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 1 ;L :D a N I M A L S ., 
 
 I~K T.HV, YARIOrS MENA'GEIBLIES 'OF THIS fOF^^TRY. 
 
 Hi 
 
 yrM^fYJ 'Ac-efr/ o^ta.'fi'^/t .-u^ ^a^?Le'e/>n^ (-Tiy &;ce/< 
 
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 I'lr. Msii r.n iiv ihcimas Ki-.i.i.y. paternoster how. 
 3629.
 
 THE 
 
 WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM; 
 
 EXHIBITING 
 
 DELINEATIONS OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED 
 
 Jmuti ^ntinal$» 
 
 IN THE VARIOUS MENAGERIES OF THIS COUNTRY ; 
 
 ACCOMPANIED BY A 
 
 CONCISE DESCRIPTION OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF EACH ANIMAL, IN 
 ITS SAVAGE OR DOMESTICATED STATE ; 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 CURIOUS AND INTERESTING ANECDOTES AND FACTS, 
 
 CHARACTERISTIC OF ITS PECULIAR HABITS, 
 COLLECTED FROM ORIGINAL INFORMATION. 
 
 O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom thou hast made them all : the earth is full of thy riches. 
 
 PsAI.M CIV. 24. 
 
 BY 
 ROBERT HUISH, 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE TREATISE ON "THE NATURE AND MANAGEMENT OF BEES;" 
 '• LIFE OF THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE," " MEMOIRS 
 OF GEORGE III." " GEORGE IV." 
 4*c. Sfc. 8^c. 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED FOR THOMAS KELLY, 17, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 MDCCCXXX.
 
 LONDON 
 
 Printed by WILLIAM CLOWKS, 
 
 Stamford Street.
 
 INDEX, 
 
 Stack 
 Afwiex 
 
 r 
 
 African Bloodhounds 
 
 • 
 
 Page 
 
 . 65 
 
 Kangaroos 
 
 
 Page 
 
 . 15 
 
 Alligator 
 
 • 
 
 51 
 
 Leopards 
 
 • • 
 
 21 
 
 Alpacas 
 
 . 
 
 37 
 
 Lion Cubs 
 
 
 , 31 
 
 American Bison . , 
 
 
 9 
 
 Lion, Lioness, and Cubs 
 
 
 107 
 
 Antelope . . 
 
 
 . 33 
 
 Lion, Tigress, and Cubs 
 
 
 1 
 
 Antelope Leucoryx . . 
 
 • 
 
 119 
 
 Llamas . , 
 
 
 27 
 
 Bactrian Camel 
 
 
 . 91 
 
 Moose-Deer, or Elk 
 
 • • 
 
 . 43 
 
 Bald, or White-lieaded Sea Eagle 
 
 • 
 
 93 
 
 Night Heron of Tartary 
 
 
 89 
 
 Bears 
 
 
 . 47 
 
 Nyl-Ghau 
 
 
 . 67 
 
 Beavers 
 
 • 
 
 41 
 
 Ocelot 
 
 
 81 
 
 Black Leopard . 
 
 
 . 61 
 
 Ostrich 
 
 
 3 
 
 Black Panther 
 
 • 
 
 101 
 
 Panther 
 
 
 87 
 
 Brahmui Bull, or Indian Ox 
 
 
 115 
 
 Pelicans 
 
 
 53 
 
 Cameleopard, or Giraffe . 
 
 ■ 
 
 23 
 
 Puma 
 
 
 29 
 
 Caracal or L)tix 
 
 
 77 
 
 Raccoon 
 
 
 59 
 
 Chittalis, or Hunting Leopards 
 
 • 
 
 113 
 
 Ratel 
 
 
 . 63 
 
 Civet Cat 
 
 
 105 
 
 Roebuck 
 
 
 . 95 
 
 Coiata, Four-fingered or Spider Monkey 
 
 99 
 
 Rusa Deer, or Samboo Stag . . 
 
 11 
 
 Condor 
 
 • « 
 
 111 
 
 Seal 
 
 • • 
 
 . 103 
 
 Condor Minor, or Ash-coloured Vulture , 
 
 85 
 
 Secretary 
 
 • • 
 
 121 
 
 Crested Curassow 
 
 
 75 
 
 Simla Mormon, or Tufted 
 
 Ape 
 
 . 39 
 
 Crowned Cranes 
 
 • 
 
 79 
 
 Striped and Spotted Hyaenas 
 
 17 
 
 Demoiselle, or Niunidian Crane 
 
 
 19 
 
 Tapir 
 
 • • 
 
 57 
 
 Dog-faced Baboon . 
 
 • • 
 
 109 
 
 Tliibet Bear 
 
 • • 
 
 122 
 
 Eagle of the Andes 
 
 
 55 
 
 Tigers 
 
 , 
 
 . 49 
 
 Elephant 
 
 • • 
 
 45 
 
 Tortoise-shell Hyoena, or 
 
 Hyaena Dog 
 
 71 
 
 Emeus 
 
 
 35 
 
 Ursine Sloth, or Sloth Bear 
 
 . 73 
 
 Ganges Stag . . 
 
 • 
 
 . 83 
 
 Wanderow or Ouandorou 
 
 Monkey 
 
 99 
 
 Gnus . . 
 
 
 13 
 
 White Polar Bear 
 
 • • 
 
 . 117 
 
 Great Harpy Eagle . . 
 
 
 93 
 
 Wliite or Silver Lions 
 
 • • 
 
 69 
 
 Griffin Vulture 
 
 • • 
 
 25 
 
 Zebra of the Plains 
 
 • • 
 
 7 
 
 Hudson's Bay Wolves 
 
 • 
 
 5 
 
 Zebus 
 
 t • 
 
 . 120 
 
 Jackals 
 
 • 
 
 97 
 
 

 
 ' HIGHLY USEFUL AND INTERESTING WORKS, 
 
 (ILLUSTRATED BY ELEGANT ENGRAVINGS,) 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THOMAS KELLY, No. 17, PATERNOSTER ROW, 
 
 And Sold by his Agents, and all Booksellers in the British Empire. 
 
 BUFFON'S NATURAL HISTORY, 
 
 General and Particular: cnntainins; the History and 
 Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, the 
 Brute Creation, Vegetaliles, Minerals, &c. Translated 
 from the French by WilUam Sniellie, Member of the 
 Antiquarian and Royal Societies of Edinburgh. To which 
 is added, a History of Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, and Insects ; 
 embracins; the recent Discoveries of eminent Naturalists. 
 Together with the Elements of Botany ; also, an Account 
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 or plain, the Parts at 3s. and the Numbers at 6d. each. 
 
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 RIER and BRITISH SPORTSMAN ; containing a 
 Systematic Inquiry into the Structure and Animal Eco- 
 nomy of the Horse; the Causes, Symptoms, and most 
 approved Methods of Prevention and Cure for every 
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 a Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, 
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 price 8d. each, forming six handsome 4to. volumes. 
 
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 LAND, from the earliest period of authentic Record to 
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 the Contmuation in 72 Numbers, or 14 Parts, at 2s. 6d. 
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 of Live-Stock and Cattle Management, in bettering the 
 various Breeds, and managing their Products ; the best 
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 In 13 Parts, 4to., at 4s. 6d. each ; in Numbers at 9d. 
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 KELLY'S NEW SYSTEM of UNIVER- 
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 bers, price 6d. each. 
 
 The PRACTICAL GARDENER and 
 
 Modern Horticulturist, in which the most approved 
 Methods are laid down for the Management of the 
 Kitchen, Fruit, and Flower Garden, the Green-house, 
 Hot-house, Conservatory, &c., for every Month in the 
 Year, including the new Method of heating Forcing- 
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 tem of Modern Practice in the Various Branches of 
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 or in 2 vols., boards, 21., illustrated by coloured speci- 
 mens of the most esteemed Fruits and Flowers, &c. By 
 Charles M'Intosh, C.M.C.H.S. Head Gardener to his 
 Royal Highness Prince Leopold, at Claremont. 
 
 Tlie follov\'ing New and Elegant Work, Publishing 
 Monthly, is by tlie same Author, and forming a suit- 
 able Companion to the above, entitled 
 
 FLORA and POMONA, or the British 
 
 Fruit and Flower Garden ; containing Descriptions of the 
 most valuable and interesting Flowers and Fruits, the 
 period of their Introduction, Botanical Character, Mode 
 of Culture, Time of Flowering, &c., with a Definition of 
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 coloured from Nature, 2s. 6d.; and in 4to. at 3s. each Part. 
 
 The HISTORICAL GALLERY of Cele- 
 brated Men of every Age and Nation; exhibiting a 
 Series of Portraits, skilfully engraved from acknowledged 
 Originals, by Artists of the first celebrity, accompanied 
 by Biographical Sketches, with the Autograph of the 
 Individual affixed to each Portrait. By R.Huish, Esq. 
 
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 Portraits, price Is. India Pr.oofs, at 2s. 
 
 The HISTORY and PROGRESS of the 
 
 STEAM ENGINE; with a practical Investigation of 
 its Structure and Application. By Elijah Galloway, CivU 
 Engineer. To which is added, an Appendix, containing 
 minute Descriptions of all the various improved Boilers ; 
 the constituent parts of Steam Engines ; the Macliinery 
 used in Steam Navigation ; the New Plans for Steam 
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 of other Motive Powers, with an Experimental Disser- 
 tation on the Nature and Properties of Steam and other 
 Elastic Vapours ; the Strength and Weight of Mate- 
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 and scientific Work will be completed in about Twenty- 
 eight Numbers, price 6d. each, or m Seven Parts, at 
 2s., and illustrated by upwards of Two Hundred En- 
 gravings,
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The mind of man is ever active in the pursuit of useful knowledge ; his all-pervadino- 
 intelligence extracts from every object which surrounds him some fresh source of profit 
 or rational delight ; and impelled by a love of science, he explores the natural resources 
 of other coantries, with the laudable and patriotic design of enriching his own : but of 
 all the branches of useful knowledge, there is scarcely one which is more beneficial to the 
 human race, or which is inore essential to their happiness, than that which treats of 
 the Animal Kingdom. It is a study which instils into the mind the most profound 
 reflections arising from the discovery of the great and admirable harmonies of the world, 
 leading it, as it were, imperceptibly to the fountain of eternal truth, and thence to the 
 knowledge of the Great Creator. It must not, however, be considered as one of mere 
 common amusement ; nor ought it to be classed amongst those occupations, which serve 
 as a relaxation from the busy pursuits of social life ; — but it should be regarded as the 
 basis of agriculture, of rural and domestic economy ; considering that the majority of 
 its productions are not only the sources, but also the nurses of commerce and civi- 
 lization, from which we derive almost all the enjoyments of our existence. 
 
 The knowledge of the Animal Kingdom is, in a moral point of view, attended with 
 the most inestimable advantages to the rising generation. It is the foundation of the 
 purest religion, of the most genuine philanthropy; benevolence, charity, and affection, 
 can never be wholly absent from that breast which has acquired an intimate acquaint- 
 ance with the operations and the works of Nature. The mind becomes immediately ex- 
 panded, and, as it were, sublimed by the contemplation of those stupendous and wonder- 
 ful creatures which even a limited research into the Animal Kingdom affords it. From 
 the contemplation of a floating atom, it proceeds through all the gradations of animated 
 life, until the astonished mind rests at last at the throne of that Being, who laid the found- 
 ations of the earth, and who gave to the heavens their glory and their splendor. It is 
 in the domain of nature, that the human mind feels itself in its proper sphere ; the view 
 is then no longer confined within the precincts of our social dwellings, — it takes a wider 
 and more expansive range, at every step of which, some transcendent beauty, some 
 great and important truth bursts upon it. The mind becomes purified and exalted ; it 
 treads the very vestibule of the Godhead, and drinks at the fountain of eternal truth the 
 inspiring sentiments of religion and of love. 
 
 If we consider the study of nature in a religious point of view, how pleasingly are 
 we drawn by a contemplation of the wonderful creatures which inhabit the earth to the 
 I B
 
 II INTRODUCTION. 
 
 reverence and worship of that Being, who, in the words of the inspired Psahnist, has 
 said, "' Ml/ voice is heard in the roar of the lion, and in the murmur of the hised am I 
 made ma?iifest." The splendor of all earthly monarchs is eclipsed by that of the 
 humblest flower ; the very dust which is scattered by the winds reveals to us the exist- 
 ence of an Omnipotent Being. If we survey the illimitable vault of heaven ; if we 
 examine the flowers which decorate the earth, the birds which traverse the air, the 
 beasts which prowl the desert, the monsters which inhabit the deep, how grand and 
 sublime are then the feelings of our hearts? In meditating and contemplating those 
 objects, the human soul is transported to the adoration of the Infinite, to the source of 
 supreme and everlasting truth ; and we thereby become more intimately acquainted 
 with our own nature, with the extent of our own duties, with our own condition, and 
 the means which a benevolent and gracious God has given us for augmenting our 
 general and individual happiness. , 
 
 Various and dissimilar as may be the modes of education by which the mind of 
 man is led to the knowledge of truth, and thence to the adoration and reverence of an 
 Eternal and Omnipotent Being, it is impossible to select one more capable of producing 
 that desirable end than an intimate acquaintance with the history of those wonderful 
 objects, which in every quarter of the globe, present themselves to the admiration and 
 contemplation of the exploring naturalist. By a knowledge of their habits, their struc- 
 ture, the astonishing vaiiety of their forms, and the universal and unerring laws by 
 which they are governed, the mind becomes impressed with the idea of Omnipotence, 
 and is thus delightfully led to " looJcfrom Nature up to Nature's God." 
 
 Having thus briefly expatiated on the advantages and pleasures which are derived 
 from a knowledge of the wonders of creation, we now proceed to state, that the chief aim 
 of the present work is to excite, particularly in the juvenile mind, a taste for the study of 
 natural history ; and if we have been fortujiate enough at the close of our labours to 
 have accomplished that end, we are confident that we have rendered an essential benefit 
 to society in general. The parent, who wishes to instil into the minds of his children an 
 idea of the omnipotence of God, has only to conduct them to the den of the lion or the 
 elephant ; and the children, on reading a description of the nature, character, and habits 
 of those wonderful creatures, cannot fail to be impressed with an awful sense of the 
 imlimited love and obedience which they themselves owe to the Great Father of the 
 Universe, and in the fulness of their wonder and gratitude, exuitingly exclaim— 
 
 These are thy glorious works, Parent of good ! 
 
 Almighty ! thine this universal frame ; 
 
 Thus wondrous fair, thyself how wondrous then. 
 
 Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens. 
 
 To us invisible, or dimly seen 
 
 In these thy lowest works ; yet these declare 
 
 Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine.
 
 23 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 < 
 
 ;<- 
 
 '■d 
 
 k 
 
 ^ 
 
 . ii 
 
 2 
 
 V 
 
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 -^
 
 THE WOXDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.!. 
 
 THE LION, TIGRESS, AND CUBS, 
 
 /.V THE MENAGERY OF Mr. ATKINS. 
 
 From the earliest period, naturalists have concurred in considering the Lion tlic most majestic inha- 
 bitant of the Desert. With justice has he been denominated the monarcli of the brute creation, the 
 sovereign of the animal kingdom. His majestic gait — his ferocious courage — his unequalled powers 
 of destruction — his magnanimity and gigantic strength, justly entitle him to the investiture of a 
 royal animal, and to hold the first place in rank and importance in the pages of natural history. 
 
 It is, however, a subject of congratulation, that the range of this tremendous animal is limited to 
 particular portions of the globe, and that even in those very districts, his species seems to be diminisli- 
 ing. The cause of this diminution is not difficult to be assigned; for, in proportion as human civili- 
 zation extends itself, the desert becomes peopled, the haunts of the lion and the hyjena are encroached 
 upon, and man, who alone is able to compete with those monsters of the forests, declares an intermi- 
 nable war against them, considering that on the annihilation of their species depend his safety and his 
 existence. In the vast and solitary deserts of Zaara, as yet untrodden by the foot of man, and where 
 the monotony of the scene is alone broken by the roar and yells of the prowling animals, the lion 
 may be said to reign with undisputed power. He possesses no instinctive fear of man, and this is 
 evinced by' the undaunted ferocity with which he makes his attack in those districts most remote 
 - from human habitations. It is in the recesses of the burning deserts that the lion presents himself 
 in all the ferocity and sanguinary disposition of his nature. He becomes the terror of the sur- 
 rounding countries in which he makes his predatory incursions ; and having satiated himself with 
 his prey, he retires in the consciousness of his unconquerable strength, to repose in his gloomy cave, 
 until hunger again impels him to sally forth, to spring upon the powerless monkey, or the unsuspect- 
 ing antelope. 
 
 It is generally known that the lion and the tiger entertain a violent antipathy for each other ; and 
 the circumstance, therefore, of a lion and a tigress cohabiting and producing young in this country is 
 so rare a phenomenon in the natural history of those animals, especially as both of them have, as it 
 were, been bred under the dominion of man, and not m the fastnesses of their native woods, that 
 it has been purposely selected as a subject possessing such an extraordinary degree of interest and 
 novelty, as to render it worthy of occupying the first place in the description of the Wondeus of 
 THE Animal Kingdom. 
 
 The authenticity of the following statement is placed beyond the question of doubt, as it was 
 transmitted purposely for this work by Mr. Atkins, in a letter from Exeter to the Author; and it 
 may be considered as a most curious document, descriptive of a sexual union of two animals, between 
 whom all propagation has been hitherto considered as an abortive experiment. 
 
 Mr. Atkins commences by stating that the lion, the sire of the cubs, was bred in iiis own collection,
 
 2 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 t 
 
 from a Barbary lion and a Senegal lioness ; and the tigress, their dam, was bred in the Marquess 
 of Hastings' collection of tigers in Calcutta, when he was Governor-General of India. 
 
 It appears now, from this preliminary statement, that neither the sire nor the dam was bred in their 
 savage state ; and how far that circumstance may have contributed to diminish their natural hostility 
 to each other is a problem not easy of solution ; some valid grounds of inference, however, exist, that 
 it might possess some remote influence in facilitating their union, on the principle, that in proportion 
 as an animal, either by education or constraint, digresses from its natural state, it assumes fresh habits, 
 and many of those animosities appear to be modified, which were its distinguishing characteristics in 
 its state of nature. We shall have occasion to enlarge on this topic when we come to treat of the 
 natural history of the different races of lions, which are now in the private and public menageries 
 of this country ; for, virtually speaking, the lion of Mr. Atkins is, in every respect, an English animal, 
 and, therefore, cannot be supposed to be characterized by all those ferocious traits, which distinguish 
 the untamed monarch of the woods. The tigress stands nearly in the same relation ; it has never 
 associated wldi its fellows but in a state of domestication, and where the continual power of human 
 control has softened those asperities of temper, which are always displayed in a state of savage nature. 
 
 Mr. Atkins proceeds to state that he purchased the tigress of the captain to whom the ]Marquess of 
 Hastings had presented her, at which time she was eighteen months old ; and the young lion being then 
 about the same age, Mr. Atkins conceived the idea of confining them in the same den ; not, as he con- 
 fesses, from any hope of their ever breeding ; for he considered that event as scarcely within the range 
 of possibility. However, after a considerable deal of trouble and anxiety, he at last succeeded in 
 effecting the union, and the animals continued to live amicably during a period of two years ; when, 
 to his great joy, he discovei-ed that the tigress was with young, and on Wednesday, October the 27th, 
 1824, she cubbed at Windsor, bringing forth two males and one female : this extraordinary circum- 
 stance having been mentioned by the Marquess of Conyngham to his Majesty, the King commanded 
 that the animals should be brought for his inspection to the Royal Cottage, Windsor Park. Mr. Atkins 
 immediately obeyed the command, on the 1st of November ; taking with him also the terrier bitch 
 •which acted in the capacity of wet nurse to the hctei-ogeneous brood, as the tigress had not evinced 
 any disposition to perform the part of a mother to her family. His Majesty expressed himself highly 
 pleased with this novel exhibition, and asked an infinite number of questions respecting them. After 
 a minute and protracted inspection of this singular addition to the wonders of the animal kingdom, 
 his Majesty gave the name of Lion-Tigers to the cubs: which name has been transmitted to the 
 present progeny, as Mr. Atkins was not fortunate enough to rear any of the first litter, they all dying 
 when about a year old. 
 
 The second accouchement of the tigress took place on Clapham Common, April 22d, 1825, but the 
 produce lived a very short time, although in this instance, as well as in the subsequent ones, the 
 tigress took to her young, and suckled them Nvith the greatest fondness imaginable. 
 
 The third litter was brought forth at Edinburg, December 31st, 1826, consisting of one male and 
 two females; the former of which died, but the females are still alive, and in perfect health. In form 
 they resemble the lioness, but they have the stripes of the tigress, although not so marked nor dark. 
 
 The fourtii and last litter was produced at Windsor, October 28th, 1828, consisting of one male 
 and two females ; they were all living as late as March 5th, 1829, in perfect health, and Mr. Atkins 
 expresses his anxious hope to rear the male, as he is desirous to know if he will so far partake of the 
 character of his sire as to have a fine and flowing mane. 
 
 It is rather a singular coincidence that the last litter was produced exactly four years after the first.
 
 
 ;>te-' '^^ 
 
 
 
 iff 
 
 
 
 THE (^sTi;:i '(■:!:!,
 
 THE OSTRICH. 
 
 THE OSTRICH, 
 
 PRESENTED BY IIIS JIAJESTY TO THE LATE MARCHIONESS OF LONDONDERRY 
 AND NOW IN THE G.\RDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 We consider that we could not select a more appropriate subject whcrewitli to commence the ornitho- 
 logical department of our work, than the Ostrich. It is distinguished by the general outline and 
 properties of a bird, but it possesses also many distinct characteristics of the quadruped, particularly 
 in its internal formation, and in some respects it may be considered as the link or cl)ain in nature, 
 which separates the animal from the feathered tribes. Like the race of the elephant it has been trans- 
 mitted down without mixture, and has never been known to breed out of the country which first 
 produced it. The torrid zones of Africa and Arabia are the native haunts [of the ostrich, and 
 in those formidable regions they are seen in large flocks, presenting a most curious spectacle to the 
 astonished traveller. The ostrich is a most voracious bird, swallowing almost every thing which is 
 presented to it : grass, hair, iron, stones, leather, all are devoured by it ; and Valisnieri informs us. 
 that he found the first stomach filled with a quantity of incongruous substances, such as grass, nuts, 
 cords, stones, glass, brass, copper, iron, tin, lead, and wood ; and amongst the rest was found a piece of 
 stone that weighed more than a pound. Dr. Shaw relates that he saw an ostrich at Oran which 
 swallowed, without any seeming uneasiness or inconvenience, several leaden bullets thrown on the 
 floor, scorching hot from the mould ! 
 
 This gigantic bird in general stands so high as to measure from seven to twelve feet from the top of 
 the head to the ground. The individual, from which our drawing is taken, stands eleven feet ; from 
 the back, however, it is no more than about five feet, the rest of the height being made up by its ex- 
 tremely long neck. The head is small, and like the greater part of the neck, is covered only wit'., a kw 
 scattered hairs. Its strong-jointed legs, which bear a great resemblance to the camel, and its cloven 
 feet, are well adapted both for speed and defence. Of all known animals that make use of their legs 
 in running, the ostrich is by far the swiftest ; on observing itself pursued at a distance, it begins to run 
 at first gently, being cither insensible of its danger, or certain of effecting its escape. Its wings, hke 
 two arms, keep working with a motion correspondent to that of its legs ; and its speed, especially if 
 the wind be in its rear, would very soon snatch it from the view of its pursuers, if, instead of going 
 off" in a direct line, it did not take its course in circles. Its pursuers then take a smaller circle within, 
 and meet it at unexpected turns, until at last spent with fatigue and famine, after perhaps a chase of 
 two or three days, and finding all hope of escape frustrated, it endeavours to hide itself from its ene- 
 mies in the first thicket which it can reach, or it covers its head in the sand. 
 
 The ostrich is a polygamous bird, the male appropriating to himself two or three and sometimes 
 five females. The season for laying depends on the climate where the bird is bred ; in the 
 northern parts of Africa it commences about the beginning of July, but in the more southern districts 
 about the latter end of December. The early naturalists have divested the ostrich of all affection 
 for its young, asserting that the female lays her eggs in the sand, and leaves them to be hatched 
 by the power of the sun. Even the author of the Book of Job, in allusion to this bird, says, 
 " Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and uarmeth them in the dust, and forcjcttetli that the fool 
 
 2 c
 
 4 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 may crush them, or that the ivild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as 
 though they were not hers ; her labour is in vain without fear, because God has deprived her of 
 wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding ." 
 
 From the concurrent testimony, however, of recent travellers, the stigma of the want of affection for 
 its young does not attach to the ostrich ; for we are assui-ecl by Kolben, Vaillant, Barrow, and others, 
 that, so far from being callous towards her offspring, there is no bird which watches over her eggs 
 with greater assiduity. In regard to the number of eggs laid by the ostrich, a manifest error pre- 
 vails, as it is generally believed that the female lays sixty or seventy at a time ; but it has been 
 decided by Kolben that all the females attached to one male lay their eggs in one nest, and it has 
 been confirmed by Vaillant that they also relieve each other in the task of incubation ; for he says that 
 he once found a female ostrich on a nest containing thirty-two eggs ; he remained near the place for some 
 time, and saw three other females come and alternately seat themselves on the nest, each sitting for about 
 a quarter of an hour, and then giving place to another, who, while waiting, sat close by the side of her 
 whom she was to succeed. The same intelligent traveller informs us tliat he never found an ostrich 
 nest, without also finding eggs deposited on the outside of it, which are designed for the nourishment 
 of the future young. ]\Ir. Barrow states that a number of small oval-shaped pebbles, about the size 
 of a marrow-fat pea, are often found in the interior of the egg; the colour of the pebbles is a pale 
 yellow, and exceedingly hard. He once saw nine, and at another time twelve of these pebbles in one 
 egg. The ostrich is gifted with an uncommon memory in regard to the position in which she leaves 
 her eggs; and if, in the interval, any person touches them, the bird not only desists from laying any 
 more in the same nest, but in the fulness of her indignation, she tramples every egg in the nest to 
 pieces with her feet. 
 
 In regai'd to the character of the ostrich, they are tamed with very little trouble in their native 
 country, and in their domesticated state, few animals may be i-endered more useful. In their carriage 
 towards those who are acquainted with them, they are highly tractable and familiar, but towards 
 strangc-r they often evince an extraordinary fierceness. Their method of attack is to run furiously 
 upon their opponent and to push him down, and having laid him prostrate, they peck at him with their 
 beaks, or strike him violently with their feet ; and when they think that they have overcome their 
 adversary, the}' stand in triumph over liim, making a kind of cackling noise : at night, they often 
 send forth a doleful, hideous cry resembling the hoarse tone of a bear. 
 
 The Female Ostrich which is designated in our engraving was brought with the male from the coast 
 of Barbary, and presented to his IVIajesty, who sent them to North Cray to em-ich the collection of the 
 late ]\Iarchioness of Londonderry. It is one of the most perfect birds of the species now in this 
 country, but the male appears rather in a distorted shape, owing to the following circumstance : It was 
 one day rambling the beautiful grounds which surround the mansion of the late Maixhioness, ^\■hen a 
 playful lama suddenly sprung up and kicked the ostrich in the neck. From this arose a violent swelling, 
 but still great hopes were entertained that the bird would not sustain any permanent injury. One night, 
 however, a fox stole into the premises and seized the unfortunate bird by the wounded part of the neck, 
 which put an end to all hope of a radical cure, and the bird now carries bis neck and head in a 
 crooked postui'c. In other respects it is as pei-fect as the female. It was the subject of exultation of 
 the late Marquess of Londonderry that he was the only person at the coronation of George IV., who 
 wore a plume of feathers from his own ostriches.
 
 ^ 
 
 
 x 
 
 1 
 
 
 K3 
 
 !S 
 
 :s,' 
 
 I
 
 THE HUDSONS BAY WOLVES. 
 
 THE HUDSON'S BAY WOLVES, 
 
 OB 
 
 THE CLOUDED BLACK WOLVES, 
 
 IN THE aiENAGERY OF THE TOWER, AND INTRODUCED INTO THIS COUNTRY 
 
 BY CAPTAIN PARRY. 
 
 In the desert and inhospitable regions of tlie Polar Circle, where tlie foot of the iiuntcr alone is heard, 
 and nature appears in all the solemn grandeur of everlasting sterility, the iiowl of the Clouded Wolf 
 reverberates amongst the rocks, startling the timid deer from its mossy lair to fall an easy victim to its 
 ferocious appetite. 
 
 The human mind turns away with loathing and disgust from the contemplation of the natural cha- 
 racter of the wolf, than which a creature more brutal in its manners is scarcely to be exhibited in the 
 animal world. Its truly savage disposition, its ferocious propensities and insatiable rapacity, joined to 
 its sanguinary habits, have always rendered it an object of dread and hatred wherever it has domesti- 
 cated itself. The flesh of the wolf is not eaten by any living creature whatever, which is a characteristic 
 peculiar to that animal, and its breath is so offensive, owing to the corrupted matter on Avhich it indis- 
 criminately feeds, that it is called, in some parts of France, la bete puanfe. The races of wolves, which 
 are dispersed over the earth, from the common wolf to those which are now the immediate object of 
 our discussion, ai-e exceedingly various and dissimilar ; but, in establishing the distinct species of wolves, 
 some very great and almost insuperable difficulties present themselves. The anatomical structure of 
 almost all of them presents not those distinguishing marks from which the existence of a distinct species 
 can be deduced ; and in their general form, the only test of comparison is in a greater or less corporeal 
 magnitude, which may arise from causes which have no immediate reference to the establishment of a 
 distinct sjjecies, such as climate, abundance of food, and other similar incidental circumstances, which 
 might have a direct tendency to promote the developement of the physical power of the animal. In 
 the external appearance of the race of wolves, a manifest diversity is exhibited, although the shades of 
 character, by which the difference can be established, are so slight as to throw considerable obstacles 
 in the way of the zoologist in his endeavours to class them under their respective species. 
 
 As, however, we shall have occasion to enter more diffusely into the natural history of the Wolf, 
 when treating of it under its respective head, we shall now proceed to the description of the animals 
 which form the subject of oiu" engraving. 
 
 The Hudson's Bay or Clouded AVolves may be considered as a distinct species, and we are indebted 
 to the enterprising Captain Parry for their introduction into this country. They were presented by 
 that celebrated navigator to IMr. Cops of the Tower IMenagery, in whose possession they now re- 
 main ; the statement, therefore, which has been published, of the animals having been presented by 
 the Hudson's Bay Company, is evidently erroneous. They may be considered as the only individuals 
 of the species which have been brought alive to this country, and in form and muscular power they 
 differ essentially from the common type ; nor in the expression of their countenance do they betra\- that 
 sanguinary disposition and determined cruelty, which are the decided characteristics of the com- 
 mon wolf. A protracted confinement may, indeed, have softened their natural ferocity; for to those 
 •whom they are accustomed to see about them daily, they exhibit all the fawning and friendly disposition
 
 6 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 of the dog, rolling themselves on the floor of the den, and seemingly inviting their keeper to caress 
 them. That they are capable of attachment to the person is also evident from the circumstance of 
 the extreme delight which they always evinced on the appearance before tlieir den of an officer of the 
 Guards who was quartered in the Tower, and who was accustomed to pay them a daily visit. The 
 animals no sooner observed him approaching, than by their bounds and antics they manifested all the 
 joy of the dog on encountering his master. In their general appearance, they are moi'e formidable 
 than the common wolf, but they have not the malignant scowl of the latter ; and it is evident that 
 their prevailing dispositions are of a more noble and dignified cast. On their first introduction to the 
 Tower, their colour was not so black as it is at present, partaking more of the dark grey, or i-ather 
 of the clouded colour, which induced Mr. Say, in the notes to the published narrative of Major Long's 
 Expedition from Pittsburg to the Rocky Mountains, to give the animal the name of the Clouded 
 Wolf. The skin and the sides of the mouth are nearly white, and round the neck appears a ring, in 
 ■which the grey tinge predominates, and this tinge extends to the lower part of the belly, where it be- 
 comes almost a white. The hair of the inside of the fore-legs also approaches to white, and the upper 
 part of the animal, being almost a deep black, gives the animal a pleasing and diversified appearance. 
 The extreme thickness of tb.e hair bespeaks it to be a native of a high northern latitude, consistently 
 with the provisions of Nature, which bestows on each animal a covering suitable to the climate in 
 Avhich it is destined to live. 
 
 A great naturalist has said, " Shew me the tooth of an animal, and I will give you its whole 
 history, although I never saw the animal in my life ;" nor was this a presumptuous nor an extravagant 
 boast. By the magnitude of the tooth an estimate may be formed of the size of the animal ; and by 
 the configuration of the tootli, adapted either for grazing or the laceration of flesh, we attain to the 
 knowledge of t lie animal being herbivorous or carnivorous. The inspection of the mouth of a wolf 
 declares it at once to be a carnivorous animal, and the strength of its jaws demonstrates the power 
 which it possesses in crushing the bones of its prey. In tliese characteristics, the Hudson's Bay wolves 
 far exceed the European ones. They tear their food with an avidity truly rapacious, not stopping 
 to masticate it, but swallowing it in lumps as they tear it from the bone. Having divested the bone 
 of all the flesh, they then begin to quarrel for the former, in which the natural ferocity of the animal 
 is fully exhibited ; but in these quarrels the female is always obliged to yield to the superior 
 strength of the male. 
 
 Althoush these animals have now been domesticated for a considerable length of time in this 
 country, they have shewn no disposition whatever to propagate their species ; consequently, their time 
 of gestation, and other circumstances connected Avith their natural history, cannot be satisfactorily 
 ascertained. 
 
 In height, the male, which is the larger of the two, appears to be about three feet, and from the 
 end of the mouth to die tip of the tail about seven feet. Their skin is eagerly sought after by the 
 natives of the country, as it forms a part of tlieir winter clothing, and also an article of traflic with the 
 Hudson's Bay Company. A very fine skin was brought to this country by Captain Franklin, and 
 presented by him to the Zoological Society, in whose possession it now remains. 
 
 The Hudson's Bay wolves sometimes wander on the ice of the sea in quest of young seals, which 
 they catch whilst they are asleep. But this repast often proves their death, for the ice is sometimes 
 suddenly detached from the shore, and carries the wolves to a great distance from the land before 
 they are sensible of it. In this manner some districts are happily delivered from the presence of 
 those formidable animals.
 
 a 
 
 a
 
 THE ZEBRA OF THE PLAINS. j 
 
 THE ZEBRA OF THE PLAINS, 
 
 IN THE MENAGERY, ROYAL JIEWS, LONDON. 
 
 There are few animals wliicli are exhibited in the menageries of tliis country whicli possess stronger 
 claims to beauty than the Zebra ; but, on tlie otiier hand, it is perhaps, of all animals, considering the 
 species to which it belongs, the most wild and untameablc. The horse, the ass, and the zebra form 
 a well-known group, and are distinguished from all other quadrujjcds by the form of their hoof, 
 which is single and undivided, rounded in front, of considerable thickness, and enveloping the extre- 
 mity of their only apparent toe. The zebra, in shape, rather resembles the mule than the horse or the 
 ass. It is rather less than the former, and yet larger than the latter. Its ears are not so long as those 
 of the ass, and yet not so small as those in the horse kind. Like the ass, its head is large, its back 
 straight, its legs finely placed, and its tail tufted at the end ; like the horse, its skin is smooth and 
 close, and its hind quarters round and fleshy. The greatest beauty, however, of this animal lies in 
 the amazing regularity and elegance of its colours. 
 
 The ground colour of the whole body of the zebra is white, interrupted by a regular series of broad 
 black stripes, extending from the back across the sides, with narrower and fainter ones intervening 
 between each. The ears are variegated with a white and dusky brown ; the neck has broad stripes of 
 the same dark brown running round it, leaving narrow white stripes between ; along the back there is 
 a narrow longitudinal line, bordered on each side with white : a line of separation also runs between the 
 trunk of the body and the hinder quarters on each side, between which, on the rump, is a plat of 
 narrow stripes, joined together by a stripe down the middle to the end of the tail. The colours are 
 not so lustrous in the female, and in none do the stripes seem entirely to agree in form, but in all they 
 are equally distinct. 
 
 The scorching plains of Africa are the natural domicile of the zebra, but of its habits in a state of 
 nature our information is very limited. It is also found in the kingdom of Angola, and, according 
 to Lopez, it is also a native of Barbary. The natives of Angola have, however, no other idea of 
 advantage from horses than as far as regards their excellence for food ; it is not, therefore, the fine 
 stature of the Arabian courser, nor the delicate and elegant colourings of the zebra, that have any 
 allurements to a race of people who only consider the quantity of flesh, and not the conformation of the 
 artimal. The delicacy of the zebra's shape, or the painted elegance of its form, are no more regarded 
 by such people, than by the lion, which makes it his prey. For this reason, the zebra may 
 hitherto have continued wild, because it is the native of a country where there have been no successive 
 effbrts made to reclaim it. All pursuits that have been hitherto made against it, have been rather 
 against its life than its liberty ; the animal has thus been long accustomed to shun man, as its 
 most inveterate enemy, and our surprise therefore need not be excited that it refuses to yield obedience 
 where it has seldom experienced mercy. 
 
 It is, however, by no means im])robable that some means may be ultimatelv discovered of 
 taming the zebra, and rendering it serviceable to man, for which its strength and swiftness so pecu- 
 liarly fit it. The Portuguese pretend, indeed, that they have been able to tame them ; and Dapper 
 informs us that four zebras were sent from Africa purposely to draw the coach of the Kino- of 
 Portugal, and that the experiment was attended with complete success. When, however, we take into 
 our consideration that, during the time when the Dutch held possession of the Cape of Good Hope, 
 3* D
 
 8 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 several zebras were sent to Holland, to be broken in for the Stadtholder's carriage, but that, after the 
 most indefatigable pains, the task was relinquished as not practicable ; and if we further reflect, that 
 our late Queen Charlotte attempted the same task, but could never accomplish it, we feel disposed to 
 consider the statement of Dapper as not founded on truth, especially as he does not affirm that he was 
 himself an eye-witness of the fact. Pyrard relates, that several zebras were sent to Brazil, but 
 that not one of them could be tamed ; indeed, they were so very wild and untractable, that they would 
 permit only one man to approach them — and on a particular occasion when one of them got loose, 
 he actually killed the groom, having bitten him to death. Notwithstanding, however, these facts, 
 apparently so decisive of the initractable nature of the zebra, it must be considered that they are very 
 seldom sent to this country whilst very young, and consequently their habits of wildness have become 
 too inveterately fixed to be subdued by the art or discipline of man. 
 
 The repeated failures in the subjection of this animal have given rise to some speculative experiments, 
 as to how far the breed of the ass in this country mjght be improved by an intei-mixture with the zebra. 
 In 1761 , an attempt was made at Versailles to establish a breed with a male zebra and a female ass, 
 but notwithstanding the similarity of their species, the experiment wholly failed. The failure at the 
 time was attributed to a neglect in accustoming the zebra, for some time previously to the spring, to the 
 society of her new companion, which nature points out to be necessary, in a certain degree, between 
 animals of the same race, but differing in their species. The most extraordinary experiment of this 
 kind, however, was tried by Lord Clive, to whom, on his return from India, whilst stopping at the 
 Cape of Good Hope, a present was made of a female zebra, which he brought with him to England, 
 and turned it into his park at Clennom. At the proper season, his Lordship, being desirous to obtain 
 a cross bi'eed, confined the zebra with an ass, b.ut the former testified the utmost reluctance to enter 
 on any terms of familiarity with her new associate ; his Lordship therefore hit upon the most extra- 
 ordinary expedient of cheating the zebra, and he actually had the ass painted in every particular 
 like a zebra, and the consequence was that the animal was duped, and the result was a fine male foal, 
 resembling in every respect its mother. Of the authenticity of this fact little doubt can exist, as, in 
 a letter from Lord Chatham to Buffon in 1778, he says, "During a late visit to Clennom, I made 
 particular inquiry respecting the female zebra and her foal, when I was informed that the former was 
 dead, and that the foal had been sent to an estate of Lord Clive's, at a distant part of the county. Se- 
 veral attempts have been made to perpetuate the breed, but without success." 
 
 The zebra is not to be found cither in Europe, Asia, or America, and yet it is nevertheless very 
 easily fed. From the near resemblance which it bears to the horse and the ass in structure, a great 
 probability exists that it brings forth its young as they do, annually. The noise wliich they make is 
 neither like that of a horse nor an ass, but more resembling the confused barking of a mastiff" dog. It 
 is thought by some persons to have a distant resemblance to the sound of a post-horn, and it is more 
 frequently exerted when the animal is alone, than at any other time. 
 
 The zebra is by no means a rare animal in the menageries of this country. There are at this time 
 four in the Collection of Mr. Cross, the most beautiful of which has been selected for the embellish- 
 ment of this work. Their state of confinement precludes any decided opinion being formed of the 
 natural habits of the animal, but it has perhaps tended to curb their natural wildness, and to reduce 
 them to that docility, which renders them such favourite objects of the curiosity of the pubHc. 
 
 A most beautiful specimen has lately been added to the Royal Menagery in the Tower, and in 
 point of lameness and docility it is one of the most interesting of the kind that has ever been exhibited 
 in this country.
 
 \
 
 THE AMERICAN BISON. 
 
 THE AMERICAN BISON, 
 
 IN THE MENAGERY, ROYAL MEWS, LONDON. 
 
 The Bison and the ox are but two particular races of the same species, although an essential differ- 
 ence exists between the two, not only in the hump or wen which the former carries on its shoulder, 
 but also in the quality, the quantity, and the length of its hair. The Bison is a native of various 
 parts of the world, and in the interior regions of North America it is found in immense herds feeding 
 on the open Savannahs, morning and evening, and retiring during the sultry parts of the day to 
 repose near shady rivulets and streams of water. It was formerly believed that the Bison 
 inhabited the north of Europe ; and, according to Gesner, it was once the inhabitant of Scotland, 
 but certainly not within the memory of the present generation. The Bison of Madagascar, — which 
 appears to be of a larger species than the American Bison, — was exported from that island to the Isle 
 of France, and the climate was found to agree exceedingly well with the constitution and habits of the 
 animal; it is however remarkable, that after a few generations the hump on the back gradually 
 dwindles away, but still all the other characteristics of the animal appear not to suffer the slightest 
 alteration. 
 
 There is, perhaps, nothing more striking or interesting in the study of Natural History, than the 
 establishment of the distinct territorial boundaries which are affixed to different races of animals, 
 beyond which they never transgress, appearing as it were to be confined to that particular region by 
 some mysterious power inexplicable to the capacity of man ; and it is generally found, that, should an 
 infraction of that boundary ever take place by an isolated individual, as in the instance of the 
 accidental migration of the whale to the southern latitudes, it generally falls a victim to some enemy, 
 against the attack of which nature has not provided it the means of defence ; or the very food on 
 which it is obliged to subsist, not being congenial to its constitution, turns out ultimatelv to be the 
 cause of its death. The Bison offers a striking verification of the above remark, for, although it be 
 found in herds from the Illinois to the southern coasts of America, it has never yet been known to pass 
 the countries which form the isthmus of Panama ; it is, in fact, a total stranger to southern America, 
 although the climate of that country appears to be highly congenial to its nature, as is evinced by 
 the extraordinary multiplication of the European ox. 
 
 The principal characteristics of the Bison are short rounded horns, pointing outwards, although 
 some of them have their horns depressed, whilst others have them raised in such a manner that they 
 are used as weapons of annoyance or defence. The enormous bushy mane, with which its head is 
 surrounded, partakes more of the nature of wool than hair, hanging down in separate tufts like an 
 old fleece ; but, in the American Bison, this wool is thicker and longer than in the Bison of the 
 ancient continent. In the examination of the construction of this animal, we discover that it partakes 
 something of the nature of the lion, particularly in its narrow hinder parts when compared with the 
 thickness and strength of the fore parts, — in fact, its whole frame appears to fit it more for a state of 
 war with mankind, than a state of servitude. The strength of the Bison is indeed so amazingly great 
 that when they fly through the woods from a pursuer, they frequently brush down trees as thick as a 
 man's arm, and although the snow may be very deep, such are their strength and agility, that they are 
 able to plunge through it much faster than the swiftest Indian can run in snow shoes. " To this,"
 
 10 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 says Mr. Hearne, " I have many times been an eye-witness. I once had the vanity to think that I 
 could have kept pace with them, for although I was at that time celebrated for running fleetly in snow 
 shoes, I soon found that I was no match for the Bisons, notwithstanding they were plunging through 
 such deep snow, that their bellies made a trench as large as if many heavy sacks had been hauled 
 through it." When the land is moist, they frequently leave so deep an impression of their feet as to 
 be traced and shot by the artful Indians. In this undertaking, however, it is necessary that the men 
 should be particularly careful, for when they are only wounded, the animals become excessively furious. 
 The hunters march against the wind, as the faculty of smell in the Bison is so exquisite, that the 
 moment they get scent of their enemy, they retire with the utmost pi-ecipitation. In taking aim, the 
 hunter directs his piece to the hollow of the shoulders, by which means he generally brings down the 
 animal at one shot, but if not killed, the Bison immediately runs upon him, and with his horns and 
 hoofs tears him in pieces, or tramples him to death. 
 
 The sagacity which is exhibited by the Bison, in defending itself from the attack of the wolves, is a 
 surprising instance of natural instinct. Whenever the Bisons scent the approach of a drove of those 
 ravenous creatures, the herd throws itself into the form of a circle, having the weakest in the middle, 
 and the strongest ranged on the outside, thus presenting an impenetrable front of horns. 
 
 In Canada, the hunting of the Bison is a common employment of tlie natives: they draw up in a 
 large square, and commence their operations by setting fire to the grass, which at certain seasons is 
 very long and dry. As the fire burns onward, they advance, closing their ranks as they proceed. The 
 animals, alarmed by die light, gallop confusedly about till they arc hemmed in so closely, that 
 frequently not a single beast is able to escape. 
 
 In Louisiana, the system of hunting the Bison is pursued by men mounted on horses, each man being 
 armed with a sharp-pointed spear. The hunters approach with the wind, and as soon as the animals 
 smell them, they instantly seek to escape, but the sight of the horses checks their fear; and the greater 
 number of the Bisons are, at a certain time of the year, so fat and unwieldy as easily to be enticed 
 to slacken their pace. As soon as the hunters overtake them, they endeavour to plunge the spear just 
 above the ham, in such a manner as to cut through the tendons, and i-ender them afterwards an easy prey. 
 The uses of the Bison, when dead, are various. Powder-flasks are made of the horns. The skins 
 form an excellent buff" leather, and, when dressed with the hair on, serve the Indians for clothes and 
 shoes. The Europeans of Louisiana use them for blankets, and find them light, warm, and soft. 
 The flesh is used as food, and the hump on the shoulders is esteemed a great delicacy. The bulls, 
 when fat, frequently yield each a hundred and fifty pounds weight of tallow, which forms a considerable 
 article of commerce. The hair is spun into gloves, stockings, and garters, that are very strong, and 
 look as well as those made of the finest sheep's wool. We are assured by Governor Pownal that a most 
 luxurious kind of clothing may be manufactured from it. 
 
 Mr. Turner, who resided a long time in America, is of opinion that the Bison is superior even to 
 our domestic cattle for the purposes of husbandry, and has expressed a wish to see this animal 
 domesticated on the English farms, or at all events that a breed might be obtained by an intermixture 
 with our common cow, with which the Bison has been known to breed; for, speaking comparatively of 
 the ox and the Bison, Mr. Turner says, " that to judge from the extraordinary size of his bones, and 
 the depth and formation of his chest, I should not think it unreasonable to assign nearly a double 
 portion of strength to this powerful inliabitant of the forest. Reclaim him, and you gain a capital 
 quadruped both for the draught and for the plough ; his activity peculiarly fits him for the latter in 
 preference to the ox."
 
 THE iRFSA-BJEEK. OB. SAMBOO- 
 
 
 ^~vJ^N3=V>.^^ 

 
 THE RUSA-DEER, OR SAMBOO STAG. H 
 
 THE RUSA-DEER, OR SAMBOO STAG, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL WENAGERV, TOWER OF LONDON'. 
 
 The deeper wc search into Nature, the stronger will be our conviction of our limited knowledge 
 respecting the extent of her treasures, and at every step which we take we shall have occasion to find that 
 protracted inquiry is more apt to teach us modesty, than to render us vain of tiie information which we 
 have already acquired. In treating of the natural history of foreign animals, particularly of those 
 which are of recent importation, and which have been hitherto unknown in the country, a considerable 
 difficulty presents itself, inasmuch as it seldom happens that those by whom the animal has been 
 introduced, have been so far instigated by a love of science as to bring with them any accurate and 
 scientific information of its habits, character, and dispositions in its savage state ; and thus the only 
 clue to its history is that of analogy with any other variety of the genus, with which we may have 
 been pi-eviously acquainted. 
 
 The foregoing remarks are peculiarly applicable to the present subject, for its natural history is yet 
 but impci-fectly known to zoologists ; and, in fact, it has not yet been introduced into some of the 
 Standard works which are considered as the most complete in the natural liistory of quadrupeds. 
 " The whole of the deer tribe are distinguished for their extreme agility and timidity, principally 
 inhabiting, in their undomesticated state, the most wild and woody regions, and possessing such an 
 instinctive fear of man, that in some of the species all attempts to tame it, or to render it tractable, have 
 wholly failed. We are as yet acquainted with few species of the deer kind, yet it is remarkable 
 that the race appears to be diffused over all parts of the earth. On the vast plains of America, where 
 neither the sheep, the goat, nor the gazelle, have been originally bred, animals of the deer kind are to be 
 found in vast numbers; and in some countries, particularly Laj)land, the deer form the most valuable 
 property of the natives. 
 
 The Rusa-Deer or Samboo Stag possesses the general characteristics of the deer tribe, and in 
 appearance strongly resembles the stag, which was formerly so great an ornament to our forests and the 
 parks of our nobilit}'. It is a native of India, and was, with another of its species, presented to his 
 Majesty, who, with the view of domesticating them, turned them into the great park at Windsor; 
 disdaining, however, to congregate with the native deer, they sought the most unfrequented parts of 
 the domain, and bfeing both males, and having none of their fellows to quarrel with, they waged a 
 continual war with each other, and as a great fear was entertained that the death of both, or at least 
 that of one of them, would be the consequence, it was deemed prudent to separate them ; dearly, however, 
 lias the delinquent in the Tower paid for his outrageous conduct, by being obliged to exchange the 
 fresh and wholesome herbage and the unbounded liberty of Windsor Park for a small square enclosure 
 in the Menagcry of the Tower, having for its companion, on one side, the snapping pelican, and on 
 the other, the spitting Llama. 
 
 Like all ruminating animals, with the exception of the Llama, the Samboo Stag has eight front 
 teeth in the lower jaw, the upper being toothless, although in some of the species of deer a single canine 
 tooth is found on each side of the upper jaw. 
 
 The horns of the Samboo Stag differ from those of the other species, by having a single antler at 
 
 S E
 
 12 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 the base, and when tliey have attained their full size they consist of a broadish burr, at the end of 
 ■which the lower antler rises nearly in a perpendicular position ; and also of a kind of stem, which at its 
 base has an outward direction, but which, as it rises, takes a bold curve inwardly, — the whole being 
 terminated by a fork, the branch of which is shorter than the stem, and about six or seven inches in 
 length. The entire length of the horns is about two feet, their colour is dark, and the grooves of them 
 very deep. 
 
 It must, however, be observed that the above description of the horns is applicable to the state in 
 which they appeared when the drawing of the animal was made : but it is remarkable that the horns 
 present a different form every year, though to what cause this is to be attributed, or whether it is to be 
 considered as a monstrosity, or as a peculiar and natural feature, cannot, at present, be satisfactorily 
 ascertained. 
 
 In regard to the suborbital sinus, or slit, which, in the Samboo Stag, is of very considerable size, 
 it is evident that its use is particularly connected with the function of respiration, and it is a peculiarity 
 belonging to the structure of the deer''s head, which has long excited the attention and curiosity of the 
 naturalist. It has been proved by IVIr. White, that the suborbital slits have some communication 
 with the nostrils ; and although this statement, at the time when it was promulgated, was called in 
 question, and by some rejected as having no relation with truth, yet subsequent reseai-ch has discovered, 
 and even the exainination of the animal now under our consideration has confirmed it ; for when the animal 
 drinks, the air may be distinctly felt in its passage thi'ough the suborbital slits, and if a feather be 
 applied to the opening, the effect of the air is immediately perceptible. These slits are, undoubtedly, 
 highly serviceable to all the species of the deer in the chase, by affording them the means of free 
 respiration, as they may be considered in the character of an additional nostril. It is also considered 
 that the suborbital sinus has some connection with the sense of smell, for it has been observed that the 
 animal a]3plies these orifices to its food, opening and closing them with great quickness, as if it were 
 inhaling the freshness, or salubrity of its food. Mr. Pennant, speaking of this singulai'ity in the Deer 
 tribe, says, " on holding an orange to one, the creature made the same use of those orifices as of his 
 nostrils, applying them to the fruit, and seeming to smell it through them." 
 
 The stature of the Samboo stag may be considered as between the Elk and the Stag : like the former 
 it sometimes browses on the leaves of trees, but still its neck is not so long as to prevent it grazing, 
 nor in the choice of its food does it appear to possess that extraordinary niceness which distinguishes 
 the common Stag. In the Tower, hay is its principal sustenance ; but it will scarcely admit of a 
 question whether a continued restriction to that kind of artificial food will not in the end be injurious 
 to the animal. 
 
 The colour is a dark cinereous brown, approaching almost to a black on the throat and breast, and 
 the inside of the legs is a fawn colour, exhibiting in some places a dirtyish white. The mane, which 
 is remarkably thick and shaggy, hangs over the neck and throat ; and the nose, which is almost black, 
 appears almost as if enveloped in its muzzle : the ears are almost bereft of hair in the inside, which is 
 the general characteristic of all animals whose sense of hearing is acute. Indeed the senses of smell 
 and hearing in this animal appear uncommonly fine ; at the slightest noise it seems to stand in a 
 listening posture, with its ears erect, as if prepared to bound away on the perception of the smallest 
 danger. Its eyes are encircled by a light coloured disc, and its fore-knees exhibit patches of the same 
 colour; its tail on the uppermost part is black, and a hght fawn colour underneath. It is, when 
 observed in its erect posture, an elegant animal ; and little doubt can exist, judging from analogy, that 
 its flesh forms a salubrious food to the natives of the country where it is indigenous.
 
 ^
 
 THE GNU. la 
 
 THE GNU. 
 
 I\ THE MEXAGEKY OF MR. CROSS, KINGS MEWS, LOXDOX. 
 
 It is in the vast and unpeopled deserts of Africa, that Nature appears to sport in all the plenitude of 
 her power, in the creation of animals, from the highest degree of savage ferocity, to the very opposite 
 extreme of tameness and timidity. In no animal, however, does she appear to have employed her 
 prolific energies with greater latitude, than in the subject of the present sketch. It may justly be desig- 
 nated as one of her monstrosities, if such an epithet can in any instance be applicable to an animal 
 which is an immediate creation of Nature, or, in other words, which is the work of an omnipotent God. 
 It is in the contemplation of such an animal as the Gnu, that the human mind is lost in wonder at the 
 infinite diversity displayed in the animal kingdom, which in itself may be considered as a vast and 
 splendid theatre, wherein the astonishing treasures of Nature are exhibited for tlie instruction and 
 benefit of the human race. 
 
 The Gnu may with the utmost propriety be styled an amalgamation of several animals. In the 
 head, it resembles the Ox ; in the hinder parts, the Horse ; in the slender and elegant make of its legs, 
 it bears a strong affinity to the Antelope. In its motions, when under the influence of rage, it resem- 
 bles the buttings of the Goat ; in its speed, it almost surpasses the Horse ; and in its fierceness, it 
 depai-ts from the nature of both the Horse and the Ox, and exhibits the character of the most savage 
 quadruped. It is, in fact, almost a centaur of the fabulous ages — half Horse, half Ox, in its habits 
 partaking of the nature of both, and yet in its species distinct and separate. The Gnu, according to 
 tlie classification of the early zoologists, belongs to the genus Capita, but it is decidedly erroneous ; it 
 bears no greater affinity to the Goat, than it does to the Horse, the Ox, or the Antelope, possessing 
 tlie characteristic properties of all the three, and yet not so strongly defined as to warrant the naturalist 
 to class it under either of those genera. As a ruminating animal, and judging by the construction of 
 the fore part of its body, it ought certainly to be classed in the Ox tribe; but if, on the other hand, 
 we examine the hinder parts, we there find all the characteristics of the Horse. Its horns are scabrous, 
 and uncommonly thick at the base, having a forward inclination close to the head, and then suddenly 
 reverting upwards. These horns appear to be weapons of a most formidable nature, and calculated 
 to withstand any force which may be opposed to them. In its rage it will often drop on its knees, 
 running with great swiftness in that singular posture, and at the same time furrowing the ground with 
 its horns and legs. In disposition, it appears to be fickle in the extreme, at one moment so highly 
 instigated by rage, as to attempt to break the inclosure in which it is confined with its horns, and the 
 next moment taking the bread which is offi;red to it with the utmost tameness and placidity. The 
 sliape of the mouth is square, the nostrils being covered with broad flaps. From the nose, half-way up 
 tlie front, is a thick, oblong-square brush of long, stiff", black hairs, reflected upwards, on each side of 
 ■which the other hairs ^are long, and point closely down the cheeks. Several strong hairs are disposed 
 in a radiated form round the eyes, imparting to it a most repellent aspect, indicative of wildness and 
 ferocity. The neck is short and arched, surmounted by a strong and upright mane, extending from, 
 the horns beyond the shoulders ; on the chin is a long whitish beard, and on the gullet is a very long 
 pendulous bunch of hair, and it is this characteristic which, most probably, induced the ancient zoologists
 
 14 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 to class the Gnu in tlie capra tribe. The hairs are very long and black on the breast and between the 
 fore-legs, but the hair on the hinder part of the body is not longer than that of the horse. The tail 
 reaches to the first joint of the legs, full of hair of a whitish hue, and when viewed from this part, 
 the animal has all the appearance of a Galloway. The predominant characteristics of the horse are 
 here decidedly manifest; and the opinion of Lacepede becomes strongly confirmed, that the Gnu will 
 be ultimately considered as forming a distinct species, and that it cannot be classed under any of the 
 ti-ibes to which it has been hitherto supposed to bclon.o-. 
 
 The body of the Gnu is thick, covered with smooth short hair of a rusty brown or ash colour, 
 tipped with white, forming a singular contrast with the black and bushy hair of the fore-part of 
 the body. The feet have only one spurious hoof on each. 
 
 The most remarkable characteristic of this animal, however, is the suborbital sinus, or the lachrymal 
 furrow of the Antelope ; and when we consider the slender and elegant make of its legs, resembling 
 those of the Roebuck, we must allow that the earlier zoologists possessed some valid authority for 
 classing the Gnu in the same tribe as the Antelope: judging by analogy, we must suppose that the 
 suborbital sinus of the Gnu is adapted to the same purposes as that of the Antelope, and that its uses 
 are particularly effective in the rapid flight of the animal, which is little inferior to that of the 
 Antelojje itself 
 
 The ordinary size of tlie animal is that of a common Galloway, the length of it being rather 
 above six feet, and the height of it about four feet. They inhabit, in great numbers, the fine 
 plains of the Great Namacquas, a considerable distance from the Cape of Good Hope, extending 
 from lat. S. 25° to 28° 42'. The Hottentots have given it the name of Gnu, from the sound of its 
 voice, which has two notes, one resembling that of an Ox, the other more clear. In the above plains 
 they are so numerous, that it is by no means uncommon to see several hundreds in a herd together; 
 they arc represented, however, as very fierce animals, and as they congregate in herds, it is a matter of 
 great difiicuity and danger to attack them, for in their nature they are extremely treacherous, and will 
 conceal themselves in the thickets and woods, and thence rush forth on the unsuspecting traveller, or 
 the unguarded hunter. The manners of these animals arc very extraordinary, for on the sudden 
 appearance of any one near them they dash off" in full gallop, and, having attained the distance of 
 about two hundred yards, they wheel round and march boldly towards the advancing person ; furrowing 
 the ground with their horns, and exhibiting other indications of rage. They then gallop off again, 
 but shorten the distance to about fifty yards, and then advance as before. These mancBUvres are 
 practised until they come within a few yards of the person, when it is generally considered prudent to 
 leave them, as were any further provocation to be given, a great probability exists that they would 
 become the assailants, and of the issue not the slightest doubt can be entertained. 
 
 The flesh of the Gnu resembles that of the Ox, and is in much request with the natives of the 
 country, but all attempts to domesticate the animal have hitherto proved abortive. In its state of 
 confinement it aj)pears rather a placid animal, but any opinion which is formed of the characteristic 
 habits of an animal in a state contrary to its nature must necessarily be subject to great suspicion, as 
 they are constrained to exhibit themselves under a wholly different character when subject to the 
 controul of man, than when roaming free and unfettered in their native wildernesses.
 
 
 l\ 
 
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 5 ^ 

 
 THE KANGAROO. 15 
 
 THE KANGAROOS, 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL DARNLEY, AT COBHAM HALL, KENT. 
 
 It was in the year 1770, tliat tliis truly interesting animal was discovered in New Holland, by some 
 of the persons who accompanied Captain Cook in his first voyage round the world, and only three 
 species of them have as yet been ascertained, all of which are natives of that insular continent. It 
 appears, indeed, to be the chief animal production of that country, to the exclusion nearly of all the 
 other mammalia, with the exception, perhaps, of the dog, which appears to be almost the inseparable 
 companion of the human race. 
 
 The Kangaroos have been frequently known to measure as much as nine feet in length from the tip of 
 tlie nose to the end of the tail, and to weigh one hundred and forty pounds. The head and anterior 
 parts are very slender and delicate, and they gradually increase in thickness as far as the loins ; the fore- 
 feet are furnished with five toes, and are seldom more than about nineteen inches in length, whilst the 
 hinder ones have only four toes, and are sometimes three feet and a half long ; they are perfectly bare and; 
 callous beneath, possess uncommon strength, and when sitting erect, the animals rest on the whole of 
 their length. The claws arc only three in number, the middle one greatly exceeding the others in 
 length and strength, but the inner one is of a peculiar structure; at first sight it appears to be single, 
 but on further inspection it seems to be divided down the middle, and even through the ball of the 
 toe belonging to it. 
 
 From the general form and structure of the Kangaroo, it is at once apparent that its chief progressive 
 motion must be by leaps. In those exertions it has been known to exceed twenty feet at a time, and 
 this so often repeated, as almost to elude the swiftness of the fleetest greyhound. It is able with ease 
 to bound over obstacles nine feet or more in height. 
 
 The chief strength of the Kangaroos lies in their tail, which they use occasionally as a weapon of 
 defence, and with which they can strike so severe a blow as to break the leg of a man. But the tail is 
 not their only weapon, for when they are hunted by dogs they use both their claws and teeth ; on the 
 animals seizing them, they turn, and catching hold with the nails of the fore-paws, strike the dog with 
 the claws of their hinder feet, and sometimes lacerate the body in a very shocking manner. 
 
 The teeth of the Kangaroo are only of two kinds, having six incisors in the upper jaw, emarginated, 
 and only two in the lower ; the former are short, arranged in a curved line, and the latter are long, 
 sharp, and pointed forwards ; on each side of the jaw are five grinders, at some distance from the 
 other teeth. 
 
 In regard to their natural habits in a wild state, our knowledge of them is very imperfect. They 
 are represented to live in burrows under ground, and their chief subsistence is vegetable substances, 
 but chiefly grass and roots. They feed in herds thirty or forty together, and it is generally to be 
 observed, that some of the older males are stationed at a distance to give an alarm in the event of 
 approaching danger. They appear to be nocturnal animals, having a nictitating or winking membrane 
 placed at the interior angle of the eye, capable of being extended at pleasure entirely over the ball. 
 
 The Kangaroos belong to the marsupial tribes, exhibiting a character intermediate between the 
 quadrumana and the carnivora ; the female Kangaroo seldom brings forth more than one at a birth, 
 4 F
 
 is THE WONDERS OP THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 and this when first born is so exceedingly diminutive as scarcely to exceed an inch in leno-th, and 
 weighing not more than twenty or twenty-two grains. It is received into the abdominal pouch of the 
 niothci-, though its mouth is merely a round hole, just large enough to receive the point of the nipple. 
 The mouth, however, gradually extends with age, until it be capable of receiving the whole 
 nipple, which then lies in a groove formed in the middle of the tongue. At this period of its growth, 
 feeble as it is in other respects, its fore-paws are comparatively large and strong, and the claws extremely 
 distinct, to facilitate the motion of the little animal during its residence in the pouch ; the hinder legs, 
 which are afterwards to become very long and stout, are now both shorter and smaller than the others. 
 The young one continues to reside in the pouch till it has nearly attained its full maturity. It 
 occasionally creeps out for exercise or amusement, and even after it has quitted this maternal retreat, it 
 often runs into it for shelter on the least indication of danger. 
 
 The Kangaroo generally feeds standing on its four feet in the manner of other quadrupeds, and it 
 drinks by lapping. In a state of captivity it has a trick of sometimes springing forward and kicking 
 in a forcible manner with its hind feet, during which action it rests or props itself on the base of its 
 tail. 
 
 In the work lately published, entitled " Two Years in New South Wales," by Mr. Cunningham, 
 he relates the following interesting anecdote respecting the Kangaroo, which may be justly characterized 
 as a specimen of Kangaroo waggery. 
 
 " One of the largest tame Kangaroos I have seen in this country," he says, " is domiciled, 
 here, and a mischievous wag he is, creeping and snuffling cautiously towards a stranger, with such an 
 innocently expressive countenance, that roguery could never be surmised to exist under it — whea 
 having obtained, as he thinks, a sufficient introduction, he claps his fore-paws on your shoulders, as 
 if to caress you, and raising himself suddenly upon his tail, administers such a desperate push with 
 his hind legs, that it is two to one but he drives you heels over head. This is all done in what he 
 considers facetious play, with the view of giving you a hint to examine your pockets, and see what 
 hon-huns you have got for him, as he munches cakes and comfits with epicurean gout, and if the 
 door be ajar, he will gravely take his station behind your chair at meal-time, like a lackey, giving you 
 an admonitory kick every now and then, if you fail to help him as well as yourself." 
 
 Their flesh is eaten by the colonists, and is said to be highly nutritious and savoury, and this 
 assertion has been confirmed by those who have partaken of it in England. It is the principal object 
 of the chase in its native country, and those who have enjoyed the sport, represent it as highly 
 ludicrous on account of the extraordinary motion of the animal in its repeated bounds, and the 
 stratagems which it makes use of to effect its escape. In a state of confinement it perambulates its 
 den in a circular track, scarcely ever crossing it except for the purpose of procuring its food. 
 
 The colour of the Kangaroo is a brownish grey on the back, but underneath it assumes a lighter 
 tinge. The extremity of the muzzle, the feet, the back of the ear, and the upper part of the tail are 
 nearly black ; the throat is a greyish white ; and the hair of a soft and silken textui'e. 
 
 The animals of which we are now treating were brought to this country from New Holland by 
 Captain Bligh, and they appeai-ed for some time to endure the climate of Cobham Hall with every 
 expectation of their being eventually naturalized; from some cause, however, not yet ascertained, 
 they died a few months after their portrait was taken, but some very fine specimens of them are still 
 to be seen in the collection of his Majesty, at Windsor, and in some of the itinerant menageries.
 
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 THE STRIPED AND SPOTTED HYAENAS. UTl 
 
 THE STRIPED AND SPOTTED HYAENAS, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY AT THE TOArER OF LONDON. 
 
 There are few animals against which a stronger prejudice exists than against the Hyaena, for with it 
 is associated the idea of the most revolting habits, the most untameable ferocity, and a truly 
 repellent aspect, indicating peculiar gloominess and malignity of disposition. In its natural habits 
 the striped Hycena is an obscene and filthy animal; tlie graves of the dead are not secure from its 
 rapacity, tearing from them their putrid masses, with which to satiate its disgusting appetite. It 
 prowls about in the night to feed on the remains of dead animals, or on whatever living prey it can seize. 
 Tlie towns of Abyssinia swarm ^ith them from evening till the dawn of day, in search of the different 
 pieces of slaughtered carcasses, which the unfeeling natives are accustomed to expose in the streets 
 ■withont burial. 
 
 In size, the Hya?na resembles the wolf, but its body is more elevated in the front than behind, 
 owing to its hinder legs being generally bent in a crouching posture. Its colour is of a pale- 
 greyish brown, and marked by several irregular distant transverse blackish stripes, or bands, peculiarly 
 distinct in the lower part, and becoming obhque towards the shoulders and haunches. The hair 
 of its neck is erect, and is continued in a bristly mane along the back ; the muzzle, the front of the 
 neck, and the outsides of the ears being completely black. The head is broad and flat, and the 
 eyes, ■which are not placed obliquely, have an expression of extreme wildness and ferocity. In 
 the construction of its teeth it differs in no essential degree from the majority of carnivorous 
 animals, each jaw having six cutting teeth and two canine. It has five molar teeth on each side of 
 the upper jaw, and only four on the lower, which in comparison to those of the dog, possess an 
 extraordinary degree of strength. The legs differ from those of all other animals in having but four 
 toes, as well on the fore feet as the hinder, the claws of which are not retractile like those of the cat 
 or the lion. Its tail is short, the hair of which, however, is rather long ; and immediately under it, 
 abo^•e the anus, is an opening into a kind of glandular pouch, which separates a substance of the consis- 
 tence, but not of the odour of the Civet — on the contrary, it is highly offensive and disagreeable. The 
 manner in which it holds its head possesses this peculiarity, that it is generally inclined to the ground, 
 like that of the dog when following a scent ; and it is this posture which may, probably, have led the 
 ancients to beheve that the Hyana has no joint in its neck. Pliny and other naturahsts concur in 
 disseminating this error ; and Lucan, in his Pharsalia, informs us, that this jointless neck possessed, 
 particular efficacy in all magical invocations. The neck of the Hyaena does, however, jK)ssess an 
 unusual stiffness, on which account, when the animal looks behind it, or snatches obliquely at any 
 object, it is obliged to move its whole body, similar to the motion of a Hog. 
 
 The striped Hysena is a native of Barbary, Arabia, Persia, and many parts of Africa, in 
 the interior of which they often enter the villages at night in herds of eight or ten, and often 
 exceeding that number, and carry off \vith them whatever they can seize. They always assemble 
 around a dead Camel or other animal, dragging it in consort to a considerable distance, «here 
 undisturbed they may satisfy their ravenous appetite. 
 
 There is a remarkable pecuHarity in the Hya?na, which is, that when he is driven from liis haunts, 
 and compelled to run, he appears, for a considerable distance, to be lame ; and to such a degree as to
 
 J8 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 induce his followers to believe that one of his legs is broken, but after running some time, this stiffness 
 goes off, and he escapes with facility. 
 
 The animal, of which our engraving is a correct likeness, is a native of Africa, and is considered as 
 one of the oldest members of the savage community in which he dwells. At the time when the 
 drawing was taken, he had two spotted Hyaenas with him in the same den, supposing from the 
 similarity of tlieir nature that concord might exist between them. On their first introduction, they 
 shewed evident symptoms of fear, and crouched in the corners or ran into the den beneath, whenever 
 their ferocious acquaintance, by his hideous yells or hostile motions, seemed determined to maintain 
 the sovereignty of the den : by degrees, however, the fear of the animals subsided, and in their 
 struggle for the bones, after having been stripped of the flesh, they often proved victorious. A 
 continual state of warfare now ensued between the inmates of the den, and Darby, (the name of the 
 striped Hya;na,) in one of his encounters, was injured in one of his legs. We were present when his 
 den was opened, and the keeper succeeded in throwing a rope round his neck, and tying the animal 
 fast to an iron ring, poured some vinegar on the wound ; the natural ferocity of the animal was here 
 exhibited in all its appalling features, and the sjiectators were fully impressed with a sense of the 
 jeopardy in which their lives would be placed, were they at the mercy of so formidable a brute. The 
 animals have since been separated. 
 
 The average height of the striped Hyana is twenty-four inches ; the length of the body from the 
 muzzle to the tail about three feet, four inches. 
 
 The spotted Hyaena bears a strong resemblance to the former species, but is larger, and the body, 
 instead of being marked with the transverse bands, is distinguished by numerous roundish black 
 spots. Its general colour is a greyish brown. The face and upper part of the head are of a very 
 dark colour, approaching to black, and a blackish mane extends along the neck, but is not so bristly as 
 that of the striped Hytena ; its ears are short and broad, and of a circular form, which divests it of 
 that sharp character so peculiar to animals with pointed cars. The spotted Hyana is a native of 
 the South of Africa, but particularly of the Cape of Good Hope, where they are described to be 
 mischievous and formidable in the highest degree. They often enter the huts of the Hottentots ia 
 search of prey, and carry off the children whilst they are asleep. The striped and spotted Hyasnas 
 are never found to inhabit the same country, but their territorial boundary has never been distinctly 
 ascertained. 
 
 A great number of these animals, excited by their rapacious appetite, penetrate into the interior of 
 the towns in the vicinity of the Cape, and prowl about the shambles to carry off the filth and offal 
 left there by the inhabitants, and in this work they meet with no molestation, on the contrary, they are 
 considered, in some degree, as useful, in removing a nuisance, which if left to putrify might be 
 productive of disease. We are informed by Thunberg, that they are so excessively bold and 
 ravenous as sometimes to eat the saddle from under the traveller's head, and to gnaw the shoes on his 
 feet while he is sleeping in the open air. Every kind of animal substance is eagerly devoured by 
 them, and it has been argued that the rapacious habits of these animals appear to be a benevolent 
 interference of Providence, in enabling them to consume those dead and putrid bodies, which the 
 indolence or superstitious customs of the natives prevent them from burying. 
 
 During the night the air resounds with their horrid yells, but in the day-time they remain 
 concealed in subterranean places, or in caves in the rocks. The sheep-folds are their favourite 
 resort at night, in which they commit terrible ravages unless well defended by dogs. These animals 
 were never known to live in a state of domestication, and in their savage state possess even a lesa^ 
 degree of docility than the striped Hya;na.
 
 THE B'EMOltSELLE, 0B_ 
 
 ( ■ ■ > ■ : F,
 
 THE DEMOISELLE, OR NUMIDIAN CRANE. 19 
 
 THE DEMOISELLE, OR NUMIDIAN CRANE, 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL DARNLEY, COBHAM-IIALL, KENT. 
 
 The Demoiselle is one of the most beautiful species of the crane, or heron tribe, and is not often to be 
 seen in the collections of this country. It is the Ardea virgo of Gnielin, the Numidian crane of 
 Albinus, the Demoiselle of Numidia of Edwards, and the Demoiselle of Latham. It inhabits the 
 eastern and western shores of Africa, Egypt, Numidia, Tripoli, the vicinity of the Caspian and Black 
 Seas, and the Lake Baikal. Its length is about three feet, three inches ; the bill greenish at the base, 
 then yellowish, with the tip red. The irides are crimson ; it has a tuft of long white feathers behind 
 each eye, which hang downwards in a graceful manner. On the top of its head are long silky soft 
 feathers, of a beautiful black, but the crown of its head is of an ashen colour. The upper part of the 
 neck behind, and all the under part to the breast, are black ; on the latter the feathers are long, and 
 hang downwards to a considerable depth. The back, rump, and tail, and all the under part of the 
 breast, are of a blueish-ash colour. The quills and tail are black at the ends, and the feathers of the 
 latter fall in a drooping posture, which imparts to the motions of the bird an unusual degree of 
 grace ; indeed, from the elegance of its appearance, and its singular carriage, it has been called the 
 Demoiselle, or the Young Lady, by the French, although we freely confess that, from the well-known 
 gallantry of that people, we should not have expected them to have promulgated so severe a satire on 
 the fair sex, which must be at once apparent when we compare the different characters which both 
 ancients and moderns have bestowed upon this bird. 
 
 In the first place, can the following trait in tiie character of the demoiselle, as transmitted to us by 
 Aristotle, bear any affinity with the character of a fair demoiselle of the present day ? We are ij,)formed 
 by that very acute naturalist, that the demoiselles are very fond of shewing themselves, and that when 
 they observe that they are looked at, they make the most uncommon gestures, as if to excite a greater 
 degree of attention. They are also frecjuently observed to dance opposite to one another, in which 
 amusement they exert all their art to shew themselves off to the best advantage, and are frequently 
 so lost in die enjoyment of this waltzing propensity as to be vcrij eauily taken. Aristotle further 
 says, that the demoiselle is an excellent comedian, skilled in all sorts of grimaces and gesticulations, 
 and certainly it must be allowed that, in those two properties of the comedian, the French are most 
 decided proficients ; but surely the French naturalists must never have read Aristotle, or they would 
 have paused before they had given the name of demoiselle, or young lady, to a Numidian crane, unless 
 fully convinced that a strong analogy did actually exist between the two beings. 
 
 If we turn to Xenophon we find the exact manner described in which the demoiselles, in his days, 
 were caught, and we strongly opine that the French, in the christening of the bird, must have 
 had a direct eye to the manner in which other demoiselles arc caught, by a sort of perversion of 
 vision, whereby they fancy they discern in particular objects certain charms and properties, that 
 very often vanish altogether as soon as the bandage is removed by which tlie temporary blindness 
 ■was occasioned. Xenophon thus describes the mode of catching these singular birds. Several 
 persons repair to the haunts of the demoiselles, who, on their approach, appear at first very shy and 
 timid, although it be evident by their gestures that they are all the while courting the admiration of 
 their observers, who, having brought with them some vessels filled witli water, proceed, without any 
 5 G
 
 <tK THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 apparent design, to wash their eyes with the liquid. In the mean time, all their motions are strictly 
 watched by the demoiselles, and one or two, who are often more forward than the rest, sometimes 
 venture to approach very near to the spot where their future masters are pursuing their nefarious designs, 
 the result of which is generally the loss of liberty and the future happiness of the too confident and 
 unsuspecting demoiselles. Having secretly impregnated the water with a strong kind of glue, the 
 men retire, and in ambush await the accomplishment of their plans. In a very short time, the 
 demoiselles hasten to the spot where the vessels of water have been left, and proceed to wash their 
 eyes in the same manner as they had seen performed by their artful enemies. The result is obvious, 
 the gluey mixture prevents the bird from opening its eyes — the deception is discovered when it is too 
 late, and the unfortunate demoiselles are borne away in triumph. The worthy Grecian also informs us 
 that the demoiselle very mucli resembles the monkey in the imitative arts, of which he quotes the 
 washing of the eyes as an example ; but he proceeds further to state, that if any particular demoiselle 
 dresses her feathers in a particular style, a kind of fashionable rage takes place immediately throughout 
 the whole community, and every other demoiselle instantly evinces an unconquerable desire to have 
 her feathers dressed in the same manner. In this respect did the French nauralists discover any analogy 
 between the demoiselle of Paris, and the demoiselle of Numidia ? 
 
 If we consult Pliny on the character of the demoiselle, we find that he declares it to be a most 
 accomplished parasite ; that the peacock exceeds it not in vanity, and that although it professes to 
 live in a state of connubial union, yet the most aggravated instances of infidelity are daily exhibited. 
 This trait in the character of the demoiselle of Pliny cannot possibly apply, in even a remote degree, 
 to either the demoiselles of Paris or of London, and therefore we repeat that the French are decidedly 
 wrong in giving tiie name of demoiselle to the Numidian crane. 
 
 Keysler further informs us, that he has known a demoiselle which was taught to dance, and that 
 it was surprising the exactness with which it kept the time ; it was, however, guilty sometimes 
 of making some very false steps, which again shews the absurdity which the French have committed, 
 in giving the name of demoiselle, or young lady, to this bird. 
 
 We have now only another authority to quote, and, in some respects, we prefer it to any which 
 has ever been established by the greatest naturalist which France or any other country ever produced, 
 and that is, the authority of an English sailor. He has not, indeed, entered so deeply into the minutiae 
 of the dancing art, nor is he so well versed in grimaces and gesticulations as our more polished neigh- 
 bours ; he sees neither elegance nor grace in the attitudes of the demoiselle, and therefore by him it is 
 always called the Buffoon Bird. He considers its antics as highly ridiculous and laughable, and 
 that all its attempts to excite admiration only render it contemptible. 
 
 The bird, of which our portrait is a most faithful likeness, has now no one to please with its gestures 
 but some fan-tailed pigeons, which share its habitation in a rustic house in the grounds at Cobham-Hall, 
 and the labourers employed in the gardens, to one of whom the bird appears to shew a decided attach- 
 ment. When he is at work in the vicinity of the house, the demoiselle will be his companion, jumping 
 and dancing about him, and picking up any worms or insects which may shew themselves on the 
 surface of the ground. Its general food is wheat ; but when we consider that the natural haunt of the 
 demoiselle is in marshy places, and the neighbourhood of rivers, like most of the heron genus, it is 
 more probable that fish is its natural food ; and as there were originally a pair, male and female, it is 
 perhaps not an erroneous conjecture, that the death of one of them was occasioned by the food not being 
 suited to its general habits and constitution.
 
 ^ 
 
 a 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 a 
 
 H \:\^ 
 
 1
 
 THE LEOPARDS. 2r 
 
 THE LEOPARDS, 
 
 IN THE KOYAL MEXAGERV, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 It is in the recesses of the African deserts, from the Mediterranean to tlie Cape, and in the eastern 
 districts of Asia, that the Leopard, this formidable and ferocious animal, disputes with the lion the 
 sovereignty of its domain, and renders itself an object of continual terror and alarm to the human race. 
 The timid Hindoo, on his devotional pilgrimages, dreads in every jungle to espy the crouching animal, 
 fearing that he may soon fall an easy victim to its fatal spring ; whilst in the burning deserts of 
 Africa, it pursues its sanguinary habits far from the haunts of men, and gorges itself with the blood 
 of every defenceless creature that it meets with in its track. In those vast, unpeopled regions, the 
 Leopard may vary in some degree in the brighter or fainter shades of its colouring, as well as in its 
 powers and magnitude, but in its essential characteristics it universally presents the same ferocious 
 disposition and sanguinary pursuits. 
 
 The panther and the Leopard have frequently been confounded, but they may be generally distin- 
 guished by the form of the spots ; those of the panther having usually a central spot in each circle, 
 while in the Leopard it is seldom to be obsen-ed. The distinction is, however, not without exception, 
 and the animals are better distinguished by their general shade of colours and their size ; the panther 
 being of a darker colour, and larger than the Leopard : nevertheless, this distinction is by no means 
 strongly marked, and they can only be considered as varieties of the same species. In manners and 
 dispositions the Leopard nearly resembles the tiger, but the Leopard is generally considered as less 
 fierce than the panther. 
 
 The colour of the Leopard is a yellowish fawn on the upper part of the body, becoming gradually 
 paler on the sides, whilst the under part of the body is a pure white. The sides and back of the 
 animal exhibit numerous distinct roses, formed by the near approach of three or four elongated small 
 black spots, surrounding a central area about an inch or an incli and a half in breadth, partaking 
 rather of a deeper colour than the ground on which it is placed. The head, the neck, the top of the 
 back, and the lower surface of the body, are covered in an irregular manner with black spots, some 
 larger, some smaller, and either oval or circular. 
 
 In speaking of this formidable animal, Mr. Bennett very justly observes, that the Leopard, equally 
 savage and dastardly, closely imitates the manners of the lion and the tiger in a somewhat reduced 
 but still formidable scale. Antelopes, monkeys, and the smaller quadrupeds, constitute his usual 
 prey, upon which he darts forth fi-om his secret stand, and which he pertinaciously pursues even upon 
 the trees where they may have taken refuge, climbing after them with surprising agihty. The 
 Leopard generally endeavours, if possible, to avoid man ; but, when hard pressed by hunger, he 
 fears not to make head against the hunter, and it frequently requires the exertion of no common 
 share of skill and intrepidity in the latter to save himself from the deadly fangs of the infuriated object 
 of his pursuit. Occasionally, indeed, the cravings of hunger stimulate the treacherous animal to 
 attack the unwary wood-cutter, or the lone traveller, whose patli has led to his secret haunts; ut in 
 this case he rarely, if ever, shews himself openly in the face of day, but watclies, with insidious glare, 
 for the fatal opportunity of springing upon his wretched victim from behind, and of annihilating his 
 power of resistance before it could possibly be exerted in his defence. 
 
 The animals from which our drawing is taken are natives of Asia ; and the female, which is the
 
 22 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 elder of the two, has now been an inmate of the Tower above four years. Long confinement has 
 softened the natural ferocity of her disposition; and it is said that she will allow herself to be 
 patted and caressed by strangers. From the natural treachery of the animal it is, however, an 
 experiment by no means to be recommended to be put in practice, for, on our visit to her den, we have 
 had frequent opportunities of remarking the sly and instantaneous manner in which she will dart her 
 fangs at anything within her reach. If a lady or gentleman point at her with either an umbrella or a 
 parasol, the chances are very much against it, that it will be ever fit for any future use. According to 
 the report of ]Mr. Cops, the keeper of the menagery, whose general civility and liberality deserve 
 particular notice, he declares it to be his firm belief, that the Leopardess has destroyed more umbrellas 
 and parasols than there are days in the year. Hats and muffs also come within the range of her 
 destructive powers, and in several instances the head itself has narrowly escaped some deep lacerations 
 from her tremendous claws. 
 
 The male Leopard differs very much from the female in point of tameness and docility. He is, 
 perhaps, one of the most sidlen beasts in the whole menagery, and all the kindness of his keepers appears 
 to be thrown away upon him. He seldom exhibits himself in the upper den except at feeding time, 
 crouching in his dismal den beneath, and refusing all fsmiiliarity with any of the attendants of the 
 place. In his size and depth of colouring he surpasses the female, with whom, however, he conde- 
 scends to live on tolerably friendly terms, quarrelling only with her when he supposes that she has 
 had a larger portion of food bestowed upon her than upon himself, and consequently manifests a greedy 
 disposition to deprive her of her allotted share. 
 
 It is most surprising to observe the agility with which the female bounds round her den, touching 
 at one spring each of its four walls, and skimming along the ceihng with the same rapidity of action, 
 which the eye can scarcely follow. This feat of the animal displays, in a wonderful manner, the 
 extraordinary muscular power and flexibility of limb which it possesses, and conveys to the spectator 
 some adequate idea of the extent of its powers when emiiloyed in its state of savage nature. 
 
 Kolben relates that, in the year 1708, a male and female leopard, with three young ones, entered a 
 sheepfold at the Cape. They killed nearly a hundred sheep, and regaled themselves with the blood. 
 When the old ones were satiated, they tore a carcass into three pieces, and gave one of these to each of 
 their offspring. They then took each a whole sheep, and, thus laden, began to move off. Having, 
 however, been observed, they were waylaid on their return, and the female and three young ones were 
 killed, but the male effected his escape. AVe are informed by the same traveller, that the Leopard 
 will not eat carrion, nor deign to touch what has been killed by any other beast. 
 
 We rather suspect that our modern Epicureans would not relish a dish of leopard cutlets, but Kolben 
 informs us that the flesh of the Leopard is white and well-tasted, and eats much better than the finest 
 veal. " It is," he says, " both nourishing and delicious, and the flesh of a young Leopard is as tender 
 as chicken !" 
 
 The whole race of the leopard, the panther, and the tiger, may be considered as the most formidable 
 enemy of mankind ; there are others, indeed, stronger, but they are more gentle, and never inflict any 
 injury till they are themselves injured ; there are othei's more numerous, but they are more feeble, 
 and rather seek their safety by concealing themselves from man, than by opposing him. These are 
 the only quadrupeds that make good their ground against him, and which may be said to keep some 
 kingdoms of the earth in their own possession. There are extensive countries in Africa where the wild 
 beasts are so numerous, that man is deterred from living amongst them, reluctantly yielding to the lion 
 and the leopard those tracts, which nature appears to have formed solely for his delight and convenience.
 
 T ft 'Vl-F"'! I" niiPA Tp' Ta iHi iR. CJT'i A V
 
 THE CAMELEOPARD. is 
 
 THE CAMELEOPARD, or GIRAFFE, 
 
 IN HIS MAJESTY'S COLLECTION AT THE SAND-PITS, WINDSOR. 
 
 Tins most singular and extraordinary quadruped, wliich has been seldom known to breathe the 
 European air, now treads, far from its native habitat, the beautiful domain of Windsor, the gaze and 
 admiration of the accidental visiter, or the professed zoologist. In its state of comparative confine- 
 ment, it appears to have lost many of those characteristic traits which are said to distinguish it in its 
 natural condition ; but, notwithstanding this difference, it still presents one of the most beautiful 
 specimens of the wonders of the animal kingdom. In regard to the testimony of ancient autliors 
 respecting the Giraffe, Moses is the first who speaks of it ; Aristotle does not mention it, from which 
 it is inferred that it was unknown to the Greeks. In the year 708 of Rome, Julius Caesar brought 
 one to Europe, and the Roman emperors afterwards exhibited them at Rome, cither in the games 
 in the Circus, or in their triumphs over the African princes. Albertus Magnus, in his treatise de 
 Animalibus, is the first modern author who speaks of the Giraffe. In 1486, one of the Medici 
 family possessed one at Florence, where it lived for a considerable time. The name Camelo-pardalis 
 (Cameleopard) was given by the Romans to this animal, from a fancied combination of the camel and 
 the leopard ; but its ancient denomination was Zurapha, from which the name Giraffe has been 
 adopted. 
 
 The difficulties which attended the transportation of his Majesty's Giraffe to this country are such 
 as almost to exceed the bounds of credibility ; after traversing a desert region of 1200 miles, its 
 further transportation was despaired of, owing to the extreme fatigue which the animal endured, and 
 the difficulty which was experienced in procuring the food congenial to its nature. The laborious 
 task was at length accomplished by placing it on the backs of camels ; and since its domestication in 
 this country, many points in its natural history have been verified, which were previously enveloped in 
 doubt. 
 
 In its native country, the Giraffe browses on the twigs of trees, preferring plants of the mimosa 
 genus; but it appears that it can, without inconvenience, subsist on other vegetable food. The 
 animal now at Windsor, from its having been accustomed in early life to the food prepared by the 
 Arabs for their camels, is fed on mixed grain bruised, such as maize, barley, &c., and it is furnished 
 with milk for its beverage every night and morning. The animal which was kept at Florence fed on 
 the fruits of the country, and chiefly on apples, which it begged from the inhabitants of the first 
 stories of the houses. In the same manner the animal at Windsor willingly accepts fruits and branches 
 of the acacia, which are presented to it. It seizes the leaves with its long, rugose, and narrow 
 tongue by rolling it about them, and appears to be annoyed when it is obliged to take anything from 
 the ground, which it .seems to perform with difficulty. To accomplish this act, it stretches first one, 
 then the other of its long fore-legs asunder, and it is not till after repeated attempts that it is able to 
 seize the object with its lips and tongue. 
 
 The pace of the Cameleopard is an amble, though, when pursued, it flies with extreme rapidity ; but 
 the small size of its lungs prevents it from supporting a lengthened chase. It defends itself against 
 
 6 H
 
 24 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 the lion, its principal enemy, with its fore-feet, with wiilch it strikes with such force as often to 
 repulse it. 
 
 When the Giraffe stands erect, its height from the ground to the top of the head is in adults from 
 sixteen to eighteen feet. Its length is very disproportioned to its height, being only about six feet, 
 measured in a direct line from the front of the breast to the point whence the tail issues. The fore end, 
 measured from the ground to the top of tlie shoulders, is about ten feet, whilst the hinder part measures 
 only about eight feet and a half. It has been erroneously considered that the difference in the height 
 which exists between the front and hinder part of the Giraffe proceeds from the inequality in the 
 height of the legs, but it has been now ascertained, and it is discernible in the skeleton of the animal 
 ■which is preserved in the IMuseum at Leyden, that the bones of the front and hinder legs are nearly 
 equal in their height, and that the inequality proceeds from the size of the scapula and tlie spinal 
 processes of the vertebrae of the back. The bone of the scapula is two feet in length, and the first 
 spinal process is above a foot in length, which accounts for the fore part of the animal being about 
 twenty inches higher than the hinder part. 
 
 The skin of the Cameleopard is studded with spots of a ruddy or deep yellow colour on a dirty- 
 whitish ground. These spots are very close to each other, and vary in their figure, being sometimes 
 oval, rhomboidal, and even sometimes round. The colour of these spots is not so deep in the females 
 and in the young males, as in tiie adults ; and as the animal increases in age, these spots become of a 
 browner tinge, sometimes bordering on a black. 
 
 The form of the head of the Giraffe bears some resemblance to that of the sheep ; its length being 
 about two feet. The brain is very small. The vipper lip projects over the lower about two inches. 
 It has eight incisors in the lower jaw, and, like all other ruminating animals, has no teeth in the upper 
 jaw. 
 
 The Giraffe has two hoi'ns on the top of the head, inclining rather backwards, but they are not cast 
 annually like those of the deer; on the contrary, they are an excrescence of the bone of the head, of 
 which they form a part, and fi'om which they project about seven inches. Their circumference at the 
 base is about nine inches, and their extremity is terminated by a kind of large hairy knob. The ears 
 are about nine inches in length, between which and the horns two protuberances are apparent, com- 
 posed of glands of considerable bulk. 
 
 According to all the comparisons which have been instituted between the males and females in regard 
 to colour or form, no essential difference exists. In size, however, a decided distinction is mani- 
 fest, the females being always smaller than the males. The females have four teats, although they 
 very seldom produce more than one young one at a birth. The eyes of the Cameleopard are large 
 and bright, the greatest diameter of which is about two inches and a half, and the eyelids are furnished 
 with long and stiff hairs in the form of eyelashes. The eyes have no suborbital sinus. la disposition, 
 the Cameleopard is mild and gentle, and it is believed that it is possible to domesticate it, but the 
 experiment has never yet succeeded. 
 
 The Giraffe always inhabits the plains, appearing in small groupes of five or six, and sometimes 
 ten or twelve. The species, however, is not very numerous. When they repose, they lie on their 
 belly, which accounts for the callosities at the bottom of their breast and the joints of their legs. 
 
 His Majesty's Giraffe still carries round its neck the amulet, enclosed in a small black bag, which 
 was placed by the Arabs, and which contains some mystical inscription, which that superstitious people 
 believe protects the animal from sickness and death. The amulet, however, must have lost its efficacy, 
 as the animal is evidently on the decline ; but is the especial command of his Majesty, tiiat the amulet 
 shall not be removed.
 
 ~.>ts^ 
 
 ;-,M.IF L.TURIE.
 
 THE GRIFFON VULTURE. 25 
 
 THE GRIFFON VULTURE, 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The character which principally distinguishes birds of the vulture tribe from the eagles and falcons 
 is the want of feathers on part of the head, and sometimes even on the whole head and neck ; they 
 are also distinguished by their voracious manners, as they never kill prey from choice, but in general 
 devour only such animals as are either dying, or are found dead and putrid. " They are," says 
 Mr. Pennant, "greedy and voracious to a proverb, and not timid, for they prey in the midst of cities, 
 undaunted by mankind." After some of the battles of the East, where vast slaughter takes place of 
 elephants, horses, and men, voracious animals crowd to the field from all quarters ; and of these, 
 jackals, hyajnas, and vultures are the chief. Even in the places where the latter are otherwise seldom 
 observed, the plain will on such occasions be found covered with them. Vast multitudes will be seen 
 in the air, descending from every side, to partake of the carnage. It is the belief of the Indians, 
 that the vultures are brought to the place by an instinctive presentiment of slaughter some days before 
 the event. 
 
 It is observed that vultures in general become less numerous as the climate becomes colder, and 
 that they are never found in the more northern countries. Their presence appears to be a kind 
 disposition of Pi-ovidence in the hotter regions, to prevent the putrid effluvia of the dead from too 
 much injuring the health of the living. 
 
 Although the field of battle affords the greatest latitude for the indulgence of their disgusting 
 appetites, and on which they congregate in the greatest number, it is, nevertheless, fortunately of rare 
 occurrence, and consequently their usual subsistence is obtained from the bodies of dead animals* 
 Their sense of smelling is so acute, that they are able to scent a dead body at the distance of many 
 miles, and they sometimes crowd to it in such numbers as actually to cover the object of their attack, 
 from which they tear the flesh in large pieces, and swallow them entire with an appetite truly 
 voracious. It is only when they are impelled by extreme hunger, that they venture to attack a 
 living creature, and when that is the case, the innocent inhabitants of the dove-cot, or of the poultry- 
 yard, are their chosen victims. It is an erroneous idea, that the vulture carries off" its food in its 
 talons, for it is uniformly devoured on the spot, and even the food with which they rear their young 
 is first swallowed and then disgorged into the nest. 
 
 The vultures liave their bill straight, and hooked only at the end ; its edges are sharp, like a knife, 
 and the base is covered with a thin skin. The most remarkable of their external characters is the 
 want of plumage on the head and neck, which in the greater number of the species are covered by 
 nothing more than a kind of down, or by short smooth hairs. The tongue is large, fleshy, and cleft 
 at the end ; the legs and feet are covered with great scales, and the first joint of the middle toe is 
 connected to that of the outermost by a strong membrane. The claws are large, somewhat hooked 
 and very blunt, and they are consequently unable to grasp their prey with sufficient force to transport 
 it through the air; their eyes are placed on a level with their cheeks ; their heads are rounded at 
 the top, and they have frequently a ruff" of considerable extent round the lower part of their neck. 
 
 The Griffon Vulture is almost equal in size to the larger species of eagle ; the plumage is a reddish
 
 n THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 grey ; the feathers of the wings and tail are of a blackish brown ; the beak and claws are nearly 
 black. Africa, Asia, and the greater part of the south of Europe, may be considered as the natural 
 habitation of the Vulture ; during the summer, it inhabits the more elevated regions, and builds its 
 nest in the rocks, and amongst the most inaccessible precipices. During tlie winter it migrates to 
 warmer climates, stretching its flight as far as the southern countries of Africa. 
 
 In some of the countries bordering on the torrid zone, these birds haunt the towns and villages 
 in immense multitudes. In Carthagena, tiie carrion vulture may be seen sitting on the roofs of the 
 houses, or even stalking along the streets. They are, however, in that place, of infinite service to the 
 inhabitants, by devouring tliat filtli which otherwise, by its intolerable stench, would render the climate 
 still more unwholesome than it naturally is. When they find no food in the cities, they seek for it 
 amongst the cattle of tlie adjoining pastures. If any animal be unfortunate enough to have a sore on 
 Its back, they instantly alight on it and attack the part affected. The unhappy beast may in vain 
 attempt to free itself from the gripe of their talons ; even rolling on the ground is of no effect, for 
 the vultures never quit their hold till they have completed its destruction. 
 
 In few creatures are the designs of Providence more clearly developed than in the vulture tribe. 
 Filthy as they ai'e in their manners, their appearance and their smell, yet this filthiness is even a 
 blessing to mankind. In hot climates, where putridity takes place in a few hours after death, what 
 might not be the effects of the aggregated stench, if it were not for the exertion of birds of this 
 description ! But in some countries, they are rendered even of still greater importance to mankind, 
 by destroying the eggs of the alligator, an animal which otherwise must become intolerable by its 
 prodigious increase. They watch the female crocodile in the act of depositing her eggs in the sand, 
 and no sooner does she retire into the water, than they dart to the spot, and feast upon the contents 
 of the eggs. 
 
 In Egypt the vulture appears to be of singular service. In the neighbourhood of Grand Cairo, 
 there are great flocks of them, which no person is permitted to destroy. The service which they 
 render the inhabitants is the devouring of the carrion and filth of tliat great city, which otherwise 
 would have a tendency to corrupt and putrefy the air. They are commonly seen in company with 
 the wild dogs of the country, tearing a carcase very deliberately together. This odd association, 
 however, is not productive of any quarrels ; the birds and the quadrupeds appear to live amicably, 
 and nothing but harmony subsists between them. The wonder is still the greater, as botli are 
 extremely rapacious, and at the same time lean and bony to a very great degree, which probably 
 arises from a scarcity even of the wretched food on which they subsist. 
 
 In Kolben's travels in Africa, speaking of the vultures in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, 
 he says, " I have often been a spectator of the manner in which they have anatomized a dead body ; 
 I say anatomized, for no artist in the world could have done it more cleanly. They have a won- 
 derful method of separating tlie flesh from tlie bones, and yet leaving the skin quite entire. Their 
 manner of performing the operation is as follows : — they first make an opening in the belly of 
 the animal, from which they pluck out and greedily devour the entrails; then entering into the hollow 
 which they have made, they separate the flesh from the bones, without ever touching the skin. 
 
 Tiie vultures, at least those of Europe, generally lay two eggs at a time, and produce but once 
 a year. They make their nests in inaccessible cliffs, and in places so remote, that it is difficult to find 
 them. Those in our part of the world chiefly reside in the places where they breed, and seldom 
 come down into the plains, except when the snow and ice in their native retreats have banished 
 all living animals but themselves. As carrion is not found at those seasons in sufficient quantity or 
 sufficiently remote from man to sustain them, they prey upon rabbits, hares, serpents, and whatever 
 small game they can overtake or overpower.
 
 THE LLAMAS. 27 
 
 THE LLAMAS, 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The Llama is a native of the lofty and mountainous regions of Peru, Chili, and other districts of 
 South America. It is about four feet and a half in height, and in length, from the neck to the tail, 
 nearly six feet. The back is nearly even, and exhibits no traces of that unsightly hump, which 
 disfigures the back of the camel, to which animal, in many characteristics, it bears a strong resemblance : 
 indeed it may be generally considered as the camel of the New World, performing the different 
 services of that animal, but possessing a greater degree of utility in a commercial point of view, 
 owing to the length and fineness of its wool. In the Spanish settlements, before the introduction of 
 mules, the Llama was employed in the ploughing of land, and in general it is in its nature so mild, 
 gentle and tractable, as to be employed in many parts of those countries for the transportation of 
 burthens. Like the camel, it lies down to be loaded ; but when it is wearied, no blows will induce it to 
 proceed ; its disposition is, however, so capricious, that sometimes when it is struck, it will lie down, 
 and caresses only will induce it again to i"ise. There is, however, one peculiarity attached to the 
 Llama, which detracts considerably from its merits, in comparison to the horse or the ass, which is, 
 that it cannot be induced to travel by night ; but this deficiency is not much regretted by the natives, 
 as their own natural laziness prevents them from undertaking any nocturnal labour. 
 
 Llamas are generally employed in transporting the rich ores out of the mines of Potosi. In these 
 journies, they will sometimes travel four or five days successively before they seem desirous of repose, 
 and they then rest spontaneously twenty or thirty hours before they resume their labour. Sometimes 
 when they are inclined to rest a few minutes only, they bend their knees and lower their body with 
 great care, to prevent their load falling off, or being in any degree deranged : when, however, they 
 ]iear their conductor's whistle, they rise with equal caution, and proceed on their journey. In tra- 
 velling during the day-time, they browse wherever they find any herbage, and generally spend the 
 night in chewing the cud. The weight, however, which a Llama can carry is not very great, not 
 exceeding that which is borne by an European ass ; its gait is neither a trot nor a gallop, but so 
 exceedingly gentle, that the women prefer the Llama to every other animal for riding. They are 
 pastured in the open fields like the other domestic animals, and never make any attempt to escape. 
 Their wool is applied to the same purposes as horse hair in this country, although it is as soft as 
 silk, and as fine as the wool of our sheep; the animal is generally shorn once a year, commonly 
 about the end of June : the wool, however, has a very strong and disagreeable odour, which the 
 natives have not yet discovered the art of removing. 
 
 The Llama is a ruminating animal, but it presents this singularity, that, differing from all other 
 ruminants, it has six molar teeth in the upper jaw, and five in the lower ; it has also six incisors in 
 the lower jaw, and two in the upper, and two canines in each. The nostrils of the Llama consist of a 
 mere fissure in the skin, which is opened and shut at pleasure ; and the lips are thick, the upper one 
 divided, and the lower rather depending : they are capable of being opened to a great extent, and 
 possess a considerable degree of separate motion. The ears are about four inches long, are sharp and 
 pointed, and move with great agihty ; the colour is a greyish mouse, and the outside of the legs is 
 7
 
 28. THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 of the same colour as the sides of the body, but the throat approximates more closely to the white. 
 Its neck is long and covered with wool, and as its head is always held in an erect position, the animal 
 has an air of nobleness and lightness which nature has refused to the camel. The feet are divided 
 into two toes ; the horn of each toe is about an inch and a half long, black and smooth, rounded 
 externally, but flat underneath; the fore knees are remarkable for their thickness, whilst in the 
 hinder legs, about the middle, there is a cavity under the skin of about the depth of two inches. 
 
 Although the Llama is not to be compared to the camel in point of size, strength, or perseverance, yet 
 the Americans iind a substitute in it, with which they seem to be highly satisfied. It indeed ap- 
 pears to be formed for that indolent race of masters whom it is obliged to serve, and who have actually 
 reduced it from its wild and savage state, to one of subjection and domestication. It is one of those 
 animals on which the change of climate appears to have no visible effect, prospering and breeding 
 equally in a hot as in a cold climate: for, being naturally provided with a warm covering, it does not 
 require to be housed, and being satisfied with vegetables and grass, it requires for its subsistence 
 neither corn nor hay. It exceeds the camel in temperance, particularly in drink, it having been known 
 to live eighteen months without any water : in fact, of all animals, it appears to require water the least, 
 beino- supplied by nature with saliva in so large a quantity, that it spits it out on every occasion, and 
 particularly when it is offended ; this saliva seems to be the only offensive weapon with which this harm- 
 less creature is invested to testify its i-esentment. When it is overloaded or fatigued, or impelled by all 
 the torturing arts of its keeper, it falls on its belly, and pours out against him a quantity of this 
 fluid, of which the Indians in general are very much afraid, as they assert that it is of a very acri- 
 monious nature, either burning the skin, or causing very dangerous eruptions. The animals from which 
 our drawing is taken, and which are now confined in die Zoological Gardens, are exceedingly partial to 
 carrots; if a root be given to them, and an attempt be made to take it from them, their anger imme- 
 diately rises, and they eject their saliva with the greatest vehemence, covering a surface of three or 
 four yards in extent. The noxious quality of the saliva is denied by Bingley, who says that when 
 the Llama was exhibited in Piccadilly in 1805, he had the saliva thrown on his hand, and the keeper 
 informed him that he had had it frequently thrown into his face, without experiencing any injurious 
 effects ; that it is wholly innocuous cannot, however, be admitted on rational grounds, for as it is 
 evidently given to the animal as a means of defence and annoyance, it must be necessarily invested 
 with some properties of a repellant and corrosive nature. 
 
 When the Llamas are amongst their native mountains, they associate in immense herds on the 
 highest and steepest parts. Here they frequently climb rocks, along which no man has the temerity 
 to follow them, and while the remainder are quietly feeding, one of them is always stationed as a 
 sentinel on the point of some adjacent rock. When this animal observes any one approaching, it gives 
 a kind of neigh, and the herd, taking the a. arm, runoff with incredible speed. They gallop to a 
 considerable distance, then stop, turn round and gaze at their pursuers till they come near, and im- 
 mediately set off again. They outrun all the dogs, so that the natives have no other mode of kilhng 
 them than witji guns.
 
 ^ ^i^i 
 
 
 X 
 
 |\ ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 QJ
 
 TIIF. PUMA. 29 
 
 THE PUMA, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 This animal has, by the natives of Peru and Cliili, been denominated tlie Lion of South America; 
 and in its colour and general cliaracteristics it bears a strong resemblance to that animal, witli tiiis 
 exception, that the male Puma is wholly destitute of mane. The lengtii of tlie l)ody of tlie Puma 
 is about five feet, and its lieight two feet and a half; its tail is about three feet long, just sufficient 
 to let tlie extremity of it touch tlie gi-ound. The head is remarkably sliort and rounded, with the 
 muzzle rather broad ; the hair on the head is an irregular mixture of grey and black : the general 
 colour of the body is a bright silver fawn ; the throat, chin and upper lip are almost completely white, 
 as well as the inside of the limbs and the lower part of the belly. 
 
 Tlie whole of the western hemisphere may be considered as the natural domicile of the Puma, as 
 it has been found in Canada and the northern countries of the United States, and as far south as 
 Patagonia. The character of the animal, however, in regard to ferocity appears strikingly different, 
 in proportion as we proceed from the northern latitudes to the tropical climates, for, in the former, 
 many instances have occurred of the Puma being tamed, and actually living in a state of comparative 
 docilit)', as the companion and attendant of man ; but in the latter the ferocious and sanguinary dis- 
 position of the animal exhibits itself in its fullest force, and renders it an object of terror to the 
 natives of those countries where it has established its haunts. The rapid advances, however, which civili- 
 zation has made in the northern states of America have naturally led to the gradual diminution and 
 extinction of the tribes of ferocious animals, and the Puma may now be considered as nearly expelled 
 the northern American states, whilst it continues to pursue its sanguinary career in the deep recesses 
 and unfrequented jungles of the southern continent. There, in the most impervious forests, and moun- 
 tains almost inaccessible, it makes its predatory incursions into the plains, for the purpose of attacking 
 the domestic animals, particularly the horse, td whose flesh it appears to give the preference before that 
 of every other animal. In its habits, the Puma is generally characterized by the meanest cowardice, for 
 notwithstanding its greater magnitude and the extent of its muscular power, it seldom attacks any 
 animals which are able to compete with it, or over which it is not certain of the victory. In the 
 manner in which it seizes its prey, it bears a strong resemblance to the domestic cat: it approaches its 
 victim by crawling along upon its belly, gliding gently through the shrubs and bushes, and conceal- 
 ing itself in the ditches; or, if it show itself, it assumes a mild and fawning appearance, but during 
 the whole of these manoeuvres it is only watching a favourable opportunity to seize the animal which 
 it has marked out for its victim ; which having done, at one leap it fastens itself on the back of its 
 prey, and in a few minutes tears it to pieces. Having satiated its thirst with the blood, and devoured 
 the flesh of the breast, it carries the remainder of the carcase into the nearest wood, where it conceals 
 it with leaves atid boughs of trees, in order to devour it at its leisure. The natural cowardice of 
 the animal is, however, connected with an unusual degree of ferocity, scarcely to be equalled by any 
 of the more powerful species of its tribe. The thirst of blood is so great in this animal, that, unlike 
 other creatures of the same species, it is not content with a single victim : for if a flock of sheep 
 be left without a guardian, and a Puma should unfortunately come amongst them, it has been known
 
 30 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 to destroy every individual in the flock, actually gorging itself with the blood, and in this bloated 
 state it often falls a prey to the hunter. The appearance of even a woman or a child is sometimes 
 sufficient to make him fly and abandon his prey ; and when hard pressed, he either leaps upon a tree, 
 seeks an asylum in a rock, or, placing himself against the trunk of some large tree, defends himself in 
 a furious manner. 
 
 We are informed by Molina, that it is a common practice for the husbandmen of Chili to fasten 
 two of their horses together in the fields, and whenever the Puma finds them in this situation, it kills 
 one and drags it away, compelling the other to follow by striking it from time to time with its paw. 
 The favourite haunts of the Puma are the streams to which animals usually repair to drink ; it here 
 conceals itself upon a tree, and scarcely ever fails of seizing one of them. The horses, however, 
 have an instinctive dread of these places, and even when pressed by thirst, tiiey approach them with 
 great caution, carefully examining on every side, to discover if there be any danger. The ass in 
 particular, when the Puma leaps on its back, throws itself immediately on the ground, or runs with all 
 its force against the trunks of trees, endeavouring thereby to free itself from its desperate assailant. 
 
 The enterprising spirit of modern travellers has greatly enriched our knowledge of the natural 
 history of foreign quadrupeds, particularly those which may be considered as exclusively belonging 
 to the New World ; the majestic condur, whose aerie is on the Andes, and the alpaca who feeds on 
 the plains at their base, are now as familiar to us as the lion of Senegal, or the tiger of the Indies. 
 The journey of Capt. Head across the Pampas has furnished us with an interesting anecdote respect- 
 ing the Puma, although it must be observed that he has fallen into the error common with Humboldt 
 and other travellers, of calling the Puma a lion. 
 
 He relates " that the fear which all wild animals in America have of man, is very singularly seen 
 in the Pampas : I often rode towards the ostriches and llamas, crouching under the opposite side of 
 my horse's neck ; but I always found that, although they would allow any loose horse to approach 
 them, they, even when young, ran from me, though little of my figure was visible ; and when one 
 saw them all enjoying themselves in such full liberty, it was at first not pleasing to observe that one's 
 appearance was everywhere a signal that they should fly from their enemy ; yet it is by this fear ' that 
 man hath dominion over the beasts of the field,' and there is no animal in South America, that does 
 not acknowledge this instinctive feeling. As a singular proof of the above and of the difference 
 between the wild beasts of America and of the Old World, I will venture to relate a circumstance 
 which a man sincerely assured me had happened to him in South America. 
 
 " He was trying to shoot some wild ducks, and in order to approach them unperceived, he put the 
 corner of his poncho (which is a sort of long, narrow blanket) over his head, and crawling along the 
 ground upon his hands and knees, the poncho not only covered his body, but trailed along the ground 
 behind him. As he was thus creeping by a large bush of reeds, he heard a loud sudden noise 
 between a bark and a roar; he felt something heavy strike his feet, and instantly jumping up, he saw 
 to his astonishment a large hon, actually standing on his poncho, and perhaps the animal was equally 
 astonished to find himself in the immediate presence of so athletic a man. The man told me he was 
 unwilling to fire, as his gun was loaded with very small shot, and he therefore remained motionless, 
 the lion standing on his poucho for many seconds ; at last the creature turned his head and walked 
 very slowly away about ten yards; he stopped and turned again, the man still maintained his ground, 
 upon which the lion tacitly acknowledged his supremacy, and walked oft'."
 
 ^,
 
 THE LION CUBS. 31 
 
 THE LION CUBS, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 It is a curious phenomenon in the animal world, when we observe the most ferocious beasts of the 
 desert breeding and rearing their young in tlie contracted and cheerless den of a menagery, in wliich 
 it might be supposed that their natural propensities would be so mucli checked and diverted, as to 
 render them callous to those feelings by which they are so powerfully governed in their savage state. 
 Numerous instances, however, have of late occurred, in which propagation has taken place in the 
 menageries of this country amongst animals, not only in their nature of the most ferocious disposi- 
 tion, but even in their species wholly dissimilar. ^Ve have already noticed the extraordinary pro- 
 creation of the lion and the tigress. Atkins has at the present time a litter of tiger whelps ; and 
 Wombwell has a she-wolf of the Alps suckling her young, the father of which is a dog of Hud- 
 son's Bay. It must be confessed that these are interesting subjects to the zoologist ; for, from some of 
 these discordant unions brought about by the mere caprice and curiosity of man, arises the important 
 question, whether nature, having been thus diverted from her usual track, will allow the new species 
 to perpetuate their kind ; or whether, in her indignation at the trespass on her established laws, she 
 ■will not visit them with the same punishment as she has hitherto inflicted on all animals and birds 
 which are not bred in the regular course of their species. The solution of this question, as far as 
 regards the lion-tigers, will open a vast field for philosophical research, and may give rise to some 
 most curious speculative disquisitions as to the actual origin of many of the animals, which we con- 
 sider at the time to be a distinct species, but which may ultimately be found to be the produce of an 
 accidental, but unnatural union of two animals belonging to the same genus, although wholly dis- 
 similar in the species. 
 
 In the case of the lion cubs, they are not all the produce of one litter, two being whelped at one 
 time, and three at another ; but one of the latter died, and the survivors now form one of the most 
 interesting groups in the Menagery of the Tower. The sire is of the Asiatic breed, the mother of 
 the African ; the lioness is naturally weaker and more timid than the lion ; but such is the strength 
 of her attachment for her young, that for their support she becomes more ferocious and terrible than 
 the lion ; she makes her excursions with more boldness, attacks and destroys without distinction all 
 other animals, and carries them reeking to her cubs, whom she thus instructs to suck their blood and 
 tear their flesh. The length of time the lioness goes with young is variously stated by different writers ; 
 but from recent observation, which has been verified in the present instance, it appears that the 
 period of gestation is rather more than three months and a half. The lioness has several litters in her 
 life, and at each birth produces three or four whelps. The lion cubs, when first born, are rather 
 larger than a half-grown kitten, or about a foot in length, from the back of the head to the root of 
 the tail. Their colour is a mixture of reddish and grey, with a number of small brcnvn bands, which 
 ai'e most distinct on the dorsal si)inc. Tiie cubs at the Tower exhibited at their birth very faint traces 
 of this banded hvery, but it became more distinct as they grew older, until it was finally lost in the 
 deep fawn of the full-grown animal. In this particular, the lion cub bears some resemblance to the 
 9 K .
 
 32 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 tiger, and tliis very circumstance is entitled to the serious attention of the zoologist, as it goes a great 
 ■way to establish tlie strong affinity of the lion and the tiger, and may account for the apparent iiete- 
 roireneousness in the breechng of the two animals. 
 
 The first htter of the cubs was whelped on the 20th October, 1827, the day of the memorable 
 hattle of Navarino ; and considering that the lion is the emblem of Britain, it is rather a singular 
 coincidence, that no lions had been whelped in the Tower since the year 1794, celebrated for the 
 glorious victory gained by Lord Howe over the French fleet ; on both of which occasions the lion 
 hearts of England proved their power to be irresistible. 
 
 The young lions now in the Tower are allowed to be the finest that have ever been bred in this 
 country ; but the ultimate rearing of them is still attended with some risk, as the period has not yet 
 arrived when the shedding of the milk teeth takes place, Avhich has hitherto proved almost always 
 fatal to the young lions wliich have been bred in this country, and also on the Continent. At 
 present the animals exhibit the highest state of health, although the scratches on their noses bear 
 ample proofs of their quarrelsome disposition ; and one of them appears to have been so particularly 
 selected for the rude attacks of its associates, that it has been deemed necessary to confine it in 
 a separate den. 
 
 It was a gratifying sight, shortly after their birth, to watch the playfulness of the infant lions, 
 resembling in every respect the merry antics of the kitten, whilst their dam fondled over them, and 
 licked their fur with all the tenderness and affection of the domestic cat ; and so strongly does the 
 lioness appear to resemble that animal in her habits, that she carried her young ones about in lier 
 mouth, seemingly anxious to conceal them from the gaze of the spectators. 
 
 Previously to the lioness having young, she was one of the most gentle and docile animals in the 
 ■whole menagery, allowing the keepers to treat her with the utmost famiharity ; and her tameness was 
 so great, that she was permitted frequently to roam at pleasure in the court-yard, without exciting the 
 1-east fear in the hearts of the attendants : but no sooner did she become a mother, than a total change 
 took place in her dispositions, exhibiting, as it has been well expressed, " the truly beautiful but 
 appalling picture of maternal tenderness combined with savage ferocity, each in their utmost intensity 
 of force and colouring.'" The lioness appears to cherish her maternal feelings with an ardour almost 
 unparalleled in the history of any other animal. She watches over her young with that imdefined 
 dread of dano-er to their weak and defenceless state, and that suspicious eagerness of alarm, which keep 
 her in a constant state of feverish excitation ; and woe be to the wretched intruder, whether man or 
 beast, who should unwarily, at such a time, approach the precincts of her sanctuary. Even in a state 
 of captivity, and however completely she may have been previously subjected to the controul of her 
 keeper, when a mother she loses all respect for his commands, and abandons herself occasionally to 
 the most violent paroxysms of rage. 
 
 In the history of the Museum of Paris, we find that a lioness had there three litters ; at the first 
 she produced nine, at the second three, and at the third two. When they were some months old, 
 they became very mischievous, and one, in particular, exhibited alarming signs of ferocity ; and 
 as in the case of the cubs at the Tower, there appears to exist a great difference in the temperament 
 of the animals, some seeming anxious to obtain the superiority and to lord it over the others, whilst 
 the others appear of a more submissive and gentle disposition. It is to be hoped that these native 
 lions will continue an ornament to their present abode, and be the counterpart of their parents in 
 beauty and in majesty.
 
 59 
 H 
 
 a 

 
 HE ANTELOPE. i^ 
 
 THE ANTELOPE, 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL DARNLEY, AT COBHAM HALL. 
 
 As there appears a general agreement In the nature of the species wliicli foi-m the great genus of the 
 Antelo])e, it will be merely necessary to observe, that antelopes are animals generally of a most 
 elegant and active make, of a restless and timid disposition, extremely watchful, of great vivacity, 
 remarkably swift and agile, and most of their boundings so light and elastic, as to strike the spectator 
 with astonisliment. 
 
 The fleetness of the antelope was proverbial in the country which it inhabited, even in the earliest 
 times ; the speed of Asahel (2 Sam. vi. 18) is beautifully compared to that of the tzebi, and the Gadites 
 were said to be as swift as the antelopes upon the mountains. Even at the present day, one of the 
 highest compliments that can be paid to female beauty in the eastern regions is, " You have the eyes 
 of an antelope." 
 
 Some species of antelopes form herds of two or three thousand, while others keep in tr(X)ps of five 
 or six. Tiiey generally reside in hilly countries, though some of them inhabit the plains ; they often 
 browse like the goat, and feed on the tender shoots of trees, which gives their flesh an excellent 
 flavour. It has been stated by Delalande, that, in the southern parts of Africa, those antelopes 
 which inhabit the plains never enter the forests, and that those of the forests never seek either tlie 
 plains or the marshes ; every site retains the species peculiar to it. 
 
 The antelope is a variety of the gazelle, and resembles that animal in many particulars, but in 
 others it is essentially different. It has deeper eye-pits than the gazelle, and the horns are also 
 formed differently, being about sixteen inches long, almost touching each other at the bottom, and 
 spreading as they rise, so as at their tips to be sixteen inches asunder. They have the aimular 
 prominences of their species, but not so distinguishable as in the gazelle ; they have, however, a double 
 flexure, which is very remarkable, and serves to distinguish them from all others of their kind. Aft 
 the root they have a tuft of hair, which is longer than that of any other part of the body. Like 
 others of the same species, the antelope is brown on the back, and white under the belly ; but these 
 colours are not separated by the black streak which is to be found in all the rest of the gazelle kinds. 
 With the exception of four species, the Antelope gazella, A. caama, A. cucophesa, A. oryx, the 
 females of the antelope tribe are wholly destitute of horns. 
 
 The antelope of the Cape of Good Hope is generally known by the name of the SpringboJc, on 
 account of the astonishing bounds which it takes. Mr. Burcliell gives the following interesting 
 description of a herd of these animals : — " At this high level we entered upon a very extensive open 
 plain, abounding, to an incredible degree, in wild animals, amongst Avhich were several large herds of 
 quakkas, and many wilde-beests or gnus ; but the springboks were far the most numerous, and, 
 like flocks of sheep, completely covered some parts of the plain. Their uncertain nio\ements ren- 
 dered it impossible to estimate their number, but I believe if I were to guess it at two thousand, I 
 should still be within the truth. This is one of the most beautiful of the antelopes of southern Africa, 
 and it is certainly one of the most numerous. The place afforded no other object to fix the attention ;
 
 ^4 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 and even if it liad presented many, I should not readily have ceased admiring these elegant animals, 
 or have been diverted from watching their manners. It was only occasionally that they took those 
 remarkable leaps which have been the origin of the name ; but when grazing or moving at leisure, 
 they walked and trotted like other antelopes, or as the common deer. When pursued, or hastening 
 their pace, they frequently took an extraordinary bound, rising with curved or elevated backs high 
 into the air, generally to the height of eight feet, and appearing as if about to take flight. Some of 
 the herd moved by us almost within musket shot, and I observed that, in crossing the beaten road, the 
 greater number cleared it by one of those flying leaps. As the road was quite smooth, and level with 
 the plain, there was no necessity for their leaping over it, but it seemed that the fear of a snare, or a 
 natural disposition to regard man as an enemy, induced them to mistrust even the ground which he 
 had trodden." Mr. Burcliell further says, the springbok is easily distinguished from all the known 
 species by the very long white hair along the middle of the back, which, lying flat, is nearly concealed 
 by the fur on each side, and is expanded only when it takes those extraordinary leaps which first sug- 
 gested its name. 
 
 In the Scenes and Occurrences in Coffer Land, the Antelope is thus spoken of: — " We saw several 
 hearty beasts, one of the largest species of deer, with very handsome horns ; and the pride of the plain, 
 ^he spring-buck ; the latter, which are extremely timid, are about the size of the common deer, and 
 of the same colour, with a white stripe on each side, and a black stripe along the back, which they 
 have the power of closing and expanding. They take their name from the amazing spring which they 
 make over paths, rocks, or any thing that obstructs their way, and it is done in a singularly graceful 
 manner, the head bowed, the legs hanging, and tlie body curved, so that the animal appears as if sus- 
 pended in the air ; the fleetest greyhound only can overtake them. It is very amusing to see their 
 contemptuous treatment of all otiier pursuers ; they allow them to come near, then give a bound and 
 a snort, and trot off to a little distance, when they expand their hair on their backs, and appear quite 
 ■white. They are very destructive to the corn, and are seen on farms in numerous herds." 
 
 The immense herds of these animals, which at times pour from the Bushman territory upon the 
 northern boundaries of the Cape colony, have been well described by Captain Stockenstrom, who was a 
 native of that country. " It is scarcely possible (he says) for a person passing over some of the ex- 
 tensive tracts of the interior, and admiring that elegant Antelope, the springbok, thinly scattered 
 over the plains, and bounding in playful innocence, to figure to himself that these ornaments of the 
 desert can often become as destructive as the locusts themselves. The incredible numbers which 
 sometimes pour in from the north, during protracted droughts, distress the farmer inconceivably. Any 
 attempt at numerical computation would be vain, and by trying to come near the truth, the writer 
 would subject himself in the eyes of those who have no knowledge of the country, to a suspicion that 
 he was availing himself of a traveller's assumed privilege. Yet it is well known in the interior, that 
 on the approach of the trek-bokken, as these migratory swarms are called, the grazier makes up his 
 mind to look for pasture for his flocks elsewhere, and considers himself entirely dispossessed of his lands 
 until heavy rains fall. Instances have been known of some of these prodigious droves passing through 
 flocks of sheep, and numbers of the latter, carried along with the torrent, being lost to the owners, 
 and becoming a prey to the wild beasts. As long as these droughts last, their inroads and depre- 
 dations continue, and the havoc committed upon them is, of course, great, as they constitute the food 
 of all classes ; but no sooner do the rains fall, than they disappear, and in a few days become as scarce 
 on the northern borders as in any of the more protected districts."
 
 SarcfiiiaJ,, d^i 
 
 THE EM-ET-^S, 
 
 •Row. Aug! 10823
 
 THE EMEUS. 3S 
 
 THE EMEUS, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 With the exception of the ostrich, the emeu is the largest bird that is known to exist, being generally 
 six feet high, measuring from its head to the ground. Its legs are about three feet long, and its 
 thigh is nearly as thick as that of a man. The toes differ from those of the ostrich, agreeing with the 
 cassowaries in regard to number, there being three on each foot, whereas the ostrich has but two; all 
 of them have a forward direction, and are extremely thick and short. Its neck is long, its head small, 
 and one of its most distinctive generic characters is the flattening of its bill from above downwards, 
 instead of from side to side. The form of the body appears round, the wings are short, and entirely 
 unfitted for flying, and it is wholly destitute of tail. It is covered from the back to the rump with long 
 feathers, which arc of a greyish-brown above, and underneath of a much ligliter tinge, almost approach- 
 ing to a white. The colour, however, differs in the younger birds, they being striped longitudinally 
 with brown and grey. Its pace is uncommonly swift, and it appears to be assisted in its motion 
 by a kind of tubercle behind like a heel, upon which, on plain ground, it treads very securely. In its 
 course it uses a very singular kind of action, lifting up one wing, which it keeps elevated for a time, 
 and then, on letting it drop, it lifts up the other. It is not easy to discover the intent of the bird ni 
 thus keeping only one wing up ; and it remains to be ascertained whether it makes use of this wing 
 as a sail to catch the wind, or as a rudder to direct its course, it being wholly destitute of the usual 
 appendage by which the flight of birds is regulated. « 
 
 The birds from which our portrait is taken are natives of New Holland, where they are hunted by 
 the colonists as an article of food, the taste of which is stated to have a strong similarity to that of 
 beef. It is not, however, only in New Holland that this bird is bred ; for it is mentioned by the earlier 
 travellers as having been found in great numbers in Guiana, along the banks of the Oroonoko, in 
 the inland provinces of Brazil and Chili, and the vast forests that border on the mouth of the river 
 Plata. Many other parts of South America were known as the habitat of the emeu, but as the 
 liuman race extended themselves, it either fell beneath their superior power, or fled from their vicinity. 
 
 The emeu is a polygamous bird, and appears in its habits to have a strong affinity to the 
 ostrich ; for, speaking of this bird, Nuremberg says, " that it is very peculiar in the hatching of its 
 young. The male compels twenty or thirty of the females to lay their eggs in one nest, and when 
 they have done laying, he chases them away, and undertakes himself the office of incubation ; he, 
 however, previously takes the precaution of laying two of the eggs aside, which he does not sit upon." 
 This is perfectly conformable to the account given by Vaillant of the habits of the ostrich, and, 
 therefore, is not unworthy of our belief. " When the young ones come forth," Nuremberg continues, 
 " these two eggs are addled, which the male having foreseen, breaks them, and their putrid contents 
 become immediately the resort of myriads of flies, which supply the young brood with a sufficiency 
 of provision, until they be able to obtain it for themselves." 
 
 10 L
 
 36 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 Aiiotlier account, however, is given by Wafer, wiio asserts, tliat he has seen a great number of eggs 
 of tiie emeu on the desert shores north of the river Plata, where they were buried in the sand, in 
 order to be iiatched by the heat of the climate. This account, however, is attended with a consider- 
 able degree of doubt, as it is more probable that the eggs described by Wafer were those of the croco- 
 dile or the alligator, which are undoubtedly hatched in the manner alluded to by that traveller. 
 
 AVhcn the young ones are hatched, they are very familiar, and will follow the first person whom 
 they meet. I have been followed myself, says Wafer, by many of these young bu-ds, which, at first, 
 are extremely liarmless and simple, but as they grow older, they become more cunning and distrustful, 
 and their pace is then so swift, that a greyhound can scarcely overtake them. 
 
 It would not be a difficult task to rear flocks of these birds in this country, particularly as they are 
 naturally of a familiar disposition, and they might be found to answer domestic purposes, like the hen 
 or the turkey. It must, however, be acknowledged that a full grown emeu would cut rather a 
 preposterous figure on an English dinner-table ; but that the breed is capable of being extended in 
 this country, is placed Ijeyond a doubt, by the facility with which the birds have been bred in tlie 
 Royal Park at Windsor, where a sufficient space of ground has been allotted to them for exercise, 
 which contributes, in an eminent degree, to preserve them in that state of health which they there 
 exhibit. 
 
 The emeu in its disposition appears to be perfectly harmless, although when irritated it strikes a 
 very severe blow with its beak, which appears, indeed, to be its only instrument of attack or defence; 
 and, in several instances, we have observed its propensity to strike at objects from a spirit of mischief, 
 or rather, perhaps, to satisfy its voracious appetite with the first object that should happen to come 
 within its range. We were once standing before its cage examining the correctness of the drawing, 
 when, on a sudden, the male bird made a dart at the paper, and in a moment bore it away in 
 triumph in its beak, nor was it recovered without some difficulty. 
 
 In its mode of feeding, the emeu, however, differs greatly from both the ostrich and the cassowary. 
 These birds are well known to swallow almost any thing which is not too large to pass down their throats ; 
 but the emeu appears to be a granivorous bird, and, in some respects, also an herbivorous one, as it 
 has been known to subsist for a considerable length of time solely on grass ; in its domesticated state, 
 however, in this country, its chief food is corn. Nor in its appetite is it so voracious as the cassowary, 
 which in this country has been known to devour in one day four pounds of bread, a dozen large 
 apples, and a bunch of carrots. 
 
 The chase of the emeu forms a considerable part of the amusement of the natives of the countries 
 in which it is indigenous ; but the swiftness of the bird is so great, that the fleetest dogs are thrown 
 out in the pursuit. It is related that one of them, finding itself surrounded by the hunters, darted 
 among the dogs with such fury, that they made way to avoid its rage, and it escaped, by its amazing 
 velocity, in safety to the mountains. 
 
 There is a peculiarity in the structure of the feathers of the emeu which is not discernible in any 
 
 other species of the tribe. They are apparently double, each quill being divided at the root into two 
 
 shafts, the barbs of which are distinct from each other, and in their texture are soft and downy. At 
 
 a distance they assume rather the appearance of a silky covei'ing of hair, than that of the common 
 
 . plumage of a bird.
 
 
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 THE ALPACAS. 37 
 
 THE ALPACAS, 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The Alpaca may be considered as intermediate between tlie llama and the vicuna, altlioiigli, in many of 
 its cluiracteristics, it is decidedly different from either of tiiose animals. Unlike t!ie llama, it has never 
 been reduced to that positive degree of lameness as to render it an animal of burthen, or of any other 
 utility, with the exception of its wool, which, in point of quantity and fineness, far surpasses that of the 
 vicuna. In its constitution, the alpaca is far more robust than the llama, and possesses all the other 
 advantages which render the latter animal an object of so much interest with the natives of the country 
 where it is bred. 
 
 The alpaca has been erroneously called the white llama, but a comparison of the two animals will 
 at once decide their difference. The alpaca is of a larger size, and far more muscular ; its forehead 
 is flat, and its fleece hangs down as low as its knees. It must also be taken into consideration that we 
 have no positive proof that the colour of the animal in the Zoological Gardens, which is designated as 
 the white llama, is its natural one, or that it be not the effect of mere accident ; at the same time we 
 are inclined to espouse the former opinion, as the alpaca which is in the collection of Mr. Womb- 
 well is white, and in every other respect resembles the white llama of the Zoological Society. 
 
 It was at one time determined by some spirited individuals, to introduce the three species, the llama, 
 the vicuna, and the alpaca into Europe; but, after various attempts, the naturalization of the animals to- 
 tally failed, arising either from a difference of climate, or the food not being congenial to their constitu- 
 tion. In the year 1808 a herd of these animals, which originally consisted of thirty-six, were landed 
 at Cadiz, as a present from the Prince of Peace to the Empress Josephine. They were brought from 
 Lima and Conception to Buenos Ayres, by slow and easy journies, never travelling more than two or 
 three leagues a day. Potatoes were their chief food, and when the supply of that root was exhausted, 
 recourse was had to maize and hay ; but the latter did not agree with the animals, and if medical 
 aid had not been applied, their death would have been the consequence. Out of the thirty-six 
 which were shipped at Buenos Ayres, eleven only reached the place of their destination, and two 
 of them died shortly after their arrival. The animals could not have arrived at a more unpropitious 
 period. The name of Godoy had become hateful to the people, and every thing connected with him 
 was but the forerunner of its destruction. The alpacas were, therefore, to be thrown into the 
 sea, but the Governor of Cadiz interfered, and gave the animals in charge to an eminent naturalist, 
 who had a spacious zoological garden at San Lucar de Barremeda, in Andalusia. On the invasion of 
 the province by iVIarshal Soult, he took the animals under his care, and a celebrated French natu- 
 ralist, who was then with the army, paid the most minute attention to their habits, and took some 
 sketches of them, all of which were lost at the battle of Vittoria. The fact, however, was ascertained 
 by that naturalist, and has been repeated by several travellers, that the individuals of the different 
 species have the remarkable habit of depositing their dung in one particular spot, and it is this 
 singularity which betrays the herds to the hunters of the South American mountains. 
 
 The alpacas are always found in considerable herds, and their chief retreat is amongst the rocks
 
 38 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 and mountains of Cusco, Potosi, and Tiicuman ; from which they descend to graze in the vallies, and 
 it is there that they become the sport of the natives. The mode of entrapping these animals is 
 rather curious, and exhibits a striking feature in their natural history. The hunters commence their 
 operations by extending some cords across the places where the animals are likely to effect their 
 escape ; to these cords are attached, at stated distances, some tufts of cloth of different colours, which 
 have the effect of so intimidating the animals, that they dare not attempt to overleap the barrier, which 
 could not stand for a moment against their united force. The hunters then begin to make a great 
 noise, and try to drive the animals towards some rocks which are too steep for them to ascend. The 
 extreme timidity of the animal prevents it from turning its head towards its pursuers, and in this state 
 it is easily caught by the hinder legs, and it seldom happens that a single one of the whole hei-d is 
 allowed to escape. There is a law enacted, which punishes with a heavy penalty these unlimited 
 massacres ; but it is a law to which a very slight obedience is paid. In some instances, the hunters 
 are satisfied with the fleeces of the animals, and, having shorn them, restore them to their liberty. 
 From five hundred to a thousand fleeces are sometimes the fruit of these expeditions. 
 
 If we refer to Augustin de Zarate, who in 1544 held the ofiice of treasurer-general of Peru, we 
 there find that the pacas, or alpacas, even at that early period, formed a part of the food of the 
 natives, as their flesh was sold in the public shambles in all parts of Peru where the animal was to 
 be found. 
 
 " In those places," he says, " where there is no snow, the natives are often in great distress for 
 water, and in order to supply this deficiency, they fill the skins of sheep witli water, which they load 
 on the backs of hving sheep, (it must be observed that he calls llamas, sheep,) for these sheep of Peru 
 are sufficiently large to serve as beasts of burthen. They have a great resemblance to the camel in 
 their shape, although they have not the hump on the back like that animal. These sheep are able to 
 carry about a hundred pounds, and it was the custom of the Spaniards to ride tliem, as they travel 
 with ease five or six leagues a day. When the animal is fatigued, it tlirows itself down upon the 
 ground, and as, from its obstinate disposition, there are no means of making it get up, either by 
 coercion or assistance, the load is then generally taken off. It frequently happens, when the 
 beast is tired and the rider urges him to proceed, that it turns its head round, and discharges its 
 saliva into his face, which is of such a deleterious nature, that the most disagreeable consequences 
 result from it. These animals are of great use and profit to their owners, tlie wool of them 
 being exceedingly fine and good, especially of that species which are called pacas, or alpacas. The 
 fleeces are very long, and very little expense is incurred in their keeping, as a few yams or a little 
 maize will sufl^ice them during the day, and water does not appear to be indispensable to their 
 existence. Their flesh is as good as that of the sheep of Castile, and public shambles are now erected 
 for the sale of their flesh." 
 
 Tn regard to the natural characteristics of the alpaca, it so nearly resembles the llama, that the same 
 description will apply to both. In its state of nature few animals exhibit marks of greater strength or 
 agility. The stag is scarcely more swift, or the goat or the clianiois a better climber. All its shapes 
 are delicate and strong, and there is a keenness in its look which is strongly indicative of the natural 
 disposition of the animal. It is fonder of the northern than the southern side of the Andes; often 
 climbing above the snowy tracks of the mountain, and appearing vigorous in proportion to the 
 coldness of its situation. If the dogs surprise a single alpaca upon the plain, they are generally 
 successful ; but if once the animal attains the rocky precipices of the mountain, the hunters are 
 obliged to desist from their pursirt
 
 
 i\1 ]
 
 THE SIMIA MORMON, OR TUFTED APE. 39 
 
 THE SIMIA MORMON, OR TUFTED APE, 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. AVOMBWELL. 
 
 SiMiA, in natural history, includes the whole genus of the class and order of Mammalia Primates, of 
 which the generic character is, that the individuals Iiave four front teeth in each jaw, whicli are 
 approximate ; the tusks are solitary, longer, and more remote ; the grinders are ohtuse. The animals 
 of this genus greatly resemble man in the uvula, eye-lashes, hands, feet, toes, nails, and other parts 
 of the body. They, however, differ widely in the total want of reason, although the line appears, 
 in certain cases, to be drawn so finely between that eminent property of the human race and the 
 instinct of the brute, as to be very often confounded and indistinguishable in its effects. The 
 Apes have, in general, very retentive memories, are full of gesticulation, and excessively rich in 
 imitation ; they macerate their food in the cheeks before they swallow it ; they are filthy, lascivious, 
 and of an unconquerably thievish disposition. Their greatest enemies are the leopards and the 
 serpents ; the Latter pursuing them to the summits of trees, and swallowing them entire. 
 
 This race of animals, which are very numerous, are almost confined to the torrid zone. They fill 
 the woods of Africa from Senegal to the Cape, and from thence to Etiiiopia ; a single species, 
 however, is found beyond that line in the province of Barbary. They are also found in all parts 
 of India, and its islands, in Cochin-China, in tlie south of China, and in Japan ; and one kind is 
 met with in Arabia. They swarm in the forests of South America, from the Istlmius of Daricn 
 as far south as Paraguay. 
 
 These animals, from the structure of their members, have many actions in common with the 
 human kind. The majority of them are fierce and intractable, and difficult to be tamed ; others, on 
 the contrary, are of a milder nature, and appear to be capable of a positive degree of attachment to 
 those under whose subjection they live. Their general food are fruits, leaves, and insects ; and their 
 voracity often leads tliem to a wanton destruction of food, from a fear that they should not be able 
 to obtain a sufficiency. The woods are their usual habitation, and their chief residence is in the 
 trees, where they imagine themselves secure from the attacks of tlieir enemies. The Apes may, in 
 some respects, be considered as social animals, as tliey generally go in large companies ; but it is 
 remarkable that this social disposition appeal's to decline in proportion as the species exhibit a 
 greater magnitude. Thus, the Ourang-outang is an unsocial, solitary animal, whilst the lesser species 
 seem to delight in social intercourse, although it must be remarked that the different species never 
 mix with each other, but always keep within a certain boundary which they have chosen for their 
 habitation. The activity of the monkey has been long proverbial ; and from the various i-eports 
 of travellers, who have seen them in their native country, their feats of agility sometimes exceed 
 credibility. The ape is not a carnivorous animal, but so prone to mischief, that it will often rob 
 the nests of birds of the eggs and young ; and it is to be observed, that in those countries where 
 apes most abound, the feathered tribe discover singular sagacity in fixing their nests beyond the 
 reach of their invaders. 
 
 The Mormon, which now forms a part of the extensive collection of Mr. Wombwell, may, in 
 
 11 M
 
 49 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 many respects, be considered as one of its greatest curiosities. The animal appears almost in a 
 domesticated state ; and amongst the other propensities of those by whom it is surrounded, it 
 has acquired that of drinking its pint or glass of porter witli apparently the same satisfaction as 
 any of the most inveterate porter-drinkers of the metropolis ; nor does this beverage appear to be 
 injurious to its constitution, for it exhibits rather an uncommon degree of health and spirits. The 
 Mormon may be considered as the most remarkable of the whole genus for brilliancy and variety 
 of colour. The general tinge is a rich and very deep yellowish brown ; the hairs, if minutely 
 inspected, are speckled with yellow and black. The most prominent and remarkable part of the 
 animal, however, is the nose, the whole length of which is a deep blood red, but the parts on each 
 side are of a fine violet blue, marked by several oblique furrows, the whole forming one of the 
 most singular contrasts which the visage of any animal can display. The remainder of the face 
 is of a pale whitish yellow. On the top of the front the hair rises in a remarkable manner into a 
 pointed form, somewhat similar to the toupee worn by the elegantes in former times, and beneath 
 the chin is a pointed beard of a light orange yellow. Round the back of the neck the hair is 
 much longer than on anj' other parts, and inclines downwards and forwards somewhat in the manner 
 of a wreath or tippet. The hands and feet are of a dusky colour, and are furnished with broad 
 pointed claws. The general form of the face is long, with the snout ending somewhat abruptly. 
 
 Of the general manners of the animal, it appears to possess all the native vices of its genus. Its 
 lasciviousness is apparent in a most striking degree, and forms one of the most unpleasant di'awbacks 
 in the contemplation of the animal. It has been often remarked that the larger species of ape 
 appear to entertain a decided knowledge of the difference of the human sexes, and that the natural 
 ferocity of the animal has been suddenly checked by the view of a female ; but it must be confessed 
 that the cage of the Mormon is not a place before which a female can stand without a wound being 
 inflicted on her modesty. 
 
 Of the whole genus it may be observed, that the Baboons ai-e commonly of a ferocious and sullen 
 disposition. The larger apes are also of a malignant temper, except the Ourang-outang and the 
 Gibbons. The Monkics, so called, are extremely various in their disposition ; some of the smaller 
 species are lively, harmless, and entertaining, while others are remarkable for the mischievous 
 malio^nit)' of their temper, and the capricious uncertainty of their manners. It is no easy task to 
 determine with exact precision the several species of this extensive genus, since, exclusive of the 
 varieties in point of colour, they are often so nearly allied as to make it difficult to give real and 
 distinctive characters. 
 
 The Mormon is not frequently an inhabitant of our menageries, for, being a native of the interior 
 parts of Africa, it is seldom caught in its adult state; and the rearing and transportation of it when 
 young have always been considered a task of some difficulty. At its full growth, the animal, in an 
 upright posture, measures about five feet ; but its usual postiu-e is on its haunches,, when its mea- 
 surement is about three feet. The structure of the hands and the feet, when observed with 
 anatomical correctness, seems to prove that the animal was principally designed by Nature for 
 walking on four legs, as it is represented in the engraving, and not for an upright posture, which 
 is, perhaps, only occasionally assumed, and which is considered to be more the effect of instruction 
 than a decided habit of nature.
 
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 THE BEAVERS. 41 
 
 THE BEAVERS. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The Beaver is easily distinguished from all other quadrupeds by the peculiar appearance of its tail, which 
 is of an oval form, nearly flat, except on its upper surface, where it is slightly convex, entirely destitute 
 of hair except at the base, and marked with scaly divisions like the skin of a fish. The body is about 
 tbree feet long, and the tail about one foot. The general colour of the fur is a deep chestnut, but it 
 is sometimes found perfectly black, white, cream-coloured, or spotted. The beaver is found inmost 
 of the northern parts of Europe and Asia, and is very abundant in Nortii America, of which country 
 the animals now under our consideration are natives. 
 
 The generic character of the beaver is, that the front teeth in the upper jaw are truncated, and hol- 
 lowed with a transverse angle; in the lower jaw the teeth are transverse at the tips. It has four 
 grinders on each side ; the tail long, depressed, and scaly. The collar bones are in the skeleton. 
 There are only two species known, the Fiber, or common beaver, and the Huidrohius, or white 
 beaver. 
 
 The beaver is not only an amphibious animal, but it is said to form the connecting link between 
 quadrupeds and fishes. Of all animals it is considered as possessing the greatest degree of natural 
 or instinctive sagacity in the construction of its habitation ; preparing, in concert with others of its 
 own species, a kind of arched caverns, or domes, supported by a foundation of strong pillars, and lined 
 or plastered internally witli a degree of neatness and accuracy unequalled by the art of any other 
 quadruped. The favourite resorts of the beaver are retired watery and wooded situations, of which it 
 must have full and undisputed possession. The depth of the water must be such as to allow the animal 
 sufficient space to swim under the ice. The male and female with their young of one year old, called 
 by the Indians Peoys, form a family, which generally consists of six. These inhabit one cell; but 
 when they arrive at the age of two years old, Paylems, they go off and build for themselves. 
 
 The beavers begin to assemble in the month of June or July for the purpose of uniting into a 
 society. They amve in great nimibers from all quarters, and soon form a troop of 200 or 300. The 
 place of rendezvous is generally that which has been fixed upon for their establishment, and is always 
 on the banks of waters. In rivers or brooks, where the waters are subject to rise and fall, they build 
 a bank, thus forming a pond or piece of water, which remains always at the same height. The bank 
 traverses the river from one side to the other like a sluice, and is often from eighty to one hundred 
 feet long, by ten or twelve broad at the base. This pile for animals of so small a size appears to be 
 enormous, and the solidity with which the work is constructed is truly astonishing. If they find on 
 the margin a large tree, which can be made to fall into the water, they begin with cutting it do« n to 
 form the principal part of their work. The tree is often thicker than the body of a man. By gnawino- 
 the foot of the tree with their four cutting teeth, these ingenious labourers accomplish their purpose in 
 a short time, and always make the tree fall across the river: they then cut the branches from the 
 trunk to make it lie level. Several beavers are at the same time employed in traversing the banks 
 of the river to cut down smaller trees. These tliey dress, and cut to a certain length to make stakes 
 of them, and first drag tliem by land to the margin of the river, and then by water to the place where
 
 42 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 the building is carrying on. These piles they sink in the ground, and interweave the branches with 
 the larger stakes. In order to dress these stakes and put them in a situation nearly perpendicular, 
 some of the beavers raise the thick end against the margin of the river, or against the cross-tree, while 
 others plunge to the bottom, and dig holes to receive the points that they stand on end. AVhile some 
 are labouring in this manner, others bring earth, which they place with their feet and beat firm with 
 their tails. They carry the earth in their mouths and with their fore-feet, and transport it in such 
 quantities that they fill all the intervals between die piles with it. The stakes facing the under part of 
 the river are placed perpendicularly, but the rest of the work slopes upward to sustain the pressure of 
 the fluid, so that the width of the bank is reduced to two or three feet at the top. When any breaches 
 are made in the bank by sudden inundations, they lose no time in repairing them as soon as the 
 water subsides. Tiie dwelling-places of these curious animals are cabins built upon piles, near the 
 margin of the pond, and have two openings, one for going out on land, and the other for throwing 
 themselves into the water. The form is either oval or round, varying in size from four to eight or 
 ten feet in diameter. Some of them consist of three or four stories, and the walls are about two feet 
 thick, raised perpendicularly upon planks, which serve both for foundations and floors to their houses. 
 They are impenetrable to rain, and resist the most impetuous winds. The partitions are covered with 
 a kind of stucco nicely plastered, and each cabin has its own magazine of winter food, proportioned to 
 the number of its inhabitants, who have all a common right to the store. Some villages are composed 
 of twenty or twenty-five cabins, but these large establishments are rai-e, and the common republics 
 Seldom exceed ten or twelve families, of which each has her own quarter of the village, her own 
 magazine, and her separate habitation. They allow no strangers to locate in their neighbourhood. 
 The smallest cabins contain two or four, and the largest eighteen, twenty, and sometimes thirty 
 beavers. 
 
 When any danger approaches, they advertise one another of it by striking their tails on the surface 
 of the water, the noise of which is heard at a great distance, and resounds through all their habita- 
 tions. Each then takes his post ; some plunge into the lake, others conceal themselves within their 
 walls, which no animal will attempt to open or overturn. During the greatest part of the day they sit 
 up with their heads and part of the body elevated, and their posterior parts sunk in the water. They 
 often swim a long way under the ice, and it is then that they ai'e the most easily taken, by attacking 
 the cabin at one side, and at the same time watching at a hole made at some distance in the ice, 
 where they are obliged to repair for the purpose of respiration. The females bring forth in the end of 
 winter, and generally produce two or three young at a birth. About this time they are left by the 
 males, who retire to the country, in order to enjoy the pleasures and the beauties of the spring. They 
 return occasionally to their cabins, and are occupied in nursing, protecting, and rearing their young, 
 who at the expiration of a few weeks are in a condition to follow their dams. The females, in their 
 turn, make httle excursions to recruit themselves in the air, by eating fresh bark and herbage; and in 
 this manner they pass the summer upon the waters and in the woods. They do not assemble again 
 till autumn, unless the bank or cabins are overturned by inundations. 
 
 The animals in the Zoological Gardens appear perfectly reconciled to their state of comparative cap- 
 tivity, and are become so tame as to accept a biscuit, or any other article of food which is offered to 
 them, with the greatest docility.
 
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 a 

 
 THE MOOSE-DEER. 43 
 
 THE MOOSE-DEER, OR ELK. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. CROSS, ROYAL MKWS, LONDON. 
 
 The Moose-deer or elk may be considered as the largest of the deer tribe, and is not often to be 
 seen in the menageries of this country. According to the accounts of some travellers, a full grown elk 
 has been known to attain the height of seventeen hands, and to weigh above twelve hundred pounds. 
 Its shape, particularly its head, is rather inelegant. Its horns are solid, covered while young with a 
 hairy skin growing from the top ; they are naked and annual branched. They spread out imme- 
 diately from the base into a broad palmated form, and at the top are sometimes twelve feet asunder. 
 It has eight front teeth in the lower jaw, no canine teeth, and sometimes single teeth in the upper jaw. 
 Its neck is much shorter than the head, with a short thick upright mane of a light brown colour. The 
 eyes are small, the ears about a foot long, very broad, and they appear to be almost in continual 
 motion. The nostrils are very large; the upper lip broad and heavy, hanging considerably over the 
 lower, and has a deep fulcus in the middle, so as to appear almost bifid. Its colour is a dark-greyish 
 brown, much paler or inclining to whiteness on the legs and beneath the tail. The hair, which is of 
 a strong, coarse, elastic nature, is much longer on the top of the shoulders, and on the ridge of the 
 neck, than on the other part, forming a kind of mane. Its horns sometimes weigh fifty-six pounds, 
 and on a moderate calculation measure each about thirty-two inches in length. The elk now in the 
 possession of Mr. Cross has its horns in the first stages of their growth, and the reproduction of horns 
 constitutes, in many points of view, one of the most remarkable phenomena of animal physiology. It 
 affords a most striking proof, first of the power of the nutritive process, and of the rapid growth 
 which results from tliis process in warm-blooded animals — for the horn of a stag, which may weigh a 
 quarter of a hundred weight, is completely formed in ten weeks ; secondly, of the remarkable power 
 of absorption, by which, towards the time of shedding the old horn, a complete separation is effected 
 of the substance which was before so firmly united with the frontal bone ; thirdly, of a limited dura- 
 tion of life in a part of an animal, entirely independent of the life of the whole animal, which in some 
 of the deer tribe extends to thirty years ; fourthly, of change of calibre in particular vessels — for the 
 branches of the external carotid, which supply the horn, are surprisingly dilated during its growth, 
 and recover their former dimensions when that process has ceased ; fifthly, of a peculiar sympathy 
 ■which is manifested between the growth of the horns and the generative functions. The horn is ge- 
 nerally shed in the spring, and reproduced in the summer. 
 
 The elks generally inhabit the Isle of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and the western side of the Bay 
 of Fundy, Canada, and the country round the Great Lakes, almost as far south as the river Ohio. 
 These may be considered as their present northern and southern hmits of the New Continent. In 
 Europe it is found chiefly in Sweden, Norway, and Russia. In Asia, it is most frequently met with 
 in Siberia, where it grows to an enormous size. The elk and tlie moose, according to Mr. Pennant, 
 are the same species, the latter being derived from Miisa, which in the Algonkin language signifies 
 that animal. In this country it was formerly called the black moose, to distinguish it from the stag, 
 which was called the grey moose. The French call it UOricjnal. The elk was known to the Romans 
 by the name of ^l^ceand Machlis ; they believed that it had no joints in its legs; and from the extra- 
 ordinary size of the upper lip, they entertained the singular conceit, that it could not feed without 
 going backward as it grazed. 
 
 12 N
 
 44' THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 The elks reside amidst forests, chiefly for the convenience of brousing the boughs of trees, because 
 they are prevented fi-om grazing with ease, like the other species of the deer, on account of the short- 
 ness of their neck and tlie length of their legs. In this respect the elk bears some resemblance to the 
 giraffe, as neither of these animals, from the peculiarity of their make, can subsist only by grazing. The 
 elk has frequently recourse to aquatic plants, which it can readily get at by wading, and then bringing 
 its mouth on a level with its food. It is related by Mr. Sarrasin, that diey are very partial to the 
 Anagy lis faetida, or stinking beau trefoil, to obtain which, they will often scrape away the snow with 
 their feet, and they seldom miss the place where that herb is to be found. In passing through the 
 woods, they raise their heads to an horizontal position, to prevent their horns from being entangled in 
 the branches. They have a singular gait ; their pace being a shambling trot, but nevertheless they 
 proceed with great swiftness. In their common walk, they lift their feet very high, and will, without 
 any difficulty, step over a gate five feet high. They feed principally in the night. If they graze, it is 
 always against an ascent, which is to be accounted for by the reasons already given in detailing the 
 peculiarity of their structure Its faculty of hearing is supposed to be more acute than its sight or 
 scent, and the almost incessant motion of its ears seems to imply that it is always on the alert to catch, 
 any sound which may be indicative of approaching danger. It is the acuteness of this faculty which 
 renders it very difficult to kill it in the summer time, as the Indians have then no other method of 
 accomplishing their task, than by creeping after the animal amongst the trees and bushes, until they 
 arrive within gun-shot of their prey. During the winter, when the snow is frozen so hard that the 
 natives can proceed upon it in their snow-shoes, they are able frequently to run it down, for its slender 
 legs break through the snow at every step, and plunge it up to the belly. 
 
 The elk, like most other of the deer tribe, is a ruminating animal, although that pi-ocess does not ap- 
 pear to take place so periodically as with the ox or the sheep. They begin to breed in autumn, and the 
 males aie at that time very furious, seeking the females by swimming from isle to isle. The female 
 produces from one to three at a birth, generally about the end of April or the beginning of May, and 
 the young follow the dam for about a year. During the winter, they keep in herds and in deep snows. 
 They collect in considerable numbers in the forests of pines for protection from the inclemency of the 
 weather under the shelter of those evergreens. They are very inoffensive, except in the rutting season, 
 or that they are wounded, when they will turn on the assailant and attack him with their horns, or 
 trample him to death beneath their great hoofs. 
 
 The flesh of the moose-deer is extremely sweet and nourishing, and the Indians assert that diey can 
 travel three times further after a meal of moose, than after any other animal food. The tongues are 
 excellent, but the nose is perfect marrow, and esteemed the greatest delicacy in Canada. The skin 
 makes excellent leather, being strong, soft, and light. The Indians dress the hide, and after soaking 
 it for some time, stretch and render it supple by a lather of the brains in hot water. They not only 
 make their snow-shoes of the skin, but after a chase form the canoes with it ; they sew the skins neatly 
 together, cover the seams with an unctuous earth, and embark in them with their spoils to return home. 
 The hair on the neck, withers, and hams of a full-grown elk is of much use in making matti-esses and 
 saddles, being by its great length well adapted for those purposes. The palmated parts of the horns 
 are excavated by the savages, and converted into ladles which will hold about a pint. 
 
 The female elk is smaller in s;f;e than the male, and is wholly destitute of horns ; the flesh, how- 
 ever, of the lattter is preferred, nor will the Indians eat of tl^e flesh of the female during the breeding 
 season.
 
 7.
 
 THE ELEPHANT. 45 
 
 THE ELEPHANT, 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. WOMBWELL. 
 
 This animal, on account of its size and strength, has attracted the attention of mankind from the 
 earliest ages. By the ancients he was considered as a formidable engine of war, and he is still em- 
 ployed in the service of the Eastern monarchs, being very useful in the transportation of artillery and 
 baggage, and is also considered a necessary appendage to their magnificence. 
 
 The usual height of the elephant is nine or ten feet, although in some countries he is said to attain 
 the height of twelve feet. His body is very large, and of a clumsy form, his head being rather small 
 in proportion to tlie size of his body ; his back is arched, and his legs very short and thick. His eyes 
 are very small ; his ears large and pendulous. The trunk may be considered as one of the 
 most wonderful instruments with which nature has gifted any animal, being little inferior in flexibility 
 and utility even to the hand of man. This organ appears to be composed of a great number of 
 flexible rings forming a double tube, ending in a circular tip that is somewhat flattened, and fur- 
 nished with a projecting point, or fleshy moveable hook, of exquisite sensibility, and so pliable, that 
 by means of it the animal can pick up from the ground almost the smallest object. Its lower surface 
 is somewhat flattened, but the upper is of a circular form. The trunk is the principal organ of 
 breathing to the elephant, being terminated by two orifices that are the nostrils. By means of this 
 tube he supplies himself Avith food, taking hold of it with his trunk, and conveying it into his mouth. 
 The skull of the elephant is extremely thick, but not soHd, there being a number of cavernous cells 
 between the outer and inner lamina?. The feet of this animal, which are undivided, are edged with 
 five rounded hoofs; the tale is of a moderate length, and is terminated by a few scattered hairs, very- 
 thick, and of a blackish colour. The general colour of the skin is a dusky or blackish-brown, but in 
 some parts of India they are found of a white colour, though this is a rare occurrence. In China a 
 white elephant is considered a royal beast, as no one possesses there the privilege of using a white 
 elephant but the emperor himself. 
 
 The elephant is found on the continent of Asia, in several of the Asiatic islands, especially Ceylon, 
 and in the southern parts of Africa. The Ceylonese .elephants are in general larger than those of 
 Africa. Captain Beaver informs us, that the little island of Bulama, on the western coast of Africa, 
 abounds with them. The ordinary food of these animals consists of herbs, roots, leaves, and the 
 tender branches of trees, which they break off" with their trunks. They feed together in considerable 
 herds, and, as they require a large quantity of fodder, frequently change their situation. They usually 
 march in troops, the oldest keeping foremost, and the middle-aged bringing up the rear. The females 
 are placed in the centre, carrying their young firmly held on their trunks. This order they observe 
 when they forage near the haunts of men, but when at liberty to range in extensive desert plains, they 
 are less guarded. They often make great havoc in the cultivated fields, destroying even more with 
 the weight of their enormous feet than they consume as food. They are fond of cool, sequestered 
 places, where they can be sheltered from the mid-day sun, and they love to bathe themselves with 
 water, which the}' do by pouring it over their bodies with their trunks. The elephant uses man}' 
 artifices to rid himself of the mosquitoes ; he strikes them with his tail, his ears, or his trunk ; he con-
 
 46 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 tracts his' skin, and crushes them between its wrinkles; he gathers boughs from the trees with his 
 trunk, and brushes them away, and wlien all these arts are unsuccessful, he collects dust with his 
 trunk, and strews it over the most sensible parts of his body. He has been seen to dust himself in 
 this manner several times a day, especially after bathing. He swims with great ease, and in this way 
 whole troops sometimes pass over rivers and narrow straits. 
 
 The teeth, or tusks, of the elephant are a well-known article of commerce: we are indebted to 
 Mr. Corse Scot, who resided many years in India, for the most correct information respecting them. 
 The tusks in some female elei^hants are so small as not to appear beyond the lip, whilst in otiiers they 
 are almost as large and long as in one variety of the male, called Mooknah. The grinders are much 
 alike in both sexes. The tusks are fixed very deep in the upper jaw, and the root or upper part, 
 which is hollow, goes as high as the insertion of the trunk round the margin of the nasal opening to 
 the throat, which opening is just below the protuberance of the forehead. Through this opening the 
 elephant breathes, and by its means he sucks up water into his trunk ; between it and the roots of the 
 tusks there is only a thin bony plate. The first, or milk tusks of an elephant never grow to any con- 
 sidei-able size, but are shed between the first and second year, when not^two inches in length. The 
 largest elephants' tusks which Mr. Scot ever saw in Bengal did not exceed the weight of seventy-two 
 pounds avoirdupois, and at Tippera they seldom exceed fifty pounds each. Both these weights are, 
 hovvever, very inferior to that of the tusks brought from other parts to the India-House, where some 
 have weighed one hundred and fifty pounds each. 
 
 The time of gestation of the female elephant has been much disputed. Aristotle stated it at two years, 
 and Buffbn was at one time led to fix it at the same period. The latter was, however, subsequently 
 induced to consider nine months as the most likely time, and in this he was followed by Mr. Pennant. 
 Mr. Scot has, however, ascertained by actual experiment, that the female really goes with young 
 nearly twenty-one months. The young, when first born, is about three feet high, and continues 
 growing for sixteen or eighteen years. It was supposed by Buffon that the young elephant sucked 
 by means of its trunk, but later observations have shewn that it sucks in the usual way with the 
 mouth, using the trunk for grasping the teats of the mother, to press out the milk. It has not been 
 yet ascertained how long an elephant usually lives in its native forests. In captivity he is said to live 
 about one hundred and fifty years, and it is therefore not improbable that in his natural state he may 
 attain the age of two hundred years. 
 
 The elephant when tamed is gentle, obedient, tractable, and patient of labour. He is so attentive 
 to the commands of his governor, that a word or look is sufficient to stimulate him to the greatest 
 exertions. His attachment to his keeper is remarkable ; he caresses him with his trunk, and fre- 
 quently will obey no other master. He knows his voice, and can distinguish between the tones of 
 command, of approbation, and of anger. Elephants are sometimes employed in Eastern countries as 
 the executioners of public justice, and they will trample a criminal to death, break his limbs with their 
 trunks, or impale him on their enormous tusks, according to the orders given him. 
 
 The elephant, of which our engraving is an exact likeness, was purchased by ]\Ir. Wombwell at 
 the enormous price of one thousand guineas. The keepers rasp his hide daily with the coarsest files, 
 and then anoint him with oil, to preserve the lubricity of his hide, which, without that unction, would 
 partake so much of the nature of parchment, as to prevent tiie animal, without great pain, from pro- 
 strating itself, and might eventually prove the means of its death.
 
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 THE BEARS. 47 
 
 THE BEARS, 
 
 IN THK GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 At the termination of tlie walk called the Upper Terrace, in the Zoological Gardens, is situate the 
 Bear Pit, which is inhabited by the animals of which our engraving is an exact representation. The 
 pit is about twenty feet deep, with a dwarf wall and coping with iron rails. In the centre is a strono- 
 mast, or pole, with projecting steps, by which the bears ascend with considerable agility when any 
 thing is presented to them. In this pit were formerly confined three European bears, two from tlie 
 Arctic Regions, and one Russian black bear, known by the familiar name of Toby, presented by the 
 Marquess of Hertford, who had previously kept him at Sudbornc, where he was noted for his civihzed 
 faculty of distinguishing strong ale from beer. 
 
 The bear is an animal, for the most part, of large size and great muscular powers. It is not only a 
 savage but a solitary animal, taking refuge in the most unfrequented parts, and the most dangerous 
 precipices of uninhabited mountains. He chooses his den in the most gloomy recesses of the forest, in 
 some cavern that has been hollowed by time, or in the hollow of some old enormous tree, whither he 
 retires alone, and passes a part of the winter without provisions, or without ever stirring abroad. 
 
 There are only three species of the bear, the white or polar bear, called also the sea-bear, or Ursus 
 ■mantlmus ; the brown bear, or Ursus arcfos ; and the black or grizzly bear, or Ursus americanus 
 As we shall have to enter into a detail of the latter species when we come to treat of the animal con- 
 fined in the menagery in the Tower, we shall confine ourselves at present more particularly to a 
 description of the species which form the subject of our engraving. 
 
 The brown bear is to be found in almost every latitude of Eurojie, in China, Japan, Arabia, 
 Egypt, and as far as the Island of Java. Its generic character consists in its having six front teeth 
 in each jaw ; the two lateral ones of the lower jaw are longer than the rest, and lobed with smaller or 
 secondary teeth at their internal bases. There ai"e five or six grinders on each side, and the canine 
 teeth are solitary. The tongue is smooth and the snout prominent. The eyes are furnished with a 
 nictitating or winking membrane. 
 
 The common bears vary much in colour ; some are brown, others black, and others <rray. The 
 brown kinds live chiefly on vegetables, and the black ones in a great measure on animal food, such as 
 lambs, kids, and even cattle. The black bears are so remarkably attached to each other, that the 
 hunters never dare to fire at a young one while the jjarent is on the spot, for if the cub happen to be 
 killed, she becomes so enraged that she will either avenge herself or die in the attempt. If, on the 
 other hand, the mother should be shot, the cubs wiU continue by her side lono- after she is dead, 
 exhibiting the most poignant afiliction. 
 
 The voice of the bear is a kind of growl, a harsh murmur, which, when enraged especially is 
 increased by a clashing of the teeth. However mild and obedient he may appear before his master 
 he ought still to be distrusted, and treated with circumspection. This animal is capable of some deo-ree 
 of instruction, and there are few who have not seen him stand on his hind legs, and dance in a rude 
 and awkward manner to tunes either sung, or played on an instrument. The method of learnino- these 
 animals to dance is attended with considerable pain : they are placed on hot iron plates, durino- whicli 
 time a person stands by beating a small drum. The heat of the plates is greater than the animal can 
 bear, and hence arises that constant motion with his feet which is erroneously styled dancing. The 
 13 o
 
 48 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 animal having undergone this discipline for some time, is considered fit to appear before the public ; 
 and so sti'ongly is the association of his former sufferings connected with the sound of the drum, that 
 he no sooner hears it, than he begins to make the same motion with his feet as during his tuition on 
 the iron plates. But even in this tutoring it is necessary that the animal should be taken young, and 
 held in constraint ever after. The bear wliich has passed his youth is not to be tamed, nor even lielcl 
 in awe, and shews himself, if not actually intrepid, at least fearless of danger. The wild bear turns 
 not fi-om his path, nor offers to shun the sight of man ; and yet, it is said, by a certain whistle he may 
 be surprised, and so far charmed as to stop and stand upon his hind-feet. This is the time to shoot, 
 or by one method or other to destroy him, for when only wounded in an attack, he darts with fury at 
 his foe, and clasping him with his fore-paws, is sure to stifle or strangle him, unless immediate assist- 
 ance be given. The bear enjoys the senses of seeing, hearing, and feeling, in great perfection, and 
 yet, compared with the size of the body, his eye is very small ; his cars are also short, his skin 
 coarse, and his hair very thick. His sense of smell is exquisite, more so, perhaps, than that of any 
 other animal ; the internal surface of his nose being very extensive, and excellently calculated to 
 receive the impression of smells. He strikes with his paw as a man strikes with his fist ; but in what- 
 ever pai-ticular he may bear a rude resemblance to the human species, he is only rendered the more 
 deformed by it, nor does it give him the smallest superiority over other animals. 
 
 It is in the winter season that the females generally bring forth their young, which are usually two 
 in number. When she is with young, the she bear is exceedingly fat, sleeping the greater part of her 
 time, and consequently, having very little exercise or motion, must necessarily lose very little by perspi- 
 ration. Before the young leave the womb, the formation is perfect, and if either the foetus of the bear, 
 or the bear when newly born, appear at the first glance unshapely and unformed, it is merely because 
 there is want of proportion in the body and members even of the grown bear, and because, which 
 is well known to be the case in all animals, the foetus, or new-born animal, is always more dispropor- 
 tioned than the grown animal. 
 
 Bears are so numerous in Kamschatka that they are often seen roaming about the plains in gi-eat com- 
 panies, and they would infallibly have long since exterminated all the natives, were they not here much 
 more tame and gentle than the majority of their species are in other parts of the world. In spring 
 they descend in multitudes from the mountains to the mouths of the rivers, for the purpose of catching 
 fish. If there be plenty of this food, they eat nothing but the heads of the fish ; and when at any 
 time they find the fishermens' nets, they dexterously drag them out of the water, and empty them of 
 their contents. 
 
 The bear has been at all times a favourite object of the chase, on account of the many important 
 respects in which he is useful to mankind. It would be difficult, says Mr. Tooke, in his view of the 
 Russian empire, to name a species of animals, with the exception of the sheep, so variously serviceable 
 to man as the bear is, after his death, to the Kamschatdales. Of the skin they make beds, covertures, 
 caps, and gloves, and collars for their sledge-dogs. Those who go upon the ice for the capture of 
 marine animals make their shoe-soles of the same substance, which thus never slip upon the ice. The 
 fat of the bear is held in high estimation as a savoury and wholesome food, and when rendered fluid by 
 heat, it supplies the place of oil. The flesh is esteeined a great delicacy, and a bear ham, even among 
 more i-efined nations, is no despicable bonne Louche for the professed epicure. The intestines, when 
 cleansed and properly sci-aped, are worn by the fair sex as masks to preserve their faces from the effects 
 of the sunbeams, which here being reflected from the snow, are otherwise found to blacken the skin. Of 
 their intestines they also make window panes, which are as clear and transparent as those made of 
 Muscovy glass. Of the shoulder-blades are made sickles for cutting grass, and the head and haunches 
 are hung up by these people, as ornaments and trophies, on the trees around their dwellings.
 
 THE TIGERS, 49 
 
 THE TIGERS, 
 
 IN THE EOYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The tiger is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of quadrupeds : the prevailing colour of die body 
 is a deep tawny or orange yellow ; the face, throat, and lower part of the belly being nearly white; 
 the whole is traversed by numerous black stripes, forming a bold and striking contrast ^vith the ground 
 colour, and which arc smaller on the face and breast than on the other jDarts of the body. The tail is 
 shorter than the body, and is surrounded with black rings, the'number of which is almost invai-iably fif- 
 teen. The average height of the tiger is about three feet, and the length nearly six feet. The size of the 
 animal, according to some authors, is larger, and, according to others, rather smaller than the lion. 
 There, indeed, appear to be two or more distinct animals confounded under the general name of tiger, 
 in the same manner as the panther has been called the leopard, and the cougouar the panther. The 
 true tiger is the largest and most powerful of these animals, and has obtained the appellation of "the 
 royal tiger in testimony of this pre-eminence. This animal is a native of Bengal, the kingdom of Siam, 
 and of Tonquin, of China, Sumatra, in fact, of all the countries of southern Asia, situated beyond the 
 Indus, and extending to the north of China. 
 
 The tiger may be considered as the most ferocious of quadrupeds ; indeed, so sanguinary is his dis- 
 position, that there is no animal, however strong and powerful, that he will not venture to attack. He 
 commits the most lamentable ravages among flocks and hei'ds in the countries where he resides, and 
 neither the sight nor the opposition of man has any power to make him desist. When undisturbed 
 in seizing an animal, he plunges his head into his body, and drinks large draughts of blood, the sources 
 of which are generally exhausted before his thirst is appeased. Dreadful combats sometimes take 
 place between the tiger and the lion, and they are carried on with such fury and obstinacy, that both 
 parties are often found dead together. 
 
 The method of the tiger's seizing his prey is by concealing himself from view, and springing upon 
 it with a horrible roar. His cry in the act of springing on the victim is said to be hideous beyond 
 expression ; and we are told that, like the lion, if he misses his object, he walks away without repeat- 
 ing the attempt. When he can securely attack mankind, he is said to prefer them to any other prey, 
 but he seldom makes an open attack upon any creature that is capable of resistance. The roar of the 
 tiger, which is chiefly heard during the night, begins by intonations and inflections, deep, melancholy, 
 and slow ; presently it becomes more acute, then the animal suddenly exerting himself utters a violent 
 cry, interrupted by long, tremulous sounds, which make a distracting impression upon the mind. 
 
 Near the borders of Tartary, tigers are very frequent, and in so populous an empire as China it 
 would seem impossible for them to have remained till the present day unextirpated. In the northern 
 roads, hundreds of travellers are sometimes seen with lanterns carried before them to secure them from 
 the attacks of these ravenous animals. In some parts of India, tigers are particularly fatal to wood- 
 cutters and labourers about the forests, and they have been known to swim to boats at anchor, at a 
 little distance from the shore, and snatch the men from on board. In Java they are so much dreaded, 
 that when any person of consequence goes out into the country, he has with him men \^ho blow inces- 
 santly a kind of small French horn, the shrill sound of which frightens these creatures away. 
 
 The hunting of tigers is a favourite amusement with some of the eastern jirinces, who go in search 
 of them, attended by considerable bodies of men, well mounted and armed with lances. As soon as
 
 50 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 the animals are roused, they are incessantly attacked on all sides with pikes, arrows, and sabres, and 
 are presently destroyed. This diversion, however, is always attended with danger; for if the tiger feel 
 himself wounded, he seldonis retreats without sacrificing one of the party to his vengeance. There are 
 men, who, covered with a coat of mail, or even armed only with a shield, a poniard, and a short 
 scimitar, will dare to attack these blood-thirsty animals singly, and fight with them life for life, for in 
 combats of this nature there is no other alternative than to vanquish or to fall. 
 
 The tiger, if taken young, may for a short time, at least, and till his ferocity comes with his age, 
 be in some measure domesticated, and rendered mild and playful. A beautiful young tiger, brought 
 in the Pitt, East Indiaman, from China, was so far domesticated as to admit of every kind of fami- 
 liarity from the people on board the ship. It seemed to be quite harmless, and was as playful as a 
 kitten. It frequently slept with the sailors in their hammocks, and would suffer two or three of them 
 to repose their heads on its back as upon a pillow, while it lay stretched out upon the deck. In return 
 for this indulgence, it would, however, now and then steal their meat. Having one day stolen a 
 piece of beef from the carpenter, he followed the animal, took the meat out of his mouth, and beat 
 it severely for the theft, which punishment it suffered with all the patience of a dog. It would fre- 
 quently run out on the bowsprit, climb about the ship like a cat, and perform many other tricks with 
 an agility that was truly astonishing. This animal was taken on board the ship when it was only a 
 month or six weeks old, and arrived in England before it had quite completed its first year. On its 
 arrival it was presented to the King, and was afterwards deposited in the Tower of London. It was even 
 then reckoned to be perfectly good natured, and was in no instance known to be guilty of any savage 
 or mischievous tricks. 
 
 An instance of the extraordinary ferocity of the tiger occurred in the melancholy fate of Mr. Munro, 
 who was killed by a tiger in the East Indies, in the year 1792. " We vvent," says the narrator, " on 
 shore on Sangar Island to shoot deer, of which we saw innumerable tracks, as well as of tigers ; notwith- 
 standing which we continued our diversion till nearly three o'clock, when sitting down by the side of 
 a jungle to refresh ourselves, a roar like thunder was heard, and an immense tiger seized on our unfor- 
 tunate friend, and rushed again into the jungle, dragging him through the thickest bushes and trees, 
 every thing giving way to his monstrous strength : a tigress accompanied his progress. The united 
 agonies of horror, regret, and fear, rushed at once upon us. I fired on the tiger — he seemed agitated ; 
 my companion fired also, and in a few moments after this our unfortunate friend came up to us bathed 
 in blood. Every medical assistance was vain, and he expired in twenty-four hours, having received 
 such deep wounds from the teeth and claws of the animal as rendered his recovery hopeless. A large 
 fire, consisting of ten or twelve whole trees, was blazing by us at the time this accident took 
 place, and ten or more of the natives were with us. We had hardly pushed our boat from that 
 accursed shore, when the tigress made her appearance, almost raging mad, and remained on the sand 
 all the while we continued in sig-ht. 
 
 The tigress, like the lioness, produces four or five young ones at a litter. In a wild state she is always 
 furious, but her rage rises to the utmost extremity when robbed of her offspring. She then braves 
 every danger, and pursues her plunderer with a degree of ferocity which is indescribable. 
 
 We refer our readers to the first part of this work, in which we make mention of the extraordinary 
 union of a tigress and a lion, and of their producing young, which continue to thrive, and in their out- 
 ward appearance seem to bear an equal resemblance to their sire and their dam. 
 
 A htter of young tigers is also at present in this country, in the itinerant collection of Mr. Atkins.
 
 
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 THE ALLIGATOR. , 51 
 
 THE ALLIGATOR, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The animals of the lizard tribe, which have each four legs and a tail, are distinguishable, at first siglit, 
 from other oviparous quadrupeds. They have no sliields like the tortoises, and tliey are all furnished 
 with tails, which are entirely wanting in toads and frogs. Their bodies are cither covered with scales of 
 greater or less rigidity, or with a kind of warts, or tubercles. Some of the species are scarcely more 
 than two inches in length, whilst others exceed even the length of five or six and twenty feet. 
 
 The principal distinction betwixt the alligator and the crocodile is, that the former has its head and 
 part of the neck more smooth than the latter, and that tlie snout is considerably more wide and flat, 
 as well as more rounded at the extremity. The length of the full grown alligator is from seventeen 
 to twenty feet. 
 
 The alligators are natives of the warmer parts of America, but it was by an accidental occurrence 
 that these inhabitants of the New^World obtained their appellation. Had the first navigators seen any 
 object that more resembled their form than a lizard, they would probably have adopted the name by 
 ■which the Indians call them. Cayman, but the Spanish sailors remarking their great resemblance to the 
 lizard, they called the first of them which they saw, Lar/arfo, or Lizard. When our countrymen 
 arrived in America, and heard that name, they called the creature a Lagarfo, wlience was afterwards 
 derived the word Alligato, or Alliyator. 
 
 Alligators deposit their eggs, like the crocodiles and turtles, at two or three different periods of the 
 year, laying from twenty to about twenty-four at each time. It is said that those of Cayenne and 
 Surinam raise a little hillock ;on the bank of the water, and hollowing this out in the middle, amass 
 together a heap of leaves and other vegetable refuse, in which they deposit their eggs. These being 
 also covered with leaves, a fermentation ensues, by the heat of which, in addition to that of the atmo- 
 sphere, the eggs are hatched. The animals generally lay their eggs in the month of April, multitudes 
 of which are, however, destroyed by vultures, and immense numbers of the young animals are devoured 
 as soon as they reach the water, by various species of fish. 
 
 Alligators are often seen floating on the surface of the water, like logs of wood, and are mistaken 
 for such by various animals, which, by this means, they surprise and draw underneath to devour at 
 leisure. They are said also sometimes to form a hole in the bank of a river, below the surface of 
 the water, and there to wait till the fish that are fatigued by the strong current come into the smooth 
 water to rest themselves, when they immediately seize and devour them. But as they are not able to 
 obtain a regular supply of food, from the fear in which they are held by all animals, and the care by 
 which these in general avoid their haunts, they are able to sustain a privation of it for a great length 
 of time. When killed and opened, stones and other hard substances are generally found in their 
 stomach. In many that Mr. Catesby examined there was nothing but mucilage and pieces of wood, 
 some of which weighed seven or eight pounds each. The angles of them were so worn down, that he 
 fancied they must have lain in the stomachs of the animals for several months. Two alligators that Dr. 
 Brickell saw killed in North Carolina, had in their bellies several sorts of snakes, and some pieces of 
 wood, and in one of them was found a stone that weighed about four pounds. 
 
 The voracity of these animals is so great that they sometimes do not spare even mankind. A short 
 
 time before M. Navarette was at the IVIanillas, he was told that as a young woman was washing her 
 
 feet in one of the rivers, an alligator seized and carried her off. Her husband, to whom she had been 
 
 but that morning married, hearing her screams, threw himself headlong into the Avater, and witli a 
 
 14. p
 
 52 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 dagger in his hand pursued the robber. He overtook and fought the animal with such success as to 
 recover his wife, but unfortunately for her brave rescuer, she died before she could be brought to the 
 shore. 
 
 On the other hand, liowever, we are informed by Dampier, that the alligators about the Bay of 
 Campeachy, probably from their having a full supply of food, are by no means so ferocious as they 
 are represented to be in other places. He never knew them attack a man, but he has often seen them 
 run away from the sailors. He has drank out of a pond full of them, where the water was not deep 
 enough even to cover their backs, and the pond itself was so small that he could get no water but by 
 going within two yards of an alligator's nose, the animals lying all the while with their heads towards 
 him. Dampier and some of his men were one day passing through a swamp, two or three feet deep 
 iu water, when they perceived the strong musky scent of an alligator. Presently afterwards he stumbled 
 over cue of these animals, and fell down; he called out loudly to his companions for assistance, but 
 they ran off as fast as their legs could carry them towards the woods. He had no sooner recovered 
 himself than he stumbled over the animal a second and afterwards a third time, but at last he got ofF 
 in safety. This adventure, however, had such an effect upon him, that he never again went through 
 any extensive water whilst he remained in the Bay of Campeachy. 
 
 The voice of these animals is very loud and dreadful, and they have an unpleasant and powerful 
 musky scent. M. Pages says, that near one of the rivers in America, where the alligators were nume- 
 rous, their effluvium was so strong as to impregnate his provisions, and even to give them the nauseous 
 taste of rotten musk. This effluvium proceeds chiefly from four glands, two of which are situated in 
 the groin, near each thigh, and the other two at the breast, one under each fore leg. Dampier informs 
 us, that when his men killed an alligator, tliey generally took out these glands, and after having dried 
 them, wore them in their hats by way of perfume. 
 
 It appears that the alligator, when caught young, may in some measure be domesticated. Dr. 
 Brickell saw one in a large pond before a planter's house. It remained there nearly half a year, during 
 which time it was regularly fed with the entrails of fowls and raw meat. It frequently came into the 
 house, where it would remain for a short time, and then return again to its shelter in the pond. It is 
 Supposed at last to have stolen away to a creek near the plantation, for it was one day missing, and 
 from that time was never afterwards seen. 
 
 When alligators are very numerous, they will sometimes endeavour to get into the canoes or boats 
 that pass their haunts during the night. M. de la Borde of Cayenne, says, he has often seen them 
 attempt to raise themselves against the sides of small boats in that river. He informs us also that the 
 alligators which inhabit the lakes of South America are sometimes left dry, in consequence of the water 
 evaporating. In this case, they subsist by catching birds or land animals, or even live a long time 
 without food. 
 
 The teeth of the alligator are as white as Ivory, and snuff-boxes, chai-gers for guns, and several kinds 
 of toys, are manufactured from them. The flesh of the young animals is said to be white, and 
 tolerably palatable, but that of the old ones, although it is eaten by many of the American tribes, is, 
 fi'om its strong scent, extremely unpleasant to an European palate. 
 
 As Providence seems to have appointed the lion to the dominion of the immense deserts of the 
 Torrid Zone, the eagle to ride as sovereign of the air, and has committed the government of the seas 
 to the whale, so it seems to have appointed tlie crococUle and the alligator to rule over the shores of the 
 immense rivers of tropical climates. Living, as it were, in the confines both of land and water, these 
 enormous animals extend their dominion equally over the inhabitants of both elements. Here they 
 enjoy an absolute rule, and dread none of the common dangers which assault other less powerful 
 animals.
 
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 X"
 
 THE PELECANS. 
 
 THE PELECANS, 
 
 IN THE ROy.\L MENAGERY, TOAVER OF LONDON. 
 
 The Pelecan may be considered as one of the largest of the water-birds, being, when full grown, 
 larger than a swan, and measuring from five to six feet between the extremity of the bill and that of 
 the tail, and from ten to twelve between the tips of the expanded wings. The biU is about sixteea 
 inches long, and the skin between the sides of the lower mandible is very flaccid and dilatable, 
 extending eight or nine inches down the neck ; the skin is bare of feathers, and is capable of 
 containing many quarts of water ; the tongue is so small as scarcely to be distinguisliable ; the 
 sides of the head ai-e naked, and on the back of the head there is a kind of crest. With the exception 
 of the quill-feathers of the wing, whichfare black, slightly streaked with white, the plumage is a very 
 delicate flesh colour, occasionally varied by tinges of a darker hue : the upper mandible is of a duU- 
 yellowin the middle, with a reddish tinge towards the edges. The pouch is of a bright straw-colour. 
 
 The bag, or pouch, in the lower mandible of the bill of the pelecan is one of the most remarkable 
 members that presents itself in the structure of any animal. Although it wrinkles up nearly into the 
 hollow of the chap, and tlie sides to which it is attached are not, when in a quiescent state, above aa 
 inch asunder ; still it may be extended to an amazing capacity, and when the bird has fished with success, 
 its size is almost incredible ; it will contain a man's head with the greatest ease. In fishing, the 
 pelecan fills this bag, but does not immediately swaUow its prey ; having filled its pouch with the 
 spoil, it flies to the land, and there devours it at its leisure. It is not long in digesting its food, for it 
 has generally to fish more than once ia the course of the day. BufFon says, that they exiiibit con- 
 siderable skill in their manoeuvres to catch the finny tribe, as they form themselves into a circular 
 line, and gradually narrowing the extent'of the space inclosed, until they have driven the fishes into so 
 small a compass as to render them a certain prey, then, at a given signal, they all at once plunge 
 into the water, and seize upon their terrified victims. 
 
 At night, when the toils of their fishery are over, these birds, which are lazy and indolent when 
 they have glutted themselves with fish, retire a little way on the shore to take their rest for the night. 
 Their attitude in that state is with tiieir head resting against their breast ; tliey remain almost motion- 
 less till hunger calls them to break off theii- rejDose : thus they pass nearly the whole of their hie in 
 eating and sleeping. 
 
 For what reason the ancients attributed to this stupid bird the admirable qualities and parental 
 afiections for which it was celebrated amongst them, we are wholly at a loss to divine, unless it were 
 that, being struck with the extraordinary figure of tiie bird, they were desirous of supplying it with 
 propensities equally wonderful. For, in fact, the pelecan is one of the most heavy, sluggish, and 
 voracious of all the feathered tribes, and is l)ut ill fitted to take those vast flights, or to make those 
 cautious provisions which have been so fancifully ascribed to it. 
 
 The female feeds her young ones with fish macerated for some time in her pouch ; and it was perhaps 
 the appearance of the bird when in the attitude of feeding, witli the bloody spot on the tip of its bill 
 closely pressed against the delicate plumage of its breast, that gave rise to the fabulous notions which 
 have been circulated about this bird, and by which it has obtained a character which it does not ui 
 reality deserve. 
 
 Labat informs us, that ho caught two pelecans when young, and tied them by the leg to a post stuck 
 into the ground, and he had the pleasure of seeing one of the old ones come for several days to feed
 
 54 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 them, remaining witli them the greater part of the day, and passing the night on the branch of a tree 
 that liung over them*. By this means they all three became so famihar as to suffer themselves to be 
 handled, and the young ones always took the fish that he offered them, stowing it at first in their bag, 
 and then swallowing it at leisure. The pelecan, however, has often been rendered domestic ; and the 
 same writer informs us, that he saw one amongst the Americans so well trained, that it would at com- 
 mand go off in the morning and return before night, having its pouch distended with prey, part of 
 which it was made to disgorge, and the rest it was permitted to retain for its trouble. 
 
 According to the account of Faber, a pelecan was kept in the coiu-t of the Duke of Bavaria above 
 forty years. He says, that it seemed fond of being in the company of mankind, and that when any one 
 sang or played on an instrument it would stand perfectly still, turn its ear to the place, and with its 
 head stretched out, would seem to pay the utmost attention. We are further told, that the Emperor 
 Maximilian had a tame pelecan that lived more than eighty years, and always attended his soldiers 
 when on their marches. 
 
 Notwithstanding, however, the many exaggerated stories that have been related of the extraordinary 
 affection of the pelecan, it is still certain that it exhibits a higher degree of attachment, not only 
 towai'ds its young ones, but also towards its species in general, than any other aquatic bird that 
 we are acquainted with. Clavigoro, in his History of Mexico, says, that sometimes the Americans, in 
 order to procure without trouble a supply of fish, cruelly break the wing of a live pelecan, and after 
 tying the bird to a tree, conceal themselves near the place. The screams of the miserable bird 
 attract other pelecans to the place, which, he assures us, eject a portion of the provisions from their 
 pouches for their imprisoned companion. As soon as the men in their ambush observe this, they rush 
 to the spot, and after leaving a small quantity for the bird, carry off the remainder. 
 
 When the cormorants and the pelecans are together, they are said to have a very singular method of 
 taking fish. They arrange themselves in a large circle, at some distance from land, and the pelecans 
 flap with their extensive wings above the surface, while the cormorants dive beneath. By this means the 
 fish contained in the circle are driven before them towards the land, and as the circle lessens by the 
 birds coming closer together, the fish at last are brought into a small compass, when their pursuers 
 find no difficulty in filling their bellies. In this exercise they are often attended by various species of 
 gulls, which likewise obtain a share of the spoil. 
 
 The pelecan is found in nearly all parts of the globe, but seldom in the North of Europe. The birds 
 which form the subject of our engraving are reported to be from Hungary, and they appear to be 
 perfectly reconciled to their place of confinement. If you present your arm to them they snap at it 
 with their bill, but their gripe is scarcely perceptible. They are allowed daily to take an airing in the 
 court-yard, where they are refreshed by a copious bathing, from which they seem to derive great 
 pleasure. Towards the close of the year 1828, the female laid three eggs, building for herself a very 
 comfortable nest in one of the corners of their cage. Considerable hopes were excited that the eggs 
 would be hatched, as they would then have been the first that had ever been hatched in England, 
 but those hopes were frustrated, although the female never neglected her eggs, not even for the pur- 
 250se of feeding, as she was regularly su])plied during incubation by her partner, who, apparently 
 conscious that another depended on him for support, usually crammed his pouch with a double quan- 
 tity, and then very affectionately proceeded to discharge a certain proportion of it into the throat of 
 his partner. 
 
 The pelecans in the Tower are generally allowed about thirty or forty small fish, generally flounders 
 or dabs, per day. 
 
 * We give this fact as it is stated by Labat, at the same time tliat we eaniiot attach iraphi-it credence to it. Tlie very 
 circurasfance of an a(]uatic bird, web-footed, roosting on a tree, when it might liave been made to stand during the whole 
 of the night by its young, subjects the author to the serious charge of falsification.
 
 THIK lEAGlLE ©F THIE AKBIES. 
 
 zM^u^jy ^^i^ia^i^'.
 
 THE EAGLE OF THE ANDES. 55 
 
 THE EAGLE OF THE ANDES. 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The eagle lias always been considered as the celestial bird, and was regarded by the ancients in their 
 auguries as the messenger of Jupiter. In several points, both physical and moral, he resembles the 
 lion. Both are alike distinguished by their strength, and hence the eagle extends his dominion over 
 the birds, as the lion over tlie quadrupeds. Both disdain the possession of that property which is not 
 the fruit of their own industry, and they reject with contempt the prey which is not procured by their 
 own exertions. The eagle seldom devours the whole of its game ; but, like the lion, leaves the 
 fragments and offals to other animals. Like tlie lion also, ho is solitary, — the inhabitant of a desert, 
 over which he reigns supreme, and excludes all the other birds from his select domain. It is more 
 uncommon perhaps to see two pair of eagles in the same tract of the mountain, than two families of 
 lions in the same part of the forest. They separate from each other at such wide intervals, as to afford 
 ample range for subsistence, and esteem the value and extent of their kingdom to consist in the 
 abundance of the prey with which it is replenished. 
 
 The external appearance of the eagle is powerful and majestic. His bill and claws are crooked 
 and formidable, and his figure corresponds to his instinct. His body is robust ; his legs and wino-s are 
 strong ; his flesh hard ; his bones firm ; his feathers stiff; his attitude bold and erect ; his movements 
 quick ; his fliglit rapid. He can distinguisli objects at an immense distance ; but his sense of smell is 
 inferior to that of the vulture. By means of his exquisite sight, he pursues his prey, and when he has 
 seized it, he checks his flight, and places it upon the ground, to examine its weight, before he carries 
 it off. Though his wings be vigorous, yet, his legs being stiff, it is witli difficulty that he can rise, 
 especially if he be loaded. He bears away geese and cranes with ease, and frequently carries off hares, 
 lambs, and kids. When he attacks fawns and calves, he instantly gluts himself with their blood and 
 flesh, and afterwards transports their mangled carcases to his eyry (so his nest is called), which is quite 
 flat, and not hollow like that of other birds. He commonly places it between two rocks, in a dry 
 inaccessible place. It has been stated by certain naturalists, and particularly by Buffon, that the same 
 nest serves the eagle for the whole course of his life. It is indeed a work laborious enouo-h not to be 
 repeated, and solid enough to last for a considerable time. It is constructed nearly like a floor, with 
 small sticks, five or six inches long, supported at the extremities, and crossed with pliant l)ranches, 
 covered with several layers of rushes and heath. The nest is several feet broad, and so firm, as not 
 only to receive the eagle, the female and young, but to bear the weight of a large quantity of provi- 
 sions. It is not covered above, but is sheltered by the projection of the upper part of tiie rock. In 
 the middle of this structure the female deposits her eggs, which seldom exceed two, and the period of 
 incubation is thirty days. It is, however, a curious characteristic of the bird, that if it lays three eo-o-s, 
 one of them generally proves addle, at least it is a very rare circumstance indeed to find three eao-jets 
 in a nest. By some naturahsts it is pretended, in order to account for the limited number of the 
 young, that the mother destroys the weakest or the most voracious of her infant brood. An excessive 
 scarcity of provisions can alone occasion this unnatural treatment. The parents, not possessino- a 
 sufficiency for their own support, endeavour to reduce the members of their family, and when the 
 joung are able to fly, and in some degree to provide for themselves, they expel them from their natal 
 abode, and never suffer them to return. 
 
 There is a singular property common to all the birds of prey, that the female is stronger and a 
 15 o
 
 i6 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 third larger than the male, exactly the reverse to what presents itself to our view in the quadrupeds, 
 and even in other birds. In fishes and insects the female is, indeed, larger than the male, and this is 
 owing to the immense number of eggs, which swell their bodies, but this reason will not apply in the 
 case of birds. 
 
 All the birds of rapine fly in a lofty course. Their legs and wings are strong; their sight exceed- 
 ingly quick ; their head thick ; their tongue fleshy ; their stomach single and membraneous ; their in- 
 testines narrower and shorter than in other birds ; they prefer the solitary tracts, the desert mountains, 
 and they commonly breed in crags or in the tallest trees. Many species inhabit both continents, and 
 some ajjpear to have no fixed abode. Their generic characters are, that their bill is hooked, and that 
 they have four toes on each foot, all of which are distinctly parted. The eagle's head is covered with 
 feathers, which distinguishes it from the vulture, and both these are again discriminated from the 
 hawks, buzzards, kites, and falcons, by an obvious property, for their bill continues straight to a 
 certain distance before it bends, but in the latter it assumes its ciu-ve at the origin. 
 
 The longevity of the eagle is said to be very great, extending sometimes beyond a century, and 
 then its death is not so much occasioned by extreme age as by the inability to take food, the bill 
 growing so much curved as to become useless. However, it has been observed, that eagles kept in 
 confinement occasionally sharpen their bill, and that its increase is for several years imperceptible. It 
 has also been remarked, that they feed upon every kind of flesh, and even upon that of other eagles. 
 AVhen they cannot procure flesh, they greedily devour bread, serpents, lizards, &c. If they be not 
 supplied regularly with food, they will attack dogs, cats, and even, men who come within their reach. 
 At intervals they pour forth, in an equable strain, their shrill, loud, and lamentable notes. The 
 eagle drinks seldom, and perhaps not at all when in perfect liberty, because the blood of his victims is 
 sufficient to quench his thirst. 
 
 In the state of nature, the eagle never engages in a solitary chase, but when the female is confined 
 to her eggs or her young. This is the season when the return of the birds affords plenty of prey, 
 and he can with ease provide for the sustenance of himself and that of his mate. At other times, they 
 unite their exertions, and they are always seen close together, or at a short distance from each other. 
 The inhabitants of the mountains, who have an opportunity of observing their mancEuvres, pretend 
 that the one beats the bushes, while the other, perched on a tree or rock, watches the escape of the 
 prey. Often they soar beyond the reach of human sight, and, notwithstanding the immense distance, 
 their cry is still heard, and resembles the barking of a small dog. Though a voracious bird, the 
 eagle, especially in captivity and deprived of exercise, can endure for a long time the want of sus- 
 tenance. It is on record, that a common eagle, caught in a fox-trap, passed five whole weeks without 
 the least food, and that it did not appear sensibly weakened till towards the last week. 
 
 Although the eagles in general prefer desert and mountainous tracts, they are seldom found in nar- 
 row peninsulas or in islands of small extent. They inhabit the interior country on both continents, 
 because islands are commonly not so well stocked with animals. It is true that eagles make their 
 incursions into islands, but they never fix their residence there, nor do they ever there lay their eggs» 
 
 The nomenclators reckon fifteen species of the eagle, eleven of which are natives of Europe, one of 
 Africa, one of the East Indies, and two of South America. The subject of the present sketch belongs 
 to the latter, and is chiefly found on the highest range of the Andes. In its plumage it is distin- 
 guished from all the other species, by its wings being of a greyish dusky coloiu", and the remainder of 
 the body white : independently of which it has, on the crown of its head, a tuft of feathers, black 
 and white, which can be raised or depressed at pleasure. The quill feathers are of a deeper colour 
 than the others in the wing, but the outer edges of the feathers are light brown. It is in size not so 
 large as the European eagles, but in its habits and general characteristics no essential difference 
 appears to exist.
 

 
 THE TAPIR. 57 
 
 THE TAPIR, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The tapir belongs to the order Bellufe, of which it forms tlie third genus. It is called by the Por- 
 tuguese anta, by others elan and sits aquaticus, and in the tenth edition of the Linna>an system, it is 
 styled the hippopotamus terreslris. Its generic characters are ten cutting-teeth in both jaws ; the canine 
 ones single and bent ; five broad grinders on each side of both jaws. The fore-feet have four hoofs 
 or toes, whereas the hind-feet have only three ; the tail very short ; the ears erect and oval, bordered 
 with white ; the eyes small ; the nose extending far beyond the lower jaw, slender, and forming, in 
 tlie male, a sort of proboscis capable of being contracted or extended at pleasure. The sides are sul- 
 cated. The nose of the female is destitute of this proboscis, and the jaws are of equal length. This 
 circumstance is however doubted by Sonnini. 
 
 Similar to an overgrown hog, this quadruped is commonly about six feet in length, and three and a 
 half in height. When young, it is spotted with white ; but when old, it is of a brown dusky colour. 
 The hairs in the back are remarkably close, short, and fine ; and those of the mane are black and stiff, 
 and about an inch and a half long. 
 
 It lives in thick woods on the eastern side of South America, from the isthmus of Darien to the river 
 of the Amazons. It sleeps, during the day, in the thickest and darkest forests adjacent to the banks, and 
 goes out in the night-time in search of food. It feeds on vegetables, and is particularly fond of the 
 stalks of the sugar-cane and fruits. If disturbed, it takes to the water; it swims very well, or it sinks 
 below, and, like the hippopotamus, walks on the bottom as on dry ground. 
 
 The tapir is of a very mild nature, and capable of being made very tame. In Guiana it is some- 
 times kept and fed with other domestic beasts in the farm-yard. It feeds itself with its nose, making 
 use of it as the rhinoceros does its upper lip. It knows its master, who brings it its food, and will 
 take any thing that is offered to it. It will often rummage the pockets of strangers with its nose for 
 meat. Its common attitude is sitting on its rump like a hog. Notwithstanding its mild nature, 
 Gumilla says, that, if attacked, it will make a vigorous resistance, and scarcely ever fails to tear off" the 
 skin from the dogs they get hold of. 
 
 The natives of the country where the tapir is common eat its flesh, which by some travellers is 
 represented as very palatable, and by others as scarcely eatable. The Indians shoot it with poisoned 
 arrows, and cut the skin into liucklers. It is very salacious, slow-footed, and sluggish, and makes a 
 kind of hissing noise when attacked. 
 
 Monsieur Bajon, a surgeon at Cayenne, communicated some very good observations on this animal 
 to the French Academy of Sciences. On opening this animal, he sa3'S, the first thing that struck me 
 was that it was a ruminating animal, though the feet and teeth have no analogy with those of other 
 ruminating animals, yet the tapir has three receptacles or stomachs, which are commonly full, and 
 especially the first, which is filled like a balloon. This stomach answers to the first stomach of the ox, 
 but here the cancellated or honeycomb part is not distinct, but the two parts form one cavity. Tlie 
 second or next stomach is the plaited or laminated one, which is also very considerable, and much 
 resembles that of an ox, with this difference, that the laminas or plaits are much smaller, and the coats 
 much thinner. Lastly, the third stomach is the least, and the thinnest, and has only simple rugre in
 
 58 THE "WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 its interior, and it is almost constantly found full of completely-digested aliment. The intestines are 
 not very large, but are very long, and the scybola resemble those of a horse. 
 
 On this subject, Buffon says, I am obliged to contradict a part of this account of Monsieur Bajon, 
 and to affirm tliat the tapir is not a ruminant animal. We had lately here a tapir, which bore its 
 voyage well, and was stationed near Paris, but which happened to die not long after. Of this event 
 I had timely notice, and I requested M. Mertrud to open the animal and examine its structure. This 
 dissection was made in my presence, and instead of three stomachs as described by M. Bajon, we found 
 only one, the size of which was indeed very large, and straitened or contracted in two places, but was 
 still a single viscus, and not consisting of three distinct and separate stomachs as represented in M, 
 Bajon's account. Yet it is not astonishing that he should have fallen into this error, since one of the 
 most celebrated naturalists of Europe, Dr. Tyson, of the Royal Society of London, fell into a similar 
 error in dissecting the Peccari or Tugossu of America. This mistake, however, of Monsieur Bajon 
 does not prevent us from acknowledging that his memoir contains many excellent observations and 
 remarks. The female, he observes, is always smaller than the male, and has a weaker or less piercing 
 voice. One of the females which he dissected was six French feet in length, and appeared to have 
 produced young. Its teats were two in number, and resembled those of the ass. The tapir is far 
 from deserving the name of an amphibious animal, being continually on the surface of tlie ground, 
 near the sides of hills, and in dry places; and if it occasionally frequent marshy ground, it is chiefly 
 in quest of sustenance, and because it finds there a greater quantity of vegetables than in more elevated 
 spots ; but as it daubs itself much during its wanderings in such places, it goes every morning and 
 evening in search of some river or lake, in which it may swim and wash itself. Notwithstanding its 
 clumsy appearance, the tapir swims extremely well, and dives most readily, but cannot continue longer 
 under water than any other terrestrial quadruped, and is obliged every now and then to put out its 
 trunk in order to respire. When pursued by dogs, it runs, if possible, to some river, which it crosses, 
 and thus eludes their pursuit. It does not prey on fish, its only nourishment being vegetables. 
 
 From the above history of the tapir, it will sufficiently appear, that although ranked under a distinct 
 genus, the animal has in some particulars a considerable affinity to the hippopotamus.
 
 
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 THE RACCOON, 59 
 
 THE RACCOON, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The raccoon is a native of the New World, and is prineipall}' an inhabitant of tlie northern parts of 
 that continent. It is also found in some of the West India Islands. Its colour is grey ; the face 
 white ; the eyes each embedded in a large patch of black, which forms a kind of band across the fore- 
 head, and is crossed by a dusky stripe running down the nose. The visage is shaped like that of a 
 fox, and is sometimes known by the name of the Jamaica rat. The forehead is broad, and the snout 
 sharp ; the eyes are large and greenish ; the ears short and slightly rounded ; and the upper jaw is 
 longer than the lower ; the tail, which is covered with bushy hair, tapers to the end, and is annulated 
 with several black bars ; the body is broad ; the back arched ; the limbs rather short ; and the fore- 
 legs shorter than the hinder. The animal is covered with thick and long hair, which has somewhat of 
 an upright growth. The feet are dusky, and have five toes with very sharp claws. 
 
 The colour of the raccoon , which is generally a dark grey, sometimes varies, and has a fulvous or 
 tawny tinge, especially on the lower parts, and Mr. Pennant mentions a variety entirely of a cream 
 colour. 
 
 The length of the animal is two feet from nose to tail, and the tail about one foot. The food of 
 the raccoon, in its wild state, consists chiefly in maize, which it eats while the ears are tender, as well 
 as sugar-canes, various sorts of fruits, as apples, chestnuts, &c. It is also supposed to devour birds 
 and their eggs, and is, therefore, considered an enemy to poultry. It chiefly feeds by night, and by 
 day keeps in its hole, except in dull weather. In winter, and in very bad weather, it keeps 
 altogether within, and is popularly believed to live, like the bear, by sucking its paws. In 
 the domestic state, it evinces much of the restlessness of the monkey tribe, and is very minute 
 in the examination of everything. It has a kind of oblique gait in walking, can climb and leap 
 -with great ease, and is very frequently seen on trees. It is easily tamed, and is frequently kept 
 in houses by the Americans, and will live on bread, milk, fish, eggs, &c. It is particularly delighted 
 ■with sweets of every kind, and has as great a dislike to acids. In eating, it generally sits on its hind 
 legs, and uses its fore-feet in the manner of hands. It has a way of dipping all manner of dry food 
 that is given to it into water before it eats it, as well as of rolling it between its paws for some time. 
 When it kills birds, it proceeds exactly in the manner of a polecat, first biting off the head, and then 
 sucking out the blood. It drinks but little, and is a very clean animal. It is extremely expert in 
 opening oysters, on which, as well as on crabs and various kinds of shell-fish, it frequently feeds in its 
 wild state. It is, when tamed, extremely active and playful, but is of a capricious disposition, and not 
 easily reconciled when offended. When angry, its voice is hke a hoarse bark, and at other times soft 
 and sharp. In its wild state, it generally inhabits the hollows of trees; but, in a domestic state, 
 shews no particular inclination for warmth ; nor is it observed to be desirous of lying on straw or any 
 substance in preference to the bare ground. It sleeps from about midnight till noon, at which 
 time it comes out for food and exercise. According to Linnaus, the raccoon has a wonderful anti- 
 pathy to hog's bristles, and is much disturbed at the sight of a brush. It produces from two to three 
 young at a birth ; this commonly takes place in the month of May. The fur of the raccoon is used 
 by the hatters, and is considered as next in merit to that of the beaver. 
 
 M. Blanquart des Salines had a raccoon, of which he gave the following particulars to M. Bufl!bn. 
 16 R
 
 6D:. the wonders OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 Before it came into his possession, it had always been chained. In this state of captivity it was 
 always very gentle, but exhibited little attachment to any one. The chain of this raccoon was some- 
 times broken, and on such occasions liberty rendered him insolent. He took possession of an apart- 
 ment which he would allow no one to enter, and it was with some difficulty that he could again be 
 reconciled to bondage. When permitted to be loosened from confinement, however, he would express 
 his gratitude by a thousand caressing gambols. But this was by no means the case when he effected 
 his own escape ; lie would then roam about sometimes for three or four days together upon the roofs 
 of the neighbouring houses ; descend during the night into the court -yards, enter the hen-roosts, 
 strangle all the poidtry, and eat only their heads. His chain rendered him more circumspect, but by 
 no means less cruel. When he was in confinement, he employed every artifice to make the fowls grow 
 familiar with him ; he permitted them to partake of his victuals, and it was only after having inspired 
 them with the greatest notions of security that he would occasionally venture to seize one of them and 
 tear it in pieces. Some young cats met with a similar fate. 
 
 He used to open oysters with wonderful dexterity. His sense of touch was exquisite, for in all his 
 operations he seldom used either his nose or his eye. He would pass an oyster under his hind paws, 
 then, without looking at it, search with his fore-paws for the weakest part of it; then sinking his claws, 
 he would separate the shells, and leave not a vestige of the fish. Whatever food he ate, he used (as 
 indeed do the whole species) to soften or rather dilute in water by immersing it in the vessel that 
 contained the water for him to drink. 
 
 He was extremely sensible of ill-treatment. A servant one day gave him several lashes with a whip, 
 and the man could never afterwards accomplish a reconciliation. Neither eggs nor fish, of which he 
 was exceedingly fond, could appease his resentment. At the approach of this servant, he always flew 
 into a rage ; his eyes kindled, he endeavoured to sj)ring at the man, uttered the most dolorous cries, 
 and rejected everything that was presented to him till the man went away. This animal disliked 
 children ; their crying irritated him, and he made every effort to spring upon them. A small dog, of 
 which he was fond, he chastised severely when it barked too loud. 
 
 Briskell, speaking of the partiality of the raccoon for shell-fish, says " that it will watch the opening 
 of the shell, dexterously put in its paw, and tear out the contents ; sometimes, however, the oyster 
 suddenly closes, catches the thief, and detains him till he is drowned by the return of the tide." They 
 feed likewise on crabs, in the taking of which they exhibit much cunning. On this head the above- 
 mentioned traveller relates, " that the raccoon will stand by the side of a swamp, and hang its tail into 
 the water ; that the crabs, mistaking this for food, lay hold of it, and as soon as the beast feels them 
 pinch, he pulls them out with a sudden jerk and devours them." A species of land-crab, found in the 
 holes of the sand in North Carolina, are frequently the food of the raccoon. He catches them by 
 putting one of his fore-paws into the gTound and hauling them out. The Negroes frequently eat 
 the flesh of the raccoon, and are very fond of it.
 
 J*
 
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 M 
 
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 ^^
 
 THE BLACK LEOPARD. ci 
 
 THE BLACK LEOPARD, 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. WOMBWELL. 
 
 In a former part of this work we entered into a description of the common leopard, such as he is 
 represented generally in the menageries of this country : the animal which forms the subject of our 
 present sketch can only be considered as a distinct species, but possessing in every particular the 
 generic character of the African and Indian leopard. 
 
 The black leopard is a very rare animal in this country, and forms a very distinguished ornament of 
 the collection of Mr. Wombwell ; a specimen of the same species was brought to this country by 
 the late Warren Hastings, from Bengal, and was confined for some time in the Tower. 
 
 On the first examination of this animal, it appears rather to belong to the panther species than the 
 leopard, and, in fact, the characteristics are so indecisive, and so confounded, that a positive distinction 
 cannot be laid down. 
 
 As a part of natural history, the nice distinction between the ounce, the panther, and the leopard 
 has generally involved the zoologist in error, and, therefore, it may not be uninteresting to investigate 
 how far the shades of difference exist, and thereby arrive at a positive knowledge of the respective 
 characters of the three species of animals. 
 
 The leopard and its affinities may be considered the inhabitants of the Old Continent, and are known 
 to naturalists by the name of the panther, the ounce, and the leopard. The first species is that 
 which was known amongst the Greeks by the name oi pardalis ; to the ancient Romans by the name 
 oi iMYithera ; and to the modern Latins, by that of leopardus. This animal, when it has attained its 
 full size, is about five or six feet in length from the extremity of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, 
 which in length generally exceeds two feet. 
 
 The second species is the lesser panther of Oppian, to which the ancients gave no particular name, 
 but which modern travellers have designated by the name of ounce, from the corrupted word lynx or 
 lunx. It is much smaller than the panther, its body being only three feet and a half in length. Its 
 hair is longer than that of the panther ; the tail is also longer, being sometimes more than three feet. 
 The ground colour of the ounce is a whitish-grey on the back and on the sides of the body, and of a 
 grey, still more inclining to white on the belly, whereas the back and the sides of the body of the 
 panther are always of a fulvous yellow, of a lighter or deeper shade ; the spots are nearly of the 
 same form, and of the same size as those of the panther. 
 
 The third species, of which the ancients make no mention, is an animal of Senegal, of Guinea, and 
 other countries not discovered by the ancients. It is generally known by the name of leopard, w hich 
 has also been erroneously given to the great panther. It is rather larger than the ounce, but much 
 less than the panther, and for this reason the animal now under our consideration ought more pro- 
 perly to be considered as an once than a leopard. Oppian was acquainted with the two species of the 
 ounce and the panther ; but he styles the ounce a species of panther, resembling each other in the 
 form of their body, and in the variety and disposition of their spots, but differing in the length of 
 their tail. 
 
 The Arabs designate the great panther by the name of Al Nemer, and the lesser one, or the ounce, 
 by that of Al Phet or Al Fhed. The latter name, although somewhat corrupted, may be considered 
 as synonimous with Faadh, by which name the animal is actually known in Barbary. The Faadh,
 
 62 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 says Dr. Shaw, has a great resemblance to tlie leopard (he should have said the panther), as they 
 resemble each other in tlieir spots, but in other respects they are somewhat dissimilar, the skin being 
 of a darker fulvous colour, and of a coarser texture ; nor in their nature are they so ferocious. 
 
 AVe further find in a passage of Albert, and which has been commented upon by Gesner, that the 
 Phet or Fhed of the Arabians, is called, in Italian, and some other European languages, Leanza or 
 Lonza. No doubt therefore can exist that the lesser panther of Oppian, the Phet or Fhed of the 
 Arabians ; the Faadh of the natives of Barbary, and the ounce of the Europeans, is the same animal. 
 There is also a great probabiHty that it is also the Pard or Pardua of the ancients, and the Panthera 
 of Plitiy ; and that subsequently the larger panther was called leopardus, because it was supposed to be 
 a mongrel production which had arisen by a fortuitous intercourse with the lion. 
 
 Anotlier striking difference between the ounce and the panther is the rotundity of its form — the 
 former is generally plump, sleek, and fat ; whilst the latter is bony, meagre, and the texture of the 
 hair is coarse and stiff. The colour of the skin also differs a little in the two animals ; but in this 
 respect, the distinction between the leopard is more striking; the colour of the latter animal is much 
 brighter, the spots are not so deep nor so large, and they are in general so disposed in groupes, as if 
 each of the spots were formed by a union of four others. 
 
 Pliny and many other subsequent writers have affirmed that, in the panther species, the skin of the 
 female is whiter than that of the male ; and this may indeed be true in regard to the ounce, but this 
 difference has not been perceptible in the different panthers which have come under our own obser- 
 vation ; and even if there were some difference between tlie colour of the skin of the male and female 
 panther, as observed by Pliny, it does not follow that such difference is universal, or that it can be 
 considered as an invariable characteristic of the two animals. It must be admitted that darker and 
 lighter shades in the skins of these animals have been frequently observed ; but we believe that this 
 difference results more from the age of the animal, and the peculiar nature of the climate, than from 
 any distinction of the sexes. 
 
 The black leopard resembles the common one in all the habits of life. It lurks in ambush amongst 
 busiies or verdure on the borders of the forest, and springs with a sudden and tremendous leap on 
 such animals as pass by. So prompt, so rapid, and so well timed are his movements, tliat few escape. 
 In vain may the wretched victim seek refuge in the trees ; the leopard, notwithstanding the size and 
 weiglit of his body, still pursues with an agihty whidi seems almost incredible, and then despatched 
 his victim. His thirst for blood is insatiable, and his ferocity is such, that even when subjugated, and 
 in the power of man, he seems rather to be subdued than tamed. 
 
 The mode adopted to destroy the leopard is usually as follows : A bait, consisting of a piece of flesh, 
 is suspended on a tree, in the immediate neighbourhood of which the hunter has previously erected a 
 hut for his own concealment. The smell of the flesh attracts the animal to the spot, and whilst he is 
 in the act of seizing it, the hunter shoots him with an aim so correct as almost always to wound him 
 mortally. On the following day, and not before, he ventures to issue from his hiding place, and by 
 means of a dog trained for the purpose, tracks the animal to his retreat. If he be still alive, the dog 
 inevitably falls a sacrifice to his rage, and his cries give warning to the hunter to retreat from similar 
 danger ; but if he be dead, which most commonly is the case, the man seizes upon his prize unmolested. 
 In Asia the leopard is found in the mountains of Caucasus, from Persia to India, and also in 
 China, wlicre it is called poupe. The Buckharian traders, who often bring their skins to Russia, call 
 them bars. 
 
 In regard to the black leopard, as an individual species, it may be generally said to differ from the 
 common species only in its colour, and even when the dusky hair of the animal now under our consi- 
 deration is turned aside, the hair beneath appears to have a tinge of the fulvous colour of the common 
 leopard.
 
 =3 ;: 
 
 s ---- 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ^
 
 THE RATEL. 63 
 
 THE RATEL, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL JIENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 It is to La Caille, in his voyage to tlic Cape, tliat we are iadebted for the first clear description of 
 the Ratel, which he designates as the Blaircau puant ; and we are also indebted to Sparrman for much 
 accurate information respecting this extraordinary animal. 
 
 In size the ratel nearly approaches tlie badger, and in form it has some remote resemblance to that 
 animal. Tlie whole of the upper surface of the body is remarkably broad and flat, comprehending 
 also the top of tlie liead and the neck ; which, as well as the entire plane of tlie back, and the root of 
 the tail, are of a dull ashen gray, rather white towards the head, and forming a singular contrast with 
 the under parts, 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 hide of the ratel is so thick and tough, that there is scarcely any way of destroying him, but 
 by beating him about the head, or plunging a knife into his body. The shortness of his legs will not 
 permit him to make his escape by flight when pursued by hounds. The hair all over the body, 
 although seemingly smooth, is remarkably stiff" and wiry. Tlie claws on the fore-feet are extremely 
 long, and although not very strongly curved, are of considerable power, being formed for burrowing, 
 an operation which, according to the testimony of all writers, is performed by this animal with 
 uncommon dextcrit3\ It has five toes upon each foot, each of the toes being surmounted by unre- 
 tractile claws, which are slightly arched, and grooved along their under surface. Of these claws the 
 middle three are much longer than the lateral, and the internal one is placed far behind the others. 
 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. 
 
 The ratel is formed by nature to be the adversarj' of bees, and the unwelcome visitor of their habi- 
 tations. In regard to this singular habit of the animal, the authority of Sparrman has been generally 
 received, although subsequent accounts, particularly those received from General Hardwicke, impart 
 to it a character very much resembling the ferocious and disgusting one of the hysena. Still, however, 
 it must be borne in mind, that the ratel of India, and that of central Africa, are distinct species of 
 the viverra genus, and in their habits bear little or no resemblance to each other. Sparrman thus 
 describes the ratel of Africa in its pursuits after the mellifluous stores of the bees : — " Towards sunset 
 he issues from his hole, and immediately commences the execution of his cunning plans, for the 
 destruction of the hives. He places himself before his hole, sitting upright, and holding one of his 
 paws before his eyes, in order to modify the rays of the sun, and at the same time to procure a distinct 
 view of the object of his pursuit. Peering thus on each side of its paw o])posite to the sun, lie knows, 
 when he sees any bees on the wing, that they are proceeding straight to their habitation ; and, conse- 
 quently, he takes care to keep in the same direction, in order to discover their retreat. Should it how- 
 ever happen that the bees, contrary to their usual custom, have established themselves in tiie hollow 
 of some tree, at a considerable distance from the ground, the animal, unable to climb, finds himself 
 foiled in his expectations, and in the first transports of his rage at his disappointment, he wreaks his 
 vengeance upon the tree, by biting the trunk around, and these marks are certain indications to the 
 Hottentots that a bees' nest is to be found there." 
 
 17 s
 
 64 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 In this pursuit the ratel finds a very unerring guide and ally in the Cuciilus indicator, or honey cuckoo, 
 a httle bird, which, it appears, possesses the sagacity to know that both men and beast are partial to 
 the mellifluous stores of the bees. This little interesting bird, conscious of its own incapability to 
 attack a hive by its own individual prowess, very politically takes advantage of the propensity inherent 
 in others, and by a peculiai- and alluring note, invites the ratel, or even the Hottentot himself, to 
 follow it to the spot where the treasure is deposited. Its first aim is to secure the attention of the 
 Hottentot or the animal, when it flies slowly on before them, stopping at times until the pursuer comes 
 up with it ; it then takes another flight, continuing its enticing note, until having arrived at the des- 
 tined spot, it ceases to be heard, and perched on a tree in the vicinity, quietly waits for its share of the 
 plunder, which is the usual reward of its valuable services. 
 
 On this subject a question naturally arises. Is it not probable that the Creator, who seems to have 
 destined the ratel for the destruction of the bees, may have bestowed on it a hide so much tougher 
 than that whicli he has given to other animals of the viverra genus, for the express purpose of defend- 
 ing it from the stings of the bees ? For were the animal not provided with this means of defence, its 
 destruction would be inevitable on the very first attack of an infuriated swarm. The toughness of his 
 liide appears to be his greatest safeguard, for when a hound endeavours to bite him, it can only lay 
 liokl of the hide, which instantly separates from the ratel's body or flesh like a sack. Even when he 
 is laid hold of by the hind part of the neck, and near his head^ the animal can, as it were, turn round 
 in its skin and bite its enemy. It is a remarkable circumstance, that such a number of hounds as 
 would be able collectively to tear in pieces a lion of a moderate size, are sometimes obliged to leave 
 the ratel dead only in appearance. ]\Ir. Barrow states, " that such is the tenacity of life of the ratel, 
 that it is a species of amusement for the farmer to run knives through different parts of the body, 
 without being able for a length of time to deprive it of existence." On the other hand, Major Denham 
 was informed by the natives of central Africa, where the animal is indigenous, that a single blow on 
 the nose is sufficient to destroy it instantaneously ; and in those regions, it is said to possess so great a 
 degree of ferocity, as at certain seasons to venture singly to attack a man. 
 
 In regard to the variety mentioned by General Hardwicke, he says, that he found it in several parts 
 of India, on the high banks bordering the Ganges and the Jumma, 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 the graves have been 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 a few minutes. Its general food is flesh in any state, but birds and 
 living rats appear to be peculiarly acceptable.
 
 ^ 
 
 
 7NS 
 
 \ \ 
 
 32 
 

 
 THE AFRICAN BLOOD-HOUNDS. 65 
 
 THE AFRICAN BLOOD-HOUNDS, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 With the character of the blood-hound, the mind natui-ally associates something of a hif^lily 
 savage and ferocious nature, little inferior to that of the most sanguinary beasts of the Desert. Its 
 ncuteness of scent is so great, tiiat instances are on record of a blood-hoimd following the track of an 
 individual througli a multitude of people, although every means was employed to throw an obstacle 
 in its way. An instance of the above is related by the Hon. Robert Boyle, who says, that in order 
 to make trial whether a young blood-hound was well instructed, a person of quality caused one of 
 his servants to walk to a town four miles distant, and afterwards to a market town three miles 
 further. The dog, without seeing the man he was to pursue, followed him by the scent to the above- 
 mentioned places, and this notwithstanding a great multitude of market-people, who went along the 
 same road, and of travellers, who had occasion to cross it. AVhen tlie blood-hound came to the chief 
 market-town, he passed through the streets without taking notice of any of the people there, nor did 
 he cease his pursuit till he had reached the house where the man whom he sought was concealed. 
 
 Blood-hounds were formerly used in certain districts lying between England and Scotland, that 
 were much infested l)y robbers and murderers, and a tax was laid on the inhabitants for keeping 
 and maintaining a certain number of these animals ; but as the arm of justice is now extended over 
 every part of the country, and there are now no secret recesses where villainy can be concealed, the 
 service of the blood-hound, in this respect, is become no longer necessary. 
 
 Witli our ancestors the blood-hound was an animal of great request, and a.s he was remarkable for 
 the fineness of his scent, he was frequently employed in recovering game that had escaped wounded 
 from the hunter. In barbarous and uncivilized times, when a thief or murderer had fled, this useful 
 creature would trace him througli the thicket and most secret covert, nor would he cease his pursuit 
 till he had taken the felon. For this reason there was a law in Scotland, that whoever denied entrance 
 to one of these dogs in pursuit of stolen goods should be deemed accessary to tlie theft. 
 
 The African blood-hounds, of which there are a leash in the Tower, appear to possess all the 
 characteristics of the English dog, although in their form and make they are more slender, and have a 
 more gauntliko appearance, with a surly and ferocious aspect. They were brought over to this 
 country by that enterprising traveller ]Major Denham, from the interior of Africa, and presented by 
 him to Mr. Cops of the Tower. It is to be regretted that so {ew particulars have been transmitted 
 to us of the natural history of these animals ; for the information given to Mr. Cops is confined to a 
 very few points, and those even cannot be considered as furnishing any positive data on which a 
 correct knowledge of their natural history can be founded. IVIajor Denham admits that their 
 quahfications in the chase, particularly in regard to cunning and sagacity, surpass any dogs with which 
 he was ever acquainted. He has himself made use of them in the hunting of the gazelle, and was 
 astonished at the cunning with which they followed the pursuit, frequently quitting the line of scent 
 for the purpose of cutting off a double, and then recovering it with tlie greatest facility. Like tlie 
 English blood-l\ound, it is not necessary that they should be placed immediately on the scent, for
 
 66 ■ THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 after a lapse of several hours tlieir sense is so acute that they will follow it with the greatest precision, 
 and, on this account, they are frequently used in Africa for the purpose of tracing an enemy to his 
 place of concealment. 
 
 A most extraordinary instance of this occurred in the New Forest, in 1810, on the authority of the 
 late Right Hon. G. H. Rose. A person in getting over a stile into a field near the forest, remarked 
 that there was blood upon it : immediately afterwards he recollected that some deer had been killed, and 
 several sheep stolen in the neighbourhood, and that this might possibly be the blood of one that had 
 been killed on the preceding night. The man went to the nearest lodge to give information, but the 
 keeper being from home he was under the necessity of going to Rhinefield Lodge, which was at a 
 considerable distance. Toomer, the under-keeper, went with him to the place, accompanied by a blood- 
 hound. The dog, when brought to the spot, was laid on the scent, and after following for about a 
 mile the tract which the depredator had taken, he came at last to a heap of furze fagots belonging 
 to the family of a cottager. The woman of the house attempted to drive the dog away, but was 
 prevented, and on the fagots being removed a hole was discovered in the ground, which contained the 
 body of a sheep that had been recently killed, and also a considerable quantity of salted meat. The 
 circumstance which renders this account the more remarkable is, that the dog was not brought to the 
 scent until more than sixteen hours had elapsed after the man had carried away the sheep. 
 
 Mr. Bennett, speaking of these animals, says, " They are in fact, both for symmetry and action, 
 perfect models ; and there are few sportsmen who will not regret that there appears no chance of 
 crossino- our own pointers with this'intercsting breed : a mixed race, combining the qualifications of 
 both, would unquestionably be one of the most valuable acquisitions to our sporting stock." 
 
 Their o-eneric character differs very little from that of the common dog, having six cutting-teeth in 
 the upper jaw, and those at the sides are longer than the intermediate ones, which are lobated. In the 
 under iaw there arc also six cutting-teeth, the lateral ones being also lobated. They have four canine 
 teeth, one on each side, both above and below, with six or seven grinders. 
 
 Various attempts have been made to induce them to breed in this country, by associating with 
 them native dogs of different species, but every attempt has hitherto proved abortive, nor have they 
 evinced any disposition to perpetuate their own race in their present place of confinement. 
 
 They are of a dark sandy colour, with scarcely any intermixture of white, and considering their long 
 confinement, a duration of rather more than three years, they appear in excellent health and condition. 
 In disposition a great difference is manifest between the males and females, the latter being much 
 more surly and ferocious than the former, testifying their dislike at the approach of a stranger by 
 snarhng and barking. 
 
 It is o-enerally supposed that the blood-hounds which are found in the AVest India Islands, and 
 particularly in the island of Cuba, were originally of the same breed as those which are now under 
 our consideration, but being there accHmated, they breed in a state of domestication, and are used by 
 the officers called Chasseurs, whose business it is to traverse the country with their blood-hounds, in 
 pursuit of all persons guilty of murder or other crimes, and no activity on the part of the offenders 
 can enable them to escape.
 
 B2 
 
 7f\ 
 
 1^ 
 
 v.
 
 THE NYL-GHAU, 67 
 
 THE NYL-GHAU, 
 
 IX THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The nyl-gbau is a very remarkalilci animal, uniting in some degree the characters of the antelope 
 and the ox. Its height is about four feet to the top of the shoulder, and it measures nearly the same 
 in length from the base of the neck to the commencement of the tail. Tlie male is of a dark gray 
 colour, and furnished with short blunt horns tliat bend a little forward. It has some white spots on 
 the neck, as well as on the fore-legs, on each side beliind, the slioulder joints, and on each fore-foot. 
 Its ears are large, edged with white, and marked within with two black stripes. A slight black mane 
 runs along the top of the neck, and whicli is continued to some distance down the back, and in the 
 fore part of tlie throat there is a thick tuft of the same colour. The tail is moderately long and 
 tufted at the end. The horns are short, pointed, smooth, and three-cornered at the base. The 
 female resembles the male in general appearance, but is considerably smaller. The female, which is 
 destitute of horns, is of a pale l)rown colour, with two white and three black bars on the fore part of 
 each foot, immediately above the hoofs. 
 
 The first of the species that were brought to England were a male and female, sent from Bombay 
 as a present to Lord Ciive, in 1767. They bred every year, but their offspring were not reared. 
 Two others were afterwards sent over, and were presented to the queen by Mr. Sullivan. 
 
 The manner in which these animals fight is very remarkable, and was particularly observed at 
 Lord CHve's, where two males were put together in a small enclosure. While they were at a con- 
 siderable distance from each other they prepared for the attack by falling down upon tiieir fore knees, 
 and when they came witliin a few yards they made a spring and darted against each other. 
 
 The nyl-ghau is seldom found wild in any of the parts of India within the British Settlements, and 
 such of the animals as have been seen there have been brought from the distant interior parts of the 
 country. Bernier makes mention of them in his travels from Delhi to the I'rovince of Cachcmire. 
 He describes the emperor's amusement of hunting them, and says, that sometimes great numbers of 
 them are killed. In several parts of the East they are considered as royal game, and are only hunted 
 by the princes. 
 
 Although the nyl-ghau be reported to be an exceedingly vicious animal, yet one of them, that was 
 in the possession of the late Dr. Hunter, was quite tame and docile. It was pleased with every kind 
 of familiarity ; always licked the hand which either stroked it or gave it bread, and never once 
 attempted to use its horns offensively. It seemed to have much dependence on the organs of smell, 
 and snuffed keenly and witli considerable noise whenever any person came within sight. It did the 
 same when food or drink was brought to it, and was so easily offended with an uncommon smell, or 
 was so cautious, that it would not taste bread that was offered with a hand which had touched turpen- 
 tine or spirits. 
 
 At the time that the two nyl-ghaus were in the stable. Dr. Hunter observed tliat whenever any one 
 approached them with a hostile appearance, they immediately fell upon their fore-knees, and some- 
 times they would do so when he came before diem, but as they never darted forward, he so httic sup- 
 posed this to be a hostile posture, that he rather considered it to be expressive of a timid or obsequious 
 humility. 
 
 In regard to the genuflexion of the nyl-ghau it is directly the reverse of a hostile attitude, for we 
 18 I
 
 68 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 have ourselves witnessed the feeding of the animals which form the subject of the present sketch, and 
 the pieces of oil cake on which they are fed are no sooner thrown on the ground, than the animals 
 fall on their knees, and rise not until their provender be consumed. In their present state of capti- 
 vity they appear completely tame and docile, and have no indication whatever of a vicious habit. 
 
 The force with which a nyl-ghau can dart against any object may be conceived from the following 
 anecdote that has been related of one of the finest of these animals that has ever been seen in England. 
 •'A labouring man, without knowing that the animal was near hini, and therefore neither meaning to 
 offend, nor suspecting that he was exposed to any danger, came to the outside of the poles of the 
 enclosure in which it was confined. The nyl-ghau, with the swiftness of lightning, darted against the 
 wood- work, and with such violence that he shattered it to pieces, and broke off one of its horns close 
 to the roots. This violence, it is supposed, occasioned his death, for he died not long afterwards." 
 From this it would appear, that at certain seasons the animal is vicious and fierce, however gentle it 
 may be at other times. 
 
 In February, 1820, there was a nyl-ghau in the menagery at Exeter Change. It had been there 
 six years, and was tolerably docile, but in its temper very capricious, and not to be depended on. 
 
 We find no mention of the flesh of the nyl-ghau constituting any part of the food of the natives of 
 the country where it is indigenous ; nor, as far as our researches extend, can we trace any particular 
 use to which the animal has been applied. It appears merely an object of amusement as an animal 
 fitted for the chase ; and the historian of Aurengzebe mentions that that monarch forbade the destruc- 
 tion of the animal throughout his territories, reserving it to himself for the sole amusement of hunting. 
 
 Nyl ghau, in the Persian language, signifies a blue cow or bull.
 
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 ^
 
 THE WHITE OR SILVER LIONS. 69 
 
 THE WHITE OR SILVER LIONS, 
 
 IN MR. CROSS'S MENAGERY, ROYAL MEWS, CHARING-CROSS. 
 
 The lion is the noblest and most formidable animal of the cat tribe. In length it is from six to eight 
 feet, aijd its tail, which is terminated by a tuft of black hair, is in itself about four feet long. The 
 general colour of the body is a pale tawny, inclining to white beneath ; but in the species now under 
 our consideration, the colour is a silvery white, the mane partaking of a fulvous hue, and the tuft at 
 the^termination of the tail a jet black. The claws are retractile, not into sheaths but into the intervals 
 between the toes, by means of a particular articulation of the last joint. The last bone but one by 
 bending itself outward gives place to the last, which is only articulated to it, and to which the claw 
 is fastened so as to bend itself upward and sideways more easily than downward ; from which results, 
 that the bone which is at the end of every toe being almost continually bent upward, the point which 
 rests upon the ground is not the extremity of the toe, but the node of the articulation of the t«o last 
 bones, and thus in walking the claws remain elevated and retracted between the toes, whose last joint 
 bends only downward, because this toe does not naturally rest upon the ground, being considerably 
 smaller thaia the others. The lioness is generally about three-fourths the size of the lion. 
 
 The animals now under our consideration are natives of Senegal, and are a most interesting species 
 of the tribe. In grandeur and nobility they cannot be said to come up to the lion of central Africa, 
 nor of Asia, and in some other of their exterior characteristics they bear a very faint resemblance. 
 The mane of the silver lion is by no means so long or shaggy as that of the common lion ; on the 
 contrary, it is much shorter and more curly ; nor does it surround the head with that profusion which 
 imparts such a dignified appearance to the aspect of the other animal. There is also in its look a 
 degree of greater mildness and placidity, although its tremendous strength impresses the beholder 
 with no very pleasing sense of what his situation would be, were he to be exposed to the ungoverned 
 and formidable power of the animal. 
 
 There seems to be no doubt that in those places where mankind have made the greatest advances 
 towards civilization, the Hon has lost much of his native boldness and ferocity. Experience seems to 
 have taught him, that in cunning and resources he is inferior to man ; and he therefore seldom attacks 
 the human race unless forced to it by the imperious calls of hunger. The lion has often been 
 brought from his native forests into Europe, and he generally appears the principal character in all 
 the metropolitan and itinerant menageries. When taken young, he is capable of being made very 
 gentle and tractable, and when brought *up among domestic animals, he is easily accustomed to live 
 and even to sport occasionally with them. He is gentle and caressing to his master, and if he some- 
 times resumes his natural ferocity, he seldom turns his rage against his benefactors. When led into 
 captivity he discovers symptoms of uneasiness without anger or peevishness ; and in time he as- 
 sumes the habits of gentleness, obeys his master, and sometimes spares the animals that are thrown to 
 him for prey. He has been known to live peaceably with them ; to afford them part of his food, and 
 even to want food himself, rather than«deprive them of that life which he generously had once spared. 
 An instance of this might be adduced in the story of the dog who was put into the cage of a lion 
 in the menagery at the Tower some years ago for food ; the stately animal, however, spared his life, 
 and they lived together for a considerable time in the same den, in the most perfect harmony, and 
 appeared to entertain a great affection for each other. The dog had sometimes the impudence to
 
 70 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 growl at the lion, and even to dispute witli liini the food which was thrown to them ; but the noble 
 animal was never known to chastise the impertinent conduct of his Httle companion, but usually 
 suffered him to eat quietly till he was satisfied, before he began his own repast. 
 
 It is in the interior of Africa that the lion exerts his greatest ravages, and reigns superior amono- 
 the weaker quadrupeds. His habitation is in the thickest parts of the forest, and he is seldom seen 
 by day, but, when night approaches, he quits his retreat, and prowls about till morning. The roarino- 
 of the animal when in quest of prey is generally said to resemble the sound of thunder, and being 
 re-echoed by the rocks and mountains appals the whole race of animals. Frequently, however, he 
 varies his voice into a sort of scream or yell. His strength is so great, that he has been seen to carry 
 off, with apparent ease, a middle-sized ox, or even a buffalo. He usually knocks down his prey with 
 his paw, and seldom bites it till he has given it the mortal blow. His teeth are so strong that he 
 breaks the largest bones with ease, and swallows them with the flesh. He usually conceals himself in 
 a thicket, from which he darts upon his prey, and if he chance to miss his aim, he will not follow, 
 but turns back to the ])lace from which he sprung on it, slowly, and step by step, as it were, 
 measuring the distance between the two points, as if to find out how much too short, or how much 
 beyond the mark he had taken his leap. The quality of his courage, though natural, is exalted or 
 depressed according to the success with which he habitually employs his force. Accustomed to mea- 
 sure his strength by that of other animals which he encoimters, the habit of conquest renders him 
 haughty and intrepid. Wounds irritate, but do not terrify him ; neither is he dismayed at the sight 
 of numbers. A single lion of the desert has been known to attack a whole caravan, and if, after a 
 violent and obstinate engagement, he finds himself weakened, he retreats fighting, and always keeping 
 liis face to the enemy 
 
 The lion is commonly said to devour as much at once as will serve him two or three days, and in 
 confinement he is usually allowed about four pounds' weight of raw flesh for his daily subsistence. 
 His tongue is furnished with reversed prickles, so large and strong as to be capable of lacerating the 
 skin. When he is enraged, or in want of food, he erects and shakes his mane, and beats his tail with 
 considerable violence against his back and sides. In this state, the inhabitants of the Cape assert that 
 it is certain death to any person who happens unfortunately to approach him ; but when his mane and 
 tail are at rest, and the animal is in a placid humour, travellers may, in general, pass near him with- 
 safety. 
 
 The lion is frequently hunted at the Cape of Good Hope for the sake of his skin and flesh; the latter 
 is esteemed by some as excellent food, and is often eaten by the Negroes. The colonists of the Cape 
 hunt him with dogs ; and it is reported that twelve or sixteen are sufficient to overcome one lion. As 
 the lion is less swift than the dogs, the latter easily approach him ; when, from a greatness of soul 
 and a degree of sullen magnanimity, the lion turns round, and waits for the attack, shaking his mane, 
 and roaring with a short and sharp tone, or sits down to face them. The hounds then surround him, 
 and rushing upon him all at once, are thus, by their united efforts, able to subdue or tear him in pieces. 
 
 The lion is said to prefer the flesh of a Hottentot to that of any other animal, and next to the flesh 
 of the Hottentot, that of horses and buffaloes ; but on sheep he seldom deigns to fix his paw.
 
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 THE TORTOISE-SHELL HYAENA, OR HY^NA DOG. 
 
 THE TORTOISE-SHELL HYiENA, OR HYiENA DOG, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL JIENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 Although this animal is, in its form and make and general outuard appearance, vholly dissimilar 
 to the spotted and striped hya3nas, described in a former part of this work, yet in its natural cliarac- 
 teristics it bears the strongest resemblance. It possesses the same ferocity, tlie same untanicable 
 disposition, and in its general habits it is equally brutal and disgusting. It is very seldom that a 
 specimen of this species is to be seen in this country, as from an uncommon degree of cunning, which 
 is one of its distinguisliing traits of character, it seldom allows itself to be trepanned, nor is it in its 
 nature so prolific as the striped or spotted hysena. In its make it is much longer than the common 
 liy.-cna, resembling more the form of a wolf, and in the shape of its head it also bears some resemblance 
 to the latter animal. Its cars are rounded at the extremity, and erect, and the eyes have all the 
 ■wildness and ferocity natural to the species. Its colour is a light fulvous-brown, intermixed with large 
 irregular- shaped patches of a darker hue, resembling the shades of the tortoise-shell, from which cir- 
 cumstance it derives its name. The colour of the nose and muzzle is completely black, and a 
 strong line of the same colour passes from the nose along tlie centre of the forehead to between the 
 ears. The tail is of moderate length, covered with long bushy hair, and divided in the middle by a 
 ring of black, the remaining part being nearly w-hite. There is a peculiarity attached to the colouring 
 of this animal, which is, that it varies in different individuals in the same manner as the tortoise-shell 
 spots of the cat ; no two individuals resemble each other in the size and configuration of the spots, 
 although in disposition and appearance no difference is perceptible. In its generic character it differs 
 very little from the striped hya?na, but its light and agile make indicates that it is more adapted for 
 pursuit than for the slow and prowling habits of the common species. There is something in the 
 aspect of this animal that indicates a peculiar gloominess and malignity of disposition, and its manners 
 correspond with its appeararice. An attempt was made to associate this animal with the other hyaenas 
 in the same menagery, but a war broke out immediately, which would have terminated in the death of 
 one of the combatants. 
 
 In the shape and elevation of its body, the hyaena dog is decidedly distinguished from the com- 
 mon species, its legs being considerably longer and straighter in relation to its size, and the general 
 form and proportions, in regard to the structure of the whole frame, exhibit not the slightest simi- 
 larity. It is entirely destitute of the erect and bristly mane of the hya-na, nor does it carry its head in 
 that crouching, depressed attitude, which distinguishes the other species of the same genus. In some 
 respects, this animal may be said to form a link between the hyana and the dog ; it corresponds com- 
 pletely with the latter in the number of its teeth, and also in the structure of the skeleton, particularly 
 in the vertebra; of the neck. The skeleton of the hysena dog, when put in apposition with that of 
 the hya?na, presents a very slight affinity. 
 
 The hya;na dog is a native of the south of Africa, and on the frontier settlements of the Cape 
 commits great havoc and devastation. We are informed by Mr. Burchell, that it hunts in regular 
 packs, preferring the night, but frequently pursuing its prey even by day. It is not only exceedingly 
 fierce, but also remarkably swift and active, in which latter qualities it is so superior, that none but the 
 fleetest animals can escape from its jnu-suit. Sheep, horses, and oxen, appear to be its favourite game ; 
 on the former it makes its onset openly and without fear, but it seems to stand in awe of the latter, 
 19 u
 
 72 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 and attacks them only by stealth, frequently surprising them ii) their sleep, and biting off the tails of 
 the oxen for which it appears to have a particular fancy, and inflicting such serious injuries upon the 
 horses, especially the young colts, that they rarely survive the attack of the animal. 
 
 The hyaena dog may be said to be domesticated throughout the whole of the interior of Africa. 
 We were informed by Mr. Larnders, the companion of the unfortunate Clapperton, in his attempt to 
 discover the source of the Niger, that tliroughout the whole of their journey the Hyiena was sure to 
 prove a continual source of dread and annoyance to them. Their continual howling during the night, 
 soundino- from every quarter around diem, and proceeding almost from a hundred mouths at a time, 
 was sufficient to strike terror into the stoutest hearts. It was only by means of large fires, kept con- 
 tinually blazing round tlieir bivouac, tliat tliese ferocious brutes could be kept in any kind of awe, and 
 even at times their natural ferocity and boldness appeared to stimulate them to rush past the fires, and 
 flut themselves with the blood of their victims. They have been seen prowling ingroupes round and 
 round the protecting fires, shewing their grinning, snarling, hideous faces, and scratching the ground 
 with their fore-paws, in the wildest ebullitions of rage at the flaming barrier which stood between 
 them and their prey. The habitations of the natives are at night strongly barricadoed against the 
 encroachments of these animals, who, as soon as night sets in, commence their predatory excursions, 
 and appear to think themselves privileged to prowl at )-andoni through the towns, gorging themselves 
 with the off'als and the refuse which the lazy and dirty habits of the natives incline them to leave in 
 the streets. It is on account of the depredations of these animals that the inhabitants, in all cases 
 where the opportunity presents itself, select an island for the burying-place of their dead, for there only 
 are they secure from the rapacity of the liyainas ; and in those situations where an island cannot be 
 found, the natives prefer attaching the corpse to the highest branches of a tree, rather than inhuming 
 it in the earth, althougli the remedy is as bad as the disease, for the body, thus exposed, soon becomes 
 devoured by tlie birds of prey. In some parts, rather than allow the corpse to be torn to pieces by 
 the liyoena, it is thrown into the river, where it is soon eaten by the alligator, but as that creature is, 
 in many parts of Africa, a fetish, it is not by any means considered a misfortune to be devoured by it, 
 
 Mr. Bruce, speaking of this race of animals, says, " These creatures were a general scourge to 
 Abyssinia: in every situation, Ijoth of the city and the field, and they seemed to surpass even the 
 sheep in number. From evening to the dawn of day, the town of Gondar was full of them. Here 
 they souo-ht the different pieces of slaughtered carcasses, which this cruel and unclean people were 
 accustomed to expose in the streets without burial. Many a time in the night, when the king had 
 kept me late in the palace, ongoing across the square from the king's house, I have been apprehensive 
 lest they should bite me in tlie leg. They grunted in great numbers around me, although I was 
 surrounded by several armed men, who seldom passed a night without wounding or slaughtering some 
 of them. One night in Maitsha, being very intent on an observation, I heard something pass behind 
 me towards the bed, but on looking round could perceive nothing. Having finished what I was then 
 about, I went out of my tent, resolving directly to return; this I immediately did, and in so doing 
 perceived two large blue eyes glaring at me in the dark. I called my servant to bring a light, and 
 we found a hy^na standing near the head of the bed, with two or three large bunches of candles in 
 his mouth. To have fired at him would have been at the risk of breaking my quadrant or other 
 furniture, and he seemed, by keeping the candles steadily in liis mouth, to wish at that time for no other 
 prey. As his mouth was full, and he had no claws to tear with, I was not afraid of him, and with a 
 pike struck him as near the heart as I could. It was not until I had done this that he shewed any 
 sio-ns of fierceness, but upon feeling his wound lie dropped the candles, and endeavoured to run up 
 the shaft of the spear to arrive at me, so that I was obliged to draw a pistol from my girdle and shoot 
 him, and nearly at the same time my servant cleft his skull Avith a battle-axe. "
 
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 E NTs
 
 THE URSINE SLOTH, OR SLOTH BEAR. 73 
 
 THE URSINE SLOTH, OR SLOTH BEAR, 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The wliolc tribe of sloths are unjwrallcled in the rest of the animal creation for slowness and inactivity. 
 Only three species have hitherto been discovered, two of which are natives of South America and the 
 third of India. The latter is the ursine sloth, and has been but lately introduced to the knowledge 
 of European naturalists. The animal has at first sight so much of the general aspect of the bear, that 
 it has actually been considered as such by some observers, but it is no otherwise related to the bear 
 than by its size and habit, or mere exterior outline. It is not so large as the bear, and is covered all 
 over, except on the face, or rather the snout, which is bare and whitish, with long, shaggy, black hair, 
 ■which on the neck and back is much longer than on any other parts. On the fore-part of the body 
 the hair points forwards ; on the hinder-part backwards. The eyes are very small : the nose, or snout, 
 is somewhat of an elongated form, totally destitute of hair ; it also appears as if furnished with a sort 
 of transverse joint, or internal cartilage, which in this part admits of a peculiar kind of motion. The 
 ears are rather small, and partly hidden in the long hair of the head. 
 
 The animals belonging to this order have no front teeth in either jaw. The ursine sloth has two 
 canine teeth, of a moderate size, which, unlike the canine teeth of other animals, are obtuse. In the 
 two-toed and the three-toed sloth, there are five grinders on each side. 
 
 The general attitude of this animal is strongly characteristic of its name. It appears to sleep away 
 the greater part of its time, rolled up like a great black ball in one corner of its den, and is only 
 roused by the calls of hunger or the authoritative mandate of the keeper. In the latter case it is 
 frequently a task of difficulty to rouse the sluggard, or to keep him for any length of time in an active 
 state. He returns instantly to his corner, rolls himself up, by putting his snout between his fore-legs, 
 and there remains almost a lifeless lump, until the voice of the keeper again awakens him. 
 
 In the formation of his feet he very much resembles the common bear, particularly in the structure 
 of the claws, by means of which he is enabled to climb trees in search of prey, or to escape the jiursuit 
 of its enemies. 
 
 The colour of the animal is a complete black, with the exception of a whitish streak on each side of 
 the under jaw, and terminating near the chest, as represented in the engraving. It is, however, very 
 seldom that the animal can be brought into such an attitude as to display to the spectator this variation 
 of colour, for when pacing its den, it carries its snout generally close to the ground, like the hog, as if 
 in search of food. 
 
 Of the other species of this tribe, some most singular accounts have been published, particularly by 
 Kircher, who rests his authority on the report of a Provincial of the Jesuits, who had been resident 
 in South America, and who, having at diflferent times had several of these animals in his possession, 
 had tried several experiments with them relative to their nature and properties. The figure of the three- 
 toed sloth is, he says, most extraordinary. The animal is about the size of a cat, has a very ugly coun- 
 tenance, and has its claws extended like fingers. It lives generally on the tops of trees, and if these are 
 at all lofty it sometimes occupies two whole days in crawling up and as many in getting down again. 
 Providence has doubly guarded it against its enemies : first, by giving it such strength in its feet that 
 whatever it seizes it holds with astonishing tenacity : secondly, in having given it such an affecting 
 countenance, that when it looks at any one who might be tempted to do it an injury, it is almost
 
 74 . THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 impossible not to be moved witli compassion : it also sheds tears, and upon the whole persuades one 
 that a creature so defenceless and so abject ought not to be tormented. 
 
 To try an experiment with this animal, the Provincial had one of them brought to the Jesuits' 
 College at Carthagena. He put a long pole under its feet, which it seized very firmly, and would 
 not relinquish its hold. The animal therefore thus voluntarily suspended was placed between two 
 beams, where it remained without food for forty days, tlie eyes being always fixed on those who 
 looked at it, who were so affected that they could not forbear pitying its dejected state. At length 
 being taken down, a dog was let loose on it, which after a while the sloth seized in its paws, and held it 
 till it died of hunger. In ascending a tree this animal, first carelessly, stretches out one of its fore paws, 
 and fixes its claws in the bark of the tree, as high as it can reach, then heavily raises its body, and 
 gradually fixes its other jiaw, thus ascending witli the greatest apparent difficulty. AVhen he has 
 reached the top of the tree, he continues there till he has despoiled it of every thing that can serve 
 him for food, and then to save himself the trouble of a tedious and difficult descent, it is said that he 
 suffers himself to drop from tiie tree upon the ground, being secured from any injury in the fall by 
 his very tough and hairy skin. Here he remains till the imperious calls of hunger again incite him 
 to the arduous task of climbing another tree. 
 
 These animals are always the most active during the night, at which time they utter their plaintive 
 crv, ascending and descending in perfect tune through tlie hexachord, or six successive musical intervals. 
 "When the S])aniards first arrived in America, and heard this unusual noise, they fancied they were 
 near some nation, the people of whicli had been instructed in European music. 
 
 A sloth that was taken by some pei-son who went out in the expedition under Woodes Rogers, was 
 brought on board tlie ship, and put down at the lower part of the mizen-shrouds. It climbed to the 
 mast-head, but occupied two hours in what a monkey would have performed in less tlian half a minute. 
 It proceeded with a slow and deliberate pace, as if all its movements had been directed by machinery. 
 
 The two-toed sloth, although heavy and excessively awkward in its motions, has sufficient activity 
 to ascend into and descend from the loftiest trees several times in the course of a day. Like the last 
 species, he is chiefly alert in the evenings and during the night. 
 
 The Marquess de Montmirail, some years ago, purchased one of these animals at Amsterdam. It 
 had been fed with sea-biscuit, but he was told that as soon as the winter was over, and the verdure 
 began to appear, it would require nothing but leaves. These he ate freely while they were green and 
 tender, but the moment they began to be di'y and shrivelled, or worm-eaten, he refused them. During 
 the three years that the Marquess had him, his common food was bread, apples, roots, and milk ; but 
 he was so heavy and inanimate, that he did not even recognize the hand that fed him. 
 
 In its general appearance, as well as in size, it bears a considerable resemblance to the Tridactylus; 
 it is, however, somewhat more slender in its shape, covered with smoother or less coarse and harsh 
 hair, and, like that species, is of a uniform colour. 
 
 Of the habits of the ursine sloth, in its savage state, few particulars have been obtained ; it is not 
 numerous even in the country where it is indigenous, and its skin is the only object for whicli it is 
 sought after.
 
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 -4 

 
 THE CRESTED CURASSOW. 75 
 
 THE CRESTED CURASSOW, 
 
 ;IN THE ROY.AX MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDOX. 
 
 Considering the great facility with which these birds could be introduced into this country, and the 
 valuable acquisition which they would make to our farm-yards, by furnishing them with a new breed 
 of poultry, possessing all the advantages and merits, and in some respects in a higher degree, of our 
 domestic gallinaceous fowls, it is a matter of surprise that so little attention has been paid to the 
 acclimation of the curassow in this country. They possess all the necessary qualifications for their 
 introduction amongst our gallinaceous fowls, being quite familiar in their habits, and appearing to 
 accustom themselves to a state of comparative confinement with the greatest facility, and without any 
 apparent diminution of their health or cheerfulness. The turkey itself, of which the curassow is a 
 species, was not introduced into England until the reign of Henry VIII., and was as wild in the 
 woods of North America, as the curassow is at present in those of the Southern Continent. It must 
 not, however, be concealed, that the turkey is with us a degenerated bird ; for Josselyn says, that in 
 the wilds of America he has eaten part of a turkey-cock which, after it was plucked, and the entrails 
 were taken out, \veighed thirty pounds; and Lawson, whose authority is unquestionable, saw half a 
 turkey serve eight hungry meii for two meals, and says, that he had seen others which he believed 
 would each weigh forty pounds, and some writers assert that instances have occurred of turkeys 
 weighing sixty pounds. We have alluded to the acclimation of the common turkey, from, 
 some fears which we have heard expressed that the climate of this country would not be congenial to 
 the breeding and rearing of the curassow, and that if the turkey has degenerated, coming from a more 
 northern latitude, it could not be rationally expected ' that the breed of the curassow could for any 
 length of time be maintained in this country, and that it would ultimately so dwindle away, as not to 
 make the rearing of it an object worthy the attention of the private breeder or the farmer. It should, 
 however, be taken into consideration, that the curassow, according to ]\I. Temminck, was once 
 thoroughly acclimated in Holland, where, in a state of domestication, it was as prolific as any others 
 of the gallinaceous tribe. It is much to be regretted, that the establishment at which these birds were 
 bred was broken up by one of those commotions attendant on the French Revolution, and conse- 
 quently the whole labour was lost, which had been expended in reducing them to a state of 
 domestication. We believe it to be the intention of the Zoological Society to attempt the acchmation 
 of this bird, and to introduce it as one of the members of our farm-yards; an event M'hich will be 
 desirable, not only on account of the size and beauty of the bird, but also on account of the delicacy 
 and excellence of the flesh, which, by those who have partaken of it, is said to surpass that of the 
 pheasant or the common turkey. 
 
 The plumage of the crested curassow is of a deep black, with a slight greenish hue on the head, 
 crest, wings, back, and upper part of the tail. It is however remarkable, that this greenish hue j^re- 
 sents itself to the eye only when the bird is viewed from a particular position ; for if that position be 
 changed to the opposite direction, the same parts appear to be a uniform black, and other parts which 
 had the black appearance assume the greenish hue. This singularity is, however, by no means pecu- 
 liar- to the curassow, for it is common with all birds whose colour is black, as in the raven and the 
 20 X
 
 76 , THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 crow, and is therefore to be explained by the principles and properties of light, and not by the actual 
 nature of the plumage. The crest is in length from two to three inches, and maybe said to occupy the 
 ■whole upper surface of the head : it has a curled and velvety appearance, and is capable cf being raised 
 or depressed at pleasure, according as the bird is under the excitement of anger or any other violent 
 affection. There is one habit which distinguishes this bird particularly from the turkey, to which it 
 may be said to approximate in some of its characteristics closer than to any other bird, namely, the 
 formation of its nest. The turkey, like the majority of gallinaceous birds, pays little or no attention 
 to the structure of its nest, laying its eggs indiscriminately in any place, without any previous prepara- 
 tion ; the curassow, on the contrary, builds its nest on the very tallest trees of the forest, and this very 
 circumstance presents a great impediment to the domestication of the bird, as it cannot submit to the 
 process of incubation on the bare ground, or in an artificial coop. The curassow may be classed in the 
 perching order of birds ; indeed, the very structure of its hinder toe, which is very long, and far more 
 robust than that of the common fowl, declares at once the native habit of the bird. 
 
 The bill of the curassow is of moderate length, and of considerable thickness ; the upper mandible 
 is curved and vaulted from the base to the point, and is sometimes surmounted by a protuberance like 
 that of the common turkey. The wings are short, but the tail is rather long, consisting of twelve 
 broad pens. The head is ornamented with a closely tufted crest, composed of long curled feathers, 
 and the legs are about the same size and thickness as those of the common turkey. It must, however, be 
 considered that the majority of these characters are common to the genera Pauxi and Penelope ; but 
 nevertheless, there are certain grounds of distinction between those genera and the curassows ; and 
 these are chiefly founded on the bill and the shape of the nostrils, the nakedness of the throat, and the 
 position of the hinder toe. 
 
 The curassow is a gregarious bird, and in a wild state associates in flocks, consisting sometimes of 
 more than five hundred. In Mexico, Guiana, and Brazil, and, in fact, over a large portion of the 
 southern continent of America, they frequent the great swamps, leaving them at sunrise to repair to 
 the dry woods in search of food. According to Sonnini, the curassow is so extremely common in the 
 woods of Guiana, that he regards it as the most certain resource of the hungry traveller, whose stock 
 of provisions is exhausted, and who has consequently to trust to his own gun for furnishing him with a 
 fresh supply. In their native haunts they appear- to be under no fear or uneasiness from the intru- 
 sion of man ; and even when a number of them have been shot, the'remainder sit quietly perched on 
 the trees, apparently unconscious of the danger that surrounds them. In pro23ortion, however, as 
 their haunts become contiguous to places inhabited by man, they become wilder, and assume aU the 
 characteristics of other birds, which, to avoid tlie pursuit of the hunters, exhibit the utmost mistrust 
 and fear whenever a human step ajjproaches. They lay but once a'year, during the rainy season, and 
 in their prolifiicness cannot be compared to the galUnaceous fowls of this country, as they seldom pro- 
 duce more than from five to eight eggs, which are nearly as lai-ge as those of a turkey, but not speckled, 
 being quite white, like those of the common barn-door fowl. They appear to take some trouble in 
 the formation of their nests, constructing them externally of branches interlaced with the stalks of 
 herbaceous plants, and lining them internally with leaves. They generally select the highest branches, 
 ascending to them from bough to bough, never reaching their nests by the power of their wings : they 
 run swiftly, but fly awkwardly ; and about the month of May they are so exceedingly fat, that they 
 are easily overtaken by the hunter. 
 
 The curassow has not been long enough domesticated in this country to enable us to obtain a 
 correct knowledge of all its habits, and few travellers have transmitted to us any particular account 
 respecting it : little doubt, however, exists tiiat, in course of time, this bird will be considered as a 
 member of the gallinaceous family, and rival the turkey or the pheasant at the tables of the great.
 
 J 1 ■ 
 
 1^
 
 THE CARACAL, OR LYNX. 77 
 
 THE CARACAL, OR LYNX, 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 This animal, now known by tlic name of the Caracal, is indisputably the same as tlic lynx of the 
 ancients, and the change of its name may be attributed to that spirit of reformation which has been 
 latterly displayed in the improvement of our scientific nomenclatures. The Romans gave the name 
 of Lupus cervarius to this animal, from an idea that it was a spurious intermixture of tiie wolf and the 
 hind. The word Lynx is a derivation of the Greek word lugx, from which is also derived the 
 German luchs. The ancients attributed to this animal the most surprising qualities, one of which 
 was, that the acuteness of its vision was so great, that it could see through " a stone wall :" but on this 
 head Gesner says, "I cannot tell Avhether the sight be attributed to the lynxe truely accordino-e to 
 nature, or fabulously in imitation of the poeticall fiction of Lynceus, of whome it was saide in 
 ancient time that hec sawe through stone walles." — It is however sufficient for us to know that there 
 is no animal existing which, from its wonderful powers of sight, is able to discover its prey at so o-reat 
 a distance as the lynx. 
 
 In size the caracal is rather larger than the fox, being about four feet in length, exclusive of the 
 tail, which measures about six inches. The ears, which are long and upright, taper gradually to a 
 fine tip, surmounted by a long pencil of black hairs. The fur is long and thick, and on the upper 
 surface of the body, is of a deep and uniform brown, obscurely marked with small dusky spots. The 
 under and inner parts are nearly white ; the chin and lower lip are completely white, as well as two 
 spots, one on the inner side of and above the eye, and the other beneath its outer angle. The tail is 
 between eight and nine inches long, and is of the same colour as the body from the base to the tip. 
 The whiskers, unlike others of the cat tribe, are very short, and rise not from distinct spots, as in 
 the lion or leopard, but from a series of lines which run parallel on each side of the muzzle. At a 
 small distance from these lines, and in front of the neck on each side, is a short and thick tuft of 
 liffhter coloured hairs. 
 
 The lynx is able to pursue his prey even into the branches of the highest trees. Neither the wild 
 cat, the martin, the ermine, nor even the squirrel can escape him. He also unrelentingly seizes upon 
 and destroys the stag, the roebuck, and the hare. When sheep happen to be folded in the neighbour- 
 hood of his retreat, he will scratch his way through the earth under the doors of the fold, and if not 
 checked by the presence of the shepherd, will commit the most horrible devastations. 
 
 Topsell, speaking of the lynx, says, " In summer time they are very weak, and live amongst the 
 rocks, never straying far from their own lodging, and hurting no man until the autumn. They hunt 
 wild goats, which they follow from rock to rock, leaping as fast or faster than the goats themselves. 
 They hunt also wild cats and hares, and some other little beasts, but the greatest lynxes hunt harts 
 and asses. It is their custom to get up into trees, and there to lie in wait for their prey, until tiiey 
 espy it under the boughs, and then suddenly leap on the back of it, in which they fix their claws so 
 fast that no violence can shake them off, but with the sharpness of their teeth they bite into the skull 
 and eat out the brains, to the utter destruction of the man or beast ; but if the beast be small, they 
 devour the entire body." Gesner says, '' There be a wonderfull secret in their nature, that althouo-h 
 they be long afflicted with hunger, yet Avhen they cate their meate, ii they heare any noise, or any 
 other chaunce cause them to turne about from their meat, out of the sight of it, they foi-gette tlieii
 
 78 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 prey, notwithstanding theyr hunger, and goe to seeke another booty, neuer remembering that which 
 they had before tiiem, nor yet returne backe againe to eate thereof." 
 
 The lynx is at present confined to the warmer climates of the Old World, throughout the 
 whole of Africa, from Egypt and Barbary to the extremity of Caffraria, and in the southern half of 
 Asia, at least as far eastward as the Ganges ; he is generally to be found in the track of the larger 
 and more formidable quadrupeds. It is, however, certain, that the lynx w^as formerly a native of the 
 greater part of Europe. Bonarus mentions having seen them hunted in Muscovy, Lithuania, Poland, 
 Hungary, and Germany. Gesner says, " There are lynxes in divers countries, as in llussia, Germany, 
 Hungary, and even so far northe as Scotland ; so also they are most abundant in Scandunavia, in 
 Swesia ; so also about Hyelsus and Helsyngia ; likewise in all the Regions upon the Alpes, and in Sylva 
 Martia; they are also very plentifule in Aethiopia, in France, and Italy, about the River Padus, and in 
 the Island Carpathus. They are sometimes taken in Germany, in the Dutchy of Wertenberg, and 
 that it was once credibly affirmed one of them leaped downe from a tree uppon a countreyman as he 
 passed under the same tree, but being weary, and having an axe on his necke, he received her on the 
 sharp edge thereof, and so killed her, otherwise she woulde soone haue killed him." 
 
 From the circumstance of the lynx being always found in the track of the lion, it was, for a 
 length of time, the prevailing opinion, that, like the jackal, he was one of the purveyors of the lion, 
 being able, by his delicate sense of smell and piercing vision, more easily to direct him to his prey. 
 This opinion, however, has been refuted by late travellers, who affirm, that the motive of the lynx in 
 following the track of the ion, is no other than to satiate himself with the mangled carcasses which 
 the lion may have left. A singular anecdote is recorded by Olaus Magnus', in regard to the fondness 
 of a lynx for the note of the woodpecker. He says, •' he was once standing before a cage in which was 
 confined a lynx, in the City of Lyons, with the intent of taking a drawing of the animal ; such, 
 however, was the restless disposition of the brute, that he could not retain him a single minute in the 
 same attitude. On a sudden, a countryman came to the spot, having a woodpecker in his basket, 
 and the bird no sooner began to chirp than the animal stood still, and as long as the woodpecker 
 chirped, he remained in the same attitude ; but when the man retired with the bird, the animal 
 resumed his i-estless motion, and in order to finish the portrait, he despatched a messenger after the 
 owner of the bird, and purchased it of him ; as soon as the animal heard the bird, he stood very still 
 until the business was despatched, and the work absolutely perfected." 
 
 The native ferocity of the lynx is so great, that it is impossible either to tame or to subdue him. 
 In a slate of captivity, on the slightest irritation or insult, he expresses his malignity by a kind of 
 snarling scream ; and it is to this very noise that we are inclined to attribute the name of caracal, 
 which has been given to the animal. On this head, the very scientific author of the " Tower Menagery" 
 says, " that it is to the striking character affiarded by its organs, that the animal is indebted for his 
 modern name of Caracal ; corrupted from his Turkish appellation, which equally with that by 
 which he is known in Persia, signifies ' black ear.' " We are, however, inclined to consider the 
 •word caracal as a corruption of the Latin word corcarc, to croak or whine. Thus Solinus, the 
 author of Philomela, says, duin liiixes corcandoframunt, itrsiis fenis uncut, (while the lynx croaketh, 
 the wild bear whineth,) and Arlunus says, corcare vox lupcB ceruarij (to croak is the voice of a 
 lynx.) 
 
 The animal from which our engraving is taken, is a native of India, from the Nepaul territory ; 
 and from the rarity of an Asiatic caracal being brought to this country, a question has arisen, whether 
 the caracal of India, and the lynx of Africa, be the same species. As no immediate opportunity 
 presents itself in this country for comparing the two animals, the subject must be left open to future 
 discussion.
 
 o*,'SP',\H! 
 
 "ItilSl * 
 
 85 

 
 THE CROWNED CRANES. 7» 
 
 THE CROWNED CRANES, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 These beautiful birds form a part of the fourth order of birds, the waders or (jralla of Linnaeus, and 
 are strikingly characterized by the great length of their legs, the lower jiart of whicli is entirely bare 
 of feathers ; a peculiarity which is of essential service to them, by giving them the power of standing 
 for a considerable length of time in tlie water without committing any injury to their plumage, during 
 which period they are on the watch for fish and reptiles, on which tliey chiefly subsist. 
 
 The chai-acters of this tribe are, a long, strong, and sharp-pointed bill ; linear nostrils, and pointed 
 tongue ; toes connected by a membrane as far as the first joint, and the middle claw, in some of the 
 species, pectinated. The head of the crowned crane is ornamented with a crest of long and slender 
 filamentous feathers, capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure; its wings are large and 
 powerful, and its legs are covered with lai-ge scales; the outer and middle toes arc united at the 
 base, and the claws are short, and destitute of denticulations. 
 
 The crowned crane, amongst all the species of its tribe, is remarkable for the grace and variety of 
 its attitudes, and the elegance and lightness of its proportions. The feathers which cover its forehead 
 are of a brilliant black, ending in a short and thick tuft of a velvety appearance ; the filaments of its 
 crest are of a yellowish hue, and terminate in pencils approaching to a jet black ; its bill and legs are 
 also black. The feathers which are long and slender, and which fall down its neck, are black, with a 
 slight tinge of lead colour ; and the broader feathers, which cover the upper and under surface of the 
 body, are of the same colour. The wing-coverts are white ; the primary wing-feathers are black, and 
 the secondary ones of a reddish-brown. 
 
 In its disposition the crowned crane is extremely tame, and no difticulty whatever exists in its 
 domestication. In its present state of comparative confinement, it exhibits no symptoms of fear, but 
 walks about the court-yard with the same confidence as the common domestic fowl. In its height it 
 seldom exceeds four feet. 
 
 The crowned crane belongs to the Ardea genus of tlie gral]a2, according to the Linnean system ; but 
 Mr. Vigors, the truly scientific secretary of the Zoological Society, has attempted to establish another 
 classification, and in his description of the Gardens and Menagery of the Zoological Society, speaking 
 of this genus, he says, " In the methodical arrangements of Ray and Brisson, the storks formed a 
 distinct genus from the herons and the cranes, with which, and with various other less closely-allied 
 groupes, they were united in the Linnean system of classification. Later naturalists have, however, 
 seen the necessity of reverting to the older method, and of again separating those groupes, which form, 
 in the arrangement proposed by Mr. Vigors, two families, distinguished by well-marked cliaracters, 
 and each comprehending several genera of considerable numerical extent. The first of these families 
 is the GraidcB, which comprise the cranes, the trumpeter, and other nearly-related genera, distin- 
 guished by the comparative shortness and obtuseness of theii- bill, and the slight degree of palmation 
 exhibited by their feet, which are smaller in proportion, and consequently better adapted to the 
 terrestrial habits of these birds, as the bill is to their vegetable food. The second is the Ardeidce, 
 ■whose generally pointed bill, and long, slender, and more deeply webbed toes are equally well suited 
 to their aquatic habits, and to the nature of the food, chiefly fish and reptiles, on which they subsist. 
 21 Y
 
 80 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 In the latter family are not only comprehended the storks and the herons, but also the spoonbills, the 
 ibis, and several other groupes, remarkable as well for the singularity of their forms, as for the pecu- 
 liarity of their manners, and the interesting nature of many of the facts connected with this history, 
 both as reo-ards themselves, and with reference to the services which they actually render to mankind." 
 
 The common cranes are seen in numerous flocks in all the northern parts of Europe. They make 
 their nests in marshes, and lay two bluish eggs : they feed on reptiles of all kinds, and on some species 
 of vegetables. While corn is green, they are said to make such havoc in the fields as to ruin the 
 farmers wherever the flocks alight. 
 
 They are migratory, returning northward in the spring, where they generally make choice of the 
 places which they occupied during the preceding season, and in the winter inhabiting the warmer 
 regions of Egypt and India. They fly very high, and arrange themselves in the form of a triangle, 
 the better to cleave the air. When the wind freshens, and threatens to break their ranks, they collect 
 their force into a circle, and they adopt the same disposition when attacked by powerful birds of prey. 
 These migratory voyages are chiefly performed in the night ; but their loud sci'eams betray their course. 
 During these nocturnal expeditions, the leader frequently calls, in order to rally his forces and to 
 point out the track, and the cry is repeated by the flock, each answering, to give notice that it follows 
 and keeps its rank. The flight of the crane is always supported uniformly, though it is marked by 
 different inflections, and these variations have been observed to indicate a change of weather. The 
 cries of these birds during the day forebode rain ; and their noisy and tumultuous screams announce a 
 storm. If in the morning or evening they rise upwards, and fly peacefully in a body, it is a sign of 
 fine weather ; but if they keep low, or alight on the ground, they menace a tempest. The crane 
 seems to have considerable difficulty in commencing its flight. It runs a few paces, opens its wings, 
 mounts a little way, and then having a clear space, it displays its vigorous and rapid pinions. 
 
 When the cranes are assembled on the ground they are said to set guards during the night; and 
 the circumspection of these birds has ever been consecrated in ancient hieroglyphics as a symbol of 
 vioilance. 
 
 o 
 
 Kolben relates that cranes are often observed in large flocks in the marshes about the Cape of Good 
 Hope, He says he never saw a flock of them on the ground which had not some birds placed, 
 apparently as sentinels on watch, while the others were feeding. These sentinels stand on one leg, and 
 at intervals stretch out their necks, as if to observe that all is safe. When notice of danger is given, the 
 whole flock rise on wing and fly away. Kolben goes so far as to assert, that in the night-time each of 
 the watching cranes " holds in its right claw a stone of considerable weight, in order that if overcome 
 by sleep, the falling of the stone may awaken it." 
 
 Cranes are seen in France in the spring and autumn ; but they are for the most part merely 
 passengers. It is on record that they formerly visited the marshes of Lincolnshire and Cambridge- 
 shire in vast flocks, but none have of late been met with there.
 
 
 
 a 
 
 w 
 
 1= 

 
 & 
 
 THE OCELOT. SI 
 
 THE OCELOT. 
 
 IN THE MENAGERY OF MR. CROSS, KING'S JMEWS, CHARING CROSS. 
 
 The Ocelot is, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful of tlie cat tribe, holding an intermediate 
 station betn-een tiie leopard and the domestic cat. It is smaller tiian tlie former, not exceeding, 
 generally, three feet in length, and about one foot and a half in height. The length of its tail is 
 about one foot. In the latter character, however, a very essential difference exists between the ocelot 
 confined in the Tower, and that from which our drawing is taken. In the former, the length of the 
 tail does not exceed six or seven inches, and we are led to believe that its abrupt stumpiness is not the 
 general characteristic of the animal, but that it is purely accidental ; for in the ocelot in the collectiou 
 of Mr. Cross, the tail is full a foot in length, and curls at the end somewhat similar to the tail of the 
 greyhound. 'We heard it, however, remarked by Mr. Cops at the Tower, that it is a very rare 
 circumstance to meet with an ocelot with its tail complete, and therefore many zoologists have been 
 misled on this point, and have been induced to consider the stumpiness of the tall as one of the natural 
 characteristics of the animal. This variation in the appendage of the animal has induced some natu- 
 ralists even to consider it as decisive of a distinct species, especially as the markings are also different ; 
 but we cannot coincide in that opinion, as the other generic characters of the two animals are in perfect 
 correspondence. 
 
 The ground colour of the fur is gray, mingled with a slight tinge of fawn ; this is beautifully 
 marked with a number of longitudinal bands, the dorsal one being entirely black and uninterrupted ; 
 and the lateral ones, amounting to seven or eight on each side, compose a series of elongated spots, 
 the margins of which are perfectly black, and the central parts of a deeper fawn than the general 
 ground. These margins of black become black lines and spots on the neck and head and on the outer 
 sides of the limbs. From the top of the head towards the shoulders there pass several diverging black 
 bands, between which there is a single longitudinal, though somewhat interrupted narrow black line, 
 occupying the centre of the neck above. The under parts of the body are whitish, spotted with black, 
 and the tail, which is of the same ground colour as the body, is also covered with black spots. The 
 ears are short and rounded, the external margin being black, surrounding a large central whitish spot. 
 
 The ocelot is a native of South America, inhabiting the deep forests of Mexico, Peru, and 
 Paraguay. The animal in the Tower was presented to the King by the late Sir Ralph Woodford, 
 Governor of Trinidad, under the name of the Peruvian tiger, from which the conclusion may be 
 drawn, that it is a native of that country. The masculine gender of this animal is strongly depic- 
 tured in the round, chubby shape of the head, exactly corresponding with the same characteristic in 
 the male cat ; on the other hand, the specimen in the collection of Mr. Cross being a female, possesses 
 the milder traits incidental to the sex. 
 
 The native habits of the ocelot resemble those of the greater portion of its tribe, remaining durino- 
 the day-time closely secluded in the depths of the forests, and prowling forth at night in search of its 
 prey. There is, however, one trait in this animal which distinguishes it in general from some other 
 species of the cat tribe, and which brings it into closer relation with the common domestic cat, which 
 is, the astonishing agility with which it ascends the trees in pursuit of the birds, following them to 
 their very nests, and devouring them on the spot with the feathers on. We have the authority of 
 D'Azara for the latter coincidence, although it is in contradiction with the general habit of the animal
 
 82 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 
 
 in a state of captivity, for if a ',bird be given to it, it does not devour the whole of the feathers, but 
 proceeds in a very systematic manner to pluck it, always commencing its meal with the head, to which, 
 it appears particularly partial. The smaller quadrupeds, such as hares and rabbits, are also the object 
 of its pursuit ; indeed, in a state of confinement, it is sometimes fed on the latter. The ocelot, how- 
 ever, does not devour its food with the same rapacity which characterizes the other species of the ca 
 tribe, nor in its appetite is it so insatiable. 
 
 The task of taming this animal would perhaps not be one of great difficulty, for D'Azara speaks of 
 one which was so completely domesticated, as to be allowed to range whithersoever it jileased, 
 evincing a strong attachment to its master, and never attempting to make its escape. In confinement, 
 it is a most restless animal, continually pacing its cage backwards and forwards, which renders it an 
 arduous task for the artist to obtain a correct outline of its form, for, unless in a state of sleep, it is 
 scarcely ever two minutes in the same attitude. 
 
 The ocelot, according to D'Azara, is so common in Paraguay, that, within two miles of the town of 
 St. Ignatius, eighteen were caught in two years ; yet, notwithstanding this apparent abundance, it is 
 very little known, because the dogs are very seldom able to find it, or to penetrate to its retreats. It 
 passes the day in the most impenetrable recesses, and emerges from its retreat in dark and tempestuous 
 nights, penetrating into the very courts and yards without the dogs perceiving it. On moonlight 
 nights it does not frequent inhabited places, nor is it at that time ever caught in the snares which are 
 laid for it. It is in vain to attempt to shoot it, because its sense of smell is so very acute, that it 
 scents the hunter at a considerable distance, and immediately betakes itself to flight before the hunter 
 can well obtain a sight of it. It has seldom or never been known to attack a man, although in defence 
 of its young it possesses all the ferocity characteristic of the larger species of its tribe. It brings 
 forth two at a time, and the breeding season generally commences about October ; and it appears that 
 every family of the ocelot has its separate district, as it happens that a male and female are always 
 caught ill the same place. They defend any encroachment ujion their territory with the most deter- 
 mined ferocity, the male and female fighting promiscuously, and death is very often the consequence 
 of these conflicts. 
 
 It has been observed, particularly by those who have watched the habits of this animal in a state of 
 captivity, that it does not possess the cleanliness belonging to the cat tribe, as it appears that it always 
 manifests a disposition to void its excrements in the vessel in which the water for its daily beverage is 
 placed. This, however, is not observable in either of the animals confined in the Tower, or in the 
 Menagery of Mr. Cross ; on the contrary, their habits exhibit no other indications of uncleanliness, 
 than what must naturally be the result of their state of captivity. 
 
 The power which the ocelot possesses of ascending trees is very remarkable. It is stated by 
 M. Sonnini, that lie has seen marks of the claws of the ocelot in the smooth bark of a tree, which was 
 between forty and fifty feet in height, and which had not a single branch except at the top. He says 
 that it was easy to remark the effbrts which the animal had made ; although he had pierced through the 
 bark deeply into the wood, he had evidently slipped more than once, but he had surmounted every 
 difficulty, and attracted no doubt by some prey peculiarly alluring, had attained the summit.
 
 ?'i>l 
 
 
 iO|v 
 
 ^j^ i- -*« 
 
 to*^c-^x5' 
 
 THE GJmOES STAG. 
 
 -^yof^-i^. Uff^ar"!^ <^' '
 
 THE GANGES STAG. - 83 
 
 THE GANGES STAG. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL DARNLEY, COBHAM HALL, KENT. 
 
 The deer are in general an active tribe, iniiabiting principally "ild and woody regions, and are to be 
 
 found not only in almost all the temperate, but also tlie torrid climates of the world. The stag, of 
 
 which our drawing is a correct likeness, was bred in France, and sent over to this country as a 
 
 present to Lord Uarnley. It is supposed to iiave been originally of an Indian breed, as its name 
 
 implies ; others assert that the epithet of Ganges is applied to it on account of its extraordinary size 
 
 when compared with that of the common stag. Its general characteristics are long, cylindrical, 
 
 ramified horns, inclining rather backwards, and slender shai'p-brow antlers. The colour of the animal 
 
 is generally a reddish l)rown, with some black about the face, and a black list down the hind part 
 
 of the neck and below the shoulders. The hinder haunches are beautifully spotted like the roebuck, 
 
 to which animal it bears a general resemblance. This stag appears to have a fine eye, an acute smell, 
 
 and an excellent ear. He is a simple, and yet a curious and crafty animal. AVhen hissed or called to 
 
 at a distance, he stops short and looks steadfastly, and with a kind of admiration, at the objects which 
 
 present themselves, and if they have neither arms nor dogs, he moves on unconcernedly and without 
 
 flying. In general he is less afraid of men than of dogs, and is never suspicious, nor uses any arts of 
 
 concealment, but in proportion to the disturbances he has received. He eats slowly, and is rather dainty 
 
 in his aliment; after his stomach is full, he lies down and ruminates at leisure, but which appears to 
 
 be performed with less facility than by the ox. It is only by violent shakes or hiccups that the stag can 
 
 make his food rise from his first stomach, owing to the length and direction of the passage through 
 
 which the aliment passes. The neck of the ox is short and straight, but that of the stag is long and 
 
 arched, and therefore greater efforts are necessary to raise the food. These efforts are made by a kind 
 
 of hiccup, the movement of which is apparent, and continues during the time of rumination. Tiie 
 
 stag, during the rutting season, bellows in a frightful manner; he is then so transported that nothing 
 
 disturbs nor terrifies him ; he is, therefore, easily surprised. Being loaded with fat, he cannot keep 
 
 long before the dogs; but he is dangerous when at bay, and attacks the dogs with the greatest fury. 
 
 There is scarcely a country in which some species of the deer are not to be found, from the rein- 
 deer of the Laplander to the more beautiful but less useful stag of Ceylon. In the latter country 
 the method of hunting the stag is very particular. The huntsmen go out in the night, and only two 
 usually go together, one of whom carries upon his head an earthen vessel, in which there is some fire 
 burning and flaming; the ingredients are generally small sticks cut into pieces and common resin. Of 
 this the other man carries a supply about him to replenish the ]iot when the fire grows low. The person 
 who has the fire ujion his head, carries in one hand a staff, on which there are fixed eight bells, and the 
 larger these are the better. The man goes first into the woods, and the other foUovvs closely behind 
 with a spear in his hand. As soon as the stag hears the noise of the bells, he turns towards the place 
 whence the sound comes, and seeing the fire, he eagerly runs up to it, and stands gazing at a small 
 distance ; the second man has then nothing to do but to kill him with the spear. Not only deer, but 
 even elks and hares are thus taken, for they gaze at the fire and never see the men. The profits of 
 this sort of hunting are very large and the danger trifling; for although the woods abound with tigers, 
 elephants, and wild-boars, the huntsmen are in no danger from them while the fire burns for they all 
 run away from it. 
 
 22 z
 
 84 ■ THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 The stao- may be considei'ed as one of those innocent and peaceable anhnals that seem destined to 
 embellisli the forest and animate tlie sohtudes of nature. The elegance of his form, the lightness of 
 his motions, the strength of his limbs, and the branching horns with which he is decorated, conspire 
 to give him a hiwh rank among quadrupeds, and to render him worthy of the admiration of mankind. 
 It varies both in size and colour in different countries ; but in North America it occasionally arrives at 
 a laro-er size than on the old continent, with perhaps the exception of Siberia, where it is found of 
 gio-antic mao-nitude. Stags, in general, cast or shed their horns sooner or later in the month of March, 
 in proportion to their ages. At the end of June they are full-grown, and the animal rubs them 
 strono-ly against the boughs of the trees, or any other convenient object, in order to free them from 
 the skin, which is now become useless, and by the beginning of August they assume the full strength 
 and consistence, which they retain throughout the remainder of the year. The hinds go with young 
 eio-ht months and a few days, and seldom produce more than one fawn, which they bring forth in 
 May or the beo-inning of June. In winter the stags and hinds of all ages keep together in flocks, 
 which are almost more numerous in proportion to the rigour of the season. They separate in spring ; 
 the hinds retire to bring forth, and during this period, the flocks consist only of knobbers, that is, the 
 fawns of about six months old, and young stags. In general the stags are inclined to associate, and 
 nothino- but fear or necessity obliges them to disperse. The life of the stag is spent in alternate plenty 
 and want, vigour and debility, health and sickness, without having any change introduced into his con- 
 stitution by these opposite extremes. He lives as long as other animals which are not subjected to such 
 vicissitudes. As he grows five or six years, he lives seven times that number, or from thirty-five to 
 forty years. The reports which have been promulgated concerning the longevity of the stag merit 
 no credit. Virgil, for instance, in the following lines, gives the stag the enormous age of 2112 
 
 Terbinis deciesque super exit in annos 
 Justa senescentiim qiios implet vita virorum 
 Hos nonies superat vivendo garrula comix, 
 Et quater egreditur cornicis secula cervus 
 Alipedum cerviim ter viiitit corniis ; at illvim, 
 Multiplicat novies phoenix reparabilis ales ; 
 
 which may be anglicised, — that the raven liveth nine times the age of man ; the stag liveth four 
 times the age of the raven ; the crow three times that of the stag ; and the phoenix nine times the age 
 of the crow; making the age of the ^^hoenix to be 57,524. 
 
 In England the stag is become less common than formerly ; its excessive viciousness during the 
 rutting season, and the badness of its flesh, induce most people to part with the species. In the 
 Highlands of Scotland stags are still found ranging over the vast hills of the north. Formerly the 
 chieftains used to hunt them with the magnificence of eastern monaixhs, assembling four or five 
 thousand of their clan, who drove the deer into the toils, or to the stations in which the lairds had 
 placed themselves ; but as this pretence was frequently used to collect their vassals for rebellious 
 purposes, an act was passed prohibiting any assemblies of that nature. Stags are likewise met with 
 on the moors that border on Cornwall and Devonshire, and in Ireland on the mountains of Kerry, 
 where they add greatly to the magnificence of the romantic scenery of the lake of Killarney. The 
 stags of Ireland, during its uncultivated state, and while it remained an almost boundless tract of 
 forest, had an exact agreement, in habit, with those that i-ange at present through the wilds of America, 
 They were less in body, but very fat, and their horns of a size far superior to those of Europe, but 
 in all respects similar in form.
 
 THJE, COmnxOJRS MiLMOJR. OJB ASH rOJ.OUJKXJS T^JLTTUKJES. 
 
 •A:7„V/V/x ,yi'(^'//.''''b'/vuiJl^fa/-yfU'i-' y,'.TJ>^ ■ 
 
 London I\itilished ty Thomas Tlxi^y. Jatemosler Hew. TobT 1.38.10
 
 THE CONDUR MINOR, OR ASH-COLOURED VULTURE. « 
 
 THE CONDUR MINOR, OR ASH-COLOURED VULTURE. 
 
 IN THE MENAGERY OF SIR. CROSS, KING'S MEM'S, CHARING CROSS. 
 
 In its generic characters tliis bird differs very little from the griffon vuhure described page 25 of this 
 ■work. It liowcver differs from it in colour, it being of a uniform grey without any intermixture of 
 black, by which some other species of the vulture tribe are distinguished. In size it approaciies very 
 near to the Liimmergeyer of the Alps, though inferior to that of the condur of the Andes. Its length 
 is about four feet and a half, and its height rather more than two feet. Tiie liead is small, and like 
 that of the griffon-vulture, and indeed of tlie majority of the vulture tribe, is denuded of feathers, 
 presenting a whitish downy appearance, the object of which provision appears to be, to enable it to 
 bury as it were its head in the carrion on which it feeds, without exposing its plumage to be soiled by 
 the filth which it might otherwise contract. The eyes are large and black ; the beak is black and 
 hooked, having its base covered with a yellow cere ; and the talons are large and extended. 
 
 This bird like all the vulture tribe is disgusting in its habits of feeding on offal and dead animals, 
 and gorging itself with putrid carrion and other tainted flesh. Tiie sloth, the filth, and the voracity 
 of these birds almost exceed credibility. "Whenever they alight on a carcass, that they can have 
 liberty to tear at their ease, they goi-ge themselves in such a manner, that they become unable to fly, 
 and, even if pursued, can only hop along. At all times they are birds of slow flight, and are unable 
 readily to raise themselves from the ground, and when over-gorged, they are utterly iielpless. On 
 the pressure of danger, however, they have the power of ridding themselves of their burden, by 
 vomiting up what they have eaten, and then they fly off with greater facility. 
 
 The peculiarities of habit by which the vultures are distinguished not only from the eagles, but 
 even from the smallest of the falcon tribe, are the immediate consequence of their organization. Their 
 beak, in their curvature, may be said to bear a strong resemblance to that of the eagles, and in other 
 respects they possess many of the technical characters of the rapacious orders. But in one particular the 
 Tiilture and the eagle differ essentially : the former satiates itself with its prey on the spot where it is 
 found ; whereas the latter is enabled, by the superior length and strength of its talons, to transport its 
 prey through the air, and to consume it without fear of molestation in its mountain eyry. In the 
 eagle it is the acuteness of its vision that enables it to discern the objects of its rapacity when hoverlno- 
 at an uncommon height above it; whereas in the vulture it is the acute sensibility of its nostril which 
 directs it to its prey. One of the external characters which distinguish the eagle from the vulture, is 
 the want of plumage on the head and neck, which in the majority of the latter species are covered 
 with a kind of short down or smooth hairs ; the eagle having those parts completely covered with 
 feathers. The attitude of the vulture also presents a striking contrast with that of the eagle : the 
 former is always seen bending forwards in a crouching position ; whereas the latter always maintains 
 a bold and upright posture. 
 
 The vultures are exceedingly numerous in the vicinitj' of the Pyramids, and numerous flocks of 
 them are also found in Cairo. Every morning and evening they assemble with the kites in the square 
 below the castle, in order to receive the alms of fresh meat that have been left to them by the legacies 
 of various wealthy men. By the ancient Egyptians, these birds were esteemed sacred ; and Herodotus 
 informs us, that it was considered a capital crime to put one of them to death. 
 
 Notwithstanding the filthy habits of these birds, the inhabitants of the countries where they abound
 
 86 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 cannot be too thankful to Providence for supplying them -with these active scavengers to cleanse their 
 towns and villages of the filth and putridity which otherwise, under a burning sun, would fill tlie atmo- 
 sphere with the most noxious exhalations. In Palestine they are of infinite service in destroying the 
 vast multitude of rats and mice which breed in the fields, and which without their assistance would 
 devour the whole fruits of the ground. They also frequent the deserts, and there devour the bodies 
 of men and animals which perish in those desolate regions. They every year follow the caravan from 
 Egypt to Mecca in order to feast upon the flesh of slaughtered beasts, and the carcasses of the camels 
 which die on the journey. So little are these birds alarmed by the presence of mankind, that thcy 
 will not even quit the places which they haunt even when fired at with guns, but after a short flight 
 they immediately return. If one of them be killed, the rest surround and devour it. 
 
 They frequent all tiic country in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, and are so familiar, that 
 they often descend in great numbers near the entrance to the shambles of Cape Town, and there 
 devour the heads, entrails, and other offiil of the animals slaughtered for the market. On the sea- 
 shores they are also very abundant, voraciously devouring all such animal substances as have been 
 thrown upon the coast by the tides. They subsist likewise on crabs, tortoises, shell-fish and even 
 locusts. Ravenous, however, as these birds usually are, they are capable of existing for a great length 
 of time without food. In the deserts their subsistence is sometimes very precarious. M. le Vaillant 
 states that in the crop of some that he had killed, he found nothing but pieces of bark, or a small 
 quantity of clay; in the crop of others he found only bones; and again in others the dung of 
 animals. When urged by hunger, they are frequently known to devour their own species. Kolben 
 says, it often happens that an ox returning home alone to its stall from the j^lough, lies down by the 
 way ; it is then, if the vultures perceive it, that they fall upon it with fury, and inevitably devour the 
 unfortunate animal. They sometimes attempt the oxen in the fields, and to the number of a hundred 
 or more make the sudden attack altogether. 
 
 Tile bodies of the vultures in general are extremely offensive to the smell, and they perch at night 
 on rocks or trees with their \\ings partly extended, apparently to purify themselves. They soar some- 
 times to a vast height, and have in the air the sailing motions of the kite. Carrion and filth of almost 
 every de-scription are their favourite food, and from the acuteness of their scent, they can distinguish 
 prey at an immense distance. They will even eat snakes, and sometimes .seize on live lambs. When 
 a dead body of any considerable size is thrown out, they may be observed coming from all quarters, 
 each wheeling about in gradual descent till he reaches the ground. They are not easily driven from 
 their prey, but when in tlie act of devouring it, they will suffer persons to approach very near them. 
 
 The condur of South America forms the typo of a genus, a second species of which is the vulture 
 papa of Linnseus, the king of the vultures of British writers. It has been observed, says Mr. Vigors, 
 throughout the whole range of that immense chain of mountains which traverses the continent of South 
 America, from the Straits of Magellan to the seventh degree of north latitude. It appears, however, 
 to be much more common in Peru and Chili than in any other part of the chain; and is most fre- 
 quently met with, at an elevation of from ten to fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea.
 
 
 .5S 
 
 
 T. 
 
 ^ 
 
 li M
 
 THE PANTHER. 87 
 
 THE PANTHER. 
 
 IN THE MENAGERY OF MR. CROSS, ROYAL MEWS, CHARING CROSS. 
 
 It is a very difficult point to determine whether the leopard and the panther be, in reality, distinct 
 species, their generic characters being so exactly similar, and the only existing difference appearino- 
 to be in the greater or less degree of ferocity which the two animals exhibit, and, in some instances, 
 the greater degree of magnitude, the panther being in general larger than the leopard. Gesner, s^jeaking 
 of the panther, says, " It is the name of the greater pardall, and the leopard of the lesser, which the 
 Arabians call alnemer and alfhead. Alncmer is bigger than a linx, but like a leopard, having greater 
 and sharper nailes and feete, blacke and terrible eies, and therefore stronger, fiercer, and bolder than 
 the leoparde, for it setteth vppon men and destroyeth them." Oppianus describes both kinds in the 
 following manner : " There are two kinds of pardals, a greater and a lesser : the greater (that is, the 
 panther) are broader backt, and bigger in quantity ; the lesser (that is, the leopard) being lesse in 
 quantity, but not inferior in strength. Both of them have the same shape and colour of body, except 
 in their taile, for the greater pardall hath the lesser taile, and the lesser the greater : either of them 
 have solid and sound thighs, a very long body, bright seeing eies, the aj pies whereof do glisten under 
 their eyelids, which are gray and red within, like to burning coales ; their teeth pale and venomous ; 
 their skin of diuers colours, yet bright and pleasant, the spots standing like so many black eies upon 
 it." In later times, Linnteus, not perceiving any grounds of distinction between the two animals, 
 referred both names to the same one, and Buffon added a third, that of the ounce, and increased the 
 confusion by describing, as the panther of the ancients, an animal of the old continent, the iao-uar, 
 which is now known to be peculiar to the new. It is, however, remarkable that later naturalists, 
 especially Temminck, have fixed upon the comparative length of the tail, as observed above by 
 Oppianus, as affording the only certain means of discrimination. 
 
 The length of the panther is usually more than six feet, exclusive of the tail, which is about three 
 feet long. The colour of the upper parts of the body is bright fawny yellow, with numerous black, 
 roundish, or somewhat annular marks, several of which have in the centre of each a black spot. The 
 under parts of the body are white. 
 
 In nearly all its habits of life the panther resembles the tiger. Like that ferocious beast, it lurks in 
 ambush amongst bushes or verdure, on the borders of the forest, and springs with a sudden and 
 tremendous leap on such animals as pass by. So prompt, so rapid, and so well-timed are its move- 
 ments, that few escape. In vain may the wretched victim seek for refuge even in the trees ; the 
 panther, notwithstanding the size and weight of its body, still pursues with an agility which seems 
 almost incredible, and then despatches its victim. The ancient writers describe the panther as 
 possessing more art and cunning than any other of the species. Volateranus especially makes mention 
 of the stratagem which the panther uses to catch the monkies in Maui'itania. Having driven them to 
 the top of a tree, the panther stretches itself out at the foot, as if it were dead, iiolding its breath, 
 shutting its eyes, and showing every other symptom of sudden death. The monkies behold their 
 adversary from on high, but still they dare not descend. At last they choose one amongst them, 
 whom they send down as a spy, who approaches the panther with every token of distrust. At last he 
 ventures close to it, examines its eyes, ascertains whether it breathes, and being now confirmed in the 
 23 o A
 
 88 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 belief that tlieir enemy is dead, the whole tribe descend from the tree, first running about the panther, 
 and then leaping upon him with all the antics of apish joy. The panther allows them to carry on this 
 sport for some time, while lie watches for a favourable opportunity, when on a sudden he springs up, 
 seizing some of his victims in his claws, and destroying as many as come within his reach. From this 
 trait in the character of the panther arose the Latin proverb — Pardi mortem msitiiulaf. 
 
 The panther has none of the noble qualities of the lion. His thirst for blood is insatiable, and his 
 ferocity is such, that, even when subjugated, and in the power of man, he seems rather to be subdued 
 than tamed. One of these animals, which was seen by M. de Buffon, had, he says, a ferocious 
 countenance and a restless eye : his motions were precipitate, and his cry similar to that of an enraged 
 dog, but more strong and harsh. This animal, like nearly all those that are brought into Europe, 
 •was a native of Barbary, and was taken in the forests adjacent to Mount Atlas. 
 
 The form of the panther is in general much more robust, and even, to a certain extent, more clumsy 
 than that of the leopard. The character of the panther in his look appears to be deep, deliberate 
 ferocity, and all the surliness of the most untameable of his species. The head of the panther is con- 
 siderably larger, and at the same time somewhat shorter in proportion than that of the leopard, and 
 the line of profile is more prominent above the eyes. These differences in form are accompanied 
 by differences in colour and markings equally decisive. To the casual observer, the skin of the 
 leopard and the panther appear to be the same, but the roses of the former, on a more minute inspec- 
 tion, will be found to be at a gi'eater distance from each other, and to be divested of the spot which is 
 perceptible in the centre of each rose of the skin of the panther. The rings towards the tip of the 
 tail of the panther are also more distinct than in that of the leopard. Mr. Vigors, speaking of the 
 jaguar, says, " It may not be useless to observe that of the figures given by Buffon in panthers and 
 jaguars, that which is entitled the male panther is, in all probability, a leopard ; the female is unques- 
 tionably 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." 
 
 Conscious of their own undisputed superiority, which secures them against the attacks of other 
 animals, the panthers never associate together in troops, but each with his female partner occupy a 
 solitary den, which is most generally situate in the very depths of the forest. Hence, when urged by 
 the calls of hunger, they sally forth in quest of their prey, which they seldom attack by open force; 
 but the peculiar make of their feet, as is common with the whole of the cat tribe, enables them to 
 steal on with noiseless tread ; or they station themselves in ambush in such places as appear suitable 
 to their purpose, where they watch, with indefatigable patience, the approach of their victim. Their 
 motions are peculiarly characteristic of their habits and their mode of life. Incapable 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 internal 
 structure of which is highly developed, they trace the sound of footsteps to an almost incredible 
 distance, and direct themselves towards their prey with unerring certainty. 
 
 Although the sense of smell of the panther is not very acute, yet it manifests a strong partiality to 
 the smell of spices and aromatic trees ; in proof of which, Gesner relates that a panther was once taken 
 by King Arsaces in Armenia and a golden collar put upon its neck, with this inscription : Rex Arsaces 
 Deo Nisceo—(Kix)g Arsaces to the god Bacchus,) Bacchus being called Nisajus from Nisa, a city in 
 India. The beast was very tame, and would suffer itself to be handled by any persons about the court, 
 but once in the spring, having scented the odour of the aromatic trees, it ran away, and was taken at 
 the lower part of the mountain Taurus, a hundred miles distant from the king''s court of Armenia.
 
 THE ^IC-HT BIEBOH OF TARTAmY, 
 
 TT^w-V. 1 lft?.0
 
 THE NIGHT-HEROX OF TARTARY. ; «« 
 
 THE NIGHT-HERON OF TARTARY. 
 
 IX THK :MEXAGERY of MR. CROSS, KINGS MEWS, CHARIXG CROSS. 
 
 This hird may he considered as one of tlie smallest of tlie heron trihe, and is a very rare specimen in 
 the nienageries of tliis country. In iieight it is ahout one foot three inches, presenting, in otlicr 
 respects, the general characteristics of its species. Its colour is a hght ash, inclining to white towards 
 the hill, a jet black on the top of the back and on the crown of the head. The eye is very full, the 
 iris being of a golden colour, the pupil a clear black. Tiie bill is long, strong and sharp-pointed, the 
 nostrils are linear, and the tongue pointed. In length it is about three inches, and, like tlie other 
 species of its tribe, appears to be particularly adapted for catching fish. 
 
 The night-heron is now an extremely scarce bird, and is chiefly an inhabitant of Tartary and 
 the adjacent countries. It was formerly known in Scotland, but in that country it is now wholly 
 extinct. It inhabits the fens and marshes and the sides of rivulets, into which it is enabled 
 to wade for the purpose of securing its prey, which generally consists of the smaller kinds of 
 fish, as neither its size nor its strength will enable it to pursue the larger kinds, although, in 
 some instances, it has been known to attack fish of five times its own magnitude, but, not being 
 able to bear them off, has left them to be devoured by birds of more voracious appetite and 
 greater muscular powers. The comparative shortness of its legs will not allow it to wade into deep 
 rivers; on the contrary, it generally stands on the bank, watching the finny tribe as they pass, 
 and so sure is its aim, that it seldom fails in wounding the object of its attack. Like all other 
 herons, its appetite appears to be rather of a voracious nature, and it must be generally considered 
 that the heron is one of the most formidable enemies of the scaly tribes. There is in fresh waters 
 scarcely a fish, however large, that the heron will not strike at and wound, though unable to carry it 
 off, but the smaller fry are his chief subsistence ; these, pursued by their larger fellows of the deep, are 
 compelled to take refuge in shallow waters, where they find the heron tribe a stiU more formidable 
 enemy. His method is to wade as far as he can go into the water, and tiiere patiently to await the 
 approach of his prey, into which, when it comes within his sight, lie darts his biU with inevitable 
 aim. Willoughby says, he has seen a heron that had in his stomach no fewer than seventeen carp. 
 Some gentlemen, who kept some herons, were desirous of ascertaining what average quantity one of 
 these birds would devour. They consequently put several small roach and dace into a tub, and the 
 heron, one day with another, ate fifty in a day. Thus a single heron is able to destroy nine thousand 
 store carp in half a year. 
 
 The heron, though he usually takes his prey by wading, frequently catches it while on the wing, 
 but this is only in shallow waters, where he is able to dart with more certainty than in the deep ; for 
 in this case, though the fish, at the first sight of its enemy, descends, yet the heron, with its long bill 
 and legs, instantly pins it to the bottom, and thus seizes it securely. In this manner, after having been 
 seen with its neck for above a minute under water, he will rise on wing with a trout or an eel strug- 
 gling in his bill. The greedy bird, however, flies to the shore, swallows it, and returns to his fishing. 
 
 The different parts of the body of the heron are admirably adapted to its mode of life. Tlie bird 
 has long legs, for the purpose of wading ; a long neck, answerable to these, to reacii its prey in the 
 water, and a wide throat to swallow it. The toes are long and armed with strong hooked talons, one
 
 90 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 of wliich is serrated on the edge, the better to retain the fish. The bill is long and sharp, having 
 towards the point serratures which stand backward ; these, after the prey are struck, act like the barb 
 of a fish-hook, in detaining it till the bird has time to seize it with its claws. Its broad, large and 
 concave wings are of great use in enabling it to carry its load to the nest, which is sometimes at a great 
 distance. Dr. Derham tells us, that he has seen lying scattered under the trees of a large heronry, 
 fishes many inches in length, which must have been conveyed by the birds from the distance of several 
 miles; and D' Acre Barret, Esq., the owner of the herony, saw a large eel that had been conveyed 
 thither by one of them, notwithstanding the inconvenience that it must have experienced from the iish 
 writhing and twistins; about. 
 
 One of the largest heronries in the country is at present in the park of Lord Darnley, at Cobham, 
 in Kent ; but the destructive habits of these birds, not only in regard to the trees on which they have 
 fixed their residence, but also to the gradual exhaustion of the fish in the neighbouring ponds, render 
 them by no means an acquisition. 
 
 In regard to the immediate subject now under discussion, the rarity of it renders all knowledge of 
 its peculiar habits exceedingly diflficult of attainment. To form a just estimate of the nature or 
 chai'acter of an animal in a state of captivity cannot rationally be expected, nor does it fall within the 
 sphere of those to whom the animal belongs to make themselves intimately acquainted with the natural 
 history of the different specimens which they have to exhibit. It is only, therefore, by investigation 
 and research into antecedent authorities that we are able to arrive at any accurate knowledge of 
 the natural history of animals ; and when we take into our consideration the numerous obstacles and 
 difficulties which present themselves to the naturalist in his examination of the natui-e and habits of 
 the scarcer subjects of the animal kingdom, our surprise need not be great at the many inconsistencies, 
 and falsifications which exhibit themselves in the delineations of different naturalists, and which are 
 received as actually true on the authority of the name of some celebrated and scientific man. We 
 find ourselves thus situated in the description of the natural history of the bird now under our discus- 
 sion ; neither Edwards, Pennant, nor any of the other celebrated ornidiologists of this country — nor 
 in Buffon, nor in the Supplement edited by Lesson, do we meet with any enlarged detail of the 
 habits or character of this bird. We are simply instructed in its classification, but of its mode of 
 life, economy, instinct or disposition, very little indeed has been transmitted to us. Of the origin of 
 its name, the night-heron, which would seem to imply that it is a nocturnal bird, we have not any 
 thing in the construction of its eye which would lead us to suppose that it was able to obtain its food 
 during the night ; and the very objects on which it is generally in search for its subsistence, contradict 
 the hypothesis that its habits assimilate in the least to the strix genus. 
 
 The body of this heron is very small, and, like all others of its tribe, exceedingly lean ; the skin is 
 said to be scarcely thicker than what is called gold-beaters' skin. It is most probable that this bird is 
 capable of long abstinence, as its usual food consists of fish, and reptiles which cannot at all times 
 be had. Its food, in its present state, is fish and meat, which it takes from a little reservoir of water 
 placed in its cage for that purpose.
 
 tm% 
 
 
 :'<^^^mM 
 
 
 : i
 
 THE BACTRIAN CAMEL. 91 
 
 THE BACTRIAN CAMEL, 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The camel is a genus of quadrupeds belonging to the order of pecora, of which there are seven species. 
 The first is the dromedary or Arabian camel with one bunch or protuberance on its back ; the second 
 is the Bactrian camel, having two bunches on its back, but in all other respects resembling the drome- 
 daiy. The generic characters of the camel arc that it has no horns, having six front teeth in the 
 lower jaw, rather thin and broad. The laniarii are widely set, three in the upper and two in the 
 lower jaw ; and there is a fissure in the upper lip resembling a cleft in the lip of a hare. It has four 
 stomachs, feeds entirely on vegetables, and ruminates like the ox. The feet are armed with cloven 
 hoofs, partly like the hoof of a horse; for a horny sole spreads from the heel forward under the foot, 
 uniting the middle part, and leaving the toes free. This horny sole is part of an elastic substance, 
 ■which, being bedded in two cavities of the foot, yields to the pressure of the'soil ; whilst the toes spread 
 upon touching the ground in the same way that the rein-deer's foot extends to present a large surface 
 to the snow. The foot of the camel is, however, adapted to tread upon a smooth surface, whether that 
 sm'face be hard or soft. 
 
 The Bactrian camel, which is very common in Asia, is extremely hardy and in great use amongst 
 the Tartars and ]\Iongols as a beast of burthen, from the Caspian sea to the empire of China. It bears 
 even so severe a climate as that of Siberia, being found about the lake Baikal, where the Burats and 
 Mongols keep great numbers. It is said to be found wild in the northern parts of India, and in the 
 deserts bordering on China, and is more esteemed for swiftness than the Arabian camel. In Arabia 
 they are trained for running matches, and in many places for carrying couriers, who can go above a 
 hundred miles a day on them, and that for nine consecutive days over burning deserts, uninhabitable 
 by any living creature. The African camels are the most hardy, having more distant and more dreadful 
 deserts to pass over than any of the others, from Numidia to the kingdom of Ethiopia. In western 
 Tartary there is a white variety, very scarce, and sacred to the idols and priests. The Chinese have a 
 swift variety, which they call by the expi-essive name of Fong Kyo Fo, or camels with feet of the 
 ■wind. 
 
 The riches of Arabia have consisted in camels from the time of Job to the present day. The 
 Patriarch reckoned 6000 camels among his pastoral treasures ; and the modern Arabs estimate their 
 ■(vealth by the numbers of these useful animals : without them a great part of Africa would be wretched ; 
 by them the whole commerce is carried on tiirough arid and burning tracts, impassable but by 
 beasts, which Providence has formed expressly for those scorching deserts. Their great powers of 
 sustaining abstinence from drinking, enable them to pass over unwatered tracts for many days, with- 
 out requiring the least liquid ; and their patience under hunger is such that they will travel many days 
 fed only with a few dates, or some small balls of bean or barley-meal, or on the miserable thorny plants 
 of the deserts. They seem to prefer wormwood, thistles, nettles, broom, cassia, and other prickly 
 vegetables, to the softest herbage. As long as they find plants to browse, they easily dispense with 
 drink. The faculty, however, of abstaining long from drink proceeds not from habit alone, but is 
 rather an effect of their structure. Independently of the four stomachs, which are common to rumi- 
 nating animals, the camels have a fifth bag, which serves them as a reservoir for water. This fifth 
 24 2 b
 
 92 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 stomach is peculiar to tlie camel, and it is so large as to contain a vast quantity of water, where it 
 remains without corrupting, or mixing with the other aliments. When the animal is pressed by thirst, 
 and has occasion for water to macerate its dry food in ruminating, he makes part of the water mount 
 into his paunch, or even as high as the oesophagus, by a simple contraction of certain muscles. It is 
 by this singular construction that the camel is enabled to pass several days without drinking, and to 
 take at a time a prodigious quantity of water, which remains in the reservoir pure and limpid, because 
 neither the liquors of the body, nor the juices of digestion can mix with it. Travellers, when much 
 oppressed with drought, are sometimes obliged to kill their camels in order to have a supply of drink 
 from these reservoirs. 
 
 The ancients have held that camels are in a condition for propagating at three years of age ; but this 
 assertion is attended with suspicion, for in three yeai's they have not acquired half their growth. The 
 time of gestation is nearly twelve months, and, like all large quadrupeds, the females bring forth only 
 one at a birth. The young camel sucks its mother twelve months; but, when meant to be trained in 
 order to render him strong and robust in the chase, he is allowed to suck and pasture at freedom 
 during the first four years, and is not loaded nor made to perform any labour, until he be four years old. 
 The milk is copious and thick, and, when mixed with a large quantity of water, affords an excellent 
 nourishment to them. The females are not obliged to labour, but are allowed to pasture and to breed 
 at full liberty. The advantage derived from their produce and their milk is perhaps superior to what 
 would be drawn from tlieir working. In general, the fatter die camels are, the more capable they are 
 of enduring great fatigue. Their bundles seem to proceed from a redundance of nourishment, for 
 during long journeys, in which their conductor is obliged to husband their food, and when they often 
 suffer great hunger and thirst, these bunches gradually diminish and become so flat, that the place 
 where they were is only perceptible by the length of the hair, which is always longer on those parts 
 than on the rest of the back. Tlie meagreness of the body augments in proportion as the bimches 
 decrease. The Moors, who transport all sorts of merchandise from Barbary and Numidia as far as 
 Ethiopia, set out with their camels well laden, which are very fat and vigorous, and they bring back 
 the same animals so meagre that they commonly sell at a low price. 
 
 The general height of the camel, measured from the top of the dorsal bunch to the ground, is about 
 six feet and a half, and from the top of the head, when the animal elevates it, not less than nine feet. 
 The head, however, is generally so carried as to be nearly on a level with the bunches, or rather 
 below them, as tlie animal bends its neck in its general posture. The head is small, the neck very 
 long ; the body of a long meagre shape, the legs rather slender, and the tail, which is slightly tufted 
 at the end, reaches to the joints of the hinder legs. 
 
 The camel is generally of a dusky brown colour with a rusty tinge. Its hair is very fine, and is 
 employed for making pencils for painters and in the manufacture of various stuffs. It attains its full 
 strength at about the age of six years, and lives about forty or fifty years. 
 
 If we consider, under one point of view, all the qualities of this animal and all the advantages derived 
 from him, it must be acknowledged that, in point of utility, he is not inferior to any other known 
 quadruped. Gold and silk constitute not the true riches of the East ; the camel is the genuine 
 treasure of the East. He is more valuable than the elephant, and perhaps in utility is equal to the 
 horse, the ass, and the ox, when their powers are united. The flesh of a young camel is as good and 
 wholesome as veal. The Africans and Ai-abs fill their pots and tubs with it, which is fried with 
 grease and preserved in this manner during the whole of the year for their ordinary repast.
 
 TjenE GKJEAT HAmPX EAGJLE, AWJID BAX» OK IKBDITK^BDRABIE© SEA-EA61E- 
 
 ,'/>i'yme/ ,yii&m^em ^ ^/: 
 
 "i-zrca
 
 THE GREAT HARPY EAGLE. THE BALD, OR WIHTE-HEADED SEA EAGLE. 93 
 
 THE GREAT HARPY EAGLE. THE BALD, OR WHITE-HEADED SEA 
 
 EAGLE. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. CROSS, ROYAL MEWS, CHARING CROSS. 
 
 The eagle has generally been consitlercd by mankind as holding thu same fabulous or imaginary 
 dominion over the birds which has been attributed to the lion over quadrupeds. Buffon, adopthig 
 this idea, is also of opinion that the eagle and the lion have many points of resemblance, both physical 
 and moral. ]\Iagnanimity, he says, is equally conspicuous in both : they despise the small animals, 
 and disregard their insults. It is only after a series of provocations, after being teased with the noisy 
 or harsh notes of the raven or magpie, that the eagle determines to punish the temerity or the insolence 
 of these birds with death. Besides, both disdaui the possession of the property which is not the fruit 
 of their own industry, rejecting with contempt the prey which is not procured by their own exertions. 
 Both are remarkable for their temperance : the eagle seldom devours the whole of his game, but, like 
 the lion, leaves the fragments and offals to other animals. 
 
 The eyes of the eagle have the glare of those of the lion, and are nearly of the same colour : the 
 claws are of the same shape ; the organs of sound are equally powerful, and the cry equally 
 terrible. It must, however, be observed that, notwithstanding the assertion on the part of Buffon and 
 other naturalists, the voice of the lion and the eagle will not bear any comparison. The one is a deep 
 and dreadful bass, the other a piercing treble, altogether destitute of majesty. 
 
 It is impossible to tame the eagle unless he be caught in his infancy. We are, however, informed 
 by certain writers that the eagle was anciently used in falconry, although this practice is now laid 
 aside, for he is too heavy to be carried on the hand ; nor is he ever rendered so tame or so gentle as 
 to remove all suspicions of danger. His bill and claws are crooked and formidable ; his figure corre- 
 sponds with his instinct ; his body is robust ; his legs and wings are strong ; his flesh is hard ; his 
 bones are firm ; his feathers stiff; his attitude bold and erect ; his movements quick ; his flight rapid. 
 He rises higher in the air than any other of the winged race : he can distinguish objects at an immense 
 distance, but his power of smell is inferior to that of the vulture. By means of his exquisite sight he 
 pursues his prey, and when he has seized it, he checks his flight, and places it upon the ground to 
 examine its weight, before he carries it off. Though his wings are vigorous, yet, his legs being stiff, 
 it is with difficulty he can rise, especially if he be loaded. He is able to bear away geese and cranes, 
 and also carries off hares, lambs, and kids. When he attacks fawns or calves, he instantly gluts him- 
 self with their blood and flesh, and afterwards transports their mangled carcasses to his nest. 
 
 In regard to the harpy eagle, its generic characters and habits differ so little from the eagle of the 
 Andes, described in page 55 of this work, that any further detail may be deemed superfluous; but, 
 respecting the bald or white-headed sea eagle, some very interesting accounts have been transmitted 
 to us by Mr. Wilson, who, speaking of that bird, says, " Elevated on the high, dead limb of some 
 gigantic tree, that commands a wide view of the neighbouring shore and ocean, he seems calmly to 
 contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes, that pursue their busy avocations below : the 
 snow-white gulls slowly winnowing the air ; the busy trlnga? coursing along the sands ; trains of 
 ducks streaming over the surface ; silent and watchful cranes — intent and wading ; clamorous crows
 
 94 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 and all the winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast magazine of Nature. High 
 over all these hovers one whose action instantly arrests his attention. By his wide curvature of wing 
 and sudden suspension in the air he knows him to be the fish-hawk, settling over some devoted victim 
 of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and, balancing himself with half-opened wings on the 
 branches, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object 
 of his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making the surges 
 foam around. At this moment the eager looks of the eagle are all ardour, and levelling his neck for 
 flio-ht, he sees the fisii-hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air with 
 screams of exultation. These are the signal for our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives 
 chase, and soon gains on the fish-hawk. Each exerts his utmost to mount above the other, displaying 
 in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. Tlie unincumbered eagle rapidly 
 advances, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of 
 despair and honest execration, the latter drops his fish : the eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if 
 to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp, ere it reaches the 
 water, and bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods." 
 
 Sometimes, however, the fish-hawks assemble in bands too numerous for him to encounter, and he 
 is driven to hunt for himself. Pie then usually retires inland, and occasionally destroys great numbers 
 of young pigs and lambs. At other times he contents himself with fowl ; and ducks, geese, and gulls 
 fall victims to his insatiable appetite. His nest is commonly built on the top of large trees, generally 
 a pine or a cypress, and growing in the midst of a morass. It is formed of sticks, sods, hay, moss, and 
 other similar materials ; and being repaired and added to year after year, at length becomes a large black 
 prominent mass, observable at a considerable distance. The nimiber of eggs laid by the female is 
 generally two, and the young birds are nurtured by their parents with the greatest care. Fishes are 
 sometimes carried to the nest in such numbers that their putrid remains lay scattered about the place, 
 and scent the air to the distance of several hundred yards. The old birds continue to feed their off- 
 spring for a considerable time after the latter has become capable of quitting the nest. 
 
 The full grown bird measures upwards of three feet in length from beak to tail, and more than 
 seven in the expanse of its wings. The young are at first covered with a thick whitish or cream- 
 coloured cottony down ; they presently become of a gray colour as their plumage developes itself, 
 and continue of a brown gray until the third year, when the white begins to make its appearance 
 upon the head, neck, tail-coverts, and tail. These by the end of the fourth year are completely white, 
 or at the most very slightly tinged with cream colour. The eye is at first hazel, but gradually brightens 
 into a brilliant straw-colour ; as the plumage of the head becomes white, the cjuill-feathers and 
 primary wing-coverts are black, with their shaft of a pale brown ; the secondary are considerably 
 lighter, and the tail, which projects in a trifling degree beyond the extremities of the wing, is brown on 
 the outer quills and of a mixed white and brown on the inner ; the under surface, as far backwards as 
 the middle of the belly, is of a much lighter shade than the upper, being of a dull white with 
 numerous broad streaks of pale brown. The beak is of a dusky brown, the cere and legs of a golden- 
 yellow ; the iris somewhat lighter, and the talons a deep blackish-brown. The bird is usually spoken 
 of as inhabiting the northern parts both of the old and new continent, but it appears to be only a rare 
 and occasional visitant of the former.
 
 
 i 
 
 © ^. 
 
 X 
 
 
 I
 
 THE ROEBUCK. 95 
 
 THE ROEBUCK. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL DARNLEY, COBHAM HALL. 
 
 This species of deer is now almost extinct in this countr}'. It was formerly very common in Wales, 
 in tlie nortli of Englanil, and in Scotland, but at present the species exists no longer in any part of 
 Great Britain, except in some of the remote parts of the Scottish Highlands. In France they are 
 more frequent ; in fact, the animal from which we have taken our present drawing is a native of that 
 country, having been presented to its noble owner by the Duke of Orleans. They are also found 
 in Italy, Sweden, and Norway, and, according to Bell, in some parts of Siberia. The first that are 
 met with in Great Britain are in the woods on the south side of Loch Rannock, in Perthshire ; the 
 last in the forest of Langwal, on the southern borders of Caithness ; but they are most numerous in 
 the beautiful forests of Invercauld, in the midst of the Grampian Hills. In Ireland they are totally 
 unknown. 
 
 The roebuck is the least of the deer-kind, being only about three feet nine inches long, and two 
 feet three inches high before, and two feet seven behind. The weight averages from fifty to sixty 
 pounds. The horns are from eight to nine inches long, upright, round, and divided into only three 
 branches ; their lower part is fulcated likewise, and extremely rugged, and is made into handles for 
 knives, &c. — The horns of a young buck in its second year are quite plain; in its third year, a branch 
 appears, but in its fourth its head is complete. The body is covered during winter with very lono- 
 hair, well adapted to the rigour of the Highland air ; the lower part of each hair is ash-colour ; near 
 the ends is a narrow bar of black, and the points are yellow. The hairs on the face are black, tipped 
 with ash-colour ; the ears are long, their insides of a pale yellow, and covered with long hair ; the 
 spaces bordering on the eyes and mouth are black. During summer, its coat has a very different 
 appearance, being very short and smooth, and of a bright reddish colour. The chest, belly, and legs, 
 and the inside of the thighs, are of a yellowish white ; the rump is of a pure white ; the tail is very 
 short. On the outside of the hind leg, below the joint, is a tuft of long hair. 
 
 The make of the roebuck is very elegant, and formed for agility. The eyes are more brilliant and 
 animated than those of the stag ; his limbs more nimble, his movements quicker ; and he bounds, 
 seemingly without effort, with equal vigour. He never wallows in the mire like the stag, but delights 
 in dry and elevated situations, where the air is purest. He is likewise more crafty, conceals himself 
 with greater address, is more difficult to trace, and derives superior resources from instinct ; for 
 although he has the misfortune to leave behind him a stronger scent than the stag, which redoubles 
 the ardour and appetite of the dogs, he knows how to withdraw himself from their pursuit, by the 
 rapidity with which he begins his flight and by his numerous doublings. He delays not his arts of 
 defence till his strength fails him, but as soon as he finds that the first efforts of a rapid chace have 
 been unsuccessful, he repeatedly returns on his former steps, and often confounds, by these opposite 
 movements, the direction he has taken ; after intermixing the present with the past emanations from 
 his body, he rises from the earth by a great bound, and retiring to a side, he lies down flat on his 
 bell}', and in this immovable situation, he allows the whole troop of his deceived enemies to pass very 
 near him. 
 
 The roebuck differs from the stag and fallow-deer in disposition, temperament, manners, and almost 
 every natural habit. Instead of associating in herds, they live in separate families. The father, 
 25 2 c
 
 .96 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 inotlier, and young go together, and never mix with strangers. They are constant in their amours, 
 and never unfaithful like the stag. Though always together, they feel the ardour of the rut but once 
 a year, and it continues only fifteen days, commencing at the end of October. During this period 
 they do not suffer their fawns to remain with them ; but after the rutting-season is past, these return to 
 their mother and remain with her some time, after which they separate for ever, and remove to a 
 distance. The female goes with young five months and a half, and brings forth about the end of 
 April, producing two at a time, which she is very careful to conceal, although, in spite of her vigilance, 
 the young are sometimes carried off" by men, dogs, or wolves. 
 
 The roebuck is a tender animal, incapable of bearing great cold. According to Buffon, the species 
 in Burgundy, in the hard winter of 1709, was almost destroyed, and many years passed before it was 
 restored again. In Pennant it is stated, that in Scotland it is found very difficult to rear the fawns, 
 it being computed that eight out of ten of those that are taken from their parents die. This, however, 
 may not be so much attributable to the climate as to the sudden change of food, and its not agreeing 
 ■with the natural constitution of the animal. 
 
 The flesh of the roebuck is reckoned a most delicate food. In summer it feeds on grass, and is 
 very fond of the ruhus saxalilis, called in the Highlands the roebuck-berry ; but in the winter-time, 
 ■when the ground is covered with snow, it browses on the tender branches of fir and birch. 
 
 According to the Lerjes TFaUica, a roebuck was valued at the same price as a she-goat ; a stag at 
 the price of an ox, and a fallow-deer was esteemed equal to a cow, or, as some report, to a she-goat. 
 
 It may not be deemed irrelevant to our present subject, to shew that by the aid of comparative 
 anatomy, Ireland was once the domicile of the roebuck, and various kinds of deer, which are not only 
 scarce in the old world, but some of the species appear to be actually extinct, so that they may be 
 possibly ranked among those remains which fossilists distinguish by the title of Diluvian. The horns, 
 which are often found in Ireland, are evidently of the stag-kind, but much stronger, thicker, heavier, 
 and furnished with finer antlers than those of the present race. Those found in Ireland must be 
 referred to the elk-kind, but of a species diff'erent from the European, being provided with brow antlers, 
 in which the former are deficient ; neither are they of the moose-deer, or American, which entirely 
 agrees with the elk of Europe, and entire skeletons of which are sometimes met with lodged in a white 
 marl. Some of these horns are nearly twelve feet between tip and tip ; but not the faintest account, 
 traditional or historical, is left of the existence of these animals in our kingdom.
 
 ./ 
 
 3 I 
 
 < 
 
 m 
 s 
 
 ^^
 
 THE JACKALS. 9? 
 
 THE JACKALS. 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The wolf, the dog, and the jackal may be considered as varieties of the same species, the only 
 difference existing being in tlicir natural habits, accordingly as they present themselves in a wild or 
 domesticated state. The jackal, however, has not long been known in this country ; for previously 
 to the time of Pennant, no specimen had ever been known in England, and consequently the descrip- 
 tions which appeared of it were vague and unsatisfactory, and intermixed with those fabulous reports, 
 with which the natural history of many foreign animals is disfigured. This circumstance must 
 naturally excite our surprise when we consider, that our commercial relations have been very extensive 
 with several countries where the jackal abounds, and that those relations existed for nearly a century 
 before any living specimen was brougiit to this country. It is to be found in all parts of the eastern 
 world, in Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to Barbary, in Syria, Persia, and in all the provinces 
 of southern Asia. From the circumstance of the jackals going in troops of forty, fifty, or even two 
 hundred at a time, and, on the other hand, from the fox being a solitary animal, it has been considered 
 by some of the ablest commentators on the sacred writings, that the three hundred foxes, to the tails 
 of wiiich Samson tied firebrands, were in reality jackals, and not foxes. 
 
 The specimens in the Tower differ considerably in size ; the average length is about two feet, and 
 the height seldom exceeds more than a foot and a half. The general colour of the animal is a pale 
 fulvous. The head is of a fox-red above, mixed with ash-grey hairs, having each a blackish ring and 
 tip ; the upper lip is of a lighter shade on each side of the nose, and the throat is of the same colour ; 
 the whiskers, the long hairs on the chin, and those above the eyes are black ; the ears are fox-red 
 externally, and lighter internally, the neck and back ai-e a greyish yellow, dashed with a shade of 
 dusky ; the under parts of the body and the legs are of a light reddish yellow, but the shoulders and 
 thighs are externally of a fox-red ; the claws are black, the tail straight and bushy, and more hairy than 
 in the wolf, and of a greyish yellow, but descending only to the foot. The hair of the jackal is stronger 
 and coarser than that of the wolf, and between the hairs there is a woolly fur of a grey colour. The 
 four middle front teeth are of a truncated form, as if cut off flat, not perceptibly notched nor indented ; 
 the two exterior larger ones in the upper jaw are somewhat carinated ; in the lower law they are 
 rounded. The canine teeth in the upper jaw are somewhat larger than in the under ; the grinders are 
 six on each side. In its external figure the jackal resembles the wolf, being considerably larger than 
 the fox. In regard to size, however, the animals in the Tower must not be considered as a just crite- 
 rion, two of them being even smaller than the fox, and the other very little superior to it. 
 
 The jackals, in numerous troops, hunt like hounds in full cry, from evening till morning. They 
 are no less destructive to poultry than the wolf, ravaging the streets, villages, and gardens, and 
 even destroying children if they be left unprotected. To the natives of the hot countries the 
 jackal is of the same essential service as the hyaena and the vulture; for as it is not required that 
 the prey should be living on which it feeds, it seeks the bodies in a state of decomposition, and 
 the air thereby becomes purified of the putrescent effluvia. Like the hya?na, the jackal is generally 
 to be found in the vicinity of armies or in the track of the caravans, for the purpose of feasting on 
 the slain, or devouring the offals of the animals which die on the journey. When it cannot obtain 
 animal food it will feed on fruits and roots; for, like the fox, it burrows in the earth, and lies there
 
 98 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 all tiie day, coming out at night to hunt. The prevalent notion that the jackal is the purveyor 
 of the lion is wholly founded in error. It is well known that the scent of the lion is not very acute, 
 which is a wholly different case with the jackal, and lured on by the power of its scent, it fills the air 
 with the most horrid howlings whenever it begins the chace. This sound is echoed by a hundred 
 similar voices ; the lion, panther, and other beasts of prey take advantage of the general consternation, 
 and follow the jackals in silence, till they have hunted down their prey, when they come up and devour 
 the fruits of the jackals' labours, leaving them only the remains of the spoil. 
 
 The shriek of the jackal has been often described, and by many writers has been designated as more 
 terrific than the roar of the tiger or the howl of the hyaena. In this report, however, a great deal 
 must be laid to the account of the particular circumstances under which the sound is heard. Captain 
 Beechey, in his expedition to explore the northern coasts of Africa, speaking of the " chacal's shriek," 
 says, " the cry of the jackal has something in it rather appalling when heard for the first time at 
 night ; and as they usually come in packs, the first shriek which is uttered is always the signal for a 
 general chorus. We hardly know a sound which partakes less of harmony than that which is at 
 present in question ; and, indeed, the sudden burst of the answering long-protracted scream, succeeding 
 immediately to the opening note, is scarcely less impressive than the roll of the thunder-clap imme- 
 diately after a flash of lightning. The effect of this music is very much increased when the first note 
 is heard in the distance, a circumstance which often occurs, and the answering yell bursts out from 
 several points at once within a few yards or feet of the place where the auditors are sleeping." 
 
 A variety of opinions exists in regard to the domestication of the jackal, supposing that such a 
 thing were desirable. Shaw says, that when taken young it is easily tamed, attaches itself to mankind, 
 distinguishes its master, comes on being called by its name, shews an attachment to dogs instead of 
 flying from them, and has all the other peculiarities of character by which the dog is distinguished. 
 On the other hand, it has been stated, that the difficulty of the domestication of the jackal arises from 
 two causes, the first of which is the strong odour which he emits, which in filthiness is equal to that of 
 the fox, and the other is the extreme timidity which is evinced by the animal at the approach of a 
 stranger, and this is particularly observable in the animals from which our drawing is taken. Their 
 den is no sooner approached than they appear to be in a state of alarm, and exhibit all the un- 
 easiness which is generally the attendant of a savage animal in a state of confinement ; and it is pro- 
 bably owing to that very state, that the dispositions of the animal display themselves in a wholly 
 different manner than when in its savage one ; for Captain Beechey says, that he has frequently gone 
 close up within a few yards of a jackal in the wild state before he would turn to walk away. 
 
 The female breeds only once a year, goes with young about four weeks, and brings forth from six to 
 eight at a time. There is, however, an instance on record in which the female jackal whelped in this 
 country, and the whelps were at first as blind as those of the dog.
 
 £.:>r.iiox aei'. 
 
 TIDE COAITA. .l-OUrn rm©rM8]EB OIR SPlDDaffiR MitMJKEY. 
 
 O. ii'l^aC QyilaiAi. r</;.-n/M i/nj.'. 
 c
 
 THE WANDEIIOW, OR OUANDOROU MONKEY, ETC. 99 
 
 THE WANDEROW, or OUANDOROU MONKEY.— THE COIATA, FOUR- 
 FINGERED OK SPIDER MONKEY. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. CROSS, ROYAL MEWS, CHARING CROSS. 
 
 The different species of monkeys are included in tlie first order of Primates, the principal characteristic 
 of which is an erect posture, and in some other particulars resembling the human race. They have 
 usually four cutting teeth in the fore part of each jaw, and in the upper jaw these are parallel. They 
 have one canine tooth on each side of these in eacli jaw. Tiiey have also two breasts or teats, from 
 which this class of mammalia derives its name. The two fore-feet in many of the individuals resemble 
 the hands of the human species, and are employed for the same purposes, having fingers, furnished for 
 the most part with oval flattened nails. Tiiey live chiefly on vegetable food. 
 
 The Wanderow, or Ouandorou of Buffbn, belongs to the class of the makis, and is distinguished by 
 a blunt and elongated muzzle ; it must, however, be stated, that the characters of the makis are rather 
 comparative than essential, the principal of which are four incisors in each jaw, two canines rather 
 strong, five tuberculous molares above and below, callosities at the hips, as have the greater part of 
 the monkies of the ancient continent ; the muzzle moderately large and long, the facial angle being 
 about 40 or 50 degrees ; the nostrils approximate, in an oblique direction with the upper part of the 
 muzzle ; flat ears, naked, far apart, and pointed at the outer extremity : the comparative shortness of 
 the tail, which rarely exceeds a third of the length of the body, and which, in some species, is nearly 
 reduced to the stumpiness of a pigtail, and in one or two others is nothing more than a tubercle. The 
 body of the Wanderow is a deep black throughout on the back, as well as the thighs and legs, and 
 under the belly it has a greyish cast. The front is covered like its body witli black hair, and its face 
 is surrounded with a long beard or mane, which descends on each side of the face in the form of a ruff", 
 extending downwards over the chest, and varying from an ash-grey to a pure wliite. The tail is black, 
 and terminated by a tuft of long hairs, similar to the lion, which circumstance induced Pennant 
 to give the animal the appellation of the lion-tailed monkey. The colour of the Wanderow is, how- 
 ever, by no means fixed, for, according to the report of several travellers, it appears that, independently 
 of the black or grey Wanderow, there are some of a greyish-white, with a white beard, and others 
 •which are wholly white. 
 
 The name of Ouandorou is given in Ceylon, not only to the present species, but also to the purple- 
 faced ape, and according to Virey it is applied principally to the monkies of a vicious disposition, who 
 commit numerous outrages on women, and sometimes finish by strangling them. It is even said, in 
 the historical description of the kingdom of Macassar, that the natives of that country, who are 
 exceedingly jealous of their wkes, do not hesitate to give a sound thrashing with a cane to these 
 monkey gallants, who evince a disposition to caress their wives. In other respects, these animals are 
 very active, but they are difficult to tame, for they appear to be particularly fond of their independence. 
 They grow to the size of about three feet and a half, but their constitution is not well adapted to the 
 privations and length of a voyage by sea. 
 
 The Jesuit Vincent Maria, speaking of the Wanderow, says, "the Indians pretend that the other 
 apes and monkies shew particular respect to the Wanderows, because they have more sense than they 
 have. They bow before them, like slaves before a great lord. The princes and the nobles hold them 
 26 2d
 
 100 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 in great estimation, because they appear to possess a greater degree of gravity and intelligence than 
 the others. They train them for their ceremonies and their games, and they sometimes acquit them- 
 selves with so much ability and skill as to excite the greatest mirth and astonishment." 
 
 To tills account we may add that of Robert Knox, who was detained a prisoner in the island of 
 Ceylon for nearly twenty years. He says that some of the monkies found there are as large as our 
 English spaniel dogs, of a darkish grey colour, and black faces, with great while beards round from 
 ear to ear, which make them look just like old men. They commit very litde damage to the culti- 
 vated lands, for they always live in the woods on the buds and the leaves of trees, although they may 
 be habituated to other kinds of food. They are of a very violent and ferocious character, when they 
 are ill used. Barbot, in his Voyage to Guinea, and Bosman, designate the Wanderows as little 
 bearded men, about two feet high, as black as jet, with long white beards. Tlie negroes set a great 
 value on the skins of this species, and sell them to one another at eighteen or twenty shillings each. 
 Of the skins of these they make their caps, for the Tie-Ties, or public criers. 
 
 The Coaita is a monkey with a long flat face, of a swarthy flesh colour; eyes sunk in the head; 
 ears like the human ; limbs of great length, and uncommonly slender ; liair long, black, and rough ; 
 only four fingers on the hands, being quite destitute of a thumb ; five toes on the feet ; nails flat ; tail 
 long and naked underneath, near the end ; body slender, about a foot and a half long ; tall nearly 
 two feet in length, and so prehensile as to serve every purpose of a iiand. 
 
 They inhabit the neighbourhood of Cartliagena, Guiana, Brazil, and Peru. They associate in 
 vast herds, and are scarcely ever seen on the ground. Dampier. describes their gambols in a lively 
 manner. " There was," says he, " a great company dancing from tree to tree over my head, chatter- 
 ing and making a terrible noise, and a great many grim faces and antic gestures. Some broke down 
 dry sticks, and flung them at me; others scattered their urine and dung about my ears ; but one, 
 bigger than the rest, came to a small limb just over my head, and leaping directly at me, made me 
 leap back ; but the monkey caught hold of the bough with the tip of her tail, and thus continued 
 swinging to and fro, making mouths at me. The females with their young ones arc much troubled 
 to leap after the males, for they have commonly two ; one she carries under her arm, the other sits ou 
 her back, and clasps its two fore paws about her neck. They are very sullen when taken, and very 
 hard to be got when shot, for they will cling with the tail or feet to a bougli, as long as any life 
 remains. When I have shot at one, and broken a leg or arm, T have pitied the poor creature to see 
 it lick and liandle the broken limb, and turn it from side to side." 
 
 They are the most active of monkies, and quite enliven the forests of America. In order to pass 
 from top to top of lofty trees, whose branches are too distant for a leap, they will form a chain by 
 hanging down linked to each other by their tails, and swinging in that manner till the lowest catches 
 hold of the next tree, and draws up the rest, and sometimes they pass rivers by the same expedient. 
 They are seldom brought to Europe, are very tender, and seldom live long in our climate. There is 
 in the throat of this animal a hollow bony substance, which is supposed to produce that peculiarly 
 dreadful howl for which it is remarkable. They are exceedingly mischievous and spiteful, and, if 
 attacked, they bite cruelly. We are assured by Marcgrave that one sometimes mounts the top of a 
 branch, and assembles a multitude below, and then sets up a howl, so loud and horrible, that a person 
 at a distance would imagine that a hundred joined in the cry ; after a certain space he gives a signal 
 with his hand, when the whole assembly join in chorus, but on another signal, a sudden silence pre- 
 vails, and the orator then finishes his harangue. They are extremely sagacious, and, when hunted, 
 defend themselves vigoi"ously.
 
 C .r\f 
 
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 Si 
 
 i
 
 THE BLACK PANTHER. lei 
 
 THE BLACK PANTHER. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF MR. WOMBWELL. 
 
 In a formei- part of this work (see p. 61), we entered upon a description of the black- leopard, aa 
 inmate of the same collection as the present sketch, and at p. 87 we described the common panther as 
 it is generally exhibited in the menageries of this country. Having there given in detail the charac- 
 ter, general habits, and natural qualities of those animals, it merely remains for us to enlarge upon 
 some further particulars, which our subsequent researches may have acquired, and which may tend 
 to throw additional light on the natural history of this very interesting portion of the animal kingdom. 
 
 In regard to the animal now under our immediate consideration, various opinions have been 
 hazarded respecting it ; whilst some have affirmed that it is a distinct species, others have adopted 
 a contrary opinion, and have declared that not only the black leopard, but also the black panther, are 
 the immediate offspring of the common species, and that the difference of their colour proceeds from 
 one of those freaks of Nature in which she sometimes indulges throughout the whole extent of the 
 animal tribes. Any attempt to solve the difficulty of this question would carry us far beyond our 
 present limits; we cannot, however, refrain expressing our opinion, that the truth is on the side of the 
 latter hypothesis. We have instances, particularly in the sheep-tribe, of an individual being born al- 
 most black, when both the parents are of the usual natural colour ; and another very strong circumstance 
 in favour of the black colour of the panther being a hisus naturo', is, that a male and female of the same 
 colour have never been found together, and that in those cases where a black leopard or panther has 
 been discovered, it has been in association with the common kind, and not forming a distinct family, 
 as would be the case were it a separate species. Pennant declares the black panther to be so very 
 rare, that he cannot consider it as a distinct species ; and the argument is so far plausible, when he 
 asks, how it should happen that a species of an animal should be so very scarce, which ]3ossesses in an 
 equal degree all the power and opportunities for propagating its species with which the individuals of 
 the common kind are endowed. It must also be observed, that the black panther was unknown to 
 the ancients ; and when it is considered that the panther was an animal in higii request with them, 
 the inference must be drawn, that were the black panther a species distinct of itself, it would 
 undoubtedly have been introduced into some of the grand exhibitions which the ancients were in 
 the habit of making on some of their celebrated feasts. We are informed, that on one of these 
 occasions, Scaurus exhibited one liundred and fifty panthers ; Ponipey the Great four hundred and 
 ten, and Augustus four hundred and twenty ; and yet no mention whatever is made of any of these 
 animals being black. It is probable that the ancients thinned the coasts of Mauritania of these 
 animals ; but as the black leopard and black panther are only to be met with in the interior of Africa, 
 it may be adduced as some reason for them not forming any part in the pageants of the Romans, that 
 they had not yet penetrated into the country where that particular species was domesticated. This is, 
 however, a question for future naturalists to solve; but there are difficulties in the way of its solution, 
 ■which present an almost insuperable obstacle to a decisive result. 
 
 In speaking of the panther it may be necessary to remark, that in reading the ancient authors we 
 must not confound the panther with the pant he ra. The latter is the animal now under our considera- 
 tion ; whereas the panther of the scholiast of Homer and other authors, is a kind of timid wolf, which
 
 102 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 we are inclined to believe is the chacal. Lucian and Pliny were the first who made use of the word 
 pardtis ; and in regard to the name jmnthera, it is a word which the Latins derived from the Greek, 
 but which the Grecians themselves never used. 
 
 All the animals of this genus have a muscular body, having their members extremely supple and 
 robust. This numerous species exhibit very slight shades of difference in their organization and their 
 exterior form, but, on the other hand, the difference is very striking in their make and the distribution 
 of the colour of their skin. The cat-tribe are the most vigorous of all the carnivorous mammifera?, and 
 they are invested with such weapons, that they attack and seize their prey with the greatest facility. 
 The greater species attack the buffalo, rhinoceros, and the elephant, whilst they make their sport of 
 the gazelle, the antelope, the deer, the goat, and other ruminating animals. The lesser species ascend 
 the trees to surprise the birds in their nests, or to seize upon the smaller kinds of mammiferous 
 animals. All have the same manner in hunting their prey, which consists in concealing themselves in 
 ambush, and then springing at once upon their victim when it comes within their reach. They spring 
 with an almost irresistible force, and, by fixing their hold upon the back of their victim, often render 
 imavailable those weapons of defence with which nature may have endowed them. By means of their 
 retractile claws they ascend trees with the greatest facility and celerity ; but they are far inferior 
 to the canine genus in the quickness and duration of their flight. It is only the most pressing hunger 
 that can induce them to devour corrupted meat, and for this reason nature has providentially regulated 
 it, that the track of the lion, the leopard, and the panther is generally followed by the hy<ena, the 
 vulture, and other creatures of disgusting appetites,'who devour the remains of the lion's food, and thus 
 purify the air from those putrescences with which it would be charged were the food to remain long 
 under such a burning climate in a state of exposure to the heat. The panther, like all others of the 
 genus, may be considered more a nocturnal than a diurnal animal, which is evinced by the peculiar 
 construction of its eye, the pupil of which is contracted during the day, and assumes a rotund form in 
 darkness. 
 
 Amongst the organs of sense, the most perfect amongst the cat genus is that of hearing. The eyes 
 are also remarkable for their size, their anterior direction and their slight obliquity ; for the extent and 
 sensibility of the iris, and the unusual number of nerves which it receives, and finally for the yellow- 
 golden colour of the ground of the choroides, all of which are qualities which announce an organ 
 constituted to see in almost profound darkness, and therefore possessing too much sensibility for the 
 light of day. 
 
 The organ of taste is not very delicate ; in fact, the greater part of its seat or of the tongue has its 
 papillae covered with rough protuberances like little nails, with forked, sharp, and hard points, which 
 gi\ e it the appearance of a kind of rasp. 
 
 The whole of the organs of locomotion do not indicate a prompt and rapid pace, because the trunk 
 of the body, which is very elongated, is borne on very short members, especially in the state of flexion 
 in which they generally exhibit themselves. On the other hand, the whole of the skeleton is evidently 
 constructed for the execution of sudden leaps, which are one of the peculiar characteristics of these 
 animals. 
 
 The panther is often kept by the great men of the co\mtry for the purpose of hunting bucks, goats, 
 and other animals; but great care is necessary in training him, and still greater in conducting him. 
 If he happens to miss his aim, he becomes mad with rage, and sometimes falls on his master, who, to 
 prevent such accidents, generally carries along with him pieces of flesh, or perhaps a lamb or a kid, 
 which he throws to him in order to appease his fury.
 
 
 aa fv 
 
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 I-
 
 THE SEAL. io« 
 
 THE SEAL. 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 There exists a very close alliance between the seals and the morse tribe, most of them havin" the 
 same kind of elongated body and fin-lii<e feet. In their upper jaw, the seals have six parallel and 
 sharp-pointed fore-teeth, the exterior ones of which are the largest, and in the lower jaw, four that 
 are also parallel, distinct, and equal. There is one canine tooth in each jaw, and five grinders above 
 and six below, all of which have three knobs or points. The usual length of these animals is five or 
 six feet. The head is large and round, of a bull-dog appearance ; the neck small and short, and on 
 each side of the mouth there are several strong bristles. From the shoulders, the body tapers to the 
 tail. The eyes are large and round, there are no external ears, and the tongue is cleft or forked at 
 the end. The legs are very short, and the hinder ones are placed so far back as to be of little use, 
 except in swimming. The feet are all webbed ; the tail is short ; the animals vary in colour, their 
 short, thick-set hair being sometimes grey, sometimes brown or blackish, and sometimes even spotted 
 with white and yellow. , 
 
 The seal is common on most of the rocky shores of Great Britain and Ireland, especially on the 
 northern coasts. In Wales, it frequents the coasts of Anglesea and Carnarvonshire. It preys entirely 
 on fish, and never molests the sea-fowl. It eats its food beneath the surface of the water, and when 
 it is devouring any very oily fish, the place is known by a certain smoothness of the waves immediately 
 above. 
 
 The seal is an excellent swimmer and ready diver, and is very bold when in the sea, swimming very 
 carelessly about the boats. Its den, or lodgement, is in hollow rocks or caverns near the sea, but out 
 of the reach of the tide. In the summer it will come out of the water, to bask or sleep in the sun, on 
 the top of large stones or shivers of rocks, and that is the general opportunity which is taken of 
 shooting it. If it chance to escape, it hastens towards its proper element, flinging stones and dirt 
 behind it, as it scrambles along, at the same time expressing its fears by piteous moans : but if it 
 happen to be overtaken, it will make a vigorous defence with its feet and teeth, till it is killed. It is 
 extremely watchful, never sleeping long without moving. At intervals of about a minute or two, it 
 raises its head to see that it is not threatened with danger. Providence seems to have endowed it with 
 this property, because, being destitute of auricles, or external ears, it is consequently unable to hear 
 quickly, or from a great distance. 
 
 The females produce two or more young ones at a birth. These, in northern climates, they deposit 
 in cavities of the ice, and the male makes a hole through the ice near them, for a speedy communication 
 with the water. In this they always plunge with their offspring, the moment they observe a hunter 
 approach, and at other times they descend into it spontaneously, in search of food. The manner in 
 which the male seals make these holes is astonishing ; neither their teeth nor their paws having any 
 share in the operation : it is performed, according to Mr. Acerbi, solely by their breath. When the 
 females come out of the sea, they bleat like sheep for their young; and though they often pass among 
 hundreds of other young ones before they come to their own, yet they will never allow any of the 
 strangers to suck them. About a fortnight after their birth they are taken out to sea, and instructed 
 27 2 E
 
 104 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 in swimming and seeking their food ; when they are fatigued, the parent is said to carry them on her 
 back. According to the report of the seal hunters in Caithness, their growth is so rapid, that in nine 
 tides, about fifty-four hours after their birth, they become as active as their parents. 
 
 In their proper depth of water, these animals are very rapid in their motions. They will dive like 
 a shot, and in a few moments afterwards rise at a distance of forty or fifty yards. To the inhabitants 
 of Greenland, the seals are animals of the greatest importance. The sea is to these people what corn- 
 fields are to us, and the seal fishery is their most copious harvest. The flesh supplies them with their 
 principal food, their lamps and fires ; and the fibres of the sinews serve better for sewing with than 
 either thread or silk. Of the skins of the entrails this people make their windows, curtains for their 
 tents, and shirts ; and part of the bladders they use in fishing, as buoys or floats to their harpoons* 
 Of the bones they formerly made all those instruments and working tools that are now supplied to 
 them by the introduction of iron. Even the blood is not lost, for they boil that with other ingredients, 
 as soup. Of the skins they form clothing, coverings for then- beds, houses, and boots, and thongs and 
 straps of every description. To be able to pursue and kill seals is the height of the Greenlander's 
 desire and pride, and to this labour, whicii is in truth an arduous one, they are trained from their 
 childliood. The hunting of the seal also sets the courage and enterprise of the Finlander in the 
 strongest possible light. The season for the chace begins when the sea breaks up, and the ice floats in 
 shoals upon the sm-face. Four or five peasants will go out to sea in one small open boat, and will 
 often continue more than a month absent from their families. Thus do they expose themselves to all 
 the horrors of the northern seas, having only a small fire, which they kindle on a kind of brick hearth, 
 and living on the flesh of the seals which they kill ; the fat and skins they bring home. The perils 
 with which these voyagers have to struggle are almost incredible : they have incessantly to pass betwixt 
 masses of ice, which threaten to crush their httle bark to atoms : they mount the floating shoals, and, 
 creeping along them, steal cautiously upon the animals, and kill them as they repose on the ice. 
 
 It is said that tlie seals delight in thunder storms, and tliat during those periods they will sit on the 
 rocks, and contemplate, with apparent pleasure and gratification, the convulsion of the elements. The 
 Icelanders entertain, respecting these animals, a strange superstition. They believe them to resemble 
 the human species more than any other creature, and that they are the offlspring of Pharaoh and his 
 host, who were converted into seals when they were overwhelmed in tiie Red Sea. 
 
 The voice of a full-grown seal is hoarse, and not unlike the barking of a dog, and that of the young 
 ones resembles in some measure the mewing of a kitten. The flesh of seals formerly found, in our 
 country, a place at the tables of the great, as appears from the bill of fare of a sumptuous feast which 
 Archbishop Nevil gave in the reign of king Edward the Fourth. 
 
 The animal from which our drawing is taken has not yet attained its full growth, nor does it appear 
 to be very reconciled to its new abode. If molested in the water, it manifests its indignation by 
 splashing the water with its fore paws, which generally induces the spectator to retire, and its sagacity 
 has perhaps led it to adopt this mode of defence, as the only one within its power. It however shews 
 some degree of docility to its keepers ; for, when dragged from its wooden reservoir, and told to 
 return to it, it generally obeys the command, and seems to feel itself happy, when it again finds itself 
 in the watery element.
 
 
 

 
 THE CrVET CAT. 105 
 
 THE CIVET CAT. 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The animal commonly known by the name of the Civef, or Civi-t Cat, is the Fiverra Civeffa of 
 Linnaeus; the felis zibcthi ot Gesner ; the civette oi BufFon; and the "ash-coloured weesel, spotted 
 with black, with chestnut-coloured mane, and dusky tail spotted towards the base " of Dr. Shaw. Its 
 general length from nose to tail is somewhat more than two feet, and the tail measures fourteen inches. 
 The ground colour of the body is yellowish ash-grey, marked with large blackish or dusky spots dis- 
 posed in longitudinal rows on each side, with sometimes a tinge of ferruginous. The hair is coarse, 
 and along the top of the back stands up, forming a kind of mane ; the head is of a lengthened or 
 sharpish form, with short rounded ears ; the eyes are of a bi-ight sky-blue; the tip of the nose black ; 
 the sides of the face, chin, breast, legs and feet are black ; the remainder of the face, and part of the 
 sides of the neck, are of a yellowish white ; from each ear are three black stripes terminating at the 
 throat and shoulders ; the tail is generally black, but sometimes marked with pale or whitish spots on 
 each side of the base. Some naturalists, and particularly Belon, will have the Civet Cat to be the same 
 as the hvasna of the Ancients, and he calls it hycsna odorifera ; but BufFon observes, that it has nothing 
 in common with the hvaena, except the fissure or sac under the tail, and the mane along the neck and 
 spine. It differs also from the hyaena in the figure and size of the body, being one-half smaller. The 
 eai's are short and covered with hair, while those of the hyaena are long and naked. Neither does the 
 Civet Cat dig the earth in quest of dead bodies ; and this alone forms a clear distinction between the 
 two animals. 
 
 The Civet Cat is a native of several parts of Africa and India, but not of America, as some have 
 erroneously asserted, though it has been transported thither from the Philippine Islands and the coast 
 of Guinea. Although originally a native of the warm climates of Africa and Asia, it is still capable 
 of subsisting in temperate and even in cold countries, provided it be defended from the injuries of the 
 weather, and fed with succulent nourishment. 
 
 The Civet Cat is naturally wild, and sometimes rather ferocious, although it may be easily tamed, 
 or at least so far as to be handled without danger. Few animals are more active and nimble than 
 the civet, jumping about, like the cat, in the most animated manner, and running with wonderful 
 speed. It is an animal of prey, pursuing and surprising the smaller animals, and especially the birds, 
 and, like the fox, it will steal into the poultry-yards and commit considerable havoc. Its eyes shine 
 in the night, and it is supposed that, like the cat, it can see in the dark. When it cannot obtain either 
 animals or birds, it takes roots and fruits as its substitute. It drinks very little, and never inhabits 
 moist or swampy places, preferring for its habitation the burning sands or the arid mountains. It is a 
 very prolific animal, bringing forth from three to six at each birth, and breeding regularly once a year. 
 
 A considerable number of these animals are kept in Holland for the sake of selling, and procuring 
 the perfume which they yield called civet, and which is sometimes erroneously confounded with musk. 
 There is a considerable traffic of civet from Bassora, Calicut, and other places, where the animal that 
 produces it is bred, although the greater part of the civet amongst us is furnished by the Dutch, who 
 rear a considerable number of these animals. That which is obtained from Amsterdam is preferred to
 
 106 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 that which comes from the Levant or India, because the latter is generally less pure. That which is 
 brought from Guinea would be the best, if the negroes, as well as the Indians and Levantines did not adul- 
 terate it with the juices of plants, or with labdanum, storax, and other balsamic and odoriferous drugs. 
 The perfume is gathered from time to time, and always abounds in proportion as the animal is fed. 
 Before any of these animals were seen in Europe, or it had been observed how the perfume had been 
 gathered, the common opinion, founded on the relation of travellers, was, that it was the sweat of the 
 animal, when irritated and provoked into rage. To produce this effect it was said that the animal was 
 enclosed in an iron cao-e, and after having been a long time beaten with rods, they gathered with a spoon 
 throuo-h the bars of the cage, and between the thighs of the animal, the sweat or foam which the rage or 
 agitation had produced, and that without this precaution the animal would yield no perfume at all : this 
 statement is, however, undoubtedly false. The civet is a secretion formed in a large double glandular 
 receptacle, situated at some little distance beneath the tail, and which the animal empties spontaneously. 
 When the civet cats are kept in a state of confinement, as is usually the case with the perfumers at 
 Amsterdam and other places, they are placed from time to time in strong wooden cages or receptacles, 
 so constructed as to prevent the creature from turning round and biting the person employed in collect- 
 ing the secreted substance. This operation is said to be generally performed twice a week, and is done 
 by scraping out the civet with a sm;dl spatula or spoon. The substance is of a yellowish colour and 
 of the consistence of an unguent, of an extremely strong and even unpleasant odour when fresh, so as 
 sometimes to cause giddiness or headache : the quantity obtained each time amounts to about a drachm. 
 The quantity supplied depends much upon the quality of the nourishment and the appetite of the 
 animal, which always produces more according to the goodness of the food. Boiled flesh, eggs, rice, 
 small animals, birds, young poultry, and especially fishes, are the best kind of food, and they ought to 
 be so varied as to preserve the health and excite the appetite. Very little water is given to it ; but 
 although the animal drinks very seldom, he discharges urine frequently, and in this operation the male 
 is not to be distinguished from the female. When the scented substance becomes incommodious to 
 the animal on account of its quantity, or when the reservoirs ai"e too full, it is provided with proper 
 muscles for squeezing it out. The perfume of the animal is so strong that it infects all parts of the 
 body ; the hair and the skin are so thoroughly penetrated with the odour, that they retain it long after 
 death, and, during life, it is so violent as to be quite insupportable, especially if a person be shut up 
 in the same apartment with the animal. When heated with rage, the odour becomes more highly 
 exalted, and if the animal be tormented till he sweats, the keeper collects the sweat, which has likewise 
 a strong scent, and serves for adulterating, or at least augmenting the quantity of the perfume. The 
 males yield a greater supply of civet than the females, but the odour of the latter is twice as strong as 
 that of the males. 
 
 The civet was formerly used in medicine as highly stimulant and antispasmodic ; but is now chiefly 
 confined to the perfumers, the tobacconists, who scent some of their choice snuffs with it, and to the 
 confectioners, who use it as an ingredient in their pastilles and other odorous comfits.
 
 \^ 
 
 
 

 
 THE LION, LIONESS, AND CUBS. 107 
 
 THE LION, LIONESS, and CUBS. 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 In a former part of this woik, (see pages 31 and 69) we liave described the wiiitc or silver lions, and 
 the cubs, which are the offspring of the animals now under our consideration. In the natural arrange- 
 ment of animals, the lion belongs to the cat genus ; and perhaps it may be said, that the most effectual 
 method of guarding against the general prejudice, which takes delight in assigning to the lion the 
 highest rank, at the expense of all other animals, will be found in the incontestable fact, that, both in 
 a physical and moral sense, the lion is nothing more than a cat of extraordinary magnitude, but at the 
 same time invested with unequalled strength, tremendous powers of destruction, and a courage dauntless 
 as it is often ferocious. If we w ere not in a great degree acquainted with the natural disposition of this 
 stately animal, we should feel a great degree of terror in seeing the keepers of the different menageries 
 play with him as with a dog, and even chastise him when he has given any offence. He seems to 
 bear all this treatment with the utmost good nature, and instances very rarely occur of his revenging 
 these unprovoked and wanton insults. The lion, in a state of captivity, is often bred up with domestic 
 animals, and he has been frequently seen to play innocently and familiarly among them ; and if it ever 
 happen that his natural ferocity returns, it is seldom exerted against his benefactors. 
 
 It is by the uniformity of his colour that the lion is particularly distinguished from the other animals 
 of the cat genus, it being a pale tawnj'^ above, and becoming somewhat lighter beneath, and never par- 
 taking of the spots or stripes of the leopard or tiger. In the adult lion, his long and flowing mane is 
 a peculiar characteristic, imparting a majesty and grandeur to the animal which is not to be equalled 
 in any others of his tribe. It originates nearly as far forward as the root of his nose, extending back- 
 wards over his shoulders, and descending in graceful undulations on each side of his neck and face. 
 The tuft of long and blackish hair which terminates his long and powerful tail, is also one of his 
 peculiar characteristics, and forms the only dark colour which exhibits itself in the whole animal. The 
 lioness differs from the lion in the want of the mane, and in the more slender proportions of her body. 
 
 We are indebted to Mr. Bennett, one of the most active members of the Zoological Society, for 
 some very interesting particulars respecting the "old lion" of the Tower, who, although he is known 
 by that name, is in reality little more than six years old. His proper name, or rather that by which he 
 has been known ever since his arrival at the Tower, is George. The following anecdotes respecting the 
 mode of his capture, and his habits and demeanour in his captivity, are given on the authority of Mr. 
 Cope, who derived his information on the first point from General Watson himself; and in I'egard to 
 the latter, he speaks from his own personal observation. 
 
 It was in the commencement of the year 1823, when the General was on service in Bengal, that, 
 being out one morning on horseback, armed with a double-barrelled rifle, he was suddenly sur- 
 prised by a large male lion, which bounded out upon him from the thick jungle at the distance of only 
 a few yards. He instantly fired, and the shot taking complete effect, the animal fell dead almost at 
 his feet. No sooner was this formidable foe thus disposed of, than a second, equally terrible, made 
 her appearance, in the person of a lioness, whom the General also shot at, and wounded so dangerously 
 that she retreated into the thicket. As her following so immediately on the footsteps of her mate 
 28 2 F
 
 108 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 afforded strong grounds for suspecting that her den could not be far distant, he determined upon 
 pursuing tlic adventure to the end, and traced her to lier retreat, where he completed the work of her 
 destruction, by again discharging the contents of one of the barrels of his rifle, which he had reloaded 
 for the purpose. In the den were found a beautiful pair of cubs, male and female, supposed then to 
 be not more than three days old. These the General brought away with him, and succeeded, by the 
 assistance of a goat, who was prevailed upon to act in the capacity of a foster-mother to the royal pair, 
 in rearing them until they attained sufficient age and strength to enable them to bear a voyage to 
 England. On their arrival in this country, in September, 1823, he presented them to his Majesty, 
 who commanded them to be placed in the Tower. The male animal is the subject of the present 
 article. 
 
 " The extreme youth of these lions," says Mr. Bennett, " at the time of their capture, and the 
 constant control to which they had been accustomed from the earliest period of their existence, 
 rendered them peculiarly tame and docile, insomuch that, for twelve months after their arrival, they 
 were frequently suffered to walk in the open yard among the visitors, who caressed them and played 
 with them with impunity. The Duke of Sussex, in particular, was highly delighted with the unusual 
 spectacle of a lion and a lioness bounding about him at perfect liberty, and with all their natural 
 grace and agility. It must, however, be observed, that they were not then fully grown, and that it 
 was afterwards thought necessary to place them under greater restraint, but more with the view of 
 guarding against possible mischief, than in consequence of any positive symptoms of rebellion. Both 
 the animals retained their usual docility, until the lioness gave birth to the cubs, when a total alteration 
 took place in her temper and demeanour. She no longer suffered the least familiarity, even on the 
 part of her keepers, but gave full scope to the violence of her passions." 
 
 The Asiatic lion, of which we are now treating, seldom attains the size of the full-grown African 
 lion ; but a greater degree of uniformity exists in its colour, and the mane is more full and complete, 
 commencing beneath the neck and occupying the whole of the middle line of the body below. It 
 must, however, be remarked that all these distinctions are modified by age, and vary in different 
 individuals. 
 
 It cannot be doubted that the lighter and slenderer shape of the lioness has a direct tendency to the 
 formation of that more lively and sensitive character by which the generality of her motions is dis- 
 tinguished. Her inferiority in muscular strength to the lion is in a great degree compensated by the 
 greater livehness of her disposition, the unrestrained ardour of her passions, and the vigorous impetu- 
 osity of her motions ; but it must be further remarked that the two animals differ in a very striking 
 characteristic, which is the position and direction of their heads, that of the lion being always elevated 
 and thrown upwards with an air of majesty and grandeur, whilst the lioness carries her head on a level 
 with the line of her back, imparting to her a sullen and downcast look ; and this singular distinction 
 appears to be in a great measure dependent on the absence of the mane, for it has been observed that 
 the young male cubs, until the period at which this badge of dignity begins to make its appearance, 
 carry their heads in the same level position with the female.
 
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 THE DOG-FACED BABOON. 109 
 
 THE DOG-FACED BABOON. 
 
 IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWKR OK LONDON. 
 
 This species of baboon is of a bright colour, composed of a mixture of grey and brown, the hair 
 appearing as if speckled. It is a very large animal, at least equal, if not superior, to the common 
 brown baboon and the mormon, its average heiglit being between four and five feet. It is remarkable 
 for a vast quantity of flowing hair on each side of the head, as well as round the shoulders, spreading 
 in such a manner as to give the appearance of a short cloak or mantle. The whole face is naked and 
 of a flesh colour, more or less deep in different individuals. The eyes are deeply seated and of a 
 chestnut colour. The bare spaces on each side of the tail are very large, protuberant, and of a very- 
 bright flesh colour, or rather red. The tail is almost the length of the body, and is commonly a little 
 tufted at the end. T'he nails on the hands, or fore feet, are flat ; those on the hind feet resemble claws. 
 This is a rare species, in comparison with the common baboon, and is a native of the hottest parts of 
 Africa and Asia. There is a wonderful degree of sagacity in the countenance of the animal, and a 
 kind of solemn contemplative disposition seems to be strongly indicated in its looks, when calm and 
 undisturbed; but when irritated, the most striking efforts of vindictive violence are immediately 
 exhibited. It is also possessed of an uncommon degree of obstinate moroseness, surpassino- most 
 others of its tribe; and is, when in a state of confinement, of a disposition so rude and unquiet, and of 
 manners so peculiarly indecorous, as generally to frustrate all attempts to civilize and reclaim it. 
 
 The dog-faced baboons usually associate in vast companies. When travellers pass their haunts 
 they run into the nearest trees, and shake tlie boughs with great vehemence, at the same time chattering 
 very loudly. They are so powerful as with little difficulty to overcome a man, and they frequently 
 commit such depredations in cultivated grounds, that the proprietors are compelled to have armed 
 men continually on the watch, to prevent them from plundering. Amongst the mountains near the 
 Cape of Good Hope, there ai-e immense troops of these baboons, or of a kind called Ursine Baboons 
 which are very nearly allied to tiiem. When these animals discover any single person restino- and 
 regaUng himself in the fields, they, if possible, approach behind and snatch away whatever they can 
 lay hold of; then, running to a little distance, they will turn round, seat themselves on their posteriors, 
 and, with the most arch grimaces imaginable, will devour it before the man's face. Thev frequently 
 hold it out in their paws, as if to off'er it back again ; and use such ridiculous gestures, that although 
 the poor fellow loses his dinner, he seldom can refrain from laughing. 
 
 These baboons are indeed so numerous amongst the mountains, as at times to render it exceedino-ly 
 dangerous for travellers to pass them. They sit undismayed on the tops of the rocks, and sometimes 
 roll or throw from them stones of immense size. A gun, in these cases, is generally of indispensable 
 use, in driving them to such a distance that the stones they throw may do no material injury. In their 
 flight, even with their cubs upon their backs, they often make most astonishing leaps up perpendicular 
 rocks, and their agility is so great as to render it very difficult even to kill them with fire-arms. When 
 any person approaches their haunts, these animals set up a universal and horrible cry for a minute or 
 two, and then conceal themselves in their fastnesses, and keep a profound silence : they seldom descend 
 to the plains, except for the purpose of plundering the gardens that lie near the foot of the mountains. 
 While they are engaged in this operation, they are careful to place sentinels for the purpose of pre-
 
 110 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 venting a surprise. They break the fruit in pieces, and cram it into their cheek pouches, in order 
 afterwards to eat it at leisure. The sentinel, if he sees a man, gives a loud yell, and the whole troop 
 retreat with the utmost expedition, and in a most diverting manner, the young ones jumping on and 
 clinging to the backs of their parents. 
 
 In confinement these baboons may be rendered docile, yet tiiey always retain the disposition to re- 
 venge an injury. At tiie Cape they are often caught when young and brought up with milk ; and 
 Kolben informs us that they will become as watchful over their master's property as the most vahiable 
 house-dog in Europe. Many of the Hottentots believe they can speak, but that they avoid doing so 
 lest tlicy should be enslaved and corajjelled to work. Tiiough not naturally carnivorous, they will eat 
 either meat or fish that is cooked. They are generally kept chained to a pole, and their agility in 
 climbing, leaping, and dodging any one that offers to strike them, is almost incredible. The same 
 traveller reports, that, although one of the animals was then tied up, it was impossible, at the distance 
 of a few yards, to hit him with a stone ; he would either catch it like a ball in his paw, or he would 
 avoid its blow witli the most astonishing agility. 
 
 The animal now in the Tower is a most complete adept in thieving, and during the voyage, he was 
 allowed to run at large about the ship, but scarcely a day elapsed without Jacko exhibiting some 
 specimen of his skill in thieving. The cook's department was his most favourite place of resort, and 
 he succeeded one day In purloining two fowls, which were just ready for the spit. Suspicion attached 
 to the whole crew, and a most rigorous search was instituted, but for some time without effect, until 
 it was at last discovered that Jacko had concealed his ill-gotten treasure in the rigging. Not content, 
 however, with being simply the thief, he began to tear the fowls into pieces, and, seated on one of the 
 yard-arms, to pelt the crew below with the pieces. A general chase was now set on foot to catch the 
 thief, but jiis agility was so great that his pursuers found it necessary, at last, to leave Jacko to the 
 enjoyment of his liberty. 
 
 During his present confinement in the Tower, he has once succeeded in extracting a gentleman's 
 ■watch from his pocket, but Jacko could not understand the use of it — the tick-tick appeared completely 
 to puzzle him — he dropped the watch — picked it up again, put it to his nose, smelt it ; but still the 
 tick-tick seemed to confound him — at last he put it to his ear, and appeared hlglily deligiited with the 
 sound. The watcii was restored to the owner with no other damage than the breakage of the glass. 
 
 The late Dr. Darwin had a baboon of this kind, who by his mischievous propensities was a con- 
 tinual source of annoyance to the whole household. It was the custom of the Doctor to have the Mat- 
 lock water brought to his house in a large hogshead, and the animal used to watch the arrival of the 
 hogshead with an anxiety as great as abon-vivant would the arrival of a pipe of port — but the hogshead 
 was not long stationed in the yard, when the animal would draw out the spigot, and jump about with 
 joy to see the water running out. The following, however, may be adduced as a proof of how far 
 the reason of these animals extends. The Doctor had one day a fine haunch of venison at the fire, 
 ■when the monkey mounted to the top of the house, and collecting a heap of stones and brickbats, 
 threw them down the chimney, completely destroying the joint at the fire. The Doctor, being apprised 
 of this new specimen of his monkey's mischief, was so enraged, tliat he determined to shoot him, and 
 taking his gun, proceeded to the yard from which he could obtain a good aim at the delinquent, but 
 the monkey no sooner saw the gun, than he stripped off" one of the tiles, and holding it before him 
 completely protected himself from tlie shot. If the Doctor moved — the monkey moved his tile also — 
 squinting every now and then from behind it, to see the situation of his enemy. The Doctor at last 
 laid down his gun, exclaiming — " What could the reason of man do more.? "
 
 TEDE COI?"m€)K.
 
 THE CONDOR. HI 
 
 THE CONDOR. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIEXr: 
 
 Thk Condor is tlie largest of tlie fcathcrefl tribe wliicli lias the faculty of flying. The mountains of 
 Peru are its general residence, although it is to be found in other parts both of the old and new conti- 
 nents. It has hitherto been classed by naturalists amongst the vultures, although in many of its habits 
 it differs considerably from those disgusting birds. Like them, however, it inhabits desert and inacces- 
 sible places, and mountains of the highest altitude, from which it descends but rarely into the plains ; 
 but, unlike the vulture, it never deigns to feed on carrion, but always on animals, which have been 
 caught by it in the chase. The condor possesses, even in a higher degree than the eagle, all the quali- 
 ties, all the endowments which Nature has bestowed on the most perfect species of this class of beings. 
 It has an extent of wing from twelve to fourteen feet ; the bill is strong, moderately hooked, and blunt 
 at the tip, which is white ; the rest of it is of a dusky colour. The male bird has a kind of gular poucli, 
 or large dilated skin of a bluish colour, jiroceeding from the base of the lower mandible, and reaching' 
 to some distance down the neck. On each side of the neck is also situated a row or series of flat 
 carneous, semicircular, or earshaped flaps or appendages, to the number of seven on each side, and 
 which gradually decrease in size as they descend, being so disposed as to lop slightly over each other. 
 The whole neck and breast are of a reddish-brown colour, and in some parts are nearly bare, being 
 only coated here and there with a few straggling filaments of blackish hair or coarse down. The colour 
 of the lateral wattles or carunculse inclines to blue. The crest or comb on the head is large, ujiright, 
 thick at the base, sharpened on its edge, and not entirely even in its outline, but somewhat sinuated, 
 sinking slightly in the middle, and rising higher on the back part ; it is smooth and irregularly convex 
 on the sides, and in its texture or substance not greatly dissimilar to the Vulture Papa of Linna?us, or 
 king vulture. At a slight distance behind this, on each side, is situated a much smaller semioval nuchal 
 crest, of a similar substance, and beset with coarse down. The colour of the crest is blackish, slightly 
 inclining to red and blue in some parts. To\\ards the lower part of the neck is a pendant pear-shaped 
 tubercle ; the lower part of the neck is surrounded by a collar of milk-white down or fine plumes, 
 representing exactly a tippet of white fur. The upper parts of the body, wing, and gar! are black, 
 except that the middle wing-coverts have whitish ends, and the greater coverts half black, half white. 
 The nine or ten first quills are black, the rest white, with the tips only black ; and when the wings are 
 closed, producing the appearance of the bird having the back white. This circumstance has misled 
 many naturalists in their description of this bird, who have been thence induced to describe it as having 
 the back white, whereas it was only the white secondaries which covered the back from the view. 
 Gmelin copied this error from Molina, and thus Mv. Latham was misled. The under parts of the 
 body are rather slightly covered with feathers, but those of the thighs are pretty long. The legs are 
 short and brown ; the claws black and blunt. 
 
 The condor builds its nest in the highest mountains, under the shelter of some projecting shelf of a 
 rock, in which the female lays two white eggs, rather larger than those of a tin-key. 
 
 Father Teuillee, speaking of the condor, says, " It is a bird of prey which haunts the valley of Zlo, 
 in Peru. I discovered one that was perched upon a great rock ; I approached it within musket shot, 
 29 2g
 
 lH^. THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 and fired ; but as my piece was only loaded with swan shot, the lead could not pierce its feathers. I 
 perceived, however, from its motions, that it was wounded, for it rose heavily, and could with difficulty 
 reach another great rock, five hundred paces distant, upon the sea-shore. I therefore charged my piece 
 with a bullet, and hit the bird under the throat. I then saw that I had succeeded, and I ran to secure 
 the victim, but it struggled obstinately with death, and, resting upon its back with extended talons, I 
 •was at a loss on what side to lay hold of it ; and I believe, that if it had not been mortally wounded, 
 I should have found great difficulty in securing it. 
 
 " These birds commonly settle upon the mountains, where they procure their subsistence : they 
 resort to the shoie only in the rainy seasons, and, feeling the approach of cold, they seek shelter and 
 warmth in the plains. The scanty subsistence which these birds can pick up on the margin of the 
 sea, except when storms cast ashore large fish, obliges them to make but a short stay : they appear on 
 the beach generally about evening, and there pass the night, and return to their usual haunts in the 
 morning." 
 
 According to Acosta and Garcilasso, there are some condors whose wings extend fifteen or sixteen 
 feet ; their beak is so firm, that they pierce a cow's hide, and two of them are able to kill the animal 
 and eat the carcass. Sometimes they dare even to attack men, but fortunately the instance is rare ; 
 and if these birds were very numerous, they would soon extirpate the cattle. The American Indians 
 affirm that the condor will seize and transport a hind, or a young cow, with the same ease as it would 
 do a rabbit ; that their flesh is coriaceous, and smells like carrion; that they seldom frequent the 
 forests, where they have scarcely room to wield their enormous wings ; but that they haunt the sea- 
 shore, the sides of rivers, and the savannahs, or natural meadows. 
 
 Nothing can exceed the sagacity with which the condor perceives the scent of its prey at a distance, 
 or the boldness with which it flies down to seize it. When it alights upon the ground, or rises from 
 it, the noise which it makes with its wings is such as to terrify and almost to deafen any one who 
 happens to be near the place. A method of taking condors alive is often practised in Peru and Quito, 
 and is as follows: — A cow or horse is killed, and in a little time the scent of the carcass attracts the 
 condors, which are suddenly seen in numbers in places where no one supposed they existed. They 
 always begin with the eyes and tongue, and then proceed to devour the intestines, &c. When they 
 are well sated, they are too heavy and indolent to fly, and the Indians then take them easily with 
 nooses. When thus taken alive, the condor is dull and timid for the first hour, and then becomes 
 extremely ferocious. Mr. Humboldt had one in his possession for some days, which it was dangerous 
 to approach. In Chili, the peasants use the following stratagem for the caption of these birds. One 
 of them wraps himself up in the hide of a fresh-killed sheep or ox, and lies still on the ground: the 
 condor, supposing it to be lawful prey, flies down to secure it, when the person concealed lays hold of 
 the legs of the bird, his hands being well covered with gloves ; and immediately his comrades, who are 
 concealed at a distance, run in and assist to secure the depredator, by falling on him with sticks till 
 they have killed him. 
 
 The bird from which our drawing is taken must not be considered as having attained its full 
 growth, nor does its appearance betray any of those tremendous powers with which Nature has so 
 lavishly endowed it.
 
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 m 
 
 1=3 
 
 £ I 
 
 59 5
 
 THE CHITTAHS, or HUNTING LEOPARDS. 113 
 
 THE CHITTAHS, or HUNTING LEOPARDS. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 
 
 Until the present time the generic characters of the cats have afforded us but one important modifi- 
 cation, which consisted in the form of the pupil, always circular with some, and contracted with others, 
 in proportion as the light was more vivid. The animal which is the subject of tlie present sketch 
 presents a new modification, and becomes thereby the type of a new secondary group ; its nails are 
 neither retractile, nor are they made to tear their prey in pieces, like those of some otiiers of the cat 
 tribe, of which, liowever, it possesses the essential characters, the same system of dentition, the senses, 
 and the general forms of the head. Its nails resemble those of a dog, and being destitute either of 
 offensive or defensive organs, this animal possesses a disposition very different from that of the majority 
 of the cat tribe, who find, in their sharp and lacerating nails, weapons more cruel and dangerous than 
 their teeth. 
 
 We are informed by the writings of Tavernier, of Chardin, and of 'Bernier, that in many parts of 
 Asia, a species of spotted cat is used for the chase, called youze in Persia, and chittah in the Indies, 
 but nothing further is known of the organization of this singular species, with this exception, that a 
 sufficient number of its characteristics have been collected to distinguish it completely from all the 
 other species of cats, at the same time that it is necessary to obtain a knowledge of it from other 
 points, in order to solve the problem which it presents of a cat employed in the chase, that is, trained 
 to an exercise, which requires the greatest degree of constraint, and the most profound modifications 
 in its natural dispositions, whilst, on the other hand, all the other species, and even the domestic cat, 
 preserve a complete independence and untractablcness. 
 
 In the organization of this animal a considerable difference exists between it and the majority of 
 the cat species. It is, in the first place, diurnal, the pupil of the eye remains always round, and never 
 assumes tliat contracted form which that of the domestic cat exhibits, when exposed to the full light 
 of the day. Its head also differs from that of the cat in the middle part of it being much higher; 
 and its general proportions, which are much lighter and more active, may also be given as one of its 
 most distinguishing characteristics. 
 
 The length of its body from the top of the head to the base of the tail is three feet two inches ; its 
 head, from the crown to the tip of the nose, eight inches, and its mean hciglit is two feet one inch. 
 All the upper parts of its body are covered with small round spots, on a pale fulvous-yellow ground. 
 On the lower parts, these spots appear on a whitish ground. The fore part of the upper lips, the whole 
 of the lower jaw, the lower sides of the cheeks, and the insides of the ears, are quite white. All the 
 other parts are completely yellow, and the hair over the whole of the body is short. From the in- 
 ternal angle of the eye proceeds a black line whicli assumes the form of an S, and which terminates at 
 the corners of the mouth. On the sides of the cheeks is a group of very small spots, and a few other 
 spots are scattered over the white part of the cheeks, and on the head the small spots begin at tlie top 
 of the forehead. On tlie neck the hair is longer than on any other part and very much frizzled. 
 Behind the ears there is a black spot very close to the head. The spots on the neck are small and by
 
 lU THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 no means close to each other, particularly on the sides ; they begin to increase in size on the shoulders 
 and tlie foremost members, and they preserve nearly the same proportion over the whole of the re- 
 mainder of the body, but they decrease in number on the flanks and thighs. The breast and the 
 belly, which are white, are wholly destitute of spots. The tail is yellowish above and whitish under- 
 neath, and the spots are disposed irregularly at its base. These spots, however, towards the middle 
 of the tail, run almost into each other, and form incomplete rings, and at the end of the tail these rings 
 become separate and distinct. The extremity of the tail is white. 
 
 The possession of a large spotted cat, with a dis23osition naturally mild and gentle, the immediate 
 consequence of its organization, presents a wide field for the professed zoologist, as it presents con- 
 siderable difficulty in its classification. The chittah is in reality not a cat, according to the fullest 
 meaning of the term. Its nails are not sharp, which are the very weapons on which all the real species 
 of cats rely with the greatest confidence, and which they make use of either offensively or defensively 
 in preference to all others ; and the greater the influence whicli they have upon their character, the 
 more intimate is their relation with the instinct of their preservation. This exposition is so much the 
 better founded as it enables us without much difficulty to establish the intimate relations between the 
 youze and the chittah, which it must be admitted belongs incontestably to the same species as that 
 of BufFun. The chittahs are natives of Senegal, and they bear a perfect resemblance to the skins 
 which are known in commerce under tiiat name, and from which alone Buffbn established his species. 
 The specific identity of the youze and the chittah is equally well founded and incontestable. The 
 descriptions and figures of the youze, which have been given by Schreber, under the Latin cognomen 
 of Felis jubata, and by Pennant, under Cat Jmnting ; the details which are to be found in the Asiatic 
 Register relative to the hunting leopards of Tippoo Saib, but more especially, the figure, the notes, 
 and the skins of the chittah which have been transmitted to Europe by M. Alfred Duvancel, set at 
 rest all doubt respecting the identity of the two animals. It may, therefore, be considered that the 
 chittah is to be found both in Asia and Africa, but that it is only in the former country that it is 
 employed in the chase, whilst in the latter, the good qualities of its character and its capacity are not 
 properly appreciated, and that it is only sought after for the value of its skin. 
 
 Barrow, in his first Travels in Africa, speaks of the chittah when he is describing the animal which 
 the Dutch farmers in the vicinity of the Cape call a leopard ; the " farmers," he says, " give the name 
 of leopard to another animal of the same family, (of the family of the tigers of the mountains and the 
 tigers of the plains,) but it is not so long, although it is thicker, greater, and stronger than those which 
 I have just mentioned. Its colour is cinereous, with small black spots; the neck and the temples are 
 covered with long frizzled hair, similar to that of the mane of a lion. The tail is two feet long, and 
 is spotted half its length from the base, the remainder is annulated. Its face is marked with a broad 
 black line, which extends from the internal corner to the extremity of the throat. We captured a 
 young one, wliich soon became familiar with us, and played about us like a cat." 
 
 M. Cuvler mentions an animal of this species now in Paris, which is completely tamed, exhibits all 
 the jDlayful antics of our common domestic cat, and, when caressed, purrs in the same manner as the 
 cat ; but subsequent examinations have proved that it is not the animal now known by the name of 
 Chittah, and, therefore, forms a distinct species of itself.
 
 Tm IE B m AMEl 11^ B WiUa , 
 /
 
 THE BRAHMIN BULL, or INDIAN OX. 115 
 
 THE BRAHMIN BULL, or INDIAN OX. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 This animal, although by no means rare in the country in which it is indigenous, may, nevertheless, 
 be considered as one of the greatest ornaments of the place in which it is now confined. In size it is 
 equal, if not superior, to that of our domestic oxen, and, with the exception of some particular 
 characteristics which are the distinguishing marks of its species, it bears a very great resemblance in 
 its form and habits to die ox of this country. The Indian ox may be strictly said to belong to the 
 race of the bisons, having the hump on the back peculiar to tiiose animals, but the great difference 
 between them consists in the length of the hair, and the peculiar form of the head. The neck, the 
 shoulders, and the lower part of the throat of the bison are covered with long wiry hair, whereas 
 those parts of the Indian ox arc merely covered with the same kind of short hair as the other parts of 
 the body, nor is there even on the head that curled and frizzly hair which distinguishes the head of 
 our common bull. It is stated by M. de la Nux, that the bisons, or humpbacked oxen of India 
 and of Africa, will breed with the bulls and cows of Europe, and that the hump is merely an acci- 
 dental characteristic, which diminishes after the first generation, and wholly disappears after the 
 second or third. The Indian ox differs from the European merely by accidental varieties, and, ac- 
 cording to Buffbn, he traces all the domestic oxen without humps to the aurochs, and all the hump- 
 backed oxen to the bison. That eminent naturalist says, that it is the hump, the length and quality 
 of the hair, and the form of the horns, which arc the only characteristics by which the bison is to be 
 distinguished from the aurochs; but in order to bring these animals to the same origin, it is necessary 
 to remark that the Icngdi and quality of the hair in all animals depend on the nature of the climate, 
 and that in oxen, goat, and sheep, the shape of the horns is by no means determinate, therefore it 
 cannot be affirmed that these differences are sufficient to establish the existence of two distinct 
 species. It is, however, worthy of remark that the two species appear to be the inhabitants of op- 
 posite climates. The oxen without humps occupy the cold and temperate zones ; on the other hand, 
 the bisons, or humpbacked oxen, inhabit all the southern provinces, the entire continent of the Indies, 
 the islands of the southeni oriental seas, the entire of Africa from Mont Atlas to the Cape of Good 
 Hope ; and it appears also that those species which inhabit the hot countries are characterized by the 
 shortness of their hair, and, as beasts of burthen or of draught, the humpbacked species possess many 
 advantages over the common oxen. The oxen of Surat, which belong to the species now under our 
 consideration, ai'e all white, of an extraordinary size, and some of them have two humps. They are 
 trained when young, and are taught not only to trot but to gallop in harness, whicii is, in general, of 
 the most costly kind. One of these animals, decked out for some of the religious ceremonies of 
 the Brahmins, presents a most gaudy appearance. It is covered with wreaths of flowers, and bells are 
 hung round its neck; its body is enveloped in the richest silks, and it is followed by crowds of 
 fanatics, who eagerly collect the dung which falls from it, and which is preserved by these people as 
 an invaluable treasure, and as a charm against many of the maladies to which they are liable. In 
 the travels of John Ovington, he says, speaking of the Indian oxen, " The carriages of Mogul, which 
 are a species of coach on two wheels, are all drawn by oxen, which, although naturally heavy and slow 
 30 2 H
 
 116 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 in their gait, acquire, by long use and exercise, sucli a great facility of drawing tliese carriages, that 
 there are few animals which can go at so rapid a rate." The majority of these oxen are very large, 
 and between the shoulders they have a great piece of flesh rising to the height of about six or eight 
 inches. 
 
 In the country of Camandu, in Persia, the species of oxen are entirely white, with small horns on 
 their head, which, however, are not sliarp at the point, and their hump is so large that great and 
 heavy burthens may be placed on it. When the natives load tlie animals, they bend their knees to 
 receive tiie load, lilve the camels, and rise at a given word of command. In Bengal tliey are trained 
 in the same manner ; the drivers of them never use a whip, but when they are sluggish or stubborn 
 they merely twist the tail of the animal, and they are so trained as to quicken their pace immediately 
 without any other kind of coercion. The regard which the natives of India have for these animals is 
 in some places so great, that it has degenerated into the most abject superstition. They consider that, 
 as the ox is the most useful of animals, it is the more deserving of their reverence, and they have not 
 only made it the object of their veneration, but they have converted it into an idol, or a kind of bene- 
 volent and powerful divinity. The dung of these animals forms also one of the most precious 
 unguents of the fair sex in India. Peyrard, in his Voyage to India, relates, " that the queen was 
 surrounded by the ladies of her court, and that the floor on which she had to tread, and the walls and 
 passages through which she had to pass, were all strewed with cows' dung." A free admission is given 
 to the animals to enter the palace of the king, and to roam at large through every apartment; and 
 whenever the king or any of his nobles meet one of them, they make way for it with all tlie respect 
 and reverence due to a sacred object. A greater degree of veneration is paid to the cow than to either 
 the bull or the ox. 
 
 The humpbacked oxen differ perhaps more than ours in the colour of their skin and the figure of 
 their horns. The colour of the subject of the present article is a grey, inclining to slate, intermixed 
 with hairs that are wholly white ; the under part of the belly, the dewlap, and the lower part of the 
 legs are white. There is, however, a species which are wholly white, and which are held in higher 
 estimation than those of any other colour, and it would appear that the bisons, or humpbacked oxen, 
 ought to be divided into two secondary races, the one very large and the other very small, in the latter 
 of which may be included the zebu. They are found under the same climate, and all possess equally 
 the same tractable and gentle disposition. The aspect of our present subject is mild and gentle in the 
 extreme ; nor in its general habits does it betray any tendency to ferocity. It has been generally be- 
 lieved that the hump on its back proceeded from the conformation of the spine and the bones of the 
 shoulders, but this has been found to be an error ; it is nothing more than a fleshy excrescence, a kind 
 of tumour, and equally as good to eat as the tongue. Some of these humps have been known to 
 weigh forty or fifty pounds, and in the south of Africa they are prized as a particular dainty. Another 
 striking characteristic of this animal is its slouching ears, which are completely pendent, and the general 
 conformation of its head fully entitles it to be considered as a species distinct from the common bison, 
 or our domestic ox.
 
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 THE WHITE POLAR BEAR. 117 
 
 THE WHITE POLAR BEAR. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 It is not long since tlie naturalists have refrained from confounding the white polar bear with the 
 white land bear, whei-eas a very essential difference exists in their characteristics, and particularly in 
 their natural habits. In regard to the former, it differs in having the neck and head of a more 
 lengthened form, and the body longer in proportion to its bulk ; the nose is also larger, the nostrils 
 more open, and destitute of whiskers; the ears are much shorter, and the hair lunger and not so 
 coarse. The proportions of the feet exhibit also some striking differences ; the hinder feet of the polar 
 bear are equal in length to a sixth of the length of the body, whereas those of the common brown 
 bear are equal only to a tenth. The whole animal is white, with the exception of the tip of the 
 nose and the claws, which are jet black ; the ears are small and rounded ; the eyes small ; the teeth 
 of extraordinar}'^ magnitude. The hair is of great length, of a woolly texture, and in some of the 
 species, especially those which are very old, the colour inclines to yellow. Its lips and the interior of 
 its mouth are of a violet blue. 
 
 This animal seems confined to the very coldest parts of the globe, being found within eighty degrees 
 of north latitude, almost as far as any navigators have yet penetrated. The shores of Hudson's Bay, 
 Greenland, and Spitzbergen, are its principal places of residence, but it is said to have been accident- 
 ally carried as far south as Newfoundland. 
 
 The immense number of them which are to be found in the polar regions is truly astonishing. 
 They are not only seen on the land, but often on ice-floats several leagues at sea. They are some- 
 times transported in this manner to the very shores of Iceland, where they no sooner land, than all 
 the natives are in arms to receive them. 
 
 The polar bears are animals of tremendous ferocity. Barentz, in his voyage in search of a north- 
 east passage to China, had the most horrid proofs of their ferocity in the island of Nova Zembia ; they 
 attacked his seamen, seizing them in their mouths, carrying them off with the utmost ease, and 
 devouring them even in the sight of tlieir comrades. This ferocious disposition is supposed to be 
 regulated by the mildness or severity of the winter, and although they are animals which can endure 
 a longer fast than any others, yet, when they are much pressed with hunger, their attack is of the 
 most indiscriminate nature, and their voracity is truly astonishing. Their usual food consists of seals, 
 fish, and the carcasses of whales, but when on land, they prey on deer and other animals. They like- 
 wise eat various kinds of berries which they happen to find. They are frequently seen in Greenland 
 in great droves, allured by the scent of the flesh of seals, and will sometimes surround the habitations 
 of the natives and attempt to break in ; and it is affirmed that the !nost successful method of repelling 
 them is by the smell of burnt feathers. During the summer they i-eside chiefly on the ice-islands, 
 and pass frequently from one to another, being in Swimming extremely expert. They have been seen 
 on these ice-islands at the distance of more than eighty miles from land, preying and feeding as they 
 float along. They lodge in dens, formed in the vast masses of ice, which are piled in a stupendous 
 manner leaving great caverns beneath. It is generally in the month of March, after a period of six 
 or seven months of gestation, that they bring forth their young, one or two at a time, and sometimes.
 
 J18 THE AVONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 but very rarely, three. Tliey follow their dams a very long time, and grow to a large size before they 
 quit them. During winter they retire, and bed themselves beneath the snow, or else beneath the 
 fixed ice of some eminence, where they pass, in a state of torpidity, the long and dismal arctic winter, 
 appearing only with the return of the sun. 
 
 The flesh of the polar bear is eatable, and is said to have some i-esemblance to the taste of mutton, 
 but the fat of it partakes strongly of a fishy odour. Its skin is valued for coverings of various kinds, 
 and, according to Billing, a skin generally sells for a ruble. The liver is considered by the Siberians 
 as a remedy for venereal diseases and inflammation of the throat ; but, according to the report of some 
 Dutch sailors, who lived for some time in the countries inhabited by these animals, and who ate of 
 the liver, the effects produced were of the most disagreeable and painful kind. 
 
 One of the most peculiar characteristics of this animal is the almost continual motion of the head 
 and neck, moving them up and down, and then sideways, and appearing on the whole less reconciled 
 to its confinement than any other animal in the Gardens. It is, however, so far tamed as to accept 
 of food from the hands of the visitors, and, having greedily devoured it, it resumes immediately its 
 restless motion. 
 
 The following anecdote of the sagacity of these animals, in searching for pre^^, is extracted from the 
 ■works of the Honourable Robert Boyle. " An old sea-captain told me that the white bears in or about 
 Greenland, notwithstanding the coldness of the climate, have an excellent nose, and that sometimes 
 when the fishermen had dismissed the carcass of a whale, and left it floating on the waves, three or four 
 leagues from the sliore, from which it could not be seen, these animals would stand as near the water 
 as they could, and, raising themselves on their hind leg.s, would loudly snuff in the air, and with two 
 paws of their fore-legs drive it, as it were, against their snouts, and when they were satisfied whence 
 the odour came, would cast themselves into the sea and swim directly towards the whale." 
 
 The polar bear has a great dread of heat. An animal of this species, described by Professor Pallas, 
 would not stay in its house in the winter, althougli it was at Krasnojarsk, in Siberia, where the climate 
 is very cold, and it seemed to experience great pleasure in rolling itself in the snow. We believe the 
 subject of the present sketch to be a very recent importation into this country, and, therefore, it is 
 impossible to say in what manner it will bear the heat of our summer, but the animal that was kept in 
 the Museum of Natural History at Paris suffered excessively during the hot weather. The keepers, 
 throughout the year, were obliged to throw upon it sixty or seventy pails of water a day to refresh it. 
 This animal was fed only with bread, of which it daily consumed no more than about six pounds, 
 notwithstanding which it became very fat. Above one hundred pounds of fat have been taken from 
 one of these animals. 
 
 White bears are sometimes found in Iceland, but not being natives of that island they are supposed to 
 float thither from the opposite coast of Greenland, on some of the huge masses of ice that are detached 
 from those shores. After so long an abstinence as they must necessarily undergo on the voyage, they 
 are reduced by hunger to attack even men if they should come in their way. But we are informed by 
 Mr. Horrebow that the nati\cs are always able to escape their fury, if they can only throw in their way 
 something wherewith to amuse them. A glove, he says, is sufficient for this purpose, for the bear will 
 not stir till he has turned every finger of it inside out, and as these animals are not very dexterous with 
 their paws, this takes u]i some time, an<l in the mean time the person makes his escape. 
 
 Since writing the above, we have paid another visit to the Gardens, and we observe that a pond 
 bas been made for the bear, in which he recreates himself at pleasure, and which affords him ample 
 protection from the summer heat.
 
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 THE ANTELOPE LEUCORYX. 119 
 
 THE ANTELOPE LEUCORYX. 
 
 IN THE MENAGERY OF Mr. CROSS, ROYAL MEWS. 
 
 The antelope forms an intermediate genus between tiie deer and the goat. In tlic form of their bodies 
 they agree witli the former ; and in the texture of their horns, which liave a core in them, they 
 resemble the goats. Some of the species are in their form far less elegant and light than the rest : of 
 this, the leucoryx, or white antelope, seems the most remarkable instance, the body being thick and 
 heavy, and the head very large. In the disposition of colours on tiie face, there is a remarkable 
 approach to those of the Pasan or Egyptian antelope ; but the colour of the body is of a snowy white- 
 ness, with the exception of the middle of the face, the sides of the cheeks, and limbs, which are tinged 
 with red. The nose is thick and broad, like that of a cow ; the ears somewhat slouching ; the limbs 
 are slight, in proportion to the heaviness of the body. The horns are very long, very slightly incur- 
 vated, slender, and annulated about half way upwards ; their colour is black, and they are sharp 
 pointed : the hoofs are black, and the tail somewhat floeky, or terminated by loose hairs. The size 
 of the animal is about the size of a Welsh Runt, and it is the inhabitant of an island called Gow 
 Bahrein, in the Gulf of Bassora. 
 
 Some of the numerous species of this genus are found in America ; they are mostly confined to Asia 
 and Africa, inhabiting the hottest regions of the Old World, or the temperate zones near the tropics. 
 None of them, except the chamois and saiga, are found in Europe. They chiefly inhabit hilly 
 countries, though some reside in the plains ; and some of the species form herds of two or three 
 thousand, while others keep in small troops of five or six. They have all gall bladders ; distinct 
 lachrymal gutters, or pits under the eyes. In general their flesh is excellent, as they feed on the 
 tender roots of trees; though some species have a rank hircine or musky flavour, which probably 
 results from the qualities of the plants on which they feed. 
 
 The animal is considered by the African as a very dangerous one, the form and sharpness of its 
 horns rendering it a very formidable adversai'y ; and, like others of this genus, when it makes its 
 attack, it bends down the head, and rushes forward with great violence, thus presenting the points of 
 its sharp and long horns immediately forwards. The Africans, when they have wounded it, are 
 said to be careful of approaching it till they are well assured that it is totally deprived of life. 
 
 This animal is very rare in the menageries of this country, and we are informed that this is the 
 second only which has ever been publicly exhibited. In its place of confinement it exhibits not the 
 slightest indication of ferocity, but appears to possess the general timidity of its species. 
 
 In Asia, the antelope leucoryxes have been kept by the difl^erent shahs of Persia, as great rarities, 
 in their parks, particularly by Shah Sultahn Houssein, Emperor of Persia, in his park at Cassar, 
 about eight leagues from the capital ; and it was from these animals that the first di-awing of them 
 reached England, and which is now preserved in the British Museum. 
 
 31 2 1
 
 120 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 THE ZEBUS. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 Some naturalists, and particularly Blumenbacli, have held the opinion that the zebu does not derive its 
 origin from the same stock as our common domestic ox ; but a rigorous examination of the skeleton of 
 the two animals has proved to M. Cuvier that no essential difference exists between them, and thence 
 he is convinced that they belong to the same species. The zebu itself presents many varieties : some 
 are tall in size, others are very dimunitive ; some have horns, and others are wholly destitute of them, 
 similar to our poll breed of oxen. The majority of the species have only one hump, but some of 
 them have two. These different species are scattered through Asia, from Persia to the Moluccas, 
 and from Arabia to China ; and over the whole surface of Africa, from Senegal to the Cape of Good 
 Hope. 
 
 The zebu is the same animal which is called the Lant or Dant in Numidia, and in several other 
 nortliern regions in Africa, where it is very common ; and we have considered it necessary to make 
 particular mention of this circumstance, in order to prevent our readers from confounding it with the 
 American dant, which, in reality, is nothing more than the tapir or the maipouri. The African dant or 
 zebu is so swift, that no animal, unless it be the Barbary horse, can overtake it. They are said to 
 be more easily taken in summer, because, by the force of running, their hoofs are worn among the 
 burning sands ; and the pain occasioned by this circumstance makes them step short, like the stags 
 and fallow deer of those deserts. 
 
 As might be naturally expected, 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 grey, 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. Although originally a native of very warm regions, it is capable of 
 existing and multiplying in temperate climates. " I saw," says Mr. Collison, in a letter to M. de 
 Buffon, " a gi-eat number of these animals in the Duke of Richmond's, and also in the Duke of Port- 
 land's parks, where they every year bring forth calves which are extremely beautiful." 
 
 In Surat there is a kind of zebu not larger than a great dog, which has a furious look, and is used 
 to draw children in small carts. 
 
 Of this 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 hump, and other equally unimportant 
 particulars. But the same general forms, and the same quiet mildness of disposition, are observable ia 
 all the individuals which have come under our notice, including several specimens of a still smaller 
 race, which scarcely exceed two feet in height, and measure little more than three feet in total 
 length. 
 
 The whole of the breeds are treated with great veneration 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.
 
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 THE SECRETARY. Ml 
 
 THE SECRETARY. 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OF Mr. CROSS, ROYAL MEWS. 
 
 The bird wliich is known to the French ornithologists under the appellation of the Sagittaire, or 
 Falco Serpentarius, has, from the singularity of its conformation, been the source of considerable 
 difficulty in regard to the class to which it ought to be referred. M. Temminck classed it in the 
 gallinaceous order, whilst M. Vieillot arranged it amongst the waders, on account of its similarity to 
 that order, from the peculiar length and make of its legs. It is, however, now considered to possess 
 the greatest affinity with the vultures, as it agrees with them in the most essential particulars of its 
 organization, though differing in its external characters. 
 
 Mr. Bennett, speaking of the generic characters of this singular bird, thus describes it: " They 
 consist in the form of the beak, which is shorter than the head, thick, and curved nearly from the 
 very base, where it is covered with a cere; in the long and unequal feathers which take their origin 
 from the back of his head, and are susceptible of elevation and depression ; in the naked skin which 
 surrounds his eye, and which is shaded by a series of hairs in the form of an eyebrow ; in the great 
 length and slenderness of his tarsi, which forms his most striking characteristic in an order remark- 
 able for a structure exactly the reverse, and in the shortness of his toes, which are terminated by 
 blunted talons of little comparative size and curvature. The only known species measures upwards 
 of three feet in length." Its plumage, when in a perfect state, which is far from being the case with 
 the subject from which our drawing is taken, is for the most part of a bluish grey, with a shade of 
 reddish-brown on the wings, the large quill feathers of which are black. Tiie throat and breast are 
 nearly white, and the rest of the under surface of the body presents a mixture of red, black, and 
 white, the plumage of the legs being of a bright black, intermingled with scarcely perceptible 
 brownish rays. The plumes of the crest which ornament the back of the head, and from the sup- 
 posed resemblance of which to the pens frequently stuck behind the ears of clerks and other writers, 
 the name of secretary was given to the bird, are destitute of barbs at the base, but spread out as they 
 advance, and are coloured with a mixture of black and grey. Each of the wings is armed with three 
 rounded bony projections, with which, as well as with his feet, the bird attacks and destroys his 
 prey. 
 
 Although the secretary in his habits resembles the eagle and the vulture, yet in the nature of its 
 prey it is wholly different, preferring live flesh to carrion, and his chief food consisting of snakes and 
 reptiles, for the caption and destruction of which its oganization is pecuharly adapted. It runs with 
 amazing swiftness, and trusts more to its legs than to its wings for its escape from the pursuit of the 
 hunter. It is a native of the south of Africa, and is tolerably numerous in the vicinity of the Cape, 
 where it has been rendered so tame as to be an inmate of the poultry-yards, where it is kept for the 
 purpose of killing the snakes and rats, which are apt to intrude into their precincts.
 
 122 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
 
 THE THIBET BEAR. 
 
 IN THE GARDENS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The natui'al history of this animal seems to have escaped the notice of our most eminent zoologists, 
 which in some degree may be ascribed to the rarity of its appearance in the established or the 
 itinerant menageries. We cannot find any notice of it before the commencement of the present 
 century, when it was confounded with the small American bear, which was presented by the Hudson's 
 Bay Company to Sir Hans Sloane, in the year 1737. The Thibet bear may be enumerated amongst 
 the smallest of the ursus genus, the legs being short and thick, and the claws projecting similar to the 
 larger Russian bear ; its colour also resembles the latter animal, being of a darkish-black, with 
 scarcely any intermixture of a lighter shade, with the exception of the under part of the belly and 
 neck. This bear, like others of its species, has six front teeth in each jaw. The two lateral ones of 
 the lower jaw are longer than tlie rest, and lobed with smaller or secondary teeth at their internal 
 bases. There are five or six grinders on each side, and the canine teeth are solitary. The tongue is 
 smooth, and the snout prominent. The eyes are furnished with a nictitating or winking membrane. 
 
 In its general habits the Thibet bear differs very little from any other of the species, but in Its 
 dispositions it appears more sullen and ferocious; in its size it may be said to take the intermediate 
 rank between the labiated bear and the Malay bear of Raffles, and was originally discovered in the 
 Silhet district, by M. Alfred Devaucel, Its distinctive characters consist in the straight line of its fore- 
 head, and the bushy hair of its neck. It differs, however, essentially from the other species of bear, 
 in the texture of its hair, which in general exhibits not the usual shagginess of the common bear, but 
 is smooth, and it is this very circumstance which renders its skin of less value in the European 
 markets than that of either the American or the Norwegian bear. The under lip of this animal 
 approaches nearly to a white, and it has a mark on the breast in the form of a Y, the two branches of 
 •whicii appear on the front of the shoulders, and die foot or pedestal between the legs, extending to the 
 middle of the belly. The snout has a slight reddish tint ; the cartilage of the nostrils has a great 
 resemblance to that of the bear of the Alps. 
 
 The general physiognomy of the bear indicates a lazy and idle habit, but the history of its general 
 dispositions is so imperfectly known, that no just estimate can be given of its precise habits. It often 
 lies rolled up for a considerable time like the sloth bear, described in this work, page 73, and it 
 appears unwilling and angry at being roused from its dormant state. 
 
 It may be proper to remark that this bear forms one of the three species of the bears of Southern 
 Asia. The first, being the labiated bear, of Bengal ; the second, the Malayan bear, of Raffles ; and 
 the third, the Thibet bear (ursus Tibetanus). The first may be considered as the most remarkable of 
 its species ; the second, as the most diminutive of the whole genus ; and the latter, as being the link 
 between them both in size and diversity of colour.
 
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