract itself for discharging through another
orifice what has been already received. The mo-
ment the heart begins to beat, the animal is alive,
but still continues to receive, by the mediation of the
umbilic duct, a flow of nutritious juices, whioh it
transmits into the other vessels, whose branches
distribute this nourishment through the whole body.
All those little canals which were flat before, are
now swelled and enlarged ; the whole substance im-
bibes a proper aliment, and the chick begins to
grow.

It is almost impossible to distinguish, amidst the
fluids that surround it, the nature of its daily pro-
gress and changes, till the period when it issues
from the shell. But let us not omit one precaution,
equally evident and astonishing, and which is ob-
servable in the situation of the speck out of which
the animal is formed. This minute and globular
particle of matter, which is lodged on the film that
enfolds the yolk, has always its position near the
centre of the egg, and towards the body of the dam,
in order to be impregnated with a necessary warmth.

The yolk is sustained by two ligaments, visible
at the aperture of the egg, and which fasten it on

362

BIRDS.

each side to the common membrane glued to the
shell. Should a line be drawn from one ligament to
the other, it would not exactly pass through the
middle of the yolk, but above the centre, and would
cut the yolk into two unequal parts, so that the
smallest part of the yolk, which contains the seed,
is of necessity raised towards the belly of the bird
who performs the incubation ; and the other part,
being more gross and weighty, always descends as
near the bottom as the bands will permit; by
which means, should the egg be displaced, the
young could not receive any injury ; and whatever
may happen, it enjoys a warmth that puts all about
it in action, and by degrees completes the disen-
gagement of its parts. As it is incapable of sliding
down, it nourishes itself in ease, first with this
liquid and delicate white, which is adapted to its
condition, and afterwards with the yolk, which af-
fords a more substantial food. By the time the
bird has so far increased in size as to fill the shell,
his beak is become sufficiently hardened to assist
him in breaking through the walls of his prison.
This he readily effects, and issues forth fully re-
plenished with the yolk, which nourishes him a lit-
tle longer, till he has strength enough to get on his
feet and seek his own living, or until his parents
come themselves to supply him.

Some birds, when they leave the shell, are fed by
their parents, while others seek their own provi-
sion. The birds who nourish their young have
commonly very few ; on the contrary, those whose

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363

young feed themselves from their birth, have some-
times eighteen or twenty in a brood, and sometimes
more. Of this last kind are quails, pheasants, par-
tridges, and hens. The Creator, who has regulated
all things for the best, has wisely ordered this. The
dam who charges herself with the care of seeking
provisions, has but an inconsiderable brood : were
it large, both the parents would be slaves, and the
young but indifferently accommodated ; while the
mother who marches in the van of her progeny,
without nourishing them, can conduct twenty as
well as four. The following instance of the bounty
of Providence relates to ourselves in particular.
Those birds who are detrimental to us, and those
with whose existence we can easily dispense, are the
species who multiply the least: on the contrary,
those whose flesh is most salutary, and whose eggs
afford the best nourishment, are fruitful to a prodigy.

When the eggs are hatched, and the young have
made their appearance, the parents become charged
with new cares, till the brood are capable of sub-
sisting without them. Provision must be prepared
for eight instead of two. The linnet and the night-
ingale labour then like the rest ; they are up before
the sun in quest of provision, sometimes one, some-
times the other, and sometimes both together.
They distribute the food with great equality, giving
each its portion in its turn, and never feeding the
same bird twice. This tenderness of the mothers
for their young, operates to a degree that even
changes their natural disposition, and new duties pro-

364

BIRDS.

duce new inclinations. A hen when she becomes
the parent of a family is no longer the same crea-
ture. She was formerly ravenous and insatiable ;
but at present, if she finds a grain of corn, a crumb
of bread, or even something more considerable in
quantity, and capable of being divided, she never
touches it herself, but gives intelligence to her troop
by a note of invitation they all understand. This
mother, naturally timorous, and who before knew
nothing but flight, seems no longer acquainted with
danger, but is so courageous at the head of a troop
of chickens, that she will spring at the eyes of the
stoutest dog, and defend her offspring to the last.

One instance will be sufficient to show the anxiety
of the mother for the welfare of her young, and the
instinctive sagacity of these little creatures for their
own preservation in the time of danger. When a
hen turkey appears at the head of her young, she is
sometimes heard to send forth a very mournful cry,
the cause and intention of which are unknown.
The brood immediately squat under bushes, grass,
or whatever else presents itself for their purpose.
They entirely disappear ; or, if they have not a suf-
ficient covering, they stretch themselves on the
ground, and lie as if they were dead : they are seen
to continue in this posture for a considerable time,
without the smallest motion. In the mean while
the mother directs her view upwards with an air of
fear and confusion ; she redoubles her sighs, and re-
peats the cry that laid all her young prostrate. Those
who observe the disorder of this parent, and her

BIRDS.

365

anxious attention, look up into the air to discover
the cause, and at last perceive a dark point, which
they can hardly distinguish, floating under the
clouds. This is a bird of prey, whose distance with-
draws him from our view, but who cannot escape
either the vigilance or penetration of the careful
mother. This occasions her fears, and alarms the
whole tribe. One of these creatures has been seen
to continue in this agitation, and her young in a
manner riveted to the ground, for the space of four
hours successively, whilst their formidable foe has
taken his circuits, has whirled about, and hovered
immediately over their heads. When he at length
disappears, the mother changes her note, and utters
another cry that revives all her brood ; and they all
flock round her with expressions of pleasure, as if
conscious of their happy escape from danger.

The body of a bird is neither extremely massive,
nor equally substantial in all its parts ; but it is well
disposed for flight, sharp before, and gradually in-
creasing in bulk till it has acquired its just dimen-
sions. Such a structure renders it more adapted to
cut the air, and make itself a passage through that
element. To qualify it for long flights, in which
provisions are not always to be obtained ; and to en-
able it to pass away the tedious winter nights with-
out eating, nature has supplied it under the throat
with a bag called the crop, in which it reserves its
meat. The fluid in which this swims facilitates its
first digestion. The gizzard, into which only a very
small quantity of the nourishment enters at a time,

366

BIRDS.

performs the rest ; frequently by the aid of little
rugged stones, which the bird swallows in or-
der to break the texture of the nutriment the better,
and perhaps to keep the passages clear. Some cu-
rious experiments, to prove the strength as well as
the digestive powers of their stomachs, are to be
found in the works of the abbe Spallanzani.

The bones of birds, though of a solidity sufficient
to sustain their bodies, are nevertheless so hollow
and diminutive, that they scarce make any addition
to the weight of their flesh.

That which constitutes the pride and beauty of a
bird, its plumage, is artfully formed and distributed,
as well to sustain as to defend it from the injuries
of the air. The quill of the feather is both firm
and light ; and being at the same time hollow, it
possesses a great deal of surface with little gravity,
which places the bird almost in equilibrium with
the air. The feathers are inverted behind, and laid
one over another in a regular order. That part of
them which is next the body is furnished with a
warm and soft down ; and that next the air is ar-
rayed with a double beard, in two ranks, and
longer at one end than at the other. These beards
are a row of little flat and thin plates or laminae, dis-
posed and inserted in a line, as perfect as if their
extremities had been cut with a pair of scissars.
Each of these laminae is itself a quill or basis, which
sustains two new ranks of a minuteness that almost
renders them invisible, and which exactly closes up
all the little intervals through which the air might

O O

BIRDS.

36;

be insinuated. The feathers are likewise disposed
in such a manner that the range of the little beards
of the one, slides, plays, and discovers itself more
or less under the great beards of the other feather
that lies over it. A new rank of lesser feathers serves
as a covering to the quills of the larger, so that the
air is excluded from every part.

But as this ceconomy, so admirable in its appoint-
ment, might be frequently incommoded by rains ;
the author of nature has furnished birds with an ex-
pedient that renders their feathers as impenetrable
to the water, as they are by their structure to the air.
All birds are provided with two little glands, shaped
like a nipple, and situated at the extremity of their
body. This nipple has several little apertures ; and
when the bird finds her feathers dry, soiled, discon-
tinued by gaps, or ready to be moistened, she presses
this nipple with her bill, and forces out an oily
or unctuous matter, with which these glands are
filled ; and then drawing her bill over the greatest
part of her fesithers successively, oils and dresses
them, gives them a lustre, and fills up all the va-
cancies with this secreted oil ; after which the water
only slides over the bird, and finds all the avenues
to her body perfectly closed. Our poultry, who live
-Under a covert, have a less quantity of this matter
than birds who inhabit the open air ; for which rea-
son a hen, when she is wet, makes a ridiculous
figure : on the contrary, swans, geese, ducks, moor-
hens, and all birds destined to live on the water,
have their feathers dressed with oil from their very

36*8

BIRDS.

birth. Their magazine contains a provision of this
fluid, adequate to the necessity of its consumption,
which is continually returning ; their very flesh
contracts the flavour of it ; and every one may ob-
serve that the care of oiling their feathers is their
constant employment.

The wings and the tail are both very admirably
constructed to answer the necessary purposes of the
bird. For the wings form on each side two levers,
that keep the body in a just poise ; at the same time
they perform the office of oars ; while the tail acts
as a counterpoise to the head and neck, and serves
the bird instead of a rudder, whilst he rows with
his wings : but this rudder is not only instrumental
in preserving the equilibrium of the flight ; it like-
wise enables the bird to rise, descend, and turn
where he pleases ; for, as soon as the tail is directed
to one point, the head turns to the opposite quarter.

We have now completed the general description
of the bird, and shall conclude this introduction
with an interesting account which the author of the
Arctic Zoology has collected, of the manner in which
bird-catching is carried on by the inhabitants of the
Orkneys, who subsist, during the season, on the
eggs of the birds which nestle in the cliffs.

tf The method of taking them is so very hazard-
ous, as to satisfy one of the extremity to which the
poor people are driven for want of food. Copinsha,
Hunda, Hoy, Fowla, and Noss-head, are the most
celebrated rocks ; and the neighbouring natives the
most expert climbers and adventurers after the game

BIRDS. 3(?9

of the precipice. The height of some is above forty
fathoms; their faces roughened with shelves or
ledges, sufficient only for the birds to rest and lay
their eggs. To these the dauntless fowlers will ascend,
pass intrepidly from one to the other, collect the
eggs and birds, and descend with the same indif-
ference. In most places the attempt is made from
above ; they are lowered from the slope contiguous
to the brink by a rope, sometimes made of straw,
sometimes of the bristles of the hog ; they prefer
the last even to ropes of hemp, as it is not liable to
be cut by the sharpness of the rocks ; the former is
apt to untwist. They trust themselves to a single
assistant, who lets his companion down, and holds
the rope, depending on his strength alone, which
often fails, and the adventurer is sure to be dashed
to pieces or drowned in the subjacent sea. The
rope is often shifted from place to place with the
impending weight of the fowler and his booty. The
person above receives signals for the purpose, his
associate being far out of sight ; who, during the
operation, by the help of a staff, springs from the
face of the rocks, to avoid injury from the project-
ing parts.

“ In Fowla, they will trust to a small stake driven
into the ground, or to a small dagger which the
natives usually carry about them, and which they
will stick into the ground, and twisting round it a
fishing cord, descend by that to climbing places,
and after finishing their business swarm up it with-
out fear. Few who make a practice of this come to

2 B

vol. i.

370

BIRDS.

a natural death. They have a common saying,
“ Such a one’s gutcher went over the sneak , and my
father went over the sneak too.” It is a pity that
the old Norwegian law was not here in force. It
considered this kind of death as a species of suicide.
The next of kin, in case the body could be seen,
was directed to go the same way ; if he refused, the
corpse was not to be admitted into holy ground.

“ But the most singular species of fowling is in
the holm of Noss, a vast rock separated from the
isle of Noss by some unknown convulsion, and only
about sixteen fathoms distant. It is of the same
stupendous height as the opposite precipice, i. e.
480 feet, with a raging sea between, so that the in-
tervening chasm is of matchless horror. Some ad-
venturous climber has reached the rock in a boat,
gained the height, and fastened several stakes on
the small portion of earth which is to be found on
the top ; correspondent stakes are placed on the
correspondent cliffs. A rope is fixed to the stakes
on both sides, along which a machine called a cradle
is contrived to slide ; and by the help of a small
parallel cord fastened in like manner the adven-
turer wafts himself over, and returns with his booty,
which is the eggs and the young of the black-backed
gull and the herring gull.”

RAPACIOUS BIRDS.

VULTURE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill straight, hooked at the end, and covered at the base
with a thin skin.

Fore part of the head naked.

Legs, feet, and claws, very strong, the latter rather blunt,
and a little hooked at the ends.

CONDUR.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Vultur Gryphus. V. maximus, caruncula vertical^ longitu-

dine capitis, gala nuda. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. l.p. 245.

Great Vulture. Having a warty excres-
cence on the crown of the head, and a
naked throat.

Condur. . . . Buff. Birds, 1. p. 139. Lath. Synop. 1.

p. 4.

It is supposed that the author of the Arabian
Nights took his idea of the roc from this bird; since
it is not only the largest of the vulture genus, but

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372

CONDUR.

of all those which are able to fly. Its amazing size
has given rise to some incredible accounts of its
strength ; and when we hear that., <s singly and un-
assisted, it seizes an elephant, hurries the ponde-
rous animal into the air, drops it, and kills it by
the fall,” we cannot help smiling at the uncom-
mon credulity of Marco Paolo. Setting aside all
exaggerated accounts, of which this is not the only
one, we shall proceed to describe the condur as we
find it in the first volume of Hawkesworth’s Voyages.
This bird was shot at Port Desire, off Penguin
island : the head resembled that of an eagle, except
that it had a large comb upon it ; round the neck it
had a white ruff, exactly resembling a lady’s tip-
pet ; the feathers on the back as black as jet, and as
bright as the finest polish could render that mineral ;
the legs were remarkably strong and large, and the
talons like those of an eagle, except that they were
not so sharp ; and the wings, when they were ex-
tended, measured from point to point no less than
twelve feet. The thick plumage of this formidable
creature is so difficult to penetrate, that father
Feuillee found the contents of a musket insufficient
to bring one of them down. This naturalist dis-
covered one that was perched upon a great rock in
the valley of Ylo, in Peru. u I approached it,” says
the father, (C within musket-shot, and fired; but as
my piece was only loaded with swan shot, the lead
could not pierce its feathers. I perceived, however,
from its motions, that it was wounded ; for it rose
heavily, and could with difficulty reach another

CONDUR.

373

great rock five hundred paces distant from the sea-
shore. I therefore charged my piece with a bullet,
and hit the bird under the throat. I then saw that
I had succeeded, and I ran to secure the victim ;
but it struggled obstinately with death, and resting
upon its back, it repelled my attempts with its ex-
tended talons. I was at a loss on what side to lay
hold of it ; and I believe if it had not been mortally
wounded I should have found great difficulty in
securing it. At last I dragged it down from the top
of the rock, and with the assistance of a sailor I
carried it to my tent to figure it and make a coloured
drawing.”

From the size of the specimen in the Leverian
Museum, and its very muscular appearance, we can
readily believe the account of Don Antonio de Ulloay
who observed a flock of sheep in great confusion on
a hill adjoining to the place where he was stationed.
This was occasioned by a condur which he saw flying
upwards with a lamb between its talons, which it
dropped before it had ascended to a great height, but
immediately followed its prey, and again took it up ;
it, however, let it fall a second time without daring
to descend again, on account of the Indians, who,
alarmed at the cries of the boys and barking of the
dogs, were running towards the place.

Condamine says, he has seen it hovering over a
flock of sheep, and was only prevented from attack-
ing them by the presence of the shepherds. The
condurs reside among the mountains, where they
procure their subsistence, except in the rainy season.

374

CONDUR.

when they resort to the sea-side, and pick up the
large fish which are sometimes thrown ashore in a
storm. They appear on the beach about evening,
w here they pass the night, and return to their proper
haunts in the morning. In this situation one of
these birds was found not far from the island Mocha,
in the South Seas, in the year 1691. The seamen
shot it on a cliff by the sea-side, and, taking it for a
kind of turkey, they, according to their usual custom,
made a meal of it. We find by their account, that
the colour was black and white like a magpie, and
the crest, or comb, sharp like a razor.

We have but little more to add respecting this
bird, as its habits have not been very well ascer-
tained. It is said to make its nest among the most
inaccessible rocks, and that the female lays two
white eggs, of a larger size than a turkey’s.

CARRION VULTURE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Vultuii aura. . V. fusco-griseus, remigibus nigris, rostro

albo. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 246.
Of a brown gray colour j wing-feathers
black 5 beak white.

Uuubu. Wilt. Orn. 68.

VuLTUR BRASILIENSIS. Briss. Av. 1.

p. 468.

Turkey Buzzard. Catesb. Car. 1. p. 6.
pi. 6.

Carrion Vulture. Buff. Birds, 1. p. 130. Arct. Zool.2. p. 191.

Lath. Syn. 1. p. 9. n. 5.

The preference which these birds are known to
give to tainted flesh makes them of signal service in
tropical climates, where, if the putrid remains of
animal substances were not removed, they would
soon become intolerable, and render those parts still
more unwholesome than they are. Dr. Latham
kept two carrion vultures, from Jamaica, for some
time ; and he tells us that they would, indeed, eat
any raw flesh ; but when any tainted food was offered
them, they expressed their pleasure by fluttering
with expanded wings without ceasing, and devour-

CARRION VULTURE.

376

ing twice the quantity, as at other times, with more
appearance of appetite.

This species is about the size of a turkey, but va-
ries in this respect in different parts : the head is
covered with a naked wrinkled red skin, and is
warted on the side. The whole of the plumage is
dusky, dashed with purple and green : the legs are
of a dirty flesh-colour, and the claws black.

These birds are common in the hotter parts of
America, and particularly about Carthagena, where
they were seen by Ulloa, sitting in numbers on the
roofs of the houses, or walking sluggishly about the
streets. They generally keep in large flocks, and
perch at night on rocks or trees, sitting with their
wings spread, in order, it is supposed, to purify
their bodies, which are most offensively fetid. In
the morning they leave their gloomy retreats, and
resort to the neighbourhood of the towns, where
they may be seen soaring in the air at an amazing
height, in expectation of a putrid banquet, which,
if beyond the reach of their acute sight, seldom
escapes their sagacious nostrils. When they smell
a carcase they collect from all quarters to enjoy the
prey, and after wheeling about several times in the
air they gradually descend and proceed to their
repast. Kolben informs us, that he has often seen
the skeletons of cows, oxen, and wild beasts, which
they had devoured. The birds detach the flesh
from the bones and skin with such dexterity, that
what is left is a perfect skeleton, covered with the
skin, without the least derangement of the parts.

CARRION VULTURE.

3 77

This curious operation, which prevents your per-
ceiving that the carcase is hollow till you come
close to it, is performed by first opening the belly
of the animal, and tearing out the entrails, which
some begin to devour, while others enter the hol-
low and separate the flesh. They are exceedingly
voracious, and when pressed by hunger will in
flocks attack a beast, if they can find a sore upon
his back. When once they have determined upon
their prey, all the eflorts of the unfortunate animal
to escape will be unavailing ; they descend upon
him with fury; and notwithstanding all his attempts
to free himself from his devourers, the vultures never
quit their hold till they have completed his detrac-
tion. When an eagle presides at the banquet, the
vultures are not allowed to touch a morsel till he has
satisfied his appetite.

It is observed, that vultures in general decrease
in numbers in proportion to the coldness of the
climate, till we lose them entirely after passing the
Grison Alps, nor do we believe they have ever
been found in a much higher latitude ; even the
temperature of England seems too much for them,
since the vultures in the possession of Dr. Latham
were alert and brisk during the summer months,
and used to run wild about the garden, but were so
impatient of the least degree of cold, that a rainy day
has frequently obliged them to seek for shelter.
The wisdom and goodness of Providence, in con-
fining these filthy birds to climates where their vo-

t

3/8

CARRION VULTURE.

racious appetite is of such singular service to the in-
habitants, must be obvious to every one. But their
use is not limited to the removal of the dead and
putrid carcases ; they have another claim upon the
gratitude of mankind, for lessening the number of
those destructive animals the alligators, which would
otherwise become intolerable by their multitudes.
Mr. Pennant observes, that during the season in
which the alligators lay their eggs in the sand, the
vultures will sit hidden in the leaves of the trees,
watching the coming of the female alligator to deposit
its eggs, who then covers them with sand, to secure
them, as she supposes, from all danger ; but no sooner
does she retire into the water, than the birds dart
on the spot, and with claws, wings, and beak, tear
away the sand and devour the whole contents of the
repository.

The resemblance which these animals bear to the
turkey was the cause of great disappointment to one
of the officers who went round the world with
Woodes Rogers. In the island of Lobos, large
flocks of vultures were seen ; and this gentleman,
deceived by their appearance, and eager to enjoy
the expected feast, would not even wait till the
boat could put him on shore, but leaped overboard
with his gun in his hand, and, having reached the
island, fired among the thickest of them and killed
several. But how completely was he disappointed,
when he reached the spot, to find all his fancied
turkeys changed to stinking vultures !

CARRION VULTURE. 379

The bodies of these birds retain a stench which
nothing can remove. It is in vain that when killed
the rump has been cut off, the body washed, and
spices used to overpower its prevailing odour ; it
still smells and tastes of the carrion by which it was
nourished, and sends forth a stench that is unsup-
portable.

FALCON.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill strong and hooked at the end ; the base covered with a
naked skin.

Tongue frequently cleft.

First joint of the middle toe connected to that of the outmost
by a membrane.

EAGLE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Falco Ciirysaetos. F. cera lutea, pedibusque lanatis luteo-

ferrugineis, corpore fosco-ferrugineovario,
cauda nigra basi cinereo-undulata. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gruel. 1. p. 2 56.

Cere yellow, legs downy and of a rusty
yellow colour, body of a rusty brown,
tail dark brown, clouded with ash colour
at the base.

Golden Eagle. . Buff. Birds , v. 1. p. 46. pi. l. Penn. Brit.

Zool. 1. p. l6l. pi. 16. IVill. Orn. p. 58.
t. 1. Lath. Syn. p. 31. No. 5. Beta.
Birds , p. 5.

The Abbe la Pluche was travelling in company with
a very curious nobleman, who had an inclination to

Published; by Mefr.'J CadzlL Sc Ddvuzr. LoncUjri Match, i.rdoq .

5

/

V

EAGLE.

381

see the antiquities of Nismes before he came to
Marseilles. They took their route through St. Flour,
in order to proceed from thence to Mende, in the
Gevaudan, and cross the Cevennes. As this noble-
man was charged with a commission from court, he
was every where received with particular marks of
distinction. An officer of note in the neighbour-
hood of Mende invited him to pass a few days at
his seat, and entertained him in the politest man-
ner he was able. The abbe was included in the
invitation, and observed with some surprise, when
the dinner was served up, that all the wild fowl
brought to the table wanted either a head, a wing,
a leg, or some other part ; which occasioned the
gentleman to say very agreeably, that they must
pardon the voraciousness of his caterer, who always
tasted what he had prepared before it came to the
table. When they asked him who this caterer
might be, and he perceived they grew facetious at
this new mode of entertainment, he expressed him-
self in the following manner : In these moun-
tainous parts, which are the richest in the kingdom,
on account of their fertility, the eagles are accus-
tomed to build their aeries in the cavities of some
almost inaccessible rock, which is hardly to be
ascended by the aid of ladders and grappling-irons.
As soon as the shepherds have discovered their re-
treat, they raise a little hut at the foot of the rock,
where they screen themselves from the fury of these
dangerous birds when they convey provision to
their young. The male carefully nourishes them

382

EAGLE.

for the space of three months, and the female is
engaged in the same employment, till the bird is
capable of quitting the aerie ; but when that period
is completed, they make him spring into the air,
and bear him up with their wings and talons when
he is in danger of falling. Whilst the young eagle
continues in the aerie, the parents ravage all the
neighbouring country; capons, chickens, ducks,
lambs, kids, and pigs, suffer on this occasion ; they
seize whatever falls in their way, and bear it to their
young. But the fields and woods supply them with
their best game ; for there they destroy pheasants,
partridges, woodcocks, wild ducks, hares, and young
fawns. The shepherds, at the very instant they
perceive the old birds have left their aerie, plant their
ladders and climb the rocks as well as they are able,
and then carry off what the eagles have conveyed to
their offspring, and in the room of what they take
leave the entrails of certain animals. But as this
cannot be done so expeditiously as to prevent the
young eagle from devouring part of their food, the
shepherds must necessarily bring away what has
been already mutilated ; but in recompense for this
disadvantage, what they thus take has a much finer
flavour than any thing the markets afford. The
gentleman added, that when the young eagle has
strength enough to fly, which requires a considerable
time to attain, because he is deprived of an excel-
lent food and obliged to take up with what is very
indifferent, the shepherds fasten him to the aerie,
that the parent birds may continue to supply him

EAGLE.

383

with what they take, till the disagreeable task of
providing for an offspring that perpetually fatigues
them, obliges first the male, and then the female,
to forsake him. The male transfers himself to a
new situation, and the female follows the track of
her faithful mate ; after which, their tenderness for
another progeny makes them forget the former, whom
the shepherds leave in the aerie to starve, unless they
are compassionate enough to remove him.

This is a fact they were assured of by the gentle-
man, who acquainted them that three or four of
these aeries were sufficient to furnish a splendid
table throughout the year ; and instead of mur-
muring at the Creator of eagles and vultures, he
thought himself very happy in their neighbourhood,
and reckoned every aerie of an eagle or vulture on
his estate, equivalent to an annual rent.

This formidable bird is sometimes found in Great
Britain, but more frequently in the mountainous
parts of Ireland, where it breeds in the loftiest cliffs,
and lays three or four eggs, of which seldom more
than two are prolific. A full-sized golden eagle
weighs about twelve pounds ; his length is three feet,
and the extent of his wings between seven and eight
feet ; his deep-blue bill, about three inches long,
is ornamented with a yellow cere. The whole body
is of a dark rusty brown colour, and the feathers on
the back are finely clouded with a deeper shade of
the same. The legs are yellow, short, and very
strong, being three inches in circumference, and
feathered to the very toes ; these are covered with

384

EAGLE.

large scales* and armed with most formidable claws*
the middle one on each foot being full two inches
long.

The sight and sense of smelling in the eagle is
very acute ; his eyes are defended from too great a
glare of light by a nictitating or winking mem-
brane* which he can draw over them like a curtain
at pleasure. This membrane is neither entirely
opake nor pellucid* but is somewhat transparent*
and it is constantly drawn over the eyes of the bird
when he is said to gaze at the sun.

The eagle is as much superior to the rest of the
birds of the air, as the lion is to the other beasts of
the field, and both are the acknowledged sovereigns
of their respective situations. The eyes of the eagle
have a glare like those of the lion* and resemble
them in colour ; the claws are nearly of the same
shape; and his voice is equally powerful* if we allow
for the difference of size. “ Destined both of them
for war and plunder,” saysBufFon* “they are equally
fierce* equally bold, and intractable. It is impos-
sible to tame them, unless they are caught when in
their infancy. It requires much patience and art
to train a young eagle for the chase ; and after he
has attained to age and strength* his caprices and
momentary impulses of passion are sufficient to
create suspicions and fears in his master. Authors
inform us* that the eagle was antiently used in the
east for falconry; but this practice is now laid aside.
He is too heavy to be carried on the hand without
great fatigue* nor is he ever brought to be so tame

EAGLE.

385

or so gentle, as to remove all suspicions of danger.
His body is robust ; his legs and wings strong ; his
flesh hard ; his bones firm ; his feathers stiff ; his
attitude bold and erect ; his movements quick ; his
flight rapid. He rises higher than any of the wing-
ed race; and hence he was termed by the antients
the celestial bird, and regarded in their auguries as
the messenger of Jove. By means of his exquisite
sight he can distinguish objects at an immense di-
stance ; and when he has seized his prey he checks
his flight, and places it upon the ground to ex-
amine its weight before he carries it off. “ Though
his wings be vigorous,” continues Buffon, “ yet his
legs being stiff it is with difficulty that he can rise,
especially if he is loaded. He bears away geese and
cranes with ease ; he also carries off hares, young
lambs, and kids. When he attacks fawns or calves,
he instantly gluts himself with their blood and
flesh, and afterwards transports their mangled car-
casses to his aerie, or nest, which is quite flat, and
not hollow like that of other birds. He commonly
places it between two rocks, in a dry inaccessible
place. The same nest, it is said, serves the eagle
for the whole course qf its life. It is, indeed, a la-
borious work, and solid enough to last for a con-
siderable time. It is constructed nearly like a floor,
with small sticks five or six inches long, supported
at the extremities, and crossed with pliant branches,
covered with several layers of rushes and heath ; the
nest is several feet broad, and so firm as not only
to receive the eagle, the female, and the young, but

2 c

VOL. I,

386

EAGLE.

to bear the weight of a large quantity of provisions.
It is not covered above, but is sheltered by the pro-
jection of the upper part of the rock : in the middle
of this structure the female deposits her eggs, which
seldom exceed two or three, and covers them, it is
said, for thirty days; but some of these ate commonly
addle, and it is seldom that three young eagles are
found in a single nest. It is even pretended, that after
they have acquired some strength the mother de-

strovs the weakest or the most voracious of her in-

•/

fant brood. Excessive scarcity of provisions alone
can occasion this Unnatural treatment. The parents,
not possessing a sufficiency for their own support,
endeavour to reduce the members of the family ;
and when the young are able to fly, and in somU
degree to provide for themselves, they expel them
from their natal abode, and never suffer them to
return.

The strength of the eagle must be very great to
enable him to rise into the air with the heavy prey
which he occasionally carries to his young ones.
The curious account of the nest of an eagle, de-
scribed by Willughby, must not be omitted. “In
the year of our Lord 1668, in the woodlands near
the river Derwent, in the peak of Derbyshire, was
found an eagle’s nest, made of great sticks, resting
one end on the edge of a rock, the other on two
birch trees, upon which was a layer of rushes, and
over them a layer of heath, and upon the heath
rushes again ; upon which lay one young one and
an addle egg, and by them a lamb, a hare, and

EAGLE. 387

three heath poults. The nest was about two yards
square, and had no hollow in it.”

Robbing the nest of an eagle is sometimes a dan-
gerous employment. It is recorded, that a peasant
in Ireland resolved to rob the nest of an eagle that
had built in a small island in the beautiful lake of
Killarney. He accordingly stripped, and, having
reached the island while the old ones were away,
robbed the nest of its young, and was preparing to
swim back, with the eaglets tied in a string ; but,
while he was yet up to his chin in the water, the
old eagles returned, and, missing their young, quick-
ly fell upon the plunderer, and in spite of all his
resistance dispatched him with their beaks and
talons.

Although the general characteristics of the dif-
ferent eagles are nearly the same, yet some of their
habitudes are different. The sea eagle, for example,
lives near the element from which he derives his
name, and feeds chiefly upon fish, which he takes
as they are swimming near the surface, by darting
himself down on them. This bird frequents several
parts of Great Britain, and was well known in Tur-
ner’s time for the great destruction it made among
the fish. It seems the fishermen were then fond
of anointing their baits with the fat of this eagle,
imagining that it had a peculiar alluring quality ;
they were even superstitious enough to believe that
whenever the sea eagle hovered over a piece of wa-
ter, the fish, as if charmed, would rise to the sur-
face with their bellies upwards. These birds are

2 c 2

388

EAGLE.

very common in the northern parts of America,
where they endure the severest winter, and prey
upon young seals, which they seize floating and
carry out of the water. They abound below the
falls of Niagara, where they frequently make a rich
repast upon the carcases of bears and other ani-
mals, which are so frequently carried away by the
stream, and precipitated down while attempting to
cross the river above this tremendous cataract.

Du Pratz mentions a scarce species of eagle
found in America, which is entirely white, except
the tips of the wings, which are black. The wing
feathers of this bird bear a high price among the
natives of Louisiana, who use them to adorn the
calumet, or pipe of peace. This instrument is de-
corated by different nations with the feathers of
different birds, and for this purpose they always
choose the most beautiful. We learn from Mr.
Pennant, that the calumet is of the first importance
among the Americans. It is nothing more than a
pipe, whose bowl, says Du Pratz, is generally
made of a soft red marble ; the tube of a very long
reed, ornamented with the wings and feathers of
birds. No affair of consequence is transacted with-
out the calumet. It ever appears in meetings of
commerce, or exchanges ; in congresses for deter-
mining of peace or war ; and even in the very fury
of a battle. The acceptance of the calumet is a
mark of concurrence with the terms proposed, as
the refusal is a certain mark of rejection. Even in
the rage of a conflict this pipe is sometimes offer-

EAGIE.

389

ed ; and, if accepted, the weapons of destruction
instantly drop from their hands, and a truce en-
sues. It seems the sacrament of the Savages, for no
compact is ever violated ; which is confirmed by a
whiff from this holy reed. The Dance of the Calu-
met is a solemn rite which always confirms a peace
or precedes a war. It is divided into three parts :
the first appears an act of devotion, danced in mea-
sured time ; the second is a true representation of
the Pyrrhic dance ; the third is attended with songs
expressive of the victories they had obtained, the
nations they had conquered, and the captives they
had made.

An immense bird, which is called th e bearded eagle,
from the tuft of very narrow feathers like hairs which
hangs beneath the throat, forms his nest in the
highest parts of the Alps, where he dwells without
the reach of man, and preys securely on the wild
hares, kids, marmots, and chamois, which inhabit
those almost inaccessible mountains. One of these
terrible birds is said to have been caught in the
canton of Glarus, which measured from the tip of
the beak to the extremity of the tail nearly seven
feet, and eight feet and a half from tip to tip of its
wings. The account which Gesner gives, on the
authority of Fabricius, of the bearded eagle, ap-
pears to be greatly exaggerated. He tells us that
“some peasants between Miessen and Brisa, cities in
Germany, losing every day some of their cattle,
which they sought for in the forests in vain, ob-
served by chance a very large nest resting on three

390

EAGLE.

oaks, constructed with sticks and branches of trees,
and as wide as the body of a cart. They found in
this nest three young birds, already so large that
their wings extended seven ells ; their legs were
as thick as those of a lion ; and their nails the size
of a man’s fingers. In the nest were found several
skins of calves and sheep.”

Mr. Bruce met with this bird in Abyssinia, where
it is called by the common people, Abou Duch’n,
or father long-beard, probably from the tuft of hair
which hangs beneath the throat. That gentleman
has given the following particular and entertaining
description of this species, which we have taken the
liberty to extract from the appendix to his Travels.

u From wing to wing he was eight feet four
inches ; from the tip of his tail to the point of his
beak, when dead, four feet seven inches ; he weighed
twenty-two pounds, and was very full of flesh. He
seemed remarkably short in the legs, being only
four inches from the joining of the foot to where
the leg joins the thigh, and from the joint of the
thigh to the joining of his body six inches. The
thickness of his thigh was little less than four inches ;
it was extremely muscular, and covered with flesh.
His middle claw was about two inches and a half
long, not very sharp at the point, but extremely
strong. From the root of the bill to the point was
three inches and a quarter, and one inch and three
quarters in breadth at the root. A forked brush of
strong hair, divided at the point into two, proceeded
from the cavity of his lower jaw, at the beginning

EAGLE.

391

of his throat. He had the smallest eye I ever re-
member to have seen in a large bird, the aperture
being scarcely half an inch. The crown of the
head was bare or bald, so was the front where the
bill and skull joined.

“ This noble bird was not an object of any chase
or pursuit, nor stood in need of any stratagem to
bring him within our reach. Upon the highest top
of the mountain Lamalmon, while my servants
were refreshing themselves from that toilsome rug-
ged ascent, and enjoying the pleasure of a most de-
lightful climate, eating their dinner in the outer
air, with several large dishes of boiled goat’s flesh
before them, this enemy, as he turned out to be to
them, appeared suddenly ; he did not stoop rapidly
from a height, but came flying slowly along the
ground, and sat down close to the meat, within the
ring the men had made round it. A great shout,
or rather cry of distress, called me to the place ; I
saw the eagle stand for a minute, as if to recollect
himself, while the servants ran for their lances and
shields. I walked up as near to him as I had time
to do. His attention was fully fixed upon the flesh.
I saw him pot his foot into the pan, where was a
large piece in water, prepared for boiling ; but find-
ing the smart which lie had not expected, he with-
drew it, and forsook this piece which he held.

u There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoul-
der, lying upon a wooden platter ; into these he
trussed both his claws, and carried them off; but
I thought he looked wistfully at the large piece

392

EAGLE.

which remained in the warm water. Away he
went slowly along the ground as he had come. The
face of the cliff over which criminals are thrown
took him from our sight. The Mahometans that
drove the asses, who had, as we have already ob-
served in the course of the journey, suffered from
the hyaena, were much alarmed, and assured me of
his return. My servants, on the other hand, very
unwillingly expected him, and thought he had al-
ready more than his share.

“ As I had myself a desire of more intimate ac-
quaintance with him, I loaded a rifle gun with ball,
and sat down close to the platter by the meat. It
was not many minutes before he came, and a pro-
digious shout was raised by my attendants. He is
coming ! He is coming ! enough to have dis-
couraged a less courageous animal. Whether he
was not quite so hungry as at the first, or suspected
something from my appearance, I know not ; but
he made a small turn, and sat down about ten yards
from me, the pan with the meat being between me
and him. As the field was clear before me, and I
did not know but his next move might bring him
opposite to some of my people, and so that he might
actually get the rest of the meat and make off, I
shot him with the ball through the middle of his
body, about two inches below the wing, so that he
lay down upon the grass without a single flutter.
Upon laying hold of his monstrous carcase, I was
not a little surprised at seeing my hands covered
4lid tinged with yellow powder or dust. Upon

EAGLE.

393

turning him upon his belly, and examining the
feathers of his back, they produced a brown dust,
the colour of the feathers there. This dust was not
in small quantities; for, upon striking his breast,
the yellow powder flew about in greater quantity
than from a hair-dressers powder puff. The feathers
of the belly and breast, which were of a gold colour,
did not appear to have any thing extraordinary in
their formation; but the large feathers in the shoul-
der and w ings seemed apparently to be fine tubes,
which, upon pressure, scattered this dust upon the
finer part of the feather ; but this was brown, the
colour of the feathers of the back. Upon the side
of the wing, the ribs, or hard part of the feather,
seemed to be bare, as if worn, or I rather think
were renewing themselves, having before failed in
their functions.

What is the reason of this extraordinary pro-
vision of nature is not in my power to determine.
As it is an unusual one, it is probably meant for a
defence against the climate, in favour of those birds
which live in those almost inaccessible heights of a
country doomed even in its lower parts to several
months of excessive rain. The pigeons we saw upon
Lamalmon had not this dust in their feathers, nor
had the quails ; from which I guess these to be
strangers, or birds of passage, that had no need of
this provision, created for the wants of the indige-
nous, such as this eagle is, for he is unknown in the
low country. That same day I shot a heron, in no-
thing different from ours, only that he was smaller

EAGLE.

394

who had upon his breast and back a blue pow-
der in full as great quantity as that of the eagle.”

Mr. Collins, in his account of New South Wales,
mentions a bird which was taken near Broken Bay,
of a species never seen before in that country ; it
was a large eagle, which showed his strength by
driving his talons through a man’s foot, while lying
in the bottom of the boat with his legs tied to-
gether. He stood above three feet in height ; and
during the ten days he was a prisoner was remark-
able for refusing to be fed by any but one particular
person. Among the natives he was an object of
wonder and fear ; and our author assures us, that
they could never be prevailed upon to go near him.
They asserted that he would carry off a middling-
sized kanguroo. He had been intended to be sent
to England ; but one morning was found to have
divided the strands of the rope with which he was
fastened, and escaped.

The figure of the golden eagle, which accom-
panies this account, was drawn from a remarkable
fine specimen in the Leverian museum. The loss
to the world of that noble and extensive collec-
tion must for ever be severely felt by all those who,
like ourselves, have had occasion to make use of
its treasures.

Fubluh&L by Jfiefs™ CadcSL Sc Day iej. Ionian March j .lSoq .

HAWK.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Falco palumbarius. F. cera nigra, margine pedibusque flavis,

corpore fusco, rectricibus fasciis pallidis,
superciliis albis. Linn. Syst.Nat. Gmel. 1.

p. 269.

Cere black, legs yellow, body brown, tail
feathers crossed with pale bands, eye-
brows white.

Accipiter palumbarius. Aldr. Orn. 1.
p. 342. pi. 343.

Goshawk. . . . Buff. Birds, v. 1. p. 184. pi. 12. Penn.

Brit. Zool. v. 1. p. 184. pi. 24. Penn.
Arct. Zool. v. 2. p. 204. no. 99. Allin.
Av. 2. p. 8. t. 8. Will. Orn. p. 85. t. 3. 5.
Bew. Birds, p. 23.

When falconry was in fashion, the goshawk
ranked high for its spirit in the field. It is larger
in size, but of a more elegant and slender make, than
the common buzzard. The bill is blue with a black
tip ; the cere of a yellowish green. (Linnaeus says
black.) On the side of the neck is a bed of broken
white ; the head and parts above are of a deep
brown ; the breast and belly white, marked with
many transverse black and white bars ; the ash-
coloured tail is marked with four or five dusky bars.

HAWK.

396

This is not a common bird in England, but is
frequently seen in Scotland, where it is very de-
structive to game, dashing through the woods after
its quarry with great impetuosity. M. Button, who
had two of these hawks in his possession, says that
“ the female was at least a third larger than the male,
and its wings, when closed, did not reach within
six inches of the end of the tail ; it was more bulky
when full grown than a large capon. The count
observed, that though the male was much smaller
than the female, it was fiercer and more vicious.
They were both difficult to tame, and often fought
each other with their claws, turning upon their
back and defending themselves with their spread
talons. “ Though confined in the same cage, they
were never perceived to contract the least affection
for each other. They continued together a whole
summer, from the beginning of May to the end of
November, when the female in a violent fit of rase
murdered her mate, at nine or ten o’clock in the
evening, when the silence of night had soothed the
rest of the feathered race in profound repose. Their
dispositions are so bloody, that if a goshawk be left
with several falcons, it butchers them all one after
another. It appears to prefer the common and field
mice and small birds, and eagerly devours raw flesh,
but constantly declines meat that has been cooked,
though by long fasting it can be brought to over-
come this natural aversion.” This bird discovered
a constant uneasiness when any person approached,
nor could the cage even be passed where it was kept

HAWK. 397

without throwing it into violent agitations, and oc-
casioning repeated screams.

Mankind have discovered the secret of making
even the voracious quality of birds advantageous, by
employing them to hunt down those whose flesh
affords the most exquisite relish. For this sport,
the falcon, the gerfalcon, the lanner, the sacre, the
merlin, the sparrow-hawk, and the goshawk were
much esteemed. But the falcon and the hawk
were more frequently used than any of the rest.
The falcon was in such high repute, that the species
which inhabits Iceland was reserved exclusively for
the king of Denmark, who sent his falconer with
two attendants annually, to purchase them of the
inhabitants ; a certain number of whom were li-
censed to catch them. These people came every
year about midsummer, to a place appointed to
meet the royal falconer, and each brought ten or
twelve, capped, and perched on a cross pole, which
they carried on horseback, resting the end on the
stirrup. The falconer examined each bird, and for
those which he approved he gave the seller a writ-
ten certificate, which entitled him to receive from
the king’s receiver-general seventeen rix dollars for
the purest white falcon, ten for the least white, and
seven for the brown species. It is said that this
traffic alone brought to the island between two and
three thousand rix dollars annually.

Mr. Pennant has collected from Horrebow the
manner in which they are taken. Two posts are
fastened in the ground, not remote from their haunts.

398

HAWK.

To one is tied a ptarmigan, a pigeon, a cock, or
a hen, fastened to a cord that it may have means of
fluttering, and so attract the attention of the falcon.
On the other post is placed a net, distended on a
hoop, about six feet in diameter. Through this
post is introduced a string, above a hundred yards
long, which is fastened to the net, in order to pull
it down ; and another is fastened to the upper part
of the hoop, and goes through the post to which
the bait is tied. As soon as the falcon sees the fowl
flutter on the ground, he takes a few circles in the
air, to see if there is any danger, then darts on his
prey in such a violent manner as to strike off the
head as nicely as if it was done with a razor. He
then usually rises again, and takes another circle,
to explore the place a second time ; after which he
makes another stoop ; when, at the instant of de-
scending, the man pulls the dead bird under the
net, and, by means of the other cord, covers the
falcon at the moment it has seized the prey. The
person during this time remains concealed behind
some stones, or else lies flat on his belly, to elude
the sight of the falcon.

As soon as one is caught it is taken gently out
of the net, for fear of breaking any of the feathers
of the wings or tail, and a cap is placed over its
eyes. If any of the tail feathers are injured, the
falconers have the art of grafting others ; which, it
is said, has sometimes occasioned a needless multi-
plication of species.

The extraordinary reputation of the Iceland fai-

HAWK.

399

con confined it to kings, princes, and the higher
order of nobility, while the hawk fell to the share
of those of an inferior rank. At the time when
hawking was the favourite diversion, great care was
taken to train the birds properly for the sport ; and
as the manner in which it was done may not be
uninteresting to those who feel a regard for our
antient customs, we shall proceed to give some ac-
count of it.

The hawks which were brought up for this exer-
cise were either nias or hagard birds. Those were
called nias which had been taken in the nest ; the
hagards were those which had enjoyed their liberty
before they were caught. These last were tamed
with more difficulty; but patience and dexterity
succeeded in that particular, and, in terms of fal-
conry, made them tractable and fit for the fray.
When they were too wild, they were neither fed
nor suffered to sleep for three or four days and as
many nights, and were never left alone ; by which
means they grew familiar with the falconer, and
became obedient to all his commands. His princi-
pal care was to accustom them to settle on his fist ;
to spring when he threw them off ; to know his
voice, his singing, or any other signal he gave them ;
and to return when ordered to the fist. At first
they were tied with a string, of about thirty fa-
thoms in length, to prevent them from flying away
when they were reclaimed ; and they were not freed
from this confinement till they were completely
disciplined and always returned at command. To

400

HAWK.

accomplish this, the bird was lured. The lure is
a term used in falconry for a piece of red stuff or
wood, on which were fixed the bill, talons, and
wings of the particular bird they meant the hawk to
pursue ; such as a heron, a pigeon, or a quail ;
and on this lure the food they intended to give him
was always fixed, as an inducement for him to re-
turn when recalled. The sight of his beloved food,
with the addition of a certain noise, immediately
brought him back ; and this was continued for a
few times, after which the voice alone was suffi-
cient.

After three weeks’ or a month’s exercise in a gar-
den, or other enclosed place, the bird was car-
ried into the open fields, and little bells fastened
to his feet, that the falconer might be more readily
informed of his motions. He was always capped ;
that is to say, his head was covered with leather,
which fell down over his eyes, and prevented him
from seeing any object, but the one it was intended
he should pursue : as soon as the dogs sprung the
game they were in quest of, the falconer uncapped
the bird, and tossed him into the air after his prey.
This was a gratifying moment to the sportsmen,
who saw him wing his flight, and raise himself aloft,
till he diminished by degrees from their sight, and
was no longer visible. Here his keen eye enabled
him to contemplate the motions of his prey, whom
the distance of its enemy deluded into an imaginary
security, till at last he lanches upon it with the
rapidity of an arrow, and bears it to his anxious

HAWK.

401

master, who recalls him. They never failed to re-
ward his first essays with the neck and entrails of
the captured prey. These gratuities, added to the
caresses of the falconer, animated the bird to do his
duty, and particularly prevented him from bearing
away his bells; or flying off, so as to return no
more.

The hawk shows the most sport when flown at a
kite or heron ; for, instead of flying directly for-
wards like other birds, these, when threatened by
their enemy, rise as nearly perpendicularly as pos-
sible, their pursuer at the same time trying to rise
above them, till both gradually retire from the
sight of the spectators, and are at length lost in the
clouds. This, however, is only for a short time ;
they are presently seen descending, and struggling
together with all their might ; one using every art
to overcome its prey, the other making every effort
to escape from its enemy. The conflict is soon
over ; the victorious hawk returns to his master, and
is rewarded with a share of the spoil.

Falcons were sometimes trained to the barbarous
custom of what was called flying at the fur. When
the falcon was very tame, they took a live hare,
and broke one of his legs, or else they made use
of a hare’s skin stuffed with straw, with a piece
of chicken’s flesh, or whatever food the falcon was
most fond of, fixed to it. This skin was fastened to
the girth of a horse by a long string ; and as it was
dragged along, the bird, deluded by the sight, and
supposing it to be a hare, darted upon it ; and by

2 D

VOL. I.

402

HAWK.

this means frequently repeated, he was taught to
distinguish that animal.

They have even been taught to fly at the larger
wild animals. Gamelli Carreri mentions a person
who accustomed his young falcons betimes to eat
what was prepared for them, out of the sockets of
the eyes of a wolf, a boar, or some other wild beast ;
for which purpose, he preserved the head and skin
of the first animal he could kill, and stuffed it in
such a manner that the creature seemed to be alive,
and the falcons had nothing to eat but what they
picked out of the cavity of the eyes : after a certain
time, he began to move this figure gradually while
the falcon was feeding; and at length the bird learns
to fasten upon it, though the beast is drawn back-
wards and forwards with a very quick motion. The
certainty of losing his meal were he to quit his hold,
made him attentive to fix himself well on the skull,
that he might dig his bill into the eye, notwith-
standing the motion. When these first exercises
were over, the gentleman placed the carcass on a
cart, drawn by a horse in full speed, and followed
by the falcon, who continued feeding during the
whole time. Thus tutored, when they came to fly
him in the field, he never failed to dart on the first
beast he discovered, and immediately fastened on
his head in order to scoop out his eyes. This throws
the creature into agonies ; and whilst he is engaged
with the bird, the hunters have time to approach
and kill him without danger.

The diversion of hawking can be traced back in

HAWK.

403

England to the time of king Ethelbert, who died
in the year 7^0. He wrote into Germany for a
brace of falcons, which would fly at cranes and
bring them to the ground. This application makes
it evident that the sport was pursued in Germany
at that time ; from whence it in all probability got
footing in England, and became afterwards such a
favourite pastime, that “ it was thought sufficient
for noblemen’s sons to winde their horn and to carry
their hawk fair, and leave study and learning to the
children of mean people.” Even sanguinary laws
were enacted in the reign of Edward III., who made
the stealing of a hawk a capital punishment, and
imprisoned those a year and a day, who were de-
tected in taking the eggs, besides a penalty which
they were obliged to pay if his majesty thought fit.
These laws were mitigated in the days of Elizabeth,
when three months imprisonment excused the of-
fender, if he could find security for his good be-
haviour during seven years ; if not, he was even
obliged to remain in jail. In the reign of James
the First, the diversion was in such repute that sir
Thomas Monson is said to have given a thousand
pounds for a cast of hawks ; a prodigious sum in
those days, and beyond all reason, when we con-
sider that sir Anthony Pell, the master falconer and
keeper of his majesty’s hawks at that time, issued a
warrant dated January A. D. 1621, to prevent the
removal of those birds from the custom-house, which
were brought to the port of London, till after he or
his servants made choice of such as were fit for the

2 D 2

404

HAWK.

king ; and the prices paid for them, in the words
of the warrant, were as follows, viz. u for a faulcon
twenty six shillings and eight pence, for a tassel
gentle thirteene shillings and four pence, for a lan-
ner twentie six shillings and eight pence, for a lan-
nerett thirteene shillings and four pence, for a gos-
hawke twentie shillings, for a tassel of a goshawke
thirteene shillings and four pence, for a gerfaulkon
thirtie shillings, for a jerkin thirteene shillings and
four pence.”

We shall dismiss this genus of birds with an
anecdote of the common buzzard ; who, from his
sluggish and inactive disposition, is more readily
tamed than the spirited goshawk. “ In 1/63,” says
M. Fontaine in a letter to the count de Bufifon, “a
buzzard was brought to me that had been taken in a
snare. It was at first extremely wild and unpromis-
ing. I undertook to tame it ; and I succeeded, by
leaving it to fast, and constraining it to come and
eat out of my hand. By pursuing this plan, I
brought it to be very familiar ; and after having
shut it up about six weeks, I began to allow it a
little liberty, taking the precaution, however, to
tie both pinions of its wings. In this condition it
walked out into my garden, and returned when I
called it to feed. After some time, when I judged
that I could trust to its fidelity, I removed the liga-
tures, and fastened a small bell, an inch and a half
in diameter, above its talon, and also attached on the
breast a bit of copper having my name engraved
on it. I gave it entire liberty, which it soon abused;

HAWK

405

for it took wing and flew as far as the forest of
Belesme. I gave it up for lost; but four hours
after, I saw it rush into my hall, which was open,
pursued by five other buzzards, who had constrained
it to seek again its asylum.

u After this adventure, it ever preserved its fide-
lity to me, coming every night to sleep on my win-
dow ; it grew so familiar as to seem to take singular
pleasure in my company. It attended constantly
at dinner, sat on a corner of the table, and very
often caressed me with its head and bill, emitting a
weak sharp cry, which, however, it sometimes
softened. It is true that I alone had this privilege.
It one day followed me when 1 was on horseback,
more than two leagues, flying above my head.

“ It had an aversion both to dogs and cats; nor
was it in the least afraid of them : it had often tough
battles with them, but always came off victorious.
I had four very strong cats, which I collected into
my garden with my buzzard ; I threw to them a bit
of raw flesh ; the nimblest cat seized it, the rest
pursued ; but the bird darted upon her body, bit
her ears with his bill, and squeezed her sides with
his talons so forcibly, that the cat was obliged to
relinquish her prize. Often another cat snatched it
the instant it dropped ; but she suffered the same
treatment, till the buzzard got entire possession of the
plunder. He was so dexterous in his defence, that,
wherj he perceived himself assailed at once by the
four cats, he took wing, and uttered a cry of exultation.

406

HAWK.

At last, the cats, chagrined with their repeated dis-
appointment, would no longer contend.

cf This buzzard had a singular antipathy : he
would not suffer a red cap on the head of any of the
peasants ; and so alert was he in whipping it off,
that they found their heads bare without knowing
what was become of their caps. He also snatched
wigs, without doing any injury ; and he carried
these caps and wigs to the tallest tree in a neigh-
bouring park, which was the ordinary deposit of his

e( He would suffer no other bird of prey to enter
his domain; he attacked them very boldly, and put
them to flight. He did no mischief in my court-
yard ; and the poultry, which at first dreaded him,
grew insensibly reconciled to him. The chickens
and ducklings received not the least harsh usage ;
and yet he bathed among the latter. But, what is
singular, he was not gentle to my neighbours’ poul-
try; and I was often obliged to publish that I would
pay for the damage he might occasion. However,
he was frequently fired at, and at different times re-
ceived fifteen musket shots without suffering any
fracture. But once, early in the morning, hovering
over the skirts of a forest, he dared to attack a fox,
and the keeper, seeing him on the shoulders of the
fox, fired two shots at him : the fox was killed, and
the buzzard had his wing broken ; yet notwithstand-
ing this fracture he escaped from the keeper, and
was lost seven days. This man, having discovered

HAWK.

40/

from the noise of the bell that he was my bird,
came next morning to inform me. I sent to make
search near the spot ; but the bird could not be
found, nor did it return till seven days after. I had
been used to call him every evening with a whistle,
which he did not answer for six days ; but on the
seventh I heard a feeble cry at a distance, which I
judged to be that of my buzzard. I repeated the
whistle a second time, and heard the same cry. I
went to the place from whence the sound came ;
and at last found my poor buzzard with his wing
broken, who had travelled more than half a league
on foot to regain his asylum, from which he was
then distant about a hundred and twenty paces.
Though he was extremely reduced, he gave me
many caresses. It. was six weeks before he was re-
cruited, and his wounds were healed ; after which,
he began to fly as before, and follow his old habits
for about a year ; he then disappeared for ever. I
am convinced that he was killed by accident, and
that he would not have forsaken me from choice.”

OWL.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Strong hooked bill, naked at the base.

Head large and round.

Tongue cleft.

Feathers round the face disposed in a circular form.
Outmost toe capable of being turned back, and answering
the purpose of a hind toe.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Strix Bubo. , , S, corpore fusco. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1.

p. 28b.

Body brown.

Bubo maximus nigri et fusci coloris. Sib.
Soot- 14.

Le grand Due. Briss. 1. 332.

Great-eared Owl. Buff. Birds, l. p. 2/0. pi. 22. Lath. Syn.

1. p. 116. no. 1. Eagle Owl. Penn,
Brit. Zool. 1. no. 64. pi. 19. Will. Orn.

p. gg. t. 12. •

This is by far the largest owl of the species, and
haunts old deserted towers that are situated near
mountains ; or else fixes its gloomy abode among

ZuJblisTuuL T>y Mcfs™ CadeQ, & JDavics. London Mai' chi j.8 or/ .

OWL.

409

the battlements of some ruined castle, or in the
deep recess of some excavated rock, from whence it
seldom ventures into the plains, but seeks its prey
in the neighbourhood of its abode, increasing the
natural horrors of the place by its frightful noc-
turnal shrieks.

The great-eared owl has been shot in Scotland
and in Yorkshire ; but it is a very scarce bird in
England, and by no means common in France. It
is said, however, to abound in some parts of Europe
and America, particularly about Hudson’s Bay, from
whence it stretches as far as Kamtschatka, and even
proceeds to the northward till it crosses the arctic
circle. It is but little inferior in size to the eagle: the
head and body are marked with lines and spots of
black, brown, and rust colour ; the tail is short, and
ribbed with dusky bars ; the thick legs are covered to
the very end of the toes with soft light-brown fea-
thers ; the claws are black, strong, and hooked.

Moles, rabbits, rats, and mice, are equally the
objects of this creature’s pursuit. Of these, the
rabbit and the rat are too large to be managed at a
mouthful ; but the moles and the mice are swal
lowed whole, bones, hair, and all. Of this we are
assured by Frisch, who had some of these birds
alive. “ If mice were thrown to them, they crushed
the bones with their bill, then swallowed them one
after another, sometimes to the number of five.”
After they have extracted all the nutriment from
their food, the indigestible part of it is rejected
through the bill in the shape of round pellets.

410

OWL.

which are often found in their haunts. They
build a nest near three feet in diameter, composed
of small branches of dry wood, interwoven with
pliant roots and strewed with leaves. One or two
eggs, rather bigger than those of the hen, are com-
monly found in a nest ; it is a rare thing to meet
with three. When the young make their appear-
ance the parents have enough to do. Food must be
provided to satisfy their excessive voracity ; and
bats, snakes, lizards, toads, and frogs, are swal-
lowed indiscriminately, So vigilant, indeed, are
the parents in pursuit of sustenance for their off-
spring, that they even fight with the buzzards for
the sake of their plunder, which, when victorious,
they carry away to their nests.

A curious instance is related in the Stockholm
Philosophical Transactions, of the care these birds
take of their young, even when removed from their
presence. M. Cronstedt resided several years on a
farm in Sudermania, near a steep mountain, on
whose summit two eagle owls had built their nests :
one of the young ones, which had wandered away
from the nest, was caught by some of the servants,
and brought to their master, who shut it in a large
hen-coop. The next morning a dead partridge was
found lying close to the door of the coop ; which
M. Cronstedt justly concluded had been brought by
the anxious parents, who probably in the night-
time heard the cry of their lost young one, and
were thus led to the place of its confinement. This
was afterwards put beyond a doubt, as the same

OWL.

411

mark of attachment was repeated for fourteen nights
successively. The game which the old ones car-
ried to it was chiefly young partridges, for the most
part newly killed, but sometimes a little spoiled.
A moor-fowl was once brought so fresh as to be still
warm under the wings. At another time they
procured the prisoner a piece of lamb ; but as this
was in a putrid state, it was supposed they brought
it for want of something better. This singular
instance of attachment excited the curiosity of
M. Cronstedt, who sat up with his servant, several
nights, in order to observe, if possible, when this
supply was deposited. But these sharp-sighted
owls were not to be deceived ; they knew they
were watched, and no longer paid their nocturnal
visits to the hen-coop, This was evident, from the
usual food being left the yery night they ceased to
watch them, The young owl was taken in duly,
and in the month of August the parents discontinued
their attendance, it being the usual time when
they abandon their young to their own exertions.
From this instance, we may readily suppose that
these birds must be very unwelcome visitors in a
sporting country, since they destroy such a quantity
of game during the time they are employed in rear-
ing their young.

The great-eared owl has been occasionally used
by falconers to deceive the kite, when they want
to catch that bird and train him for the sport.
Up on this occasion they clap the tail of a fox upon
the great owl to render his figure extraordinary :

412

OWL.

in this ridiculous dress he skims along the surface
of the ground, and alights on the plain, while the-
kite advances to observe his odd appearance, and
generally hovers about unguarded, till he is either
surprised by the falconer, or caught by a strong-
winged hawk provided for the purpose. This owl
differs from the rest of the species, in being better
able to support the light of day ; for he leaves his
haunts earlier in the evening, and returns later in
the morning.

The whole of the owl tribe make a hideous noise,
which is seldom heard while pursuing their prey,
but has been considered rather as a call to courtship.
However this may be, there is always something
terrifying in this call, which is often heard in the
silence of midnight, and breaks the general pause
with a horrid variation. It differs in all, but in
each it is alarming and disagreeable. Father Kir-
cher, who has set the voices of birds to music, has
given all the tones of the owl note, which makes a
most tremendous melody. The light, which gives
life and spirit to other birds, is by these most care-
fully avoided. They never permit it to be a spec-
tator of their actions; and while the sun continues
above the horizon, they conceal themselves in the
deepest and most gloomy recesses, where they wait
the return of night, that they may steal out of their
prisons and pursue their prey. When this pursuit
is successful, they soon return to their haunts; but
it sometimes happens, when they find but little
game, that their appetite gets the better of their

QWL.

413

prudence, and they continue searching for food till
they are surprised by the morning sun, which
breaks upon their sight, and so dazzles and confounds
them that they are obliged to avail themselves of
the first tree or hedge that offers, to escape from
the glare. Here they must remain with patience
till the evening once more allows them to see their
way. If unfortunately all their precautions to con-
ceal themselves from other birds should be defeated,
there is at once a general association against them,
and they are sure to receive no mercy. All unite
in the general cause ; and those who would fly from
this unfortunate bird with the greatest terror in the
season when he could defend himself, are now the
first to show their contempt, and employ their lit-
tle arts of insult and abuse. They surround him
with loud cries ; flap him with their wings, and are
ready to show their courage to be great, as they
are sensible that their danger is but small. Asto-
nished and dizzy, the wretched owl is obliged to sit
and suffer all their insults ; to which he can only
reply by turning his head and rolling his eyes with
an air of stupidity. An owl cannot show himself
by day without setting the whole neighbourhood
in an uproar ; if he should attempt to fly, the noise
is increased, and the consciousness of their own se-
curity is enough to make all the little birds assist
each other in tormenting the common foe. How-
ever, it sometimes happens that his pursuers pay
dear for their amusement ; for, when they hunt him
till the evening begins to close, and his faculties to

414

OWL.

return, the foremost of his enemies is sure to be-
come his prey. The bird-catchers profit by this
public and declared aversion; for, having previously
smeared the branches of a hedge with bird-lime,
they conceal themselves, and, by imitating the owl,
draw together a number of little birds, who, instead
of avenging themselves upon their inveterate enemy,
are stuck fast in the hedge.

None of this tribe of birds have made so strong
an impression upon the superstitious minds of the
vulgar as the white owl, whose habits and voice
conspire to make him an object of terror. Towers,
belfries, the roofs of churches, and other lofty
buildings, afford this creature a retreat during the
day, where he remains snoring like a man who
sleeps with his mouth open, till the evening is suf-
ficiently advanced for him to seek his prey. About
twilight this owl is seen flitting about the church-
yards, and screeching most tremendously ; which,
joined to the awfulness of the scene, re-echoed from
the tombs and cloysters in the stillness of the night,
inspire dread and terror in the minds of all those
who are under the influence of prejudice, and who
believe in omens, witchcraft, and apparitions. This
bird has long been considered by them as the mes-
senger of death ; and they are impressed with an
idea, that if it perches upon a house and begins to
scream, the inhabitant will soon be numbered with
the dead.

ff Perched on the roof the bird of night complains.

In lengthened shrieks, and dire funereal strains.”

OWL.

415

This is widely different from the opinion enter-
tained of the white owl by the Mongol and Kal-
muc Tartars, who almost pay it divine honours, be-
cause they attribute to this species the preservation
of the founder of their empire, Cingis Khan. That
prince with his small army happened to be surprised
and put to flight by his enemies, and forced to
conceal himself in a little coppice ; an owl settled
on the bush under which he was hid, and induced
his pursuers not to search there, as they thought it
impossible any man could be concealed in a place
where that bird would perch. From henceforth,
says Mr. Pennant, they held it to be sacred, and
every one wore a plume of the feathers of this spe-
cies on his head.

M. Buffon assures us, that these owls will not
live in a state of confinement. He caught several
by placing a small net at the holes where they lodge
in old buildings : but they refused all nourishment,
and, after being shut up ten or twelve days in the
aviary, died of hunger. In the day-time they re-
mained quite motionless upon the floor ; but in the
evening they mounted the highest perch and began
their hissing noise. The count supposed this note
to be designed as a call for their old companions
without, as they were frequently visited by others
who came and perched upon the roof of the aviary,
where they made the same dismal hissing, and soon
after permitted themselves to be taken in a net.

Some of the species, and particularly this kind,
are of great service to the farmer in clearing his

41 6

OWL.

bams of mice ; and as the young of these birds are
a long time in the nest, and are fed even after they
can fly, many hundreds of mice must be procured
for their subsistence. This is evident from the
great quantity of bones and fur, which is sometimes
found in their haunts in the form of small pellets.
A gentleman, on grubbing up an old pollard ash
that had been the habitation of owls for many
generations, found at the bottom many bushels of
this rejected stuff.

We shall conclude this account with an anecdote
of the little owl,* which is about the size of a black-
bird, and whose note resembles the voice of a young
man, who repeatedly calls heme , edme. It resides
among solitary ruins, caverns, and old deserted
castles ; where, during the night, it continues, at
intervals, its singular cry, and heme, edme is re-
echoed from different parts of the building. u Hap-
pening,” says Buffon, to sleep in one of the old
turrets in the castle of Montbard, a little owl
alighted on the window-frame, and before day-break,
at three o’clock in the morning, awakened me with
its cry, heme , edme. As I was listening to this sound,
which was the more remarkable as it was close be-
side me, I heard one of my servants who slept in
the room over mine open the window, and, deceived
by the resemblance of the scream edme, call out,
Who's there below f My name is not Edme ; it is Peter."

* Strix passerina. Linn.

SHRIKE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill strong, and hooked at the end.

Each side of the upper mandible marked with a notch.
Tongue jagged as if torn at the extremity.

The outermost toe joined to the middle one as far as the first
joint.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Lanius Excubitor. L. cauda cuneiformi lateralius alba, dorso

cano, alis nigris, macula alba. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1 . p. 300.

Tail wedge-shaped, with white sides, back
hoary, wings black, marked with a white
band.

Lanius cinereus. Briss. Av . 2. p. 141.
Greater Butcher-bird, or Mattagess.
Will. Orn. p. 87. pi. 10. Alb. Av. 2.
pi. 13.

Great Shrike. . Buff. Birds, 1. p. 239. pi. 20. Brit. Zool.l.

no. 7l.pl. 33. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 378.
no. 127. Lath. Syn. 1. p. 160. no. 4.
Bew. Birds, p. 58.

The savage habits of this little creature have pro-
cured it the name of the butcher-bird ; and indeed
it seems well entitled to this appellation, when we

2 E

VOL. I.

418

SHRIKE.

consider its singular manner of killing and devouring
its prey. It will seize small birds by the throat, and
strangle them ; after which it fixes them on a thorn,
and then pulls them to pieces with its bill. This
made the Germans call it the wurch angel, or suffo-
cating angel. The Russians tame these birds for
the diversion they afford them in killing their prey.
They stick a rod with a sharp point into the wall
of a room, on which the shrike perches, and turn
loose a small bird, which the butcher instantly
seizes by the throat, strangles, and then spits it on
the point of the stick, drawing it on with its claws
and bill. In this manner it serves as many as are
put into the room, and afterwards eats them, thus
impaled, at its leisure.

This species of shrike is about the size of a thrush,
and has a strong hooked bill, well calculated for the
office which nature has appointed it to perform.
These birds breed among the hills, either on the
ground, or on the loftiest trees. Their nest is made
with heath and moss, and lined with wool and
gossamer ; this they generally fasten to the triple
cleft of a branch. In this warm bed of down the
female deposits five or six little eggs of a dull olive-
green, spotted at the thickest end with black ; and
as soon as the young make their appearance, she
provides for them a meal of caterpillars and other
insects : in a little time, however, she leaves this
simple food and instructs them in carnage, teaching
them to eat bits of flesh, which her mate brings
with wonderful care and attention. The character

SHRIKE.

419

we have already given of this bird does not seem to,
admit of much maternal tenderness ; and yet, very
different from the other birds of prey, which expel
their helpless brood, the shrike treats her infant
young with the most tender affection, and even
after they are grown continues her regard towards
them. As the autumn approaches, the offspring
assist the parents in providing for their common
support; and this family compact continues to exist
during the winter; nor is the harmony of it disturbed,
till the genial influence of spring calls them to new
pursuits, and excites them to form other unions.

These little creatures are very spirited, and their
intrepidity is such that they will frequently attack
birds of prey much larger than themselves, especially
if the intruders dare to approach their nest. When-
ever they are molested during the time of incuba-
tion, or while their young require protection, they
rush upon the enemy, and, making all the noise they
are able, generally drive him off the field ; though
it sometimes happens that they fall to the ground
with the bird they have so furiously fixed upon,
and in that case the battle is seldom concluded
without at least the death of one of the combat-
ants.

In the fourth volume of the American Philoso-
phical Transactions, there is a paper by Mr. Hecke-
welder, giving an account of what in that country
they call the nine-killer. This is only another name
for the shrike, which they have given him from a

2 e 2

420

SHRIKE.

supposition that he sticks up nine grasshoppers in
succession. This information the above gentleman
received, upon inquiring the reason why so many
grasshoppers were spitted upon the sharp thorny
branches of some trees in his orchard. From these
insects being frequently left untouched for a con-
siderable time, it is supposed that the wily bird
sticks them there to allure other prey to the spot,
that in the end he may feed upon something more
substantial than a grasshopper.

#

iblishcd by OidcZb Sc DaA'iej .Zondon, Afarchj-.i doj

PIES.

PARROT.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Strong hooked bill ; upper mandible moveable.

Tongue large, blunt, rounded, and fleshy.

Four toes on each foot; two placed forwards and two
backwards.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Psittacus MOLirccENSis. Ps. albus in colorem dilute roseum in-

clinans, crista subtus rubra, rectri-
cibus lateralibus intus a basi ad me-
dium usque sulphureis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel , 1 . p. 33 1 .

White inclining to a pale rose-colour,
the Crest red underneath ; the side
tail feathers, from the base to the
middle, are of a brimstone-colour on
the inner webs.

Cacatua rubro cristata. Briss. Av. 4.
p. 209. no. 10.

Molucca, or Great Lath. Syn. 1. p. 2 57 • no. 02. Buff.
red-crested. Cockatoo. Birds, v. 6. p. 85. Ediu. Av. 4.

t. 160.

The beautiful crest of the eockatoo gives him
a picturesque appearance, and an expression of dig-

422

PARROT.

nity that is not to be found in the rest of this most
extensive tribe. These birds spread through the
southern parts of India, where they are found in
inconceivable numbers. They are gentle in their
manners, and are attentive and obedient, but not
so easily taught as other parrots. They scream
abominably, and sometimes are not to be pacified
without a piece of bread or other food being given
them. One of these birds, perched in the great
room at Exeter ’Change, continued to squall almost
incessantly during the time we were there ; and, as
if his note was inspiring, the other animals some-
times joined their voices, so that the full concert
was hardly to be endured. The forests in the tro-
pical countries swarm with parrots, who live chiefly
on fruit and seeds. They go in flocks of immense
numbers, and are excessively noisy, particularly
during their flight. They generally breed in hol-
low trees, where they lay two or three speckled
eggs ; and we are assured that the natives of these
countries are particularly vigilant to discover where
the parrot nestles, that they may secure the young
birds, and bring them up for sale. The natural
harsh tone of the parrot is often much improved
by education ; and his imitative property, while it
excites our wonder, implies a peculiarity in the
organs of the voice, and a strength of mechanical
recollection that is not to be equalled by any other
bird. Accordingly we find sufficient room in the
bill for the tongue to play freely, and, from its singu-
lar form and great capacity, it is well calculated to

PARROT,

423

assist the tongue in the modulation of sounds. To
this power to imitate the human voice the par-
rot joins a fixed attention to what is said, which
greatly facilitates his purpose, and enables him to
repeat the words of others. When taken very young
they are capable of great improvement, and show
astonishing instances of memory. Rhodiginus
mentions one that recited correctly the apostles’
creed. This bird belonged to a cardinal. We
should suppose the attachment of these creatures to
be merely mechanical, if we quote the note com-
municated to the Count de Euffon by Madame
Nadault, his sister, who had a parrot that was ex-
cessively fond of the cook-maid, and followed her
every where. If she had been absent for any
time, the bird would, on her return, climb to her
shoulders, and lavish his caresses upon her with
every appearance of fondness. While the girl
was ill of a slight wound, which was tedious in
the healing, the parrot never failed to visit her
chamber the first thing every morning, and to con-
tinue his attention during the cure. Yet this strong
predilection for the girl seems to have been more
directed to her office in the kitchen than her per-
son ; for, when another cook-maid succeeded to her,
the parrot showed the same degree of fondness the
very first day.

This indiscriminate regard seems only to apply to
their attachment to us, which must be always arti-
ficial ; it does not operate in any degree to diminish
the opinion we may entertain of their natural afifec-

424

PARROT*

tion towards each other, of which so strong an in-
stance is related by Bonnet.

A male and female of the little red-headed spe-
cies were lodged together in a large square cage.
The vessel which held their food was placed at the
bottom. The male usually sat on the same perch
as the female, and close beside her. Whenever one
descended for food the other always followed ; and
when their hunger was satisfied, they returned to-
gether to the highest perch of the cage. They
passed four years together in this state of confine-
ment ; and from their mutual attentions and satis-
factions, it was evident that a strong affection for
each other had been excited. At the end of this
period the female fell into a state of languor, which
had every appearance of old age ; her legs swelled,
and knots appeared upon them. It was no longer
possible for her to descend and take her food as for-
merly ; but the male assiduously brought it to her,
carrying it in his bill and delivering it into hers.
He continued to feed her in this manner with the
utmost vigilance during four months. The infir-
mities of his mate, however, increased every day ;
and at length she became no longer able to sit upon
the perch : she remained now crouched at the bot-
tom, and from time to time made a few useless
efforts to regain the lower perch ; while the male,
who remained close by her, seconded these her
feeble attempts with all his power. Sometimes he
seized with his bill the upper part of her wing ;
sometimes he took hold of her bill, and attempted

PARROT.

425

to raise her up, repeating his efforts for that pur-
pose several times. All his actions indicated a strong
desire to aid the weakness of his companion, and
alleviate her sufferings. When the female was on
the point of expiring, her unfortunate partner
seemed exceedingly agitated. He went round and
round her without ceasing, redoubled his assiduities,
and attempted to open her bill, in order to give her
some nourishment : his emotions increased when
he found this was impossible, and at intervals he
uttered the most plaintive cries ; at other times re-
garding her with a fixed attention. His faithful
companion at length expired, and was followed in a
few months by her mate, who pined for her loss
till his death.

We are assured by Labat that the parakeets in
Brasil are the most beautiful as well as the most
talkative birds in nature. They are very tame, and
seem fond of mankind ; they often talk with him
in their noicy manner, and appear resolved to have
the last word. Their flesh is the most delicate
imaginable, and highly esteemed by the natives.
They swarm in the woods ; but as they are green,
and exactly the colour of the leaves among which
they sit, the fowler only hears their prattle, without
being able to see a single bird. The coincidence of
colour between their bodies and the surrounding
foliage would secure them effectually from the
fowler, if they would but be quiet. Unfortunately,
however, for these little animals, they are restless
and ever on the wing, so that in flying from one

426

PARROT.

tree to another he has but too frequent opportunities
of destroying them. They chiefly feed on berries ;
and as soon as one tree is stripped, a messenger
flies off* to another ; and if that will afford a repast,
he calls the rest by a particular note, which they all
immediately obey. This opportunity is embraced
by the fowler, who fires in among the flock while
they are yet on the wing, and seldom fails to bring
down a part of them. When they see their com-
panions fall they make a hideous noise, as if they
were chiding the destroyer ; this they continue to
do without ceasing till they see him preparing to
fire again.

We have already observed that the savages gene-
rally take the parrots in their nest, as they are ea-
sily reared, and soon educated. But the Caribbs, ac-
cording to Labat, catch them also after they are
old : they observe the trees on which they perch in
great numbers in the evening, and after dark they
carry some lighted coals to the spot, on which they
throw gum and green pimento : the birds, involved
and stifled in the thick smoke, fall to the ground,
and are seized by the savages, who tie their feet to-
gether, and recover their lost senses by throwing-
water on their heads. They have another way of
bringing down the parrots without hurting them
much, by shooting them with very long arrows
headed with a ball of cotton. However, the old
birds thus caught are very difficult to tame, and
these people have but one method to render them
tractable : this is by blowing the smoke of tobacco

PARROT.

427

into their bill, which makes them very sick and
faint, and renders them gentle and pliant. If they
grow mutinous again, the dose is repeated, and
thus in a little time their dispositions are softened.
This severe discipline is highly necessary to correct
their envenomed temper; for they bite most cruelly
without provocation, and can hardly be made to quit
their hold. However, the tobacco smoke seems to
be a sovereign remedy, and is always produced upon
these occasions.

The feathers of these birds, as well as their bodies,
are an article of traffic among the savages. They
claim a certain number of trees on which the par-
rots make their nests. This is a kind of property,
from which they derive an income by selling the
birds and bartering their feathers. These trees de-
scend from father to son, and are often their richest
inheritance.

Th is climate is too cold for the parrot’s warm con-
stitution ; for, although he bears our winter, and
will live with us a considerable time, yet he always
seems sensible of its rigour, and will frequently
creep near the fire, and appear perfectly sensible of
the comfort which he derives from the heat. He
has been known to live in this country more
than thirty years, and frequently will reach to
fifteen or twenty years if properly taken care of.
Indeed we have little to complain of on this head,
as too much time is often trifled away in instructing
an animal which at best can only be made to mock
its mistress.

428

PARROT.

The following remarks of Dr. Goldsmith, upon
this subject, may be here introduced with great
propriety :

“ The extreme sagacity and docility of the bird
may plead as the best excuse for those who spend
whole hours in teaching their parrots to speak ; and
indeed the bird on these occasions seems the wiser
animal of the two . It at first obstinately resists all
instruction; but seems to be won by perseverance,
makes a few attempts to imitate the first sounds,
and when it has got one word distinct, all the suc-
ceeding come with great facility. The bird gene-
rally learns most in those families where the master
or mistress has the least to do ; and becomes more
expert in proportion as its instructors are idly assi-
duous. In going through the towns of France
some time since, I could not help observing how
much plainer their parrots spoke than ours, and how
very distinctly I understood their parrots speak French,
wrhen I could not understand our own, though they
spoke my native language. I was at first for ascribing
it to the different qualities of the two languages, and
was for entering into an elaborate discussion on the
vowels and consonants ; but a friend that wras with
me solved the difficulty* at once, by assuring me
that the French women scarcely did any thing else
the whole day than sit and instruct their feathered
pupils ; and that the birds were thus distinct in their
lessons in consequence of continual schooling.”

“The ease with which this bird is taught to speak,”
continues the same author, “ and the great number

PARROT.

429

of words it is capable of repeating, are very sur-
prising. We are assured by a grave writer, that
one of them was taught to repeat a whole sonnet
from Petrarch ; and that I may not be wanting in
my instance, I have seen a parrot belonging to a
distiller, who had suffered pretty largely in his cir-
cumstances from an informer who lived opposite to
him, very ridiculously employed. This bird was
taught to pronounce the ninth commandment,
“ Thou shall not bear false ivilness against thy neigh-
bour” with a clear, loud, articulate voice. The
bird was generally placed in its cage over against
the informer’s house, and delighted the whole
neighbourhood witlvits persevering exhortations.”

The society which the parrot forms with man by
the use of speech, is more intimate and pleasing
that what the monkey can claim from its antic
imitations of our gestures and actions. This bird’s
play of language without meaning is exceedingly
whimsical, and his conversation is sometimes more
amusing, without being more nonsensical, than
much other talk. The Count de Buffon mentions
a parrot which grew old with its master, and shared
with him the infirmities of age. Being accustomed'
to hear scarce any thing but the words I am sick,
Je suis malade ; when a person asked it. How d'ye,
Poll, how d'ye t (Qu’as-tu, perroquet, qu’as-tu?) Iam
sick, it replied with a doleful voice, stretching it-
self over the fire, I am sick, Je suis malade.

It is very uncommon for parrots to breed in our
temperate climates, but there are some instances of

430

PARROT.

their being reared in France. M. de la Pigeoniere
had a cock and hen in the town of Marmande, in
Agenois, which hatched regularly each spring, for
five or six years, and the young parrots lived and
were brought up by the parents. Each hatch con-
sisted of four eggs, three of which succeeded. The
birds were shut in a room with nothing but a barrel
open at top and filled with saw-dust ; sticks were
fastened on the outside, that the male might scram-
ble up and sit beside the hen. In entering the
room it was necessary to wear boots, for the male
would not suffer any one to approach his mate with-
out flying furiously at him.

Such instances as these, however, are very rare :
therefore the well authenticated account of a parrot
hatched at Rome, as related in the second volume
of the Annals of Philosophy, from the Journal de
Physique, is highly deserving of attention. The
following is the account :

In the year 1786, M. Passeri, of Rome, bought
at Marseilles a female parrot, of the Amazonian
tribe, and some months afterwards was presented at
Avignon with a male of the same kind. He put
these together, but without chaining them by the
leg, or affixing any other badge of slavery, and
suffered them to walk about the room at their ease.
They often rested on the common perch; but some-
times they retired during the night to a large iron
cage, which was never shut, and in all other places
where they afterwards were, they enjoyed the fullest
liberty. From the first moment they met they

Parrot.

431

manifested a very striking attachment to each other;
and their friendship was so remarkable, that, if they
were separated only a few minutes, they exhibited
the greatest agitation, sending forth piercing cries,
and never becoming quiet till they were put to-
gether again. When M. Passeri first became pos-
sessed of them, they had attained their full growth,
but he was unable to determine their age. The
male distinctly pronounced several French words,

and continued to do so ; the female on the contrary

«/

made only a shrill cry, and prated a good deal with-
out pronouncing a single word. These birds travel-
led with their master to different parts of Italy,
making their journey separately confined in a small
wooden box, called by the French a sabot. The
female has laid eggs several times : the first was at
Forti, six years ago. She laid two, in a trough
near a kitchen chimney, and continued to sit on
them notwithstanding the noise of people passing
and repassing, and the unforeseen circumstance
which obliged Mr. Passeri to change his abode. The
second time was at Valentano. The bird then laid
two eggs in the corner of a room, without preparing
any nest. She sat on them some days, but it was
thought advisable afterwards to put them under a
pigeon : notwithstanding they were covered some
time, they were not hatched. She laid a third
time, about the middle of May 1800. The num-
ber of eggs was the same as before ; they were laid
on the ground, and some days afterwards were found
broken; whether in consequence of any inter-

432

PARROT.

ference of the male, or by what particular means,
was not ascertained : however, in the beginning of
June, the parrot laid two more eggs ; but this time
she deposited them in an earthen vase, half filled
with cinders, which was on the ground, just within
a door that concealed the bird while sitting. She
sat forty days, and on the fifteenth of July an egg
was hatched, but the young one died the next day.
M. Passeri, wishing to prove the birth of a parrot at
Rome, carried it to the hospital of San Spirito; but
it was found too far advanced in putrefaction, and
was therefore thrown away : it was seen, however,
by several surgeons’ pupils who were present. The
fourth, or, to speak more correctly, the fifth time
the female produced, she laid three eggs in the
same vessel, or scaldino, filled with ashes, and
standing in the door-way as the year before. The
incubation continued forty days, and on the twenty-
fourth of June a young bird came forth. Some
days afterwards the other eggs were thrown away, as
being unproductive. This infant parrot remained
almost naked the first fifteen days ; but afterwards
the small gray quills of the wings began to show
themselves, and by the twentieth of August (that
is to say, at the end of about two months,) the bird
was completely clothed. It was the fourteenth of
July before the parrot began to open its eyes ; and
when it was well furnished with plumage, the mo-
ther, who had constantly slept in the nest, forsook
it, and returned to the male as usual. On the
twenty-fifth of August the young parrot slept out of

PARROT.

433

the nest. The following fact deserves particular at-
tention : M. Passeri, observing the growth of the
young parrot, and fearing lest the scaldino should
be too small to hold the mother and her young one,
took a basket lined with feathers, &c., and put it
in the place of the scaldino, behind the door. The
mother went and seated herself in it immediately,
and appeared to be very well satisfied with the new
habitation ; but some hours after she began to cut
away one side of the basket with her bill, and in
three days accomplished her job, having made an
opening of four or five inches in the lower part, and
six or seven in the upper. The osier was cut as
neatly as if the sharpest knife had been employed.
There can be no doubt that the mother’s object was
to facilitate the departure of the young bird from
the basket, when he had acquired the requisite
strength in his legs. When this account was writ-
ten the young bird was growing very fast, and it
was supposed he would exceed his parents in size.

Among the many parrots that have been im-
ported into this country, we have not heard of any
whose imitative talent could be compared with the
one which colonel O’Kelly purchased at Bristol.
He gave a hundred guineas for the bird, which not
only repeated a great number of sentences, and
answered many questions, but was also able to
whistle many tunes. It appeared to have an accu-
rate ear for music, would beat time while it whistled
a tune ; and if by chance it mistook a note, it would
revert to the bar where the mistake was made, and,

2 F

VOL. i.

43 4

PARROT.

still beating regular time, would finish the tune
with wonderful accuracy. The death of this ex-
traordinary bird was thus announced in the General
Evening Post, for the ninth of October, 1802: “A
few days ago died, in Half-moon street, Piccadilly,
the celebrated parrot of colonel O’ Kelly. This
singular bird sang a number of songs in perfect
time and tune. She could express her wants arti-
culately, and give her orders in a manner nearly
approaching to rationality. Her age was not known;
it was, however, more than thirty years, for pre-
viously to that period Mr. O’Kelly bought her at
Bristol for a hundred guineas. The colonel was
repeatedly oflfered five hundred guineas a-year for
the bird, by persons who wished to make a pub-
lic exhibition of her ; but this, out of tenderness
to the favourite, he constantly refused. The bird
was dissected by Dr. Kennedy and Mr. Brooke ;
and the muscles of the larynx, which regulate the
voice, were found, from the effect of practice, to
be uncommonly strong.”

RAVEN.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill strong, convex, and sliarp-edged.

Nostrils covered by reversed bristly feathers.
Tongue cleft at the tip.

Two of the toes connected as far as the first joint.

CorVus Corax. C. ater, dorso atro-cserulescente, cauda subro1-
tunda. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 304.

Black : back of a blueish black 3 tail some-
what rounded.

Corvus maximus. Scop. Ann. 1. p. 34. no. 45.
Raven. . . Buff. Birds, 3. p. 11. pi. 58. Will. Orn.

p. 121. t. 18. Brit. Zool. 1. p. 218. no. 74.
Alb. Av. 2. p. 19. t. 20. Lath. Syn. 1.
p. 367. no. 1. Bew. Birds, p. 68.

Ravens will bear the extremes of heat and cold ;
no climate comes amiss to them ; they are heard of
from the Cape of Good Hope to Greenland, on
the one side, and from Canada to Mexico, on the
other.

The raven, when domesticated, is well known for
his pilfering and impudent qualities ; he is always

2 f 2

436

RAVEN.

busy and inquisitive, constantly introducing him-
self wherever he can, and as constantly carrying off
whatever he is able to lay hold of. We have fre-
quently seen him hop away with an old black silk
cloak, which a poor woman used to pull off in the
house before she began her work ; but he seems
more particularly attached to money, tea spoons,
or rings ; these he will slily seize, and, if not ob-
served, carry them to his hiding-place, where they
sometimes remain for a considerable time before
they are discovered. This bird is inclined to prate,
and may be taught to pronounce several words : it
appears too, that he possesses great musical talents;
but we must beg leave to decline saying any thing
of this accomplishment, not having been so fortu-
nate as Dr. Goldsmith, who “ heard a raven sing
the Black Joke with great distinctness, truth, and
humour.”

Ravens build their nests on the tops of old desert-
ed towers, in the clefts of rocks, or on the high
branches of large straggling trees, and they are said
to be particularly attached to the place where they
are bred. About the end of February, or beginning
of March, the female lays five or six eggs, of a pale
blueish green, marked with spots and streaks of a
dirty colour. She sits about twenty days ; and her
attachment to her eggs during the time is strongly
marked in the following account which Mr. White
has given of this bird : “In the centre of a grove near
Selborne, there stood an oak, which, though shapely
and tall on the whole, bulged out into a large ex-

RAVEN.

437

crescence near the middle of the stem. On this
tree a pair of ravens had fixed their residence for
such a series of years that the oak was distinguished
by the title of “ The Raven-Tree.” Many were the
attempts of the neighbouring youths to get at this
aerie ; the difficulty whetted their inclinations, and
each was ambitious of surmounting the arduous task ;
but when they arrived at the swelling, it jutted out
so in their way, and was so far beyond their grasp,
that the boldest lads were deterred, and acknow-
ledged the undertaking to be too hazardous. Thus
the ravens continued to build, nest upon nest, in per-
fect security, till the fatal day arrived on which the
wood was to be levelled. This was in the month
of February, when these birds usually sit. The
saw was applied to the trunk, the wedges were in-
serted into the opening, the woods echoed to the
heavy blows of the beetle or mallet, the tree nod-
ded to its fall ; but still the dam persisted to sit.
At last when it gave way the bird was flung from
her nest ; and, though her parental affection deserved
a better fate, was whipped down by the twigs, which
brought her dead to the ground,”

The male is assiduous in providing his mate with
food during the time she sits, and when the young
brood make their first appearance he watches for
their safety, and ventures his life to secure them
from danger. If he sees a kite, or other rapacious
bird, approach the nest, he immediately takes wing,
and, getting above his foe, dashes downwards and
strikes him violently with his bill. The contest is

438

RAVEN.

frequently obstinate ; both fight in earnest, both
contend for the ascendency, and that with such
perseverance, that they sometimes mount entirely
out of sight, till, overcome with fatigue, one or both
fall to the ground. Their attachment to their young
lasts even after they can fly, as M. Hebert has
proved by the observations he made on the ravens
which inhabit the mountains of Bugey. This gen-
tleman noticed a family of them which bred every
year opposite to his windows upon the rocks which
terminate the prospect. The young, to the num-
ber of four or five, sat on the large detached frag-
ments about the middle of the precipice, where
they were easily seen, and drew notice by their con-
tinual wailing. Every time that the parents brought
them food, which happened frequently during the
course of the day, they called with a cry very diffe-
rent from their other noise. Sometimes one tried
to fly ; and after a slight essay, it returned to settle
upon the rock. Some one was generally left be-
hind, and its wailing then became incessant. After
the young had strength sufficient to fly, that is fifteen
days at least after leaving the nest, the parents con-
ducted them every morning to the field, and in the
evening led them back. It was commonly five or six
in the afternoon when the family returned, and
they spent the rest of the day in noisy brawling.

The plumage of these ffirds is known to vary in
some countries, perhaps from the influence of
climate, as they have been seen quite white near
the arctic circle, and pied in the Feroe isles. Ad-

RAVEN. 439

dison alludes to the raven’s loquacity as the cause of
this change:

The raven once in snowy plumes was drest.

White as the whitest dove’s unsullied breast;

His tongue, his prating tongue, has changed him quite
To sooty blackness, from the purest white.

In clear weather ravens may be seen at a great
height in the air. They fly in pairs, and make a
deep loud noise, which differs from their common
croaking. Their greedy disposition, and appetite
for carrion, make them of great service in the
neighbourhood of towns and cities, especially in
warm countries, where they devour the rotten car-
casses and filth that would otherwise prove a nui-
sance. In Greenland they feed on the offal of the
seals, and on the shell-fish they find upon the shore ;
these they carry to a height, and drop them on a
rock to break the shell and get at the contents. The
Greenlanders are said to eat their flesh, to use their
wings for brushes, and to split the quills into fish-
ing-lines.

Among the American savages, the raven is the
emblem of returning health, and his croaking voice
is mimicked by their physicians when they invoke
him in behalf of the sick.

CUCKOO.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill somewhat arched.
Tongue short.

Feet formed for climbing.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Cuculus canorus. C. cauda rotundata nigricante albo-punctata.

Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 40Q.

Tail black, with white spots upon it.
Cuckoo. . . . Buff. Birds, 6. 262. Brit. Zool. 1. p. 232.

pi. 36. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 266. Will. Orn.
p. 97. pi. 77- Allin. Av. 1. t. 8. Lath.
Syn. 1. p. 509. no. 1. Bew. Birds, p. 104.

The natural history of the cuckoo was almost as
well known in the age of Aristotle as at present.
A bird so remarkable for its manners, and its voice,
could hardly escape particular notice ; and accord-
ingly we find that almost all nations have named it
from its simple and uniform note, so distinctly
formed and so often repeated. It belongs exclu-
sively to the male to sing, who generally sits perched

CUCKOO,

441

on a dry branchy and at intervals repeats his note,
which lasts from the middle of April to the latter
end of June. The cuckoo is a migratory bird, and
visits us early in the spring, but is silent for some
time after its arrival. About the end of September,
or beginning of October, it departs for other coun-
tries, and is supposed to go into Africa.

Every body has heard of the singular manner in
which the female cuckoo disposes of her eggs, and
the care she takes to deposit them in the nests of
other birds at a time when the old ones are absent.
It is generally believed that she lays but one egg,
though there is no reason to suppose that she can-
not lay more ; and an instance is recorded where
two eggs were found in one nest. However, in
most cases she leaves but one, and this is rather
larger than the nightingale’s, of a grayish white,
and marked with spots of dull violet brown. Dr.
Jenner has traced the young one from its shell, and
has related the following history of its singular mam
ners, which is published in the second part of the
fifty-eighth volume of the Philosophical Transac-
tions :

“ On the 18th of June, 1/87) I examined the
nest of a hedge-sparrow, which then contained a
cuckoo’s and three hedge-sparrow’s eggs. On in-
specting it the day following, the bird had hatched;
but the nest then contained only a young cuckoo
and one hedge-sparrow. The nest was placed so
near the extremity of a hedge, that I could distinct-
ly see what was going forward in it ; and to my

442

CUCKOO.

great astonishment I saw the young cuckoo, though
so lately hatched, in the act of turning out the
young hedge-sparrow. The mode of accomplishing
this was very curious. The little animal, with the
assistance of its rump and wings, contrived to get
the bird upon its back ; and making a lodgement
for its burthen, by elevating its elbows, clambered
backwards with it up the side of the nest, till it
reached the top ; where, resting for a moment, it
threw off its load with a jerk, and quite disengaged
it from the nest. It remained in this situation for
a short time, feeling about with the extremities of
its wings, as if to be convinced whether the business
was properly executed, and then dropped into the
nest again. With these, the extremities of its
wings, I have often seen it examine as it were an
egg and nestling before it began its operations ; and
the nice sensibilities which these parts seem to
possess, seemed sufficiently to compensate the want
of sight, which as yet it was destitute of. I after-
wards put in an egg, and this, by a similar process,
w as conveyed to the edge of the uest and thrown
out. These experiments I have since repeated
several times, in different nests, and have always
found the young cuckoo disposed to act in the same
manner. In climbing up the nest, it sometimes
drops its burthen, and thus is foiled in its endea-
vours ; but after a little respite the work is re-
sumed, and goes on almost incessantly till it is
effected. The singularity of its shape is well adapt-
ed to these purposes ; for, different from other new-

CUCKOO.

443

ly hatched birds, its back from the scapulae down-
wards is very broad, with a considerable depression
in the middle. This depression seems formed by
nature for the design of giving a more secure lodge-
ment to the egg of the hedge-sparrow, or its young
one, when the young cuckoo is employed in re-
moving either of them from the nest. When it is
about twelve days old this cavity is quite filled up,
and then the back assumes the shape of nestling
birds in general.

“ It sometimes happens that two cuckoo’s eggs
are deposited in the same nest, and then the young
produced from one of them must inevitably perish.
Two cuckoos and one hedge-sparrow were hatched
in the same nest, and one hedge-sparrow’s egg re-
' mained unhatched. In a few hours after, a contest
began between the cuckoos for the possession of the
nest, which continued undetermined till the next
afternoon, when one of them, which was somewhat
superior in size, turned out the other, together with
the young hedge-sparrow and the unhatched egg.
The combatants alternately appeared to have the
advantage, as each carried the other several times
to the top of the nest, and then sunk down again,
oppressed by the weight of the burthen, till at
length, pfter various efforts, the strongest prevailed,
and was afterwards brought up by the hedge-spar-
row.”

It appears a remarkable deviation in the general
law of nature, for the cuckoo to deposit her eggs in
the nest of another bird ; and the singularity is in-

CUCKOO.

444

creased when we consider that the young one, whose
size when fledged is little inferior to a pigeon, is
destined to inhabit the small nest of the hedge-
sparrow, or other nests equally diminutive : but the
attempt of the cuckoo to leave her egg to the
care of another does not always succeed, and she
is sometimes beaten off the field by adversaries of a
much inferior size. A little hen red-breast has
been seen to unite with her mate in repelling a fe-
male cuckoo from the nest. They attacked their
enemy with such fury, that in a short time the
cuckoo, being exhausted, began to totter, lost its
balance, and turned on the branch, from which it
hung by the feet, its eyes half shut, its bill open,
and its wings expanded. Having remained about
two minutes in this attitude it quitted the branch,
flew to perch at a distance, and appeared no more.
The female red-breast resumed her incubation, and
all her eggs were hatched, and formed a little family,
that long lived attached to the district where this
circumstance happened.

After the cuckoo leaves the nest it follows its sup-
posed parent for a short time*, but soon leaves her
to pursue its own specific habits, and it is more
than probable that the nurse is not sorry to get rid
of such an overgrown child. Cuckoos, though soli-

* This circumstance is confirmed by Mr. Pennant, who in
June, 1/78, saw a young cuckoo almost full grown, in a white
wagtail’s nest, who fed it as if it had been her own offspring ; and
for many days after the cuckoo fled, it was often seen perched on
the wall adjacent to the nest, still attended and fed by the wagtail.

CUCKOO.

445

tary, are susceptible of a sort of education, and M.
BufFon tells us that many of his acquaintance reared
and tamed them ; they were fed with minced meat,
either raw or cooked, with insects, eggs, fruits, & c.
“ One of the cuckoos thus bred,” says the count,
“ knew its master, answered his call, followed him to
the sport, perched on his fowling-piece; and if it
found a black cherry tree on the road, it flew to it, and
returned not till satiated with the fruit; sometimes it
did not join its master again the whole day, but
followed him at a distance, shifting from tree to
tree. When at home, it was permitted to run
about, and to roost at night.”

Many think it probable, that some of these birds
continue with us all the year, and during the winter
remain concealed and torpid in the hollow trees.
Willughby relates a story, which, if it be true,
tends strongly to confirm this opinion. It is proper to
remark that he delivers it upon the credit of another.
te The servants of a gentleman in the country, hav-
ing stocked up, in one of their meadows, some old
dry rotten willows, thought proper on a certain oc-
casion to carry them home. In heating a stove,
two logs of this timber were put into the furnace
beneath, and fire applied as usual. But soon, to the
great surprise of the family, was heard the voice of
a cuckoo, singing three times from under the stove;
Wondering at so extraordinary a cry in winter-time,
the servants ran and drew the willow logs from the
furnace, and in the midst of one of them saw some-
thing move ; wherefore, taking an axe, they opened

446

CUCKOO.

the hole, and, thrusting in their hands, first they
pulled out nothing but feathers ; afterwards they
got hold of a living animal ; and this was the cuc-
koo that had waked so very opportunely for its own
safety. It was, indeed,” continues our historian,
“ brisk and lively, but wholly naked and bare of
feathers, and without any winter provision in its
hole.”

The story further says, that the boys kept this
cuckoo alive in the stove for two years after this
event ; but whether it repaid them with a second
song, the author of the tale has not thought fit to
inform us.

It is well known that the moulting of the cuckoo
is slower and more complete than most other birds,
and we have the authority of Buflfon for saying that
in the winter season they are found in the hollow
trees perfectly naked.

The vulgar notion respecting the saliva of the
cuckoo, which is at certain times found on almost
every plant, is without the smallest foundation, and
originates in the frothy exudation of an insect, the
cicada spumaria Linn., which is evacuated on bram-
bles, grass stalks, &c., for the purpose of conceal-
ing the larvae. We are gravely told that the little
green insect which inhabits this froth, or cuckoo
spittle as it is termed, is able to kill the cuckoo by
pricking it beneath the wing.

The antient mythologists have assigned this bird
an office which seems much better calculated for the
dove than the cuckoo. They tell us that Jupiter

CUCKOO.

44f

took the opportunity, when his sister Juno was alone
on the Dictean mount, to raise a violent storm, and
having taken the form of a cuckoo he alighted on
the knees of the goddess, w ho, seeing it drenched
and beaten by the tempest, took compassion on the
bird and dried it in her bosom ; the god then re-
sumed his proper form, and afterwards became the
husband of his sister. From that time the Dictean
mount was called Coccygian, or Cuckoo mountain;
and hence the origin of the Jupiter-cuculus.

We cannot conclude the account of the cuckoo
without noticing the sagacious little African species.
There is nothing particularly striking in the appear-
ance of this bird ; but its manners are so singular,
that what we are going to relate might be considered
as an idle tale, if it was not well authenticated by
travellers of veracity. From the readiness with
which this little creature discovers the nests of bees,
it has obtained the specific name of Indicator, and
is likewise called by the African farmers, the
Honey-bird. We are assured that as soon as the
indicator observes a nest of honey it immediately
flies to the first human being it can find, and by its
chirping and fluttering invites the person to follow,
who generally obeys the summons, as the bird is
Well known in the country. It leads the way di-
rectly towards the spot, flying from bush to bush, or
from one ant-hill to another ; and if the person does
not follow quick enough to please the honey-bird,
it will increase its chirping, stop and flutter about,
and try every art to rouse his attention. When

448

CUCKOO.

nearly arrived at the nest, it takes its station in a
tree and observes a profound silence, while its com-
panion plunders the honey. This operation is no
sooner performed than the bird flies to the spot,
and there makes a delicious repast on a portion of
the honey, which is always left behind as a reward
for its services.

Dr. Sparrman, whose voyage to the Cape is so well
known, assures us, that he has several times been at
the taking wild bees’ nests in this manner, and that
he has twice observed the bird hover over the spot
where the honey is to be found, for a few seconds,
before it takes its station on the tree. This gentle-
man was shown a nest which was said to belong to
this cuckoo. It was composed of slender filaments
of bark, woven together in the form of a bottle; the
neck and opening hung downwards ; and a string,
in an arched shape, was suspended across the open-
ing, fastened by the two ends, probably for the bird
to perch on.

esu/z ir-d by W. Da/iielL

KINGFISHER.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill long, thick, straight, and sharp-pointed.

Tongue fleshy, very short, terminating in a sharp point.
Outmost toe partially connected to the middle one.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Alcedo Ispida. . . A. brachyura supra cyanea, subtus fulva,

loris rufis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1.
p. 448.

Upper part of the body azure j orange-
coloured beneath 5 the legs red,

/3 Ispida senegalensis. Briss. Av. 4. p. 485.
no. 7- 1. 39. f. 1.

European Kingfisher. Buff. Birds, v. 7. p. 158. pi. 170. Lath.

Syn. 1. part 2. p. 626. no. Id. Alb.
Av. 1. t. 54. Will. Orn. p. 14(5.
tab. 24.

This is justly esteemed the handsomest bird in
our climate ; and Buffon properly observes that none
in Europe can compare with the kingfisher in ele-
gance, richness, and luxuriance of colours : it has
all the shades of the rainbow, the brilliancy of
enamel, and the glossy softness of silk. All the mid-

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VOL. I.

450

KINGFISHER.

die of the back, with the upper surface of the tail,
is of a brilliant light blue, which in the sun has the
play of sapphire, and the lustre of turquois stone ;
green is mixed on the wings with blue, and most
of the feathers are terminated and dotted with the
tints of beryl ; the head and the upper side of the
neck are dotted in the same manner, with lighter
specks on an azure ground.

The count de Buffon, whose descriptions are al-
ways elegant, and to whom we are chiefly indebted
for this account, says, It would seem that the
kingfisher has strayed from those climates where the
sun pours incessant torrents of the purest light, and
sheds all the treasures of the richest colours. And
though our species belongs not precisely to the
countries of the east and south, yet the whole ge-
nus of these charming birds inhabit those genial
regions. This bird, though it derives its origin from
the hottest climates, is reconciled to the rigour of
our seasons. It is seen in the winter along the
brooks, diving under the ice and emerging with its
fishy prey.

Its flight is rapid, and it usually traces the wind-
ings of the rivulets, screaming w hile on the wing
with a shrill voice, that makes the banks resound.
It is very shy, and escapes to some retired spot,
where it sits on a branch projecting over the stream,
and often remains motionless for whole hours, to
catch the moment when a little fish springs above
the surface. It then dives perpendicularly into the
water, where it continues several seconds, and then

KINGFISHER.

451

brings up the prey, which it swallows on the bank*
after having beat it to death. When the kingfisher
cannot find a projecting bough, it sits on some
stone near the brink, or even on the gravel ; but
the moment it perceives the little fish, it takes a
spring of twelve or fifteen feet, and drops perpen-
dicularly from that height; Often it is observed to
stop short in its rapid flight, exposing the vivid
colours of its breast to the full rays of the sun, and
fluttering with expanded wings over the smooth
surface of the water: the fish, attracted by the
brightness and splendour of the appearance, are de-
tained whilst the wily bird darts upon them with
unerring certainty. At each pause it continues as
it were suspended at the height of fifteen or twenty
feet ; and when it would change its place, it sinks
and skims along within a foot of the surface of the
water; then rises and halts again.

It makes its nest in holes in the sides of rivers
and brooks, which it scoops out to a considerable
depth, and lays from five to nine eggs of a most
beautiful semitransparent white. The nest is very
fetid on account of the small bones and scales
which are found in it, but without any arrange-
ment ; nor can we find those little pellets with
which Belon says it plasters its nest, or trace the
form imputed to it by Aristotle, who compares it to
a gourd, and its substance and texture to those sea
balls or lumps of interwoven filaments which cut
with difficulty* but when dried become friable.

2 G 2

452

KINGFISHER.

Our species of kingfisher is not nqmerous,
though they have sometimes nine young ones at a
hatch, according to Gesner. Their mode of life
proves often fatal ; nor do they always with impu-
nity brave the rigours of our winters, for they are
sometimes found dead under the ice. They seem
unable to exist long without their proper food ; for
of four young ones which were brought to M. Buf-
fon, in August 1778, two constantly rejected flies,
paste, and cheese, and died of hunger in two days ;
the two others ate a little cheese and some earth
worms, bat lived only six days. The stomach of the
kingfisher is roomy, and, like the birds of prey, it
discharges the indigested fragments by the bill.

From the earliest time to the present, a super-
stitious veneration has been entertained for these
birds, in different parts of the world, and many
marvellous qualities have been ascribed to them.
We learn from Gmelin, that the kingfishers are
seen over all Siberia, and the feathers of these birds
are employed by the Tartars and the Ostiacs for
many superstitious uses. The former pluck them,
cast them into water, and carefully preserve such as
float ; and they pretend, that if with one of these
feathers they touch . a woman, or even her clothes,
she will fall in love with them. The Ostiacs take
the skin, the bill, and the claws of this bird, and
shut them in a purse ; and as long as they preserve
this sort of amulet, they believe that they have no
ill to fear. “ The person,” continues Gmelin, “ who

KINGFISHER.

453

taught me this mean of living happy could not
forbear shedding tears ; he told me that the loss of
such a skin that he had made him lose also his
wife and his goods. I told him that such a bird
could not be so very rare, since a countryman of his
had brought me one, with its skin and its feathers :
he was much surprised, and said, that if he had the
luck to find one, he would give it to no person.”

Captain Cook met with kingfishers in the South
Sea Islands, which are more than one thousand
five hundred leagues distant from any continent.
Even here these birds are venerated ; and in his
second voyage Mr. Foster has introduced the fol-
lowing passage :

“ In the afternoon we shot, at Ulietea, some
kingfishers. The moment that I had fired last, we
met with Oreo and his family, who were walking
on the beach with captain Cook. The chief did
not observe the bird which I held in my hand, but
his daughter wept for the death of her eatua or
genius, and fled from me when I offered to touch
her : her mother and most of the women who ac-
companied her seemed also concerned for this ac-
cident ; and the chief, mounting on his canoe, en-
treated us in a very serious tone to spare the king-
fishers and the herons of his island, at the same
time granting us permission to kill all the other
birds. We tried in vain to discover the cause of
this veneration for these two species.”

We are gravely told by both Aristotle and Pliny,
that the halcyon, or kingfisher, was common in the

454

KINGFISHER.

seas of Sicily, and that it sat only a few days in the
depth of winter, during which time the mariner
might sail in perfect security, and therefore they
were called halcyon days.

The poets placed this bird in a floating nest, and
gave it power over the winds and waves during the
time of its incubation.

Alcyone, comprest.

Seven days sits brooding in her watery nest,

A wintry queen; her sire at length is kind.

Calms every storm, and hushes every wind,

Dryden’s Ovid.

HUMMING BIRD.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill having a tubulated apex.

Tongue filiform, consisting of two fibres united to form a
tube.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Trochilus Colubris. Tr. viridi-aureus, rectricibus nigris; late-

ralibus tribus ferrugineis apice albis,
gula flammea. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. l. p. 492.

Upper part of the body green and gold;
tail feathers of a purplish brown, the
lateral ones (in the female) tipped with
white ; throat of a ruby colour.
Mellisugar Carolinensis, gutture rubro.

Briss. Av. 3. p. 71b- n. 13. t 36. f. 6.
Ruby Fly-bird. Buff. Birds , v. 6.p. 12.
Red-throated Honey-sucker. Arct.
Zool. 2. p. 286.

Red-tiiroated Hum- Edw. Av. 1. 1. 38. Lath. Syn. 1. p. 769*
MiNG-BiRD. no. 35.

These are at once the least and most beautiful of
birds. Their plumage is brilliant beyond concep-

45 6

HUMMING BIRD.

tion, and their size so diminutive that the smallest
species is not larger than a hazel-nut. To this the
red-throated kind is a giant, as it measures three
inches and a third in length. The Indians, struck
with the elegant and glowing tints of this little
creature, called it the sun-beam, others the regene-
rated ; from a belief that it died annually, and was
re-animated on the return of spring with the flowers
it fed on.

The rapidity of its flight is too great for the eye
to follow, and the motion of the wings is imper-
ceptible to the nicest observer. Lightning is scarce-
ly more transient than its flight, nor the glare more
bright than its colours. Marcgrave compares the
noise of their wings to the whirr of a spinning-
wheel ; and the quiver of the pinions is so amazing-
ly quick, that when the bird halts in the air, it
seems at once deprived of motion and of life. It
never feeds but on the wing ; and after having rested
a few seconds beside one flower, it shoots to the
next in search of new sweets, which, like the bee,
it extracts from the nectarium of each. It subsists
alone upon this honeyed liquor, and its tongue is
calculated for the purpose of obtaining it. This con-
sists of two hollow fibres, forming a small canal, re-
sembling the proboscis of insects. When this cu-
rious little instrument is thrust to the bottom of the
flower, it pierces the honey-bag, and the juice flows
through the canal. Flowers with the deepest tubes
are most admired by the humming bird, and the
female balsamine and scarlet monarda are parti-

HUMMING BIRD.

457

vular favourites. When these plants are set before a
window where humming birds abound, they will
surely pay them a visit, and swarm about the flowers,
examining every one by thrusting their bills into it ;
and if by chance some of their brethren have been
beforehand and robbed them of the expected sweets,
they will pluck the flower from the stalk with a pre-
cipitation that marks their rage.

Mr. Pennant observes, that most violent passions
animate at times their little bodies. They have
often dreadful contests, when numbers happen to
dispute possession of the same flower. They will
tilt against one another with great fury, as if they
meant to transfix their antagonists with their long
bills. During the fight they frequently pursue the
conquered into the apartments of those houses
whose windows are left open, take a turn round the
room, as flies do in England, and then suddenly
regain the open air. They are not afraid of man-
kind, unless they are approached very near indeed,
when they dart away with the rapidity of lightning.

The nest of this bird is of a piece with the archi-
tect ; it is an elegant little cup of an hemispherical
shape, about an inch in diameter, and half an inch
deep. It is constructed by the female, and formed
on the outside with lichen, or moss, amidst the
thickest foliage of a tree, where, from its diminu-
tive size, it is not easily discovered. The nest is
lined on the inside with the down or gossamer col-
lected from the great yellow mullein; but when this
cannot be obtained, cotton, flax, or other soft ma-

458

HUMMING BIRD.

terials supply the place of it. They lay only two
eggs, the size of small peas, and as white as snow.
The time of incubation continues during twelve
days, at the end of which the young ones appear
about the size of a flesh fly.

A companion of father Labat’s, who attended
him during his mission in America, found a hum-
ming bird’s nest, and took it home when the young
were about fifteen or twenty days old. He placed
them in a cage at his chamber window, and was
surprised to see the old ones come and feed the
brood regularly several times in the day. By these
frequent visits they lost their shyness, and without
any constraint came at length to live with their
young ones ; all four of them frequently perched
upon their master’s finger, and sung with the same
freedom as in a state of liberty. They were fed
with a fine paste made of wine, biscuit and sugar.
“ I never beheld any thing more agreeable,” says
Labat, “ than this lovely little family, that had
taken possession of my companion’s chamber, and
that flew out and in just as they thought proper;
but were ever attentive to the voice of their master
when he called them. In this manner they lived
with him for six months ; but at a time when he
expected to see a new colony formed, he unfor-
tunately forgot to tie up their cage to the ceiling at
night, to preserve them from the rats, and he found
they were devoured in the morning.”

It is very difficult to take this little creature alive:
the friend of M. du Pratz, however, contrived to

HUMMING BIRD.

459

entrap one, which he had watched while it entered
the bell of a convolvulus, and buried itself in the
flower for the sake of its sweet. He ran directly
to the spot, and having closed the corolla, he cut it
from the stalk, and carried off the prisoner : but
all his endeavours were ineffectual to prevail on it
to eat, and it died in a few days. General Davies
was more successful; since, from the information he
gave Dr. Latham, we find that he kept these birds
alive for four months by the following method :
He made an exact representation of some of the
tubular flowers, with paper fastened round a tobac-
co-pipe, and painted them of a proper colour ; these
were placed in the order of nature, in the cage in
which the little creatures were confined ; the bot-
toms of the tubes were filled with a mixture of
brown sugar and water as often as emptied, and he
had the pleasure of seeing them perform every ac-
tion ; for they soon grew familiar, and took their
nourishment in the same manner as when ranging
at large, though close under the eye.

The Indians of Mexico and Peru were skilled
in making pictures of the feathers of these birds,
with which they decorated their idols and their
temples, before the cruel Spaniards depressed their
spirit, and robbed them of their wealth.

GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.

OSTRICH.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

' : . ;■ -J ’ V’hdel

Bill somewhat arched.

Nostrils oval.

Wings short.

Toes two ; exterior one very short.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Struthio Camelus. S. pedibus didactylis. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Gmel. 1. p. 726.

Two toes on each foot.

Struthio. Briss. Av. 5. p. 3. pi. 1. f. 1.
Ostrich. . . . Buff. Birds , v. l. p. 323 .-^>1. 29. Alb.

Av. 3. t. 53. Will. Orn. p. 149. pi. 25.
Lath. Syn. v. 3. p. 6. no. 1. 1. 71.

If the ostrich was not endowed with a very hardy
constitution, it would often find it difficult to exist
in the vast deserts of Africa, where the surface
of the earth is but thinly clad with vegetables, and
where the rain seldom comes to refresh it. Pro-
vided by nature with a stomach capable of digest-

DuitisTied by Mi(sV CadeO. k Davies Donlon Mar<An8o^ .

OSTRICH.

46' 1

mg almost any thing, and with an appetite to which
no food comes amiss, the ostrich finds a supply in
those parched and barren districts, that seem so
little calculated for the support of animal life.

Y oung ostriches are entirely covered with feathers
during the first year. These are of an ash gray
colour, and are soon shed by the bird ; but never
grow again on the head, on the top of the neck, on
the thighs, on the sides, and below the wings. The
other parts of the body are provided with a beautiful
plumage of black and white feathers. The longest
and most esteemed of all are those at the extremity
of the tail, and of the wings. The value which
these feathers bear in Europe we should naturally
suppose would make them an object worthy the
attention of the settlers in the interior of Africa; yet
Mr. Barrow assures us that the annual exportation
of them from that country amounts to a mere trifle,
the boors preferring the immediate benefit of the
eggs, which affords them a pleasant nourishment,
to the encouragement of a future source of profit.
So little indeed is the advantage they derive from
this article, that the feathers are generally given as
presents to the butchers’ servants who purchase
cattle and sheep of the farmers for the Cape market.
The usual height of an ostrich is about seven feet
from the top of the head to the ground, but not
more than four from the back, therefore the neck
and head will measure three feet. The wings are
very short in proportion to the size of the bird, and

462

OSTRICH.

are furnished at the end with a kind of spur, about
an inch long, of a horny substance. Each wing
has two of these, the largest of which is at the end,
and the other a foot lower. The thighs are large
and muscular, and the legs and feet covered before
with scales.

We learn from Mr. Barrow, that when the
ostriches are seen scouring the plains, and waving
their black and white plumes in the wind, it is a
signal to the Hottentots that their nests are not far
distant, especially if they wheel round the place
from whence they started up ; but when they have
no nest, they make off immediately on being dis-
turbed, with their wing-feathers close to the body.
“ The ostrich,” says this gentleman, c< is one of the
very few polygamous birds that are found in a state
of nature. The male, distinguished by its glossy
black feathers from the dusky gray female, is gene-
rally seen in company with two or three, and fre-
quently as many as five of the latter. Those females
lay their eggs in one nest, to the number of ten or
twelve each, which they hatch all together, the
male taking his turn of sitting on them among the
rest. Between sixty and seventy eggs are said to
have been found in one nest ; and if incubation has
begun, a few are most commonly lying round the
sides of the hole, having been thrown out by the
birds on finding the nest to contain more than they
could conveniently cover. The time of incubation
is six weeks. From its not being known that the

OSTRICH.

463

Ostrich is polygamous, an error respecting this bird
has slipt into the Systemci Natures , where it is said
that one female lays fifty eggs.”

Subsequent travellers have contradicted the re-
port of Dr. Shaw, that ostriches have a very little
share of natural affection ; that upon the least noise
or most trivial occasion they forsake their eggs, and
never return again to the nest. On the contrary,
the ostrich is exceedingly attached to her young,
and watches her eggs with an assiduity which is not
exceeded by any bird. In the burning climate of
Africa, where there is no fear of the eggs being chill-
ed by the weather, the female may indeed leave
her nest for a time ; but in consequence of her in-
stinctive knowledge she always returns in the even-
ing, and carefully broods over them during the
night. Nor is it true that they forsake their young
as soon as they are hatched, notwithstanding the in-
formation which Dr. Shaw collected from the Arabs,
that they often met a few of the little ones, no big-
ger than full-grown pullets, straggling about di-
stressed, and making a mournful noise for their
mother. The young ones, on the contrary, are not
even able to walk for several days after they are
hatched, but are regularly attended by their pa-
rents, who supply them with grass, and even make
use of artifice to conceal them from danger. As
Thunberg one morning rode past a place where a
hen ostrich sat upon her nest, the bird sprung up
and pursued him, with a view to prevent his no-
ticing her young ones or her eggs. Every time he

OSTRICH.

46*4

/

turned his horse, she retreated ten or twelve paces ;
but as soon as he rode on she pursued him again.

The eggs of these creatures are considered as a
great delicacy. The Hottentots, while tending the
cattle, frequently find their nests in the sands; and
we are told that those people never use their hands
to take away the eggs, lest the ostriches should dis-
cover them by the scent, and quit the nest ; but
rake them out with a long stick, as fast as the birds
lay them. One egg is sufficient for several persons,
and is said to be particularly good when eaten with
a large quantity of butter. There are various ways
of dressing them, but that made use of by the Hot-
tentots is considered the best : it is simply to bury
them in hot ashes, and through a small hole made
in the upper end, to stir the contents continually
round till they acquire the consistence of an omlet.
When prepared in this manner, Mr. Barrow found
them an excellent repast in the course of his long
journeys over the wilds of Africa. Small oval-shaped
pebbles, about the size of a marrowfat pea, of a pale
yellow colour and exceeding hard, are sometimes
found within these eggs.

The celebrated French traveller Vaillant, during
his African excursion, sprung an ostrich from her
nest, and found in it eleven warm eggs, and four
others at a little distance. His attendants informed
him that the bird always placed a certain number
of eggs near the nest, which she never sat upon,
but designed for nourishment for her young when
first excluded from the shell. They at the same

OSTRICH.

465

time assured him, that they were perfectly good.
At another time, the same gentleman found a fe-
male ostrich on a nest which contained thirty-two
eggs; twelve were arranged at a little distance,
each in a separate cavity formed for it. He remained
near the spot some time, and saw three other fe-
males come, and alternately seat themselves in the
nest, each sitting for about a quarter of an hour,
and then giving place to another, who, while wait-
ing, sat close by the side of her whom she was to
succeed.

The voracity of the ostrich is almost incredible :
he will swallow leather, hair, iron, stones, or any
thing that is given him. Whether this proceeds
from the same necessity which the smaller birds are
under of picking up gravel to assist digestion, or
from a want of distinguishing by the taste soluble
substances from those that are insoluble, certain it
is, that in the ostrich dissected by Ranby there
appeared such a quantity of heterogeneous sub-
stances, that it was wonderful how any animal could
digest them. Another anatomist, Vallisnieri, found
the stomach filled with a mixture of grass, nuts,
cords, stones, glass, brass, copper, iron, tin, lead,
and wood; apiece of stone was found among the
rest that weighed more than a pound. He saw one
of these animals that was killed by devouring a
quantity of quick-lime. We can in no way account
for this wonderful propensity in the ostrich, unless
it is owing to some uneasiness about the stomach,
which requires it to be constantly supplied, and nu-

2 h

VOL. I.

46*6

OSTRICH.

tritious substances not occurring in sufficient abun-
dance, it is obliged to have recourse to whatever
offers to till up the void.

We shall give the opinion of M. Perrault upon
this curious subject, who, having found seventy
doubloons in the stomach of one of these animals,
observed, that most of them were worn down, and
reduced to three-fourths of their prominence. He
conceived that this was occasioned by their mutual
friction and the comminution of pebbles, rather
than by the action of an acid ; since some of these
doubloons were much corroded on the convex sur-
face, which was most exposed to the attrition, and
yet not in the least affected on the concave side.
He therefore concluded, that in these birds the
solution of the food is not performed merely by
subtle and penetrating juices, but is effected by the
organic action of the stomach, which compresses its
aliments, and agitates them incessantly with those
hard bodies which they instinctively swallow. And
because the contents of the stomach were tinged with
green, he inferred that the copper was actually
dissolved in it, not by any particular solvent, nor
by the powers of digestion, but in a similar manner
to what would take place if that metal were ground
with some acid or saline liquor. He adds, that cop-
per acts as a real poison in the stomach of the
ostrich, and that all those who swallowed much of
it soon died.

When Dr. Shaw was abroad, he had several op-
portunities of observing the manners of the ostrich.

OSTRICH.

467

He was much diverted with the strut it assumed,
when in the heat of the day it passed along the
sunny side of the house, at the same time fanning
itself with its expanded wings, and seeming at every
turn to admire and be in love with its shadow. He
adds, that although these birds appeared tame and
tractable to such persons of the family as were
familiar to them, yet they were often very fierce to
strangers, especially the poorer sort, whom they
would attempt to run down, and injure with their
feet. They are capable of striking with great force ;
and the inward claw being exceedingly strong,
pointed, and angular, was the occasion of a melan-
choly event to which the Doctor was witness: for,
during his stay, an unfortunate person had his belly
ripped open by a stroke from one of these animals.

Where ostriches abound they frequently do great
damage to the farmers, by coming in flocks into
their fields and destroying the ears of wheat, which
they do so completely as to leave nothing but the
bare straw behind ; and they sometimes commit the
greatest devastation before they are discovered.
The body of the bird is not higher than the corn,
and its long neck is bent down while it devours the
ears, so that it cannot well be seen at a distance ;
but on the least noise it rears its head, and can thus
foresee its danger in time to make its escape, which
it generally contrives to do before the farmer can
get within gun-shot.

Professor Thunberg says, It is impossible to over-

2 H 2

46s

OSTRICH.

take an ostrich with the swiftest horse when the
wind is in its favour, as its expanded wings so much
assist its flight, that, unless it receives a wound so
as to disable its wings, it will be in vain to pursue
the bird. To follow the chase with success, the
weather should be both warm and calm ; and it is
then the Arabian hunters mount their fleetest horses
and seek the bird in its native plains. Perhaps, of
all the varieties of the chase, this, though the most
laborious, is yet the most entertaining. As soon as
the hunter comes within sight of his prey, he ap-
proaches with a gentle gal] op, so as to keep the
ostrich always in sight without driving it to the
mountains. The animal, either insensible of its
danger, or sure of escaping, begins to run at first
very gently, with the wing plumes waving in the
air ; but as the hunters draw near, it doubles its
speed, and would very soon be out of sight if the
silly creature continued in a direct line ; instead of
which, it wheels about in circles, while the hunters
relieve each other, meet it at unexpected turns, and
thus keep it employed ; till at last, quite spent with
fatigue, and finding all power of escape impossible,
the ostrich endeavours to hide itself from those ene-
mies it cannot avoid, by covering its head in the
sand.

When the Arabians have killed an ostrich they
open its throat, and make a ligature below the in-
cision, after which they shake the bird with vio-
lence and roll it on the ground ; then removing

OSTRICH.

469

the ligature, there flows from the wound a mixture
of fat and blood, which those people consider as
one of their greatest dainties.

While Mr. Adanson was residing at the factory
of Podor, on the bank of the river Niger, he amused
himself by placing two little blacks on the back of
a tame ostrich. This creature, together with a small
one of the same species, had been in the factory
about two years, and though young were nearly at
their full size. The bird no sooner felt the weight
of the negroes than it ran as fast as possible several
times round the village, and it was found impossible
to stop it otherwise than by obstructing the passage.
Pleased with the sight, he resolved to try the
strength of the small one, upon which he mounted
a full grown negro, while two others rode the
largest. “The burthen,” says our author, “ did not
seem too much for them ; at first they went at a
sharp trot ; but when they became heated, they ex-
panded their wings and moved with such swiftness
that they scarcely seemed to touch the ground.”

In the thirty-ninth chapter of the book of Job,
the author beautifully describes the ostrich, “which
leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in
the dust ; and forgetteth that the foot may crush
them, or that the wild beast may break them. She
is hardened against her young ones as though they
were not hers : her labour is in vain without fear ;
because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither
hath he imparted to her understanding.”

RUFFED GROUS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

I

Bill short and arched.

A naked spot near the eyes.

Two toes on each foot connected to the first joint by a thin
membrane.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Tetrao Umbeelus. T. cervicale umbone extante. Linn. Syst.

Nat. Gmel. 1 . p. 752.

With a ruff round its neck.

Ruffed Heathcock. Edw. Glean, pi. 248.
Attagen Pensylvania:. Briss. Av. 1.
p. 214. no. 11.

Ruffed Grous. . Buff. Birds, 2. p. 246. Arct. Zool. 2.

p. 301. no. 179. Lath. Syn. 2. p. 738.
no. 8. Ruffed Heath-cock. Phil. Trans .
v. 48. p. 499. t. 15. Edw. Glean, t. 248.

There is something in the natural history of
most animals which is calculated to excite our curi-
osity, if we will only give ourselves the trouble to find
it out. This is certainly true with respect to the
ruffed grous, which inhabit North America, from
Hudson’s Bay to the Carolinas. These birds are
noted for what the hunters call their thumping ; a

RUFFED GROUS.

471

remarkable noise made by clapping their wings
forcibly against their bodies. Bartram tells us that
they generally stand upon an old fallen tree that
has long lain upon the ground, and begin their
strokes gradually, at intervals of about two seconds
of time, and repeat them quicker and quicker, till
they make a noise like distant thunder. This con-
tinues, from the beginning, about a minute; after
which it ceases, and all is quiet for a little while;
when it begins again. The sound is heard near
half a mile ; by which means they are discovered by
the hunters, and many of them killed. Mr. Bar-
tram shot several in this position, but never saw
them thump , as they constantly left off when he
appeared.

Mr. Brooke observes that the ruffed grous breeds
in all parts of Maryland, except some of the coun-
tries on the eastern shore. They lay their eggs in
nests made in the leaves, either by the side of fallen
trees or the roots of standing ones. The time of
incubation is in the spring, and they lay from
twelve to sixteen eggs. Mr. Brooke says, that when
a boy he has often found their nests, and has en-
deavoured to take the old grous, but never could
succeed : her natural attachment to her eggs would
induce her to remain till he almost put his hand
upon her before she would quit the nest; and then,
by fluttering just before him for a hundred paces or
more, and constantly giving him hopes of catching
her, she has at length enticed him completely from
the eggs. The young are supposed to live at first

RUFFED GROUS.

4/2

on ants and small worms : when they are a few days
old they hide themselves so artfully among the
leaves, that it is difficult to find them. Though
the ruffed grous hatches many young at a time, and
often sits twice a-year, the great number and va-
riety of hawks in Maryland feeding on them pre-
vents their increasing fast. They live on the various
fruits and grain of the country, but are more par-
ticularly fond of the ivy-berry.

This very singular property in the ruffed grous is
described by the baron la Hontan, in his Voyage to
North America, though he does not appear to have
known the proper name of the bird. He has given
his account in the following words :

“ I went in company with some Canadese on
purpose to see that fowl flap with its wings : believe
me, this sight is one of the greatest curiosities in the
world ; for their flapping makes a noise much like
a drum, for about the space of a minute ; then the
noise ceases for half a quarter of an hour, after
which it begins again. By this noise we were di-
rected to the place where the unfortunate moor-hens
sat, and found them upon rotten mossy trees. By
flapping one wing against the other they mean to
call their mates ; and the humming noise that en-
sues thereupon may be heard half a quarter of a
league. This they do in the months of April, May,
September, and October ; and, which is very re-
markable, the moor-hen never flaps in this manner
but upon one tree. It begins at break of day, and
gives over at nine o’clock in the morning, till about an

RUFFED GROUS. 473

hour before sunset, then it flutters again, and con-
tinues so to do till night.”

This species of grous has a great ruff on the hind
part of the neck, which it can raise or depress at
pleasure. The upper part of the body is a mixture
of brown, ferruginous, and black ; some of the tail
feathers are marked with heart-shaped spots of white ;
the chin, as well as the breast and belly, is white,
barred with cinereous brown. The tail, which is
expansible like a fan, and most elegantly barred
with narrow undulated lines of black, is in some of
a cinereous colour, and in others orange ; the end in
all is tipped with white. The legs are covered with
feathers to the feet ; the toes are naked and pecti-
nated.

PASSERINE BIRDS.

PASSENGER PIGEON.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill soft and straight, with a little inclination downwards at
the tip.

Nostrils oblong; lodged in a tuberous naked skin.

Toes divided to their origin.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Columba migratoria. C. orbitis denudatis sanguineis, pectore

rufo. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gniel. 1. p. 789.

The orbits bare and blood-coloured;
breast reddish.

Columba Americana. Kalm. It. 2,
p. 527.

Oenas Americana. Briss. Av. 1. p. 100.
n. 12.

Passenger Pigeon. . Arct. Zool. 2. p. 322. no. 187* pi. 14.

Lath. Syn. 2. p. 66l. no. 61.

None of the numerous tribe of pigeons deserve
our particular attention more than the passenger,
which is peculiar to North America. These birds
are migratory, and visit the provinces in winter in

PASSENGER PIGEON.

475

greater or lesser numbers, according to the severity
or mildness of the season. We are assured that
they swarm during a rigorous winter in immense
multitudes, and wherever they alight the ground is
immediately cleared of every esculent fruit. After
they have devoured all, they form themselves into
a great perpendicular column, and, flying among the
branches of the oak trees, beat down the acorns
with their wings, and then alight to pick them up.
They are said to do great damage to the corn-fields
in Canada, by devouring the ear, before they be-
gin to migrate to the south.

To mention the multitudes of these birds, which
appear at particular times, would seem incredible, if
it was not supported upon so good authority as
Catesby. We learn from him that their immense
flocks literally intercept the sun for a considerable
space ; that as soon as one flock is gone by another
succeeds ; that each flock is a quarter of an hour in
passing; and that this continues, in some seasons,
for three days without any intermission.

Mr. Pennant received the following information
respecting these curious birds from the late Mr.
Ashton Blackburne, whose own observations, added
to those of his friends, we shall take the liberty of
transcribing from The Arctic Zoology.

“ I think,” says Mr. Blackburne, “ this is as re-
markable a bird as any in America; they are in vast
numbers in all parts, and have been of great service
at particular times to our garrisons, in supplying

PASSENGER PIGEON.

them with fresh meat, especially at the out-posts.
A friend told me, that in the year in which Quebec
was taken the whole army was supplied with them,
if they chose it. The way was this : every man
took his club (for they were forbid to use their fire-
locks,) when they flew , as it was termed, in such
quantities, that each person could kill as many as
he wanted. They in general begin to fly soon after
day-break, and continue till nine or ten o’clock ;
and again about three in the afternoon, and con-
tinue till five or six ; but, what is very remarkable,
they always fly westerly. The times of flying here
are in the spring, about the latter end of February
or the beginning of March, and continue every day
for eight or ten days ; and again in the fall, when
they begin the latter end of July, or the beginning
of August. They catch vast quantities of them in
clap-nets wish stale pigeons. I have seen them
brought to this market by sacks full. People in
general are very fond of them ; and I have heard
many say they think them as good as the common
blue pigeon ; but I cannot agree with them by any
means. They taste more like our queest, or wild
pigeon ; but are better meat. They have another
way of killing them ; they make a hut of boughs of
trees, and fix stale pigeons on the ground, at a
small distance from the hut. They plant poles for
the wild pigeons to light on when they come a-salt-
ing, as they term it, which they do every morning
in the season, repairing to the marshes near the sea

PASSENGER PIGEON.

477

side ; then the persons in the hut pull the stale
pigeons, when the birds will alight in vast numbers
on the poles, and great multitudes are shot. Sir
William Johnson told me, that he killed at one
shot, with a blunderbuss, a hundred and twenty or
thirty. Some years past they have not been in such
plenty as they used to be. This spring I saw them
fly one morning, as I thought in great abundance ;
but every body was amazed how few there were,
and wondered at the reason.

£f I must remark one very singular fact ; that,
notwithstanding the whole people of the town go
out a-pigeoning, as they call it, they will not on
some days kill a single hen bird ; and on the very
next day not a single cock, and yet both sexes al-
ways fly westerly ; and when this is the case, the peo-
ple are always assured that there will be great plenty
of them that season. I have been at Niagara when
the sentinel has given the word that the pigeons
were flying ; and the whole garrison were ready to
run over one another, so eager were they to get
fresh meat.”

This account is strengthened by others, who tell
us that their numbers exceed belief ; that in Penn-
sylvania the inhabitants kill them from their balco-
nies and the tops of their houses, and that even the
limbs of stout oaks are often broken oft' by their
weight when they perch on them in crowds in order
to roost. They are taken, when settled for the
night, by a very easy process. A large vessel filled
with burning sulphur is placed under the trees, and

478 PASSENGER PIGEON.

the fumes which arise from it so stifle the birds that
they are said to fall senseless to the ground in per-
fect showers. The account which Josselyn gives of
their numbers is really surprising ; he assures us,
that in 1638, when New England was not in a state
of population, he observed flocks of them moving,
at Michaelmas, to the southward, which extended
four or five miles, and were so thick that they lite-
rally intercepted the light of the sun. He further
adds, that when they return in spring, they build
a chain of nests from tree to tree, which may be
traced in the woods for many miles.

This species of pigeon is thus described by Mr.
Pennant : It has a black bill and red irides ; head,
and hind part, and sides of the neck, of a slaty
blue ; on each of the last a large shining golden
spot ; coverts of the wings of a dark blueish gray,
marked with a few black spots; quill feathers brown;
tail of a great length and cuneiform ; the middle
feathers dusky gray, the next paler, the outmost
white. Weight nine ounces.

WATER OUZEL.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill awl-shaped.
Nostrils marginated.
Tongue acute.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Sternus Cinclus. S. niger, pectore albo. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Grnel. 1. p. 803.

Black, with a white breast.

Merula aquatica. Briss. Av. 5. p. 252.
no. 19.

Water Ouzel. . Buff. Birds, 8. p.126. pi. 203. Brit. Zool. 1.

p. 312. no. 111. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 332. /3.
Will. Orn. p. 149. t. 24. Lath. Syn. 2.
p. 48. no. 50.

Among the many birds whose peculiar manners
we have described, there is none more deserving of
notice than the water ouzel. While others either
confine themselves entirely to the air, or occasionally
float upon the water, this bird, as if the two ele-
ments where equally indifferent to it, walks with
the same ease and deliberation at the bottom of a

480

WATER OUZEL.

river as it does upon a dry bank. M. Hebert com-
municated the following account of this extraordi-
nary habit to the count de BufFon : “ I lay am-

bushed on the verge of the lake Nantua, in a hut
formed of pine branches and snow, where I patient-
ly waited till a boat, which was rowing on the lake,
should drive some wild-ducks to the water's edge.
I observed without being perceived : before me was
a small inlet, the bottom of which gently shelved,
and might be about two or three feet deep in the
middle. A water ouzel stopped here more than an
hour, and I had full leisure to view its manoeuvres.
It entered into the water, disappeared, and again
emerged on the other side of the inlet, which it
thus repeatedly forded. It traversed the whole of
the bottom, and seemed not to have changed its
element, and discovered no hesitation or reluctance
in the immersion. However, I perceived several
times, that as often as it waded deeper than the
knee, it displayed its wings, and allowed them to
hang to the ground. I remarked, too, that when I
could discern it at the bottom of the water, it ap-
peared enveloped with air, which gave it a brilliant
surface, like some sorts of beetles, which are al-
ways in water, inclosed with a bubble of air. Its
view in dropping its wings on entering the water
might be to coniine this air ; it was certainly never
without some, and it seemed to quiver. These
singular habits of the water ouzel were unknown
to all the sportsmen whom I have talked with ; and
perhaps without the accident of the snow-hut, I

WATER OUZEL.

481

should have ever been ignorant of them ; but I can
aver that the bird came to my very feet, and, that
I might observe it, I did not kill it.”

Perhaps there is not to be found in the extensive
field of Nature a more curious fact than the fore-
going. We may easily suppose that a bird whose
habits induce it to explore the deep, should choose
a situation where the water is clear and the bottom
free from mud ; and this, indeed, is the case ; as
the water ouzel is only found in mountainous coun-
tries, at sources of rivers, and in the torrents which
pour down from the rocks. It is found in West-
moreland, and likewise inhabits the mountainous
parts of France and Switzerland. The female lays
four or five eggs, and is careful to conceal her nest.

2 i

VOL. I.

GROSBEAK

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill thick, convex above and below ; lower mandible bent
on one side.

Nostrils small and round.

Tongue entire.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Loxia Abyssinica. . L. flavescens, vertice temporibus gut-

ture et pectore nigris, humeris nigri-
cantibus, remigibus xectricibusque
fuscis_, margine flavis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. 1 . p. 860.

Body yellow 5 the top and sides of the
head, the throat and the breast are
black : scapular feathers blackish :
wing and tail feathers brown with a
yellow margin.

Abyssinian Grosbeak. Buff. Birds, 3. p. 429. Lath. Syn. 1.

p. 131. n, 31.

Most of the loxia genus are famous for their in-
genuity in contriving their habitations. Some, as
we have already seen, live together in large so-
cieties, and build their nests under one common
roof in the body of a tree ; while others, who are

GROSBEAK.

483

less sociable, suspend their dwellings from the
branches : among the latter, the Abyssinian gros-
beak is one of the most skilful, and proves himself
an architect of no inferior merit. The nest which
this bird constructs is nearly of a pyramidal shape,
and he is always careful to suspend it over the sur-
face of water, from the end of a small branch ; the
entry is in the side, and generally faces the east ;
a partition of half its height divides the body of the
nest into two compartments ; the bird enters the
first, and creeping along descends into the second,
chamber, which is designed for the eggs. This
double construction effectually secures the brood
against the rain, which in Abyssinia pours down in
torrents, and lasts several months. The foresight
of the grosbeak is equally admirable in the manner
of suspending his nest, which renders it completely
inaccessible to both the mischievous and the noxious
animals with which Abyssinia abounds.

We shall, in this place, notice another species,
the loxia Bengalensis , Linn, for the sake of the in-
teresting account which the late sir William Jones
has given of its manners.

This bird,” says sir William, “ is exceedingly
common in Hindostan: he is astonishingly sensible,
faithful, and docile ; never voluntarily deserting the
place where his young are hatched, but not averse,
like most other birds, to the society of mankind,
and easily taught to perch on the hand of his
master. In a state of nature he generally builds

2 I 2

484

GROSBEAK.

his nest on the highest tree that he can find, espe-
cially on the palmyra, or on the Indian fig-tree ;
and he prefers that which happens to overhang a
well or a rivulet : he makes it of grass, which he
weaves like cloth, and shapes like a large bottle,
suspending it firmly on the branches, but so as to
rock with the wind, and placing it with its entrance
downwards to secure it from birds of prey. His
nest usually consists of two or three chambers ; and
it is popularly believed that he lights them with
fire-flies, which he is said to catch alive at night,
and confine with moist clay or with cow-dung.
That such flies are often found in his nest, where
pieces of cow-dung are also stuck, is indubitable ;
but as their light could be of little use to him, it
seems probable that he only feeds on them.

u He may be taught with ease to fetch a piece
of paper or any small thing that his master points
out to him. It is an attested fact, that if a ring be
dropped into a deep well, and a signal given to him,
he will fly down with amazing celerity, catch the
ring before it touches the water, and bring it up to
his master with apparent exultation ; and it is con-
fidently asserted, that if a house or any other place
be shown to him once or twice, he will carry a note
thither immediately, on a proper signal being
made. One instance of his docility I can my-
self mention with confidence, having often been an
eye-witness to it. The young Hindoo women at
Benares, and in other places, wear very thin plates

GROSBEAK.

485

of gold, called ticas, slightly fixed by way of orna-
ment, between their eye-brows ; and when they
pass through the streets it is not uncommon for the
youthful libertines, who amuse themselves with
training these birds, to give them a signal which
they understand, and send them to pluck the pieces
of gold from the foreheads of their mistresses, which
they bring in triumph to the lovers.”

WARBLERS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill awl-sliaped.

Nostrils small ; obovate.

NIGHTINGALE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Motacilla Luscinia. M. rufo-cinerea, armillis cinereis. Linn.

Syst. Nat. Gviel. 1. p. Q50.

Body reddish ash-colour, wing feathers
lighter.

Sylvia Luscinia. Scop. Ann. l.n. 22/.
Nightingale. . . Buff. Birds , v. 5. p. 78. pi. 120. n. 1.

Penn. Brit. Zool. 1. n. 145. Will.
Orn. p. 2/0. t. 41. Alb. Av. 3. t. 53.
Lath. Syn. 2. p. 408. no. 1. Bew.
Birds , 1. p. 199.

Sweet bird, that shunn’st the noise of folly.

Most musical, most melancholy !

Thee, chauntress, oft the woods among
I woo, to hear thy even song. Il’ Penseroso.

None of the different kinds of birds prove more a-
greeable companions to man, than those which enjoy
the gift of harmony ; and there is not one among

NIGHTINGALE.

48f

them that ranks so high for his exquisite melody as
the nightingale. We must confess, however, that
he owes something to the stillness of the hour when
he executes his plaintive strains ; for after having
heard a full chorus celebrate the Author of Nature,
and proclaim the bounties of Him who sustains
them, it is a delightful novelty, in the evening, to
hear the nightingale begin to sing by himself, and
continue his notes till the night be far advanced.
This superiority over the rest of birds, has made
him justly the favourite of the poets ; and Milton,
in describing the approach of evening, has not for-
gotten his nocturnal vigils :

“ Silence accompanied j for beast and bird —

They to their grassy couch, these to their nests —

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale.

She all night long her amorous descant sung.

The good old Walton too, whose favourite diversion
induced him to spend so many hours by the side
of the brook, has acknowledged the pleasure which
he frequently received from this musical bird, in a
pious ejaculation to his Creator.

The nightingale is very solitary, and seems so
much attached to the same situation that he gene-
rally continues in it during the season. This cir-
cumstance did not escape the observation of our
Shakspeare.

Jul. Wilt thou be gone ? it is not yet near day;

It was the nightingale, and not the lark.

That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear ;

Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree :

Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.

488

NIGHTINGALE.

This attachment of theirs to the same spot, was the
origin of a contrivance to settle nightingales in places
which they never visited : The brood are caught
with the parent birds, and conveyed to a situation
which resembles their former haunt : the cock and
hen are placed in two cages near the nest of young,
and the cages are artfully opened while the person
remains concealed : the parents run to the cries of
their nestlings, and foster and continue to educate
them ; it is even said they will return to the same
place the next year.

For the following description of the nest of these
little warblers, and of their careful attention to their
young, we are indebted to the learned Count de
Buflfon :

“ They begin to build their nest about the end
of April, or the opening of May. The materials
are leaves, rushes, stalks of coarse grass ; and the in-
side is lined with small fibres and roots, horse-hair,
and a sort of bur. They are placed in a favourable
aspect, turned somewhat to the east, near water,
and commonly on the lowest branches of shrubs, as
gooseberries, white-thorns, sloes, elm-hedges, &c.
or in a tuft of grass, and even on the ground under
bushes. Hence their eggs and their young, and
sometimes the mother, are occasionally devoured
by dogs, foxes, pole-cats, weasels, adders, &c.

“ In our climate the female usually lays five
eggs, of an uniform greenish brown, except that the
brown predominates at the obtuse end and the
green at the acute. She hatches alone, and never
leaves her station but for food, and then only in

NIGHTINGALE.

the evening, and when hard pressed with hunger !
during her absence the male seems to cast an eye on
the nest. In eighteen or twenty days the young
begin to burst their shells, and the number of the
cock birds is generally double that of the hens.
And hence, when in April a cock is caught, the hen
soon finds another mate, the loss of which is sup-
plied by a third, and so on ; insomuch that the suc-
cessive seizure of three or four males has little effect
on the multiplication of the brood. The hen dis-
gorges the food for the young, as in the canaries,
and the cock assists. He now ceases to warble,
and is totally absorbed in the concerns of his fa-
mily ; and even during incubation, it is said, he
seldom sings near the nest, lest he discover it ; but
if a person approach it, his paternal solicitude
drowns the suggestions of prudence, and his shrieks
only increase the danger. In less than a fortnight
the young are fledged ; and at this time we ought to
remove those intended to be trained. After they
are flown the parents make a second hatch, and
then a third ; but the last fails if the cold sets in
early. In hot countries they breed even four times
annually ; but the late hatches are always more
scanty.”

It has been remarked that birds of gay and bril-
liant colours have generally disagreeable voices,
while those of a more sober tint are frequently
melodious : thus has Nature made an equal distri-
bution of her favours, since both have their at-
tractions. The plumage of the nightingale is very

NIGHTINGALE.

490

inferior to his warble, being on the upper side of
the body of a brown inclining to rusty ; the throat,
breast and belly are of a light glossy ash-colour;
the quill feathers are of a dull reddish brown ; the
eyes are remarkably large and piercing; the legs
are brown, and also the feet, but with a shade of
ilesh-colour. The length of the bird is about six
inches.

About the end of August the nightingales migrate
into other countries, and return to us in April, when
they almost immediately begin to sing, and con-
tinue in voice till the end of June. It is singu-
lar that confined in a cage they sing for nine or ten
months, while those in a wild state only favour us
with their notes for as many weeks. In Gascony,
it is said, they are fatted for the table, and con-
sidered as most delicious food.

TAYLOR BIRD.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Motacilla sutoria. M. tota flava minima. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Gmel. 1. p. 997.

A very small species entirely yellow.
Taylor Bird. . . Penn. Ind. Zool. pi. 8. Lath. Syn. 2.

p. 515. no. 49.

The nest of this bird is one among the many cu-
riosities which are daily occurring to the naturalist.
It is composed of two leaves, sewed together in a
very nice manner by the little taylor, whose bill
serves him for a needle. He generally chooses a
dead leaf which he picks up from the ground ; and
flying with it to the extremity of a branch, at-
taches it to a living one, making use of slender
fibres instead of thread. The nest is in the form
of a pouch, and open at top : a lining of gossamer,
or soft vegetable down, together with a few feathers,
completes the operation. Thus is constructed the
most simple nest in Nature, in which the little fa-
mily are brought up without the fear of being in-
terrupted by any one. The nest and the birds are
together so light, that the leaf attached to the end
of the most slender twig will be strong enough for

492 TAYLOR BIRD.

their purpose : here it is they fix their habitation,
and, thus suspended, they may almost bid defiance
to every invader but the wind.

The taylor bird inhabits India; and has only
been noticed on account of its singular nest, a figure
of which, with a very short description of the spe-
cies, is given by Mr. Pennant in the Indian Zoology.

PENDULINE TITMOUSE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill strong, short, sharp-pointed and somewhat compressed;

the base covered with bristles.

Tongue truncated, and terminated with bristles.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Parus pendulinus. . P. capite subferrugineo, fascia oculari

nigra, remigibus rectricibusque fuscis,
margine utroque ferragineo. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 1014.

Head somewhat ferruginous, with a
black stripe across the eyes : quills of
the wings and of the tail brown 3 both
margins ferruginous.

Parus polonicus sive pendulinus. Briss.
Av. 3. p. 565. no. 11. pi. 29. f. 2.

Mountain Titmouse. Alb. Av. 3.
pi. 57.

Penduline Titmouse. Buff. Birds, 5. p. 420. Lath. Syn. 2.

p. 547. no. lb.

This little creature, whose total length does not ex-
ceed four inches and half, is a first-rate architect,
and possesses a degree of ingenuity and contrivance
which is not surpassed by any of the feathered

494 PENDULINE TITMOUSE.

tribe. All its skill is directed to the formation of
its nest ; and this curious structure is so satisfactorily
described by M. de BufFon, that we shall beg leave
to avail ourselves of his account.

The most curious fact in the history of these
birds/’ says the Count, “ is the exquisite art dis-
played in the construction of their nest. They em-
ploy the light down found on the buds of the wil-
low, the poplar, the aspen, the juncago ; in thistles,
dandelions, flea-banes, cats-tails, &c. With their
bill they entwine this filamentous substance, and
form a thick close web, almost like cloth : this they
fortify externally with fibres and small roots, which
penetrate into the texture, and in some measure
form the basis of the nest. They line the inside
with the same down, but not woven, that their
young may lie soft : they shut it above to confine
the warmth, and they suspend it with hemp, with
nettles, &c. from the cleft of a small pliant branch,
over running water, that it may rock more gently,
assisted by the spring of the branch. In this
situation the brood are well supplied with insects,
which constitute their chief food ; and they are
protected from the rats, the lizards, the adders, and
other reptiles, which are always the most danger-
ous : and I am convinced that their conduct really
proceeds from foresight ; for they are naturally
crafty ; and, according to Monti and Titius, they
can never be caught in snares ; as the same cir-
cumstance has been remarked in the bonanas and
cassigues of the New World, in the grosbeaks of

PENDULINE TITMOUSE. 495

Abyssinia, and in other birds which hang their
nests from the end of a branch. That of the pen-
duline titmouse resembles sometimes a bag;, some-
times a shut purse, sometimes a flattened bagpipe,
&c. The aperture is made in the side, and almost
always turned towards the water, and placed some-
times higher, sometimes lower ; it is nearly round,
and only an inch and a half in diameter, or even
less, and commonly surrounded by a brim more or
less protuberant, though this is sometimes want-
ing. The female lays only four or five eggs, which
falls much short of the ordinary fecundity of the
titmice ; but in its port, its voice, its bill, and in
the principal attributes, the penduline resembles
the others. These eggs are as white as snow, the
shell extremely thin, and they are almost transpa-
rent. The bird has generally two hatches annually;
the first in April or May, and the second in the
month of August. There is little probability that
it makes a third.

“ These nests of the penduline titmouse are seen
in the fens near Bologna, in those of Tuscany, on
the banks of Thrasymene ; and are exactly the
same with what occur in Lithuania, Volhinia, Po-
land, and Germany. The peasants regard them
with superstitious veneration : one of these nests
is suspended near the door of each cottage, and
the possessors hold it as a protector from thun-
der, and its little architect as a sacred bird. We
might almost regret that Nature is not more

PENDULINE TITMOUSE.

496*

sparing of her wonders ; for every extraordinary ap-
pearance is a source of new errors.”

These birds inhabit the northern parts of Europe
as far as Siberia ; but according to Gmelin they are
rare in that country. They are generally found
in marshy situations, where they hide themselves
among the bulrushes ; therefore several of the can-
tons of Poland are particularly adapted for the re-
sidence of these titmice, as they abound in marshes
which produce the requisite aquatic plants for the
construction of their nests.

SWALLOW.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill short, awl-shaped, weak.

Mouth very wide.

Tongue short ; smooth ; cleft.

Wings long.

Legs short and weak.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Hiuundo rustica. H. rectricibus, exceptis duabus intermediis,

macula alba notatis. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 1015.

Tail feathers, except the two middle ones,
spotted with white.

Hirundo domestica. Briss.Av. 2.p.48().
Common swallow. Buff. Birds, v. 6. p. 493. pi. 161. f. 1.

Will. Orn. t. 39. Alb. Av. 1. 1. 45. Lath.
Syn. 2. p. 56l. no. 1. Penn. Brit.
Zool. 1. p. 398. pi. 58. Bew. Birds,
p. 252.

These birds, about whom such contradictory opi-
nions have been entertained, make their appearance
in this country about the twelfth of April, and leave
us for their distant winter quarters about the end of
September ; though they sometimes continue till the

2 K

VOL. 1.

498

SWALLOW.

next month, and Mr. Markwick observes that he
has seen them as late in the year as the sixteenth of
November ; but it was only a single bird or two, the
main body having disappeared long before that
time.

As they always visit us in the spring, within twen-
ty days of the same time, they sometimes suffer
from the uncertainty of this climate, and have been
seen gliding through thick flakes of falling snow.
Buffon says that the year 1740 was fatal to many
of them ; they gathered in great numbers about a
brook which skirted a terrace then belonging to Mr.
Hebert, where every minute some dropped down,
and the water was covered with their dead bodies :
nor was excessive cold the cause of their death ; it
was evidently the want of food ; for those picked
up were reduced to mere skeletons ; the walls of
the terrace were their last resort, and they greedily
devoured the dried flies that hung from the old spi-
der webs.

These birds build their nests in chimneys, one
above another. They construct them with mud
mixed with straw, leaving the top quite open : the
inside is lined with grass and feathers; and here they
lay from four to six eggs, sometimes quite white,
and sometimes speckled with red. They breed
twice in the season ; the first brood quits the nest
the end of June or beginning of July, and the se-
cond towards the end of August. The male is very
attentive to the female while she sits upon the nest,
and his soft sweet note may be heard from the

SWALLOW.

m

house-top as soon as the day begins to break. The
anxious care of this little creature for the preservation
of the eggs is placed in a very strong light by Pro-
fessor Kalm, whose Travels into America contains the
following anecdote, related to him by a respectable
lady who witnessed the fact. “ A couple of swal-
lows built their nest in the stable belonging to the
lady ; and the female laid eggs in the nest, and was
about to brood them. Some days after, the people
saw the female still sitting on the eggs ; but the
male, flying about the nest, and sometimes settling
on a nail, was heard to utter a very plaintive note,
which betrayed his uneasiness. On a nearer exa-
mination the female was found dead in the nest,
and the people flung her body away. The male
then went to sit upon the eggs ; but after being
about two hours on them, and perhaps finding the
business too troublesome, he went out, and re-
turned in the afternoon with another female, which
sat upon the nest, and afterwards fed the young
ones till they were able to provide for themselves.”

The time when the young are hatched may be
readily known by the passing and repassing of the
parents, who are perpetually on the wing in search
of food for them ; and this they continue with un-
abating assiduity till the family no longer need
their assistance. A person can hardly live long in
the country without noticing the manners of these
little domestic birds, who conduct their young as
soon as they are fledged to the top of the chimney,
where they may be seen quietly seated, and wait-

2 k 2

500

SWALLOW.

ing the arrival of their parents with food : here
they remain for a few days, till they gain sufficient
strength to reach some leafless bough, where, seated
in a row, they receive alternately their share of
flies. Their power to provide for themselves does
not commence with their ability to fly ; as they are
still dependent upon their parents for some time
after they have taken to wing, and may be seen
playing about the place where the dams are watch-
ing for flies, which they receive with a fluttering
motion and a short quick expressive note. When
the swallows are upon the wing, they make a sharp
noise with their bill every time they catch a fly :
this noise is not unlike the shutting of a watch-
case.

The activity of swallows in clearing the air of in-
sects make them of singular service to us ; and we
should be very much annoyed by their rapid in-
crease, if the wisdom of Providence had not di-
rected every animal to seek its particular prey,
and thus prevent the undue multiplication of any
one species. In the Gentleman’s Magazine the use
they are of to us in this respect is properly no-
ticed. “ By the myriads of insects,” says the
writer, u which every single brood of swallows de-
stroy in the course of a summer, these birds defend
us in a great measure from the personal and do-
mestic annoyance of flies and gnats ; and, what is of
infinitely more consequence, they keep down the
numbers of minute enemies, which, either in the
grub or winged state, would otherwise prey on the

SWALLOW.

501

labours of the husbandman. Since, then, swallows
are guardians of our corn, they should every where
be protected by the same popular veneration which
in Egypt defends the ibis, and the stork in Hol-
land. We more frequently hear of unproductive
harvests on the Continent than in this country ;
and it is well known that swallows are caught and
sold for food in the markets of France, Spain, and
Italy. When this practice has been very general
and successful, I have little doubt that it has at
times contributed to the scarcity of corn. In
England we are not driven to such resources to fur-

o

nish our tables. But what apology can be made
for those, and many there are whose education
and rank should have taught them more inno-
cent amusements, who wantonly murder swallows
under the idle pretence of improving their skill in
shooting game ? Besides the cruelty of starving
whole nests by killing the dam, they who follow
this barbarous diversion would do well to reflect,
that by every swallow they kill they assist the
effects of blasts, mildews, and vermin, in causing
a scarcity of bread. Every lord of the manor should
restrain his gamekeeper from this execrable prac-
tice ; nor should he permit any person to sport on
his lands that does not refrain from it. For my
part, I am not ashamed to own, that I have tempted
martins to build round my house, by fixing scallop
shells in places convenient for their 4 pendent beds
and procreant cradles and have been much pleased
in observing with what caution the little aichitect

502

SWALLOW.

raises a buttress under each shell, before he ventures
to form his nest on it.”

In the autumn, when the time approaches for the
swallows to leave this country, they assemble in vast
numbers, and generally occupy the tops of houses,
the steeples of churches, or the sides of cliffs, where
we have seen them, at Dover, collected in large
flocks, and making a continual noise till they have
suddenly taken their departure. The subject of
the migration of these birds has occasioned much
controversy among naturalists, who have been com-
pletely divided in their opinions ; one party con-
tending for their submersion in rivers and lakes
during the winter ; the other insisting, with more
propriety, on their migration to foreign countries.
Both sides of the question have been too much
canvassed to make it necessary for us to enter par-
ticularly upon the subject: we shall therefore only
observe with Mr. Pennant, that Olaus Magnus, arch-
bishop of Upsal, very gravely informs us, that these
birds are often found in clustered masses at the bot-
tom of the northern lakes, mouth to mouth, wing
to wing, foot to foot ; and that they creep down
the reeds in autumn to their subaqueous retreats.
That when old fishermen discover such a mass,
they throw it into the water again ; but when
young inexperienced ones take it, they will, by
thawing the birds at the fire, bring them indeed
to the use of their wings, which will continue but
for a short time, being owing to a premature and
forced revival. But the good archbishop does not

SWALLOW.

503

stop here ; for after stocking the bottoms of the
lakes with birds, he stores the clouds with mice,
which sometimes fall in plentiful showers in Nor-
way and the neighbouring countries.

If swallows can live, as some contend they can,
for six months at the bottom of a river, Is it pos-
sible that a submersion for twelve hours in a butt
of water should completely kill them ? yet nothing
is more strictly true ; since we tried every means in
our power to recover two of these birds, which had
met with this accident, without being fortunate
enough to produce the smallest sign of returning
animation*

“ A musive birds ! say where your hid retreat.

When the frost rages and the tempests beat ;

Whence your return by such nice instinct led.

When Spring, sweet season, lifts her bloomy head ?

Such baffled searches mock man’s prying pride.

The God of Nature is your secret guide !”

We shall here notice the esculent swallow on
account of his curious nest, which is considered as
such a luxury in the East that it forms a con-
siderable branch of traffic among the Javanese. The
bird is described as smaller than the wren, with a
brown back and forked tail, the feathers of which
are tipped with white.

This celebrated nest seldom weighs more than
half an ounce, and is found of the shape of half a
lemon, adhering to the roofs and sides of the rock.
Its texture is said to resemble isinglass, or gum-
drajon, and is externally composed of exceedingly

504

SWALLOW.

thin and nearly concentric layers of a soft slimy
substance : the inside somewhat resembles coarse
net-work, the threads being drawn from the same
substance with the outer layers, and much inter-
woven. It has puzzled several naturalists to find
out of what this nest is composed, and different
persons have given different opinions : it has been
supposed to consist of sea-worms, of the sea qualm,
a sort of cuttle-fish, or of a glutinous sea plant
called agal-agal : however it matters little, as the
knowledge of its component parts has nothing to
do with its flavour, and that, it seems, is what the
Chinese look to in the choice of their nests. The
best sort, which are perfectly white and clean, are
either dissolved in broth to improve its relish, or
softened in water, and pulled to pieces, after which
they are mixed with ginseng, and put into the
body of a fowl. This is stewed in water all night,
and eaten as a luxury the next day.

About twenty-five pounds weight of these nests
sell in China from a thousand to fifteen hundred
dollars ; those which are black and dirty, however,
are not worth more than twenty dollars. The ex-
portation from Batavia of this article is so great,
that we are told the Dutch send twenty-five thou-
sand pounds weight every year to China. We
shall subjoin part of the letter which M. Poivre
sent to the Count de Buffon on this subject, and
likewise Sir George Staunton’s interesting descrip-
tion of this bird and its nest. The former gentle-
man embarked in July 1741, in the ship Mars,

SWALLOW.

505

bound for China; and in the same year reached the
straits of Sunda, very near Java, and between two
small islets, called the Great and Little Tocque.
{( Here,” says he, “ we were becalmed, and went
on shore on Little Tocque to hunt green pigeons.
While the rest of the party were clambering among
the precipices, I walked along the beach to gather
shells and jointed corals, which are found here in
great abundance. After having made almost an
entire circuit of the islet, it was growing late, when
a sailor who accompanied me discovering a deep
cavern in the rocks on the brink of the sea went
into it, and scarce advanced two or three steps
when he called to me. I hastened to the mouth
of the cavern, and found it darkened by an im-
mense cloud of small birds, which poured out in
swarms. I entered it, and knocked down with my
cane many of these poor little birds, with which I
was then unacquainted : as I penetrated further, I
perceived the roof of the cavern to be covered en-
tirely with small nests shaped like holy-water pots.
The sailor had already broken off several, and had
filled his frock with them and with birds. I also
detached some of the nests, and found them glued
firmly to the rock. Night now came on, and we
returned to the ship with the fruits of our ex-
cursion.”

Sir George Staunton has thus described the escu-
lent swallow and its nest, in his Account of the Em-
bassy to China. “ In the Cass, a small island near
Sumatra, were found two caverns running hori-

50 6

SWALLOW.

zontally into the side of the rock ; and in these
were a number of those birds’ nests so much prized
by the Chinese epicures. They seem to be com-
posed of fine filaments, cemented together by a trans-
parent viscous matter, not unlike what is left by
the foam of the sea upon stones alternately covered
by the tide, or those gelatinous animal substances
found floating on every coast. The nests adhere
to each other and to the sides of the cavern, mostly
in rows, without any break or interruption. The
birds that build these nests are small gray swallows,
with bellies of a dirty white. They were flying
about in considerable numbers ; but were so small,
and their flight was so quick, that they escaped the
shot fired at them. The same sort of nests are said
to be also found in deep caverns at the foot of the
highest mountains in the middle of Java, at a
distance from the sea; from which source it is
thought that the birds derive no materials, either
for their food or the construction of their nests ; as
it does not appear probable they should fly, in
search of either, over the intermediate mountains,
which are very high, or against the boisterous
winds prevailing thereabout. They feed on in-
sects which they find hovering over stagnated pools
between the mountains, and for the catching of
which their wide-opening beaks are particularly
adapted. They prepare their nests from the best
remnants of their food. Their greatest enemy is
the kite ; who often intercepts them in their pas-
sage to and from the caverns, which are generally

SWALLOW.

507

surrounded with rocks of gray limestone, or white
marble. The nests are placed in horizontal rows,
at different depths, from fifty to five hundred feet.
The colour and value of the nests depend on the
quantity and quality of the insects caught; and,
perhaps, also on the situation where they are built.
Their value is chiefly ascertained by the uniform
fineness and delicacy of their texture ; those that
are white and transparent being most esteemed, and
fetching often in China their weight in silver.

“ These nests are a considerable object of traffic
among the Javanese, many of whom are employed
in it from their infancy. The birds, after having
spent nearly two months in preparing their nests,
lay each two eggs, which are hatched in about
fifteen days. When the young birds become fledged
it is thought the proper time to seize upon their
nests, which is done regularly three times a-year,
and is effected by means of ladders of bamboo and
reeds, by which the people descend into the ca-
verns ; but when these are very deep, rope ladders
are preferred. This operation is attended with
much danger, and several perish in the attempt.
The inhabitants of the mountains generally em-
ployed in this business, begin always by sacrificing a
buffalo; which custom is observed by the Javanese
on the eve of every extraordinary enterprise. They
also pronounce some prayers, anoint themselves
with sweet-scented oil, and smoke the entrance of
the cavern with gum benjamin. Near some of the

508

SWALLOW.

caverns a tutelar goddess is worshipped, whose
priest burns incense, and lays his protecting hands
on every person preparing to descend. A flambeau
is carefully prepared at the same time with a gum
which exudes from a tree growing in the vicinity,
and which is not easily extinguished by fixed air or
subterraneous vapours.

GOATSUCKER.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill a little incurved, very short, and furnished with bristles
round the base.

Mouth extremely wide.

Ears large.

Tongue sharp and entire.

Nostrils tubular ; very prominent.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Caprimulgus Carolinenbis. C. supra lineis transversis angula-

tis alternis atris et griseis varius,
subtus ex rufo griseus lineis
nigricantibus longitudinalibus,
cauda griseo atro cancellata.
Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. l.p.1028.

Variegated above by transverse
angled lines ; alternately black
and gray 5 below rufous gray,
with blackish longitudinal lines;
tail gray, latticed with black.

Rain Bird. Brown. Jam. p. 467.

Shortwinged Goatsucker. Arct.
Zool. 2. p.434. no. 336.

Caroline Goatsucker. . . Buff. Birds 6. p. 448. Catesl.

Carol. 1. 1. 8. Lath. Synop. 2.
p. 592. no. 4.

The eyes of this species, in common with the rest
of the genus, are too delicate to bear the light of
day; hence they never appear till sun-set in the

1

510

GOATSUCKER.

evening, and retire in the morning a little after
sun-rise : they never build a nest, but lay two eggs
upon the bare ground, which they will scarcely
quit on the nearest approach. They live entirely
upon insects, and are provided with a most capa-
cious mouth for the purpose of catching them.
When in pursuit of their prey, they are in the
habit of wheeling many times successively round the
trunk of some aged tree, with a very irregular and
rapid motion ; and when thus employed it is difficult
to get within gun-shot of them ; for they quickly
disappear, nor can their retreat be discovered.

These birds have a singular note, which has in-
duced the inhabitants of the northern provinces of
America to give them the name of W hip -poor -Will,
They frequent the steps of houses in search of in-
sects, and are often seen in numbers perched on
rails or bushes, where they repeat their song with
a great noise from sun-set until dark : during the
night they are quiet; but their call again com-
mences with the dawn, and continues till the sun
rises. They make likewise a sort of buzzing noise
like the whirling of a spinning-wheel.

Although the goatsuckers are very common
among the mountainous parts of America, they are
extremely rare near the sea side. This is confirm-
ed by Mr. Clayton, who never heard but one in the
maritime parts, though lie constantly resided there ;
<c But near the mountains,” says this gentleman,
“ within a few minutes after sun-set, they begin,
and make so shrill and loud a noise, that the echoes
from the rocks and sides of the mountains increase

GOATSUCKER.

511

to such a degree, that the first time I lodged there
I could hardly get any sleep.”

The gloomy habits of these birds, together with
their unpleasant call, is probably the reason why
the Indians consider them as ominous. They be-
lieve that goatsuckers were not known till their
countrymen were murdered by the English, and
that they are the departed spirits of the massacred
Indians. Catesby assures us that abundance of people
in Carolina look upon them as birds of ill omen ;
and are very melancholy if one alights on the house,
or near the door, and begins its call, which they
will sometimes do upon the very threshhold; for
they firmly believe one of the family will die soon
after.

Our European species is supposed, by Buffon, to
have originated in America, from whence it has
been expelled by some fortuitous event. It makes
but a short stay with us, appearing towards the end
of May, and leaving the island in September. It
begins its whirling note at the close of day, sitting
usually on a bare bough with the head lower than
the tail, the lower jaw quivering with the efforts.
The noise is said to be so very violent as to give a
sensible vibration to any little building it chances to
alight on. It lays two eggs of a whitish hue, marbled
with reddish brown.

WADERS.

CRANE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill straight, long, and pointed.
Nostrils linear.

Tongue acute.

Four toes on each foot.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Ardea Grus. . A. occipite nudo papillose), pileo remigibusque

nigris, corpore cinereo, rectricibus intimis
laceris. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 620.

With a bald crown, quill feathers black, body
ash-coloured, tail feathers divided from the
bottom.

Common Crane. Buff. Birds, v. 7. p. 277- ph 175. Lath.

Syn. 3. p. 40. n. 5. JVill. Orn. p. 374.
t. 48. Penn. Brit. Zool. Jpp. p. 629. t. 1.
Bew. Birds, 2. p. 29.

K^mpfer, in his History of Japan, tells us that
cranes are considered in that country as animals
of good omen, and that the apartments of the em-

CRANE.

513

peror and the walls of the temples are decorated
with their figures. In Persia, where they are like-
wise very common, it is the prerogative of the
prince to hunt them. “ At early dawn,” says
Oleanus, “ the king sent to inform the ambassa-
dors, that he would go with a very few attendants
to the chase of the cranes, entreating them not to
bring their interpreters, that the cranes might not
be scared by a multitude, nor the pleasure of the
sport be disturbed by noise. It began with the
day. A covered way had been made under ground,
at the end of which was the plain, where corn had
been scattered ; the cranes came in great numbers,
and more than four score were caught. The king
took some feathers to put into his turban, and gave
two to each of the ambassadors, who stuck them into
their hats.”

From this account it appears that these birds must
be as numerous in Persia as in Poland, where, it is
said, the peasants are obliged to build huts in the
midst of their fields of buck-wheat, to drive them off.
They are scattered over great part of the globe, and
not only visit all the temperate climates, but are
found in the two extremes ; migrating as far north
as Siberia, and into the southern parts of Africa. In
Ray’s time they frequented England, and appeared
in large flocks in the fens of Lincolnshire and
Cambridgeshire; but they now very rarely visit this
island, and are at present scarcely known to the in-
habitants of those counties.

The plumage of the crane is of a fine waved light

2 L

VOL. I.

514

CRANE.

ash colour, except the great quills of the wing, the
covering of the head, and the fore part of the neck.
A large tuft of elegant unwebbed curling feathers
springs from one pinion of each wing, which fall
back gracefully, and by their flexibility, their po-
sition, and their texture, resemble the plumes of
the ostrich. The straight, pointed, and compress-
ed bill bears so strong a resemblance to the seed-
vessel of the geranium, that it has given its name to
the plant. The sides of the head and the hind
part of the neck are white ; on the upper part of
the neck there is a bare ash-coloured space of two
inches ; and above this the skin is bare and red,
with a few scattered hairs. The figure of the bird
is slender, his gait erect, his length four feet, and his
weight about ten pounds.

Cranes choose marshy situations to nestle in,
where they lay two blueish eggs; and the young
ones are scarcely reared when the season of their
departure arrives, and they must employ their
newly acquired strength in accompanying their pa-
rents in their route. The first cold days in autumn
serve them as a warning to depart to milder cli-
mates ; previous to their retreat, they assemble in
amazing numbers, and, having chosen a leader, at
once soar to the higher regions of the atmosphere,
where they arrange themselves into the form of a
triangle, and proceed to their designed place. They
are exceedingly clamorous; and though their voyage
is generally performed in the night, their loud
screams betray their course. During this nocturnal

CRANE.

515

passage, it is said that the leader frequently calls to
rally his forces, and point out the track ; and the
cry is repeated by the flock, each answering, to give
notice that it follows and keeps its rank. Milton,
when he touches on this wonderful instinct of Na-
ture, finely describes their progress :

Part loosely wing the region : part more wise.

In common rang’d in figure, wedge their way.

Intelligent of seasons, and set forth
Their airy caravan, high over seas
Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing
Easing their flight. So steers the prudent crane
Her annual voyage, borne on winds

The air floats as they pass, fann’d with unnumber’d plumes.

Cranes during their flight are frequently seen to
alter their direction ; and those who have observed
these variations, say that they indicate a change of
weather, and suppose that the vast height to which
they soar enables them to perceive or to feel the
distant alterations in the atmosphere. Aristotle
made them his hygrometer, and tells us that the
cries of cranes in the day-time forebode rain ; and
.noisy confused screams announce a storm : if in the
morning or evening they rise upwards, and fly
peaceably in a body, it is a sign of fair weather; but
if they keep low, or alight on the ground, it menaces
a tempest.

“ When the cranes,” says BufFon, “ are assembled
on the ground, they set guards during the night ;
and the circumspection of these birds has been con-
secrated in the hieroglyphics, as the symbol of vigi-

2 L 2

516

CRANE.

lance. The flock sleep with their head concealed
under their wing ; but the leader watches with his
head erect ; and if any thing alarms him, he gives
notice by a cry.” This account is strengthened by
the authority of Kolben, who observed large flocks
of cranes in the marshes about the Cape of Good
Hope ; but never saw a flock of them on the
ground, without some placed apparently as senti-
nels, to keep a look-out while the others were feed-
ing ; and these on the approach of danger imme-
diately gave notice to the rest. We are likewise
informed by him, that these sentinels stand on one
leg ; and at intervals stretch out their necks, as if to
observe that all is safe. On a signal being given
from the watch, the whole flock are instantly on the
wing.

Though these birds feed on grain, and frequent
the fields to collect it, yet they prefer insects, worms,
and small reptiles ; and are therefore, like the stork,
of great service in Egypt, where they are said to
take up their winter quarters.

A white crane is found in North America, which
from its peculiar cry is called the hooping crane.
These birds appear about Hudson’s Bay in the sum-
mer time, and return to the southward as soon as
the winter approaches. They make a remarkable
hooping noise, which made Mr. Pennant imagine
them to be the birds whose clamour Captain Philip
Amidas, the first Englishman who ever set foot on
North America, so graphically describes on his
landing on the isle of Wokakow, off the coast of

Published; by Mzfsr.s Coded Sc Dayie^.XorLdort d&arc/ii.j.So'} .

-CRANE.

517

North Carolina. u When,” says he, “ such a flock
of cranes, the most part white, arose under us, with
such a cry, redoubled by many ecchoes, as if an
armie of men had showted all together.” This was
in the month of July ; which proves that in those
early days this species bred in the then desert parts
of the southern provinces, till driven away by popu-
lation, as was the case with the common crane in
England ; which abounded in our undrained fens,
till cultivation forced them entirely to quit our
kingdom.

But the most elegant of the cranes is the Nu-
midian, whose figure we have given from a very
beautiful specimen in the possession of Mr. Parkin-
son. It has all the proportions of the crane on a
smaller scale, and the same distribution of colours
on the plumage, only the gray is purer. Two beau-
tiful white tufts of unwebbed and hairy feathers,
falling from behind each eye, form a sort of head-
dress ; while long, soft, and silky hairs of the finest
black lie on the crown of the head ; similar feathers
descending from the fore part of the neck hang
gracefully below it; and, to complete the figure, long
and pendent bending tufts appear between the black
quills of the wings.

On account of its elegant form, its rich garb, and
its affected airs, the French have named this bird
the Demoiselle or Miss, and remark that it makes
repeated reverences as it walks along, at the same
time treading the ground with all the lightness and
gaiety of a dancer. This bent, which in a certain

518

CRANE.

degree may be remarked in the common crane, is so
striking in this Numidian bird, that all authors who
have hitherto mentioned it, from the earliest time to
the present day, have named it from its mimic ges-
tures. Aristotle calls it the actor or comedian ; Pliny,
the dancer or vaulter; and both Plutarch and Athe-
nseus have noticed its singular manners. Though this
bird was famous among the antients, it was little
known, and seldom seen in Greece or Italy; and,
confined to its own climate, it enjoyed a sort of
fabulous celebrity. It was late before the moderns
were acquainted with it. The six Numidian cranes
which were kept for a considerable time in the
French king’s menagerie, are said to have propa-
gated there, and that the one which died last at the
age of twenty-four, was hatched in it. We have
nothing further to add respecting this bird, except
that our English sailors, who are not so well acquaint-
ed with the art of dancing as the French, call it
the buffoon, and say that it cuts a very ridiculous
figure.

Published, by. Mc/'srf Cadc/L 8c Davies'. dondon, March

STORK.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Ardea Ciconia. A. alba, orbitis remigibusque nigris, rostra,

pedibus, cuteque, sanguineis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. 1. p.621.

Body white ; wing feathers black ; beak, feet,
and skin, of a blood red colour.

Ciconia alba. Briss. Av. 5. p. 3 65. t. 32.
White Stork. . Buff'. Birds, v. 7. p. 243. pi. 173. Will. Orn.

p. 286. t. 52. All. Av. t.64. Lath. Syn. 3.
p. 4 7. no. 9. Bew. Birds , p. 32.

.

Who bid the stork, Columbus like, explore
Heavens not his own, and worlds unknown before ?

Who calls the council, states the certain day.

Who forms the phalanx, and who points the way ?

Pope.

The migration of birds to different parts of the
world at stated times, from which they never vary,
forms one of the most curious as well as most in-
teresting phenomena in nature. Among the rest,
the storks prepare with great exactness for their
flight ; and about the latter end of August leave
Europe to pass the winter in climates more con-
genial to their nature. They are convened, pre-
vious to their departure, from all the neighbouring

520

STORK.

parts, and assemble in amazing numbers, making a
frequent clattering with their bill, and trying their
wings by several short flights : indeed the whole
flock is in tumultuary commotion ; all seem eager
to form acquaintance, and to consult on their pro-
jected route. On the signal being given, they all
of a sudden take flight, and rise with such swift-
ness, that this vast body, which but a moment before
completely covered the plain, is presently lost in the
clouds.

The white stork is about three feet and a half
long, of which the bill measures seven inches ; the
legs are eight inches, the naked part of the thighs
five inches, and the wings, when extended, not less
than six feet. The rest of the description is included
in the specific character already given.

In autumn the plains of Egypt are entirely co-
vered with these birds. “ It is perfectly ascer-
tained,” says Belon, ef that the storks winter in
Egypt and in Africa ; for we have seen the plains
of Egypt whitened by them in the months of Sep-
tember and October. At that season, when the
waters of the Nile have subsided, they obtain abun-
dance of food ; but the excessive heats of summer
drive them to more temperate climates.” The
storks make their appearance in Germany about the
eight or tenth of May, and are seen before that
time in the provinces of France. Their return is
always welcomed, as it announces spring. When
they arrive they immediately seek out their old
nests ; for the storks always settle in the same spots ;

- STORK.

521

and if they have been destroyed, they rebuild them
with twigs and aquatic plants. They usually settle
on lofty rums, on the battlements of towers, or any
high situation where they can command an ex-
tensive view, and yet conceal their nest. BufFon
assures us, that it was customary in Belon’s time to
place wheels on the house-tops in order to entice
the storks to build their nests in them. This
practice still subsists in Germany and Alsace ; and
wre are told that in Holland square boxes are
planted on the ridges with the same view. The
stork lays from two to four eggs of a dirty yel-
lowish white ; the incubation lasts a month, and
both parents are very assiduous in providing for
their young. The male and female leave the nest
by turns ; and while one is gone, the other stands
near the spot on one leg, and constantly watches
the brood. When the young first make their ap-
pearance they are covered with a brown down, and
their long legs being too weak to support them,
they are obliged to creep upon their knees. When
they are sufficiently fledged to venture from home,
they trust themselves to the care of their mother,
wrho exercises them in small circumvolutions, and
then returns with them to the nest ; after which
they soon attain their full strength, and join the rest
of their species.

Among the antients it was considered a crime to
kill a stork ; and Pliny assures us that in Thessaly
the murder of one of these birds was punished by
death, on account of their great use in clearing that

522

STORK.

country of serpents. Their filial piety too was so
greatly celebrated, that the law which compelled the
maintenance of parents was enacted in honour of
them, and Aristophanes draws from their conduct
a bitter satire on the human race. The Mahometans
esteem the stork ; and the Egyptians have a great
veneration for it.

A few years ago one of these birds was shot near
Sandwich, and brought to Mr. Boys of that place,
who assured us that the stork, being but slightly
hurt in the wing, made a desperate resistance before
he was killed, and wounded the man in the leg with
his long bill. This circumstance is worthy of no-
tice, as it has been said that the stork never visits
this country. Storks feed chiefly on frogs, and are
therefore of great use to the Egyptians, who would
be over-run by them upon the subsiding of the Nile
if it were not for these birds.

I

Published by Mq/s7? Coded & Dayies.Zortdo/v.Marc?iJ..ido'j.

HERON.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Ardea major. A. occipite crista nigra dependents corpore

cinereo, collo subtus linea fasciaque pectorali
nigris. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 627.

A black crest pendent from the head, body
ash-colour, marked with black streaks be-
neath the neck.

Ardea cristata. Briss. Av. 5. p. 396. no. 2.
t. 35.

Crested Heron. Allin. Av. 1. t. 67.
Common Heron. Buff. Birds, v. 7. p. 329. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 444.

no. 343. Will. Orn. p. 277* t. 49. Lath.
Syn.3. p. 83. no. 50. Bew. Birds , 2. p. 37.

Between the classes of land birds that shun the
water, and the water fowl that are made for swim-
ming and living on it, there is formed a very nu-
merous tribe that seem to partake of a middle na-
ture, that with divided toes, seemingly fitted to live
upon land, are at the same time furnished with ap-
petites that chiefly attach them to the waters.
They are destined to provide all their sustenance
from watery places, and yet are unqualified to seek
it in those depths where it is often found in great-
est plenty. Of this class we are now treating,
and of this number is the heron, whose external

524

HERON.

form is elegant, though when stripped of his
feathers he is Indigence itself. The hind part of
the head is adorned with a loose pendent crest of
long black feathers waving with the wind ; these
are the feathers which are so highly prized in the
East ; the upper part of the neck is pure white ;
but lower down there is a double row of black
streaks, succeeded by long, narrow, white, un-
webbed feathers, falling loosely and elegantly over
the breast. The bird weighs about three pounds and
a half, and stands about three feet high ; his long
legs are of a dirty green colour ; his toes are fur-
nished with short claws, and the middle one on
each foot is finely serrated on the inner edge.

The heron seems to be a very indolent bird,
and has been seen in the worst weather pensively
seated on a stake, or on a stone, beside the brink
of a rivulet, or on a little eminence in a deluged
meadow, while the other birds seek a cover among
the foliage. When in pursuit of his prey, he will
remain for hours, and sometimes days, in the same
spot ; and so perfectly still as to discover no signs
of life. If he changes his posture, it is only to ad-
vance knee deep into the water, where, holding his
head between his legs, he patiently watches the
passing frog or fish. But as he entirely depends
upon chance for his food, he is often obliged to
bear a long abstinence, and is sometimes said to
perish of absolute hunger. Mr. Herbert tells us
that he caught one which was half frozen, and en-
tirely encrusted with ice.

HERON.

525

This stationary disposition in the heron is the
cause of his committing the greatest devastations in
our well stocked fish-ponds ; for there is scarcely a
fish, however large it may be, that he will not strike
at and wound, though unable to carry it away ; his
patience in waiting for his prey can only be equalled
by his activity in catching it ; for, if once it comes
within his sight, he darts upon it with unerring
aim. In this manner he is said to destroy more in
a week than an otter would in a month. Wil-
lughby tells us of some gentleman who kept tame
herons, to try what quantity one of them would
eat in a day. They accordingly put several small
roach and dace into a tub, and found that upon an
average he ate fifty a day ; consequently the destruc-
tion of one of these birds to a fish-pond in the
course of a season must be very great.

The incredible mischief which the heron did to
ponds newly stocked with fish induced Willughby
to give the following receipt for taking him :
u Having found his haunt, get three or four small
roach or dace, and having provided a strong hook
with a wire to it, draw it just within side the skin
of the fish, beginning without side the gills, and
running it to the tail, by which the fish will not be
killed, but continue for five or six days alive. Then
having a strong line made of silk and wire, about
two yards and a half long, tie it to a stone at one
end, the fish with the hook being suffered to swim
about at the other. This being properly disposed
in shallow water, the heron will seize upon the

526

HERON.

fish to its own destruction.” From this we may
learn that the fish must be alive, otherwise the
heron will not touch them ; and that this bird, as
well as all those that feed upon fish, must be its own
caterer ; for they will not prey upon such as die
naturally, or are killed by others before them.

But, as we have said before, the heron is often
obliged to bear a long abstinence, as his food can-
not be readily got at all times ; in cold or stormy
seasons his prey is no longer within reach ; the
fish that before came into the shallow water now
retire to the deep, which they find to be the warm-
est situation. Frogs and lizards also seldom ven-
ture from their lurking-places ; and all that remains
for the heron is to support himself upon his long
habits of patience. It has been observed, that at
these times he contracts a consumptive disposition,
which succeeding plenty is not able to remove ; so
that the meagre glutton spends his time between
want and riot, and feels alternately the extremes
of famine and excess. Hence, notwithstanding the
ease with which he takes his prey, and the amazing
quantity he devours, the heron is always lean and
emaciated ; and though his crop be usually found
full, yet his flesh is scarcely sufficient to cover his
bones.

Though these birds are never in flocks when
they fish, but commit their depredations in soli-
tude and silence, yet they associate together for
the purpose of incubation, and build their nests
in trees, like rooks, or in high cliffs that overlook

HERON.

527

the sea. When they build in trees, they generally
choose the tallest, and form their nest of sticks
with abundance of dry grass and rushes, lining the
inside with wool. They lay five or six large eggs
of a pale green colour, and during incubation the
male spends much of his time perched by the fe-
male. Mr. Pennant counted above eighty nests in
one tree at Cressy Hall, near Gosberton, in Lin-
colnshire.

Their indolent nature is as strongly marked in

their nestling, as in their habits of depredation ;

for it is a known fact, that they will not always

be at the trouble of building a new nest when their

own is destroyed, but will occupy a rook’s, or one

that has been left by an owl, enlarging it to their

mind ; and if the original owner returns, they will

contend the point with him, and frequently remain

possessors. There cannot be a stronger instance

of this than the following, which is thus related by

Heysham : “ A remarkable circumstance with re-
%/

spect to these birds occurred not long ago at Dalian
Tower, in Westmoreland, the seat of Daniel Wil-
son, esq.

“ There were two groves adjoining to the park ;
one of which for many years had been resorted to
by a number of herons, which there built and bred;
the other was one of the largest rookeries in the
country. The two tribes lived together for a long
time without any dispute. At length the trees oc-
cupied by the herons, consisting of some fine old
oaks, were cut down in the spring of L77 5, and the

528

HERON.

young brood perished by the fall of the timber.
The parent birds immediately set about preparing
new habitations, in order to breed again ; but as
the trees in the neighbourhood of their old nests
were only of a late growth, and not sufficiently
high to screen them from the depredations of boys,
they determined to effect a settlement in the
rookery. The rooks made an obstinate resistance ;
but after a very violent contest, in the course of
which many of the rooks and some of their antago-
nists lost their lives, the herons at last succeeded in
their attempt, built their nests, and brought up their
young.

“ The next season the same contest took place,
which terminated like the former, by the victory
of the herons : since that time peace seems to
have been agreed upon between them ; the rooks
have relinquished that part of the grove which the
herons occupy ; the herons confine themselves to
those trees they first seized upon ; and the two spe-
cies live together in as much harmony as they did
before the quarrel.”

As the young when hatched are very voracious
and importunate, the parents are obliged to be
doubly assiduous to provide them with food ; and
the quantity of fish taken to supply a hernery at
this season is amazing. The young are at first co-
vered, for a considerable time, with a thick hairy
down, chiefly on the head and neck.

Heron-hawking was once such a favourite di-
version, that Pennant informs us laws were enacted

HERON.

529

for the preservation of the species, and the person
who destroyed their eggs was liable to a penalty of
twenty shillings for each offence. The old pro-
verb, not to know a hawk from a heronshaw, after-
wards corrupted to, not to know a hawk from a hand-
saw, was taken originally from this diversion. The
longevity of the heron is confirmed by the account
of one that was taken in Holland by a hawk be-
longing to the stadtholder, the bird having a silver
plate fastened to one leg, with an inscription im-
porting that it had been struck by the elector of
Cologne’s hawks thirty-five years before.

vol. i.

2 M

WEB-FOOTED BIRDS.

DUCK.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill strong, depressed, and divided on the edge into sharp
lamella?.

Nostrils small and oval.

Tongue fleshy ; ciliated near the base.

WILD SWAN.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Anas Cycnus. A. rostro semicylindrico atro, cera flava, eorpore
albo. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 510.

Bill semicylindrical and black j cere yellow ;
body white.

Cygnus ferus. Briss. Av.6.y. 292.no. 12. t.28.
Wild Swan. . Buff. Birds , 9. p. 1. Brit. Zool. 2. p. 562.

no. 264. Will. Orn. p. 356. t. 69. Edw.
Av. t. 150.

Whistling Swan. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 541.
no. 469. Lath. Syn. 3. p. 433. no. 1.

The whole plumage of this species is pure white ;
it weighs from thirteen to sixteen pounds ; and
measures, to the tip of the tail, four feet ten. It

WILD SWAN.

531

is less than the tame swan, and makes a peculiar
noise, which may be heard at a great distance, from
whence it has got the name of the hooper. These
birds inhabit the northern parts of the world as high
as Iceland ; they are very common in Siberia, and
in Kamtschatka, from whence, in the autumn, they
migrate to our more hospitable shores, and take up
their abode with us till the return of spring. They
leave this country about March, and retire to the
northward to breed. Great numbers of them are
annually brought forth in Lapland. The cygnets
are ugly when very young, and only covered with
a gray or yellowish down like goslings. They are
much esteemed in some places, and considered a
delicate dish.

There is a remarkable difference between the
anatomical structure of this bird and the tame swan,
whose wind-pipe sinks down into the lungs in the
ordinary manner ; whereas the same part in the
wild swan, after falling into the chest, returns back
like a trumpet, and then makes a second bend
to join the lungs, being previously divided into two
branches, which are much dilated in the middle.

About August, when the wild swans moult, the
natives of Iceland prepare to chase them ; for they
are at that time unable to fly, from the loss of fea-
thers. This object is carried into effect by a num-
ber of people who collect together, and resort to the
places where they most abound. As the swans run
very fast, it is necessary to be provided with some

2 m 2

532

WILD SWAN.

good horses which are trained to the sport, and
capable of passing nimbly over the boggy soil and
marshes. By the help of these animals, together
with some good dogs great numbers of birds are
taken ; and we are told that the dogs, are taught to
catch them by the neck, when they immediately
lose their balance and become an easy prey. Great
use is made of their plumage ; the Indians of Loui-
siana forming the large feathers into diadems for
their chieftains, while the lesser are woven into
garments for women of rank. The skin, both of
the body and the legs, has its use ; the former, un-
plucked, is made into beautiful down tippets for the
young of both sexes ; and the latter, which looks
like shagreen, is used for purses.

It is not surprising that the Icelanders should
compare the loud and shrill note of the wild swan
to a musical instrument, when we consider that
they were to them the harbingers of spring ; they
were pleasing prophets, who foretold that a speedy
thaw would release them from their icy bonds. A
voice that announced to them the end of their long
and gloomy winter could not fail to be melodious.

The powers of melody with which the antients
endued the swan belong exclusively to this species ;
the tame swan being the most silent of birds, and
only able to hiss when provoked. It was supposed
that the souls of departed poets passed into the
body of this bird, and harmonized its dying
note : for, unlike all other animated beings, who

WILD SWAN.

533

shudder at the prospect of approaching dissolu-
tion, the swan was said to chant in the moment
of its agony, and with harmonious sounds prepare
to breathe its last. This fable was not lost upon
our Shakspeare :

“ Let music sound, while he doth make his choice ;

Then if he lose, he makes a swan-like end.”

The Count de Buffon, with his usual elegance,
has thus described this fabulous property : u When
about to expire, and to bid a sad and tender adieu
to life, the swan poured forth those accents so
sweet, so affecting ; and which, like a gentle and
doleful murmur, with a voice low, plaintive, and
melancholy, formed its funereal song. This tear-
ful music was heard at the dawn of day, when the
winds and the waves were still ; and they have been
seen expiring with the notes of their dying hymn.”

No fiction of natural history, no fable of anti-
quity, was ever more celebrated, oftener repeated,
or better received. It occupied the soft and lively
imagination ; poets, orators, even philosophers
adopted it, as a truth too pleasing to be doubted.
And well may we excuse such fables ; they were
amiable and affecting; they were worth many dull
and insipid truths ; they were sweet emblems to
feeling minds. The swan doubtless chants not its
approaching end ; but in speaking of the last flight,
the expiring effort of a fine genius, we shall ever,
with tender melancholy, recall the classical and
pathetic expression, “ It is the song of the siuan ! ”

534

WILD SWAN.

Among the many natural rarities which have
lately been discovered in New Holland, is a black
swan. The general appearance of this very elegant
bird is like the tame swan : it has all those graceful
attitudes which so eminently distinguish it from the
other inhabitants of the waters. The plumage of
this remarkable species is of a full deep black, with
a bill of the finest red, and white quill feathers.
The tip of the upper beak is blackish ; there is a
yellow spot near it ; the legs and feet are black.

GOOSE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Anas Anser. A. rostra semicylindrico, corpore supra cinereo
subtus pallidiore, collo striato. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 510.

Bill semicylindrical ; body ash-coloured above, and
paler below ; neck striped.

Anser ferus. Aldr. Orn. 3. p. 147. t. 150.
151.

Anser sylvestris. Briss. Av. 6. p. 2 65. no. 2.
Wild Goose. Alb. Av. 1. t. Q5. Will. Orn. p. 358. no. 2. pi. 69.

Gray Lag-goose. Brit. Zool. 2. p. 570. no. 2 66.
Lath. Syn. 3. p. 459. no. 21.

Wild geese in general fly very high, and keep in
flocks from fifty to a hundred : when they migrate
from one country to another, they marshal them-
selves in great order, and either form a straight
line, or an angular figure like the letter V, which
is as well calculated to preserve the ranks free and
entire as to break the resistance of the air. The
chief, who, it is said, occupies the point of the
angle, retires when he is fatigued to the rear ; and
the rest by turns take his station. Thus with ad-
mirable exactness they wing their way, till they

536

GOOSE.

arrive at the place of their destination. These
birds are very clamorous, and may be heard, during
their flight, when at almost an imperceptible di-
stance above us. They inhabit the North of Eu-
rope, Asia, and America, and are seen early in the
spring, flying over Sweden to the Lapland moors.
They are said likewise to abound in Russia, Siberia,
and Kamtschatka. This species in a state of do-
mestication is our common goose, and in some
regions they hold a middle place, being really wild
in the summer, and becoming domestic in the
winter. M. BufFon learnt this fact from Dr. San-
chez, who communicated to him the following
account: “I set out from Azof in autumn 1736.
Being sick, and afraid of falling into the hands of
the Cuban Tartars, I resolved to walk, following
the course of the Don, and to sleep every night in
the village of the Cossacs, who are subject to the
Russian dominion. In the first evenings of my
journey, I remarked a great number of geese in the
air, which alighted and dispersed through the ham-
let. The third especially, I saw such a multitude
at sun-set, that I inquired of the Cossacs, among
whom I lodged that night, whether they were tame
geese, and if they came from a distance, as their lofty
flight seemed to indicate. Surprised at my igno-
rance, they replied that these birds came from the
great Northern lakes ; and that every year on the
breaking up of the ice, in the months of March and
April, six or seven pairs of geese leave each hut of
the village, which all take flight in a body, and re-

GOOSE.

537

turn not till the beginning of winter, as it is rec-
koned in Russia, that is, at the first snow; that
these flocks arrive then, increased sometimes a
hundred-fold ; and dividing themselves, each little
party seeks, with its new progeny, the houses
where they lived the preceding winter. I had con-
stantly that spectacle every evening for three
weeks. The air was filled with infinite multitudes
of geese, which dispersed in bands : the girls and
women at the doors of their huts, looking at the
flight, were calling out ‘There go my geese,’ ‘There
go the geese of such a one and each of the bands
alighted in the court where they had spent the pre-
ceding; winter. I continued to see these birds till I
reached Nova Pauluska, where the winter was al-
ready intense.”

Wild geese are found in our fenny counties,
where they breed, and continue the whole year.
The young ones are frequently taken ; and after
they are fatted, it is said, their flavour is much
superior to the domestic goose. The feathers of
these birds form so great an article of traffic in this
country, that both in Lincolnshire and Somerset-
shire vast multitudes are repeatedly plucked to
furnish us with feather-beds. These geese are
tame, and are kept in such flocks that one person
will sometimes possess a thousand old ones, each of
which will rear seven ; so that towards the end of
the season he wdl become master of eight thousand.
The order observed by the inhabitants with respect
to their geese is well detailed by Mr. Pennant, who

538

GOOSE.

observes, that “ during the breeding season, these
birds are lodged in the same houses with the peo-
ple, and even in their very bed-chambers : in every
apartment are three rows of coarse wicker pens,
placed one above another ; each bird has its separate
lodge divided from the other, which it keeps pos-
session of during the time of sitting. A person
called a gozzard (goose herd) attends the flock, and
twice a day drives the whole to water ; then brings
them back to their habitations, helping those that
live in the upper stories to their nests, without ever
misplacing a single bird.” The extensive fens near
Revesby Abbey, eight miles beyond Horncastle, are
principally used for the rearing of geese, which are
the chief dependence of the fen-men.

The cruel operation of plucking is performed
upon these birds five times a-year. They are first
plucked at Lady-day for feathers and quills ; and the
same is repeated for feathers only, four times be-
tween that and Michaelmas. The old geese submit
quietly enough to the operation, but the young
ones are very noisy and unruly.

Mr. Pennant was once present when this was
performed, and observed, that goslings of six weeks
old were not spared ; for their tails were plucked ; — as
he was told, to habituate them early to what they
were to come to. If the season proves cold, numbers
of geese die by this barbarous custom. About
ten pluckers are employed at the time, each with a
coarse apron up to his chin.

The London markets are annually supplied from

GOOSE.

539

these fens with amazing droves ; and among them,
we are told, all the superannuated geese and gan-
ders, called in Lincolnshire cagmags , which by a
long course of plucking prove uncommonly tough
and dry, and are very apt to fatigue the jaws of
those who are so unfortunate as to meet with them.

Under this head we shall take the liberty to in-
clude the manner in which two different species of
wild geese are taken ; for which we are principally
indebted to the Arctic Zoology. The Canada
goose, anas canadensis Linn., of which immense
flocks appear in Hudson’s Bay, are the chief sup-
port of the English settled in that part of the world,
who in favourable years kill three or four thousand,
which they salt and barrel. We can readily sup-
pose that the return of a migratory bird of such im-
portance to the colonists, must be looked for with
impatience. This indeed is the case : it is consi-
dered as the harbinger of spring, and the month
when they usually appear is named by the Indians
the goose moon. The English send out their
servants, as well as Indians, to shoot them on
their passage ; and as they are convinced that it is
in vain to pursue them, they form a row of huts
made of boughs, at musket-shot distance from each
other, and place them in a line across the vast
marshes of the country. Each hovel, or, as they are
called, stand , is occupied by a single person. These
attend the flight of the birds, and on their approach
mimic their cackle so well that the geese will an-
swer and come nearer the stand. During the time

540

GOOSE.

he is thus engaged, the sportsman keeps motion-
less with his gun cocked, and never fires till he sees
the eyes of the geese. After he has discharged one
gun, he picks up another, which is purposely laid
close beside him, and fires again as the geese are
retiring. In order to decoy others to the spot, he
sets up those he has killed on sticks as if alive, and
also makes artificial birds for the same purpose.
Notwithstanding every species of goose has a diffe-
rent call, yet the Indians are admirable in their
imitation of every one ; and in a good day, that is,
when they fly in large flocks, a single Indian will
kill two hundred.

The snow goose, anas hyperborea Linn., likewise
visits Hudson’s Bay, where thousands are annually
shot by the Indians for the use of the settlement,
and are esteemed excellent meat. They are de-
scribed as the most numerous and the most stupid
of all the goose race. They seem to want the in-
stinct of others, and have so little of their shyness
that they are taken in a very ridiculous manner in
those parts of Siberia which they frequent. “ The
inhabitants,” says Pennant, “ first place near the
banks of the rivers a great net, in a straight line,
or else form a hovel of skins sewed together. This
done, one of the company dresses himself in the
skin of a white rein-deer, advances towards the
flock of geese, and then turns back towards the net
or the hovel ; and his companions go behind the
flock, and, by making a noise, drive them forward.
The simple birds mistake the man in white for their

GOOSE.

541

leader, and follow him within reach of the net,
which is suddenly pulled down and captivates the
whole. When he chooses to conduct them to the
hovel, they follow in the same manner ; he creeps
in at a hole left for that purpose, and out at another
on the opposite side, which he closes up. The
geese follow him through the first ; and as soon as
they are got in, he passes round and secures every
one. In that frozen clime they afford great subsist-
ence to the natives ; and the feathers are an article
of commerce. Each family will kill thousands in a
season. These they pluck and gut, then fling them
in heaps into holes dug for that purpose, and cover
them with nothing more than the earth. This
freezes, and forms over them an arch ; and whenever
the family has occasion to open one of these maga-
zines, they find their provision sweet and good.”

The mode of taking these birds is certainly ridi-
culous enough, but it is exceeded by the manner
in which the Kamtschatkans take the perroquet
auk ; and which we should hardly venture to
mention, if it was not on the authority of so accu-
rate a naturalist as Pennant. This gentleman in-
forms us, that they are the most stupid of all birds,
and that when the natives wish to catch them, they
have only towards evening, to put on their garment
with great sleeves, then pull out their arms and
leave the sleeves distended, which the birds will
creep into by flocks, and thus become an easy
prey.

BERNACLE GOOSE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Anas Erythropus. A. cinerea, fronte alba. Linn. Syst. Nat.

Gmel. 1. p. 512.

Forehead white j body ash-coloured.

Anas K as area. Gmelin It. 2. p. 177.
pi. 13.

Bernacle Goose. . Buff. Birds, 9, p. 81.pl. 23(5. Brit. Zool. 2.

p. 577. no. 269. Will. Orn. p. 359.
Gerard's Herlal, p. 1587. Lath. Syn.3.
p. 466. no. 2 6.

There cannot be a stronger instance of the great
love which mankind have ever entertained for the
marvellous than the present. We here find them
asserting an impossibility with a most inflexible
firmness ; and maintaining their ground till the
progressive improvement of natural history at
length explained the wonder. Had this goose been
brought into the world like other gee se, it would
never have been celebrated ; but when we are as-
sured that it springs from certain shells which are
found attached to old and rotten pieces of floating
wood, it immediately becomes of consequence.
We shall pass by many others, equally credulous,
to arrive at old Gerard, at the end of whose Herbal
this astonishing transformation is related in the fol-
lowing words.

BERNACLE GOOSE,

543

tc But what our eyes have seene, and hands have
touched, we shall declare. There is a small island
in Lancashire, called the Pile of Foulders, wherein
are found broken pieces of old and bruised ships,
some whereof have been cast thither by shipwracke,
and also the trunks and bodies with the branches of
old and rotten trees, cast up there likewise; whereon
is found a certain spume or froth that in time breed-
eth into certain shells, in shape like those of a
muscle, but sharper pointed, and of a whitish
colour; one end whereof is fastened unto the inside
of the shell, even as the fish of oysters and muscles
are ; the other end is made fast unto the belly of a
rude masse or lumpe which in time cometh to the
shape and form of a bird ; when it is perfectly
formed the shell gapeth open, and the first thing
that appeareth is the aforesaid lace or string ; next
come the legs of the bird hanging out, and as
it groweth greater it openeth the shell by degrees,
till at length it has all come forth, and hangeth
only by the bill ; in short space after it cometh
to full maturitie, and falleth into the sea, where it
gathereth feathers, and groweth to a fowle bigger
than a mallard, and lesser than a goose, having
black legs, and bill or beake, and feathers black and
white, spotted in such a manner as our magpie,
called in some places pie annet, which the people
of Lancashire call by no other name than tree-
goose ; which place aforesaid, and all those places
adjoining, do so much abound therewith, that one
of the best is bought for three-pence. For the truth

544

BERNACLE GOOSE.

hereof, if any doubt, may it please them to repaire
to me, and I shall satisfie them by the testimony
of good witnesses.”

This ridiculous notion originated in the form of
the animal inhabitant of a multivalve shell, the
lepas anatifera Linn., whose feathered beard was
in that credulous age magnified into the part of a
young bird.

The bernacle geese are seen in vast flocks during
winter, on the north-west coasts of this kingdom.
They are very shy and wild, but when taken may
be tamed in a few days. They live to a great age.
Mr. Pennant says that Dr. Buckworth of Spald-
ing had one which was kept in the family above
thirty -two years; but was blind during the two last:
what its age was when first taken was unknown.

MALLARD.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Anas Bochas. A. cinerea ; rectricibus intermediis (maris) re-
curvatis, rostro recto, torque alba. Linn. Syst.
Nat . Gmel. 1. p. 538.

Ash-coloured j middle tail feathers (in the male)
strongly curled upwards ; bill straight ; a
white incomplete circle round the lower part
of the neck.

Anas fera. Briss. Av. 6. p. 318. no. 4.

Wild Duck. Will. Orn. p. 308. t. 72. 75.
All. Av. 1. 1. 99. 2. t. 10. Buff. Birds, v. 9.

p. 100.

Mallard. . Penn. Brit. Zool. 2. p. 591. pi. 97. Arct. Zool. 2.

p. 503. no. 494. Lath. Syn. 3. p. 489. no. 43.

A particular description of the plumage of a bird
so well known as the mallard would be superfluous ;
we shall, therefore, immediately proceed to mention
whatever may be interesting in its natural history ;
and after having traced the young ones from the egg,
we shall give some account of the manner, which
the inhabitants of the fenny countries employ to
catch the prodigious numbers that are annually sold
in our markets.

2 N

VOL. I,

546

MALLARD.

The spot generally chosen by these birds for the
purpose of incubation, is a thick tuft of rushes in
the middle of a marsh, and here the female forms
her nest, by pressing down the rushes till they take
the required shape. In this nest she lays from ten
to fifteen eggs, after having lined it with the down
which she pulls from her body. The incubation
lasts thirty days ; and within twenty-four hours
after the young are hatched the mother quits the
nest, and calls them to the water. But, timorous,
chilly, and totally unused to the element, they re-
fuse to enter till some of the boldest plunge after
their parent, and then the rest soon follow. They
pass through their different stages of growth precisely
like the tame species, and continue the same awk-
ward misshapen creatures till they have acquired their
full plumage. The common tame ducks originate
from these ; and the drakes , however they may vary
in colours, always retain the curled feathers in the
tail.

The county from whence we chiefly derive our
wild ducks is Lincolnshire, in the fenny parts of
which the inhabitants make a decoy, and, if pos-
sible, choose a pond surrounded with wood, that
the birds may be well sheltered, and remain free
from noise, or any disturbance that might tend to
frighten them away.

The intelligent Mr. Pennant has collected some
curious information respecting the catching of wild
fowl. He informs us that as soon as the evening’
sets in, the decoy rises, as they term it, and the

MALLARD.

547

wild fowl feed during the night. In a still evening
the noise of their wings, during their flight, may be
heard at a very great distance, and is a pleasing
though rather melancholy sound. This rising of
the decoy in the evening is in Somersetshire called
rodding.

The decoy ducks are fed with hempseed, which is
flung over the screens in small quantities, to bring
them forwards into the pipes, and to allure the wild
fowl to follow, as this seed is so light as to float.
The pipes just mentioned, of which there are seve-
ral, are narrow ditches, cut on purpose, and covered
with a continued arch of netting, suspended on
hoops. These grow narrower from the entrance, and
are at last closed with a funnel net. It is necessary
to have a pipe or ditch for almost every wind that
blows, as upon this circumstance it depends which
pipe the wild fowl will take to ; and the decoy-man
always keeps to the leeward side of the ducks, to
prevent his effluvia reaching their sagacious nostrils.
All along each pipe, at certain intervals, are placed
screens made of reeds, which are so situated that it
is impossible the wild fowl should see the decoy-
man before they have passed on towards the end
of the pipe, where the purse-net is placed. The
mallards are induced to go up one of these pipes by
the decoy ducks, who lead the way; and when they
have got them fairly in, they dive under water, and
leave their wild brethren to be taken in the purse-
net.

It often happens, however, that the wild fowl

2 n 2

548

MALLARD.

are stupid and sleepy, and will not follow the decoy
ducks. When this is the case, they make use of a
dog who is taught his lesson : he passes backwards
and forwards between the reed screens, in which
are little holes, both for the decoy-man to see, and
the little dog to pass through : this attracts the eye of
the wild fowl, who, not choosing to be interrupted,
advance towards this small and contemptible animal,
that they may drive him away. The dog, all this
time, by direction of the decoy-man, plays among
the screens of reeds, nearer and nearer to the purse-
net, till at last the decoy-man appears from behind a
screen; and the wild fowl, not daring to pass by him
in return, nor being able to escape upwards on ac-
count of the net covering, rush on to the end of the
pipe, and are taken in the purse-net. The dog will
not always attract their attention, unless he is pre-
viously dressed up in colours, or has something
very singular put about him.

There is an act to prevent the taking of wild fowl
before the month of October : from that time till
February is the general season for taking them in
the decoys. It was once the custom in the fens to
have an annual driving of the young ducks before
they took wing. This was accomplished by a
number of people, who collected together and beat
a large tract, by which the birds were forced into a
net placed in a proper situation ; this practice was
prohibited by parliament as detrimental. A hun-
dred and fifty dozens have been taken in this way
at once.

MALLARD.

549

The decoys of Lincolnshire, which principally
supply the London markets, are let at an annual
rent, and the number of wild fowl taken in them is
amazing. A few years ago the number caught in
one season, and in only ten decoys, in the neigh-
bourhood of Wainfleet, amounted to thirty-one
thousand two hundred, in which are included several
other species of ducks. This quantity makes them
so cheap on the spot, that, we have been assured,
several decoy-men would be glad to contract for
years to deliver their ducks at Boston for ten-pence
the couple.

The diversion of duck-shooting, if it deserves the
name, is followed in the depth of winter; when the
fowler leaves his warm fire-side, at the close of even-
ing, for the snowy marsh, where he will patiently
remain, perhaps for hours, till he hears the fowl
fly over his head. During this time he is exposed
to all the inclemency of the season ; and it must be
a strong constitution indeed that is not injured by
the frequent repetition of this sport. M. Hebert
was witness to a method of fowling in a plain be-
tween Laon and Rheims, which was not practised
in a much more comfortable way. The fowler had
taken his station in the middle of a meadow, wrap-
ped in an old blanket, with no other shelter than a
hurdle of hazle branches, which screened him from
the wind, while he waited till a flock of wild ducks
should pass within his reach : he was sitting on a
cage of ozier, divided into three compartments, and
filled with tame drakes ; his post was in the neigh-

550

MALLARD.

bourhood of a river, on one of the banks of which he
had built a hut of reeds like a sentry-box, perforated
with loop-holes, which he could open and shut at
pleasure, to spy his prey, and take his aim. If he
saw a flock of wild-fowl in the air, he let loose two
or three of his tame drakes, which, after a short
flight, alighted within thirty paces of the sentry-
box, where he had scattered some grains of oats.
The wild ones, after several turns in the air, stooped
down wards and followed the tame drakes ; or, if they
lingered too long, the person dispatched a second
flight of drakes, and even a third, and then ran
from his observatory to his hut without being per-
ceived : there he opened the loop-hole which was
best calculated for his purpose, observed the favour-
able moment when he could fire without killing his
calls ; and, as he levelled almost horizontally, he
sometimes swept down five or six at a shot. All
these precautions seem necessary, as the ducks in a
wild state are exceedingly mistrustful, and never
alight till after they have wheeled several times
round the spot, apparently to discover if they have
any enemy to fear.

In some parts of the w orld they have a singular
method of catching these creatures, which has been
often noticed by travellers. Some empty calabashes
are floated for a few days in the places frequented
by the wild fowl, who at first seem somewhat afraid
of them ; but after a while they become used to the
sight, and will at length entirely disregard the
floating calabashes. When the fowler finds them

MALLARJ>.

551

sufficiently familiar, he walks up to his chin in the
water with an empty calabash upon his head, having
holes in it which correspond with his mouth and
eyes, and serve him both to breathe and see through.
As nothing appears above the surface of the water
but this shell, with which the ducks are already
acquainted, they suffer their treacherous enemy to
come into the midst of them, who pulls them by
the legs, under the water, one by one, till he has
got as many as he can conveniently fasten to his
girdle ; after which, he very coolly retreats to the
shore, without disturbing the rest, who allow him
to repeat his visits till very few of them are left.

We are indebted to an Arctic bird of this
genus for a most luxurious covering to our beds,
which cannot be too highly prized by those whose
bodily infirmities render them unable to support the
weight of blankets. The eider down forms a con-
siderable article of traffic in Greenland and other
northern countries where these birds abound. De-
signed by nature to spend their lives amidst the
snows of the Arctic regions, the eider ducks are
provided with a clothing of down which no cold
can penetrate : this, previous to the time of incu-
bation, they pluck from their breasts, in order to
line their nest with it; and such is its elasticity, that
the weight of half an ounce will fill the crown of a
large hat. They breed in the most northern situa-
tions ; and almost as soon as the young are hatched,
the mother takes them on her back into the water,.

552

MALLARD.

where she dives from under them, and thus teaches
the ducklings to shift for themselves. In the depth
of winter they visit the southern bays of Greenland
by thousands. The natives pursue them in their
little boats, and when they dive, trace their course
by the air-bubbles which rise to the surface : when
the ducks appear, they strike them with darts pro-
vided for the purpose. When their nests have been
robbed of the down, the birds will pluck more to
supply the deficiency : if this should be removed,
they will again have recourse to their breasts : thus
will a single duck sometimes furnish half a pound of
this valuable commodity, though in the end the
poor sufferer has hardly a single feather left to de-
fend her from the cold.

PELICAN.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill strong, straight, and hooked, more or less, at the end.
Nostrils placed in a longitudinal furrow; very small; some-
times none.

Face naked.

Gullet capable of being distended to a large size.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Pelicanus Onocrotalus. P. albus ; gula saccata. Linn. Syst.

Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 596.

White ; the throat provided with a
pouch.

/3. Onocrotalus rostro denticulato.
Briss. Av. 6. p. 523. A.

Pelican Buff. Birds, 8. p. 259. pi. 217. Arct.

Zool. 2. p. 5/8. no. 505. Will.
Orn. p. 327. pi. 63. Lath.
Syn. 3. p. 575. no.l.

The pelicans are provided with a large pouch under
their chin, and in this they are said to carry water
to their young when they make their nests in
the dry deserts : we are told that the lions and

554

PELICAN.

other beasts of prey come there to quench their
thirst, but never disturb the brood, on account
of this salutary provision. The Egyptians have
named this bird the camel of the river, and the
Persians the water-carrier. In their gular pouch
they convey to the nest the fish which they catch,
where they disgorge it to feed their young. This
action, ill observed, in all probability gave rise to
the popular fable that the pelican nourished its
offspring at the expense of its own blood. They
lay on the bare ground, and cover their eggs in this
situation. Sonnerat found five under a female,
which did not give herself the trouble to rise and
let him pass ; she only made some pecks with her
bill, and screamed when he attempted to drive her
from her eggs.

These birds have been famed for their attach-
ment to their young, though we do not find that
authors give them credit for a larger share of af-
fection than actuates the breast of other animals.
They are not, however, at all deficient in their care,
as Labat had the pleasure to prove, by fastening
two young ones to a stake, and watching the mo-
tions of the mother, who daily brought them food,
and remained with them constantly till the close of
evening, when she retired to roost in a tree over
their heads. They all three grew so familiar that
they suffered Labat to touch them, and the young
ones took very graciously the little fish which he
offered them, and which they put first into their

PELICAN.

555

pouch. He describes them as filthier than geese
and ducks, and says that nothing but their dirt
would have prevented his bringing them away.

Some pelicans are superior in size to a swan ;
they have been known to weigh twenty-five pounds ;
yet, notwithstanding their bulk, they rise in the
air to a surprising height. The bill is fifteen inches
long, and its singular membranous pouch begins at '
the point of the lower mandible, and, widening gra-
dually, extends ten inches down the front of the
neck ; a tuft of narrow delicate feathers lies flat on
the back of the head ; the plumage is white, except
some of the wing feathers, which are black ; the legs
are flesh-coloured.

These birds really deserve the name they have
acquired of indolent gluttons ; for after they have
filled their bags with fish, and devoured as many
of them as they can, they will remain without
motion, or once changing their posture, till they
have digested all their food, are again awakened
from their stupor by the calls of hunger, and once
more forced to seek their prey. This they do in
two ways ; either by raising themselves to a great
height above the surface of the water, and darting
perpendicularly down upon it, or swimming in
flocks, and forming a large circle in the great rivers,
which they gradually contract, beating the water
with their wings and feet, in order to drive the fish
into the centre : when they have accomplished
their purpose, they open their great mouths and fill

556

PELICAN.

their pouches with their prey, then incline their
bills to empty the bag of the water, after which
they swim to shore to devour and digest their
booty in quiet. We can readily suppose that these
birds must destroy an immense quantity of fish,
when we are assured that a single pouch is capable
of containing a dozen quarts of water. The French,
therefore, have not unaptly named them grand-
goziers, or great-throats.

FRIGATE.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Pelicanus Aquilus. P. cauda forficata, corpore nigro, rostra

rubra, orbitis nigris. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. 1. p. 572.

Tail forked 5 body black ; bill red 3 orbits
of the eyes black.

Alcyon major pulla, cauda longiore bifurca.
Brown Jam. p. 483.

Frigate Buff. Birds, 8. p. 346. pi. 222. Alb.

Av. 3. tab. 80. Lath. Syn. 3. pi. 587.

This bird derives its name from the steadiness and
rapidity with which it cleaves the air. It is seen
at a great distance from land ; Labat says, at three
or four hundred leagues ; and these immense ex-
cursions are performed hy a single flight, conse-
quently its strength must be prodigious. The
frigate, who is very active, obliges another bird,
called the booby, to be his caterer, who, in spite
of himself, is forced to give up his prey. Dampier
gives a curious account of the hostility between the
frigates, or man-of-war birds as he calls them, and
the boobies. He remarked that both species placed
sentinels over their young especially when they

558

FRIGATE.

went to sea for provision. u Of the man-of-war
birds,” says Dampier, “ many were sick or maimed,
and seemed unfit to procure their subsistence. They
lived not with the rest of their kind, whether they
were expelled from the society, or had separated
from choice ; these were dispersed in different
places, probably that they might have a better op-
portunity of pillaging. I once saw more than
twenty on one of the islands sally out from time
to time into the open country to carry off booty,
and they returned again almost immediately. When
one surprised a young booby that had no guard, he
gave it a violent peck on the back to make it dis-
gorge, which it did instantly ; it cast up one or two
fish about the bulk of one’s hand, which the old
man-of-war bird swallowed still more hastily. The
vigorous ones play the same game with the old
boobies which they find at sea. I saw one my-
self which flew right against a booby, and with
one stroke of its bill made him deliver up a fish
which he had just swallowed. The man-of war
bird darted so rapidly as to catch it in the air before
it could fall into the water.”

The frigate is fitted by nature for war : he is re-
markably strong about the legs, and is provided
with sharp talons and a strong bill ; he flies with
great rapidity, and his sight is very acute. This
conformation, so well calculated to make him the
terror of other sea-birds, was probably the reason
why Linnaeus gave him the specific name of aquilus,
or eagle. Though the frigate seldom swims, yet his

FRIGATE,

559

toes are connected by a single scolloped membrane.
His wings, when expanded, are said to measure
from eight to fourteen feet, though his body is not
larger than a full-sized hen. This amazing length
of wing, while it is very useful in supporting the
bird, during his long flights, is of great inconvenience
to him on shore, as he is hardly able to rise from
the ground ; and in this situation may readily be
surprised and taken.

These birds used formerly to occupy a little isle
in the extremity of Guadaloupe, where many of
them came to repose at night, and nestle in the
season. It was called the Islet of Frigates , says
a French voyager, and still bears the name though
they have changed their retreat ; for in the years
1643 and 1644, many persons hunted them so
closely, that they were obliged to forsake the islet.
They either build their nest on the rocks, in little
desert isles, on high cliffs, or in lofty trees in some
retired situation near the sea. The female lays one
or two white eggs, with a carnation tinge, and
dotted with crimson. When the brood are first
hatched they are covered with a light gray down ;
and the bill and feet, which are then white, gra-
dually change colour till they become of that black-
ness which is characteristic of the full-grown bird.
Under the throat of the male, when arrived at his
full size, there is seen a large pendulous fleshy
membrane of a bright red colour ; his eyes, which
are large, black, and brilliant, are surrounded by a
blueish skin.

560

FRIGATE.

Frigates are esteemed by the inhabitants of the
South-Sea islands for the sake of their long neck
feathers, and their fat ; the former they work into
bonnets, and the latter is highly valued as a so-
vereign remedy in rheumatic complaints. The
Buccaneers are said to extract this oil, which they
call the oil of frigates , by boiling these birds in
great cauldrons ; and Labat directs us how to use
the remedy, and at the same time assures us that
many people have received a complete cure, or, at
least, great relief by the use of it.

GANNET.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Pelicanus Bassanus. P. cauda cuneiformi, corpore albo, rostro

remigibusque primoribus nigris, facie
cserulea. Linn , Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1.
p. 577-

Tail wedge-shaped, body white, great
wing feathers black the face blue.

Anseu Bassanus. Sib. Scot. 2. p. 2.
t. g. f. 2.

Sula Bassana. Briss. Av. 6. p. 503.
n. 4. t. 44.

Soeand Goose. Will. Orn , p. 328.
t. 63. Alb. Av. 1. t. 86.

Gannet Buff. Birds, v. 8. p. 341. Penn. Brit.

Zool. 2. p. 612. pi. 103. Arctic Zool. 2.
p. 582. n. 510. Lath. Syn. 3. p. 608.
no. 25. Bew. Birds, 2. p. 3Q3.

In the Firth of Forth rises a stupendous rock,
called the Bass-isle, which is famous for the resort
of this bird, and from whence it has taken its spe-
cific name. The neck of the Gannet is very long ;
the body flat, and very full of feathers ; the crown
of the head, and a small space on the hind part of
the neck, are buff-coloured ; the rest of the plumage
is white, except the quill feathers and some other
vol. r. 2o

562

GANNET.

parts of the wing, which are black ; the legs and
toes are black, but the fore part of both is marked
with a stripe of fine pea green. The tail consists
of twelve sharp pointed feathers, the middle of
which is the longest. Under the chin of the bird
there is a dilatable pouch like that of the pelican,
which is large enough to contain five or six her-
rings, and in the breeding season this pouch is used
to convey those fish in to its young. A large gan-
net will weigh seven pounds, and measure three feet
in length.

This species of water fowl is not confined to the
Bass-isle, but frequents, in prodigious numbers, the
isle of Ailsa in the Firth of Clyde, and the rocks
adjacent to St. Kilda. They are found likewise
about the Orkneys, and off the coasts of Kerry in
Ireland ; and Mr. Pennant received one from Dr.
Borlase, which he sent from Cornwall. He in-
forms us that the gannet cornes on the coasts of
Cornwall in the latter end of summer, or beginning
of autumn, hovering over the shoals of pilchards
that come down through St. George’s channel from
the Northern seas, The gannet seldom comes near
the shore, but is constant to its prey, a sure sign to
the fishermen that the pilchards are on the coasts ;
and when the pilchards retire, generally about the
end of September, the gannets are seen no more.

“ The bird now sent,” continues this gentleman,
“ was killed at Chandour, near Mounts Bay, Sep-
tember 30, 1/62, after a long struggle with a water
spaniel, assisted by the boatmen ; for it was strong

GANNET.

563

and pugnacious. The person who took it observed
that it had a transparent membrane under the eye-
lid, with which it covered at pleasure the whole
eye, without obscuring the sight, or shutting the
eye-lid ; a gracious provision for the security of the
eyes of so weighty a creature, whose method of
taking its prey is by darting headlong on it from a
height of a hundred and fifty feet or more into the
water. About four years ago one of these birds
flying over Penzance, a thing that rarely happens,
and seeing some pilchards lying on a fir-plank, in a
cellar used for curing fish, darted itself down with
such violence, that it struck its bill quite through
the board, about an inch and a quarter thick, and
broke its neck.”

Gannets are birds of passage, and make their
first appearance in March, remaining among the
northern islands till August or September. They
feed chiefly on herrings ; and the consumption of
those fish must be immense, when we consider the
amazing flocks of these birds that depend upon
them for a subsistence. It is said, that not less
than one hundred thousand frequent the rocks of
St. Kilda; nearly twenty-three thousand of which
are annually consumed by the inhabitants. They
build their nest in tremendous situations among
the rocks ; it is large, and composed of grass, sea
plants, shavings, &c. Here they lay one egg,
which, if removed by the inhabitants, is succeeded
by a second, and that if taken away will be re-
placed by a third; but here they stop, and never lay

2 0 2

A

K |

J*. Jit

564

GANNET.

a fourth in one season. The plumage of the young
birds differs from that of their parents till after the
first year, being of a dusky hue, speckled with numer-
ous triangular white spots. Till they are sufficiently
strong to provide for themselves they are fed by the
old ones, who bring them herrings in their pouch,
from whence the young extract them with their
bill. While they are employed in fishing, they fly
very high ; and when they observe, from their ex-
alted situation, a shoal of herrings or pilchards pass-
ing under them, they immediately close their wings
to their sides, and fall headlong like a stone into the
sea, making the water foam and spring up with their
descent.

The Bass-isle, which is completely stocked with
these creatures, is private property ; therefore the
birds are never molested by improper persons, and
consequently afford a considerable annual profit to
the proprietor. The dried birds are occasionally
brought to the London markets, where we have seen
the ceiling of a shop quite covered with them.
The young birds are said to be a favourite dish in
most parts of Scotland, where they are roasted, and
served up a little before dinner as a whet.

In the Feroe islands, as well as in the rocks about
St. Kilda, the inhabitants hazard their lives to
take these birds and their eggs, which serve them
for their principal food throughout the year. Both
eggs and fowls are kept in small pyramidal stone
buildings, covered with turf ashes, to preserve them
from moisture. This dangerous employment is

GANNET.

565

practised in two ways. The fowlers either go from
the top of the cliffs, or commence their pursuit
from the bottom : both are sufficiently terrific, and
are thus described in the introduction to the Arctic
Zoology.

Fowling from above.

Necessity compels mankind to wonderful at-
tempts. The cliffs which contain the objects of
their search are often two hundred fathoms in
height, and are attempted from above and below.
In the first case the fowlers provide themselves
with a rope eighty or a hundred fathoms in length :
the fowler fastens one end about his waist and be-
tween his legs, recommends himself to the pro-
tection of the Almighty, and is lowered down by
six others, who place a piece of timber on the mar-
gin of the rock, to preserve the rope from wearing
against the sharp edge. They have besides a small
line fastened to the body of the adventurer, by
which he gives signals that they may lower or raise
him, or shift him from place to place. The last
operation is attended with great danger, by the
loosening of the stones, which often fall on his
head, and would infallibly destroy him, was it not
protected by a strong thick cap ; but even that is
found unequal to save him against the weight of
the larger fragments of rock. The dexterity of
the fowlers is amazing; they will place their feet
against the front of the precipice, and dart them-
selves some fathoms from it, with a cool eye survey

GANNET.

566

the places where the birds nestle, and again shoot
into their haunts. In some places the birds lodge
in deep recesses. The fowler will alight there, dis-
engage himself from the rope, fix it to a stone,
and at his leisure collect the booty, fasten it to his
girdle, and resume his pendulous seat. At times
he will again spring from the rock, and in that at-
titude, with a fowling-net placed at the end of a
staff, catch the old birds which are flying to and
from their retreats. When he has finished this
dreadful employ, he gives a signal to his friends
above, who pull him up, and share the hard-earned
profit. The feathers are preserved for exportation ;
the flesh is partly eaten fresh ; but the greater pro-
portion dried for winter’s provision.

Folding from below.

The fowling from below has its share of dan-
ger. The party goes on the expedition in a boat ;
and when it has attained the base of the precipice,
one of the most daring, having fastened a rope
about his waist, and furnished himself with a long
pole with an iron hook at one end, either climbs,
or is thrust up by his companions, (who place a pole
under his breech,) to the next footing-spot he can
reach. He by means of the rope brings up one
of the boat’s crew ; the rest are drawn up in the
same manner ; and each is furnished with his rope
and fowling-staff. They then continue their pro-
gress upwards in the same manner, till they arrive
at the region of birds ; and wander about the face

GANNET.

5 67

of the cliff in search of them. They then act in
pairs ; one fastens himself to the end of his asso-
ciate’s rope, and, in places where birds have nestled
beneath his footing, he permits himself to be lowered
down, depending for his security to the strength
of his companion, who is to haul him up again ;
but it sometimes happens that the person above is
overpowered by the weight, and both inevitably
perish. They fling the fowl down to the boat,
which attends their motions, and receives the booty.
They often pass seven or eight days in this tremen-
dous employ, and lodge in the crannies which they
find in the face of the precipice.

PENGUIN.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

Bill straight, smooth, compressed.

Wings like fins; no wing feathers.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Aptenodyta Patachonica. Apt. rostro pedibusque nigris, ma-
cula ad aures aurea. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. 1. p. 556.

Beak and feet black, a gold-coloured
spot close to the ears.

Manchot de la Nouvelle Guinee.
Sonn. It. p. 179. t. 113.

Patagonian Penguin. . Buff. Birds, v. 9. p.338. pi. 26l.

Phil. Trans, v. 58. p. 91. t. 5.
Lath. Syn. v. 3. p. 563. no. 2.

These very singular birds only inhabit the tem-
perate and frigid zones of the southern hemisphere,
where they are found in abundance, stalking about
perfectly upright with their little fin-like wings
hanging close to their sides. Their blueish black
backs, contrasted with their white bellies, made
Sir John Narborough say that they would be taken

PENGUIN.

569

at a distance for young children with white bibs.
The usual height of this species is about three
feet. They are completely deprived of the power
of flying ; and as their legs are placed very far back,
they can only take short steps, and those with
difficulty. Their wings are only appendices in the
place where the true wings should be attached, and
their only use is to balance the bird in its tottering
pace. They come on shore to pass the night and
to breed. As they run with great difficulty, and
are denied the power of flight, they are constantly
exposed to the mercy of those who may chance to
land on their retreats ; and this defect in their struc-
ture, which incapacitates them from avoiding their
enemies, has made voyagers regard them as stupid
creatures, inattentive even to self-preservation.

Incapable either of resistance or defence, these
birds could never exist in inhabited places, as
their destruction would be unavoidable : therefore
the Author of Nature has wisely placed them in
islands far remote from man, and which do not
hold out one single temptation to induce him to
settle among them. The description Mr. Penrose
gives of a species of penguin, that lays its eggs in
incredible numbers in the Falkland islands, will af-
ford us some idea of their dreary abodes. He has
given the name of towns to the places where these
birds reside, and tells us the nests were composed
of mud, raised into hillocks about a foot high, and
placed close to each other.

“ Here,” says this gentleman, “ during the breed-

570

PENGUIN.

ing season, we were presented with a sight that
conveyed a most dreary and, I may say, awful idea
of the desertion of the islands by the human spe-
cies : a general stillness prevailed in these towns ;
and whenever we took our walks among them, in
order to provide ourselves with eggs, we were re-
garded, indeed, with side-long glances, but we car-
ried no terror with us.

“ The eggs are rather larger than those of a
goose, and are laid in pairs. When we took them
once, and sometimes twice, in a season, they were
as often replaced by the birds ; but prudence would
not permit us to plunder too far, lest a future sup-
ply in the next year’s brood might be prevented.”

We have already noticed that Mr. Penrose describes
the nest as raised into a hillock about a foot high ;
from which we must infer some peculiarity in the
manners of that particular species, as the Patagonian
penguin is said to nestle in the ground, and choose
for that purpose a down, or sandy plain. “ The
ground,” says Forster, “ is every where so much
bored, that in walking a person often sinks up to
the knees ; and if the penguin chance to be in her
hole, she revenges herself on the passenger, by
fastening on his legs, which she bites very close.”

Notwithstanding these birds are so heavy and
awkward upon land, they are sufficiently alert in
the water, where they dive and continue under a
long time, and when they rise again they dart
up to the surface with prodigious swiftness. The
shore is sometimes so completely covered with

PENGUIN. 571

them, that three hundred have been taken in the
course of an hour ; for they are so stupid that they
make no effort to escape, but stand by while others
are knocked down, till it comes to their turn.
Bougainville attempted to bring one of them alive
to Europe ; it grew sufficiently tame to distinguish
and follow the person who had the charge of feed-
ing it, and it ate indifferently bread, flesh, or fish.
But this diet was not sufficient ; it absorbed its fat,
became excessively emaciated, and died.

The illustrious Captain Cook, who penetrated
further amidst the southern ice, and with more in-
trepidity, than any navigator before him, observes,
that the penguins increased in numbers as he ad-
vanced into higher latitudes and colder climates ;
they even swarm about the antarctic circle, where
the islands are desolate, deserted, without verdure,
and buried beneath eternal snow. “ The cold was
intense,” says Cook ; “ the two islands were covered
with hoar frost and snow, and no trees or shrubs ap-
peared ; we saw no living creature, except the shags
and the penguins ; the last were so numerous that
they seemed to incrust the rock.”

They are said to sleep extremely sound, and to
be very tenacious of life: the former was ascer-
tained by Dr. Sparrman, who tells us that he stum-
bled over one of them and kicked it several yards
without disturbing its rest; and Mr. Forster says
that he left a number of them apparently lifeless,
while he went in pursuit of others ; but they all
afterwards got up and marched off with the utmost

572

PENGUIN.

gravity. From these accounts we may conclude,
that they are not possessed of too much nervous
irritability.

The flesh of the penguin is rank and fishy : ne-
vertheless our sailors say that it is pretty good eat-
ing : this however is no criterion, as to sailors in a
long voyage every thing that has life seems good to
be eaten ; and it has been very properly remarked,
that we often find them recommending those ani-
mals as dainties, which they themselves would
spurn at after a course of good living. Nothing is
more common in their journals than such accounts
as these : This day we shot a fox, pretty good
eating ; this day we shot a heron, pretty good eat-
ing ; and this day we killed a turtle, which they
rank with the heron and the fox, as pretty good
eating.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

R . Taylor and Co. Printers , 38, Shoe Lane.

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