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 THE 
 
 GARDENS AND MENAGERIE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
 
 DELINEATED ; 
 
 BEING 
 
 DESCRIPTIONS AND FIGURES 
 
 IN ILLUSTRATION OP THE 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LIVING ANIMALS IN THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTION. 
 
 THE DRAWINGS BY WILLIAM HARVEY ; 
 ENGRAVED BY BRANSTON AND WRIGHT, 
 
 ASSISTED BY OTHER ARTISTS.
 
 THE 
 
 GARDENS AND MENAGERIE 
 
 Zoological 
 
 DELINEATED. 
 
 PUBMSHED, WITH THE SANCTION OF THE COUNCIL, 
 UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF THE 
 
 SECRETARY AND VICE-SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 QUADRUPEDS. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED BY MAURICE, CLARK, AND CO., 
 
 FOR THE PROPRIETORS: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THOMAS TEGG AND SON, CHEAPSIDE ; 
 ASD N. HAILES, PICCADILLY. 
 
 MDCCCXXXV.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE establishment of the Zoological Society forms 
 an era in the history of the science in England 
 as regards the higher departments of animated 
 nature. In its Gardens and Museum our coun- 
 trymen in general, whether previously attached 
 to Zoology or indifferent to its allurements, have 
 found incitement as well as opportunity to make 
 themselves familiarly acquainted with the appear- 
 ance and manners of a large proportion of the 
 animal creation. To the most extensive assem- 
 blage of living Quadrupeds and Birds ever exhi- 
 bited in this, or perhaps in any other, country, 
 has been added the attraction of a delightful 
 promenade ; and fashion has combined with other 
 and more legitimate stimulants to render the 
 Menagerie as popular as it is instructive. The 
 Museum too has had its full share in promoting 
 the objects for which the Society was instituted, 
 by affording to individuals of more expanded 
 views the means of enlarging their knowledge of 
 nature through a closer examination of her works. 
 
 2090852
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 It cannot be a matter of surprise that under 
 such circumstances there should have arisen in 
 the public mind a taste for zoological pursuits, 
 and a desire for correct zoological information. 
 To promote that taste and to gratify that whole- 
 some desire are the objects of the present publi- 
 cation. One great aim of the Society is to diffuse 
 as widely as possible a practical acquaintance with 
 living animals, in order to eradicate those vulgar 
 prejudices which have in too many instances 
 usurped the place of truth, and to substitute just 
 ideas, drawn from actual observation, instead of 
 false deductions from distorted facts, or wild 
 speculations built upon erroneous foundations. 
 By the same views has the Editor of the following 
 pages been guided. Popular works on Zoology 
 have too long been left to the mercy of writers 
 little if at all conversant with the science of which 
 they professed to treat; and the natural conse- 
 quence has been the growth and repetition of 
 errors of the grossest kind. But the altered 
 temper of the times, connected with the extensive 
 support given to a popular Society for the culti- 
 vation of Zoology, appeared to afford a peculiarly 
 favourable opportunity for attempting to counter- 
 act this baneful practice, and the Editor felt 
 himself in some degree called upon by the office 
 which he held to undertake the task.
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 The first requisite for the attainment of the end 
 proposed was obviously an extensive circulation ; 
 and this could only be secured by the use of the 
 common forms of our language, in place of those 
 technical expressions which render most scientific 
 works unintelligible to the general reader. Such 
 expressions the Editor has studiously endeavoured 
 to avoid ; and in the few instances in which he 
 has been compelled, for the sake of perspicuity, 
 to have recourse to them, he has either added an 
 explanation of their meaning, or so modelled the 
 context as to render explanation unnecessary to 
 any person of even moderate education. By thus 
 addressing his language to the world at large, 
 instead of confining it by the use of technicalities 
 to the limited circle of professed zoologists, he 
 trusts that he has to a certain extent enlarged the 
 boundaries of the science without detracting from 
 its real importance ; for it has been his endeavour 
 throughout the work to employ English terms as 
 definite in their meaning and as precise in their 
 limitation as those which are usually considered 
 exclusively zoological. 
 
 With this intelligible language it was necessary 
 to combine a scrupulous accuracy in regard to 
 facts. For this purpose the drawings of all the 
 animals have been made from individual specimens 
 in the Society's Menagerie ; and the descriptions
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 have been in every instance taken from the same 
 individuals or carefully collated with them. It 
 has sometimes happened that the Editor has been 
 unable himself to verify, on the preserved animal 
 or its parts, those particulars which it is frequently 
 difficult or even impossible to ascertain in the 
 living state ; but in such cases he has generally 
 quoted his authorities, and the responsibility in 
 consequence rests with them alone. In the great 
 majority of instances, however, he takes the respon- 
 sibility wholly upon himself. 
 
 But the case is altogether different as regards 
 the habits of the animals in their native state. 
 For these he has almost always been compelled to 
 rely on the statements of other writers, principally 
 travellers, and rarely versed even in the elements 
 of natural science. In referring to such authorities 
 he has thought it right to exercise a salutary 
 caution, rejecting without hesitation those rela- 
 tions which bordered too closely on the marvel- 
 lous, or were evidently at variance with the organic 
 structure of the animals. By this latter test he 
 has uniformly tried them, and where he has found 
 the imputed habits to correspond with the organi- 
 zation he has adopted the statement as probable, 
 even if not altogether proved. There are, how- 
 ever, some observers of a higher order, on whose 
 accounts he relies with implicit confidence, and
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 whose names will be found repeatedly quoted 
 throughout the work. He will only add that in 
 this, as well as in the descriptive department, he 
 has had recourse, wherever it was possible, to 
 original, and frequently to little known, works; 
 and has very rarely indeed been guilty of a 
 second-hand quotation. 
 
 A few words may be necessary as to the arrange- 
 ment, or rather the want of arrangement, in the 
 body of the work. From the very nature of the 
 collection which he had undertaken to illustrate, 
 the Editor found it impossible to dispose his 
 subjects in systematic order, without omitting in 
 their proper places many of those valuable acqui- 
 sitions which were continually pouring in to the 
 Menagerie. For this reason it was at length 
 determined to take them promiscuously, separating 
 only the Birds from the Quadrupeds ; and to give 
 at the close of each volume a systematic index of 
 its contents. The Editor hoped too that before 
 the conclusion of a volume he should be enabled 
 to arrange the Quadrupeds in a series more 
 strictly consonant with their natural affinities than 
 any that has hitherto been proposed. But his 
 own views upon the subject are not sufficiently 
 matured for publication ; and those of his friend 
 MR. VIGORS, which the zoological world are 
 anxiously expecting, have not yet appeared. He
 
 X PREFACE. 
 
 has therefore thought it advisable, under these 
 circumstances, to adopt in the Systematic Index 
 the arrangement of M. Cuvier, the more especially 
 as the mere list of the sixty or seventy Quadru- 
 peds contained in this volume would offer a very 
 imperfect and unsatisfactory idea of the details of 
 a novel classification. 
 
 The Editor has only, in conclusion, to offer his 
 best acknowledgments to the kind friend above 
 named for his general revision of the work, and for 
 numerous valuable suggestions. To Mr. Broderip 
 he is also indebted for the communication of much 
 interesting information ; as well as to Dr. Wallich, 
 Mr. Yarrell, and other valued friends, who have 
 kindly assisted him in his task. Nor can he suffer 
 the opportunity to pass of offering his thanks to 
 Mr. Harvey for the patient attention with which 
 he has watched the manners of the animals for 
 the purpose of investing their portraits with that 
 natural expression in which zoological drawings 
 are too often deficient ; and to Messrs. Branston 
 and Wright for the pains which they also have 
 taken in making themselves masters of the subjects 
 previously to the execution of the Cuts. 
 
 E. T. BENNETT. 
 
 LONDOX, JUNE 3u. 1830.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHINCHILLA 1 
 
 RATEL 13 
 
 WANDEROO MONKEY 21 
 
 HARE-!NDIAN DOG 25 
 
 ESQUIMAUX DOG 27 
 
 BARBARY MOUSE 29 
 
 DIANA MONKEY .' 33 
 
 MONA MONKEY 37 
 
 NAPU MUSK-DEER 41 
 
 PALM SQUIRREL 47 
 
 AUSTRALIAN DOG 51 
 
 COLLARED PECCARY 55 
 
 WHITE-LIPPED PECCARY 61 
 
 INDIAN Ox 65 
 
 ZEBU 69 
 
 SQUIRREL PETAURUS 71 
 
 WHITE-EYELID MONKEY 77 
 
 COLLARED WHITE-EYELID MONKEY 79 
 
 ENTELLUS MONKEY 81 
 
 LEOPARD 87 
 
 JAGUAR 95 
 
 BROWN BEAR 99 
 
 AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 107 
 
 CUBAN MASTIFF Ill 
 
 AMERICAN BISON 113 
 
 INDIAN ANTELOPE 117 
 
 NYL-GHAU 125 
 
 POLAR BEAR 129 
 
 RED MONKEY 1 35 
 
 LESSER WHITE-NOSED MONKEY . .137
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 SLOW-PACED LEMUR 139 
 
 RED LEMUR 145 
 
 THIBET DOG 149 
 
 BEAVER 153 
 
 CRESTED PORCUPINE 171 
 
 FASCICULATED PORCUPINE 175 
 
 MALABAR SQUIRREL 179 
 
 GRAY SQUIRREL. 183 
 
 LESSER AMERICAN FLYING SQUIRREL 185 
 
 BLACK APE 189 
 
 BARBARY APE 191 
 
 AMERICAN TAPIR 193 
 
 VIRGINIAN FALLOW DEER 205 
 
 EUROPEAN Fox 211 
 
 RED Fox 217 
 
 CROSS Fox 221 
 
 SILVER Fox 223 
 
 WHITE-CHEEKED MARTEN 225 
 
 PINE MARTEN 229 
 
 REIN-DEER 241 
 
 Axis DEER 253 
 
 ITALIAN WOLF-DOG 257 
 
 PARNASSIAN SHEEP 259 
 
 FOUR-HORNED SHEEP 263 
 
 VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM 265 
 
 CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM 271 
 
 BROWN LLAMA 273 
 
 WHITE LLAMA 283 
 
 BROWN PACA 287 
 
 LONG-NOSED AGOUTI 293 
 
 AMERICAN BLACK SQUIRREL 297 
 
 WHITE-FRONTED LEMUR 299 
 
 BLACK-FRONTED LEMUR 301 
 
 "GREEN MONKEY 303 
 
 SYSTEMATIC INDEX . . 305
 
 THE CHINCHILLA. 
 
 CHINCHILLA LANIGERA. 
 
 THE peculiar softness and beauty of the fur of the 
 Chinchilla have been so long, so ornamentally, and so 
 comfortably known to our fair countrywomen, that it 
 would be paying their taste and curiosity a sorry com- 
 pliment to imagine that they have no desire to become 
 acquainted with the animal by which it is furnished. 
 We are happy therefore to have it in our power to 
 gratify them, as well as the scientific zoologist, by a 
 figure and description of so interesting a creature, the 
 former the only one that has yet been given to the 
 world, and the latter the first that has appeared in our 
 language. 
 
 Notwithstanding the extensive trade carried on in its 
 skins, the Chinchilla might have been regarded until the 
 last year almost as an unknown animal : for no modern
 
 Z ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 naturalist, with the exception of the Abbe Molina, a 
 native of Chili, who has written expressly on the 
 Natural History of that country, had seen an entire 
 specimen, living or dead; and the description given in 
 his work added little of truth and much of error to the 
 information that was to be derived from an inspection 
 of the skins themselves in the imperfect state in which 
 they are sent into the market. Still his account con- 
 tains many particulars relative to the habits of the 
 animal, which are not to be met with elsewhere, and 
 we shall therefore extract it entire; first, however, 
 referring to such scanty notices in the works of former 
 writers as appear to have been founded on original 
 observation. 
 
 The earliest account of the Chinchilla with which 
 we have met is contained in Father Joseph Acosta's 
 Natural and Moral History of the East and West 
 Indies, published at Barcelona, in Spanish, in the year 
 1591. From an English translation of this work, 
 printed at London in 1604, we extract the following 
 sentence, which is all that relates to the animal in 
 question. " The Chinchilles is an other kind of small 
 beasts, like squirrels, they have a woonderfull smoothe 
 and soft skinne, which they weare as a healthfull thinge 
 to comfort the stomacke, and those parts that have 
 neede of a moderate heate ; " [as most " beasts " do ; 
 but the concluding part of the extract shows that this 
 is spoken of the human natives, and not of the poor 
 Chinchillas themselves ;] " they make coverings and 
 rugges of the haire of these Chinchilles, which are 
 found on the Sierre of Peru." 
 
 We find these animals again mentioned, and nearly 
 to the same purpose, in "The Observations of Sir 
 Richard Hawkins, Knight, in his Voyage into the 
 South Sea, An. Dom. 1593," published at London in
 
 THE CHINCHILLA. O 
 
 a small folio, in the year 1622, and reprinted, three 
 years afterwards, in the fourth part of " Purchas his 
 Pilgrims." This hardy and adventurous seaman ap- 
 pears, notwithstanding the somewhat contemptuous 
 manner in which he speaks of the " princes and 
 nobles" that " laie waite" for these skins, to have been 
 much of the same opinion with regard to their superior 
 quality and comfort. It is worthy of remark that he 
 treats tnem not as wool, in which light Acosta seems 
 to have regarded them, but as fur. " Amongst others," 
 he says, (showing, by the by, as little respect for the 
 niceties of grammar as the translator above quoted), 
 "they have little beastes, like unto a squirrell, but 
 that hee is grey, his skinne is the most delicate soft 
 and curious furre that I have scene, and of much 
 estimation, (as is reason,) in the Peru; few of them 
 come into Spaine, because difficult to be come by, for 
 that the princes and nobles laie waite for them, they 
 call this beast Chinchilla, and of them they have great 
 abundance." 
 
 In the foregoing quotations the Chinchilla is only 
 said to be like a Squirrel: later writers appear to 
 have confounded them. Thus when Alonso de Ovalle, 
 another Spaniard, whose " Historical Relation of the 
 Kingdom of Chili" was published at Rome in 1646, 
 says that " the Squirrels [Ardas] which are found only 
 in the Valley of Guasco, are ash-coloured, and their 
 skins are in o-reat esteem for the fineness and softness 
 
 o 
 
 of the fur," he evidently means the Chinchilla ; for no 
 species of Squirrel, whose fur is of any value, is found 
 in that country. The same may also be said of an 
 anonymous Italian author, (considered by some biblio- 
 graphers, but we believe erroneously, to have been the 
 Abbe Vidaure), who published at Bologna in 1776 a 
 Compendium of the Geographical, Natural, and Civil 
 
 B 2
 
 4 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 History of the Kingdom of Chili. This writer speaks 
 of the Arda, which is the Spanish word for a Squirrel, 
 as a species of Rat or Campagnol, of the size of a Cat, 
 found only in the province of Copiapo, moderately 
 docile, and covered with ash-coloured wool, as close 
 and delicate as the finest cotton. 
 
 But this confusion of species becomes tolerable if 
 compared with another into which the same author 
 has fallen when he speaks of the Chinche, the most 
 insupportably offensive of all stinking animals, as 
 having a remarkably soft fur, which is made into 
 coverlets for beds. The responsibility, however, for 
 the latter error must rest with Buffon; who, after 
 quoting Feuillee's excellent description of that abomi- 
 nable beast, adds : " it appears to me that the same 
 animal is indicated by Acosta under the name of Chin- 
 chilla, which is not very different from that of Chinche." 
 How this great naturalist could have been led to con- 
 found two animals so essentially distinct in every 
 particular, of one of which he had a specimen in good 
 preservation, while the skins of the other, mutilated it 
 is true, but still distinctly recognisable, might probably 
 have been seen in the warehouse of every furrier, we 
 are at a loss to conjecture. The circumstance itself 
 affords a striking proof of the obscurity in which the 
 history of the Chinchilla was then involved, when the 
 mere similarity of sound in the names was the solitary 
 argument advanced in favour of so unfortunate a con- 
 jecture. The error was corrected by D'Azara, who is, 
 however, himself mistaken in regarding the Chinche 
 of Feuillee and Buffon as his Yagouare, and who adds 
 nothing to what was already known with respect to 
 the true Chinchilla. 
 
 Molina's Essay on the Natural History of Chili was 
 originally published in Italian at Bologna in 1782. In
 
 THE CHINCHILLA. O 
 
 the preface the author candidly confesses that his mate- 
 rials are not sufficiently complete for a general Natural 
 History of the country. They appear indeed to have 
 consisted partly of the recollections of a vigorous mind, 
 and partly of such imperfect notes as could only be 
 made use of iri the way of hints to recall to the memory 
 some of those minor points which might otherwise have 
 escaped it. It is obvious that under such circum- 
 stances, however careful the writer may have been to 
 avoid mistakes, it is impossible to place in his descrip- 
 tions that implicit confidence to which his acknowledged 
 good faith would otherwise entitle him. In this work 
 he describes the Chinchilla as a species of the Linnsean 
 genus Mus, under the name of Mus laniger, by which 
 appellation it was received into Gmelin's Edition of the 
 Systema Naturae, and continued to be known among 
 naturalists, until M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire suggested 
 that it ought rather to be regarded as a species of the 
 genus separated by him from the Rats under the name 
 of Hamster. This opinion was immediately adopted 
 by zoologists, and seems to have been taken up by 
 Molina himself, in a second edition of his Essay, pub- 
 lished in 1810, which contains some trifling additions 
 to his former article on the Chinchilla. We proceed to 
 translate from the latter those passages which relate 
 to the subject. 
 
 " The Chinchilla," he says, " is another species of 
 field-rat, in great estimation for the extreme fineness 
 of its wool, if a rich fur as delicate as the silken webs 
 of the garden spiders may be so termed. It is of an 
 ash-grey, and sufficiently long for spinning. The little 
 animal which produces it is six inches long from the 
 nose to the root of the tail, with small pointed ears, a 
 short muzzle, teeth like the house-rat, and a tail of 
 moderate length, clothed with a delicate fur. It lives
 
 6 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 in burrows underground in the open country of the 
 northern provinces of Chili, and is very fond of being 
 in company with others of its species. It feeds upon 
 the roots of various bulbous plants which grow abun- 
 dantly in those parts ; and produces twice a year five 
 or six young ones. It is so docile and mild in temper 
 that if taken into the hands it neither bites nor tries 
 to escape ; but seems to take a pleasure in being 
 caressed. If placed in the bosom it remains there as 
 still and quiet as if it were in its own nest. This 
 extraordinaiy placidity may possibly be rather due to 
 its pusillanimity, which renders it extremely timid. As 
 it is in itself peculiarly cleanly, there can be no fear 
 of 'its soiling the clothes of those who handle it, or of 
 its communicating any bad smell to them, for it is 
 entirely free from that ill odour which characterizes 
 the other species of Rats. For this reason it might 
 well be kept in the houses with no annoyance and at 
 a trifling expense, which would be abundantly repaid 
 by the profits on its wool. The ancient Peruvians, 
 who were far more industrious than the modern, made, 
 of this wool coverlets for beds and valuable stuffs. 
 There is found, " he adds, " in the same northern 
 provinces another little animal with fine wool called 
 the Hardilla, which is variously described by those who 
 have seen it ; but as I have never observed it myself, I 
 cannot determine to what genus it belongs." There 
 can be little doubt, we should imagine, that this animal 
 is identical with the Chinchilla, the latter, as we have 
 already seen, being frequently spoken of by the name 
 of Arda, the same with Harda, of which Hardilla is 
 only the diminutive. 
 
 We shall conclude our quotations of former notices 
 with the following extract from Schmidtmeyer's " Tra- 
 vels into Chile over the Andes," London, 4to., 1824 ;
 
 THE CHINCHILLA. / 
 
 which furnishes some particulars, apparently derived 
 from the traveller's own observation, that had not been 
 touched upon by previous writers. " The Chinchilla," 
 he says, " is a woolly field-mouse, which lives under- 
 ground, and chiefly feeds on wild onions. Its fine fur 
 is well known in Europe; that which comes from 
 Upper Peru is rougher and larger than the Chinchilla 
 of Chile, but not always so beautiful in its colour. 
 Great numbers of these animals are caught in the 
 neighbourhood of Coquimbo and Copiapo, generally by 
 boys with dogs, and sold to traders who bring them 
 to Santiago and Valparayso, from whence they are 
 exported. The Peruvian skins are either brought to 
 Buenos-Ayres from the eastern parts of the Andes, or 
 sent to Lima. The extensive use of this fur has lately 
 occasioned a very considerable destruction of the ani- 
 mals." 
 
 Such is the history of our knowledge of this interest- 
 ing animal until the arrival of a living specimen which 
 was brought to England by the late expedition to the 
 north-west coast of America, under the command of 
 Captain Beechey, and by him presented to the Zoolo- 
 gical Society. An entire skin, rendered particularly 
 valuable in consequence of its having the skull pre- 
 served in it, was at the same time brought home by 
 Mr. Collie, the surgeon of Captain Beechey's vessel, 
 and deposited in the collection of the British Museum. 
 We have thus fortunately placed within our reach the 
 means of correcting many of the errors into which 
 former writers have fallen with regard to it, and of 
 giving a more complete description of it than has yet 
 been laid before the world. 
 
 To begin with its generic characters. The slightest 
 inspection of its teeth was sufficient to prove that it 
 could no longer be associated with the groups in which
 
 8 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 it had been previously placed ; and a closer examination 
 served only to confirm the idea that it was equally 
 distinct in character from every other known genus of 
 Rodentia. In proof of the former part of this assertion 
 we borrow from the Zoological Journal Mr. Yarrell's 
 description of these organs, taken from the specimen 
 before-mentioned, with one indispensable alteration, of 
 which that gentleman has himself since seen the neces- 
 sity. He there describes the teeth as consisting of two 
 incisors in each jaw, and of four molars on either side ; 
 the three anterior of the upper jaw formed of two 
 parallel bony portions with three alternating lines of 
 enamel, and the fourth having an additional portion of 
 bone and enamel, but smaller than the two principal 
 ones. The direction of the parallel laminae of these 
 teeth is not at right angles with the line of the maxil- 
 lary bone, but inclining obliquely from without back- 
 wards ; and the molars of the lower jaw are placed still 
 more obliquely than those of the upper. 
 
 But the examination on which this statement was 
 founded was made under circumstances of great disad- 
 vantage, inasmuch as it is almost impossible to obtain 
 a distinct view of the teeth of any animal while the 
 skull remains within the skin, from which it was of 
 course not allowable in the present instance to remove 
 it. The necessity for the alteration to which we have 
 before alluded has been rendered obvious only since 
 the skin was transferred to the British Museum, by 
 the extraction from the lower jaw of the two anterior 
 molars of the right side, which are now shown each to 
 possess a smaller third lamina of bone, with its corres- 
 ponding enamel, placed in front of, and not projecting 
 so far externally as, the two remaining portions of the 
 tooth. This third lamina is separated from that next 
 to it by a deep groove on the inner side, but on the
 
 THE CHINCHILLA. 
 
 outer there is no indication of such a division; the 
 inner surface of each of these teeth consequently offers 
 two such grooves, while the outer presents no more 
 than one. 
 
 In the observations appended to his account of the 
 teeth Mr. Yarrell appears to consider the Chinchilla as 
 nearly allied to Mr. Brookes's new genus Lagostomus, 
 of which a figure and description are contained in the 
 last published part (the first of the sixteenth volume) 
 of the Linnean Transactions ; and the general resem- 
 blance of form, together with the characters of the 
 teeth as given in that notice, unquestionably warrant 
 at least a close approximation. But we apprehend that 
 the alteration above made in the description of the 
 teeth of the Chinchilla, together with the discrepancy 
 in the number of the toes, which in our animal are four 
 on the hind feet, while in Lagostomus they are but 
 three, will be considered fully sufficient to establish a 
 generic difference between them. The close affinity 
 subsisting between these animals has been subsequently 
 recognised by M. Cuvier from the very imperfect mate- 
 rials in his possession, consisting only of mutilated 
 skins of the one and drawings and descriptions of the 
 other. In the new edition, just published, of his Regne 
 Animal he regards them both as decidedly forming 
 part of the same genus ; but does not venture, until he 
 shall have seen their teeth, to determine their position 
 in the series, which he considers so uncertain as to 
 render it doubtful whether they approach most nearly 
 to the Guinea-pigs, the Lagomys, or the Rats. In the 
 removal of these doubts we are happy to assist by 
 furnishing the proof that, although generically distinct, 
 they both evidently belong to the same natural tribe, 
 and contribute, along with Lagomys and Pedetes, to 
 establish a connexion between the otherwise widely 
 separated families of the Hares and the Jerboas.
 
 10 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 The length of the body in our specimen is about nine 
 inches, and that of the tail nearly five. Its proportions 
 are close-set, and its limbs comparatively short, the 
 posterior being considerably longer than the anterior. 
 The fur is long, thick, close, woolly, somewhat crisped 
 and entangled together, grayish or ash-coloured above, 
 and paler beneath. The form of the head resembles 
 that of the Rabbit ; the eyes are full, large, and black ; 
 and the ears broad, naked, rounded at the tips, and 
 nearly as long as the head. The moustaches are plen- 
 tiful and very long, the longest being twice the length 
 of the head, some of them black and others white. 
 Four short toes, with a distinct rudiment of a thumb, 
 terminate the anterior feet ; and the posterior are fur- 
 nished with the same number, three of them long, the 
 middle more produced than the two lateral ones, and 
 the fourth, external to the others, very short and placed 
 far behind. On all these toes the claws are short, and 
 nearly hidden by tufts of bristly hairs. The tail is 
 about half the length of the body, of equal thickness 
 throughout, and covered with long bushy hairs ; it is 
 usually kept turned up towards the back, but not 
 reverted as in the Squirrels. 
 
 To the account of its habits given by Molina we can 
 only add that it usually sits upon its haunches, and is 
 even able to raise itself up and stand upon its hinder 
 feet. It feeds in a sitting posture, grasping its food 
 and conveying it to its mouth by means of its fore 
 paws. In its temper it is generally mild and tractable, 
 but it will not always suffer itself to be handled without 
 resistance, and sometimes bites the hand which attempts 
 to fondle it when not in a humour to be played with. 
 
 Although a native of the alpine valleys of Chili, and 
 consequently subjected in its own country to the effects 
 of a low temperature of the atmosphere, against which 
 its thick coat affords an admirable protection, it was
 
 THE CHINCHILLA. 11 
 
 thought necessary to keep it during the winter in a 
 moderately warm room, and a piece of flannel was even 
 introduced into its sleeping apartment for its greater 
 comfort. But this indulgence was most pertinaciously 
 rejected, and as often as the flannel was replaced, so 
 often was it dragged by the little animal into the outer 
 compartment of its cage, where it amused itself with 
 pulling it about, rolling it up and shaking it with its 
 feet and teeth. In other respects it exhibits but little 
 playfulness, and gives few signs of activity ; seldom 
 disturbing its usual quietude by any sudden or extra- 
 ordinary gambols, but occasionally displaying strong 
 symptoms of alarm when startled by any unusual occur- 
 rence. It is, in fact, a remarkably tranquil and peace- 
 able animal unless when its timidity gets the better of 
 its gentleness. 
 
 A second individual of this interesting species has 
 lately been added to the collection by the kindness of 
 Lady Knighton, in whose possession it had remained 
 for twelve months previously to her presenting it to the 
 Society. This specimen is larger in size and rougher 
 in its fur than the one above described ; its colour is 
 also less uniformly gray, deriving a somewhat mottled 
 appearance from the numerous small blackish spots 
 which are scattered over the back and sides. It is 
 possible that this may be the Peruvian variety, men- 
 tioned in the extract from Schmidtmeyer's Travels as 
 furnishing a less delicate and valuable fur than the 
 Chilian animal. It is equally good tempered and mild 
 in its disposition ; and, probably in consequence of 
 having been domiciliated in a private house instead of 
 having been exhibited in a public collection, is much 
 more tame and playful. In its late abode it was fre- 
 quently suffered to run about the room, when it would 
 show off its agility by leaping to the height of the
 
 12 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 table. Its food consisted principally of dry herbage, 
 such as hay and clover, on which it appears to have 
 thriven greatly. That of the Society's original specimen 
 has hitherto been chiefly grain of various kinds, and 
 succulent roots. 
 
 When the new comer was first introduced into Bruton 
 Street, it was placed in the same cage with the other 
 specimen ; but the latter appeared by no means dis- 
 posed to submit to the presence of the intruder. A 
 ferocious kind of scuffling fight immediately ensued 
 between them, and the latter would unquestionably 
 have fallen a victim, had it not been rescued from its 
 impending fate. Since that time they have inhabited 
 separate cages, placed side by side ; and although the 
 open wires would admit of some little familiarity taking 
 place between them, no advances have as yet been 
 made on either side. Such an isolated fact can, of 
 course, have little weight in opposition to the testimony 
 of Molina that the Chinchilla is fond of company. It 
 is nevertheless a remarkable circumstance, and de- 
 serves to be mentioned in illustration of the habits of 
 these animals.
 
 THE RATEL. 
 
 HAT ELVS MELLIVORVS. 
 
 THE dentition of the Ratel is so contradictory to the 
 singular habits attributed to it by Sparrman and all 
 subsequent travellers to the Cape of Good Hope, that 
 we are compelled to doubt the perfect accuracy of the 
 common report on which their statements appear to 
 have been founded, or at least to admit that there is 
 still much to be learned before its histoiy can be 
 regarded as complete. It requires indeed the most 
 positive evidence to convince us that an animal, the 
 number and disposition of whose teeth correspond more 
 closely with those of the Cats than any other quadruped 
 with which we are acquainted, and exhibit a carnivo- 
 rous character scarcely, if at all, inferior to that which 
 is evidenced by the same organs in the Hyaenas, should 
 subsist entirely, as from these accounts we are left to
 
 14 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 believe, upon the petty rapine of a hive of bees and the 
 honied produce of their comb. Still there exist such 
 decisive marks of a diminished capacity for preying on 
 animal food in the thick-set and clumsy form of its 
 body, the shortness of its limbs, its partially planti- 
 grade walk, the structure of its claws, the elongation 
 of its muzzle, and even in the form of the teeth them- 
 selves, as to induce us to pause before we determine to 
 reject the popular testimony as unworthy of credit, 
 although we must regard it as doubtful on some par- 
 ticular points, and insufficient and imperfect on the 
 whole. 
 
 The teeth of this curious animal, according to M. F. 
 Cuvier's figures and description, confirmed by our own 
 observations on two specimens preserved in the Society's 
 Museum, and as far as possible on the living animal, 
 consist of the six incisors common to nearly all carni- 
 vorous quadrupeds, two canines, and eight cheek-teeth 
 in each jaw. The incisors have little to distinguish 
 them from those of the neighbouring groups. The 
 canines are remarkably thick and strong, especially in 
 the lower jaw, and are somewhat triangular in their 
 general outline. In the upper jaw the cheek-teeth are 
 composed of two false molars with conical and pointed 
 crowns, one lacerator, and one tubercular, arranged 
 exactly in the same manner as in the Cats. The lace- 
 rator, however, presents a much greater extent of surface 
 than in those animals, and the tubercular tooth placed 
 within its posterior angle expands into a flattened 
 crown of considerable size. In the lower jaw there are 
 three false molars anterior to the broad and powerful 
 lacerator, and no tubercular tooth behind it. These 
 characters are so peculiar that it is no longer possible, 
 with any regard to systematic consistency, to confound 
 the animal to which they belong, either with the Civets,
 
 THE RATEL. 15 
 
 with which it was associated by Sparrman, and after 
 him by the generality of writers on zoology, or with 
 the Gluttons, by the side of which Baron Cuvier has 
 proposed to place it. It must of necessity form the 
 type of a new genus, which may be further characterized 
 by its thick, heavy, depressed body; its short stout 
 legs, with five toes upon each foot, each of the toes 
 surmounted by slightly arched unretractile claws, 
 grooved along their .under surface, and much longer 
 on the anterior than on the posterior feet; its total 
 want of external ears, their place being supplied by a 
 slightly elevated margin surrounding an auditory open- 
 ing of moderate size ; the prolongation of its snout, 
 which terminates in a soft and naked muzzle ; and the 
 roughness of its tongue, which resembles that of the 
 Cats in the sharpness, elevation, and backward direc- 
 tion of its horny papillae. 
 
 The Ratel was first clearly described by La Caille, 
 in his Voyage to the Cape, under the misapplied desig- 
 nation of Blaireau puant. This unmerited epithet has 
 in all probability given rise to the general opinion that 
 it is also the animal referred to by Kolbe as the Stinck- 
 binksen of the Dutch colonists ; but there is scarcely 
 any part of his account of that disgusting creature 
 which fairly warrants the inference. It is far more 
 likely that his beast was the Zorille, to which alone, 
 of all the animals of Southern Africa, its manners bear 
 a close resemblance. Our animal was afterwards de- 
 scribed with tolerable accuracy by Sparrman under its 
 Hottentot and colonial designation, which it has ever 
 since retained. Gmelin, and Shaw adopting his error, 
 have, however, contrived, with their usual carelessness 
 of compilation, to subdivide these synonyms in such a 
 manner as to form two distinct species of the Ratel 
 alone; La Caille supplying them with their Viverra
 
 16 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Capensis, and Sparrman with their Viverra mellivora. 
 These were very properly united by Pennant, who 
 nevertheless appears to have had no personal know- 
 ledge of the Cape animal, for happening to meet with 
 a living specimen from India in the possession of John 
 Hunter, he treated it as entirely new and nondescript, 
 and, totally unsuspicious of the existence of the slightest 
 relation between it and the African quadruped, placed 
 it in a distant part of the system and in a genus with 
 which it has but little real affinity, under the name 
 of the Indian Badger. This latter was adopted by 
 Dr. Shaw in his General Zoology as the Ursus Indicus ; 
 but not without an indication of the intimate connexion 
 subsisting between the three assumed species, which it 
 was here tardily acknowledged might perhaps prove to 
 be identical. That such is really the fact will, we 
 think, be sufficiently obvious from the description of 
 our specimens, compared with the accounts of former 
 writers. 
 
 In size the Ratel is about equal to the Badger, to 
 which it also bears a distant resemblance in form. The 
 whole of the upper surface of its body, which is singu- 
 larly broad and flat, comprehending the top of the head 
 and neck, the entire plane of the back, and the root of 
 the tail, is of a dull ash-gray, whiter towards the head, 
 and strongly contrasting with the under parts, including 
 also the muzzle, the contour of the eyes, and of the ears, 
 the limbs, and the remainder of the tail, which are 
 throughout perfectly black. The only visible difference 
 which we have been able to detect between the Asiatic 
 and African animals consists in this, that the latter is 
 described as possessing a stripe of lighter gray, about 
 an inch in breadth, passing from behind the ears along 
 each side, and forming the boundary of the two colours, 
 which is entirety wanting in our specimen, and in the
 
 THE RATEL. 17 
 
 figure of the Indian variety given by General Hard- 
 wicke. 
 
 The hair all over the body, although tolerably smooth, 
 is remarkably stiff and wiry ; and the hide beneath it 
 is excessively tough, and so loose that Sparrman's 
 statement is scarcely to be regarded as an exaggeration, 
 when he assures us that if " any body catches hold of 
 him by the hind part of his neck, he is able to turn 
 round, as it were, in his skin, and bite the arm of the 
 person that seizes him." The claws on the fore feet 
 are extremely long, and although not very strongly 
 curved, of considerable power, being formed especially 
 for digging up the earth ; an operation which all the 
 accounts of the animal's manners concur in stating that 
 it performs with great dexterity. Of these claws the 
 middle three are much longer than the lateral, and the 
 internal one is placed far behind the others. On the 
 hind feet the claws, also five in number, are of nearly 
 equal length, but are much shorter, and proportionally 
 much less powerful, than those of the anterior members. 
 The total length of the animal is about three feet, of 
 which its tail forms little more than a sixth. Its height 
 does not exceed ten or twelve inches, and the length of 
 its fore claws, when not worn down by constant use, is 
 about an inch and a half. 
 
 With respect to the habits of these animals we shall 
 first give an abstract of Sparrman's version of the 
 relations of the Hottentots and of the Dutch Colonists, 
 which has been adopted by all subsequent writers. 
 The bees, according to our author, furnish the Ratel 
 with his principal, if not his only, means of subsist- 
 ence. These insects are accustomed to take up their 
 abode in holes in the earth formed by various burrowing 
 quadrupeds ; and the Ratel is endowed with peculiar 
 sagacity for discovering their nests, which it undermines 
 
 c
 
 18 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 with its powerful claws, in order to feast upon the 
 honey contained in them. Aware that sun-set is the 
 period at which the bees return to their homes, it 
 chooses that time for making its observations, which 
 are conducted in a very curious manner. Seated upon 
 the ground with one of its paws raised so as to shade 
 from its eyes the rays of the declining sun, it peers 
 cautiously on either side of this singular kind of 
 parasol, until it perceives a number of bees flying in 
 the same direction. These it carefully marks, and fol- 
 lows in their track until it has safely lodged them in 
 their nest, which it immediately commences pillaging. 
 But if it should happen that, contrary to their usual 
 custom, they have built in the hollow of a tree, the 
 Ratel being unable to climb, and angry at its disap- 
 pointment, wreaks its vengeance upon the senseless 
 stock by biting around it; and the Hottentots know 
 well that such marks on the trunk of a tree are certain 
 indications of a bees' nest being contained within it. 
 
 It is added that the Ratel, as well as the native 
 inhabitants of the neighbourhood of the Cape, is some- 
 times guided in this search after honey by a little bird, 
 the Cuculus Indicator, or Honey-Cuckoo, which it 
 seems has sagacity enough to know that both men and 
 beasts are fond of the tempting spoil. This little crea- 
 ture, although incapable of storming a hive in its own 
 person, takes advantage of the propensity which exists 
 in others who are better fitted for the task, and invites 
 the Hottentot or the Ratel to follow it by a peculiar 
 note, which they both equally understand. Having 
 thus secured their attention, it flies slowly on before 
 them, alternately halting for them to come up with it, 
 and then taking another flight, still admonishing them 
 
 c? o ' o 
 
 by its warning voice, until it arrives at the spot where 
 the hidden treasure is deposited. There it suddenly
 
 THE RATEL. 19 
 
 ceases to be heard ; but remains quietly perched on a 
 tree in the vicinity, waiting for a share of the plunder 
 which it usually receives as a reward for its interested 
 service. 
 
 In such an attack upon an angry swarm the tough- 
 ness of the Ratel's hide must be a most effectual 
 defence ; and it is even stated that so difficult is it to 
 penetrate its skin that a pack of dogs, which would 
 be sufficient to dispatch a moderate sized lion, have 
 sometimes failed in their attack upon so comparatively 
 insignificant an animal. Such is its tenacity of life 
 that Mr. Barrow states that " it is a species of amuse- 
 ment for the farmers to run knives through different 
 parts of its body, without being able for a length of 
 time to deprive it of existence." Major Denham was, 
 however, informed by the natives of Central Africa, 
 where it is also found, that a single blow on the nose 
 is sufficient to destroy it almost instantaneously : w T hich 
 may probably be owing to the thinness of the skull 
 adjoining the ossa nasi. In the same regions it has 
 obtained credit for so much ferocity, as to be said, at 
 certain seasons, to venture singly to attack a man. 
 
 Very different from Span-man's account is that given 
 by General Hardwicke, whose testimony is so fully 
 confirmed by the structure of the animal that its au- 
 thenticity may be considered as beyond a doubt. The 
 General states that it is found in several parts of India, 
 in the high banks bordering the Ganges and the 
 Jumna, from which it rarely issues by day, but prowls 
 at night around the habitations of the Mahommedan 
 natives, scratching up the recently buried bodies of the 
 dead, unless their graves are protected by thorny bushes 
 placed over them for the purpose. It burrows with 
 such celerity that it will work itself under cover in the 
 hardest ground in the space of ten minutes. The 
 
 c2
 
 20 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 natives sometimes dig them out of their holes and take 
 them alive ; the old ones, however, are with difficulty 
 secured, and seldom live long in captivity. The young, 
 on the contraiy, are very manageable, docile, and play- 
 ful. Their general food is flesh in any state, but birds 
 and living rats appear to be peculiarly acceptable. They 
 are fond of climbing, but perform this operation in a 
 clumsy manner ; although they will ramble securely 
 along every arm of a branching tree, provided it is 
 sufficiently strong to bear their weight. They sleep 
 much during the day, but become watchful at night, 
 and manifest their uneasiness by a hoarse call or bark 
 proceeding from their throat. 
 
 To the Indian variety, whose habits are thus described 
 by General Hardwicke, our specimen unquestionably 
 belongs, having been transmitted to this country 
 from Madras, whither it was brought from the interior. 
 It is probably the oldest inhabitant of the Garden, 
 into which it was introduced at its first formation, 
 after having remained for some months previous in 
 Bruton Street. As far as its manners have yet been 
 developed, it appears to be, with regard to man at least, 
 one of the most playful and good tempered of beasts, 
 soliciting the attention of almost every visiter by throw- 
 ing its clumsy body into a variety of antic postures, 
 and, when noticed, tumbling head over heels with every 
 symptom of delight. But towards animals it exhibits 
 no such mildness of temper : and it is curious to 
 observe the cat-like eagerness with which it watches 
 the motions of any of the smaller among them that 
 happen to pass before its den, and the instinctive dread 
 manifested by the latter on perceiving it. Its food is 
 of a mixed nature, consisting, like that of the Bears 
 and other less carnivorous beasts, of bread and milk 
 in the morning, and flesh in the latter part of the day.
 
 
 -.. 
 
 THE WANDEROO MONKEY. 
 
 MACACVS SILENUS. LACEP. 
 
 " THERE are," says Father Vincent Maria, Procurator- 
 general of the Bare-footed Carmelites, with a gravity 
 worthy of his order and of his office, " four sorts of 
 Monkeys found on the coast of Malabar. The first is 
 perfectly black, covered with glossy hair, with a white 
 beard surrounding; his chin and extending a span or 
 more in length. To this Monkey all the rest pay such 
 profound respect, that they submit and humiliate them- 
 selves in his presence, as though they were capable of 
 appreciating his superiority and preeminence. The 
 princes and great lords hold him in much estimation, 
 because he is endowed above every other with gravity, 
 capacity, and the appearance of wisdom. He is easily 
 trained to the performance of a variety of .ceremonies, 
 grimaces, and affected courtesies, all which he accom- 
 plishes in so serious a manner and to such perfection,
 
 22 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 that it is a most wonderful thing to see them acted 
 with so much exactness by an irrational animal." Of 
 the gravity, capacity, and wisdom of the wonderful 
 creature thus celebrated, the visitors either of the Gar- 
 dens, or of the Museum in Bruton Street, have now 
 an opportunity of judging for themselves ; but it is 
 sadly to be feared that their estimate of its character 
 will not exactly tally with that of the Reverend Father 
 to whom we are indebted for this, the earliest incidental 
 notice of its existence. 
 
 The pious missionary, whose account of his voyage 
 to the East Indies was published at Rome in 1678, 
 was followed by a plain English seaman, Robert Knox 
 by name, who was detained a prisoner in the island of 
 Ceylon for nearly twenty years, and who, on his return 
 to his native land, in 1681, gave to the world his 
 Historical Relation of that almost unknown region. 
 He tells us that some of the Monkeys found there are 
 " as large as our English Spaniel Dogs, of a darkish 
 gray colour, and black faces, with great white beards 
 round from ear to ear, which make them show just like 
 old men :" and in somewhat of the likeness of old men 
 he therefore figures them. " They do but little mis- 
 chief," he adds, "keeping in the woods, eating only 
 leaves and buds of trees ; but when they are catched 
 they will eat any thing. This sort they call in their 
 language Wanderows." The descriptions given by both 
 these authors, although very concise, agree so well with 
 the actual characters of the Monkey to which Buffon 
 has applied the same appellation, under the French 
 disguise of Ouanderou, that there can be no doubt of 
 their relating to the same animal. But this can hardly 
 be said of that given by an anonymous traveller, who 
 published, in 1701, an Historical Description of the 
 Kingdom of Macassar ; and whose account of some of 
 the Monkeys of that country has generally been referred
 
 THE WANDEROO MONKEY. 23 
 
 to the present species. These he distinguished from 
 the rest as being white, whereas our animals are black ; 
 and as being " sometimes as big and as mischievous as. 
 an English mastiff," a size which those before us in 
 all probability never attain. The uncourteous behaviour 
 towards the Macassar ladies which he imputes to them 
 must therefore be erased from the catalogue of enor- 
 mities justly chargeable upon the species which inhabits 
 the Malabar Coast and the island of Ceylon. 
 
 The Wanderoos belong to that group of the Monkey 
 tribes of the Old World which has received its name 
 from the Macaque, as being probably the most common 
 of all the species that compose it. This group or genus 
 is distinguished by a blunt and elongated muzzle, form- 
 ing a facial angle of from 40 to 45 ; by the prominence 
 of the superciliary crests, which overhang the eyes and 
 give a peculiar expression to the physiognomy ; by the 
 retrocession of the forehead above ; and by the com- 
 parative shortness of the tail, which is rarely equal in 
 length to the body, but is in some species nearly 
 reduced to the dwarfishness of a pig-tail, and in one 
 or two others is nothing more than a mere tubercle. 
 
 o 
 
 In their manners there is considerable variety, depen- 
 dent in a great degree upon their age, and the society 
 to which they have been accustomed. 
 
 The present species, the Lion-tailed Monkey of Pen- 
 nant, cannot possibly be confounded with any other. 
 Its hair is of a deep black throughout, with the excep- 
 tion of the long beard, or mane as it has been sometimes 
 called, which descends on each side of the face in the 
 form of a ruff, extending downwards over the chest, 
 and varying from an ash-gray to a pure white. The 
 upper part of its face between the eyes is naked and 
 flesh coloured ; the muzzle perfectly black. It has 
 large cheek-pouches, and flesh-coloured callosities of 
 considerable size. The tail is about half as long as
 
 24 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 the body, and when perfect, which in captivity is not 
 often the case, terminates in a brush of tufted hairs. 
 
 The Society has at present two specimens of this 
 Monkey. That which has remained for some months 
 in Bruton Street is an extremely active and occasionally 
 very troublesome, but at the same time a perfectly good 
 tempered, fellow. His favourite exercise appears to 
 consist in throwing himself together with his chain 
 over the transverse bar which passes from pole to pole, 
 and swinging himself backwards and forwards while 
 thus suspended by his loins. When a party enters the 
 room he usually descends his pole with rapidity, and 
 watches a favourable opportunity for jumping upon 
 some of them unawares and carrying off a hat or 
 whatever else he may happen to seize, with which he 
 instantly reascends his pole, and seats himself at the 
 top, enjoying the success of his scheme. He is very 
 strong, and were his teeth fully grown would in all pro- 
 bability prove a dangerous animal ; but he is still too 
 young to be seriously mischievous. The individual at 
 the Garden is a new comer, and is at present too 
 closely confined to enable us to judge well of his dispo- 
 sition and manners.
 
 THE HARE-INDIAN DOG. 
 
 CANIS FAMILIARIS. Var. LAGOPUS. 
 
 THE Mackenzie River, or, as Dr. Richardson has pre- 
 ferred naming- it, the Hare-Indian Dog, is of small size 
 and slender make. Its muzzle is narrow, elongated, 
 and pointed ; its ears broad at the base, pointed at the 
 tip, and perfectly erect ; its legs rather long and deli- 
 cate; and its tail thick, bushy, and curved slightly 
 upwards, but not by any means with the decided curl 
 of the Esquimaux. Its body is covered with long 
 straight hairs, the ground-colour of which is white, 
 marked with large irregular patches of grayish black 
 intermingled with various shades of brown. The ears 
 are covered on the outside with short brown hair, which 
 becomes blackish towards the margin and at the base ; 
 that of the inside is longer and white. On the muzzle 
 the hair is white and very short, as also on the legs ; 
 but becomes thicker and somewhat longer on the feet, 
 and is continued to the very extremities of the toes. 
 Dr. Richardson suspects that this variety of the
 
 26 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Dog " was perhaps formerly generally spread over the 
 northern parts of America; but being fitted only for 
 the chase, it has, since the introduction of guns, gra- 
 dually given way to the mongrel race sprung from the 
 Esquimaux, Newfoundland, and this very breed, with 
 occasional intermixture of European kinds." It seems 
 at present to be peculiar to the Hare-Indians and other 
 tribes frequenting the banks of the Mackenzie River and 
 Great Bear Lake, in the neighbourhood of which our 
 enterprising countrymen, Captain Sir John Franklin and 
 Dr. Richardson, wintered with their party, previously 
 to setting forth on their late hazardous but eminently 
 successful expedition to explore the northern coasts of 
 the American continent. A pair of these graceful and 
 elegant animals were brought away by the travellers 
 on their return, and presented to the Society soon after 
 their arrival in England, where the third was whelped. 
 These, we believe, are the only individuals of the race 
 that have ever been seen in Europe. Their air of 
 frank and unsuspecting confidence is combined with 
 an unusual share of gentleness and good temper. They 
 seem perfectly at their ease and soon become familiar 
 even with strangers. In their native country they are 
 never known to bark, and this peculiarity is still re- 
 tained by the elder dogs ; but the younger one, which 
 was born in this country, has learned to imitate the 
 language of its fellows. They appear to be extremely 
 valuable to the Indians by whom they are bred, who 
 subsist almost entirely on the produce of the chase. 
 " The Hare-Indian Dog," says Dr. Richardson, " has 
 neither courage nor strength to fit it for pulling down 
 any of the larger animals ; but its broad feet and light 
 make enable it to run over the snow without sinking, 
 if the slightest crust is formed on it, and thus easily 
 to overtake and tease the Moose or Reindeer, and keep 
 them at bay until the hunters come up."
 
 , . ;-; -. 
 
 THE ESQUIMAUX DOG. 
 
 CAMS FAMILIARIS. Var. BOREALIS. 
 
 IN placing the Esquimaux Dog by the side of the 
 Hare-Indian, we have been guided not so much by the 
 degree of affinity subsisting between them, as by a 
 desire to afford an opportunity for comparing, or, if the 
 reader so please, for contrasting these two remarkable 
 varieties of the canine species, the faithful companions 
 of two races of mankind as distinct as the dogs them- 
 selves, and alike inhabitants of the same dreary climate, 
 dependent on the same precarious means of subsistence, 
 and sharers in the same toils, the same privations, and 
 the same pursuits. This object will be sufficiently 
 answered by the figure above given, and, by a brief 
 description of the specimen from which it was taken. 
 For a more particular account of the qualities of his 
 race we need hardly refer to the narratives of the various 
 northern expeditions which have for the last twelve
 
 28 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 years attracted so much of the public attention. In 
 all of these the Esquimaux Dog forms so prominent a 
 feature, as the patient and enduring friend, the bold, 
 active, and experienced hunter, the laborious beast of 
 burden, in a word the indispensable assistant of his 
 master under all circumstances and in every emergency, 
 that it is impossible to have read them without retaining 
 a strong impression of the value of the services which 
 he performs for the rude tribes who owe every thing to 
 his docility and to his skill. 
 
 Our specimen is of a dingy white with a tinge of 
 yellow on the upper parts, which gradually fades away 
 upon the sides, and exhibits no appearance of the black 
 markings so commonly seen in this variety. Its size is 
 that of an English mastiff; its make robust and well 
 proportioned ; with a short but regularly diminishing 
 muzzle ; upright and pointed ears ; strong and thick- 
 set legs ; and a long bushy tail covered with broadly 
 diverging hairs and constantly curled upwards over the 
 back. It was brought to this country by Lieutenant 
 Henderson, one of the companions of Captain Ross, 
 and is as quiet and good tempered as it is possible for 
 a dog to be.
 
 THE BARBARY MOUSE. 
 
 Mus BARBARVS. LINN. 
 
 THESE pretty little creatures are by far the most elegant 
 of the troublesome and frequently destructive group to 
 which they belong. They are moreover . of very great 
 rarity, at least in Europe, and do not appear to have 
 fallen under the -notice of any naturalist since the time 
 of Linnaeus, who first described them in the Addenda 
 to the twelfth edition (the last published by himself) 
 of his Systema Naturae. So completely have they 
 escaped the researches of later zoologists that M. Des- 
 marest has even ventured to suggest a doubt of their 
 existence, a doubt which can now no longer be enter- 
 tained, three living specimens having remained in the 
 Society's collection for upwards of a year. 
 
 The genus Mus, as at present circumscribed, is re- 
 stricted to those species of Rats or Mice which have
 
 30 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 in each jaw, in addition to the two incisors common to 
 nearly the whole Order, three molar teeth on each side, 
 fixed by distinct roots, and each surmounted by several 
 rounded tubercles varying in number and position in 
 the different teeth. The structure of the teeth suffi- 
 ciently indicates that the chief subsistence of these 
 animals is derived from the vegetable kingdom, but at 
 the same time shows that they have no repugnance 
 to animal food, especially when it has reached a certain 
 state of decomposition. Indeed they have been fre- 
 quently known, in times of scarcity, to carry their 
 carnivorous propensity so far as to destroy and feed 
 upon each other. Even without the stimulus of famine 
 they will sometimes exhibit a similar tendency; for 
 one of the individuals in the Society's collection having 
 died, was found on examination to have been partly 
 devoured by the survivors. Their tails are long, round, 
 tapering to a point, and furnished only with a few 
 scattered hairs or short bristles, emerging at intervals 
 from beneath rings of scales formed by the epidermis 
 or outer covering of the skin. They have generally 
 four distinct toes on the fore feet, besides the rudiment 
 of a thumb which is scarcely perceptible ; and uniformly 
 possess five on the hind feet, neither connected by a 
 membrane nor fringed with stiff hairs as in some of the 
 neighbouring genera. Many of the species are never- 
 theless excellent swimmers. 
 
 The animals of this group are all of small size, none of 
 them exceeding a foot in total length, and some scarcely 
 weighing more than a drachm, or the eighth part of an 
 ounce. Their habits are subterraneous : living together 
 in extensive colonies, they form superficial burrows in 
 the earth, and swarm around the habitations and the 
 labours of man, rendering themselves equally obnoxious 
 to the good housewife and the industrious farmer. They
 
 THE BARBARY MOUSE. 31 
 
 are excessively prolific, the females producing a nume- 
 rous brood of young several times in the year, and the 
 young speedily becoming adult. Their too rapid in- 
 crease is, however, prevented by the various enemies, 
 both among the feathered and the four-footed races of 
 animals, to whose attacks they are exposed when they 
 venture to quit their nests in search of food. 
 
 The ground colour of the Barbary Mouse is dark- 
 brown, marked on each side with five or six yellowish 
 stripes, about half as broad as the intervening spaces, 
 extending along the whole length of the body, and 
 becoming confused towards the under parts, which are 
 nearly white. On the fore feet only three of the toes 
 are at first sight visible ; and this circumstance, men- 
 tioned in the specific character given by Linnaeus, has 
 led many subsequent naturalists to doubt whether the 
 Barbary Mouse really belonged to the genus with 
 which it was associated. Linnaeus himself had, how- 
 ever, stated in his description of the species, that 
 rudiments of a thumb and also of a fifth toe, were 
 observable on a closer inspection ; and this statement 
 is fully confirmed by an examination of the specimens 
 before us. Most of the doubts concerning their location 
 have unquestionably arisen from the habit into which 
 zoologists have unhappily fallen of referring to Gmelin's 
 faulty compilation, in which this important modification 
 of the character is altogether omitted, as though that 
 work had absolutely superseded the original authority 
 on which it is for the most part founded. It should 
 also be mentioned that the teeth, which we were ena- 
 bled to examine in the dead individual before alluded 
 to, are precisely those of the other Rats ; so that there 
 can no longer exist any excuse for dreaming with 
 Gmelin, that it might possibly be a Cavy. 
 
 There is, however, a trifling discrepancy between the
 
 32 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 description of Linnaeus and our specimens, which are 
 intermediate in size between the Common Rat and 
 Common Mouse, while Linnseus describes his to have 
 been smaller even than the latter. But this difference 
 may easily be accounted for on the supposition that he 
 had seen none but very young individuals ; which is in 
 some degree strengthened by his adding that they were 
 occasionally marked by a scarcely perceptible line 
 between the lateral stripes ; a circumstance which not 
 unfrequently occurs in the young of striped animals. 
 Slight vestiges of this original marking are still visible 
 in the individuals now before us. In every other respect 
 the coincidence is complete. 
 
 The specimens from which our figures were taken 
 formed part of a nest of five, three of which, having 
 survived the passage from Barbary to England, came 
 into the possession of Lord Colchester, by whom they 
 were presented to the Society in the spring of 1828. 
 One of them has since died. The remaining; two still 
 
 o 
 
 continue healthy and lively ; and, with reference to the 
 habits of the genus, are moderately tame, although shy 
 and timid.
 
 THE DIANA MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOPITHECVS DIANA. GEOFF. 
 
 THE Diana Monkey, so called by Linnaeus from the 
 fancied resemblance of the crescent-shaped bar which 
 ornaments its brow to the ancient poetical represen- 
 tations of the goddess of the silver bow, was first 
 figured by Marcgrave, in his Natural History of Brasil, 
 under the name of Exquima, by which, according to 
 him, it was known to the negroes of Congo, its native 
 land. No subsequent naturalist appears to have ob- 
 served it until Linnaeus carefully described and figured 
 it, in the Stockholm Transactions for 1754, from a 
 living specimen, and gave a long and highly interesting 
 account of its habits and behaviour. But this paper, 
 probably on account of its being written in Swedish, 
 or perhaps in consequence of the affected contempt 
 with which the great French Natural Historian was 
 
 D
 
 34 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 wont to treat the still greater Naturalist of the North, 
 seems to have been so little known to Buffoii, that the 
 latter, setting aside the positive assertion of Marcgrave, 
 whom alone he quotes, maintains that the Exquima 
 must have been one of the prehensile-tailed Monkeys 
 of the Western World. From this strange assertion, to 
 which he was probably induced by the figure of one of 
 these being erroneously introduced in the text in place 
 of that of the African Monkey which was given on 
 another page, and from his making no further mention 
 of the animal, it appears that he had never seen a 
 specimen. Allamand, however, in the Dutch edition of 
 BufFon's Natural History, gave an excellent account of 
 two living individuals which had fallen under his notice 
 at Amsterdam, which he imagined to belong to a new 
 species, and to which he first assigned the name of the 
 Palatine, on account of the peculiar ruff of the fore part 
 of the neck, but changed it afterwards for that of Rolo- 
 way, by which he was informed that it was called in 
 Guinea, from whence his specimens were brought. By 
 this latter title it was received into the posthumous 
 Supplement to Buffon published by Lacepede; and 
 Gmelin, Pennant, and other compilers have adopted 
 it as forming a distinct species from the Diana; a 
 distinction altogether without a difference. We cannot, 
 however, agree with M. Frederic Cuvier in considering 
 the Monkey figured by him, under the name of Diana, 
 in the splendid Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes, as 
 belonging to this species, of which it has none of the 
 characteristic marks. It appears to us to be entirely 
 new ; but at the same time to be much more closely 
 allied to Cercopithecus Mona than to the subject of 
 the present article. 
 
 The animal before us clearly belongs to that exten- 
 sive group of Monkeys of the Old World with long
 
 THE DIANA MONKEY. 35 
 
 tails and short muzzles, a facial angle exceeding fifty 
 degrees, rounded heads slightly flattened in front, flat 
 noses, and long posterior extremities, to which Baron 
 Cuvier and M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire have applied the 
 generic name of Cercopithecus. Its colouring is pecu- 
 liarly varied and graceful. The head, neck, sides, and 
 middle of the body beneath, are of a deep ash-colour, 
 which becomes gradually darker on the outside of the 
 limbs, and is finally converted into a deep black upon 
 the hands. The tail also exhibits the same tendency 
 to assume a darker and a darker hue, and terminates 
 in a point which is perfectly black. Perhaps the 
 general colour may be best described as consisting of 
 a mixture of black and white, in which the former 
 greatly predominates, giving to the w T hole surface a 
 slightly grizzled appearance. The hairs are for the most 
 part tipped with white. The face is triangular, and, 
 with the ears, intensely black. A straight line of long 
 white hairs, surmounting a less obvious one of black, 
 runs across the forehead above the eyes, extending 
 nearly to the ears. The sides of the face are orna- 
 mented with broad tufts of white hairs, w r hich are 
 somewhat bushy, and terminate on the chin in a thin 
 flat beard of two or three inches in length. These 
 white hairs are continued down the front of the chest, 
 and on the inside and anterior part of the fore legs, 
 forming a large and well defined patch, which does 
 not in the least run into or mingle with the ash- 
 colour by which it is bordered. A similar patch, but 
 of less extent, and of a yellowish orange, occupies the 
 lower part of the abdomen, and extends down the inner 
 and posterior sides of the hind legs ; and the outer 
 sides of the latter are marked by a narrow line of 
 grayish hairs extending from the crupper to the knee. 
 On the middle of the back a band of dark reddish 
 
 D2
 
 36 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 brown, equally well defined with the other markings, 
 commences between the shoulders and extends to the 
 root of the tail, becoming broader and broader as it 
 advances backwards. The length of the animal from 
 the extremity of the muzzle to the crupper is about 
 eighteen inches, and that of the tail about two feet. 
 It is furnished with small but distinct callosities ; and 
 with cheek-pouches of no very great extent. 
 
 The Diana Monkey is one of the most graceful and 
 good-tempered of its tribe. Like the greater number 
 of them, however, its disposition is more mild and 
 pliant in youth than after it has attained its full matu- 
 rity. It is fond of being caressed, and nods and grins 
 with peculiar expression when pleased ; but after a 
 certain age it becomes more sedate and seldom indulges 
 in these antics. Our specimen was for some months 
 in the Collection at Bruton Street, and was moderately 
 playful and quite familiar.
 
 THE MONA MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOPITHECUS NONA. GEOFF. 
 
 THE name of Mona appears to be of Arabian origin, 
 and is indiscriminately applied, under various modifi- 
 cations, by the Moors of Northern Africa, to all the 
 long-tailed Monkeys without exception. From the 
 language of the Moors it has passed into those of 
 Spain and Portugal, in both of which it has precisely 
 the same signification. We cannot, however, agree 
 with Pennant and Buffon, who consider it, in its Egyp- 
 tian form of Monichi, to have been the origin of the 
 English word Monkey, which appears to us to admit 
 of a much more obvious, though not very flattering, 
 derivation, from the parent-stock of our native tongue. 
 We have also considerable doubts of the accuracy of 
 the latter author in referring the Cebus of the ancients 
 to that particular species, to which, principally on ac- 
 count of its being a native of the north of Africa, he
 
 38 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 has restricted the previously generic appellation of 
 Mona. The descriptions of Monkeys left us by the 
 classic authors of old are too meagre and confused to 
 allow of our ascertaining with any certainty the species 
 to which they were intended to apply ; and the variety 
 of its colours cannot afford of itself a sufficient reason 
 to identify the present animal with one of which we 
 have handed down to us scarcely any other charac- 
 teristic trait. 
 
 The Mona is a true Cercopithecus, and is still more 
 beautiful in its markings and more graceful in its form 
 than the Diana described in the preceding article. 
 The top of its head is of a greenish yellow mingled 
 with a slight tinge of black, and the neck, back, and 
 sides are of a deep chestnut brown, passing downwards 
 as far as the shoulders and haunches, where it changes 
 into a dusky slate colour, which is continued on the 
 limbs and tail. The latter organ is considerably longer 
 than the body, and has on each side of its base a very 
 remarkable white spot. The under surface of the body 
 and the inside of the limbs are of a pure and delicate 
 white, separated from the neighbouring colours by an 
 abrupt line of demarcation. The naked upper part of 
 the face, comprehending the orbits and the cheeks, is 
 of a bluish purple ; the lips, and so much of the chin 
 as is without hair, flesh-coloured. On the sides of the 
 face large bushy whiskers of a light straw-colour, mixed 
 with a few blackish rings, advance forwards and cover 
 a considerable portion of the cheeks. Above the eye- 
 brows is a transverse black band, extending on each 
 side as far as the ears, and surmounted by a narrow 
 crescent-shaped stripe of gray, which is sometimes 
 scarcely visible. The ears and the hands are of a 
 livid flesh-colour. 
 
 Of the manners and habits of these animals in a
 
 THE MONA MONKEY. 39 
 
 state of nature we know but little. Buffon indeed 
 refers to the account given by Ludolf in his Histoiy of 
 Ethiopia of the Monkeys of that country as in all 
 probability applicable to the present species; but it 
 will be seen by a reference to the plate of the latter 
 author that the animals there figured are in reality a 
 species of Baboon. There is reason, however, to believe 
 that the learned historian was not too scrupulous in 
 respect to his figures of the animals of the country 
 which he undertook to illustrate, as the very next plate 
 in his work represents, as a native of Abyssinia, a 
 species of Jacchus, a group strictly confined to the 
 New World. It is therefore possible that these may 
 be the Monkeys to which the text refers; and the 
 account is altogether so curious that we cannot resist 
 the temptation of transcribing it entire from the English 
 translation of that singular work, published in 1684. 
 
 " Of Apes," he says, " there are infinite flocks up 
 and do\vn in the mountains, a thousand and more 
 together : there they leave no stone unturn'd. If they 
 meet with one that two or three cannot lift, they call 
 for more aid, and all for the sake of the Worms that 
 lye under ; a sort of dyet which they relish exceedingly. 
 They are very greedy after Emmets. So that having 
 found an Emmet-hill, they presently surround it, and 
 laying their fore-paws with the hollow downward upon 
 the ant-heap, as fast as the Emmets creep into their 
 treacherous palmes, they lick 'em off with great Com- 
 fort to their Stomachs : and there they will lie till there 
 is not an Emmet left. They are also pernicious to fruit 
 and apples, and will destroy whole fields and gardens, 
 unless they be carefully look'd after. For they are 
 very cunning, and will never venture in till the return 
 of their spies, which they send always before ; who 
 giving information that all things are safe, in they rush
 
 40 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 with their whole Body, and make a quick dispatch. 
 Therefore they go very quiet and silent to their prey ; 
 and if their young ones chance to make a noise, they 
 chastise them with their fists, but if they find the coast 
 clear, then every one hath a different noise to express 
 his joy. Nor could there be any way to hinder them 
 from further multiplying, but that they fall sometimes 
 into the ruder hands of the wild beasts, which they 
 have no way to avoid but by a timely flight, or by 
 creeping into the clefts of the rocks. If they find no 
 safety in flight they make a vertue of necessity, stand 
 their ground, and filling their paws full of dust or sand, 
 fling it full in the eyes of their assailant, and then to 
 their heels again." 
 
 Of this marvellous history, the materials of which 
 appear to have been furnished to our author by a 
 native Abyssinian named Gregory, the reader is at full 
 liberty to take or reject as much as he pleases. Later 
 and more scientific writers, from the time of Buffon 
 downwards, have concurred in describing the few iso- 
 lated individuals which have fallen under their obser- 
 vation as peculiarly gentle, good-tempered, playful, and 
 affectionate ; and M. Frederic Cuvier in particular has 
 given a most flattering account of the good qualities 
 of one which remained for a considerable time in the 
 Paris Menagerie, where its amiable disposition was 
 developed under his own immediate inspection, and 
 was in no degree impaired by age. The individual, 
 however, which is now in the Society's Collection, and 
 which is shown by the size and strength of its teeth to 
 be fully grown, is by no means deserving of so good a 
 character, and exhibits occasionally a temper as capri- 
 cious and as savage as is possessed by almost any of 
 the tribe.
 
 THE NAPU MUSK-DEER. 
 
 MOSCHUS JAPANICUS. RAFFLES. 
 
 THE typical species of the genus to which this singular 
 little creature is usually referred is the Musk, an 
 animal which, although completely unknown to the 
 ancients, has become in modern times notorious over 
 all the world for the peculiar odour of the secretion 
 whence it derives its name. All the other species 
 comprised in the genus are, however, destitute of the 
 faculty of producing that costly perfume ; and their 
 union with the Musk is founded upon the general 
 agreement existing between them in other more essen- 
 tial particulars. Still this remarkable difference, added 
 to the great dissimilarity in the form and structure of 
 their hoofs, and other minor points of discrepancy, 
 furnishes an obvious means of subdividing the genus ; 
 and may probably, at some future time, when the
 
 42 ZOOLOGICAL UAHDENS. 
 
 animals have become more completely known, be 
 adopted as the foundation of a generic distinction. 
 Those which compose the section to which the Napu 
 belongs are of very diminutive stature, being the small- 
 est and the most delicate of all the Ruminating Quad- 
 rupeds, and are on that account, no less than in 
 consideration of the rarity of their appearance in this 
 quarter of the globe, entitled to be regarded as objects 
 of peculiar interest. 
 
 The characters by which the genus Moschus, as at 
 present defined, is circumscribed, are plain and simple. 
 It might indeed be sufficient to mention the entire 
 want of horns or of bony protuberances in both sexes 
 and at all ages, to distinguish them at once from every 
 other group with which there is the slightest risk 
 of their being confounded ; for the Camels and the 
 Llamas, which alone among the Ruminants have this 
 character in common, have but little similarity with 
 them in any other particular. But this peculiarity is 
 also accompanied by others of a scarcely less important 
 kind. In their general form they nearly resemble a 
 Stag in miniature; but their face is proportionally 
 much more elongated in front, their legs much more 
 tapering and slender, and the height of their hinder 
 parts much greater in comparison with that of their 
 fore quarters. Their dentition is also different : they 
 have the eight incisors in the lower jaw, corresponding 
 with a vacant space in the upper, which are found in 
 most ruminating beasts ; and they have also six molars 
 on each side of either jaw ; but the crowns of the latter 
 are surmounted by distinct tubercles, and the first in 
 the upper and the first two in the lower are elevated 
 into cutting edges and points similar to those of a 
 carnivorous quadruped. In the upper jaw they have 
 moreover two long canines, which in the males project
 
 THE NAPU MUSK-DEER. .43 
 
 from the mouth in the form of tusks, and are generally 
 curved backwards towards the points. None of them 
 are provided with those cavities beneath the inner 
 angles of the eyes, improperly termed lachrymal sacs, 
 which are so conspicuous in many species of Deers 
 and Antelopes ; nor have any of them the thick tufts 
 or brushes of hair on the fore part of the legs so 
 common in the latter groups. The ears are rather 
 small in size, and the eyes remarkably prominent. The 
 tail is extremely short in the true Musk ; but in the 
 other species bears about the same proportion to the 
 body as in the Stag. In the Musk the broad, deep, 
 and expanded anterior or true hoofs are accompanied 
 by corresponding posterior or accessory hoofs of nearly 
 equal size and almost touching the ground ; while in 
 the rest of the group the anterior hoofs are narrow, 
 elongated, and pointed, and the posterior, which are 
 placed high above the others, bear little resemblance 
 to them, but rather assume the appearance of straight, 
 adpressed, conical, and pointed claws. 
 
 The synonymy of this little group has been much 
 confused in consequence of the imperfect knowledge 
 of the subject possessed by most of the writers who 
 have attempted to elucidate it. It appears to consist, 
 besides the Musk, of four species, one, the Meminna, 
 a native of the Island of Ceylon, and the other three 
 found in Java and Sumatra. With the Meminna we 
 have at present no concern ; it is well distinguished 
 from the rest by its spotted livery, and no mistake has 
 arisen with regard to it. But the ideas of naturalists 
 appear to be yet in an unsettled state with respect to 
 the others, and a perpetual change of names has been 
 the consequence. In order to clear up as far as lies in 
 our power this confusion, we shall have recourse to 
 the first original descriptions, taken from living indi-
 
 44 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 viduals and accurately defining the limits between the 
 species, and shall entirely set aside the imperfect and 
 unintelligible accounts previously published from dried 
 and mutilated specimens. Acting upon this principle 
 we take as a starting point Sir Stamford Raffles's 
 Descriptive Catalogue of a Zoological Collection made 
 in Sumatra, published in the nineteenth volume of the 
 Transactions of the Linnean Society, as containing 
 the earliest descriptions, as well as the most accurate 
 hitherto published, of two of the species, and a cursory 
 notice of the third. The species described are the 
 Napu and the Kanchil of the natives of Sumatra, and 
 that which is merely mentioned, the Pelandok. 
 
 In the excellent paper just quoted, Sir Stamford 
 Raffles has cited Pallas as his authority for giving the 
 name of Javanicus to the first of these species ; but 
 the brief description of that great zoologist is too 
 imperfect to enable us to determine with precision to 
 which of them his observations apply. As for Buffon's 
 figure of the Chevrotain, it may be intended to repre- 
 sent either the one or the other, but it has the characters 
 of neither ; and Daubenton's descriptions which accom- 
 pany it appear to comprise both. It is also somewhat 
 doubtful to which of them Buffon's other figure of the 
 Chevrotain de Java really belongs ; but even were it 
 clear that the latter represented the Kanchil, this cir- 
 cumstance would afford no ground for giving the name 
 of Javanicus to it rather than to the Napu, inas- 
 much as Gmelin, who was the original contriver of the 
 name, cites no other author than Pallas. We turn 
 therefore from doubt and conjecture to positive cer- 
 tainty, and adopt without hesitation for the present 
 species the earliest name that can be regarded as 
 unquestionably its own. 
 
 The living specimen now before us clearly belongs
 
 THE NAPU MUSK-DEER. 45 
 
 to the Napu of Sir Stamford Raffles, with the cha- 
 racters of which as detailed by him, as well as with 
 several stuffed skins preserved in the noble collection 
 presented by him to the Zoological Society, it agrees 
 in every respect. In size it is about equal to a full 
 grown Hare. Its colour above is dark glossy ferrugi- 
 nous brown resulting; from the intermixture of black 
 
 o 
 
 and fawn-coloured hairs, somewhat lighter along the 
 middle line of the back, and varying in intensity accord- 
 ing to the position in which it is seen. The under 
 parts and inside of the legs are pure white, as are also 
 the throat and chin. The fore part of the chest is 
 nearly of the same colour with the back of the neck 
 and is marked with three broad white radiating stripes 
 commencing at the throat and passing, the central one 
 into the white of the under surface of the body with 
 the intervention only of a faint transverse band, and 
 the two lateral ones nearly to the shoulders on each 
 side. The bands of blackish brown which separate 
 these stripes are perfectly distinct at their anterior 
 part ; a mark of considerable importance in distin- 
 guishing this species from the Kanchil. On either 
 side a white line passes backwards on the cheeks for 
 some little distance, from the margins of the lower lip, 
 which are continuous with the white of the throat; 
 and this marking, in the usual sitting posture of the 
 animal, which is somewhat like that of the Hare in its 
 form, gives it, when viewed in front, the appearance of 
 having five radiating stripes on the chest. It is in all 
 probability this circumstance, which is strongly repre- 
 sented in a front view of the animal given by M. Fre- 
 deric Cuvier in his Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes, 
 that has induced that eminent zoologist to regard five 
 radiating bands as the distinctive character of this 
 species, and three as that of the Kanchil ; whereas in 
 truth the number is the same in both, and the Difference
 
 46 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 is only in their disposition. In the side view given in 
 the same plate, and in the detailed description, this 
 error has been avoided. 
 
 The back of the neck in the Napu is darker than 
 the rest of the upper surface ; and a still darker line 
 passes from between the ears to the extremity of the 
 nose, the line of profile being nearly straight, and 
 terminating in a moist naked muzzle, extending for- 
 wards beyond the aperture of the mouth. In this the 
 nostrils occupy a lateral position, forming two length- 
 ened longitudinal slits. The muzzle itself is of a dusky 
 black with a tinge of flesh-colour, as are also the ears, 
 which are rather small, upright, and nearly naked, and 
 two narrow lines passing from the eyes to the extremity 
 of the nose. The eyes are very large, prominent, and 
 remarkably brilliant. The tail is rather short, white 
 beneath and at the tip ; the legs are of moderate length 
 and excessively slender; and the hoofs long, tapering, 
 and pointed at the tip. 
 
 The Napu frequents thickets near the sea-shore, and 
 feeds principally upon berries. It seldom visits the 
 larger forests, which are the favourite resort of the 
 Kanchil ; for it does not possess either the agility or 
 the cunning of the latter to secure it from danger, and 
 prefers therefore the vicinity of man, with whom it 
 readily becomes familiar, to that of the beasts of prey 
 which inhabit the interior. When taken young it is 
 tamed with the greatest facility. In captivity it appears 
 perfectly at its ease, and quite indifferent to what is 
 passing around it. Its full dark eye and placid air 
 give it the appearance of a degree of intelligence which 
 it does not really possess, for the greater part of its 
 existence is passed in eating, drinking, and sleeping. 
 Its voice is scarcely more than might be produced by a 
 deep but still a gentle expiration.
 
 THE PALM SQUIRREL. 
 
 SCIURVS PALMARUM. LINN. Var. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the curious little animals figured above 
 differ most completely in colour from the Palm Squirrel 
 in its ordinary state, there can be no doubt that they 
 are nothing more than very remarkable, perhaps unique, 
 varieties of that elegant and well known species. We 
 are not, however, so well satisfied with regard to the 
 genus in which both it and they ought to be placed. 
 They seem, as M. F. Cuvier has already remarked, to 
 form the type of a new one, intermediate between the 
 tree-nesting and nut-cracking Squirrels on the one 
 hand, and the burrowing and frugivorous Tamias on 
 the other. But until their habits and organization 
 shall have been more thoroughly investigated, we deem 
 it best to leave them in the group of which they origi- 
 nally formed part, and with which they correspond in
 
 48 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 the form of their teeth, in the number of their toes, 
 in the outline of their form, and in almost every essen- 
 tial point of structure. The most important difference 
 that has hitherto been observed between them consists 
 in the narrowness and elongation of the anterior part 
 of their face, which is even slenderer than that of the 
 Tamias, and is strikingly contrasted with the extreme 
 brevity of the same part in the genuine Squirrels. 
 
 In the arrangement of its colours also the Palm 
 Squirrel approaches the former genus; insomuch that 
 Ray was disposed to regard the common Tamia or 
 Ground Squirrel as specifically identical with the pre- 
 sent animal. We find, however, on a close examination 
 considerable differences in their markings. Those of 
 the Palm Squirrel consist of three whitish stripes, the 
 middle one of which occupies the central line of the 
 back, extending from the back of the head to the base 
 of the tail, while the two lateral ones advance forwards 
 above the ears and terminate near the eyes. The 
 ground-colour is blackish brown above, and white be- 
 low. The tail is covered with long hairs, diverging on 
 each side like those of a Squirrel, and to nearly the 
 same extent, and is occasionally elevated in a vertical 
 position, but seldom brought forwards over the back. 
 In the full grown animal it is about six inches in length, 
 and rather longer than the body. 
 
 These creatures appear to be common in India, and 
 to be particularly plentiful in the towns and villages, 
 taking up their abodes on the roofs of houses and in 
 old walls, in the cavities of which the female deposits 
 her young. They commit great devastations in the 
 orchards, destroying and devouring all kinds of fruit ; 
 and are so familiar as even to enter the houses and 
 pick up the crumbs that fall from the tables. Their 
 name is derived from their being often seen on palm-
 
 THE PALM SQUIRREL. 49 
 
 trees, which in the East are always found in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the habitations of men. 
 
 So social an animal even in its wild state may natu- 
 rally be expected to become very good-tempered and 
 familiar in captivity ; and accordingly we find it cele- 
 brated for these qualities from the time of its earliest 
 describers. Clusius, to whom we are indebted for the 
 first recognisable description of the species, particularly 
 remarks the tameness of the individuals seen by him, 
 which were so completely domesticated as to be suffered 
 to ramble about at perfect liberty whithersoever they 
 pleased, and so familiar as to take refuge in the bosoms 
 of the sailors of the vessel in which they were brought 
 to Europe. This docility must have appeared the more 
 remarkable to him as he mistook them for a species of 
 Weasel, and gave them the name of Mustela Africana, 
 involving a second blunder as to the country from 
 whence they were obtained. The latter error has been 
 continued by the carelessness of various compilers down 
 to our own times, and has even been increased by the 
 addition of America to the list of localities in which 
 these animals were said to be found. Thus we conti- 
 nually find the wide extent of Asia, Africa, and America 
 referred to as producing them, while they are in reality 
 strictly confined to the south-eastern portion of the 
 former continent and its neighbouring islands. It is 
 probable that some confusion between the Palm Squir- 
 rel and the Tamias of America may have given occasion 
 for the introduction of the latter locality. 
 
 One of the varieties figured in our cut was perfectly 
 black, and exhibited no traces of the stripes so charac- 
 teristic of the species in its usual livery. It died in the 
 spring of the present year, and its skin alone now 
 remains in the Society's Museum. The other, which, 
 to judge from the redness of its eyes, is nearly a perfect
 
 50 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 albino, is of a dull reddish white, marked with three 
 very faint stripes of a still lighter hue. Like the indi- 
 viduals described by Clusius they were both remarkably 
 tame, and similar in their manners to the genuine 
 Squirrels. They always ate sitting upright upon their 
 haunches, and conveying their food, which was entirely 
 vegetable and consisted chiefly of bread, to their mouths 
 between their fore paws. They were presented to the 
 Society in the summer of 1828, but no particulars were 
 given with regard to their origin or previous history. 
 The albino variety is still living, and forms part of the 
 collection in Bruton Street.
 
 : - -.^ 
 
 -^- . 
 
 THE DINGO, OR AUSTRALIAN DOG. 
 
 CANIS PAMILIARIS. Var. AUSTRALASIA. 
 
 WHETHER the numberless breeds of Dogs, which are 
 the companions of the human race in every region of 
 the globe, were originally descended from one common 
 stock, and owe their infinite varieties solely to their 
 complete domestication, the modifications by which 
 they are distinguished having been gradually produced 
 by the influence of circumstances : whether, on the 
 contrary, they are derived from the intermixture of 
 different species, now so completely blended together 
 as to render it impossible to trace out the line of their 
 descent : and whether, on either supposition, the pri- 
 maeval race or races still exist in a state of nature, are 
 questions which have baffled the ingenuity of the most 
 celebrated naturalists. Theory after theory has been 
 advanced, and the problem is still as eagerly debated 
 
 E 2
 
 52 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 as ever, and with as little probability of arriving at a 
 satisfactory conclusion. In the investigation of this 
 difficult subject, however, as in the search after the 
 philosopher's stone, many curious facts have been 
 brought to light, which would otherwise in all proba- 
 bility have remained buried in obscurity; and the 
 causes which are continually operating to produce a 
 gradual change of character, both in outward form and 
 in intellectual capacity, among the brute creation, have 
 received considerable elucidation. It is thus that theo- 
 ries, however erroneous in themselves, are frequently 
 made subservient to the advancement of science, by 
 the important facts which are incidentally developed 
 by their authors in the ardour of their zeal for the 
 establishment of a favourite hypothesis. 
 
 It is by no means our intention to enter upon the 
 discussion of so extensive a question. But while we 
 purposely abstain from inquiring what was the original 
 Dog, before he was reclaimed (if such a period ever 
 existed) to the service of man, we cannot shut our eyes 
 to the fact that in the specimens now before us we 
 have him in that condition in which he may be sup- 
 posed to approach most nearly to a state of nature, as 
 the companion of a race of savages, the lowest in the 
 scale of intellect that have been met with in the world. 
 From the observation of the characters, physical and 
 moral, which he presents in this first stage of culti- 
 vation, some idea may perhaps be deduced of what a 
 Dog would be without any cultivation whatever ; but 
 it should always be borne in mind that even amongst 
 the most savage nations the Dogs are as distinct in 
 character as the tribes they serve, and that their degree 
 of intellectual developement frequently outstrips that 
 of the masters who hold them in subjection. 
 
 The Australian Dog was observed, but scarcely re-
 
 THE DINGO, OR AUSTRALIAN DOG. 53 
 
 cognised as belonging to the canine species, by some 
 of the earlier navigators who touched upon the coast 
 of New Holland. In the narrative of his Voyage round 
 the World, under the date of 1688, Dampier speaks of 
 " the tread of a Beast as big as a great Mastifl-Dog," 
 as the only visible symptom of the existence of any 
 quadruped in the part of the country which he then 
 visited. In the account of his subsequent Voyage to 
 New Holland, performed in 1699, he refers to his former 
 statement, and adds that his " Men saw two or three 
 Beasts like hungry Wolves, lean like so many Skele- 
 tons, being nothing but Skin and Bones." But though 
 the animal was thus early noticed, no particular account 
 of it was given to the world until the publication of 
 Governor Phillip's Voyage to Botany Bay, which 
 contained a tolerably accurate figure and description, 
 taken from a living specimen in the possession of the 
 Marchioness of Salisbury. It was again represented 
 in Shaw's General Zoology ; and another original figure, 
 together with minute details of its organization, and in 
 particular of its skeleton, derived from the examination 
 of an individual which had lived for some time in the 
 Paris Menagerie, has since been published by M. F. 
 Cuvier. To the work of the latter gentleman we would 
 particularly refer such of our readers as are desirous 
 of becoming acquainted with the more strictly technical 
 peculiarities of this remarkable breed. 
 
 In size the New Holland Dog is about equal to the 
 common House Dog or Lurcher, which it also resembles 
 in its proportions. Its body is moderately thick ; its 
 less strong- and muscular : its head broad behind and 
 
 O O * 
 
 tapering into a short pointed muzzle; its ears short, 
 pricked, and generally directed forwards ; and its tail 
 rather long, bushy, and most commonly pendulous. 
 Its hair is long, straight, and close ; of a deep fawn-
 
 54 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 colour in the upper parts, paler on the sides, and 
 almost white on the under surface, on the inside of 
 the limbs, and on the muzzle. In strength and agility 
 it is superior to most other dogs of the same size, and 
 it will attack without the least hesitation those which 
 are considerably larger than itself. The individual 
 confined in the French Menagerie even evinced a dis- 
 position to fly upon the Jaguars, Leopards, and Bears, 
 whenever it caught a glimpse of them through the bars 
 of its den. That which is described in Phillip's Voyage 
 is said to have been so fierce that no other animal could 
 approach it with safety. A poor ass had once nearly 
 fallen a victim to its savageness of disposition ; and it 
 had been known to run down both deer and sheep. 
 
 The ferocity of the New Holland Dog, like that of 
 most wild animals, appears to be in a great measure 
 the result of his want of confidence in those by whom 
 he is surrounded. He rarely becomes perfectly familiar 
 even with the individuals who are constantly about 
 him; and of strangers he seems to live in continual 
 dread. His constrained and skulking gait ; the startled 
 air which he instantly assumes on the slightest unusual 
 occurrence ; the suspicious eagerness with which he 
 watches the motions of those who approach him ; clearly 
 indicate that he is not at his ease in the society of 
 civilized man. The specimens in the Garden appear, 
 however, to have shaken off some of their original 
 wildness, and to have begun to accustom themselves in 
 some degree to the circumstances in which they are 
 placed. One of them has been for nearly two years in 
 the Society's possession; the second is a much later 
 acquisition.
 
 THE COLLARED PECCARY. 
 
 DlCOTYLES TORQUATUS. ClTV. 
 
 THE Peccaries, although bearing a close affinity both 
 in external form and internal structure to the common 
 Hog, are nevertheless distinguished from that well 
 known beast by several striking characters, of sufficient 
 importance, when taken in conjunction with their trans- 
 atlantic origin, to justify their separation as a distinct 
 genus. The most essential of these characters consist 
 in the number and direction of their teeth, the structure 
 of their hinder feet, the form of their head and snout, 
 the shortness and flatness of their tail, and the exist- 
 ence of a peculiar glandular apparatus. They have in 
 the upper jaw four incisor teeth instead of six, the 
 number found in the Pigs of the Old World ; and six 
 in the lower. Of these the two outer are separated 
 from the intermediate ones by a vacant space, and are
 
 56 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 smaller in size and of a more conical form. Before the 
 canines of each jaw there occurs another interval, which 
 is occupied in the upper, when the mouth is closed, by 
 the canine of the lower ; while that of the upper pro- 
 jects from the mouth in the form of a tusk, and is not 
 received into any corresponding groove. These teeth 
 are from an inch to an inch and a quarter in length, 
 strong, thick, and triangular. They are succeeded by 
 a third interval, behind which, on each side of either 
 jaw, are ranged six nearly equal molars, instead of 
 seven, the number met with in the common Hog. 
 
 In the latter all the feet are well known to be formed 
 of two anterior toes, and these are properly speaking 
 intermediate between two others which take a back- 
 ward direction, are much smaller in size, and placed so 
 much above the level of the foot as seldom to touch 
 the ground in walking. The same structure is observed 
 in the Peccaries, with the exception that on their hind 
 feet the outer one of the smaller or posterior toes is 
 entirely wanting, and they have consequently but three 
 toes instead of four. Their head is shorter and broader 
 than that of the Hog ; but the moveable snout by which 
 their face is terminated is proportionally longer, and its 
 flat and truncated extremity is bordered by a more 
 expanded margin. The legs are also slenderer in their 
 proportions ; and the tail, which is scarcely visible 
 among the bristles, instead of being taper, conical, and 
 curled upwards, is extremely short, remarkably flat, 
 and completely pendulous. But the most striking dis- 
 tinction between them and every other known species 
 of quadruped appears to consist in a large gland placed 
 immediately beneath the skin on the middle of the 
 loins, and readily discernible on turning up the long 
 bristles by which it is covered. This operation is, 
 however, far from pleasant, and is besides by no means
 
 THE COLLARED PECCARY. 57 
 
 indispensable ; the filthy and disgusting smell emitted 
 by the fluid which is secreted by the gland in large 
 quantities, furnishing of itself a sufficient and to any 
 sensible nostril a perfectly satisfactory indication of its 
 existence. 
 
 The Peccaries resemble the Common Hog not more 
 in their form and structure than in their habits, dispo- 
 sition, and propensities. Their gait is almost precisely 
 similar ; they burrow in the earth after the same fashion ; 
 eat and drink in the same swinish manner ; are fond of 
 the same description of food ; elevate their long bristles 
 like him when terrified or angry; breathe with the 
 same violent effort ; and express their feelings with the 
 same peculiar grunt. They are also equally susceptible 
 of domestication ; or perhaps we should rather say 
 much more so, if we adopt the Wild Boar of Europe 
 as the type of the domesticated race. When taken 
 young they readily become habituated to the society 
 of man; take as much delight as our pigs in being 
 scratched and scrubbed; and are speedily reduced to 
 a state of complete subservience. They are not, how- 
 ever, likely ever to become so useful in the farm-yard, 
 for not to speak of their fetid gland, which is said to 
 communicate a very disagreeable savour to their flesh 
 if not removed immediately after death, the flesh itself 
 is decidedly inferior to pork both in flavour and fatness : 
 their productiveness also bears no comparison to that 
 of the Sow, the female bringing forth but once a year 
 and producing no more than two young ones at a birth. 
 The experiment of breeding them has, however, we are 
 informed, been tried in various parts of the continent 
 of South America, and in some of the West India 
 Islands ; but we are not aware of the extent to which 
 it has succeeded, or whether the project has not been 
 altogether laid aside. 
 
 Both the species of this group appear to be more or
 
 58 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 less common throughout the whole of South America. 
 They inhabit only the thickest and most extensive 
 forests, and take up their dwellings in the hollows 
 of trees or in burrows formed in the earth by other 
 animals. They are rarely found in any considerable 
 numbers in the neighbourhood of villages, but some- 
 times commit great devastation among the sugar-canes, 
 the maize, the manihot, and the potatoe crops. They 
 are generally said to be extremely savage ; but the 
 difference between the two species in this respect, as 
 well as in various other particulars of manners and 
 disposition, appears to be even more strongly marked 
 than that which distinguishes their external form. 
 
 The animal figured at the head of the present article, 
 and to which we have applied the name of the Collared 
 Peccary, is the Patira of Sonnini, and the Taytetou 
 of D'Azara, who first clearly established the difference 
 between the two species, which had previously been 
 confounded together. It is smaller than the other, 
 seldom measuring fully three feet in length, and rarely 
 weighing more than fifty pounds. Its general colour 
 is a yellowish gray, resulting from the manner in which 
 the bristles are marked by alternate rings of grayish 
 straw-colour and black. A row of long black bristles 
 extends backwards from between the ears, forming a 
 somewhat erectile mane on the back of the neck, and 
 becoming gradually longer as they approach the tail. 
 The face is more grizzled with yellow than any other 
 part, with the exception of a narrow oblique line of 
 yellow-pointed hairs, which passes from behind the 
 shoulders to the fore part of the neck, and from which 
 the specific name of the animal is derived. The colour 
 of the legs, as well as of the hoofs which envelope 
 the extremities of the toes, is nearly black. The 
 head is extremely long, the profile forming almost a 
 straight line from between the ears to the extremity
 
 THE COLLARED PECCARY. 59 
 
 of the nose, which projects considerably beyond the 
 mouth, is very moveable, and terminates abruptly in 
 a broad and flat expansion, in which the large open 
 nostrils are placed far apart from each other. The ears 
 are small, upright, nearly naked, and of a grayish 
 colour. On the legs and muzzle the hairs are extremely 
 short. The colour of the young ones is for the first 
 year of a uniform reddish brown. 
 
 The Collared Peccary is not a migratory animal. It 
 generally passes its life in the forest in which it first 
 saw the light, where it is usually met with in pairs or 
 in small families. They subsist for the most part on 
 vegetable food, chiefly roots, which they procure by 
 burrowing in the earth. They will, however, sometimes 
 feed upon fish and reptiles, and are said to be dexterous 
 in destroying serpents. Their peculiar grunt is heard 
 at a considerable distance ; but they are more easily 
 traced by the nose than by the ear. The places which 
 they inhabit, or even those through which they merely 
 pass, are absolutely infected with the pungent odour of 
 the liquid which is secreted by their dorsal gland : it is 
 a certain direction to those who are in quest of them, 
 and affords the greatest facility in their pursuit. D' Azara 
 seems to have had an unaccountable partiality for this 
 smell, which he first describes as " a musky scent ; " 
 and afterwards, as if this were not sufficient, rates 
 Buffon severely for calling it an unsavoury odour, 
 and quotes the authority of Ray (which should have 
 been Tyson) and others for its being " musky, sweet, 
 and agreeable." He admits, however, that the animal 
 may exhale different odours according to the quality 
 of its nutriment, its state of irritation, or a variety of 
 other circumstances. Sonnini and every other recent 
 author who has mentioned it concur in regarding it as 
 most disgusting ; and there are few, we apprehend, 
 among our readers who would enjoy being placed for
 
 60 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 any considerable length of time to the leeward of the 
 Peccaries in the Society's Garden. 
 
 When reduced to a state of captivity, the Peccaries, 
 as we have said before, become perfectly tame and 
 domesticated. A pair of them which were in the French 
 Menagerie lived upon the best terms with the dogs and 
 all the other domestic animals ; they returned of their 
 own accord to their sty ; came when they were called ; 
 and appeared fond of being noticed. But they were 
 also fond of their liberty, and tried to escape, and 
 sometimes even to bite, when they were forcibly driven 
 into their place of confinement. They were fed upon 
 bread and fruits, but ate of every thing that was offered 
 them like the common pig. When frightened they 
 uttered a sharp cry, and testified their satisfaction by a 
 low grunt. Very similar in character are those which 
 occupy a sty in the most remote corner of the Society's 
 Garden. They seem, however, to be more patient of 
 cold than those of the Paris Menagerie, which are 
 stated to have suffered much from its influence. Our 
 specimens have lived and thriven throughout two win- 
 ters with no more than their usual protection. They 
 are perfectly tame and quiet ; but their projecting tusks 
 give them rather a formidable air ; and it might not be 
 altogether safe to trust them too far.
 
 THE WHITE-LIPPED PECCARY. 
 
 DlCOTYLES LABIATVS. Cuv. 
 
 THE present 'species, according to M. Sonnini, is ex- 
 clusively known in Guiana by the name of Peccary, 
 although that denomination is now commonly applied 
 in Europe to both it and the Patira of the same country 
 described in the preceding article. It is also the Tag- 
 nicati of M. D'Azara, from whom and from the author 
 just quoted most of our information relative to the 
 habits of these animals in their native land has been 
 derived. In size it is considerably larger than the 
 other species, frequently measuring three feet and a 
 half in length, and sometimes attaining the weight of a 
 hundred pounds. In form and proportions it is thicker 
 and stouter, with shorter legs, and a longer snout ; 
 and the abrupt termination of that part is still more 
 expanded and flattened out than that of the Collared 
 Peccary. In its colour it has little of the grayish tinge
 
 62 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 which characterizes the latter, the black hairs of the 
 back and sides having only a few brownish rings, which 
 are rather more thickly spread on the sides of the head 
 beneath the ears. These organs are less remarkable 
 than in the other species in consequence partly of 
 the greater length of the mane, which advances for- 
 wards between them, and is continued down the back 
 towards the tail, the bristles of which it is composed 
 being very thick and somewhat flattened. The whiskers 
 consist of long black scattered bristles ; and a few 
 others of a similar description project just above the 
 eyes. The whole of the under lip, together with the 
 sides of the mouth and the upper surface of the nose, 
 are white. The legs and hoofs are black ; and the 
 latter are long and narrow, the posterior one of the 
 hinder feet almost touching the ground. The tusks 
 are longer and more visible externally than in the 
 Patira. In the young animal the livery is more varied, 
 being in some degree striped liked that of the young 
 Wild Boar of Europe ; but these stripes are lost by 
 degrees as the animal advances in age, and few traces 
 of them remain after the first year. 
 
 Unlike the former species the White-lipped Peccaries 
 congregate in numerous bands, sometimes amounting, 
 it is said, to more than a thousand individuals of all 
 ages. Thus united they frequently traverse extensive 
 districts, the whole troop occupying an extent of a 
 league in length, and directed in their march, if the 
 accounts of the natives are to be credited, by a leader, 
 who takes his station at the head of the foremost rank. 
 Should they be impeded in their progress by a river, 
 the chief stops for a moment, and then plunges boldly 
 into the stream, and is followed by all the rest of the 
 troop. The breadth of the river or the rapidity of the 
 current appear to be but trifling obstacles in their way,
 
 THE WHITE-LIPPED PECCARY. 63 
 
 and to be overcome with the greatest facility. On 
 reaching the opposite bank they proceed directly on 
 their course, and continue their march even through 
 the plantations which, unfortunately for the owners, 
 may happen to lie in their way ; and which they some- 
 times completely devastate by rooting in the ground for 
 their favourite food, or devouring such fruits as they 
 find there. If they meet with any thing unusual on 
 their way, they make a terrific clattering with their 
 teeth, and stop and examine the object of their alarm. 
 When they have ascertained that there is no danger, 
 they continue their route without further delay ; but if 
 a huntsman should venture to attack them when they 
 are thus assembled in large numbers, he is sure to be 
 surrounded by multitudes and torn to pieces by their 
 tusks, if he is so unwise as to neglect his only chance 
 of escape, which consists in climbing a tree, and thus 
 getting fairly out of their reach. The smaller bands 
 are by no means equally courageous, and always take 
 to flight at the first attack. 
 
 M. Sonnini relates that he was often, in the course 
 of his travels in Guiana, surrounded by a troop of 
 Peccaries infuriated with the havoc made by the mus- 
 kets of himself and his companions. Mounted upon 
 a tree he was enabled to observe their motions, and to 
 notice the manner in which they encouraged by their 
 grunts and by the rubbing of their snouts together 
 those among them who were injured by the shots which 
 were poured upon them from above. With erected 
 bristles and eyes sparkling with rage, they still main- 
 tained their ground ; and it was sometimes only after 
 two or three hours incessant firing that they were at 
 last compelled to quit the field of battle, and to leave 
 the bodies of the dead to the mercy of the conquerors. 
 These days of victory over the Peccaries, he adds, are 
 always days of abundance for the traveller in those
 
 64 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 immense forests, who has no other resource except the 
 chase. An enormous gridiron is immediately constructed 
 with sticks fixed in the earth, and three feet in height, 
 over which a quantity of small branches are placed in 
 a transverse direction. On these the Peccaries are 
 deposited after being cut in pieces, and are cooked by 
 a slow fire, which is kept up during the whole night. 
 From the enthusiasm with which our author speaks of 
 his desert feasts, and the regret which he expresses 
 that he is no longer a sharer in them, we may readily 
 imagine that, under the circumstances in which he par- 
 took of them, they must have been an exquisite treat. 
 It does not, however, follow as a necessary consequence 
 that in other places and at other times he might have 
 been so well disposed to relish these delicacies of the 
 forest. 
 
 Of this species the Society has but a single specimen, 
 which in its habits and behaviour is perfectly similar 
 to the Collared Peccaries inhabiting the neighbouring 
 sty. It has been generally said that the secretion from 
 its dorsal gland is inodorous ; but M. Sonnini makes 
 no distinction in this respect between the two ; and the 
 individual now before us, if not quite so offensive as 
 the others, is nevertheless sufficiently so to render its 
 proximity not very desirable.
 
 THE INDIAN OX. 
 
 Bos TAURUS. Var. INDICUS. 
 
 IN addition to the domesticated species known by the 
 names of Oxen, Buffaloes, and Yaks, the genus Bos 
 comprehends several others equally distinct, which have 
 rarely, if ever, been reclaimed from their native wild- 
 ness. Two of these, the Bison and the Musk Ox, are 
 peculiar to the Northern regions of America ; one, the 
 Polish Aurochs, is now confined to a single European 
 forest ; a fourth, the Ami, exists only in Central Asia ; 
 and a fifth, the Cape Buffalo, is, as its name imports, 
 a native of the Southern extremity of Africa. Thus it 
 appears that in this wide dispersion of the several 
 races, each region has preserved its own peculiar kind 
 in its original independence ; while, on the other hand, 
 two at least of the remaining species, the Ox and the 
 
 F
 
 66 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Buffalo, which are no longer to be found in a state of 
 nature, have been industriously propagated, under the 
 auspices of man, throughout almost every part of 
 the surface of the globe. The Yak alone, of all the 
 domestic species, remains confined within its primitive 
 limits, in Thibet namely and a part of Tartary, where 
 it is said to be generally cultivated, almost to the 
 exclusion of every other race. 
 
 The characters by which the strongly marked group 
 of animals thus associated together are distinguished 
 from the neighbouring tribes, are, like most of those 
 which serve to subdivide the great family of the Rumi- 
 nants, of a very subordinate description. Their horns 
 are common to both sexes, simple in their form, curved 
 outwards at the base and upwards towards the point, 
 and supported internally by bony processes arising 
 from the skull, having cavities within them commu- 
 nicating with the frontal sinuses, which are largely 
 developed. Their muzzle is of large size ; the skin 
 along the middle of the neck and chest forms a pendu- 
 lous dewlap of greater or less extent ; and the general 
 robustness of their make is strikingly contrasted with 
 the lightness and elegance of form of some of the 
 nearly related groups. 
 
 In enumerating the species of which this genus is 
 composed we have abstained from mentioning the Zebu 
 or Indian Ox, simply because we do not consider it 
 entitled to hold that rank in the scale of nature. There 
 can be little doubt that it is merely a variety of the 
 Common Ox, although it is difficult to ascertain the 
 causes by which the distinctive characters of the two 
 races have been in the process of time gradually pro- 
 duced. But whatever the causes may have been, their 
 effects rapidly disappear by the intermixture of the 
 breeds, and are entirely lost at the end of -a few gene-
 
 THE INDIAN OX. 67 
 
 rations. This intermixture and its results would alone 
 furnish a sufficient proof of identity of origin ; which 
 consequently scarcely requires the confirmation to be 
 derived from the perfect agreement of their internal 
 structure, and of all the more essential particulars of 
 their external conformation. These, however, are not 
 wanting : not only is their anatomical structure the 
 same, but the form of their heads, which affords the 
 only certain means of distinguishing the actual species 
 of this genus from each other, presents no difference 
 whatever. In both the forehead is flat, or more pro- 
 perly slightly depressed ; nearly square in its outline, 
 its height being equal to its breadth ; and bounded 
 above by a prominent line, forming an angular protu- 
 berance, passing directly across the skull between the 
 bases of the horns. The only circumstances in fact in 
 which the two animals differ consist in the fatty hump 
 on the shoulders of the Zebu, and in the somewhat 
 more slender and delicate make of its legs. 
 
 Numerous breeds of this humped variety, varying in 
 size from that of a large Mastiff-dog to that of a full 
 grown Buffalo, are spread, more or less extensively, 
 over the whole of Southern Asia, the Islands of the 
 Indian Archipelago, and the Eastern coast of Africa 
 from Abyssinia to the Cape of Good Hope. In all 
 these countries the Zebu supplies the place of the Ox 
 both as a beast of burthen and as an article of food and 
 domestic economy. In some parts of India it executes 
 the duties of the horse also, being either saddled and 
 ridden, or harnessed in a carriage, and performing in 
 this manner journeys of considerable length with tole- 
 rable celerity. Some of the older writers speak of fifty 
 or sixty Miles a day as its usual rate of travelling ; but 
 the more moderate computation of recent authors does 
 not exceed from twenty to thirty. Its beef is consi- 
 
 F2
 
 68 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 dered by no means despicable, although far from equal- 
 ling that of the European Ox. The hump, which is 
 chiefly composed of fat, is reckoned the most delicate 
 part. 
 
 As might naturally be expected from its perfect 
 domestication and wide diffusion, the Zebu is subject 
 to as great a variety of colours as those which affect 
 the European race. Its most common hue is a light 
 ashy gray, passing into a cream colour or milk-white ; 
 but it is not unfrequently marked with various shades 
 of red or brown, and occasionally it becomes perfectly 
 black. Its hump is sometimes elevated in a remarkable 
 degree, and usually retains its upright position ; but 
 sometimes it becomes half pendulous and hangs partly 
 over towards one side. Instances are cited in which 
 it had attained the enormous weight of fifty pounds. 
 A distinct breed is spoken of as common in Surat, 
 which is furnished with a second hump. Among the 
 other breeds there are some which are entirely destitute 
 of horns, and others which have only the semblance 
 of them, the external covering being unsupported by 
 bony processes, and being consequently flexible and 
 pendulous. 
 
 The specimen now before us is one of the largest 
 that has ever been seen in Europe. It is fully equal 
 in size to the larger breeds of our native oxen, and is 
 of a slaty gray on the body and head ; with cream- 
 coloured legs and dewlap, the latter exceedingly long 
 and pendulous ; very short horns directed upwards and 
 outwards ; and ears of great proportional magnitude, 
 and so flexible and obedient to the animal's will as to 
 be moved in all directions with the greatest facility. 
 Although a full-grown male he is perfectly quiet, good 
 tempered, and submissive.
 
 THE ZEBU. 
 
 Bos TAVRVS. Var. INDICVS. 
 
 THERE is little difference, except in size, between this, 
 the more common of the Indian breeds, and that which 
 we have just described. Both are evidently descended 
 from the same original stock; and the distinctions 
 between them are merely such as we know to be pro- 
 duced by the influence of cultivation, of climate, and of 
 food. It is nevertheless a remarkable fact that the 
 same region should produce two breeds so strikingly 
 unequal in size ; and no less so that in a country in 
 which the nearly related species of the Buffalo has 
 reached its maximum of developement, the Common 
 Ox should have dwindled down to its minimum point 
 of degradation. In spite, however, of this degeneracy 
 it has lost none of those good qualities which have 
 rendered it so essential to the comforts and almost to 
 the existence of the human race ; but exhibits even
 
 70 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 more docility, and greater intelligence, as well as more 
 activity of limb, than fall to the lot of the common 
 European race. 
 
 Of this smaller race the Society has at present 
 numerous specimens, which vary considerably in their 
 colours, the shape and extent of their horns, the size 
 of their humps, and other equally unimportant parti- 
 culars. But the same general forms, and the same 
 quiet mildness of disposition, are observable in all the 
 individuals which have come under our notice, includ- 
 ing several specimens of a yet smaller race, which 
 scarcely exceeds two feet in height and measures little 
 more than three feet in total length. 
 
 The whole of the breeds are treated with great vene- 
 ration by the Hindoos, who hold it sinful to deprive 
 them of life under any pretext whatever. But they do 
 not, in general, scruple to make the animals labour for 
 their benefit ; although they consider it the height of 
 impiety to eat of their flesh. A select number are, how- 
 ever, exempted from all services, and have the privilege 
 of straying about the^towns and villages, and of taking 
 their food wheresoever they please, if not sufficiently 
 supplied by the pious contributions of the devotees who 
 impose on themselves this charitable office.
 
 THE SQUIRREL PETAURUS. 
 
 PETAVRUS SCIVREVS. GEOFF. 
 
 IN referring this beautiful little quadruped to the genus 
 Petaurus, from the typical species of which it differs 
 in the character of its teeth, we are influenced by no 
 desire to set aside the established maxim that the teeth 
 furnish the best means of distinguishing the primary 
 groups of the Mammalia from each other. But there 
 is no general law without an exception; and such 
 exceptions occur too frequently in the department of 
 zoology which at present engages our attention, to 
 allow of the rigorous application of any artificial rule 
 to the entire series, however generally correct may be 
 the principle on which it is founded. 
 
 Of the mischievous tendency of too pertinacious an 
 adherence to a preconceived opinion of the value and
 
 72 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 universality of certain characters, the instance before 
 us furnishes a striking example. Relying solely on the 
 discrepancy or agreement of the dentary systems, and 
 putting entirely out of the question all consideration of 
 other and essential points of structure, M. Frederic 
 Cuvier has reunited the old genus Phalangista, in order 
 again to subdivide it into two incongruous and hete- 
 rogeneous groups; in the one confounding two well 
 marked species of flying Petauri, not only with the 
 climbing Phalangistse of New Holland, but with the 
 naked-tailed and strictly prehensile Couscous of the 
 Moluccas ; and repaying the other group, which he 
 had so unnecessarily dismembered, by the addition of 
 a true Phalangista, whose only pretensions to such an 
 association are made to depend on a somewhat similar 
 arrangement of the teeth. By thus confining himself to 
 a single character, he has broken up the regular series 
 of affinities which connected together three marked, but 
 still closely allied, gradations of form, to substitute an 
 arrangement which has no other recommendation than 
 its accordance with the theoretic views of its author. 
 In such a case we cannot hesitate in giving to the 
 organs of locomotion, combined with the general habit, 
 that precedence before those of mastication, which 
 under other circumstances we are generally in the habit 
 of conceding to the latter ; and we feel the less repug- 
 nance to adopting this course, because it is admitted 
 that the dentary formula is in these animals subject to 
 some variation, and because zoologists are by no means 
 agreed with respect to its exact definition. 
 
 The teeth of the Squirrel Petaurus agree generally, 
 according to M. Frederic Cuvier, with those of the 
 Phalangistas. They are consequently thirty-eight in 
 number, twenty occupying the upper jaw, and eighteen
 
 THE SQUIRREL PETAURUS. 73 
 
 the lower. The former are divided by the same eminent 
 naturalist into six incisors, four canines, two false 
 molars, and eight true ones ; the latter consisting of 
 two incisors, and no canines, with eight false and as 
 many true molars. The dentary character of the origi- 
 nal species of Petaurus, which he takes as the type of 
 his other group, differs chiefly in the total want of 
 canine teeth ; but we may here be permitted to observe 
 that it appears to us somewhat doubtful how far those 
 which are above enumerated as such truly deserve the 
 name which has been applied to them. 
 
 In every other respect the little creature in question 
 perfectly agrees with the group of animals to which we 
 have restored it ; and which are at once characterized 
 by the broad expansion of their skin on each side of 
 the body, extending between the anterior and posterior 
 limbs as in the Flying Squirrels, to which indeed they 
 bear a close resemblance. In common with nearly the 
 whole of the Mammiferous Quadrupeds of the country 
 which they inhabit, they possess the abdominal pouch 
 which fixes their place in the system among the Mar- 
 supial animals ; and as in many of these, the thumbs of 
 their hind feet are long and distinctly opposable to the 
 sole. The other toes are four in number, and furnished 
 with tolerably strong claws, of which the thumbs are 
 destitute. The fore feet have five long radiating toes, 
 the middle one of which is the longest, all armed with 
 similar claws to those of the hind feet. The tail is 
 round, covered with loose hair, somewhat tapering 
 towards the point, and not strictly prehensile, having 
 no naked surface at its extremity beneath. 
 
 In size the -present species is about equal to the 
 Common Squirrel ; and its tail is rather longer than 
 its body. Its colour is delicately gray above, somewhat 
 darker on the head, and white beneath. A black line
 
 74 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 passes from the point of the nose along the back 
 towards the tail ; and the lateral folds of the skin are 
 bounded in front and on the sides by a similar band, 
 which confounds itself gradually on the inside with the 
 gray of the body and is bordered at the outer margin 
 by a fringe of white. The eyes are each placed in a 
 spot of black, and a faint blackish line extends along 
 the upper surface of the hinder limbs. The tail is also 
 of a darker hue, especially towards its extremity. 
 
 It is an inhabitant of New South Wales, and is said 
 to be particularly plentiful at the foot of the Blue 
 Mountains. Its fur is extremely soft and beautiful, 
 and, like that of the other species of Petaurus, is occa- 
 sionally made use of by the natives to form the scanty 
 covering worn by some few among the least barbarous 
 of the race. Could it be obtained in sufficient quantity, 
 of which from the statements regarding its abundance 
 there can be little doubt, it would unquestionably fur- 
 nish one of the most elegant and delicate furs with 
 which we are acquainted, and might form a useful 
 branch of commerce in that distant and improving 
 colony. 
 
 Another locality assigned to the Squirrel Petaurus 
 is Norfolk Island. For this we know of no other au- 
 thority than that which is derived from the name by 
 which it was originally designated in Governor Phillip's 
 Voyage to Botany Bay, that of the Norfolk Island 
 Flying Squirrel. In the same Voyage appeared the 
 first published figure of it ; and a good representation, 
 nearly of the size of life, was soon afterwards given, 
 from a living specimen then in England, in Dr. Shaw's 
 Zoology of New Holland. A copy of the latter has 
 been reproduced in the General Zoology of the same 
 author. 
 
 During the day the animal generally remains quietly
 
 THE SQUIRREL PETAURUS. 75 
 
 nestled in the hollows of the trees ; but becomes 
 animated as night advances, and skims through the 
 air, supported by its lateral expansions, half leaping, 
 half flying, from branch to branch, feeding upon leaves 
 and upon insects. This peculiar mode of locomotion 
 can scarcely be considered as a true flight, inasmuch 
 as the cutaneous folds which serve the purposes of 
 wings seem rather destined for the mere support of 
 the animal in its long and apparently desperate leaps, 
 than for raising it in the air and directing its course 
 towards any given object. For this latter purpose 
 they are indeed but little fitted by their structure, the 
 want of proper muscles in a great measure incapa- 
 citating them from performing such offices as are 
 dependent on volition. It may be doubted, however, 
 whether these animals are entirely destitute of the 
 power of exercising their will in their flight-like leaps. 
 For the following anecdote bearing upon this subject 
 we are indebted to our friend Mr. Broderip, who related 
 it to us on unquestionable authority. 
 
 On board a vessel sailing off the coast of New Hol- 
 land was a Squirrel Petaurus, which was permitted to 
 roam about the ship. On one occasion it reached the 
 mast-head, and as the sailor, who was dispatched to 
 bring it down, approached, made a spring from aloft 
 to avoid him. At this moment the ship gave a heavy 
 lurch, which, if the original direction of the little crea- 
 ture's course had been continued, must have plunged 
 it into the sea. All who witnessed the scene were in 
 pain for its safety ; but it suddenly appeared to check 
 itself and so to modify its career that it alighted safely 
 on the deck. 
 
 Does not this fact demonstrate something like the 
 existence in these organs of a certain degree of subser-
 
 76 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 vience to the will, sufficient at least to counteract the 
 original impulse by which they were put in motion, 
 and to turn aside their course on the appearance of any 
 sudden danger? 
 
 The specimen from which our figures were taken is 
 completely nocturnal in its habits, seldom quitting the 
 inner compartment of its cage until the approach of 
 evening, when it becomes extremely lively and active. 
 It has now been for some months in Bruton Street, 
 and is perfectly tame, but rather shy. It was formerly 
 in the possession of the Marchioness of Cleveland, and 
 was procured for the Society by the kind offices of 
 Lady Glengall.
 
 THE WHITE EYELID MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOCEBUS PVLIGINOSVS. GEOFF. 
 
 ALTHOUGH we have adopted M. Geoffrey -Saint -Hi- 
 laire's name for this and the succeeding animal, we 
 are by no means satisfied that they ought to be sepa- 
 rated from the genus Cercopithecus, with the genuine 
 species of which they agree in all the most essential 
 particulars. Their facial angle, it is true, is rather more 
 prolonged, and does not, at the adult age, exceed 45 ; 
 the margins of their orbits are somewhat more elevated ; 
 their cheek-pouches and their callosities are propor- 
 tionally larger ; and their limbs are more slender and 
 elongated : but these are merely differences of degree, 
 and are not connected with any essential variation in 
 dentary character or geographical distribution. 
 
 This Monl^y was called by Buffon the Mangabey, 
 from an erroneous idea that his specimens were obtained 
 from the territory of that name in the Island of Mada- 
 gascar : it appears, however, more probable that it is
 
 78 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 a native of the Western coast of Africa. Its common 
 English designation of the White Eyelid is certainly 
 both expressive and appropriate ; for although many 
 others of the tribe, more especially among the Baboons, 
 have the same remarkable absence of .colouring matter 
 in the skin of their upper eyelids, yet in none (except- 
 ing only in the following species) has it a hue so 
 perfectly dead-white or so strongly contrasted with the 
 colour of the face. The latter was formerly regarded 
 as a mere variety of the present ; but the distinctions 
 between them appear to be permanent and are quite 
 sufficient to justify their separation. 
 
 In the animal now under consideration the head, the 
 whole of the upper surface and sides of the body, the 
 tail, and the outsides of the limbs, are of one uniform 
 deep grayish black, or more properly soot-colour, be- 
 coming deep black on the lower part of the legs and 
 on the hands. On the under part of the moustaches, 
 which are bushy, spreading and directed backwards, 
 the fore part of the chest, the under surface of the 
 body, and the inside of the limbs, the general colour is 
 of a light gray with only a slight mixture of a dusky 
 hue. The fingers are long and slender ; the ears rather 
 small and blackish ; and the whole face livid, with a 
 blacker tinge round the eyes, and on the nose, lips, 
 and chin. The tail is thick and cylindrical, scarcely 
 tapering towards the point, and generally turned back- 
 wards over the body, which it exceeds in length. 
 
 This species is not destitute of intelligence, and is 
 easily taught to perform a variety of antic tricks, to 
 the effect of which the peculiar expression of its physi- 
 ognomy greatly contributes. It is generally good-tem- 
 pered, and tolerably well-behaved, although not without 
 its fair share of petulance and caprice. Our specimen 
 is remarkably active, and exhibits its grimaces with 
 laudable perseverance and unwearied zeal.
 
 THE COLLARED WHITE EYELID MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOCEBUS JErmops. GEOFF. 
 
 THE Collared differs from the Common White Eyelid 
 Monkey principally in the deep chestnut brown of the 
 upper surface of its head, and in the collar of pure 
 white crossing the fore part of its neck and including 
 the large bushy moustaches which extend forwards 
 upon the cheeks and pass backwards beneath and 
 behind the ears. The rest of the upper surface of the 
 body is of the same slaty or soot-coloured hue as that 
 of the former ; the hands, face, and ears have nearly 
 the same tinge ; and the under surface is equally of a 
 light ashy gray. Its form and proportions are similar, 
 except that it is somewhat smaller. The legs are 
 equally slender, and the tail equally long and thick. 
 The hair which covers the body is also, as in the 
 preceding species, long and soft to the touch. A re-
 
 80 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 markable character in the dentition of both, rendered 
 particularly obvious by the taste for grinning in which 
 these animals are so prone to indulge, consists in the 
 great breadth of the two middle incisors of the upper 
 jaw. It is this character, which, together with the 
 prominence of their canine teeth, produces that greater 
 extension of muzzle on which their generic distinction 
 has been chiefly founded. 
 
 The present species seems, from its name, to have 
 been regarded by naturalists as peculiarly a native of 
 the East of Africa ; and Hasselquist, who, it is but fair 
 to presume, was well acquainted with the animals 
 described by his great master Linnaeus, mentions it in 
 his Travels as being found in Ethiopia, whence it was 
 brought to Egypt. It would seem, however, that it is 
 more usually imported into Europe, in common with 
 the last species, from the western parts of that still 
 very imperfectly investigated continent. Our specimen 
 is in manners very like the foregoing, but is more quiet 
 and less inclined to display its agility or its talent for 
 making faces.
 
 I 
 
 THE ENTELLUS MONKEY. 
 
 SEMNOPITHECUS ENTELLUS. F. Cuv. 
 
 ALTHOUGH there is reason to believe that this is one of 
 the most common Monkeys both of the Peninsula of 
 Hindoostan and of the Islands of the Indian Archipelago, 
 we are not aware that any other specimen than that 
 which was lately exhibited in the Society's Gardens had 
 previously been brought alive to this country. A stuffed 
 skin, but of a much smaller individual, in the Museum in 
 Bruton Street, was also, we believe, unique in England. 
 On the continent of Europe specimens appear to be 
 almost equally rare. The ^pecies was first made known 
 by M. Dufresne, in 1797, from a skin in his possession, 
 which was shortly afterwards figured by Audebert in 
 his large work on the Monkeys, whence it was adopted 
 by later zoologists. After an interval of more than 
 twenty years the arrival of a living individual, of small 
 
 G
 
 82 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 size and immature age, at the Jardin du Roi in Paris, 
 enabled M. Frederic Cuvier to publish a second original 
 figure, more valuable than the first as having been 
 taken from the life. The same naturalist has subse- 
 quently given a still more striking and characteristic 
 likeness of the adult animal, taken from a drawing sent 
 from India by M. Duvaucel. These figures and the 
 observations which accompany them constitute the sum 
 of all that has hitherto been known to science respect- 
 ing this very remarkable and interesting species. 
 
 But it seems to have escaped the observation of 
 naturalists that the animal in question had been most 
 accurately described as a native of Ceylon by Thunberg 
 in his travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, published 
 in Swedish at Upsal in 1793, and almost immediately 
 afterwards translated into German and English. It is 
 true that he has confounded it with the Wanderoo, 
 figured at page twenty-one of the present work ; but 
 this error extends no farther than the assumption of the 
 name of that species, which he cites doubtfully, and 
 with which his description has scarcely any features in 
 common. The country name by which he designates 
 it, that of Rollewai, appears more certainly to belong 
 to it ; for the same appellation is used by Wolf in his 
 account of his residence in Ceylon, first printed at 
 Berlin in 1782, and afterwards in English at London 
 in 1785, and is evidently applied to the same species. 
 Its coincidence with the name given by Allamand to 
 the Diana appears to have misled the editor of the 
 latter work ; but the descriptions both of Thunberg and 
 Wolf differ so completely from that species, which is 
 known to be a native of the Western coast of Africa, 
 that there can be no risk of their being regarded as the 
 same by any scientific naturalist. The name of Rolo- 
 way, as applied to the Diana, must either be a purely
 
 THE ENTELLUS MONKEY. 83 
 
 accidental resemblance to that of the Ceylonese animal ; 
 or, which is the more probable conjecture, must have 
 been transferred from it to the African, by the igno- 
 rance or carelessness of the showman from whom 
 M. Allamand received it. The similarity of sound, 
 connected with absolute identity both of locality and 
 habits, would tempt us also to associate with the pre- 
 sent species the Rillowes of Knox's Historical Relation 
 of the Island of Ceylon, were it not that there are 
 some points in his description of those animals which 
 could scarcely be reconciled with such a combination. 
 It is more than probable that many of the earlier 
 accounts of the large gray Monkeys of Bengal and the 
 Malabar coast, which are spoken of by travellers as 
 objects of veneration to the natives, and which have 
 been usually referred to the Malbrouck of Buffon, are 
 in reality applicable to the animal now before us. The 
 Malbrouck, there is every reason to believe, does not 
 inhabit India, but is, like all the other Cercopitheci, a 
 native of Africa. 
 
 The genus Semnopithecus of M. F. Cuvier, of which 
 the Entellus offers a truly characteristic example, is 
 distinguished from the other Monkeys of the Old World 
 by several remarkable characters, affecting not only its 
 outward form but also some essential parts of its inter- 
 nal organization. In the degree of their intelligence, 
 the form of their heads, and the general outline of 
 their proportions, the species which compose it seem 
 to occupy an intermediate station between two other 
 purely Asiatic groups, the Gibbons of Buffon, which 
 are the Hylobates of modern systematists, and the 
 Macaques, of which the Wanderoo may be regarded 
 as the type. Their bodies are slightly made ; their 
 limbs long and slender; their tails of great length 
 considerably exceeding that of the body ; their callo- 
 
 G2
 
 84 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 sities of small size ; and their cheek-pouches, in those 
 species which appear to possess them, so inconsiderable 
 as scarcely to deserve the name. The character, how- 
 ever, which at once distinguishes them from the Cerco- 
 pitheci, is found in their dentition, and more particularly 
 in the form of the crown of the last molar tooth of the 
 lower jaw, which, instead of four tubercles, one at each 
 angle of the tooth as in the latter genus, offers five 
 such projections on its surface, the additional one occu- 
 pying the middle line of the tooth, and being placed 
 posteriorly to the rest. The Gibbons and the Macaques 
 are also furnished with this additional tubercle. 
 
 In the shape of their heads, and the expression of 
 their physiognomy, the Semnopitheci bear so close a 
 resemblance to the Gibbons, that it would be difficult 
 to decide from an inspection of the head alone to which 
 of the groups any particular species ought to be referred. 
 In the earlier stages of their growth the forehead is 
 broad and elevated, the cavity of the cranium propor- 
 tionally large, and the muzzle but slightly prominent. 
 But as they advance in age the forehead gradually 
 diminishes in size, contracting in a remarkable degree 
 the dimensions of the cavity within, and the muzzle is 
 prolonged to a considerable extent. These changes, 
 which are common to the whole tribe, but are pecu- 
 liarly striking in the present genus in consequence of 
 the prominence of their foreheads in the young state, 
 are accompanied by a corresponding change in the 
 habits of the animals. When taken at an early age 
 they are readily tamed, become playful and familiar, are 
 extremely agile, although generally calm and circum- 
 spect in their motions, and learn to perform a variety 
 of tricks, which they execute with no little cunning and 
 address. After a time, however, their playfulness wears 
 off; their confidence is succeeded by mistrust ; their
 
 THE ENTELLUS MONKEY. 85 
 
 agility settles down into a listless apathy ; and instead 
 of resorting as before to the resources of their ingenuity 
 for carrying any particular point, they have recourse to 
 the brute force which they have acquired in its stead. 
 At length they become as mischievous, and sometimes 
 even as dangerous, as any of those Monkeys which in 
 their young state offer no such indications of good 
 temper and intelligence. 
 
 The Entellus is too distinct a species to be confounded 
 with any other. It is of a uniform ashy-gray on the 
 upper parts, becoming darker on the tail, which is 
 grayish brown, of equal thickness throughout, and ter- 
 minated by a few long hairs running out into a kind of 
 point, but not forming a tuft. The under surface of the 
 body is of a dingy yellowish white ; and the fore arms, 
 hands, and feet are of a dusky black. The fingers of 
 both extremities are very long, and the thumbs compa- 
 ratively short. The face, which is black with somewhat 
 of a violet tinge, is surmounted above the eyebrows by 
 a line of long stiff black hairs, which project forwards 
 and slightly upwards. On the sides of the cheeks and 
 beneath the chin it is margined by a beard of grayish 
 white passing along the line of the jaws and extending 
 upwards in front of the ears, which are large and pro- 
 minent, and of the same colour with the face. The 
 hairs of the fore part of the head appear to diverge 
 from a common centre. The height of our specimen, 
 which was not yet adult, when in a sitting posture 
 exceeded two feet ; and his tail, which he rarely dis- 
 played at its full length, but more usually kept curled 
 up in a single coil, measured nearly three. 
 
 Both Thunberg and Wolf have given very particular 
 and amusing accounts of the habits of these animals in 
 their native country, where it appears that they are not 
 uncommonly to be met with tame in the houses of the
 
 86 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 inhabitants, in which they are also, even in their wild 
 state, if not welcome, at least frequent visiters. The 
 details furnished by the latter author are, however, too 
 manifestly apocryphal to be received as authentic in 
 the present state of science. It seems nevertheless 
 certain that such is the respect in which they are held 
 by the natives that, whatever ravages they may com- 
 mit, the latter dare not venture to destroy them, and 
 only endeavour to scare them away by their cries. 
 Emboldened by this impunity the Monkeys come down 
 from the woods in large herds, and take possession of 
 the produce of the husbandman's toil with as little 
 ceremony as though it had been collected for their use ; 
 for, with a degree of taste which does them credit, 
 they prefer the cultivated fruits of the orchard to the 
 wild ones of their native forests. Figs, cocoa-nuts, 
 
 O ' 7 
 
 apples, pears, and even cabbages and potatoes form 
 their favourite spoil. The numbers in which they 
 assemble render it impossible for the sufferer to drive 
 them away without some more efficient means than he 
 is willing to employ : he is consequently compelled to 
 remain a quiet spectator of the devastation, and to 
 submit without repining to his fate. 
 
 These Monkeys appear to be peculiarly susceptible 
 of change of climate. M. Thunberg's specimen died of 
 cold even in the temperate latitude of the Cape ; and 
 neither the Paris specimen nor our own long survived 
 their arrival in Europe.
 
 THE LEOPARD. 
 
 FELIS LEOPARDVS. LINN. 
 
 THE distinctive peculiarities, as well as the general de- 
 signation, of the Carnivorous tribes of Quadrupeds, are 
 indicative of their propensity to rapine ; in other words, 
 of that instinct which teaches them to prey upon the 
 flesh of animals as their natural and most congenial 
 food. We are consequently led to expect that the most 
 highly organized and typical groups of that extensive 
 order should exhibit this characteristic propensity in its 
 utmost state of developement, and should be furnished 
 with the most powerful means of carrying it into com- 
 plete effect. Accordingly we find that in the genus 
 Felis, which comprehends the largest and the most 
 ferocious of predatory beasts, the teeth and claws, the 
 principal organs of destruction, are eminently fitted for 
 the deadly purpose to which they are applied, and are
 
 88 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 accompanied by a corresponding developement of those 
 accessory organs which assist them in their action. 
 
 The dentary system of the animals of this group con- 
 sists of six small and nearly equal incisors in each jaw, 
 disposed in an almost straight line in front of the mouth ; 
 of two canines bounding the series of incisors, those of 
 the upper jaw of great length, strong, conical, sharp- 
 pointed, slightly incurved, passing, as in all carnivorous 
 beasts, when the 'mouth is closed, behind those of the 
 lower, which scarcely differ from them in form, but are 
 somewhat inferior in size and power ; and of cheek- 
 teeth, which require a more particular description. 
 These are four in number in the upper jaw, and gene- 
 rally three in the lower ; the two anterior in both series 
 are smaller than the third, and furnished each with a 
 single, somewhat conical, pointed, central process ; the 
 third in the lower forms two, and in the upper three, 
 sharp-pointed lobes, with an additional internal tubercle 
 in the latter ; and the fourth, which is peculiar to the 
 upper jaw and is placed within the posterior margin of 
 the third, offers nothing more than a small transverse 
 tubercle. The series is not absolutely uninterrupted, a 
 vacancy being left between the two somewhat larger 
 lateral incisors of the upper jaw and the canines for the 
 reception of the canines of the lower jaw, and the 
 cheek-teeth being seldom placed in close apposition 
 with each other or with the canines. The slightest 
 inspection of these organs, and more especially of the 
 canine and of the larger cheek-teeth (the latter of 
 which may be denominated lacerators, a term equivalent 
 to the French designation of carnassiers), is sufficient to 
 prove that nothing can be better adapted to the purpose 
 of tearing asunder the large masses of flesh which are 
 swallowed by these animals without being subjected to 
 the process of mastication, which their structure and
 
 THE LEOPARD. 89 
 
 the nature of the food renders at once unnecessary and 
 impracticable. 
 
 To assist in the laceration of their food, the tongues 
 of the Cats are armed, especially towards the hinder 
 part, with numerous close-set bristly or rather prickly 
 papillae, the points of which are directed backwards ; 
 and their palates offer a series of transverse ridges 
 covered with rough and projecting tubercles. The 
 opening of the mouth is of great extent in proportion 
 to the size of the animals ; a fact which is frequently 
 illustrated in a striking manner in travelling exhibitions, 
 the keepers of which are in the habit of thrusting their 
 heads into the Lions' mouths, to the no small amuse- 
 ment of some, and the almost equal terror of others, 
 among the gaping spectators. The muscles which move 
 the lower jaw are also of great bulk, and the point on 
 which they immediately act is brought so far forwards, 
 in consequence of the breadth and shortness of the 
 muzzle, as to give them the highest degree of attainable 
 force. 
 
 The claws of all the genuine species of Felis are of 
 considerable length, much curved, with sharp cutting 
 edges, and finely pointed extremities. The edge and 
 point of these destructive organs is preserved unim- 
 paired by a particular provision, which enables them to 
 be entirely withdrawn within sheaths appropriated for 
 the purpose, enclosed within folds of the skin which 
 covers the extremity of the toes. These are five in 
 number on the fore feet and four on the hind ; and are 
 remarkably short and obtuse. Their under surface is 
 furnished with several distinct callous tubercles, on 
 which the animal rests in progression, no other part of 
 the feet being applied to the ground. The Cats are 
 consequently truly and typically digitigrade ; they pos- 
 sess no sole, and the part which corresponds with the
 
 90 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 heels of the majority of quadrupeds occupies in them 
 a conspicuous station on the posterior part of their 
 limbs, considerably above the tubercles at the base of 
 the toes on which alone they tread. Their legs are 
 short and muscular; and their joints rounded, supple, 
 and in the highest degree flexible. 
 
 In the general outline of their form the Cats exhibit 
 a remarkable uniformity. They are all distinguished 
 by the elongated, but not particularly slender, make of 
 their bodies, which are much flattened on the sides ; by 
 their short thick necks, taking for the most part a 
 nearly horizontal direction ; and by the broad and 
 rounded form of their heads, which are usually much 
 larger in proportion in the males than in the females. 
 Their hair is close, soft, generally smooth, and often 
 beautifully sleek. Its colour is rarely uniform ; the far 
 greater number of the species having a tendency to 
 assume a striped or spotted livery, which frequently 
 exhibits such rich and varied markings as to render 
 their furs extremely valuable. The tips of the ears in 
 some of the species, and the extremity of the tail in 
 others, are surmounted by pencils or tufts of longer and 
 differently coloured hairs ; but these are wanting in 
 the majority. Their moustaches are generally of great 
 length, and composed of numerous bristles, which ap- 
 pear to be of considerable use to these animals, the 
 sense of feeling being concentrated in them, or rather 
 in the nerves which communicate with them, in a 
 remarkable degree. The removal of these appendages 
 is consequently observed to produce, for a time at least, 
 no little embarrassment. The tails of the different 
 species vary greatly in proportionate length ; they are, 
 however, always cylindrical, and covered uniformly with 
 hair of the same kind as that which invests the body. 
 In intellectual character these animals occupy a very
 
 THE LEOPARD. 91 
 
 inferior station; and fortunate it is that such is the 
 case. Were it not for that degradation in their mental 
 faculties, which renders them incapable of employing 
 their physical powers in concert with each other, what 
 ravages would they not be enabled to commit ? What 
 could resist their prodigious and destructive force, if 
 that force were accompanied by the sagacity of the dog 
 or even of the wolf? But it has been wisely provided 
 that in the same proportion as these beasts advance in 
 the accumulation of corporeal means of destruction, 
 they should recede in those intellectual qualifications 
 which might otherwise be made the means of devas- 
 tating the creation, while they are the less necessary 
 for their individual preservation. 
 
 Conscious of their own undisputed superiority which 
 secures them against the attacks of other animals, they 
 never associate together in troops, but each with his 
 female partner occupies a solitary den, which is usually 
 concealed in the depths of the forest. Hence, when 
 pressed by hunger, they issue forth in search of their 
 prey, which they rarely attack with open force; but 
 stealing on with noiseless tread, or stationing them- 
 selves in ambush in such situations as appear suitable 
 to their purpose, watch with indefatigable patience the 
 approach of their victim. Their motions are peculiarly 
 characteristic of their habits and mode of life. Inca- 
 pable of long continued speed, their usual gait is slow, 
 cautious, and stealthy, with their posterior limbs bent 
 beneath them, and their ears distended to catch the 
 most trifling noise. Guided by these organs, the inter- 
 nal structure of which is highly developed, they trace 
 the sound of footsteps at an almost incredible distance, 
 and direct themselves towards their prey with unerring 
 certainty. In this quest the sense of smell, which they 
 possess in a very low degree, affords them but little
 
 92 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 assistance ; their sight, however, is good, and serves 
 them equally well both by day and night, their extremely 
 dilatable pupils adapting themselves with admirable 
 precision to various intensities of light. To this object 
 the frequently elongated form of their pupils, the gene- 
 rally yellow colour of the internal or choroid coat of 
 their eyes, and the extent of their nictitating membranes 
 must also essentially contribute. 
 
 No sooner is the object of their pursuit within reach 
 of their attack, than suddenly bursting forth from their 
 lurking place, or changing their slow and stealthy pace 
 for a furious and overwhelming bound, they dart with 
 the velocity of lightning upon their terrified victim. 
 The great strength and extreme flexibility of their fore 
 paws enable them at once to dash him to the earth, 
 and to seize him with an irresistible grasp. They then 
 proceed to rend him in pieces by the united efforts of 
 their teeth and claws, and gorge themselves upon his 
 lacerated flesh. It is only when fearful of being dis- 
 turbed in their operations that they carry off the body 
 from the spot where it has fallen ; and even in such 
 cases they never transfer it to their dens, but seek out 
 some solitary place in which to glut their ravenous 
 cravings. When satiated they quit the carcase, to 
 which they never return, and retire to their dens to 
 sleep off the effects of their gluttonous meal ; not again 
 to awake until their renovated appetite stimulates to a 
 repetition of the murderous scene. Even their amours 
 are accompanied with a degree of savage barbarity ; 
 and the female is not unfrequently called upon to pro- 
 tect their mutual offspring from the ravenous jaws of 
 her male companion. 
 
 Next to their ferocity, the leading feature in the 
 moral character of all the Cats is suspicion. It is this 
 which imparts, even to the largest and most powerful
 
 THE LEOPARD. 93 
 
 of the group, an air of wiliness and malignity, but ill 
 assorting with their gigantic size and immense muscular 
 power. Of this feeling they can never be entirely 
 divested ; it is sufficiently remarkable even in the do- 
 mesticated race ; but becomes still more obvious in 
 those which are kept in a state of confinement, and 
 which, however well they may appear reconciled to 
 their condition, and how much soever they may seem 
 attached to their keepers, are startled by the slightest 
 unusual occurrence, and become restless, uneasy, and 
 mistrustful, whenever any change, however trifling, takes 
 place in the objects by which they are surrounded. 
 
 Such are some of the most striking characteristics, 
 both physical and moral, which are common to the 
 whole group. The Leopard, which may fairly be re- 
 garded as one of its most typical species, partakes in a 
 high degree of all these general attributes of his tribe. 
 It is therefore unnecessary to enter into any more par- 
 ticular detail with respect to his disposition and habits, 
 which offer little that is peculiar to himself. Yet even 
 among the Cats he is remarkable for extreme sleekness 
 and excessive agility. He is well distinguished from all 
 the other species by the vividness of his colouring and 
 the beauty of his markings. These consist of numerous 
 rows of large open rose-like spots passing along his sides, 
 each formed of the confluence of several smaller black 
 spots into an irregular circle enclosing a fawn-coloured 
 centre upon a general ground colour of lighter yellow. 
 On his head, neck, and limbs, and the central line of 
 his back, the spots run into one another so completely 
 as to form full patches of smaller size than the open 
 roses, and without central yellow. The under parts of 
 his body, as is usual in most quadrupeds, become 
 gradually of a lighter hue, the throat, chest, and abdo- 
 men being of a pure and delicate white. His tail is
 
 94 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 equal in length to the entire body excluding the head ; 
 and is marked by a continuation of the open roses of 
 the sides, which become towards its extremity sepa- 
 rated in such a manner as to surround the upper surface 
 with partial rings of black alternating with white. The 
 whiskers are long and white, and implanted in a series 
 of black lines which traverse his lips. He usually mea- 
 sures about three feet in length, exclusive of his tail. 
 
 The Leopard is a native of Southern Asia, and of 
 nearly the whole of Africa, inhabiting the woods, and 
 preying chiefly on antelopes, monkeys, and the smaller 
 quadrupeds. It climbs with the greatest facility. 
 
 The variety figured is remarkable for the irregularity 
 of its spots, which, although they exhibit the usual 
 tendency to unite into somewhat circular roses, are 
 much more broken than is usual in the species, and 
 have their centres occasionally marked by one or two 
 smaller spots like those which are uniformly met with 
 in the Jaguar. It is on account of this curious devia- 
 tion from the typical marking that we have selected it 
 for representation from among the numerous specimens 
 contained in the Society's collection.
 
 THE JAGUAR. 
 
 FELIS ONA. LINN. 
 
 WHETHER the Leopard and the Panther are in reality 
 distinct species, and if so on what particular characters 
 the specific distinction depends, are questions that have 
 been so variously solved by writers of the highest emi- 
 nence that we cannot, without better opportunities for 
 comparison of specimens than we at present possess, 
 adopt the conclusions to which any one of them has 
 come upon the subject. Linnaeus, not perceiving any 
 sufficient grounds of distinction, referred both names to 
 one and the same animal ; Buffon added a third, that 
 of the Ounce, and increased the confusion by describ- 
 ing, as the Panther of the ancients and an animal of 
 the Old Continent, the Jaguar which is now known to 
 be peculiar to the New ; Cuvier subsequently founded 
 a distinction upon the greater or smaller number of
 
 96 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 rows of spots disposed along the sides of the body ; and 
 Temminck, rejecting these characters as unimportant, 
 has lately fixed upon the comparative length of the tail 
 as affording the only sure means of discrimination. In 
 this uncertainty the question remains for the present : 
 but there can be no doubt of the complete distinction 
 between both the animals involved in it and that which 
 we have here figured, the mistaken Panther of Buffon, 
 the Jaguar of Brasil, and Felis Onga of systematic 
 writers. It may not, however, be useless to observe 
 that of the figures given by Buffon as Panthers and 
 Jaguars, that which is entitled the male Panther is in 
 all probability a Leopard ; the female is unquestionably 
 a Jaguar ; the Jaguars, both of the original work and of 
 the Supplement, are either Ocelots or Chatis ; and that 
 which purports to be the Jaguar or Leopard, although 
 probably intended for a Chetah, is not clearly referable 
 by its form and markings to any known species. 
 
 The differences between the Leopard of the Old 
 Continent and the Jaguar of the New were well known 
 to Linnaeus, who has indicated them with his usual 
 precision in the specific characters and accompanying 
 descriptions given in his Systema. But later naturalists 
 appear to have passed them over, until M. Geoffroy again 
 recognised them, with the assistance of M. D'Azara, 
 about the commencement of the present century, in the 
 animals of the Paris Menagerie. Since this period 
 they have been verified upon so large a number of 
 living specimens, and upon so many thousands of skins, 
 that there can be no doubt either of the permanence of 
 the characters or of their importance as discriminating 
 marks. 
 
 The form of the Jaguar is much more robust, and 
 even to a certain extent more clumsy, than that of the 
 Leopard. When full grown he is also far superior in
 
 THE JAGUAR. 97 
 
 size, frequently measuring from /our to five feet from 
 the nose to the root of the tail. His body is thicker, 
 his limbs shorter and more muscular, and his tail, 
 instead of being fully as long as the body exclusive of 
 the head, scarcely trails its tip upon the ground when 
 the animal is in an erect position. His head is also 
 considerably larger, and at the same time somewhat 
 shorter in proportion, than that of the Leopard ; and 
 the line of his profile is more prominent above the eyes. 
 These differences of form are accompanied by differ- 
 ences in colour and markings equally decisive. The 
 general appearance is at the first glance the same hi 
 both ; but the open roses of the Leopard are scarcely 
 more than half the size of those of the Jaguar, and they 
 all enclose a space of one uniform colour, in which, 
 unless in some rare and accidental instances, no central 
 spots exist, while in the latter animal most of those 
 which are arranged along the upper surface near the 
 middle line of the back are distinguished by one or two 
 small black spots enclosed within their circuit. The 
 middle line itself is occupied in the Leopard by open 
 roses intermixed with a few black spots of small size 
 and roundish form ; that of the Jaguar on the contrary 
 is marked by one or two regular longitudinal lines of 
 broad elongated deep black patches, sometimes extend- 
 ing; several inches in length, and occasionally forming 
 an almost continuous band from between the shoulders 
 to the tail. The black rings towards the tip of the 
 latter are also more completely circular than in the 
 Leopard. These differences may perhaps appear minute 
 upon paper, but they are strongly marked in the animal 
 itself; and their minuteness is fully compensated by 
 the facility with which they may be detected, both in 
 the living individual and upon his fur after death. 
 The Jaguar is the largest and most formidable among 
 
 H
 
 98 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 the Cats of the New World, in the warmer regions of 
 which he exercises the same cruel tyranny as the Lions, 
 the Tigers, and the Leopards, of the burning climates of 
 the Old. He appears to be almost universally spread 
 over the southern division of the American continent 
 from Paraguay to Guiana ; but there is no satisfactory 
 proof of his having been observed to the north of the 
 Isthmus of Panama. In the neighbourhood of inhabited 
 places he is daily becoming more and more rare, the 
 ravages which he commits upon the flocks, and the 
 high price that is given for his skin, forming a double 
 incentive to his destruction. His habits and manners 
 are almost precisely the same as those of the other 
 large animals of his tribe ; but he is spoken of as even 
 more indolent and cowardly. Like them he generally 
 watches for his prey in a concealed ambush, whence he 
 darts upon it unawares, bearing it at once to the earth 
 by his great muscular strength, and depriving it of all 
 power of resistance or of flight. Occasionally, however, 
 when urged by hunger, he prowls abroad more openly, 
 and will even venture to attack man ; but rarely if he 
 finds him on his guard. M. Sonnini relates that one 
 annoyed him and his party for two successive nights, 
 during his travels in Guiana, constantly hovering about 
 them, watching an opportunity for falling on his prey, 
 but retreating into the bushes the moment he perceived 
 himself observed, and disappearing with such rapidity 
 that it was impossible to get a shot at him. According 
 to the same author and to M. D'Azara, these animals 
 climb with great dexterity, swim with almost equal 
 skill, and are able to carry off the bodies of their vic- 
 tims, even of the largest quadrupeds, such as horses 
 and oxen, to a place of security where they can satiate 
 their appetites without risk of disturbance.
 
 
 THE BROWN BEAll. 
 
 URSUS ARCTOS. LINN. 
 
 PASSING by an abrupt transition from the most typical 
 group of the Carnivora to that which exhibits the 
 essential characters of the order in their lowest state 
 of developement, we next turn our attention to the 
 Bears. In these animals, which we are enabled to 
 connect with the Cats by the intervention of a series 
 of modifications forming an almost unbroken chain, we 
 find the raptorial character so greatly diminished as no 
 longer to form a prominent feature in their organization, 
 physical or moral. The teeth, and more especially the 
 grinders, have lost their cutting edges and sharp points, 
 and are very nearly reduced to the structure of the 
 same organs in the Monkeys and other omnivorous
 
 100 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 creatures ; the claws are destitute of retractility, blunt 
 at the edges, and calculated more for climbing trees 
 and burrowing in the earth than for the purposes of 
 prehension or destruction ; and all the other organs 
 are in a like manner modified in conformity with the 
 change of character of which these differences form the 
 
 O 
 
 certain indications. We look in vain among the Bears 
 for the sleekness and agility of the Cats, the swiftness 
 and intelligence of the Dogs, or the insinuating slender- 
 ness of the Weasels ; but in the place of all these we 
 find great clumsiness of form combined with a high 
 degree of brute force, much intellectual stupidity, and 
 an insatiable and gluttonous voracity. 
 
 The incisor teeth of the Bears, six in number in each 
 jaw, afford the only means which they possess of lace- 
 rating animal food ; and for this purpose they are but 
 ill calculated. The two outer of the upper jaw are 
 strong, pointed, and placed somewhat obliquely with 
 respect to the others, the cutting edges of which have 
 also a tendency to become pointed. In the under jaw 
 the two outer are broader than the rest, and have each 
 a lateral lobe at their base externally ; the second on 
 either side is placed more internally with respect to the 
 mouth ; and the intermediate ones are the smallest of 
 the series. The canines of both jaws are strong, conical, 
 and incurved. In the number of the cheek-teeth there 
 is some variation, dependent chiefly upon age ; but the 
 most usual amount appears to be five in the upper jaw 
 and six in the lower. Of these three in the upper and 
 four in the lower may be regarded as true molars, 
 and are universally found ; the others, which are small 
 and conical, seldom remain permanently fixed in their 
 sockets, but fall out as the animal advances in age. It 
 is most common in young Bears to find two of these in 
 each jaw, one placed at the base of the canine, and the
 
 THE BROWN BEAR. 101 
 
 other immediately anterior to the first molar, with a 
 vacant space between them ; which space is, however, 
 sometimes occupied by a third intervening tooth similar 
 in character to those between which it is protruded. 
 The crowns of all the molars are flattened, and sur- 
 mounted by tubercles of the same description as those 
 which exist upon the human grinders. They are con- 
 sequently fitted almost solely for the detrition of vege- 
 table substances, which form in fact the largest share 
 of the food of these animals. So completely is the 
 carnivorous character lost in their teeth, that it would 
 be impossible, without the transition afforded by the 
 Racoons and the Coatis, and carried on through the Doffs 
 
 O o 
 
 and the Civets, to recognise the lacerators of the Cats 
 in the penultimate molars of the Bears. Their purpose 
 is no longer the same, and their form is consequently 
 changed for one more adapted to the habits of the 
 g'roup. 
 
 The thickset and clumsy figure of the Bears is pro- 
 duced not only by their great muscularity, but also by 
 their tendency to accumulate fat, and by the shagginess 
 of their external covering, which in most of the species 
 is long, rough, and woolly. Its effect is moreover 
 heightened by the comparative shortness of their limbs, 
 and the large portion of both extremities which is 
 applied to the surface of the ground, their walk being 
 completely plantigrade, and the soles of all the feet 
 forming broad callous expansions. They have five toes 
 on each foot terminated by strong curved unretractile 
 claws. The form of their heads is for the -most part 
 nearly round, with a broad projecting muzzle, having 
 its extremity perforated by the large fissured nostrils, 
 which together with the lips are extremely moveable 
 and capable of considerable protrusion. The tongue is 
 perfectly smooth and very extensible. The ears are of
 
 102 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 moderate size ; and the pupils of the eyes circular. 
 The tail is so small as to be scarcely visible among the 
 long hairs by which it is surrounded. 
 
 Before proceeding to describe the Brown Bear, which 
 forms the subject of the present article, it may not be 
 amiss to take a glance at the history of the genus of 
 which it is the type, for the purpose of showing how 
 greatly zoological science has advanced within the last 
 half century. A single species, that which is about to 
 engage our more particular attention, was known to the 
 great systematist of nature ; and it was not until the 
 tenth edition of his immortal work that he ventured 
 even to question whether the White Bear of the polar 
 regions, which he had never seen, might not be in 
 reality distinct. Pallas converted this doubt into a 
 certainty, and added a third species in the Black Bear 
 of America. In 1788 a draughtsman of the name of 
 Catton published the figure of a remarkable animal, 
 which he called the Petre Bear, but which the more 
 scientific naturalists of the day perverted into a Sloth. 
 This was the first Indian species known ; and to it 
 Sir Stamford Raffles added a second, M. Duvaucel a 
 third, and Dr. Horsfield a fourth. A second American 
 species, the Grisly Bear, which had been repeatedly 
 noticed by travellers, was zoologically described by 
 Messrs. Say and Ord. Baron Cuvier has also described 
 as distinct the Black Bear of Europe, with respect to 
 which he nevertheless appears latterly to have enter- 
 tained some doubt; his brother, M. Frederic Cuvier, 
 has figured no less than three individuals of races ap- 
 parently differing from those previously known, brought 
 respectively from the Pyrenees, Siberia, and 'the Cor- 
 dilleras of the Andes ; and Dr. Horsfield has given a 
 notice of a species from Nepaul agreeing more closely 
 in habit with the European Bear than with those of
 
 THE BROWN BEAR. 103 
 
 India. From this enumeration it appears that instead 
 of the solitary species known to Linnaeus, there are 
 now recognised no less than eight, while five others 
 may be regarded as in abeyance, waiting the decision 
 of those naturalists who may have the opportunity of 
 further investigation. Every one of the eight allowed 
 species has been living within the last five or six years 
 in London. Five are at the present moment exhibited 
 in the Society's Menagerie, two others form part of its 
 Museum, and the eighth, the Grisly Bear of America, 
 has been represented for nearly twenty years by a noble 
 specimen in the Menagerie of the Tower. Such are 
 the advances which this department of zoology has 
 made since the days of Linnaeus. 
 
 The Brown Bear was formerly an inhabitant of the 
 whole of Europe, as far south as the Alps and the 
 Pyrenees ; but he has in modern times been completely 
 extirpated from the British Islands, and the interior of 
 France, Holland, and Germany. In the Alps he is still 
 common, as well as in the mountain forests of Bohemia, 
 Poland, and Russia. But his limits are not bounded 
 by the geographical divisions of the continents : he is 
 also found in great numbers in Siberia, and even as far 
 eastwards as Kamtschatka and Japan ; and is spread 
 more sparingly over a considerable portion of the north- 
 ern regions of America. In this vast extent of country 
 it would be surprising indeed if we did not meet with 
 some variations resulting from local circumstances ; but 
 these are generally speaking of too trivial a nature to 
 be regarded as affording sufficient grounds for specific 
 distinctions. Among the most remarkable we may 
 mention a white variety, totally distinct from the Polar 
 Bear, which is sometimes met with in high northern 
 latitudes. The Cinnamon Bear, as it is called, appears
 
 104 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 to be a variety of the black species, exhibiting the same 
 tendency to albinism, but in a far inferior degree. 
 
 In his more usual condition the animal is covered 
 with a thick coat of long, soft, woolly hair, which in 
 the younger individuals is of a deep brown with a tinge 
 of gray on the body, and becomes nearly black upon 
 the legs and feet ; while in the more advanced age it 
 presents a mixture of yellowish gray and fawn-colour, 
 giving to the fur a grizzled appearance. The forehead 
 rises suddenly from behind the eyes, assuming a regu- 
 larly convex form, but not elevated to any great extent ; 
 the muzzle is broad, prominent, and terminating in a 
 moveable extremity, the mobility, however, being most 
 remarkable in the upper lip, which is capable of being 
 protruded much beyond the nostrils ; and the eyes are 
 extremely small. The usual size of the full grown 
 animal is about four feet in length and nearly two feet 
 and a half in height. The length of the head is about 
 a foot ; that of the fore feet eight inches ; and that of 
 the hinder feet something greater, reckoning from the 
 heel to the extremity of the claws. The latter are fully 
 two inches in length, considerably curved, and nearly 
 equal on either extremity. 
 
 In his native state the Brown Bear is one of the 
 most solitary animals in existence. Far from seeking 
 the company of his fellows, he remains associated with 
 his female only during a short period, and then retires 
 to his winter retreat. This asylum is generally formed 
 by the hollow of a tree, by a natural cavity in the earth, 
 or by the cleft of a rock ; but is sometimes entirely 
 constructed by the animal himself from the branches of 
 trees comfortably lined with moss. Here he continues, 
 for the most part in a state of lethargy, abstaining 
 altogether from food, and subsisting upon the absorption
 
 THE BROWN BEAR. 105 
 
 of the fat which he has accumulated in the course of 
 the^guminer, from the setting in of the cold season until 
 the return of spring. The female remains somewhat 
 longer in her retirement than the male, and does not 
 quit it until her young are in a condition to follow her 
 example. It is at this period that they are the most 
 dangerous, their hunger tempting them to make prey 
 of whatever may fall in their way. At other times they 
 prefer fruits, roots, and other vegetable productions, to 
 the uncertain supply which they derive from the capture 
 of the smaller, and especially the burrowing, quadru- 
 peds. They never attack man unless provoked ; but 
 when irritated they are formidable enemies to encounter. 
 In such cases they usually raise themselves upon their 
 hind feet, and endeavour to engage and squeeze their 
 opponent between their fore legs, which are excessively 
 powerful. Notwithstanding the clumsiness of their form 
 they climb trees with great readiness, and swim with 
 almost equal skill. In captivity they are sometimes 
 taught to exhibit their awkward figures in a variety of 
 forced and ludicrous attitudes. 
 
 They sometimes attain a considerable age. In the 
 pits of Berne, where it has been the fashion for many 
 centuries to keep some of these animals, " for name's 
 sake," at the public expense, a pair were living in 1771 
 which had been confined there for one and thirty years. 
 Another individual, which was born in the same pits, 
 was living at the commencement of the present century 
 in the Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, at 
 the age of forty-seven. In both these establishments 
 their only food consisted of bread, occasionally varied 
 by the introduction of fruits and vegetables. At Berne 
 in particular, by a regulation of the police, all the 
 unripe fruit that was brought to market was ordered to 
 be given to the bears. They were never allowed to
 
 106 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 taste of flesh ; and their thriving condition proved that 
 such an addition to their usual diet was perfectly unne- 
 cessary to the maintenance of their health. 
 
 The Brown Bears now in the Society's pit afford an 
 excellent illustration of the differences between the 
 young and the adult animal. The deeper coloured of 
 the two is not yet three years old, having been presented 
 to the Society when very young by the Marquess of 
 Hertford, who brought him from Russia. The other, 
 which was presented by the Rev. E. Edgell, is stated 
 to be a native of America. It resembles the adult 
 Alpine Bear so closely in its form, in its fur, in its 
 physiognomy, and in its manners, that we have little 
 hesitation in referring it to the same species. Notwith- 
 standing the wide difference in geographical position 
 we see no incongruity in such a union ; on the contrary 
 it would strike us as a very peculiar and surprising fact 
 that so excellent a swimmer and so essentially migra- 
 tory a beast as the Brown Bear should present almost 
 a solitary exception to the general rule which renders 
 most of the animals inhabiting the arctic circle common 
 to the two continents.
 
 
 THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. 
 
 URSUS AMERICANVS. PALLAS. 
 
 ALTHOUGH naturalists were long in a state of uncer- 
 tainty with respect to the propriety of separating the 
 Black Bear of America from the common species, it is 
 obvious that their doubts could only have arisen from 
 the want of sufficient materials for comparison. Who- 
 ever has seen the two animals together will at once 
 admit that they belong to species perfectly distinct, so 
 greatly do they differ from each other in figure, in fur, 
 in colour, and even in their gait, attitudes, and manners. 
 The head of the American is narrower, with much more 
 of the physiognomy of the Dog ; the distance between 
 the ears is proportionally greater ; the forehead is more 
 regularly convex, but not quite so much elevated, the 
 line of the profile being continued without any depres- 
 sion above the eyes, and the muzzle is more prominent
 
 108 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and pointed. The general proportions of the body and 
 limbs are also smaller; and the whole are covered 
 with soft smooth straight hairs of a deep glossy black 
 throughout the greater part of their length, having 
 none of the shagginess or woolliness which charac- 
 terizes the fur of the Brown Bear, and without any 
 intermixture of the lighter-coloured hairs by which the 
 coat of the latter is always more or less grizzled. The 
 muzzle alone is covered with short close-set hairs of a 
 deep brown above and somewhat lighter on the sides. 
 The tail is more distinctly visible in consequence of the 
 greater smoothness and regularity of the fur ; the feet 
 are smaller in all their dimensions ; and the claws have 
 a somewhat greater curve, appear to terminate in 
 sharper points, and are almost buried in the hair. 
 
 The American Bear advances far into the north, and 
 is so abundant in Canada and the neighbouring coun- 
 tries as to constitute a considerable branch of the fur 
 trade which is there carried on. In the year 1783 no 
 fewer than ten thousand five hundred bear-skins were 
 imported into England from the northern parts of Ame- 
 rica, and the number gradually increased until 1803, 
 when it had reached twenty-five thousand, the average 
 value of each skin being estimated at forty shillings. 
 The supply appears subsequently to have been greatly 
 diminished, partly perhaps in consequence of the whole- 
 sale manner in which the destruction of the animal had 
 been carried on, and partly in consequence of the pre- 
 ference given to the finer kinds of fur. From Canada 
 these Bears extend southwards through most of the 
 uncultivated or thinly peopled districts as far as the 
 Isthmus of Panama. They were formerly common in 
 New York, Louisiana, Carolina, and even Florida ; but 
 the progress of civilization has nearly extirpated them 
 from the immediate vicinity of man, and driven them to
 
 THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. 109 
 
 seek an asylum on the Rocky Mountains and in the 
 extensive forests of the interior. They are still nume- 
 rous on the western coast as far south as California. 
 Bears are also found in Peru ; but it is not yet satis- 
 factorily ascertained whether or not they constitute 
 a distinct species from that which is so extensively 
 dispersed over the northern division of the American 
 continent. 
 
 The habits of the American Bear are almost precisely 
 similar to those of the European. The American is, 
 however, upon the whole, somewhat less carnivorous. 
 His food in a state of nature consists chiefly of wild 
 fruits and other vegetable productions ; and he rarely 
 attacks the smaller quadrupeds unless compelled by 
 positive hunger. Occasionally, we are told, he makes 
 considerable havoc among the pigs which are suffered 
 to roam at large in the forests ; and he has even been 
 known to devour calves and sheep. In no instance, 
 however, has he been fairly convicted of making the 
 first attack upon a man, although when irritated, or 
 rendered desperate by his wounds, he will frequently 
 turn upon his pursuers and defend himself with all the 
 natural ferocity of his disposition. He is said to be 
 particularly fond of fish, especially herrings, and to be 
 very dexterous and expert in fishing, " catching," says 
 Brickell in his Natural History of North Carolina, 
 " vast quantities of several sorts of fish, as they run up 
 the creeks and shallow waters to spawn. There," he 
 continues, " you shall see these beasts sit, and take 
 up fish as fast as it is possible for them to dip their 
 paws into the water." Honey is also as great a favou- 
 rite with them as with the Bears of Europe. They 
 climb trees with at least equal dexterity, and swim 
 across the broadest rivers with as much ease as the 
 Polar Bear himself.
 
 110 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 The period of their hybernation corresponds with the 
 setting in of the frost. In the more northern latitudes 
 they dig themselves holes in the ice or in the snow, 
 where they remain until the return of spring. But in 
 situations where the cold is less intense the males 
 usually migrate towards the south, in search of food ; 
 and frequently, if this is readily procured, roam at large 
 during the entire winter. The pregnant females, how- 
 ever, always conceal themselves ; and this affords a 
 satisfactory solution of the remarkable fact that, to use 
 the expression of Brickell, " no man, either Christian 
 or Indian, ever killed a She-Bear with young." So true 
 is this, as a general observation, that Dr. Richardson 
 assures us that, "after numerous inquiries among the 
 Indians of Hudson's Bay, only one was found who 
 had killed a pregnant Bear." In the more southern 
 districts they usually prefer the trunks of hollow trees 
 for their winter habitations, which they not unfrequently 
 construct at the height of thirty or forty feet from the 
 ground. 
 
 The flesh of Bears which have fed much upon fish 
 is regarded as tainted and unfit for use ; otherwise they 
 are reckoned very good eating. Their tongues and 
 paws are considered the most delicate parts ; and the 
 hams made from them are said to be not inferior to 
 those of Westphalia. Their fat is also in great request, 
 especially among the Esquimaux and the Canadian 
 Voyageurs, who devour it in large quantities. The fur 
 is less sought after than formerly as an article of 
 commerce ; but is still used very extensively by the 
 inhabitants of the more northern regions, for whom it 
 forms the most essential article of clothing during the 
 severity of an arctic winter.
 
 THE CUBAN MASTIFF. 
 
 CAN is FAMILIARIS. Var. 
 
 THIS fine pair of Dogs, which were presented to the 
 Society by Captain Manyatt, who obtained them from 
 Cuba, partake of the characters of the Spanish Bull-dog 
 and English Mastiff, and seem to be completely inter- 
 mediate in form between the two. They are larger than 
 our common Bull-dogs and smaller than the Mastiff, 
 well made and rather stout in their proportions, mode- 
 rately high upon their legs, muscular, and powerful. 
 Their muzzle is short, broad, and abruptly truncate at 
 the extremity, with somewhat of an upward curve ; the 
 head broad and flat, and the lips elongated and so 
 deeply pendulous as to overlap the margins of the lower 
 jaw. The ears, which are of a middling size, are also 
 partly pendulous, but not to such an extent as to lie flat 
 upon the sides of the head. The tail is rather short,
 
 112 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 cylindrical, and turned upwards and forwards towards 
 the tip. Their hair is throughout short, close, and even. 
 On the upper parts it is of a bright brown, becoming 
 somewhat paler beneath. The muzzle, lips, ears, both 
 within and without, and a patch surrounding each of 
 the eyes, are of a dusky black. 
 
 Notwithstanding the apparent capacity of their cra- 
 nium, the Dogs of this tribe are by no means remarkable 
 for their intelligence. They are, however, eminently 
 faithful, and as courageous as they are powerful. They 
 are consequently chosen in preference to all others for 
 house-guards and watch-dogs, and are also in much 
 request, wherever such sports are encouraged, for bull- 
 fights and other similar exhibitions of brutality. For 
 their legitimate purposes they are a most useful race. 
 
 The Society's specimens of the Cuban Mastiff are in 
 general, the female particularly, tolerably good tem- 
 pered, but they will not bear provocation. The female 
 produced a litter of puppies in the early part of the 
 summer. 
 
 -
 
 THE AMERICAN BISON. 
 
 Bos AMERICANUS. GMEL. 
 
 THE American Bison attains a size far superior to that 
 of the largest breeds of our Common Oxen. Like the 
 Polish Aurochs, the species to which it offers the 
 nearest approach, it has a bold elevated forehead, of 
 much greater breadth than length, and bounded above 
 by an arched line passing across the head about two 
 inches behind the roots of the horns. Its withers also 
 are elevated in the form of a huge hump, extending 
 for some distance along the back, to the level of which 
 it gradually slopes, and giving to the fore quarters the 
 appearance of being raised much higher than the hind : 
 the limbs, however, are of nearly equal length. This 
 protuberance does not consist, as in the Zebu, merely 
 of flesh and fat, but is supported by an actual elonga-
 
 114 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 tion of the spinous processes of the vertebrae beneath. 
 It is covered, as well as the greater part of the head, 
 the neck, and the shoulders, by a thick shaggy coat 
 of long woolly hair. The rest of the body is clothed 
 only by short close curling hair, which becomes rather 
 woolly in the depth of winter, and falls off almost 
 entirely in the summer, exposing the black wrinkled 
 skin beneath. The colour of the animal is in general 
 of a deep brown approaching to black, but darker on 
 its hinder parts, black on the head, and lighter about 
 the neck and shoulders. The legs are short, firm, and 
 muscular; and the tail, which is little more than a 
 foot in length, is nearly naked except at the tip, 
 where it is tenninated by a tuft of long black hairs. 
 The head is so extremely large and heavy as to require 
 a high degree of muscular force for its support; and 
 for this purpose the great developement of the spinous 
 processes of the dorsal vertebrae, and of the powerful 
 muscles attached to them, appears to be admirably 
 calculated. The eyes are small, black, and piercing. 
 The horns are short, black, thick at their base, placed 
 widely apart from each other, directed outwards, back- 
 wards, and upwards, and but little curved towards 
 their tips. The female is considerably smaller than 
 the male, her mane is much less developed, and her 
 horns are much less strongly formed. 
 
 There is one particular in the anatomical structure 
 of the Bison which must be regarded as decisive of 
 its specific distinction. In the Common Ox it is well 
 known that the number of ribs on either side is thir- 
 teen ; in the Aurochs it is fourteen ; and in the Bison 
 fifteen ; the supplementary ribs in the two latter animals 
 being attached to the anterior lumbar vertebrae, which 
 thus become dorsal in their functions. Such a variation 
 never occurs as a permanent structure in breeds origi-
 
 THE AMERICAN BISON. 115 
 
 nally descended from the same common stock ; and 
 when to this we add the many points of discrepancy 
 in outward form between the Bison and the Aurochs, 
 with w r hich alone it can possibly be confounded, the 
 immense portion of the surface of the earth interposed 
 between the habitats to which they are severally con- 
 fined, and the striking dissimilarities observable in their 
 character and habits, it is impossible not to agree with 
 M. Cuvier in regarding the two races as originally, and 
 therefore specifically, distinct. 
 
 These animals are met with throughout nearly the 
 whole of the uninhabited parts of North America, from 
 Hudson's Bay to Louisiana and the frontiers of Mexico. 
 They are smaller in the north, and do not appear to 
 congregate together in the immense herds which are 
 spoken of as covering miles in extent of the vast open 
 savannahs of the more southern districts. Modern 
 American travellers, and particularly Captains Lewis 
 and Clarke and Dr. James, bear frequent testimony to 
 the almost incredible numbers in which they assemble 
 on the banks of the Missouri. "'Such was the mul- 
 titude of these animals," say the former gentlemen, 
 "that although the river, including an island over 
 which they passed, was a mile in length, the herd 
 stretched, as thick as they could swim, completely 
 from one side to the other." And again, " If it be 
 not impossible to calculate the moving multitude which 
 darkened the whole plains, we are convinced that 
 twenty thousand would be no exaggerated number." 
 Dr. James tells us that " in the middle of the day 
 countless thousands of them were seen coming in from 
 
 ~ 
 
 every quarter to the stagnant pools;" their paths, as 
 he informs us elsewhere, being " as frequent and almost 
 as conspicuous as the roads in the most populous parts 
 of the United States." 
 
 i 2
 
 116 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 The American Bisons generally prefer the open 
 plains, the long rank herbage of which affords them 
 their principal support. They feed in the morning and 
 evening, and indulge themselves in bathing in the 
 marshy swamps during the heat of the day, seldom 
 seeking the shelter of the forest unless when attacked. 
 On these occasions they almost invariably take to 
 flight, seldom trusting to their unwieldy strength for 
 their defence. They are extremely fleet, and their sense 
 of smell is so acute as to enable them to scent an 
 enemy at a very considerable distance. They frequently 
 however become a prey to the wolves and grisly bears ; 
 and still more frequently to the savage tribes of Indians, 
 who subsist almost wholly on the produce of the chase. 
 Their beef is said to be excellent. 
 
 Our specimen, a very large male, was purchased from 
 a' showman, by whom it had been exhibited, like others 
 of its species, under the classical name of the Bonassus, 
 to which (any more than to that of Bison, unless 
 accompanied by some qualifying epithet), we need 
 hardly say, it could have no real claim. It died soon 
 after its transfer to the Society, apparently in conse- 
 quence of the sudden change operating upon a habit 
 already enfeebled by chronic disease, and has lately 
 been replaced by a young female, figured below, which 
 was presented by the Hudson's Bay Company.
 
 THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. 
 
 AXTILOPE CERVICAPRA. PAI.L. 
 
 IT is a somewhat mortifying reflection that even in the 
 present advanced state of zoological science we are 
 obliged to confess ourselves unable to define, by means 
 of any of those characters to which importance is 
 usually attached, the exact limits of the most natural 
 and extensive groups of which the Ruminant Order is 
 composed. The teeth afford us little assistance, for 
 in the great majority of these animals they are in all 
 essential points the same ; the organs of locomotion
 
 118 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 furnish no better grounds of distinction ; and even the 
 horns, which are the peculiar property of the order, 
 are subject to so much variation in closely allied spe- 
 cies, and pass by such easy gradations from the form 
 that is considered typical of one group to that by 
 which the neighbouring genera are characterized, as to 
 lose much of their prima facie value for the purposes of 
 classification. On these, however, we are in a manner 
 compelled, by the absence of more efficient means of 
 discrimination, to rely as the basis of all our subdi- 
 visions. 
 
 The horns of the Antelopes are for the most part 
 perfectly simple, one or two paradoxical species alone 
 exhibiting a single short ramification. They are some- 
 times common to both sexes ; but more frequently exist 
 only in the male. Internally they are formed by an 
 osseous protuberance of the frontal bone, generally solid 
 in its consistence like the deciduous horns of the Stags, 
 and destitute of cavities or cells. By this latter cir- 
 cumstance alone, combined with the roundness of their 
 external contour, are the horns of some of the species 
 to be distinguished from those of the Goats, which are 
 always hollow within, containing pervious cavities com- 
 municating with the frontal sinuses. There is reason, 
 however, to believe that the latter structure likewise 
 obtains in several well marked Antelopes. The bony 
 processes are permanently attached to the skull, and 
 are enveloped on the outside by a sheath of homy 
 matter, increasing by successive layers from the base in 
 proportion to the growth of the nucleus within. This 
 outer covering, to which the name of horn is more 
 peculiarly appropriate, is rounded in its outline in all 
 the genuine Antelopes, and is most commonly marked 
 by circular elevated rings or by a continuous raised 
 spiral line. In some few it is perfectly smooth through-
 
 THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. 119 
 
 out. The direction of the horns is extremely variable : 
 it is usually more or less ascending from the base ; but 
 their points may be turned forwards or backwards, or to 
 either side. In many species they are spirally twisted 
 so as to form two or three perfect convolutions. 
 
 By means principally of the almost endless variety of 
 modifications in form and direction to which these 
 organs are liable, it has been proposed to subdivide the 
 Antelopes into numerous genera ; but the groups thus 
 produced are for the most part confessedly artificial, 
 and have no other bond of union, and nothing to 
 separate them from their fellows, but this one solitary 
 character. Such an arrangement doubtless has its use 
 in simplifying the study of a tribe so numerically exten- 
 sive by the application of an easy method of analysis ; 
 but it can have no pretensions to be regarded as forming 
 part of a natural system, in which, it cannot be too 
 often repeated, the genus should give rise to the cha- 
 racter, and not the character to the genus. Acting 
 upon this principle we cannot but treat the Antelopes, 
 for the present at least, as a single great natural genus, 
 artificially distributed into sections ; although some of 
 its component parts will doubtless hereafter be found 
 to require separation from the rest. In that case the 
 genus itself will form a family, the limits of which will 
 then be more accurately defined than at present, by 
 means of the extensive researches into its natural his- 
 tory and economy which must be entered upon before 
 such a subdivision can be properly attempted or satis- 
 factorily accomplished. 
 
 The remainder of its characters are rather those of 
 general appearance than of essential structure. The 
 body is usually slightly and elegantly formed, and 
 supported by long slender limbs, the anterior of which 
 are shorter than the posterior. The line of profile in
 
 120 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 most of the species is nearly straight, and commonly 
 terminates in a moist naked muzzle. The latter is, 
 however, frequently wanting, the extremity of the nose 
 being covered with hair. Beneath the inner angle of 
 the eyes many of them are furnished with a fissure of 
 greater or less extent, which expands into a cavity called 
 the suborbital sinus, and secretes a peculiar fluid, the 
 purposes of which are not yet thoroughly understood. 
 Their ears are rather large, upright, pointed, open, and 
 moveable ; their eyes brilliant, full, and prominent ; and 
 their tongues soft and smooth. Their hair is generally 
 short, close, and regular ; and they have very rarely a 
 dependent beard beneath the chin. A large proportion 
 of the species have broad tufts of long diverging hairs 
 upon the knees. Their hoofs are usually longer, slen- 
 derer, and more acute than those of the Deer. They 
 are chiefly natives of Africa and Southern Asia, but 
 more especially of the former continent. Only one 
 species, the Chamois of the Alps, is found in Western 
 Europe; and no more than two or three, the habits 
 and characters of which are still very imperfectly known, 
 have hitherto been discovered in America. In manners 
 they are gentle and peaceable, but at the same time 
 wild and timid, and easily scared. They live, like all 
 the other Ruminants, solely upon vegetable food ; and 
 generally congregate together in little herds or families. 
 Most of them are exceedingly fleet, and outstrip even 
 the Stag in the velocity of their flight. 
 
 The name of Antelope, appropriated by all the early 
 English writers, and afterwards by Buffon, to the beau- 
 tiful species figured at the head of the present article, 
 but generically extended by Pallas to the entire group 
 of which it forms part, is generally believed to be of 
 fabulous origin. Although apparently of Greek forma- 
 tion, Bochart suspects it to have been derived from the
 
 THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. 121 
 
 Coptic Pantholops, which, according to that writer, 
 signifies the Unicorn. Its adoption in the languages 
 of Europe is traced no farther back than the fourth 
 century of the Christian era, when it was employed by 
 Eustathius in his Hexameron to designate an imaginary 
 animal, living on the banks of the Euphrates, sawing 
 down trees with its horns, and entangling itself by the 
 same jagged protuberances among the bushes, so as to 
 become an easy prey to the hunters. This account of 
 its habits was so obviously apocryphal as to induce 
 Linnaeus, in the first edition of his System, to place the 
 Antelope among- the fabulous and paradoxical beasts. 
 Even in the last edition of his great work, published in 
 1766, he refused admission to the name ; and persisted 
 in retaining all the animals now universally distin- 
 guished as Antelopes in the same genus with the Goats. 
 Only five species of the group are there characterized ; 
 but Pallas, in the succeeding year, increased the num- 
 ber to sixteen, and ten years afterwards added six more, 
 making in all twenty-two. In his excellent Memoirs 
 upon this subject the species are discriminated with 
 judgment and precision ; the synonymy is established 
 by careful comparison; and detailed descriptions are 
 added both of the external and internal structure of 
 those which had fallen under his personal observation. 
 They form the basis on which all subsequent zoologists 
 have worked ; and although the number of the species 
 has since been more than doubled may still be regarded 
 as models in their kind. The most active and success- 
 ful of the later investigators of this difficult group have 
 been M. de Blainville, Major Hamilton Smith, and 
 Professor Lichtenstein. The latter gentleman has an- 
 nounced his intention of again revising the entire genus ; 
 and M. Temminck has also been for some time engaged 
 in the preparation of a similar monograph ; so that we
 
 122 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 may shortly expect considerable additions to our know- 
 ledge in this interesting department. 
 
 The Indian Antelope is nearly equal in size to the 
 Fallow-deer, which it closely resembles in form, but 
 with some slight differences in the shape of the head. 
 In the full grown male the whole of the back and 
 upper parts of the sides, together with a broad band 
 occupying the entire fore part of the neck, the outsides 
 of the limbs, the upper surface of the tail, the ears, and 
 a considerable portion of the head and face, are of a 
 deep fawn colour, shaded more and more, as the animal 
 advances in age, with an intermixture of black hairs, 
 which are most numerous over the shoulders, on the 
 fore legs, on the front of the neck, round the bases of 
 the horns, and on the face where they are still deeper 
 than on any other part. The under surface from the 
 chest to the tip of the tail, a tuft of long hairs at the 
 end of the latter, a broad patch on the buttocks, the 
 insides of the limbs, the extremity of the nose, the lower 
 lip, the chin, and a broad circle round each of the eyes, 
 are pure white. The line of separation between the 
 colours is distinctly marked in every part. Below each 
 eye there is usually a small dusky spot marking the 
 commencement of the suborbital sinus, which is of large 
 size. A similar patch occurs at the junction of the 
 hoofs. The latter are black, acute, much elongated, 
 and not separable to any great extent from each other. 
 Beneath the knees on the fore leers is a broad brush of 
 
 o 
 
 radiating hairs. The horns, which make their appear- 
 ance in the seventh month, increase rapidly in size until 
 the third year, at which time they have completed two 
 spiral turns, and are marked by about twelve elevated 
 rings. After this period their growth is less rapid ; but 
 at six years old the number of convolutions is increased 
 to three, and that of the circular rings to twenty-seven.
 
 THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. 123 
 
 They are then about thirteen inches in length, closely 
 approximated at the base, and separated at the points 
 by an interval of a foot. At a still more advanced 
 period they may attain sixteen, twenty, or even twenty- 
 four inches in length ; but the number of complete 
 convolutions seldom reaches four. 
 
 The female differs from the male in the entire absence 
 of horns. Her general colour is of a lighter fawn, and 
 never assumes the dusky tinge of the adult male. On 
 the fore part of the neck she is of a light ashy gray ; 
 and a grayish line passes along each side of her back 
 from the shoulders to the rump. In other respects 
 there is little external difference between the sexes. 
 The young male is scarcely to be distinguished in colour 
 from the female ; but he becomes gradually darker, and 
 the light stripes along the back gradually vanish, as he 
 advances to maturity. 
 
 These animals appear to be common in the north of 
 India. They associate together in small herds, which 
 probably consist only of a single family, and are under 
 the guidance of an old male. They are extremely shy 
 and timid ; and are not easily to be run down, on ac- 
 count of their surpassing velocity and the great length 
 of their bounds, by means of which they distance the 
 fleetest dogs. They are sometimes, however, surprised 
 by Chetahs or Hunting Leopards trained for the pur- 
 pose ; and are also occasionally flown at by Hawks, 
 which keep them occupied until the dogs have time to 
 come up with them and seize them. Another mode of 
 catching the males, according to Thevenot, is by twist- 
 ing a rope in various intricate turns round the horns of 
 a tame one and turning him out among the herd. The 
 head of the family immediately resents this invasion of 
 his privileges and a battle ensues, which, being carried 
 on with the horns alone, speedily terminates in entan-
 
 124 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 gling the two together, and the capture of both follows 
 as a necessary consequence. 
 
 The Indian Antelopes are as easily reconciled to cap- 
 tivity as the Deer, which they so much resemble in their 
 manners ; and might consequently be introduced into 
 our parks with equal advantage, and perhaps superior 
 ornament, should the climate not prove uncongenial to 
 their propagation. The few which have been occa- 
 sionally brought to Europe appear not to have suffered 
 in any great degree by the change. A pair which were 
 kept in the Menagerie of the Prince of Orange in the 
 neighbourhood of the Hague about the middle of the 
 last century, and of which Pallas has left an interesting 
 account, lived there for several years, bore the winter 
 as well as the deer preserved in the same establishment, 
 and produced young in their confinement. The male is 
 spoken of as being wild and shy ; but the female seems 
 to have been perfectly gentle, good tempered, and fami- 
 liar. She would take bread from the hands of the vi- 
 siters, raising herself on her hind legs for the purpose ; 
 and seemed to feel pleasure in being noticed. When 
 driven about in their enclosure, they would generally 
 commence at a trot, then break into a gallop, and at 
 length set off' at full speed, taking leaps of a surprising 
 length. 
 
 The Society's specimen, a full grown male, exhibits 
 but little shyness, and is remarkably good tempered. 
 If provoked it butts with its forehead, but does not 
 appear to make use of its horns as weapons of offence. 
 It has been for several months an inhabitant of the 
 Garden, and has hitherto, notwithstanding the wetness 
 of the season, borne the climate well. A beautiful 
 Albino, formerly in the Collection, is also figured in 
 the cut.
 
 THE NYL-GHAU. 
 
 A\TILOPE PICTA. PALL. 
 
 THE Nyl-ghau was quite unknown to the older natu- 
 ralists. A notice of a nameless " Quadruped brought 
 from Bengal," inserted by Dr. Parsons in the forty- 
 third volume of the Philosophical Transactions, and 
 accompanied by an imperfect figure, appears to contain 
 the earliest description of this fine species of Antelope. 
 But neither the description nor the figure were recog- 
 nised as belonging to the Nyl-ghau, when the latter 
 again made its appearance in England in 1767. A pair, 
 male and female, were in that year sent from Bombay 
 as a present to Lord Clive, to whom we are indebted
 
 126 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 for the first introduction of many rare and interesting 
 animals. Shortly afterwards a second pair, which had 
 been presented to the Queen, were placed by her 
 Majesty at the disposal of Dr. William Hunter, who 
 published, also in the Philosophical Transactions, a 
 full and detailed description of them, together with an 
 excellent figure from the pencil of Stubbs, the most 
 distinguished animal painter of his day. They were 
 immediately adopted by Pennant in his Synopsis, where 
 they were again figured, as a species of Antelope ; and 
 his classification has been followed by Pallas, and all 
 subsequent systematists. 
 
 The male Nyl-ghau is superior in stature to the Stag, 
 as well as more robust in his proportions. His head is 
 rather large ; his muzzle long and narrow ; his ears 
 middle-sized, open, and terminating abruptly in an 
 obtuse point ; his neck long and thick ; his shoulders 
 surmounted by a slight hump ; his hinder quarters 
 much less elevated than his fore parts ; his legs thicker 
 than those of most other Antelopes ; and his tail of 
 considerable length, reaching below the joint of the leg, 
 and ending in a tuft of long hairs. His eyes are full, 
 black, and prominent ; and his suborbital sinuses large 
 and obvious. The form of his horns is conical and 
 slightly curved, with the concavity directed inwards 
 and the points turned forwards. They take their origin 
 by a triangular base of considerable thickness, marked 
 with two or three indistinctly elevated rings, but become 
 perfectly round and smooth above, tapering rapidly into 
 a rather obtuse point. Their length is from seven to 
 eight inches; and their colour a uniform dull black, 
 corresponding with that of the hoofs. 
 
 On all .the upper parts of the body the general colour 
 is of a slaty gray, the bases of the hairs being for the 
 most part white with an occasional tinge of brown, and 
 their tips dusky black. A thin mane of long black and
 
 THE NYL-GHAU. 127 
 
 white hairs extends along the middle line of the neck 
 and part of the back. The head, legs, and under parts 
 of the body are of a much deeper shade than the upper, 
 the general tint being grayish black with a slight mix- 
 ture of brown. On the forehead a few darker lines 
 pass obliquely above and between the eyes. The muz- 
 zle, lips, inside of the mouth, and tongue are dusky 
 brown. Along the outer edges of the lips and on the 
 fore part of the chin, the hairs are pure white; two 
 roundish spots of white also occur on either side of the 
 face behind the angle of the mouth, and a third, less 
 distinctly marked, above the inner angle of the eye. 
 A narrow band of white passes along the centre of the 
 throat, and terminates on the upper part of the neck 
 in a broad patch. The legs are also most commonly 
 marked by a transverse white band immediately above 
 the hoofs in front, and by a second patch of the same 
 opposite to the accessory hoofs on the inner side. 
 Beneath the fore part of the neck is a tuft of long 
 pendulous black hairs ; and those which terminate the 
 tail are of the same colour. The under side of the 
 latter, the long hairs by which it is fringed, and the 
 adjacent parts, are nearly white. 
 
 The female is much smaller than the male, and at 
 the same time lighter and more slender in her propor- 
 tions. She is entirely destitute of horns, has less hump 
 on the shoulders, and her hind quarters are more nearly 
 on a level with her fore. Her general colour, as also 
 that of the young male, is a pale reddish brown, marked 
 with precisely the same spots and patches of white as 
 appear upon the full grown male. 
 
 The Nyl-ghaus appear to be by no means generally 
 spread over the peninsula of Hindoostan, but to be 
 confined to its north-western provinces and the coun- 
 tries situated between them and Persia. Bernier, who 
 alone of all the older travellers mentions the animal by
 
 128 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 name or in such a manner as to admit of its being 
 recognised, introduces it incidentally as one of the 
 beasts which were hunted by the Mogul Emperor 
 Aurung-zebe during his progress from Delhi to his 
 summer retreat in Cashmeer. It would seem from the 
 numbers of which he speaks as being sometimes taken 
 on those occasions, to be very abundant ; but we have 
 not, up to the present time, any particular account of 
 its habits in a state of nature. In captivity it is gentle 
 and familiar, licking the hands of those who offer it 
 bread, and suffering itself to be played with, not only 
 without shyness, but with evident pleasure. There are, 
 however, seasons at which it becomes capricious in its 
 temper. When meditating an attack it falls suddenly 
 upon its fore knees, shuffles onwards in that posture 
 until it has advanced to within a few paces of the 
 object of its irritation, and then darts forward with a 
 powerful spring, and butts with its head in the most 
 determined manner. Its walk is awkward in conse- 
 quence of the comparative shortness of its hind legs, 
 and the width to which it extends them ; but in run- 
 ning this defect is scarcely perceptible. Lord Olive's 
 original specimens several times produced young ; but 
 we are not aware that the breed has been continued, or 
 that the same success has attended their introduction 
 in other quarters.
 
 
 '/A, * , ^^^CrT- '---, ?*'-? '" -' ^^J"^ '' 
 
 ' n " ^'^ f ^^^^^ f ~^ s ^\^^-^ ' 
 
 "^K^^^^^^^^S^^ 
 
 THE POLAR BEAR. 
 
 URSVS MARITIMUS. ERXL. 
 
 WERE we to judge of the magnitude and ferocity of 
 the Polar Bear from the relations of the older navi- 
 gators alone, we should be compelled to regard it as 
 the most tremendous beast of prey in existence. Later 
 and more accurate observations have, however, taught 
 us that the statements which formerly passed current 
 with respect to it were, to say the least, grossly exag- 
 gerated ; the terrors of the writers having obscured 
 their judgment, or their attachment to the marvellous 
 having superseded their love of truth. Thus when we 
 are told by Gerard de Veer that the skin of one killed 
 by him and his comrades measured twenty-three feet in 
 length ; by Heemskirk, another of the same party, that 
 they were frequently attacked by the bears, which
 
 130 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 seized on the bodies of the seamen, carried them off 
 in their mouths with the greatest ease, and devoured 
 them at their leisure within sight of the survivors ; or 
 even by Robert Lade, that two of these animals made 
 an attack upon a party of hunters, killed several of the 
 natives, and desperately wounded two Englishmen ; we 
 are quite unable to reconcile their statements with the 
 fact that the Polar Bear is in reality but little larger 
 than the common European species, and more dangerous 
 only in proportion to this augmentation in size. 
 
 Of the vast numbers observed by our adventurous 
 countrymen in the late northern expeditions, the largest 
 appears to have been one, the length of which is stated 
 by Captain Lyon at eight feet seven inches and a half, 
 and its weight at sixteen hundred pounds. No previous 
 authentic measurement had much exceeded seven feet ; 
 and the far greater number even of fully adult indivi- 
 duals are spoken of as of very inferior dimensions. A 
 specimen in the French Menagerie, which afforded 
 M. Cuvier the first truly characteristic representation 
 of the species ever published, measured about six Eng- 
 lish feet at its first arrival, and had not increased in 
 size at the end of seven years. A female mentioned by 
 Dr. Richardson as having been attended by two cubs, 
 and therefore unquestionably adult, " was so small that 
 two or three men were able to lift her into a boat." 
 And another female, also adult, of which some account 
 is given by Pallas, was no more than six feet nine 
 inches from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail. 
 These instances are fully sufficient to show the fallacy 
 of the measurements transmitted to us by the earlier 
 writers. 
 
 The shape of the Polar Bear is very different from 
 that of the more strictly terrestrial species, and seems 
 peculiarly fitted to the liquid element in which it passes
 
 THE POLAR BEAR. 131 
 
 the greater part of its existence. Without losing the 
 clumsiness of form so characteristic of the genus, it is 
 much more elongated in all its parts excepting the legs, 
 and makes an approach in this particular, although it 
 must be owned a very distant one, to the Otters and 
 other amphibious beasts of prey. The flatness of its 
 head also presents a striking analogy to the same tribe 
 of animals. Instead of the indentation between the 
 forehead and muzzle observable in the Brown Bear, the 
 line of its profile is nearly straight, while the upper 
 and hinder part of its cranium is rather depressed than 
 elevated. The muzzle itself is broader and thicker, and 
 the head much narrower and more cylindrical. But 
 the most remarkable elongation occurs in the neck, 
 which is nearly twice as long and quite as thick as the 
 head. The feet also are longer than in the Brown Bear, 
 and are more than proportionally broad. The ears and 
 mouth are peculiarly small. The fur is throughout of 
 a dull silvery w T hite with a slight tinge of yellow. It is 
 short and even on the head, neck, and upper part of 
 the back ; and long, fine, and woolly on the hinder 
 parts, belly, and legs. The extremity of the nose, a 
 circle round each of the eyes, and the margins of the 
 lips are black, with somewhat of a violet tinge on the 
 latter. A still lighter shade prevails on the tongue and 
 inside of the mouth. The sole is almost entirely clothed 
 with long hair, by which a firm footing on the ice is 
 secured ; and the claws are short, thick, black, and but 
 little curved. 
 
 But the differences in manners and habits between 
 the White and the Brown Bears are still more remark- 
 able than those of form. Instead of seeking with the 
 latter the covert of the forest and choosing in preference 
 the most alpine regions, it invariably makes its abode 
 upon the sea-coast or in the sea itself, preferring the 
 
 K2
 
 132 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 unsheltered summit of an iceberg to every other situa- 
 tion. Fearless of cold, or rather appearing to be most 
 at ease in those latitudes where the cold is most intense, 
 it rarely migrates, even with its floating islands, much 
 beyond the precincts of the Arctic Circle. Consider- 
 able numbers of them are propelled, by a continuance 
 of the northern and western winds, on that part of the 
 coast of Siberia which lies between the Lena and the 
 Jenisei ; and the great frozen island of Nova Zembla 
 is periodically subject to their visitations. On the 
 whole northern coast of America, even so far south as 
 Hudson's Bay, in Greenland and Spitzbergen, they are 
 by no means uncommon ; but they are said never to 
 have been observed on the coast of Kamtschatka or in 
 the sea which separates the great western continent 
 from Asia. Occasionally they approach the shores of 
 Iceland and even of Norway ; but only when driven by 
 necessity, and to meet a certain death at the hands of 
 the hardy natives. 
 
 In the situations which it frequents it is obvious that 
 the Polar Bear cannot subsist upon a vegetable diet, 
 which it has in fact no means of procuring. But 
 although of necessity carnivorous, it is not essentially 
 a predatory animal in the strict sense of the term ; for 
 it seems generally to prefer a dead to a living prey. 
 Its principal food consists in the floating carcasses of 
 whales and fishes ; but before the breaking up of the 
 ice, and on the approach of winter, it watches at the 
 openings in the frozen deep for the seals and other 
 animals which approach them in quest of air, seizes 
 them with great dexterity the moment they emerge 
 from beneath, and devours them with disgusting vora- 
 city. It also sometimes feeds on living fish, more 
 especially when they enter in shoals the gulfs and 
 inlets of the sea ; and Cartwright mentions an instance
 
 THE POLAR BEAR. 133 
 
 in which he saw a Polar Bear diving after a salmon 
 and succeeding in capturing it, a striking proof of 
 the agility of its movements in the water. In the 
 autumn, we are told by Dr. Richardson, it frequents 
 the shores in search of berries and other vegetable 
 matters ; but this deviation from its usual habits is 
 probably more from necessity than choice. We have 
 no account of its climbing trees ; neither does the 
 structure of its claws or its general organization appear 
 fitted for such a purpose. 
 
 The females of this species retire into their winter 
 quarters about the middle of September according to 
 Pallas, or not till the end of December according to 
 Hearne, and leave them with their young in March or 
 April. They do not take much pains in the selection 
 or preparation of their abode ; but generally lie down 
 under a projecting mass of ice, or bury themselves in 
 the snow, which frequently covers them to a very con- 
 siderable depth. It has been doubted whether the 
 males also hybemate, or whether they do not, as Hearne 
 maintains, remain at large during the whole of the 
 winter, feeding upon seals, which they catch on the 
 extreme ledges of the ice. It is certain that they are 
 occasionally met with as late as December, and pro- 
 bably also in January and February ; but these may 
 be only individual instances, in which the animals, not 
 having accumulated sufficient fat for their winter suste- 
 
 <j 
 
 nance, were compelled by hunger to shift for themselves 
 during the usual period of torpor. The males of none 
 of the species appear to hybernate with the same regu- 
 larity as the females, in whom this process appears to 
 be essential to the preservation and security of their 
 offspring. When they first emerge from their winter 
 retreats they are extremely lean ; and the cravings of 
 their own appetites, combined with the necessity of 
 providing for their young, render them at this period
 
 134 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 more ferocious than at any other. Each is generally 
 followed by two cubs, which, in the language of Heame, 
 " are not larger than rabbits, and make a footmark on 
 the snow no bigger than a crown-piece." The old bears 
 are extremely careful of their young, and fight despe- 
 rately in their defence. 
 
 At other times they are by no means formidable, 
 never making the first attack upon a man, although 
 they frequently turn upon him with the utmost fury 
 when attacked by him. Like the other bears they raise 
 themselves for this purpose upon their hinder feet, and 
 rush blindly onwards upon their adversary, who has 
 only to slip nimbly on one side and plunge his weapon 
 into the animal's heart. In this manner the miserable 
 Samoiedes and Tungooses, armed only with a short 
 spear, are not afraid singly to encounter a beast, which, 
 if we are to credit the relations of travellers, was capable 
 of striking terror into the hearts of bands of civilized 
 Europeans armed with muskets, powder, and ball. 
 
 In captivity the Polar Bear has much of the manners 
 of its congeners, but its attitudes are altogether diffe- 
 rent. Its favourite postures are lying flat at its whole 
 length ; sitting upon its haunches with its fore legs 
 perfectly upright and its head and neck in a dependent 
 position ; or standing upon all fours with its fore paws 
 widely extended and its head and neck swinging alter- 
 nately from side to side or upwards and downwards in 
 one continued and equable libration. It feeds raven- 
 ously upon fish, and refuses no kind of flesh that is 
 offered to it ; but that it may be kept entirely upon 
 vegetable food was proved on two individuals confined 
 in the Paris Menagerie. One of these lived five years 
 on bread alone, and the other had thriven upon the 
 same diet for no less than seven years. Our specimen 
 is fed, like the other bears in the collection, upon a 
 mixture of animal and vegetable food.
 
 THE RED MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOPITHECVS RVBER. GEOFF. 
 
 THE Red Monkey of Pennant, the Patas of Buffon and 
 the French writers, is well distinguished from all the 
 other species of Cercopithecus by its peculiar colour 
 and the singularity of its markings. The whole of the 
 upper surface of its head, which is broad and flat, is 
 of a deep rufous brown, which becomes lighter and 
 assumes a rustier tinge on the back and on the outer 
 sides of the limbs, and is continued along the tail until 
 it is lost in the yellowish gray which terminates that 
 organ. A patch of short dusky black hairs occupies 
 the extremity of the nose, and extends upwards in a 
 narrow line to the middle of the forehead, where it 
 joins a series of long stiff coal-black hairs forming an 
 arch over each of the eyes and separating the livid 
 flesh-colour of the orbits and anterior part of the face 
 from the red hairs which clothe the scalp. This 
 double arch terminates in a somewhat expanded patch
 
 136 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 above the outer angles of the eyes. The sides of the 
 upper lip are edged with a narrow line of the same 
 short dusky hairs which cover the nose. Beneath the 
 ears, which are blackish and moderately large, the hair 
 forms broad thick bushy tufts of a light gray, which 
 advance forwards upon the sides of the cheeks and 
 lower jaw, so as to limit the naked part of the face to 
 a narrow space between the eyes and the upper lip. 
 From these tufts the hair is continued of the same 
 colour on the whole of the under surface of the body, 
 and on the inner sides of the limbs. The hands are 
 dusky brown, with very short fingers, the thumb of 
 the fore hand especially being reduced almost to a mere 
 tubercle. The facial angle is moderately elongated, and 
 the nose flattened. The body measures about sixteen 
 inches in length, and the tail is nearly equal. 
 
 This monkey is a native of Senegal, and perhaps 
 also of Upper Egypt. In character and disposition it 
 closely corresponds with the neighbouring species. Our 
 specimen is lively and active, but somewhat irascible if 
 disturbed or handled. It is, however, too young to be 
 dangerous. When pleased it dances on all fours in a 
 peculiar and measured step, which is far from being 
 ungraceful ; although after a time it becomes ludicrous 
 from its regular monotony.
 
 THE LESSER WHITE-NOSED MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOPITHECUS PETAVRISTA. GEOFF. 
 
 THIS pretty little Monkey, first described by Allamand 
 in the Amsterdam edition of Buffon under the name of 
 Blanc Nez, is one of the smallest, and at the same time 
 one of the most curiously marked, as far at least as 
 regards the face, among the Cercopitheci. It may 
 always be recognised at the first glance by the white 
 patch which occupies the extremity of its nose, and 
 which occurs in none of the other monkeys, except the 
 Cercopithecus nictitans, the White-nosed Monkey of 
 Pennant, and Guenon a Nez Blanc proeminent of Buffon. 
 From this species, however, it is well distinguished by 
 the remarkable flatness of that feature which in the 
 latter is peculiarly prominent. Some confusion in the 
 synonymy has been created by Audebert, who has 
 figured in his Histoire Naturelle des Singes a mere 
 variety of the Blanc-nez, in which the naked parts of 
 the face are of a bluish violet, under the name of
 
 138 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Ascagne, adopted by most of the later French natu- 
 ralists as the designation of the species. 
 
 The white spot on the tip of the nose which gives so 
 peculiar a physiognomy to the present species is formed 
 by short smooth close-set hairs, on either side of which 
 a narrow line of deep black passes obliquely downwards 
 towards the angle of the mouth, and joins a circle of the 
 same colour surrounding the naked part of the face 
 and orbits. The colour of the latter parts is dusky or 
 brownish black. On the outer side of this circle the 
 cheeks and lower part of the face are covered with long 
 whitish hairs, which form separate tufts beneath the 
 ears, where they take a direction backwards. The same 
 light-coloured hairs are continued along the whole infe- 
 rior surface of the body, and also, with a slight mixture 
 of gray, on the inner sides of the limbs and under part 
 of the tail. The general colour of the upper surface is 
 brown mixed with gray, deeper on the back and tail, 
 and on the outer sides of the limbs. The hands are 
 nearly black. The usual length of the body is from 
 ten to twelve inches, and that of the tail half as much 
 again. 
 
 In manners and disposition this species is lively, 
 active, and generally good-tempered. Our specimen 
 was, however, by no means familiar, and appeared to 
 be particularly anxious to conceal its face, crying out 
 and kicking with all its might when handled for the 
 purpose of inspection. It died in the spring of last year, 
 and its stuffed skin is now preserved in the Society's 
 Museum. Another specimen has since been added to 
 the Menagerie. 
 
 The Lesser White-nosed Monkey is a native of 
 Guinea, and seems to be peculiarly susceptible of cold, 
 seldom bearing for any length of time the rigour of a 
 European climate.
 
 THE SLOW-PACED LEMUR. 
 
 LORIS TARDIGRADUS. GEOFF. 
 
 IN an early Memoir on the family to which this sin- 
 gular little creature belongs, M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire 
 divided it for the first time into those minor groups of 
 which it was most obviously composed. But he has 
 subsequently carried the principle of subdivision to a 
 still greater extent by separating the present species 
 frem the Slender Loris, with which he had previously 
 associated it, in order to form of it and of some other 
 doubtful species a new genus under the name of Nycti- 
 cebus. We cannot perceive any sufficient grounds for 
 thus disuniting two animals so intimately allied to each 
 other, and differing in no more essential characters 
 than the somewhat greater length of the nose and of 
 the limbs in the one than in the other. It is for this 
 reason that we prefer his older arrangement, and pro- 
 ceed in accordance therewith to describe our animal as 
 a species of Loris, a well marked, circumscribed, and
 
 140 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 natural genus, differing from the Lemurs of the same 
 author in many highly important characters. It is to 
 be regretted that M. Geoffrey should not have applied 
 the latter name to the species to which it was originally 
 given by Linnaeus, and to which alone it is in any degree 
 applicable; the Madagascar animals at present com- 
 prehended under it not presenting even one of those 
 characters on which Linnaeus himself states that his 
 generic name was founded. 
 
 In common with the latter group the genus Loris 
 forms part of that division of the Quadrumanous Order 
 which is essentially distinguished by an unequal num- 
 ber or irregular disposition of the incisor teeth in the 
 two jaws ; terminal nostrils with sinuous openings ; and 
 a long subulate or sickle-shaped claw upon the fore- 
 finger of the hinder hands, all the rest of the nails 
 being flat and rounded like those of the greater part of 
 the monkeys and of man. The Loris differ from the 
 other genera of this family in having four incisors in 
 the upper jaw, placed in pairs with a vacant space 
 between, and six in the lower, directed obliquely for- 
 wards ; canines of moderate size ; twelve molars above 
 and ten below ; a short rounded head ; and little or no 
 tail. Sometimes, it would appear, the lateral incisors 
 of the upper jaw, which are always smaller than the 
 others, are either entirely wanting or so minute as not 
 to be easily seen. But M. Geoffroy was enabled to 
 detect them in the identical specimen which Vosmaer 
 had declared not to possess them ; and it is by no 
 means improbable that future investigators may ascer- 
 tain their existence in the stuffed individuals sent from 
 Java by M. Leschenault, of which M. Geoffroy has 
 made a new species, principally on account of the 
 supposed absence of these teeth. In addition to these 
 primary characters the Loris are distinguished by large 
 prominent eyes, placed in front of the head and at no
 
 THE SLOW-PACED LEMUR. 141 
 
 great distance from each other; short ears, scarcely 
 rising through the hair with which they are invested ; 
 a rough tongue; nostrils projecting beyond the mouth 
 and surrounded by a naked muzzle ; and thumbs widely 
 separated from the fingers both on the fore and hinder 
 hands. 
 
 Linnaeus confounded both the well authenticated 
 species of this group, the Slender Loris and the pre- 
 sent, under the name of Lemur tardigradus. It is 
 evident that he had seen them both ; for in the Musaeum 
 Adolphi Friderici Regis he describes the former from 
 one of the specimens previously figured by Seba, and 
 in the tenth edition of his Systema gives a short but 
 characteristic description of the latter. This was well 
 described and figured by Vosmaer in 1770 ; and adopted 
 from his book by Buffon in the last of his supplementary 
 volumes. In the latter place some curious particulars 
 relative to its habits were added from the observations 
 of M. D'Obsonville, who afterwards republished them 
 together with many other details of a similar kind in 
 his interesting Essays. Sir William Jones has also 
 given an excellent account of a specimen in his posses- 
 sion : and M. John has added some interesting details 
 founded on the observation of several individuals. Its 
 article in Shaw's Zoology, compiled from Vosmaer and 
 Sir William Jones, is enriched by some valuable obser- 
 vations on its anatomy from the pen of Sir Anthony 
 Carlisle. And latterly Mr. Baird has published, in 
 London's Magazine of Natural History, a very full and 
 interesting account of an individual brought by himself 
 from India. As far therefore as regards its zoological 
 characters and manners in captivity, its history may be 
 considered as tolerably complete. Of its habits in a 
 state of nature we yet know but little. 
 
 The Slow-paced Lemur is an animal of small size, 
 scarcely equal to that of a cat. The largest individual
 
 142 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 yet noticed appears to be that seen by Pennant, who 
 states its length at no less than sixteen inches from 
 the nose to the extremity of its back. Its proportions 
 are short and thickset; and the apparent clumsiness 
 of its form is much increased by the manner in which 
 it usually contracts itself into a kind of ball. Its head 
 is broad, flat, and rounded, with a slightly projecting 
 and pointed muzzle, in which the nostrils are perforated 
 laterally. Its eyes are large and perfectly orbicular, 
 and furnished with transverse pupils capable of being 
 entirely closed during the day, and of being very largely 
 dilated at night : their inner canthus is situated so low 
 towards the nose that the motion of the eyelids appears 
 to take place in a diagonal, instead of a horizontal, 
 direction. The ears are short, round, widely open, but 
 buried in the fur ; and the tail is merely a rudiment of 
 a few lines in length. The hinder limbs are consider- 
 ably longer than the fore. The whole of the body, 
 with the exception of the muzzle and hands, is thickly 
 invested with long, close, woolly hair of a deep ashy 
 gray with something of a brownish tinge. A deep 
 brown or chestnut band passes along the middle line of 
 the back, and is accompanied on either side by a faint 
 grayish stripe, expanding on the back of the head into 
 a still lighter patch. The dark middle stripe divides on 
 the head into two branches, each of which is again 
 subdivided, the posterior division passing transversely 
 across the forehead and enclosing the ear, the anterior 
 crossing the eye obliquely and extending to the angle 
 of the mouth. Between the two, above the outer angle 
 of the eye, is a large white spot. Each of the eyes is 
 surrounded by a ring of dusky black, between which a 
 narrow white line passes from the back part of the 
 head to the tip of the nose, which, with the exception 
 of the naked muzzle, is also white. The latter, together 
 with the naked parts of the hands, is of a livid flesh-
 
 THE SLOW-PACED LEMUR. 143 
 
 colour with a tinge of black. On the under surface the 
 fur is of a lighter gray than above. 
 
 The habits of this singular creature are perfectly 
 nocturnal. It sleeps throughout the whole of the day, 
 unless when disturbed, either rolled up on the floor of 
 its cage, or more commonly suspended by its paws from 
 the bars, with its body drawn together and its head 
 folded in upon the breast. Towards evening it rouses 
 itself by degrees, and remains watchful during the 
 night. Its first care on awaking is to make itself clean 
 by licking its fur like a cat ; and its next to satisfy its 
 appetite. Its natural food appears to consist of a mix- 
 ture of animal and vegetable substances. The latter, 
 especially the sweeter fruits, and sopped bread sprin- 
 kled with sugar, have usually formed the principal part 
 of the diet of those with whose history we have been 
 made acquainted ; but the smaller animals, whether 
 mice, birds, or insects, appear to be more peculiarly 
 acceptable. In its motions it is excessively slow and 
 languid. When on the ground its posture is constrained 
 and unnatural, and it rather drags itself along than 
 walks. On a tree, or in mounting the bars of its cage, 
 it seems more at its ease, but still moves with slow and 
 cautious regularity. Grasping a branch or a bar in the 
 first place tightly with one of its fore paws, it gradually 
 fixes the other, and then advances its hinder hands 
 with equal slowness and precision, never quitting its 
 hold with the one until it has ascertained the firmness 
 of its grasp with the other. 
 
 In consequence, as we may imagine, of this want of 
 activity, the Slow-paced Lemur is peculiarly susceptible 
 of cold, to guard it from which its thick fur, so unusual 
 in the animals of a tropical climate, is beautifully 
 adapted. Generally speaking it is a timid and even a 
 gentle animal, rarely offering offence unless when pro- 
 voked or hastily disturbed from its slumbers. On such
 
 144 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 occasions it will bite with considerable fierceness. But 
 in cold weather its anger is much more easily roused, 
 and it evinces an excessive degree of irritability. Not- 
 withstanding its apparent slothfulness it is easily dis- 
 turbed, more especially by any unusual sound, the 
 complicated structure of its large open organs of hearing 
 rendering them peculiarly susceptible. It seems to 
 become after a time in some degree familiar with those 
 by whom it is fed and protected, and allows them to 
 stroke it on the head and throat, appearing to take a 
 pleasure in their caresses. 
 
 In feeding it commonly seizes its food with both 
 hands, and then consigns it to one, sitting upright on 
 its haunches and generally suspended by its hinder 
 paws, to eat it. When a small live animal is placed 
 within its reach, it relaxes its hold with its fore paws, 
 and seizing its victim with more rapidity than might 
 be expected from its ordinary habits, destroys it with 
 much dexterity, and soon deposits the carcass in its 
 stomach, devouring the bones as well as the flesh, but 
 rejecting the feathers of birds which it previously plucks 
 off. It is probable that in a state of nature it lives almost 
 wholly upon the trees, prowling abroad at night, and 
 preying upon sleeping birds, insects, and mice, which it 
 approaches unawares and seizes before they are suffici- 
 ently roused to notice its proximity ; they would other- 
 wise readily make their escape from an animal so tardy 
 in its motions. When it fails in procuring these, it may 
 have recourse to fruits, on which alone it thrives very 
 well in captivity. 
 
 Its nocturnal and unobtrusive habits may probably 
 account in some degree for the rarity of its appearance. 
 It seems, however, to be widely spread, having been 
 found in Bengal and other parts of the Peninsula of 
 Hindoostan, and in Ceylon, Penang, and Java.
 
 THE RED LEMUR. 
 
 LEMVR RVBER. PERON. 
 
 THE Red Lemur is not only one of the most beautiful 
 animals of the singular group to which it belongs, but 
 it also possesses the additional recommendation of being 
 unquestionably the rarest known species. Although 
 originally discovered by Commerson, among whose 
 papers a drawing of it was found, it remained unknown 
 to science until the return to France of the memorable 
 expedition under Captain Baudin. The zoologists of 
 that celebrated voyage, MM. Peron and Le Sueur, 
 brought home with them a single skin, from which they 
 were enabled to characterize it as a distinct species. 
 Nothing farther was known with respect to it until 
 within ten years of the present time, when a living 
 individual, scarcely more than half as large as that 
 which now exists in the Society's collection, was 
 brought to Paris and was figured by M. Frederic 
 
 L
 
 146 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Cuvier in his splendid work. A living specimen in 
 the collection at Exeter Change has since been noticed 
 by Mr. Griffith in his Vertebrated Animals. We are 
 not aware that any other specimens, either living or 
 dead, have fallen under the observation of zoologists ; 
 and we therefore feel justified in regarding it as a 
 singularly rare and interesting creature. 
 
 In the preceding article we have briefly stated the 
 characters of the grand division of the Quadrumanous 
 Order, to which belong both the Slow-paced Lemur or 
 Loris, and the true Lemurs of modern authors. It 
 therefore only remains in the present instance to point 
 out in what respects the latter genus differs from all 
 the other groups which constitute the family. These 
 differences consist principally in the number and posi- 
 tion of its teeth ; the form of its head ; and the propor- 
 tional length of its limbs and tail. In the true Lemurs 
 the incisor teeth are six in number in the lower jaw, 
 long, slender, and sloping forwards ; and four in the 
 upper, ranged in pairs with a vacant space between, 
 the bone being too thin at its anteiior part to admit of 
 the implantation of teeth within its substance. The 
 canines of the lower jaw differ from those of the other 
 Quadrumanous families in their short triangular shape, 
 and in their locking in, when the mouth is closed, 
 behind those of the upper, which are long, very much 
 curved, and extremely thin. The cheek teeth consist 
 of three false and as many true molars on either side 
 of the upper jaw ; and of only two false and three true 
 molars in the lower. The head is elongated, triangular, 
 and pointed, with a sharp projecting muzzle. The 
 posterior limbs are little longer than the anterior ; the 
 tail is long, thick, and bushy ; and the whole body is 
 covered with thick close woolly hair to such a degree 
 as nearly to double in appearance its real bulk. In
 
 THE RED LEMUR. 147 
 
 other respects the Lemurs agree for the most part with 
 the other animals which compose the family. As in 
 them their hands and feet are equally well formed for 
 grasping with those of the Monkeys, to which they 
 approximate very closely in the more essential points 
 of their internal structure ; the fore-fingers of the pos- 
 terior extremities have long subulate claws, while the 
 nails of all the other fingers are flat; their eyes are 
 large and directed forwards ; and their nostrils terminal 
 in a naked muzzle. None of the group exceed from 
 two feet to two feet and a half in length, exclusive of 
 the tail ; and the greater number of them are scarcely 
 more than half that size. Upwards of a dozen species 
 have been described ; but it is probable that of these 
 not more than eight or nine would stand the test of a 
 rigid examination. 
 
 The Lemurs are all natives of Madagascar and of 
 one or two smaller islands in its neighbourhood. We 
 know but little of their habits in a state of nature, but 
 they are said to live in large bands upon the trees, 
 feeding principally upon fruits ; and their conformation 
 renders this account extremely probable. They are 
 almost equally agile with the Monkeys ; but are much 
 more gentle and peaceable in their dispositions. In 
 captivity they are generally good-tempered, but do not 
 usually exhibit much playfulness or intelligence. After 
 a time, however, they become familiar with those who 
 have the care of them, towards whom they will some- 
 times evince a considerable degree of affection. Fruits 
 and roots form the principal part of their nutriment; 
 but dressed meat or even raw fish appear to be not 
 unwelcome additions to their vegetable diet. Notwith- 
 standing the thickness of their coats they are extremely 
 chilly, and are very fond of basking in the sun or 
 crouching by the fireside. In walking or leaping they 
 
 L2
 
 148 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 usually raise their long bushy tails above the level of 
 their backs ; but when at rest they either suffer them 
 to hang down, or coil them around their bodies to 
 retain the warmth. 
 
 In the Red Lemur the general colour of the upper 
 surface of the body is of a bright rufous brown, and 
 that of the under parts of a deep black. The former 
 includes the sides of the face, the ears, the back and 
 sides, and the outer surface of the limbs ; the latter the 
 forehead, the naked face itself, the throat, breast, and 
 abdomen, the inside of the limbs, and the entire feet, 
 with the exception of a narrow stripe of white passing 
 across the upper surface of the hinder ones. The tail 
 is perfectly black throughout. A large oval patch of 
 white occupies the back of the neck, extending from 
 behind the ears to between the shoulders, and sepa- 
 rating the black of the head from the red of the back. 
 In M. F. Cuvier's figure it would appear as though a 
 band of red passed between this white patch and the 
 black of the head transversely from ear to ear ; but no 
 such marking is visible in our specimen, nor is it 
 referred to in that gentleman's description of his ani- 
 mal. M. Desmarest has also, both in his Mammalogie 
 and in the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles, de- 
 scribed the naked face and hands as of a deep red : in 
 our specimen, as in M. F. Cuvier's figure and descrip- 
 tion, they are of the purest black. The irides are of a 
 lighter yellow than those of the other species of the 
 genus, and the eyes are lively and expressive. The 
 moustaches are short, black, and rather numerous. 
 The hair of the upper parts and tail is extremely long, 
 soft, and woolly ; the dark fur of the under surface 
 shorter and close. From the nose to the root of the 
 tail measures upwards of two feet, and the tail itself is 
 still longer.
 
 THE THIBET DOG. 
 
 PAMILIARIS. Var. MOLOSSVS THIBETANVS. 
 
 FOR the following particulars relative to these gigantic 
 dogs we are indebted to the kindness of Mr. Broderip, 
 to whom they were communicated by Dr. Wallich. 
 
 " These noble animals are the watch-dogs of the 
 table land of the Himalaya mountains about Thibet. 
 Their masters, the Bhoteas, to whom they are most 
 strongly attached, are a singular race, of a ruddy 
 copper-colour, indicating the bracing air which they 
 breathe, rather short, but of an excellent disposition. 
 Their clothing is adapted to the cold climate which 
 they inhabit, and consists of fur and woollen cloth. 
 The men till the ground and keep sheep, and at certain 
 seasons come down to trade, bringing borax, tincal, and 
 musk for sale. They sometimes penetrate as far as 
 Calcutta. On these occasions the women remain at 
 home with the dogs, and the encampment is watched 
 by the latter, which have an almost irreconcilable aver-
 
 150 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 sion to Europeans, and in general fly ferociously at a 
 white face. A warmer climate relaxes all their energies, 
 and they dwindle even in the valley of Nipal." 
 
 " Those before us, which are very gentle, came from 
 the neighbourhood of Diggarchee, the capital of Thibet, 
 and are supposed to be the only individuals domesti- 
 cated by Europeans : the Hon. Edward Gardner, British 
 resident at the court of the Rajah of Nipal at Katman- 
 doo, never heard of another instance, and they may 
 therefore be considered very great rarities. Dr. Wallich 
 brought them over to this country for the Hon. East 
 India Company. The East India Company presented 
 them to his Majesty, and his Majesty was graciously 
 pleased to transfer them to the Garden of the Zoolo- 
 gical Society." They died, we regret to add, shortly 
 after their arrival. 
 
 To the foregoing account we can only append a few 
 additional details derived from the relations of those 
 travellers by whom these dogs have been more parti- 
 cularly noticed. The first of these is Captain Turner, 
 who thus introduces them in his Account of an Em- 
 bassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Thibet, 
 published in 1800: "The mansion [of the Rajah of 
 Bootan] stood upon the right ; on the left was a row 
 of wooden cages, containing a number of large dogs, 
 tremendously fierce, strong, and noisy. They were 
 natives of Thibet ; and whether savage by nature, or 
 soured by confinement, they were so impetuously furi- 
 ous, that it was unsafe, unless the keepers were near, 
 even to approach their dens." 
 
 A few pages further on our author exhibits them in 
 a much more favourable point of view, as the watchful 
 guardians of the fold. But the most characteristic 
 anecdote respecting them furnished by Captain Turner 
 is thus related. Entering a Thibet village, and " being," 
 he says, " indolently disposed, and prompted by mere
 
 THE THIBET DOG. 151 
 
 curiosity, I strolled alone among the houses : and seeing 
 every thing still and quiet, I turned into one of the 
 stone enclosures, which serve as folds for cattle. The 
 instant I entered the gate, to my astonishment, up 
 started a huge dog, big enough, if his courage had been 
 equal to his size, to fight a lion. He kept me at bay 
 with a most clamorous bark, and I was a good deal 
 startled at first ; but recollecting their cowardly dispo- 
 sition, I stood still ; for having once had one in my 
 possession, I knew that they were fierce only when they 
 perceived themselves feared. If I had attempted to 
 run, he probably would have flown upon me, and torn 
 me in pieces, before any one could have come to my 
 rescue. Some person came out of the house, and he 
 was soon silenced." 
 
 Similar accounts of the large size of these dogs, as 
 well as of their ferocity and antipathy to strangers, 
 which seem to be regarded as their uniform charac- 
 teristics, are given by other writers. Captain Raper, in 
 his Narrative of a Survey for discovering the Sources 
 of the Ganges, speaking of the trade carried on by the 
 natives of Bootan, says, " Dogs are also brought down 
 by these people. One of them was a remarkably 
 fine animal, as large as a good-sized Newfoundland 
 Dog, with very long hair and a head resembling a 
 Mastiff's. His tail was of an amazing length, like the 
 brush of a fox, and curled half way over his back. He 
 was however so fierce, that he would allow no stranger 
 
 * O 
 
 to approach him ; and the same fault was observable 
 in the rest of this species." Mr. Moorcroft also, in his 
 Journey to Lake Manasarovara, says, "The Uniyas had 
 dogs with their flocks, which were fierce and much 
 disposed to attack strangers." 
 
 There can be little doubt that the dogs thus spoken 
 of were all of the true Thibetan race; but we can 
 hardly help suspecting that Mr. Fraser, in his Tour
 
 152 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 through part of the Himala Mountains, has confounded 
 them with other breeds. He frequently mentions the 
 dogs of Bischur,- of whose strength and activity wonder- 
 ful tales were told, but always with an air of incredulity 
 both as to their size and powers. This circumstance 
 would lead us to suspect that he had never seen the 
 genuine breed, and our suspicions are strongly con- 
 firmed by those passages in his work in which he 
 incidentally touches upon their distinctive characters ; 
 for it is clear that a dog " not bigger than a pointer," 
 although " rough-haired and very fierce," could never 
 have been mistaken for a Thibet Dog by one who was 
 acquainted with the legitimate race. 
 
 Our specimens were larger in size than any English 
 Mastiff that we have seen. Their colour was a deep 
 black, slightly clouded on the sides ; their feet and a 
 spot over each eye alone being of a full tawny or bright 
 brown. They had the broad short truncated muzzle of 
 the Mastiff, and lips still more deeply pendulous. In 
 fact, there appeared throughout a general looseness of 
 the skin ; a circumstance which M. Desmarest has 
 pointed out as characteristic of his " Dogue du Thi- 
 bet," of which, however, he gives no particular descrip- 
 tion. It is, we have no doubt, the same animal; but 
 we know not whence his scanty information respecting 
 it was derived.
 
 THE BEAVER. 
 
 CASTOR FIBER. LINN. 
 
 AMONG the numerous, widely dispersed, and prolific 
 tribes of animals which compose the extremely natural 
 Order, called by Linnaeus and the writers of his school 
 Glires, there are none perhaps which possess so many 
 claims on our attention as the well marked and circum- 
 scribed little group on the history of which we are 
 about to enter. The Beavers in fact interest us not 
 only as furnishing a most valuable fur, and as pro- 
 ducing a peculiar secretion occasionally and advan- 
 tageously employed in medicine, but also as offering 
 the most remarkable of the few instances occurring 
 among quadrupeds, of that architectural instinct, so 
 remarkably prevalent in the inferior classes, which 
 impels them to construct their own habitations with 
 materials selected for the purpose, brought from a
 
 154 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 distance, and cemented together so as to form a regular 
 and uniform structure. 
 
 The first and most essential character of the Order 
 to which they belong is obviously derived from the 
 great developement of their incisor teeth; and this 
 peculiarity in structure, as might naturally be expected, 
 is connected with a peculiarity in habits equally re- 
 markable. So striking indeed is the propensity to 
 gnawing, which distinguishes these animals, that many 
 later zoologists, of the French school especially, have 
 thrown aside the older designation applied to them by 
 Linnaeus, and adopted in its place the expressive name 
 of Ronguers or Rodentia. Of this faculty the Beavers 
 appear to exhibit the highest degree of developement : 
 their powerful incisor teeth not only serving them to 
 strip off and divide the bark of trees, which forms 
 their principal nutriment, but also enabling them, when 
 urged by their instinct of construction, to gnaw through 
 trunks of considerable thickness, and thus to obtain the 
 timber of which they stand in need for the building of 
 their habitations. These important organs contribute 
 therefore, in an especial manner, to supply them both 
 with food and shelter. 
 
 The incisor teeth of the Beavers are two in number 
 in each jaw : they are broad, flat, and generally coloured 
 of a deep orange or almost chestnut brown anteriorly, 
 and pass into acute angles on their posterior surface. 
 Their extremities terminate externally in a cutting edge, 
 and shelve considerably inwards ; for the anterior sur- 
 face being alone coated with enamel, and consequently 
 offering the greatest resistance, is less easily worn down 
 by the action to which they are exposed. Those of 
 either jaw correspond exactly with their opposites, and 
 the form of the articulation of the lower jaw admitting 
 of little or no lateral motion, their action is always from
 
 THE BEAVEK. 155 
 
 behind forwards and vice versa. They have no true 
 roots, but are of equal thickness throughout, and are 
 implanted within the jaw in sacs or capsules, which 
 reproduce them from the base as fast as they are worn 
 down at the extremity. So strong a tendency have 
 they to increase by this process, that whenever one of 
 the incisors of either jaw has been accidentally injured 
 or destroyed, the opposite tooth, meeting with no resist- 
 ance from its antagonist, is propelled forwards by a 
 continual enlargement from the base, to such an extent 
 as to become at length perfectly monstrous. This mode 
 of growth is common to the whole Order; and the 
 number of the incisor teeth is also the same in all the 
 groups that compose it, with the exception of the Family 
 of which the Hare forms the type. 
 
 The entire absence of canine teeth, leaving a vacant 
 space of some extent between the incisors and the 
 molars, is another character which the Beavers have 
 in common with all the Rodent animals ; but the struc- 
 ture of their molar teeth differs from that of any other 
 group. These latter organs furnish indeed the best 
 characters that have yet been employed for the sepa- 
 ration of the Rongeurs into distinct and natural genera. 
 In the Beavers they are four on each side in either jaw, 
 and their crowns present a flattened surface on which 
 the lines of enamel are so disposed as to form three 
 folds on the outer side and one on the inner in those 
 of the upper jaw, while those of the lower offer an 
 arrangement directly the reverse. They were formerly 
 suspected by M. F. Cuvier, who has paid particular 
 attention to the teeth of the mammiferous quadrupeds, 
 to be destitute of proper roots, and to increase from 
 their base in the same manner as the incisors ; but he 
 has since candidly confessed the error into which he 
 had been led by the inspection of a cranium in which
 
 156 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 they were not yet fully developed, and he now admits 
 that in the adult animal they are furnished with true 
 roots, and are consequently incapable of receiving any 
 addition to their growth when once completely formed. 
 Their flattened crowns sufficiently indicate that the 
 food which they are intended to masticate is entirely 
 vegetable. 
 
 In the regularity of their line of profile from the back 
 of the head to the extremity of the nose, the lateral 
 position of their diminutive eyes, the depth, obliquity, 
 and obtuseness of their muzzle, the vertical fissure of 
 their upper lip, the softness and closeness of their fur, 
 and the greater length and muscularity of their poste- 
 rior limbs, the Beavers may be regarded as almost 
 typical of the Order to which they belong. They 
 exhibit, however, in their external form several striking 
 modifications peculiar to themselves. Of these the 
 most remarkable consists in their tail, which differs in 
 structure from that of every other quadruped. This 
 organ, which is nearly half as long as the body, is 
 broadly dilated, oval, flattened both above and below, 
 covered at its thickened base alone with hair similar to 
 that which invests the rest of the animal, but overlaid 
 throughout the greater part of its extent with a peculiar 
 incrustation which assumes the form of regular scales 
 closely resembling those of fishes. The feet all termi- 
 nate in five toes, those of the anterior extremities 
 smaller and shorter than those of the posterior and 
 divided almost to the base, while the latter are united 
 to their very tips by the intervention of a strong dupli- 
 cature of the skin, which allows of their separation to 
 a considerable extent and forms a broad and palmated 
 expansion, similar in form and serving for the same 
 useful purpose with the webbed feet of the swimming 
 birds. The nails are thick and strong; and that of the
 
 THE BEAVER. 157 
 
 second toe of the hinder feet is remarkable for being 
 formed of two portions, an upper one corresponding 
 with those of the remaining toes, and an under placed 
 obliquely and having a sharp cutting edge directed 
 downwards. 
 
 The gait of the Beavers is waddling and ungraceful, 
 owing partly to the shortness and inequality of their 
 limbs, and partly to the outward direction which is 
 given to their heels to enable their feet more efficiently 
 to fulfil the office of paddles in swimming. The toes 
 alone of the anterior feet, but the whole of the under 
 surface of the sole in the posterior, are applied to the 
 ground in walking. The awkwardness of their appear- 
 ance in this action is moreover heightened by the 
 clumsiness of their figure, and by the difficulty which 
 they seem to experience in dragging after them their 
 cumbrous tail, which is generally suffered to trail upon 
 the ground, but is sometimes slightly elevated or even 
 curved upwards, and is occasionally moved in a direc- 
 tion from side to side. In the water, however, this 
 member becomes most useful, both as a paddle and a 
 rudder, to urge them onwards and to direct them in 
 their course. 
 
 It has often been questioned whether the Beavers of 
 Europe and America constitute two distinct species. 
 M. F. Cuvier has lately pointed out some slight vari- 
 ations in the form and relative dimensions of different 
 portions of the skulls which he had an opportunity of 
 examining ; but his observations cannot yet be regarded 
 as conclusive. Other naturalists again have broadly 
 maintained that the solitary and burrowing mode of life 
 of the one, and the social and constructive propensities 
 supposed to be peculiar to the other, alone afforded 
 sufficient grounds of discrimination between them. But 
 numberless instances have shown that these differences
 
 158 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 in their modes of life are the natural results of the 
 circumstances in which the animals are respectively 
 placed ; and that the habits of each, in a situation 
 favourable to the change, undergo a thorough revolu- 
 tion. Place the means within his reach, and the con- 
 structive instinct of the solitary Beaver becomes fully 
 developed : withdraw those means, and the once skilful 
 builder degenerates into a burrowing hermit. Those of 
 Europe are for the most part met with in the latter 
 predicament, the neighbourhood of civilized man having 
 thinned their numbers and rendered their associations 
 perilous. In America, on the contrary, they form popu- 
 lous villages ; but only in the back and unsettled parts 
 of the country : those which are found on the confines 
 of the different settlements have precisely the same 
 habits with the European animals. 
 
 That similar villages formerly existed in various parts 
 of Europe, and more especially in the north, we have 
 abundant proofs in the ruins of these ancient edifices. 
 But it seems to have been too hastily taken for granted 
 that none such are to be found at the present day. In 
 the Transactions of the Berlin Natural History Society 
 for 1829, an extremely interesting account is given by 
 M. de Meyerinck of a colony of Beavers, which has 
 been settled for upwards of a century on a little river 
 called the Nuthe, about half a league above its conflu- 
 ence with the Elbe, in a desert and sequestered canton 
 of the district of Magdeburg. Our author speaks of 
 this little settlement as consisting, in the year 1822, of 
 no more than from fifteen to twenty individuals : but 
 few as they were they executed all the laborious tasks 
 of a much more extensive society. They formed them- 
 selves burrows of thirty or forty paces in length, on a 
 level with the stream, with one opening below the 
 surface of the water, and another upon the land ; built
 
 THE BEAVER. 159 
 
 huts eight or ten feet in height, of branches and trunks 
 of trees, laid without any regularity and covered over 
 with soft earth ; and constructed of the same materials 
 a dyke so perfect as to raise the level of the water more 
 than a foot. All their habits indeed as here described 
 coincide so exactly with those of the American Beavers 
 that we should feel some surprise at M. de Meyerinck's 
 assertion that they differed from them in several parti- 
 culars, and especially in their manner of building, were 
 it not manifest that his ideas of the transatlantic race 
 were gleaned from the relations of those travellers who 
 have indulged their imaginations, instead of relying 
 upon their observations, in all that they have written 
 concerning these singular animals. 
 
 The history of the Beaver teems in fact with the 
 most ridiculous exaggerations. Even the absurdities of 
 the ancients have in this instance been exceeded by the 
 credulity of the moderns. The former, indeed, knew 
 the animal only in a state comparatively solitary, and 
 could not therefore attribute to him those ideas of social 
 policy and that settled system of government for which 
 the latter have given him unbounded credit. This 
 delusion, which was perhaps natural enough to those 
 who took but a superficial view of the faculties of this 
 almost mechanical animal, has now, however, passed 
 away ; and the intelligence of the Beaver is recognised 
 as nothing more than a remarkable instinct exerted 
 upon one particular object, and upon that alone. In 
 all respects, except as regards the skill with which he 
 constructs his winter habitation, and the kind of com- 
 bination into which he enters with his fellows for 
 carrying their common purpose into effect, his intelli- 
 gence is of the most limited description. He has in 
 fact no need of those artful contrivances to which many 
 animals are compelled to have recourse. His food is
 
 160 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 simple, and easily procured. His enemies, man ex- 
 cepted, are few and rarely of a formidable description ; 
 but if surprised by danger, he is quite unable to evade 
 it by the exercise of cunning or sagacity, and his only 
 hope of safety is in flight. It has been said that he 
 is docile in captivity, and may be easily rendered 
 obedient to the commands of his keeper ; but it would 
 appear that his docility is limited to a patient endur- 
 ance of his condition, and his obedience to a simple 
 recognition of those who take care of him, and whom 
 he may be taught to follow from place to place. 
 
 His peculiar conformation renders the Beaver what 
 is commonly, although improperly, termed an amphi- 
 bious animal, the greater part of his existence being 
 passed in the water, in which he swims and dives with 
 great dexterity. It is for this reason that he always 
 selects for his dwelling-place the banks of rivers or of 
 lakes. Here he lives secluded during the summer in 
 holes which he burrows in the earth, and which he 
 quits only in search of his food and to indulge himself 
 with bathing. But as the autumn advances he begins 
 to look out for society, and to prepare against the 
 rigours and the dearth of winter. With this view he 
 associates himself with a band of his fellows, sometimes 
 amounting in number to two or three hundred ; and 
 the whole body immediately set to work either to 
 repair their old habitations, or, if they have been 
 compelled to desert their former place of abode, to 
 construct new ones on the same plan. 
 
 The mode by which this is accomplished has been so 
 repeatedly described by French and English travellers 
 in the northern parts of America that it might seem 
 almost superfluous to enter into any details upon such 
 a subject, were we not well assured that many of the 
 facts vouched for in their relations, and most of the
 
 THE BEAVER. 
 
 161 
 
 colouring which has been given to them, have been 
 derived either from the warmth of their imaginations, 
 from partial and imperfect observation, or from the 
 credulous ignorance of their informants. Under these 
 circumstances we cannot do better than recur to the 
 statements of one or two practical men, whose residence 
 in the country and close connexion with the fur trade 
 gave them the best opportunities for obtaining correct 
 information, and whose narratives bear in themselves 
 the stamp of authenticity. Such were Hearne, one of 
 the most intelligent and enterprising agents whom the 
 Hudson's Bay Company ever employed ; and Cart- 
 wright, who resided for nearly sixteen years on the 
 coast of Labrador for the sole purpose of procuring 
 furs. From the Journals of these two plain-dealing 
 and matter-of-fact men we shall proceed to give the 
 principal facts with which they furnish us relative to 
 the habits of the Beaver in its native state, and to the 
 various modes adopted by the hunters for possessing 
 themselves of its valuable skin. 
 
 The situations in which the Beavers build are very 
 various. Sometimes they take up their abode in a 
 pond or a lake, in which the water is tolerably uniform 
 in height and pretty deep immediately under the bank ; 
 but they generally make choice of a running stream as 
 more convenient for the conveyance of their materials. 
 They are also said to select in preference the northern 
 side for the advantage of the sun, and the bank of an 
 island, rather than that of the mainland, as affording 
 them greater security from the attacks of their enemies. 
 In this selection, however, their instinct frequently 
 misleads them ; for they have been known to build in 
 situations where they have been unable to procure food, 
 and where they have consequently perished from star- 
 vation, or to have fixed upon a stream which has been 
 
 M
 
 162 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 so swelled by the effects of a heavy thaw as to sweep 
 away not only their magazine of provisions, but some- 
 times even their habitations. 
 
 When the water in the stream is not sufficiently deep 
 for their purpose, or is liable to be diminished by the 
 failure of the supply from above in consequence of frost, 
 they commence their operations by throwing a dam 
 across it below the part which they intend to occupy. 
 In slow rivulets this is made nearly straight ; but 
 where the current is strong, it is formed with a curve 
 of greater or less extent, the convexity of which is 
 turned towards the stream. The materials of which 
 this dam is constructed consist of drift wood, and the 
 branches of willows, birch, and poplars, compacted 
 together by mud and stones. The work is raised in 
 the form of a mound, of considerable thickness at the 
 base, and gradually narrowing towards the summit, 
 which is made perfectly level, and of the exact height 
 of the body of water which it is intended to keep up. 
 Cartwright adds that he has frequently crossed the 
 rivers and creeks upon these dams, with only slightly 
 wetting his shoes. The sticks which are used in their 
 construction vary in size from the thickness of a man's 
 finger to that of his ankle ; but are seldom larger unless 
 where no others are to be procured. They are mostly 
 obtained from the neighbouring woods, where they 
 are cut with a dexterity truly astonishing. A Beaver, 
 according to Cartwright, will lop off with its teeth at 
 a single effort a stem of the thickness of a common 
 walking-stick, as cleanly as if it had been done by a 
 gardener's pruning-knife. When compelled to have 
 recourse to the larger trunks they gnaw them round 
 and round ; always taking care that they shall fall in 
 the direction of the water, in order as much as possible 
 to save themselves carriage. Judging from the number
 
 THE BEAVER. 163 
 
 of large trees sometimes cut down in a season, it would 
 appear that the performance of this operation cannot 
 occupy a very considerable time. As soon as the tree 
 is felled they commence lopping oft its branches, which, 
 as well as the smaller trunks, they cut into lengths, 
 according to their weight and thickness. These are 
 dragged in their mouths, and sometimes on their shoul- 
 ders, to the water-side, where they are thrown into the 
 stream, and towed with the current to their destination. 
 Exactly the same materials are employed in the con- 
 struction of their habitations. These are built either 
 immediately beneath the bank, or, if the pool be shallow, 
 at some little distance from it. They begin by hollow- 
 ing out the bottom, throwing up the mud and stones 
 around it. and intermingling: them with such sticks as 
 
 O O 
 
 they can procure. The walls having been thus raised 
 to a sufficient height, the house is covered in with a 
 
 O 7 
 
 roof in the shape of a dome, generally emerging about 
 four feet, but sometimes as much as six or seven, from 
 the water. The entrance is made beneath a projection 
 which advances several feet into the stream with a 
 regular descent, terminating at least three feet below 
 the surface to guard against its being frozen up. This 
 is called by the hunters the angle, and a single dwelling 
 is sometimes furnished with two or more. Near the 
 entrance, and on the outside of their houses, the Beavers 
 store up the branches of trees, the bark of which forms 
 their chief subsistence during the winter; and these 
 magazines are sometimes so large as to rise above the 
 surface of the water, and to contain more than a cart- 
 load of provisions. 
 
 In all these operations there appears to be no other 
 concert or combination among the Beavers than that 
 which results from a common instinct impelling them 
 to the performance of a common task. The assertion 
 
 M2
 
 164 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 that they are superintended in their labours by an 
 overseer who gives notice to his workmen when to be 
 at their posts by flapping with his tail upon the water, 
 divides them into parties for each several kind of work, 
 distributes their employments, assigns their stations, 
 and superintends the execution of his commands, is too 
 absurd to require refutation. But there are many other 
 statements regarding them equally untrue, although not 
 at first sight so palpably ridiculous. Thus it is said 
 that their tails are used by them as sledges for the 
 conveyance of their materials, a purpose for which the 
 conformation of this appendage renders it highly im- 
 probable that it can serve, and which observation has 
 proved to be performed in a very different manner. 
 But not content with metamorphosing this organ into 
 a sledge, our travellers have also made it a trowel, and 
 have given very particular descriptions of the manner 
 in which the Beaver employs it in spreading the plaster, 
 with which, according to their accounts, his work is 
 overlaid. Unfortunately, however, it is equally unfitted 
 by its structure for such an operation ; and the only 
 organs employed in mixing up the mud with the rest of 
 the materials, are the fore-paws and the mouth. These 
 in fact are the instruments with which all the labours 
 of the Beavers are effected ; and it is sufficiently obvious 
 that neither with their assistance, nor indeed with the 
 united powers of all their organs, could these animals 
 drive stakes of the thickness of a man's leg three or 
 four feet deep into the ground, or execute a variety of 
 other feats for which they have obtained general credit. 
 The sticks and branches which they use, instead of 
 being driven into the ground, are laid for the most part 
 in a horizontal direction, and they are only prevented 
 from floating away by the stones and mud which are 
 brought up by the Beavers in their paws from the
 
 THE BEAVER. 165 
 
 bottom to be laid upon them, and which gradually 
 become cemented into a firm and compact mass. All 
 their work is performed during the night. Although 
 the favourable nature of the situation may have induced 
 many families to assemble in the same spot, they do 
 not on that account carry on their operations in com- 
 mon ; unless when a dam of large extent is to be built, 
 when they usually unite their forces for its completion. 
 Each family occupies itself exclusively on its own 
 habitation, which has in general but one apartment. 
 The idea of their houses being divided into several 
 chambers, each allotted to its appropriate purpose, 
 may have originated from the fact of their sometimes 
 building by the side of a deserted dwelling, with which 
 they occasionally open a communication. The families 
 vary in the number of individuals of which they are 
 composed, but seldom exceed two or four old ones, 
 and twice as many young ; the females producing once 
 a year, from two to three or four at a birth, and the 
 young ones generally quitting their parents at the age 
 of three years, and seeking out or building a separate 
 habitation for themselves. 
 
 In summer time they feed either upon the bark of 
 trees or upon the green herbage and the berries which 
 grow in their neighbourhood ; but in winter their diet 
 is almost restricted to the former article, of which they 
 lay in a large stock previously to the setting in of the 
 frost. From this store they cut away portions as their 
 necessities require ; and after tearing off the bark reject 
 the wood, leaving it to float away with the current. 
 Willow, poplar, and birch, are their favourite kinds, 
 and the latter, according to Cartwright, renders their 
 flesh " the most delicious eating of any animal in the 
 known world." The root of the water-lily also affords 
 them an occasional supply, and makes them very fat, 
 but gives their flesh a strong and unpleasant flavour.
 
 166 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 It is not, however, for the delicacy of their flesh, but 
 for the peculiar closeness of their soft and glossy fur 
 that a war of extermination is carried on by man against 
 these peaceful and innoxious beasts. That this fur was 
 at an early period in great request for the manufacture 
 of hats is proved by a proclamation issued in the year 
 1638, by which it was forbidden to make use of any 
 materials therein except Beaver stuff or Beaver wool. 
 From this time the attention of the North American 
 Indians has been incessantly directed towards these poor 
 animals, and vast quantities have in consequence been 
 destroyed every year. Of the numbers thus sacrificed, 
 and of the importance of the trade, some idea may be 
 formed by the amount of the sales at various places and 
 at different periods. In 1 743, the Hudson's Bay Company 
 alone sold 26,750 skins ; and 127,080 were imported 
 into Rochelle. Upwards of 170,000 were exported from 
 Canada in 1788 ; and Quebec alone in 1808 supplied 
 this country with 126,927, which at the estimated 
 average of eighteen shillings and nine pence per skin 
 would produce no less a sum than 118,994. 
 
 The skin of the young or Cub-Beaver is the most 
 valuable, as being the darkest and the most glossy; 
 and the winter coat is far superior to the summer. The 
 former season is consequently preferred for taking them, 
 and various means are adopted for the purpose. Some- 
 times the ice is cut through both above and below their 
 dwellings, nets are thrown across, and the devoted 
 animals are driven from their shelter by the breaking 
 down of their houses, and compelled to enter the nets. 
 Sometimes a number of holes are made in the ice, and 
 they are in like manner driven from their habitations ; 
 when, as they are unable to remain under water for 
 any long time, they rise to the surface where the ice is 
 broken, and are easily secured. Under these circum- 
 stances they will frequently take refuge in the holes in
 
 THE BEAVER. 
 
 167 
 
 the banks, which serve them for summer retreats ; but 
 the experienced hunters readily detect the situation of 
 these vaults by striking with their chisels on the ice, 
 and always select such spots for making their apertures, 
 in which they seldom fail of capturing their victims. In 
 summer it is more usual to take them in their houses 
 by what is termed staking them. For this purpose the 
 hunters first make an aperture in the roof to ascertain 
 the situation of the angle, and having adapted a number 
 of stakes to the opening so as completely to blockade 
 it, cover in the top and leave the stakes on one side 
 ready for use. They then drive the Beavers from all 
 parts of the pond or river by means of dogs ; and when 
 the terrified animals have succeeded in reaching their 
 home, they replace the stakes before the entry, remove 
 the temporary covering from the roof, and either take 
 them alive or spear them in their house. When the 
 sheet of water which they inhabit is merely kept up by 
 a dam, they are still more easily taken by letting off 
 the water, and leaving their huts completely dry. The 
 gun is also sometimes, but not very commonly, used ; 
 and log-traps baited with poplar-sticks occasionally add 
 in a trifling degree to the havoc made among them. 
 
 So little is known of the manners of the Beaver in a 
 domesticated state, that we feel a peculiar gratification 
 in having it in our power to give the extremely inter- 
 esting history of an individual which belonged to 
 Mr. Broderip, to whose kindness we are indebted for 
 the following statement. 
 
 " The animal arrived in this country in the winter of 
 1825, very young, being small and woolly, and without 
 the covering of long hair which marks the adult Beaver. 
 It was the sole survivor of five or six which were ship- 
 ped at the same time, and it was in a very pitiable 
 condition. Good treatment quickly restored it to health, 
 and kindness soon made it familiar. When called by
 
 168 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 its name ' Binny,' it generally answered with a little 
 cry, and came to its owner. The hearth-rug was its 
 favourite haunt, and thereon it would lie stretched out, 
 sometimes on its back, sometimes on its side, and some- 
 times flat on its belly, but always near its master. The 
 building instinct showed itself immediately it was let 
 out of its cage and materials were placed in its way ; 
 and this before it had been a week in its new quarters. 
 Its strength, even before it was half grown, was great. 
 It would drag along a large sweeping-brush, or a warm- 
 ing pan, grasping the handle with its teeth so that the 
 load came over its shoulder, and advancing in an oblique 
 direction till it arrived at the point where it wished to 
 place it. The long and large materials were always 
 taken first, and two of the longest were generally laid 
 cross-wise, with one of the ends of each touching the 
 wall, and the other ends projecting out into the room. 
 The area formed by the crossed brushes and the wall, 
 he would fill up with hand brushes, rush baskets, 
 books, boots, sticks, cloths, dried turf, or any thing 
 portable. As the work grew high, he supported him- 
 self on his tail, which propped him up admirably, and 
 he would often, after laying on one of his building 
 materials, sit up over against it, appearing to consider 
 his work, or, as the country people say, ' judge it.' 
 This pause was sometimes followed by changing the 
 position of the material ' judged,' and sometimes it 
 was left in its place. After he had piled up his mate- 
 rials in one part of the room, (for he generally chose 
 the same place), he proceeded to wall up the space 
 between the feet of a chest of drawers which stood, at 
 a little distance from it, high enough on its legs to 
 make the bottom a roof for him ; using for this purpose 
 dried turf and sticks, which he laid very even, and filling 
 up the interstices with bits of coal, hay, cloth, or any 
 thing he could pick up. This last place he seemed to
 
 THE BEAVER. 169 
 
 appropriate for his dwelling : the former work seemed 
 to be intended for a dam. When he had walled up the 
 space between the feet of the chest of drawers, he pro- 
 ceeded to carry in sticks, cloths, hay, cotton, and to 
 make a nest ; and when he had done he would sit up 
 under the drawers, and comb himself with the nails of 
 his hind feet. In this operation, that which appeared 
 at first to be a mal-formation was shown to be a beau- 
 tiful adaptation to the necessities of the animal. The 
 huge webbed hind feet of the Beaver turn in so as to 
 give the appearance of deformity ; but if the toes were 
 straight, instead of being incurved, the animal could 
 not use them for the purpose of keeping its fur in 
 order, and cleansing it from dirt and moisture. 
 
 " Binny generally carried small and light articles 
 between his right fore leg and his chin, walking on the 
 other three legs; and large masses, which he could 
 not grasp readily with his teeth, he pushed forwards 
 leaning against them with his right fore paw and his 
 chin. He never carried any thing on his tail, which he 
 liked to dip in water, but he was not fond of plunging 
 in the whole of his body. If his tail was kept moist he 
 never cared to drink ; but if it was kept dry it became 
 hot, and the animal appeared distressed and would 
 drink a great deal. It is not impossible that the tail 
 may have the power of absorbing water, like the skin 
 of frogs, though it must be owned that the scaly integu- 
 ment which invests that member has not much of the 
 character which generally belongs to absorbing sur- 
 faces. 
 
 " Bread, and bread and milk and sugar, formed the 
 principal part of Binny's food ; but he was very fond of 
 succulent fruits and roots. He was a most entertaining 
 creature, and some highly comic scenes occurred be- 
 tween the worthy, but slow, Beaver, and a light and 
 airy Macauco that was kept in the same apartment."
 
 170 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 An animal so sociable in his habits ought to be 
 affectionate ; and very affectionate the Beaver is said to 
 be. Drage mentions two young ones which were taken 
 alive and brought to a neighbouring factory in Hudson's 
 Bay, where they throve very fast until one of them was 
 killed accidentally. The survivor instantly felt the loss, 
 began to moan, and abstained from food till it died. 
 Mr. Bullock mentioned to the narrator a similar instance 
 which fell under his notice in North America. A male 
 and female were kept together in a room, where they 
 lived happily till the male was deprived of his partner by 
 death. For a day or two he appeared to be hardly aware 
 of his loss, and brought food and laid it before her : at 
 last, finding that she did not stir, he covered her body 
 with twigs and leaves, and was in a pining state when 
 Mr. Bullock lost sight of him. 
 
 The specimens in the Garden were sent to the 
 Society from Canada by Lord Dalhousie. They were 
 partially deprived of sight before their arrival in this 
 country : but one of them has still the use of one eye ; 
 and the other, although totally blind, dives most perse- 
 veringly for clay, and applies it to stop up every cranny 
 in their common habitation that can admit " the winter's 
 flaw." They both appear happy and contented.
 
 THE CRESTED PORCUPINE. 
 
 HYSTRIX CRISTATA. LINN. 
 
 THE entire family of the Porcupines, forming the genus 
 Hystrix of Linnaeus, are at once distinguished from all 
 other Rodent animals by the peculiar character of their 
 covering, which, instead of being composed of hair 
 alone, consists in a great measure of hollow tubes like 
 the quills of a bird's feathers, generally closed at the 
 extremity and running out into a fine point, but some- 
 times truncate and open. They have all four cheek 
 teeth on each side of either jaw, furnished with distinct 
 roots, nearly equal in size, irregular but somewhat 
 circular in outline, and presenting in the young state 
 on the surface of their crowns several tubercles of 
 various size and form. As the teeth are worn down in 
 advancing age, these tubercles give rise to as many 
 elliptical layers of enamel occupying the centre of the 
 tooth, while its circumference is marked, both internally
 
 172 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and externally, by a folding inwards of the outer coat. 
 Their tongues are roughened by papillae similar to those 
 of the cats ; their heads generally short and truncate ; 
 their nostrils large and open ; their ears and eyes com- 
 paratively small ; and their general form, short, thick, 
 and clumsy. 
 
 M. F. Cuvier has lately attempted to subdivide this 
 truly natural family into smaller generic groups, depen- 
 dent chiefly on his own theoretic notions of the value 
 of the slightest modifications in the form of the skull 
 and teeth in the discrimination of genera. Some varia- 
 
 o 
 
 tions in the number of toes, and still more remarkable 
 peculiarities in the structure of the tail are brought 
 in aid of this subdivision ; but we can scarcely admit 
 the justice of his views unless when supported by a 
 marked difference in the mode of life, such as exists 
 between the burrowing Porcupines of the Old Conti- 
 nent, the arboreal species of North America, and the 
 prehensile-tailed climbers of the South. 
 
 The name of Hystrix is retained by M. F. Cuvier 
 for the Old Continent group, of which the Common 
 Porcupine is regarded as the type, and of which it is 
 at present the only described species, although it is 
 probable that the Indian and South African animals 
 which have hitherto been confounded with it may here- 
 after be shown to be distinct. The principal discrimi- 
 nating character of this group is made to consist in the 
 great convexity of its line of profile, the nasal bones 
 being developed to an extraordinary degree. The teeth 
 are more elevated above the level of the jaw, and less 
 irregular in their outline and in the lines of enamel 
 upon the surface of their crowns, than those of the 
 other genera of the family. On the fore feet there are 
 but four distinct toes, the existence of the fifth being 
 indicated only by the presence of its claw ; on the
 
 THE CRESTED PORCUPINE. 173 
 
 hinder feet their number is five, and they are all of 
 nearly equal size. The claws are short, thick, and 
 formed for digging, a structure intimately connected 
 with the habits of the animals, which live under ground 
 in burrows of their own formation. The tail is ex- 
 tremely short, and the whiskers numerous and of great 
 length. 
 
 The common species is almost indiscriminately spoken 
 of as the Italian or African Porcupine, the former name 
 indicating the country in which it is most commonly 
 found at the present day, and the latter that from which 
 it is recorded by the subterranean naturalist Agricola 
 to have been originally imported into Europe. When 
 full grown it measures nearly two feet in length, and 
 some of its longest spines exceed a foot. Its general 
 colour is a grizzled dusky black, resulting from an 
 intermixture of various shades of white, brown, and 
 black. The upper part of its head and neck is fur- 
 nished with a crest of long lighter coloured hairs capable 
 of being raised or depressed at pleasure. The hair on 
 the muzzle and limbs is very short; on the latter it 
 becomes almost black. On the neck, shoulders, and 
 under parts, it has a brownish hue, and is of consider- 
 able length : a whitish band traverses the fore part and 
 sides of the neck. All the remaining parts of the back 
 and sides, including the rump and upper parts of the 
 hinder legs, are armed with spines, which are longest 
 on the centre of the back. These spines are in the 
 middle almost of the thickness of a goose-quill, sup- 
 ported at the base by a slender pedicel, and terminating 
 in very sharp points. They are striated longitudinally 
 and marked by alternate rings of black and white of an 
 inch or more in breadth. Their usual position is lying 
 nearly flat upon the body with their points directed 
 backwards; but when the animal is excited they are
 
 174 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 generally raised, by means of the subcutaneous muscles, 
 almost at right angles with the surface to which they 
 are attached, and present a very formidable appearance. 
 They are not, however, it is still necessary to repeat, 
 capable of being detached at pleasure, much less of 
 being darted to a distance; although it is probable 
 that, from the looseness of their attachment, they are 
 occasionally broken off and remain fixed in substances 
 into which they have been thrust. Those of the tail 
 are, as it were, cut off in the middle, and are conse- 
 quently open at their ends. They produce a loud 
 rustling noise when the animal agitates its tail. Their 
 use, according to M. Thunberg, is very peculiar; but 
 we do not ask of our readers to credit the relation, 
 which merely shows how easily even a respectable 
 naturalist is sometimes imposed upon by his own 
 credulity. He was informed, he says, that the Cey- 
 lonese Porcupine " has a very curious method of 
 fetching water for its young, viz. the quills in the tail 
 are said to be hollow, and to have a hole at the extre- 
 mity; and that the animal can bend them in such a 
 manner as that they can be filled with water, which 
 afterwards is discharged in the nest among the young." 
 The Porcupine generally sleeps through the day in 
 its solitary burrow, and quits it only in the evening in 
 search of its food, which is almost entirely vegetable, 
 and consists principally of roots, buds, and fruits* Its 
 habitation has usually several distinct openings. It 
 appears that in a state of nature it undergoes a partial 
 hybernation ; but this sleep is not of long duration, and 
 it ventures abroad again at the very commencement of 
 the spring. In captivity it is quiet and peaceable, 
 but manifests little inclination to become familiar, and 
 scarcely evinces a shadow of intelligence.
 
 THE FASCICULATED PORCUPINE. 
 
 ATHERVRA FASCICVLATA. Cuv. 
 
 ALTHOUGH tolerably described and figured by Buffon, 
 and probably also by Seba, the curious animal above 
 represented had subsequently been lost to science until 
 within less than two years of the present time, when it 
 was recovered almost simultaneously both in its original 
 habitat and in a very distant quarter of the globe. The 
 only notices of which we are aware that have yet been 
 published respecting it, consist of those furnished by 
 the authors just mentioned, of a cursory reference by 
 Sir Stamford Raffles, and of a few words in the late 
 edition of M. Cuvier's Regne Animal, in which latter 
 work it is formed into a new genus, on the authority, 
 we presume, of a skeleton and skin transmitted from 
 India by M. Diard in the course of the year 1828. 
 Nearly at the same time a living individual was brought
 
 176 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 to England and presented to the Zoological Society by 
 Lieutenant Vidal, who accompanied the expedition for 
 the formation of the projected colony at Fernando Po, 
 where these animals were found in such plenty as to 
 afford a staple article of food to the inhabitants. It 
 has been conjectured, on very probable grounds, that 
 they are not indigenous in the island, but had been 
 brought thither from the East by the Portuguese who 
 were formerly settled there ; but the space interposed 
 between the two regions can scarcely be regarded as 
 conclusive evidence of their having been introduced 
 into the colony, while we have such striking instances 
 of animals common to India and the West of Africa as 
 are furnished by the Lion, the Leopard, the Chetah, 
 the Hyaena, and the Ratel. 
 
 Leaving this question to be determined by future 
 investigation, we adopt, although not without some hesi- 
 tation, the views of M. Cuvier, and regard the animal 
 for the present as furnishing the type of a new genus, 
 to which we would add, as a second species, the Landak 
 of Marsden's History of Sumatra. In teeth and in the 
 organs of motion it corresponds, as the distinguished 
 zoologist first quoted informs us, with the Common 
 Porcupine, from which it differs chiefly in the form of 
 the head ; the line of its profile, instead of being elevated 
 into a curve of large extent, passing in almost a straight 
 direction from the occiput to the extremity of the nose. 
 In these respects it agrees with M. Frederic Cuvier' s 
 genus Acanthion, founded on this very character ob- 
 served by him on two skulls preserved in the Paris 
 Museum, the one from Java, and the other, in all pro- 
 bability, from Africa. These coincidences would have 
 induced us to consider the two genera as identical, were 
 it not that the Baron Cuvier has omitted all mention of 
 that established by his brother, although the materials
 
 THE FASCICULATED PORCUPINE. 177 
 
 for comparison were fully at his disposal : the latter 
 also, in his recently published genera of Mammalia, 
 enumerates them both : and we must therefore conclude 
 them to be distinct. The remaining generic characters 
 are derived chiefly from the tail, which is elongated 
 to one-third the length of the body, and is covered 
 throughout nearly the whole of its extent by scales 
 disposed in rings, the tip alone being surmounted by a 
 tuft of long flat bristles having the form neither of hairs 
 nor of quills, but bearing a close resemblance, as Buffon 
 has aptly remarked, to narrow slips of parchment cut 
 in an irregular manner. 
 
 In the description of his animal Seba has cited Bon- 
 tius as having previously observed it, but the latter 
 author speaks only of a Porcupine in general terms 
 and offers no description, while his figure is evidently 
 from one of the blocks used by Piso for the Coendou 
 in an earlier part of the same miscellaneous volume. 
 On the figure given by Seba, Linnaeus founded his 
 Hystrix macroura ; but Buffon having quoted neither 
 Seba nor Linnaeus, Dr. Shaw took it for granted that 
 his was a different animal, and consequently gave it a 
 new name, that of Hystrix fasciculata. We entertain, 
 however, but little doubt, notwithstanding some trifling 
 discrepancies in the figures, that Sir Stamford Raffles 
 was right in his conjecture, that they both represent 
 one and the same species. Seba speaks of it as inha- 
 biting the neighbourhood of Celebes, Buffon as a native 
 of the Malayan peninsula, and Sir Stamford Raffles as 
 found in Sumatra. 
 
 The differences between this species and the Common 
 Porcupine are obvious at the first glance. Its general 
 colour is nearly the same, but with less intermixture of 
 brown. The upper parts of the body, the outer sides 
 of the limbs, and the head, neck, and face, are of this 
 
 N
 
 178 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 dusky hue; but the under parts, inside of the limbs, 
 fore part of the neck, and throat, are of a grayish white, 
 with the exception of a darker band which crosses the 
 breast in front of the fore legs. The spines commence 
 upon the back of the head, where they are little more 
 than an inch in length, and extend to the root of the 
 tail, occupying nearly the whole of the back and sides. 
 The longest are scarcely more than from four to five 
 inches in length. They are mostly white at the base, 
 and black towards the extremity, but many of them 
 are black throughout, and others black above and white 
 beneath. All of them are marked on the upper surface 
 by a deep and broad groove running the whole of their 
 length, and terminate in very sharp points. The skin 
 in which they are implanted appears perfectly white, 
 and where the spines are most numerous, is scarcely 
 furnished with a single hair. A few slenderer spines 
 running out into long black bristles are occasionally 
 intermixed with the others. The greater part of the 
 tail is bare both of hairs and spines, and covered only 
 by flat blackish scales ; but its extremity is occupied 
 by the tuft before mentioned, which is of a whitish 
 colour, and about two inches in length. The entire 
 length of the body in our specimen is little more than 
 a foot, and that of the tail from four to five inches. 
 The whiskers are very long ; the eyes small and black ; 
 and the ears short, round, and naked. 
 
 In common with the rest of its tribe the Fasciculated 
 Porcupine sleeps during the day, and becomes in some 
 degree active only on the approach of night. Its intel- 
 ligence is equally limited, and its manners equally fret- 
 ful, with those of the common species. Like it, it raises 
 its spines when irritated or disturbed, stamps with its 
 feet upon the floor of its cage, and swells and looks big 
 in its defensive armour.
 
 THE MALABAR SQUIRREL. 
 
 SCIURVS MAXIMVS. GlMEL. 
 
 THERE are few animals of the Rodent Order that can 
 be compared with the Squirrels for the elegance of 
 their form, the beauty of their fur, and the ease, elasti- 
 city, and rapidity of their motions. Nestling among 
 the topmost branches of the trees, on which their lives 
 are entirely passed, climbing with extreme agility, and 
 bounding from bough to bough or from tree to tree, 
 with such velocity as almost to elude the sight, they 
 offer in their native state an interesting subject of 
 contemplation ; while the mildness of their temper in 
 captivity, the ease with which they suffer themselves 
 to be tamed, and the lively and contented indifference 
 with which they submit to that confinement which is 
 so foreign to their usual habits, have made them uni- 
 versal favourites as domestic pets. 
 
 N2
 
 180 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 With the true or Tree Squirrels, familiarly known to 
 us by means of the common species that so abundantly 
 inhabits our native woods, Linnaeus associated several 
 other groups of animals, some of which, the Dormice 
 for instance, have subsequently been distinguished by 
 common consent, while the rest are still regarded by 
 many naturalists as forming part of the same genus. 
 In fact, were we to rely upon the teeth alone as fur- 
 nishing the means of subdividing an inconveniently 
 extensive group, we should be compelled to leave in 
 connexion with the Squirrels many species which differ 
 from them most essentially, not only in certain modifi- 
 cations of their outward form, but even in the still more 
 important characters of their habits and mode of life. 
 Thus although we find no appreciable differences in 
 dentition between the Tree Squirrels, the Ground Squir- 
 rels, the Flying Squirrels, and the Guerlinguets, we 
 cannot avoid seeing that there exist other distinctions 
 which, combined with the striking discrepancies in 
 their manners, are fully sufficient to justify us in re- 
 garding each of these divisions as forming a distinct 
 group. We are consequently compelled to treat of the 
 Squirrels in general not as a genus but as a family, 
 divided into the four genera just enumerated, to which 
 may perhaps be added a fifth for the reception of the 
 Flying Squirrels of the Asiatic Islands, whose dentition 
 is said to present a slight variation from the form com- 
 mon to all the other species of the tribe. 
 
 In all the other Squirrels the lower incisors are long, 
 slender, directed forwards, and much more narrow and 
 compressed than the upper, which are strongly curved. 
 The molars are four on each side of either jaw, and 
 nearly equal in size, with their crowns surmounted by 
 elevated lengthened tubercles, variously disposed in 
 those of the upper jaw, and in the lower forming on
 
 THE MALABAR SQUIRREL. 181 
 
 each tooth a kind of circular rim surrounding a central 
 depression. There is besides in the upper jaw a small 
 rudimentary tooth, placed anteriorly to the molars, in 
 immediate contact with the inner angle of the first of 
 the series, but falling out at an early age, not to be 
 again produced. Their toes are four in number on the 
 anterior extremities, with a rudiment of a thumb usually 
 supporting a short claw; and five on the posterior, 
 long, slender, and furnished with narrow compressed 
 claws. Their heads are broad and short; their eyes 
 large, prominent, and lively ; their ears of middling 
 size ; their bodies light and graceful ; their limbs of 
 moderate length, the hinder being much the longest; 
 and their tails most commonly nearly equal in length to 
 the entire body, and sometimes even exceeding it. In 
 most of them the tail is truly distichous, the hairs 
 diverging on either side from a middle longitudinal 
 line. 
 
 The genus Sciurus, restricted to the Tree Squirrels 
 alone, is still a very extensive group. It is principally 
 distinguished by the absence of the lateral folds of the 
 skin which characterize the Flying Squirrels, and of 
 the cheek-pouches which are found in the burrowing 
 Tamias, the Ground Squirrels of America; while its 
 distichous tail at once distinguishes it from the Guer- 
 linguets. The species are spread over the whole habit- 
 able world, with the exception of New Holland, and 
 are generally found in great abundance, living upon 
 the trees, building themselves nests of moss and similar 
 substances, and subsisting upon fruits, and more espe- 
 cially nuts, which they store up in the hollow of a tree, 
 or in some other place of security, for winter provisions. 
 
 The Malabar Squirrel is the largest of the tribe, 
 measuring fifteen or sixteen inches from the nose to the 
 root of the tail, which is rather longer than the body ;
 
 182 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and standing eight or nine inches in height. On the 
 upper part and the outer sides of the limbs it is of a 
 bright chocolate brown, abruptly changing into a pale 
 yellowish brown on the under parts, fore-arms, and 
 inner sides of the limbs. The front of the fore-legs, the 
 neck, throat, face, and that part of the head which lies 
 between the ears, are of the lighter hue ; the rest of the 
 upper surface of the head being occupied by a broad 
 darker patch extending from the forehead to the middle 
 of the nose. The back and shoulders are occasionally 
 of a deep black. The ears are short, covered with long 
 tufted hairs forming a kind of brush ; and a narrow 
 line of dark brown passes obliquely downwards and 
 backwards from the base of each. The whiskers are 
 few, long, and black. All the claws are strong and 
 incurved, those of the thumbs of the fore-feet being 
 broad, stumpy, and flattened. The tail is broadly dis- 
 tichous, the hairs expanding more widely towards the 
 extremity. It is of a bright chocolate brown at the 
 base, black in the middle, and chestnut in its extreme 
 third. 
 
 This splendid species is a native of the Malabar 
 Coast, where it was originally observed by Sonnerat, 
 who figured it in his Voyage. M. Cuvier thinks it 
 probable that it is the animal figured by Pennant in 
 his Indian Zoology, under the name of the Long-tailed 
 Squirrel : his specimen was from Ceylon. It is also 
 figured by Buffon. In its native country it inhabits 
 palm-trees, and is particularly fond of cocoa-nuts and 
 their milky juice. 
 
 Our specimen was moderately tame, but excessively 
 fond of gnawing whatever came within its reach. It 
 lived for many months in Bruton Street, where, during 
 a short time, it had a female companion of the same 
 species, which was somewhat smaller than itself.
 
 1 - . .*- -- 
 
 THE GRAY SQUIRREL. 
 
 SCIURVS CINEREUS. LlNN. 
 
 THE Squirrels of America are by no means equal to 
 those of Eastern Asia in size or in vividness of colour- 
 ing, although they are for the most part larger than 
 the common European species. Several of them are 
 unquestionably distinct ; while others, described as well 
 by American as by European writers, are regarded by 
 many zoologists as mere varieties of the Gray Squirrel, 
 the most common species of the United States. On 
 this subject we shall hereafter have occasion to offer 
 some observations: for the present we confine ourselves 
 to the Gray Squirrel itself, of which two unquestionable 
 specimens exist among the numerous individuals in the 
 Society's Collection. 
 
 These specimens are of an ashy gray on the upper 
 surface and sides, each hair being marked by alternate
 
 184 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 rings of black and gray. The under surface of the 
 body and inner sides of the limbs are pure white. The 
 tail is nearly equal in length to the body, and when 
 thoroughly developed so completely overshadows it as 
 fully to justify the etymology of the name Sciurus, 
 which is even more applicable to the present than to 
 the European species. Both the surfaces of this organ 
 are similar in colour to the back and sides, the under, 
 however, being somewhat lighter ; and the long diverg- 
 ing hairs are ringed in such a manner as to give the 
 appearance of an external border of white enclosing a 
 broad band of grayish black. Neither the muzzle nor 
 the sides of the body have any decided tinge of brown ; 
 but a very slight intermixture of this colour is visible 
 on the former on a close examination. The ears are 
 covered with very short close-set hairs, and offer no 
 appearance of the bushy pencils which surmount those 
 of the Common Squirrel. In size the American animal 
 is full one-third larger. 
 
 This species inhabits nearly the whole of the United 
 States of America, but is found most abundantly in 
 Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. In these states it is 
 met with in immense numbers, living upon buds, shoots, 
 acorns, nuts, and grain; building its summer nest of 
 leaves and twigs in the extreme branches of the trees ; 
 and retiring during the winter to the hollow trunks in 
 which it had previously deposited its stores. Its fur is 
 in considerable request, but not, we believe, to the 
 same extent as that of the gray variety of the Common 
 Squirrel, so abundant in the high latitudes of the Old 
 Continent.
 
 THE LESSER AMERICAN FLYING SQUIRREL. 
 
 PTEROMYS VOLVCELLA. Cuv. 
 
 IT would be difficult to find in the entire class of 
 Quadrupeds a more graceful little creature, or one 
 better fitted for a lady's pet, than the elegant animal 
 figured above. Its diminutive size, the singularity of 
 its form, the expression of its physiognomy, the vivacity 
 of its motions, and the gentleness of its disposition, all 
 combine to render it one of the most interesting, as 
 well as the most beautiful, of a beautiful and interesting 
 tribe. 
 
 The group to which this attractive little animal be- 
 longs are, as we have before remarked, principally 
 distinguished from the Common Squirrels by what is 
 usually termed their flying membrane. This apparatus 
 consists of a folding of the skin along either side so as 
 to form broad lateral expansions, supported anteriorly
 
 186 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and posteriorly by the limbs between which they are 
 extended, and by peculiar bony processes arising from 
 the feet. These expansions are not naked and mem- 
 branous like those of the Bats, but are actual continu- 
 ations of the skin clothed externally by a dense fur 
 similar to that which invests every other part of the 
 body. Neither do they serve, like the flying membranes 
 of many of the Bats, the purposes of wings; their 
 functions being limited to that of a parachute, giving 
 to the animal a considerable degree of buoyancy, and 
 thus enabling it to take leaps of almost incredible 
 extent, through which it passes with the velocity of an 
 arrow. The name of Flying Squirrels is consequently 
 founded on an erroneous assumption ; but it may never- 
 theless be admitted as a metaphorical expression of 
 their most distinguishing peculiarity. 
 
 In this remarkable character the Flying Squirrels of 
 Siberia and North America agree with those of the 
 Asiatic Islands ; but the latter, or at least the best 
 known species among them, differ, according to M. F. 
 Cuvier, in some minute particulars of their dentition. 
 The differences which he has observed and figured 
 appear, however, to be little more than might be pro- 
 duced by detrition of the crowns of the teeth ; and we 
 cannot therefore regard the genus founded by him upon 
 this single consideration as by any means completely 
 established. At all events we should hesitate in trans- 
 ferring the name of Pteromys to the newly distinguished 
 group, and adopting the new term, Sciuropterus, pro- 
 posed by him for the older genus. We say older, 
 inasmuch as it cannot be doubted that, in separating 
 the Flying Squirrels under the former name, his brother 
 Baron Cuvier had chiefly in view the northern species. 
 For this reason we retain the name of Pteromys for the 
 present group, whether it be restricted to the latter
 
 LESSER AMERICAN FLYING SQUIRREL. 187 
 
 animals alone, or extended to embrace the tropical 
 species also. 
 
 The Flying Squirrels were but little known to the 
 earlier naturalists. Even down to the time of Linnaeus 
 no clear distinction was made between those of America 
 and the Polatouche of Siberia and northern Europe. 
 It was Pallas who first pointed out with precision the 
 actual differences between the latter and the more com- 
 mon of the American species, which had been figured 
 by Buffon under the Polish name in the erroneous idea 
 that it was really the Polatouche. A third species was 
 indicated by Forster in a brief notice of a collection 
 made in Hudson's Bay, published in the Philosophical 
 Transactions. This has since been more fully charac- 
 terized by Dr. Richardson, who, however, appears to be 
 by no means satisfied of the correctness of its separation 
 from the species found in the north of the Old Conti- 
 nent. The same distinguished traveller had himself 
 
 O 
 
 added a fourth to the list from the valleys of the Rocky 
 Mountains ; but he has subsequently reduced it to the 
 rank of a variety only, and offers a guarded opinion 
 that both it and the last may, without much violence, 
 be united to the Polatouche. In that case the Flying 
 Squirrels of the temperate zone would all be still refer- 
 able to the two species originally established by Pallas. 
 They closely agree in general form with the true Squir- 
 rels ; but are of smaller size, have rounder heads, and 
 larger and more prominent eyes. 
 
 The Lesser Flying Squirrel is little more than half 
 as large as the more northern species, from which it 
 also differs in many particulars of form, colouring, and 
 habits. Its tail is longer in proportion, measuring 
 three-fourths of the length of the head and body ; and 
 its head is somewhat more produced in front. On its 
 upper surface the animal is of a bright mouse-colour,
 
 188 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 with a tinge of fawn, which is entirely wanting in the 
 other species ; the under surface is nearly pure white. 
 The lateral expansions have fawn-coloured margins, 
 bordering a black band ; and with only a slight rounded 
 lobe at their anterior extremity on either side. The 
 tail is of the same colour as the body, but more dusky 
 beneath ; the eyes are surrounded by broad black cir- 
 cles ; the whiskers are long and black ; and the ears 
 rather large, somewhat pointed at the tips, and nearly 
 naked on the surface. The length of the head and 
 body never exceeds five inches. 
 
 Like the other Squirrels these animals feed on nuts, 
 acorns, and young shoots. Of the former they store up 
 a sufficient quantity for their winter subsistence in their 
 nests, which are built on the trees in a very artificial 
 manner, and are each capable of containing several 
 individuals. They seldom stir out during the day, but 
 become lively and active during the night, foraging in 
 parties of ten or twelve, and bounding from tree to tree 
 with astonishing agility. " They will fly," says Catesby, 
 " four score yards from one tree to another. They can- 
 not rise in their flight, nor keep in a horizontal line, 
 but descend gradually, so that in proportion to the 
 distance the tree they design to fly to is from them, so 
 much the higher they mount on the tree they fly from, 
 that they may reach some part of the tree, even the 
 lowest, rather than fall to the ground, which exposes 
 them to peril. But having once recovered the trunk of 
 a tree, no animal seems nimble enough to take them." 
 In captivity they seem to be perfectly happy and con- 
 tented, and though shy at first soon become familiar 
 with those who treat them with kindness.
 
 THE BLACK APE. 
 
 MACACVS NIGER. 
 
 SPECIMENS of this interesting Monkey are of extremely 
 rare occurrence. It was first described by M. Desma- 
 rest from a skin in the Paris Museum so imperfect, 
 either in itself or in the manner of its stuffing, as to 
 have induced M. Cuvier to class it among the Baboons. 
 It has consequently been known as the Cynocephalus 
 niger, under which name it was figured by Mr. Gray 
 from a specimen formerly living in the Tower Mena- 
 gerie, but now preserved in the British Museum. A 
 second living specimen has since been exhibited at 
 Exeter 'Change ; and the present forms the third in- 
 stance, as far as we are aware, of its having been 
 brought alive to Europe. Stuffed specimens, in different 
 stages of growth, are, however, we are informed depo- 
 sited in the extensive Zoological Cabinet at Leyden. 
 That the animal is truly a Macacus cannot be for a
 
 190 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 moment doubted by any one who has seen it living. It 
 wants the grand distinction of the Baboons, the only 
 one on which reliance is to be placed, their terminal 
 nostrils ; and coincides with the true Macaques in all 
 those traits of which we have before spoken as charac- 
 teristic of the group. The absence of tail would place 
 it in the same division with the Barbary Ape, forming 
 M. Cuvier's genus Inuus, but the physiognomy of the 
 two animals is very different ; the fleshy cheeks, and 
 consequent apparent depression of the nose, in the pre- 
 sent species, indicating a close affinity to the Mandrills. 
 
 Our animal is of a deep jet black in all its parts, 
 with the exception of its large callosities which are 
 flesh-coloured. Its body is covered with long woolly 
 hair, becoming shorter on the limbs. Its ears are 
 small ; its tail a mere tubercle, less than an inch in 
 length ; and its cheek-pouches seem to be capable of 
 much distension. Its face is broad, rather prominent, 
 slightly narrowing at the muzzle, and abruptly truncate, 
 with the nostrils placed very obliquely on the upper 
 surface. On the top of the head it has a broad tuft 
 of long hairs, falling backwards and forming a very 
 remarkable crest. The expression of its physiognomy 
 is peculiarly cunning. It seems to be rather violent in 
 its temper, and tyrannizes not a little over the quiet 
 Gray Gibbon, which is at present confined in the same 
 cage. 
 
 The specimen in the Paris collection was brought, 
 according to M. Desmarest, from one of the islands of 
 the Indian Archipelago ; and, according to M. Cuvier, 
 from the Philippines. That in the Gardens is under- 
 stood to have arrived in England in a vessel from the 
 South Seas, but from what locality it was obtained has 
 not been ascertained.
 
 THE BARBARY APE. 
 
 MACACUS SrLrANVs. LACBP. 
 
 BY the discovery of the preceding species M. Cuvier's 
 genus Inuus has been deprived of the support which it 
 formerly appeared to derive from geographical distri- 
 bution, being no longer isolated from the Indian 
 Monkeys by its technical character taken from the 
 absence of the tail. The insufficiency of the modifi- 
 cations of this oro-an alone to characterize the larger 
 
 ~ O 
 
 divisions of the Monkey tribe has been so clearly 
 established by M. Cuvier, that we cannot but in this 
 instance make use of his own authority against himself, 
 and merge the Barbary Ape in the genus Macacus, it 
 being, to use his own expression, " merely a Macaque 
 with a small tubercle in place of a tail." In every 
 essential particular, both of physiognomy and form, the 
 identity of character is too obvious to be overlooked. 
 
 The Barbary Ape has been celebrated from the 
 earliest times. It was probably the only tailless species
 
 192 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 of Monkey known to the ancient Greeks ; and Galen 
 has left a minute account of its anatomy, which has 
 been of late years verified by the observations of M. de 
 Blainville and M. Cuvier. It is still perhaps more 
 commonly brought to Europe than any other species, 
 the contiguity of its native country, Northern Africa, 
 affording greater facilities for its acquisition, and ren- 
 dering it more capable of supporting a European climate. 
 It has even established itself on the rock of Gibraltar, 
 where it is. said to have become extremely abundant. 
 
 On the upper parts of the body and outsides of the 
 limbs it is of a light yellowish brown, becoming some- 
 what deeper on the head and on a line bordering each 
 of the cheeks. The under parts are of a dull yellowish 
 white ; the face, ears, hands, and callosities, are flesh- 
 coloured. What is called the tail is merely a process 
 of skin, of a thicker substance, totally unconnected with 
 the os coccygis, to which, however, it corresponds in 
 situation. The fingers are moderately long, the ears 
 small, and the muzzle, which becomes more and more 
 prominent as the animal grows older, is broad and flat. 
 
 In captivity the Barbary Ape is generally peculiarly 
 lively, active, intelligent, and, in its youth at least, good 
 tempered. But these qualities wear off with advancing 
 age, and it becomes sullen, capricious, and in the end 
 unruly, malicious, and dangerous.
 
 "\ 
 
 THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 
 
 TAPIR AMERICANVS. GMEL. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the observation of Buffon, that the Tapir 
 was the largest animal of the New World, has since 
 been proved not to be strictly correct, yet its compara- 
 tive magnitude and singular form, together with its 
 wide dispersion over the Southern division of the Ame- 
 rican continent, could not fail to excite the attention 
 even of the earliest travellers who visited the western 
 hemisphere. From almost all of these older writers we 
 have received more or less imperfect accounts of this 
 remarkable creature ; but it was not until the close of 
 the last century that its zoological characters were 
 accurately denned and its habits clearly ascertained. 
 For a knowledge of the former we are indebted to 
 M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, and after him to Baron
 
 194 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Cuvier; our acquaintance with the latter is chiefly 
 derived from the personal observations of Messrs. Son- 
 niniand D'Azara, confirmed by those of later travellers. 
 So incomplete and distorted were all previous accounts 
 that Linnaeus himself, after having doubtingly admitted 
 the Tapir into the tenth edition of his Systema as a 
 species of Hippopotamus, tacitly rejected it from the 
 twelfth, apparently considering its veiy existence pro- 
 blematical. Buffon, however, had in the mean time 
 received some authentic documents concerning it from 
 La Condamine, and the figure given by him from a 
 drawing by that celebrated traveller furnishes the first 
 tolerable likeness extant. A still better representation 
 was afterwards obtained from a specimen brought alive 
 to France, but which died before reaching Paris, and 
 was published, with additional observations (derived 
 chiefly from the information of M. Sonnini and from a 
 Memoir on the Anatomy of the Tapir by M. Bajon, a 
 surgeon of Cayenne), in the sixth supplementary volume 
 of the great work of Buffon. But many of the original 
 errors of description were still suffered to exist uncon- 
 tradicted, and even M. Allamand's account of two living 
 specimens in the Menagerie of the Prince of Orange 
 remained imperfect in some of the most essential parti- 
 culars. 
 
 From this time until the commencement of the year 
 1816, the American Tapir was generally regarded as 
 the only species of its genus. Some vague notices had, 
 it is true, reached Sir Stamford Raffles of the exist- 
 ence of a similar animal in Sumatra and the Malayan 
 Peninsula, but to Major Farquhar belongs the credit 
 of having first procured a specimen and submitted its 
 description to the world at large. The history of this 
 transaction affords too striking an illustration of the 
 injustice of certain among the French zoologists to the
 
 THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 195 
 
 merits of our countrymen to be passed over without 
 observation. 
 
 " The knowledge of this animal in France," says 
 M. Desmarest in his Mammalogie, carefully shielding 
 himself under an equivocal form of expression, " is due 
 to M. Diard." But M. Lesson goes farther, and echo- 
 ing as usual the dicta of his predecessor with a slight 
 addition of his own, speaks of the Indian Tapir as a 
 species "discovered by M. Diard." Again, in the 
 Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles, M. Desmarest, 
 forgetful of his former caution, heightens the farce still 
 more by asserting that its " discovery in the forests 
 of Sumatra and the Peninsula of Malacca is due to 
 MM. Duvaucel and Diard." In none of these works 
 is the least indication given that the animal in question 
 had previously been even seen by an Englishman ; much 
 less is the fact suffered to transpire that long before 
 M. Diard had "discovered" it, not in the forests of 
 Sumatra or the Malayan Peninsula, but in the Mena- 
 gerie of the Governor-General of British India at 
 Barrackpore, a full description, together with a figure 
 of the animal and of its skull, had been laid before the 
 Asiatic Society by Major Farquhar for publication in 
 their Researches. This latter circumstance, it is true, 
 was not mentioned by M. Frederic Cuvier when he 
 figured the Tapir of Malacca in his splendid work from 
 a drawing made by M. Diard in the Barrackpore Me- 
 nagerie, or by that gentleman himself in the published 
 part of his accompanying letter; but there seems to 
 have been no intention on their parts wilfully to mis- 
 lead their readers. That M. Diard at least could not 
 have been actuated by any such desire is fully proved 
 by several passages in the note appended by him to 
 Major Farquhar's original description, in which he 
 speaks of the gallant officer as " the excellent naturalist 
 
 o2
 
 196 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 who has enriched zoology with so important a disco- 
 very," and attributes the " honour" to him " alone." 
 Baron Cuvier too, in the recent edition of his Regne 
 Animal, silently rejects the unmerited distinction in 
 favour of his step-son and friend, and candidly quotes, 
 as the first describer, our, in this instance, more fortu- 
 nate countryman. After this we trust that we shall 
 hear no more of the " discovery" of the Indian Tapir 
 by MM. Diard and Duvaucel, who have too many real 
 claims on the consideration of zoologists to require to 
 be tricked out in those borrowed plumes with which it 
 has hitherto been the fashion among our neighbours to 
 invest them. 
 
 But it is not in the East alone that a remarkable 
 addition has been made to this singular genus. Within 
 the course of the last year M. Roulin has laid before 
 the French Academy the description, accompanied by 
 figures, of a new species discovered by him in America, 
 and inhabiting the mountainous parts of the same dis- 
 tricts of which the older species frequents the plains. 
 A full account of this interesting discovery, with illus- 
 trative figures, has since been given in the Annales des 
 Sciences Naturelles ; and a careful comparison of the 
 different races seems to prove that the Tapir of the 
 mountains is not merely specifically distinct from that 
 of the plains, but that it is even much more closely 
 allied, in its osteology at least, to the oriental species 
 just noticed. We are therefore warranted in considering 
 the genus as at present composed of three species, two 
 American and one Asiatic. Of the latter, as well as of 
 a young animal of the race which forms the subject of 
 the present article, stuffed specimens are preserved in 
 the Society's Museum. 
 
 The distinctive characters of this remarkable group 
 may be enumerated as follows. It forms part of the
 
 THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 197 
 
 Pachydermatous tribe, which derives its name from the 
 extreme thickness of skin of the animals that compose 
 it, and which is characterized by the toes being entirely 
 enveloped in inflexible hoofs, and by the want of rumi- 
 nating stomachs. From all the neighbouring genera 
 the Tapirs differ in their dentition, which is composed 
 of six incisors and two canines in either jaw, and of 
 seven molars in the upper and six in the lower on either 
 side. The two outermost incisors in the upper jaw have 
 sometimes been mistaken, in consequence of their larger 
 size and conical and pointed form, for a second pair of 
 canines, but their insertion in the intermaxillary bone 
 is clearly indicative of their true character. The true 
 canines, which are separated from the incisors by a 
 vacancy of small extent, are almost rudimentary ; and 
 those of the opposite jaw, although much larger and 
 more prominent, have no pretensions to the name of 
 tusks. The first of the molar teeth in the upper jaw 
 is small in size and rudimentary in character ; and is 
 separated from the canines by a large vacancy. All the 
 remaining molars, both of the upper and lower jaw, are 
 of nearly equal size and similar form, consisting, as a 
 general rule, each of two transverse ridges, which in 
 the upper are united externally and in the lower inter- 
 nally by a longitudinal line. 
 
 An error originally introduced by Marcgrave, whose 
 rude cut is accompanied by a neat description, but who 
 speaks of the teeth as consisting of ten incisors and ten 
 molars in each j aw, held its ground for nearly two cen- 
 turies, and passed successively through the writings of 
 Ray, Brisson, BufFon, Gmelin, and Blumenbach. This 
 was first corrected by M. Geoifroy-Saint-Hilaire ; but 
 some confusion seems still to exist upon the subject. 
 In a note to the French translation of D'Azara's Natu- 
 ral History of the Quadrupeds of Paraguay, M. Cuvier
 
 198 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 tells us that the number of molars in the lower jaw is 
 seven, as in the upper. M. Desmarest repeats this 
 assertion in his Mammalogie, and again in the Diction- 
 naire des Sciences Naturelles, but confining it in the 
 latter place to the American species. M. Cuvier, in his 
 Regne Animal, probably by a typographical error, which 
 is, however, reproduced in the new edition of that work, 
 is made to say that the number of molars in the Tapirs 
 is twenty-seven. We believe that the statement given 
 above will be found to be correct with respect to all the 
 species. It is that of M. Cuvier in his excellent oste- 
 ology of the American Tapir, of Sir Everard Home in 
 the Philosophical Transactions, of M. Roulin in his late 
 Memoir, and of all the authors, from Major Farquhar 
 downwards, who have spoken of the dentition of the 
 Asiatic species. We have ourselves observed the fact 
 in a skull from Sumatra in the Museum of the College 
 of Surgeons ; but that of the American species in the 
 same collection not being fully adult has only six 
 cheek-teeth developed in the upper and five in the lower 
 jaw. In a still younger specimen, formerly living in 
 the Gardens of the Society, of the anatomy of which 
 Mr. Yarrell has given many interesting particulars in 
 the fourth volume of the Zoological Journal, the number 
 of molars already protruded amounted to no more than 
 four in the upper jaw and three in the lower; but the 
 rudiment of a fifth was discovered in the former on the 
 removal of a portion of the bone, and the very imma- 
 ture age of the animal sufficiently accounts for the 
 apparent deficiency. Both these instances, it will be 
 observed, tend to confirm the opinion that in the Ame- 
 rican as in the Indian species the lower jaw has one 
 molar tooth less than the upper. 
 
 In their general osteology the Tapirs appear to bear 
 a more close resemblance to the Rhinoceros than to any
 
 THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 199 
 
 other animal. Their outward form has also in some 
 particulars a near relation to that of the Hog; while 
 on the other hand one peculiarity of structure seems to 
 connect them with the Elephant. In size they are, as 
 Marcgrave well describes the American, about equal to 
 a calf of six months old. They stand moderately high 
 upon the legs, which are thick and strong, the anterior 
 terminating in four toes and the posterior in three, all 
 encased at the point in short rounded hoofs. Their 
 bodies are rather large and heavy, and covered with 
 close, thin, smooth hair ; their tails scarcely visible ; 
 their ears short, rounded, and open ; their eyes ex- 
 tremely small and dull ; and the line of their profile 
 long and slightly arched. But their most remarkable 
 feature consists in the prolongation of the nose and 
 upper lip into a moveable proboscis, capable of being 
 protruded for several inches beyond the opening of the 
 mouth, and of being moved at will in various directions. 
 In the extremity of this proboscis the nostrils form two 
 broad transverse fissures. These tubular nostrils are 
 not, however, sufficiently elongated to be used like those 
 of the Elephant for the purpose of inhaling fluids to 
 be afterwards poured down the throat of the animal ; 
 neither is the trunk itself furnished with the finger-like 
 appendage which is so highly serviceable to the more 
 bulky quadruped. The comparative brevity of this 
 organ in the Tapir also incapacitates it for the general 
 purposes of prehension ; but it seems to be of consider- 
 able use, when the animal is feeding, in guiding the 
 food into its mouth, grasping it with some little force, 
 and propelling it onwards towards its destination. 
 
 The American Tapir is said to reach six feet in length 
 from the extremity of its proboscis to the origin of its 
 diminutive tail ; but the largest of our specimens scarcely 
 exceeds five. Its colour is throughout of a deep brown
 
 200 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 approaching to black, with the exception of the sides of 
 the lower lip, a band occupying the middle of the chin 
 beneath, the upper edges of the ears, and a naked line 
 at the junction of the hoofs, all which are purely white. 
 The hair is rather scanty all over the body, very short, 
 and so closely pressed to the surface as hardly to be 
 distinguished at a little distance. The skin beneath 
 it is of great density, being, according to M. Roulin, 
 not less than seven lines in thickness on the back, and 
 eight or nine on the cheeks ; and so tough that M. Son- 
 nini assures us he has frequently fired at a female Tapir 
 crossing a river with her young, with his gun heavily 
 loaded, without giving her so much disturbance as to 
 cause her to turn aside from her course, although he 
 could distinctly see the impression of his ball upon her 
 skin. On the back of the neck, extending forwards as 
 far as the level of the eyes, is a thick rounded crest, 
 formed internally of a powerful ligament stretched 
 between the spinous processes of the vertebrae of the 
 neck and a stiong elevated ridge occupying the line of 
 junction between the parietal bones of the skull. This 
 singular crest is surmounted by a thin mane of stiff 
 blackish hairs. It is peculiar to the present species, 
 but is not found, according to M. Roulin, in its female 
 at Cayenne ; although we have D'Azara's authority for 
 the female being equally furnished with it in Paraguay. 
 In the young female, formerly in the Society's Mena- 
 gerie, which was brought by Lieutenant Maw from 
 Para in Brazil, it was also very conspicuous. The 
 length of the head is very great and is considerably 
 increased by the prolongation of the muzzle, which is 
 covered with hair of the same colour with that of the 
 rest of the body above, and is naked and flesh-coloured 
 at its flattened extremity and beneath. The eyes are 
 extremely small and of a dull lead-colour.
 
 THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 201 
 
 The young is of a much lighter brown than the 
 adult, with numerous small white spots on the cheeks, 
 a whitish muzzle, and six or eight complete narrow 
 bands of white passing along each side of the body 
 from the shoulders to the haunches. Regular rows of 
 small white spots, placed at equal distances from each 
 other, alternate with these bands. The upper parts of 
 the limbs are marked in a similar manner ; their inner 
 sides, as well as the under surface of the body, are 
 white ; and their extremities of the ground-colour of 
 the whole body, with a few fainter spots scattered over 
 them. Before the end of the first year of their age 
 this livery becomes completely lost; it is partially 
 visible in the young specimen in the Society's Museum, 
 but not at all in the living individuals at the Gardens. 
 Similar markings occur in the young of the Sumatran 
 species, and also, we may observe, in that of the Hog 
 in its native state. The adult female of the present 
 species has generally a considerable number of whitish 
 hairs intermingled with the brown, which gives her 
 somewhat of a grizzled appearance. 
 
 Few animals of equal size have so extensive a 
 range as the American Tapir. It is found in every 
 part of South America to the east of the Andes, from 
 the Straits of Magellan to the Isthmus of Darien ; 
 but appears to be most common within the tropics. 
 M. Roulin dwells upon it as a singular fact that al- 
 though it occurs as low as forty degrees to the south 
 of the equator, it ceases suddenly at about 8 north in 
 a situation where it is extremely abundant, and where 
 no adequate cause has yet been assigned to bar its 
 farther progress, no large rivers nor lofty mountains 
 intervening, nor any change in the character of the 
 vegetation of the country being manifest. The left 
 bank of the Atrato near its mouth, and the part of
 
 202 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Darien inhabited by the independent Indians, may be 
 considered as its northern limit. Its highest range, in 
 the province of Maraquita at least, appears to be from 
 three thousand to three thousand six hundred feet 
 above the level of the sea, while the new species disco- 
 vered by M. Roulin is only met with at a much greater 
 elevation. 
 
 Throughout this wide extent of country the Tapir 
 passes a solitary existence, buried in the depths of the 
 forests and never associating with its fellows ; but flying 
 from society and avoiding as much as possible the 
 neighbourhood of man. It rarely stirs abroad from its 
 retreat during the day, which it passes in a state of 
 quiet lethargy ; and seeks its food only by night. With 
 the exception of the Hog it seems to be the most truly 
 omnivorous of the tribe of animals to which it belongs, 
 for scarcely any thing comes amiss to its ravenous 
 appetite. Its most common food is vegetable, and 
 consists of wild fruits, buds, and shoots. D'Azara tells 
 us that it is also extremely fond of the barren) or 
 nitrous earth of Paraguay. But when pressed by 
 hunger it swallows whatever comes in its way ; and 
 the stomachs of those which are killed in their native 
 forests are commonly filled, according to M. Roulin, 
 with pieces of wood, clay, small stones, and sometimes 
 even bones. A specimen kept by D'Azara gnawed in 
 pieces a silver snuff-box and swallowed its contents; 
 and some of those which have been confined in Mena- 
 geries have been known, after a long fast, to devour 
 the worst of all possible filth. In captivity, or when 
 domesticated, it feeds almost indiscriminately on bread, 
 cassava, herbs, roots, fish, and flesh, either raw or 
 cooked; but it still retains its depraved appetite and 
 swallows rags and dirt of all kinds if they are incau- 
 tiously left within its reach.
 
 THE AMERICAN TAPIR. 203 
 
 The protection afforded by its coat of mail, as its 
 tough skin has been not unaptly termed, together with 
 its great muscular strength, enables the Tapir to pene- 
 trate through the most densely compacted underwood 
 with little difficulty. Every thing gives way before its 
 efforts, and thus it soon clears itself a path in whatever 
 direction it chooses to proceed. But when once its 
 path is made it seems to prefer the beaten road to the 
 formation of a new one, and goes backwards and 
 forwards in the same track, which the native huntsmen 
 and travellers always select as the easiest passage 
 through the forest. They are, however, cautious not 
 to remain in it during the night, nor to swing their 
 hammocks across it, as in that case they would be 
 liable to receive considerable injury from the shock of 
 the animal as it rushes past in its nocturnal rambles. 
 
 The Tapir is far, however, from being a mischievous 
 animal. In its natural disposition it is remarkably 
 quiet, and never attacks man or beast except in self- 
 defence or under circumstances of great provocation. 
 It is frequently hunted for its flesh, which, although 
 coarse, dry, and unsavoury to a European palate, is 
 regarded as a great luxury by the native Indians and 
 negroes. Its skin is also highly valued on account of 
 its great thickness and strength. The lasso is seldom 
 employed to take it; for it snaps asunder at a single 
 effort a cord strong enough to interrupt a bull in the 
 height of his headlong course. The most common 
 mode of catching them is.to attract them by an imitation 
 of their voice, consisting in a sharp but not very shrill 
 whistle, and thus to bring them so close to the hunts- 
 man that his shot rarely fails of its effect. The Indians 
 use poisoned arrows for the same purpose. Another 
 plan, which is also frequently pursued, is for the hunters 
 to station themselves towards evening with their dogs 
 by the side of the Tapir's path, to intercept him in his
 
 204 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 passage to the water, of which, like most animals of his 
 tribe, he is particularly fond, constantly indulging in a 
 bath as soon as he rouses himself for the business of 
 the night, and wallowing at all times in the water with 
 peculiar delight. The dogs are, however, frequently 
 worsted, the Tapir defending himself with great courage, 
 seizing his enemies with his teeth, and inflicting on 
 them very severe wounds. When thus attacked he 
 usually endeavours to gain the water, where, standing 
 up to his breast, he defies the largest dogs : his assail- 
 ants being compelled to swim are unable to bring into 
 action their full agility and strength, while the Tapir, 
 quietly watching their motions, seizes them successively 
 as they advance, by the back of their necks, and shakes 
 them off from him with the loss of large portions of 
 their flesh. 
 
 It would seem that these animals may be readily 
 tamed, and even to a certain extent domesticated. All 
 those which have been kept in Menageries have been 
 perfectly quiet and good tempered; and M. Sonnini 
 assures us that numerous tame individuals are allowed 
 to walk at liberty through the streets of Cayenne, to 
 leave the town, and to go into the neighbouring woods, 
 from which they return in the evening to the house 
 where they are fed. They are fond, he says, of being 
 noticed, recognise their master, follow him about, and 
 give him various tokens of attachment. "It appears 
 to me," adds M. Sonnini, " that with care and attention 
 the Tapir might be made serviceable as a beast of 
 burthen of great robustness ; its thick-set form and 
 the high degree of strength with which it is endowed, 
 would enable it to bear very heavy loads; and the 
 gentleness of its disposition raises a strong presumption 
 that we should find united in it the two valuable quali- 
 ties of docility and patience."
 
 THE VIRGINIAN FALLOW-DEER. 
 
 CERT us VIRGINIANVS. GMKL. 
 
 FEW and strongly marked as are the species of Deer 
 cultivated in our parks, they give name to a genus of 
 the Ruminant Order as natural and almost as extensive 
 as that of the Antelopes, and still more widely distri- 
 buted over the surface of the habitable globe. Setting 
 aside the great Australian Continent and most of the 
 smaller islands, in which no species of either group has 
 yet been observed, Deer of various kinds are met with 
 in every part of the world, with the single exception of 
 Southern Africa, the head quarters of the Antelopes, 
 whence they appear to be totally excluded by the more 
 favoured race. In those regions where they abound, 
 the savage in his state of nature, the tenant of the 
 wilderness in his first stage of civilization, and the tra- 
 veller in his pursuit of knowledge through the unexplored
 
 206 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 recesses of the forest, all depend upon these animals 
 for their chief subsistence, and find in them their most 
 certain and familiar resource where no other provisions 
 are to be procured. What the ox and the sheep are to 
 settled and civilized man, are the Deer of his native 
 woods to the wild and uncultivated savage. 
 
 But it is not merely as a means of subsistence that 
 these animals are hunted down by the tyrants of the 
 creation. The passion of the chase is not one of those 
 passions which are engendered by necessity alone. It 
 glows with equal ardour in the bosoms of the most 
 civilized nations and in those of the most barbarous 
 tribes. In the one as in the other it animates eveiy 
 breast ; and it matters little whether it be panem aut 
 Circenses, whether food or sport, that the huntsmen 
 seek, the result is the same to the harmless animals 
 that are marked out for their victims. Wherever they 
 exist the Deer seem to be peculiarly destined to this 
 unenviable preeminence, in the one case for their large 
 size and the excellence of their flesh, and in the other 
 for their extreme swiftness of flight. 
 
 It might reasonably be imagined that a tribe of 
 animals so familiarly known and affording so many 
 opportunities for examination, would have been studied 
 with the greatest minuteness, and that little would now 
 remain to be learned respecting them. But this is very 
 far indeed from the fact. Except the Rein-deer and 
 the half domesticated races, none of them have been 
 investigated with the accuracy which is requisite to put 
 us in possession of their complete history ; and we have 
 consequently a constant accumulation of new species, 
 many of which will unquestionably, on a closer exami- 
 nation, be found scarcely to deserve the name of varie- 
 ties. This is especially the case with the Indian animals 
 of the Rusa tribe, almost every specimen of which that
 
 THE VIRGINIAN FALLOW-DEER. 207 
 
 falls under the notice of naturalists is described as new, 
 in consequence of some trifling variation in its horns, 
 a variation which is frequently replaced in the same 
 individual in the succeeding year by another equally 
 unessential. That these organs furnish the best dis- 
 tinctions that have yet been pointed out we willingly 
 admit ; but we feel convinced that the real differences 
 can never be regarded as satisfactorily established until 
 they shall have been traced through the whole course 
 of life. Not to speak of the changes that have been 
 observed in other races, the variations which are known 
 to all as occurring in the European Stag, and those 
 which have been pointed out by M. Cuvier as existing 
 in the Rein-deer of the north, are conspicuous instances 
 of the fallacy of any criterion drawn from individual 
 specimens at an isolated period of their growth. 
 
 Not only do the horns of these animals furnish the 
 most readily applicable means of distinguishing the 
 species from each other; they afford moreover almost 
 the only essential characters which, uniting them under 
 one common genus, separate them from the rest of the 
 Ruminant Order. Unlike the horns of the Antelopes, 
 the Goats, the Sheep, and the Oxen, those of the Deer 
 are entirely composed of one homogeneous bony sub- 
 stance, of close and solid texture, and sheathed by no 
 other covering than the soft velvety down which enve- 
 lopes them during the progress of their growth and 
 disappears as soon as they have reached maturity. 
 Instead of being permanently attached to the skull they 
 are subject to an annual falling off and renewal, the 
 regular recurrence of which is interrupted only under 
 peculiar circumstances of climate or of mutilation. They 
 are besides almost invariably branched in a greater or 
 less degree, except in the first year of their appearance, 
 when they are generally simple ; while a similar occur-
 
 208 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 rence has only been met with in one or two anomalous 
 cases, and to a very trifling extent, in those groups of 
 Ruminants which are furnished with permanent horns. 
 The generic characters of the Deer may consequently 
 be clearly denned as consisting in their horns of one 
 uniform structure, generally more or less branched, and 
 most commonly deciduous at certain periods. It should 
 however be added that these organs are found in the 
 male alone, except in the single instance of the Rein- 
 deer, whose female is provided with the same appen- 
 dages, but of a less luxuriant growth. It is possible 
 therefore that doubts may occasionally arise relative to 
 the females of certain species either of Deer or of 
 Antelopes, which being themselves destitute of horns, 
 and their males remaining unknown, must be classed 
 by a reference to those characters of general appear- 
 ance by means of which a very imperfect distinction 
 can be drawn between these nearly related groups. 
 Characters of this latter kind are generally more easily 
 comprehended by a glance at the objects themselves 
 than by pages of unsatisfactory description. We shall 
 therefore merely observe that the Deer resemble the 
 Antelopes very closely in general form, but are usually 
 more strongly made ; their legs, although slender, have 
 more muscularity ; and their colours are for the most 
 part less vivid. They are also in general of larger size. 
 But all these circumstances are subject to variations in 
 the different species ; and no uniform rule can be estab- 
 lished with respect to them. In other particulars, such 
 as the elongated form of the head, and its frequent 
 terminat'on in a moist muzzle ; the large size of their 
 eyes, and the occasional presence of suborbital fissures ; 
 the length of their open and pointed ears ; the smooth- 
 ness of their tongues; and the comparative shortness 
 of their tails ; there is little or no distinction between
 
 THE VIRGINIAN FALLOW-DEER. 209 
 
 them. It should, however, be mentioned as an addi- 
 tional characteristic of some of the male Deer, although 
 not common to the entire group nor always uniform 
 even in the same species, that they are provided with 
 canine teeth in the upper jaw ; a peculiarity which has 
 never been met with in any other genus of horned 
 Ruminants. 
 
 An illustration of the value of characters derived 
 from general appearance may be found in the animal 
 figured at the head of the present article. Although a 
 female, and consequently without the distinguishing 
 marks of the genus, a stranger to the species could not 
 hesitate a moment in referring it to its proper group. 
 And yet it has scarcely any one of the distinctions 
 indicated above. It is in fact much more slightly made, 
 more graceful in its form, and more lively in its colour- 
 ing, than the Nyl-ghau Antelope which occupies a part 
 of the same enclosure. It belongs, however, to a well 
 known species of the genus Cervus, inhabiting the 
 continent of America from Canada on the north to the 
 banks of the Oronoco on the south. In size it is some- 
 what superior to our own Fallow Deer, which it much 
 resembles in its general form. The colour of the fawn 
 is a deep tawny sprinkled with scattered white spots, 
 which are lost as the autumn advances. The hair then 
 becomes grayish, and lengthens considerably during 
 the winter, at which period the animal is said by the 
 hunters to be in the gray. At the end of May or the 
 beginning of June the winter coat is shed, and gives 
 place to the short close reddish tawny hair, which lasts 
 until August or September. During the summer months 
 it is said to be in the red. While the latter is again 
 changing to the winter gray, the mixture of the two 
 colours produces a bluish tinge, which the hunters 
 express by saying that the deer is in the blue, at which 
 
 p
 
 210 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 period its skin is reckoned the most valuable. Through 
 all these changes the lower jaw, the fore part of the 
 throat, the inside of the ears, the belly, and the inside 
 of the limbs, are white ; the face has a grayish tinge ; the 
 moist muzzle is of a dusky black, with a white spot on 
 each side of the upper lip ; and the lower lip is of a pure 
 white, with the exception of a transverse band of dusky 
 black which crosses it behind the middle. The tail is 
 rather long, tawny above, terminating in black, and 
 white beneath; and a white patch occupies the but- 
 tocks beneath the tail, but does not extend beyond its 
 edges. The suborbital fissures consist only of a slight 
 fold of the outer skin ; and the muzzle is remarkably 
 slender and pointed. The male has no canine teeth. 
 Its horns, which are cast in January and lose their 
 velvet in September or October, are round, and in the 
 second year (when they first make their appearance) 
 perfectly simple and arched inwards and forwards. In 
 the third year they are furnished with a single antler, 
 rising some distance above the base, and directed in- 
 wards. In the fourth a second antler makes its appear- 
 ance posteriorly near the extremity ; and in the fifth, a 
 third is thrown out above the last. In some old bucks 
 the number of antlers amounts to four, one internal, and 
 three posterior. The horns themselves are constantly 
 arched forwards, and their points advance so far ante- 
 riorly as to be placed perpendicularly above the muzzle. 
 The American Fallow-Deer appears to be one of the 
 most abundant species of the group. It lives in nume- 
 rous herds, and forms a common food of the wild tribes 
 of North America and of the inhabitants of the back 
 settlements. The females are frequently taken during 
 the summer months, by the hunters imitating the cry of 
 the fawn. Their solicitude for their young overcomes 
 their timidity, and they fall victims to their maternal 
 affection.
 
 THE EUROPEAN FOX. 
 
 CANIS VULPES. LINN. 
 
 IT is by no means our intention to enter at length into 
 the history of so common an animal as the European 
 Fox ; but our object being to illustrate, as far as lies in 
 our power, the characters of all the Foxes at present 
 confined in the Society's Menagerie, it becomes neces- 
 sary to give at least a brief sketch of the most univer- 
 sally known among them, which may serve as a point 
 of comparison for the rest. Before however we proceed 
 to this part of our subject, it will be proper to enumerate 
 the characters by which they are connected with the 
 Dos;, Wolf, and Jackal into one common group; as 
 well as those distinguishing peculiarities on which it 
 has been so repeatedly attempted to institute a separate 
 generic division for the reception of the Foxes alone. 
 In its most comprehensive sense the genus Canis is 
 
 p2
 
 212 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 distinguished from the other Carnivora by several ob- 
 vious characters, derived from modifications in the most 
 essential organs. The teeth consist, besides the six 
 incisors and two canines in either jaw common to nearly 
 the whole Order, of three false molars, one lacerator, 
 and two tuberculars on each side of the upper jaw, and 
 of the same number in the lower, with the addition of a 
 fourth rudimentary false molar placed anteriorly to the 
 rest. In no other animals, except in those which are 
 usually referred to this genus, are the tubercular teeth 
 two in number both above and below ; the Viverrine 
 groups, which form the nearest approach to them, 
 having but one such tooth in the lower jaw, although 
 furnished with two in the upper. The upper incisors 
 terminate in three more or less deeply indented lobes, 
 while the lower have only two ; the canines are strong, 
 conical, pointed, and slightly curved ; the false molars 
 gradually increase in size from before backwards, each 
 of the posterior being furnished with an additional 
 lobe ; the single points of the upper lacerator, and the 
 double projections of the lower, are continued into 
 sharp cutting edges ; and the tuberculars expand into 
 a broad flattened surface. Most of these modifications 
 in the cheek-teeth indicate a diminution of carnivorous 
 propensities in these animals when compared with the 
 Cats, or even with the Weasels, and this is further 
 confirmed by the smoothness of their tongues ; but the 
 strength of their canines, and more especially the form 
 of their lacerators, demonstrate that the Dogs are still 
 possessed of a high degree of aptitude for preying upon 
 animal food. Their internal organization is also emi- 
 nently fitted for the digestion of flesh. 
 
 In the organs of locomotion we find similar indica- 
 tions. Their increased length of limb gives to the canine 
 
 O O 
 
 races a superior degree of fleetness in the chase, which
 
 THE EUROPEAN FOX. 213 
 
 they are enabled to maintain for a great length of 
 time by the strength of their muscles and the firmness 
 of their sinews. Except in one remarkable species, 
 the Hyaena-Dog, which has been separated from the 
 rest as a distinct genus, they have five toes on the fore 
 feet and four only on the hind, the place of the fifth 
 being, however, occasionally marked by a rudimental 
 claw. Each of the toes is armed with a thick, short, 
 blunt, unretractile claw, quite incapable of being used 
 like those of the Cats in seizing their prey, which office 
 is in these animals wholly performed by the teeth. 
 They are equally incapable of being rendered service- 
 able in climbing trees, a feat which only one species, 
 the Fennec of Bruce, is said to perform; and in this 
 instance our knowledge of the animal is too slight to 
 allow us to ascertain the extent to which this peculiar 
 faculty is carried. In all the species the extremities of 
 the toes, with the broad callous tubercles placed at 
 their base, are the only parts which press upon the 
 ground in walking; and they are consequently as 
 perfectly digitigrade as the Cats themselves. 
 
 Of the distinctive characters between the Foxes and 
 the Dogs the most remarkable bears a direct relation 
 to their different modes of life, and seems therefore to 
 furnish an adequate ground for their separation. In 
 the Dogs, however great the intensity of light to which 
 they may be exposed, the iris uniformly contracts around 
 the pupil in the form of a circle ; while in the Foxes, if 
 observed during the day or under the influence of a 
 strong light, it is seen to close in a vertical direction, 
 the pupil assuming the figure of a section of a double 
 convex lens. The object of this provision is evidently 
 to exclude the rays of light in a much greater degree 
 than would be compatible with the structure of a cir- 
 cular pupil ; and it is consequently only found in those
 
 214 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 nocturnal animals in which the faculty of vision is 
 capable of being exercised through the medium of a 
 comparatively small proportion of light. Such animals 
 are necessarily incapable of bearing the full blaze of 
 day, which soon becomes painful to their eyes, thus 
 compelling them to close their pupils to such an extent 
 as to render their vision very imperfect. Much of the 
 cunning suspiciousness of manner for which the Fox is 
 notorious is evidently due to this very circumstance ; 
 his attitudes and motions necessarily partake of the 
 uncertainty of his sight, and he appears to be most 
 cunning when he is in reality most short-sighted. To 
 shade himself as much as possible from the light, he 
 hides himself in burrows during the day, and prowls 
 abroad in full possession of his perceptive faculties 
 under the influence of a clouded night. 
 
 But although this distinction of noctumal and diurnal 
 may seem at the first glance to be perfectly natural, a 
 slight acquaintance with the animals to which it is 
 sought to be applied will teach us that its value is in 
 point of fact not so great as theory would lead us to 
 imagine. The Wolf, with a circular pupil, is almost 
 equally nocturnal in its habits with the Foxes them- 
 selves; and the Jackal, which both in size and form 
 makes the nearest approach to the latter, and which 
 not only prowls abroad during the night but conceals 
 itself like them in burrows throughout the day, has its 
 iris formed exactly on the same plan with that of the 
 domestic Dog. We cannot therefore consider the habits 
 of the two divisions of the genus to be discriminated in 
 so marked a manner as to justify their separation by 
 means of this character, and still less by means of those 
 minor distinctions which have been thrown as make- 
 weights into the scale. 
 
 Of these the most striking is unquestionably the
 
 THE EUROPEAN FOX. 215 
 
 great difference in their attitudes, the upright bearing 
 of the Wolf and other species of that division, although 
 mingled with a degree of dogged indecision, strongly 
 contrasting with the crouching and almost trailing pos- 
 ture in which the Foxes make their advances. The 
 bodies of the latter seem consequently to be much less 
 elevated upon their legs, and to be even somewhat 
 elongated; and their shoulders and haunches assume 
 a broader and more rounded form. Their heads also 
 are broader and flatter, and terminate in a narrower, 
 shorter, and more pointed muzzle. Their tails are 
 considerably longer, and much more bushy ; and their 
 furs, especially the winter coat and in the more northern 
 regions, longer, softer, and far more valuable as an 
 article of commerce. The lobes of the incisor teeth of 
 their upper j aw are not in general so distinctly marked 
 as those of the Dog. 
 
 The discrimination of the various species of Foxes 
 which are spread over almost every part of the Old 
 and the New Continent is attended with no little diffi- 
 culty, in consequence of the great uniformity in size, 
 form, and general disposition of colours subsisting be- 
 tween all the different races. There are, however, in 
 many cases, peculiarities of physiognomy, variations in 
 the character of the fur, and differences in manners 
 sufficiently obvious to the eye of an attentive observer, 
 although, it must be confessed, not very strongly 
 marked. The European Fox is too well known to 
 require minute description, and its distinctive charac- 
 ters will be best understood when we come to compare 
 it with the other species. It will be sufficient for the 
 present to say that its ground colour in its most usual 
 state is of a dull reddish fawn of various degrees of 
 intensity, with a strong tendency to assume a blackish 
 tinge along the middle of the back and across the
 
 216 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 shoulders, and an almost constant production of the 
 same hue on the sides of the muzzle, the backs of the 
 ears, the under surface of the tail, and the fore parts of 
 the limbs : the whole of the under surface of the body, 
 the insides of the limbs, the upper lip, and the tip of 
 the tail being most commonly of a pure white. There 
 is much variation in all these particulars, but the general 
 distribution of colours is in all cases pretty nearly the 
 same. In one variety the black of the back and shoul- 
 ders is strongly developed in the form of a cross ; and 
 in another the fawn is much deeper, the fur much 
 closer and longer, and the tip of the tail black instead 
 of white. Similar variations in colouring will be found, 
 as we proceed, to occur also in the other species. 
 
 Of the manners of the Fox it would be superfluous 
 to speak in a country where it is so generally known, 
 the extirpation of all the more ferocious beasts having 
 rendered it the most formidable invader of the repose of 
 the poultry-yard, and the primary object of the chase.
 
 
 THE RED FOX. 
 
 CAN is FULrvs. DESK. 
 
 WE cannot agree with M. Cuvier in the opinion, found- 
 ed, we apprehend, on the examination of skins alone, 
 that the Red Fox of America is a mere variety of the 
 common European species. The differences in physio- 
 gnomy and manners, as well as in general appearance, 
 are too striking, in the living animal, to be regarded, as 
 the great French zoologist appears disposed to consider 
 them, as nothing more than the effects of climate. In 
 point of fact the American animal is by no means 
 confined to those colder regions to which M. Cuvier's 
 observation is expressly limited ; for its range extends 
 into the most southern provinces of the United States, 
 where its peculiar characters remain unchanged. The 
 same opinion appears, however, to have prevailed uni- 
 versally among naturalists until the commencement of
 
 218 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 the present century, when M. Palisot de Beauvais, in a 
 paper read before the French Institute, (an abstract of 
 which was afterwards given in the Bulletin de la Societe 
 Philomathique,) first accurately distinguished between 
 the two species. Since that time they have been almost 
 uniformly regarded as distinct; and although much 
 confusion still exists with respect to the American 
 Foxes in general, the present has rarely been con- 
 founded with any other. 
 
 The distinctive characters of the Red, as compared 
 with the European, Fox, have been so well defined by 
 Dr. Richardson in his Fauna Boreali-Americana that 
 we cannot do better than give them in his own words. 
 " On comparing," he says, " a fine specimen of the 
 English Fox with an American Red Fox, each were 
 observed to have dark markings on the sides of the 
 muzzle, posterior parts of the ears, and fore part of the 
 legs ; the tails of both have an intermixture of black 
 hairs, and are tipped with white. The Red Fox, how- 
 ever, differs in its long and very fine fur, and in the 
 brilliancy of its colours. Its cheeks are rounder, its 
 nose thicker, shorter, and more truncated. Its eyes 
 are nearer to each other. Its ears are shorter, the hair 
 on its legs is a great deal longer, and its feet are much 
 more woolly beneath, the hair extending beyond the 
 claws, which are shorter than those of the European 
 Fox. In short the Red Fox differs from the European 
 one in nearly the same characters that distinguish the 
 gray American Wolf from the Pyrenean one in the 
 breadth and capacity of its feet for running on the 
 snow, the quantity of long hair clothing the back part 
 of the cheeks, which in conjunction with the shorter 
 ears and nose give the head a more compact appear- 
 ance. The Red Fox has a much finer brush than the 
 European one, and is altogether a larger animal."
 
 THE RED FOX. 219 
 
 Several of the peculiarities here enumerated, such as 
 the greater length and fineness of the hair and the 
 woolliness of the feet beneath, which during the winter 
 entirely covers the callous tubercles, are, it is true, 
 nothing more than the usual consequences of a northern 
 climate; and taken alone they would by no means 
 entitle the American animal to be regarded as a distinct 
 species. But the remarkable differences in the form of 
 the head and in the expression of the physiognomy, 
 which can only be properly appreciated on a compa- 
 rison of living specimens, are, it appears to us, decisive 
 of the question. We have not ourselves had an oppor- 
 tunity of examining the skull of the Red Fox ; but if it 
 be correctly described by M. de Beauvais, and after 
 him by M. Desmarest and M. F. Cuvier, it is sufficiently 
 distinguished from that of the common species by the 
 prolongation backwards of the line of attachment of 
 the temporal muscles and by several minor peculiarities. 
 The tip of the tail, it should be observed, is not always 
 white; but it is constantly distinguished by a lighter 
 colour than the rest, and appears never to become black 
 as is sometimes the case in the European species. 
 
 The Red Foxes, we are informed by Dr. Richardson, 
 are so abundant in the wooded districts of the Fur 
 Countries that about eight thousand skins are annually 
 imported from thence into England. Like the European 
 Foxes they burrow in the earth during the summer, 
 but prefer the shelter of a fallen tree during the winter, 
 probably because the severity of the climate would 
 expose them to the danger of having their burrows 
 frozen up. They hunt chiefly during the night, and 
 prey upon the smaller animals of the Rodent Order ; but 
 they also devour fish and animal food of every kind, 
 and are frequently seen abroad during the day. There 
 seems to be much difficulty in catching them on account
 
 220 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 of their extreme suspiciousness, which often renders 
 the precautions of the hunter unavailing. The traps 
 which are set for them are occasionally perfumed with 
 assafoetida, castoreum, and similar substances, of the 
 scent of which the Foxes are said to be fond. When 
 pursued they run for a short distance with great swift- 
 ness, but their wind soon fails and they are speedily 
 overtaken. 
 
 The specimen in the Society's Menagerie was pre- 
 sented by the Hudson's Bay Company in the autumn 
 of the last year. It has all the characters of the genuine 
 American race ; and we repeat that it seems to us 
 impossible, placing it side by side with the European 
 Fox, not to be convinced that the two animals are of 
 different species. Its manners appear to us indicative 
 of more suspicion, but of a less degree of cunning ; but 
 it is almost unnecessary to remark that no certain 
 deduction can be drawn with regard to the character of 
 a species from the observation of a single individual.
 
 ,.,. y 
 
 THE CROSS FOX. 
 
 CAMS FULFUS. Var. DECVSSATVS. 
 
 IN a group of animals so intimately connected with 
 each other as the Foxes, in which the difference of 
 size is but trifling and that of form depends only on 
 minute peculiarities, while the colouring of each varies 
 most extensively, though always it would seem through 
 a uniform series of gradations, it is next to impossible 
 to determine by the mere inspection of their skins the 
 precise limits of the species. It is therefore not at all 
 surprising that modern zoologists, with M. Geoffroy- 
 Saint-Hilaire at their head, should have looked upon 
 the Cross Fox of America as a distinct species from the 
 Red, from which it differs so remarkably in the colour 
 of its fur. But the observation of living specimens of 
 both in their native country has induced Dr. Richard- 
 son to regard the one as a mere variety of the other ;
 
 222 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and the opportunity which we have ourselves had of 
 making a similar comparison in the Society's Menagerie 
 has enabled us to form a decided opinion of the correct- 
 ness of that gentleman's views upon the subject. On 
 the most careful examination we have been unable to 
 detect any other important difference between them 
 than that which results from their colour ; and we are 
 told by Dr. Richardson " that the gradations of colour 
 between characteristic specimens of the Cross and Red 
 Fox are so small, that the hunters are often in doubt 
 with respect to the proper denomination of a skin." 
 Such gradations exist in the excellent series of skins in 
 the Society's Museum ; and a similar variation in the 
 European species, from its usual dull tawny to an 
 arrangement of colours exactly corresponding with that 
 of the American Cross Fox, and distinguished by the 
 same name, has been remarked by zoologists from the 
 revival of natural history down to the present day ; but 
 although the earlier naturalists, whose ideas of a species 
 were very unsettled, constantly distinguished between 
 these latter races, it seems now to be universally ac- 
 knowledged that the difference is merely accidental. 
 
 The distinguishing peculiarities of the American Cross 
 Fox consist in the dark iron gray of the fore part of its 
 head ; the blackish stripe passing from the head along 
 the back and intersected by a similarly coloured band 
 extending downwards over the shoulders ; the pale 
 colour of the sides, the tawny occasionally disappearing 
 altogether ; and the deep black of the legs and of all 
 the under parts of the body. Its fur is generally con- 
 sidered finer than that of the Red Fox, and the com- 
 parative rarity of the animal renders it much more 
 valuable. 
 
 In manners and disposition the two animals appear 
 to be precisely similar.
 
 THE SILVER FOX. 
 
 CANIS FULrvs. Var. ARGENTATUS. 
 
 THE Black or Silver Fox of America exhibits a still 
 further deviation from the typical colour of the species 
 to which, in conformity with the opinion of Dr. Rich- 
 ardson, we have referred it without hesitation, notwith- 
 standing that its distinction by M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire 
 has been recognised by Baron Cuvier and almost every 
 zoologist of the day. On this point we can only repeat 
 that we believe them to have formed an erroneous judg- 
 ment, in consequence of the want of sufficient materials 
 for comparison, the intermediate variety not having, so 
 far as we are aware, been hitherto zoologically studied 
 in a living state in Europe. 
 
 From the imperfect means in his possession, M. F. 
 Cuvier some time since conjectured that the Cross and 
 Silver Foxes were varieties of the same species. That
 
 224 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 such is really the fact, the black tinge of the former 
 being only still more deeply and more extensively de- 
 veloped in the latter, will, we think be obvious to any 
 one who will take the pains of comparing the specimens 
 of the two animals now occupying the same enclosure 
 in the Gardens of the Society. In this case, as in the 
 last, a similarly coloured Fox is also found, but very 
 rarely, in the North of Europe and of Asia ; but we 
 have not been able to ascertain by comparison whether, 
 as is most probable, the latter animal bears the same 
 relation to the Common species. 
 
 The gradations between this variety and the last have 
 not been so distinctly marked, in consequence of the 
 extreme rarity of the animal, " a greater number than 
 four or five being seldom," as Dr. Richardson informs 
 us, "taken in a season at any one post in the fur 
 countries." In its most perfect state it is entirely of a 
 pure shining black, with the exception of the tip of the 
 tail, which, as in the other varieties, is white. But 
 more commonly the fore part of the head, the sides of 
 the face, and the loins are grizzled, as in our specimen, 
 by an intermixture of silver-tipped hairs, and there is 
 frequently also, as in it, a white spot upon the breast. 
 Its fur, which is in reality very beautiful, fetches, ac- 
 cording to the scientific traveller whom we have so 
 often quoted in our sketches of the American Foxes, 
 six times the price of any other fur produced in North 
 America. It inhabits precisely the same districts as 
 the preceding varieties, whence both it and they were 
 forwarded to England on account of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, to the liberality of the Governors of which 
 body the Society has been repeatedly indebted for 
 numerous valuable additions both to its Menagerie and 
 Museum.
 
 THE WHITE-CHEEKED MARTEN. 
 
 MUSTELA FLAVIGVLA. BODD. 
 
 INFERIOR in predatory character to the Cats alone, to 
 which they bear a close resemblance in many points of 
 their organization, the Weasels constitute one of the 
 most strongly marked families among the Carnivora. 
 In slenderness of form, sleekness of fur, and agility of 
 motion, they are excelled by none. Their long narrow 
 cylindrical bodies are supported by short muscular 
 legs, which are usually bent beneath them in such a 
 manner that their bellies appear almost to glide along 
 the ground : while the head and neck, the latter of 
 
 o y * 
 
 which is unusually elongated, are of nearly equal dia- 
 meter with the rest of the body. The upper and anterior 
 part of their heads is flattened and has a somewhat 
 triangular form ; their ears are small and rounded ; 
 their eyes of moderate size, with round or transversely 
 
 Q
 
 226 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 elongated pupils ; their nostrils seated at the extremity 
 of a moist glandular muzzle ; their tongues clothed with 
 raised sharp horny papillae; and their toes, of which 
 there are five to each foot, armed with long, slender, 
 sharp, curved, semiretractile claws. These claws, al- 
 though sharp at the points, want the cutting edges 
 possessed by the same organs in the Cats, and are 
 besides but ill calculated by their want of strength for 
 seizing on their prey. They are also incapacitated by 
 the latter circumstance for burrowing in the earth, like 
 those of the Dogs and Bears ; and they seem rather to 
 be of use in climbing trees, a feat which these animals 
 execute with great dexterity, travelling among the 
 branches with such rapidity as to seem rather to fly 
 than to run. They usually remain during the greater 
 part of the day asleep in their retreats, but towards 
 night they begin to rouse themselves and prowl abroad 
 in search of the living victims on which they chiefly 
 feed. In uninhabited districts these are commonly 
 found among the smaller animals of the Rodent Order ; 
 but a still more plentiful supply is frequently derived 
 in cultivated countries from the farm-yard, in which the 
 poultry forms the principal object of their nocturnal 
 incursions. Their visits are sometimes attended with 
 the most extensive devastation, their sanguinary dispo- 
 sitions impelling them to the commission of wholesale 
 destruction for the gratification of their excessive thirst 
 of blood. 
 
 In the more typical groups of the family, constituting 
 the major part of the Linnaean genus Mustela, the den- 
 tition is nearly uniform, and consists most commonly of 
 six incisors and two canines in each jaw; of two false 
 molars, one lacerator, and one tubercular tooth in the 
 upper jaw, and of three false molars, a lacerator, and a 
 tubercular tooth in the lower. The group, however, for
 
 THE WHITE-CHEEKED MARTEN. 
 
 227 
 
 which M. Cuvier has retained the generic name' of 
 Mustela, are distinguished from the rest by being fur- 
 nished with an additional rudimentary false molar in 
 either jaw. Their muzzles are consequently somewhat 
 more lengthened than those of the other divisions. 
 They have also a small tubercle on the inner side of the 
 lower lacerator; and these two characters indicate a 
 trifling diminution in their carnivorous propensities. 
 Their walk is digitigrade, but less completely so than in 
 the Dogs and Cats ; and their fur is, generally speaking, 
 remarkable for its length, its fineness, and its gloss. 
 
 The fine species which forms the subject of the pre- 
 sent article is the largest of the group. It is an animal 
 of extreme rarity, having been well described and figured 
 for the first time by Dr. Horsfield, in the Zoological 
 Journal, about twelve months ago, under the name of 
 Mustela Hardwickii, from a skin presented by General 
 Hardwicke to the Museum of the East India Com- 
 pany. It had, however, escaped the researches of that 
 excellent zoologist that the living animal had been seen 
 by Pennant so long ago as the year 1774, and was 
 described by him in the first edition of his History of 
 Quadrupeds, published in 1781, briefly indeed, but in 
 terms sufficiently precise not to be mistaken. From 
 this description of Pennant, the only writer previous to 
 Dr. Horsfield who appears to have had any personal 
 knowledge of the animal, it was adopted into the compi- 
 lations of Boddaert and Shaw ; the former of whom 
 gave it the appellation of Mustela flavigula, (which, as 
 the first published Latin name, we have been compelled 
 reluctantly to admit), and the latter designated it as 
 the Viverra quadricolor. It seems to have been either 
 passed over, or regarded as doubtful, by all the other 
 compilers of general lists of the Mammalia. 
 
 The Society's animal, which we presume to be the 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 third specimen and second living individual that has 
 been noticed by zoologists, is somewhat darker in its 
 colouring than Dr. Horsfield's figure, the skin from 
 which the latter was taken being in all probability 
 faded ; but fully agrees with it in every other parti- 
 cular. It is about two feet in length, with a tail of 
 nearly equal dimensions. The head, nose, and upper 
 lip, the sides of the face including the ears, the back of 
 the neck, the tail and adjacent parts of the body, and 
 the limbs, both within and without, are of a deep 
 shining black. The chin and lower jaw are pure white, 
 and the throat is of a bright yellow, blending on the 
 sides with the brown of the back, the whole of the 
 upper and fore parts of which, together with the belly, 
 are uniformly of the latter colour, except on the shoul- 
 ders where the hairs are tipped with yellow. The tail 
 is perfectly cylindrical and clothed with long and some- 
 what rigid hairs. The pupils are round ; the ears short ; 
 the whiskers moderately long; the palms of the fore 
 feet large and of a dusky colour ; and the claws of all 
 nearly white. As far as we have been enabled to exa- 
 mine the teeth, they confirm Dr. Horsfield's conjecture, 
 that the animal is a true Mustela. It has the three 
 false molars in the upper jaw which are met with in 
 that genus. 
 
 Our specimen is extremely tame, good tempered, 
 playful, and familiar. It partakes in a slight degree 
 of the unpleasant odour remarkable in some other 
 animals of the family, and of which the Polecat affords 
 the most notorious example. It was presented to the 
 Society by the Hon. Captain Shore, by whom it was 
 brought from India. General Hardwicke obtained his 
 skins from Nepaul: the country of Pennant's animal 
 was unknown.
 
 THE PINE MARTEN. 
 
 MVSTELA MARTES. Buiss. 
 
 THE animals of the Weasel family have long been 
 classed among the torments of zoologists, and few have 
 a better title to be so considered than those which 
 constitute the genus Mustela, as restricted by M. Cu- 
 vier, and denned in the preceding article. With the 
 exception of the very remarkable species there described, 
 which is incapable of being confounded with any other, 
 the entire group consists of a series of animals ap- 
 proaching each other so closely in all their essential 
 characters, that it is impossible, in the present imperfect 
 state of our knowledge, to determine with precision the 
 limits of the several species which are generally sup- 
 posed to exist among them, and to which names are 
 universally assigned. Dr. Richardson has lately cleared 
 up some of the difficulties which surrounded the Ame-
 
 230 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 rican species, by proving that the Vison (comprehending 
 the Mustela lutreocephala of Harlan) belongs to a dif- 
 ferent group, and pointing out the characteristic features 
 that distinguish the Pekan, (with which he has identified 
 the Fisher-Weasel of Pennant), from the Pine Marten 
 of both continents. But the justice of the separation 
 of the latter from the Beech Marten, and of both from 
 the Sable, still remains open to investigation, with little 
 chance of being speedily or permanently settled. For 
 our own parts we confess that after the most patient 
 and attentive consideration which we have been enabled 
 to bestow upon the subject, aided by the consultation 
 of the best printed authorities, and the examination of 
 numerous specimens, we have been unable to arrive at 
 any satisfactory conclusion. On the one side we have 
 the weight of great names in zoology, as well as the 
 common consent of popular tradition, for regarding the 
 three species just enumerated as distinct ; and this 
 opinion is in some degree confirmed by the apparent 
 permanence of certain characters, trifling in themselves, 
 but which have been regarded as sufficiently important 
 to establish a real distinction between them : on the 
 other side we have authorities equally great for consi- 
 dering two at least out of the three as mere varieties 
 of one common species ; while the facts that have been 
 observed tend to throw considerable doubt on the 
 permanence of the distinctive marks, and to render it 
 probable that these may be nothing more than the 
 effects of climate, of seasons, of sex, and of age. 
 
 It is to be regretted that in subdividing the Linnaean 
 genus M. Cuvier should have given the name of Puto- 
 rius to that section which comprehends the Common 
 Weasel, the true Mustela of authors, transferring the 
 latter title to the present group, which might have been 
 more appropriately designated by the Latin name of
 
 THE PINE MARTEN. 231 
 
 Martes. By the latter denomination one of the species 
 appears to have been known to the ancients ; but the 
 only instance in which mention of the animal occurs in 
 the Roman classics is in an epigram of the poet Martial. 
 The first notice of their existence among the moderns is 
 found in Albertus Magnus, who speaks of the Beech 
 and Pine Martens and the Sable as distinct, but asserts 
 that the two former breed together ; a fact which, if 
 proved, would go far to establish their identity of origin. 
 The next author in order of time who treats of them, is 
 George Bauer, better known by his assumed name of 
 Agricola, who in his Treatise on Subterraneous Animals, 
 a remarkably correct and well executed performance 
 published at Basil in 1549, refers both the Martens 
 and the Sable to the Weasel genus, and distinguishes 
 the three species in a very particular manner. The 
 first, he says, lives in caves and the fissures of rocks, 
 and is covered all over with blackish tawny hairs, 
 except on the throat, which is pure white. The second 
 rarely quits the shelter of the forest, its colour is more 
 obscurely fulvous, and its throat yellow : of this, he 
 adds, some think there are two kinds, the one living in 
 beech and the other in pine woods. The third is the 
 most beautiful and the most noble, and is called by the 
 Germans Zobel ; it lives in woods, like the Marten, is 
 rather smaller than that animal, and wholly of an ob- 
 scure tawny, except the throat, which is ash-coloured. 
 The skins of the last, he continues, are more precious 
 than cloth of gold, insomuch that forty of the best 
 quality, which is the quantity usually packed in one 
 bale, have been sold for more than a thousand pieces 
 of gold. 
 
 To this accurate account of the animals in question 
 little was added during the two succeeding centuries. 
 It was adopted almost verbatim by Gesner, Aldrovan-
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 dus, and Jonston. They seem, however, by common 
 consent, to have abandoned Agricola's subdivision of 
 the second species, and to have described his first, the 
 Stone Marten, as it was emphatically denominated by 
 the Germans, as the Beech Marten, imputing to it a 
 more familiar and sociable disposition and a fondness 
 for the neighbourhood of inhabited places. The same 
 distinctions are adopted by Ray in his Synopsis Qua- 
 drupedum, 1693 ; but to his description of the Sable 
 he adds, that " Dr. Tancred Robinson had seen the 
 animal itself in the possession of Dr. Charlton. Its 
 size was that of a cat of Cyprus, its colour a dark 
 tawny ; the fore part of its head and its ears of a 
 whitish ash-colour; and the bristles on its eyebrows, 
 nose, and face, very long." 
 
 So lightly did Linnaeus estimate the value of the 
 distinctions indicated between the Pine and Beech 
 Martens, that he uniformly treats of them as one and 
 the same animal, in all his zoological writings from 
 the first edition of his Fauna Suecica to the twelfth 
 of his Systema Naturae. It is only in the last that he 
 gives for the first time an intimation of the existence 
 of any difference between them. " The country people," 
 he there says, " reckon two varieties ; the Beech Mar- 
 ten with a white throat, and the Pine Marten with a 
 yellow." From the manner in which this observation 
 is introduced it is evident that he gave little credence 
 to the popular opinion. His character of the Sable is 
 principally founded upon that of Ray, and is accom- 
 panied by the sign which he constantly used for the 
 purpose of denoting that he had himself never seen 
 the animal. Among his contemporaries, Klein, who in 
 1751 published an arrangement of Quadrupeds, con- 
 tinues the old distinction, and repeats the old descrip- 
 tions, of the three species ; and Brisson, who followed
 
 THE PINE MARTEN. 233 
 
 in the same track in 1756, but with the advantage of 
 a better knowledge of his subject, distinguishes the 
 Beech and Pine Martens, from his own observation, 
 simply by the colour of their throats, and describes the 
 Sable, which he acknowledges never to have seen, after 
 Ray and the older writers. 
 
 In the mean time the great work of Buffon and 
 Daubenton was steadily proceeding in the accumula- 
 tion of facts, and in their arrangement under a popular 
 and attractive form. Daubenton, who furnished most 
 of the descriptive and all the anatomical details, ap- 
 pears to have been in great doubt whether to regard 
 the Beech and Pine Marten as distinct species, or as 
 mere varieties ; and to have been at last determined 
 to consider them in the previous light, by the circum- 
 stance that he had never met with a mixed or interme- 
 diate breed. " They resemble one another so closely," 
 he says, " in external form and internal structure, 
 that the sole distinction between them consists in the 
 colours of the fur." " The Pine Marten," he con- 
 tinues, " has the throat yellow, while that of the Beech 
 Marten is white ; and the tints of colour are altogether 
 more beautiful, and their lustre more brilliant in the 
 former than in the latter." " Both," he says, " are 
 found in all kinds of woods, and even in those which 
 have neither firs nor beeches the Beech Marten is also 
 improperly considered a domestic animal, for although 
 it seeks its prey in inhabited places, it is but little less 
 wild than the Pine Marten." Buffon, on the contrary, 
 finds in their supposed difference of disposition a theme 
 for the exercise of his eloquence, and exaggerates 
 beyond the bounds of probability the fancied contrast 
 between the two animals. Neither Buffon nor Dau- 
 benton speak of the Sable as an animal of which they 
 had any personal knowledge ; nor is it figured in their 
 work.
 
 234 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 In his History of Quadrupeds, Pennant follows Buffon 
 in making the three species distinct. Of the Pine Marten 
 he says that it " never lodges near houses, as the other 
 species is said to do ;" but adds in a note, " All foreign 
 authors agree in this ; but those [Beech Martens] which 
 inhabit my neighbourhood always keep in the woods, 
 except in their nocturnal excursions." His history of 
 the Sable is fuller than that of previous naturalists, 
 being partly taken from an account of the animal given 
 by John George Gmelin in 1760 in the Memoirs of the 
 Petersburgh Academy, and partly from a Collection of 
 Russian Histories, published in German by Miiller, and 
 containing many commercial particulars concerning it. 
 Little more is said by our author in his British Zoology 
 respecting the distinction between the two kinds of 
 Marten. He adds, however, that in the Beech Marten 
 "the palms, or under sides of the feet, are covered 
 with a thick down like that on the body ; " and " the 
 claws are well adapted for climbing trees, which in this 
 country are its constant residence." 
 
 Of all the authors hitherto quoted it will have been 
 observed that none have spoken of the Sable as an 
 animal which they knew otherwise than by report. It 
 is said by most of them to inhabit not only Northern 
 Asia and Russia, but Poland also, Scandinavia, and 
 even Lapland. These latter habitats may, however, 
 probably be considered as indicating nothing more than 
 the countries through the medium of which the skins 
 called Sables were procured. The only two naturalists 
 who have described these animals from personal obser- 
 vation are J. G. Gmelin and Pallas, both of whom 
 became acquainted with them while travelling in Siberia, 
 to which country their range is expressly limited by the 
 latter. The first of these writers had an opportunity of 
 examining two specimens in the palace of the Governor 
 of Siberia at Tobolsk, where they were kept alive for
 
 THE PINE MARTEN. 235 
 
 an entire year. He describes them as resembling the 
 Martens in their form and habit of body : the one being 
 throughout the winter of an ashy black, cinereous on 
 the chin, and yellowish round the ears; the other 
 smaller, and of a yellowish brown, becoming somewhat 
 paler on the chin and ears. On the approach of spring 
 the former animal became yellowish brown, and the 
 latter pale yellow. A figure of the darker coloured 
 specimen accompanies the paper, and well deserves the 
 epithet " pessima " applied to it by Pallas. It affords 
 no assistance in the discrimination of the species ; but 
 has nevertheless been copied in the Encyclopedic M6- 
 thodique and many other works, as the truest and most 
 authentic figure of the Sable extant. 
 
 In fact, were it not for the authority of the great 
 zoologist to whom we have next to turn our attention, 
 we should scarcely hesitate in discarding the Sable from 
 the list of genuine species, and considering it as a mere 
 variety of the Pine Marten, produced by climate and 
 other concomitant circumstances. But the deliberate 
 judgment of such a man as Pallas, founded on a com- 
 parison of specimens both living and dead, carries with 
 it too much weight to be shaken by any but the most 
 positive evidence. In the absence of unquestionable 
 proof to the contrary, we must necessarily take for 
 granted the correctness of his decision, and regard the 
 Siberian Sable as distinguished from the European and 
 Asiatic Martens by the characters which he has pointed 
 out ; although these characters are not altogether in 
 accordance with the statements of previous zoologists, 
 and do not appear to have fallen under the notice of 
 any subsequent observer. 
 
 The general description of the Sable given by Pallas 
 is accompanied by a comparison of its several parts 
 with those of a Pine Marten found in the same forest,
 
 236 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 almost the only one in which the two animals are met 
 with intermixed, and the most western habitat of the 
 true Sable. The distinctive marks of the latter are 
 made to consist in its somewhat larger size ; a slight 
 depression of the top of its head ; a trifling elongation 
 of its muzzle; the fur of the ears being on the outside 
 excessively soft, pale, and silky, and their inside being 
 lined with whitish hairs ; the soles of the feet more 
 villous ; the toes not ending in a naked callus, but in a 
 tuft of crisp wool completely enveloping the claws ; the 
 tail shorter than the legs when extended, and conse- 
 quently much more abbreviated than in the Marten, 
 and becoming perfectly black towards the tip ; the 
 blackness of the fur of the body, which in the Marten 
 had a yellowish tinge ; and the ashy gray of the head, 
 becoming brown on the muzzle, hoary about the eyes, 
 and of a more obscure and dirty colour on the throat, 
 but not abruptly, except in certain varieties, distin- 
 guished, like the Marten, by a patch on the throat. 
 Some of these characters, it will be seen, are very trivial, 
 and others susceptible of variation. The slight differ- 
 ences in the form of the head are not greater than are 
 found to exist in the same animal at different ages ; 
 and the colour, as we have seen from Gmelin's descrip- 
 tion, varies greatly in different individuals and in dif- 
 ferent seasons. The woolliness of the toes, supposed to 
 be peculiar to the Sable, had already been mentioned 
 by Pennant in his description of the Marten, in some 
 specimens of which we have ourselves observed the 
 same fact. And lastly, even the comparative length of 
 tail, on which the greatest stress is laid, affords no 
 absolute criterion; for Pallas himself states that this 
 organ is a little longer in the males, at least when 
 young. His authority must, however, be allowed to 
 overweigh all such considerations; and to indicate the
 
 THE PINE MARTEN. 237 
 
 existence of a true Sable, as a distinct species from the 
 Martens, although unknown to later zoologists. 
 
 The history of these animals from the time of Pallas 
 to the present day may be very briefly dismissed. The 
 three species have been almost universally enumerated 
 by authors ; but little or nothing has been added to 
 that which was previously known concerning them. 
 Each has copied with more or less correctness that 
 which had been before copied by his predecessors ; and 
 the white patch on the throat of the Beech Marten, the 
 yellow on that of the Pine Marten, and the irregularity 
 of these markings in the Sable, together with its woolly 
 toes and shorter tail, have been given by all the best 
 authors as the discriminating marks of the species. 
 Of the more careless compilers some, however, have 
 strangely blundered. Thus, M. Desmarest has omitted 
 the most important characters given by Pallas for the 
 Sable, and has, on his own authority, furnished it with 
 a tail of two-thirds the length of its body, while that of 
 the Pine and Beech Martens is stated to measure but 
 little more than the half. We know of but one instance 
 sjnce Linnaeus in which the two latter animals have 
 been even apparently conjoined, and this occurs in a 
 little Essay on the Scottish Mammalia by the late 
 Dr. Walker. He does not, it is true, mention the 
 former, and possibly may not have regarded it as a 
 native of Scotland : he characterizes the species, how- 
 ever, in the words of Linnaeus, and observes that, as the 
 animal advances in age, its throat becomes yellower. 
 
 Our own observations shall be compressed into as 
 small a space as possible. The individuals figured in 
 our cut were sent from Russia to the late Marchioness 
 of Londonderry as specimens of the true Sable. From 
 this animal, as described by Pallas, they were at once 
 distinguished by the well defined yellow patch spreading
 
 238 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 over their chest and throat, and by the length of their 
 tail, which considerably exceeded that of their hinder 
 legs. Their colour during the winter was, with the 
 exception of the throat and the margins of the ears 
 (which were likewise yellow), of a deep chestnut with 
 somewhat of a blackish tinge, and their hair extremely 
 long and fine. The fore legs of one of them were 
 crossed in front towards the upper part by a yellowish 
 stripe. In summer they assumed a much lighter tinge, 
 and their hair became so much shorter as to give them 
 the appearance of being scarcely more than half their 
 former bulk. The extremities of their toes, which had 
 been well protected by lengthened wool throughout the 
 cold weather, were also stripped of their covering and 
 the claws completely exposed. In manners they were 
 lively, active, and good humoured ; they slept much 
 during the day, but frequently indulged in whirling 
 themselves, half climbing and half leaping, round the 
 inside of their cage with such rapidity as almost to 
 elude the sight. 
 
 The Museum in Bruton Street contains five more 
 specimens of the group, besides those which obviously 
 belong to distinct species from the animals under con- 
 sideration. Two of these, both British, may fairly be 
 referred to the Beech Marten in its winter and summer 
 dress. The former has the long hairs of a fulvous 
 brown, few in number, and interspersed in a dense 
 cinereous fur; those of the tail and legs are blackish 
 brown; the toes are slightly hairy beneath, but the 
 claws project considerably. The sides of the head are 
 paler, and the throat and chest dirty white, with no 
 intermixture of yellow or brown. In the other the 
 hairs of the body are very short ; the fur is much less 
 dense ; the general colour is of a paler brown, extending 
 to the legs and tail which are but little darker; the
 
 THE PINE MARTEN. 239 
 
 soles are less hairy ; and the top of the head is of the 
 same dirty white colour with the chest and throat. 
 There are also two British specimens of what appears 
 to be the Pine Marten. Neither of them seems to be 
 in its full winter dress ; but both are approaching to- 
 wards it, and in different degrees. They are both darker 
 than the darkest of the former; and there is conse- 
 quently less difference between the colour of the body 
 and that of the legs and tail. The latter, however, 
 become insensibly deeper and at length nearly black 
 towards their extremities. The upper part and sides 
 of the head are nearly of the same colour with the 
 body ; the ears are pale yellow, especially round their 
 margins ; the throat and chest marked with a broad 
 well denned patch of yellow with somewhat of an orange 
 tinge ; the under part of the toes moderately hairy ; but 
 the claws nevertheless distinctly visible. In the fifth 
 specimen, which was brought from the northern parts 
 of America, the general colour is nearly the same with 
 that of the individuals last mentioned ; but its tail is 
 considerably shorter, a circumstance which we can 
 scarcely regard as otherwise than accidental in the pre- 
 sent instance. The sides of the head are somewhat 
 paler ; and the throat, instead of a broad patch of white 
 or yellow, exhibits only a kind of mottled appearance, 
 formed by the intermixture of lighter and darker coloured 
 spots of irregular shape and unequal size. This latter 
 has generally been regarded as a true Sable, and it 
 must be owned that in some of its characters it ap- 
 proaches to Pallas' description ; but if it be in reality 
 any thing more than a variety of the Pine Marten, we 
 should rather feel disposed to refer it to the race of 
 Sables mentioned by that author as peculiar to America, 
 and distinguished from those of Asia by their chestnut 
 colour and the inferior quality of their fur. The Pine
 
 240 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Martens are, however, known to vary greatly in the 
 markings of their throat in the fur countries of America, 
 where they are so abundant that upwards of a hundred 
 thousand skins are annually collected. 
 
 Such are the specimens of Martens contained in the 
 Society's Museum. Other individuals exhibiting similar 
 variations in their colouring and markings have been 
 observed by us in various collections ; but it would be 
 useless to multiply descriptions leading to no conclusive 
 result. If the Beech and Pine Martens of our own 
 country be distinct, it is probable that the last described 
 animal may also belong to a different species from either. 
 We do not, however, hesitate to declare our opinion 
 that the true Sable of Pallas is still a stranger to our 
 collections ; and we have good reason, in the silence 
 of authors respecting it, for believing that it is equally 
 unknown to the zoologists of the continent. It is cer- 
 tainly not a little singular that an animal so highly 
 valued and so anxiously sought after should still be a 
 desideratum to the scientific world ; but it is perhaps 
 no less so that the opinion which has been so lightly 
 adopted with respect to such well known animals as 
 the indigenous Martens should never yet have been put 
 to the test of direct experiment.
 
 THE REIN-DEER. 
 
 CERFVS TARANDUS. LINN. 
 
 To the superficial observer, who is contented with a 
 glance at things as they are, and cares little by what 
 agency this state of things has been brought about, it 
 may possibly appear that the various races of domes- 
 ticated quadrupeds have existed such as they are now, 
 from the creation downwards, the patient and enduring 
 slaves of man, constantly drudging in his service, minis- 
 tering to his wants, and subservient to his will. But 
 to such an assumption, reason and analogy, past history 
 and present experience, alike afford the most positive 
 and unequivocal contradiction. Every thing tends to 
 prove, beyond the possibility of doubt, that all these 
 races have been gradually reclaimed from a state of 
 nature by the persevering industry of man, who has 
 reaped, in the services which they have been taught 
 to render him, only the just reward of his patience and 
 
 R
 
 242 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 his skill. In many cases, it is true, so vast has been 
 the change produced in their characters, both physical 
 and moral, by the cultivation to which they have been 
 subjected, and so innumerable are the varieties to which 
 this cultivation has given rise, that it has at length 
 become almost impossible to refer the domestic races 
 to their prototypes in nature. In others, however, and 
 more especially in those animals which have been uni- 
 formly subjected to the same mode of treatment, and 
 confined in a great degree to the countries in which 
 they were originally placed, the change produced by 
 domestication upon their outward appearance has been 
 so trifling, as to render it impossible to call in question 
 their identity with the wild stock from whence they 
 sprung. 
 
 Such is the domesticated Rein-deer of the Laplander 
 compared with the free herds that are spread so abun- 
 dantly through all the habitable parts of the Arctic 
 Regions and the neighbouring countries, extending in 
 the New Continent to a much lower latitude than in the 
 Old, and passing still farther south on all the principal 
 mountain chains. In America the southern limit of the 
 Rein-deer across nearly the whole continent appears 
 to be about the parallel of Quebec, but the animal is 
 most numerous between 63 and 66. Passing west- 
 wards it is said to be unknown in the islands interposed 
 between America and Asia, but is again abundant in 
 Kamtschatka, throughout nearly the whole of Siberia, 
 in Northern Russia, Sweden, and Norway, and more 
 especially in Finmark and Lapland. In these latter 
 countries the numbers of the few wild herds that still 
 exist are suffering a constant diminution, every art 
 being put in practice by the hardy natives to reclaim 
 and domesticate an animal which constitutes their sole 
 property, the source of all their comforts, and the very
 
 THE REIN-DEER. 243 
 
 means of their existence ; without which their land 
 would actually be, as at a first glance it seems, a bleak 
 and uninhabitable desert. According to M. Cuvier, 
 the Baltic forms in Europe its southern limit ; in Asia, 
 however, it extends along the Ural chain to the foot of 
 the Caucasus ; and we have the authority of a passage 
 in Caesar's Commentaries, which can scarcely apply to 
 any other animal, for its having existed in his day in 
 the Hercynian Forest. The boundaries of this immense 
 tract of woodland are certainly not very well defined, 
 but this location would imply at all events a more 
 southern European habitat than any that is at present 
 known. 
 
 Again crossing the Ocean we find the Rein-deer at 
 Spitzbergen, in Greenland, and in Newfoundland ; but 
 it has been said by Pennant, and this has been lately 
 repeated by Dr. Richardson, in his valuable Zoology of 
 the Fur Countries of North America, not to be known 
 in Iceland. This statement, which was scarcely true 
 at the time when Pennant wrote, is not by any means 
 correct as refers to the present day. About sixty years 
 since, as we learn from Von Troil's Letters on Iceland, 
 thirteen of these animals were imported from Norway, 
 ten of which dying on the passage, only three were 
 landed. These were turned out into the mountains, 
 and have since multiplied to such an extent, in the 
 interior and unfrequented parts of the country, that 
 their progeny was estimated by Count Trampe the 
 Governor, in 1809, the period of Dr. Hooker's visit, 
 at no less than five thousand head. Herds of forty, 
 sixty, or even a hundred individuals, are said, both by 
 Dr. Hooker and by Sir George Mackenzie, who visited 
 the island in the following summer, to be not uncom- 
 mon in the mountains. They are, however, of little 
 use to the inhabitants, who have made no attempts to 
 
 R 2
 
 244 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 domesticate them, and are too poor to purchase powder 
 and ball for their destruction. It does not appeal- 
 indeed that they are much sought after, the cow and 
 the sheep thriving extremely well upon the island, and 
 supplying the place of the Deer in almost every respect. 
 We may add that, according to Mr., now Sir Arthur, 
 Brooke, an importation of six bucks and twenty-four 
 does took place in 1777, about seven years after the 
 period of the first introduction of the animal into 
 Iceland. 
 
 In so wide a range, although not including much 
 diversity of climate, it may reasonably be expected that 
 these animals should be subject to some variation; but 
 all the varieties that have hitherto been pointed out 
 seem to be dependent on size, on trifling modifications 
 of colour, and on the shape and branching of the horns. 
 Thus we are told that in some instances the adult 
 animal has been known to weigh so little as sixty or 
 seventy pounds, while in others it has attained the 
 almost incredible weight of four hundred. In this 
 latter case, however, we cannot help suspecting that 
 there is either gross exaggeration, or some confusion 
 between the Rein-deer and the Elk. The bucks of the 
 smaller American variety weigh, when in good condi- 
 tion, according to Dr. Richardson, from ninety to a 
 hundred and thirty pounds, exclusive of the offal ; 
 those of the larger, according to Captain Franklin, 
 from two hundred to two hundred and forty. The 
 laws by which their growth is regulated appear to be 
 directly the reverse of those that govern man and most 
 other animals ; for they obviously increase in magni- 
 tude the nearer they approach the Pole, and dwindle 
 in the less congenial regions of the south. Those of 
 Norway and Sweden are of diminutive stature when 
 compared with the Deer of Finmark and Lapland ;
 
 THE REIN-DEER. 245 
 
 and these again bear no comparison in size to those of 
 Spitzbergen and the polar climes. 
 
 The variations in colour are much less extensive. 
 In summer their coat assumes a deeper hue than in 
 winter; and the young animal has a still darker tinge 
 than the adult. The general colour of the upper parts 
 is of a dark brown, all the hairs being more or less 
 deeply tipped with that colour, and of a grayish white 
 at the base. As the winter approaches the brown 
 assumes a grayish tinge ; the whole of the under parts 
 retaining the same shade of grayish white throughout 
 the year. The feet are almost uniformly marked imme- 
 diately above the hoofs with a band of white. Occa- 
 sionally the entire coat puts on this white appearance ; 
 and spotted or mottled Deer are said to be by no means 
 uncommon in some parts of Lapland, but are still more 
 frequent in Siberia. The fur of the latter is of a finer 
 quality than that of the other varieties. All travellers 
 agree in stating that there is no kind of covering so 
 fitted for the Arctic Regions, or so capable of resisting 
 the most intense cold, as the skin of the Rein-deer. 
 "The hairs composing their coat," says Mr. Brooke, 
 " are indeed so thick, that it is hardly possible by 
 separating them in any way to discern the least portion 
 of the naked hide." This remark had previously been 
 made by Linnaeus ; and Dr. Richardson affirms that a 
 suit of clothing made of deer-skin " is so impervious to 
 the cold, that, with the addition of a blanket of the 
 same material, any one so clothed may bivouack on the 
 snow with safety, in the most intense cold of an arctic 
 winter's night." The winter clothing of all the tribes 
 
 O o 
 
 inhabiting the arctic circle is consequently almost en- 
 tirely composed of this inestimable fur. 
 
 But the most extensive and the most important 
 variations are those that occur in the horns. In the 
 adult animal these appendages in their most perfect
 
 246 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 state give rise to three ramifications ; each terminating 
 in a broad palmated expansion, subdivided into several 
 distinct and more or less elongated processes. The 
 first of these ramifications takes its origin near the root 
 of the horn, and expanding almost from its base, passes 
 forwards over the forehead and root of the nose ; the 
 second rises somewhat higher, but always below the 
 middle of the stem and from its outer side; and the 
 third terminates the stem itself, which is frequently 
 furnished on its upper part with several short simple 
 snags. But all these particulars are subject to very 
 considerable variations. Sometimes the palmated ex- 
 pansions are no where to be seen, the ramifications 
 terminating in simple cylindrical processes, unconnected 
 by any flattening at their base. This variety most 
 frequently occurs in the young or in the female animal ; 
 for in this species alone of the Deer tribe the female 
 is provided with horns similar to those of the male, but 
 rarely attaining an equal magnitude. Not unfrequently 
 one, or even both the lowermost ramifications, or brow 
 antlers, are entirely wanting. There is also very great 
 variety in size, proportional thickness, and extent of 
 curvature. Every part of them in fact is liable to so 
 much variation that it has been asserted, and not without 
 reason, that no two specimens, even of the same age 
 and sex, have the horns shaped exactly alike. This 
 remarkable fact has been well illustrated by Baron 
 Cuvier, in his Ossemens Fossiles, in which he has 
 devoted an entire plate to the modifications in the form 
 of the horns of the Rein-deer as exemplified by the 
 excellent series in the Paris Museum. From these he 
 has deduced the conclusion that there is no character 
 common to the whole species, but that of having the 
 horns smooth and compressed in every part, except in 
 the very short portion immediately connected with the 
 burr. Several conjectural species, founded on these
 
 THE REIN-DEER. 247 
 
 diversities alone, have thus been erased from our 
 catalogues. 
 
 As in all the other species, the horns of the Rein- 
 deer are clothed during their growth with a velvety 
 coat, highly vascular in its structure. At an early 
 period they contain a substance very like marrow, of 
 which the hunters are particularly fond. By the time 
 they have reached their full size, their texture has 
 become perfectly solid and bony, and the velvety coat 
 shrivels up and peels off in ragged and irregular por- 
 tions. This usually occurs about September ; and in 
 two or three months afterwards the old males cast their 
 horns. The young .males and the pregnant females 
 generally retain them until the commencement of the 
 spring, but the barren females lose theirs almost as 
 early as the males. The Laplanders say that the more 
 sound and healthy the animal is, the more speedily 
 does it throw off its horns. 
 
 Like the Elk, to which it bears a close relation in 
 the palmation of its horns, the Rein-deer is entirely 
 destitute of naked muzzle. In shape, as Caesar long 
 since remarked, it partakes both of the Ox and of the 
 Stag, resembling the latter in size, in general appear- 
 ance, and in zoological characters, but in some degree 
 approaching the former in the shape of its head, the 
 shortness and thickness of its neck, the thickset make 
 of its body, and the brevity and muscularity of its limbs. 
 Its head is rarely raised beyond the level of its back, 
 and seems to stoop as it were beneath the weight of its 
 generally ponderous horns. The great strength of its 
 shoulders and forequarters eminently qualifies it for 
 those purposes of draught to which it is most commonly 
 applied by the Laplanders ; but it is no less admirably 
 fitted by the muscularity of its loins for a beast of bur- 
 then, in which capacity it is frequently made use of by
 
 248 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 various Siberian tribes. Instead of the slender feet and 
 narrow pointed hoofs of the Stag, it is furnished with 
 thick bony fetlocks, the joints of which are surrounded 
 by powerful ligaments, and with broad rounded hoofs, 
 capable of being widely expanded, and giving to it the 
 same facility for travelling over the soft and new-fallen 
 snow without sinking, which the natives artificially 
 acquire by means of their snow-shoes. The hoofs are 
 also capable of being widely separated from each other, 
 a provision which adds greatly to the security of their 
 footing by increasing the surface on which they tread. 
 
 In a state of nature the Rein-deer is essentially a 
 migratory animal, and so powerful has been its influence 
 on the habits of the pastoral tribes who depend on it 
 for their subsistence, as to have rendered them in this 
 particular subservient to its necessities, and compelled 
 them to adopt a mode of life as unsettled as its own. 
 In the depth of winter it retires to the wooded districts, 
 subsisting principally upon the succulent lichens of the 
 genera Usnea and Alectoria, which hang in long fila- 
 mentous tufts from the branches of the trees. With the 
 approach of spring it is gradually tempted to make 
 short trips into the open country, but returns imme- 
 diately on the recurrence of the frost. In these excur- 
 sions it finds a change of food in the various species of 
 Cornicularia, Cenomyce, and Cetraria that cover the 
 barren grounds beneath the snow like a carpet, and are 
 from this circumstance collectively known by the name 
 of Rein-deer moss ; an appellation appropriated in the 
 north of Europe to one particular species, but equally 
 applicable to the whole. To get at these lichens it 
 scrapes away the snow with its hoofs. As soon as the 
 snows begin to melt, and the woods become infested 
 by the insects of spring, the Rein-deer, fearful of the 
 approaching heats, and anxious to escape from the
 
 THE REIN-DEER. 249 
 
 attacks of these vermin, and more especially of a species 
 of oestrus or gadfly, which is its own peculiar foe, aban- 
 dons its covert, and frequently traversing a wide extent 
 of country, migrates in large herds to the sea-shore, or 
 seeks the security of the mountain ridges. Here it sub- 
 sists partly upon lichens, and partly on the leaves and 
 young shoots of the birch, sallow, and aspen, and on the 
 hay and dry grass that is found in the swamps, until 
 the rigour of the season drives it back into the woods. 
 
 A singular circumstance connected with the food of 
 the Rein-deer is mentioned by Mr. Brooke, who attri- 
 butes to it a propensity for eating lemmings, a small 
 animal about the size of a rat, which comes down in 
 myriads during the summer season from the mountains 
 of the north of Europe. But this is not "spoken of as 
 an habitual occurrence ; and it is probable that, in the 
 few instances in which it has been observed, it may 
 have arisen from accidental causes, and not from any 
 instinctive fondness for animal food. Such a propensity 
 in a ruminating animal would indeed be an anomaly 
 for which it would be difficult to account. It may be 
 proper, however, to mention that a corroboration of 
 Mr. Brooke's observation is afforded by Capt. Frank- 
 lin's statement, that the American Rein-deer " are 
 accustomed to gnaw their fallen antlers, and are said 
 to devour mice." 
 
 It is only in the Old World that any attempts have 
 been made to domesticate this singularly useful animal. 
 The natives of the northern parts of America appear to 
 have no idea of its value, except as a beast of chase, 
 furnishing them with a considerable portion of their 
 food at certain seasons, and with excellent clothing for 
 the winter. In these points of view the Caribou, as it 
 is termed by the Canadian Voyageurs, is an animal of 
 the highest importance to their domestic economy, and
 
 250 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 they have consequently devised various expedients for 
 its capture and destruction, which are minutely detailed 
 by Captains Lyon and Franklin and Dr. Richardson. 
 But there are few of the Siberian tribes to whom these 
 animals are known who do not turn them to better 
 account. The Koriacks possess immense herds of Rein- 
 deer in a state of complete domestication, some of the 
 richest proprietors owning, it is said, as many as ten or 
 even twenty thousands. They use them for the purpose 
 of draught, for their flesh, and for their skins, of which, 
 as we learn from Von Langsdorff and other travellers, 
 they sell great numbers to their neighbours the Kamt- 
 schadales, who keep no Rein-deer of their own. The 
 Yakuts and the Samoiedes not only attach them to the 
 sledge, but saddle and mount them as horses. Nothing, 
 however, can more strongly demonstrate the gross 
 ignorance of these barbarous tribes than the fact that 
 throughout the whole of Northern Asia, the milk of 
 the Rein-deer, which the Laplander esteems their most 
 valuable product, is entirely neglected. 
 
 It is, in fact, in Lapland alone that the Rein-deer is 
 properly appreciated, and cultivated with a due regard 
 to its peculiar qualifications. To it the Laplander owes 
 whatever he possesses of domestic comfort or of Euro- 
 pean civilization. It furnishes him with food and 
 raiment ; forms the standard of his rank and consi- 
 deration among his countrymen ; and affords the means 
 of communication with his neighbours. In a country 
 where neither the cow nor the horse could live through 
 the winter, it supplies the place of both ; and at seasons 
 when the roads, if any existed, would be impassable to 
 man, it whirls him with equal safety and rapidity along 
 the frozen surface of the snow. It is true that in order 
 to obtain these advantages the Laplander is compelled 
 to adapt himself to the manners of his herd, to follow
 
 THE REIN-DEER. 251 
 
 them in their summer migrations to the coast or to the 
 mountains, and to conduct them on the return of winter 
 to the woods and plains of the interior. But in so 
 doing he relinquishes none of the enjoyments of life ; 
 for there is nothing in the desolate country which he 
 inhabits to bind him to one spot more than to another. 
 
 It would occupy too much of our space, and would 
 be besides more strictly within the province of the 
 economist than of the naturalist, to give a detailed his- 
 tory of the Rein-deer in its domesticated state. Those 
 who would seek for information on this subject will 
 find much to interest them in the travels of Von Buch, 
 of Dr. Clarke, and more especially of Mr. de Capell 
 Brooke, whose Winter in Lapland furnishes a highly 
 graphic sketch both of the Laplander and his Deer. 
 This work contains indeed the most authentic histoiy 
 that we have met with of the domestic Deer, of its 
 powers, its uses, and its mode of treatment ; and is in 
 many particulars much fuller of information, and in 
 most of its details more diffuse and circumstantial, than 
 the excellent dissertation published by Linnaeus under 
 the name of his pupil HofFberg, and reprinted in the 
 fourth volume of his invaluable Amaenitates Acade- 
 micee. 
 
 In like manner, and for the same reason, we shall 
 abstain from entering upon the question, so much de- 
 bated a few years since, of the possibility of the intro- 
 duction of the Rein-deer into Great Britain, further 
 than to remark that one of the most striking peculiarities 
 in their habits appears to have been entirely lost sight 
 of in the discussion. We allude to their migratory 
 disposition, for which no allowance has been made in 
 any of the attempts to settle them in this country. 
 They appear for the most part to have been turned 
 out into a park or enclosed ground, in which the
 
 252 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 lichen was supposed to be sufficiently abundant for 
 their subsistence, and there to have been left to take 
 their chance of life or death, without any farther atten- 
 tion to their wants. It is doubtful, indeed, how far, 
 even in the Highlands of Scotland, it would be possible, 
 with a due regard to the rights of property, to indulge 
 them in their wandering propensities ; and we may add 
 that it is no less doubtful whether, in any part of the 
 United Kingdom, the Rein-deer could possibly be put 
 in competition with those other domesticated Rumi- 
 nants, of which in its native land it is so well fitted to 
 supply the place. 
 
 We believe that of all the attempts to acclimate the 
 Rein-deer none has been more successful than that 
 which has been made at the Gardens of the Society. 
 In this instance a single female, of the white variety, 
 has lived and thriven through two successive winters, 
 without suffering any apparent inconvenience from the 
 change of seasons. Her food has been uniformly dry 
 provender ; and she has been constantly confined within 
 the same enclosure. We have not met with any other 
 instance in which a Rein-deer kept in such strict con- 
 finement has survived during so long a period.
 
 THE AXIS DEER. 
 
 CERrvs Axis. ERXL. 
 
 FAR removed from the Rein-deer and other northern 
 species of the genus in character and general appear- 
 ance, the Axis forms the type of a tribe of Deer, 
 inhabiting;; the warmer climates of Eastern Asia, and 
 
 O ' 
 
 distinguished by the peculiar conformation of their 
 horns. These appendages, in all the species of the 
 Axis or Rusa tribe, are in their adult state furnished 
 with no more than two simple branches or snags, the 
 one originating from the stem near its base, and the 
 other taking its rise considerably above the middle and 
 forming with the continuation of the stem a kind of 
 terminal bifurcation. The horns themselves are either 
 perfectly sessile, or elevated only on short cylindrical 
 processes. Notwithstanding their simplicity and the
 
 254 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 general uniformity of their character, they are subject 
 to no little variation in the comparative size, length, 
 and direction of their ramifications ; and numerous 
 species have been founded by authors, and in particular 
 by M. Cuvier and M. Blainville, on the most trifling 
 modifications in these particulars. We shall probably 
 have occasion hereafter, in describing another species 
 of the tribe, which has already twice shed its horns 
 during its confinement in the Society's Menagerie, to 
 illustrate by a decisive example the necessity of observ- 
 ing these animals for several successive years, in order 
 to distinguish with precision the characters which are 
 permanent from those which are of a temporary and 
 transitory kind. 
 
 The Axis Deer is the earliest and best known species 
 of the Indian group. In size, form, and the general 
 distribution of its colours, it is extremely similar to the 
 Fallow-Deer of Europe, with which it has frequently 
 been compared. So close indeed is the resemblance, 
 that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the 
 females of the two races in their summer coat without 
 a minute comparison. In the males the horns alone 
 afford at the first glance a clear and unequivocal mark of 
 distinction. These organs rise almost vertically from the 
 head, take a slight curvature outwards, and turn a little 
 forwards and inwards at their points. The lowermost 
 antler or snag rises close to the base on the anterior 
 surface, and is directed forwards and upwards; the 
 upper takes its origin above the middle and from the 
 inner side. The stems and their branches are perfectly 
 cylindrical throughout, with a somewhat rugged and 
 tubercular surface ; and they never form the flattened 
 and palmated expansions which distinguish those of 
 the Fallow-Deer. 
 
 To the observations of M. G. Cuvier in the Paris 
 Menagerie we owe an extended comparison between
 
 THE AXIS DEEK. 255 
 
 the Axis and spotted individuals of the Fallow-Deer. 
 In both the colour of the back and sides is fawn spotted 
 with white ; a deep brown or blackish band occupies 
 the middle line of the back ; and an almost continuous 
 white line passes along either side of the belly between 
 the limbs. But the head, which in the Fallow-Deer is 
 of a uniform grayish brown, is marked in the Axis by a 
 broad dusky spot on the forehead, and a line of the 
 same colour extending along the middle of the nose. 
 The chin and throat of the Axis are pure white, while 
 in the Fallow-Deer they are of nearly the same colour 
 with the chest and under surface of the body, which 
 are both of a grayish hue. The buttocks of the Fallow- 
 Deer are occupied by a broad white patch, separated 
 from the fawn of the back and sides by a black band ; 
 and the tail is black above and white beneath. In the 
 Axis the buttocks are of the same colour with the 
 adjacent parts, and the tail is tawny above and white 
 beneath, with a narrow blackish border towards the tip. 
 
 Such are the principal differences in colour between 
 the most nearly approximating individuals of the two 
 species ; but it is only during the summer that any 
 similarity exists, for the Fallow-Deer changes in winter 
 to a uniform brown, while the Axis retains its spotted 
 livery throughout the year. In form the most remark- 
 able distinctions consist in the rather larger size of the 
 Axis ; in the somewhat more elongated and pointed 
 shape of its head ; and in the suborbital fissures, which 
 are of large size in the Fallow-Deer, and are of little 
 depth in the Indian species, in which their place is 
 strongly marked by a patch of reddish hairs. 
 
 The Axis appears to be common in India and the 
 larger Islands of the Indian Archipelago, but is most 
 abundant in Bengal and on the banks of the Ganges. 
 There can be little doubt that it is the animal men- 
 tioned by Pliny, under the name which was adopted
 
 256 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 from him by Belon, and employed for it by all sub- 
 sequent writers. Considerable numbers have been 
 brought to England during the last century, and have 
 thriven extremely well in the menageries, and occa- 
 sionally in open parks, propagating freely in captivity. 
 It is even stated, on the authority of Peter Collinson, 
 that a mixed progeny has been obtained between them 
 and the Fallow-Deer. They are singularly mild and 
 quiet in their disposition; but their gentleness is not 
 unmixed with timidity, which often degenerates into 
 suspicion. Pennant observes that their sense of smell 
 is so acute that, although fond of bread, which they 
 readily take from the hands of visiters, they will not 
 touch it if it have been previously blown upon; and 
 M. F. Cuvier tells us that they will not even accept it, 
 if it have been much handled. This extreme sensibility 
 of smell and squeamishness of palate is not, however, 
 we may remark, confined to the Axis, but is common 
 to the whole of the Deer and of the Antelopes also. 
 
 The Society's specimen, which was a male, lived only 
 for a short time at the Garden, having dislocated its 
 neck, in an attempt, as was supposed, to escape from 
 its enclosure. Its horns had been previously partly 
 broken off- and this deficiency is supplied in our figure 
 from another individual.
 
 THE ITALIAN WOLF-DOG. 
 
 CANIS FAMILIARIS. Var. POMERANVS. 
 
 ALTHOUGH regarded by Buffon, in common with the 
 Shepherd's Dog, as an example of the species in the 
 very lowest stage of cultivation, but one degree removed 
 from a state of nature, the present variety is in fact 
 one of the most intellectual of all the races of Dogs 
 with which we are acquainted. This distinction is 
 solely due, as we apprehend, to the unremitting atten- 
 tion bestowed upon their education. By continued 
 intercourse with man these valuable dogs have become 
 more highly improved, in all that constitutes moral 
 superiority, than almost any other breed ; the New- 
 foundland Dog, the Esquimaux, and the Spaniel, alone 
 evincing an equal share of docility, fidelity, and intel- 
 ligence. 
 
 According to Buffon, the breed in question are 
 denominated Wolf-Dogs, " because they resemble the 
 Wolf in ears and length of hair." Their ears, it is true, 
 
 s
 
 258 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 are of small size, and frequently erect ; but they have 
 a strong tendency to become pendulous, as is actually 
 the case in the Society's specimens, and thereby ap- 
 proach more closely to the Spaniels. Their hair too 
 is long and straight, but by no means like that of the 
 Wolf; and we can hardly conceive a greater contrast 
 in physiognomy and general appearance than is pre- 
 sented by the two animals. Others again have derived 
 their name from the services which they render to 
 the shepherd in protecting his flock from the nightly 
 marauder ; but although strong-built and muscular both 
 in body and limb, they seem too gentle in their dispo- 
 sition to be peculiarly adapted for pulling down so 
 powerful and so ferocious an animal as the Wolf. 
 
 They are met with of various colours, black, brown, 
 mixed, or white ; but the latter is most frequent. The 
 body is covered with long hair, becoming still longer 
 on the tail, which is long, bushy, and almost constantly 
 curled upwards. The forehead is rather elevated, and, 
 together with the lengthened muzzle, clothed with short 
 close-set hair, as are also the legs. A circle round each 
 eye and the naked part of the muzzle are of a livid 
 flesh-colour. 
 
 The individuals at the Gardens were brought from 
 the Campagna di Roma. Their colour is almost purely 
 white.
 
 THE PARNASSIAN SHEEP. 
 
 Oris ARIES. Var. PARNASSIVS. 
 
 THERE are two principal difficulties in the natural 
 history of the Sheep, each involving questions of con- 
 siderable importance, but neither of them admitting, in 
 the present state of our knowledge, of a perfectly satis- 
 factory solution. The first relates to the propriety of 
 the generic distinction between the Sheep and Goats, 
 which naturalists have borrowed from the vulgar classi- 
 fication, adopting it in many instances contrary to their 
 own better judgment. The second has reference to the 
 specific differences supposed to exist between the three 
 or four distinct races that have been found in a state of 
 nature, and to the claims which they severally possess 
 to be regarded as the originals of the domesticated 
 breeds. To these may be added a third, of no less 
 general interest, in some measure dependent upon the 
 
 s 9 
 
 S -6
 
 260 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 last, but of a still more complicated character, and 
 embracing the combination of circumstances to which 
 each of these breeds is indebted for its own peculiar 
 qualities. The most important part of this inquiry, in 
 an economical point of view, bears reference to the 
 length and texture of the wool, and to its progressive 
 developement, from the African Sheep, in which it is 
 almost entirely wanting, to the Merino, whose fleece is 
 wholly composed of long, thick, and fine wool, to the 
 complete exclusion of the straight stiff hairs which 
 predominate so greatly in the coat of the former breed. 
 On this part of the subject it is by no means our 
 intention to enter ; our observations will be confined to 
 those points which come .more strictly under the head 
 of natural history. 
 
 A comparison of the most common breeds of domes- 
 ticated Sheep and Goats unquestionably exhibits many 
 striking differences, tending to confirm the broad dis- 
 tinction that has been drawn between them. But these 
 differences vanish almost entirely in those races which 
 still exist in a wild state in various parts of both conti- 
 nents, so that it becomes at length almost impossible 
 to determine to which of the so-called genera many of 
 these animals belong. They all agree in their habits 
 and mode of life, in the details of their internal struc- 
 ture, in form, stature, and general features; in their 
 horns being formed of hollow, wrinkled, angular sheaths, 
 supported by bony processes, having cavities within 
 them communicating with the frontal sinuses; in the 
 number, character, and form of their teeth; in their 
 narrow and elongated muzzles without any naked space 
 surrounding the nostrils ; and in the want of the subor- 
 bital fissures and brushes to the knees so frequent 
 among the Antelopes and Deer. The only particulars 
 in fact in which they are said generically to differ con-
 
 THE PARNASSIAN SHEEP. 261 
 
 sist, to quote the definitions of M. Cuvier, in the Sheep 
 having " their horns directed backwards and returning 
 more or less forwards in a spiral manner, with a gene- 
 rally convex line of profile, and no beard ; " while the 
 Goats have " their horns directed upwards and back- 
 wards, their chins generally decorated with a long 
 beard, and their line of profile almost always concave." 
 To these differences some writers have added the woolly 
 fleeces of the Sheep, and the hairy coverings of the 
 Goats ; but all the wild Sheep, and even some of the 
 domesticated races, are clothed with long hair, and 
 many of the cultivated varieties of Goat, those of Thibet 
 and Angora for example, are remarkable for the length 
 and fineness of their wool. The horns too vary so ex- 
 tensively in both cases, and the convexity of the line of 
 profile is subject to so many modifications, as to render 
 the distinctions drawn from these characters of no prac- 
 tical value. On the presence or absence of the beard it 
 would be absurd to dwell as offering the semblance of a 
 generic character, to distinguish between animals which 
 actually produce together a mixed breed capable of 
 continuing their race. From all these considerations 
 we are led to infer that the Sheep and the Goat cannot 
 properly be said to form the types of separate genera. 
 
 With regard to the second point, the specific distinc- 
 tion between the different races of Sheep still met with 
 in a state of nature, we have yet formed no decided 
 opinion. It is certainly by no means easy to admit so 
 marked an exception to the general laws that regulate 
 the geographical distribution of animals, as would be 
 involved in the supposition that the same species is 
 found in isolated regions so widely differing from each 
 other as the North of Africa and the South of Europe, 
 the great chain of the Caucasus, the wilds of Tartary 
 and Siberia, and the Rocky Mountains of North Ame-
 
 262 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 rica. And yet the distinguishing characters of each 
 are in themselves so trivial, and the races pass into one 
 another by such insensible gradations, especially when 
 connected by means of the domesticated breeds, and 
 propagate so readily a mixed breed, that we cannot 
 but entertain doubts of the propriety of their separation 
 from each other. That the Moufflon of Corsica is the 
 parent stock from which were derived most of the 
 European breeds, has been proved almost to demon- 
 stration ; and the origin of the Asiatic races (as nume- 
 rous as the European, but not separable from them by 
 any tangible characters) from the Siberian Argali is 
 equally certain. With the latter many distinguished 
 zoologists maintain that the Rocky Mountain Sheep is 
 in all respects identical. This question, therefore, like 
 that of the origin and specific identity of the Dog, 
 whose varieties are scarcely more numerous or more 
 striking than those of the Sheep, still remains, and in 
 all probability will ever continue, open to discussion. 
 
 The fine Ram figured at the head of the present 
 article is the only specimen that we have seen of a 
 beautiful domesticated breed. In the large size, spiral 
 twist, and lateral extension of its horns, it comes nearest 
 to the Merino, which, however, it considerably exceeds 
 in all these particulars. It differs too most essentially 
 in the character of its wool, which instead of being 
 curled and tufted, is perfectly straight, and of very 
 great length, that which is derived from the middle of 
 the back falling on either side of the animal almost to 
 the ground : it is also very close set and beautifully 
 fine. The animal in question came from Mount Par- 
 nassus, and was presented to the Society by Dr. Bow- 
 ring. It is, like the Sheep in general, extremely stupid, 
 but at the same time vicious and unruly,
 
 THE FOUR-HORNED SHEEP. 
 
 Or/s ARIES. Var. 
 
 ONE of the most curious modifications produced by 
 cultivation in the domesticated Sheep consists in the 
 augmentation of the number of its horns ; two, three, 
 or even four supplementary appendages of this descrip- 
 tion being occasionally produced in addition to the 
 normal number. Under these circumstances the addi- 
 tional horns usually occupy the upper and fore part of 
 the head, and are of a more slender shape and take a 
 more upright direction than the others, thus approach- 
 ing in character to those of the Goats, while the true 
 horns retain more or less of the spiral curve that dis- 
 tinguishes those of the Sheep. There exists a strong 
 tendency to the hereditary propagation of this monstro- 
 sity, which is extremely frequent in the Asiatic races,
 
 264 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 but is also met with in a breed that is common in the 
 North of Europe, and is said to have been originally 
 derived from Iceland and the Feroe Islands. In the 
 latter case it is unconnected with any other anomaly ; 
 but in the flocks of the nomad hordes of Tartary it is 
 usually combined with an enlargement of the tail and 
 adjacent parts, by the deposition of fat, frequently to 
 an enormous extent. Specimens of both varieties, sepa- 
 rate and combined, have formed part of the Society's 
 Collection at the Farm on Kingston Hill, to which 
 most of the domesticated animals were removed during 
 the summer of 1829. 
 
 The specimen figured is remarkable only for the 
 number of its horns. The lateral or true horns rise 
 from their usual point of attachment, and describe a 
 spiral curve round the animal's ears. The accessory 
 horns, two in number, take their origin more internally 
 and between the others, and pass almost directly up- 
 wards, inclining, as they advance, in a direction forwards 
 and outwards.
 
 THE VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. 
 
 DlDELPHlS VlRGINIANA. CuV. 
 
 THE further we advance in our knowledge of Marsupial 
 animals, the more firmly do we become convinced of 
 the impropriety of their separation as a distinct and 
 isolated group. When we see that the single pecu- 
 liarity that unites them is bestowed upon types of form 
 so widely different from each other, we cannot consider 
 this simple metastasis of function in a certain set of 
 organs alone, however great the importance of that 
 function in the animal economy, as furnishing sufficient 
 ground for the overthrow of every principle of classifi- 
 cation, and for setting at nought some of the most 
 strongly marked affinities that the animal kingdom 
 affords. How striking, for instance, is the passage 
 from the Insectivorous Carnivora, through the Opos- 
 sums and Dasyuri, to the Civets and other more purely
 
 266 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Carnivorous groups ! What is there of importance in 
 the structure of the Wombat, the Phascolomys of 
 M. GeofFroy, except this solitary character of the mar- 
 supium, to separate it from the Rodent Order? And 
 what other character can be found to justify even in 
 appearance the union of any of the animals j ust named 
 with the Kanguroos ? It is obvious that a tribe formed 
 of such discordant materials cannot be natural, and the 
 animals of which it is composed imperatively require to 
 be distributed in more strict conformity with the general 
 laws of their organization. The anomalous character 
 of many of them undoubtedly presents a formidable 
 obstacle to their classification ; but we entertain a con- 
 fident belief that a more intimate acquaintance with 
 their structure than we yet possess will, at no very 
 distant period, lead to their complete and homogeneous 
 amalgamation with the general mass, of which they 
 form integral, although at present dislocated, parts. 
 
 In such an arrangement the place of the Opossums, 
 as we have before intimated, cannot be mistaken. 
 Together with the Dasyuri, their representatives in 
 New Holland, they would occupy a station interme- 
 diate between the Insectivora and the Civets, with the 
 latter of which they are no less closely connected in 
 their habits than in their general form and in the cha- 
 racter of their dentition. In this last particular, which 
 must always be regarded as of the highest importance, 
 the forms of the teeth are so modified in the Opossums 
 as to effect a considerable diminution of the carnivorous 
 character ; while the increase of their number, which 
 surpasses that of any other quadruped, also contributes 
 to the same end. They consist of ten incisors in the 
 upper jaw and eight in the lower; of two canines both 
 -above and below; and of seven cheek-teeth on each 
 side of either jaw; making in the whole, when the
 
 THE VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. 267 
 
 dentition is perfect, no less than fifty teeth. The two 
 middle incisors, of the upper jaw more particularly, are 
 separated from the rest by a slight vacancy, and are 
 consequently more prominent ; they are also somewhat 
 longer. The canines are strong, compressed, and in- 
 curved, the upper being considerably larger than the 
 lower. Of the cheek-teeth, the three anterior in each 
 jaw are false molars, each forming a simple compressed 
 conical point; the remainder are true molars, sur- 
 mounted, as in most of the insectivorous groups, by 
 sharp-pointed tubercles, but closely approximating in 
 their outline and disposition to the lacerators and 
 tubercular teeth found in the Civets and neighbouring 
 genera. 
 
 In the form of their bodies they also bear a close 
 resemblance to the animals just mentioned; their head 
 is long and pointed ; the line of their profile nearly 
 straight ; their ears large and naked ; their eyes small, 
 but expressive ; their mouth deeply cut and with a 
 wide gape; and their tongues roughened with horny 
 papillae. Their tails are long and tapering, covered 
 with long hair at the base alone, and with scales 
 throughout the remaining part, which is extremely 
 flexible and strongly prehensile. Their legs are rather 
 short : on the fore feet are five toes, all of them termi- 
 nating in strong sharp curved claws; the hinder feet 
 have the thumb separated from the rest, distinctly 
 opposable as in the Monkeys, and entirely destitute of 
 nail or claw. The claws of the other toes correspond 
 exactly with those of the anterior extremities. 
 
 The Opossums are exclusively natives of America, 
 and are the only Marsupial animals that exist beyond 
 the pale of New Holland and the neighbouring Archi- 
 pelagoes. They seem to fill in the New World to a 
 certain extent the same station with the Civets of the
 
 268 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Old ; for no species of this latter family has yet been 
 discovered in the Western Hemisphere. Like them 
 they secrete a strongly odoriferous fluid, pass the day 
 in a state approaching to torpidity, prowl abroad during 
 the night, and prey upon birds and the smaller quadru- 
 peds, frequently making the poultry-yard the scene of 
 their devastations, and sucking the blood of their victim 
 before gorging themselves upon its flesh. In the ab- 
 sence of more noble game, they make prey even of 
 reptiles and insects ; and fruits and other vegetable 
 substances afford a common addition to their varied 
 diet. But unlike the Civets they live almost entirely 
 upon the trees, the peculiar conformation of their hinder 
 hands, and the prehensile character of their naked tail, 
 rendering them most admirable climbers. These tails 
 are also of essential service in another point of view, 
 the little ones when frightened leaping upon their 
 mother's back, twisting their tails round hers, and in 
 this singular fashion escaping with her assistance from 
 the threatened danger. 
 
 The Virginian Opossum is one of the largest species 
 of the group, being in size fully equal to the domestic 
 Cat. It belongs to that division of the genus in which 
 the pouch beneath the belly of the adult females forms 
 a perfect sac, completely enclosing the young from the 
 period when they first become attached to the teat until 
 they are able to shift for themselves. Its general colour 
 is of a dull white, the hair with which it is covered 
 being of two different kinds. That which more imme- 
 diately invests the body is a long, fine, woolly down, 
 white at the base with brownish tips ; through which 
 pass the still longer hairs of a pure white from which 
 the colour of the animal is principally derived. On the 
 head, neck, and under parts of the body the hair is 
 short and close ; a brownish circle surrounds each eye ;
 
 THE VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. 269 
 
 and the legs are of a deep chestnut brown. The 
 whiskers are long, partly white and partly reddish; 
 the extremity of the nose flesh-coloured with a tinge 
 of yellow ; and the ears generally black at the base 
 and yellowish at the tip. The tail is considerably 
 shorter than the body; its base is covered by long 
 hairs, but the greater part of its length is only scantily 
 supplied with short bristles which emerge from between 
 the small whitish scales by which it is protected. The 
 young are of a purer white than the full-grown animal. 
 This is the only species, with the exception of the 
 Mexican Cayopollin, that inhabits North America. It 
 is extremely abundant in the North of Mexico, and 
 throughout nearly the whole of the United States ; and 
 has consequently formed the subject of most of the 
 experiments that have been instituted for the solution 
 of the yet incompletely penetrated mystery of the 
 breeding and gestation of marsupial animals. Little is 
 known concerning the latter point beyond the curious 
 facts that the almost shapeless young, of scarcely more 
 than a grain in weight, and generally about twelve in 
 number, are found at first inseparably attached to the 
 teats within the pouch; that as they increase in size 
 the teats become proportionally enlarged and are pro- 
 longed into the stomachs of the young; that after a 
 certain number of days, having attained about the size 
 of a mouse, and all their parts being completely formed, 
 they abandon the teats, to which they thenceforward 
 only return like other suckling animals to satisfy the 
 cravings of their appetites, occasionally quitting the 
 pouch itself, but still flying to it for shelter on the 
 slightest alarm ; and that they finally abandon it also 
 at the end of about fifty days from the period when 
 they were first deposited within it. In what manner 
 this deposition takes place, and what is the object that
 
 270 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 nature seeks to attain by so anomalous a formation, are 
 secrets that still remain to be unravelled. 
 
 In its native state the Virginian Opossum has all the 
 habits that are characteristic of the group to which it 
 belongs. It lives in trees, feeds on birds, insects, and 
 fruit-, and sometimes carries its attacks into the neigh- 
 bouring farm-yards. In captivity it is listless, indolent, 
 and careless of the objects by which it is surrounded ; 
 but is snappish when disturbed, and evinces no dispo- 
 sition towards familiarity.
 
 THE CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM. 
 
 DlDELPHIS CANCRIfORA. GsiF.L. 
 
 IN its adult state the Crab-eating Opossum attains a 
 size fully equal to the Virginian species. Its head and 
 muzzle are much more elongated ; and its tail exceeds 
 the length of its body and head combined. The general 
 colour of its fur is blackish brown, the fine down being 
 entirely of a dull white, and the long stiff hairs white 
 at the base and of a deep brown approaching to black 
 towards their extremities. The head and legs are 
 covered with short close hair, the former of a pale 
 blackish brown, deeper on the middle line, and the 
 latter pure black. The under parts have a light tawny 
 tinge. The long slender muzzle usually terminates in 
 a black tip, but in our specimen, as well as in that 
 figured by M. F. Cuvier, this part is flesh-coloured. 
 The ears are generally of a yellowish white throughout.
 
 272 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 The tail is covered at its base with hair of the same 
 nature with that which invests the body ; the succeeding 
 portion is coated with black scales, with a few short 
 intervening black hairs ; and the remainder with whitish 
 or flesh-coloured scales and similarly coloured hairs. 
 The point is remarkably long and tapering. 
 
 This species appears to be the most common of those 
 which inhabit South America. It is found in great 
 plenty in Guiana and Brasil, climbing trees with faci- 
 lity, but running slowly and with an ill grace. It prefers 
 marshy situations or the neighbourhood of the sea- 
 coast, and feeds like the other species indiscriminately 
 on the smaller quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, insects, and 
 fruits. But it is said also to have a particular fondness 
 for crabs, whence the derivation of its name. Its flesh 
 is commonly eaten by the natives, who assert that it is 
 similar in flavour to that of the hare. In captivity it is 
 as stupid as the preceding species, offering no resist- 
 ance, but rarely familiarizing itself with its keepers, 
 and seldom exhibiting any signs of vivacity except a 
 snarling pettishness when disturbed.
 
 THE BROWN LLAMA. 
 
 AVCHEMA GLAMA. ILI.IG. 
 
 THE study of the mutual relations of organs and of 
 functions, not only of such as are obviously connected 
 with each other, but of those between which there 
 appears at the first glance to be no bond of connexion 
 whatever, is one of the most curious that can occupy 
 the attention of the zoologist. It has been remarked 
 by M. Cuvier, that no process of reasoning a priori 
 could have led to the conclusion that a parted hoof 
 necessarily implied the existence of ruminating sto- 
 machs ; but the universality of the fact, ascertained 
 by observation, compels us to admit that this mutual 
 dependence of parts having no immediate relationship 
 with each other is the work of an overruling power, 
 acting upon a uniform system, and in pursuance of a 
 definite design. The form and structure of the horny
 
 274 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 appendages which terminate the feet of quadrupeds 
 bear indeed, .in most cases, a determinate relation to the 
 quality of their food, and to their means of procuring it ; 
 and there are few instances in which the experienced 
 anatomist would not be enabled, from the examination 
 of the nail, the claw, or the hoof alone, to indicate at 
 least the general characters of the intestinal canal of 
 the animals to which they might respectively belong. 
 
 There are, however, few general laws that do not 
 admit of some exceptions ; and an ingenious writer of 
 the present day has fancied that he has found one to 
 the rule in question in the Hogs, which, in common 
 with the older naturalists, he considers as " quadrupeda 
 bisulca non ruminantia." But the slightest examina- 
 tion of these organs will suffice to prove that the hoofs 
 of the Hogs differ as essentially from those of Ruminant 
 Quadrupeds as their stomachs ; and that these animals 
 form in both respects the passage between the Rumi- 
 nating and Pachydermatous tribes, although they are 
 much more closely allied to the latter. We believe 
 that there does not exist an instance in which the 
 true parted hoof is found independent of rumination ; 
 although the converse of this proposition cannot be 
 maintained with equal strictness. 
 
 The exceptions to which we now allude are found in 
 the Llamas and the Camels, which alone of all the 
 Ruminants have their hoofs formed on a different plan 
 from that which generally pervades the tribe. Instead 
 of having short and abruptly truncated toes, completely 
 enveloped in large hoofs, flattened internally, and form- 
 ing the sole basis on which the animal rests in progres- 
 sion, these groups have their toes elongated forwards 
 and terminating in small horny appendages, surrounding 
 the last phalanx alone, rounded above and on either 
 side, and somewhat curved, while the under surface of
 
 THE BROWN LLAMA. 275 
 
 the foot on which they tread is covered only by a 
 thickened callous skin. This striking deviation from 
 the typical form is not, however, unaccompanied by 
 differences in the structure of the stomachs, which, 
 although truly and essentially ruminant, have in this 
 case an additional developement of a very remarkable 
 character. One of the most useful peculiarities of the 
 Camel, its power of passing many days without drink- 
 ing, has long since been recognised as dependent on a 
 cellular apparatus connected with the first and second 
 stomachs, and capable, to quote the expressions of 
 M. Cuvier, " of retaining water or of continually pro- 
 ducing it." But the existence of a similar apparatus 
 in the stomach of the Llamas has been repeatedly 
 denied : Feuillee, in his minute account of the anatomy 
 of this organ, takes no notice of such an appendage, 
 and Sir Everard Home expressly states that the corre- 
 sponding pits in the stomach of the Llama "have no 
 depth, are only superficial cells, and have no muscular 
 apparatus to close their mouths." From an external 
 examination of the stomach of a Llama we had been 
 induced to believe that its cells were of considerable 
 depth ; and Dr. Knox has recently confirmed this opi- 
 nion in a paper published in the Edinburgh Journal of 
 Natural and Geographical Science, where he has shown 
 that the actual differences between the stomachs of the 
 Llama and the Camel are much less than had previously 
 been imagined. Hence we are authorized in inferring 
 that the Llamas, which are known to possess a similar 
 capability of resisting thirst, are furnished with the 
 same means of providing against its effects. 
 
 The Camels and the Llamas differ from the rest of 
 the Ruminants in several other striking particulars. 
 They are entirely destitute of horns, an exemption 
 which they share with the genus Moschus, as at pre-
 
 276 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 sent constituted, and which, according to some writers, 
 is compensated by the presence of two incisor teeth in 
 the upper jaw, which they alone possess, and by the 
 greater developement of the canine teeth in the same 
 jaw, which they exhibit in common with many others 
 of the tribe. Their dentition is in fact peculiar to 
 themselves. The real character of the incisors of the 
 upper jaw is indicated only by their position in the 
 intermaxillary bone, for they are placed at some dis- 
 tance from each other and have exactly the shape of 
 canines ; the true canines are considerably larger ; and 
 the cheek-teeth form a regular series like those of the 
 generality of Ruminants, but consisting of only two 
 false and three true molars. In the lower jaw there 
 are but six incisors, the two outermost of the series 
 having all the character of canines, and being fully as 
 large as those of the upper ; and the cheek-teeth con- 
 sist of but one false molar and three true ones. The 
 Camels have in addition a small rudimentary false 
 molar, having the conical form of the canines, and 
 placed in the interval between the latter and the cheek- 
 teeth, on each side of either jaw. 
 
 Of the remaining characters common to the Camels 
 and the Llamas the most important are the length of 
 the neck ; the comparatively small size of the head ; 
 the prolongation and mobility of the upper lip, which 
 is deeply divided by a vertical fissure ; and the want of 
 a naked muzzle, the openings of the nostrils forming 
 merely two transverse fissures in the skin, capable of 
 being closed at pleasure. The distinguishing characters 
 between the two groups are chiefly founded on the 
 difference in dentition just noticed; on the presence of 
 a broad callous sole connecting the toes of the Camels 
 beneath, which is wanting in the Llamas, whose toes 
 are completely separated from each other ; and on the
 
 THE BROWN LLAMA. 277 
 
 existence of one or more large fatty humps on the 
 backs of the Camels, while the Llamas have the line 
 of their backs perfectly straight, or at the utmost form- 
 ing a slight protuberance above the shoulders. The 
 first and the last of these differences are not, it is true, 
 of primary importance ; but the second is closely con- 
 nected with the habits of the animals, rendering the 
 one group peculiarly fitted for traversing the sandy 
 deserts of its native land, and the other for mount- 
 ing and descending the lofty precipices among which 
 its abode is fixed. It may therefore be considered 
 without hesitation sufficiently essential for the estab- 
 lishment of a generic distinction, where the laws of 
 geographical distribution have drawn so broad a line 
 of demarcation, confining the one group to the arid 
 deserts of the East, and fixing the other on the ridges 
 of the mountain chain that traverses the southern divi- 
 sion of the Western Hemisphere. They deserve this 
 distinction at least as well as the Hogs and the Pec- 
 caries, or as several other genera which have been 
 admitted by common consent as distinguishing the 
 animals of the Old World and of the New. 
 
 In general appearance the Llamas present a striking 
 contrast to their eastern representatives. Their slender 
 and well formed legs bear a much more equal propor- 
 tion to the size and form of their body, which cannot 
 be better compared than to that of the Common Stag. 
 Their necks, although in stooping they descend into a 
 deep concavity on the upper side, are more habitually 
 maintained in an upright position, and support much 
 smaller and more graceful heads. Their ears are long, 
 pointed, and extremely moveable; their eyes large, 
 prominent, and brilliant ; and the whole expression of 
 their physiognomy conveys a degree of intelligence and 
 vivacity for which we should look in vain in the heavy,
 
 278 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 stupid, indolent, and unexpressive features of the Camel 
 or the Dromedary. Their motions too are infinitely 
 more graceful, their manners more frank and confiding, 
 and their tempers, generally speaking, more docile and 
 familiar. Such at least is the case with those which 
 have been long retained in a state of domestication : 
 the wild ones are at first more shy and exhibit occa- 
 sional symptoms of violence, but good treatment soon 
 reduces them to an almost equal tameness with their 
 fellows. This facility of domestication, according to 
 the theory of M. F. Cuvier, is dependent on their pro- 
 pensity for associating in herds, which may undoubtedly 
 constitute a principal reason for the fact ; but even in 
 such animals, and of the Ruminant Order, there is too 
 much diversity in this respect to allow of our regarding 
 the instinct of associations as the only cause of their 
 familiarity with man. 
 
 Zoologists are by no means agreed with respect to 
 the number of species of this group. The early travel- 
 lers in America speak vaguely of the Llama, the Gua- 
 naco, the Paco or Alpaco, and the Vicugna, but without 
 indicating any tangible differences between them, and 
 frequently, it would seem, without considering them as 
 distinct. Until within the last half century the great 
 majority of naturalists, including Ray, Klein, Brisson, 
 and Linnaeus, concurred in reducing them to two spe- 
 cies, the Llama or Guanaco, commonly used as a beast 
 of burthen, and the Paco or Vicugna, cultivated for its 
 flesh and its wool. Of this opinion was Buffon when 
 he wrote the history of the Llama and the Paco ; but 
 the observation of living specimens of the Llama and 
 the Vicugna, and the communications of the Abbe 
 Beliardy on the subject, induced him afterwards to 
 admit the latter animal as a third species distinct from 
 both the preceding. In this he was followed by Molina,
 
 THE BROWN LLAMA. 279 
 
 who, in his Natural History of Chili, separated also the 
 Guanaco, and added a fifth species, the Hueque or 
 Chilian Sheep of the older authors. Gmelin, Shaw, 
 and almost every subsequent compiler, have adopted 
 these five species without examination, giving to them 
 such synonyms as they could pick up almost indiscri- 
 minately from the writers on the natural history of 
 America, and thus creating a mass of confusion which 
 it would be both vain and useless to attempt to unravel. 
 It seems to be the general opinion among the leading 
 writers of the present day that this subdivision has 
 been carried to too great an extent. M. F. Cuvier 
 limits the number of species to three, the Llama and 
 the Paco, figured in his work, and the Vicugna, a 
 representation of which was given by Buffon in his 
 sixth Supplementary Volume. In the rejection of Mo- 
 lina's species, the Guanaco and the Hueque, we think 
 that he is fully justified by the imperfect accounts 
 furnished by that writer, and by his confessed want of 
 materials for completing the history of the animals of 
 which he treats. In the present instance it does not 
 appear that he was personally acquainted with the 
 Peruvian species from which he professed to separate 
 his own. We should indeed have little hesitation in 
 proceeding still further; for we are strongly inclined 
 to agree with Baron Cuvier in regarding the Paco as a 
 mere variety of the Llama, with the wool more amply 
 developed ; and in considering the Vicugna as the only 
 animal of the group that deserves to be specifically 
 distinguished from the latter. Our reasons for adopt- 
 ing this opinion it is unnecessary to offer in detail on 
 the present occasion. They are founded partly on the 
 observation of numerous specimens, varying in colour 
 through different shades of white, brown, and black, or 
 a mixture of two of these shades, and having the long
 
 280 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 woolly hairs developed in various degrees ; and partly 
 on our knowledge of the great extent of modification to 
 which the domesticated races of Ruminants are uni- 
 formly subject. 
 
 The first Llama that was seen in Europe was landed 
 at Middleburg in 1558, and sent as a present to the 
 Emperor. A rude figure of this animal, engraved at 
 Nuremberg, was copied by Gesner in his work on 
 Quadrupeds. Several individuals were brought to Spain 
 during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; but 
 the first specimen that particularly engaged the atten- 
 tion of European zoologists was that figured by Buffon. 
 It was not again seen in this quarter of the globe until 
 about the commencement of the present century, when 
 a pair, male and female, were sent from Santa Fe de 
 Bogota to St. Domingo, and thence transmitted as a 
 present to Josephine, then Madame Bonaparte, at Mal- 
 maison. These were represented in the Menagerie du 
 Museum by Marechal, and illustrated by an excellent 
 article from the pen of Baron Cuvier. Marechal's 
 figures are tolerably accurate, and much superior to 
 any former representation, in the works of American 
 travellers or elsewhere, with the exception of that of 
 Frezier, of which we shall have occasion to speak 
 hereafter. 
 
 The Brown Llama in the Society's Garden appears 
 to be in all respects, except some trifling variations of 
 colour, precisely similar to the specimens figured by 
 Marechal. As in them, the head, neck, and legs of 
 the Society's animal are covered with much shorter 
 hair than the rest of the body; a thin short mane 
 extends along the middle of the neck ; and the back 
 and sides are thickly clothed with fine long woolly 
 hairs, becoming smooth, silky, and even shining towards 
 the tips. The general colour, as in the male of Mai-
 
 THE BROWN LLAMA. 281 
 
 maison, is a uniform bright brown ; its under parts, and 
 the inside of the limbs, are white ; and its head and 
 ears of a deep dusky gray. Its tail is rather short, 
 raised a little from the body, curved downwards, and 
 covered above with long woolly hairs. The legs are 
 moderately thick ; the upper lip very prominent and 
 deeply divided ; and the neck longer than the fore legs, 
 and consequently bearing a very unusual proportion to 
 the height of the animal. It is remarkably distin- 
 guished by its activity and upright bearing, and by the 
 spirited expression of its physiognomy, which is not 
 unmixed with an air of spiteful malice. In temper it 
 is far from docile ; it readily accepts of bread or biscuits 
 from the hands of the visiters, but is equally ready to 
 take offence at any supposed injury or insult, and to 
 revenge itself by discharging its saliva upon the offend- 
 ing party. This is the usual expedient to which these 
 animals have recourse when teased or irritated, and it 
 is certainly by no means an agreeable salute, although 
 the mucus thus discharged has none of those corrosive 
 properties which Frezier and other writers have ascribed 
 to it. 
 
 In their native state the Llamas inhabit the Cordil- 
 leras of the Andes, but principally in Peru and Chili. 
 They are rare in Columbia and Paraguay, and seldom 
 make their appearance on the eastern side of the chain. 
 They associate together in herds of one or two hundred 
 individuals, and subsist entirely, according to Frezier, 
 on a peculiar kind of grass or reed called ycho, that 
 covers the mountains on the sides of which they dwell. 
 While they can procure green herbage they are never 
 known to drink, and it may therefore be presumed that 
 they have the power of secreting from their food suffi- 
 cient liquid to satiate their thirst. They do not appear 
 to be so insensible of cold as the Vicugnas, which are
 
 282 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 generally found at a much greater elevation, and have 
 a much thicker, finer, and closer fleece. At the begin- 
 ning of the winter, according to Molina, the Guanacos 
 (which we believe to be only the wild Llamas) abandon 
 the mountains on which they have passed the summer, 
 and descend into the valleys. Here the Chilians hunt 
 them with dogs, which, however, can catch only the 
 younger and less active individuals. The old ones are 
 so swift as scarcely to be run down by an excellent 
 horse, thus offering a striking contrast to the extreme 
 slowness of their motions when in captivity and loaded 
 with heavy baggage. When chased they frequently 
 turn upon their pursuers, neigh with all their might, 
 and then set off again at full speed. 
 
 The individual in the Society's Garden was presented 
 by Robert Barclay, Esq., and has been for more than 
 two years an inhabitant of the Menagerie. Its death, 
 which has lately occurred, was occasioned by a purely 
 accidental cause.
 
 THE WHITE LLAMA. 
 
 AUCHENIA GLAMA. Var. 
 
 THE differences between the animal before us and that 
 figured at the head of the preceding article are at first 
 sight so striking, that we were long inclined to consider 
 them as indications of a specific distinction. But a 
 more extended observation of the Llamas which have 
 been of late years exhibited in various collections has 
 convinced us of the fallacy of this opinion, and proved 
 to us that there exist numerous intermediate varieties, 
 forming a continued series of links between the animals 
 in question. We now entertain but little doubt that 
 the white individual figured above furnishes a favour- 
 able specimen of the domesticated breed, as the brown 
 affords a remarkably fine example of the animal in 
 its wild, or rather its half-reclaimed, condition. The 
 larger size of the former, its greater muscularity of
 
 284 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 limb, the increased length of its wool, and the quiet 
 mildness of its disposition, may all be regarded as the 
 natural and almost inevitable results of its domestic 
 education; while the perfect flatness of its forehead, 
 which forms a straight line with the muzzle, and con- 
 trasts so strongly with the bold curve of the same part 
 in the brown variety, is equally indicative of a long 
 subservience to human control. In proof of this it is 
 scarcely necessary to refer to the still more remarkable 
 modifications which other domesticated quadrupeds have 
 undergone, and which have removed them to so great a 
 distance from their originals as to render it impossible 
 to determine their mutual relations to each other. 
 
 In its native state the Llama, or Guanaco as it is 
 then termed, is almost uniformly brown ; but in domes- 
 tication it assumes a variety of colours, of which the 
 most usual are black, brown, gray, and white. These 
 colours are frequently mixed in various proportions, or 
 spread in large patches over the body of the animal, 
 which thus becomes mottled or piebald. The unmixed 
 white appears to be the least common ; insomuch that 
 a White Llama was, according to Father Feuillee, the 
 presiding deity of the natives of the province of Callao, 
 prior to its annexation to the empire of the Incas. 
 Incomparably the best figure that has yet been given 
 of the Llama in its domesticated state is that which is 
 contained in Frezier's Voyage to the South Seas, where 
 the animal in front presents an admirable likeness of 
 the white variety in the Society's Garden. 
 
 At the period of the arrival of the Spaniards in Peru, 
 the Llamas were the only Ruminants known to the 
 inhabitants, by whom they were employed as beasts of 
 burthen, and were also killed in vast quantities for their 
 flesh and for their fleece. Gregory de Bolivar estimates 
 that in his time four millions were annually killed to be
 
 THE WHITE LLAMA. 285 
 
 eaten, and no less than three hundred thousand were 
 employed in the transport of the produce of the mines 
 of Potosi alone. The peculiar form of their feet renders 
 them more safe than even mules in ascending and de- 
 scending the mountain passes, and they consequently 
 remain in use up to the present day for this particular 
 service. But the excellent breed of horses introduced 
 by the Spaniards, which has since multiplied so prodi- 
 giously in many parts of South America, has almost 
 entirely superseded their use in the open country j and 
 it is only in some remote districts, where the poverty 
 of the inhabitants precludes them from keeping the 
 more expensive animal, that they are still occasionally 
 employed. 
 
 Their chief merit indeed, next to their security of 
 footing, is their sobriety, and the trifling expense at 
 which they may be maintained. " They want," says 
 Father Feuillee, " neither bit nor bridle nor saddle ; 
 there is no need of oats to feed them ; it is only neces- 
 sary to unload them in the evening at the place where 
 they are to rest for the night ; they go abroad into the 
 country to seek their own food; and in the morning 
 they return to the same place, their baggage is replaced, 
 and they continue their route." Their principal disad- 
 vantages are their comparative weakness, the slow rate 
 at which they travel, and the obstinacy of their dispo- 
 sition. They are unable to carry more than from a 
 hundred to a hundred and fifty pounds, at the rate of 
 twelve or fifteen miles a-day ; and if their load is too 
 heavy, or the driver has recourse to blows to compel 
 them to proceed faster, they lie down and pertinaciously 
 refuse to proceed. It is customary on this account 
 for each convoy to be followed by a number of spare 
 Llamas, to one of which the load is immediately trans-
 
 286 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 ferred, and the exhausted or obstinate beast is usually 
 sacrificed upon the spot. 
 
 The flesh of the Llamas is considered savoury when 
 young ; and their wool is in great request, especially 
 among the native Indians, who make use of it in the 
 manufacture of stuffs, ropes, bags, and hats. The skin 
 was employed of old by the Peruvians to make soles 
 for shoes ; but as they were ignorant of the art of 
 tanning and currying, the shoes thus made were inca- 
 pable of keeping out the wet. The Spaniards, however, 
 turn it to better account, and convert it into very excel- 
 lent leather, which is especially valued for the making 
 of harness. 
 
 The specimen figured, the only one of the purely 
 white variety that we have seen, was presented to 
 the Society by the Duke of Bedford, and has been an 
 inhabitant of the Menagerie ever since its formation.
 
 THE PACA. 
 
 C(ELOGEIVVS SVBNIGER. F. CuV. 
 
 THE Paca, which the similarity of name must not lead 
 the reader to confound with the variety or species of 
 Llama called Paco, is one of the few Rodent animals 
 that attain any considerable size, and are habitually 
 made use of by man as articles of food. It has been 
 frequently noticed by travellers in South America, who 
 have sometimes compared it to a hare, and sometimes 
 to a sucking-pig, animals which it must be confessed 
 bear little resemblance to each other, and as little to 
 that of which they have been made to serve as familiar 
 illustrations. As a Rodent, however, the latter was 
 usually arranged by the naturalists of the last two 
 centuries either with the Rats or with the Hares, the 
 two genera which served as the common receptacles of 
 all the imperfectly known species of the Order. Even up
 
 288 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 to the publication of the twelfth edition of his Systema, 
 Linnaeus continued to refer not only the animal in 
 question, but along with it the Cavy and the Agouti, 
 to his comprehensive genus Mus. Klein was the first 
 to break through the trammels of antiquity, and to 
 form of the three animals just named a new genus 
 under the name of Cavia, which was adopted by Gme- 
 lin (who added to it the Capybara, erroneously asso- 
 ciated by Linnaeus with the Hogs), and this designation 
 has been retained by most subsequent writers. 
 
 But although these animals are closely connected 
 together by many characters of the highest importance, 
 and especially by the total want of clavicles, each of 
 them is nevertheless distinguished from the rest by such 
 striking peculiarities as fully to warrant its separation 
 as a distinct genus. If we look to the teeth, we see at 
 once that those of the Paca and Agouti are wholly 
 unlike those of the Cavy and Capybara, and proceeding 
 further in the examination we perceive minor but cha- 
 racteristic differences in each of these subdivisions. In 
 the feet and toes variations occur to a still greater 
 extent ; and equal differences are found in other organs, 
 both external and internal. We are therefore con- 
 strained to acknowledge the justice of the subdivisions 
 which this little family has undergone, although we 
 cannot but regret the necessity of founding genera upon 
 single species. There are now, however, recognised 
 two distinct races of Paca, and three of Agouti ; and 
 it seems probable that further inquiry will make us 
 acquainted with some additional species of each group. 
 
 The dentary formula of the Pacas exhibits two inci- 
 sors in each jaw, followed by a vacant space on either 
 side, behind which are ranged four molars of nearly 
 equal size, having the lines of enamel which are visible 
 on their crowns disposed in an irregular and compli-
 
 THE PACA. 289 
 
 cated manner. They present in the very young state a 
 somewhat different appearance from that which they 
 assume in the full-grown animal, when their surfaces 
 are worn down below the level of the tubercles by 
 which they were originally surmounted. Generally 
 speaking, they are marked by one or more foldings-in 
 of the enamel on the inner side of the tooth, and by 
 two or three transverse grooves surrounded by enamel, 
 and not extending to the margin. These grooves are 
 for the most part the remains of folds or tubercles which 
 existed in the young state, and have been gradually 
 effaced by the continued detrition of the surface ; they 
 consequently become less numerous and less strongly 
 marked as the animal advances in age. 
 
 Besides these peculiarities in their teeth, the Pacas 
 are remarkable for having five toes to each of their feet, 
 none of the other animals of the family having more 
 than four on the fore feet and three on the hind. The 
 thumb is, however, little more than rudimentary, and 
 distinguishable merely by the presence of its claw. All 
 the claws are broad, strong, and formed for digging in 
 the earth. The Pacas are further distinguished by the 
 total want of visible tail, there being only a slight pro- 
 minence to mark the existence of that member; by 
 the extreme shortness of their hairs, which are thinly 
 spread and rigid to the touch ; by their ears of mode- 
 rate size, rounded at the tips, and forming several 
 distinct folds ; by their large open nostrils, occupying 
 the extremity of a broad muzzle, which is separated 
 into two portions by a vertical groove ; and by the very 
 great breadth of their faces. The last circumstance, 
 which constitutes one of the most striking features of 
 the group, is due to a singular conformation, the exist- 
 ence of which was first pointed out by M. Geoffroy- 
 Saint-Hilaire, in a specimen which died in the Paris 
 
 u
 
 290 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 Menagerie about five and twenty years ago. Daubenton 
 had before remarked that the zygomatic arches of the 
 Paca were very large, and descended more than usually 
 low ; and Buffon had noticed that " on each side and 
 towards the lower part of the upper jaw there exists a 
 sort of longitudinal fold, destitute of hair in the middle, 
 so that at first sight it might be mistaken for the mouth 
 of the animal." Had this distinguished zoologist pro- 
 ceeded further with his examination, he would have 
 discovered that the fold of which he speaks forms the 
 opening of a shut sac of considerable extent, passing 
 upwards behind the arch formed by the union of the 
 bones of the cheek and temple, the inner surface of this 
 portion of those bones being lined by a continuation of 
 the skin of the face, which is afterwards reflected upon 
 the upper lip. No use has yet been assigned for this 
 curious provision, but a somewhat analogous structure 
 occurs in the Gauffres of North America, forming the 
 
 7 O 
 
 genus Diplostoma of Rafinesque. It bears no analogy 
 to the cheek -pouches of the Monkeys, for its opening 
 is external to the mouth, which is moreover furnished 
 with true cheek-pouches, capable of considerable dila- 
 tation, and occupying when filled the entire space 
 beneath the zygomatic arches. 
 
 The Pacas are animals of a thick-set and clumsy 
 form, measuring when full grown about two feet in 
 length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the 
 body, and about one foot in height both before and 
 behind ; for although the hinder legs are considerably 
 longer than the anterior, they are so bent as to allow a 
 much greater proportion of their length to press upon 
 the surface of the ground. Their eyes are large, pro- 
 minent, and of a brownish hue ; the tips of their noses 
 broad and blackish ; their ears nearly naked ; and their 
 whiskers long and rigid. We are indebted to M. Fre-
 
 THE PACA. 291 
 
 deric Cuvier for pointing out the distinctions between 
 the two species, which consist principally in colour and 
 in the form of their heads. In the brown, the general 
 colour is dusky with a deeper shade on the back and a 
 tinge of grayish white on the under parts ; while in the 
 other species it is of a bright golden fawn-colour on 
 the back and sides. Both are marked by four or five 
 longitudinal bands passing from the shoulders to the 
 haunches, and formed of oblong whitish spots, some- 
 times running completely together, and sometimes en- 
 tirely separate from each other. The lower ones have 
 the greatest tendency to unite into continuous bands, 
 and the last on either side is frequently blended with 
 the white of the under surface of the body. There is 
 in fact so much similarity in their markings that we 
 should place but little confidence in the distinction 
 founded on the difference of colour alone, were it not 
 confirmed by more striking characters, derived from the 
 examination of the skulls. The bones of the head are 
 in the brown species perfectly smooth on their surface, 
 and the zygomatic arches form a much less prominent 
 sweep than in the fawn-coloured, in which the numerous 
 projecting tubercles that cover the bones are distinctly 
 perceptible through the unevenness of the skin. 
 
 These animals are found in the whole of the eastern 
 division of South America from Surinam to Paraguay, 
 and formerly existed in some of the islands of the West 
 Indies. They take up their abode in the forests, espe- 
 cially in the vicinity of water, and conceal themselves 
 in superficial burrows, which their claws are well fitted 
 for excavating. They are said to form three openings 
 to each burrow, and to cover them up with dry leaves 
 and branches. In order to take them alive, the natives 
 stop up two of these openings and dig up the third ; 
 but the animal frequently makes an obstinate defence, 
 
 u2
 
 292 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and bites very severely. It swims and dives remarkably 
 well, and although so heavy runs with considerable 
 swiftness. Its cry resembles the grunting of a pig, and 
 this circumstance, combined with the mode of its root- 
 ing in the earth with its nose, the bristliness of its hair, 
 and the flavour of its flesh, probably gave rise to the 
 comparisons made by the older travellers between the 
 two animals. Its flesh is said to be very savoury, and 
 forms a staple article of food in many parts of South 
 America. It never quits its burrow except during the 
 night, when it goes in search of its food, which consists 
 chiefly of herbs and fruits. The sugar-cane plantations 
 occasionally suffer much from its devastations. 
 
 In captivity it is quiet and contented, and the history 
 which Buffon has given of one that lived for some time 
 in his house proves that it may even become familiar. 
 Our specimen lived for some months at the Garden, 
 and died during the severe weather at the early part of 
 the last winter.
 
 THE LONG-NOSED AGOUTI. 
 
 DASYPROCTA AGVTI. ILLIQ 
 
 THE Agoutis and Pacas were first separated by M. F. 
 Cuvier in the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles in 
 the year 1806 ; but by some oversight he then neglected 
 to distinguish the former by a generic name. In 181 J, 
 Illiger supplied this deficiency by applying to them the 
 term Dasyprocta, for which M. F. Cuvier has since 
 endeavoured to substitute that of Chloromys. We are 
 compelled, however, while we acknowledge that the 
 genus was of his formation, to reject his name and adopt 
 that of Illiger, which has the unquestionable advantage 
 of priority. When a right of this description has been 
 waved in the first instance, and subsequently exercised 
 by another, it cannot be resumed by the original pos- 
 sessor without creating that confusion in nomenclature
 
 294 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 which it is the interest of science to discountenance and 
 as much as possible to prevent. 
 
 The generic characters of the Agoutis, as regards the 
 teeth, are not very essentially different from those of 
 the Pacas. The distinctions in fact depend chiefly on 
 such minute points in the disposition of the lines of 
 enamel as would be totally unintelligible without the 
 aid of figures or specimens. In number, character, and 
 general outline of form they are scarcely to be distin- 
 guished. On their fore feet the Agoutis have only foul- 
 apparent toes, armed with strong claws, the two middle 
 ones projecting forwards beyond the others, with an 
 internal tubercle occupying the place of the thumb, but 
 scarcely prominent beyond the surface. The number 
 of toes on the hind feet is reduced to three, which are 
 slightly connected by a membranous expansion at the 
 base, and are furnished with still larger and more hoof- 
 like claws than those of the anterior extremities. The 
 head is more elongated, the forehead is flatter, and the 
 face has much less breadth than in the Pacas. These 
 animals are indeed altogether of a much lighter and 
 more graceful make ; their legs are thin and slender ; 
 their tails extremely short ; their eyes large and rather 
 prominent ; their ears middle-sized and rounded ; and 
 their whole body covered with long, close-set, somewhat 
 rigid hairs. Like the Pacas, they are all natives of 
 America, and appear to be confined to the southern 
 division of that continent. 
 
 The species which at present engages our attention, 
 the Long-nose Cavy of Pennant and Agouti of Buffon, 
 is about the size of the common rabbit, with which it 
 has also some resemblance in form and habits. Its* 
 general colour is of a grizzled reddish brown, tinged 
 with yellow on the neck, chest, and under parts, and
 
 THE LONG-NOSED AGOUTI. 295 
 
 on the shoulders and haunches. The legs and feet are 
 nearly black, and the claws of a dusky gray. The hair 
 on the face and legs is extremely short ; but it increases 
 in length as it approaches the crupper, where it mea- 
 sures three or four inches, and has much of the rigidity 
 of a hog's bristles. It is, however, perfectly smooth, 
 and lies flat upon the surface of the body. The ears are 
 short, rounded at their tips, naked, and rather flaccid ; 
 the line of profile is strongly curved, but not elevated 
 so as to form a crest ; the upper lip is deeply divided ; 
 and the lower jaw almost devoid of hair. The hinder 
 limbs are considerably longer than the fore ; but, as in 
 the Pacas, they are brought nearly to an equality by 
 the application in the former of a lengthened portion of 
 the sole to the surface of the ground. 
 
 The Long-nosed Agouti is said formerly to have 
 inhabited most of the West India Islands, but is now 
 almost confined to St. Lucia. It is still, however, 
 extremely abundant in Brazil and Guiana, and extends 
 southward into Paraguay, where it was observed by 
 D'Azara. According to the testimony of Laborde and 
 Sonnini, it is the most common quadruped in Guiana, 
 and forms one of the most usual articles of food both to 
 the colonists and natives. To use the words of the 
 former, " All the woods are full of it, whether upon 
 the hills, on the plains, or in the marshes." It is said 
 rarely to burrow in the earth, preferring for its habita- 
 tion the hollow trunks of trees or such retreats as 
 require but little exertion to fit them for its use. In 
 running it is extremely swift, taking long leaps like 
 those of the hare, which it also resembles in its timidity 
 and in the fineness of its ear. Its food consists princi- 
 pally of roots and fruits; and of the latter those of 
 several species of palms appear to be its particular 
 favourites ; but it is by no means fastidious in its diet,
 
 296 
 
 ZOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 and in captivity is readily brought to eat both fish and 
 flesh. It always eats seated upon its haunches, con- 
 veying the food to its mouth by means of its fore-paws. 
 The abundance in which it is met with proves that 
 it is extremely prolific ; otherwise it must long ere this 
 have been rendered scarce by the wholesale destruc- 
 tion to which it is exposed. 
 
 So readily do the Agoutis become habituated to a 
 state of domestication, that we cannot but join with 
 M. Sonnini in regretting that no attempts have hitherto 
 been made to place them as completely under the con- 
 trol of man as the Rabbits, to which they bear so 
 remarkable an analogy, not only in their manners, but 
 even in the taste of their flesh, which is described as 
 delicately white and of exquisite flavour. It is indeed 
 surprising that the inhabitants of the countries in which 
 they abound, who derive from them so large a portion 
 of their subsistence, should never have been induced, 
 by these considerations, to breed them for their tables, 
 and thus to insure a constant supply, instead of trusting 
 to the uncertain produce of the chase. They are said 
 to be no less useful in another point of view, their skins 
 being converted into very strong leather.
 
 THE AMERICAN BLACK SQUIRREL. 
 
 SdURUS NIGER. LlNN. 
 
 FEW animals are subject to more extensive variations 
 of colour than the Squirrels of the northern and tem- 
 perate regions of the globe. In the higher latitudes of 
 the Old World the common species assumes during the 
 winter an entire coat of gray, and in this state furnishes 
 one of our most common and useful furs. Farther east- 
 wards, and especially in the neighbourhood of Lake 
 Baikal and on the banks of the Lena, we are told by 
 Pallas that these animals are found during the summer 
 of a sooty brown, and in the winter of a leaden gray, 
 with their tails black and shining. They are also not 
 uncommonly met with in the same localities entirely 
 or partially white ; and even, according to J. G. Gmelin 
 and other travellers, occasionally wholly black. Zim- 
 merman informs us that the Museum at Brunswick
 
 298 ZOOLOGICAL GARDEiNS. 
 
 contains a specimen of this description taken in the 
 woods of that duchy. Similar varieties appear to occur 
 in the American races, and render the determination of 
 species in this group extremely difficult. 
 
 Little doubt, however, can be entertained that the 
 animal figured over leaf belongs to a truly distinct 
 species. It differs from all the other American races 
 by its small size, being little larger than the Common 
 European Squirrel, and from the latter in wanting the 
 pencils of long tufted hairs surmounting the ears. From 
 the black variety of the large Hooded Squirrel it is 
 further distinguished by being usually entirely black in 
 every part, the nose and ears exhibiting only an occa- 
 sional tinge of white, their invariable colour in that 
 species. The tail too is comparatively shorter than in 
 the Gray Squirrel, and the ears are almost naked. 
 Catesby mentions that " some have their noses only 
 white, others the end of their tail white, and some 
 others have white round their necks." His own figure 
 has a white nose, and a white collar surrounding the 
 neck. 
 
 The Black Squirrel is said to inhabit Pennsylvania, 
 the Carolinas, Florida, and Mexico. The first three of 
 these habitats depend chiefly on the testimony of Kalm, 
 Catesby, and Bartram, and the last on that of Hernan- 
 dez, who may possibly refer to another species. Our 
 specimens, which are extremely shy and wild, were 
 brought from the United States, but we know not from 
 what precise locality. In their native state they are 
 highly destructive to the crops, and their flesh, ac- 
 cording to Catesby, is very delicate ; for both which 
 reasons they are much sought after and destroyed 
 without mercy.
 
 THE WHITE-FRONTED LEMUR. 
 
 LEMUR ALBIFRONS. GEOFF. 
 
 THIS remarkable species was first indicated by M. Geof- 
 froy-Saint-Hilaire in his excellent Memoir on the family 
 Lemuridae published in the Magasin Encyclopedique, 
 and was soon after figured by Audebert, in his Histoire 
 Naturelle des Singes et des Makis. The characters by 
 which it is distinguished from the other species are 
 principally those of colour. On its back and sides it is 
 of a grizzled brown with somewhat of a rufous tinge, 
 which is lost on the back of the head, where it becomes 
 nearly black. The muzzle, which is prominent and 
 lengthened, is entirely of a purplish black, as are also 
 the hands. The most distinguishing feature of the 
 species consists in a broad white band of woolly hairs 
 spreading across the forehead, and including the ears 
 and the sides of the face. The neck and inside of the 
 fore limbs is white ; the outside of all the limbs reddish 
 brown ; and the tail of the same colour with the back
 
 300 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 for two-thirds of its length, but terminating in a black 
 extremity. 
 
 In a subsequent paper, published in the Annales du 
 Museum, M. Geoffroy described as a distinct species, 
 under the name of the Maki d'Anjouan, an animal 
 distinguished from the last by having its forehead and 
 the sides of its face of an iron-gray approaching to 
 black, and its general colour somewhat lighter. But a 
 male of the former and a female of the latter, confined 
 in the Paris Menagerie, having produced young, M. F. 
 Cuvier deduces from this fact a conclusive proof of their 
 identity of origin, and asserts that these differences in 
 colour are dependent upon sex alone. In contradiction 
 to this opinion Mr. MacLeay some time since exhibited 
 to the Linnean Society an animal regarded as a female, 
 but having all the external characters supposed by the 
 French zoologist to be peculiar to the male. There is, 
 however, a possibility that some error may have occurred 
 in the determination of the sex, for we have ourselves 
 witnessed such a mistake ; but be this as it may, the 
 difficulty of discriminating between several of the closely 
 approximating species of this group is by no means 
 lessened by these observations. If the character de- 
 rived from colour alone be, as the remark of M. F. Cuvier 
 would lead us to suppose, variable and of uncertain 
 value, we must abandon that which has hitherto been 
 regarded as almost our only guide : and if on the other 
 hand Mr. MacLeay's opinion be confirmed by future 
 investigation, we shall be left in nearly the same state 
 of indecision with respect to the Lemurs, as we find 
 ourselves with regard to those groups, of domestic 
 animals more especially, in which neighbouring species 
 are known to produce together a mixed and interme- 
 diate breed, and in which the distinction of species has 
 consequently become a hopeless task.
 
 THE BLACK-FRONTED LEMUR. 
 
 LEMUR NIGRIFRONS. GEOFF. 
 
 DIFFICULT as it is to arrive at a satisfactory proof of 
 the actual specific distinction of these animals, we feel 
 convinced that that which is now before us possesses a 
 just claim to be separated from the last. Our conviction 
 is founded on the examination of numerous specimens, 
 in none of which have we observed any essential modi- 
 fication of their distinguishing features. Their size, it 
 is true, is nearly equal, and there is little, if any diffe- 
 rence in their form ; but their colours, invariable as we 
 have hitherto found them, furnish sufficient ground for 
 regarding them as distinct. The present animal has 
 the elongated muzzle of the last ; but the black colour 
 embraces in it the forehead and sides of the face, as 
 well as the base of the muzzle ; and the hair on the 
 former parts, instead of being long and woolly, is short,
 
 302 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 smooth, and even. While the black is thus extended 
 backwards over the head, it is bounded on the fore part 
 of the muzzle, which instead of being uniform in colour, 
 as in the preceding species, becomes grizzled towards 
 its extremity, and at last almost white. The general 
 colour of the upper parts of the body is a dark ashy 
 gray, most of the hairs terminating in a tawny tip, 
 which is so strongly marked on the back as to give it 
 a decided tinge. The tail is light gray at the base, and 
 darker towards the tip ; the outside of the limbs is of a 
 light ashy gray ; the chin, throat, and chest, are pure 
 white ; and the under parts, together with the inside of 
 the hind limbs, pale rufous. The hands, which are 
 blackish, have the same tendency to become grizzled 
 with the fore part of the muzzle. 
 
 This species, like the last, was first described by 
 M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, who refers to it a figure 
 given by Petiver under the name of Simia-Sciurus ; but 
 we cannot help thinking that the figure in question 
 bears quite as near a resemblance to the White-fronted 
 species. The Society's specimen of the latter is a male ; 
 both those of the Black-headed are, we believe, females. 
 They are all perfectly tame and good-tempered, ex- 
 tremely agile, and entirely free from the petulance and 
 grimace which characterizes the Old World Monkeys.
 
 THE GREEN MONKEY. 
 
 CERCOPITHECVS SABMVS. ERXL. 
 
 THE Green Monkey, although one of the most abundant 
 of the long-tailed African group, which constitutes the 
 genus Cercopithecus of modern writers, was first de- 
 scribed, about the middle of the last century, by Brisson, 
 from a skin in Reaumur's Museum. Edwards soon 
 after figured a specimen from the island of St. Jago, in 
 his splendid work on Birds ; a second representation 
 was given by Buffon in his History of Quadrupeds ; a 
 third by Pennant in his Synopsis; a fourth by M. Cuvier 
 in the Menagerie du Museum ; and a fifth by his bro- 
 ther in the Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes. Copies 
 of these, and perhaps other original figures of the ani- 
 mal, have been given in various publications ; but we 
 must confess that we are by no means satisfied with 
 any that we have seen. M. F. Cuvier has lately sepa- 
 rated from the species two or three very closely allied 
 races ; how far they merit this distinction, it must be 
 left for future observation to determine.
 
 304 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
 
 The colour of our animal is greenish yellow above, 
 arising from the ringing of the hairs with various shades 
 of yellow and black, but assumes more of a dark grizzled 
 appearance on the sides of the body and outer sides of 
 the limbs, which become gradually darker towards the 
 hands. The face, ears, and naked part of the hands 
 are of a j et black ; the former is of a triangular shape, 
 bounded above the eyes by a straight line of stiff black 
 hairs, and on the sides by spreading tufts of light hairs 
 with a yellowish tinge, meeting in a point beneath the 
 chin. The neck and chest are white, the under parts 
 of the body have a yellowish tinge, and the inside of 
 the limbs is gray. The length of the head and body is 
 sixteen or eighteen inches, and that of the tail some- 
 what more. 
 
 Adanson has given, in his Travels in Senegal, an 
 amusing account of the manners of these animals in 
 their native state. In captivity they are generally cap- 
 tious and malicious ; but much of their character, as in 
 the other species, depends on their age and education.
 
 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. 
 
 (ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE REGNE ANIMAL OF u. CUVIER.) 
 
 Class. MAMMALIA. 
 Order. QUADRUMANA. 
 
 Simite. 
 
 Page 
 
 Cercopithecus Mona, Geoff. 37 
 
 Diana, Geoff. 33 
 
 ruber, Geoff. 135 
 
 Petaurista, Geoff. 137 
 
 Sabaeus, Erxl. 303 
 
 Cercocebus fuliginosus, Geoff. 77 
 
 ^Etbiops, Geoff. 79 
 
 Semnopithecus Entellus, F. Cuv 81 
 
 Macacus Silenus, Lacep 21 
 
 Sylvanus, Lacep 191 
 
 niger , 189 
 
 Lemur es. 
 
 Lemur ruber, Peron 145 
 
 albifrons, Geoff. 299 
 
 nigrifrons, Geoff. 301 
 
 Loris tardigradus, Geoff. 139 
 
 x
 
 306 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. 
 
 Order. CARNIVORA. 
 
 PLANTIGKADA. 
 
 Ursi. 
 
 Page 
 
 Ursus Arctos, Linn 99 
 
 Americanus, Pall 107 
 
 maritimus, Erxl 129 
 
 Ratelus mellivorus 13 
 
 DIGITIGRADA. 
 
 Mustelee. 
 
 Mustela flavigula, Bodd 225 
 
 Martes, Briss 229 
 
 Canes. 
 
 Canis familiaris. var. Pomeranus 257 
 
 lagopus 25 
 
 borealis 27 
 
 Australasias 51 
 
 Cubanus Ill 
 
 Molossus (Thibetanus) .... 149 
 
 Vulpes, Linn 211 
 
 fulvus, Desm 217 
 
 var. decussatus 221 
 
 argentatus 223 
 
 Feles. 
 
 Felis Leopardus, Linn 87 
 
 Onca, Linn 95
 
 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. 307 
 
 MARSUPIATA. 
 
 Page 
 
 Didelphis Virginiana, Cuv 265 
 
 cancrivora, Cuv 271 
 
 Petaurus sciureus, Geoff. 71 
 
 Order. KODENTIA. 
 
 Sciuri. 
 
 Sciurus maximus, GmeL 179 
 
 cinereus, Linn 183 
 
 niger, Linn 297 
 
 Palmarum, Linn, var 47 
 
 Pteromys Volucella, Cuv 185 
 
 Mures. 
 Mus Barbarus, Linn 29 
 
 Castores. 
 Castor Fiber, Linn 153 
 
 Hystrices. 
 
 Hystrix cristata, Linn 171 
 
 Atherura fasciculata, Cuv 175 
 
 Caviee. 
 
 Dasyprocta Aguti, Illig 293 
 
 Ccelogenus subniger, F. Cuv 287 
 
 Chinchilla lanigera 1 
 
 Order. PACHYDERMATA. 
 
 Sues. 
 
 Dicotyles torquatus, Cuv 55 
 
 labiatus, Cuv 61
 
 
 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. 
 
 , r . 
 Fapires. 
 
 Tapir Americanus, Gmel. ................ 193 
 
 Order. KUMINANTIA. 
 
 Cameli. 
 Auchenia Glama, Illig .................. 273 
 
 var .................. 283 
 
 Moschi. 
 Moschus Javanicus, Raffles .............. 41 
 
 Cervl. 
 
 Cervus Tarandus, Linn ................. 241 
 
 Virginianus, Gmel ................ 205 
 
 Axis, Erxl .................... 253 
 
 * Antilopes. 
 
 Antilope picta, Pall ................... 125 
 
 Cervicapra, Pall ................ 117 
 
 Oves. 
 Ovis Aries, var. Parnassius ............... 259 
 
 polycerata .............. 263 
 
 Boves. 
 Bos Americanus, Gmel ................ .113 
 
 Taurus, var. Indicus, major ............ 65 
 
 minor ..... 69 
 
 END OF VOL. 1. 
 
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