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THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
PRESENTED BY
PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID
MEMOIRS
OF
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.
MEMOIRS
OF
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS,
ILLUSTRATIVE PRINCIPALLY OF THEIR
HABITS OF LIFE, INSTINCTS. SAGACITY,
AND
USES TO MANKIND.
ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE SYSTEM OF LINN JEWS.
BY THE REV. W. BINGLEY, A. M.
-
FELLOW OF THE LINffEAN SOCIETY,
AND L4TE OF PETERHOVSE. CAMBRJDGA.
WITH ENGRAVINGS FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS,
EXECUTES CHIEFLY BV MR. SAMUEL
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR BARTON AND HARVEY; J. WALKER; LONGMAN,
HURST, REES, AND ORME; J. HARDING; J. RICHARDSON;
a. SCHOLEY; AND SHERWOOD, NEELEY, AN JONES.
1809
TO THE
HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND
BROWNLOW,
LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER,
DISTINGUISHED
BY HIS SOLICITUDE TO ENCOURAGE
USEFUL LITERATURE,
AND BY HIS UNREMITTED ATTENTION TO PROMOTE
THE BEST INTERESTS OF CHRISTIANITY,
THE FOLLOWING WORK,
IN WHICH IT HAS BEEN THE DESIGN OF THE AUTHOR
TO INCULCATE ONLY THE
PUREST PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL RELIGION,
AND TO EXHIBIT,
AS FAR AS WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE PLAN OF HIS
UNDERTAKING,
THE WISDOM OF GOD,
IN THE WORKS OF CREATION,
IS RESPECTFULLY,
AND WITH GREAT DEFERENCE,
INSCRIBED.
PREFACE.
THE present is intended as the first volume
of a series of Memoirs of British Animals, in
which, for the accommodation of such per-
sons as are inclined to pursue the study of any
one branch of our Zoology, in preference to
the others, each class will be rendered per-
fectly distinct from the rest. The prominent
features of this work are meant to consist in
an accurate delineation of the habits of life,
instincts, and sagacity, of the animals of Great
Britain and Ireland, from the highest to the
lowest classes. The technical and descriptive
parts will be separated from the body of the
work, and inserted at the end of each class, in
the form of a synopsis. By such separation,
the author cannot but hope that he shall have
rendered an acceptable service, not only to the
general reader, but also to the scientific natu-
ralist. He has ever entertained the highest
sentiments
X PREFACE.
sentiments of respect and esteem for the me-
mory, as well as for the talents, of the late
Mr. Pennant; yet he has long felt that the in-
discriminate mixture of description and anec-
dote, throughout that gentleman's work on
British Zoology, is attended with numerous
inconveniences. In a popular view it is ob-
jectionable, as it certainly derogates from the
interest that would be otherwise excited; and
to persons desirous of examining the animals
from his description, it is, occasionally, very
troublesome. In the scheme, of which the
present volume affords a specimen, the de-
scription will be found in terms as precise as
can, with propriety, be adopted ; and to have,
in all cases, the respective parts following each
other, as nearly as possible, in the same suc-
cession.
During the several years that this work has
been in preparation, the author requests per-
mission to state, that no labour or diligence
have on his part been spared to render it de-
serving
PREFACE. XI
serving of approbation. From his own appli-
cation to the subject, and from the communi-
cations of numerous friends, (whose kindness,
he trusts, will still be continued,) a very con-
siderable portion of original matter, in all
the classes, has already been obtained. The
remainder of his materials will be furnished
from the works of the most authentic natu-
ralists of foreign countries, and from other
sources, which, for the most part, are not easily
accessible to the English reader.
With respect to the plates, he considers
himself peculiarly fortunate in having obtained
the able assistance of Mr. Howitt, whose ex-
cellence in the art which he professes is too
well known, and too justly appreciated by
the public, to need, in this place, any enco-
miums. And it is but an act of justice to the
character of a young man, deserving of every
encouragement, to state, that the drawings for
several of the engravings, (particularly of the
Polecat, Weesel, Stoat, two species of Shrew,
and
X PREFACE.
and Water Rat,) were made by Mr. Harry
Hoyle, of Height, near Ripponden, Yorkshire.
Notwithstanding all the care that has been
taken, the author is sorry to remark, that
there are yet left three or four plates, particu-
larly those of the Great and Barbastelle Bats,
which are not quite so correct as he could have
wished them to be. He trusts, however, to the
candour of his readers to overlook the defects
of these, in consideration of what he hopes will
be thought real excellence in the greatest part
of the others.
It only remains to state, that the author
will consider himself much indebted to the
kindness of any gentleman who will take the
trouble to communicate to him such original
observations on the habits of life and economy
of the British Fishes, as may be thought likely
to prove interesting to the public.
CHRISTCHURCH, HANTS,
March I, 1809.
ENGLISH INDEX.
The Names marked with an * are Varieties of some other
Species; and those printed in Italics are synonyms.
Ass
PAGE.
437
Badger 208
BAT TRIBE 31
common, or little 38
long-eared ... 43
Noctule, or great 48
Barbastelle ... 51
. horse-shoe ... 52
lesser horse-shoe *51
Beagle 102
BEAU TRIBE 206
Badger 208
* Bloodhound 107
Brock 208
Buck 335
* Bull-dog 118
CAT TRIBE 136
wild 138
* domestic 141
* Cattle, wild 398
PAGE.
* Cattle, Devonshire 401
*- Sussex 404
* Holderness .. 406
* Lancashire . . 409
* Alderney 411
* Kyloe 413
* -Scots '415
* Welsh 416
* Irish 416
* SuffolkDuns . . 417
* Galloway . . . 418
* Northern 420
* Dutch 406
* Highland Stots 413
* Holstein 406
* long-horned . . 409
* Northern short -
horned 406
* York shire polled 410
Curr . 91
DEER TRIBE
320
Deer,
ENGLISH INDEX.
PAGE.
Deer, red 323
fallow 335
Roe 342
DOG TRIBE 76
common 79
Fox 124
* Shepherd's 91
* water 94
* Spaniel 76
* Setter 99
* Pointer 101
* Hound 102
* Bloodhound ... 107
* Irish Greyhound 110
* Common Grey-
hound 111
* Mastiff 115
* Bull-dog 118
* Terrier 110
"* Lurcher 122
* Turnspit 123
* Greyhound Fox 134
* Mastiff-fox ib.
*__ Cur-fox .. 134
Great Water -Dog 94
Lesser Water. Dog ib.
Wolf-Dog 110
Ermine 184
Finder 94
Fitchet ,.. 170
Flitter -mouse ...... 38
Foulmart . ,170
PAGE
Foumart ib.
Fox 124
* greyhound .... 134
* mastiff ib.
* cur ib.
Fox-hound 102
GOAT TRIBE 348
common 350
Grey 208
* Greyhound, common 111
* Irish ... 110
* Highland 111
Greypate 208
ffardy-shrew 296
HARE TRIBE 289
common 290
varying 308
Rabbet 309
white, or alpine 308
Htuxier 102
Hedgehog 237
Hinny 444
HOG TRIBE 449
common 450
* Berkshire 453
* Hound 102
German . . ib.
- Southern . . 103
HORSE TRIBE ...... 421
. common .... 422
. Ass 437
Mule . 444
Horse,
ENGLISH INDEX.
Horse, Hinny ...... ib.
* - Race-horse . . 425
* - Dray-horse . . 427
* - Suffolk Punch 423
* -- - Lanark ____ 429
* - Galloways ,. 431
* - Shelties ..... 432
* - Irish ....... 434
* - Clydesdale .. 429
Index . ............ 99
Llavellan .' ........ 229
Leviner ........... 110
* Lurcher ...... ... 122
Lyemmer ......... 110
sweet ........ 1 59
Martern cat ........ ib.
Martin, common .... ib.
- - , pine ......... 166
^white-breasted . 159
-- 5 yellow-breasted 1 66
Martlet ........... 159
- Mastiff .......... 115
Mold-warp ........ 215
MOLE TRIBE ....... 214
-- common ..... 215
Mole, water ....... 229
Mouse, common .... 259
- , long-tailed field 262
- , harvest' ---- ... 266
- , meadow ...... 272
- Afield ......... 262
.PAGE.
Mouse, wood 262
, short-tailed
field 272
Mouse-hunt 175
Mule 444
OTTER TRIBE 191
common .... 193
Ox TRIBE . . , 390
Common 391
* __ Wild Cattle 399
*. Devonshire .... 401
* Herefordshire . . 403
* _ Sussex , 404
* Holderness . . . 406
* Lancashire . , . . 409
* Alderney 411
* Kyloe 415
* Scots Cattle .... 414
* Welsh Cattle ..416
* Irish Cattle ib.
* Suffolk Duns .. 417
* Galloway 418
* Northern 420
* Dutch 406
* Highland Stots . 413
*-Holstein 406
*- Long-horned . . 409
* Northern short-
horned 406
* Yorkshire polled . . 420
.* Pointer 101
Polecat 170
b 2 Rabbet,
ENGLISH INDEX.
PAGE.
Rabbet, wild 309
* domestic ... 318
Ranner Mouse 38
RAT TRIBE 247
Norway 248
common, or black 254
water 256
Common Mouse 259
Long-tailed field
Mouse 262
Harvest Mouse . 266
Meadow Mouse . 272
field- 262
brown 248
Rere Mouse 38
Roe or Roebuck .... 342
Sea-calf , . 57
Sea-gog ib.
SEAL TRIBE 53
common 57
pied 67
great 72
* Setter 99
old English . . ib.
SHEEP TRIBE 360
Sheep, common .... 361
* New Leicester 369
* Lincolnshire . 371
* Teeswater . . . 372
* South Down . 374
* Ryeland 377
* Herdwick ... 378
* Cheviot . . 380
PAGE.
* Sheep, Shetland 382
* Dorsetshire . . 384
* Wiltshire 385
* Exmoor 386
* Norfolk 387
* Heath ib.
* Irish 389
* Dishley 369
* Herefordshire 377
* Kindly 382
* Sussex 374
SHREW TRIBE 225
fetid 226
water 229
fringe-tailed
water 231
Shrew-Mouse 226
Shrove-mouse ib.
Sleeper 285
Sleut. hound 170
* Spaniel 96
English . . 99
SQUIRREL TRIBE 275
common . . 277
Stag 323
Stoat 184
* Terrier 119
Todd , 124
Tumbler 122
* Turnspit 123
URCHIN TRIBE . 232
Hedgehog .. 237
Fare
ENGLISH INDEX.
Vare
PAGE
175
Want ... 215
WEESEL TRIBE 157
Common Mar-
tin 159
Weesel, Pine Martin. 166
PAGE.
Polecat 170
CommonWeesel 175
Stoat or Ermine 1 84
White Weesel ib.
Pine Weesel . 166
Whitred 175
Whitret . ib.
ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA.
,
P. 33, I. 8, for ephemera read ephemerae.
^ _ 4, from the bottom, for their read the.
34, 5, for become read becomes.
48, 23, for generally read usually.
95, 17, for which read that.
123, 3,4, and 7 ,/or it read he.
129 } _22, for entirely read wholly.
131, _ 15, for her cubs read the cubs.
153 ? 22, after and insert have.
204, 18, for hestige read vestige.
* 218, 21, dele of them.
V ?62, 15, /or their read there.
348, 9, for feet read foot.
388, 16, for is read in.
Synopsis. 4, 5, from the bottom, for oroque read oreque.
7, 3, for Iseek read sleek.
1 1 , 27 , for phoco read phoca.
14, 4, from the bottom, for familiarus read familiaris.
-,
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.
PART I.
$*& *#!!%*$
^ INTRODUCTION?
CONTAINING
A GENERAL VIEW OF THE
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF
I!;, .?rm y-
QUADRUPEDS.
Que de charmes, que d'idees donees, agreables, nous pr6sente
1'Histoire Naturelle ! Que d'objects varies et interessans ! Quelle
source inepuisable d'observations, de recherches et destruction pour
celui qui se sent un gout decide pour cette vaste science!
Daudin.
J_ HERE is a wide difference, with respect to intellectual
powers, betwixt men and brute animals. The faculties of
the latter are confined within extremely narrow bounds.
Guided only by appetite and instinct, they are capable of
little knowledge further than what is necessary towards their
own immediate support and preservation 1 ; and there is not
one of the whole race that can extend its industry beyond
its instinct, be its necessities what they may. The Ape,
which delights in the warmth of the embers that the tra-
veller has left in the woods, has not yet learned to imitate
him, by adding fuel to the heap, in order to keep alive the
blaze. The Ox has never thought of sowing the grain that
he treads out with his feet on the floor of the barn ; nor the
B Boar,
2 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
Boar, the acorns which he discovers amongst the fallen leaves
in the woods. Man subjects to his dominion the whole both
of the vegetable and animal creation. " The fear of you,
"and the dread of you, (says the Almighty,) shall be upon
" every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air,
" upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the
<c fishes of the sea: into your hands are they delivered.
" Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you :
" even as the green herb have I given you all things*.
The barrier which separates men from brutes is fixed, and
immutable j and how slender soever it may sometimes appear
to us, Divine Wisdom has ordained that it shall not be sur-
mounted.
In the general structure of the bodies of men and quadru-
peds, there is, in many respects, a very close alliance. They
are formed of precisely the same elements, and have, for the
most part, similar organs. They are supported by a bony
skeleton; have motion by means of muscles, sensation by
nerves, and are nourished by a fluid that circulates within
them, and which is itself renewed by digestion. They have
each a bony head, containing the brain and the principal or-
gans of sense, placed at the anterior extremity of a vertebral
column, (part of the skeleton,) which contains the spinal mar-
row, or the com mon fasciculus of the nerves, and of which
the' posterior extremity is" elongated into a coccyx or tail,
joining to each side of the upper part of the vertebral
column, are several long and curved bones, or ribs, which
bend forward so as to form within them a somewhat circular
cavity, for the protection of the most important of the vis-
cera They have likewise, in common with man, arteries
and veins, and a muscular heart, for the purpose of pro-
pelling the blood into every part of the body. Their brain,
* Genesis, chap. ix. v. 2 and 3.
and
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 3
and their general organs of sense, have the same essential
parts. They have all an alimentary canal, a liver, a pan-
creas, a spleen, and kidneys. In short, their general structure
is so nearly allied, that it is difficult to determine whether,
on the whole, the resemblances or the differences are to be
considered most predominant. These surely are so many
satisfactory demonstrations that " no disposition of matter
can give mind ; and that the body, how nicely soever it
may be formed, is formed in vain, when there is not infused
a soul to direct its operations."
The Organs of Motion.
The bones, (or skeleton,) constitute the frame-work of
the bodies both of men and quadrupeds. They surround
the cavities, defending the parts which ar6 of greatest im-
portance in the animal economy, such as the brain, and the
heart; and they serve as levers on which the muscles act.
They are covered, externally, with a membrane composed
of nerves and vessels, denominated 'periosteum ; and the
cavities of all the long bones contain a peculiar kind of
fatty substance called marrow. They are joined together
either, as in the skull, by sutures, where the edges of two
flat bones are denticulated into, touch, or lie upon each
other ; by being wedged one into another, as the teeth into
the sockets of the jaws; or by ligaments, a tough and
strong arrangement of fibres, which alone allow of free
motion to the members. In the articulations of the im-
movable bones, the periosteum is continued from one bone
to the other, and is more intimately connected at the place
of their junction, than to any other part. On the contrary,
in the movable articulations, the 'opposite surfaces of the
bones are free and distinct : each is coveted with a smooth
and polished cartilage, and the interval is occupied by a
B 2 mucilaginous
4r ON THE STRUCTURE AND
mucilaginous or slippery fluid called synovia, which issues
from certain glands situated near each joint, for the purpose
of diminishing the friction.
The bones which compose the skeleton present three prin-
cipal divisions; the head, the trunk, and the limbs or ex-
tremities. In the quadrupeds the head is never wanting. It
is placed, (as before observed,) at the anterior extremity
of the vertebral column ; and has a free motion in various
directions. It is composed of, first, the cranium, which
contains the brain, and in the partitions of which are situ-
ated the cavities of the internal ear, and frequently part of
those of the nose ; secondly, the face, which contains the
orbits of the eyes, and the nasal cavities, and terminates
below in the upper jaw ^ and, thirdly, the lower jazo. This
last is always movable, and from its motions, in aiding the
mastication of food, is to be considered one of the most im-
portant members of the animal body. The elongation of the
head of quadrupeds increases in proportion as they recede
from man ; and this elongation in most of them is such that,
were they to stand upright, the head could not be preserved
in equilibrium, unless the mouth were turned upwards, and
the eyes turned back. When standing on its four feet, the
head of a quadruped is not, like that of man, capable of
being retained upon the spine by its own weight, but is
principally kept in its place by a peculiar ligament at the
back, (wanting in man,) called the cervical ligament. In
the base of the skull there is a large hole, through which the
brain unites with the spinal marrow.
The trunk is formed by the dorsal spine, the ribs, and the
breast-plate or sternum. The dorsal spine is a sort of co-
lumn, formed by a number of bones, called vertebrce, which
are joined to each other by ligaments that admit of a slight
degree of motion. Those ribs which proceed from the ver-
tebrae and join the sternum are denominated true ribs ; and
those
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 5
those which do not extend so far as the sternum are called
false ribs.
The limbs 9 or extremities, are each divided into four
parts. Those which belong to the anterior extremities are
the shoulders, the arm, the fore-arm, and the hand; and
those which belong to the posterior extremities are the hip,
the thigh, the leg, and the foot. The shoulder consists of
the scapula, or blade-bone, which is placed against the
back ; and the clavicle, or collar-bone, attached to the ster-
num. In several of the quadrupeds the latter is wanting;
but it is always found in those which occasionally use their
fore-feet as hands. The scapula, however, is indispensable
in all, since the shoulder bone is articulated into a hollow in
its anterior angle. The arm, which extends fromJiie
shoulder joint to the elbow, is composed of one bone only ;
but the fore-arm, which extends from the elbow to the
wrist, has two. The hand varies with respect to the num-
ber of its bones, in the different species of animals; but the
bones which exist in it always form a wrist, the body of the
hand, and the fingers. This organization prevails even in
birds, which have their ringers enveloped in a skin covered
with feathers. It likewise prevails in the amphibious
quadrupeds, and the cetacea, in the latter of which the
whole of the anterior extremity is reduced externally to the
shape of an oar or fin.
The fore-legs and feet of quadrupeds, besides being instru-
ments of motion, are of use to them in several other respects.
The predatory species employ them in seizing and retaining
their prey ; the monkeys and most of the Glires in conveying
food to their mouth ; the Moles and other subterraneous
kinds, in digging habitations under the surface of the
ground ; and, by means of a thin membrane which connects
the greatly elongated fingers, and extends round the hinder
part of their body, the bats are enabled to rise into, and flit
B 3 through
6 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
through the air. They are generally shorter and more weak
than the hind-legs; and in some of the animals, as the Kan-
guroos and Jerboas, they are so extremely short, as scarcely
to be of any use in walking. In the long-armed Ape, and
the Giraffe, their length is, however, considerably greater
than that of the hind legs.
With respect to the posterior extremity of quadrupeds,
the two hips, united into the pelvis, serve as a support to the
intestines. Into a hollow in each of the hips is articulated
the head of the thigh bone. This bone is single ; but the
leg, which extends from the joint of the knee to the foot,
has two bones, the larger called the tibia, and the smaller,
(which is on the exterior side of this,) denominated the
fibula. Over the articulation of the thigh bone with the
tibia, in some of the animals, there is -a little bone, almost of
a circular shape, but somewhat pointed below, placed for
the purpose of preventing the tibia from being extended in
front beyond a right line. This is called the patella, and is
the bone that forms the angle of the knee. The ancle and
the foot have a general resemblance in their external ap-
pearance, and in their uses, to the wrist and hand . The toes
of all the feet are armed, at their extremities, either with
nails or claws, or are enveloped in hoofs. A few of the
animals, as the Seals and Otters, which live much in the
water, have their toes connected together by strong mem-
branes, to serve the place of fins or oars in swimming.
In addition to the preceding four extremities, most quadru-
peds have a tail, or fifth extremity. The Apes, some of the
Bats, the Guinea-pig, and some others, are, however, en-
tirely destitute of this member. It seems given to them chief-
ly to serve the purpose of a whip, to drive away some of
those swarms of insects with which, in hot climates particu-
larly, they are often teased; and also as a covering, to
guard the posterior parts of their body from injury. In a
few
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 7
few of the quadrupeds it is long and prehensile, or capable
of being coiled round objects, to supply the place of a hand
in fastening or suspending themselves. The tails of most
quadrupeds are covered with hair : those of some of the
Glires are naked, or covered with scales, and thinly scattered
with hair. The tails of the Armadillos are composed of
horny rings.
The flesh of quadrupeds is composed of vessels, fibres,
and nerves, and has the denomination of muscles. Each
muscle is made up of many fibres, united together into little
bundles, and appears red and soft, from the blood with
which it is constantly drenched. The fibres at the extre-
mities of the muscles are called tendons: they are closer and
more firm than the others, and are of a silvery white colour.
It is by means of these that the muscles are attached to the
bones. Their substance is almost entirely gelatinous; and,
in a healthy state, they possess neither sensibility nor irrita-
bility.
The muscles are the organs of motion ; and when the
body is in a state of health, the will exercises a constant and
prompt power over them, A small number, however, are
not subject to the influence of the will. These produce in-
ternally the movements which are necessary to life, and
which cannot be interrupted ; such as the motion of the
heart and the intestines. The motion of some other muscles,
as those connected with respiration, appears to be of a
mixed nature ; we can stop their action, but their motion
is continued by habit, without our formally willing, or with-
out our being even conscious of it.
Each muscle is inclosed in a thin covering called cellular
membrane. This descends into the substance of the muscle,
connecting and surrounding the most minute fibres, and af-
fording a support to the vessels and nerves. The muscles
B4 are
8 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
are surrounded on all sides by fat, which is also spread be-
twixt their bundles of fibres, and betwixt the small fibres
themselves, which lie contiguous to each other. This fat,
being pressed out by the turgescence of the muscles and
their fibres, tends to render them soft, flexible, slippery,
and fit for motion : and gives to the body its softness and
beauty, at the same time also that it protects from injury,
and keeps warm several of the more tender parts.
The Organs of Nutrition.
The function of nutrition commences in the mouth, info
which the aliments are taken, and where, when they are
solid, they are masticated, and moistened with the saliva.
From thence they are passed into the alimentary canal for
digestion i Mastication is performed by the teeth, aided by
the motion of the tongue. The jaws are horizontal, and^
the mouth always ojfens, by their separation, from the front
backwards. The teeth are inserted into cavities or sockets
of the jaws. They consist of three different substances; of
the proper matter or ivory, of bone, and of enamel. The
ivory is produced from a pulpy, vascular matter, situated
in the base of the sockets ; and the enamel, which covers
their upper external surface, is supposed to be a species of
crystallization, and is arranged in regular since. According
to their situation in the mouth, they are denominated front-
teeth, canine-teeth, or grinders. In their number and shape
they are, of course, different in different animals.
The front-teeth, called also cutting-teeth, and incisors^ have,
in Men and Apes, a broad and sharp edge. In the Lemurs,
and most predatory animals, they are sharp pointed. In the
Dogs they are lobateJ. In the upper jaws of the Squirrels
they are wedge-shaped, and in the under jaws compressed.
In the Hares, Rats, and several others, they are long and
subulated.
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 9
subulatecK In the Horse they are blunt ; and they are en-
tirely wanting in the upper jaws of all the horned ruminating
quadrupeds.
The canine-teeth, which have likewise the name of dog-
teeth and eye-teeth, for the most part stand single on each
side, betwixt the front-teeth and the grinders. They are
usually pointed, somewhat bent, and often longer than the
other teeth. In some animals there are two or more on each
side : in others they are so concealed under the gum as often
to be considered entirely wanting* In the Hog tribe they
have the name of tusks, as they have likewise in the Elephant
and the Walrus, where their length is often enormously
great. In the Babyrussa they stand upward, and are
so curved as to appear almost like horns.
The grinders , or molar teeth, have generally their upper
surfaces blunt. Sometimes, however, they are hollowed in-
the middle; and sometimes, (particularly in such animals as
are carnivorous, and do not masticate much) they have pro*
minent incisive surfaces. The grinders of Seals have each
three sharp points.
The jaws of all quadrupeds are furnished with lips, the chief
uses of which are to cover the teeth and close the mouth in front.
The tongue is surrounded with glands which supply it with
saliva, in quantity proportioned to the nature of the food un-
der mastication. In most of the quadrupeds this member is of
considerable breadth, but in some it is narrow and slender :
in the Seals it is cleft at the end. The skin on the upper
part of the tongue, in many animals that feed on vegetables,
is covered with hard tubercles: in some it is aculeated ; and,
as in the animals of the Cat tribe, the prickles point back-
ward towards the throat. The principal uses of the tongue
are, to serve as an organ of taste ; to direct the aliments be-
twixt the teeth for the, purpose of being masticated ; and
lastly, after the mastication, to guide them in their passage
down
10 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
down the throat. To most animals it is likewise useful in
other respects, serving, for instance, to clean their fur, and
when wounded, to anoint their wounds with saliva. The
structure of this member, as an organ of sense, will be men-
tioned hereafter.
The alimentary canal commences at the mouth, and ex-
tends, through the interior of the body, to a termination at
the opposite extremity of the trunk. Its first part, which
descends along the neck and breast, is denominated the
oesophagus, or gullet. After it has entered the abdomen, or
lower belly, it is dilated into a large sac, or bag, called the
stomach, the anterior orifice of which has the name ofcardia;
and the posterior, of pylorus. The remainder of the ali-
mentary canal is more particularly called bowels, or in-
testines.
The parietes of this canal are composed of several coats,
or tunics, analogous to those which form the external tegu-
ments of the body. These coats act in a mechanical man-
ner on the substances which they contain, by slight con-
tractions of their fibres ; and in a chemical manner, by the
liquors which are poured out within them. The parietes of
the stomach yield a liquor called the gastric juice, which
reduces the aliment to an homogeneous pulp. But, inde-
pendently of the juices which the different coats of the
bowels produce, there are some that are separated from the
mass of the blood by glands, and which penetrate the in-
testinal canal by particular conduits. The most remarkable
of these glands are the liver, and pancreas or sweet-bread.
All the remaining animals have their stomach so divided
as to form four distinct cavities. This is likewise the case
in the Seals ; and the stomach of the Porpesse, Grampus,
and Pike-whale, has five divisions. In carnivorous animals
it is simple, and so little extended as to appear rather a di-
latation of the intestines than a distinct sac. The consequence
of
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 11
of this is, that the food is not long detained in it, but
quickly forward towards the other intestines.
It is in the intestines that the aliments undergo that change
which fits them for nutrition. The nutritive part is absorb-
ed, during the act of digestion, by very small vessels which
conduct it into the circulation. These vessels are called
lacteals, and are furnished internally with valves, all opening
in a direction towards the heart, in which direction the fluid
they convey has to flow. The chyle, or white liquor
produced by digestion, after having come in contact with
the air in the organs of respiration, mixes with the blood,
and is rendered fit for the nutrition of the different parts of
the body.
In the human subject, the intestines form a canal, usually
six times longer than the body; and although this is but one
long circumvoluted tube, the upper portion has the name
of small intestines, and the lower of large intestines. In
quadrupeds this canal varies considerably in its structure,
according to the different kinds of food on which the animals
subsist. On this likewise depends its length. In those that
are carnivorous it is short, but in the herbivorous and
granivorous animals it is generally very long.
The small intestines are divided by anatomists into three
parts, called the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum; and the
large into two, called the colon and rectum. At the be-
ginning of the colon is a gut, closed at one end, and hence
called the ccecum. This appendix to the intestinal canal
is generally empty. In dogs, and some other animals, it
is very large; but in man, though it is usually ranked
among the great intestines, its size is diminutive.
After the digestion is completed, the alimentary matter is
moved through the intestines by the successive contraction
of the fibres of their muscular coats, which produces a slow
motion, somewhat similar to the crawling of a worm, and
called
12 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
V :
called the peristaltic motion. After having been mixed
with the bile and the liquor supplied by the pancreas, and
had the chyle separated, it traverses the remainder of the
canal, and is then expelled from the body.
The liver is a large glandular body, given for the secretion
of the bile. It is of a reddish brown colour, of a firm con-
sistence, and is furnished with a bag, (which contains the
bile,) called the gall-bladder. It generally consists of two
lobes, or divisions : but in the Lion it has seven. Tiie bile
has been considered by most physiologists as a stimulus for
creating the peristaltic motion. When the stomach is dis-
tended with aliment, the gall-bladder undergoes a certain
degree of compression, and the bile, in consequence, passes
out into the intestinal canal, to perform the above-mentioned
office.
The pancreas, or sweet-bread, is a whitish oblong gland,
situated behind (he bottom of the stomach. In the human
subject it is about six inches long, two and a half wide, and
somewhat more than half an inch thick. The liquid pro-
duced from this gland is limpid and tasteless, not unlike
mucilage dissolved in water. Its use is supposed to consist
in diluting the alimentary pulp, for the purpose of incor-
porating it more easily with the bile.
Th spleen is a thin body, composed of membranes filled
with blood, and, in all the mammiferous animals, is situated
betwixt the ribs and the stomach. From the relative situ-
ations of the spleen and stomach, it is supposed that this
member is chiefly of use in regulating the supply of blood
for the necessities of the stomach : for when the stomach is
full, by pressing upon the spleen, it forces more blood into
itself than it requires at other times. In the carnivorous
animals, the cells of the spleen are small : in the grameni-
vorous animals they are larger ; and, in those which rumi-
nate, their size is very considerable. The Porpesse has
$!> generally
FUNCTIONS OF QtJADRUPEDS. 13
generally four, five, six, or seven spleens, and many pan-
creatic glands.
The Organs of Respiration and Circulation.
:'!''
Iii the bodies of all mammiferous animals there are three
principal cavities ; the head, the thorax or chest, and the
abdomen. Of these it is the chest which contains the organs
necessary to respiration and circulation. This cavity is
separated from the abdomen by a strong mernbranaceous par-
tition, furnished with muscular fibres, called the diaphragm.
It contains the heart, the lungs, *the trachea, or windpipe,
and the oesophagus, or gullet.
The heart is situated in front of the chest, betwixt the
two lobes of the lungs. It is composed of muscular fibres,
and is the engine by which the blood is driven through the
arteries for the support and nourishment of the body. Its
basis, from which the great vessels arise, is generally covered
Avith fat; and it has two hollow and fleshy appendages,
called auricles. It contains two cavities, divided from each
other by a fleshy septum. One of these is denominated the
right, and the other the left ventricle ; but in the human
subject, where the position of the heart is different from that
of quadrupeds, the ventricles might be more appropriately
denominated anterior and posterior. From the contraction
of the left ventricle the blood is forced into the arteries.
These carry it to the remotest parts of the system ; and it is
conveyed back to the heart by another set of vessels, deno-
minated veins, through their common trunk, the vena cava,
which terminates in the right auricle. This last commu-
nicates with the right ventricle by an opening, where are
valves disposed in such a manner as to permit the blood to
enter, but not to return. At the bottom of the aorta, or
trunk of the arteries, there are three valves, which open only
upwards
14 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
upwards, and which serve to prevent the blood from return-
ing into the ventricle.
The terminations both of the arteries and veins are exceed-
ingly minute. It is from these that the blood deposits its
molecules, destined to replenish the solids, and that various
kinds of humours are filtrated. From the constant motion
of the juices, from the friction of the solids on one another,
and from other causes, many particles are lost. These are
repaired by the circulation of the vital fluid. If the nou-
rishing particles that are added be more than those that are
lost, the body is said to grow ; that is, the fibres of which
the solids consist become gradually more and more enlarged.
Growth, however, has its bounds, at which it stops : for
when, by continual nourishment, the fibres are rendered
thick and hard, the interstices at length are so filled up, and
the fibres become so close, that no nourishing particles can
pass between them, and consequently the body ceases to
grow. At last the vessels become so gross that the juices
cannot force their way through them, but remain thick and
unelaborated. Their motion grows languid, and when at
last it stops, the body ceases to live, or dies. For a little
while after death it retains its organic structure; but the
parts soon begin to separate and decompose : they fall clown,
and take their place in the mineral kingdom, from which
they were originally formed.
The blood, in its circuit through the body, does not re-
turn to the heart till it has passed through the lungs. Here,
in its contact with the air, it undergoes a process which is
absolutely necessary towards rendering it capable of afford-
ing the proper nutriment to the system ; and it is in con-
sequence of this process that it attains that heat which
it afterwards communicates to all the different parts of the
body. After the blood has passed the lungs it is of a ver-
milion colour, and frothy consistence : but, when on ite
return
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 15
return through the veins, its nutritive particles have been
discharged, it becomes livid and heavy ; and it is only by
repassing the heart and lungs that it can regain its former
state. The lungs of all the mammiferous animals, as in
the human subject, are divided into lobes, lobules, and mi-
nute cells, upon which the small branches of the pulmonary
arteries are spread. Each of the cells has a tube; and all
the tubes of each lobe communicate with one another in the
bronchice, and at last terminate in the trachea, or wind-
pipe. Both the windpipe and the bronchia? are kept, in
an expanded state by elastic cartilaginous rings; so that
when the chest is dilated, the external air is enabled, by its
own weight, to force itself into all the cells of the lungs.
The air is driven out by the contraction of the chest.
Besides their use in respiration, the lungs of the mammi-
ferous animals are also necessary for the production of sound.
The upper part of the windpipe is denominated the larynx;
and in the centre of this is situated the glottis, which, with
its adjacent parts, forms the principal organ of the 'voice.
The glottis is capable both of extension and contraction;
and when the air, in expiration, is forced from the lungs,
and pressed so quickly into the mouth through the contracted
glottis, that its. fibres are made to vibrate and communicate
their vibrations to the larynx, sounds are produced. The
greater or less shrillness of these depends upon the larynx
being drawn more or less forward. The sounds are after-
wards modulated by the cavity of the mouth and the pecu-
liar motions of the tongue. At the larynx of all the quadru-
peds there is a cartilage called the epiglottis, which is
pressed down by the food, in its way to the gullet, and thus
prevents it from entering the windpipe to obstruct the
breath. No animals, except those which have true or
cellular lungs, can be said to have any voice. The inferior
tribes, although they have no true voice, are not, however,
deprived
16 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
deprived of the power of uttering certain sounds ; but these
are produced by other means.
The Organs of Sensation.
The head contains all the parts that are most necessary
towards sensation; namely, the brain, the principal nerves,
and the organs of seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting. Sen-
sation is generally believed to be an action commencing at
the extremity of the nervous system, and thence communi-
cated to the sensorium, or that part of the brain where the
nerves are united. The degree of sensibility in animals has,
by many writers, been believed to be greatest in those whose
brain bears the greatest proportion to the whole weight of
their bodies. This however can only hold good, at most, as
a general rule, since it has very many exceptions. Professor
Camper considers that it may be determined by measuring
the facial angle, or the angle formed by the junction of two
lines, one drawn from the forehead through the teeth, and
the other through the basis of the skull. The ancients seem
to have had some idea of this theory, since, in the statues of
their gods and heroes, they always made the facial angle
even greater than a right angle.
In all the quadrupeds, the^rof/?, which is an homogeneous,
pulpy substance, contains precisely the same parts as in
men; and those parts are likewise disposed in a similar
order. Its exterior is of a reddish colour, from the numerous
blood vessels and nerves that are disposed on its surface ;
but within, where these do not penetrate, the colour is a
pure white. It is from the brain and the spinal marrow that
the nerves have their origin ; and these three form the com-
mon organ of sensation and volition. As it is impossible to
describe intelligibly the very delicate structure of the brain,
without either actual inspection, or accurate engravings of
all
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 17
all the parts, this must here be omitted. The elongation of
the brain, through the large hole in the base of the skull, is
denominated medulla spinalis, or spinal marrow. This,
externally, appears to be composed of a white substance;
but internally it assumes a greyish tinge. Its form is that
of a cylinder somewhat compressed ; and it seems to be com-
posed of two cords, divided on each side by a furrow. The
spinal marrow gives origin to as many pairs of nerves as
there are holes between the vertebrae. In the human sub*
ject, nine pairs of nerves arise from the brain, and thirty*
one from the spinal marrow.
The first pair of nerves issuing from the brain are those
which constitute the organ of smell. The second, called the
optic nerves, are the principal organ of sight. The third,
the fourth, and the sixth pairs, serve to move the muscles of
the eye. The fifth, which are large, and each divided into
three branches, are distributed over the eyes, eyelids, fore-
head, nose, and the integuments of the face. The seventh
pair constitute the organ of hearing. The eighth extend
over the interior parts of the thorax or chest, and abdomen;
and the ninth pair extend to the tongue, where they con-
stitute the organ of taste, and likewise contribute to the
motions of that member. The thirty-one pairs of nerves
which issue from the spinal marrow are chiefly distributed
to the exterior parts of the trunk, and to the extremities.
The eye is a spherical body, composed of various coats,
filled with different kinds of humours, and moved, within
the socket that contains it, by means of muscles. The ex-
ternal coat is a .thick, opaque, and whitish membrane,
called the schlerotis; but its anterior part is transparent, -
and forms the segment of a smaller sphere, called the cornea.
Under this lies the choroid coat, a fine membrane, covered
with numerous blood vessels, and coloured interiorly, in the
fjiuman subject, by a blackish pigment. Jt terminates in
C front
18 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
front by an annular membrane, denominated the iris, hav-
ing an opening in the centre, capable of contraction or
dilatation, according to the greater or less quantity of light
by which it is affected, and called the pupil. Behind the
ehoroid coat lies the retina, a reticulation of the finest nerves
and blood vessels, that take their rise from the optic nerve.
These coats contain what are called the humours of the eye :
but of these only one, the aqueous humour, which lies in
the anterior chamber, behind the cornea, is a true fluid.
The vitreous humour is soft, and included in a transparent
membrane. The chrystalline humour, or lens, consists of
concentric plates or scales, connected by cellular fibres : it
is also contained in a pellucid membrane.
This delicate organ, the eye, lies embedded in a deep
socket, and is well fortified from injury by its surrounding
parts. The bones defend it on all sides, except immediately
in front, where there are eyelids, which are always closed
during sleep; and which, on the approach of any danger,
fly together quicker even than thought. The lachrymal
gland, situated in the upper part of the orbit, produces the
tears which wash the front of the eye, and which, by the
continual motion of the eyelids, keep it at all times perfectly
lubricated. The eye-lashes prevent the intrusion of such
minute objects as might otherwise injure the eye ; and these,
with the eye-brows, tend to break and moderate the force
of the light.
Some quadrupeds, as a few of the Monkeys, the Seals,
the Bears, &c. have, like the birds, an internal covering to
their eyes, called by anatomists, membrana nictitans, or
the winking membrane.
The ear consists, for 'the most part, of elastic cartilages,
and hard bones, about which the auditory nerve is interiorly
expanded. The external part is cartilaginous, and wrought
it the bottom into irregular bends and hollows, which col-
lect
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 19
iect the sounds, and transmit them to the fine membrane
called the tympanum, or drum, which is expanded upon a
circle of bones, over a polished reverberating cavity. This
part is affected by the vibrations of the external air, much
in the same manner as a drum is by the motion of the sticks
upon it. It is also furnished with braces, which strain or
relax it, as necessity requires, and thus accommodate its
tension either to loud or languid sounds.
Nearly all quadrupeds, except the Seals and Manati,
have an external ear, which is furnished with muscles,
and consequently is more or less movable. The size of the
external ear is proportioned to the size of the head, and the
necessities of the animals. Those that are most defenceless
have always a very quick sense of hearing, In some of the
Bats, the external cartilage or valve is proportionally longer
than in other animals, and contains a second valve, in front
of the orifice, so as to give the animals the appearance of
having double ears.
The organ of smell lies in the pituitary membrane, which
lines all the internal cavity of the nostrils. This is provided
with numerous vessels and nerves, and is continually moist-
ened by a mucous humour. As the nostrils communicate
behind with the throat, the air, in passing through them to
the trachea, carries along with it the volatile and odoriferous
particles which excite the actions of this organ.
The sense of taste lies chiefly on the upper surface and
edges of the tongue, which is a 'fleshy body, supplied with
many nerves. These terminate on the upper surface in
numerous papilla?, which are properly the organs of taste.
Betwixt the nerves there are certain minute vessels that
supply the saliva : this keeps the 'tongue and mouth always
moist, and is of indispensable use in masticating the food.
The sense of touch, although it is found over the
whole superficies of the animal body, should be considered
C 2 as
20 ON THE STRUCTURE AND
as belonging chiefly to the extremities, which have Inrg
nerves, and a very vascular skin. In men, this is confined
to the extremities of the upper limbs; whilst the Apes
and Monkeys have it in all their feet. The lips of quadru-
peds have likewise this structure, as well as the snouts of
the Hog, the Hedgehog, Shrew, Mole, &c. and the pro-
boscis of Elephants, in all of which the sense of touch is
supposed to be greatly finer than that in the human hand.
All the mammiferous animals are covered or enveloped
externally with a skin, consisting of an upper, thin, white,
and elastic layer, denominated epidermis or cuticle ; and,
beneath this, a much thicker layer, composed of numerous
fibres, closely interwoven, and disposed in various directions,
called the ctitis, or true skin. Through the pores of the
skin is continually, and insensibly, discharged an extremely
subtile fluid. These pores, in the human body, are so mi-
nute, that a grain of sand will cover more than a hundred
thousand of them ; and their daily discharge of fluid has
been calculated at upwards of three pounds weight. In
most of the quadrupeds the skin is hard to the touch, and
thickly clad with hair. Each of the hairs is placed in a
capsule or socket, and springs from a bulb at its lower ex-
tremity: There is, in this bulb, a vascular pyramid, upon
which the hair is formed, and by which it is generally
rendered tubular. The hair grows continually, but it usu-
ally falls off and is renewed once, and sometimes twice, in
the year. Concealed by the long hairs of most animals,
there is a short kind of down or wool, spread over the whole
body, and rising immediately out of the skin.
With respect to the structure and appearance of the long
hair of different quadrupeds, we may remark, that each of
the hairs of the common Seal is waved : that those in the
tail of the Elephant are forked at the extremity. In some
animals, as the Squirrel, the Water Rat, and Meadow
Mouse,
FUNCTIONS OF QUADRUPEDS. 21
Mouse, the hairs are composed of rings : in the Opossum
they are knotted : in the Waier Shrew they are both annular
and knotted : and in the Field Mouse they are set laterally
with smaller hairs.
I cannot conclude this introductory essay without re-
marking, that all the parts of the animal frame afford
very decisive proofs of the superintendance and wisdom of
a Divine Power. How, beyond all comparison, are our
astonishment and admiration excited, when we contemplate
the wonders of nature, in competition with the puny efforts
of human ingenuity. Whether we consider the skeleton or
frame- work of the body, varying as it does in different ani-
mals precisely according to their necessities or wants; the
muscles and tendons which clothe this skeleton, connect
its parts, and, at the instigation of the will, put it into
motion; the manner in which these are renewed, as they
wear away, by nutrition and circulation; or, beyond all,
the beautiful contrivances by which so complicated and
delicate a structure is kept in order through life: we are
compelled to acknowledge, that they could only have been
formed by a Being infinite in goodness and in power, the
traces of whose workmanship are visible through every part
of them. We must be infatuated indeed, if we can for a
moment believe that all this excellence is the mere effect pf
chance. " If with 10,000 dice, (says an elegant and dis-
tinguished writer of the last century,) we should always
fling the same number, or see, after every throw, just five
times less, or five times more, than the number in the throw
which immediately preceded it, who would not imagine
that some invisible power directed the cast? Yet this is
the proceeding that we constantly find in the operations of
mature. And it is much more probable, that an hundred
millions of dice should be casually thrown an hundred
C 3 millions
22 " ON THE STRUCTURE, &C.
millions of times the same number, than that the body of
any single animal should be produced by the fortuitous
concourse of matter.**
" O LORD, GOD!
How manifold are Thy works !
Tn wisdom hast Thou made them all !
The earth is full of Thy riches !"
ORDERS
ORDERS
BRITISH QUABRUPEBSv
.<
PRIMATES.
Bats.
_l HE primates are inhabitants chiefly of hot climates.
Apes, Lemurs, and Bats, are the principal tribes ; and of
these, only a few species of the latter are natives of the
British islands.
They have all three kinds of teeth in each jaw ; namely,
four front-teeth or incisors, two canine-teeth, and several
grinders. On their feet they have nails or claws. Their
liver is divided into lobes, and they are each supi lied
with a gall-bladder, and a thin spleen. The females
have usually only two teats, which are situated on the
breast : some of the Bats, however, have four, two on the
breast, and two on the belly. The clavicles, or collar,
bones, and the pectoral muscles of the latter, are peculiarly
large and strong: none of them have any caecum.
C4 FERJS.
ORDERS OF
FER^E*.
Seals , Dogs, Cats, Weesels, Otters, Bears, Moles, Shrews,
and Urchins.
Some of these animals are carnivorous, and others subsist
principally on fruit, roots, and herbs. The former have,
in each jaw, six front-teeth or incisors. Their canine-teeth
are in general strong, and, in some of the species, of such
size as to resemble tusks. The grinders are, for the most
part, armed with sharp and cutting prominences on their
upper surface. Several of the species, as Cats, Lions,
Tigers, and Lynxes, have sharp and hooked claws.
The Seals differ very essentially from other animals of
this order, in being amphibious, and passing the greater
part of their life in the sea, where they live chiefly upon
fish. Their bodies are elongated, broad at the shoulders,
and gradually taper, till they terminate almost in a point
behind. The toes are connected by strong membranes, so
as to have much the appearance of fins.
Moles, Shrews, and Urchins, are not carnivorous; nor,
in any other respect, rapacious animals. These, and the
Bears, are peculiar in applying the whole sole of their feet
to the ground in walking, and not, as in most other quadru*
peds, treading upon the toes only.
In all the species, except the Urchins, the bodies of the
animals are covered only with hair; but these have, on
their head and back, sharp and strong spines, intermixed
with bristles. The hair of the Moles and Shrews is par-
* None of the animals of the second Linnean Order, BRUT A, are
native inhabitants of our islands.
The
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. 5
ticularly short and fine, softer to the touch than even the
finest velvet : that of the Bears is in general long, coarse,
and shaggy.
The carnivorous species have their alimentary canal
proportionally much shorter than such as live on vegetable
food. The ccecum is small in two of the tribes, and is
entirely wanting in all the rest. The liver is divided into
lobes; and all the species have a gall-bladder and thin
spleen. The Bears, Moles, Shrews, and Urchins, have
perfect clavicles, or collar-bones. The greater part of
the others have only clavicular bones suspended in the
flesh ; and even these are wanting in some individuals.
The teats of the females are several in number, and are
arranged on each side along the belly.
GLIRES.
Rats, Squirrels, Dormice^ and Hares.
The Glires, or nibblers, are, in general, animals of small
size, but great activity. They are chiefly characterized
by having, in each jaw, two remarkably large and long
front-teeth. This organization of the mouth compels them,
to gnaw their food, or to reduce it into very small frag-
ments, instead of cutting it into mouthfuls, as is done by
such animals as are furnished with short incisive or cutting-
teeth. These long teeth are separated from the grinders by
a vacant space, and are by no means calculated for seizing
living prey. The Glires feed very variously. Some live
chiefly on grain; others on fruit and herbs; and others on
the bark, or tender branches of trees. Some eat the ker-
nels of nuts, which they get at by gnawing holes through
the
26 ORDERS OF
the hard shells that contain them. A few of the species
may be considered as omnivorous, since they will devour,
with avidity, almost all kinds of substances, both animal
and vegetable. Their front-teeth grow again as fast as
they are worn down by gnawing. Those of the animals
which subsist entirely on vegetables, have their grinders
flat on the crown ; but such as feed on mixed animal and
vegetable substances, have the crowns of the grinders ele-
vated into blunt tubercles, or sharp points, according to
the general nature of their food.
Most of the Glires have a perfect thumb on each of
their feet; but in the Hares this is very short, and in
the Rats and Squirrels it is so diminished, as to have
only two phalanges or joints. The toes of Rats, Squir-
rels, and Hares, have only the two last joints separate.
In the form of their bodies the Glires have this pecu-
liarity, that their hinder parts are generally more elevated
than the shoulders, from their posterior legs being longer
than the anterior ones. It is in consequence of this dis-
proportion of the limbs that the animals do not, in fact,
either walk or run, but perform their motions by a suc-
cession of leaps.
All the British species have their bodies covered with
hair.
The intestines of the Glires are generally very long.
Their stomach also is long and simple; and the ccecum
extremely voluminous, sometimes even larger than the
stomach. Squirrels and Rats have their clavicles, or
collar-bones, perfect: Hares have these suspended in the
flesh.
PECORA.
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. 27
PECOR.A.
Deer, Goats, Sheep, and Oxen.
Pecora, or cattle, have their toes so enveloped in horn,
that their feet are capable only of serving them in pro-
gression; and occasionally as offensive weapons against
their foes. The two large hoofs are each of a triangular
shape: their outer surface, or that which extends round
the front of the toe, is hard, convex, and smooth ; whilst
the under surface is softer, and appears to be somewhat
tuberculated . Besides these there are two other hoofs,
which do not touch the ground when the animals walk,
but which, nevertheless, each envelope a toe that is perfect
in regard to the number of bones composing it. On each
of the feet there is likewise a small bone, the rudiment of a
thumb.
As the Pecora subsist exclusively on vegetable food,
they have, on the upper surfaces of their grinding teeth,
round and callous eminences, peculiarly well adapted to
the mastication of herbs. In the lower jaw they have
eight front or cutting-teeth, and none in the upper jaw;
but the place of the upper teeth is admirably supplied by
a bony substance which there forms the gum.
Many of the species are gregarious, or collect together
in immense herds. They are, in general, harmless and
inoffensive animals; but, when roused to fury, they have
strength enough to prove themselves formidable enemies.
Their chief weapons are their hoofs and horns.
The stomach of the Pecora is generally divided into
four distinct cavities or bags: Deer, however, have but
three. The food passes immediately from the mouth into
the
28 ORDERS OF
the paunch or first stomach, where it is macerated for
a while, and from whence it is again passed into the
mouth. Being remasticated, it next descends into the
reticulate stomach, through a canal, the sides of which
contract in such manner as to form a perfect tube ; and
from thence to the plicous and digestive stomachs. In
full grown animals, the paunch is always much larger
than any of the other stomachs; but in young animals
the digestive stomach is largest. This arises from the
milk which they draw from their mother riot requiring
to be re-masticated like other food. In all the animals,
both the intestinal canal, and the coecum, are of great
length. None of them have any gall-bladder.
Their flesh constitutes an exceedingly palatable and sa-
lutary food. Their hair and skin supply mankind with
clothing ; and their fat, horns, hoofs, and blood, are
all employed for useful purposes. The Deer and Oxen
have in general short hair: that of Sheep, which has
the peculiar denomination of wool, is long, and dis-
tinguished by a crisped or frizzled appearance.
BELLUJE.
Horses and Swine.
The animals of the present order, like those of the last,
have their toes enveloped in such manner by horn, that
their nails have the denomination of hoofs. Swine have
two of these hoofs on each foot, and horses only one.
The mouths of all the species are furnished with wedge-
like, truncated cutting-teeth in both jaws ; and, in addition
to these, the Swine have, in each jaw, two long tusks. Their
intestines
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. g
intestines are very long. The stomach of the Horse is small
and simple. The stomach and caecum of swine are each
peculiarly large; and the former is divided, by certain
contractions, into several cavities. None of the animals
ruminate ; nor have they any clavicles or collar-bones.
BRITISH
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.
PRIMATES.
OF BATS IN GENERAL.
JL HESE animals were the cause of much perplexity
to the ancient naturalists. The Bats were ranked by
them as birds, under the denomination of .aves non
aves, " birds, and yet not birds/' Nor was it till
towards the close of the seventeenth century, that
they were decidedly ascertained to have place
amongst the viviparous quadrupeds. They have
no alliance with the feathered tribes, further than
what arises from the circumstance of their being
able, in common with those, to raise themselves
into the air. They have neither feathers nor 'beak,
but their bodies are clad with hair, and their mouths
are furnished with teeth ; and, instead of producing
eggs, like birds, they bring into the world living
offspring,
32 OF BATS IN GENERAL.
offspring, which, in the manner of all other quadru-
peds, they suckle by means of teats.
What are denominated wings consist only of an
extremely thin, light, and delicately formed mem-
brane, which extends from one shoulder, entirely
round the body of the animals, to the other; con-
necting the fore and hind legs, and (in the tailed
Bats) the tail. This, from its thinness and flexibi-
lity, is capable of being contracted, at pleasure, into
numerous wrinkles, (so as to lie in small compass
when the animals are at rest, ) and of being stretched
to a very wide extent for their occasional flight.
An attentive examination of tHe skeleton of a Bat
will immediately show, that the principal bones,
which extend, in different directions, through this
membrane, are those of real hands are fingers very
greatly lengthened, for the purpose of supporting
and directing it. These are four in number on
each side ; the fifth toe, or, as perhaps it may with
more propriety be called, the thumb, is short, dis-
tinct from the fingers, and furnished at the end with
a sharp and hooked claw, by means of which the
animals are enabled to hang upon hard substances
with considerable tenacity.
In order to give motion to their membranous
wings, and enable the Bats, by means of these, to
rise into the air, their clavicle, or collar-bones, are
peculiarly thick and strong, and the pectoral mus-
cles are proportionally larger and more fleshy than
those of any other quadrupeds. When a Bat is
deprived
OF BATS IN GENERAL. 33
deprived of its skin the latter are peculiarly observ-
able; and are the more striking, from the abdomi-
nal parts being singularly weak and slender.
Bats conceal themselves, during the day time, in
holes of caverns or old buildings, from whence, as
soon as the evening approaches, they issue in
search of prey. The English species feed on in-
sects, and particularly on gnats, ephemera, and va-
rious kinds of moths, which, during the evening
and night of the summer months, are found in
abundance in the air. To enable the animals to
catch their prey with greater facility, their mouths
are so wide as to extend almost from ear to ear.
Like Swallows, they drink whilst on wing, by sipping
the surface as they play over the pools and streams.
The females produce their offspring about mid-
summer. These, which are usually two in num-
ber, are at first perfectly naked. By the old
writers they were thought to have some resem-
blance in shape to human infants. They are suckled
by teats situated on the breast of the dam; and
from the moment they come into the world, they
cling to her body with such singular tenacity, that
they are not to be shaken off, even by her flights
in search of food.
As soon as the cold evenings of the autumn
commence, most of the species retire to their
deepest recesses, and are no longer to be seen
abroad. Here they remain during the winter,
often collected in great numbers, to defend them-
D selves
34; OF BATS IN GENERAL.
selves from the chilling effects of the frost. Dur-
ing their continuance in this state of torpor, the
animal functions are so far suspended as scarcely to
be perceptible. The action of the heart and arte-
ries become exceedingly languid; and respiration
is scarcely distinguishable. Digestion is altogether
at a stand; and none of the functions seem to be
going on, except a very slow degree of nutrition,
and an interchange of old for new matter, in the
depository cells of the body. This last circumstance
is proved by the aniihals* entering into the torpid
state very fat, and reviving excessively emaciated;
and from this it appears that the oil, in the fatty
follicles of the cellular membrane/ is gradually
taken up by the absorbent vessels, into the languid
circulation, to supply the proportionally gradual
waste, occasioned by the more than half suspended
action of the emunctories*.
Since, in the Bats, the fingers are not capable bf
grasping solid bodies, from their being inclosed
between two fine membranes, these animals do not
possess, in any high degree, that sense of touch
which serves to ascertain the forms of bodies. The
extensive surface, however, which the membranes
present to the air, fit them for receiving such deli-
cate impressions of resistance, motion, and tempe-
rature, that some authors haVe been induced to
ascribe to these creatures an additional sense. In a
* Kerr's Animal Kingdom, i. p. 94.
series
OF frATS IN GENERA.!,. 3 3
series of experiments,, first instituted by the learned
and justly celebrated Spallanzani, it was discovered
that Bats, when perfectly blinded, and in that state
set at liberty, could, notwithstanding, conduct their
flight through subterraneous passages without strik-
ing against the walls; that they turned exactly as
the most complicated windings required ; and that
they even avoided, with great exactness, cords,
branches of trees, and other obstacles which had
been purposely placed in their way.
This accuracy of motion could not be obtained
by sight, (in the eyes being imperfectly covered,)
for, in one series of experiments, the organs of
sight were entirely destroyed. It could not arise
from hearing; for the ears of several individuals had
been completely stopped. Nor could it at all be
owing to the smell; for, in others, the aperture of
the nostrils was closed. Spallanzani, by whom all
these experiments were made, concluded, therefore,
that Bats possessed an additional or sixth sense, of
the nature of which, he says, mankind cannot possi-
bly form any idea*.
When, however, the nature of the organs of
touch, in these animals, is considered, it will pro-
bably be found to explain all the phenomena that
have been mentioned. The bones of the fingers, as I
* The experiments were made on the Long-eared, the Noctule,
and the Horse-shoe Bats. They are published in a " Memoire
sur quelques especes de Chauve-Souris," &c, c. par TAbbe
Spallanzani,
D 2 have
36 OF BATS IN GENERAL.
have before observed, are excessively elongated.
The membrane that unites them presents an enor-
mous surface to the air. The nerves that are dis-
tributed to this membrane are numerous, and mi-
nutely divided, forming a net-work very remarkable
for its fineness, and the number of its anastomoses.
It is, therefore, more than probable, that, in the
action of flight, the air, when struck by this wing
or very sensible hand, impresses a sensation of
heat, cold, mobility, and resistance on that organ,
which indicates to the animal the presence of ob-
jects, which, if not avoided, would interrupt its
progress. It is in a manner similar to this that blind
men discern by their hands, and even by the skin of
their faces, the proximity of a wall, of the door of
a house, or the side of a street, without the assist-
ance of touch, and merely from the sensation
which the difference in the resistance of the air
occasions.
Many of the Bats have on their nose a membrane,
the use of which, in the animal economy, has not
yet been ascertained. Spallanzani conjectured that
it might be the seat of the additional sense which
he attributed to these creatures. In some of the
foreign Bats its shape is extremely singular and
fantastical. This membrane is found in only one of
the English species, the Horse-shoe Bat.
The ears of some of the Bats are very small ; but
of others extremely large, Many of these ears,
from having an inner valve, for the purpose pf
keeping
-
OP BATS IN GENERAL. 37
keeping out extraneous substances during sleep,
have the appearance of being double.
The whole number of Bats hitherto described, is
twenty-five. Of these, five only have been found
in the British dominions.
Mankind, from the earliest ages of the world,
have indulged an aversion, not altogether war-
rantable, towards these animals. From their uni-
formly dark colour, and very singular appearance,
connected with the circumstance of their haunting
the most unfrequented buildings, and flying abroad
only during the evening and night, they have been
usually grouped in the same description with
ghosts and hobgoblins. Fear is the parent of super-
stition, and operates with extensive influence when
roused by objects which come abroad only in the
midst of solitude and obscurity. Hence, likewise,
the Bats, with several of the night-flying birds,
have been considered as animals of evil omen. In
the Fairie Queene we read of
The ill facte owl, deathe's dreadful messenger;
The hoarse night raven, trompe of doleful dreere;
The leather-winged Bat, daye's enemie;
The rueful strick, still waiting on the beere;
The whistler shrill, that whoso hearcs doth die.
Homer, in the true spirit of poetry, in which
images drawn from superstitious terrors are often
rendered extremely beautiful, has adopted these
D 3 animals
38 THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT,
animals in the mass, to illustrate the shrieks of his
ghosts in the infernal regions :
As in the cavern of some rifled den,
Where flock nocturnal Bats, and birds obscene;
Cluster'd they hang, till at some sudden shock
They move, and murmurs run through all the rock :
So cow'ring fleet the sable heaps of ghosts,
And such a stream fill'd all the dismal coasts.
rim;
,o:)n
grift. . . ,- L. ' y . . ' .. > ..
I/SO' 1 "
'
THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT*.
i
FJ,ITTE'R-MOUSE, RERE'MOUSE, -OR RANNER-MOUSE.
Tffisis one of the two species of Bats which we
so often observe, in the fine evenings of summer,
flitting about in search of gnats and other insects.
It commences its flight at the beginning of twi-
light, and haunts, principally, the neighbourhood
of old or ruinous buildings, woods, and shady
lanes. It generally flies near the ground, with an
irregular and jirking kind of motion, and is not
unfrequently to be observed skimming along just
above the surface of rivers, in search of aquatic
:
* Vespeftilio murinus. Linnccus. La Chauve-souris, Buffon.
For the Description of thrs Bat, see the Synopsis, p. 4. No. 1 .
insects
THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT. 39
insects, which the hot evenings bring to life. Mr.
Bill, of Christchurch, Hants, some years ago caught
a Bat of this species with an artificial fly, as he was
one evening about to angle for roach in the river
Stour.
Perhaps none of the English Bats are so well able
to bear the effects of cold as these. They are (o
be seen abroad, more or less frequently, in almost
every month of the year. Even in the depth of
winter they are sometimes roused from their torpid
state, and venture out, as usual, in search of prey.
I have more than once observed them in perfect
vigour, in the early part of the month of December.
They are exceedingly voracious of their proper
food ; and will sometimes devour even raw flesh.
The farmers in many parts of England assert that
they occasionally descend the shafts of chimneys,
and gnaw the bacon which is hung there to be dried
in the smoke.
At different times I have had several of these
Bats alive ; but in the spring of 1804 I caught one,
which, within an hour afterwards, had courage suf-
ficient to take food out of my hand. I held one of
the common house-flies in my fingers, in such rnan-
ner as to touch the animal's nose, and rouse it from
sleep : it made a kind of smack with its mouth,
threw itself suddenly forward by its hind-feet, and
immediately devoured the insect. I then caught
for it one of the large blue flesh-flies. I touched
its nose with this, as I had done with the former,
and
40 THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT.
and the animal seized it precisely in the same man-
ner. But, in the latter case, there was some diffi-
culty. The fly was so large, that, notwithstanding
the width of the Bat's mouth, it could not entirely
have admission. My curiosity was excited to know
in what manner it would so dispose the fly as to get
it down its throat ; since its fore-feet were evidently
useless for the purpose. I was soon satisfied. The
animal, raising itself somewhat higher than usual on
its fore-legs, bent its head with great dexterity un-
der its belly, and forced the insect into its mouth,
by thrusting it, from side to side, against that part
of the membrane which extended betwixt the two
hind legs. I cannot be mistaken in this particular;
for, during the life of the animal, the experiment
was often repeated. The manoeuvre was, however,
never practised, except where the fly was too large
to be managed with facility by the jaws and tongue
alone. This confirms what Mr. White has said re-
specting the actions of a tame Bat that he saw eat;
but it leads us to a very different mode of account-
ing for them. His words are : " When the animal
had any thing given to eat, it brought its wings
round before its mouth, hovering and hiding its
head, in the manner of birds of prey when they
feed*/'
* White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 56. By the word
hovering, Mr. White seems to mean a kind of tremulous motion,
which is to be remarked in the animals during this process.
It
THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT. 41
It is a vulgar notion, that Bats, when they are on
a flat surface, have not the power of rising into the
air; and that they must crawl to an eminence before
they are able to expand their wings for flight. This
is by no means true; for, of several individuals that
I have kept, both of the Common and of the Long-
eared Bats, there was not one that could not, with
the greatest apparent ease, rise immediately from
the floor of my room. One of the latter species,
that happened to be peculiarly agile, could fly,
without any difficulty, even from the bottom of a
box that was four inches deep, and considerably-
less than six inches wide.
The Common Bats, like the rest of their tribe,
breed in the summer, and produce two young ones
at a birth, which they suckle from teats situated on
the breast.
Towards the end of autumn they retire into
caverns, or holes of old buildings or trees, from
whence they do not often again come forth till the
return of warmer weather. Here they suspend
themselves by their four legs, having their head
downward, and being closely enveloped in their
wings.
For some time previously to their retirement,
they are occasionally to be seen in the evenings,
collected together in great multitudes. Mr. White,
in going from Richmond to Sunbury, on a very
warm autumnal evening, saw an immense number
of Bats betwixt the two places. He says that the
air
42 THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT.
air literally ; swarmed with them all along the
Thames, so that hundreds were in sight at a time*.
The voice of these Bats is a sharp stridulous note
or scream; and this is repeatedly uttered during
their flight. Whenever I roused my animals from
their diurnal sleep, they opened their mouths quite
wide, and made this weak kind of screeching noise.
Neither the Common nor the Long-eared Bats
have any offensive smell, like many of the other
species.
In Wales the Common Bat is called ystlum: in
France, chauve-souris, or chauve-souris commune :
in Italy, nottola, notula: in Spain, murcielago, mor-
cielago: in Portugal, morugo, morcego : in Ger-
many, flaedermuss : in Holland, vledcrmuus: in
Sweden, laderlapp: in Denmark, jlaggermuus: in
Poland, nietopcrsz: in Norway, skind-vinge: in
Russia, netopyr, letuczqja-misck.
These names, however, are often applied indis-
criminately to other species of Bats, as well as to
the present.
* White's Works, i. p. '27.
THE
I
THE LONG-EARED BAT*
THE Long-eared Bats are nearly as numerous as
the Common species; and, in all their manners and
habits of .life, have a great resemblance to them.
Linnaeus once entertained some doubt whether,
indeed, the two species were really distinct, or
whether the difference between the animals was
only sexual: but of three living individuals of the
Long-eared Bats, which I had by me at the same
time, one was a male, and the other two were
females.
These were brought to me about the middle of
November, 1804. As the cold weather had then
scarcely begun to set in, th^y exhibited no symp-
toms whatever of approaching torpidity. In the
evening, on putting them out of the box in which
I had deposited them, each spread its wings, and in
a moment rose up with an ease and lightness that
greatly surprised me. A bird could not have got
on wing with more agility. I suffered them to
fly about my room for some time. They occasion-
ally alighted on the cornice, on the frames of my
pictures, and on the top of my book^case. Their
flight was directed principally along the ceiling ;
* Vespertilio cturitus. Linnaeus. VOreillar. Buffbn,
For the description of this Bat, see the Synopsis, p. 5, No, 2.
and
44 THE LONG-EARED BAT.
and they, in no instance, approached either the
candles or fire. The surface of wing in these ani-
mals, proportioned to the weight of their body,
was so great, that they flew without any appearance
of difficulty; nor was their flight interrupted by
any of those jerks or vaccillations that are ob-
servable in the motion of Bats, when flying about
for food in the open air.
As the hooked claws with which Bats catch hold
of objects in alighting upon them, are situated on
the members by which they have their motion, a
considerable adroitness is necessary in this opera-
tion of alighting. Whenever the animals in my
room were inclined to repose for a moment, and
observed a place suitable for them to rest upon,
they flew up gently against it, and seldom failed to
catch hold with either one or both of their claws;
but, if this hold was not firm, and could not easily
be made so, they loosed themselves, again flew
round the room, and tried other places, till they
found one that perfectly suited them. The shaded
part at the top of my book-case was that which the
animals chiefly aimed at, and on which, after my
often removing them, they always took their firmest
lodgments.
When their hold was firm, they never failed to
transfer their hinder feet to the place on which
they at first clung with their fore ones; hanging
thus with their heads downward, which seems to be
the natural sleeping position of all the English Bats.
It
THE LONG-EARED BAT. 45
It was a pleasing sight to observe with what ease
and neatness the animals now began to smooth
their hair, and scratch themselves. In these ope-
rations, both the fore and hind legs are employed.
The animals hang by one hind-leg very securely,
whilst the other three legs are actively occupied;
and when these have gone through their operation,
the detached hind leg takes its hold, and releases
the former to complete the business.
These Bats, like the rest of their tribe, walk some-
what awkwardly ; but they move much faster on
their legs than any one would give them credit for
being able to do, incumbered as they seem to be by
their wings.
With respect to the use of the inner valves, or
secondary ears, of the present species, they are
evidently given to the animals for the purpose of
keeping out noxious insects, and preventing any
other extraneous matter from entering their head
during sleep, and particularly during their long
winter's repose. The opening of the ear is very
wide, and is situated betwixt the valve and the
great outer ear. When these Bats prepare them-
selves for sleep, they fold down the ex'ternal ears
directly across the openings, and secure them in
this position (close to the sides of their body) by
their fore-legs, which they always rest carefully
over them. By this means, the openings are so
perfectly closed, that nothing injurious can pos-
sibly penetrate them. The inner valves continue
still
46 THE LONG-EARED BAT.
still erect, and to a casual observer might, during
this time, be mistaken for the proper ears of the
animals.
The ears of the Common Bat are formed so as to
answer a similar purpose. The external valves are,
indeed, too short to be folded over the opening,
and held in that position by the fore-legs. These
are, therefore, somewhat differently constructed.
They continue erect, .but the sides are so closely
compressed together towards the bottom, that the
scattered hairs, in their interior, either entirely pre-
vent the intrusion of any thing injurious, or at
least give sufficient notice to the animal for it to
awake and avoid the injury.
There appeared to me something very singular
with respect to the eyes of the Long-eared Bats. I
happened to take into my hand one of these ani-
mals, whilst it seemed to be still half asleep. Its
eyes were open, but I remarked that they wanted
much of the lustre which. they had when the animal
was perfectly awake. With the feather part of my
pen, the point of which was tolerably hard, I
touched the hairs around the eye, to observe whe-
ther the irritation would cause the lids to close.
They moved a little, but did not seem much affected
by it. I proceeded, by degrees, till at length I
ventured to touch the eye itself. Still they did
not close; and so little was the repose of the ani-
mal disturbed, tnat I am persuaded nothing short of
absolutely
THE LONG-EARED BAT. 47
absolutely injuring the coats of the eye would
have roused it to sensation.
I put both bread and raw flesh into the box con-
taining these Bats, yet they ate no part of them.
I killed some flies and put them in, and these were
soon devoured. As my room was, of course, much
warmer than the retreats from which the animals
had been brought to me, they did not become tor-
pid during any part of the time I had them; but,
as I was not able to procure a sufficiency of their
natural food, they all died before the winter was
over.
They invariably slept in the day, collected close
together in one corner of the box, with their heads
downward. Eight o'clock in the evening was ge-
nerally the time about which they awoke, and com-
menced their efforts to escape. After this hour,
whenever I opened the box, I had always some
difficulty to prevent them from climbing up the
sides and taking wing.
The winter retreat of the Long-eared Bats is usu-
ally in ruinous or uninhabited buildings. Mr.
Bradley informs us, that he has occasionally found
them in old walls, in considerable numbers, in a
perfectly torpid state, and so closely pressed to each
other, that their natural figure was scarcely dis-
cernible *.
Their voice, like that of the Common Bats, is a
* Bradley's Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature, p. 120.
kind
48 THE NOCTULE OR GREAT BAT.
kind of shrill cry, betwixt the chirping of birds,
and the voice of some of the smaller quadrupeds.
They have no peculiarly offensive smell.
Some of these Bats, which Mr. Carlisle had col-
lected for the purpose of ascertaining the truth of
Spallanzani's observations relative to what he de-
nominated a sixth sense of the animals, were^fe-
males, and had young ones clinging to their breasts,
in the act of sucking. One of them flew about,
with perfect ease, though two little ones were thus
attached to her, which, together, must have weigh-
ed nearly as much as the parent. All the young
were devoid of down, and of a black colour.
The observations made by this gentleman very
satisfactorily prove that the sense of hearing, in
some of the Bats, is exceedingly acute and delicate.
He considers this to be one of the causes of the
dexterity with which, even when blinded, the ani-
mals avoid obstacles that otherwise would impede
their flight*.
THE NOCTULE OR GREAT BATf.
THE first appearance of this Bat is generally about
the beginning of May ; and it is generally to be
* Shaw's General Zoology, i. p. 129.
f Vespertilio noctula. Linntzus. La Noctule. Buffon.
For the description of this Bat, see the Synopsis, p. 6, No. 3.
observed
THE NGCTULE OR GREAT BAT. .49
observed flying abroad in fine evenings, till the
end of July. It does not, however, often continue
later than July, and is thus a midsummer animal
only. It ranges high in search of food, and is sel-
dom to be seen hawking for insects near the
ground, or immediately over the surface of water.
Both in this lofty feeding, and in its early appear-
ance and retirement, the Noctule Bat seems to be
affected, with respect to the others of its tribe,
much as the Swift is with the other species of Swa.1-
lows; and, most probably, from the same cause,
namely, the short continuance of some peculiar
sorts of high-flying gnats or moths. The appear-
ance and continuance of both the animals are, no
doubt, regulated by the presence and defect of
their peculiar food*
When, in the year 1769, the Rev. Mr. White, of
Selborne, first remarked these Bats in his parish,
and before he had procured any of them, he con-
jectured that, from their peculiarly high flight, and
great size, they were, at that time, undescribed as
British species. In 1771 he observed two indivi-
duals, which, as they were usually seen flying to-
gether, he supposed to be a male and female. One
of them, a male, was caught and brought to him;
and, in an evening or two afterwards, the other,
which, on examination, he found to be a male also.
From this circumstance, and from the very rare
occurrence of the animals, at least in his neighbour-
hood, of Selborne, he began to suspect that they
E might
50 THE NOCTULE OR GBEAT BAT.
might not, in reality, constitute a distinct species,
but that perhaps they were only the males of the
common Bats; one of which, he thought,, might be
given for many females, as is the case in some other
quadrupeds. Since his time, however, they have
been satisfactorily ascertained to be distinct.
On opening the above two animals, to discover,
if possible, on what they fed, Mr. White found
their stomachs quite full; but the food, (insects
chiefly, no doubt,) was so macerated, that the qua-
lity could not be distinguished. They each weighed
an ounce and a dram. Their smell was exceedingly
fetid and offensive*.
Noctule Bats are chiefly found in France and
Germany; and they are much more common in all
parts of the old continent, than in Great Britain or
Ireland. They inhabit the gunpowder mills at
Dartford in Kent; and, about thirty years ago,
there were near two hundred and fifty caught, in
two succeeding nights, under the eaves of some of
the buildings of Queen's College, Cambridge,
The specimens I examined were some, of a great
number, which had been found, in a dormant
state, during winter, concealed in the leaden pipes
of a house at Richmond upon Thames.
* White's Works, i. p. 158.
THE
( 51 )
THE BARBASTELLE BAT*.
OF the peculiar habits of life and economy of
these Bats, we hitherto know but little. Even the
naturalists of France and Italy, in some parts of
which countries they are usually found in great
numbers., have interested themselves only in de-
scribing their figure and external appearance.
There is, however, reason to suppose, that, in
most respects, they have a near resemblance to the
common species. Yet they are easily distinguished
from the latter, even on wing, i$ the early part of
the evening, by their superior size, and their much
darker colour.
Very few Barbastelle Bats have been noticed
in England. The first discovery of the species, in
our island, was by Colonel Montagu, in the year
1800. He had one, (supposed to be a female,)
brought to him, which had be^n caught on wing
in the village of Milton, in Devonshire; and in
August, 1805, he procured a male specimen, that
had been found adhering to a small tree, near
Kingsbridge. About the year 1802, there was one
found, amongst some Horse-shoe Bats, in the gun-
powder mills at Dartford. This was sent to Mr.
Sowerby of Lambeth, who kept it alive for some
time; and its stuffed skin now forms an interesting
article in his museum.
* Vcspertilio Barbastellus. Lijinceus. La Barbastelle. Biiffbn.
For the description of this Bat, see the Synopsis, p. 7, No. 4.
THE
THE HORSE-SHOE BAT*.
WHEN these animals sleep, they suspend them-
selves by their hind feet, and fold their wing mem-
branes across their breast and abdomen. They feed
on various kinds of insects, which, like other Bats,
they catch during flight, in the evenings of the
warmer seasons of the year. Their teeth, in propor-
tion to the size of their body, are sometimes very
large: the fangs of a specimen now in my possession
measure each more than a line and half in length. But
the utility of this formation is immediately account-
ed for, by the knowledge that they pursue chafers,
and other coleopterous insects, with great avidity,
and that they carefully shear off, with their teeth,
the elytra, thorax, and legs, and eat only the body.
On examining the ears of this and the ensuing
species, we are struck with a peculiarity not ob-
servable in the other kinds of English Bats. Neither
of them possess any secondary or inner valves : yet,
by a dilitation of the base of the ear in front, which
has a notch in the edge on each side, and a fold
across it, the opening of the ear is not only capable
of being perfectly closed during sleep, but the
dilated part of its membrane has, in such circum-
stances, even much the appearance of a secondary
valve. There is scarcely any contrivance in the ani-
* Vespertilio Jerrum-equinum. Linnceus. La chauve-souris a
fcr-A-chcval.Buffbn.
For the description of this Bat, see the Synopsis, p. 8, No. 5.
mal
THE LESSER HORSE-SHOE BAT. * 5 1
mal economy more deserving of admiration than that
of the ears of the different species of Bats, whose
haunts are liable to be infested with many kinds of
noxious insects, which otherwise would crawl into,
and injure the texture of, these delicate .organs.
The Horse-shoe Bat was first observed on the con-
tinent, about the middle of the last century, by the
illustrious Daubenton, who has described it with
great accuracy. Dr. Latham, several years ago, dis-
covered these animals in England, in the salt-petre
houses belonging to the powder-mills at Dart ford;
and Col. Montagu informs us, that they .inhabit, in
considerable numbers, a large cavern called Kent's
Hole, near Torbay^ on the coast of Devonshire.
THE LESSER HORSE-SHOE BAT*.
SOME time after the Synopsis which accompanies
the present volume was printed, Col. Montagu very
obligingly favoured me with specimens of the two
kinds of Horse-shoe Bats, both taken by him in Kent's
Mole,, near Torbay. Until this most accurate and
intelligent
* fespcrtilio ferrum-equinum . Linnceus Le Petit fer-a-che'cal.
Buffbn.
Length scarcely 2 inches : extent ofivings 9% inches. Weight from
63 to 80 grains. Nose surrounded on the top by a broad horse-shoe-
shaped membrane, differing from that of the last species principally
by the form of the upper, transverse, erect, and pointed part: this
difference will best be explained by the accompanying outlines,
No. I, expressing that of the last, and No. 2, that of the present
species.
V No - 3 - V
Teeth
52 THE LESSER HORSE-SHOE BAT.
intelligent naturalist, in the ninth volume of the
Linnean Transactions, stated his grounds for believ-
ing the small one to constitute a distinct species, it
had uniformly been considered, both in England
and on the continent, as only a variety of the other.
It is now many years since he first noticed these
Bats in Wiltshire. Once, in particular, he was shown
a great number of them which had been found in
the winter, over the jiollow of a baker's oven, into
which they had crept through a small external fis-
sure. About the latter end of May, 1804, he ob-
served several of the same kind in an old building,
erected for the shelter of cattle, at the verge of a
wood, at Lackham, in the same county. In this
dark and shaded abode, surrounded by lofty rocks,
it is not, he says, unusual to see many of them ad-
hering to the .plaistered roof by their hind claws.
When approached, they generally crawl a little to
one side, and show signs of uneasiness by moving
their heads about in various directions; but they
never seem inclined to take flight till they have
been repeatedly disturbed.
Teeth very smalt. The Horse-shoe Bat has in the upper jaw 'two
minute distant front-teeth, which are not found in this. Eyes very
small, black, and hidden in the fur. Ears large, pointed, and turned
a little back at the tips: their base almost surrounds the opening;
but at the outer part in each there is a notch that admits of the fore-
part of the ear closing within the other, as a substitute for an inner
valve, of which this species is destitute. Teats in the female four,
two on the breast, and two on the lower part of the abdomen, close
to the pubis.
Co/0i*rpale rufous brown above, but most rufous on the upper part
of the head. Col. Montagu, in Linn. Tran. vol. ix. p. 163.
FER/E.
FER^E.
OF SEALS IN GENERAL.
THE Seals are entirely marine animals, none of
the species having been hitherto mentioned as in-
habiting Tresh waters ; and they are the only a'ni-
mals, amongst the viviparous quadrupeds., which
can with propriety be considered as amphibious.
In all others the orifice, denominated by anatomists
foramen ovale, of the heart, which permits the foetus
to live in the womb without respiration, is shut
from the moment they come into the world, and
remains closed during their whole life. In the
Seals, on the contrary, this continues open, al-
though the mother invariably brings forth her
young ones on land, and their respiration com-
mences and operates, as in other animals, immedi-
ately after the birth. By means of this aperture
in the septum, which allows a communication of
the blood of the vena cava, and the aorta, these
animals have the advantage of occasionally sus-
E 3 pending
54 OF SEALS IN GENERAL.
pending their respiration for a considerable while
together. Still, however, they are obliged,, at in-
tervals, to put up their noses above the surface of the
water, in order to reject the contaminated air from
their lungs, and take in a fresh supply. The Seals
require occasional intervals of repose, and some-
times even a long continuance on dry land. At
particular periods, therefore, and especially during
the seasons of producing and rearing their young,
they forsake the water, and congregate, frequently
in vast multitudes, on floating ice or insulated
rocks.
All the Seals appear to be much more partial to
Cold than to warm climates : yet, some of them are
observed in almost every sea. Of the three species
that frequent the British coast, only one, the Com-
mon Seal, is found in any abundance; and this,
principally, on the most rocky and uninhabited
shores of Scotland and Ireland.
The feet of these animals bear a great external
resemblance to fins. Of the fore-legs, which out-
wardly appear to be very short, the parts called by
anatomists the arm and fore-arm, are concealed un-
der the skin of the breast; the wrist being the first
joint on the outside. The toes are inclosed in a
membrane, and have each a strong nail. Of the
hinder extremities, neither the thighs nor legs are
visible. On each side of the body, and at no great
distance from the tail, is an eminence, which is
formed by the knee. From this, but under the
skin
OF SEALS IN GENERAL. 55
skin, the legs extend backward, and the heels,
which are the first visible part, are found on each
side of the origin of the tail. The membrane of the
hind-feet is generally very long; and these feet are
of little or no use to the animals in walking.
Their four fin-like feet render the motions of the
Seals very easy and graceful in their proper ele-
ment, the water. By means of their fore-feet, the
animals are able to lay hold on objects with so much
firmness as to drag themselves, with considerable
facility, up the shores, rocks, and even over shoals
of ice, however slippery they may be. They move
with much greater ease and velocity than might be
expected from their general form and appearance;
and oftentimes, though badly wounded, and the
distance very considerable, the hunters are not able
to overtake them, before they arrive at the edge of
the water, and precipitate themselves out of their
reach.
All the Seals have nearly the same properties and
habits. They sleep principally during the day ; and
when they are awake and in motion, their instincts
are as perfect and as active as those of most other
quadrupeds. Their dispositions, generally speaking,
are mild and placid; and many of the species, if taken
young, may be rendered perfectly docile. Their
voice is expressive, and capable of considerable
modulation.
These were the animals which, according to
mythologists, composed the flocks or horses of
E 4 Neptune,
56 OF SEALS IN GENERAL.
Neptune, the syrens, and some others of the sea-
deities. Most of the species have a trivial name,
derived from a fancied resemblance to some land
animal. In various languages they are, therefore^
denominated sea-calf, sea-dog, sea-wolf, sea-fox, and
sea-lion.
The females produce their offspring, two or three
hi number, generally in the winter season, on sand-
banks, rocks, or small islands. They continue to feed
them for twelve or fifteen days, in the place where
they are brought forth; and suckle them nearly in an
Upright position, resting on their hind-legs. When
the young ones have acquired sufficient strength to
contend with the waves, the mother conducts them
into the water, and teaches them to swim about,
and seek for food. The attachment of Seals of the
same species to each other, and particularly to
their own offspring, is very pleasing. When en-
gaged in defence of the latter, some of the species
are altogether fearless of death, and will suffer
themselves to be beaten to pieces, rather than allow
them, with impunity, to be killed or carried away.
Seals do not attain their full growth for many
years ; and M. de Buffon was inclined to believe,
that the duration of their lives often extended
beyond a century*.
None of the animals have any external ears ; the
* Buffon, parSonnini, xxxiv. p. 16.
openings
THE COMMON SEA L. 57
openings of the ears being merely orifices, deno-
minated auditory holes. The crystalline humour
of their eyes is almost as spherical as that of the
eyes of fish; and, contrary to the form in other
quadrupeds, its anterior part is the most convex*.
The bodies of Seals are always thicker about the
shoulders than in any other part ; and from thence
they taper gradually to the tail.
THE COMMON SEALf.
SEA-CALF OR SEA-DOG.
THESE Seals are frequently observed on the sea
shores of the northern and rocky parts of Scotland.
About the Land's End, in Cornwall, they are, perhaps,
more numerous than on any of the coasts of South
Britain, unless it be those of a few parts of Wales,
Sometimes individuals are found off Cumberland
and Lancashire, Durham, Northumberland, and
Yorkshire; but, in general, they are rarely to be
observed near the counties south of these.
* Raii. Syn. Quad. p. 190.
f Phoca vitulina. Linnaeus. Le Phoque commun. Euffon.
For the description of this Seal, see the Synopsis, p. 10, No. 6.
The
58 THE COMMON SEAL.
The places which they chiefly inhabit are caverns,,
or hollow rocks, out of the reach of the tide. Dur-
ing the hot summer days they often leave the water
to bask or sleep in the sun, upon large stones or
shivers of rocks. They are said to take -great plea-
sure in thunder-storms, sitting out of the water as
long as these continue ; and appearing to contem-
plate, with delight, the convulsion of the elements.
It is, however, probable, that they leave their usual
abode, on these occasions, only that they may avoid
the shock of the heavy waves against the shores and
upon the shallows. None of these Seals ever ven-
ture to any great distance from the land ; but they
are frequently observed to sport round ships and
boats, that approach the places where they inhabit;
and, in their proper depth of water, they are re-
markably swift and agile. Borlase informs us, that,
after being seen, they will often dive like a shot,
and, in a trice, rise again at fifty yards' distance.
In swimming, their head is not often observed above
the surface of the water, unless for the purpose of
respiration*. J. Stackhouse, Esq. of Pendaris, who
is well acquainted with the habits of these Seals,
informs me, that, in Cornwall, when persons in pur-
suit of them observe a Seal to thrust its head above
* In Animal Biography, vol. i. p. 185, on the authority of Dr.
Borlase, I have asserted that, "in swimming, the Seals always keep
their heads above water." Mr. Stackhouse, however, assures me
that this is an error.
water,
THE COMMON SEAL. 59
water, it is a common practice to halloo to the ani-
mal, till they can approach within gun-shot, since
it will continue to listen to the sound, apparently
wrapt in attention to it, for many seconds.
Seals feed chiefly on fish, and we are informed by
Martin, that they never attempt to swallow these
till they have first stripped off all the scales. He
declares that he has often seen them hold the heads
of the fish betwixt their teeth, whilst at the same
time they tore away the scales with their fore-
feet*.
That the Common Seals are very docile animals,
and capable, even when taken old, of being in some
measure domesticated, many proofs have, at dif-
ferent times, been afforded. I shall recite two
instances, which were communicated to me by my
accurate and highly intelligent friend, Dr. Hamilton,
of Ipswich.
A few winters ago, a Seal, caught on the Welsh
coast, and sent by water to London, was brought to
St. Bartholomew's hospital. During the voyage, it
had been fed principally upon milk; and when it
arrived, it had become so familiar that it would
suffer the man who brought it to play with it like a
dog, and would lick his hands or face with the ut-
most complacency. So great, indeed, was the at-
tachment of this animal, that, after the departure
* Martin's Western Islands, p. 62.
of
60 THE COMMON SEAL.
of its master, from the hospital, it continued for
some time to emit a melancholy noise, evidently
bemoaning its loss ; and it died in the course of the
ensiling week.
A live Seal of the present species, that had been
caught below Yarmouth, was brought to Ipswich,
and carried about the streets in a basket, as a show.
Dr. Hamilton saw and examined it. The animal was
so gentle as to suffer him, though a stranger, to
stroke its head ; whilst, at the same time, it turned
quickly about, with open mouth, like a dog in the
act of playing, rolling its fine black eyes, as if
greatly delighted. It also allowed him, without
any difficulty, to examine its fore-feet ; and to
extend, in order to view their structure, the webs
of the hinder ones.
Seals are gregarious or social animals; and on
rocky shores, not much frequented by mankind,
they are often found collected together in immense
multitudes. Their fetid and offensive odour, when
thus collected, is sometimes perceptible to a great
distance.
They sleep on rocks and sea-banks; and it is
generally understood, that, on these occasions, they
are peculiarly watchful against danger. Some re-
spectable writers have asserted, that they post a
centinel, to guard them during their hours of re-
pose, on the first signal of alarm from which they
all scramble towards the sea, and with precipitation
throw themselves into the water. Mr. Pennant
informs
THE COMMON SEAL. (51
informs us, that each of them is so watchful for
himself, as seldom to repose longer than a minute,
without raising up his head to listen if any attack is
threatened -*. Notwithstanding these accounts,, there
is reason to suppose that the sleep of Seals is as
profound,, or nearly as profound, as that of most
other quadrupeds. It is during this that the hunters
chiefly contrive to attack them ; and when they
thus come upon them unawares, they often destroy
them in great numbers.
The coast of Caithness, at the northern extremity
of Scotland, is perhaps better known for the pur-
suit of Seals than that of any other part of Great
Britain. On this coast there are immense caverns
opening to the sea, and running some hundreds of
yards beneath the land. These, during the breeding
season, are the resort of Seals, which continue here
till their offspring are old enough to go to sea.
The first of them is the Ord of Caithness: the last
is near Thumster. Their entrance is so narrow as
only to admit a boat, whilst within they are very
spacious and lofty. In the month of October
or November, the Seal-hunters, furnished with
torches and bludgeons, enter the mouths of the
caverns about midnight. After the men have
landed, they make a great noise, which alarms the
animals, and brings them down in vast multitudes,
and great confusion, towards the mouth, to escape.
* Pennant's British Zoology, i. p. 144.
When
62 THE COMMON SEAL.
When the first crowd is past, the men are gene-
rally able to kill and secure most of the young
ones which straggle behind, and which a very slight
blow on the nose immediately destroys*. The ani-
mals, in their escaping from the hunters, throw
backward stones and dirt, with their hind-feet;
and as this is often done with great force, the com-
mon people believe it to be a mode of defence,
which they adopt expressly for the purpose of
covering their retreat.
When Seals, in pursuit of shoals of fish, happen
at high water to enter creeks, over stakes or strong
nets previously placed across the mouth, the
hunters, at the ebb 'of the tide, are often able to
kill them in considerable numbers.
Off the west side of North Uist, one of the western
islands of Scotland, there is a rock called Cousmil.
This is about a quarter of a mile in circumference,
and is famous for an annual Seal fishery, about the
end of October. The farmers of the island man
their boats with a sufficient number of people for
the business, and always embark with a contrary
wind, to prevent their being driven out to sea, and
likewise to prevent their being discovered by the
acute scent of the Seals. When the crews are landed
upon the island, they surround the passes, and then
a signal for the general attack is given from the
* Pennant's British Zoology, i. p. 142.
boat.
THE COMMON SEAL. . 63
boat. They beat down the animals with clubs or
staves,, in the manner before described. The fisher-
men assert, that sometimes more than three hundred
Seals, young and old, have been killed in one of
these rencounters*.
The modes of pursuing and destroying Seals,
adopted by the inhabitants of Greenland,, Finland,
and other extreme northern regions, are very vari-
ous. Sometimes they are shot from behind rocks,
or immense masses of ice. Very frequently they are
killed in the water with long harpoons. They are
often watched, when coming to breathe through
holes which they make in the ice; and as soon as
their head is seen, they are struck by a kind of lance,
or javelin. When the animals, in the spring of the
year, lie on the ice, a man, clothed in a Seal's skin,
and having a lance in his hand, will frequently creep
along upon his belly, like a Seal, till one of them
comes within his reach, when he immediately
plunges his lance into the animal's body, and kills
it+.
Seals are so very tenacious of life, (unless they
happen to be struck on the nose, which is almost
immediate death to them,) that, when severely
* Martin's Western Islands, p. 62.
f Acerbi's Travels in Lapland, &c. i. p. ISS.Egede's Description
of Greenland, p. 104 106.
wounded,
64 THE COMMON SEAL.
wounded,, even when shot through the head, they
will plunge into the sea and escape far out of the
reach of their pursuers. When they are secured,
after having been mortally wounded, they are al-
ways a great while in dying. And the relations that
have been given of their existing for a considerable
time, deprived even of their skin, are shocking to
humanity, and reflect the greatest disgrace on those
persons who could inflict so much misery on un-
offending animals.
On the British shores, the females usually pro-
duce their young ones, seldom more than two in
number, in the deep caverns before described*.
These, at first, are covered with a whitish wool, or
down. They are suckled, generally, for about four-
teen days, when the dams conduct them into the
water, to instruct them in swimming, and catching
their proper food. Oppian has described, with
tolerable accuracy, this instinctive process of the
female Seals. .
When they th' approaching time perceive,
They fly the deep, and watery pastures leave:
On the dry ground, far from the swelling tide,
Bring forth their young, and on the shores abide,
Tilt
* The inhabitants of North Uist, one of the western islands of
Scotland, informed Mr. Martin, that after the Seals pair, if .another
male attempts to seduce the female away, the. injured mate .always
resents the affront, by furiously attacking the aggressor. Martins
Western Islands, p, 64.
THE COMMON SEAL. 65
Till twice six times they see the eastern gleams
Brighten the hills, and tremble on the streams.
The thirteenth morn, soon as the early dawn
Hangs out its crimson folds, or spreads its lawn,
No more the fields and leafy coverts please,
Each hugs her own, and hastes to rolling seas.
The females continue to suckle their young ones
for a little while after they take them into the
water; and the Cornish fishermen informed Mr.
Borlase, that they had often seen two of them suck-
ing the dam, as she stood in the sea, in an upright
position*. As soon as the young ones are able to
provide for themselves, the female always prevents
them from sucking any longer, by furiously driving
them off, which is not done without many severe
blows. We are informed by Martin, that the teats
of female Seals are each situated in a kind of hollow
place, that they may not suffer injury by the ani-
mals' creeping along rocks and stones. It is on this
account, he says, that the point of the tongue is
bifid, or cloven at the end, without which shape the
young ones would not be able to suckf.
The season that the Seals frequent caverns for
the purpose of bringing forth their offspring, is
about the latter end of the autumn; and certainly
not, as M. de Buffon has asserted, in the midst of
winter.
* Pennant's British Zoology, i. p. 144.
t Martin's Account of the Western Islands, p. 65.
F The
66 THE COMMON SEAL.
The voice of the Common Seals is harsh and
and unpleasant,, and has been compared to that of
an angry dog. When they are young this is more
shrill, and somewhat resembles the mewing of a
cat. We are informed by M. de Buffon, that young
ones, which are taken from their dams, mew conti-
nually, and sometimes will die of hunger sooner
than receive the food that is offered to them*.
The flesh of these animals is by no means bad
eating ; and, in former times, it was occasionally
served up at the most sumptuous and splendid
tables. The inhabitants of the western islands
of Scotland frequently cure it for winter's food,
by means of the ashes of burnt sea-weeds. The fat
is more clear and sweet than that of any of the
whales. In the south of Europe the skins are some-
times used for covering trunjcs, for making waist-
coats, and shot pouches; and, when properly
dressed, for making shoes and boots. In the
Hebrides, a girdle made of seal-skin is considered
a never failing remedy against the sciatica; and
the inhabitants of Aberdeenshire frequently wear
this to remove the hooping cough. A mode has
lately been invented of plucking out the long
hairs from the skins, and leaving behind the fine
and thick down, which is afterwards cut off and
manufactured into hats.
* Buffon, par Sonnini, xxxiv. p. 74.
The
THE PIED SEAL. 6#~-
This Seal is called, in the Orknies, selc\\y: in
Wales,, moelrlion: in France, plioque commun, veau
niarin, loup marin: in Italy, veccliio marino : in
Spain and Portugal, lobo de mer, lobo marino : in
Germany, robbe, seehund, see-kalb, meer-wolf, meer-
hund : in Holland, rob, zeeliund: in Sweden, sial,
wilkare-sial: in Denmark, soelhund : in Poland, liies.
morski, dele morski : in Iceland, setyr: in Bothnia/
alg, the male; lagg, the female; kut, the young :
in Russia, tjulen.
These names are, however, applied^ for the most
part, indiscriminately to all the species.
.
THE PIED SEAL*.
An individual of this species, described in Mr,
Pennant's History of Quadrupeds, was caught in
the estuary of the river Dee, near Chester, in the
month of May, 1766. For a little while after its
* Phoca bicolor.*Shaw> Le Phoque a venire blanc. Buffbn.
The Pied Seal was unknown to Linnaeus. In the folio edition of
Pennant's British Zoology, it is regarded as a variety of the Common
Seal ; but in the Jast edition of his History of Quadrupeds, it is
considered, with propriety, to be a perfectly distinct species.
For the description of the Pied Seal, see the Synopsis, p. 12. No. 7.
F 2 capture,
68 HIE PIED SEAL.
capture, its skin was naked, like that of a porpesse ;
and only the head, and a small part beneath each
leg, had any hair upon them ; but before the animal
died, the hair began to grow on the other parts of
its body.
A pied Seal, mentioned by M. de Buffon, was
caught in the Gulf of Venice, on the small island of
Guarnero, near the coast of Dalmatia, in the year
1777. It had been often chased without success;
and at last had nearly escaped, by breaking through
the fishermen's nets. According to the report of
the oldest of the fishermen, the animal had been
known for more than fifty years. Its teeth were
yellow, and much worn ; and its whiskers were of
great length, white, and the hairs very rough.
This Seal was examined by M. de Buffon, in
December, 1778, fourteen months after it had been
caught. Notwithstanding its great age, it had been
rendered exceedingly docile; and it exhibited no
ferocity of disposition whatever. It was attentive
to the voice of its owner, and, on all occasions,
obeyed his commands with great readiness. It
would bend itself, roll round, turn on its back,
give the man one of its paws or fins, or elevate the
upper parts of its body out of the water of the tub
in which it was kept, according to his orders. It
answered to his call or signs, by its voice, which was
hoarse, and seemed to proceed from the bottom of
its throat, and had some resemblance to the hoarse
bellowing of a bull. On attentively watching the
animal,
THE PIED SEAL. 69
animal, it appeared that this sound (though less
harsh) was produced on inspiring as well as on ex-
piring air. It would answer its. master, when it
heard his voice, though he were at some distance,
and out of sight. Whenever this was the case, it
seemed to search for him with its eyes ; and as soon
as it again perceived him, though only after a few
moments' absence, it never failed to exhibit proof
of its joy, by a kind of hoarse murmuring noise.
Till the animal was rendered tolerably docile, its
owner said, that it invariably attempted to bite,
with violence, any person who in the slightest de-
gree offended it.
For about eight days, at a certain season of the
year, this Seal, which was a male, changed its usu-
ally mild disposition to a singular degree of fero-
ciousness. During this time it knew no one, and
even its master's voice had no influence over its
actions. One day, it seized him by the sleeve of his
coat, and could not be induced to loose its hold,
till its jaws were forcibly wrenched open by means
of an iron instrument. Another time it laid hold
of the heacl of a tolerably large dog, which it
crushed to pieces with its teeth. In short, it ex-
ercised its fury upon every living object that ven-
tured to come within its reach. It bellowed ; and
always, during these days, seemed in great agita-
tion. Sometimes it would continue to bellow for
many hours successively.
This animal usually slept in the day time; and
F 3 was
70 THE PIED SEAL.
was frequently heard to snore at a very consi-
derable distance. Its repose was so sound, that its
master could easily approach without awaking it ;
and it often happened that he had a difficulty in
rousing it, unless, at the same time, he put a fish of
some kind to its nose. In this case, however, the ani-
mal soon recovered its wonted vivacity. If the fish
was withdrawn to a little distance, it would raise its
head, and the anterior part of its body ; and, stand-
ing tiptoe, on its fore-feet, would endeavour to
reach it. This was the only kind of food that it
could be induced to eat ; and of carp and eels, (the
fish it was usually fed with,) it was most fond of
the former. Care was always taken to roll them in
salt before they were offered; and about thirty
pounds weight of these fish, raw, and thus covered
with salt, were necessary for its daily subsistence.
All the eels were swallowed whole, as well as a few
of the carp that were first presented. But when the
animal began to be satiated, it gutted the others
before it ate them. For this purpose it seized them
by the head, which it crushed between its teeth;
then, with singular address, it ripped open the
belly, emptied it of its contents, and, in conclu-
sion, swallowed the remainder of the bodies
whole.
Its owner informed M. de Buffon that he had,
occasionally, kept it for many days, and once for
even more than a month, out of water; but that
care was taken to wash it every evening with clean
water,
THE PIED SEAL. 7 1
water, and to give it salt and water to drink.
When it had at any time been long out of water,
its blood became overheated ; and the whites of the
eyes, particularly towards their angles, always ap-
peared much inflamed.
This Seal respired only after intervals of consi-
derable duration. In these intervals, the nostrils
were perfectly closed, and appeared like two large,
longitudinal marks at the extremity of the muzzle.
The animal never opened them, except to reject
the air from its lungs, and to take in a fresh supply.
They were often observed to continue thus closed
for the space of a couple of minutes together. A
kind of whitish mucus, of very disagreeable odour,
flowed almost continually from the nostrils.
This animal died in the month of August, 1779.
On dissection, after its death, the foramen ovale,
contrary to what is usually observed in the animals
of the present tribe, was found to be closed by a
transparent membrane, disposed in the form of a
semi-lunar pouch. M. de Buffbn endeavours to ex-
plain the circumstance, by remarking that, in this
and other individuals, which have been kept for the
purpose of exhibition, the foramen ovale may have
closed, in consequence of the change of their ele-
ment and habits. The stomach was peculiarly strong
and muscular; and the liver was composed of five
lobes*.
* Buffon, par Sonnini, xxxiv. p. 54.
F4 THE
THE GREAT SEAL*.
IN those parts of the Northern Atlantic where
the Great Seals mostly abound, they are often to
be seen, collected in considerable numbers, upon
huge masses of detached and floating ice. They
are exceedingly timid animals; and are much
sought after by the Greenlanders, who kill them
with harpoons and lances, chiefly for the sake of
their fat, which they eat, and consider as of pecu-
liarly delicious flavour. The flesh, the blood, the
intestines, and tendons, like those of the Common
Seal, have all their uses. The skins of the old Seals
are cut into thongs, and applied to various pur-
poses; and these people stuff their beds with the
hair of the young ones.
When the animals become large and fat, they lose
a great portion of their original activity, and swim
very slowly and heavily. They feed on various
kinds of fish, such as the holibut, cod, haddock,
and others which are found in shoals in the northern
seas.
* Phoca barbata. Linnaeus. Le grand Phoque. Buffbn.
For the description of the Great Seal, see the Synopsis, p. 13, No. 8.
: .
The
THE GREAT SEAL. 73
The females, according to Fabricius, produce each
only one young one at a birth, and this generally
about the month of March, upon the masses of ice
which float about in the open sea*. According to
the account of Linnaeus, (who, however, it must be
observed, had by no means the same opportunity
of ascertaining the fact as Fabricius, from his long
residence in Greenland, had,) the females generally
produce two young ones each, about the months
of November or Decemberf
The Great Seal which was described by Dr Par-
sons in the Philosophical Transactions, was exhi-
bited at Charing Cross, in February, 1742 3.
The claws on its fore-feet were very large and
broad, somewhat resembling, in appearance, those
of a mole. The toes were connected by a web, or
membrane. The membranes of the hinder feet
were much the longest. This Seal, though so young
as to have scarcely any teeth, was upwards of seven
feet in length. It was a female, and had four small
holes, placed in the angles of a square, round the
navel, which were evidently the marks of four
small teats. It died very shortly after it was ex-
hibited.
On dissection, the spleen was found to be two
feet in length, four inches broad, and exceedingly
* Fauna Groenlandica, p. 16.
t Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 65.
thin.
i
74 THE GREAT SEAL.
thin. The liver was composed of six lobes, each
of which was long and thin, like the spleen. The
gall-bladder was very small. The heart was long,
and of a soft texture, having a large foramen
ovale ; and the fleshy parts were very considerable.
Dr. Parsons says, that the interior conformation
greatly resembled that of a Cow, and differed as
greatly from that of other Seals, (two of which he
had before dissected, ) as the structure of a Cow does
from that of a Horse. One stomach, as he informs
us, was filled with fish; and in another, communi-
cating with it, there were found about four pounds
weight of small angular pieces of flint, which the
animal appeared to have swallowed for the purpose
of grinding its food. Besides these, there were two
other bags, which contained a whitish fluid matter.
He regarded this Seal as having four stomachs, and
as being a ruminating animal*.
It is remarked by M. de Buffon, that although the
above writer might be a skilful physician, yet in
the present case his sole testimony is by no means
sufficient to persuade naturalists that the Great
Seal is a ruminating animal. The Pied Seal, which
M. de Buffon dissected, had its stomach divided
into four bags, or appendices : but he says that
* Parsons, in Phil. Tran. ix. p. 74. Letter to M. de Buffon, dated
London, May 10th, 1765, inserted in Sonnini's edition of Buifon,
xxxiv. p. 49.
these
THE GREAT SEAL. 75
these could, in no respect, be compared to the four
stomachs of the ruminants. Besides, these Seals
live on fish ; and it is in the highest degree impro-
ble that any creatures, which subsist on animal
food, should chew their cud.
Great Seals are not uncommon on the coasts
of Scotland, and particularly about the rock of
Hiskyr, one of the Western Islands. We are in-
formed by Dr. Heysham, that they have sometimes
been driven, by tempests, upon the sea shores of
Cumberland.
It is generally supposed that these are the same
animals which, in Iceland, have the name of
gramselt ; in Greenland, of urksuk, and takka-
mugak ; and in Russia, of lachtak.
,
OF
OF THE DOG TRIBE IN GENERAL.
IN their native forests, or wilds, the animals which
constitute the different species of the present tribe,
usually associate in immense packs. These are
often so powerful, as to make war with, and over-
come, many beasts of prey, which, individually,
are much more strong and ferocious than them-
selves. Their rapacity exceeds all bounds; and
their depredations have, in some instances, proved
an almost irreparable injury to the inhabitants of
the countries where they dwell. Wretchedness
often follows the track of these invaders. Flocks
and herds have been swept before them ; and from
the attacks of some of stronger and more voracious
species, even mankind themselves have not, in all
cases, been able to escape.
Happily for us, the Fox is at present the only
predacious animal of the tribe that infests the
British dominions; and its attacks, and the mis-
chief it commits, are confined, almost exclusively,
to poultry, to game, and some of the smaller kinds
of quadrupeds.
Wolves were once inhabitants both of Britain
and Ireland ; and, in the early periods, were in such
multitudes in Yorkshire, that in the reign of Athel-
stan,
THE DOG TR.BE IN GENERAL. 77
stan, says one of the old historians, a retreat was
built at Flixton, in that county, to defend passengers
from the wolves, that they should not he devoured by
them. About the latter end of the tenth century,
a tribute was imposed upon the Welsh princes, of
three hundred wolves' heads, to be annually deli-
vered, till the whole race should be destroyed.
After a few years the tribute was remitted, under a
declaration, on the part of the princes, that the
breed was extinct. The numbers, had, indeed,
been greatly diminished; but some of the animals
were left ; for, in the reign of Edward the First,
they had again increased to such numbers, that a
royal mandate was issued to a person of the name
of Corbet, to superintend, and assist in, the de-
struction of Wolves, in the several counties of
A " f -fcjy.'** ' *^ ' Jfc t 9 A'- ' * tj
Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, Salop, and Staf-
ford. In Derbyshire, we are informed that certain
persons held their lands by the duty of hunting,
and taking the Wolves which infested that part of
the country. The last Wolf that has been heard of
in Scotland, was killed about the year 1680; and
the date of the extinction of these animals in
Ireland is 1710, the latest presentment for killing
Wolves having been made in the county of Cork
about that year.
The habitations of all this tribe of animals are
burrows, or dens, which they scratch in the ground,
or which they find ready formed in the clefts of
rocks, or the deep recesses of forests. In these
they
78 THE DOG TRIBE IN GENEHAL.
they sleep, for the most part, during the day, is-
suing at the close of evening to prowl about for
plunder. They are, in general, extremely nauseous
in their feeding, preferring bodies which they hap-
pen to find exposed, or which they are able to un-
earth, even in the most putrid state, to fresh and
recently killed food. By these disgusting manners,
however,, in hot climates, they are greatly instru-
mental to the health of mankind. They thus pre-
vent the air from being impregnated with noxious
effluvia., arising from multitudes of bodies that
would otherwise be left on the earth to corrupt,
and to spread around them diseases and death.
The females of the most fertile species produce
from six to ten young ones at a litter. These are
all blind, and in other respects are not perfectly
formed, at their birth. Most of the animals attain
their full size, and arrive at maturity, in about two
years ; and the general duration of their lives seems
to be from fourteen to twenty years.
THE
THE COMMON DOG*.
THE Dog, in a wild state, is a savage and ferocious
beast, allied, in a great measure, both in tempera-
ment and disposition, to the Wolf. Wild Dogs are
found, in great troops, in various- parts of Africa.
These are described as having red hair, ami slender
bodies, with turned-tip tails, like greyhounds.
They, however, sometimes vary in colour, have
upright ears, and are of the general size of a large
fox-hound.
The disposition of this animal, where it has been
taken into the protection of mankind, domesticated,
and instructed, has undergone a radical change ;
and whilst all its courage and its sagacity are left,
its ferocity has been softened down to obedience.
For an animal, destitute of the faculties of reasoning
and reflection, we are astonished at the quickness of
his perception, and sensibility. Without excepting
even the Elephant, the Dog seems the most tractable
and docile of all the brute creation. His gentleness
and fidelity have rendered him, in many countries,
not merely a useful, but a necessary companion
* Canis familiar is. Linnceus. Le Cliien. Biiffbn.
For the description of the Dog, see the Synopsis, p. 14, No. 9.
Of
80 THE COMMON DOG.
of man. To the orders of his master he yields a
ready and implicit obedience. He acts upon these
orders with alacrity ; and, by his vigilance and cou-
rage, frequently secures him from the attacks of his
enemies. He guards, both by day and night, his
property; and will often risk his life in its defence.
He is seldom inclined to injure any person, unless
previously irritated or assaulted; and is almost the
only animal which forbears to resent bad treatment
from his owner. The Dog, under such usage, does
not even seek to desert his master ; but, in spite of
the injury, will still continue to follow 7 and defend
him. If he has committed a fault, and finds that it
is discovered, he crouches at his master's feet, as if
to implore his clemency ; but if he be not fortunate
enough to obtain mercy, he submits to the chastise-
ment, and, the moment it is over, will lick the hand
that punished him. On the least encouragement,
he recovers his accustomed gaiety, runs round, and
affectionately fawns upon his master. On all occa-
sions he is attentive to his voice; and he knows,
intimately, that of every person from whom he is
accustomed to receive favours or attention. "To
strangers," says M. de Buffon, "he is totally indif-
ferent; but to beggars, whom he immediately
knows by their dress, their voice, and gestures, he
is a decided enemy, and at all times, if possible,
prevents their approach. When, during the night,
he becomes the guard of the house, he assumes a
more than usual degree of boldness, and is some-
times
THE COMMON DOG. 81
times even ferocious. He watches, goes his rounds,
scents strangers at a distance, and if they stop,
or attempt to break into the house, he flies with
fury to oppose their entrance; and by continued
barking, and other efforts of passion, he gives the
alarm, and thus rouses the family to avert the dan-
ger. He is as furious against thieves as he is against
rapacious animals. He attacks, wounds, and forces
from them whatever plunder they are endeavouring
to take away. But, contented with his victory, he
will lie down upon the spoil, nor even touch it to
satisfy his appetite : thus affording, in the same act,
a pleasing example of courage, temperance, and
fidelity*/'
The Dog may be trained to perform various en-
tertaining feats. He may be taught to sit upright ;
to walk and dance on his hind legs, even on a rope ;
to tumble over his head, or beat a drum. He may
even, by education, be made to go many miles in
search of things that have been left behind, for-
gotten, pr lost. He may be harnessed and yoked,
like a horse, to assist in drawing along heavy
burthens.
Such is his sagacity, that we are informed of a
dumb person in Mantua, who had so well instructed
his dog, that on certain signs he would run out of
* Buffon, par Sonnini, xxiii. p. 1.56.
G the
82 THE COMMON DOG.
the room, and return with any particular servant
that his master wanted*.
And, with this sagacity, so great is also hhjidelity,
that he may be trained to go to market with money,,
to repair to a known shop, and even to carry home
provisions with safety. A Dog belonging to a man,
named Person, of Bow, had been long in the habit
of carrying half-a-guinea, every week, from thence
to Bethnal-Green. The circumstance was care-
lessly mentioned at a public-house; and a person
present determined to rob the Dog. The attempt
was made, but the fellow had occasion to repent
of his rashness; for he was so dreadfully bitten in
the hand, that it was thought he would lose some
of his fingers. A neighbour interfered, took off
the Dog, and enabled him to deliver his charge in
safety.
But of all the educational attainments by which
the Dog has been distinguished, that of learning to
speak seems the most extraordinary. The French
academicians mention a Dog in Germany, which
was able to speak several words, and could call, in
an intelligible manner, for tea, coffee, chocolate,
and other things. The account of this Dog was
written by no less a person than the celebrated
Leibnitz, who communicated it, to the Royal Aca-
demy of Francef. And if accounts from Sweden
* Ruysch, ii. p. 124. f Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 289.
may
THE COMMON DOG. 83
may be credited, there was a little Dog, some years
ago, exhibited at Stockholm, which had been taught
to speak many words, and to utter even complete
sentences, both in the French and Swedish lan-
guages*.
Although Dogs are naturally lively, active, and
vigilant animals; yet, when pampered and over-
fed, as we oftentimes see them, they become heavy
and indolent. They pass the principal part of their
lives in eating and sleeping. The latter, indeed,
is almost continual, and is often accompanied by
involuntary motions in the limbs, and a kind of
whining noise, the apparent effects of dreaming.
These animals are all carnivorous; and the
powers of their stomach are very remarkable.
Bones are softened and digested so readily, that
the teeth have but to break them into such pieces
as can pass the gullet. The gastric juices have all
the work of this digestion, to which trituration does
not in the least contribute.
Generally speaking, Dogs are extremely vora-
cious animals, and will devour almost any kind of
food; but they have an insuperable aversion to
many species of birds. By a singular depravity of
taste, they generally prefer flesh that is, in part,
corrupted, to perfectly fresh food. It is by no
* For various anecdotes of the sagacity of Dogs, see Anima
Biography, third Edit. i. p. 200 232.
G 2 means
84 THE COMMON DOG.
means an unusual thing to see dogs that are deli-
cately taken care of, leave the food provided for
them, and run, with avidity, to devour carrion;
and they will sometimes roll, with great apparent
delight, on the corrupted fragments.
They seldom eat of raw vegetables, except medi-
cinally. When they are unwell, they bite off, and
swallow, the blades of several kinds of grass. These
are supposed to be of use in exciting them to vo-
mit, M. Sonnini says, that he has seen a Bastard
pug Dog, (Roquet,) which every day swallowed a
quantity of snuff. As soon as a snuff-box was
opened, it was always exceedingly troublesome
till some one put a pinch into its mouth*.
Most of the Dogs have a nicety of scent, unusual
in other animals. This is particularly the case in
all kinds of sporting Dogs, except the Greyhound;
and by this they are not merely enabled to hunt
their .prey, but they can follow the track of their
master, when not in sight, to surprising distances.
By this faculty also it is, that, when any thing is
i thrown for a Dog to fetch, he will always make
sure of it, though it may not have been previously
shown to him. A little Scotch Terrier, belonging
to the late Captain John Campbell, of the Royal
Horse Artillery, (as I have repeatedly witnessed,)
after hearing a stone thrown out of a window, in
* Addition a 1' Article du Chien, xxiii. p. 346.
a per-
THE COMMON DOG. 85
a perfectly dark night, would leave the room by the
door, and, going round the corner of the house to
the spot, would never fail to return with the same
stone in his mouth.
To account for this peculiar nicety of scent, it is
to be remarked, that, in the Dog, the cavity of the
ethmoid, or spungy bone, at the top of the nose,
betwixt the nose and the brain, has a larger surface
than that of most other quadrupeds. The olfactory
nerves pierce this bone, and are extended over it;
and their extent of surface is, consequently, greater
than in other animals.
The females have commonly two births in the year;
and they produce, at each litter, from four to twelve
young ones. These come into the world perfectly
blind,, their eye-lids not only being closed together,
but adhering by a membrane, which breaks away as
soon as the muscles of the upper eye-lid acquire suf-
ficient strength to raise it, and overcome this ob-
stacle. In most Dogs, the eyes are opened about
the tenth or twelfth day. When first produced, the
bones of the skull are not finished; the body is
very thick, in proportion to its length; and the
whole form is incomplete. But, in the course of
two months, the animals begin to attain their shape
and strength, and learn to use all their senses.
Their growth, during this period, is very rapid.
In about two years, Dogs arrive at a state of ma-
turity; and the usual term of their lives is from ten
to fourteen years* Some Dogs, have, however,
G 3 attained
86 THE COMMON DOC.
attained the great age of twenty years. When Dogs
become old, they carry all the marks of age. They
are weak; their hair loses its bright and lively ap-
pearance; their teeth and eyes fail them; and, at
last, from weakness and disease, they often become
unpleasant inmates to our dwellings.
The Dog will breed both with the Wolf and the
Fox. The offspring from this connexion are not
barren; but will likewise breed, not only with other
Wolves, Foxes, and Dogs, but even amongst them-
selves. This is a fact that M. de Buffon was at great
trouble and expence to ascertain; and the nu-
merous instances cited in the supplementary vo-
lumes of his works, have done it very satisfactorily.
The inhabitants of many countries, and particu-
larly of those of several parts of Africa and Asia,
are partial to the flesh of the Dog; and fatten these
animals, sometimes in great numbers, for food. In
Europe, however, the skin seems to be accounted
the only useful part of its body. This is made into
shoes, gloves, and other articles of dress.
. Dogs are subject to three very severe diseases ;
the mange, distemper, and madness. Against the
former, cleanliness, air, and exercise, are considered
to be good preservatives.
The distemper has not been known in this country
more than forty years; but it is now become one
of the most fa f al disorders that any animals can be
subject to. Dogs are usually attacked by it whilst
young, between the ages of six and twelve months;
and
THE COMMON DOG. 87
and very few of the species escape it altogether.
In its worst form it is so severe, as to be sometimes
mistaken for canine madness ; fortunately, however,
for the happiness of mankind, it is very different
from that, in every essential particular.
To hydrophobia, or madness, all Dogs are liable ;
and from this dreadful malady, many melancholy
events proceed every year. Opinions differ as to
the cause of hydrophobia. It is usually asserted,
(though apparently without foundation,) to be
most frequent after long dry and hot seasons ; and
some experienced men say, that such Dogs as live
on putrid carrion, without plenty of fresh water,
are more liable to it than others.
The symptoms are stated to be these. The Dog
at first looks dull, shows an aversion to his food, and
lo company. He does not bark as usual, but utters,
occasionally, a most dismal and plaintive howl,
which no person, who has once heard, can ever
forget. His ears and tail, drop more than usual.
He lolls out his tongue, froths at the mouth, and
his eyes seem heavy and watery. If not confined,
he escapes, and runs panting along, with a deject-
ed air, and endeavours to bite any one he meets.
After the first symptoms of madness, there are two
or three days, during which the Dog has sufficient
sense to distinguish and acknowledge his master.
But if he is loose, he will, in general, even at this
time, bite whatever comes in his way. He will
sometimes, during this stage of the disease, leave
G 4 his
88 THE COMMON DOG.
his home for several hours, spread his disorder by
biting men and animals, and again return. When
in the height of his disorder, it is peculiarly dan-
gerous to strike at, or provoke, a mad Dog ; for he
has then no fear of any thing, and will generally
return the attack. If a mad Dog escapes being
killed, he seldom runs more than two or three days,
when he dies, exhausted by heat, hunger, and dis-
ease. In confinement, he does not often survive
the fifth day, from the first exhibition of the symp-
toms. In the last stage of the disease, his ap-
pearance is altogether much altered. His eyes are
sunk. His tongue is black and dry. He makes
horrid howlings, and seems much disturbed. The
concluding scene, it is said, is dreadful to witness.
The usual period for the symptoms to be remark-
ed, after a Dog has been bitten, is betwixt seven and
eight weeks ; but, in a few instances, these have
been known to appear in so short a time as ten* or
twelve days.
It is a ! generally received opinion, that mad
Dogs, even in the earliest stages of their disease,
will not take the water. Two well-authenticated
instances of madness, however, occurred in the year
1791, in which the Dogs, on being closely pur-
sued, swam over a navigable river*. Although the
animals, at the height of their disorder, usually
* These are mentioned by Mr. Daniel.
refuse
THE COMMON DOG. 89
refuse both food and drink; yet we are assured,
that they do not show any abhorrence or dread of
water,, but will sometimes lap it eagerly to the last.
This, however, is very remarkable, that although
they lap the water for a long time together, with
great avidity, and seem not to experience any un-
easiness from it; yet they do not swallow a single
drop: and, however long they continue lapping it,
no diminution in quantity can be perceived*.
The only effectual remedy against this dreadful
malady, seems to consist in cutting out the wound-
ed part, as soon as possible after the bite is inflicted;
or in cauterizing it with a hot iron. There have
been various specifics made public for the cure of
hydrophobia; and none have attained so much
celebrity as that denominated the Ormskirk Medi-
cine. The efficacy of the whole of these is, how-
ever, so much to be doubted, that they ought, by
no means, to be trusted in cases where either of
the above remedies can be applied.
When any person is bitten by a Dog reputed to
be mad, the animal ought, by no means, to be de-
stroyed, as is too often the case. If the Dog be
fastened up, and no remedy used, a few days will
ascertain whether he is really mad or not. fyfany
persons have lived for years, in the most distressing
* Remark of Mr. Meynell, quoted in Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo-
eclit. i. p, 159.
anxiety
90 THE COMMON DOG.
anxiety of mind, from the want of this necessary
and easy precaution.
In Wales, the male of this species is called ci;
and the female, gast: in France, chien and chienne:
in Italy they are each called cane: in Spain, perro:
in Portugal, cane, cani: in Germany, hund: in Hol-
land, hond: in Sweden and Denmark, hund : in
Poland, psi: in Russia, pes y sobaka: in Iceland,
lubba.
The following are the principal varieties of the
Dog, which, at this time, are recognised as natives
of the British islands.
1. Shepherd's Dog. 8. Irish Greyhound.
2. Water Dog. 9. Common Greyhound.
3. Spaniel. 10. Mastiff.
4. Setter. U. Bull Dog.
5. Pointer. 12. Terrier.
6. Hound. 13. Lurcher.
7. Bloodhound. 14. Turnspit.
THE
THE SHEPHERD'S DOG*.
Curr.
IN instinct and sagacity, the Shepherd's Dog is,
perhaps, superior to all others; for whilst the rest
require great care and attention to train them to
labour, this animal applies himself, without any dif-
culty, to that to which he is usually appropriated.
His usefulness alone has been the recommendation
to preserve the species; since no Dog can go
through a more extensive variety of duty, nor
does any one perform more services to his master
than this. In wide tracts of country, that are
solely appropriated to the feeding of sheep and
cattle, immense flocks may be seen ranging over
the wilds, apparently without control. One of
these Dogs is of more essential use to the Shepherd,
than half a dozen boys would be ; is more expe-
ditious; and is at all times ready to obey com-
mands. At a word from his keeper, he drives the
sheep, in order and regularity, to and from their
pasture; and will suffer no stranger, from another
Canis familiar is do?nesticits. Linn&us, Le Chien de Berger. Bujfon.
See the Synopsis, p. 15. No. 9, VAR, 1.
flock,
92 THE SHEPHERD'S DOG.
flock, to intrude upon his. If any of the sheep
attempt to stray, he springs forward in an instant
to stop their course. On the side of one of the
Welsh mountains, I have seen a shepherd point out
to his Dog a straggling Sheep, on a height, more
than a mile distant. He gave the well-known
signal. The Dog went off at full speed, and soon
returned, with the animal, to the flock. These
Dogs drive the Sheep entirely by their voice, never
lacerating them with their teeth; nor ever employ-
ing force, but for the preservation of peace and
good order. When awake, they are at all times
alive to their master's directions; and, in repose,
they lie down by his wallet, and defend it from
plunder. If the shepherd be about to absent him-
self from the flock, he depends on his Dog to keep
the animals together; and if, afterwards, he is
heard to give the command, this faithful servant
conducts them to him, with promptitude, ^however
great the distance. In countries infested by Wolves,
he protects them from danger. His voice generally
alarms and drives off the enemy, and collects the
flock into a body much better than the voice of the
shepherd.
Various instances have been related of the
fidelity of this Dog to his master. I shall insert
but one.
In the very severe winter of 1794, as the son of
a Mr. Bousted was feeding his father's Sheep, on
an extensive common, near Penrith in Cumber-
land.,
THE SHEPHERD'S DOG. 93
land, he had the misfortune to fall down and break
his leg. Being then three miles from home, out of
the hearing of every one, and the evening ap-
proaching, he was, for some time*, at a loss in what
manner to act. At last, he took out one of his
gloves, fplded it in his handkerchief, tied this
about the Dog's neck, and ordered him home.
The animal immediately set off; and, arriving at
the house, scratched at the door for admittance.
The parents of the youth were much alarmed ;
and, concluding that some accident had hap-
pened, the father, with some of his friends,
instantly set out in search of him. The Dog
needed no invitation to lead the road ; but, of
his own accord, returned with the anxious parent
to the spot where his son lay : and the young
man, thus rescued from otherwise inevitable de-
struction, by the fidelity of his I)og, was taken
home, and soon afterwards recovered*.
* Gentleman's Magazine, for February, 1795.
THE
THE WATER BOG.
Great Water Dog. Lesser Water Dog. Finder.
THE Water Dog is distinguished from all others
by his rough and curly hair. He is believed to
have been originally introduced into this coun-
try from Spain. These Dogs are remarkably fond
of swimming about in the water, which they do
with singular activity and ease ; and they are
useful to sportsmen,, in fetching from thence such
birds as are shot and fall into it. There are two
kinds, but they differ from each other only in
size.
A pleasing instance of attachment, jn a small
Water Dog belonging to the farrier of the C.
troop of Horse Artillery, has been related to me by
a friend, who had a personal knowledge of the fact.
When this troop was at Canterbury, a few years
ago, an officer of the fifty-second regiment, much
pleased with the appearance of the animal, pur-
chased her. In the course of a little while, she was
sent, and every possible attention was paid to her
* Canis familiaris aquations. Linnaeus. Le Barbet. Buffon.
See the Synopsis, p. 16, No. 9, VAR. 2.
in
THE WATER DOG. 95
in her new habitation. As soon as her master had
left her, she began to whine, and appeared very
unhappy. Some food was put before her; but she
refused to eat. She was tried with every delicacy
that it was thought might tempt her, but to no
purpose; and for three days she persisted in re-
jecting every kind of nourishment. The officer, at
last, sent for the farrier to relate the circumstance,
and ask his advice. As soon as he opened the door
of the place where she was confined, the little
creature, almost frantic with joy, exerted her
greatest effort to escape from her chain. He
offered her some food, which she swallowed with
the utmost voracity ; but he had no other alter-
native to save the life of the faithful animal, than
by refunding the money which he had received,
(which he did not hesitate a moment to do,) and
again taking her into his own possession.
The hair of the above animal is so soft and fine
in its texture, that her owner cuts it off twice in
the year; and each fleece is found sufficient to be
manufactured into two hats. These are generally
considered to be worth about twelve shillings
each.
THE
THE SPANIEL*,
THIS Dog has its name of Hispaniolus, or Spaniel,
from Spain, the country from which we originally
derived the breed; but, like the last variety, it is
now so completely naturalized in Great Britain,
that we may properly consider it as a British ani-
mal. Its chief use is in the sports of the field; and
when hawking was a fashionabe recreation in this
country, it was the kind of Dog always taken out to
spring the game.
Spaniels, in almost all ages, have been noted for
Jidelity, and attachment to their masters ; and the
instances that have been recorded, in proof of this,
are innumerable. I shall select a very remarkable
one.
A few days before the overthrow of Robespierre,
a revolutionary tribunal had condemned Mons.
R , an ancient magistrate, and a most estimable
man, on the pretence that he had been guilty of
conspiracy. Mons. R had a Spaniel, at that
time about twelve years old, which had been
* Canis familiaris extrarius. Linn(E\ts. V Epagneul. Buffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 16, No. 9, VAR. 3.
brought
THE SPANIEL. 9?
Brought up by him, and had scarcely ever quitted
his side He was thrown into prison. His faithful
Dog was with him when he was seized, but was not
suffered to accompany him into confinement. The
Dog took refuge with a neighbour of his master;
and every day, at the same hour, returned to the
door of the prison. Such unwearied fidelity at
length excited the compassion even of the porter,
and the Dog was allowed to enter. The joy of the
master and his Dog was mutual. It was found
difficult again to separate them ; and the jailor,
fearful (if the Dog should be discovered there)
that his governors might consider him as favouring
a prisoner, was compelled to carry him out. The
animal returned regularly every evening, and was as
regularly admitted. On the day appointed for re-
ceiving sentence, the Dog, in spite of the guards, pe-
netrated into the hall, and crouched betwixt his mas-
ter's legs. At the execution he was also present,
and was with difficulty forced from the body.
For two nights and a day he remained on the
grave. The friend of his master, who had before
afforded him an asylum, uahappy at not seeing the
Dog as usual, and guessing to what place he had
retired, stole forth by night, and finding him at
the grave, caressed and brought him back. He
tried every means that kindness could devise to
induce him to eat ; but in a short time the Dog
escaped, and regained his favourite place. For
three months he came every morning to his pro-
H tector,
98 THE SPANIEL.
lector, mei'ely to receive his food ; and again im-
mediately returned to the grave. At the end of this
time he languished, refused to take any nourish-
ment, and died.
A very pleasing instance of the sagacity of a
Spaniel occurred to Cowper the poet. As this
gentleman was walking along the bank of the
Ouse, accompanied by his Spaniel, he observed
in the river some water-lilies in bloom. He was
desirous of seizing one of the flowers; and, by
by means of his walking-stick, made several at-
tempts, but in vain, to steer one of them to his
hand. Finding that all his efforts would be to no
purpose, he left the flowers and -went on. Having
finished his ramble, he returned homeward by the
same place. The Dog,, without any instruction,
plunged into the water, cropped the identical
flower that Cowper had been so long in vain
attempting to seize, brought it away in his mouth,
and dropped it at his master's feet*.
Of the instinct of Dogs, in returning home with-
out any guide, from distant places, there have
been numerous and surprising recitals. None,
however, are more deserving of attention than the
following.
The late Colonel Hardy was sent for, express, to
* See the " Dog and the Water Lily," in the second volume of
Cowper's Poems.
Bath;
^
'
&^<fJ4?^fr
THE SETTER. 99
Bath; and he took along with him, in his chaise, a
favourite Spaniel bitch, which never quitted him
till he arrived there. After remaining four days,
he left the Spaniel at Bath, and returned, with
equal expedition, to his house at Springfield in
Essex. On the third day after his return, the bitch
was found at Springfield, though the distance be-
twixt that place and Bath is 140 miles. She had to
pass through London, where she had never l^een
before her former passage through it, and then she
was shut up in the carriage*.
THE SETTER f.
Index. English Spaniel. Old English Setter.
THE Setter is a Dog very nearly allied to the
Spaniel ; and is, to this day, frequently distin-
guished by the name of English Spaniel.
In the field, these Dogs are often used in place of
Pointers; and in countries that have plenty of
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 17.
f Canis familiaris index.
See the Synopsis, p. 17, No. 9, VAR. 4.
H 2 water,
100 THE SETTER.
water, they are considered superior: but it is saiicf,
that they cannot so well endure either heat or
thirst as Pointers. Both these kinds are very
tractable, and easily trained to their duty.
For the purpose of teaching them to bring game
to their masters, a stuffed Rabbet-skin is employed.
This, at first, is thrown before the Dog in a room,
and, as soon as he has seized it, he is pulled gently
to the man who is teaching him, by means of a
string fastened to his collar. After being properly
encouraged for three or four times in this manner,
the string is taken off, and he is tried without it
When the Dog begins to enjoy this amusement, the
Rabbet's skin is suspended by a cord over a pulley,
the other end of the string being held by the
teacher. A pistol is fired, and the skin let drop.
The Dog soon becomes fond of the sport, and will
afterwards readily bring all the game that is shot.
Of the stoutness of the Setter, the late Mr.
Elwes mentioned a very decisive proof. A Setter,
of the breed for which he was famous, in following
him to London, hunted all the fields adjoining the
road, through a distance of sixty miles*.
Britain has been long remarkable for producing
Dogs of this sort ; and, in many parts of the coun-
try, particular care is yet taken to preserve the
breed in its utmost purity and perfection.
Daniel's Rural Sports, ii. 289, and 484.
Setters
ffl
THE POINTER. 101
Setters, when they are old, are subject to a
disorder in the head, which causes an offensive
running at the ears. This is brought on by age,
and increased with it ; and though various remedies
have been tried, none, it is said, have hitherto
proved effectual .
THE POINTER*.
THE Pointer is of foreign extraction, but has
long been naturalized in this country. The large
Pointer, or, as it is commonly termed, the Spanish
Pointer, is a docile animal, with a large and broad
head, stout limbs, and weighty body. His faculty of
smelling is considered to be much more delicate
than that of the English Pointer ; but he is not able
to bear the fatigues of the field so well: and the pace
at which he goes is ill calculated for any parts of the
country, except those in which .game is abundant.
The appearance of the Pointer, whilst engaged in
marking his game, is very beautiful. His head is held
with the muzzle a little downward, and his eyes
seem rivetted to the spot where the birds are lurk-
* Canis fcuniliarts avicularis. Linnaeus.
See the Synopsis, p. 17, No. 9, VAU. 5<
H 3 ing.
102 THE HOUND.
ing. One foot is usually somewhat raised from
the ground, and his tail is extended in a straight
line. If the birds run, he discovers it, and steals
cautiously after them, keeping still the same atti-
tude ; and when they stop he is again steady. A
Dog and a bitch belonging to Colonel Thornton,
it is well known, were so staunch, that they kept
their point during the whole time that a sketch
was making of them : upwards of an hour and a
quarter.
THE HOUND*.
German Hound. Fox-hound. Harrier. Beagle.
THE Harrier and the Fox-hound may be con-
sidered to rank under the same head. Each has its
name from its peculiar employment : the former,
from being used in hunting the Hare; and the
latter, which is larger, more strong, and fleet, from
hunting the Fox.
There are several kinds of Harriers 3 each of
which is said to have its excellence, according,
perhaps, to the country in which it is employed ;
Canis familiaris Sagax. Linnceus. Le Cliien courant. Buffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 18, No. 9, VAR. 6.
or,
THE HOUND. 103
01% in some instances, according only to the whim
or fancy of the owner. That denominated the
Southern Hound is very slow, but will hold out a
chase for many hours. Its cry is said to be deep
and fine ; and the whole pack generally keep well
together, from the nearly equal speed of the Dogs.
In open countries, where there is good riding, a
. kind is preferred that is fleet, have sharp noses,
narrow ears, deep chests, with thin shoulders, and
show a quarter cross of the Fox-hound. Beagles
have their admirers. They are nimble and vigorous,
pursue the Hare with impetubsity, give her no time
to double, and, if the scent lies high, will easily
run down two brace before dinner. They are not,
however, always to be depended on ; and they are
said to require the constant discipline of the whip,
and to be perpetually hunted, in order to make a
good pack.
A perfect Harrier should be of the middle size,
and should have a broad rather than a round back.
His nose should be large, having wide nostrils; his
chest deep and capacious ; his fillets great and
high ; his haunches large and hams straight. The
feet should be round,, the soles hard and dry, and
the claws large. The ears should be wide, thin,
and more round than sharp : the eyes full, forehead
prominent, and the upper lip thick, and deeper
than the lower jaw. The following is Somerville's
description of the Hound.
4
H4 His
104 THE HOUND.
His wide op'ning nose
Upward he curls, and his large sloe-black eyes
Melt in soft blandishments, and humble joy :
His glossy skin, or yellow-pied, or blue,
In lights or shades by nature's pencil drawn,
Reflects the various tints; his ears and legs
Fleckt here and there, in gay enamell'd pride,
Rival the speckled pard: his rush-grown tail
O'er his broad back bends in an ample arch ;
On shoulders clean, upright and firm he stands;
His round cat-foot, straight hams, and wide-spread thighs,
And his low-dropping chest, confess his speed,
His strength, his wind, or on the steepy hill,
Or far extended plain.
The Fox-hound, to be of perfect form, should
have his legs straight, and feet round and not too
large. His shoulders should lie back ; his breast be
rather wide than narrow; his chest deep, and his
back broad. His neck should be thin, his head
small, and his tail thick and bushy. As to size,
Dogs that are of a middle stature are often as fleet
and true as any ; but in the same pack, all the Dogs
should be as nearly of the same size as possible.
The colour, either of Fox-hounds or Harriers, is
considered a matter of no further importance, than
as it concerns the beauty of their appearance.
Forty couple of Fox-hounds are considered a
sufficient pack to admit of hunting three times a
week, (allowing twenty five couple the usual al-
lotment for the field,) unless the country be ex-
tremely bad for laming Hounds. And even then,
Kay the sportsmen, the number taken into the field
had,
THE HOUND. 105
had, perhaps, better be reduced, than a greater
number of Hounds be kept. The reason they al-
lege for this is, that, when a pack is very extensive,
the Hounds are seldom sufficiently hunted to be
good. Twenty-five couple of Hounds are said to
be, at any time, sufficient to be taken into the
field. Supposing them to be steady, and nearly
equal in speed, they are a match for any Fox. Too
many Hounds always do more mischief than service.
The speed of a Fox-hound generally begins to
fail after he has run for five or six seasons; though
there is no saying, with certainty, what number of
years a good Hound will last. A spayed bitch,
called Lily, ran at the head of old Mr. Panton's
Hounds, at Newmarket, for ten seasons. But this is
considered as a singular instance of undiminished
speed.
In ascertaining the speed of Fox-hounds, that
pack is to be considered the fleetest, which can run
ten miles in the shortest time ; notwithstanding the
Hounds, separately, may not be so speedy as many
others.
The Duke of Richmond's Hounds, in January,
173S 9, found a Fox at a quarter before eight
o'clock, and killed it at ten minutes before six, after
ten hours' constant running. Many gentlemen
tired three horses each. Only eleven couple and
a half of the Hounds were in at the death*.
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 150.
On
106 THE HOUND.
On the nineteenth of February,, 1783, a Fox \vas
unkennelled near Boroughbridge in Yorkshire, at
twenty-seven minutes past nine, and, except half
an hour taken up in bolting him from a Rabbet-
burrow, the Hounds had a continued run till
fourteen minutes past five in the evening. During
this space, of nearly eight hours hard running, se-
veral horses died in the field, and many others were
so much injured, as never afterwards to be per-
fectly recovered*.
In a match, a single Fox-hound has been known
to run four miles in seven minutes and half a
second.
That Hounds are not enemies, by nature, to the
animals they are employed to hunt, seems evident,
from a circumstance which occurred at the Duke of
Richmond's, at Goodwood. In the year 1797, five
young Foxes were suckled, and reared, by two
Fox-hound bitches f.
A laughable instance of the power that the
huntsman has over his Hounds, is said to have oc-
curred not many years ago. A gentleman, who
was somewhat too distinguished for scolding his
huntsman in the field, was one day so much in-
censed at a reply which the fellow made, that he
turned him off on the spot. The next day that the
gentleman went out, the voice of the huntsman
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 157. f Ibid. i. p. 92.
saluted
a Bl
THE BLOODHOUND. 170
saluted his ear. He hallooed the Dogs round the
foot of a tree in which he had quietly perched
himself, and not a dog would leave the spot.
What could be done ? The gentleman wished to
hunt: but there was no hunting without Dogs;
and there was no stopping the man's mouth. He
was at last compelled to make the best of a bad
bargain, and take the fellow again into his service.
THE BLOODHOUND.
Sleut-hound.
THIS is a beautifully formed animal, equal in size
to a very large Hound, but superior to every other
kind of Dog in speed, sagacity, and strength. He
is muscular, broad-breasted, and has a stern coun-
tenance. His colour is generally deep tan, or
reddish brown, with a black spot over each eye.
He is seldom known to bark, except in the chase.
* Canis familians sanguinarius.
See Synopsis, p. 18, No. 9, VAR. 7.
This animal is called in Scotland Sleut-hound, probably from the
Saxon word slot, the impression that a Deer leaves of its foot in the
mire, and hund, a Dog. So that, with our Scottish ancestors at
least, it seems to have been employed in tracking the Deer.
The
108 THE BLOODHOUND.
The Bloodhound was of great use, and held in
high esteem amongst our ancestors. His employ-
ment was principally to recover game that had
escaped, wounded, from the hunter ; or that had
been killed, or stolen, out of a forest. The lost
beast was traced by its blood ; and the animal
could with certainty discover the thief, however
great the distance of his flight, or however thick
and secret the forests through which he passed.
At each of the Lodges in the New Forest, Hamp-
shire, there are at this day Bloodhounds kept, for the
purpose of tracing wounded Deer. In doing this,
they are often known to pass through whole herds
of these animals; but their attention is never
drawn off from the line of scent they are following.
Nothing diverts them from the object of their
pursuit.
Bloodhounds were formerly used in certain
districts on the confines of England and Scotland,
where the borderers, on each side, were continually
ravaging the herds and flocks of their neighbours.
And a tax was annually laid on the inhabitants, for
the keeping and maintaining of a certain number
of these animals.
In the Courier newspaper, of the eighteenth of
October, 1803, I remarked the following para-
graph: " The Thrapston Association for the
prosecution of felons, in Northamptonshire, have
provided and trained a Bloodhound, for the detec-
tion of sheep-stealers. To prove the utility of the
Hound,
THE BLOODHOUND. 109
Hound, the 28th ult. was appointed for the pur-
pose of exercising it. The person to be hunted
started at ten o'clock in the forenoon, in the pre-
sence of a great concourse of people ; and at ele-
ven the Hound was let loose; when, after a chase
of an hour and a half, notwithstanding a very in-
different scent, the Hound discovered him, secreted
in a tree, at the distance of fifteen miles."
Bloodhounds have, of late years, been employed
in the island of Jamaica, for the purpose of dis-
covering the ambuscades of the Maroons, in their
projected descent upon the whites.
The Dogs are taught to act more by exciting
terror than by attack; and criminals are taken by
them, and brought to justice, without the slightest
personal injury. Instances have occurred where,
on resistance being made, they have lacerated or
killed their opponent. But these, in the present
age, are very few, since it is made an essential part
of their training to prevent them from this. It is,
however, but too true, that in South America, three
centuries ago, the Spaniards committed the most
horrible enormities upon the miserable Indians, by
means of Dogs of this description ; and the just in-
dignation of mankind long continued to brand the
Spanish nation with infamy for such atrocitieSi
THE
( no )
X
THE IRISH GREYHOUND*.
Wolf-Dog. Leviner, or Lyemmer.
THESE Dogs are considered to be of very ancient
origin in Ireland. Mr. Pennant, from their near
resemblance to the Great Danish Dog of BufFon,
conjectures that they may probably have been im-
ported thither by the Danes, who long possessed
that kingdom. Their original use seems to have
been for the chase of Wolves, with which Ireland
formerly swarmed; but as soon as these animals
were extirpated, the number of the Dogs decreased,
and from that period they were kept chiefly for
state. Mr. Lambert informs us, in the Linnean
Transactions, that the only Dogs of the breed now
in Ireland, are those belonging to the Marquis of
Sligo which, when he saw them, were no more
than eight in number. One of them measured five
feet and an inch from the extremity of the muzzle
to the tip of its tail. Dr. Goldsmith saw an Irish
Greyhound that was about four feet high, or as tall
as a Calf of a year old.
* Cants familiaris Hibernicus. Le Grand Bands. Bujfon ?
See the Synopsis, p. 10, No. 9. VAR. 8.
The
THE COMMON GREYHOUND. Ill
The Irish Greyhound is supposed to be the
largest of all the Dog kind, as well as one of the
most beautiful and majestic in its appearance. Its
limbs are proportionally more stout and strong;
and its whole formation much heavier than that of
the Common Greyhound.
These Dogs are now very rare in all parts of the
world. Pennant informs us, that latterly they be-
came scarce in Ireland, in consequence of the king
of Poland having procured from thence, by his
agents, as many as he was able to purchase*. M. de
Buffo n says, that he never saw more than one of
them in France.
THE COMMON GREYHOUND*)*.
Highland Greyhound.
The Greyhound was formerly esteemed first in
rank amongst the British Dogs. By the forest laws of
King Canute, it was enacted, that no person under
the degree of a gentleman should presume to keep a
* Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 65.
f Canis familiaris g raj us. Linnaeus. Le Levrier. Buffon*
See the Synopsis, p. 19, No. 9, VAR^P.
Greyhound,
11 THE COMMON GREYHOUND.
Greyhound. The ancient Welsh had a saying, that
" a gentleman may be known by his hawk, his
Horse, and his Greyhound/' This Dog was con-
sidered as a valuable present, even amongst the
highest orders of society. In a very old metrical
romance, entitled Sir E glamor e, a princess tells the
knight, that, as an especial mark of her favour,
she would give him an excellent Greyhound, so
swift that no Deer could escape from his pursuit.
" Syr yf you be on huntynge founde,
I shall you gyve a gude Greyhounde
That ys dunne as a doo:
For as I am a trewe gentylwoman,
There was never Deer that he at ran,
That might yseape him fro."
In ancient times, Greyhounds were used to course
three kinds of animals; the Deer, the Fox, and the
Hare. The two former are never coursed at pre-
sent. The Dogs that were employed in coursing
the Fox were necessarily strong, hard-bitten animals,
that would seize any thing ; weaker Dogs would
soon have been spoiled by the keen gripe of the
Foxes.
The variety called the Highland Greyhound, now
become extremely scarce, is of great size, strong,
deep chested, and covered with long and rough
hair. This kind was much esteemed in former
days, and was used by the powerful chieftains of
those times, in their magnificent hunting matches,
The
THE COMMON GREYHOUND. 113
The old opinions respecting a perfectly formed
Greyhound,, were expressed in the following cou-
plets :
"Headed like a Snake;
Necked like a Drake ;
Backed like a Beam ;
Sided like a Bream ;
Tailed like a Rat;
And footed like a Cat."
With respect to swiftness of foot in the Grey-
hound, it is well ascertained, that, on flat ground, a
first-rate horse would be superior to it; but, in a
hilly country, a good Greyhound would have the
advantage. The following incident occurred in
December, 1800, which brought the speed of the
Greyhound and Racehorse into competition.
A match betwixt two Horses was to have been
run over the race-course at Doncaster, for a hun-
dred guineas; but one of them having been drawn,
the other, a mare, started alone, to make good the
bet. After having gone the distance of about a
mile, a Greyhound bitch started from the side of
the course, and ran with the mare the remaining
three miles, keeping nearly head to head, which
produced a singular race. When they arrived at
the distance-post, four to five was betted on the
Greyhound; and when they came to the stand, the
betting was even. The Mare won by about a
head.
I In
114 THE COMMON GREYHOUN0.
In February, 1800, a brace of Greyhounds, in
Lincolnshire, ran a Hare to a distance, measured in
a direct line from her seat to the place where
killed, upwards of four miles, in twelve minutes.
During the course, there was a great number of
turns, which considerably increased the space gone
over. The Hare ran herself dead before the Grey-
hounds touched her.
Horses have been as greatly distressed in keep-
ing up, for their riders to see a course, as in much
longer chases with Hounds. A Hare was found
close to the town of Bottisham in Cambridgeshire,
and twenty-two Horses started; but only one could
make a gallop at the conclusion of the course.
The Hare (which was within fifty paces of the
cover) was dead some yards before the Grey-
hounds; and even these were obliged to be bled,
in order to recover them.
Greyhounds, though coupled together, have been
known to break from their keeper, chase and kill
a Hare, though at every turn the animal had a
manifest advantage, by embarrassing the Dogs to
change their direction.
The uncommon ardour and velocity of the Grey-
hound, have sometimes been the cause of its de-
struction. The Rev. Mr. Corsellis was wind-bound
at Dover; and a famous Greyhound that was with
him there, started by chance a Hare in the neigh-
bourhood, that till this attack had beaten all her
pursuers. The Dog was superior to her in speed,
and
THE MASTIFF. 115
and pressed her so close, that she ran for the cliff \
as her only chance of escaping; but the Greyhound
threw at, caught her on the brink, and went, with
the Hare in his mouth, to the bottom of the pre-
cipice, where they were both dashed to pieces*.
These Dogs are called Levrier, in France ; and
in Germany, windspiel.
THE MASTIFF")*.
THE Mastiff is a Dog of great size, and very
strong and robust form. Our island, in ancient
times, was so noted for its Mastiffs, that the Roman
emperors appointed an officer, with the title of
Procurator Cynegii, whose sole business it was to
breed, and transmit from hence to the Amphi-
theatre, such Mastiffs as would prove equal to the
combats of that place. Strabo informs us, that the
Mastiffs of Britain were trained to war, and were
used by the Gauls in their battles. A well-trained
Dog of this kind would, doubtless, be very effica-
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 312 314.
f Cams familiar is Anglicus. Linn&us. Le Dogue de forts race.**^
Bujfon.
See the Synopsis, p. 20, No. 9, VAR. 10.
1 2 cious
I 16 THE MASTIFF.
cious in distressing such half-armed and irregular
combatants as the adversaries of the Gauls seem
generally to have been, before the Romans con-
quered them.
Mastiffs are peculiar tq this country. They are
now principally of use as watch-dogs; and they
discharge their duty, not only with fidelity, but
oftentimes with considerable judgment. Some of
fhem will suffer a stranger to come into the in-
closure they are appointed to guard,, and will
accompany him peaceably through every part of it,
so long as he continues to touch nothing. But the
moment he attempts to lay hold of any of the
goods, or endeavours to leave the place, the animal
informs him, first by gentle growling, or, if that is
ineffectual, by harsher means, that he must nei-
ther do mischief nor go away. He seldom uses
violence, unless resisted ; and in this case he will
sometimes seize the person, throw him down, and
hold him there for hours, or until relieved, without
biting him.
In proof of the great power ancUcourage of this
animal, we are informed, that, in the presence of
King James the First, three Mastiffs were suc-
cessively put to fight a Lion ; and that, after he
had killed two of them, the third came off vic-
torious.
We have one instance recorded of a female
Mastiff having reared two animals of a tribe very
different from her own. A farmer, living at Hairi-
ton,
THE MASTIFF. 117
ton, near Market Raison, in Lincolnshire, a few
years since lost an ewe, the mother of two lambs.
He chanced to have, at the same time, a Mastiff
bitch, with a litter of puppies. Not having occa-
sion for these puppies, he drowned them, and
putting the orphan lambs in their places, the
bitch gave them suck, and brought them up with
great maternal tenderness. About twelve months
after her nurslings had quitted her protection and
society, for a mode of life more conformable to
their nature, the same bitch heard, by chance,
the bleating of a lamb, in a basket that a boy was
carrying in his hand. She immediately seized
the basket, and having got it upon the ground,
made several attempts to extricate the lamb from
its confinement. These were to no purpose, for
she could not open it; but it was evident, from
all her efforts, that she was urged to this singu-
lar procedure by the same instinctive affection
that she felt towards the lambs she had formerly
reared.
THE
THE BULL-DOG*.
THE Bull-Dog is remarkable for the undaunted
and savage pertinacity with which he will provoke
and continue a combat with other animals; and,
when once he has fixed his bite, it is not without
extreme difficulty that he can be disengaged from
his antagonist. He is oftentimes fierce and cruel ;
and seems to possess very little of the generosity
of disposition so remarkable and so celebrated in
the Dog species. He frequently makes his attack
without giving the least previous warning, and
often without that discrimination of persons or
animals which we observe in most other Dogs.
The Bull-Dog, as well as the Mastiff, is almost
peculiar to England ; and the breed seems to have
been chiefly encouraged for the baiting of Bulls.
This ferocious practice, thanks to the increasing
humanity and civilization of the people, is, how-
ever, now on the decline; and, consequently, Bull-
Dogs are at present much less numerous than they
were formerly.
* Canis familiar i s molossus. Linnxus. Le Dogue. Btiffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 20, No. 9, VAR. 11.
THE
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119 )
THE TERRIER*.
THIS Dog has its name of Terrier, or terrarius,
from its usually subterraneous employment, in
forcing Foxes, and other beasts of prey, out of
dieir dens; and, in former times, driving Rabbets
from their burrows. It is generally an attendant
on every pack of Fox-hounds; and is the deter-
mined enemy of all kinds of vermin, such as
Weesels, Foumarts, Rats, c. The Terrier is a
fierce, keen, and hardy animal, and will encounter
even the Badger, from which he sometimes meets
with very severe treatment. A well-trained and
veteran Dog, however, frequently proves more
than a match for that powerful animal.
Some Terriers are rough, and others smooth and
haired. They are generally reddish, brown, or
black; of a long form ; short legged ; and strongly
bristled about the muzzle.
With respect to speed, although the Terrier is
is not remarkable for rapidity of course, yet it has
the power of continuing the same pace for many
hours successively. An instance of its speed, how-
* Canis familiaris terrarius.
See the Synopsis, p. 21, No. 9, VAR, 12.
1 4 ever,
120 THE TERRIER.
ever, occurred in the year 1794. For a wager
against time, a Dog, that was very small, was made
to run the first mile in two minutes, the second in
four, the third in six, the fourth in eight, and the
fifth and sixth in eighteen minutes. He afterwards
ran the same distance, six miles, in thirty-two
minutes*.
The following is, perhaps, an unparalleled in-
stance of ferocity and affection, in a Terrier,
towards the same animals.
During the hunting of a Fox, near Sudbury in
Suffolk, by Mr. Daniel's hounds, the Fox ran into
a hole in the ground. Two men, with a couple of
Terriers, were employed to dig him out, which,
after considerable labour, was effected, and the
Fox was killed by the Hounds. During the killing,
one of the Terriers, a bitch, stole into the same
earth; and being observed, the men dug again,
and found a female Fox with five cubs, two of
which the Terrier had killed in the earth. The
other three were saved from her fury, and not
long afterwards were put to her to suckle and
bring up. The Terrier had one whelp, which
was near five weeks old, and the cubs could but
just see when this exchange of progeny was made ;
yet, singular as it may appear, she suckled and
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 368.
reared
THE TERRIER. 121
reared them till they were able to shift for them-
selves*.
The Terrier is the kind of Dog that we usually
observe employed to accompany and conduct blind
persons. By means of the string fastened to his
collar, he leads on his master, with the utmost
patience, from door to door; and, whilst the beg-
gar chaunts his miserable ditty, will frequently lie
down to repose himself upon the pavement. The
sound of money, or the well-known conclusion of
the song, immediately rouses him to proceed in his
labour. Such, indeed, is the sagacity of some of
these Dogs, that, on money being thrown from a
window, they have been seen to take it in their
mouth, and deposit it in safety in their master's cap
or hat.
A gentleman who resided at Forton, near
Gosport, Hants, had a small Terrier Dog, to which
he was greatly attached, and which usually fol-
lowed him wherever he went. As, in the summer
of 1796, the weather was exceedingly hot, and
the animal had upon him many fleas, his master, in
crossing a mill-dam, plunged him into the water,
to swim to the opposite side, whilst he himself
walked round to the bridge. This practice, how-
ever, he continued only for a little while ; for, one
evening, the gentleman was surprised to observe
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 02,
that
122 THE LURCHER.
that his Dog kept considerably a-head of him.
At times he would approach nearer, and wag his
tail, but still kept at such a distance that there
was no possibility of laying hold of him. When he
came to the edge of the dam., he stopped, looked
round at his master, and immediately plunged
into the stream; and, since that time, he as regu-
larly swam over the. brook, without any bidding,
as his master walked over the bridge.
The same Dog, on being shown a newspaper or
a book, and being told to read, would make a
most unaccountable noise, betwixt a bark and a
howl, for several minutes together.
THE LURCHER*.
Tumbler.
THE Lurcher and Terrier are nearly allied. There
are two varieties of the Lurcher ; one covered with
short thickset hair, and the other with long and
harsh hair.
* Canis familiaris lanianus.
See the Synopsis, p. 21, No. 9, VAR. 13.
This
THE TURNSPIT, 123
This animal, says Mr. Pennant, takes his prey by
mere subtlety, depending neither on the sagacity
of its nose, nor its swiftness of foot. If it comes
into a warren, it does not either bark or run on
the Rabbets; but, by a seeming neglect of them,
or attention to something else, deceives the object,
till it comes within reach, so as to be taken by a
sudden spring*.
THE TURNSPIT f.
THE Turnspits are remarkable for their great
length of body, and short, and usually crooked
legs. Their colour is generally a dusky grey,
spotted with black; or entirely black, with the
under parts whitish.
These Dogs were formerly employed to run in a
wheel, for the purpose of turning meat that was
roasting before the fire. Till the present im-
proved modes of performing this business took
place, the breed of Turnspits was in considerable
* Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 66.
f Conis familiaru vertagus. Linn&us. Le Basset. Biiffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 21, No. p, VAR, 14.
request.
124 THE COMMON FOX.
request. It is now on the decline; and, in the
course of another century, will probably be ex-
tinct in Great Britain. These animals still continue
to be used in most countries of the continent.
THE COMMON FOX*.
TODD.
THE den of the Fox is generally formed either
under the surface of the ground", or in some deep
crevice of a rock. The situation which the animal
seems to prefer to all others, is a dry cover, well
sheltered with furze or brushwood, on the sunny
side of a hill. It is said, that, by adopting a filthy
expedient, he sometimes drives the cleanly Badger
from his den; and that, after enlarging it within,
and adding the necessary outlets, to allow of escape
in cases of attack or danger, he appropriates it to
his own use.
This animal sleeps much during the day; and his
repose is generally so sound that he may be ap-
proached without being awakened. The night is
* Cants vulpes. Linn&us. LeRenard. Buffon.
See the Synopsis, p. 22, No. 10.
his
THE COMMON FOX. 125
his time for prowling abroad; and from twilight
in the evening nearly to the dawn of morning, he
is in motion and on watch for prey. Somerville,
after describing the extirpation of Wolves from
Britain, by the tribute which King Edgar imposed
on the Welsh princes, proceeds thus:
The wily Fox remain'd
A subtile, pilfering foe, prowling around
In midnight shades ; and wakeful to destroy.
In the full fold, the poor defenceless Lamb,
Seiz'd by its guileful arts, with sweet warm blood,
Supplies a rich repast.
Foxes will feed on flesh of any kind; but their
favourite food is Hares, poultry, feathered game,
and particularly Rabbets. They likewise destroy
Moles, Rats, and Field-Mice ; and, like the Cat, it
is said that they often play with these for a con-
siderable while before they put them to death.
They are remarkably fond of fruit ; and, in the
vineyards on the continent, often do incalculable
damage, by feeding on the grapes. The wall-fruit
in the Marquis of Buckingham's gardens at Stow,
was one summer nearly all destroyed by a Fox,
which was at length caught in the garden, in the
presence, as I am informed, of the Marquis. When
urged by hunger, this animal will feed, and live
tolerably well, on carrots and other vegetables; as
also on beetles, worms, &c. which in some states
of the weather he is able to find in great abundance.
Foxes
126 THE COMMON FOX.
Foxes that have their habitations near the sea coast,
when better food is scarce, will eat crabs, shrimps,
or shell-fish.
The dexterity which the Fox employs in seizing
and securing his prey, is such, that the animal has,
in nearly all ages, been proverbial for his cunning
His schemes are various. In his approaches to the
poultry-house, and his ravages among poultry, the
utmost silence and caution are observed. He steals
slily along, and, lest he should be heard or ob-
served, even sometimes trails his body. If there is
room for him to creep in under the door, or
through the hole formed to admit the fowls, he
generally puts many of them to death. It is not
his interest to eat them upon the spot, for in this
case he could only make a single meal. He there-
fore carries them off one by one, and, digging
holes in different places, at some distance from the
farm yard, thrusts them in with his nose, ramming
down the loose earth to secure them from dis-
covery. In these places the bodies lie concealed,
till the calls of hunger incite him to devour them.
When the Fox is in pursuit of wild game, which,
as well as other prey, he is able to scent at the
amazing distance of two or three hundred paces,
he first makes his approach as near as prudence
will allow, and then seizes the bird by a spring,
Mr. Stackhouse informs me, that the Fox is able to
spring to a vast distance in this pursuit, as he has
seen on the Grouse hills, by the traces in the snow.
THET COMMON FOX.
On pacing the distance, he has generally found it
twenty or thirty feet. From the marks, (though
the animal is sometimes, fortunate enough to suc-
ceed,) this gentleman says, it is evident that he
much more frequently misses his prey, than se-
cures it.
In warm weather, the Fox will often quit his
habitation, in the day time, for the sake of bask-
ing in sunshine or enjoying the fresh air. He,
however, very rarely lies exposed, but generally
chuses some thick brake, where he is secure from
being surprised. In his repose, he stretches out
his hind legs, and lies on his belly. In this position
he espies the birds as they alight on the places near
him, and is ready to spring on such as, unfortu-
nately for themselves, come within his reach.
Crows, magpies, and some other birds, have such
an antipathy to the Fox, that they often give
notice of his retreat by the most clamorous notes;
and they will, occasionally, follow him with their
screams, from tree to tree, to a considerable dis-
tance.
That the power of limb and the speed of Foxes,
are very great, is proved by their having kept
Hounds at full stretch, in pursuit of them, in some
instances, for eight or ten hours. In one Fox-
chase in Yorkshire, some of the Horses were so
much fatigued as to die on the field*. 9
*See the preceding account of the Hound, p. 106.
When
128 THE COMMON FOX.
When the Fox finds himself much pressed by the
Hounds, he generally makes towards his den. A
Terrier is, in this case, always put in to him, not to
seize and bring him out, for that would be im-
possible against so strong an animal, but merely
to keep him at bay, that he may be prevented from
burrowing deeper into the ground, till some of the
persons present dig him out. If the den happen
to be amongst rocks, or under the roots of trees,
the animal is perfectly safe, and there are no means
of driving him thence. When the retreat to his
habitation is cut off, his stratagems to escape from
his pursuers are various and surprising. He always
takes to the woody parts of the country, and pre-
fers paths that are most embarrassed with thorns
and briars. He runs in a direct line before the
Hounds, and at no great distance from them ; and,
if hard pushed, seeks low and wet grounds, as
though he were conscious that the scent did not
lie so well there as in other places. When over-
taken, he becomes desperate, and bravely defends
himself against the teeth of his assailants, even to
the last gasp.
The following is a singular instance of sagacity
in one of these animals escaping from the Hounds,
and returning to his cover, though conveyed in a
cart to a very considerable distance from it.
A Fox was taken in Whittlebury Forest, and
sent, by the Duke of Grafton, in a venison cart,
to London, that it might be hunted by his grace's
Hounds,
THE COMMON 'FOX.
-
Hounds at Croydon. The animal was turned out,
and escaped. He returned to his coppice, and was
again taken, sent as before, and hunted. The same
round of circumstances took place, in the whole,
not less than four times; but at last, after a very
severe chase, he was killed.
In the neighbourhood of Imber, in Wiltshire, in
the year 1793, a Fox, being run hard, took shelter
under the covering of a well, and, by the endea-
vours used to force him thence, was precipitated
a hundred feet, to the bottom. The bucket was
let down for him. He laid hold of it, and was drawn
up some way, when he again fell. The bucket be-
ing let down a second time, he secured his situation
in it, and was drawn up safe ; after which he was
turned off and killed by the Hounds.
The voice of the Fox is a kind of yelping bark,
which consists of a quick succession of similar
tones, at the end of which he frequently raises it
to somewhat like the cry of a peacock. In winter,
and particularly during frost and snow,, he yelps
much; but in summer is almost entirely silent.
His smell is proverbially fetid and offensive; and so
exactly resembles that of the root of crown impe-
rial, as scarcely to be distinguished from it. This
odour proceeds chiefly from certain glands which
are situated at the base of the tail.
The Fox will allow himself to be killed with a
bludgeon, without uttering any notes of complaint;
but he always defends himself to the last, with the
K greatest
]30 THE COMMON FOX.
greatest bravery. His bite is dangerous; and the
severest blows will not compel him to quit the hold
he has once taken. He fights in silence till torn in
pieces.
When Foxes range at liberty, in their native
covers, they are remarkably playful animals. They
may often be seen to amuse themselves with their
fine bushy tails, by running, sometimes for a
considerable while together, in circles, to catch
them.
In a wild state these animals are subject to a dis-
order similar to that of the mange in Dogs. Mr.
Daniel recollects a brace of old Foxes being killed
in one season, that had scarcely any fur left upon
them. They were so weakened by the disorder, as
to be caught almost immediately after they were
started by the Hounds*. As Mr. Beckford was
going out one morning to course, he saw a Fox
sunning himself under a hedge. Observing that
he was not able to run, he drove him into a corner,
got off his horse, and took him up ; but he died not
long afterwards. The animal had not a single hair
on his brush, and very few hairs on any part of
his body f.
The female Foxes usually produce their young
ones about the end of March. These, which are
generally from three to six in number, are at first
* Daniel's Rural Sports. f Beckford on Hunting, p. 329-
blind,
THE COMMON FOX. 131
blind, and of a darkish brown colour. Foxes breed
only once in the year., unless some accident hap-
pen to their first litter, in which case they some-
times again bring fcmh in the course of the ensu-
ing summer. It is on account of the breeding sea-
son, principally, thatFox-hunters leave off their pur-
suit about the month of March; since in one week,
they say, the Hounds, by killing a brace or two of
bitch Foxes, either in cub, or that have just lit-
tered, would destroy as many animals as would
yield diversion for a whole season. If the places
where the young ones are deposited happen, by
any chance, to be discovered or disturbed, the
dam never fails, on the very first opportunity, to
carry off her cubs in her mouth, to some more
concealed habitation.
In April, 1784, the Hounds belonging to Mr-
Daniel, were returning home from Bromfield Hall
Wood, when one of the Terriers that was with the
whipper-in, whined, and seemed very uneasy, at
the foot of an oak-pollard tree. The Dog appeared
anxious to get into the tree, which was covered
with small twigs from the foot to the crown ; and
on these was seen, very evidently, the dirt left by
some animal that had gone up and down the
boughs. The man climbed the tree, putting the
Dog before him. The instant the Dog reached the
top, he was heard to seize something; and the
the man, to his great surprise, found him with a
female Fox that had there four cubs. The height
K2 of
132 THE COMMON FOX.
of the tree was twenty-three feet; and from the
top there was a hole about three feet down, in
which the young ones were deposited. There was
no mode for the Fox to get to or from her off-
spring but by the outside boughs; and the tree
had no bend whatever to render the path an easy
one. The cubs were all brought up tame, to com-
memorate the incident. One of them is well re-
membered by several persons, at Wood's Hotel,
Covent-Garden> where it used frequently to run
tame, about the coffee-room*.
That the females of this species have a very
ardent affection for their offspring, and that they
will defend them, when attacked, with the utmost
vigour, is well known to almost every one at all
acquainted with the habits of the animals. Two or
three instances have been recorded, of female
Foxes being hunted by Hounds, with a cub in their
mouths, with which they chose to burthen them-
selves, and thus additionally endanger their own
lives, rather than leave them behind to be worried
by the Dogs.
Foxes continue to grow till they are about
eighteen months old ; and the duration of their
lives is from twelve to fourteen years.
Their skin is clad with a soft and warm fur,
which, in many parts of Europe, is used for muffs,
* -Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 169.
and
THE COMMON FOX. J33
and the linings of clothes. In the mountains of
Switzerland, the number of Foxes that are destroyed
by different means is almost incredible. At Lausanne
there are furriers who have received between two and
three thousand skins in one winter. Notwithstand-
ing the fetid smell of the Fox, the inhabitants of
some parts of the continent eat its flesh, and par-
ticularly during the vintage season, when the ani-
mals are said to be always remarkably fat. <f The
flesh of the Fox (say the editors of the French
Encyclopedic) is not so bad as that of the Wolf;
Dogs, and even men, eat it in the autumn, particu-
larly when the animals have fed upon grapes."
Such a recommendation would not, however, ren^
der it very tempting to an English palate.
We are informed by Sonriini, that instances have
occurred of the Dog and female Fox having, in
confinement, produced young ones. We have,
however, no account of this cross breed in the
Fox's wild state.
. .
The name of the Fox, in Wales, is llwynog : in
France, renard: in Italy, volpe: in Spain, zorro :
in Portugal, raposa: in Germany, fuchs: in Hol-
land, vos: in Sweden, raef: in Denmark, raev : in
Poland, liszka : in Hungary, roka: in Russia, Us :
in Lapland, rubsok.
K 3 In
134; THO COMMON FOX.
In the mountainous parts of Great Britain there
are, according to Mr. Pennant, three varieties of
the Fox. These differ from each other a little in
form, but not much either in their colour or in
their general habits of life. They are,
1. The Greyhound Fox, which is the largest,
and most courageous of the whole, with a white
tip to its tail.
2. The Mastiff-Fox, smaller in size, but more
strongly built than the former, with also a white tip
to its tail.
3. The Cur-Fox, the smallest of the three, with
a black tip to its tail. This, in many parts of our
island, is more common than either of the others.
I feel some difficulty in regarding the latter
animal as a variety of the Common Fox. The
only specific character which Linnaeus has given
us of Canis Alopex, is, that it is smaller, and
somewhat darker, than the Common Fox; and
that its tail is tipped with Hack. Whether our
Cur-Fox be the Brant Fox of America is another
point. In the Arctic Zoology we are told that
it certainly is not; and that the British Fox, with
a black tip to its tail, is not known in America.
But, since Linnseus hasr made the tip of the tail
the mark of discrimination, I cannot help feeling
an inclination to consider the Cur-Fox as a dis-
tinct species. The criterion, as Dr. Shaw justly
observes
THE COMMON FOX. 135
observes, is too slight; but it is the only crite-
rion which Linnaeus has given us. It is much to
be wished, that some person, who has opportu-
nity of doing it, would endeavour to clear up
the difficulty.
K4 CAT
( 136 }
OF THE CAT TRIBE IN GENERAL,
THE animals of the present tribe are, on the
whole, perhaps, more savage and ferocious than
the last. In their manners they are extremely
different. They da not, like those, unite in packs,
and openly run down their prey, oppressing it by
the power of numbers; nor have they the faculty
of tracking it by scent. They are, for the most
part, solitary animals, inhabiting the deep recesses
f woods am! forests, about which they lurk till
prey comes within their reach, when they spring
upon it at a single, but oftentimes enormous
bound, and seldom fail to secure it.
As an adequate recompence for what is generally
supposed a want of smelling in the feline tribe, the
animals possess an unusually" quick sight. This,
with respect to their mode of lying in ambush
for prey, is of essential service to them ; and by
it they are enabled to seize many creatures, which
otherwise they would, lose.
The greater part of the animals are inhabitants
only of torrid climates. Among these we enume-
rate the Lion, Tiger, Panther, Leopard, Ounce, and
the various kinds of Lynx. Some are confined ex-
clusively to the old, and some to the new continent ;
and
CAT TRIBE IN GENERAL. 137
and the number of species hitherto described is, in
the whole, about thirty. Of these, happily for us,
there is only one a native of the British dominions;
and this, the Common Cat, instead of being inju-
rious, is rendered an animal of considerable utility
to us. By domestication we have been enabled to
turn its ferocity against those destructive enemies
to our industry, the multitudes of smaller quadru-
peds, as Rats and Mice, which, were they allowed
to increase with impunity, might in time spread
desolation over the face of the whole country.
All the feline species are carnivorous, and never
adopt vegetable food, except when urged to it by
necessity. Some of the larger and more powerful
animals, from their innate ferocity, or from failure
of other prey, will venture even to attack man-
kind.
But, notwithstanding their savage disposition,
the species, in general, can by no means be con-
sidered as voracious. Their natural appetite is,
indeed, rather temperate than otherwise; and most
of them are able to bear the privation of food for
a considerable while together.
The females produce from three to eight or ten
young ones at a birth.
The claws of all the animals are retractile, or
capable of being drawn back into sheaths, so as not
to touch the ground in walking.
THE
( 138 )
THE WILD CAT*.
WILD Cats are exceedingly ferocious animals.
They inhabit extensive woods in most parts of
Europe ; and were formerly very common in many
of the counties of England. By a charter granted
in the reign of king Richard the First, to the abbot
and convent of Peterborough, liberty is given to
hunt, in Northamptonshire, the Hare, the Fox, and
the Wild Catf. There were Wild Cats in several
of the woods of Northamptonshire so lately as a
century ago; but they are now all destroyed.
Indeed, the extended population of England dur-
ing the last century, and the consequent destruc-
tion of forests, and the inclosure and cultivation
of waste lands, have nearly extirpated the race
from all the counties.
Several of the mountainous districts of Ireland
and Scotland, however, yet contain Wild Cats in
considerable numbers. They are also occasionally
found amongst the woods that border the lakes of
* Felis catus ferus. Linnceus. Le Chat sauvage. Buffbn.
For the description of the Wild Cat, see the Synopsis, p. 24,
No. 11, VAR. I.
t Morton's History of Northumberland, p. 443.
Westmorland
THE WILD CAT. 139
Westmorland and Cumberland. In the united pa-
rishes of Lochgoil-head and Kilmorich, in Argyle-
shire, they are more numerous than Foxes, and
often commit great depredations among the poultry
and Iambs. They have their lodgments in the cre-
vices of rocks; and in deep and narrow holes, in
the face of dreadful precipices, where it is exceed-
ingly difficult to approach them. In these they
produce their young*.
The manners of the Wild Cat are nearly allied
to those of the Lynx, and to those of several others
of the larger species of its tribe. It may, with
propriety, be denominated the British Tiger, since
it is, by far, the fiercest and most destructive beast
that is found in our island. These animals seldom
range abroad to feed, except during, the night.
Their usual prey consists of the various kinds of
quadrupeds, as Hares, Rabbets, &c. that inhabit the
neighbouring woods; and also of wood game, and
some other kinds of birds.
In their caterwawling noise, and general pro-
perties, they agree with the Domestic Cats ; but
they differ from these very essentially both in
their size and appearance. They breed three
or four times in the year, and produce several
young ones at a litter. The two varieties will
breed together; but the offspring are exceedingly
Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland, iii, p. 17C.
shy
1 40 THE WILD CAT.
shy and savage, and cannot, without great diffi-
culty, be rendered in any measure domestic. The
perfectly wild breed are said to be altogether un-
tameable, however young they may be when first
taken.
Wild Cats may be caught in traps, the baits of
which are sprinkled with valerian, and in and
about which valerian is scattered. The compiler
of a respectable publication, entitled " The Beau-
ties of Natural History/' says, that he once saw a
Wild Cat that was caught by some of its limbs in a
trap. The enraged appearance of the animal, its
hair on all sides bristled on end, the furious noise it
made, the foam that it had shed around by its hiss-
ing and spitting, its formidable teeth, the mad
expansion of its claws, and its fierce glancing
eyes, he informs us, chilled him with horror.
It is generally considered a dangerous thing to
shoot at these animals, unless the mark be certain,
and the charge fully sufficient to kill them on the
spot. If they happen to be only wounded, they will
attack, with fury, the person who injured them ; and
they have strength enough to prove themselves no
despicable adversaries*.
Their
* In the Cabinet of Natural History in Paris, there is a beautiful
Wild Cat, which was killed in the neighbourhood of Paris. From
the extremity of the nose to the origin of the tail, it measures twenty-
two
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 141
Their fur was formerly used for the linings of
robes ; but it does not appear to have ever been
held in much estimation.
The Wild Cat is called, in Wales, cath-goed: in
France, chat sauvage, or chat haret : in Italy, gatto
silvatico : in Spain, gato monies: in Germany, wild
katze, bourn ritter : in Denmark, vild kat: in Po-
land, kot dziki, zbik : in Russia, stepnaja koschka.
THE DOMESTIC CAT *.
IN the writings of Aristotle, the Cat is not once
spoken of as a domestic animal ; and from this
circumstance, some persons have inferred that, in
his time, it was not (as far as he knew) admitted,
in any part of the world, an inhabitant of the
house. The silence, however, of this naturalist,
two inches ; and the tail is ten inches long. Its height is about fifteen
inches. The fur is of a brown grey colour, somewhat resembling that
of a Hare. A kind of black band runs along the back. The tail is
very full of hair, and has some black annular marks.
Buff on par Sonnini,xxiv. p. 19, Note.
* Felis catus domesticus. Linntzus. Le Chat domestique. Bvffon.
See the Synopsis y p. 25, No. 11, VAR. 2.
only
. THE DOMESTIC CAT.
only tends to prove that Cats were not anciently
domesticated in Greece ; for it is known, that in
Egypt they were kept in great numbers, and were
objects of sacred veneration there in very remote
periods. So much were they respected by the
inhabitants of Lower Egypt, that formerly it was
made a capital crime wilfully to kill either a Cat or
an Ibis; and whoever, even accidentally, caused the
death of one of them, was always severely pu-
nished, '
The Turks have a sacred respect for Cats, ori-
ginating in a tradition that Mahomet, who flou-
rished in the seventh century, had so great a love
for one of these animals, that, being once con-
sulted upon a point of religion, he chose rather to
cut off the skirt of his garment, on which the Cat
lay asleep, than to disturb her repose by forcibly
taking it away*.
The early Britons seem to have entertained a
very high sense of the utility of these animals. In
the tenth century, the price of Cats was even in-
serted in the laws of the land. A kitten, before it
could see, was rated at a penny ; as soon as proof
could be had of its having caught a mouse, the
price was raised to two-pence; and a tolerably
good mo user was rated at four-pence, a great sum
in those days. Mr. Pennant considers that this
* Tournefort's Voyage into the Levant, ii. p. 63.
high
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 143
high value of the animals proves them not origi-
nally to have be-en natives of the British islands*.
Cats are,, in general, very cleanly animals ; and
when awake, they are almost always to be observed
in the act of licking, adjusting, and smoothing
their hair. In order to wash the parts of their coat
which they cannot reach with their tongue, they
wet the insides of their paws, and rub them with
these. Linnaeus says that an approaching storm is
generally indicated by a Cat's washing its face with
its fore-foot !
From the circumstance of their extreme cleanli-
ness, and from the general elegance of their form
and manners, some people are passionately fond of
Cats. Instances have occurred of persons, in our
own country, who have not been contented with
merely treating these animals well during their
life, but in their wills have left legacies, to secure
the same good treatment to favourite Cats after
their death. On the contrary, there are others
who have a peculiar aversion to them : they will
not allow them to remain in the same apartment;
and sometimes will even faint, or fall, into fits, at
the sight of a Cat that happens to be near them.
This strange antipathy to an animal perfectly
harmless to mankind, generally arises from some
accidental prejudice attained in early youth, height-
* British Zoology, i. p. 83.
ened
144 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
ened, perhaps,, by the bad qualities that have been
unjustly attributed to the Cat species, even by
many medical men and naturalists. Among the
latter was the very celebrated BufFon. At the same
time that he allows the Cat to be an animal of
considerable beauty, and in many respects essen-
tially serviceable to us, he does not attempt to
conceal his dislike to it. He considers it only as
one of our enemies, which we train up for the
purpose of opposing to others that are still more
noxious. He says, that it is a treacherous and un-
grateful animal, which it is impossible to reduce to
perfect obedience, even by the kindest treatment
and attention; that, on the least offence, even in the
midst of caresses, it will scratch its master and bene-
factor; and that it is unconquerably addicted to
thieving. Other writers have, with great solem-
nity, assured us, that the breath of the Cat is so per-
nicious as to occasion consumption in such as hap-
pen to inspire it ; that the brain is to be consi-
dered a mortal poison; and that, even to look
stedfastly upon the animal, for any length of time,
is very unwholesome. The same writers also de-
clare, that the saliva of an enraged Cat inserted
into a wound inflicted by its teeth, will often pro-
duce violent and obstinate sores. These direful
qualities, however, have no greater reality, than
those very extraordinary virtues which the old
medical writers have attributed to different parts
of these creatures ; to the fat, the blood, the after-
birth
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 145
birth of Cats, and in particular to the head of a
black Cat,, for the recovery of sicknesses of various
kinds.
It is not to be denied that Cats have some bad
propensities, and that their natural disposition is not
so mild and generous as that of our other domestic,
the Dog. If injured or offended, the Cat will not
crouch at our feet, in submission to our authority,
but will often boldly stand forward in its own de-
fence. It seldom happens that the Cat will com-
mence a fray; but when, by being attacked, it
is roused to fury, it has often proved a for-
midable opponent. Its countenance^ which pre-
viously had expressed only mildness and content,
entirely changes its character, and becomes in the
highest degree* ferocious. The eyes seem on fire :
the teeth are exposed : the animal hisses with vehe-
mence, and seems to spit at the object of its anger.
The hair at the same times bristles on end ; the ears
are thrown back ; the tail is swelled with perpen-
dicular bristles; the 'back is elevated into a curve;
and the animal utters, at intervals, the most violent
and dreadful cries of rage.
But when Cats are undisturbed, when they are
suffered to repose in quiet on our hearths, or
without injury to frequent our habitations, they
exhibit many pleasing traits of character. Their
purring is very expressive of contentment and
happiness, of their affection, and sometimes of
their desires or inclinations. They have another
L mode
146 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
mode of denoting their agreeable sensations, by
spreading out and again retracting their claws ;
and by alternately putting down and raising their
fore-legs. Kittens, when they are sucking the
mother, press, in the same manner, the teat with
their paws. The agitation of the tail, which in
Dogs is a signal of pleasure, is, on the contrary, in
Cats, very often a mark of rage or cunning. When
they run towards any object that pleases them,
they generally carry their tail high and extended.
When fhey are inclined to play, they do not un-
sheath their talons, but seize the hand, or any other
object, in their velvet paws, without scratching.
It is common for them, in their frolic, to hold the
hand firmly grasped, and, lying on their backs, to
kick it with the hind feet, with considerable vio-
lence, these animals are irritable, and when the
play is carried further than is agreeable to them,
they will seize the hand in earnest; and, after
having inflicted deep wounds with their claws and
teeth, will immediately run off to escape from
chastisement. Cats, when at rest and not inclined
to sleep, usually sit with the fore-part of their
body upright, having all the feet close together,
and, usually, the tail curved round them. When
suddenly roused from sleep, they commonly stretch
out first their hind, then their fore legs, and after-
wards elevate greatly the middle of their back.
In the manners of the Cat we often observe a
remarkable degree of slyness and cunning. If one
of
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 147
of these animals happens to espy a mouse, we see
her steal towards the spot, but apparently in a
careless and inattentive manner ; her eye, however,
fixed on the unsuspecting and playful victim.
When she is sufficiently near, she crouches upon
her belly for a moment; and then, by a sudden
spring, seizes and carries off her prey. The little
creature is seldom much injured by the first gripe;
for the Cat generally suffers it to run about the
room, and plays with it for some time before it is
devoured. Her frolicsome attitudes on these occa-
sions (during which, however, we cannot refrain
from commiserating the fate of the poor Mouse)
are often exceedingly graceful and elegant. As
soon as the Cat relaxes her jaws, and the little pri-
soner begins to move off, she pats it, first with one,
and then with the other of her paws. Resting on
her hinder feet, she often puts out both her paws,
and holds the Mouse gently betwixt them, drawing
it towards her, or allowing it again, for a little
while, 10 escape. Sometimes she suffers it to run
to the distance of a yard or two, as if she were alto-
gether careless respecting it, whilst she purrs, raises
her back, and rubs herself gently against the wall.
She then darts suddenly upon it, again seizes it in
her mouth, as at first, and walks off with it to some
other place, where, perhaps, she plays over again
the same pranks. The unfortunate Mouse has sel-
dom much longer respite; but as soon as the Cat
becomes tired of these frolics, which do not often
L 2 last
148 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
last many minutes,, it furnishes a repast to its mer-
ciless victor.
Cats are in general very sagacious animals, and
are also susceptible of considerable educational
attainments. They may be taught to dance in
cadence, and to perform many stra-nge but enter-
taining feats. Sonnini, as an instance, mentions,
that at one of the fairs at St. Germain, there was
a troop of Cats, which had been trained to cry out
in such a manner as to form a kind of burlesque
concert, at which a Monkey presided, who beat
time*. Cats, as well as Dogs, have sometimes
acquired the knowledge of opening a door by
lifting the latch ; and an instance occurred in
Lyons, a few years ago, of some murderers being
discovered by the recollection of a Cat, which
happened to have been in the room during the
horrid transaction f.
The form of their teeth does not permit these
animals to seize their food in the incisors ; and
* I have some doubt, however, whether M. Sonnini was not de-
ceived in the instance that he has thus adduced of the educational at-
tainments of Cats. I suspect the exhibition to have been altogether
a trick, and that the Cats only cried out at intervals, when the ma-
nagers of the exhibition contrived secretly to goad their bodies with
some sharp-pointed instruments. The account is related in the
" Addition a 1' Article du Chat, par Sonnini." Buf. Sonn. vol.
xxiv, p. 44.
f See the anecdote in Animal Biography, third edition, vol. i.
p. 307.
when
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 149
when fed, instead of taking provisions out of the
ha 1 d, they prefer picking up bits from the ground.
These they divide almost wholly with their side
teeth, and swallow entire all such pieces as will
easily pass down their gullet.
Few of the more perfect animals are so tenacious
of life as the present species. They are, in this
respect, proverbial; and (as it is vulgarly believ-
ed) can sustain nine times the injuries that would
kill any other animal. These creatures can like-
wise support life for a very long time without
food. An instance of this occurred in the year
1781, in a Cat being shut up, by accident, and
having no nourishment for twenty-four days, at
the end of which, though dreadfully emaciated, she
was found still alive.
From the nocturnal mode of life of Cats, and
their frequently climbing after 'their prey to great
heights, they are endued with the singular pro-
perty of generally alighting on their feet whenever
they happen to fall. The instant they lose their
hold, the animals bend their spine, and make a
mechanical movement, as if to save themselves.
The consequence is a kind of half turn in the air,
which restores to their body the proper centre of
gravity, and necessarily makes them fall on their
feet. Many other animals of this tribe, several
of the Weesels, and even the Fox, are reported to
have the same faculty.
Although Cats are not able to see objects in
L 3 perfect
150 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
perfect darkness, they can certainly perceive them
with much less light than most other animals.
This is owing to the peculiar structure of their
eyes, the pupils of which are capable of being
contracted or dilated, in proportion to the degree
of light by which they are affected. In broad
day-light the pupil of the Cat's eye is usually
contracted into a mere line : but in the dusk of
the evening it resumes its natural roundness, and
the animal enjoys perfect vision. The eyes of
Cats have been remarked to shine with a bright
light, when they are in the dark. This light has
been commonly supposed to proceed from reflec-
tion ; but, as it is frequently observable in perfect
darkness, we must look to some other mode of
accounting for it. It may, probably, be allied to
what we observe in putrifying meat, rotten wood,
phosphorus, and the glow-worm.
These animals have a natural aversion to wetting
themselves; yet they are extremely fond of fish,
either raw or cooked ; and they devour these,
with voracity, whenever they can get them. Some
Cats have so far conquered their aversion as to
catch, or attempt to catch, fish, as they lie asleep
by the sides, or in the shallows, of streams or ponds.
A friend of Dr. Darwin saw a Cat catch a trout, by
actually darting upon it in a deep, clear water, at
the mill at Weaford, near Litchfield*. And several
* Darwin's Zoonomia, 8vo. edit. i. p. 225.
other
.THE DOMESTIC CAT. 151
other well-authenticated instance"? of the like have
been recorded. One of the most singular that has
come to my knowledge, was related to me by my
friend Mr. Bill, of Christchurch. When he lived
at Wallington, near Carshalton, in Surry, somewhat
more than thirty years ago, he had a Cat that was
often known to plunge, without hesitation, into
the river Wandle, and swim over to an island at a
little distance from the bank. To this there could
be no other inducement than the fish she might
catch in her passage, or the vermin that the island
afforded.
There are several kinds of plants that Cats are
partial to. Amongst others, they are extremely fond
of rubbing themselves upon valerian*, and marum
or cat-thymef . Like Dogs^ they also occasionally
eat blades of grass; and, as it is supposed, for the
same purpose, as an emetic.
I am informed by Dr. Hamilton, of Ipswich, that
it is very difficult, if not altogether impossible, to
poison the Cat. Arsenic, corrosive sublimate, and
flux vomica, have all failed. A gentleman of
Ipswich endeavoured, by means of these sub-
stances, concealed in pieces of salmon, to destroy
some of a great number of Cats that frequented
his garden during the nights, trampling over his
flower beds, and essentially damaging his plants.
In the mornings he regularly found that the baits
Vakriana qffidnalis. f Teucrium marum, of Linnaeus.
L4 had
152 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
had been eaten; but, in spite of this, the animals
continued as numerous as before. That Cats are
thus able to resist poison, seems to arise from the
peculiar irritability of their stomach, and a ten-
dency of the peristaltic motion to inversion; thus
exciting them to vomit immediately on the intro-
duction of substances that are offensive to them.
By this means they rid themselves of the poison
before it has remained long enough in the stomach
to be mixed with the gastric juice, and be dissolv-
ed in sufficient quantity to excite any dangerous
inflammation. How far opium, laurel-water, or
other vegetable narcotic poisons, would operate
towards destroying the animals, has not, perhaps,
been yet ascertained.
The whiskers of Cats are supposed to be given
them for the purpose of ascertaining whether any
aperture, through which they are about to pass,
be wide enough to admit their bodies. These con-
sist of long bristles, proceeding not only from their
upper lips, but also from above the eyes, and from
each cheek. When they are all erected, their
points lie in the circumference of a circle, at least
equal to the circumference of any hole through
which their bodies can pass. The animals have
likewise the power of erecting and bringing for-
ward the whiskers on their lips; probably for the
purpose of feeling whether the place they enter
be further permeable or not.
The general extent of a Cat's age is ten or
twelve
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 153
twelve years Sonnini, however, had a Cat that
lived seventeen years ; and he says, he has been
assured by many persons, that they have kept these
animals for twenty years and upwards*.
Cats have much less attachment to persons than
houses; and when taken to the distance of half a
dozen miles or more, even though they have rivers
to cross," they will, of their own accord, frequently
return to their former habitation. This is supposed
to arise from their being acquainted with all the
retreats of the mice, and all the outlets and passages
of the place from which they were taken ; and an
aversion to commence the ascertaining of those of
their new residence.
There is a considerable difference in opinion
respecting the time of gestation of the Cat. Some
writers, and among these Linnaeus, fix it at sixty-
three days; whilst others say that it does not ex-
ceed fifty-five or fifty-six days at most. They pro-
duce their offspring three or four times in the year,
and generally from four to six young ones at a litter.
Since the male Cats are apt, if they discover them^
to devour their offspring, the female generally
takes care to litter in some place of concealment.
Here she suckles her kittens for a few weeks; and
when they have strength enough to digest animaj
* Butfbn par Sonnini, xxiv. p. 14, note.
food,
154 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
food, she catches and brings to them mice and
small birds. If she suspects that the male has dis-
covered her retreat, or if she is otherwise disturb-
ed,- she will carry them off, one by one, in her
mouth, and lodge them in some other place where
she is not so liable to be interrupted.
The manner in which the Cat transports her
kittens from one plade tp another, is very pleasing.
She first licks them on the neck, as if to prepare
them for being seized by that part. She then lays
hold with her mouth, so hard as to prevent them
from falling out, and yet not so as to give them pain.
Thus charged with her important burthen, she
runs off with it in her mouth, at the same time
elevating her head in such a manner as, in her pro-
gress, not to beat it against the ground. The little
creature is so motionless in her mouth, as to ap-
pear exactly as if it was dead. The mother
having found a convenient place, lays it down,
forms for it a comfortable bed, and again licks it
on the neck ; she then leaves it, to fetch in the
same manner, one by one, the remainder of her
litter.
There are few animals that exhibit more tender-
ness towards their offspring than Cats. When de-
prived of these, they have often been known to
suckle and rear the deserted offspring of other
animals. Instances have occurred of their thus
bringing up young Hares, Rats, Squirrels, and
Dogs,
THE DOMESTIC CAT. 155
Dogs*. These attachments may be accounted for
from the ease which the Cats experience by the
little animals 5 drawing off the milk from their teats,
distended after the loss of their kittens. But the
following is a very unaccountable instance of at-
tachment, authenticated by the Rev. Daniel Lysons.
At the house of the late Robert James, Esq. of
Putney, a Cat and a pigeon were remarkably fond
of each other. Their affection was reciprocal;
and the attachment on both sides was steady.
What renders the circumstance more extraordinary
is, that they were first remarked together on the
wall of the garden. The pigeon was afterwards
domesticated ; and they continued from that time
inseparable companions f.
The skins of Cats form, in some countries, a
considerable branch of commerce. The greatest
quantities come from the northern parts of Europe
and Asia. The Russians not only sell them to their
neighbours, but send great numbers of them to
China. The fur, when rubbed with the hand,
particularly in frosty weather, will yield electric
sparks ; and if a Cat, clean and perfectly dry, be
placed, during frost, on a stool with glass feet, and
* For the Hares, Squirrels, and Rat, see Animal Biography, 3d
dit. i. p. 308, 309 ; and for the Dogs, see Buffbn par Sonnini, addi-
tion to the article Cat, xxiv. p. 36.
A
f Lysons's History of thte Environs of London, p. 11.
rubbed
156 THE DOMESTIC CAT.
rubbed for a little while in contact with the wire
of a coated phial, the phial will become effectually
charged.
The flesh of these animals is eaten in several
countries. Some of the negro tribes consider it as
excellent food.
A Cat belonging to Dr. Coventry, professor of
Agriculture in Edinburgh, had lost her tail by ac-
cident, when she was young. She had many litters
of kittens; and in every litter there was one or
more that wanted the tail, either wholly or in part.
Mr. Stackhouse, of Pendarvis in Cornwall, in-
forms me, that he has been witness to the continu-
ance of a breed of tailless Cats, both in his own fa-
mily and in that of a gentleman of his acquaintance
In Wales the male Cat is called gwrcath, and the
female, cath : in France, both male and female are
called chat, or chat domestique : in Italy, gatto : in
Spain and Portugal, gato! in Germany, Jcatz : in
Holland, hater : in Denmark, kat : in Sweden,
katta: in Poland, kot : in Russia the male is called
kot, and the female koschka.
OF
( 157 )
OF WEESELS IN GENERAL.
THE Weesels are all carnivorous animals. From
their slender and lengthened bodies, short legs,
and the very free motion allowed in every direc-
tion, by the loose, articulations of the spine, they
are well formed for pursuing their prey (such;
principally, as Rats, Moles, and other small quadru-
peds) into their deepest recesses, in the holes of
old buildings, the crevices of rocks, or burrows in
the ground. Even where the surrounding space
will little more than admit their entrance, so great
is the flexibility of their bodies, that they can gene-
rally turn round whenever they please, in order to
come out. Constituted by nature to subsist on
animals, many of which are endowed both with
strength and courage, the Weesels possess an
undaunted, and, in their wild state, a ferocious
disposition. They likewise exhibit a great de-
gree of cunning and sagacity, as well in the pur-
suit of prey, as in themselves avoiding the attacks
of such animals as would otherwise destroy them.
All the English species, it is believed, are able to
mount into trees after their prey, and even to
climb walls of considerable height, with great
agility. Out of our five species, there is only one,
the
158 OF WEESELS IN GENERAL.
the Pine Martin, that is not occasionally to be
found in the neighbourhood of farm-yards, and
houses in which poultry and pigeons are kept.
Among these they sometimes commit enormous
depredations, often killing many more than they
can either eat or carry off to their places of con-
cealment. Some content themselves with sucking
the blood, or eating the brain, leaving the re-
mainder of the body untouched behind them.
These animals, for the most part, issue from their
hiding places in search of food only during the
night. Many of them are known to catch birds,
and particularly game, when at roost in trees, or
on the ground. They are all extremely voracious
of eggs, and some of them are fond of honey or
fruit ; but none, at least of the English species,
have been known to prey upon fish.
They are a most lively and active race; and
when abroad, and in a native state, may often be
seen to amuse themselves in elegant and pleasing
gambols. It is possible to tame, and, in some mea-
sure, to domesticate the greater part of the spe-
cies; but their odour is in general so fetid and
offensive, particularly when they happen to be
irritated, that few persons have been induced to
make the attempt. The claws ofWeesels are not
retractile, or capable of being withdrawn into
sheaths, as in the animals of the preceding tribe; nor
do they stand in any need of having these extremely
sharp, since in taking their prey they depend much
more
OF WEESELS IN GENERAL. 159
more on their mouth than their claws; and when
once their hold is firmly fixed, it is no easy matter
for an animal, even of tolerable size and strength,
to escape from their gripe.
The females produce from three to ten young
ones at a birth; and some of them Ijtter more than
once in the year.
The furs of nearly all the species, are useful in a
commercial view.
THE COMMON OR WHITE-BREASTED MARTIN*.
MARTERN CAT. SWEET MART. MARTLET.
ALL the motions of this elegant and interesting
animal are marked by grace and agility. Its body is
surprisingly flexile; and, in its progress upon the
ground,
* P'iverra, foina. Skaw. Mustelafoina. Linnaeus. Lafowne.
Buffon.
For the description of this animal see the Synopsis, p. 26, No. 12.
The Common and the Pine Martin so nearly resemble each other,
both in their external appearance and internal conformation, that
many writers have considered them as merely varieties of the sam
speciesv
160 THE COMMON MARTIN.
ground, it seems to move rather by a succession of
short leaps, than either to walk or run. It climbs
the highest walls with facility ; and often enters
pigeon and poultry houses, where it destroys, in
abundance, eggs, pigeons, and fowls. It is like-
wise very destructive to game, and particularly to
pheasants, amongst which it frequently makes great
havoc. To compensate, in some measure, to the
farmer and the sportsman, for these depredations,
the Martin also devours Rats, Mice, Moles, and
other vermin of the same description. The time in
which it is usually occupied in search of prey, is
the dusk of the evening, or during the night ; and,
in these predatory excursions, it is often caught in
traps laid for the purpose, and baited with birds.
The Martin is said to be a great enemy to Cats ;
and it is asserted that it will attack even a wild Cat,
which, although a much stronger animal, is always
worsted, and often killed in the combat.
species. The colour of the hair on the neck and breast, which in the
Martin is white, and in the Pine Martin yellow, is the only charac-
teristic that can be depended on. It is true that naturalists are
seldom inclined to designate species only by colour, since these are
frequently known to vary. In the present case, however, the dis-
tinction is ascertained to be a permanent one. The inhabitants of
all countries where the two animals are found, esteem them dif-
ferent, appropriate to each its peculiar name, and have in no instance
been mentioned as confounding them together. In the Pine Martin,
the fur of the upper parts of the body is more dark than that of the
Common Martin ; but the lustre of the latter is by much the most
brilliant.
The
THE COMMON MARTIN. 161
The Martin is sometimes selected by sportsmen
for the purpose of instructing young Fox-Hounds
to hunt. This animal, by running into the thickest
bushes it can find, teaches the hounds to run cover.
When closely pursued, it climbs the nearest tree;
and its agility is astonishing, for though it fre-
quently falls from the tree into the midst of the
Hounds, each intent on catching it, yet the in-
stances are few indeed of a Martin's having been
seized in that situation*
When caught young, this animal is easily ren-
dered tame and docile ; and it then exhibits a great
degree of playfulness and good humour* Its smell
is not, like that of most of its species, fetid and
unpleasant, but partakes in some measure of the
odour of musk. This proceeds from a yellow
liquor secreted in two glands, the openings of
which is situated, one on each side, near the base
of the tail.
Although few or none of the other species, on
account of their unpleasant smell, can conveni-
ently be permitted to live in habitable apart-
ments, the Martin may very well be allowed this
indulgence. One of these animals, some years
ago, was rendered so tame, that it was suffered to
run at liberty about the kitchen of the Bald-faced
Stag on Epping Forest*. The attachment of the
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 360,
M Martin
THE COMMON MARTIN.
Martin is not, however, in all cases to be relied on.
If it can once get loose, it will generally make its
escape.
A Martin, taken very young, was reared by M.
de Buffon. It was easily tamed, but appeared in-
capable of attachment, and continued to retain so
much of its wild disposition, that it was never
suffered to go at large. It, however, contrived
several times to slip its body from the belt by
which it was held. The first time it ran to a little
distance from the house, and in the course of a
few hours returned, but without exhibiting the
slightest tokens of joy or affection to any one.
Being hungry, it made its usual whining noise
for food. Its excursions became afterwards, by
degrees, more long; and at last it disappeared
altogether. It was then a year and a half old, and
had every appearance of being at full growth*.
With the exception of vegetables, no kind of
food came amiss to this animal. It was very fond
of honey ; and preferred hempseed to any other
grain that was offered. It drank frequently. It
slept sometimes for two days without intermission;
but at other times, on the contrary, would keep
entirely awake for that or a longer period. Before
* From this circumstance, M. de Buffon was led to conjecture,
that the Jives of these animals seldom exceeded the term of ten or
twelve years.
it
THE COMMON MARTIN. 163
it went to sleep, it always coiled itself up into a
round position, and covered its head with its tarl.
Whilst awake it was perpetually in motion; and it
was very amusing to observe with what eagerness
and agility it sprang at Mice or poultry that hap-
pened to come within the reach of its chain*.
This celebrated naturalist had several other Mar-
tins, at different times, which had been caught in
traps at a more advanced age than the above.
These, however, continued extremely wild; bit
every person who attempted to touch them; and
all died from refusing to take nourishment.
The Martin produces young ones more than
once in the year; generally in the spring and
autumn. The younger females do not bring more
than three or four, whilst those of more advanced
age have six or seven at a litter. The female makes
her nest in the hole of a decayed tree or wall, in
the cleft of a rock, or sometimes in a deserted
Rabbet burrow. A Martin, which had been shot on
the moors above Holmfirth in Yorkshire, having
escaped into its retreat in the ground, was dug
out; and at the further end of the burrow there
were found as many feathers, feet, and bones, of
grouse and other birds, as would have filled a cou-
ple of Winchester bushels.
The female Martin has four teats, all of which
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 361, 362.
M 2 are
164
THE COMMON MARTIN.
are situated on the belly. These are not very
perceptible, except when she is with young, or
when she has just brought her young ones into
the world. She is said to have little milk, in pro-
portion to her size. But this natural defect is
amply compensated to the offspring, by her bring-
ing home to them eggs and live birds; and thus
early habituating them to a lite of carnage and
plunder. As soon as the litter are able to leave
the nest, they are led by the dam through the
woods, where the birds immediately recognise their
natural enemies. Whenever they run abroad in
the day time, some of the small birds never fail
to attend them, as they do the Fox and other
predatory animals, and exhibit strong symptoms
both of animosity and terror.
This animal is not very uncommon in many of
the southern parts of Great Britain and Ireland.
Its usual habitation is a lodge, formed in the hol-
low of some decayed tree in a wood; but in moun-
tainous countries it resides only amongst rocks.
Hence, in most parts of Wales, it has the name of
lela graig y or rock Martin.
The Martin is subject to great quantities of
worms, of the species jilaria martis of Linnaeus.
These are usually of a white colour, very long and
extremely slender. They are found in nearly all
parts of the body, lodged betwixt the muscles and
the exterior teguments. In a single animal, Redi
discovered near two hundred and fifty, and all of
them
THE COMMON MARTIN. 165
them alive. The Polecat, and several other animals
of the present tribe, have the same kind of worms
under their skin.
In some countries the flesh of the Martin is
eaten; but, from its musky flavour, it is not very
palatable to persons unaccustomed to it. The
skin is a valuable fur; and in Europe is much
used for linings to the gowns of magistrates, and
for other purposes. In^ some parts of Turkey,
Martins' skins (which are exported thither chiefly
from France and Sicily) are in great request.
They sell in England for about seven shillings
each.
The name by which this animal is known in
Scotland is mertrick: in Wales, Ma graig : in
France, fouine: in Italy, foina, fouina : in Spain,
inarta, gibellina: in Germany, marder, liuhss-
marder, hdus-marder, tuch-marder, buch-marder,
stein-marder : in Holland, marter : in Hungary,
menjet: in Sweden, mard, moerder: in Denmark,
maar.
M3 THE
( 166 )
THE PINE OR YELLOW-BREASTED MARTIN*.
PINE WEESEL.
IT is an improper distinction which some natu-
ralists have made betwixt the Martin and the Pine
Martin., to call one the Maries fagorum, the Beech-
forest Martin ; and the other, Maries dbietum, or
the Pine-forest Martin: for the animals occasion-
ally inhabit all kinds of forests, and very frequently
such where neither beech nor fir trees are to be
found.
Whilst the Martin has its dwelling near the
habitations of men, the Pine Martin is found only
in distant, thick, and undisturbed woods. In these
its general retreat is in the hollow of some tree ;
so high up, and in other respects so situated, as to
afford perfect security. It seldom ventures so far
abroad as to enter the open and inhabited coun-
tries. Whenever it happens to be pursued, it
* Viverra Maries. Shaiv. Mustela Maries. Linnaus. La Marie.
Bujffm.
For the Description of the Pine Martin, see the Synopsis, p. 27,
No. 13.
escapes
THE tINE MARflN. 167
Escapes by running, with the utmost agility, even
Up the smoothest and most perpendicular trees.
During the day, the Pine Martin., like most of
the other animals of its tribe, remains concealed,
and in a state of sound repose, in its nest. From
this it issues at the commencement of twilight, in
search of food, ^and devours great numbers of
Squirrels, Hares, Mice, and other quadrupeds. It
also destroys prodigious quantities of birds, and
particularly the various species of wood game
with which the northern countries abound. Its
courage is such that it will often attack animals
that are much larger and more strong than itself.
When pressed by hunger* it will sometimes seize
hold of a Sheep or Lamb ; and, like the Martin,
will even combat the fury of the Wild Cat. The
track which both species of Martins leave in the
snow, has the appearance of having been made by
some large animal. This arises from their pro-
gressive motion being made by a succession of
leaps, and each of the two feet, both before and
behind, striking the ground at the same time.
This species, as well as the last, has a kind of
musky odour, which' to some persons is rather
agreeable than otherwise. It is likewise easily
rendered docile. We are informed by Gesner, that
he had a Pine Martin which was extremely playful
and entertaining. It used even to go to the houses
of the neighbourhood; and always returned home
when it wanted food. It was particularly fond of
M 4 a Dog
168 THE PINE MARTIN.
a Dog with which it had been bred up ; and would
frequently play with him, like a Cat, lying on
its back, and pretending to bite him. The cry
of these animals is very shrill and piercing; but it
is never uttered except when they are in pain or
distress.
We are told by M. de Buffon, that the females
do not prepare a bed for their young, and yet that
they lodge them very commodiously. When they are
near their time, he informs us that they climb to
the nest of some unfortunate Squirrel, drive away
the owner, enlarge the dimensions of the habita-
tion to suit their own purpose, and there deposit
their offspring. Sometimes they seize, in a simi-
lar manner, the nests of owls, buzzards, or other
birds. They breed in the spring of the year,
and produce only three or four young ones at a
litter*.
The fur of the Pine Martin is considered greatly
superior in fineness, beauty, and value, to that of
the last species. The part most in estimation is
that which extends along the back, from the neck
to the very extremity of the tail. In the northern
districts of America, Pine Martins are found in the
greatest abundance. At the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany's sale, in 1743, no fewer than 12,370 good
skins, and 2360 damaged ones, were disposed of;
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 102,
and,
THE PINE MARTIN. 169
and, about the same time, the French brought into
the port of Rochelle, from Canada, upwards of
thirty thousand.
Pine Martins are sometimes, though rarely, ob-
served in the woody and thinl) inhabited districts
of Wales and Scotland, and two or three of the
northern counties of England. In temperate cli-
mates they are seldom met with; and in the warmer
climates, never.
In Wales this animal is called bela goed: in
France, marte : in Italy, mart a, matura, martaro,
martora, martorello, martire : in Spain and Por-
tugal, marta : in Germany, f eld-mar der , wild mar-
der : in Holland, marter : in Hungary, njescht : in
Austria, edlmarder : in Sweden, mard : in Den-
mark, maar: in Poland, kuna: in Lapland, natte:
in Russia, kunitza.
THE
170
THE POLECAT*.
FITCHET. FOUMART. FOULMART,
THE Polecat is not afraid of the presence of
mankind, but approaches with confidence our
dwellings, mounts to their roofs, and often resides
in barns, hay-lofts, or other places that are not
much frequented. From thence he issues, under
the shadow of night, to commit his depredations
on eggs and poultry. He is exceedingly active,
and runs very fast. In the act of running, his belly
seems to touch the ground; but, in preparing to
jump, the animal arches his back very much, by
which the projectile force of his body is greatly
increased. In farm yards, the Polecat makes less
noise, but commits more mischief than the Martin.
If he cannot convey the fowls away, deterred by
the narrowness of the entrance, he is said to eat
the brain on the spot, and to carry off the heads
* Vinerra putorius. Shaw. Mustela pwtorius. Linnceus. Le
Putois. Buffon .
For the description of the Polecat, see the Synopsis, p. 28,
No. 14.
to
THE POLECAT. 171
to his place of .concealment, leaving the bodies
behind.
In Lorraine, and some of the adjacent cantons,
Polecats are very numerous; and consequently
there, as elsewhere, they commit great havoc in the
poultry yards. Yet, says Sonnini, such are the
superstitious prejudices in their favour, that the
inhabitants will on no account attempt to destroy
them. They pretend that Polecats never commit
any damage in the dwellings where they reside;
thus, at the same time that they know and acknow-
ledge their voracious disposition, they believe that
the animals entertain a strangely unusual respect
for hospitality*.
The Polecat, during summer, generally lives in
woods, thick brakes, or about rabbet-warrens.
Here, if he cannot find ready made a hole that
suits him, he forms for himself, in the ground, a
retreat not usually more than two yards in length,
which, if possible, he contrives to end among the
roots of some large tree. Issuing from thence,
he often commits surprising depredations on game
and Rabbets. A single family of Polecats, left
undisturbed, it is said, are sometimes sufficient to
destroy a whole waixen. It is asserted that these
animals are so fond of honey, that in winter, when
the bees are weakened by the rigours of the season,
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv, p, 113, note.
they
172 THE POLECAT.
they have been known to attack hives, and voraci-
ously to devour their contents.
That the Polecat will sometimes prey upon fish,
is a fact that was known to several of the old
writers on natural history, and is noticed both by
Aldrovandus and Jonston. A curious fact, illus-
trative of this propensity, is recorded in Bewick's
History of Quadrupeds. During a severe storm, a
Polecat was tracked in the snow, from the side of a
rivulet, to its hole at some distance. On examining
this hole, it was found to contain eleven fine eels,
the fruits of some of the animal's lately-performed
nocturnal excursions.
The following method of destroying these vora-
cious animals is often adopted by warreners. They
set box traps in the bottom of ditches, or under
walls or pales, fencing up the ends of the traps,
for four or five yards aslant, and two or three
yards wide at the entrance, with earth, bushes, or
broken pales; so that no vermin of this description
can pass without entering the traps. When the
traps are thus placed, a trail of Rabbets 3 paunches
is drawn from one trap to another; and the baits
are red herrings, half broiled. The ends of the
traps are rubbed with them, and a part of each
herring is afterwards hung upon the nail over the
bridges of the traps. If both ends of the box traps
be painted white, and rubbed with the entrails of
any animal, Hares or Rabbets will be deterred
from
THE POLECAT.
from entering; and at the same time the vermin
will have greater allurement to enter*.
The voices of the Martin and Polecat are said to
be very different; that of the former being shrill
and loud, and that of the latter somewhat deep and
hollow. Both the animals, however, have a harsh
and angry growl, which they often repeat when
irritated. The smell of the Polecat is proverbially
fetid, the animal being furnished, like several others
of its tribe, with certain receptacles for secreting
a thickish fluid, which has a peculiarly strong and
offensive odour. When the animal is heated or
enraged, the stench is sometimes perceptible to a
very considerable distance. The fur, notwithstand-
ing, is both beautiful and valuable. It is said,
however, that the skins taken from such animals as
are killed in winter, are the most valuable, from
their being far less fetid than those of Polecats
caught at any other season of the year.
The females produce their young, from three to
six. in number, in the beginning of summer. This
is usually done either in or near the outhouses of
some farm ; and they continue with their offspring
whilst the males are gone out to reside in the fields
or woods. Like the Martins, they do not suckle
them long, but soon accustom them to animal
food.
Daniel's Rural Sports.
The
174 THE POLECAT.
The Polecat has been known to breed with the
Ferret. And as the race of Ferrets,, by long do-
mestication, are apt to lose their savage nature, it
is said to be customary with warreners sometimes
to cross their breed with a Polecat. The offspring
of the two animals are of a colour partaking, in
some measure, of the colour of each, or of a dingy
yellowish brown.
In the northern regions of the continent, this
animal, at the commencement of winter, changes
its dark hair, and assumes another coat, which has
a whitish tinge. Professor Pallas observed the
Polecat in this wild state, in Russia, and in several
parts of Siberia.
The name given to the Polecat in Wales is
jffwlbard: in France, putois, puant : in Italy, fcetra,
puzolo: in Spain, putoro: in Germany, iltis, iltnis,
ulk, buntsing: in Holland, bonsing, boutsem: in
Hungary, goreng: in Sweden, iller : in Denmark,
ilder: in Poland, vydra, tchorz: in Savoy, pouttet:
in Lapland, boaid, boitta, goa, aige : in Russia,
lasitza,
THE
( 175 )
THE COMMON WEESEL*.
MOUSE-HUNT. VARE. WHITRET. WHITRED.
Like the Polecat, the Weesels usually take up
their residence, during winter, in granaries, barns,
or other outbuildings; but in summer thry range
abroad, and then seek for shelter in thickets or
hedge-rows. In their wild state they are of a shy
and rapacious disposition. They catch their prey
chiefly during the night; and they have sufficient
powers of body to prove very destructive to nu-
merous animals, many of which might be thought
much more strong and courageous than themselves.
Of the havoc which these animals sometimes commit
amongst the Rabbets of a warren, the following is a
very remarkable instance, communicated to me by
a gentleman, from his personal knowledge, and on
whose veracity I have the most perfect reliance.
In the warren at Wakefield Outwood, in York-
shire, a Weesel was one day observed in the act
of dragging along a young Rabbet, which it had
* Viverra vulgaris. Shaw. Mustela vulgaris. Linnceus. La
Bellette.Buffbn.
For the description of the Weesel, see the Synopsis, p. 29, No. 45.
just
176 THE COMMON WEESEL.
just killed. The little animal was watched to a
burrow, the repository of its plunder; and the
mouth was carefully stopped up, till a spade could
be brought to dig it out. On turning up the
earth, there were found lodged, at the bottom of
the hole, no fewer than fourteen couple of small
Rabbets, all of which had evidently been conveyed
thither by this voracious and destructive invader
The reason given for such an enormous accumu-
lation of provisions was, that, although the Weesel
usually satiates itself with some part of the blood of
the animals it kills, it never devours the remainder
of its prey till it is in a state of putrefaction.
The Weesel is likewise an inveterate enemy to
all the animals of the murine tribe, entering their
holes, and sometimes devouring the whole of their
bodies except the teeth. Mr. Kerr mentions an
instance of eighty field Mice having been found in
one Weesel's nest*. Whilst the Weesel thus acts
the Tiger towards all the smaller quadrupeds which
come within its reach, it is itself well defended, by
its extreme agility of body, and quickness both
of sight and hearing, from the attacks of various
larger predatory animals, which otherwise would
destroy it. Whenever it is ranging abroad, it
is observed to be very watchful, constantly look-
ing round on all sides with great caution, to see
* Kerr's Animal Kingdom, p. 182.
that
THE COMMON WEESEL. 177
that the way is clear, and that no attack is threat-
ened.
When the Weesel enters a hen-roost, he never
attempts to seize the old and strong birds; but,
with great sagacity, singles out the pullets and
young chickens. These he kills by biting them on
the head; and he then, one by one, carefully car-
ries away what he has destroyed. All his ma-
noeuvres in pursuit of prey are conducted with
the greatest silence, so that oftentimes it is_ not
possible to discover his depredations till some time
after they have been committed. In addition to
the destruction he makes amongst poultry, he
will suck their eggs with great avidity. In this
operation he begins by making a small hole at one
end, from which he contrives, without difficulty, to
lick out the contents.
The motion of this animal on the ground con-
sists of unequal and precipitate leaps. The Weesel
is not, indeed, so active as some others of its tribe.
School-boys very often pursue, and would always
overtake it, had it not generally the cunning to
ascend the first tree that it comes to.
In return for the depredations which the Weesel
is guilty of, it renders itself useful to the farmer by
ridding him of Rats, Mice, and other vermin of this
description. It likewise occasionally enters the
habitations of Moles, in pursuit of these animals.
This is proved by its being, at times, caught in the
traps laid by Mole catchers.
N The
178 THE COMMON WEESEL.
The cry of the Weesel, which,, indeed, is never
exerted but when it is injured, is rough, and very
expressive of anger. Its smell is strong and of-
fensive; much more perceptible during hot than
cold weather. When pursued or irritated, this will
sometimes infect the air to a very considerable
distance. Notwithstanding the general character
that this little creature has acquired for intrepidity
of disposition, it is said to be always seized with
convulsions when much terrified.
If Weesels are caught whilst young, their man-
ners will become mild and engaging. They will
attach themselves to any person who regularly
feeds and attends them ; and will always recognise
him both by sight and smell. Their odour is in-
deed an objection to their being kept in habitable
apartments; but this is not very unpleasant, unless
at times when the animals are irritated : and it is
said that, by feeding them on milk and vegetable
food, it may in a great degree be overcome.
A correspondent of M. de Buffon having found
a brood of young Weesels, resolved to bring one
of them up tame ; and his endeavours perfectly
succeeded. The animal at length became so much
attached to him, that, when on holidays he amused
himself in the public walks, it would constantly
follow him, although the places were generally
crowded with people.
This interesting little creature was fed with
milk, or boiled meat. It ate little, and would
usually
THE COMMON WEESEL. 179
usually finish its repast in less than a minute.
When awake, it was always inclined to be familiar
and frolicsome. It would play with its owner,
run over his clothes, and creep into his pocket,
his sleeves, or bosom, without in any instance for-
getting itself, and becoming of its own accord
quarrelsome or ill-tempered. It would eat at table
with him ; lap water out of his goblet ; and often,
by the most engaging manners, invite him to play
with it. During, however, the very short interval of
its feeding, it would not suffer itself to be touched
without showing signs of great irritability at the in-
terruption. Sometimes, in the mere playfulness of
disposition, it would bite rather keenly ; but in this
case, a slight chastisement always prevented a re-
petition of the fault.
Whenever a chicken inadvertently came within
its reach, this Weesel would immediately spring at,
and seize it. But it did not dare to attack larger
fowls. Whenever it attempted to approach them,
they always put it to flight by repeated blows with
their beaks. With respect to the chickens, it was
an amusing sight to observe the great degree of
cunning, and the various feints that were employed
by the little creature to take them by surprise.
Another Weesel, kept by the same person,
M. Giely de Mornas, though caught when very
young, was not quite so tame; for when it was
hungry, it would often bite very keenly. Its
owner, therefore, kept near its bed a little whip,
N 2 which
I&O THE COMMON WEESEL.
which was the instrument of its punishment, when-
ever it appeared enraged, or attempted to bite.
On all occasions, after offending, when it saw this
implement taken down, it trembled, crouched with
its belly close to the ground, and bent down its
head, in evident token of fear.
This little animal, which to its owner was usually
very submissive, was towards other persons exceed-
ingly petulant and ill tempered; and would bite
severely all those who thoughtlessly attempted
to play with it. Cats were, at all times, the
objects of its enmity. It bit the nose of a large
mastiff Dog, which one day came to smell at it,
in its owner's hands. On such occasions, it ex-
erted its shrill cry of passion, chi, chi, chi, chi; and
always emitted its fetid odour, which generally
caused the animals immediately to run off. It was
at all times anxious to seize on chickens that hap-
pened to approach it; and in some instances, it
has destroyed a whole brood, of ten or twelve, at a
time.
When it slept during the day, it usually selected
a recess of its owner's cabinet, where it had his
pocket handkerchief for its bed. On these occa-
sions it coiled itself up into a very small compass,
and in somewhat of a spherical form, having its
head betwixt its two hinder legs. Its sleep was
very profound ; and the animal was sometimes
heard to snore. At night, it would frequently
get betwixt the sheets of its master's bed, and
having
THE COMMON WEESEL. 181
having searched out one of the corners, which
formed a hollow place, would sleep there for hours
together. As soon as the animal awoke, it always
stretched its limbs, and afterwards arched its back,
(much in the same manner as we observe in Cats,)
before it began to move about. It frequently
yawned.
As soon as it was perfectly asleep, its master
could unfold it, and, suspending it by the head,
could swing it, like a pendulum, for five or six
minutes, backward and forward, without interrupt-
ing its repose. In this state all its muscles ap-
peared perfectly relaxed, and its spine, almost
beyond conception, flexible.
This Weesel was generally very playful; and
had various entertaining tricks and frolics. Some-
times it would stretch itself out on its back or
belly ; at other times would run up its master's
clothes, and bite him with great gentleness, much
like a young Dog at play. When its master struck
the table with his finger, it would generally run
round his hand, raise itself upright, and jump
about in a pleasing manner, uttering at the
same time a kind of murmuring noise, expressive
of the satisfaction it experienced. These efforts,
however, soon fatigued it, and it would fall asleep
almost immediately afterwards. Such a love
had this little creature for liberty, that it was
always impatient of confinement, and would ne-
ver suffer itself to be put into its cage without
N 3 expressing
182 THE COMMON WEESEL.
expressing signs of discontent and dislike. At
different times it gnawed asunder four of the small
upright sticks, in order to escape.
The voracity of this little creature was so great,
that after eating it was generally found to weigh
about one fifth part more than when its stomach
was empty.
The writer of the above accounts informs us,
that the power of smelling, in all the Weesels which
he kept, was exquisite. They could discover, at the
distance of twelve paces, a bit of meat, though no
bigger than a cherry-stone, and folded up in paper.
He says that he has been much surprised to observe
a Weesel which was very hungry, break its wire
chain, leap upon him, enter his pocket, tear open
a small packet, and devour, almost in an instant,
the food that was concealed in it. Their sight is
likewise remarkably acute; and their eyes, like
those of the Cat, are often luminous in the dark.
This writer asserts, that a Weesel is able to creep
into a hole only seven or eight lines in width*.
According to the original account given of the
Weesel, by M. de Buffon, it was considered im-
possible to render these animals perfectly tame.
In his supplementary writings, however, we are
informed, that all the individuals which were
brought to him, had been caught after they were
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 130144.
full
THE COMMON WEESEL. 183
full grown. They continued so savage, that he
was obliged to have their canine-teeth sawed off,
and to chastise them frequently; and, after all, he
could never soften their disposition much. Since
it is now perfectly ascertained that Weesels may be
domesticated, it is a consideration of importance,
whether the introduction of them into ships might
not be of service, in clearing them of those mul-
titudes of Rats with which they are oftentimes
known to be infested.
The female Weesel generally brings forth her
progeny in some outhouse or decayed tree, in the
spring of the year. The number of young ones at
a litter is from four to six. She prepares for
them a comfortable nest of straw, leaves, and
moss. We are assured by M. de BufFon, that,
in his neighborhood of Montbard, a female
Weesel, with three young ones, was taken out
of the body of a Wolf that had been hung on a
tree by the hind feet. The Wolf was in a state of
putrefaction ; and the Weesel had formed her nest,
of leaves and herbage, in the thorax.
In the northern parts of the continent, Wee-
sels change their colour in winter, and become
white. Mr. Pennant speaks of having seen them
white, in Isla, one of the western islands of Scot-
land. The Russian peasants catch these animals
by means of Dogs, or with springs and other
snares. The skins of those taken in winter sell
N4 at
184 THE STOAT, on ERMINE.
at from two to ten sous each ; and the tails
alone are often worth two or three sous apiece.
In Wales this animal is called bronwen : in
France, belette : in Italy, donnola, ballottula, bennla:*
in Spain, comadreia: in Portugal, doninka: in
Germany, wisele : in Holland, Weezel : in Sweden,
vesla : in Denmark, voesel, la-kat y rasel : in Poland,
laska, laqeizka : in Hungary, menjet : in Norway,
ros-kat : in Russia, lasmitzki.
THE STOAT, OR ERMINE*.
THE name of Stoat is given to this animal when
the upper parts of its body are of a brown colour;
but when, in the northern countries of Europe, it
is found, during winter, entirely white, except
the black tip of its tail, it has the appellation of
Ermine, or White Weesel.
* Viverra erminea. Shaw. Mustela erminea. Linnaeus. Le
Rosekt ou /' Hermine.
For the description of this animal see the Synopsis, p. 30,
No. it>.
\
The
THE STOAT, OR ERMINE. 185
The usual haunts of the Stoat are woods, hedges,
and meadows; and especially about brooks, the
banks of which are covered with bushes. Some-
times, but less frequently than the Weesel, it
inhabits barns, granaries, and other outbuildings.
It is a bold and ferocious animal ; and, when
pressed by hunger, will often attack creatures that
are of much larger size than itself. Such is its
agility, that it is able fairly to run down either
a Hare or a Rabbet ; and, in its pursuit of prey, it
evidently hunts by scent. I am informed by a
gentleman of my acquaintance, that he was one
day standing with his gun in the narrow path of a
wood, when a Rabbet, in great apparent agitation,
ran swiftly across. A few moments afterwards a
Stoat followed, precisely in the same track. They
crossed the path again once or twice, the Stoat
behind, and all the way hunting with its nose close
to the ground like a Spaniel. At length the Rabbet
was wearied out, and sat down in the path. Tfre
Stoat was no sooner within sight of its prey, now at
rest, than it made a surprising leap of more than
two yards, and fixed itself firmly on the Rabbet's
back. This gentleman immediately fired, and killed
both the animals at the same shot. A nearly similar
circumstance afterwards occurred in the presence
of the same person.
The Rev. Revett Sheppard informs me, that he
has often seen Stoats in the act of hunting Rabbets.
He says, that when they get into a warren, they will
thread
1S() THE STOAT, OR ERMINE.
thread all the holes they come near, passing from
one to another with amazing swiftness, till they are
able to discover and seize upon their prey.
During some part of Professor Pallas 's residence
in the northern countries of Europe and Asia, he
collected together, into iron cages, several wild
Ermines, in order to make observations on their
manners and natural disposition. They were much
more ferocious than the Weesel; and, during the
whole time that he kept them, lost very little of
their original character. Such was their voracity,
that, in the course of a day, they would generally
devour more food than was equal to their own body
in weight. They would take food from the hand,
when it was offered in small pieces. During the
day-time they continued, for the most part, asleep
and tranquil. But as soon as the night approach-
ed, they always seemed uneasy, and made every
possible effort to escape from their prison. Any
thing of wood which happened to be about their
cages, they gnawed with so much vehemence, as
in a short time to cut through a very considerable
thickness. When irritated, they always sprang, with
rage, upon the object that offended them, exerting
a kind of cry, or shrill whistle, not unlike the chirp
of a sparrow; their blood-red eyes, at the same
time, sparkling almost like fire*.
* Traduction des Voyages de Pallas, quoted in Buff. Sonn. xxv.
p. 160, note.
The
THE STOAT, OR ERMINE. 187
The care that is taken by nature for the pre-
servation of her productions, is peculiarly manifest
in all those animals which change the colour of
their hair or fur according to the different seasons
of summer and winter; and, of these, few are more
celebrated than the Ermines. Were their red sum-
mer colour to be continued when all the country is
covered, for months, with snow ; or their white
winter colour, whilst the ground is clad with ver-
dure; their appearance would be much too con-
spicuous for them to escape the attacks of innu-
merable enemies, which (by the havoc they would
commit among them) might endanger the existence
even of the whole race.
In consequence of this change of habit in the
Stoat, the same animal has frequently been mis-
taken, at different seasons of the year, for two dis-
tinct species. The following facts will, however,
dispel any doubts that may still be retained on the
subject.
When M. Daubenton was at Montbard, in the
beginning of March, 1757, an Ermine that had
been caught in the neighbourhood was brought to
him. This animal was entirely white, except the
tip of the tail, which was black: the white colour
had, however, a slight tinge of yellow, perceptible
only when the animal was held in certain positions
with respect to the light. It was kept in a cage,
with the design of observing whether, and at what
time, it would assume its brown coat; and whether,
in
188 THE STOAT, OR ERMINE.
in confinement, it would, on the approach of the
following winter, again take its white one. Some
tints of brown were soon observable amongst the
white hairs; and so early as the ninth of March, all
the upper parts of the face, the sides of the muzzle,
and the head, became of a reddish brown colour.
This colour also, in a short time, extended along
the neck, and the upper part of the body, as far as
the rump, in form of a longitudinal fillet or band,
about half an inch in width. Some of the same
colour then appeared on other parts of the face,
and on all the four legs. M. Daubenton observed
some little tufts of white hair adhering to the bot-
tom of a wire partition, under which the animal
had frequent occasion to pass. The friction of
the back of the Ermine against this, had stripped
off all the white hair on the ridge of the back,
and thus left the brownish fillet or band before
mentioned. On the seventeenth of March there
remained of the white hairs, only a few on the
muzzle, the head, the thighs, and the tail. By
the end of the month, the summer habit was in
every respect completed.
In the ensuing autumn, M. Daubenton watched
the animal with great attention, to remark at what
time the first white hairs, announcing the winter's
change, would appear. But his hopes of a change
were entirely disappointed. The cage of the ani-
mal was kept in a sheltered but open place, and the
cold for a considerable while was very violent.
Nevertheless,
THE STOAT, OR ERMINE. 189
Nevertheless, the Ermine continued to retain its
brown coat, as in the preceding summer, till the
month of March, when it died*.
The above animal is described, in very few
words, by M. de Buflfbn. He says that it continued
extremely wild till the last; and that, although it
was a pretty little creature, yet its nauseous odour
rendered it very unpleasant. It had lively eyes,
and a pleasing countenance; and its movements
were so rapid, that it was almost impossible for the
eye to follow them. It was usually fed on eggs
and flesh, but would never eat the latter till it was
quite putrid. It disliked honey; and M. de Buffon
having, with great cruelty, kept it for three days
without any other food, it died after eating a small
quantity f.
The female Stoats breed in the same manner,
and produce about the same number of young, as
the Weesels.
The skins of Ermines are a valuable article
of commerce in several countries of the conti-
nent, and particularly betwixt the Russians and
Chinese. They are employed in Europe for or-
namenting robes of state, and for various parts
of female dress. The black tips of the tails are
* Description del' Hermine, par I^aubenton, quoted in Sonnini's
edition of Buffon, xxv. p. 154 157, note.
f Buffon, par Sonnini, xxv. p. 158.
considered
190 THE STOAT, OR ERMINE.
considered as peculiarly valuable, and always sell
at high prices.
The Stoat is sometimes, but not often, found
in its white state in the northern parts of Great
Britain, where it is called a white Weesel*. It is,
however, easily distinguishable fom the Weesel, by
the tip of the tail being bushy and black.
In Wales this animal is called carlwm: in France,
roselet, or hermine: in Italy, armellino : in Spain,
armingo, armelina: in Portugal, arminho: in Ger-
many, hermelin: in Holland, hermyn, liermttyn:
in Hungary, pedjmet: in Sweden and Denwark,
hermelin, lekatt : in Poland, gronostay : in Norway,
hermelin: in Russia, gornostai.
* Morton informs us that he has sometimes seen this animal in a
white state, in Northamptonshire. Morton's History of Northampton-
shire, p. 442.
OF
b
:
OF OTTERS IN GENERAL.
NINE species of Otters have been discovered in
different parts of the world,, but of these only three
are known in Europe; and but one, the common
Otter, has been found in the British dominions.
The rest are confined entirely to the lakes and large
rivers of the new continent.
In a wild state they are,, in general, fierce and
untractable animals. They live, for the most part, on
fish ; but many of the species will feed even on car-
rion, when fish is not easily to be procured. Some
of them also devour frogs and other reptiles.
They all swim with great ease and readiness, both
on the surface of the water and below it. None of
them, however, are able to continue immersed
for a long time together, without putting their
noses above the surface, to expel the foul air from
their lungs and take in a fresh supply. As, there-
fore, the Otters do not, strictly speaking, live in
the water, but only frequent it occasionally for the
purpose of procuring food, none of the species
can properly be denominated amphibious. In fact,
they all live on land, having burrows, or dens, in the
banks of lakes or rivers, (out of the reach of the
water,) in which the females produce and nourish
heir offspring.
The
193 OF OTTERS IN GENERAL.
The animals in general are solitary, and seldom
to be observed in greater numbers than a pair
together. A few of the foreign species, however,
congregate in immense troops or herds.
In "Sir John Sinclair's History of Fifeshire, a Sea
Otter is mentioned as inhabiting the sea coasts of
that country*. It is described as being of much
larger size, and as having a rougher and more
shaggy coat than the Common Otter, of which,
probably, it is only a variety.
The Otters, when compared with Weesels, are
animals of large size. There are only two known
species whose weight, when full grown, does not
exceed twenty pounds. None of them are able,
like the Weesels, to climb into trees; nor can any
of them, with a curved body, and straightened tail,
make the leaps which are so remarkable in those
active little animals.
* Sibbatld's History of the Sheriffdoms of Fife and Kenross, 8vo.
p. 111.
THE
m
*1
THE COMMON OTTER*.
IT is well known that the Common Otter derives
nearly his whole subsistence from the water. He
swims, with great ease, at all depths; and the situ-
ation of his eyes, towards the front of the head,
allowing him to observe whatever passes above
him, he has a particular advantage when lurking at
the bottom in search of prey. The eyes of fish do
not enable them to discern objects that are imme-
diately beneath them, consequently the Otter can at
any time seize them by the belly, without much
exertion. This animal is said, likewise, to hunt for
his food always against the stream ; and as all spe-
cies of fish do the same, he has thus an advantage
in seizing them by surprise from behind. The
devastation committed by Otters in rivers and
ponds is sometimes enormous. They usually de-
stroy several fish at a time, and (unless incited by
extreme hunger) they devour only the upper
parts of the body.
It is a circumstance not generally known, that
* Lutra vulgaris. Shaw. Mustela lutra. Linn&us. LaLoutre.
Bujfon.
For the description of the Otter, see the Synopsis, p. 31, No. 17.
O these
194 THE COMMON OTTER.
these animals do not exclusively confine their de-
predations to fresh water. Otters which inhabit
the neighbourhood of sea coasts frequently visit
the ocean, and sometimes intermix with Seals, in
the pursuit of sea-fish. Mr. Stackhouse informs me
that he has seen six or eight Otters together, at the
Land's End in Cornwall, far removed from any
river.
In very hard weather, when its natural sort of
food is not easily attainable, from the water's being
covered with ice, the Otter will kill Lambs, or
poultry; and, in one instance, an Otter was caught
in a warren, where he had come to prey on the
Rabbets. In the year 1793, as two gentlemen were
shooting, at Pilton in Devonshire, a large Otter
burst out of some brakes, was seized by one of the
pointer Dogs, and after severely biting the Dog,
was killed by the gentleman's beating him on the
head. This Otter was at the distance of at least
Jive miles from any river or pond that could supply
him with fish*. When animal food of all kinds is
wanting, which indeed can seldom be the case to
the Otter, he will eat the young branches, and the
bark, of such trees as grow by the sides of streams;
or sometimes he will even eat grass.
The lungs of the Otter are larger and more deep
than that of most other quadrupeds. From this
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i, p. 371.
conformation
THE COMMON OTTER. 195
conformation it is that he is enabled to remain for
a considerable while together under water. Mr.
Stackhouse, who has attended a good deal to the
manners of the Otter, is of opinion, that one of
these animals, in perfect health, might continue
submersed for fifteen or twenty minutes, without
injury. He informs me that a gentleman of his
acquaintance once caught,, in a trammel net, in the
river Wye, a large Otter, which, when taken out,
was found to be quite dead. The animal had
been drowned, from not having had breath enough
left to serve whilst he gnawed for himself a passage
through the meshes.
The habitation of the Otter, according to in-
formation that I have received from different per-
sons of veracity and observation, is seldom the
entire production of his own labour. I am told
that he adopts, as the place of his residence, any
hole, convenient for his purpose, which he finds
under the roots of trees, or in the clefts of rocks,
near the water ; that this retreat is always infected
with the stench of putrid fish; that, near the outlet
there are scattered the heads, bones, and oftentimes
corrupted parts of the bodies offish ; **and that the
track to the den is often trodden like a common
path-way. Mr. Pennant gives a somewhat dif-
ferent account. He says that this animal constructs
its own den. That it burrows under-grQund in the
bank of some river or lake ; and that it always
makes the entrance of its hole under water, work-
O 2 ing
196 THE COMMON OTTER.
ing upward to the surface of the earth, where it
forms a minute orifice for the admission of air. He
adds, that the more effectually to conceal its re-
treat, the animal often contrives to make this little
air-hole in the middle of some thick bush *.
The Otter is a cunning, and at the same time an
exceedingly ferocious animal. Whenever it is
attacked, it will defend itself with courage and
vigour to the last. An Otter, without knowing it,
passed near a gentleman who was angling for trout
in the river Wandle. The gentleman unscrewed the
butt end of his fishing-rod, and struck it, with all
his might, on the head. The animal in a moment
turned upon him, and fought with the greatest
ferocity; nor was it at last killed without con-
siderable danger.
It is possible, however, when the Otter is caught
young, to render it nearly as docile and domestic as
a Dog. There was an Otter, in J775, at the abbey at
Autun, in France, in a perfect state of domestication.
It was a female, and had been reared with milk from
the time it was caught, till it was about two months
old, when it was fed on soup, fish, and other food
used in the convent. It would come to any person
who called it by its name, and would play with a
Dog and Cat with which it had been early acquaint-
ed ; but it exhibited symptoms of the greatest dis-
Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 94.
like
THE COMMON OTTER. 197
like to all other animals. The place of this ani-
mal's repose was usually, in the night, a bed in one
of the rooms; and during the day, a heap of straw.
It would occasionally plunge its head and fore-feet
into a vessel of water ^hich stood near its bed;
and after shaking itself, would go out into the
court-yard for exercise, or to sleep in the sun-
shine. It seemed to have lost the natural habits of
its kind; since, being taken one day to a pool of
water, it was afraid of going into it, but only
wetted its head and feet, as in its chamber. When
it was thrown in, it instantly swam to the shore and
got out.
There was, about two years ago, within a couple
of miles of Cupar Angus, in Forfarshire, in the pos-
session of a gentleman farmer, an Otter, which had
been in a domestic state for considerably more than
twelve months. This animal was as tame as a Dog,
and, every night, slept in a bed with one of the
farmer's sons. He still retained his natural love of
fish, and, in the day time, regularly frequented a
loch in the neighbourhood, for the purpose of pro-
curing this food; but would always come out of the
water, when called by any person of the family with
whom he lived.
Mr. Edwards, of Little Waltham Hall, in Essex,
had an Otter, which on all occasions followed him
like a Dog; and every afternoon, when its master
slept in his chair, the Otter regularly stationed it-
self in his lap. It had milk given to it; but it
O 3 chiefly
198 THE COMMON OTTER.
chiefly fed on fish, which it caught in the ponds, in
the gardens and grounds near the house. It was at
last accidently^killed by one of the maid-servants
striking it on the nose, with the handle of a
broom*. Kalm informs jp' that in America he has
seen Otters as tame as Dogs. These animals would
follow their masters wherever they went, and
would jump out of a boat into the water, and
always return to them after satisfying themselves
with fishf.
When the Otter is properly trained and edu-
cated, he is capable of rendering essential services
to his master. By some perseverance in the train-
ing, he may be even taught to catch fish, and to
give them up without devouring any part of them.
The plan of education that has been laid down
for this purpose, and been found to answer, is as
follows.
The young Otter is, for some little while, to be
fed on milk or soup, and to have no animal food
of any kind given to it. Bread is recommended
as afterwards a substitute for these; and with this it
must have the heads of fishes. As soon as it has
formed an attachment to the person who feeds it,
which will always take place in the course of a
short time, its education should commence. A
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 373.
t Kalm's Travels in North America, i. p. 208.
truss
THE COMMON OTTEft. 199
truss of leather stuffed with wool, in the shape of
a fish, and in size proportioned to the width of the
animal's mouth, is then to be made; and when this
is used, the animal is to have round his neck a
collar, which will tighten at pleasure, and to which
is attached a cord some yards in length. The Otter
is first to be led gently about by means of the
string and collar, till it will follow its master of
its own accord. A word of command, as " come
here," is then to be adopted; and whenever this is
pronounced, the animal must be pulled forcibly to
its master, till it is obedient and comes without
hesitation. As soon as it is tolerably perfect in
this, the collar is to be turned, and tightened till
the Otter opens its mouth, into which the truss is
to be put, and the words "take it" to be loudly
pronounced. If it drops the truss, which will be
the case for several times at first, the same opera-
tion is to be repeated till the animal will hold it
at command. Then loosen the cord, that it may
drop the truss, pronouncing at the same time the
words " loose it."
When the Otter is tolerably expert in these ma-
noeuvres, the truss being held with one hand near
the ground, (taking particular care that there is no
sand,) its master must draw the animal towards it
by the cord held in the other, at the same time
retreating a little with the truss. Then tightening
the collar, he is to say loudly, "take it;" on which
the Otter will very soon learn to seize hold of it.
O 4 This
200 THE COMMON OTTER.
This exercise ought to be continued till it will
seize the truss on the slightest motion of the cord.
The next part of its education is to teach it to de-
liver the truss into the hand of its master. When
the animal has the truss in its mouth, its master is
to draw it gently towards him by the cord affixed^
to its collar, and then taking hold of the truss, is
to say, " loose it." After this exercise has been
continued for a few days, and the animal will come
to its master when called, seize the truss when
commanded, run after it when thrown before,
bring it to its master, and, when ordered, give it
up to him some food, a piece of bread, for in-
stance, is to be thrown down, and he is to be
taught to bring and deliver up that in the same man-
ner, without injuring it. The last part of this ope-
ration is to take him to the edge of a river or stream,
of which the water is clear and not deep. Throwing
a small dead fish into the water, the Otter will rea-
dily seize it, and, by means of the cord affixed to
the collar, may be made to bring it out, and de-
liver it to his master. The same is done with
live fish ; but as soon as he delivers these, he is to
have the heads as a recompence for his trouble. ,
This kind of chase has, in some instances, been
so well taught, that the owner of an Otter has de-
rived very considerable benefit from it. An in-
habitant of Christianstadt, in Sweden, of the name
of Nillson, was daily supplied by an Otter with as
much
THE COMMON OTTER. 201
much fish as entirely supported his family*. Dr.
Goldsmith speaks of having seen an Otter go to a
gentleman's pond, at the word of command, drive
the fish into a corner, and, seizing upon the
largest of the whole, bring it off in his mouth to
his masterf. An Otter belonging to a person of
the name of Campbell, who lived near Inverness,
has been known to catch for its master sometimes
so many as eight or ten salmon in a day. As soon
as one was taken from it, the animal immediately
dived in pursuit of another. When it was tired, it
would refuse to fish any longer; and was then
rewarded with as much as it could devour J.
The hunting of the Otter was formerly consi-
dered an excellent sport in this country; and
Hounds were often kept solely for that purpose.
The sportsmen divided, and went some on each
side of the river, beating, in their progress, the
banks and sedges, with Dogs. If there was an Otter
in that quarter, the print of his foot (technically
called his seal) was soon to be seen in the mud.
Each hunter was armed with a spear, to attack
the animal when he vented, or came to the surface
to breathe. If the Dogs found, the sportsmen
viewed the animal's track in the mud, to find
__ : ; __
* Melanges d'Histoire Naturelle, par M. Alleon Dulac, ii.
p. 252.
f History of Animated Nature, iv. p. 146.
J Bewick's Quadrupeds, p. 452,
which
202 THE COMMON OTTER.
which way he had taken. Somerville has de-
scribed the chace of the Otter, apparently with
great correctness, but in terms somewhat too
animated for those persons who have no delight
in blood.
On the soft sand
See there his seal impress'd ! And on that bank
Behold the glittering spoils, half-eaten fish,
Scales, fins, and bones, the leavings of his feast.
Ah ! on that yielding sag-bed, see, once more
His seal I view. O'er yon dark rushy marsh
The sly goose-footed prowler bends his course,
And seeks the distant shallows.
See, there he dives along!
Th' ascending bubbles mark his gloomy way.
Quick fix the nets, and cut off his retreat
Into the shelt'ring deeps. Ah, there he vents!
The pack lunge headlong, and protended spears
Menace destruction.
Ah, there once more he vents!
See, that bold Hound has seiz'd him: down they sink,
Together lost: but soon shall he repent
His rash assault. See there escap'd, he flies
Half drown'd, and clambersl&p the slipp'ry bank
With ooze and blood distain'd. Again he vents;
Again the crowd attack. That spear has pierc'd
His neck ; the crimson waves confess the wound.
Fix'd is the bearded lance, unwelcome guest,
Where'er he flies ; with him it sinks beneath,
With him it mounts ; sure guide to ev'ry foe.
Inly he groans, nor can his tender wound
Bear the cold stream. Lo ! to yon sedgy bank
He creeps disconsolate ; his numerous foes
Surround him, hounds and men. Pierc'd through and through,
On pointed spears they lift him high in air;
he hangs, and grins and bites in vain.
When
THE COMMON OTTER. 203
When he is wounded, the Otter always makes
directly to land, where he maintains an obstinate
defence against his adversaries. The females, on
these occasions, will sometimes emit a very shrill
squeal; but a male Otter never utters any note of
distress, however keen his wounds may be. The bite
of these animals is so severe as frequently to snap
asunder the bones of Dogs that are set on to attack
them.
The Otter is only to be caught by means of an
unbaited trap; for he is so delicate in his feeding
as to reject every kind of bait. This trap must be
placed near his landing place, which will be found
by carefully examining the edges of the river, or
pond, for his traces. The trap must be set in, and
covered with, mud, to prevent his seeing it. The
instant the trap strikes, the Otter plunges into the
water with it, where its weight, preventing his ris-
ing to the surface, soon destroys him. The trap
will seldom be drawn more than fifteen or twenty
yards from the spot, and, with a grappling iron,
may soon be recovered.
But, although the Otter rejects all baits in a trap,
an instance occurred, in August, 1799, in the river
Buckland, of one of these animals taking a live bait.
An Otter darted from his hole, and seized the bait
of a gentleman trolling for pike, who, in conse-
quence of the animal's violent struggles, thought
that his bait was taken by an overgrown fish. After
a long contest, to the great astonishment of the
troller,
204 THE COMMON OTTER,
troller, and of other persons who happened to be-
on the spot, he drew the Otter to the shore com-
pletely exhausted*.
The females go with young about nine weeks,
and produce them (usually four or five in number)
some time in the month of March. These, at first,
are ugly little creatures, and very different, both
in shape and appearance, from their parents. When
they are six weeks or two months old, the dam
drives them from her nest, to seek a residence and
procure food for themselves. Otter's cubs have
been known to be suckled and reared by Bitches.
An instance of this occurred a few years ago, near
South Molton in Devonshire.
These animals differ from the Seals, with respect
to their amphibious nature, in the foramen ovale
of the heart: this is closed at the birth, and no
hestige of it is afterwards to be observedf.
Th skin of the Otter is valuable at all times of
the year, except about Midsummer, when the ani-
mals change their fur. The flesh is an unpleasant
food, from its fishy and muddy flavour. The Romish
church permits it to be used on maigre-days ; and
Sonnini justly observes respecting it, that no kind
of food can be adopted which is better calculated
to express that mortification presides at the table.
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p 374, 375.
t Rail. Syn. quad. p. 188.
Otters
THE COMMON OTTER. 205
Otters are found in most of the counties of Great
Britain and Ireland ; but particularly in those which
border on the sea.
In Wales they have the name of dyfrgi: in
France, loutre: in Italy, lodra, lodria, loutra: in
Spain, nutria: in Germany, otter, fisch otter: in
Holland, otter: in Hungary, njescht : in Sweden,
utter, iviter : in Denmark, odder: in Poland, tvydra:
in Savoy, leure: in Norway, otter, sleuter: in Lap-
land, zhievres : in Russia, wydra.
The inhabitants of the Isle of Skie informed Mr.
Martin, that a kind of Otter, with a white spot on
the breast, and considerably above the ordinary
size, was sometimes seen in that island. They call
it the king of the Otters; and describe it as being an
extremely shy and timid animal.
( 206 )
OF THE BEAR TRIBE IN GENERAL.
BADGERS have been separated from the Bear
tribe of Linnaeus by Mr. Pennant, and by several
of the latest French naturalists, but apparently
without sufficient reason. The former rests his
chief distinction on the claws of the fore-feet be-
ing very long and straight. And, by the French
writers, the Bears are said to have their body some-
what elongated in proportion to their stature, and
the tail very short : the Badgers, to have their body
low on the legs, and the tail either short or of mo-
derate length.
The European Badger is the only animal belong-
ing to the tribe, which is now to be found a native
of the British dominions. But there is evidence,
in the accounts of several ancient writers, that the
Common Black Bear* was once an inhabitant of
the northern districts of Britain. Caledonian Bears
are mentioned by Martial ; and Plutarch relates,
that the Romans imported Bears from Britain,
which at Rome were much admired. In some of
the ancient Welsh manuscripts, the Bear is enume-
rated among the British beasts of chase; and its
* Ursus arctos of Linnaeus.
flesh
OP THE BEAR TRIBE IN GENERAL. 207
flesh is asserted to have been held in the same
esteem with that of the Boar. In the History of
the Gordon family it is related, that in the year
1057, one of the Gordons killed, in Scotland, a
fierce Bear; and, as a reward for his prowess, the
king directed that he should carry a Bear's head on
his banner. All these animals have, however, been
extirpated many centuries.
The females breed only once in the year, and
few of them produce more than two cubs at a
birth. Those species which inhabit countries in
high northern latitudes, retire into their dens at
the commencement of severe weather, and remain-
ing in a torpid state through the whole winter, do
not appear abroad till the returning spring again
calls them into life.
Some of the animals, huge and unwieldy as they
may seem, are capable of climbing into trees, in
pursuit of prey, or to escape from their enemies.
Such, however, is generally their weight, and the
form of their body, that they cannot, like the
smaller climbing quadrupeds, descend with their
head foremost; but, with great apparent clumsi-
ness, they descend backward,
THE
( 208 )
THE BADGER*.
BROCK. GREYPATE. GREY.
THE Badger is an indolent and stupid animal,
passing the greater part of its life in sleep. Dur-
ing the whole day it continues in its den, and
never appears abroad till the shades of night se-
cure it from observation; when, for a little while,
it ranges around in search of food. As soon as its
appetite is satisfied, it again retreats to its place of
repose. From thus indulging in indolence and
sleep, it sometimes becomes excessively fat. Most
naturalists have asserted that this animal passes the
severe weather of winter in an entirely torpid
state. A German writer has taken upon himself to
assert, that such is not the case; but that the Badger
preserves its heat and animation through the cold
months, by its address in burrowing so deep into
the ground as to be beyond the reach of the frost.
This writer has, however, entirely neglected to in-
form us on what food it is that the Badger subsists
during this period!
* Ursus meks. Linn&us. La Blaireau. Buffon.
For the description of the Badger, see the Synopsis, p. 33,
No. 18.
From
THE BADGER. 209
From the circumstance, principally, of the
Badger's being an animal of great muscular pow-
ers, and unusual strength of body* he has suffered
very severely from vulgar prejudices. He has been
accused by the farmers of destroying Rabbets and
Lambs. But surely the mischief he commits can-
not be very extensive, since it is not yet satisfac-
torily ascertained whether he lives on animal, or
on vegetable food. There are many reasons for
supposing that, except in scratching up the ground
in search of roots, he is perfectly harmless and in-
offensive. The writers who defend the Badger from
the charge of being carnivorous, assert, that, besides
roots, he feeds on fruit of various kinds; on grass,
insects, and frogs.
The habitation of the Badger is a den, generally
deep in the earth, the opening to which is in
some woody or sheltered place. In mountainous
countries he frequently finds some cleft in a rock,
which, with little trouble, he is able to form into a
comfortable residence. He is a cleanly animal;
and his subterraneous mansion is always exceed-
ingly neat.
In compensation for want of speed, in the
Badger, Nature has endowed him with strength,
and with such weapons, both offensive and de-
fensive, that scarcely any creature will venture,
singly, to attack him. The address and courage
with which, on all occasions, he defends himself,
have caused Jhim frequently to be baited by Dogs,
P as
210 THE BADGER.
as a popular amusement. Although his disposition
is naturally indolent, yet on these barbarous occa-
sions he uses the most vigorous efforts of strength.
Throwing himself back on his haunches,, his mo-
tions are so rapid that the Dogs are often des-
perately wounded on the first assault, and com-
pelled to give up the contest. His skin also is so
thick and loose, as not only to resist the im-
pressions of their teeth, but also to suffer him,
even when within their gripe, to turn round upon
and wound his adversaries in their most tender
parts. In this manner he gallantly resists the re-
peated attacks of men and Dogs from all quarters;
till, overpowered by numbers, and enfeebled by
wounds, he is at last compelled to submit to his
miserable fate.
These animals, if taken young, may easily be
domesticated. They will play with Dogs, and
readily follow any person who is in the habit of
feeding them. They are neither mischievous nor
voracious ; and it is said, that in a state of domes-
tication they prefer raw meat to any other food,
though they do not refuse either bread, fruit, or
vegetables. They are such chilly animals, that,
when permitted to range at pleasure about a house,
they will scarcely ever quit the fire; and they often
approach so close to it as to burn themselves.
Badgers usually live in pairs; but at the time of
the female's producing her young, they separate.
She collects a quantity of herbage, which she
carries
THE BADGER.
carries to the bottom of her den, and there con-
verts into a commodious bed. She brings forth in
the summer, and generally has two or three young
ones at a birth.
It is said that Badgers are subject to a disorder
similar to the mange ; and that this will infect Dogs
which penetrate into their burrows. The greatest
age which these animals are supposed to attain % is
from eight to twelve years. It was formerly believed
that they lived to a very old age; and that when,
in consequence of this, they lost their sight, they
kept entirely in their burrows, and were fed by
their offspring. Another ancient opinion was, that
the legs on their right side were always longer than
those on the left; and that, consequently, when
they ran, they at all times took care to chuse the
slope either of a hill, a bank, or a furrow.
One of the modes of catching the Badger is,
when the animal is ranging abroad in the night, by
fastening a sack into the mouth of his den. One
person remains near the hole on watch, whilst ano-
ther beats round the fields with a Dog, in order to
drive him home. As soon as the man at the hole
hears, by the rustling, that a Badger has run in, he
immediately seizes the mouth of the sack, ties it
and carries it off. This, in many parts of the
country, is termed {f sacking the Badger"
Another mode is by means of a pitfall, dug
across the accustomed path of one of these ani-
mals. This is covered over with small sticks, or
P 2 boughs,
THE BADGER.
boughs, with their leaves on; and when the Badger
treads on them, they give way and let him in.
The digging of Badgers out of their dens is
generally a work of time; and, if the Terriers do not
keep the animal constantly at bay, he is able to pe-
netrate the earth, and bury himself faster than the
workmen can follow him*.
The skin of the Badger, when properly dressed,
with the hair on, is not easily penetrated by
moisture, and consequently is often used for
knapsacks, pistol furniture, and the coverings of
trunks. The Highlanders make their pendant
pouches of it. The hair is also made into brushes,
to soften and harmonize the shades in painting,
which, therefore, are called sweetening tools. The
flesh is in great esteem among the Chinese. Mr.
Bell speaks of having seen the flesh of a dozen
Badgers exposed at the same time for sale in the
markets at Pekin. In England the hind quarters
are the only parts of the Badger that are eaten ;
but the hams are considered as superior in flavour
to those of the Hog. The fat was formerly in great
request for ointments and salves.
Badgers are occasionally found in most of the
wild and uncultivated parts both of Great Britain
and Ireland.
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 364.
This
THE BADGER. 213
This animal, in Wales, is called pryf llwyd, pryf
penfreth: in France, Uaireau, taisson: in Italy,
tasso : in Spain, tasugo, texon: in Portugal, texugo:
in Germany, tachs, dachs, dar : in Holland, das
darkens das : in Hungary, bors: in Sweden, graf-
swin: in Denmark, gremlin, brok : in Poland, jas-
wicc, borsuc, kol-dziki, zbik: in Norway, gravling,
sviin-sax: in Russia, barsuk, iaz welz.
P 3 OF
( 214 )
OF MOLES IN GENERAL.
THE Moles are easily distinguishable from all other
quadrupeds, by their peculiar shape, and their singu-
lar habits of life. Their body is thick and muscular.
Their head is likewise thick, and has a somewhat
lengthened snout, the upper jaw being considerably
longer than the lower. These animals have no ex-
ternal ears ; and their eyes are so small as generally
to be concealed by the fur. All the legs are short,
but particularly the fore ones, which, externally,
are scarcely visible : they are, however, furnished
with feet unusually large and powerful. The fore-
feet are admirably adapted to the wants of the ani-
mals, which, as they live almost wholly beneath the
surface of the ground, sometimes have to dig sub-
terranean passages, or galleries, of many fathoms
in length.
Connected with these galleries, the Moles form
hollow and spacious nests, in which the females
produce their offspring; and in which the families
reside, during those months of the year when the
cold weather forbids their going abroad, or con-
tinuing their accustomed labours.
Seven species of Moles have been discovered in
different parts of the world. Of these, five are
found, exclusively, in North America; one at the
Cape
OF MOLES IN GENERAL. 215
Cape of Good Hope; and one, the Common Mole,
in Europe.
They are, for the most part, harmless animals,
except where, in cultivated countries, their num-
bers become very great. In this case they some-
times prove injurious to the labours and industry
of the farmer.
The fur of all the species is peculiarly soft and
fine.
THE COMMON MOLE*.
MOLD-WARP, OR WANT.
IT is asserted that the Mole has not hitherto been
discovered to inhabit any part of Ireland. If this
be correct, it is a very surprising fact, since the ani-
mal is an inhabitant of almost all the cultivated
grounds of Great Britain. It is chiefly found in those
where the soil is loose and fertile. Here its sub-
terraneous labours are carried on with great ease;
and it has a full supply of nutriment in the roots,
worms, and larva of insects, which always abound in
* Talpa Europea. Linnceus. La Taupe. Buffbn.
For the Description of the Mole, see the Synopsis, p. 35, No. 49.
P 4t * such
216 TEE COMMON MOLE.
such situations. During the winter months, it
feeds almost entirely under the earth; but in the
warm nights of summer, it often runs about in the
open air in search of food, and thus, occasionally,
becomes the prey of owls, and other predacious
animals.
Since the extremes of heat and cold are equally
pernicious to Moles, we find that they work their
covered ways or galleries at different depths, ac-
cording to the temperature of the atmosphere at
the time. In warm weather, these are usually four
or five, or sometimes not more than a couple of
inches below the surface; but in cold, and particu-
larly in frosty weather, they are much deeper.
When their habitations are attacked, the animals
will frequently sink themselves, by digging imme-
diately from thence a perpendicular hole some feet
in depth. I have been informed by an experienced
mole-catcher, that, in one instance, he dug with his
spade to the depth of four feet after a Mole, and that
the animal at last escaped him. These little creatures
are so expert in forming a passage for themselves in
the ground, that if they are put upon the grass in
any field where the soil is tolerably light, they will
penetrate it, and cover themselves almost in a
moment. Even on a gravelly and hard turnpike
road, a Mole has been known completely to cover
itself in less than five minutes.
The principal times at which Moles work during
fine weather, are said to be at sun-rise, and for a
little
THE COMMON MOLE.
little while at the end of about every four hours,,
till dark. In the mild weather of winter, they may
be found at their labours through the whole of the
day; and it is only when the frost sets in so hard
as to render the ground altogether impermeable,
that they are compelled either to discontinue their
operations entirely, or to proceed in them at such
depths as to be beyond the reach of our discovery.
During the winter months, they generally get into
warm and sheltered situations, such as under thick
and shady hedge-rows, or into gardens which have
fruit-walls. Gardeners, consequently, often catch
them in the months of December,, January, and
February. Previously to any great change of the
weather, such as heavy rain or storms, the Moles
are said always to work particularly hard. In sum-
mer time, if the season happens to be a dry one,
they repair to the borders of ditches,, the banks of
rivers, or places contiguous to hedges, for mois-
ture, and for a necessary protection against the
heat.
The fore-feet of the Mole, from their size and
enormous strength, as well as their oblique posi-
tion outwards, are, as before observed, peculiarly
fitted to aid all the subterraneous labours of the
animal. By means of these, in forming its galle-
ries or runs, it scrapes the earth towards each side,
till the quantity becomes too great for it to pro-
ceed onward with ease. It then works to the sur-
face ; and by pushing with its head, and its nervous
paws,
218 THE COMMON MOLl.
paws, gradually raises out of its way the mould
which incommodes it. To this process is owing those
small hillocks so common in our fields. After thus
getting rid of the earth, the animal proceeds in its
labour as before; and a person may easily discover
how many Moles are contained in a certain space
of ground, by counting the newly raised mole-
hills which have no connexion with each other.
The hills made by a single Mole are often from
three to nine or ten in number, according to the
age, strength, or sex of the animal. Those of the
males are generally the largest and most numerous
of any. If the gallery happen, by any chance, to
be stopped up or interrupted, the Mole seldom
fails to re-establish the communication, by forming
a vault of earth, or a kind of oblong mole-hill, to
reunite the extremities.
These animals sometimes do incredible damage
in gardens and meadows. M. de Buffon informs us,
that, of the acorns which he planted on sixteen
acres of land, the greater part of them were, in a
very short time, carried away by the Moles. He
consequently set his servants to work, and in less
than three weeks they destroyed thirteen hundred
of them.
Moles are able to swim over brooks and narrow
streams of water, without any difficulty; and they
are often observed by the mole-catchers in the act
of crossing them. A person who has paid attention
to these animals for many years, informs me, that
he
THE COMMON MOLE. 219
he has more than once known them to have an out-
let from a hole, on one side of a ditch, and an open-
ing to another in the bank opposite. He says, that
they swim with great ease and quickness. This
person once tried to drown a Mole ; and with that
intention kept it swimming about for more than
half an hour. He was at last necessitated to hold
it for some time under the water, in order to de-
stroy it. In the Linnean Transactions, a Mole is
mentioned as crossing a piece of water, near a
hundred and eighty yards in width, in order to ar-
rive at a small island which stood at that distance
from the bank. This was in the loch of Clunie, in
Scotland, the property of Lord Airly.
When these animals are seized, after being dug
out of the ground, they generally utter a shrill
scream, which has been compared to that of a
child. They also exert their teeth and claws to
effect, if possible, their escape. The former are
very sharp; and when once their hold is fixed, it is
no easy matter to loose them again. Moles are
sometimes so ferocious as to attack and devour
each other, particularly when, in the cold weather
of winter, their customary food becomes scarce.
At this season of the year, the animals caught in
the traps are often half devoured before the mole-
catcher can arrive to take them out.
The Moles begin to couple in the month of
March, and about this time it is that they are often
to be found in great numbers. A mole-catcher
informed
220 THE COMMON MOLE.
informed me, that he caught in one hole, and
by a single trap, no fewer than twenty-five in the
course of three weeks.
The animals soon afterwards begin to prepare
the habitation for their offspring. This is always
formed in a dry situation, out of the reach of inun-
dations, and is usually sheltered by a hedge or
bush. It is a kind of arched apartment, from a foot
to a foot and half or two feet in diameter at the
bottom, having the sides and roof well and firmly
compacted. The nest is made of leaves and grass.
It is sometimes so large that the materials would
fill a gallon measure, and occasionally so small that
they scarcely cover the ground. The hillock, un-
der which this nest is deposited, is easily distin-
guishable, by its being generally five or six times
as large as any of the rest. Connected with the
apartment in which the young Moles are laid, there
are generally several galleries, that extend to the
distance of some feet, like rays from a centre. Into
these the mother makes her excursions for food, to
supply herself and her offspring. And it is said
that the instant she hears her habitation attacked by
the mole-catcher from above, she takes to one of
the burrows; and if the litter have attained suffi-
cient strength to walk, the dam and her brood ge-
nerally make good their retreat. The young,
which are usually from three to five in number, are
perfectly naked when first produced ; an$ at that
time they are said to have much the appearance of
young
THE COMMON MOLE.
young Rats. M. de BufFon was of opinion that
Moles bring forth more than once in the year ; at
least, he says,, it is certain that young ones are to
be met with at different times from April to
August. This, however, may arise from the
period of their production being uncertain; or, as
in a few other animals, the Moles may,, perhaps,
produce a second litter, where the first has by some
accident been destroyed.
The skins of Moles were in former times held in
considerable estimation. They were used for the
linings of winter garments, made into covers for
beds, and into hats. In England they seem at pre-
sent to be thought of little value.
Persons who earn their subsistence by destroying
Moles, make their chief attacks in the spring of the
year, and particularly about the month of March,
when the animals are much more active than at any
other season. They are in the fields before sun-
rise ; for about that time, the earth and grass may
be frequently seen to move in the places where
Moles are at work. When this is the case, the
mole-catcher has nothing more to do than cut off
the retreat, by striking a spade into the ground
immediately behind, and then to dig them up.
Where a fresh mole-hill is observed by itself,
and appears to have no communication with any
other, (which is always the case when a Mole has
worked from the surface downwards,) it should be
turned up with a spade, and a quantity of water
should
THE COMMON MOLE.
should be poured over the mouth of the passage,
This will compel the animal, which can be at no
great distance, to come forth, when it may be easily
caught with the hand. It is easy to discover whe-
ther a hill, apparently of this kind, has communi-
cation with any other. The mole-catcher lies down
and applies his ear to it, and at the same time coughs
and makes a loud noise. If it has no commu-
nication, the terrified animal may be heard by its
motion in the ground. In this case, either water
may be poured into the hole, or the earth turned
up with the spade, till the Mole is found.
With respect to catching the animals in subter-
raneous traps, it is an important circumstnance to
discover which are their most frequented, and
which their bye roads. This is effected by making
a mark on every new mole-hill, by a light pressure
of the foot; and the next morning observing whe-
ther a Mole has passed that way, and obliterated
the foot-mark. This must be done for two or three
successive days. These foot-marks should not be
deeply impressed; lest tjie animal be alarmed on
his return, and thus form a new branch of road
rather than open the obstructed one. The traps
are then to be set in the frequented streets, so as
to fit nicely the divided canal. These consist of a
hollow semi-cylinder of wood, with grooved rings
at each end, in which are placed nooses of horse-
hair, fastened loosely by a peg in the centre, and
stretched above the surface of the ground by a bent
stick.
THE COMMON MOLE. 223
stick. When the Mole has passed half-way through
one of the nooses, and in his progression removes
the central peg, the bent stick rises by its elasticity,
and strangles him*.
Many of the common people believe that the
Mole is both blind and deaf, since its eyes and ears
are so extremely minute, and so closely covered
with fur, as not easily to be perceptible. Had
either of these organs been of much larger size,
they would have been perpetually liable to injury
in the ground, by the earth falling into them.
The eyes, however, have every property that is
necessary towards distinct vision ; a very small
degree of which must be sufficient for an animal
destined to live beneath the surface of the earth.
The ears terminate externally in minute auditory
holes; yet such is the animal's quickness of hearing,
that it takes alarm, and seeks for safety in flight, at
the most distant approach of danger.
There have been discovered in Great Britain
three varieties of the Common Mole, distinguishable
>y their different colour:
The White Mole, the Spotted or Variegated Mole,
and the Tawny or Cream-coloured Mole.
* See Animal Biography, i. p. 398400.
In
THE COMMON MOLE.
In Wales this animal is called twrcli-daear : in
France, taupe: in Spain, topo : in Italy, talpa : in
Portugal, toupeira : in Germany, muhlwerf, maul-
werf: in Holland, mol : in Austria, scheer, scheer-
maus : in Hungary, wa-kondok : in Sweden, mull-
vad, surk: in Denmark, muldwarp : in Poland, kret:
in Russia, krot, zemla naja, sose dka or suse dka.
OF
( 225 )
OF SHREWS IN GENERAL.
THESE animals are nearly allied both to the Moles
and Mice. Like the former, they have a carti-
laginous moveable snout,, formed by an elongation
of the parts surrounding the upper jaw, of use for
rooting up the ground in search of food. But they
differ from them in having their anterior feet re-
sembling the posterior ones, instead of being broad
and palmated. Their eyes, though very small, are
easily discernible. In the general appearance of
their head, therefore, and also in many of their
habits of life, they resemble the Moles ; but in the
structure, though not the arrangement of their
teeth, in the general form of their bodies, and par-
ticularly in that of their feet, they exhibit a close
alliance to the Murine quadrupeds.
All the Shrews burrow, with great ease, into the
ground, where, for the most part, they live out of
the sight of men, and sheltered from the observa-
tion of such animals as otherwise would destroy
them in great numbers, Their habitations are ge-
nerally not far distant from the banks of rivers or
other streams; and many of the species are able to
swim with great agility. They feed, for the most
part, on worms, and the larva of such insects as they
meet with in their progress through the ground.
Q Their
226 THE FETID SHREW.
Their voice is somewhat shrill. The effluvium
from their bodies is, in general,, fetid and unplea-
sant.
The females produce from four to six young
ones at a litter.
THE FETID SHREW*.
SHREW. SHREW-MOUSE. SHROVE-MOUSE, OR HARDY-
SHREW.
THE Fetid Shrew resides in a little burrow which
it forms under the surface of the ground. Some-
times, however, it saves itself the labour of con-
triving an habitation, by adopting one (of larger
dimensions, indeed, than it has need of) which has
been abandoned by a Mole. It occasionally has a
concealment under the moss that grows round the
bottom of .large trees; or amongst the matted
leaves and moss in old and thick hedge-rows. Not
unfrequently it is to be observed about hay-ricks
and dung-hills; and in the most filthy of the latter
* Sorex araneus, LinncBus. La Musaraigne. Buffbn.
For the description of the Fetid Shrew, see the Synopsis, p. 36,
No. 20.
it
THE FETID SHREW. 227
it will root with its snout, like the Hog, for food.
It is generally considered to live on corn, worms,
insects, and the larva of insects, the latter of which
it finds in abundance in decayed dung. It runs
more slowly than the Common Mouse; and on this
account is easily overtaken, when pursued on open
ground. Its voice is a kind of shrill chirp or
whistle, not unlike that of some species of grass-
hopper.
The odour of these Shrews is musky, and so very
disagreeable, that although Cats are often knowa
to destroy them in great numbers, they will never
eat the bodies. To this nauseous smell, and well-
known aversion, is probably owing the ridiculous
notion, prevalent among the common people of
most parts of Great Britain, that the Fetid Shrew is
a venomous animal; and that, in particular, its bite
is hurtful to Horses. When a Horse, in the field, hap-
pened to be suddenly seized with any thing like a
numbness in his limbs, he was immediately judged,
by the old farriers, to be either planet-struck or shrew-
run. The mode of cure which they prescribed,
and which they considered as in all cases infallible,
was to drag the animal through a piece of a bram-
ble that grew at both ends. Had any of these sages
in horse-medicine taken the trouble to have ex-
amined the mouth of a Shrew, they would have
found it so small as by no means to be capable of
admitting double the thickness of any part of a
Q 2 Horse's
THE FETID SHREW.
Horse's skin, which is certainly necessary before the
animal can inflict a bite.
The females are supposed to breed more than
once in the year; and to produce, in general, four
or five young ones at a birth. Spring and summer
are the usual times in which the young have been
found. Mr. Pennant mentions a fact relative to the
Fetid Shrews, which I have never remarked, and
which, on enquiry, I cannot find to have been re^
marked by any of my acquaintance, (but which
may, nevertheless, have been correctly ascertained
by him,) that there is an annual mortality in these
animals, great numbers of them being found dead
in the paths, every August, without any apparent
cause.
The Fetid Shrew is one of the most common of
the British quadrupeds.
In Wales this Shrew is called llygoden goch, ch-wisf-
len, llyg: in France, musaraigne: in Italy, toporag-
no : in Spain and Portugal, murgariho, muferhano :
in Germany, muger, spigmus, zismus, spitzmaus,
haselmaus : in Holland, spitzmuis : in Switzerland,
miirer : in Savoy, muset, musette: in Hungary,
patkaanj: in Sweden, nabbmus: in Denmark, angel-
muus, nczbmuus, tnuuseskier: in Norway, nebbe-
muus, museskicer : in Lapland, zibac.
THE
( 229 )
THE WATER SHREW*.
WATER MOLE., OR LAVELLAN.
THE Water Shrew is an inhabitant of some parts
of France, Germany,, Prussia,, and Great Britain.
In France it was unknown till the year 1756, when
it was first observed and described by the justly
celebrated Daubenton. It has been long recog-
nized as a native of England ; but it is by no means
a common animal. It is occasionally met with in
the counties of Lincoln, Cumberland, and Lan-
caster. I have found it in the parish of Christ-
church, Hants; and Dr. Maton informs me, that
he has seen it in the vicinity of the river Avon, at
Alderbury, near Salisbury.
This Shrew inhabits the banks of ditches, streams,
and rivers; and seems, says Mr. Pennant, to be the
same animal which the inhabitants of Sutherland
call the Water Mole, and those of Cathness, La-
vellan-\. By the latter it is held in great abhor-
* Sorcx fodiens. Linnceus. La Musaraigne d'Eau. Buffbn.
For the description of the Water Shrew, see the Synopsis, p. 37,
No. 21.
f Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 127.
Q, 3 rence,
230 THE WATER SHREW.
rence, from a belief that it sometimes poisons
cattle.
It burrows into the banks, and is seldom to be
seen out of its hole at any time, except in the
evenings. It swims with great facility both on the
surface of the water, and submersed in it. Its voice
resembles the chirp of a grasshopper.
The female usually produces her offspring in the
early part of the summer; and brings about eight
young ones at a litter.
In the gall-vessel of one of these animals, M.
Daubenton discovered a considerable quantity of
worms, which, he informs us, were of a kind some-
what similar to the fasciolae, or fluke-worms, found
in the livers of sheep and some other animals*.
* Note by Latreille, in Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 253, n.
THE
THE FRINGE-TAILED WATER SHREW*.
IN most of their habits and economy, there can
be no doubt that the animals of the present
species resemble those of the last. A single indi-
vidual only, has, however, been hitherto disco-
vered ; and this was caught by W. J. Hooker, Esq.
in the month of June, 1803, in a ditch near
Norwich, where he remarked that it swam and
dived with as much facility as a Water Rat. The
stuffed skin is now in the possession of Mr. Hooker.
* Sorex ciliatus. Sowerby.
For the description of this Shrew, see the Synopsis, p. 38,
No. 22.
Q, 4 THE
( 232 )
OF URCHINS IN GENERAL.
URCHINS are animals usually of small size. They
feed, for the most part, on roots, worms, and the
larva of insects, which they dig up out of the
earth, by means of their muzzle or snout. None
of the species are carnivorous. They are never
guilty of commencing an attack on other animals;
nor, generally speaking, have they much cause to
fear the result of any attack from them. In their
own defence, they do not exert either their teeth
or claws. On the first alarm, they roll themselves
closely lip into a ball, which presents on all sides a
multitude of spines, so sharp and strong that few
animals have the power of doing them the slightest
injury. They continue in this passive state till
their adversary has retired, when they leisurely
unfold themselves, and proceed in their usual
employments.
Of the complicated and very curious organiza-
tion of the muscles, by which this singular mode
of defence takes place, the following is the abridged
description of M. Cuvier, professor of anatomy in
Paris:
" It is necessary, (he says,) in the first place, to
observe, that these muscles, being attached to the
skin, change their situation with it, and that they
are
OF URCHINS IN GENERAL. 233
are therefore fixed with respect to their points of
attachment only. We must then suppose the
animal placed in certain positions, in order that
the parts described may be more easily found.
" Let us suppose the Urchin rolled up, as in the
position the animal assumes for defence. All the
body is then enveloped under the skin, by an oval-
shaped sac, composed of fleshy and concentric
fibres. These fibres adhere closely to the skin, and
even to the root of the spines which cover it, and
it is difficult to detach them with instruments. The
fleshy purse they form is thickest at the margin of
its aperture, which corresponds to the belly, at
which place they form a kind of sphincter, or
muscle, with orbicular fibres.
" When the body of the Urchin is elongated, as
in standing or running, the figure of this muscle is
completely changed. It is situated on the animal's
back, where it forms an oval, the middle part of
which is very thin, but the circular margin con-
siderably thicker, and more elevated. Several ac-
cessary muscles arise from the different points of
the margin.
" Towards the head, or at the anterior extremity
of the oval, we observe two pairs of accessary
muscles; one has its origin in the middle line, and
is inserted into the bones of the nose; the other,
which arises more externally, appears to be con-
founded with the exterior orbicular fibres, and is
inserted anteriorly into the lateral parts of the nose
and
234 OF URCHINS IN GENERAL.
and intermaxillary bones. Another pair of muscles
arises from the posterior extremity of the oval.
They are of a broad pyramidal form, and are like-
wise continued with the external orbicular fibres.
The tendinous point of each is inserted laterally
near the end of the tail. There are also two other
sub-cutaneous muscles, situated towards the belly, or
below the great orbicular muscle.
" When the skin of the belly is removed, we
readily perceive three distinct portions of fleshy
fibres. The first is situated under the throat, and
corresponds to the cutaneus colli. It comes from
the top of the breast, under the skin, and is in-
serted . on the lateral parts of the head, near the
ears. The portion of one side unites to its cor-
respondent by a middle line, which is composed of
fat. The second comes from the middle line of
the sternum ; it takes an oblique direction, becom-
ing thicker and narrower above the shoulders, as it
proceeds to join the edge of the great orbicular
muscle. The third ventral portion, which is still
more slender than the two former, extends over
the whole surface of the abdomen; it arises from
the circumference of the arms, from the lateral
parts of the tail, and from the tops of the thighs:
upon reaching the ribs it divides. The internal
portion, which is .the broader of the two, passes
under the arm-pi^ and is inserted into the upper
part of the os humeri. The external portion is
prolonged
OF URCHINS IN GENERAL. 235
prolonged laterally, and unites with the great or-
bicular cutaneus, towards the neck.
" These are the muscles of the superficial layer :
there are still some others, which are appendices
of the former, and are situated under the muscles
of the back. One arises from the head, where it is
attached, on both sides, to the posterior edge of
the external meatus auditorius. It is lost poste-
riorly in the anterior point of the orbicular mus-
cle. Another small bundle of fleshy fibres arises
from the last cervical processes, and is lost in the
cutaneus of the back. Lastly, below the great
orbicular muscle, we observe some transverse
fibres, which form a very thin layer. The anterior
are attached to the internal and upper part of the
humerus: the posterior, to the external bundle of
the third neutral portion.
" Let us now consider the use of these muscles.
" The animal, when rolled up like a ball, is
enveloped by the orbicular muscle. To preserve
this position, it is sufficient to contract the mar-
ginal fibres, which are very strong, and which, in
closing the purse so as to cover the belly, have the
effect of a sphincter. When the animal wishes to
return to its ordinary posture, it unrolls itself thus:
The middle fibres of the oval contract; the Exter-
nal fibres at first relax, and leave the belly and the
feet free; all the circular fibres then contract toge-
ther, and gather up towards the back. By this
general contraction the accessary muscles are ren-
dered
236 OF URCHINS IN GENERAL.
dered fixed, and capable of contracting. The
anterior move the head upward, and extend it
towards the back. The posterior raise the tail.
Those of the deep-seated layer elevate the head
and neck. The animal is then enabled to walk.
"If the approach of danger induce the Urchin
to roll itself up, it accomplishes this in the follow-
ing manner:
<e The orbicular cutaneus relaxes, and the muscles
of the head and neck elongate the oval; the deep
transverse fibres attached to the external portion
of the ventral cutaneus, render it broader. Every
thing now yields to the impulse: the flexors, and
the cutaneus of the neck and breast, draw the head
towards the belly : the cutaneus, and the muscles of
the abdomen, bring the tail and thighs towards the
head; the flexors of the limbs contract; the great
orbicular muscle then descends on the ribs, con-
tracts obliquely, and thus, assuming the shape of a
purse, retains the animal in a globular form*/'
The Hedgehog is the only animal of the present
tribe that is an inhabitant of Europe. The other
six species are all natives of hot climates. Most of
them have a fetid and unpleasant smell.
* Cuvier's Lectures on Comparative Anatomy, ii. p. 576581.
THE
THE HEDGEHOG*
URCHIN.
HEDGEHOGS usually reside in thickets, hedges,
or the bottoms of dry ditches, where they can
find shelter and concealment under bushes and
fern. By far the greatest part of their time is passed
in" sleep. As soon as they awake,, which is always
in the evening, or during the night, they issue
from their holes in search of food. This consists
of worms, snails, insects and their larva, and various
kinds of roots and herbsf. In the day time they
are very seldom to be seen abroad.
These most harmless of all animals, have unjustly
been accused of sucking the teats of Sheep and
Cows ; and likewise of ascending trees for the pur-
po&e of carrying off fruit on the points of their
prickles. With respect to the former accusation,
it is to be remarked, that their mouths are much
too small to admit of their seizing the teats of
* Erinaceus Europeus. Linnceus. LeHerisson. Buffon.
For the description of the Hedgehog, see the Synopsis, p. 38,
No. 23.
f In confinement, they will devour flesh-meat, either raw or
cooked.
Cows;
238 THE HEDGEHOG.
Cows; and although the accusation is generally
believed by the common people to be founded in
truth, yet I could never hear of any person who
would pretend that he had himself been witness of
the fact. As to the latter, I can only state, that
several persons have at different times kept Hedge-
hogs, for a considerable while together, in their
gardens, and yet have never seen them either
attempt to climb into the fruit-trees, or to stick
even the fallen fruit upon their spines.
When (as I have stated generally in the account
of the Urchin tribe,) this animal is attacked or
alarmed, it adopts a very singular mode of de-
fence. It puts its head under the breast, draws
together its four legs, and forms itself into a kind
of oblong ball, which presents only sharp spines
on every side. Whilst thus folded together, the
contraction of the muscles is so powerful, that it
would be almost as easy to tear a Hedgehog in
pieces, as, by force, to pull it open. It has been
remarked, that, when the feet of this animal are
pinched, it usually utters a shrill scream. But the
barbarity of anatomists has proved, that Hedge-
hogs may sometimes be even dissected alive, with-
out their emitting any sounds of distress whatever.
At the commencement of winter, the Hedgehogs
form a deep and warm Jiybernaculum, chiefly of
moss, dried leaves, and grass. Into this they retire
as soon as the cold weather sets in; and they here
remain, in a torpid state, till the ensuing spring.
The
THE HEDGEHOG. 239
The animals are said to be so encircled with their
nest, as sometimes to resemble balls of dried leaves.
When taken out, and placed at a little distance
from the fire, they soon recover from their tor-
pidity. It is supposed that they do not lay up any
store of food for the winter, like some other
quadrupeds, but that they sleep during the whole
time of their retirement.
That these animals may be rendered tame and do-
cile, there are innumerable proofs. With the Calmuc
Tartars they are held in great esteem, being kept in
their huts, instead of Cats, for the purpose of driv-
ing away vermin. Their smell, however, is in
general so disgusting and powerful, as in habitable
apartments oftentimes to be found exceedingly
unpleasant.
In the month of June, 1781, four young hedge-
hogs, with their mother, were brought to M. de
Buffon. From their quills being perfectly formed,
he considered them as some weeks old. He put them
into a large wire cage, where he had previously
formed for them a bed of leaves. For the first two
days the only food he gave them was some pieces of
boiled beef, of which they sucked the juicy parts,
but in other respects left the meat entire. On the
third day he put into their cage several kinds of
plants, such as groundsel, bindweed, &c. but they
did not touch any of them. Notwithstanding this
apparently slender nouiishment, the mother did
not seem at all weakened, and often gave suck to
the
240 THE HEDGEHOG.
her litter. On the following days he gave them
cherries, bread,, and bullock's liver. Both the mo-
ther and her young ones sucked the latter very
greedily : they likewise ate a small part of the
bread, but would not touch the fruit. The juices
which they drew from the meat seem to have ren-
dered it unnecessary to give them any water; and
consequently, although they were allowed none
during the whole time that M. de BufFon kept
them., yet they were always fat, and apparently in
good health. The legs of the mother were so very
short, that when the young ones were inclined to
suck, she could not conveniently admit them under
her body as she stood, but was obliged to lie down
on one side, in order that they might take their
food with less difficulty.
M. de BufFon was inclined to try how far the
mother was really attached to her offspring ; and
for that purpose he one day opened the door of
the cage whilst all the young ones were asleep.
As soon as she perceived that the way was clear,
she walked out, went to the furthest part of the
garden, and would have left them to perish, had
she not been carried back*.
In the summer of 1769, the Reverend Mr. White,
of Selborne, procured a litter of young Hedgehogs,
apparently five or six days old. These were all
Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 237.
blind
THE HEDGEHOG. 241
blind when they were brought. He observes, that
at their birth, the spines of Hedgehogs must doubt-
less be soft and flexible, or else the dam must have
but a bad time in parturition. But it is plain that
they must soon harden; for these young ones had
such stiff prickles on their backs and sides, as would
have fetched blood, had the animals not been
handled with caution. The spines at this age are
perfectly white ; and the animals have little hang-
ing ears, which Mr. White says he did not recol-
lect to be observable in old Hedgehogs. At this
early age they could, in part, draw their skin
down over their faces; but they were not able
to contract themselves into a ball, from the mus-
cles not haying arrived at their full tone and
firmness*.
Hedgehogs live in pairs; and the females pro-
duce their young ones, usually four or five in
number, some time in the spring of the year.
The nest is large, and composed principally of
moss.
The flesh of the Hedgehog is occasionally used
as food, and is said to be very delicate eating.
The skin was sometimes employed by the ancients,
in the place of a brush, for the cleaning of clothes.
In some parts of the continent it is customary for
White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 131, 132.
R the
THE HEDGEHOG.
the farmers to put the skin of a Hedgehog on
the muzzle of a Calf which they are about to
wean, in order that the Cow may not permit it to
suck.
" As a curious example/ (observes Dr. Shaw,,)
of the absurdities which sometimes occur in the
works of the older writers, we may remark, that,
according to Albertus Magnus, the right eye of a
Hedgehog, fried in oil, and kept in a brass vessel,
imparts all its virtues to the oil, which, used as a
collyrium, or ointment, for the eyes, produces
such a clearness of vision as to enable a person to
see as well by night as by day ! ! And Pliny
affirms, that its gall, mixed with the brain of a
Bat, is a good depilatory, or application, for the
removing of superfluous hair*!"
Hedgehogs are by no means uncommon animals
in any of the cultivated districts either of Great
Britain or Ireland.
./>#** "*
This animal is called draenog, and draen y coed,
in Wales: in France, herisson: in Italy, riccio,
erinaceo, aizzo : in Spain, erizo: in Portugal, ourizo,
Shaw's General Zoology, i. p. 576.
orico
THE- HEDGEHOG. 243
orico cachero: in Germany, igel: in Holland,
egel, eegel-varken, yzervarchen, yseren verchen: in
Sweden, igelkot : in Denmark, pind-swin: in Po-
land,, jez, zcennay : in Norway, bustivil : in Russia,
iefti.
END OF PART I,
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS
PART II.
.1
( 247 )
GLIRES.
OF MURINE QUADRUPEDS IN
GENERAL.
NEARLY all the animals of the present tribe are,
in some measure,, injurious to the labours of
mankind, in every country where they are found.
The inhabitants of Great Britain are very little
annoyed by them, comparatively with those of
several of the countries both of Europe and Asia;
since out of about fifty species, in the whole, there
are only seven that are natives of our islands. In
many parts of Russia and Siberia, they collect to-
gether in numbers almost beyond conception, and
wander in immense troops from place to place,
carrying devastation through their whole progress.
Most of the species reside in burrows which they
dig in the ground, among the chinks of rocks,
under stones, or in the holes of walls or other
buildings. In these retreats they remain concealed
during the day time, and only emerge at night in
pursuit of food. This consists, for the most part,
S 2 of
248 THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT.
of vegetables. Many of the animals, however, are
omnivorous, and devour, with avidity, almost every
kind of substance, animal or vegetable, that lies in
their way. They are, in general, well adapted for
climbing trees, rocks, or walls; and some of them
are able to swim with great agility.
All the species are prolific. The females have
from eight to twelve teats; and generally produce,
(more than once in the year,) from six to fourteen
young ones at a litter.
THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT*.
ALTHOUGH this Rat is popularly known by the
name of Norway Rat, it is, in fact, a native of
Persia and India, from whence it was originally
introduced into Europe. It first appeared in Eng-
land in the beginning of the last century ; and it
did not reach the neighbourhood of Paris till
towards the year 1750. Professor Pallas assures
us, that these Rats, now very common in all parts
of Russia and Siberia, were not at all known at
Ja'ik, in 1766. It was in the summer of that year,
* Mus decumanus. Linnctus. Le Surmulot. Buffon.
For the description of this Rat see the Synopsis, p. 40, No. 24.
which
THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT. 249
which happened to be very hot and dry, that they
one evening arrived, in immense multitudes,, from
the heaths of the river Samara, to the environs of
Ja'itzkoi-gorodok, the capital of theCossacs of Ja'ik.
The inhabitants say, that part of the animals entered
the town by climbing over the ramparts, and that
others passed through one of the gates. Since this
period, they have proved themselves a serious
scourge to the people; but what is peculiarly
deserving of remark is, that by far the greater part
of the Rats continue to reside only on the eastern
side of the principal street of the town. This
writer likewise informs us, that Serepta, a town
situated on the bank of the Volga, a few years be-
fore his arrival there, (in 1793,) was suddenly
infested by vast multitudes of Brown Rats. The
animals, however, after swimming over the mill-
dam, in open day, continued their route towards
Tzaritzin !
There were no Rats in North America till they
were transported thither by the European settlers ;
but their numbers are now increased so as to become
2i serious pest to the colonies.- The depredations
which they commit in the plantations are occasion-
ally very great indeed.
The Brown Rats, wherever they have taken up
their residence amongst us, have entirely extir-
pated the formerly common kinds; and in Ireland
it is said that they have very nearly destroyed even
the whole race of frogs. Few animals are, indeed,
S3 in
250 THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT.
in every respect, so voracious and destructive
as these. They not only devour in the fields
young Rabbets, Hares, and various kinds of winded
game, but they often get into hen-roosts, where,
like the Polecat, they generally destroy many more
than they are able to eat. They likewise gnaw in
pieces, clothes, furniture, paper, and leather ; in
short, nothing seems to come amiss to them. In-
stances have occurred of their even attacking Pigs
that have been put up to fatten: they have some-
times overcome these, and eaten through their
thick and tough hide, into the body. When other
provisions fall short, they are often known to de-
vour their own species; and it is to this propensity
that we are chiefly indebted for the number of the
animals being kept within any tolerable bounds.
It is not, perhaps, generally known that the Nor-
way Rats will devour fruit, and particularly apples,
with great avidity. In the travels of Sonnini into
Greece, a somewhat singular instance of this pro-
pensity is related. Whilst his ship was at anchor in
the harbour of Rhodes, it was full of these destruc-
tive animals. A Greek bark, laden with apples, cast
anchor at a little distance from the vessel. The
French sailors, without making any noise, affixed
to her, during the night, a hawser, which they
drew tight, in order to serve as a bridge by
which the Rats might pass into the bark. The v
animals passed along the rope, without the ex-
ception
THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT. 25 1
ception of a single one, and thus entirely cleared
the ship*.
A large Rat is an exceedingly strong and power-
ful animal ; and it sometimes requires great cou-
rage and strength in a Cat to oppose and defeat one
of them. The Weesel, though smaller, is a more
dangerous enemy than the Cat, because it can fol-
low the Rats into their closest retreats. The com-
bat between these two creatures is often sharp and
long. Their manner of. fighting is very different;
and this gives the Weesel much the advantage. The
Rat can only wound by snatches, and with his fore-
teeth, which are more calculated for gnawing than
biting; whereas the Weesel bites fiercely with its
whole jaw, and instead of afterwards letting go,
like the Rat, it continues its hold, and sucks the
blood through the wound, till the Rat sinks ex-
hausted under its gripe.
The males are said generally to be much larger,
more strong and mischievous, than the females.
When closely pursued, they have sometimes cou-
rage to turn upon the assailant, and seize the stick
or hand of the person who attempts to strike them.
Their bite is by many people thought to be poi-
sonous. M. de BufFon says, that it is generally fol-
lowed by a painful swelling, and that the wound,
though small, does not soon heal.
-* Sonnini's Travels in Greece and Turkey, i. p. 140.
During
252 THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT.
During the summer, the animals,, for the most
part, leave their habitations about buildings, to
reside in holes in the neighbourhood of rivers,
ditches, and ponds. In these places Dogs will
chace them with the same eagerness that they
do the Water Rat. When thus pursued, the Rats
can equally take to the water, or shelter them-
selves amongst the close and thorny bottoms
of hedges and thickets. They even prefer the
former, plunging in without dread, and swim-
ming or diving with the greatest facility. It is
from this circumstance that the real Water Rats
are, by many persons, believed to frequent barns
and outhouses during the winter season, and to
commit their depredations like the Brown and
the Black Rats. About the month of November,
but sooner or later according to the season, the
females and young ones of the present species quit
the fields, and proceed, sometimes in troops, to
the outhouses. The old males are said still to
remain in the fields, each in his hole, where he has
accumulated acorns, beech-mast, and other pro-
visions, to serve him during the cold season. They
do not become torpid in winter; but/ in fine days,
are often observed to venture abroad out of their
holes.
The females produce young ones generally more
than twice in the year; and at each litter they have
as many as from ten to twenty in number. M. de
Buflfon informs us, that when these animals were
first
THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT. 1253
first seen in France, he received some females that
were with young. He kept them in cages for two
or three days; and before they brought forth, he
observed that they gnawed into minute pieces the
interior wooden part of the cages, and put the frag-
ments together as beds for their little ones.
The inhabitants of California, and some other
foreign countries, eat the flesh of Rats, and consider
it a palatable and excellent food. Some of the
Japanese tame these animals, and teach them to
perform many entertaining tricks; and, thus in-
structed, they are exhibited as a show for the diver-
sion of the people*.
We are informed, in the Statistical Account of
Scotland, that white Rats are often seen in the
Highlands during the winter monthsf.
In France the Brown Rats are sometimes called
rats de bois ; but, as in England, they are generally
confounded with the ensuing species.
* Kaempfer's Japan, i. p. 126.
t Sinclair' Statistical Account of Scotland, i. p. 487.
THE
( 254 )
THE COMMON OR BLACK RAT*.
THE present species, like the former, is believed
to have been originally brought into Europe,
though several centuries ago, from Persia or some
parts of India. Its numbers, however, of late years,
have been greatly diminished ; and from some
countries it has been almost extirpated, in con-
sequence of the prevalence and superior strength
of the Norway Rats.
In their general manners and habits of life there
is a near alliance betwixt the two species ; but the
Black Rats, from their smaller size and inferior
powers of body, are capable of by no means so
much mischief as the others. By the change, there-
fore, of the Black for the Norway Rats, in this
country, instead of deriving a benefit, we have, in
many respects, been considerable sufferers.
What is a very remarkable circumstance in these
Rats is, that they have a singular predisposition for
the stone. M. Morand, of Paris, fn minutely ex-
amining more than twenty Rats,, observed, that
* Mus Eattus.LiniKEUs. Le Eat. Bujfon.
For the description of the Black Rat, see the Synopsis, p. 4J,
No. 25.
above
THE COMMON OR BLACK RAT. 255
above half of them were attacked by this disease.
He informs us that it is much more frequent in
males than females ; and that almost all Rats, when
they become old, have stones in their urinary
passages, and swellings and ulcers in the kidneys.
In one Rat, M. Morand found twelve stones, of
which nine had become of the size of a coriander
seed, and three were smaller. From others he
took out stones of the size of a grain of wheat.
The composition of these stones was very different
from that of stones found in other animals. Instead
of having, like those, a somewhat spherical nu-
cleus, serving as a basis to concretions which are
formed round it in an infinite number of ex-
tremely thin layers, the present had the same com-
position throughout. Their shape also was dif-
ferent, some of them being oval, and others
cubical : and the cubical ones, it was remarked, had
always a shining surface*.
Like the former species, the Black Rats breed
frequently in the year ; and they commonly pro-
duce six or seven young ones at a litter. For these
the females form a comfortable nest, of wool, bits
of cloth, hay, or straw, in some dry and warm
place, about barns or other outhouses. It is said
that they do not suckle them long ; but that, as soon
* Letter of M. Morand, Medecin de la Faculte" de Paris, inserted
in Melanges d'Histoire Naturelle, i. p. 138.
as
256 THE WATER RAT.
as their stomachs will bear it, they are fed with
more solid food. M. de Buffon informs us, that
when the young ones first quit their holes, the
dams watch, defend, and will even fight Cats to save
them*.
The name by which the Black Rat is known in
Wales, is llygodenjferngig: in France, Rot: in Italy,
rottodicasa: in Spain, raton, rata: in Portugal,
rato: in Germany, ratz : in Holland, rot, rotte : in
Sweden, rotta: in Denmark, rotte: in Poland,
sczurez: in Hungary, gasu, malomeger: in Russia,
krysa.
THE WATER RATf.
IN its manners and disposition, the Water Rat
somewhat resembles the Otter. Like that animal,
it forms a lodgement in the bank of some river,
ditch, or pond, and seeks its subsistence from the
adjacent water. Its prey consists chiefly of small
fish, frogs, and tad-poles; and where all these are
* Buffoiij par Sonnini, xxv. p. 189.
{ Mus amphibius. Linncem. Le Eat cTEau.- Buffon.
For the description of the Water Rat, see the Synopsis, p. 42,
No. 26.
scarce,
THE WATER RAT. 257
scarce., which indeed can seldom be the case in the
places where it takes its residence, the Water
Rat has recourse to aquatic plants for subsist-
ence*.
This animal is never found about houses or
barns; but it has sometimes been observed in
meadows and gardens., feeding on the roots of
herbs and shrubs. As a farmer of Selborne, in
Hampshire,, in the winter of 1769,, was ploughing
up a dry chalky field, far removed from any water,
he turned out of the earth a Water Rat, that was
curiously laid up in an liybernaculum, or winter's
nest, neatly and compactly formed of grass and
leaves. At one end of the burrow there was found
more than a gallon of potatoes, all regularly stored,
laid up, no doubt, for the support of the animal
till the returning spring. The Rev. Mr. White,
from whose writings this anecdote is taken, asks
these questions: How came thia^amphibious animal
to fix its winter station at such a distance from the
water? Was it determined, in its choice of the
place, by the accident of finding the potatoes
which were planted there? Or js it the constant
practice of the Water Rat to forsake the neighbour-
hood of water during the colder monthsf?
*Two or three Water Rats that I have opened, had their stomach
entirely filled with a macerated vegetable substance.
f White's W T orks in Natural History, ii. p. 129.
T those
258 THE WATER RAT.
Notwithstanding the circumstance of its toes be-
ing unconnected by webs, and thus differing from
those of most other animals which seek their food
in the water, this Rat riot only swims on the sur-
face, but under it, with singular facility. It is
also able to continue, for a great length of time,
submersed, without coming to the surface to
breathe.
Its general enemies seem to be the larger and
more voracious species of fish, and particularly
the pike, in the stomach of which it has often
been found. Dogs also pursue it with great eager-
ness. It is a savage animal; and, when laid hold of,
will bite with great keenness and ferocity.
The females usually litter in the month of April,
producing six or eight young ones at a birth. It
is probable that they may procreate more than
once in the year; but this has not yet been ascer-
tained. At some particular seasons they have a
strong musky odour.
The flesh of the Water Rats is held* in. high
esteem by the inhabitants of several parts of the
Russian empire, as an article of food; and in all
Roman Catholic countries it is allowed to be eaten
during lent.
This animal, in Wales, is called llygoden y dwft :
in France, rat cVeau : in Italy, sorgo morgange : in
Spain
1
THE COMMON MOUSE. 259
Spain, raton de agua: in Portugal, rato de agoa: in
Germany, wqffermusz: in Holland, water rot: in
Sweden, ivatn-rotta : in Denmark, vand-rotte: in
Poland, myss-wodna: in Norway, vas muus vands-
Jcicer: in Russia, wodjanoi fcrot : in Hungary, gaati-
eger.
THE COMMON
THE Mouse is an inhabitant of almost every part
of the world ; and although there is some doubt
whether it was originally a native of America, it is
now become very common in that country, and is
likewise at p'resent found in most of the American
islands.
Timid by nature, and familiar only from neces-
sity, fear and want are the sole springs of its
actions ; and, consequently, it seldom leaves its
hiding place but for the purpose of seeking food.
It is entirely a domestic animal, and never to be
found in fields, or in countries unfrequented by
mankind.
* MILS Musculus. Linn&us. La Souris. Bujfon.
For the description of the Mouse, see the Synopsis, p. 43, No. 27.
T 2 It
260 THE COMMON MOUSE.
It is a mischievous little creature,, eating or
gnawing almost every thing that comes in its way.
Occasionally it is very frolicsome, squatting on its
tail,, and cleaning its face and fur with its paws;
and then suddenly leaping up and gamboling about
in the most pleasing antics. From the general
neatness of its form, and the great degree of
sprightliness and vivacity that is expressed in all its
actions, it is certainly an interesting animal. When
it first creeps out of its hole into a room where
any person happens to be sitting, the least noise or
motion will send it back, with precipitation, to its
retreat. But if it is often suffered to enter without
interruption, and particularly if food is placed for
it on the floor, it by degrees attains confidence,
and at length will venture to run about the room
apparently without fear. Still, however, its timi-
dity is so great, that, on the slightest recurrence of
the noise, it is driven to its hole for shelter and
security.
I recollect, that once, after having caught a Mouse
in a wire trap, I set it before me on the table at
which I was writing, in order that I might observe
its motions. At first it was greatly alarmed, in its new
and exposed situation; but when, in the course of a
quarter of an hour, I presented it with a bit of
sugar, the animal, without much hesitation, took
it from my fingers, and, sitting nearly upright on
its hind legs, and holding the sugar in its fore-feet,
in a moment devoured it. I cut off part of its hair,
and
THE COMMON MOUSE. 26 1
and set it at liberty. It is almost needless to say,
that it -never again visited its prison. This little
anecdote proves, that, notwithstanding the naturally
fearful disposition of these animals, their timidity
is to be overcome by hunger.
From their weakness and small size, Mice have
more enemies than Rats. They are preyed upon
by Cats, Weesels, Rats, owls, and various other
animals; and men, by means of traps, &c. de-
stroy them in immense numbers. The root of
white hellebore and staves-acre, powdered and
mixed with meal, is a certain poison to them.
The fecundity of these animals is immense, since
they breed several times in the year, and produce
at each litter from six to ten young ones, which,
in the course of fifteen days, become sufficiently
strong to procure food for themselves.
A variety of the Common Mouse is sometimes
observed of a milk-white colour, with red eyes.
This is found not only in temperate climates, but
in both the northern and southern parts of the two
' continents of Europe and America. In England it
sometimes, but very rarely, occurs.
In Wales this little animal is called llygoden: in
France, souris: in Italy, topo, sorice, sorgio di casa:
in Spain, rat, raton: in Portugal, ratinho : in Ger-
T 3 many,
THE FIELD MOUSE*
many, musz, maus : in Holland,, muis, huis-muis :
in Sweden, mus: in Denmark, mum, lille muus: in
Poland, myss: in Hungary, eger : in Norway, huus-
muus : in Russia, mysch, domascliaaja mijsch.
THE LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE*.
FIELD MOUSE. FIELD RAT, OR WOOD MOUSE.
The Field Mice frequent dry and elevated
grounds, particularly jsuch as are woody, or co-
vered with thickets. They are extremely common
in all the temperate parts of Europe.
In some districts of France, and even in our own
country, these animals, small as they are, have at
times proved seriously destructive to the industry
of the farmer; ravaging, and committing great de-
predations in his corn-fields, and particularly in
such as are sown with beans or peas, of which they
sometimes devour the greatest part of the seed.
They likewise frequent meadows, woods, and gar-
* Mus sylvaticus. Linnaeus. Le Mulot. Buffbn.
For the description of the Field Mouse, see the Synopsis, p. 44,
No. 23
dens,
THE FIELD MOUSE. 263
dens, where they feed on acorns, beech-mast, and
nuts of different kinds.
"Their places of concealment (saysM. deBuffon,
whose account is so excellent, that I shall quote
nearly the whole of it) are holes under brush-wood,
or trunks of trees. They here amass such quantities
of nuts and acorns, that a bushel of these lias often
been found contained in one of them,- and this
provison does not seem to be proportioned so
much to the wants of the animals, as to "the capacity
of the places allotted for its reception. The holes
are generally more than a foot underground, and
often divided into two cells, the one for living in
with their young, and the other as a granary.
" I have often witnessed the great damage done
by these animals. They will run along the furrow
of a plough, and taking up the newly-sown acorns,
will convey them, one by one, to their holes; and
in a nursery of trees they are more destructive than
all the birds and other animals put together. The
only method I could ever find to prevent this evil,
was to set traps, at the distance of about every ten.
paces, through the whole extent of the newly sown
ground. No other preparation is necessary than
placing a roasted walnut under a flat stone, sup-
ported by a piece of stick, to which the walnut
must be fastened. This bait they are very fond of,
and will come eagerly to seize it ; but no sooner
do they begin to gnaw, than the stone falls upon
and crushes them to death. When I first adopted
T 4 this
264 THE FIELD MOUSE.
this method, I desired that all the animals caught
in the traps might be brought to me ; and I was
greatly astonished when I found that more than a
hundred were taken every day, in a piece of land
consisting dnly of about forty acres. I obtained in
this manner more than two thousand, in the course
of twenty-three days, from the fifteenth of Novem-
ber to the eighth of December. Their numbers
afterwards decreased gradually, till the hard frosts
commenced, when the remaining animals retired to
their holes, to feed upon what they had collected*."
In some parts of the continent, the multitudes of
Field Mice have occasionally been so immense as to
plunder whole districts, leaving scarcely any thing
that was eatable, either in the gardens or fields.
Muschenbroek has related, that they were so nu-
merous in Holland, in the year 1742, that one pea-
sant killed in his fields betwixt five and six thou-
sand. This scourge is the more terrible, since it
frequently happens that every attention, and every
imaginable stratagem, are insufficient to destroy
them, till the violent rains set in, which often thin
their numbers, by drowning them in thousands at a
time. The rains, however, sometimes come too
late for the farmer, and then, instead of the crops
of corn which he had reasonably looked forward
to, he has nothing to reap but a wreck of the straw.
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 208, 209.
It
THE FIELD MOUSE. 265
It is in the autumn that these Mice chiefly abound.
In spring they are not so numerous; for when-
ever, in the winter, their provisions run short, the
strong animals always attack and devour the weak
ones. They are likewise destroyed, in great num-
bers, at all times of the year that they appear
abroad, by hawks, owls, Foxes, and Weesels.
Asa proof that, on the least scarcity of provi-
sions, they will devour their own species, M. de
BufFon informs us, that he once put a dozen Field
Mice into a cage, and accustoined them to be regu-
larly fed every morning at eight o'clock : but neg-
lecting them one morning for about a quarter of
an hour, one of them had been eaten by the others.
Next day they devoured another; and in the course
of a few days only one was left, all the rest having
been killed, and in part eaten : even the one that
survived had his legs and tail much mutilated*.
The increase of these animals is, if possible, more
rapid than that of Rats. The females bring forth
three or four times in the year; and seldom have
fewer, though sometimes many more, than nine or
ten young ones at a litter. A peasant, on the
estate of M. de BufFon, once took twenty young
ones out of a single nest. The females make a
bed for their offspring, either in a tuft of grass, or
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 210.
immediately
266 THE HARVEST MOUSE.
/
immediately below the surface of the ground, in a
place nicely prepared for the purpose.
In Wales thi species of Mouse is called Uygoden
ganolig, llygoden y macs: in France, mulot, grand
rat des champs, ratte a la grand queue, rat saute-
relle : in Denmark, voed.
THE HARVEST MOUSE*.
Tins Mouse, which is the smallest of all the British
quadrupeds, seldom exceeds the sixth part of an
ounce in weight. It was first discovered in Hamp-
shire, by the late Rev. Mr. White of Selborne,
about the year 1767 ; and it is not hitherto known
to inhabit any part of the world, except some of the
southern counties of England.
Like the Field Mouse, it does not enter dwelling-
houses ; but it is often carried in sheaves of corn,
out of the field, into corn ricks : and, as the fe-
males produce their offspring in the autumn, it
often happens that a hundred, or more, are found
* Mus Messorius. Shaw.
The Harvest Mouse was unknown to Linnaeus. For the descrip-
tion of it, see the Synopsis, p. 45, No. 29.
in
L
I
ffe
THE HARVEST MOUSE. 267
in a single rick, when pulled down to be housed.
Those that are not thus carried away in the sheaves,
shelter themselves, during winter, under the surface
of the ground, in some deep burrow; at the bot-
tom of which they form a warm and comfortable
bed of grass, and other softer substances.
About the middle of September, 1804, I had a
female Harvest Mouse given to me by Mrs. Camp-
bell, of Chewton House, Hants. It had been put into
a Dormouse cage, immediately when caught, and a
few days afterwards produced eight young ones. I
entertained some hopes that the little animal would
have nursed these, and brought them up ; but hav-
ing been disturbed in her removal, about four
miles, from the country, she began to destroy
them, and I took them from her. The young ones,
at the time I received them, (not more than two
or three days old,) must have been at least equal in
weight to the mother.
After they were removed, she soon became re-
conciled to her situation; and, when there was no
noise, would venture to come out of her hiding
place, at the extremity of the cage, and climb
about among the wires of the open part, before
me. In doing this, I remarked that her tail was, in
some measure, prehensile; and that, to render her
hold the more secure, she generally coiled the ex-
tremity of it round one of the wires. The toes of
all the feet were particularly long and flexile, and
she could grasp the wires very firmly with any of
them.
268 THE HARVEST MOUSE.
them. She frequently rested on her hind-feet,
somewhat in the manner of the Jerboa, for the pur-
pose of looking about her; and in this attitude
could extend her body, at such an angle as at first
greatly surprised me. She was a beautiful little
animal; and her various attitudes in cleaning her
face, head, and body, with her paws, were peculiarly
graceful and elegant.
For a few days after I received this Mouse, I
neglected to give it any water; but when I after-
wards put some into the cage, she lapped it with
great eagernesss. After lapping, she always raised
herself on her hind feet, and cleaned her head with
her paws. She continued, even till the time of her
death, exceedingly shy and timid ; but whenever I
put into the cage any favourite food, such as grains
of wheat or maize, she would eat them before me.
On the least noise or motion, however, she imme-
diately ran off", with the grain in her mouth, to her
hiding place.
One evening, as I was sitting at my writing desk,
and the animal was playing about in the open part
of its cage, a large blue^fly happened to buzz
against the wires. The little creature, although at
twice or thrice the distance of her own length from
it, sprang along the wires with the greatest agility,
and would certainly have seized it, had the space
betwixt the wires been sufficiently wide to have
admitted her teeth or paws to reach it. I was sur-
prised at this occurrence, as I had been led to be-
lieve
THE HARVEST MOUSE.
lieve that the Harvest Mouse was merely a grani-
vorous animal. I caught the fly, and made it buzz
in my fingers against the wires. The Mouse,, though
usually shy and timid, immediately came out of her
hiding place., and running to the spot, seized and
devoured it. From this time I fed her with insects,
whenever I could get them; and she always pre-
ferred them to any other kind of food that I offered
her.
When this Mouse was first put into her cage, a
piece of fine flannel was folded up into the dark
part of it, as a bed, and I put some grass and bran
into the large open part. In the course of a few
days all the grass was removed; and on examining
the cage, I found it very neatly arranged betwixt
the folds of the flannel, and rendered more soft by
being mixed with the knap of the flannel, which
the animal had torn off in considerable quantity
for the purpose. The chief part of this opera-
tion must have taken place in the night; for al-
though the Mouse was generally, awake and active
during the day time, yet I never once observed
it employed in removing the grass.
On opening its nest, about the latter end of
October, 1804, 1 remarked that there were, amongst
the grass and wool at the bottom, about forty grains
of maize. These appeared to have been arranged
with some care and regularity; and every grain had
the corcule, or growing part, eaten out, the lobes
only being left. This seemed so much like an
operation
270 THE HARVEST MOUSE.
operation induced by the instinctive propensity
that some quadrupeds are endowed with, for
storing up food for support during the winter
months, that I soon afterwards put into the cage
about a hundred additional grains of maize. These
were all in a short time carried away; and on a se-
cond examination, I found them stored up in the
manner of the former. But though the animal was
well supplied with other food, and particularly
with bread, which it seemed very fond of, and al-
though it continued perfectly active through the
whole winter, on examining its nest a third time,
about the end of November, I observed that the
food in its repository was all consumed, except
about half a dozen grains.
This interesting little animal died in the month
of December, 1806, after a confinement of two
years and a quarter. I have some reason to
believe that its death was occasioned by water
being put into its cage, in a shell picked up on
the sea shore, that had been much impregnated
with salt.
School-boys, in various parts of Hampshire, keep
these Mice in cages. They catch them when very
young; and the animals then become so exceed-
ingly tame as to allow themselves to be handled,
without any symptoms of alarm. But those that
are caught when full grown, generally continue
shy and timid as long as they live. There is no-
thing unpleasant in the smell of these little crea-
tures, as there is in most others of the murine tribe.
The
THE HARVEST MOUSE. 27 I
The Harvest Mice are observed to be most
abundant about the month of September, when the
young ones are large and strong enough to run
about. The females build their nest amongst the
straws of the corn, above the ground, and some-
times in thistles. This nest is round and compact,
composed of blades of corn and grass, and is gene-
rally found to contain about eight young ones.
One of the nests is thus described by Mr. White of
Selborne. " It was most artificially platted, and
composed of blades of wheat; perfectly round, and
about the size of a cricket-ball ; with the aperture
so ingeniously closed, that there was no discover-
ing to what part it belonged. It was so compact
and well filled, that it would roll across the table
without being discomposed, though it contained
eight young Mice that were naked and blind. As
this nest was perfectly full, how could the dam come
at her litter respectively, so as to administer a teat to
each ? Perhaps she opens different places for that
purpose, adjusting them again when the business is
over ; but she could not possibly be contained her-
self in the ball with her young, which, moreover,
would be daily increasing in bulk. This wonderful
procreant cradle, an elegant specimejj of the efforts
of instinct, was found in a wheat-field, suspended
in the head of a thistle*/'
White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 59.
THE
( 272 )
THE MEADOW MOUSE*.
SHORT-TAILED FIELD MOUSE.
IN their general manners,, and in most of their
-habits of life, these animals, which are oftentimes
found in too great abundance both in great Britain
and Ireland, seem very nearly allied to the Field
Mice. It has, however, been remarked, that they
frequent moist, in preference to dry situations,
and that they are seldom known to infest gardens.
They dig holes in the earth, where they amass corn,
nuts, and acorns; but corn is their most favourite
food. Their holes, although they are generally less
spacious, and not dug so deep in the ground, are si-
milar to those of the Long-tailed Field Mice, and are
usually divided into two compartments. Dr. Barry
informs us, that the roads, or tracks, made by these
animals amongst the moss, and short heath, in : the
Orkney Islands, are about three inches in breadth,
and sometimes extend for several miles in length.
* Mus arvalis. Linnceus. Le Campagnol. Buffbn.
For the description of the Meadow Mouse, see the Synopsis, p. 46,
No. 30.
He
THE MEADOW MOUSE. 273
He says that they are much worn by continual
treading, and that they are warped into a thousand
different directions*.
As soon as the corn begins to ripen, the Meadow
Mice collect together from all quarters, and fre-
quently commit great havoc, by cutting the stalks
in order to come at the ears. When all the corn
is carried out of the fields, and nothing more is
left for them there, they generally resort to the
newly sown lands; and, if the numbers happen to
be great, their depredations will sometimes defeat
all the hopes of the succeeding year. Many of
them, like the Harvest Mice, are conveyed in the
sheaves into corn-ricks and barns, where they
occasionally do much damage. But those that
are left in the fields, either retire into the woods,
if there happen to be any in the neighbourhood,
to feed on the fallen acorns and beech-mast, or
retreat to their holes for the winter, and there live
upon what food they have previously amassed to-
gether.
We are informed by M. de Buffon, that in
France the Meadow Mice appear, in some years,
in such amazing numbers, that, were they to con-
tinue undiminished for any great length of time,
they would commit the most alarming devasta-
tions. When their proper food becomes scarce,
Barry's History of the Orkney Islands, p. 316.
U they,
274- THE MEADOW MOUSE.
they, however, attack and devour their own spe-
cies. It is said that Dogs will eat these Mice with
great eagerness; but that Cats, though they often
kill them, always reject them as food*.
The females form, for their young ones, a soft
nest, of grass and other materials from the fields,
generally in moist meadows. They produce twice
in the year, in spring and summer, and have
from six to eight young ones at each litter. The
affection of these animals for their offspring is
scarcely exceeded by any others whatever. Mr.
Pennant assures us, that a female Meadow Mouse
was seduced into a wire trap, by placing its brood
into it; and she was so intent on fostering them,
as to seem perfectly regardless of her captivityf.
The Meadow Mouse is called, in Wales, llygoden
gwtta'r maes: in France, campagnol, mulot a court t
queue, petit rat des champs, ratte couette: in Italy,
campagnoli: in Germany, kleine feldmaus : in Aus-
tria, erdzeist : in Holland, veldmuus : in Denmark,
maarkmuus, skier-muus : in Sweden, molle : in
Russia, pestzoisoaja-mysch.
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 224.
t Pennant's British Zoology, i. p. 124.
OP
( 275 )
OF SQUIRRELS IN GENERAL.
THE Squirrels are elegantly formed animals; and
most of the species are remarkable for the spright-
liness of their motions. They climb the smooth
trunks of trees with the utmost agility ; and skip
about among the branches almost like birds. Two
or three of the species reside in burrows, which they
dig under the surface of the earth. These never
climb; and consequently have the name of Ground
Squirrels. About six are furnished with mem-
branes, extending on each side of their body, from
the fore to fhe hind legs, by which they are ren-
dered so buoyant in the air, that, in leaping from
the high branches of one tree to the lower ones of
another, they can pass a very considerable space,
without danger of falling to the ground.
The tails of all the Tree Squirrels are exceedingly
long, bushy, and light, having the long hairs so ex-
tended towards each side, as to render this member
much wider than it is deep. In the extensive leaps
that the animals take from tree to tree, their tail
seems to serve the same purpose which the feather
does to an arrow: it balances the body, arid renders
their motion through the air much more steady
than it would otherwise be. In their ordinary mo-
tions, or when they are at rest, the Squirrels gene-
1 U 2 rally
27 6 OF SQUIRRELS IN GENERAL.
rally carry their tails erect, or laid over their back,,
in order, say some writers, to protect them from
the sun or rain.
All the species live on vegetable food, such
chiefly as fruit, nuts, and the bark, seeds, and buds
of trees. They sit upright on their hind legs to
eat. None of them are carnivorous.
Some few of the species live in troops, consisting
of immense numbers; and they are occasionally
known to commit great depredations in cultivated
countries. A reward of three pence per head was
offered by the government of Pennsylvania, in the
year 1749, for the destruction of the Grey Squir-
rels*; and, in the course of twelve months, this
reward was claimed for no fewer than six hundred
and forty thousand.
Most of the Squirrels may be rendered tame;
and, in confinement, they are generally frolicsome
and playful animals. But, on the least irritation,
they will bite very keenly.
The skins of all the species are considered va-
luable as furs; and their flesh is a very palatable
food.
* Sciurus dnereus of Linnaeus.
THE
277
THE COMMON SQUIRREL*.
No animal is more admired for elegance of form,,
-or general beauty of appearance, nor can any be
more active,, sprightly, or graceful in its motions,
than this. During the whole day it is constantly
awake and alert; and, in its native woods, may
often be observed moving about with admirable
agility among the branches of the trees, sometimes
elevating its light and spreading tail, and sometimes
carrying it stretched out at full length. It runs
along the trunks and branches of trees without any
apprehension of danger, and leaps from tree to
tree with such certainty as seldom indeed to lose its
hold.
This activity renders it a very difficult task to
take full-grown Squirrels alive. School-boys,
however, sometimes contrive to do this, by going,
in great numbers, into the woods, and pursuing the
animals with violent noises. On such occasions
their recollection forsakes them, and they often fall
to the ground from terror and alarm.
* Sciurus vulgaris. Linnaeus. L'ecureuiL Buffon.
For the description of the Squirrel, see the Synopsis, p. 47, No. 31.
U 3 These
278 THE COMMON SQUIRREL.
These sprightly and diverting animals live en-
tirely on vegetable food. They eat nuts of all
kinds, and acorns ; and are particularly fond of the
buds and young shoots of trees. Their gullet is
more narrow than that of most other quadrupeds
of equal size with themselves. In a large Squirrel
that I examined, I remarked that the gullet was not
more than the tenth part of an inch in diameter. A
conformation so singular is supposed to be given for
the purpose of preventing them from disgorging
their food in descending the trunks or branches of
trees, or in their leaps from above downward.
When these animals eat, or clean themselves, they
sit erect, covering the body with their tail, and using
their fore-feet like hands.
The Squirrel seldom exerts its voice. When,
however, it is particularly pleased, it sometimes
makes a purring noise, not much unlike that of a
Cat ; and when wounded, it emits a very shrill and
piercing note. It has, besides these, a loud growl
of discontent, which it occasionally utters when
teased or irritated.
In the spring of the year these creatures are pe-
culiarly active, pursuing each other among the
trees, and exerting various efforts of agility. Dur-
ing the warm evenings of summer they may be
observed in a similar exercise. At the approach of
winter they lay up a store of provisions, consisting
chiefly of nuts and acorns, to serve them for food
during those succeeding months that the ground is
covered
THE COMMON SQUIRREL.
covered with snow. These provisions are not often
deposited in the nests of the animals, but in' some
hollow part of the tree ; and recourse is never .had
to them except in case of necessity, and when >no
other food is conveniently to be found abroad. If
the winter proves longer and more severe than
usual, it is said that the store is sometimes con-
sumed before the snow is entirely off the ground.
In this case, (which indeed very seldom occurs,)
the animals descend from the trees and scratch under
the snow, where they can always find sufficient food
to preserve them alive till the trees again put forth
their buds.
At the commencement of spring, the Squirrels
come into season ; and the females produce their
three or four young ones, generally about the end
of May or the beginning of June. The nest in which
these are deposited, and which the old animals after-
wards make their chief place for repose, is exceed-
ingly curious in its construction. It is generally
formed amongst the large branches of a great tree,
where they begin to fork off into small ones. After
having chosen the place, where the timber is some-
what decayed, and where a hollow may the more
easily be formed, the Squirrels begin their work by
making a kind of level between these forks. Then
bringing moss, twigs, and dry leaves, they weave
these together with so much art and ingenuity, that
they are capable of resisting the most violent
storms. The nest is covered up on all sides, and
U 4 has
280 THE COMMON SQUIRREL,
has but a single opening at top, just large enough
to admit the animal to pass and repass; and this
opening is itself defended from the weather, by a
kind of canopy, formed like a cone, so as to throw
off the rain, however heavily it may fall. In the in-
side, the nest is so formed as to be exceedingly
roomy and commodious. It is soft, well knit toge-
ther, and in every respect warm, comfortable, and
convenient.
Squirrels, when caught young, are often kept in
cages, or sometimes fastened by long chains, and
rendered docile. But they are generally very irri-
table animals, and on the slightest offence will bite
even the person from whom they receive the
greatest attention. They likewise gnaw almost
every thing they can reach, such as clothes, linen,
or furniture; and if once they can escape from
their confinement, they are gone for ever. The
Hon. Daines Harrington amused himself many years
by keeping Squirrels; and he observed in these ani-
mals the same variety of character and disposition
that Mr. Cowper remarked in his tame Hares*.
He has had them inanimate and sprightly, wild
and familiar, mischievous and harmless, obedient
and headstrong. But what is singular, he re-
remarked in almost all the Squirrels he possessed,
See the account of these Hares in p. 298.
(and
THE COMMON SQUIRREL. 281
(and at different times he had a great many,) that
they had a peculiarly musical ear. Whenever any
instrument was played upon, they moved in mea-
sure in their cage, or beat their feet upon the
ground in something like regular cadence. Mr.
Barrington says, that he has seen them continue in
one measure to an allegro movement, for near ten
minutes together : -after a short pause they began
another measure; and after a longer one, he has
seen them take a third.
He had two Squirrels, a male and a female, in the
same cage. These often performed a particular
kind of dance, which he has thus explained. The
male, in his motions, described a part of a circle on
one side of the cage; and the female, which he
kept exactly before him, described, in her motions,
a part of a circle somewhat smaller. In these ac-
tions, their feet always came so regularly down
together, as only to produce a single sound.
In confinement, as well as in their native woods,
Squirrels are animals remarkable for their cleanli-
ness. Mr. Barrington says, that he never knew his
Squirrels to foul their bed-place in the least; and
they occupied a considerable part of their time,
when awake, in cleaning and dressing their fur.
He informs us, likewise, that a Squirrel will on no
account give up any food that it has in its paws, for
the purpose of taking what is offered that it may
happen to like better. The animal always hides
what it had before obtained, in some part of its
cage,
THE COMMON SQUIRREL,
cage, and then proceeds to take the fresh supply.
The sagacity of the above mentioned little crea-
tures, in their choice of food, was at all times so
admirable, that Mr. Barrington had no difficulty in
believing what is usually said of Squirrels, that, 'in
all their store of winter provisions, there can never
be found an unsound or a bad nut. He had made
innumerable trials with them, but in every instance
they rejected a nut that was not good, almost the
moment it was put into their paws.
The courage of these animals is somewhat sur-
prising. This observing naturalist says, that he has
often seen a Squirrel tremble very much at the
first appearance of a Dog or Cat; and after some
minutes, passed in efforts with itself, it has. by
degrees approached its formidable adversary, and
even ventured to come directly under its nose. He
informs us, that the approach is always made by
quick and short leaps; the animal in these motions
beating the ground firmly with its feet, and assum-
ing an affected boldness of countenance, as if for
the purpose of imposing on its adversary by the
appearance of courage.
During all the time that Mr. Barrington kept
these Squirrels, no instance occurred of the females
producing young ones in their confinement.
The flesh of the Squirrel is a well-flavoured and
palatable food. The skin is of some value as a fur;
and the long hairs of the tail are made into pencils,
which are used by painters and gilders.
In
THE COMMON SQUIRREL. 283
In the north of Europe and America, the red
summer coat of the Squirrels, on the approach of
winter, changes to grey : and in gelid climates, it
is said that this change will take place even in a
room from which the cold air is perfectly excluded.
In some of the northern parts of Great Britain, a
variety of the Common Squirrel is now and then
observed, which has the usual colours in every part
except the tail, and this is white.
This animal is called gwiware, in Wales: in
France, ccureuil: in Italy, schirivolo, chirivolo,
schirato, schiratolo, schiarro: in Spain, Jiarda-esqui-
lo y hardilla: in Germany, eychorn, eichliermlyn : in
Portugal, ciuro: in Holland, inkhoorn, eckoorn,
eickhoorn: in Sweden, ikora, ikorn, graskin: in Po-
land, wijervijorka : in Denmark, egern: in Austria,
eichkatze: in Norway, ikorn: in Lapland, orre:
in Hungary, mookusch : in Russia, bjelka.
OF
( 284 )
OF DORMICE IN GENERAL.
IN their general appearance and manners, the
Dormice are allied both to the Murine Quadrupeds
and the Squirrels. Their tails,, however, though
covered thicky with hair, are by no means so bushy
as the tails of the latter animals; and in their bodies,
they are, on the whole, considerably more plump
and round than these.
They feed on fruit, nuts, seeds, and corn ; and,
in eating, they sit upright and carry the food to
their mouth with their fore-feet. We are informed
by Linnaeus, that Dormice, when thirsty, do not lap
like other quadrupeds, but that they dip their fore-
feet, with the toes bent, into the water, and drink
from them*. The pace of these animals is a kind of
leap, performed chiefly with the hind-legs, assisted
by the tail.
Some species of Dormice form their nests of dried
leaves, mosses, and grass, in the hollows of decayed
trees ; and others, among the branches of low and
thick shrubs. In these they sleep in the day time,
only venturing abroad, in search of food, in the
evening and night. During the winter months
* Linn. Syst Nat. Gmel. i. p. 157.
they
THE COMMON DORMOUSE. 285
they lie, in an entirely torpid state, in holes or
burrows, under the surface of the ground.
The females breed in the spring or summer, and
generally produce from three to twelve young ones
at a litter.
THE COMMON DORMOUSE*.
SLEEPER.
THESE animals were once classed by Linnaeus
among the Micef; but whatever may be their ge-
neral external resemblance to Mice, they seem, in
their habits of life, and in most of their actions, to
have a nearer alliance to the Squirrels. They
inhabit woods or thick hedges; and form their
nests in the hollows of low trees, or near the bot-
tom of close shrubs. They want much of the
sprightliness of the Squirrel; and never ascend to
the tops of trees, or, like that animal, attempt to
bound even from one branch of a shrub to another.
* Myoxus Muscardinus. Linnaeus. Le Muscardin. Buffon.
For the description of the Dormouse, see the Synopsis, p. 49,
No. 32.
t Under the name of Mus aveUanarius.
During
286 THE COMMON DORMOUSE.
During the winter, they are to be found only in
a torpid state, in the burrows which they form in
the ground; each in its separate hole, rolled closely
up like a ball. But as, in the course of that season,
they are liable to be sometimes revived by the
warmth of sunny days, they store up, previously
t6 their retirement, a sufficient quantity of nuts,
acorns, and other provisions, to support them when
they are thus occasionally roused from their slum-
ber.
Some very interesting observations respecting
the hibernation of these animals were made in the
year 1792, by a gentleman of Middleshaw, whose
name is Gough. He procured, in the month of
January, two Dormice, which had been taken from
the woods only a few days before they came into
his hands; and confined them in a cage furnished
with a thermometer, and placed in a chamber
where no fire was kept. They were supplied regu-
larly with water, and with food, consisting of hazel-
nuts and biscuits. The weather in February being
warm, for the season, at the beginning and end of
the month, and frosty from the 16th to the 28th,
Mr. Gough had an opportunity to observe, that
whenever the thermometer, which was attached to
the cage, fell to 42, the Dormice became inactive,
and remained apparently insensible as long as the
heat of that part of the chamber did not exceed
the above-mentioned temperature ; but whenever
the mercury reached 47, they became very sus-
ceptible
THE COMMON DORMOUSE. 87
V
ceptible of external impressions, and awaked in the
evenings,, when they had recourse to their stock of
provisions, of which they consumed not a little.
The same dry food being injudiciously continued
through the summer, they became sickly, and died;
so that Mr. Gough had not a second opportunity to
attend to the economy of this couple during the
cold season.
About the middle of April, 1793, he obtained a
third Dormouse. Experience taught him to ma-
nage this in a manner more congenial to its con-
stitution. In addition to the nuts and biscuits, it
was constantly supplied with green hazel-buds, or
raisins, in spring; with ripe fruits in summer; and
with apples and raisins in winter. This generous
diet not only preserved the little animal in health
and high condition, but appeared to fortify it
against the benumbing effects of cold, which it
supported the following winter much better than
the other couple had done; for it never slept more
than forty-eight hours successively, and that but
seldom, without visiting the cup which contained
its provisions. Mr. Gough now began to suspect
that the torpidity of the Dormouse, in a wild state,
was only a habit imposed by necessity, on a con-
stitution which nature had intended to retain life
during the cold season of winter, with but little
food and an imperfect degree of respiration, as
well as a languid, or perhaps, partial action of the
sanguiferous system. The uncommonly severe wea-
ther
288 THE COMMON DORMOUSE.
\
ther which ushered in the year 1795, confirmed thfo
opinion apparently beyond dispute ; for, notwith-*
standing the hard frost, the animal braved the cold
with wonderful indifference. It awoke every even-
ing, and generally consumed, in the course of the
night, a quantity of food amounting to about a
hundred or a hundred and twenty grains ; and it
frequently gnawed the ice which covered the water
in its cage. It even undertook, in the coldest
part of January,, to repair its nest, which happened
to receive an injury, and it accomplished the task
in the course of a single night.
The Dormouse has, in no instance, been known
to frequent houses ; and it is very seldom to be
found even in gardens. The female forms her nest
of interwoven moss, dead leaves, and grass, about
six inches in diameter, with*an orifice near the top,
generally amongst the branches of nut-trees, or
other underwood. In this, about the month of
May or June, she brings forth her offspring, which
are usually three or four in number.
In some parts of the continent, the flesh of the
Dormouse constitutes a favourite article of food.
In Wales this animal is called pathew : in France,
muscardin, croque-noix, rat-d'or: in Italy, mm car-
dino: in Spain, liron : in Germany, rothe, wald-
maus: in Holland, hazel muns : in Sweden, skogs-
mus : in Denmark, liasel muus: in Russia, slepz.
OF
( 289 )
OF THE HARE TRIBE IN GENERAL.
HARES subsist entirely on vegetables. The
habitations of most of the species are burrows,
formed under the surface of the ground. Some of
them collect into flocks of five or six hundred, or
even more, and migrate in these numbers' from
place to place, frequently to a great distance, in
search of food.
In Dr. Shaw's excellent work on General Zoology,
a very curious particular is related respecting these
animals. He informs us, that when Hares are con-
sidered with anatomical exactness, they exhibit
some peculiarities of structure, by which they make
an indistinct approach to the ruminating animals;
and that the Common Hare is, by many persons,
supposed actually to ruminate. This opinion has
been derived not merely from the peculiar motions
observable in the mouth, which present an obscure
appearance of rumination, but from the structure
of the stomach, which is marked, as it were, into
two regions, by a particular fold or ridge.
The females generally produce from three to
eight young ones at a birth.
In the northern latitudes, where the frosts of
winter are very intense, and where snow lies for
several months on the ground, all the Hares, at the
X approach
290 THE COMMON HARE.
approach of that season, change their colour to
white. Their furs are considered valuable, as arti-
cles of commerce.
THE COMMON HARE*.
Few animals have more natural shyness and timi-
dity than the Hare; and, as it is a weak and defence-
less creature, it is often indebted to this timidity
for its preservation. It rarely leaves its form, or
seat, during the day-time; but in the night, takes a
circuit round the neighbouring copses or fields, in
search of food. When its appetite is satisfied, it
returns always by the same tracks, and through the
same menses, or passes.
With step revers'd
She forms the doubling maze ; then, ere the morn
Peeps through the clouds, leaps to her close recess.
Of this constant return by the same path, the
poacher too often avails himself, by laying snares,
or nets, in the meuses. By these means, great
numbers of Hares are annually destroyed. In the
* Lepus timidus. Linnaus. Le Lievre.Bujfon.
For the description of the Hare, see the Synopsis, p. 50, No. 33.
spring
tfiE COMMON fiARE. 291
Spring of the year the Hares are generally to be
found on fallows, or amongst green corn. During
the autumn, they frequent stubbles, and turnip
fields; and in winter they seat themselves among
brambles, or tufts of thorns. In the latter season,
they are said generally to be found in a southern
aspect, where they receive all the possible warmth of
the sun. During the fine moonlight evenings of
summer, several of these animals may often be seen
sporting together, leaping about, and pursuing
each other with the greatest playfulness; but the
least noise alarms them, and they precipitately
scamper off, each in a different direction*
Their most favourite food is green corn, parsley,
pinks, or birch; and in young plantations they
sometimes prove very injurious, by eating the bark
from the trees : this they do from every sort, ex-
cept the alder and lime. A Suffolk gentleman, in
1798, was obliged to destroy his Hares, near some
new plantations; and the amount of what were
known to have fallen victims, was one thousand and
eighty two. In some districts on the continent,
these animals are very numerous, and consequently
very destructive. In two days shooting, at the
chateau of Prince Adam Daversperg, in Bohemia,
in the year 1788, there were very nearly eleven
hundred Hares killed. The nobility, and other
privileged owners of landed property, in various
parts of Germany and Prussia, are extremely tena-
cious of their game, and preserve them with the
X 2 utmost
292 THE COMMON HARE.
utmost rigour, occasionally hunting or shooting
them for the use of their family, and not unfre-
quently for sale*.
Male and female Hares may be distinguished
when running -in the fields, but particularly when
they are hunted, by the following marks. A buck
Hare is known, on first starting from his seat, by
the whiteness of his hinder parts. His head also
is shorter, his ears are more grey, his shoulders are
redder, and his body is smaller than those of the
doc. It has been remarked by some sportsmen,
that if a Hare, in its seat, has its ears lying on its
shoulders, close to each other, it is a male ; and
that if they are laid on each side of the neck, it is a
female. A Hare that is hunted to its form along
highways, and feeds faraway from cover, and makes
its doublings and crossings wide and large, is a
buck; for the doe generally keeps close to the side
of some cover: and when she goes to feed in corn-
fields, she seldom crosses over the furrows, but fol-
lows the track of them. When does are hunted, they
frequently turn, use many stratagems, and seldom
leave the country round their seat; whilst the buck,
after two or three turns about his form, runs
straight forward for four or five miles, and then
probably squats down in some place where he has
before preserved himself.
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 322.
A young
THE COMMON HARE. 293
A young Hare may be known from an old one
by the following signs. When the animal is dead,
if the thumb-nail be thrust against the knee-joints
of the fore-legs, it will be easy to distinguish whe-
ther the heads of the bones are close together or
not. If there is no space, the Hare is an old one;
but if there is a separation betwixt them, it is a
sure proof that the animal is young; and the
greater the separation is, the younger the Hare
may be considered. If the under jaw is easily
broken, the Hare is a young one. The cleft of
the lips spreading very much, the claws being
blunt and rugged, and the ears dry and tough,
are signs of old age. When, on the contrary, the
ears easily tear, the cleft of the lip is narrow,
and the claws are smooth and sharp, the Hare is
young*.
A Hare, when newly killed, will be stiff, and the
flesh of a pale colour : if it is limber, and the flesh
is beginning to turn black, it may to a certainty be
considered as stale.
Hare hunting is at present a popular amusement
amongst country gentlemen in most parts of Eng-
land; and it was formerly so much followed, that,
as appears from a manuscript written in the early
* " La Venerie," par M. du Fouilloux. See also Daniel's Rural
Sports, i. p. 323 and 353.
X 3 part
THE COMMON HARE,
part of the fourteenth century, the ladies of that
period had hunting parties by : themselves, in which
they rode astride upon the saddle. It is, however,
to be presumed, that this indecorous custom was not
of long continuance; for a writer of the seventeenth
century informs us, that "the ladies of Bury> in Suf-
" folk, who used hawking and hunting, were once in a
" great vaine of wearing breeches." Queen Elizabeth
was very fond of the chase, and frequently indulged
herself in following the Hounds. " Her majesty/'
(says Rowland White, in a letter to Sir Robert
Sidney, written only a few years before the death
of the queen) "is well, and excellently disposed
to hunting; for every second day she is on horse-
<f back, and continues the sport long."
When this defenceless animal is before the
Hounds, she employs much cunning and subtilty
in endeavouring to escape from their pursuit. She
never runs in a line directly forward ; but con-
stantly doubles about, and by this means frequently
throws the Dogs off the scent. If a Hare is run,
either in or presently after rain, she will not take to
the woods, on account of the wet that hangs on the
small low boughs, but will often squat in the hedge
of the cover; and, when the Hounds have overshot
the scent, will return to her form. When hard
pressed, she will mingle with a flock of Sheep, run
up an old wall and conceal herself among the
herbage on the top of it: she will cross a river
several
THE COMMON HARE. 295
several times, at small distances, or take the ground
like a Rabbet. It is said, however, that a skilful
huntsman, who has pursued the same Hare twice,
may certainly kill her the third time; for the ani-
mals generally use the same doublings, so that they
may be easily prevented in any one of them, which
defeats all the rest*. What is very remarkable in
Hares is, that however frequently they are hunted,
they seldom leave the place where they were
brought forth, or where they usually sit; and it is
no uncommon circumstance to find them, on the
day after a long and severe chase, on the spot from
which they were before started.
The ears of the Hare are so admirably contrived
by their size and shape, as to convey the most re-
mote sounds. They are capable of being turned,
with the greatest ease, in all directions; and, when
the animal is close pursued, she lays them flat on
her back, so as to receive all the sound that comes
from behind. The legs, and especially the hinder
ones, are remarkably muscular; and the latter are
generally so long as to give the animal considerable
advantage when she is hunted on rising ground, to
which, indeed, she always directs her course when
started. In dry or frosty weather she has another
advantage, in the feet being protected beneath with
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 261.
X 4 a thick
THE COMMON HARE.
a thick covering of hair, which prevents her from
slipping, or taking any false steps.
The situation of the eyes of the Hare (at a great
distance from each other) is such., that, when she is
at rest, she is enabled to observe, without difficulty,
and almost without motion, objects that are on
nearly all sides of her. In the chase, however, it is
certain that these animals see but very imperfectly
forward: when closely pursued, the fear of the
Dogs takes away also their presence of mind, and
they frequently run against objects. It is from this
circumstance that the vulgar notion has arisen, of
the Hare sometimes running itself blind.
In Sandpit Wood, in the parish of Terling in
Essex, a pack of Foxhounds, in 1782, had just un-
kennelled; and the Hares, of which there were great
numbers in the cover, were, many of them, dis-
turbed. In one of the paths, a Hare met and
ran against a Terrier which was hastening to the
cry, with such velocity, that both the animals were
apparently killed. The Dog, with some difficulty,
was recovered; but the Hare's skull was fractured to
pieces*.
The speed of Hares is so great, that instances have
occurred of even Horses being killed in attempting
to keep up with Greyhounds that have pursued
them. Without reckoning the various doublings
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 319.
that
THE COMMON HARE. 297
that were observed in the course, a Hare has been
known to run upwards of four miles in twelve mi-
nutes. In February, 1789, a Hare was pursued in
Essex, which ran more than twenty .miles in about
two hours; and a Hare that was started on Stoke
Down, ran, it was supposed, near fifteen miles in
three quarters of an hour*.
It is said, that from May till August these animals
may be enticed to approach the sportsman, by
means of a pipe, or call. The sound from this in-
strument is a kind of squeak, first slow and then
quicker, and is supposed to resemble the call be-
twixt the male and female Hares. The harepipe is
mentioned in our old law books, as a device for-
merly used by poachers, in killing Hares; and in
the deputations to game-keepers, it was described
as an instrument which they were empowered to
seize.
The Hare is a very gentle animal, and when
caught young is susceptible of education. The
best proof that I can adduce of this, is to recite,
without abridgment, Mr. Cowper's highly interest-
ing narrative respecting his tame Hares. This is
inserted in some of the latest editions of his poems;
but as it has not hitherto appeared, in illustration
of the character of the animal, in any book of
natural history, I trust that, without censure, (on
* Daniel's Rural Sports,' See the article Greyhoynd.
account
298 THE COMMON HARE.
account of its length,) I may be allowed to intro-
duce it here.
"In the year 1774, being much indisposed both
in mind and body, incapable of diverting myself
either with company or books, and yet in a con-
dition that made some diversion necessary, I was
glad of any thing that would engage my attention
without fatiguing it. The children of one of my
neighbours had a Leveret given them for a play-
thing ; it was at that time about three months old.
Understanding better how to tease the poor crea-
ture than to feed it, and soon becoming weary of
their charge, they readily consented that their
father, who saw it pining and growing leaner every
day, should offer it to my acceptance. I was wil-
ling enough to take the prisoner under my pro-
tection; perceiving that, in the management of
such an animal, and in the attempt to tame it, I
should find just that sort of employment which my
case required. It was soon known among the
neighbours that I was pleased with the present;
and the consequence was, that in a short time I had
as many Leverets offered to me, as would have
stocked a paddock. I undertook the care of three,
which it is necessary I should here distinguish by
the names I gave them: Puss, Tiney, and Bess.
Notwithstanding the two feminine appellations, I
must inform you that they were all males. Imme-
diately commencing carpenter, I built them houses
to sleep in ; each had a separate apartment, so con-
trived
THE COMMON HARE. 299
trived that an earthen pan,, placed under each, re-
ceived whatsoever fell from them. This being
regularly emptied and washed,, they were thus kept
perfectly sweet and clean. In the day-time, they
had the range of a hall; and at night, each retired
to his own bed, never intruding into that of ano-
ther.
'" Puss grew presently familiar, would leap into
my lap, raise himself upon 'his hinder feet, and bite
the hair from my temples. He would suffer me to
take him up and carry him about in my arms; and
has, more than once, fallen fast asleep on my knee.
He was ill three days, during which time I nursed
him; kept him apart from his fellows, that they
might not molest him; (for, like many other wild
animals, they persecute one of their own species
that is sick;) and, by constant care, and trying
him with a variety of herbs, restored him to perfect
health. No creature could be more grateful than
my patient after his recovery ; a sentiment which
he most significantly expressed by licking my hand,,
first the back of it, then the palm, then every finger
separately, then between all the fingers, as if anxious
to leave no part unsaluted : a ceremony which he ne-
ver performed but once again, upon a similar occa-
sion. Finding him extremely tractable, I made it my
custom to carry him, always after breakfast, into
the garden, where he hid himself generally under
the leaves of a cucumber vine, sleeping or chewing
the
300 THE COMMON HARE.
the cud* till evening: in the leaves also of that
vine he found a favourite repast. I had not long
habituated him to this taste of liberty, before
he began to be impatient for the return of the
time when he might enjoy it. He would invite me
to the garden, by drumming on my knee, and by
a look of such expression as it was not possible to
misinterpret. If this rhetoric did not immediately
succeed, he would take the skirt of my coat be-
tween his teeth, and pull at it with all his force.
Thus, Puss might be said to be perfectly tamed; the
shyness of his nature was done away ; and, on the
whole, it was visible by many symptoms, which I
have not room to enumerate, that he was happier
in human society, than when shut up with his
natural companions.
" Not so Tiney; upon him the kindest treatment
had not the least effect. He too was sick, and in
his sickness had an equal share of my attention ;
but if, after his recovery, I took the liberty to
stroke him, he would grunt, strike with his fore-
feet, spring forward, and bite. He was, however,
very entertaining in his way. Even his surliness
was matter of mirth ; and in his play, he preserved
such an air of gravity, and performed his feats in
such a solemnity of manner, that in him too I had
an agreeable companion.
* See the description of the HARE TRIBE.
" Bess
THE COMMON HARE. 301
" Bess, who died soon after he was full grown,
and whose death was occasioned by being turned
into his box, which had been washed, while it was
yet damp, was a Hare of great humour and drollery.
Puss was tamed by gentle usage ; Tiney was not to
be tamed at all; and Bess had a courage and con-
fidence that made him tame from the beginning. I
always admitted them into the parlour after supper,
when the carpet affording their feet a firm hold,
they would frisk, and bound, and play a thousand
gambols, in which Bess, being remarkably strong
and fearless, was always superior to the rest, and
proved himself the Vestris of the party. One even-
ing, the Cat being in the room, had the hardiness
to pat Bess upon the cheek; an indignity which he
resented by drumming upon her back with such
violence, that the Cat was happy to escape from
under his paws, and hide herself.
" I describe these animals as having each a cha-
racter of his own. Such they were in fact; and
their countenances were so expressive of that
character, that, when I looked only on the face of
either, I immediately knew which it was. It is said
that a shepherd, however numerous his flock, soon
becomes so familiar with their features, that he can,
by that indication only, distinguish each from the
rest ; and yet, to a common observer, the dif-
ference is hardly perceptible. I doubt not that
the same discrimination, in the cast of counte-
nances, would be discoverable in Hares; and am
persuaded
SOS THE COMMON HARfc.
persuaded that among a thousand of them,, no twe*
could be found exactly similar: a circumstance
little suspected by those who have not had oppor-
tunity to observe it. These creatures have a sin-
gular sagacity in discovering the minutest alteration
that is made in a place to which they are accus-
tomed, and instantly apply their nose to the ex-
amination of a new object. A small hole had been
burnt in the carpet ; it was mended with a patch,
and that patch in a moment underwent the strictest
scrutiny. They seem too to be very much directed
by smell in the choice of their favourites. To some
persons, though they saw them daily, they could
never be reconciled, and would even scream when
they attempted to touch them; but a miller coming
in, engaged their affection at once: his powdered
coat had charms that were irresistible. It is no
wonder that my intimate acquaintance with these
specimens of the kind has taught me to hold the
sportsman's amusement in abhorrence. He little
knows what amiable creatures he persecutes; of
what gratitude they are capable; how cheerful they,
are in their spirits ; what enjoyment they have of
life; and that, impressed as they seem with a pecu-
liar dread of man, it is only because man gives them
peculiar cause for it.
tf That I may not be tedious, I will just give a
short summary of those articles of diet that suit
them best.
"I take it to be a general opinion that they
graze ;
THE COMMON HARE. 303
graze; but it is an erroneous one : at least grass is
not their staple: they seem rather to use it medici-
nally, soon quitting it for leaves of almost any
kind. Sowthistle, dent-de-lion, and lettuce, are
their favourite vegetables, especially the last. I dis-
covered, by accident, that fine white sand is in great
estimation with them ; I suppose, as a digestive. It
happened that I was cleaning a bird-cage whilst the
Hares were with me; I placed a pot filled with
white sand upon the floor, which, being at once
directed to by a strong instinct, they devoured
voraciously. Since that time, I have generally
taken care to see them well supplied with it. They
account green corn a great delicacy, both the blade
and stalk ; but the ear they seldom eat. Straw of
any kind, especially wheat-straw, is another of their
dainties. They will feed greedily upon oats; but
if furnished with clean straw, never want them : it
serves them also for a bed; and, if shaken up daily,
will be kept sweet and dry for a considerable time.
They do not, however, require aromatic herbs, but
will eat a small quantity of them with great relish,
and are particularly fond of the plant called musk*.
They seem to resemble sheep in this, that, if their
pasture be too succulent, they are subject to the
rot ; to* prevent which I always made bread their
principal nourishment, and filling a pan with it cut
* Erodium moschatum f
into
304 THE COMMON HARE.
into small squares, placed this every evening in
their chambers; for they feed only at evening and
in the night. During the winter, when vegetables
were not to be got, I mingled this mess of bread
with shreds of carrot, adding to it the rind of apples
cut extremely thin; for, though they are fond of
the paring, the apple itself disgusts them. These,
however, not being a sufficient substitute for the
juice of summer herbs, they must at this time be
supplied with water; but so placed that they cannot
overset it into their beds. I must not omit to re-
mark, that occasionally they are much pleased with
twigs of hawthorn, and of the common briar, eating
even the very wood when it is of considerable
thickness.
"Bess, I have said, died young; Tiney lived to
be nine years old, and died at last, I have reason to
think, of some hurt in his loins by a fall ; Puss is
still living, and has just completed his tenth year,
discovering no signs of decay, nor even of age,
except that he is grown more discreet, and less
frolicsome than he was. I cannot conclude with-
out observing, that I have lately introduced a Dog
to his acquaintance a Spaniel that had never seen
a Hare, to a Hare that had never seen a Spaniel. I
did it with great caution ; but there was no real
need of it. Puss discovered no token of fear;
nor Marquis the least symptom of hostility. There
is, therefore, it should seem, no natural antipathy
between Dog and Hare ; but the pursuit of the
one
THE COMMON HARE. 305
one occasions the flight of the other, and the Dog
pursues because he is trained to it. They eat bread
at the same time out of the same hand, and are in
all respects sociable and friendly*.
" I should not do complete justice to my sub-
ject, did I not add, that Hares have no ill scent be-
longing to them; that they are indefatigably nice
in keeping themselves clean, for which purpose
Nature has furnished them with a brush under each
foot ; and that they are never infested by any ver-
min f."
Hares breed at all times in the year, except
during about ten weeks or two months in the
winter. They go with- young a mo'nth ; have four
litters in the year; and usually produce two, some-
times three, and rarely four at a Jitter. The off-
spring of the Hare, differing in that respect from
those of the Rabbet, come into the world perfectly
* How admirably does this observation answer a question of
Mr. Daniel's, respecting the scent of the Hare; whether it may not
be considered as an extraneous "stock of odoriferous particles, given
" by Divine Wisdom to the animals,/or the express purpose of being
" hunted!"
f This account is dated May 28th, 1784, and was inserted in the
Gentleman's Magazine for the ensuing month. After Mr. Cowper's
death, the following memorandum was found among his papers:
"Tuesday, March 9, 1786.
" This day died poor Puss, aged eleven years eleven months.
He died between twelve and one at noon, of mere old age, and
apparently without pain !"
Y formed
306 THE COMMON HARE.
formed and quick-sighted the moment they drop.
The mother suckles them for about twenty days,
after which they separate from her,, and procure
their own food, making their forms, or seats, at
sixty or eighty paces distance from each other.
Hares come to maturity in somewhat less than
twelve months, and, as we have seen by Mr. Cow-
per's account, live at least ten or eleven years. It
is said that these animals do not pair; but that the
male pursues and discovers the female by the
quickness of his scent.
Sir Thomas Brown, in his Treatise on Vulgar
Errors, asserts, from his own observation, that fe-
male Hares frequently have in their ovaria, at the
same time, young ones of different ages; and that,
after those that are most mature are brought forth,
there will often remain others which are very far
from the term of their exclusion. This superfe-
tation, or conception upon conception, has not
hitherto been remarked in any other species of
animals.
The fur of the Hare forms a principal material in
the manufacture of hats; and vast quantities are
annually imported into Great Britain, for that pur-
pose, from Russia and Siberia. In some parts of
Prance this fur is spun, and afterwards woven into
a kind of cloth! The fl-esh was considered a great
delicacy by the Romans; but it was forbidden by
the Druids, and the Britons of the early centuries.
It is to this day prohibited by the Mahometans
and
THE COMMON HARE. 307
and Jews ; and the Cophts, who have adopted
many of the Jewish customs, likewise refrain
from it*.
In all the extreme northern countries,, Hares,
at the approach of winter, change their coloured
coat for a white one. And in a few instances these
animals have been seen, with white fur, even in the
southern counties of England.
In Wales this animal is called ysgyfarnog, ceinach:
in France, lievre: in Italy, lepro, leivora : in Spain,
leibre : in Portugal, lebro: in Germany, hose, has,
haas : in Holland, base, rawmler : in Sweden and
Denmark, hare: in Poland, sqjonz : in Norway,
jase : in Lapland, niaamel : in Schlavonia, saiz : in
Russia, zaitza.
* Sonnini's Travels in Egypt, ii. p. 130.
Y 2 THE
( 308 )
THE VARYING HARE*.
WHITE HARE, OR ALPINE HARE.
THESE Hares, says Mr. Pennant, inhabit the sum-
mits of the Highland mountains ; and never descend
into the plains or vales. They are not able to run
swiftly ; -and, when pursued, they generally seek for
shelter beneath stones, or in the clefts of rocks.
In some parts of Russia and Siberia, where they are
found in great abundance, the Varying Hares col-
lect together in vast numbers. Flocks of five or
six hundred are sometimes observed, at the ap-
proach of winter, migrating into the lower parts of
the country, in search of food. They return at the
first breaking up of the frost.
They are gentle and docile animals ; and, when
tamed, are very sprightly and full of frolic. They
are fond of honey and sweetmeats.
In the extreme northern parts of the continent,
they continue white during the whole of the year;
but in Scotland they exchange their grey coat for
* Lepus variabilis. LinruEUs.
For the description of the Varying Hare, see the Synopsis, p. 51,
No. 34.
a white
-
THE WILD RABBET. 309
a white one, about the month of September, and
become again grey in April. It is remarkable that,
even if this animal be brought into a house, and
kept in stoved apartments, it still changes its co-
lour at the same periods as when among its native
mountains.
The skins of Varying Hares, particularly when
they are white, form a considerable article of com-
merce betwixt the Russians and Chinese. The
flesh is, at all times, harder, more dry, and less fla-
voured, than that of the common kind; but in
winter it is extremely insipid.
THE WILD RABBET*.
IN some countries, Rabbets have been known
to multiply so fast, as to prove seriously injurious
to the inhabitants. It is recorded by Pliny, that
in the islands of Majorca and Minorca, anciently
called the Baleares, the inhabitants were compelled
to implore the assistance of a military force from
* Lepus cuniculus. Linnceus. Le Lapin. Buffon.
For the description of the Rabbet, see the Synopsis, p. 52, No. 35.
Y 3 Augustus
310 THE WILD RABBET.
Augustus to destroy them. And, not many years
ago, they had become so numerous in Basiluzzo,
one of the Lipari islands, that, at onetime, Spallan-
zani informs us, the people were in dread of fa-
mine, from the devastations they had committed
among the corn. By importing into the island a
quantity of Cats, which were employed like Ferrets,
to pursue and kill them in their holes,, they were, at
last, brought within due bounds*.
In many of the uninclosed parts of Great Britain,
the Rabbet is, on the contrary, an animal very ad-
vantageous to the proprietors of land ; and it is
supposed that there are few sandy, or other loose
soils, where the ground rises in different places
into hills, that can be more profitably employed
than as Rabbet warrens. On level ground the ani-
mals find it difficult to form their burrows, as the
mould is to be all thrown upward to the surface :
but against the side of a hill they have not this
difficulty to encounter, since the declivity affords
a ready fall for the earth. With respect to the
value of a well-stocked warren, the following is a
curious estimate made by Mr. Marshall. " The
hide of a bullock, of some breeds, is not worth
more than one twentieth part of the carcass. The
skin of a Sheep may, in full wool, be worth from a
sixth to a tenth part of its carcass; but the fur of
* Voyage dans les deux Sicilies, ii. p. 108.
a Rabbet
THE WILD RABBET.
a Rabbet is worth twice the whole value of the
carcass. Therefore,, supposing the Rabbet to con-
sume a quantity of food in proportion to the size
of its body, it is, on the principle offered, a species
of stock nearly three times as valuable as either
cattle or sheep *." Rabbets are, moreover, a kind
of stock that make the finest possible turf; for they
not only bite closer than the larger quadrupeds,
but they allow no bents to rise. It is from this
circumstance, that the most delicate turf for gar-
dens is that taken from Rabbet warrens.
A rich soil should not, however, be stocked with
Rabbets, since a flush of grass, after a dry season,
is found to throw them into a scouring, which
sometimes carries off vast numbers. Warren farms
also are occasionally liable to -great losses, from an
epidemical disorder among the animals. The
spring and autumn of 1798 were so favourable to
the breeding of Rabbets, that the warrens, in all
parts, were supposed never to have been more
plentifully stocked; but great numbers of the
young ones perished, from a disorder supposed to
be produced by the continued wet in the autumn.
It was infectious, and the first symptom of it was'
a swelling in the glands of the neck; the rot
ensued, and death soon followed.
Marshall's Rural Economy of Yorkshire, ii. p, 223.
Y4 In
312 THE WILD RABBET.
In stocking a warren,, whether flat or hilly, arti-
ficial burrows are at first made, in order to preserve
the Rabbets from the attacks of vermin, till they
can have time to dig their own. These burrows
are formed with an augur, of a diameter about
equal to the thickness of the animal's body ;
and in level warrens, they may often be found
useful.
The accuracy of persons taking stock, upon the
warren farms, betwixt an incoming and outgoing
tenant, is very surprising. They attend, for some
days, the appearance of the Rabbets, near the
mouths of their burrows, in the dusk of the even-
ing, and at day-light in the morning. The judg-
ment formed, from this ocular inspection, of the
apparent number, is said to be so well calculated,
that, upon the destruction of many warrens, it has
been found within very few of the real quantity.
In most warrens, the Rabbets are killed by
means of Ferrets, which, on being put, muzzled,
into the burrows, drive the animals into nets that
are placed over the outlets. A Lurcher Dog is
sometimes used for the same purpose ; and it is
said that the sounding of a trumpet in the holes
will drive them out. The wold warreners catch
Rabbets with three different kinds of implements;
fold nets, spring nets, and a species of trap called
tipes. The fold nets are set, about midnight, be-
tween the burrows and the feeding grounds; the
Rabbets being driven into them with Dogs, and
kept
THE WILD RABBET.
kept inclosed in the folds till morning. The
spring net is generally laid round a hay-stack., or
other object of inducement for Rabbets to collect
in numbers. The tipe, or trap, consists of a large
pit or cistern, covered with a floor. This has, near
its centre, a small trap-door, nicely balanced, into
which the Rabbets are led by a narrow meuse.
This kind of trap used, formerly, to be set near a
hay-stack ; but, as turnips are now grown for the
winter food of the animals, in an inclosure in the
interior of the warren, the trap is placed within the
wall of this inclosure. For a night or two the
Rabbets are suffered to go through the meuse and
over the trap, that they may be familiarized to the
place where the turnips are grown. After that, the
trap-door is unbarred, and immense numbers fall
in. In emptying the cistern, the fat Rabbets are
selected and killed, and the others are turned out
upon the turnips to improve. Five or six hundred
couples have not unfrequently been taken in one
night by this contrivance ; and in one instance, in
the Driffield warrens, as many as fifteen hundred
couples.
A French writer has favoured us with the following
very ingenious method of catching Rabbets, which
he denominates, " Le chasse du lapin a I'ecrevisse."
"This chase is conducted by persons who neither
employ Ferrets nor fire-arms. Over the openings
of the burrows are placed nets, (as is usual in
catching the animals by means of Ferrets,.) and
into one of these is put a lobster. By little and
little
314 THE WILD RABBET.
little, the lobster arrives at the bottom of the hole.
Here it fixes itself so firmly to the Rabbet, that it
is compelled to attempt its escape, dragging, at the
same time, its enemy along with it, into some one
of the nets. This chase (the writer observes) re-
quires much patience, since the operations of the
lobster are very slow ! ! !"
The mode by which the warreners distinguish
young Rabbets from old ones, is the same that has
been mentioned respecting Hares ; by feeling the
knee-joints of the fore-legs. When the heads of
the two bones which form these joints, are so con-
tiguous, that little or no space is to be perceived
between them, the Rabbet is an old one. On the
contrary, should there be a perceptible separation
between the bones, the animal is young; and is
more or less so, according as the bones are more or
less separated. If the Rabbet is an old one, the
claws also are very long and rough, and the wool
is mottled with grey hairs: the claws and wool are
always smooth when young*. Experienced Rabbet
catchers have assured M. Sonnini, that they can
immediately distinguish a male from a female Rab-
bet, by the mode of its coming out of its hole in
the day time. The male always seems as if alarmed
at finding itself unexpectedly in the light, and does
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. 346350.
not
THE WILD RABBET. 3 1 5
not venture far from his habitation ; whereas the
female goes at once to feed without fear*.
As these animals cannot easily articulate sounds,
and as they live together, under the ground, in great
numbers, they have a very peculiar method of giv-
ing alarm. When danger is threatened, they thump
on the earth with one of their hinder feet ; and thus
produce a sound that can be heard a great way by
by animals that happen to be near the surface.
Captain George Cartwright has remarked of some
English Rabbets, which he took out with him to
Labrador, that they had a " singular way of chewing
their cud, if it may be so called, for they very often
ate their own dungf."
Female Rabbets breed five or six times in the
year ; they go with young about thirty days, and
produce from six to ten young ones at a litter. In
consequence of the attempts which the male some-
times makes to devour his offspring, the doe fre-
quently kindles at a distance from the warren. She
scratches a small zig-zag burrow about two feet
deep ; and at the bottom of this, prepares a warm
and comfortable bed for her offspring, by plucking
the hair from her own body, and mixing it with
grass. The young ones come into the world per-
fectly blind, and with their ears closed ; and they
* Buffon par Sonnini, xxiv. p. 239* note,
f Cart wright's Journal on the coast of Labrador.
continue
316 THE WILD RABBET.
continue thus for ten or eleven days. The clam
suckles them regularly every morning and even-
ing, and attends them with the greatest assiduity
for six weeks. Whenever she is under the necessity
of leaving the nest for the purpose of procuring
food, she closes the hole, by means of her hinder
parts,, so very artificially, with earth, as even to ren-
der the aperture difficult to be found. At the end
of about three weeks, when the young are able to
go out and feed on the grass, she ventures to leave
the hole open : after six weeks, she conducts them
to the warren, and they are then out of danger
from the male. These animals are supposed to
live to the age of eight or nine years.
It is well known that the fur of Rabbets is a
principal substance in the composition of hats.
The skins, stripped of their hair, and boiled down,
make an excellent size, or glue. The flesh, which
is forbidden to the Jews and Mahometans, is a very
palatable and delicate food. In order to distinguish
a fresh killed from a stale Rabbet, it is to be ob-
served, that the former will be stiff, and the flesh
will be white and dry : when the Rabbet becomes
stale, it will be limber, and the flesh will have a
bluish cast upon it.
The English counties that are most noted for
their Rabbet warrens, are Lincolnshire, Norfolk,
and Cambridgeshire. Rabbets swarm in the Ork-
nies, where their skins form a considerable article
of commerce. The Rabbets of these islands are in
general
THE WILD RABBET. 317
general grey; and those which inhabit the hills be-
come hoary in winter. With respect to the dif-
ferent kinds of the animals sought after by the
warreners of different parts of Great Britain, the
grey Rabbet was, till late years, the only kind at-
tended to ; but at present the silver-haired Rabbet
is in much request. The fur of the former is cut
from the skin, as a material for the manufacture of
hats; whereas the skins of the silver-haired kind
are dressed as furs, which, it is said, are exported
for sale, principally to the East Indies. The colour
is a black ground, thickly interspersed with white
hairs. The skins of the latter sell for about five
shillings a dozen higher than those of the common
sort; a sufficient inducement for the preference.
Sometimes the skins and carcasses of the common
sort are sold together, at the average price, for the
season, of about two shillings a couple: the car-
casses only, in the neighbourhood of warrens, sell
at eight-pence or ten-pence a couple*.
Rabbets were not originally natives of Great
Britain ; though they have now, for many centu-
ries, been known in this country, both in a wild
and a domestic state. They are found in nearly all
the southern parts of the continent of Europe,
in Asia, and in many countries of Africa. It is
* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p. 347.
supposed
318 THE DOMESTIC RABBET.
supposed that they were first introduced into our
island from Spain.
THE DOMESTIC RABBET*.
PERSONS who breed tame Rabbets must be care-
ful to keep them at all times very clean ; and,
during the breeding season, they must keep the
bucks and does apart, till the latter have kindled.
The best food for the animals is the shortest and
sweetest hay that can be had, of which one load
will serve two hundred couple of Rabbets for a
year. Tame Rabbets are subject to two diseases,
which frequently carry off great numbers. These
are the rot, and a sort of madness. The former is
the consequence of too much green food, or of
such as is gathered with the dew, or rain, hanging
in drops upon it. Dry food is considered as the
best remedy for this distemper. Their madness., in
which they wallow and tumble about, with their
heels upwards, is supposed to be owing to the
rankness of their feeding; and the general cure
* For the description of the Domestic Rabbet, see the Synopsis,
p. 53, No. 34.
is
THE DOMESTIC RABBET. 319
is to keep them low, arid give them the tare thistle
to eat.
It has been remarked, that, when a warren is
attempted to be stocked with domestic Rabbets,
both they and their offspring continue to live upon
the surface; and that they never begin to dig holes
for protection, till they have endured many hard-
ships, and passed through several generations.
An imposition is practised by the game dealers
in several parts of France, in selling tame Rab-
bets for wild ones. It is a well known distinction
betwixt these animals, that the former have the
hair under the feet of a much lighter yellow than
the latter. The dealers, therefore, often singe
the feet of tame Rabbets, by which many people
are deceived. The deception, however, is easy ta
be detected by the smell.
The name by which the Rabbet is known in
Wales, is owning en : in France, lapin: in Italy,
coniglio : in Spain, conejo : in Portugal, coelho : in
Germany, kaninichen, koniglen : in Holland, konyn :
in Sweden, kanin : in Denmark, kanine : in Austria,
kuniglhaze: in Poland and Russia, krolek.
PECORA,
( $20 )
PECORA.
O.P DEER IN GENERAL.
ALL the species of Deer delight in forests and
extensive tracts of woodland ; and they are much
more abundant in temperate,, and even cold cli-
mates, than jn those adjacent to the torrid zone.
They have great muscular strength; and are able
to bound with such rapidity, as, in level countries,
to outstrip most other animals in speed. Their
agility in leaping about, even amongst rocks and
precipices, is exceeded only by that of the Ante-
lopes. As they are naturally timid, they are to be
considered, for the most part, as harmless and in-
offensive animals. When, however, they happen
to be irritated, they will run at the offender with
fury, and endeavour to gore his body with their
horns.
These weapons are possessed only by the males.
In some of the species they are of enormous size;
yet none of them are of more than annual growth.
At a particular season they spring out of the head,
and
-
OP DEER IN GENERAL.
and expand gradually, till they have attained their
fullest extent for that year; when they drop off,
and make room for the shoot which is to succeed
in the ensuing season. The size of the horns, and
the number of branches, augment every year till
they have arrived at the largest size that they at-
tain; and, after this period, they expand to the
same large size every season. In some species, the
horns are rounded through their whole length, and
through all their branches; whilst in others, they
are palmated, or flattened to a very considerable
breadth.
Of the foreign animals belonging to the present
tribe, those best known are the Rein-deer and
Elk*. The former is a native of Norway, Lapland,
and other cold regions of the continent of Europe;
and the latter, of deep forests and extensive mo-
rasses of various parts of North America. They are
each domesticated, and trained to labour as beasts
of draught and burthen. The Rein-deer is a spe-
cies, the character and uses of which are well ascer-
tained. The Elk seems chiefly interesting on ac-
count of its enormous size, being by far the largest
known animal of its tribe. The Indians who fre-
quent Hudson's Bay, speak, however, of a species
of Deer, greatly superior to it in size, which, they
Ccrvus tarandus and cervus alcus of Linnaeus.
Z assert,
OF DBER IN GENERAL.
assert, inhabits the country seven or eight hundred
miles west of York-Fort ; and to which they give
the name of Waskesseu. This animal has been
said, by some writers of natural history, to be that
from which the prodigious fossil horns, (sometimes
measuring twelve feet and upwards from tip to
tip,) have been produced.
Under each of the eyes of several species of
Deer, there is a kind of slit, or lachrymal hole, as
it is usually called. This is supposed to be of use
in affording the animals a free respiration, when
pursued by their enemies.
The flesh of Deer is called venison; and is eaten
with avidity in every country where the animals
are found. Their skin, horns, and hair, are of
use in manufactures of different kinds; and, in
a commercial view, some of them are highly im-
portant.
THE
( 323 )
THE RED DEER*
STAG., THE MALE ; HIND, THE FEMALE ; FAWN, THE
YOUNG. ,r
RED Deer inhabit the mountainous parts of Scot-
land, and range at full liberty, in herds of con-
siderable numbers. The animals of largest size
are those found in the province of Moray; and if
the forests there were duly kept, they would be
very numerous. Stags are yet observed, almost in
a state of ^nature, amongst the forests and hills of
Martindale, in the neighbourhood of Ullswater in
Cumberland. They are extinct from the mountains
of North Wales; but are yet occasionally to be
seen in the New Forest, Hants; in the forest of
Exmore; in the woods on the river Tamar, in
Devonshire; and amongst the mountains of Kerry,
in Ireland.
In early ages, the beasts of chase had our whole
island for their range. They knew no other limits
than that of the ocean, nor were subjected to the
* Cervus elaphus. Linnceus. Le Cerf. J
For the description of the Red Deer, see the Synopsis, p. 54,
No. 36.
Z 9 domination
324 THE RED DEER.
domination of any particular master. When the
Saxons had established themselves in the hep-
tarchy, they were reserved by each sovereign for
his own particular diversion. Hunting and war, in
those uncivilized ages, were the only employment
of the great; since their active but uncultivated
minds were susceptible of no pleasures but those of
a violent kind, such as, at the same time, gave ex-
ereise to the body, and afforded diversion to the
mind.
The Saxon kirrgs only appropriated those lands
to the use of forests which were unoccupied, and
no individuals suffered injury : but, when the con-
quest had settled the Norman line on the British
throne, this passion for the chase was carried to
an excess which involved every civil right. San-
guinary laws were enacted to preserve the game ;
and it was considered even less criminal to destroy
6-ne of, the human species than a beast of chase.
These laws were continued in all their force till
the Saxon line was restored, under Henry the
Second, when their rigour was immediately soft-
ened.
When our barons began to farm a power, they
daimed a vasVbnt more limited tract of land, than
the Normans had appropriated, for the diversions
of the chase; and they were so jealous of any en-
croachments on their respective bounds, as not un-
frequently to make these the cau^epf. deadly feuds.
Such was the origin of the fatal day of Chevy -
chase;
THE RED DEER. 325
.chase; which, though recorded only in a ballad,
may, from what we know of the manners of the
times, have very probably been founded in truth.
Of fifteen hundred Englishmen,
Went home but fifty-tree ;
The rest were slaine in Chevy-chase,
Under the greenwood tree.
And of two thousand Scots, it is related thai
scarcely fifty-five survived the effects of that
fatal day. With respect to the style of hunting at
that period, some tolerable idea of it may be
formed by observing, that, particularly in the
Highlands of Scotland, the chieftains frequently
assembled four or five thousand persons of their
clan, who drove the Deer into toils, or to the sta-
tion where they were themselves posted, in order to
kill them with arrows or spears. The ballad, before
quoted, informs us as to the probable number of
Deer that may have been slain in one day.
The gallant greyhounds swiftly ran,
To chase the Fallow Deere:
On Monday they began to hunt,
Ere daylight did appeare ;
And long before high noone they had
An hundred fat buckes slaine;
Then having din'd, the drovers went
To rouse them up againe.
Z3 But
THE RED DEER.
But as the pretence of hunting was frequently
adopted in order to collect vassals for rebellious
purposes, an act of the legislature was at length
passed, which prohibited any assemblies whatever
of this nature.
In the early reigns, when the king had lost a
Stag, public proclamation was made in all towns
and villages near the place where the Deer was
supposed to be concealed, that no person should
kill, hunt, or chase him; in order that he might
return in safety to the forest. And the foresters
were directed to harbour the said Stag, and by
degrees to bring him back to the forest Such
recovered Deer was always afterwards called a
Hart royal proclaimed. In the year 1194, king
Richard the First chased a Stag from Sherwood
forest to Barnsdale in Yorkshire, and there lost
him. He made proclamation at Tunhill in York-
shire, and divers other places in the neighbour-
hood of Barnsdale, that no person should chase,
kill, or hunt the said Deer, in order that he might
return to his lair in the forest of Sherwood*.
When property became, happily, more divided
by the relaxation of the feudal tenures, the hunting
grounds also became more limited; and as tillage
and husbandry increased, beasts of chase were
Daniel's Rural Sports, vol. i.
obliged
THE RED DEER. 327
obliged to give way to others more useful to the
community. The vast tracts of land before dedi-
cated to hunting., in proportion as the useful arts
gained ground, either lost their original destina-
tion, or gave rise to the invention of parks.
Very few forests or chases now remain. The
four principal ones are Sherwood, Dean, Windsor,
and the New forests. The Rev. Mr. White informs
us, that in Wolmer Forest, Hants, the Red Deer,
towards the beginning of the last century, amounted
to about five hundred head. He mentions an old
keeper, named Adams, (living in the year 1768,)
whose ancestors and himself had, for more than a
century, enjoyed the head keepership of that fo-
rest. This person assured Mr. White, that his father
often told him, that Queen Anne, as she was jour-
neying on the Portsmouth road, did not think the
forest of Wolmer beneath her royal regard. For
she came out of the great road at Liphook, which is
just by, and reposing herself on a bank, (smoothed
for the purpose,) about half a mile to the east of
Wolmer Pond, still called the Queen's Bank, saw
with great satisfaction the whole herd of Red Deer
brought by the keepers along the vale before her.
The Deer stealers, however, soon reduced them ;
and in the course of not many years afterwards,
out of about five hundred, there were not more
than fifty or sixty head left. They continued de-
creasing till the time of the Duke of Cumberland,
who, about the year 1736, sent down a huntsman,
Z 4 and
328 THE RED DEER.
and six yeomen prickers, attended by the Stag-
Hounds,, for the purpose of taking all the Deer in
this forest alive, and conveying them, in carts,, to
Windsor. In the course of the summer, they caught
every Stag ; and in the ensuing winter, carried off
also the Hinds, some of which showed such extra-
ordinary diversion, as served the country people
for matter of conversation and wonder for years
afterwards.
Mr White saw a yeoman pricker single out a
Stag from the herd, and he says that it was the most
curious feat of activity he ever beheld. The ex-
ertions made by the Horse and Deer, much exceed-
ed all his expectations. Though the former greatly
excelled the latter in speed, on the devoted Deer
being separated from his companions, he" was al-
lowed, as the men called it, law for twenty minutes;
when, sounding their horns, the stop-dogs were
permitted to follow him, and a most gallant scene
ensued^.
These animals, which, when unprovoked, are
of a mild and peaceable disposition, generally
live in herds that consist of many females and
their young, headed by one male. They frequent
the wildest and least frequented parts of the fo-
rest,, browsing on grass, or the leaves and buds of
* White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 29.
various
THE RED DEER. 329
various trees. During the breeding season, (in the
months of May and June,) the females live apart;
nor do they again collect into herds till towards
the end of the autumn. They are said to be very
delicate in the choice of their pasture ; and when
they have eaten a sufficiency, they usually retire to
some thicket, to chew their cud in security.
The Stag has quick eyes, and an exquisite smell.
When listening, he raises his head, and erects his
ears. When entering into, or issuing from, a cop-
pice or half covered place, he first stops to take a
full view round him, and observe if any danger is
threatened. Although he is considered a somewhat
simple animal, he has both curiosity and cunning.
If any person happens to whistle, or call to him
from a distance, he stops short, and gazes atten-
tively upon the stranger, with a kind of awkward
admiration; and, if he perceives neither Dogs nor
fire-arms preparing against him, he goes slowly
forward, apparently without concern, and does not
attempt to run away. In general, he fears men
much less than Dogs ; and entertains no distrust of
them but in proportion as he is disturbed.
These animals shed their horns every year, in the
spring. During the first year, the young ones have
no horns, but only a rough excrescence in tlje
place of them, .covered with a thin hairy skin. In
the second year the horns are straight and without
branches: the following year they acquire two
antlers, or branches; and they generally have an
additional
330 THE RED DEER.
additional one every year till their sixth, from
which time the animals may be considered at ma-
turity. It is about the end of June that the large
Stags have the upper part of their head somewhat
elongated with the new horns. About this time
also their heads begin to itch, and they con-
sequently rub them against the trees, in order to
break through the velvety skin which covers the
young shoots. At the commencement of August,
their head assumes that proper degree of firmness
and strength, which it retains through the rest of
the year.
It is known that if a Stag be cut before it has
attained its horns, these will never afterwards shoot;
and, says the Marquis d'Amezaga, a French noble-
man of great experience in the chase, if the Stag
be cut when its horns are in perfection, it will al-
ways retain them. Some persons have conjectured
that slender nourishment would greatly retard the
growth of the horns of this animal ; and a letter
which M. de Buffon received from M. le Count de
Mellin seems to prove, that if the nourishment be
particularly slender, the horns will not grow at all.
An old Stag was killed in the grounds of this noble-
man in the month of June, 1783, which had no horns.
The wretched animal had, some time before, lost
part of its under jaw, by a musket shot. The wound
was healed; but, from the lean and uncommonly
emaciated appearance of the body, it was plain
that the animal could have received very little
more
THE RED DEER. 331
more food than was sufficient merely to keep it
alive. He says there was not a supply, by any means
great enough, to afford matter for the formation of
the horns*.
After the animals have cast their horns, they
separate, the young ones only keeping together.
They remain no longer in deep covert, but seek
the beautiful part of the country, and continue
among coppices during the summer, and until the
horns are renewed. As soon as this is the case,
the Stags begin to seek the company of the fe-
males. Their neck and throat now swell very much;
they exert a loud, and sometimes even terrible cry;
and, at this season, seem so transported with pas-
sion, that nothing can obstruct their fury. If two
Stags approach the same Hind, they immediately
contend; and they always continue the combat till
one of them is either killed or defeated, and com-
pelled to seek his escape in flight. The oldest
Stags are sure to gain the battle, because they are
both stronger and more fierce than the young
ones. This season lasts for about three weeks,
and always ends before the middle of October.
The animals are by that time become so lean and
weakened, as to require a considerable while to
recover their strength. They then retire to the
: .
* Buffon, par -Scranini, xxiv. p, 107 109.
borders
332 THE RED DEER.
borders of the forest,, and graze on the cultivated
lands, where they find nutriment in abundance,
and where they remain until their strength is
restored.
The females go somewhat more than eight
months with young, producing their offspring
about the latter end of May, or the beginning of
June. Each female seldom brings forth more than
one young one; and this she always takes care to
conceal in the most obscure thickets, not only to
preserve it from the attacks of beasts of prey, but
even from the observation of the Stag, which
otherwise would inevitably destroy it. At this
season, the courage of the male seems transferred
to the female. She defends it, against the less
formidable tribes of enemies, by force ; and when
the hunter approaches, she even offers herself to
his pursuit, in order to lead him from the principal
object of her concern. She will fly before the
hounds for several hours, and will then return to
her fawn, whose life she has thus preserved at the
hazard of her own.
Deer, if caught whilst young," will continue, for
some time, tame and familiar in confinement ; but
it is said, by Sonnini, that when they approach
towards maturity, they always become violent and
ill-tempered, and are then oftentimes extremely
furious. In one of the small inclosures in the
Botanic Gardens at Paris, there was a Stag, which,
after he had gradually pined away for many years,
it
THE RED DEER. 333
if was as length necessary to destroy. He would
always attempt to run at men or Dogs that came
towards his inclosure; and to certain persons he
had taken a particular aversion ; this he testified by
stretching out his head and neck, and turning back
his upper lip so as to expose his teeth, whenever
they approached. If, in spite of this notice, the
person continued to draw near, the Stag advanced,
holding down his head and presenting his horns, in
order to strike the object of his fury ; and, in the
fruitless attempt, he always beat himself with great
violence against the bars of his inclosure. Even
the servants who were accustomed to feed and at-
tend him, could not enter the inclosure without
great caution. During the rutting season, when he
was most ferocious, he was confined in a smaller
apartment than usual; and his food could only be
given to him, through an. opening made for the
purpose, from above.
A young Stag succeeded this animal. He had a
Hind placed along with him ; and although she con-
tinued gentle and very tame, he soon rendered
himself formidable. If, however, a Dog happened
at any time to enter their inclosure, they each be-
came immediately furious, and attacked him with
all their force, the Stag with his horns, and the
Hind with her fore feet; and the death of the ani-
mal was the almost certain consequence of its im-
prudence. In a few instances, indeed, it has hap-
pened
334 THE RED DEEfc.
pened that the Hind became intimidated,, and en-
deavoured to escape. She has been known to
make prodigious leaps in attempting, but in vain,
to surmount the high barrier of the inclosure*.
Notwithstanding these instances cited by Son-
nini, another French writer of authority informs us,
that Stags may be so far domesticated, as to be
broken into harness. Bomare says, that in Ger- '
many he has seen six of these animals in harness,
and perfectly tractable to the bit and whip; and
that in the year 1770, there were at Chantilly two
Stags, which suffered themselves to be harnessed
into a small chariot, in which they drew two per-
sons with the greatest quietnessf.
The flesh of the Fawn is very delicate eating;
and that of the Hind by no means bad: but the
fiesh of the full-grown Stag has always a strong
and disagreeable flavour. The skin, when dressed,
is manufactured into breeches, gloves, belts, &c.
and forms a very excellent kind of leather. The
horns, when full grown, are solid, and are used
by cutlers and other mechanics; and from them
a volatile salt is extracted, called salt of harts-
Iwm.
.
* Addition a 1'article du Daim, par Sonnini. Buff. Sonn, xxiv.
p. 147.
f Dictionaire d' Histoire Naturelle. Art, Cerf.
In
THE FALLOW DEER. 335
In Wales the male is called carw, the female
ewig, and the young elain : in France cerf, biche,
and faon: in Germany, hirsh, hind, and liinde
kalbe: in Denmark, kronliiort, hind, and kid or
hind-kalv : in Italy the male is called cervo, and
the female ce-rvia: in Spain, ciervo, and cierva: in
Portugal, ceri'o or veado, and cerva: in Sweden,
kron-hiort, and /uw/: in Holland, fter/, and
THE FALLOW DEER*.
BUCK, THE MALE; DOE, THE FEMALE; FAWN, THE
YOUNG.
Although these animals are less savage than the
Red Deer, yet, when offended, they often become
very ferocious. They associate in herds, which
sometimes divide into two parties, and maintain
obstinate battles for the possession of some fa-
vourite place in a park. Each of these parties has
its leader, which is always the oldest and strongest
buck in the herd. The two chiefs commence the
engagement, and the rest follow them. Their com-
* Cervus dama, Linnaeus. Le Daim. Bujfon.
For the description of the Fallow Deer, see the Synopsis, p. 55,
No. 37.
bats
3.56 THE FALLOW DEE#.
bats are singular,, from the conduct by which theif
efforts seem to be regulated. They attack with
order, and support the assault with courage; mu-
tually assist each other, retire, rally, and never yield
the victory upon a single defeat. The battle is
daily renewed, till the weakest party are routed*
and retire to some secluded part of the park, leav-
ing the victors in possession of the object of their
contention.
When the London Volunteers, (several thousand
strong,) were reviewed in Hyde Park, in October
1803, the Deer were roused by the unusual as-
semblage of people, and formed themselves into a
kind of close column, near the reservoir, with one
buck advanced in front, and two others standing at
a distance a few paces behind him. In this position
they continued, perfectly steady, for the greatest
part of the day. And, when they were disturbed,
by the retreat of some of the corps, who marched
out into that quarter, they formed themselves again,
nearly in the same manner, in another place at a
little distance, where they remained till the review
was over, and all the people were departed.
In countries where these animals are objects of
chase, it is said that they do not, like the Stag, run
to a great distance before the Hounds; but that
they always seek to escape from the Dogs by stra-
tagem. When hard pressed, they will often plunge
into the water.
The Fallow Deer feed on a variety of vegetables
which
THE FALLOW DEER. 337
which the Red Deer refuse ; they likewise browse
closer, for which reason they are more prejudicial
to young trees. These they often strip in such
manner that they, cannot recover. The young
Deer eat faster, and with greater avidity, than the
old ones.
The Does go with young about eight months,
and, in the beginning of June, produce one, some-
times two, and rarely three Fawns. These are
dropped in some retired place, among fern, or
other cover, and hidden from the observation of
the Buck, which would otherwise destroy them.
The Doe suckles them there for a little while, till
they are able to follow her. She feeds on some
adjacent spot, in order that, if they should be at-
tacked, she may immediately run to their pro-
tection.
For the first year the young one is called, by the
park keepers, a Fawn, and during that time it has
no horns. The second year, if it be a MALE, it is
called a Pricket, and it has then horns four or five
inches in length, but terminated only by .a single
point. The next horns are longer; they are di-
vided at the top, and have a small antler at the bot-
tom. In this third year the animal is denominated
a Sorel; and in the ensuing year, when his horns
acquire a considerable addition both of length and
branches, a Sore. When he arrives at his fifth year,
he takes the name of Buck, and his horns are now
of their proper palmated form. In his sixth year
A a he
338 THE FALLOW DEER.
he is accounted fit to be killed; but if he is suffered
to live a year or two longer, he will improve both
in flesh and fatness. If the young one be a FEMALE,
it is called for the first year a Fawn, for the second
a Teg, and after that it takes its proper name of
Doe. Such Does as are intended to be killed in
their season, are either what have had no Fawns in
the preceding summer, or have had these killed
and taken away.
The season for killing the Bucks is from about
the first of July, to somewhat later than the middle
of September. That for the Does, is from about
the middle of November to the middle of February.
Towards the commencement of October the
throats of the males begin to swell, and the ani-
mals make a noise called groaning, which is heard
at no other season of the year, and is attended with
a singular kind of rattling in the throat. They
then associate with the Does; and the oldest and
and strongest Bucks, becoming masters of the herd,
keep the younger ones at a distance. At this pe-
riod they neglect their food, and in consequence
become excessively lean ; but it has been observed,
that the more they are wasted at this season, the
fatter and finer will the venison generally be in the
following summer.
The Buck sheds his horns every year, towards
the end of April, or the beginning of May, soon
after which there are to be seen on the head, (as
in the Stag,) two soft, velvety swellings. During
the early part of the growth of the horns, nothing
can
THE FALLOW DEER. 339
can be more soft and tender than these; nor can
any thing, at this time, exceed their sensibility, as
is evident from the great solicitude which the animal
displays to guard them from every kind of injury,
In this tender state of the head, if the Buck be
attacked, he cannot use it to act either offensively
or defensively; and if, during this period, any con-
tention arises among the Bucks, they fight each
-other by rising erect, and striking with their fore
legs. After the horns have broken through the
skin, they gradually enlarge, lengthen, and widen
at their tops; and when at full growth, the skin,
with all its apparatus of vessels, which had served
to nourish the horns, being grown useless, is
rubbed off by the animal ; the impressions of the
blood vessels still remain on the complete horn,
in the form of so many ramified furrows.
The duration of the life of Fallow Deer has been
generally estimated at about twenty years.
Fallow Deer are easily tamed, if they are caught
young and allowed a sufficient space to range in;
but the Bucks, (though less savage than Stags,) if
confined to a small space, such as the inclosures
in the Botanic Garden at Paris, always lose their
natural mildness. In one of these inclosures, along
with several Does, there is a Buck, which was taken
"when quite young from the wood at Boulogne.
For a while it continued very docile, but it after-
wards became, in some measure, fierce and wild;
though it has not lost all its original gentleness of
A a 2 disposition,
340 THE FALLOW DEER.
disposition, for when called by name, it always
approaches the bars of its inclosure. It willingly
receives bread when put through these bars; but
it seldom fails to run with fury upon men or Dogs
who attempt to enter. In the year 1799, a person
who came to see the animals of the Menagerie, was
foolish enough to put into the inclosure a beau-
tiful little Dog that he had brought along with
him. In an instant the Buck tore up the animal's
belly with his horns. The owner of the Dog,
anxious to rescue him from further mischief,
leaped himself into the inclosure. The Buck left
the Dog, ran upon the man, threw him on the
ground, and lacerated his thigh in a most dreadful
manner ; nor was it without great difficulty that the
keepers were able to save him from the destruction
in which his extreme imprudence had nearly in-
volved him.
The strength of this Buck is much greater than
what most persons would suppose from his size,
and the appearance of his body. The Does that
are kept along with him still preserve their native
wildness and timidity. They will come to the bars
of the inclosure when bread is offered to them;
but when they have received it, they always retire
with precipitation.
Fallow Deer are not at present found any where
in Great Britain or Ireland, in a perfect state of
nature. They are., however, kept in the royal
forests, and in gentlemen's parks; and no country
produces
THE PALLOR DEER.
produces them in such abundance as this. In
France and Germany they are by no means com-
mon. They seem confined to temperate climates,
since none of them are found in Russia, and very
few in Sweden. In some parts of Spain they are
nearly equal in size to the Red Deer.
About seventy years ago, a variety of the Fallow
Deer, called Mend Deer, was introduced into Eng-
land from Bengal. These are of a reddish brown
colour, spotted with clear white, and, when ar-
rived at full age, with a large branching head,
they are as beautiful animals as imagination can
picture. They readily associate with other Deer;
and in parks, the owners of which have been able
to procure them, they make an highly pleasing
contrast with the others, and add great beauty to
the general herd.
: -
In Wales the male is called liydd, the female
hyddes, and the young elain : in France, daim, daine,
andfaon: in Portugal, corza, and verdo: in Italy
the male and female are both called daino : in
Spain, gamo, corza, daind : in Germany, dam-hirsch:
in Holland, dein, darchert : in Austria, dendd: in
Hungary, daamwad-bak : in Denmark, Damliwrt,
daa-dyr: in Sweden, dof, dpf-Mort : in Poland,
lanii: in Russia, sterna.
A a 3 THE
THE ROE*.
THE Roe is much inferior to either of the other
British species of Deer, in dignity, strength, and
stature ; yet it possesses, in place of these, an
abundant share of vivacity, gracefulness, and cou-
rage. Its figure is more beautiful and elegant, and
its eyes much more brilliant and animated, than
those of either the Red or Fallow Deer. Its limbs
are more neatly formed; its movements are more
precipitate ; and it is able to bound and run with at
least equal agility and vigour.
When pursued by the hunter, the Roebuck ex-
hibits infinite fleetness and address. It is scarcely
possible to hunt him fairly down, since he can
continue the course for many hours without ex-
hausting his strength. He is, therefore, seldom to
be caught, unless by surprise in the onset. When,
however, he^ finds his first efforts to escape are
likely to prove unsuccessful, he returns, and keeps
the same track backwards and forwards, till by
various turnings and windings he totally confounds
the scent. Then, by one enormous bound, he is
* Cervus capreolus. Linruzus. Le chevreuil. Buffon.
For the description of the Roe, see the Synopsis, p, 56, No. 38.
said
THE ROE. 343
said to leap aside, lie flat on his belly among bushes
or long grass, and suffer the Dogs to pass close by
his nose without his offering to move.
The natural disposition of these animals is gene-
rally marked by an extreme degree of shyness and
timidity; and their constitution and temperament
are so delicate, that a continuance of cold weather
for a little while longer than usual, will frequently
destroy great numbers of them. We are inform-
ed that in the hard winter of 1709, the species
was almost extirpated from Burgundy ; and that
many years elapsed before it was restored. In
Scotland it is found so difficult to rear the Fawns in
confinement, that it has been computed that eight
out of ten of those taken from their parents, die
before they arrive at maturity*.
M. de Buffon, at different times, reared several ;
but he was never able to keep them alive more than
five or six years. He informs us that they are ex-
ceedingly delicate in the choice of their food; that
they require much exercise, pure air, and a sufficient
space to range about in. For a pair of these ani-
mals to live comfortably, they should be allowed,
(he says,) the range of a park, consisting of at least
a hundred acres. They seldom become either obe-
dient or familiar, since they generally retain a
* Pennant's British Zoology, L p, 51.
A a 4 great
344 THE ROF.
great share of their original timidity: but however
tame they may have been rendered, they cannot
be trusted. The males., particularly, are subject to
dangerous caprices ; and if they take an aversion
to any persons, they will often suddenly spring
upon, and attack them with their horns ; the blows
from which are sometimes so severe as to throw a
tolerably strong man to the ground.
In their wild state, the Roes generally love to
range among the hills and in alpine valleys, near
the borders of woods, into which they can fly for
shelter and security whenever they are pursued by
their foes. They do not, like the Red and Fallow-
Deer, herd together in vast numbers; and are
seldom to be found but in small flocks or families,
consisting of the two parents and their offspring,
or, in the whole, of only from three to five indi-
viduals. They seldom or never allow strangers to
intermix or associate with them. During the sum-
mer months they feed chiefly on grass, but they
are likewise very fond of the stone bramble* ; and
in winter, when the ground is covered with snow,
they browse on the tender branches of the fir and
birch trees. When, in the spring of the year, they
feegin to eat the buds and young leaves of trees, it
is said that this food ferments in their stomach, and
* Rubus saxatilis of Linnaeus^
intoxicates
THE ROE.
intoxicates them to such a degree, that frequently
they do not know where they are going, and in
consequence sometimes approach flocks of cattle,
and even the habitations of men*.
The females go with young about five months
and a half, and produce their Fawns generally
towards the end of April, or the beginning of May.
Previously to the time when a female is about to
bring forth a new family, she drives off her former
young ones, in order to provide habitations and to
form societies for themselves. She then retires to
some secure place in the woods, concealed from
the observation of Foxes, and other predacious
animals, and there deposits her progeny. These
are two in number, usually a male and a female.
In the course of ten or twelve days, when they
have acquired sufficient strength to follow her, she
brings them to the plains, where they are, for the
first time, seen by the Roebuck; and so ardent does
his attachment become to them, that when, on any
occasion, they are assaulted, he will come forward
in their defence, and boldly attack the foe.
When the Roes have attained the age of twelve
months, the horns first begin to appear, in the
form of two small knobs. The first horns are quite
plain. Those of the following year have each a
single branch; and at the commencement of the
Button par Sonnini, xxiv. p. 171.
animal's
346 THE ROfi.
animal's fourth year, the head is complete. The*
Stag sheds his horns in the spring, and renews
them in summer; but the Roebuck does not cast
his till the autumn, and they are replaced irr
winter.
The Roebuck does not bellow so frequently, nor
with so loud and strong a voice, as the Stag. The
young ones utter a short or plaintive cry, mi, mi,
whenever they are in want of food. This sound is
easily imitated by the sportsman ; and the mother,
deceived by the call, will often come up almost to
the muzzle of his gun*.
The venison of the Roe, in some countries, and
at a proper season, is considered to be an excellent
and delicate food. For different purposes in manu-
factures, the hair of the Roe is considered more
valuable than that either of the Stag or the Ox,
from the circumstance of its not becoming knotty,
like the hair of those animals. The horns are used
in making handles for knives, and for various other
purposes.
These animals inhabit woody and mountainous
countries, both of Europe and Asia ; and, as some
writers have asserted, they are also occasionally
met with in North America. In former ages they
were very common in many parts of Britain ; but
the few that now are left in the island are chiefly
* Buffon par Sonnini, xx.iv. p. 169.
confined
THE ROE. 347
confined to some districts of Scotland, but particu-
larly to the Highlands. In the lower parts of the
parish of Appin, in Dumfriesshire, and particu-
larly on the estates of the Marquis of Tweedale,
and Mr. Campbell of Aird, Roes are found in
considerable abundance. Great numbers of these
beautiful animals have of late years also resorted
for security and good pasture to the extensive
woods of Moneymusk, in Aberdeenshire. For-
merly they visited the low country only at those
times., when, during the deep snows of winter, they
could find neither subsistence nor shelter in the fo-
rests of Glenavon and Glentannar, and they return- ..
ed to their residence in those bleak and desolate
regions, as soon as the first breaking up of the frost
would allow them. They, however, now take their
entire residence in the above parish; and it is sup-
posed that, in a short time, even all the inclosures
will be stocked by them, without either trouble or
expence to the proprietor of the lands.
This animal is, called iivrch in Wales: in France,
chevreuil, the female chevrette, and the young faon:
in Italy, capriolo : in Spain, zorlito, cabronzillo
monies: in Portugal, cobra monies: in Germany,
rehe, rehbock : in Holland, rhee : in Hungary,
oz-bak: in Sweden, ra-diur, rabock: in Denmark,
raae-buk, raa-diur: in Russia, koza, dikaja.
THE
;( 348 )
OF GOATS IN GENERAL.
THESE animals are to be considered as truly
alpine, since, in a wild state, they inhabit those
countries only, in various parts of Asia, Africa, and
Europe, where the mountains are lofty and pre-
cipitous. In activity they almost equal the Ante-
lopes, bounding from crag to crag with fearless
intrepidity. fc I have seen a Goat dance, and
scratch one of its ears with its hind feet, (says,
Mr. Gray, with great expression, ) in a place where
I would not have stood stock still, for all beneath
the moon." In these their native wilds, they as-
semble sometimes in numerous flocks, and browse
on the short mountain grasses, the branches of
alpine shrubs, and various species of lichen and
moss. If they are caught young, and properly
trained, all the species may be rendered perfectly
tame and familiar.
Goats are easily distinguished from Sheep at
first sight, by their horns being more erect, and
their body being covered with long, shaggy hair,
instead of wool. They likewise differ from those
animals in their mode of fighting. The Sheep
butt at each other, holding their heads down,
running with enormous force, and striking with
the front of their horns; whilst the Goats rise
almost
OF GOATS IN GENERAL. 349
almost erect on their hind legs, and strike with the
sides of their horns.
Only three species of Goats have hitherto been
described by naturalists. These are the Common
Goat, the Ibex, and the Caucasan Goat*. Of the for-
mer there are seven permanent, and very distinct
varieties, inhabitants of different parts, chiefly of
Europe and Asia. The principal are the Com-
mon or Domestic, and the Syrian and Angora
Goats.
The flesh of all the Goats is occasionally adopted
by mankind for food : but when the animals have
attained their full age, this has generally a strong
and rancid flavour. The skins are employed in
making morocco and other kinds of leather; and
the hair, particularly that of the Angora Goat,
is manufactured into several valuable articles of
dress.
Capra (Zgagrus, capra ibex, and capra Caucasica of Liji
THE
( 350 )
THE COMMON GOAT*.
SUFFICIENTLY hardy of constitution to sustain
itself under almost any temperature of climate,
the Goat, in a domestic state at least, is now found
in every quarter of the globe. Infinitely stronger
than the Sheep, it is able to support the cold, the
rains, snows, and storms, of the mountainous coun-
tries in high northern latitudes, without injury ;
and though it thrives sufficiently well even in the
neighbourhood of the torrid zone, yet it is amongst
the bleak mountains of temperate and cold climates
considered to be in greatest perfection. Sprightly
and active in the highest dsgree, it climbs with
rapidity the most rugged rocks, often ascending,
by a series of enormous bounds, to the summits of
precipices so towering and lofty as to appear in-
accessible to all animals except those of the fea-
thered tribes. On these heights the Goats are able
to stand, or to frisk about with perfect security; and
from thence they often fearlessly look down upon
the astonished traveller in the vales below. They
are so sure-footed, that it is seldom indeed they miss
* Capra agagrus hircus. Linnceus. La chevre. Bujfon.
See the Synopsis, p. 58, No. 39.
the
THE COMMON GOAT. 35
the spot to which they bound, though it be at the
distance of even many feet.
In a domestic state, its activity of body often
renders the Goat a very mischievous animal, since
no fence of common height can restrain its wander-
ings. It frequently makes its way into gardens
and cultivated grounds, where it commits much
damage, by gnawing and eating the plants, and the
leaves of shrubs. To young trees of almost every
kind this animal is particularly injurious; for it not
only nips off all the buds, but also peels the tender"
rind, which it eats with great avidity.
Amongst their native wilds, in the mountains,
the Goats pick up a sufficiency of food for their
full support, even in the midst of apparent barren-
ness. They eat the different kinds of stunted
mountain-grasses and shrubs, particularly wild
thyme, and some of the dwarf species of willow:
they likewise browse on several kinds of alpine
moss and lichens.
Although, in a wild state, the Goat is naturally
an animal of shy and timid disposition; yet when
once it is domesticated, it seems rather to court
than to shun the society of mankind. It will fol-
low persons from whom it has received attention,
to considerable distances; and will take food even
from the hands of strangers. Whilst young, it is a
most sprightly and vivacious creature; and even
when it has attained a mature age, it does not
altogether lose its sprightliness, although the
shaggy
352 THE COMMON GOAT.
hair which covers its body, and the long beard
which hangs from its chin, give to it a peculiarly
solemn figure and countenance. Its disposition,
when unprovoked, is, for the most part, sufficiently
mild: but its passions are often suddenly roused,
and in this case it becomes ill-natured, and butts at
the offender with great ferocity.
In some parts of the continent, the Goat is
an animal extremely essential to the comforts of
the lower classes of the peasantry. Though fed
only on the most uncultivated and barren grounds,
it affords to them an abundance of milk, butter,
and cheese. In highly mountainous countries, the
Sheep or Cow are by no means so much within the
reach of the cottager's economy as the Goat; nor
would these, in such countries, be any thing near-
so useful or productive.
There are none of our domestic animals which
have so powerful, and, at one season of the year,
(during the months of September and October,)
so fetid a smell as these. It is believed that this
odour is a great preventive of disease in Horses;
and on this account Goats are generally kept about
the stables of inns, and of those persons who have
extensive studs.
The female goats usually produce two, some-
times three, and, rarely, four young ones at a
birth. Their period of gestation is about eighteen
weeks; and their time of breeding is generally
from
THE COMMON GOAT. 353
from the end of February to the beginning of May.
In our climates the animals are seldom known to
exceed the age of eleven or twelve years.
Their flesh is by no means considered in such
high estimation as that of the Sheep; since,, to per-
sons unaccustomed to eat it, neither the smell nor\
the taste are agreeable. In several parts of Wales,
however, the haunches are occasionally salted and
dried; and in this state they supply the place of ba-
con. The meat of the spayed Goat, of six or seven
years old, is reckoned tolerably sweet and fat. That
of the Kid is by far the best of the whole: it is ex-
ceedingly rich, and is usually considered more ex-
cellent even than Lamb.
The skins of these animals, when properly
tanned, are manufactured into gloves, and other
articles of dress. There is a way of preparing them
by maceration, so as to separate the fine upper
pellicle, or epidermis, from the coarse under parts; ,
after which they are dyed of various colours, for
different uses. From the skins of Goats is manu-
factured what is generally called morocco leather.
The countries most celebrated for this are Turkey,
and the Crimea. In the latter, only the red and
yellow morocco are prepared; but these, in point
of quality, are fully equal to those of Turkey.
The best morocco is made of the he-goat's skins*
For leather of an inferior quality, and particu-
larly such as is to receive a yellow colour, Sheep's
B b skins
354 THE COMMON GOAt.
skins are often substituted*. The reason why
Goats' skins have been principally adopted for the
manufacture of this leather, is, that they take the
dye better, and are susceptible of richer colours,
than the skins of any other animals.
As the fleece of the Common Goats is by no
means considered so valuable as that of the Sheep,
the animals have not hitherto been reared in any
part of Great Britain with a view towards deriving
emoluments from this. With respect to its ex-
cellence, however, we are furnished with some in-
teresting information by Dr. Anderson. This inde-
fatigable observer has remarked, that there are, in
England, two varieties of Goats, which are almost
equally common. One of these has short, stiff hair;
and the other a long, rough and shaggy coat, usu-
ally either mottled or wholly of a grey colour, the
skins of which are chiefly employed for making
soldiers' knapsacks. In the latter variety there is a
fine soft kind of wool, which grows at the roots of
the long hair. This, it is a curious fact, is hitherto
scarcely known to any persons of our country,
The inhabitants of many parts of Russia, however,
have been long acquainted with it, and for several
years back have been in the practice of separating
* Pallas's Travels in Southern Russia, translated by Blagdcn, iv~
p. 264.
THE COMMON GOAT. 355
it from the hair, and manufacturing it into gloves,
stockings, &c. on which they set a very high value.
The first specimen of this kind of wool that Dr.
Anderson ever saw, was sent to him by a Russian
lady, with a request that he would get it woven
for her into shawls. The quantity, which, unsorted,
did not weigh much more than a pound, was too
small to admit of being made into a web by itself:
the chain was, therefore, formed of silk, and the
woof of fine yarn made from that wool. The fabric
was compared with the finest of the Indian shawls;
and notwithstanding the hardness of the silk chain,
(the wool being infinitely softer than that sub-
stance,) it was decidedly more soft and beautiful
than any of these. Of the above-mentioned small
quantity of wool, three full-sized shawls and one
waistcoat were made, all of which were exceed-
ingly admired by every person who saw them.
The colour was a dull white; with a delicate,
scarcely perceptible glance of red through it. The
ingenious narrator of this account informs us, that,
if he could have been furnished with a hundred of
them for sale, he does not doubt that he should
have obtained as high a price as twenty guineas
each for the whole. On being sent into Russia,
they were deemed a proper present for the em-
press, who expressed herself greatly pleased with
them. Dr. Anderson examined many of the long-
haired English Goats, on which he found the very
same substance. In some, the quantity was con-
B b 2 siderable.
356 THE COMMON GOAT.
siderable, and in others much smaller; but it was
not wholly wanting in any of the animals that came
under his inspection. In order to obtain this wool,
the^ractice in Russia is to have the Goats first well
washed towards the beginning of summer; and
after the fleece is dry, it is combed with a wide-
toothed comb, and then with others closer set,
which tear out the wool, whilst the long hair re-
mains adhering to the skin. Any hairs that may
be accidentally blended with it, are picked out,
and it is ready for the hands of the manufac-
turer. The quantity from a single fleece has not
been yet correctly ascertained ; but it is probably
so small as not to admit of being separated, with
a view to profit, in a country like ours, where
manual labour of all kinds is so much higher than
it is in most other countries. The fact, however,
is incontestibly proved, that a variety of the Goat
species does, in Great Britain, actually produce a
wool of perhaps finer quality than what is yielded
by any Sheep whatever*.
The long hair of these Goats, and particularly of
the males, is used by peruke makers for their best
and whitest wigs. The most valuable of the latter
kind of hair is that which grows on the haunches of
the animals, where it is longer, and more closely
Anderson's Recreation's in Agriculture, &c. ii. p. 231.
set,
THE COMMON GOAT. 357
set, than on any other part of the body. Pre-
viously to its being used, it goes through the pro-
cesses of baking and bleaching.
Goats' milk is considered both thicker, and to
have a much richer flavour than that either of the
Cow or the Sheep; and, in some situations, espe-
cially on ship-board, where the Goat thrives much
better than any other animal, it is highly valuable.
This creature eats readily almost any sort of refuse
vegetables; and is, therefore, in such situations par-
ticularly, kept at little expence. The milk is said
to give much less cream than that of the Cow,
and scarcely any butter; but a very large propor-
tion of cheese, and little whey. It is from this
circumstance, that in Switzerland, and other moun-
tainous countries, best adapted to the pasturage
of Goats, cheese is the principal produce of the
dairies.
The horns of the Goat are frequently used, by
country people, for handles to tucks and knives
of different kinds. The suet may be made into
candles, which are greatly superior in colour and
excellence to those made from the suet of Sheep
or Oxen.
In Wales the male is called toc/t, the female
gafr, and the young mynn: in France, ~bouc, chevre,
and chevreau: in Italy, buco, capra, and capretto:
Bb 3 in
358 THE COMMON GOAT.
in Spain, cdbran, cobra, and cabrito: in Portugal,
cabrane, cabra, and cabrito : in Germany, bock or
zeigenbock, geisz, and bocklein: in Holland, bok,
and giyt: in Sweden, bock, jet or geet, and kiidh:
in Denmark, &M or geedebuk, geed, and Atftf:- in
Poland, koziel: in Russia,
( 359 )
OF SHEEP IN GENERAL.
NOTWITHSTANDING the numerous varieties of the
Common Sheep which have been observed in dif-
ferent countries of the world, there are, belonging
to the present tribe, not more than three or four
well ascertained species: These are the Common
Sheep, the Alkali, the Pudu, and, perhaps, the Cre-
tan Sheep*; tor there is some doubt whether the
last animal may be considered as really distinct or
not. With respect to the varieties of the Common
Sheep, many of them differ widely from each other.
Most of them are clad with wool ; but there is one,
the African Sheep, whose coat is entirely of hair.
The greater part have each two horns; but the
Iceland Sheep have more than two: and several of
the English Sheep, on the contrary, are entirely
destitute of these weapons. The African Sheep
have long, slender tails ; and some of the Sheep
of Syria and Barbary have their tails so long, and
at the same time so broad and large, that the in-
habitants occasionally construct little carriages to
* Oms aries, ovis ammon, oms pudu f and ovis strepsiceros of
Linnaeus.
Bb 4 put
360 OF SHEEP IN GENERAL.
to put under them, in order to prevent them from
galling against th ground. One variety, the Fat-
rumped Sheep, have two large, fat, and naked
hemispherical prominences on their buttocks, and
no tail.
In the British islands we know nothing of the
manners and habits of life even of the Common
species, in a state of nature. In every part, even
of the mountainous wilds, and extensive moors, of
Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, the animals are all
private property ; and, in their most distant wan-
derings, are under the guidance of Shepherds and
their Dogs. All kinds of Sheep are partial to dry
and open plains, and grassy or heathy hills, in
preference either to the shelter of forests, or the
towering heights of rocks and precipices. Their
favourite food is the short and sweet grasses that
grow in these situations, which they crop quite
close to the ground. They avoid, as much as
possible, morassy places ; and are said to require
less water than most other ruminating animals. In
agility of body, either in running or leaping, they
are greatly inferior to Goats. They differ, like-
wise, from these animals in their mode of fight-
ing. They do not rise, as the Goats do, on their
hind legs, but they run directly against each other,
full tilt, with their horns.
THE
( 361 )
THE COMMON SHEEP*.
SHEEP, like most other ruminating animals, are
gregarious, or fond of associating together in large
flocks. Each of these flocks is headed by a leader,
which is usually one of the strongest and most
powerful of their number. They are not re-
markable either for activity or sprightlines in their
motions; but, when grazing over an extensive
range of open country, where they partake, in
some measure, of the nature of wild animals, they
are at all times extremely vigilant in guarding
against danger. A powerful thump of the foot
upon the ground, from any one of them, immedi-
ately calls the attention of the rest towards the
object of alarm. If this approaches their station,
the leader, by a loud hiss or whistle, twice or thrice
repeated, indicates his fears, and they all scamper
off to some distance. When out of the reach of
immediate danger, they halt, face about, and the
leader advances some paces in front of the flock,
to reconnoitre. If the suspected foe exhibits no
evil inclination, by continuing to approach, they
* Oms aries. Linn^m. Le Belier.Bujfon.
See the Synopsis, p. 59, No. 40.
proceed
362 THE COMMON SHEEP,
proceed to graze as before; but if he comes nearer,
the same signals are repeated, and a similar flight
takes place, but to a greater distance than at first.
After about the third repetition, they generally run
entirely away.
These animals are supposed to be fond of any
jingling kind of noise; and on this account it is
that the Shepherds often fasten a bell round the
neck of the leader, the sound of which prevents the
flock from ranging far from the spot where he
feeds. They implicitly follow their leader wherever
he goes; but, in case of sudden alarm, if any one
of the flock pushes forward to escape,, and thus
takes the lead, the rest generally follow him, and
precisely in the same way.
Of this singular disposition, Dr. Anderson in-
forms us, that he once witnessed a very laughable
instance in the town of Liverpool. A butcher's
boy was driving about twenty fat wedders through
the town; but they ran down a street along which
he did not want them to go. He observed a
scavenger at work with his broom, a little way be-
fore them, and called out loudly to him to stop the
Sheep. The man accordingly did what he could
tq turn them back, running from side to side,
always opposing himself to their passage, and
brandishing his broom with great dexterity. But
the Sheep, much agitated, pressed forward; and at
last one of them came right up to the man, who,
fearing it was about to jump over his head, whilst
he
THE COMMON SHEEP. 363
he was stooping, raised his body erect, and grasp-
ing the short broomstick in both hands, held it over
his head. He stood for a few seconds in this position,
when the Sheep made a spring, and jumped fairly
over him, without touching the broom. The first
had no sooner cleared this impediment, than another
followed, and another, and another, in such quick
succession, that the man, perfectly confounded,
seemed to lose all recollection, and stood, in the
same attitude, till the whole had jumped over
him, not one of them attempting to pass on either
side, though at the sides the street was quite clear.
As this took place during wet weather, the man was
entirely bespattered over with dirt before they had
all passed; and it is impossible to conceive a more
ludicrous appearance than the poor fellow made on
the occasion*.
The bodies of Sheep, instead of the hair usual on
other animals, are clad by nature with a kind that is
almost peculiar to themselves, called wool. This is so
curled as to be closely matted together; and, when
pulled strait, it is from four or five lines, to twelve
or fifteen inches, and upwards, in length. The dis-
tinguishing characteristic of wool is this, that when
even the coarsest sort is manufactured into cloth,
it thickens in the milling, and forms a close tex-
ture; whereas the finest possible hair, under the
* Anderson's Essays in Agriculture. &c. iii. p. 366.
same
364 THE COMMON SHEEP.
same operation, will neither thicken nor form any
texture whatever.
It is from the manufacture of this wool into
various kinds of clothing, that many thousands of
people,, in different countries of Europe, are en-
tirely supported and fed. In temperate countries
it is shorn or cut off once, and in others, where the
climate is warmer, twice in the year. Previously
to the shearing, the Sheep are driven to some
neighbouring river, or stream, to be washed, The
conducting of the animals from the folds, for this
purpose, by the shepherds, has been well described
by Thomson.
" Rushing thence in one diffusive band, they
Drive the troubled flocks, by many a dog
Compell'd, to where the mazy-running brook
Forms a deep pool ; this bank abrupt and high,
And that fair spreading in a pebbled shore.
Urg'd to the giddy brink, much is the toil,
The clamour much, of men, and boys, and dogs,
Ere the soft, fearful people to the flood
Commit their woolly sides."
After the Ewes and Lambs are shorn, there is
i
a great confusion and bleating, neither the dams
nor young ones being able ,to distinguish each
other as before. This embarrassment does not
seem so much to arise from the loss of the fleece,
which may occasion an alteration in their appear-
ance, as from a defect of that natus odor, or native
smell, by which each individual is personally dis-
criminated,
THE COMMON: SHEEP. 365
criminated, and which is now confounded by the
strong scent of the tar that is used in marking
them. The brute creation certainly recognize
each other much more from the smell than the
sight; and, in matters of identity and diversity,
they appeal greatly more to their noses than their
eyes. In the present case, the voice is exerted to
supply the defect ; and the young animals are not
long before they are able to ascertain their parents,
and the parents their offspring, by the test of
this.
With respect to the services of these animals to
mankind, it has been frequently remarked, that
there is no part of the Sheep but what is applied
to some useful purpose. The wool, as I have
already observed, furnishes sources of industry
and wealth to many thousands of people; and it
serves to clothe, and protect from cold, both the
labourer and the prince. The flesh supplies us
with an highly wholesome and palatable nutriment ;
and the milk is in great esteem amongst the pea-
santry of all countries where Sheep are bred. This,
however, (though not deficient in thickness,) is
said to yield but little cream ; and that cream gives
butter of a quality greatly inferior to what is ob-
tained from the milk of Cows. But it is to be re-
marked, that the same measure of Ewes' milk will
yield double the quantity of curd that ,our Cows'
milk affords. The skin, when stripped of the wool
and tanned, is in great request, particularly by
bookbinders
366 THE COMMON SHEEP.
bookbinders and saddlers. Of the entrails are made
the strings called catgut, which are used for different
kinds of musical instruments.
The season at which the Ewes begin to produce
their offspring, commences generally a little after
Christmas. The number of young, in the British
islands, is seldom more than one or two ; but there
is, in the Netherlands, a peculiarly large breed of
Sheep, the Ewes of which produce three, often
four, and sometimes as many as five Lambs at a
birth. The period of gestation is twenty-three
weeks ; and the age of the animal is seldom known
to exceed fourteen or fifteen years.
Sheep are liable to various diseases, such as rot
in the liver, the foot-rot, staggers, scab, and others
Some of these are so severe, as, when very preva-
lent in the flocks, to destroy considerable numbers
of the animals in a season. The rot is considered
one of the most dangerous. It is a decay in the
liver, occasioned, as many naturalists have asserted,
by a kind of flat worms, in shape not unlike the
seeds of a gourd, which the farmers call flukes or
flounders*. The glandular viscera of these animals
are likewise infested by two or three species of
tsenia; and in particular by one, tcenia granulosa,
the vesicles of which are from the size of a hazel
nut, to that of a hen's egg, and often contain many
* Fasciola hepatica of Linnaeus.
thousand
THE COMMON SHEEP. 367
thousands of animalcules., so small as to be scarcely
visible to the naked eye. The tcenia cerebralis, that
is found in the brain, or in the spinal marrow im-
mediately below the brain, occasions giddiness and
staggering, and the disease called dunt or rickets,
which, if the vessel happen to be broken, is said
to be incurable. The latter kind, which chiefly
attack yearling Lambs, are each not larger than a
grain of sand. A species of gadfly*, in the summer
time, deposits its eggs on the inner margins of the
nostrils of Sheep, occasioning them to shake their
heads violently, and thrust their noses into the
gravel. The larvas, or grubs, when hatched, crawl
up into the hollows of the forehead, called the
frontal sinuses, where they undergo their necessary
changes; and then descend, through the nostrils,
to the ground, in which they bury themselves, and
are at last transformed into flies similar to those
from which they were produced f.
The
* Cestrus oms of Linnaeus.
f The general name of the male is ram or tup. From the time he
is weaned to the first clipping or shearing, he is called hog, hoggerel,
or lamb-hog; after that he is a sliearling, shearing,' shear-hog, or
dinmond tup or ram. Then, according to the year in which he is clip-
ped or shorn, he is called two-shear ram, three-shear ram, and so on.
If the male be emasculated, he is called, whilst sucking, wether-lamb,
then wether-hog, until he is shorn, when he takes the name of shear*
ling, &c. till shorn a second time, when he is a young wether, or two-
shear wether, then three orfour^-shear wether, or more, according to the
times
368 THE COMMON SHEEP.
The following are the principal varieties of British
Sheep.
* Hornless Sheep. * * Horned Sheep.
' 1 New Leicester, or Dishley 9 Dorsetshire.
2 Lincolnshire. 10 Wiltshire.
3 Teeswater. 11 Exmoor.
4 South Down, or Sussex. 12 Norfolk.
5 Ryeland or Herefordshire. 13 Heath.
6 Herdwick. 14 Irish
7 Cheviot.
8 Shetland.
times he has been shorn. The female has the general name of ewe.
Whilst sucking she is called ewe-lamb, or Dimmer-lamb ; but when
weaned, ewe-hog or gimmer-hog, until clipped or shorn for the first
time, when she takes the name of gimmer, which continues only for
one year, till she loses her fleece a second time, when she obtains the
general appellation office. Her age is marked by being called a
two sJiear, three-shear, or four-shear ewe. What are denominated
gimmers in the North, are, in many of the midland parts of England,
called theaves; and when twice shorn, double-theaves. In some parts
the male lambs are called heeders, and the females sheeders. In
others, hogs are called tegs, and two-years-old ewes, twinters; and
and three-years old, thrunters. CULLEY'S OBSERVATIONS ON
LIVE-STOCK, INTRODUCTION, p. 19.
In Wales the male is called hwrd or maJiaren ; the female, da-cad;
and the young, sen: in France, belier, brebis, and agneau: in Italy,
montone or ariete, pecora, and agnello: in Spain, camera, carnero
cuter o, carnero cajudo or morueco, oveja, and cordero : in Portugal,
carneiro, OTelha, and cordeiro : in Germany, tvidder, or scaafbock,
vchaaf, and tow: in Holland, rain, schaep, and lam : in Sweden,
ti'adur,faar, and lamb: in Denmark, vccdder, or vare,faar, and lani :
in Norway, soud: in Poland, owca: in Russia, baran, owen.
* Hornless
( 369 )
* Hornless Sheep.
THE NEW LEICESTER OR DISHLEY SHEEP.
THESE Sheep are hornless, and have white faces
and legs, and long, fine wool. Their head is narrow.
They have fine lively eyes ; and their ears, which are
soft and thin, stand backward. Their back is flat ; and
their body round, and barrel-like. Their pelts are
thin, and all their bones peculiarly slender. The
staple is usually about six inches in length. The
weight of the fleece is seven or eight pounds, and
its value somewhat less than a shilling a pound.
The weight of the wool, to that of the carcass, is
in proportion nearly as one to eighteen and a half.
When the Ewes are three or four years old, they
generally weigh from eighteen to thirty-six pounds;
and the wethers of two years old, from twenty to
thirty pounds, per quarter.
This breed was flrs,t introduced by Mr. Bakewell,
of Dishley, near Loughborough; and he is supposed
to have obtained it by crossing the coarse and
heavy old Leicester breed with the Ry eland. It has,
for several years, been in such esteem, in the mid-
land counties, as, in several districts, to have ex-
cluded all others, Such, indeed, has been the rage
C c amongst
370 THE DISHLEY SHEEP.
amongst graziers for this breed, that one of Mr,
Bakewell's Rams brought its proprietor,, in a single
season, upwards of eight hundred guineas.
These animals are chiefly celebrated for their
quick feeding, and their capability of being ren-
dered enormously fat; so much so, as, in some in-
stances, to take away the proper flavour of the
mutton, and to render it scarcely eatable. A three-
years old wether belonging to Mr. Culley, which
was killed at Alnwick, in October, 1787, measured
more than seven inches of solid fat on the ribs;
and his back, from head to tail, was like the fattest
bacon. It is very common for two-years old wethers
to have four inches, in thickness, of fat on the ribs;
and from two to three inches all down the back.
This is frequently the case even with Ewes which
have bred and suckled Lambs till July, and have been
killed about the Christmas following; and, although
the Dishley Sheep are not celebrated for much tal-
low, yet Ewes, under such circumstances, generally
produce from eighteen to twenty-four pounds each.
When the animals are not over fatted, the mutton
is not only peculiar for fineness of grain, but for
superiority of flavour, beyond all other kinds of
large and long-woolled Sheep. The Ewes, when
fat, are generally sold to the butchers at the price
of from thirty-four to forty shillings; and the two-
shear wethers, from forty to fifty shillings, per
head.
The breeders of these Sheep find, that the
average
THE LINCOLNSHIRE SHEEP. 371
average of one third of the Ewes produce two
Lambs each; that is, every three Ewes will have
about four Lambs. Hitherto the wool produced
by these Sheep has not been much attended to: the
quantity, however, is by no means so great as
what some others of the long-woolled Sheep pro-
duce.
THE LINCOLNSHIRE SHEEP.
Are amongst the largest of all our breeds.
They are hornless; have white faces and legs; long,
thin, and weak carcasses; and long, heavy wool.
The latter, when extended, usually measures from
ten to eighteen inches; and a specimen examined
by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart, was twenty-one inches,
in length. The fleece from which this specimen
was taken weighed no less than twenty-eight
pounds. The average weight of the fleece is from
eight to fourteen pounds, and is in proportion to
that of the carcass, as about one to sixteen and a
half. Its value is from eight-pence halfpenny to
a shilling a pound. The pelt in these Sheep is
thick; and the legs are rough, clumsy, and large
boned.
It is in the rich marsh lands of Lincolnshire that
this breed is chiefly prevalent. Its principal value
is in the wool, since the animals are a slow-feeding
C c 2 race,
375 THE TEES-WATER SHEEP.
race, and afford a coarse-grained and very inferior
kind of mutton, which is no where in repute. The
weight of theEwes is from seventeen to twenty-four,
and of the three-years old wethers, from twenty to
thirty pounds, per quarter. Mr. Culley informs
us, that these Sheep cannot be made fat, in a
reasonable time, in any part of our island, except
Romney Marsh,' the marshes of Lincolnshire, or
some other very rich grazing grounds. In such
situations they are considered to be profitable,
from the enormous weight of wool which they
annually produce.
It is said that the Lincolnshire Sheep are, in
general, so tender as to be unfit for more northern
districts. Of late years, the race has been much
improved, by the breeders introducing among
them valuable Rams from other counties.
THE TEES-WATER SHEEP.
THIS is a hornless variety, with white faces and
legs, and long and somewhat coarse wool. The
animals are considered to be the largest of all the
British Sheep. Their legs are longer, and finer
boned; and the carcasses are heavier, more firm,
and much wider on the back and sides, than those
of the preceding breed. Their wool also is shorter,
and not so heavy.
As
THE TEES-WATER SHEEP. 373
As the present Sheep are not held in much
esteem, either for their wool or mutton, although
the latter is, in every respect, better than that of
the Lincolnshire Sheep, they are rarely to be found
purej except in the possession of some of the old
breeders. There are now very few flocks that have
not been crossed, more or less, with the Dishley
blood, by which they have been essentially im-
proved.
The weight of the two-years old wethers, of the
Tees-Water Sheep, is from twenty-five to thirty-
five pounds per quarter; and the four quarters of
a four-years old wether, have been known to weigh
nearly two hundred and fifty pounds. The fleece
is generally about nine pounds in weight; and the
the value of the wool, at an average, about a shilling
a pound.
These Sheep are not adapted to live in numerous
flocks, or upon bare pastures. They require to be
kept on good ground, to be depastured in small
parcels, and td have great indulgence in the winter.
The Ewes are very productive, frequently bringing
two, and sometimes three, Lambs at a birth. In-
stances have occurred of their producing four, and
even five. Mr. Eddison had a Ewe which yeaned
sixteen Lambs in four years, and of these the first
nine were lambed within eleven months.
C c 3 THE
( 374 )
THE SOUTH DOWN OR SUSSEX SHEEP.
THE districts where these Sheep have been chiefly
bred, consist of dry, chalky downs, which pro-
duce a short and fine herbage. The animals are
hornless, and have grey or speckled faces and legs;
and peculiarly fine, close, and short wool. Their
bones are small, and their neck long and slender.
They are low before, high on the shoulder, and
light in the fore-quarter. The sides are good, and
the loin tolerably broad; but the back-bone is too
high. The hind quarters are generally heavier
than the fore quarters.
Butchers are partial to South Down Sheep, pre-
ferring them to the Dishley breed, from the cir-
cumstance of the latter showing all their fat on the
outside, whilst these are always fatter within.
The mutton is considered to be, in every respect,
superior in delicacy and flavour to that of other
Sheep bred in the southern parts of England. The
average weight of the two-years old wethers is
about eighteen pounds per quarter: they are sel-
dom kept beyond this age ; and many persons feed
them at eighteen months. The Ewes are chiefly
sold at four years' old, to graziers in the welds of
Sussex and Kent, who fat both the Lambs and
Ewes in the ensuing summer. Graziers from other
counties,
THE SOUTH DOWN SHEEP. 375
counties, and particularly from Norfolk and Suf-
folk, have, of late years, purchased immense num-
bers of South Down Sheep. The Wiltshire downs
and Salisbury Plain, are also now nearly covered
with them, to the almost entire exclusion of the
great Wiltshire Sheep.
These Sheep are both hardy and ready feeders ;
and thrive extremely well, both in hilly and pasture
lands. Their fleece, which, as before stated, is short
and peculiarly fine, seldom exceeds the weight of
two pounds and a half, or three pounds; and its
average value is from one shilling and ten-pence to
two shillings a pound. Its weight, in proportion to
that of the carcass, is about as one to forty-one and
a half.
The Ewes produce their Lambs generally betwixt
the middle of March and the end of April; and
these, when dropped, are, for the most part, well
covered with wool.
In the writings of the Rev. Mr. White of Selborne,
there is a very remarkable observation respecting
the Sheep, which, in 1769, were fed on the downs
of Sussex. He informs us, that from the westward,
as far as the river Adur, all the flocks had horns,
smooth, white faces, and white legs ; and that a
hornless Sheep was scarcely to be seen. But as
soon as that river was passed, to the eastward, and
the traveller arrived at Breeding Hill, he would see
*hat all the flocks were, on a sudden, hornless or
C c 4 polled;
376 THE SOUTH-DOWN SHEEP.
polled; and, moreover, that they had blackish
faces, with a white tuft of wool on their foreheads,
and speckled or spotted legs. Thus, (as he re-
marks,) one might almost suppose that the flocks of
Laban were pasturing on one side of the river,
whilst the variegated breed of his son-in-law were
cantoned along the other. And this diversity held
good, respectively on each side, from the valley of
Bramber and Breeding, to the eastward ; and west-
ward, all the length of the downs. If any one
talked with the shepherds on the subject, he was
informed, that this had been the case from time im-
memorial ; and they would smile at his simplicity,
if he asked them whether the situation of these two
different breeds might not be reversed. An intel-
ligent friend of Mr. White's, at the hazard of being
laughed at by all his neighbours, determined to try
the experiment, and, in the autumn of 1769, intro-
duced some black-faced hornless Rams amongst his
horned western Ewes. It is scarcely necessary, in
this place, to add, that his experiment fully suc-
ceeded *.
White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 278.
THE
( 377 )
THE RYELAND OR HEREFORDSHIRE SHEEP
Are of small size, hornless, and have a white face,
and white legs ; and very fine short wool. Their
carcasses are tolerably well formed, and weigh from
ten to eighteen pounds per quarter. This breed
have the name of Ryeland Sheep, from the land on
which they were chiefly fed, being formerly thought
capable of producing no better grain than rye. It
was considered a tract of very poor land, but it is
now found capable of producing almost any kind
of grain.
The fleece of the Ryeland Sheep, which seldom
exceeds the weight of a pound and a half, or two
pounds, is so short, soft, and fine, that whilst the
breed continued unmixed, they were considered to
bear the finest wool of any British Sheep. The
filaments of the wool are as fine as those of the
Spanish breeds; but they are more irregular as to
size and furface, and consequently rougher; neither
does this wool felt well. It is, however, supposed
to make the finest cloth of any English wool. This
superiority has been long acknowledged. Old
Drayton, who wrote about two centuries ago, cele-
brates it under the appellation of " Leominster
Ore."
" Where
378 THE HERDWICK SHEEP.
" Where lives the man so dull on Britain's farthest shore,
To whom did never sound the name of Lemster ore ;
That with the silkworm's web for smallness doth compare."
From the late rage for the new Leicester Sheep,
this breed has been so much intermixed with them,
that they are now become very scarce. Since the in-
troduction of the Merino Sheep into this kingdom,
by his present majesty, Ryeland Ewes, of the pure
breed, have been in great request, to put with the
Merino Rams; not on account only of the fineness
of their wool, but likewise on account of their good
shape, excellent mutton, and ready disposition to
fatten. The value of the wool is about two shil-
lings and four-pence per pound; and its weight, to
that of the carcass, is as about one to thirty-four
and a quarter.
THE HERDWICK SHEEP.
THIS is a mountain breed* and chiefly known in
those parts of Cumberland which are situated near
the head of the rivers Duddon and Esk. The few
farms where they are bred are called Herd wicks,
that is, the districts of the Herds, from the circum-
stance of the Sheep having, from time immemorial,
been there farmed out, to herds, at a certain sum
per annum.
The
THE HERDWICK SHEEP. 379
The Herdwick Sheep are hornless, and have
speckled faces and legs, and short wool. Those,
however, are considered to be of the purest breed,
which have only a few black spots on their faces
and legs. Their fleece is thick and matted, and
does not often exceed the weight of two pounds,
or two pounds and a half. The wool is coarser than
that of any of the other short-woolled breeds. The
Ewes generally weigh from six to eight pounds,
and the wethers, at four years and a half old, from
nine to eleven pounds per quarter. Their legs are
fine, small boned, and clean.
These are active and lively little animals; and so
hardy, that they can support themselves during the
severest storms, and deepest snows, in winter, with-
out any other food than what they are able to ob-
tain, either by scratching their way through the
snow to the scanty herbage which it conceals, or
by seeking out situations where the winds have left
the herbage exposed. So long as the severe wea-
ther continues, they generally collect together,
and, by continually moving about, tread down the
snow, and thus are seldom lost by being over-
whelmed in the drifts. In every respect they are
animals admirably adapted to an alpine country.
Mr. Culley is of opinion that this breed has been
crossed by the Heath Sheep, from the circumstance
of a few of the Rams having small horns, and from
some kempy hairs being intermixed with the
wool.
The
360 THE CHEVIOT SHEEP.
The Ewes generally produce their offspring about
the beginning of May; and the Lambs, when
dropped, are well clad with wool. The former are
kept as long as they will breed, and are frequently
from ten to fifteen years of age, when sold. The
wethers, which are usually killed at the age of four
years and a half, are allowed no other pasture for
fatting them than their native mountains.
THE CHEVIOT SHEEP
Are hornless; have usually white faces and legs;
and fine, short wool. Their eyes are prominent
and lively, and their countenance open and ani-
mated. Their body is long, and their legs fine,
clean, and small-boned. In their fleece, which
usually weighs about three pounds, there are two
pounds of fine wool, and about one of coarse.
The weight of the carcass, per quarter, when fat, is
from twelve to eighteen pounds.
The country in which the Cheviot Sheep are
principally found, is the hilly district of the north-
west part of Northumberland; and they do not
extend much farther south than Reedwater. They
are bred on all the hills around Cheviot, from
which they have their name; but on that barren
mountain itself there are no Sheep whatever.
This is an highly excellent mountain breed, the
wool
5
-
THE CHEVIOT SHEEP. SSI
wool of which is of valuable texture, and the mut-
ton in the greatest esteem, on account of its flavour.
The animals thrive on the most sterile heaths; and
are capable of supporting all the severities of
winter, with no other food than what the heaths
produce, except during the deep 9ows, when they
are occasionally supplied with hay.
Great improvements have, of late years, been
made in the Cheviot Sheep ; and from the success
with which these have hitherto been attended, there
is reason to hope that the remaining defects, par-
ticularly in the wool, in the fore quarter wanting
depth, and in that and the chine wanting a suit-
able degree of width, will, by due care, be soon
corrected.
The breeders of these Sheep do not suffer the
Ewes to produce young till they are three year*
old; and a year and a half afterwards they are sold
to graziers, who feed both them and their Lambs
in the following summer. The wethers, at the age
of three years and a half, are sold for about four
and twenty shillings each ; and, after being kept
near twelve months on grass, they leave a profit of
from ten to twelve shillings each.
It has been an old and general, but to the animals
certainly an injurious practice, to milk the Ewes of
this breed for eight or ten weeks after the Lambs
are weaned. From this milk, great quantities of
cheese are made, which is sold at a low price. This,
when three or four years old, becomes exceedingly
pungent;
382 THE SHETLAND OR KINDLY SHEEP.
pungent; and, on that account, it is, by many pci*-
sons, much esteemed.
THE SHETLAND OR KINDLY SHEEP.
In the Shetland Islands there is a breed of Sheep
distinguishable from all others by their small size,
their peculiarly fine and soft wool, and remarkably
short and small tails. They are hornless, and vary
considerably in colour. The usual weight of these
animals, after they have attained their full growth,
is from thirty to forty pounds. The whole present
stock of the islands is estimated at about seven
thousand.
Few animals are more hardy than these; and, in
winter, when the ground is covered with snow,
sometimes for months together, they have little
else to subsist upon but sea weeds. They watch
the falling of the tide, and as soon as the rocks,
covered with marine plants, begin to be exposed,
the Sheep, in large flocks, descend to the shores;
where they continue to feed till the return of the
tide compels them to seek their former haunts.
With respect to their wool, it is of a texture so
soft and cottony, that it is adapted to the finest
manufactures; and, in some instances, has been
found to rival even the Spanish wool. According
to an account inserted in the Bath Society's papers,
stockings
THE SHETLAND OR KINDLY SHEEP. 383
stockings have been manufactured of this wool,
which were so fine as to sell for six guineas a pair.
For softness and lustre,, no wool has hitherto been
found to equal it ; and the skin, with the fleece on,
is capable of being converted into a fur of great
value. Several specimens have already been ex-
ported from this country to China. The silver-
grey wool is generally considered to be the finest
and most soft; but the black, the white, and the
brown, are very little inferior.
The fleeces of these Sheep are liable to be rubbed
off their bodies during winter, or early in the
spring. This, it is supposed, might be prevented
by clipping the animals in the way that is usual in
England, instead of pulling off the wool in the
barbarous manner now practised.
The skins of the Shetland breed, after the wool
has been separated, sell for double the price of
other Sheeps' skins, of the same size; because it is
found that, for the purpose of leather aprons, for a
particular class of mechanics, they are not only
pleasanter in the wear, but also that they last much
longer than any others. This, says Dr. Anderson,
is a fact known to every inhabitant of Shetland ;
and hence, not less than on account of the softness
of their fleece, it is, that, by common consent, the
Sheep have obtained the name of the kindly breed.
* * Horned
* * Horned Sheep,
THE DORSETSHIRE SHEEP
Are, for the most part, horned ; and the horns
are round and small. These animals are tall and
light in the body, and have white faces and legs,
and short wool. Their head is rather long than
otherwise. The shoulders are broad at the top, and
lower than the hind quarters. The loins are broad.
The back is tolerably strait, and the carcass deep.
The weight of the fleece is generally about three
pounds and a half, and its value from sixteen to
eighteen pence per pound: the staple does not
usually exceed the length of two inches.
For various qualifications, these Sheep have been
considered amongst the most valuable which the
British islands produce. The Ewes are very pro-
lific ; are remarkable for yeaning early, and, not
unfrequently, twice in the season. It is from this
circumstance, that in the London markets, the first,
and the highest priced house-lamb, is the produce
of this breed. But it is a property of these Sheep,
which renders them peculiarly advantageous, that
they may be caused to lamb at any season of the
year. After the Lambs are produced, they are
confined in little dark cabins, and never see the
light,
THE WILTSHIRE SHEEP. 385
light, except when the shepherd suckles them upon
the Ewes. The Ewes are kept in an inclosure con-
tiguous to the lamb apartment; and, at proper
times, the Lambs are brought out to them for the
purpose of being fed. During this, their lodgings
are made perfectly clean, and littered with fresh
straw; since a great part of their value depends
upon the cleanliness in which they are kept. The
mutton of this breed is fine grained, and well
flavoured. It is considered to be of an excellent
medium betwixt the delicate mutton of the Welsh
and Scottish hills, and the rich and juicy meat of
the lowland Sheep.
The Dorsetshire Sheep have, of late years, been
successfully introduced into several counties of the
north of England; and, at the present day, the cities
of York and Durham, and the towns of Newcastle
and Edinburgh, are nearly as well supplied with
Christmas house-lamb, as any parts .of the south.
THE WILTSHIRE SHEEP
Are, in many respects, nearly allied to the Dor-
setshire breed. They have long white faces and
legs. Their horns lie backward, almost close to
the neck, and encircle the ears. The wool is short
and close, but by no means fine; and there is very
D d little
386 THE EXMOOR SHEE?.
little wool under the belly. The legs are long and
large-boned.
The mutton of these Sheep is really excellent,
when fat; but the expence of fatting the animals,
which cannot be done except on good land, is so
great, that the breed is going entirely out of esti-
mation. It is certainly an unprofitable stock, both
to the farmer and the grazier ; and its place is
well supplied by the South Down Sheep. The
weight of the fleece is from three pounds and a
half to four pounds and a half; and its value about
ten-pence per pound.
THE EXMOOR SHEEP
Have horns, white faces and legs, and long wool.
Their head, neck, and bones, are peculiarly small
and delicate; but the form of the carcass is not
good, being narrow and flat-sided. The weight of
a wether, at two years and a half old, is from fifteen
to eighteen pounds per quarter. That of the fleece
is usually about six pounds.
It sometimes happens that Lambs are produced
without horns; but these are never kept for
breeders, from an absurd notion that they are more
tender than such as have horns. These Sheep have
their name from being chiefly bred in the vicinity
of Exmoor, an extensive tract of forest land on the
confines of Devonshire and Somersetshire.
THE
{ 387 )
THE NORFOLK SHEEP.
THE Sheep of the present breed have large, spiral
horns,, with black faces, and black or dark-grey legs.
The legs are long and large boned. The wool is short
and fine, the fleece seldom weighing more than about
two pounds. The carcass is very small, long, thin,
and weak, with a narrow chine ; and the weight, per
quarter, from sixteen to twenty pounds. The mut-
ton is good; but, in hot weather, it does not stiffen
well : and it taints sooner than that of most other
Sheep.
This breed, which is most prevalent in Norfolk
and Suffolk, like the Wiltshire, seems to have no
very peculiar excellence, and numerous defects.
They devour an immense quantity of food ; and
are of a disposition so restless, that it is difficult to
keep them in any other than the largest sheep-
walks, commons, or fields.
THE HEATH SHEEP.
THESE have large spiral horns, black faces and
legs, and an unusually fierce and wild looking eye.
Their wool is long, open, coarse, and shagged,
D d 2 weighing
388 THE HEATH SHEEP.
weighing generally from three to four pounds per
fleece. The carcass is short and firm, and weighs,
on an average, from twelve to sixteen pounds per
quarter.
The range of country in which the Heath Sheep
are chiefly found, is the mountainous tract adjoin-
ing upon the Irish Sea, from the county of Lan-
caster, to Fort William in Scotland. They are a
wild, active, and hardy race; run with amazing
agility; and are excellently adapted to subsist in
heathy and mountainous districts. They are not
often fed, till they are from three to five years old ;
and at this age they feed well, and their mutton is
accounted peculiarly excellent.
Although considerable improvements have, of
late years, taken place is this breed of Sheep, there
is yet room for much to be done with respect
to the quality of the wool. By judicious cross-
ings with the best of the fine-woolled breeds, the
Heath Sheep may eventually become an highly
estimable kind. The three principal fairs for
these Sheep are, Stagshaw-bank, in Northumber-
land ; Brough, in Westmoreland ; and Linton, in
Scotland: at all which places they are every year
sold in astonishing numbers.
THE
( 389 )
THE IRISH SHEEP,
As we are informed by Mr. Culley, who saw, at
the great fair of Ballinasloe, as many as 95,000, are,
in general, so ill-formed and ugly, that the worst
of the breeds in Great Britain are much superior to
them. They are of great size, and supported by
long, thick, crooked, grey legs. Their head is long
and ugly, with large flagging ears, grey faces, and
sunk eyes. The neck is long, and set on below the
shoulders. The breast narrow, short, and hollow
before and behind the shoulders. The animals
are flat-sided, with narrow herring-backs; their
hind quarters droop, and the tail is set low. In
short, they seem, in almost every respect, to be
the very reverse to what well-formed Sheep should
be. By the exertions, however, of Mr. French,
and a few other spirited breeders, who, at great
expence and hazard, have imported Rams from
England, great improvements in the Irish Sheep
have lately taken place. And, from the emulation
which has been excited by their success, it is to be
hoped that the original breed will soon be entirely
extirpated.
DdS
( 390 )
OF OXEN IN GENERAL.
ALTHOUGH, in their native savannas or plains, the
greater part of these animals are exceedingly wild
and savage, yet there are few altogether incapable
of domestication; some are trained to labour, and
supply the place of horses, as beasts of draught
and burthen. The flesh and milk of every species
are considered as wholesome food; and the fat,
horns, bones, and hair, are all convertible to pur-
poses of utility.
In a wild state, some of the species inhabit low
and rich pastures and plains; whilst others delight
in swamps and morassy grounds: and one, the
Musk Ox*, resides amongst the mountains and
rocks of North America, which it is able to ascend
with great agility. But most of the species, from
their large and unwieldy bodies, are ill adapted to
mountainous countries; though they are often-
times very swift of foot along the plains.
In size and bulk they considerably exceed all the
British Quadrupeds, except the Horse ; and the
Arnee, which has been lately discovered to inhabit
* Bos Moschatus of Linnaeus.
the
OF OXEN IN GENERAL. 391
the interior country of the East Indies, is stated
to measure nine feet in height,, from the point of
the fore foot to the shoulder. A few of the ani-
mals, however, and particularly the African Dwarf
Ox *, are remarkably small. A Bull of the latter
species, which was presented to the late Duke of
Northumberland, and allowed to run tame about
the kitchen at Sion-House, for several years, mea-
sured no more than two feet in its greatest height.
All the Oxen fight by pushing forward with
their horns, and immediately afterwards throwing
up their heads. They likewise often kick and
plunge, in a violent manner, with their feet; and,
when greatly irritated, there are few animals of
courage or strength sufficient to oppose them with
any chance of success.
THE COMMON OXf.
THERE is, I believe, no doubt that the Ox is a
descendant of the Bison, a large and powerful ani-
mal, which inhabits the marshy forests and vales
of Poland and Lithuania. In the lapse of many
* Bos pumilus of Linnaeus.
t Bos taurusdomesticus. Linnceus. Le Tuureau. Bitffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 62, No. 41.
D d 4 centuries,
THE COMMON OX.
centuries, however, its general appearance, as well
as its temperament and disposition, have under-
gone a radical change. The enormous strength of
body, great depth of chest and shoulders ; the
shagginess and length of hair which covers the
heacf, neck, and other fore parts of the Bison, as
well as his savage and gloomy disposition, are, in
the present animal, so altered, that the mere variety
would almost seem to constitute a distinct species.
Domestic cattle are, for the most, heavy and
stupid ; but at the same time exceedingly patient,
mild, and docile beasts. They graze, with the
greatest appearance of placidity, in our meadows
and pastures ; and, as soon as they have filled their
first stomach with the half masticated grass, and
other vegetables, they generally lie down to rumi-
nate, or chew it over again for digestion*. It is
asserted, that intense heat incommodes them much
more than intense cold. In the summer they seek
for shade, during the hot parts of the day ; or if
they are near a pond, or stream of water, they walk
into it, and stand there sometimes for many hours
successively. In this they have at least one im-
portant relief that the shade does not afford them.
The Gadfly -\, which deposits its eggs in the skin of
* For an account of the rumination of Cattle, see p. 27.
f JEstrut Bovis of Linnaeus.
their
THE COMMON OX. 393
their back, and with which, in dry grounds, they are
oftentimes so much teased, that they run about,
with their tails extended, in the greatest agitation
and alarm, will not pass the bank of the water to
attack them. These animals are fond of meadows,
where there are trees in the hedge-rows, and where
ihe grasses are rich and succulent. In the western
islands of Scotland, and on some parts of the
Scottish coasts, from want of better nutriment,
cattle are often fed, during the winter season, on
sea- weed; and it is said that this will so fatten them,
as to render them fit for killing. In some of the
villages of the sea coasts of Ireland, the inhabitants
feed their Cows on fish boiled down into soup.
The baiting of Bulls, as it is called, that is, the
chaining of them to a stake or ring, to be torn in
pieces by Dogs trained for the purpose, is pur-
sued in some few of the English towns, with a de-
gree of savage ferocity which reflects the highest
disgrace on a civilized and Christian country. It is
a detestable practice, which ought by all means to
be abolished, since, (without any consideration for
the sufferings of a tormented animal,) its evident
tendency is to corrupt the heart, and steel it against
every proper feeling of humanity. Its origin is
supposed to have been derived from an ancient
custom, in the manor of Tutbury, in Staffordshire.
A Bull was given annually, in the month of August,
by the prior of Tutbury, to the minstrels. After
undergoing the torture of having his horns cut, his
ears
394 THE COMMON OX.
ears and tail cropped to the very stumps, and his
nostrils filled with pepper, his body was besmeared
with soap; and, in that pitiable state, he was turned
loose in order to be hunted. This was denominated
bull-running; and if the Bull was caught, or held so
long that a person could pull off some of his hair,
he was then tied to the stake and baited. The
anecdotes of wanton cruelty that have been related
of this brutal sport, are, indeed, such as would even
disgrace the most ferocious of those nations which
we stigmatise by the name of savages. But, when
we reflect on the innumerable advantages which
mankind derive from these animals; that they
actually yield us more services than any other race
of animals we possess; every repetition of their
torture ought to be considered, in another point of
view, as a shameful proof of the most treacherous
and cowardly ingratitude.
The Cow is an object of the highest utility.
After she has furnished several Calves, and an
abundance of milk, she is fatted for the butcher ;
and her flesh, at last, affords to mankind an health-
ful and nutritive food. The skins of cattle are em-
ployed for making harness, saddles, shoes, and for
various other purposes ; and the refuse cuttings are
boiled down into glue. Of their horns are manu-
factured combs, handles for knives, toys, and seve-
ral other things. The fat, or suet, is made into can-
dles ; and the blood is employed in clarifying sugar.
The membranes of the stomach are used for beating
gold-
THE COMMON OX. 595
goldr-leaf betwixt ; and these, under the name of
gold-beaters' skin, are afterwards considered, by
many persons, to be efficacious in healing recent
wounds. Of gold-beaters' skin, the French manu-'
facturers of toys sometimes construct little aeros-
tatic globes, or balloons, for the amusement of
children.
The Ox has been trained to agricultural labour
from the earliest ages of the world. In the Sacred
Writings, and in the works of most of the ancient
eastern authors, this animal is invariably mentioned
as the only one that was employed in the plough.
The same is also observable in all the accounts re-
specting the agriculture of ancient Greece and
Rome. In some parts of India, Bullocks are, at this
day, almost exclusively employed for the purpose
of carrying weighty commodities.
" Deprived of the aid of these useful animals,
(says the elegant French naturalist, M. de BufFon,
in his eulogy on the Ox,) the poor and the rich
would alike have great difficulty to subsist. The
earth (in France) would remain uncultivated; the
fields, and even the gardens, would be dry and ste-
rile. It is on the Ox that all the work of the
country falls ; he is the most useful domestic that
the farmer possesses; and he performs all the
labour of agriculture. In former ages, he consti-
tuted the only riches of mankind ; and still he is
the basis of the riches of those nations which only
flourish and are supported by the cultivation of
lands,
396 THE COMMON OX.
lands, and the number of their cattle. It is in these
that all real wealth consists: every other kind,, even
silver and gold, are only arbitrary representa-
tives, which have no value but that which is con-
ferred upon them by the productions of the
earth*."
Oxen attain maturity at the age of about eighteen
months, or two years. From this age, till they are
nine years old, they are in their greatest vigour;
and the duration of their lives seldom exceeds
fourteen or fifteen years. The period of gestation
in the females is fprty one weeks; and they usually
produce only a single Calf at a birth. It is a remark-
able fact, that when a Cow happens to produce two
Calves, of different sexes, at the same time, the
male is always perfect, but the female is incapable
of continuing the species, and is known to farmers
by the name of Free Martin.
With respect to the diseases to which these ani-
mals are liable, the principal seem to be fevers of
different kinds, murrain or pest, inflammation in
the lungs or liver, and loss of cud. Cattle are
poisoned by eating yew, hemlock, or aconite; and
they often die in consequence of eating gross suc-
culent clover, which fills and distends them with
wind to an amazing degree.
* Buffou par Sonnini, xxiii. p. 13.
When
THE COMMON OX. 397
When cattle are at rest, or not employed in
grazing or chewing their cud, they are observed
frequently to lick themselves. By this they raise
up the hair of their coats, and often swallow it in
considerable quantities. The substance, thus swal-
lowed, is indegestible, and remains in the stomach.
Here it collects into round, smooth balls, which
sometimes attain so great a size as to incommode
and even prevent digestion*.
* The name of the male is bull: during the time toe sucks he is
called a bull-calf, until turned of a year old, when he is called a stirk
or yearling bull; then a two, three, or four-years old bull, until six,
when he is aged. When emasculated he is called an ox, or stot-calf,
until a year old, when he is called a stirk, stot or yearling, then a
two-years-old steer, and in some places a tidnter ; at three he is called
a three-years old steer, and at four he takes the name of ox or bullock.
The general name of the female is cow. When sucking the, dam
she is called cow-calf; then a yearling quey, or heifer or twinter ; the
next year a three-years old quey or heifer; and when/owr, she is first
called a cow. CULLEY, p. xvii.
In Wales the male is called tarw; the female, buwch; and the
young, llo: in France, taureau, -cache, and veau : in Italy, toro t
caeca, and vitello: in Spain, toro, vaca, and turnera: in Pprtagal,
tauro, vaca, and vitela : in Germany, stier, kuh, and kalb: in Holland,
stier or bul, koe t and kaljf: in Sweden, tiur, ko, and kalff": in Den-
mark, tyr t koe, and kalv.
The
398 THE WILD CATTLE.
'The varieties of Cattle are exceedingly numerous.
The following are the most distinct of those pro-
duced in the British islands.
* Homed Cattle. 9 Scots.
1 Wild Cattle. 10 Welsh.
2 Devonshire. 11 Irish.
3 Herefordshire.
4 Sussex.
5 Northern short-horned, or * Hornless Cattle.
Holderness. 12 Suffolk Duns.
6 Lancashire, or Long-horned/ 13 Galloway.
7 Alderney. 14 Northern, or Yorkshire,
S Highland Stots, or Kyloe. polled.
* Horned Cattle.
THE WILD CATTLE.
THIS breed, which is found in greatest perfection
in the park belonging to Lord Tankerville, at Chil-
linghanr, near Berwick*, is considered, in some
* AtWoolerton, in Nottinghamshire, the seat of Lord Middleton ;
at Gisburne, in Yorkshire ; at Lime-hall, in Cheshire ; and at Chart-
ley, in Staffordshire, there are breeds called Wild Cattle : but it is
supposed that many of these have been contaminated by crossing
with other breeds.
respects,
THE WILD CATTLE, 399
respects, to have a near alliance to the really wild
cattle of the continent.
The colour of their upper parts is a creamy
white. The muzzle is black, and about a third of
the outside of the ears is always red. Their horns
are white, with black tips: these are very fine,, and
bend upwards. Some of the Bulls have a thin,
upright mane, about an inch and a half or two
inches long; but they are entirely destitute of that
general shaggy appearance, in front of their bo-
dies, which distinguishes the wild breeds of the
continent. They, however, retain, in a great de-
gree, their original ferocity. They herd together ;
and are so wild that they will suffer no person to
approach them. At the first symptom of alarm,
they gallop off in a body to some distance, when
they stop, turn round, and gaze on the intruder.
If he continues to approach, they repeat the same
actions, every time presenting themselves nearer
to him ; and if he did not at last retire, they
would, doubtless, attack and destroy him.
These animals never approach the house, or
those parts of the park that are much frequented ;
unless, the deep snows or severe weather of winter
depriving them of food, they are compelled, by
hunger, to leave their usual sequestered haunts, in
order to obtain the supplies that are necessary to
their existence. Since the Bulls would destroy their
offspring if they could discover them, the females
invariably hide them, during the first week or ten
days
400 THE WILD CATTLE.
days after they are produced, in the most sheltered
parts of the woods, stealing off, unobserved by the
the herd, twice or thrice every day,, to suckle them.
As soon as they have attained sufficient size and
strength to venture abroad, and provide at least
some food for themselves, the Cows lead them to
the herd, where they are immediately acknow-
ledged ; and after this, the Bulls, instead of attempt-
ing to injure them, will, on all occasions of danger,
come boldly forward in their defence.
If any person happens to approach the retreat
in which the young animals are concealed, it is
said that they lie close to the ground, almost like
a Hare in its form^in order to hide themselves from
observation.
These animals do not often become very fat;
nor, indeed, can this be expected, when we con-
sider the nature of their pasture, and the frequent
agitation which they experience from the intrusion
and curiosity of strangers. The six-years-old Oxen
are, however, good beef. The weight of the Oxen
is usually from five to six hundred pounds, and
that of the Cows from three hundred and fifty to
five hundred.
THE
( 401 )
THE DEVONSHIRE CATTLE.
'
BY all judges of cattle, the Devonshire breed is
confessed to be one of the most beautiful, and at
the same time one of the most valuable, which our
islands produce. They are of large size, and of a red
colour. The colour of the Cows varies from light
blood-red to dark mahogany; and the face, knees,
and hocks, sometimes approach to black. The
Bulls are nearly the same; but are also generally
dark in the fore- quarters, and mottled on the sides
and back. The Oxen are often long in the coat;
and a glossy mahogany colour, with waving curls,
is held in great esteem : any white, except on the
tip of the tail, is disliked by the breeders, from its
being supposed to show a mongrel tendency.
Round each eye there is a light ring. The horns
taper to a point, and are of a light yellow colour.
The head in small, and the muzzle of a clear yel-
low, like horn. These cattle are fine in the bone,
and clean in the neck. They are also wide across
the hips and bosom. Their back is straight ; and the
tail is small and set on very high. They are thin
skinned, and silky in the handling. The general
height of the Bull is from twelve to thirteen hands;
of the Cow, from eleven to twelve; and of the
Oxen, from fourteen to fifteen.
Ee The
402 THE DEVONSHIRE CATTLE.
The Devonshire cattle arrive at maturity sooner
than most other breeds; and the full-grown animals
are so valuable, that few of the Calves are killed.
For usefulness in agricultural labours, the Oxen
are held in the highest estimation. They are well
fitted for draught, both as to hardiness and activity.
The average quantity of butter produced by the
Cows is from 'seven to ten pounds per week, though
some have been known to yield as much as thir-
teen or fourteen. They have not usually been con-
sidered as excellent dairy stock ; but some years
ago, Mr. Conyers, the proprietor of a large dairy
at Epping, was induced to make a trial of them,
and for this purpose purchased twenty-four Heifers
and two Bulls. <>His experiment succeeded so well,
that he has since more than doubled the number of
his Cows; and many of the Essex farmers, and
others, have followed his example. The price of
a Cow and Calf is from nine to about fifteen
pounds.
In excellence of beef the Devonshire Oxen can
scarcely be exceeded ; and it is a remarkable cir-
cumstance, that they will bear driving to London,
sometimes without the smallest waste, from a dis-
tance of considerably more than a hundred miles.
Their skin is reckoned among the thinner classes;
but it improves much in tanning. The tallow is of
peculiarly good quality.
The animals of this breed are scattered over the
counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall ; but
are
THE HEREFORDSHIRE CATTLE. 403
they are found in the greatest purity in the imme-
diate neighbourhood of Barnstaple.
THE HEREFORDSHIRE CATTLE.
.'
THESE, like the preceding breed, display all those
marks which are considered to be characteristics of
beauty and excellence. They are of great size and
weight, yet remarkably small boned. Their fore-
end is light, their bosom broad and deep, and their
loins broad, the hip-bones spreading wide, and
standing high and level with the top of the back.
The back is straight, and the barrel round, produced
by a broad projecting rib. These animals are dis-
tinguished by a bald or spotted face, a streak of
white along the top of the neck to the shoulder ;
bright and spreading, but not long horns ; and a
small head. Their general colour is dark-red or
brown, but the belly and under part of the throat are
white. The legs also are sometimes white or spotted;
and the tip of the tail is almost always white. The
horns in the Oxen and Bulls rise low and back,
bend -first somewhat backward, and then sideway
and forward. Those of the Cows spring rather high
from the head, take first a direction sideway, and
then curve forward, upward, and back, the points
somewhat approaching each other.
These noble animals are, in general, very active
E e 2 and
404 THE SUSSEX CATTLE.
*
and tractable; and,, being powerful for draught, they
are in great repute for the purposes of husbandry.
They are likewise, from their great substance as well
as depth of carcass, in high esteem amongst graziers.
At Smithfield market, in the Christmas of 1799, a
butcher of Reading gave a hundred guineas for an
Ox of this breed; and others have at different
times been sold for the same money. Mr. Tully
of Hunterton, near Hereford, fatted one of these
Oxen to 1928lb: the fat weighed 288lb. ; the
the tongue was sold for a guinea ; and the hide'for
three guineas. On an average, the Oxen, when
fatted, weigh from fourteen to eighteen or twenty
score per quarter; and the Cows from nine to
twelve, or sometimes fifteen or sixteen. The
Cows do not produce either much or very rich
milk. The general price of a Cow and Calf is from
eighteen to twenty-five guineas; and of Oxen, in
the yoke, from twenty to thirty.
This breed is in the highest perfection in the
neighbourhood of Hereford ; but it is to be met
with in various other parts of that and the adjacent
counties.
THE SUSSEX CATTLE.
IN many respects the Sussex cattle exhibit a near
alliance to those of Devon. Their colour is ge-
nerally red, or brown; though some individuals
are
THE SUSSEX CATTLE. 40.3
are black, black and white, or red and white. Their
hair is fine, the skin thin, neck and head clean; and
the horns of middle length, for the most part white,
and somewhat pointing upward. In general they
are well formed in the hind quarters; wide across
the hips, rump, and sirloin, but narrow on the
chine. They are tolerably straight along the back,
but the ribs or sides lie too flat. They are thin in
the thigh, and the bone is not large. There
is, however, in proportion, considerably more
bone than in either the Devon or Herefordshire
breeds.
These Oxen, like the two last kinds, are highly
serviceable for labour. They are generally worked
from the age of three to six or seven years, when
they are turned off, in order to be fatted. An Ox,
six years old, will weigh, when fat, from sixty to a
hundred stone, fourteen pounds to the" stone; and
the fore-quarters are usually the heaviest. The
beef is of excellent quality.
A good Cow, after the Calf is taken from her,
will produce, if well kept, from six to eight
pounds of butter per week, for three or four
months after taking off the calf; and double that
quantity of skimmed-milk cheese. These Cows do
not give so much milk as the Suffolk cattle, but it
is considerably richer.
The Earl of Egremont has lately paid great at-
tention to the breed. This circumstance, aided by
E e 3 the
406 THE NORTHERN SHORT-HORNED CATTLE.
the establishment of the Sussex Agricultural So-
ciety, will, no doubt, tend greatly to its improve-
ment.
THE NORTHERN SHORT-HORNED CATTLE.
Holderness, Dutch, Holstein, or Yorkshire breed.
IT is principally along the sea-coast districts of
Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumber-
land, that the cattle of the present breed are to be
met with; and into these parts there is reason to
suppose they were originally imported from the
continent. They differ from the other breeds in
the shortness of their horns, and in being wider and
thicker in their form or mould. In size and weight
they exceed all the British cattle. Their hair is
short, smooth, and thinly set upon the body. In
colour they are sometimes very beautiful, being
spotted, striped, or otherwise variegated with red
and white, or with black, brown, and white. Their
hides are remarkably thin.
The Cows have great celebrity, from their yield-
ing a very extraordinary quantity of milk. This is
not certainly so rich as that produced from several
of the other breeds ; but its abundance makes ample
amends to the breeder, for its defect in quality.
There have been instances of these Cows giving
thirty-
THE NORTHERN SHOUT-HORNED CATTLE. -407
thirty-six quarts of milk per day ; and of forty-
eight fiVkins of butter being made in one season
from a dairy of twelve Cows. But the more gene-
ral quantity is three firkins per Cow, in a season,
and twenty-four quarts of milk per day. This stock
is now well known in the neighbourhood of the
metropolis, being that which is generally kept by
the London Cow-keepers.
It is said of this breed that they eat more food
than any of the others; and we ought not to be
surprised at this, when we consider how much they
excel in three valuable particulars, namely, in af-
fording the greatest quantity of beef, tallow, and
milk, of any known kinds of cattle. The Oxen,
when fatted, usually weigh from sixty to a hundred
stone, (fourteen pounds to the stone,) the four
quarters only ; and they have been fed to a hun-
dred and twenty, a hundred and thirty, and even
a hundred and fifty stone. A red Ox of this breed,
bred and fatted by Sir Henry Grey /Bart, of Howick
in Northumberland, was killed in March, 1787,
when seven years old, and weighed as follows :
it. lb.
The two fore-quarters ... 82 2 .. at 4s. per stone
The two hind-quarters 70 7 .. at 5s. per stone
Weight of whole carcass.. 152 9
Tallow 16 7 . . at 4*. per stone
Hide 9 2 .. at 4*. per stone
Total weight of the animal 178 4 Whole value 39 3 6
E e 4 The
408 THE NORTHERN SHORT-HORNED CATTLE.
The animal exhibited in London in the beginning
of the year 1602., under the name of the " Won-
derful Ox," was a variety produced from this breed
by Mr. Collins of Barmton. It weighed more than
two hundred stone ; and is said to have been, in
every respect, an uncommonly beautiful animal.
There is a very singular breed of short-horned
cattle in the neighbourhood of the river Tees,
(supposed to have been originally produced by
some Bulls brought from Holland,) which the
breeders call lycry, or double-Iyer ed; that is, black-
fleshed : for, notwithstanding one of these creatures
will feed to a vast weight, yet they are never known
to have so much as a pound of fat either inside or
out; and the flesh, (for it does not deserve the
name of beef,) is black, and as coarse-grained as
horse-flesh: Mr. Culley once saw a beast of this
sort killed, which, although it had been fed all the
summer, was entirely destitute of fat. Its two ends,
namely, its shoulders and buttocks, were heavy,
round, and coarse, without the hip-bones at all
standing up ; and the body quite small. In short,
he says that it was more like an ill-made black
Horse, than an Ox or a Cow. By the pains and
attention of breeders, this useless variety is now
nearly extirpated. No man will buy one of these
animals, if he knows any thing of the matter; and
if he should be once taken in, he will remember it
for the future. Persons conversant with cattle
readily find them out, by their generally round
form,
r
THE LANCASHIRE CATTLE. 409
form, particularly about the buttocks, which are
turned like those of a black coach-horse, and by
the smallness of their tail.
THE LANCASHIRE OR LONG-HORNED CATTLE.
IN the present breed the horns are long, and
either regularly and horizontally extended to the
points, or fall down the cheeks till the points
almost meet beneath. The hide is thick, and of
firm texture; and the neck coarse, thick, and
leathery. The hair is long, close, and somewhat
more soft than that of most other British cattle.
The hoofs are large. The animals vary much in
colour, but in general they are pied, red, or brind-
ed; and have, invariably, a white list or stripe ex-
tending along their back. With respect to shape,
they are deeper made in the fore-quarters, and
lighter in the hind-quarters, than most other
cattle.
Being, for the most part, heavy and sluggish in
their motions, these animals are in no estimation
for agricultural labours. The Cows give rich and
good milk, generally from sixteen to twenty-four
quarts per day; and the usual annual produce of
cheese from one Cow is about three hundred-
weight. Of late years, these cattle have been dis-
persed over a great part of South Britain as dairy
stock.
410 LEICESTERSHIRE LONG-HORNED CATTLE.
stock. Within the last forty years they have been
so exclusively the stock in the south of Stafford-
shire, that it is said an individual of any other race
would have been gazed at as a new animal. This
breed is chiefly found in the counties of Lancas-
ter, Derby, Stafford. Salop, Warwick, Leicester,
Worcester, and Northampton.
They are hardy animals, readily become fat, and
produce excellent beef. But they are chiefly cele-
brated for the thickness and substance of their hides,
which are very valuable, and, proportionally with
those of other cattle, sell at high prices. Manv
instances have occurred of the hides selling for a
greater price per pound than the beef.
The value of a Cow and Calf, of the better sort
of common stock, is from ten to twenty pounds;
and the Cows, when fatted, are worth from ten to
about twenty-five pounds each. They generally
weigh from eight to twelve score per quarter.
The improved Lancashire breed, called Leicestershire
Long-horned Cattle.
Mr. Bakewell of Dishley, near Loughborough,
made some great improvements in this breed of
cattle. By selecting those animals only which had
the smallest bone and best carcasses, and by judi-
ciously crossing them, the coarser parts have been
lessened, and those that are more valuable enlarged.
The
THE ALDERNEY CATTLE. 411
The animals are become finer in the neck, throat,
and bosom : the back is strait, wide, and loaded with
flesh : the rump is thick, and fleshy on the points,
and has frequently hillocks of fat about the root of
the tail, even when they are in common condition:
the flank feels thick and fleshy: and the beasts
handle, in every part, loose and mellow.
It is said that the Long-horned Cattle keep them-
selves in good condition with less food than any
other breed. They are quiet animals, fatten rapidly,
and, when properly fed, afford excellent beef.
These animals are in so much request, that a
well-known Bull, called Shakespear, belonging to
Mr. Paget, was sold, in November, 1793, for 400
guineas; and at Mr. Fowler's sale, in 1791, a Cow
was sold for 2731. In the spring of 1792, Mr.
Bakewell let out a Bull for a hundred and fifty-two
guineas, for four months, namely, from the first
of May to the first of September !
'
THE ALDERNEY CATTLE.
THESE animals are scarcely admissible into the
enumeration of British varieties of cattle ; but as
they are a very beautiful and favourite breed, and
have been long known in the southern parts of the
kingdom, I could not prevail with myself to omit
them. It is probable that they are too delicate and
tender
412 THE ALDERNEY tATTLE.
tender ever to be attended to by the British
farmers, particularly by those in the northern parts
of the island; yet they will always be esteemed and
encouraged by the noblemen and gentlemen of the
country, not merely on account of their elegant
appearance, but because the milk produced by the
Cows is richer than that of any other breed.
tThe Alderney cattle have a somewhat distant
esemblance to Deer. They are, in general, fine-
boned; their heads are small, and their horns short.
In general, they are of a light red or yellowish
colour; and wherever there is any white upon their
body, it appears as spots upon a coloured ground,
and not, as in the greater part of cattle, as the
ground upon which the other colours are spread.
The Cows seldom exceed the height of four feet.
Some of the Cows give from three to four gal-
lons of milk per day ; and the produce, in butter,
of a good Cow, has been reckoned frpm 200 to
about 320 pounds in a year. In Jersey, in the year
1799, the value of a good Cow and Calf was about
fifteen pounds.
Although in the southern parts of England the
Alderney cattle will bear the winter out of doors;
yet, from custom, they are always housed in the
islands, and fed upon straw. They are sometimes
used for ploughing ; but it is said that their greatest
use in Guernsey and Jersey is in carting, and they
are found to answer best in bad roads of the hilly
country. They are easily fatted at any age, but
are
THE HIGHLAND-STOTS, OR KYLOE CATTLE.
arc considered best at the age of four or five years.
Their beef is generally yellow, or very high co-
loured; but it is peculiarly fine in the grain, and
of excellent flavour.
In general appearance, the Alderney cattle have
a great resemblance ta those of Normandy ; but
they differ much in quality, and are considered as,
in every respect, preferable to them.
THE HIGHLAND-STOTSj OR KYLOE CATTLE.
THIS is a small breed, very common both in the
islands and in the mountain country of Scotland,
where they partake much of the nature of wild
animals. Their shape is, for the most part, very
beautiful. They are generally of a black or deep
brown colour, though sometimes brinded ; with
fine white upright horns, very sharp, and black at
the points. Their hair is thick and furry.
Few animals are more hardy, or better adapted
to thrive in bleak and cold regions, than these.
Their beef is celebrated through every part of
Great Britain. It is finely .grained, and well-
flavoured. Their general weight is from twenty to
thirty, though some of them attain the weight of
forty stone, and upwards.
These cattle are driven southward in immense
numbers every autumn, into many of the western
ditricts
414 HORNED SCOTS CATTLE.
districts of Yorkshire; but the greatest part of
them are sent into the southern counties of Eng-
land, where they are fatted, and either slaughtered
for consumption on the spot, or sent to the London
markets. In Shetland their weight is from three to
five hundred pounds each; though some of the
Cows do not weigh more than from a hundred and
fifty to two hundred. In size they somewhat re-
semble the Alderney cattle: but in their shape and
general appearance they are very different.
Some of them possess the double quality of
fattening well, and of yielding, in proportion to
their size, a great quantity of milk. Cows of this
breed have been known to yield, during the sum-
mer season, as much as four English gallons and a
half of very rich milk in a day, the cream of which,
when churned, has produced nearly a pound and
three quarters of butter.
The demand for Kyloes into England is of great
importance to those noblemen and gentlemen who
have estates in the north of Scotland ; as their rents
are frequently paid in live cattle.
OTHER KINDS OF HORNED SCOTS CATTLE.
WE are informed by Mr. Culley that all the Low-
lands of Scotland, except Galloway, have a mixed
breed of cattle. Towards Cumberland, the cattle
are
HORN fiD SCOTS CATTLE. 415
are half long-horns, half polls. On the borders of
Northumberland they are mixed with short-horns,
as far as Tiviotdale, where they become altogether
a coarse kind of short-horned animals, or what the
Yorkshire jobbers call runts ; except a few tolerably
good short-horned cattle, bred in that fine country
the Tweed-Side. The same kind ofruntish, coarse
breed, continues all the way to the Frith of Forth,
crossing this narrow sea into Fifeshire. A stranger
would at first imagine the Fife cattle to be a dis-
tinct breed; but this arises only from their being
more nearly allied to the Kyloes. The cattle all
along this coast, continue to change, more and
more, diminishing gradually in size, until, upon
the edges of the mountains, they become quite of
the Kyloe kind; but still much inferior to that pure,
unmixed, and valuable breed of Kyloes, which are
met with in the more northern and western High-
lands.
Dr. Anderson speaks of having seen a kind of
Highland cattle, which had a mane on the top of
the head, of considerable length, and a tuft betwixt
the horns that nearly covered the eyes, giving
them a fierce and savage aspect. He mentions
another kind, the animals of which have hair of a
pale lead colour, very beautiful in its appearance,
and in its quality as glossy and soft as silk*.
Anderson on Rural Affairs, iii. p. 1.
THE
( 416 )
THE WELSH CATTLE.
THE animals which constitute the present variety
are of small size, have large and wide horns, thick
hides, and, in proportion to their bulk, much bone.
They are, on the whole, very hardy; but are, in
general, considered ill-shaped, and in no respect as
a useful breed. The Cows produce but a small
quantity of milk.
THE IRISH CATTLE.
HAVE generally long horns; and are smaller, and
afford coarser beef, than most kinds of English
cattle: and the individuals that are bred amongst
the mountains are said to be much worse, in both
these respects, than those which are bred in the
level country. By the importation, however, of
the English Long-horned stock, the race has, of late
years, been greatly improving.
#*
Hornless,
^
^
^
( 417 )
# *
Hornless or polled Cattle.
THE SUFFOLK DUNS
HAVE their name from the animals being usually
of a dun or a pale yellow colour: many of them,
however, are red, or red and white. They are. in-
variably polled, and of small size, few of them,
when fatted, exceeding the weight of fifty stone.
The Cows and Bulls are nearly of the same height,
from about four feet and a quarter to four feet and
a half. They are rough about the head, with large
ears ; but in general have fine bones and thin
hides. Their body is long, and the legs somewhat
short. They are big-bellied, the hip-bones are
high and ill-covered, and scarcely any part of the
carcass is so formed and covered as to please a per-
son who is used to beasts of the finer breeds. But
they have a property which contradicts their ap-
pearance; this is, that many of the Cows fatten
well, and produce beef of fine quality,
As dairy stock, there are few breeds more excel-
lent than this ; since, in proportion to their size,
they yield a great quantity of excellent milk. It is
asserted, that a first-rate Suffolk Cow, when in full
milking, and at the best season, will give as much
F f as
418 THE GALLOWAY CATTLE.
as six gallons of milk per day. The yearly pro-
duce from one of these Cows is stated by Mr.
Young to be,
< s. d.
3 Firkins of butter, at 32s 4 16
| of a wey of cheese 1 4
A Hog 1
A Calf 10
7 10
These are considered to be amongst the most
advantageous of all Cows for a private family.
Mr. Culley considers this breed to be a variety of
the Galloway, next described, which, he says, might
easily take place, from the great connexion that
has long subsisted betwixt the Scots Galloway
drovers, and the Suffolk and Norfolk graziers and
breeders.
THE GALLOWAY CATTLE.
ALTHOUGH a few animals of this breed are found
in different parts of England, yet the best and most
original must be sought for in Galloway, a large
district in the south-west part of Scotland, where
they are chiefly bred on the moors or hilly country,
and grazed upon lands near the sea, until they are
rising
THE GALLOWAY CATTLE. 419
rising five years old. The graziers and drovers
then take them,, in great numbers, to the fairs in
Norfolk and Suffolk. This is usually done before the
turnip feeding season. From thence the greatest
part are removed, in the winter and spring, when
fat, to supply the London markets, where they are
readily sold at high prices. Few cattle, of their
weight, bring so much money in the Smithfield
market. It is a remarkable circumstance, that a
Lincolnshire and a Galloway Bullock, sent at the
same time, and from the same village, to Smithneld,
sold for the same money, although the Scot was
only half the weight of the Lincolnshire animal.
The Galloway cattle,, in most respects, except of
size, and being destitute of horns, resemble the
Lancashire or Long-horned breed. Their shape
and colour are nearly the same; but in form they
are somewhat shorter. Some few of the animals,
in every other respect polled, have two little useless
horns, from two to four inches long, which hang
down loose, and are not, as in other cattle, inserted
into the skull. The weight of the Oxen is usually
from forty to sixty or seventy stone.
The fat, in this breed, is laid upon the most
valuable parts; and their beef is well marbled or
mixed with fat. Their hides are of a medium be-
twixt those of the long-horned and short-horned
breeds, neither so thick as the former, nor so thin
as the latter.
Ff 2 In
420 THE NORTHERN OR YORKSHIRE POLLED CATTLE.
In proportion to their size, the Cows are con-
sidered to be good milkers. The milk is rich, and
yields a great quantity of butter. The Oxen are
employed in husbandry in various parts of the
country.
THE NORTHERN OR YORKSHIRE POLLED CATTLE.
SOME of these animals are of great size, and carry
a vast substance of body. In all their qualities, as
well as in their general shape and appearance, ex-
cept that they are destitute of horns, they hold a
close affinity to the Short-horned, or Holderness
cattle, amongst which they are found.
BELLILE.
( 421 )
BELLU^E,
OF HORSES IN GENERAL.
NONE of these animals have hitherto been dis-
covered, in a wild state, in any part of Europe.
Three species, the Common Horse, the Ass,, and
the Jickta, inhabit the extensive desarts of Arabia
and Tartary ; and two others, the Zebra and Quagga,
those of the interior of Southern Africa. Here
they congregate in herds or troops ; and, in all
their habits of life, are said to exhibit an astonish-
ing degree of sagacity. We are informed that
they post sentinels to guard them during their
feeding and repose ; and that, on the first signal of
alarm from these sentinels, they immediately col-
lect their forces, and prepare to avert the threat-
ened danger. They fight by biting, but chiefly by
plunging and kicking with their feet, which, as
weapons of offence, they use with wonderful
dexterity. They feed entirely on grain and
herbage; and, as they generally inhabit retired
parts of the deserts, far removed from the haunts
F f 3 of
THE COMMON HORSE.
of man, they are seldom injurious either to his
person or proporty.
The stomach of Horses is small and simple ; and
has, at the cardia, a valve, which prevents the ani-
mals from vomiting. The intestines, and particu-
larly the caecum, are very large. They have no
gall-bladder. The females have two teats, which
are situated in the groin, like those of ruminating
quadrupeds. These animals have the singular pro-
perty of breathing only through their nostrils.
THE COMMON HORSE*.
IN its wild state, the Horse inhabits chiefly the
great deserts of Tartary and Arabia, from whence
sprang the original stock of our, at present, inva-
luable domestic. But these. animals have for so long
a time been trained to labour, throughout every
country of Europe, that the date of their introduc-
tion is entirely lost. There are now very few parts
of the world in which Horses are not known, and,
for their usefulness, highly valued. Endowed with
fearless intrepidity, they are fitted for the most
active military services ; yet, patient and persever-
Equus caballus domesticus. Liniuzus. Le Cheval. Buffon.
See the Synopsis, p. 67, No. 42.
ing
THE COMMON HORSE. 423.
ing, the same animals will submit quietly to carry
burthens, or to toil, for days together, along the
roads, or in agricultural labours. Their general
character is certainly marked by mildness and doci-
lity; but their tempers and disposition are very
various. Many are stupid and indolent ; and
many, almost beyond the power of man to correct
them, vicious and perverse. In all these disposi-
tions, however, the more they are treated with care
and attention, the more do they adapt themselves
to our wants and conveniences
In some parts of Tartary, these animals have been
made objects of divine worship ; and altars are
erected, and offerings paid,, in honour of them.
Amongst the ancient Romans they were held in
great esteem. At one period, an ordination was
passed, which directed that no Horses should be
sold, or conveyed out of the Roman provinces.
Andromache is related to have frequently amused
herself, by feeding, with her own hands, the Horses
of Hector.
The ancient writers attribute to the Horse nu-
merous excellent qualities ; and, among others,
such unusual powers of understanding and re-
collection, that one of them has asserted of Buce-
phalus, the Horse of Alexander, that 'after he had
once been clad in his splendid trappings, and had
received his rayal master on his back, he never
would suffer any other person to mount him.
informs us, as a very remarkable instance of
F f 4 sagacity,
424 THE COMMON HORSE.
sagacity, that this celebrated Horse, after having
received in battle many deep wounds, carried his
lord beyond the reach of danger, and then fell
down dead*; but it is to be presumed that any
other spirited Horse, in similar circumstances,
might have done the same thing. According to
the authority of Suetonius, Julius Caesar, as well as
Alexander, had a favourite Horse, which would
allow no one to ride him except his master.
With respect to British Horses, great attention
has now been paid to the breeding of them for
several years; and although our climate is not
deemed peculiarly favourable to the Horse species,
yet the consequence of this attention is, that in no
part of Europe are Horses bred that can equal those
of Britain, either in swiftness of foot, or strength
and perseverance in the course. In Arabia, indeed,
where these animals may be deemed the chief
suppprt of the families that possess them, and
where, on many occasions, the very existence of
the owner depends upon the powers of his Horse,
the circumstance of having excellent radical qua-
lities in the parent stock, has obtained a still greater
degree of attention than in Britain. In that country,
it is not so much swiftness of foot that is regarded,
as the faculty of bearing fatigue and abstinence
without being exhausted ; and so successful have
JElian, Hist. Animal, lib. 16, cap. 24.
these
THE COMMON HORSE. 425
these people been in augmenting this faculty,
by their uninterrupted care always to select
the most eminent of the kind to breed from,
that they have at length obtained a race which
possesses it to a degree that could never have been
deemed possible by other nations, had not the
evidence of the fact been altogether undeniable.
A Horse in that country, which cannot sustain ab-
stinence for three days, under continued bodily
exertion, is accounted of little value*.
. Him the fierce Arab mounts, and with his troop
Of bold compeers, ranges the deserts wild.
Where, by the magnet's aid, the traveller
Steers his untrodden course ; yet oft on land
Is wreck'd, in the high-rolling waves of sand
Immers'd and lost. While these intrepid bands,
Safe in their Horses' strength, out-fly the storm,
And scouring round, make men and beasts their prey.
THE RACE-HORSE.
With respect to speed, for a short distance, the
British Race-Horse is, at this time, without rival in
any country of the world. The Arabian Horses,
which have been tried in England, have never
* Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, &c, p. 72.
proved
426 THE COMMON HORSE.
proved themselves in any degree equal to these
upon the course. The celebrated Horse Childers,
in the year 172 1, ran four miles in six minutes and
forty-eight seconds, carrying at the same time a
weight of nine stone two pounds. In his running,
he is supposed to have covered, at every bound,
a space of twenty-five feet. Bay Malton, in 1763,
ran four miles over Knavesmire, near York, in
seven minutes, forty-three seconds and a half.
Eclipse ran the same distance in eight minutes,
carrying the weight of twelve stone*. As to the
number of miles that an English Race-Horse would
be able to run in an hour, it is a singular fact, that
scarcely any opinion has yet been formed ; since
no sportsman, except one, has hitherto had the
curiosity to make the attempt. Mr. Hull's Horse,
called Quibbler, a middling racer, was once
tried, and he ran, within this time, about twenty-
two-miles. Little, however, can be inferred from
hence, since this rate has been exceeded updn a
hard road, by a three-part bred hackf. It is con-
* It is generally said, that a Horse which will run four miles in
eight minutes, carrying a weight of eight stone and a half, must win
plates.
-f In the technical phraseology of Horse-dealers, a bred Horse is
understood to be one of the pure racing oriental blood. The de-
grees of his commixture with the common blood, or breed, of this
country, are signified by the terms three-parts bred, half-bred, blood-
horses, or having show of blood.
sidered
THE COMMON HORSE. 427
sidered probable that a good racer would carry a
a weight of eight stone more than twenty-six miles
in one hour*.
THE DRAY-HORSE.
BESIDES its Race-Horses, this country boasts
another breed, which, for one peculiarity, are con-
sidered to be unrivalled. These are the large and
heavy black Dray-Horses, so common in the neigh-
bourhood of London, which, in point of size and
fatness, do not, perhaps, admit of any equal; though
for hardiness, vivacity, and nervous energy, they do
not rank high among their species. " Eastern
princes, (observes Dr. Anderson,) have their sta-
bles filled with stately elephants for parade, because
none else can afford to keep them; and wealthy
London brewers, for the same reason, turn out
these monstrous animals, day after day, to. paw
up the streets, and to be gazed at, as a wonder,
by the admiring multitudef." These Horses are
likewise used by the farmers in some parts of
Hampshire and Berkshire, where the teams form
a considerable article of ostentation and parade.
* Lawrence on Horses, ii. p. 185.
f Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, c. iv. p, 241.
THE
( 428
THE SUFFOLK PUNCH.
THE British draft Horses, that are to be consi-
dered as truly serviceable, are the Suffolk Punches.
They are, in general, of a chesnut colour, in stature
somewhat low, and are rather coarse headed. Their
carcasses are large and deep, and they are altoge-
ther strong, firm, and well-compacted animals,
capable of great bodily exertion, and long perse-
verance. Although their motions are, in general,
slow, they prove highly useful, both for the cart
and plough. At drawing dead pulls they are.
superior to most, if not to all others; but this
is, in a great measure, owing to early training. It
is well known that a team of Suffolk Horses, on a
signal being given, will, in the carters' phrase, "all
down upon their knees," and leave nothing behind
them that it is in the power of flesh and blood to
draw away. In the Annals of Agriculture there is an
account of five of these Horses, belonging to Mr.
Collett, which drew thirty sacks of barley, over the
sandy road from Walton to Ipswich ; and of a
single Horse belonging to Mr. Constable, of East
Berghott, which was known to draw, in a cart, ten
sacks of flour, each weighing twenty stone and a
half, for five or six miles, on a heavy road *.
* Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, &c. and Lawrence on
Horses.
THE
( 429 )
THE LANARK OR CLYDESDALE HORSES.
WE are informed by Dr. Anderson,, that there is
a breed of draft Horses reared in Scotland, and
known by the name of Lanark or Clydesdale Horses,
which, if possible, are still more valuable than the
above. They are lighter in their body, and in all
respects more elegantly formed. Their limbs are
clean and sinewy, their neck longer, their head of
finer form, and their eyes more sprightly and ani-
mated. Their tread is firm, with considerable acti-
vity, and they are capable of exerting a wonderful
degree of muscular strength for a short push, with-
out being injured by it. This renders them pecu-
liarly estimable in the hilly country, where they
are chiefly found, and where there is a necessity
for calling forth such exertions on numerous occa-
sions. They are hardy, can live upon almost any
food, and are, perhaps, the thriftiest Horses for the
cart or plough that are to be found in these
islands*.
As to the English Saddle Horses, they are
in great request in many countries of the con-
tinent, from the circumstance of their uniting
superior action, with strength, proportion, and
beauty. No people in the world are so fond of
* Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, &c. iv. p. 241.
speedy
430 THE COMMON HORSE.
speedy travelling as the English; and, consequently,
the attention of breeders has in no country been so
much directed to the attainment of the particular
shape and qualifications that are conducive to ac-
tion, as in Great-Britain.
The utmost speed of an English trotter is con-
sidered to be a mile in about two minutes and
fifty-seven seconds; and this was performed some
years ago by Archer, a celebrated Horse, belonging
to Marsden the dealer. Horses have often been
known to trot sixteen miles in an hour, with toler-
ably heavy weights. Perhaps some Horses may be
able to trot eighteen miles within the hour, or ten
miles in half an hour; but very few are able to ex-
ceed this rate. Mr. Lawrence mentions an instance
of a Horse having trotted thirty-two miles, on the
road betwixt Stilton and Cambridge, with a weight
of about ten stone, in two hours; and it is said
that he could have gone thirty-four miles in the
given time. This Horse, which belonged to a per-
son of the name of Cartwright, was then very near
thirty years of age. The same writer speaks also
of a mare that trotted seventy-two miles in six
hours; and of another that trotted a hundred miles
in eleven hours and forty minutes*. With respect
to the greatest rate at which a Horse is able to
walk, it is believed that very few have been able to
exceed that of six miles within an hour.
Lawrence on Horses, i. p. 130.
GALLOWAYS.
THE COMMON HORSE. 431
GALLOWAYS.
The Mountain Poneys of Wales and Scotland,
which, in the latter country, are known by the
name of Galloways, although very small, are ex-
tremely hardy and durable. The best of them sel-
dom exceed the height of fourteen hands and a
half. Their eyes are lively and spirited ; their
bodies are firm, and their legs nervous. They are
too small for draught, and too little showy to make
a sufficiently good appearance for Saddle Horses;
but for carrying a person, with ease and expedition,
over rocky and mountainous roads, with little food
and bad accommodation, they have, perhaps, few
equals amongst their species. Dr. Anderson pos-
sessed one of these Galloways when he was a boy.
In elegance of shape, he says, it could scarcely be
excelled; and in disposition it was in the greatest
degree gentle and compliant. It moved almost
with a wish, and never tired. He rode this little
creature for five and twenty years, and twice in
that time he rode one hundred and forty miles at a
stretch, without stopping, except to bait, and then
for not above ah hour at a time; and it came in, at
the last stage, with the same cheerfulness and ala-
crity as it travelled the first *.
Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, &c. iv. p. 241.
In
THE COMM6N HORSE.
In the Statistical Account of Scotland there is
an anecdote,, which affords additional proof ol
the great strength and hardiness of these ani-
mals, A countryman, some years ago, was em-
ployed by the Laird of Coll, as a post to Glasgow
or Edinburgh; and his usual burthen was about
sixteen stone. Being once stopped at a toll-gate,
near Dumbarton, he humorously enquired whether
he should pay the toll if he carried a burthen
through the gate; and on being answered in the
negative, he immediately dismounted and bore his
Horse through on his shoulders. This breed is
said to be now nearly extinct in Scotland, which is
much to be regretted; for if a sufficient number of
these Horses could be obtained to make a proper
selection for breeding from, it is impossible to say
to what degree of excellence they might in time
be raised. In the island of Mull, one of the
Hebrides, some remains of them are still to be
found, though they are so much neglected as to be
fast degenerating, by intermixture with other in-
finitely less useful breeds.
THE SHELTIES.
The Shetland Islands produce a small race of
Horses called Shelties, which, although their size
is exceedingly diminutive, are in other respects
highly
THE COMMON HORSE. 433
highly excellent. A man of ordinary size and
strength can lift one of them from the ground with
great ease ; since some of them have been seen
scarcely more than three feet in height,, from the
foot to the shoulder. They are, however, so re-
markably strong, for their size, that even one of
these diminutive creatures would carry a man of
twelve stone weight, a journey of forty miles in
the course of a single day. Their general form is
very elegant ; and their body is thicker and more
compact than that of a Blood Horse. The bones
are exceedingly small ; as is also their head, and that
part of the neck which joins TO the head. The black
ones are esteemed the most hardy, whilst those that
are pied seldom prove good. They sometimes live
to the age of thirty years and upwards, notwith-
standing the little care that is paid towards shel-
tering them from the cold, which, in the climate
of the Shetland islands, is peculiarly severe in the
winter. From the circumstance of their being
generally compelled to live out of doors dtiring
even the severest months of the year, great num-
bers are occasionally frozen to death. At this sea-
son, when the ground is entirely covered with snow,
the wretched animals are compelled to seek a sub-
sistence on the sea-weeds, which, once in every
twelve hours, are left exposed by the tide.
G g THE
( 434 )
THE IRISH HORSES.
IN Ireland there appears to be very few of those
large cart Horses that are so common in South Bri-
tain. Those that the Irish have, being, for the most
part, ill-shaped, and, in the dealers' phrase, loose and
leggy. The saddle Horses seem naturally as good as
ours; but in general they are ill kept, worse groom-
ed, and still worse shod. In the latter respect, it
has been remarked, that the Irish people are at least
thirty years behind us ; the feet of their Horses,
even in Dublin, being torn to pieces by weight of
iron, and by nails which are almost like skewers.
The hunters are able to leap exceedingly high, as
they are trained to leaping from their being first
bitted.
'The natural diseases of the Horse are few; but,
from ill usage or neglect, many are brought on
which often prove fatal. He is subject to various
species of worms, both in his intestines, and in his
glandular viscera. In the former are often found
the ascaris equi, sometimes a foot and a half long,
and as thick as a man's little finger; and several
species of tape-worms, one of which is frequently
known to measure from twenty-six to thirty inches
in length. Attached to the coats of the stomach
and rectum are found what the country people call
lotts .
THE COMMON HORSE. 435
botts, which are the larvae or grubs of a species of
gadfly*. The parent insect deposits her eggs on
the hairs of some part of the body which the Horse
can reach with his tongue; and, in the animal's
licking himself, they are conveyed into the mouth,
and thence to the stomach or intestines, where they
are hatched, and become botts. When these arrive
at their full growth, they loose their hold, and pass-
ing through the body, fall to the ground, where
they undergo their final change into winged insects.
If Horses be well treated, and proper care be
taken of them, it is said that they will sometimes
live to the great age of fifty years; but during part
of this time they are generally so decrepid as to
perform no services whatever to their owner. The
female, or mare, goes with young two hundred and
ninety days, and seldom produces more than one
foal at a birth.
There is a prevalent notion, that the flesh of the
Horse is bitter, and unpalatable to the taste. This,
however, is not true. It is eaten in the various
countries of Asia; and the Calmuc Tartars are so
partial to it, that they seldom eat any other kind of
flesh. They likewise drink the milk of the mare,
and make of it both butter and cheese. Dampier
informs us that he frequently saw Horses' flesh ex-
posed for sale in the markets of Tonquin; and he
says expressly, that it was as much esteemed amongst
Oestrus equi of Linnaeus.
Gg 2 the
436
THE COMMON HORSE.
the inhabitants as beef*. Dr. Anderson has strongly
recommended the fattening of Horses for food,
even in Great Britain, instead of cattle, and urges
his recommendation by declaring, that horse-flesh
is superior, in delicacy of flavour, to beeff !
The hair of the Horse is applied to several useful
purposes. The long hair of the tail is employed
for making sieves, fishing lines, and the bows of
musical instruments; whilst the short hair is used
in stuffing saddles and mattresses: the hatter even
puts it into his coarse felt. The skin, after it is
tanned, is made into collars, traces, and other parts
of harness; and frequently, under the name of
fctirdovan, into shoes.
In Wales, the male of the present species is called
inarch or ceffyl; and the female casseg: in France,
cheval, and cavale or jument: in Italy, cavallo, and
cavalla : in Spain, cavallo or caballo, and yegua : in
Portugal, cavallo and egoa: in Germany, pferd or
ross, and stut or motsch : in Holland, paerd or hengst,
andmerrie: in Sweden, hcest, and stood: in Den-
mark, hcest, oeg, or hingst, and stod-hcest, or hoppe :
in Russia, .Icon, and loschacL
* Dampier's Voyages, ii. p. 30.
f Anderson's Essays relating to Agriculture and Rural Affairs,
iii. p. 548.
THE
THE ASS. 437
THE ASS*.
THE Ass is supposed to have been originally im-
ported into Britain, either from Spain, or from
some part of Africa. But the animal,, instead of
being improved in its breed by domestication, has,
in our islands at least, entirely lost its original ele-
gance of form, and vivacity of manners. Doomed
to a neglect, which the race by no means deserves,
it has become the slave and companion only of the
poor. Thus, condemned to the very lowest servi-
tude, it is not only treated with indignity, but
oftentimes experiences all the misery of harsh and
ill usage. Naturally patient and persevering, it is
loaded with enormous burthens, or compelled to
drag the heaviest weights; and, in order to keep it
in motion, its sides or back are goaded by a sharp
pointed iron prong. Under such treatment, we
cannot be surprised that its native spirit is sub-
dued; and that, sometimes, it should show itself
intractable or stubborn. Persons who are in habits
of seeing these animals treated with the kindness
and attention they deserve, know that they are
naturally mild and gentle, and that they undergo a
' Equus asinus domesticus. Linnceus. VAne. Buffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 67, No. 43.
G g 3 reasonable
438 THE ASS.
reasonable share of labour and fatigue, with cheer-
fulness and alacrity. To the peasantry they are
much more serviceable than Horses, since they have
not only greater proportionate strength of body,
and are more sure of foot, but also because they
are infinitely more healthy, and are kept at much
less expence. Their constitution is so hardy, that,
even in the depth of winter, the most wretched
hovel is sufficient shelter for them from the cold;
and so temperate are they with respect to food,
that they can subsist on such vegetables as almost
any other animals would refuse to eat. The thistle
and plantain, which generally grow in abundance
on waste lands, and along the sides of roads, afford
to them a sufficient feast after their day of toil is
concluded. If we observe the Ass with attention,
whilst grazing on this miserable fare, his whole de-
portment will be seen marked by mildness and
content.
When he is young, he has the general character
and appearance of a handsome, sprightly, and even
graceful animal; but age, harsh treatment, and ex-
cessive fatigue, frequently render him slow, stub-
born, and headstrong. He is, notwithstanding,
capable of the strongest attachment to his master,
and will oftentimes immediately distinguish him
from amongst a crowd of other persons. He knows
the places where he has lived, and all the roads
along which he has been accustomed to travel.
When, as is oftentimes the case, he is loaded be-
yond
. THE ASS. 439
yond his strength, he shows it by lowering his head
and bending down his ears. If greatly abused, he
will frequently open his mouth and draw back his
lips in a disagreeable manner. Most of his motions
are like those of the Horse. He walks, trots, and
gallops ; and he can also run with tolerable swift-
ness for a small distance, but he is soon fatigued by
any great exertion of speed,
The voice of these animals is called braying; and
it is a most harsh and discordant noise. When an
Ass begins to bray, it often happens, that if there
are any others within hearing, they also immedi-
ately exert their voices. This habit was, in several
instances, a serious inconvenience to our army in
Egypt, when much harassed by the siege of Alex-
andria. Besides the Camels and Horses, there were
a great number of Asses employed in conveying
forage for the subsistence of the troops. During
the nights, when the soldiers, wearied by the fa-
tigues of the day, were enjoying the few hours of
repose that could be allowed them, one of these
animals would frequently begin; and, soon after-
wards, a serenade of at least a thousand such voices
would sound through the whole camp. Vexatious
as the noise might be, there was, notwithstanding,
something extremely ludicrous in such a concert, in
which, occasionally, all the numerous other animals
around, both birds and beasts, joined their efforts.
When the Asses were at last conveyed to Rosetta,
it was to the great joy of every person belonging
to the troops.
Gg 4 Neglected
440 THE ASS.
Neglected and abused as Asses are in the British
islands, they have been held in great esteem in
other countries, even from the earliest periods of
antiquity. In the Sacred Writings, and especially
in the Old Testament, they are spoken of as in ge-
neral use throughout all the eastern countries, both
for the saddle and as animals of draught and
burthen. Amongst tfre Romans they were held in
the highest estimation, as is obvious from the great
sums of money that were sometimes paid for them,
in comparison with other animals. Pliny speaks of
a male Ass that was purchased at a price exceeding
three thousand pounds sterling of our money.
"From the notices (says Dr. Anderson) that
incidentally occur in the course of reading, it
would have seemed natural to infer, that there
must be different breeds of Asses, which possess
qualities extremely different the one from the
other ; and that, instead of forming a judgment of
the whole species from the particular breed that we
find in this country, and conceiving the things that
are told of other breeds to be entirely fabulous,
because we find that they do not accord with those
that are bred here, we ought rather to be convinced
that we had fallen into a bad breed, which, with
care, might, no doubt, be very greatly improved*.
* Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, &c. iv. p. 321.
By
THE ASS 441
By far the finest breed of Asses, at this time
known in the world, are those of Spain. They are
large, strong, elegant, and stately animals, often,
fifteen hands, or more, in height. The best of this
breed sell, in Spain, at very high prices, sometimes
for as much as a hundred guineas each, and up-
wards. In other countries of Europe, the Ass is
nearly as much neglected as it is in Great Britain.
In Sardinia there is a race of Asses that are very
little larger than Dogs: they seldom exceed two
feet in height, and are in all respects proportion-
ally small.
That the Ass is not naturally so stupid an animal
as many people are inclined to think it, we have
sufficient evidence in its being susceptible of very
considerable educational attainments. We are in-
formed by Leo Africanus, that Asses may be taught
a kind of dance, in which they will keep perfect
time to music ; and to perform a great variety of
other entertaining feats. Gesner asserts, that he
was himself witness to some very singular actions
of one of these trained Asses. He says, that whilst
the Ass continued to dance, he three times changed
his time, and adopted that of a new air played to
him. He could walk erect with great appearance
of ease. On a sudden, as if his pleasantry was
changed to grief, he threw himself on the ground
and seemed to be dead. Though he was kicked
and beaten, he could not be induced to stir, till a
signal was made to him by his master. On being
ordered
442 THE ASS.
ordered to salute the'company, he turned his head
and eyes towards them, and moved one of his fore-
feet. What was considered very remarkable in the
actions of this animal, and greatly astonished every
person present, was, that on a certain signal, he
leaped through a large wooden hoop, like a Dog.
The exhibition concluded with several persons
throwing on the floor, handkerchiefs or gloves, all
of which the animal carefully took up in his mouth
and carried to his master*.
The natural duration of life in the Ass is un-
derstood to be from twenty-five to thirty years.
These animals are about four years before they
attain maturity. The period of gestation, in the
females, is said by M.de BufFon to be twelve months;
and, by Linnaeus, to be about two hundred and
ninety days. The produce is generally one foal ;
but sometimes they have been known to bring forth
two.
With respect to their diseases, these hardy ani-
mals are believed to have much fewer than the
Horse. The ancients were acquainted with none
except the glanders ; and this is by no means a
common disease amongst them.
From its hardness and elasticity, the skin of the
Ass is capable of being used for various purposes.
It is manufactured into shoes, heads for drums, and,
Gesner, Hist. Quad. p. 5.
when
THE ASS. 443
when varnished over in a peculiar manner, is cut
into leaves for pocket-books. The inhabitants of
some of the eastern countries, make of that part
which is about the rump, what they call sagri or
shagreen. The flesh of the Wild Ass is considered
in Tartary to be as excellent food as that of the
Boar; but, although the flesh of the domestic ani-
mals is eaten in several countries of the world,
M. de Buffon asserts that it is extremely bad, and
harder than that of the Horse. The milk is light,
easy of digestion, and so highly nutritious as to be
recommended as a specific in many disorders. In
some parts of the continent, it is occasionally used
as a cosmetic.
The male of this species is, in Wales, called asyn;
the female, ascn: in France, ane and anesse: in
Italy, asino or miccio, and miccia : in Spain, asno or
borrico, and borrica: in Portugal, asno or burro,
and asna or burra: in Germany, the male and fe-
male are both called esel: in Holland, eezel: in
Sweden, asna or aesna : in Denmark, asen-escl; in
Russia, osel.
THE
( 444 )
THE MULE*
AND
THE HINNYf
THE former of these animals is the hybrid pro-
duce of the Ass and the Mare; and the latter, of
the Horse and the female Ass.
The Mule is considerably the largest of the
two ; taking more the dimensions and appearance
of the Mare than the Ass. Its fore parts are better
shaped,, the chest is broader and more beautiful,
the sides rounder, the rump fuller, and the haunches
more smooth. In the head, and the other extre-
mities, it has some resemblance to the male parent.
The Hinny, on the contrary, partakes greatly of
the dimensions and appearance of the mother Ass;
for, in each animal, these seem to depend more on
the female than the male parent. Its chest is
thinner, its back more ridged, and rump more
sharp. The head is longer, and not so thick in
* Equus asinus mulus. Linn&us. Le Mulct. Buffon.
See the Synopsis, p. 68.
f Equus asinus hinnus. Linnceus. Le Bardeau. Buffon.
See the Synopsis, p. 69.
proportion
fftfc MULE AND THE HINNY. 445
proportion as that of the Ass ;. while the head of
the Mule is both shorter and thicker than that of
the Mare. The tail of the Hinny is covered with
longish hairs, whilst that of the Mule has little else
than short hair. The ears of the Mule are longer
than those of the Horse; and the ears of the Hinny
are shorter than those of the Ass. In the form,
therefore, of the head, tail, and ears, (and the same
has likewise been observed with respect to the legs, )
each animal seems to hold more by the male than
the female.
Of these two animals, the Mule is that which is
much the most commonly bred ; since, by coupling
the Ass with the Mare, a race has been produced, par-
taking, at the same time, of the hardiness of the Ass,
and the size and proportions of theHorse; whilst the
Hinny participates so much of the nature and ge-
neral appearance of the Ass, as to render the breed-
ing of it a matter entirely undeserving of attention.
It is less hardy, and less fitted for the various pur-
poses of life, than either the Horse, the Ass, or the
Mule.
It has been remarked of both these beasts, that
they possess one peculiarity which has not been
known to take place in other mongrel breeds;
namely, that each has some qualities which are not
found in either of the parents, jin such an eminent
degree
446 THE MCLE AND THE HI!< V
degree as in themselves. The duration of life in the
Mule is known considerably to exceed that either
of the Horse or the Ass, The animal is also less
liable to disease, and capable of much greater bo-
dily exertion, than either; and, being nearly as
abstemious as the Ass, it is considered of much
greater value, where power and economy are both
wanted.
In countries where the breed of Asses is suffici-
ently large, for obtaining Mules of considerable
size, these are preferred to all other animals, for
cheapness, durability, and general convenience, as
beasts of burthen. In England they have never
been propagated to any great extent ; and the few
that have been reared here, have, in general, been
the produce of such diminutive parents, as to ex-
hibit only a puny race, by no means calculated to
perform the services that a well managed breed
would be capable of. Yet even these, where they
have been used,, are found to possess many of those
bigbjy estimable qualities that are attributed to the
Spanish Mules, which are at this day considered to
be the finest in the world.
We have one instance, at least, in which their
utility has been satisfactorih ascertained in our
* J
own country. The huge dray-horses employed at
die breweries in the neighbourhood of London,
are said to be, in a great measure, adopted on ac-
count of their being able, as fillers, to stand the
shaking of the slop-carts, and other ponderous
loads.
TUB MULE AXD TBS HINXY. 447
loads, which, the brewers assert, no other breed of
Horses could bear. In the place of these Horses,
Messrs. Trueman, Harfoid, and Co. of Liadboftse,
have, for some time past, used mules in their drays.
Each dray is drawn by three Mules, die highest of
which does not, perhaps, stand more than fourteen
hands. These carry three butts of beer from Lime-
house to London: the same weight, precisely,
which the London drays cany with three large
Horses; and in these the shafts bear, in the same
manner, upon the filler, as upon that of the drays
drawn by Horses.
The name of the Mule has been proverbially
applied to express stubbornness, and ungovernable
stupidity ; from the animals' being said
to resist ill treatment. It is asserted that the
severity cannot compel a Mule to go fc
when it is not inclined to do so of its own accord.
But,, if gentle usage be, as it is declared to be, suf-
ficient to effect this purpose, it might be consider-
ed a fortunate circumstance if all our beasts of
burthen were endowed with the same kind of spi-
rit; since, in that case, the feelings of humanity
would by no means be so often outraged as they
are at present. If, however, our countrymen could
only be prevailed with to consider this animal in
the light that its qualities justly merit, to pay due
attention to its breed, and treat it with gentleness
and kind usage, it might, in the course of a few
vears,
448 THE MULE AND THE HINNY.
years, be rendered highly serviceable, either for
the saddle, for draught, or burthen.
Although both the Mule and the Hinny are so
far sterile, that they will not breed with each other,
yet M. de Buffon has recorded several instances of
their producing young ones with both the parent
stocks. He, however, asserts, that this seldom
takes place, except in hot climates.
The former of these animals is, in Wales, called
mul: in France, mulct: in Spain, mulo, mula,
macho, azemila: in Italy, mulo, macho, azemila,
garannon : in Portugal, mula, mu : in Germany,
maulthier, maulesel : in Holland, muyl-eesel: in
Sweden, mulasna : in Denmark, muul-esel : in Rus-
sia, laschak, mul, mesk.
OF
m
i,
( 449 ;
j
OF SWINE IN GENERAL
THERE are few tribes of quadrupeds, the animals of
which are, on the whole, so filthy in their habits, as
the present. They live, for the most part, collected
in large droves, in marshes and morasses, wal-
lowing with delight in the most putrid mire, and
devouring, with avidity, almost any substances
which lie in their way. In their general dispo-
sition and manners, they are naturally savage and
ferocious. Their weapons of offence are enor-
mous tusks, with which they strive to gore and rip
up the bodies of their enemies.
The species best known in Europe is the Wild
Boar, the parent stock of all our domestic va-
rieties. There can be no doubt that the forests
of Great Britain once sheltered Wild Boars in great
numbers; since they are mentioned, both in the
ancient Welsh and English laws, as beasts of chase,
which were reserved principally for the amuse-
ment of the king. In the reign of William the
Conqueror, persons convicted of killing these
animals, without royal authority, were punished
with the loss of their eyes. King Charles the
First turned a number of Wild Boars into the New
Forest ; but, during the civil wars, they were all
H h destoyed;
450 THE COMMON HOG.
destroyed ; and some years ago, General Howe did
the same in his forests in Hampshire,, to the great
terror of the neighbouring inhabitants, who soon
rose upon and killed them.
All the females of this tribe are very prolific,
bringing from four to ten or twelve young ones,
and upwards, at a litter.
The muzzle of the Swine terminates in a strong
tendinous and moveable snout, by means of which
they are enabled to dig up roots, and other ali-
ments, that lie hidden beneath the surface of the
ground. In their cloven feet, these animals seem
allied to the ruminating quadrupeds ; but in every
essential respect, both of external and internal
structure, they are perfectly distinct.
THE COMMON HOG*.
OF all the quadrupeds that are inhabitants of
Great Britain, either in a native or domestic state,
Swine are those, the general manners, disposition,
and character of which, are, by far, the most dis-
gusting. Their appetites are so gross, that they
devour, with the same eagerness, nearly all sorts
* Sus scrofa domesticus. Linnceus. Le Cochon. Bitffbn.
See the Synopsis, p. 70, No. 44.
of
THE COMMON HOG. 451
of food. Even the most putrid and corrupted
animal substances do not come amiss to them.
This voracity proceeds from their great digestive
powers, and the unusual size and capacity of their
stomachs. We are informed, that in the stomachs
of Wild Boars there have been found pieces of
the skins of Deer, and the beaks and claws of
birds. They are all exceedingly fond of blood;
and instances have occurred of their devouring
infant children. Whenever they find any thing
humid or succulent, they are said first to lick, and
then to swallow it. We are told, that it is com-
mon for a whole herd of these animals to stop
round a heap of newly dug clay; and although it
happen to be but very little unctuous or moist,
they will all lick it, and some of them will swal-
low it in considerable quantity*. Since Swine
obtain the chief part of their subsistence by root-
ing up the earth, their snout, which is very ten-
dinous and strong, is endowed with an extra-
ordinarily nice sense of touch, serving the same
purposes as the proboscis of the Elephant, in
turning over and examining their food. In ord$r
that this may be used to the greatest possible
advantage, the neck is remarkably stout and mus-
cular; and the eyes are situated so high up in
the head, as to be in no danger from the sub-
Ruffon par Sonnini, xxiii. p. 140.
Hh 2 stances
452 THE COMMON HOG.
stances that are moved about by the nose. The
sense of smelling in these animals is, likewise,,
asserted to be peculiarly quick. The extreme
thickness of their hide and fat render them almost
insensible even to blows ; but all their other senses
are perfectly good.
Those persons who have attended at all to the
manners of Swine, have observed, that they are
by no means deficient in sagacity; but the short
Jives that we allow them, and the general confine-
ment they undergo, entirely prevent their im-
provement in this respect. We, however, have
frequently heard of exhibitions of "learned Pigs;"
and we know that Toomer, formerly the game-
keeper of Sir H. P. St. John Mildmay, actually
broke in a black Sow to find game, back, and stand,
nearly as well as a Pointer.
This Sow, which was a thin, long-legged animal,
(one of the ugliest of the New Forest breed,)
when very young, took a great partiality to some
Pointer puppies, that Toomer, then under keeper
of Broomy Lodge, in the New Forest, was break-
ing. It played and often came to feed with them.
From this circumstance, it occurred to Toomer,
(to use his own expression,) that, having broken
many a Dog, as obstinate as a Pig, he would try
if he could not also succeed in breaking a Pig.
The little animal would often go out with the
puppies to some distance from home; and he
enticed it farther by a sort of pudding made of
barley
THE COMMON flOG. 453
barley meal, which he carried in one of his pockets.
The other he filled with stones, which he threw at
the Pig, whenever she misbehaved, as he was not
able to catch and correct her in the same manner
that he did his Dogs. He informed Sir Henry
Mildmay, who has been so obliging as to supply
me with this account, that he found the animal
very tractable, and that he soon taught her what
he wished, by this mode of reward and punish-
ment. Sir Henry Mildmay says, that he has fre-
quently seen her out with Toomer, when she
quartered her ground as regularly as any Pointer,
stood when she came on game, (having an ex-
cellent nose,) and backed other Dogs as well as
he ever saw a Pointer. When she came on the
cold scent of game, she slackened her trot, and
gradually dropped her ears and tail till she was
certain, and then fell down on her knees. So
staunch was she, that she would frequently remain
five minutes and upwards on her point. As soon
as the game rose, she always returned to Toomer,
grunting very loudly for her reward of pudding,
if it was not immediately given to her. When
Toomer died, his widow sent the Pig to Sir Henry
Mildmay, who kept it for three years, but never
used it, except for the purpose of occasionally
amusing his friends. In doing this, a fowl was
put into a cabbage-net, and hidden amongst the
fern in some part of the park; and the extra*
ordinary animal never failed to point it, in the
H h 3 manner
%
454 THE COMMON HOG.
manner above described. Sir Henry was, at length,
obliged to part with this Sow,, from a circumstance
as singular as the other occurrences of her life.
A great number of Lambs had been lost,, nearly
as soon as they were dropped, and a person being
sent to watch the flock, the animal was detected
in the very act of devouring a Lamb. This car-
nivorous propensity was ascribed to her having
been accustomed to feed with the other Dogs, and
to eat the flesh on which they were fed. Sir
Henry sent her back to Mrs. Toomer, who sold
her to Mr. Sykes, of Brookwood, in the New
Forest; where she died the usual death of a Pig,
and was converted into bacon.
As the animals of the present species require,
in this climate, shelter from the cold in winter,
they are frequently known to collect straw with
their mouths, in order to construct a warm bed,
when the wind blows keenly ; and to call their
companions, by repeated cries, to assist in the
work. Notwithstanding their general filthy cha-
racter, it is singular, that, where they have liberty,
their dens or sleeping places are kept more free
from filth than those of most other animals. In
the state that we usually see them, Swine are ex-
cessively stupid and indolent, and, at first sight,
seem destitute either of sagacity or sensibility,
Few animals, however, when compelled to exert
themselves, have more determined courage, or
greater sympathy for those of their own species.
The
THE COMMON HOG. 455
The moment that one of them utters a signal of
distress, all within hearing will run to its assist-
ance. Numerous instances have been recorded
in proof of this assertion; but none can be more
illustrative than the following. The Sieur Briie,
having, in vain, used all possible means to soften
the ferocious disposition of a Tiger, that he had
bred at Fort St. Louis, on the western coast of
Africa, was curious to know how a Hog would
be able to defend himself against so large and
powerful a beast. He therefore caused one of
these animals to be seperated from a drove, and
the rest to be conveyed to some distance. As
soon as the Tiger was loosed, the Hog retired to
an angle in the wall of the fort ; where, for a
very considerable time, he kept the Tiger at bay.
At last, he was so closely pressed, that, all at once,
he set up a furious scream. This brought the
whole drove of Swine to his assistance ; and they,
all at once, fell on the Tiger with so much fury,
that, in order to save himself, he was com-
pelled to spring, out of their reach, into the
ditch of the fort*.
It is generally believed that Swine will live to
the age of twenty, and even sometimes of thirty
years; but very few instances are allowed to occur
* JLabat Voyage Occidentale, tome, ii. p. 37.
of
456 THE COMMON HOG,
of their attaining so great an age, since it is by-
no means either profitable or convenient to keep
them to the full extent of their time. A gentle-
man of Selborne, in Hampshire, kept an half-
bred Bantam Sow, whose belly literally swept the
ground, till she was advanced to her seventeenth
year; and at this period she began to exhibit
some signs of old age, by the decay of her teeth,
and the decline of her fertility. This animal af-
forded a surprising instance of the extremely pro-
lific nature of Swine. For about ten years, she
regularly produced two litters in the year, each
consisting of about ten, and once of above twenty
Pigs : but in the latter case, as there were nearly
double the number of Pigs to that of the teats,
many, of course, died. At the age of fifteen, her
litter began to be reduced to four or five; and
such a litter she exhibited when in her fatting-
pen. At a moderate computation, this Sow was
allowed to have been the fruitful parent of no
less than three hundred young ones! She was
killed in the spring of 1775*.
The profits that arise from the breeding of
Swine are so universally acknowledged, that there
are few, even of our peasantry, who are not
anxious to keep and fatten *one or two of these
* White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 359.
animals.
THE COMMON HOG. 457
animals. It has been long proved, that, of all
flesh-meat, pork is the best adapted to curing
and preservation with salt ; and it also appears
that the labouring classes of people can subsist
longer upon this diet, without desire of change,
than upon any other kind of flesh whatever. In
various parts of England, even the farmers them-
selves very rarely taste, or desire to taste, any
other.
The fat of Swine differs from that of almost
every other quadruped, not only in its consistence
and quality, but in its situation in the body of the
animals. The suet of the Ox, Sheep, Deer, and
other ruminating quadrupeds, is found only at the
extremities of the flesh. The fat of those animals
which have no suet, such as the Dog, Cat, Horse,
&c. is pretty equally mixed with the flesh; but
the fat of the Hog is neither mixed with the flesh,
nor collected at its extremities, but covers the
animal all over, and forms a thick, distinct, and
continued layer betwixt the flesh and skin, some-
what like the blubber in whales. This fat has
the name of lard, and, when detached from the
flesh, is applied to various domestic uses.
The great weight to which some of the Berk-
shire Hogs have been fed, would seem altogether
incredible, had it not been so well attested. Mr.
Young, in one of his Tours, mentions one which
was fed to upwards of eighty-one stone. A Pig,
killed at Congleton, in Cheshire, in the month of
January,
458 THE COMMON HOG.
January, 1774, measured, from the nose to the end
of the tail, three yards eight inches, and in height
four feet and a half. When alive, it weighed 1410,
and when killed and dressed, 1215 pounds.
Notwithstanding the excellent flavour of well-fed
pork, and its wholesomenes as food, many persons
have such an antipathy to it from nature, habit,
or prejudice, that they not only refuse to eat it,
but are not able to bear even the sight or smell of
it when placed near them at table. The Jews and
Mahometans, from a religious principle, abstain
from it as food, and consider themselves, in some
measure, defiled even by touching it. The in-
habitants of China, on the contrary, are so ex-
cessively fond of pork, that multitudes, from this
partiality only, are said to have been prevented
from joining themselves under the institutions of
Mahomet.
There are few parts of the bodies of Swine
which may not be converted to some useful pur-
pose. Their skins, when properly dressed, are in
great request by saddlers, bookbinders, and other
artisans. The blood, feet, tongue, and fat, are all
used as food. The bristles are made into large
brushes for painters, and are also employed by
shoemakers, in the place of needles.
With respert to the diseases of Swine, so little
attention seems hitherto to have been paid, that
even the best writers on live stock have been able
to afford us scarcely any information whatever.
It
THE COMMON HOG. 450
It is known that the leaves of the yew, and both
the leaves and roots of hemlock, are deadly poison
to them.
In Wales the male is called laedd, and the female
hwch : in France, verrat, and truye : in Italy, verro,
and porca : in Spain, berraco, and puerca : in Por-
tugal, berrao, and porca : in Germany, eber and su:
in Holland, beer and soch: in Denmark, orw, and
SOe.
BRITISH
A
SYNOPSIS
OF
BRITISH. QUAD JRUPEBS,
BY THE REV. W. BINGLEY, A.M.
FELLOW OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY,
AND LATE OF PETERHOUSE, CAMBRIDGE.
BRITISH
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.
viviparous quadrupeds have a dorsal spine,
formed by a series of vertebras. They likewise have
warm blood ; and two auricles and two ventricles to
the heart. They produce their offspring alive, and
nourish them from mammae or lactiferous teats.
The British genera are subdivided into quadrupeds,
* With Nails or Claws.
1. Having four front-teeth, and two canine-teeth in each jaw. PRIMATES.
2. Having two, six, or ten front-teeth, and two canine-teeth
in each jaw. FERJS.
3. Having two front-teeth in each jaw, and no canine-teeth. GLIRES.
** With Hoofs.
1. Having no front-teeth in the upper jaw. PECOR A.
2. Having front-teeth in both jaws. BELLU*.
* With Nails or Claws.
1. Four front-teeth, and two eanine-teeth in each jaw.
LINNEAN ORDER I. PRIMATES.
E Front teeth wedge-shaped, for cutting food; those of the
upper jaw four in number, and parallel. The females have
two (a few species four) pectoral teats.
THE
PRIMATES. THE BAT TRIBE.
THE BAT TRIBE. Teeth all erect, sharp pointed,
and situated near together: fore-toes or fingers lengthened.,
and connected by membranes, which extend round the
posterior part of the body, and perform the office of wings.
VESPERTILIO. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. genus 4. torn I.
p. 45.
l.The COMMON BAT. Tailed; no membrane on the
nose, ears smaller than the head. Vespertilio murinus.
Linn.
Length, to the tip of the tail, about 3 inches ; and breadth of the
expanded membranes 9 inches Weight from 120 to 160 grains.
Ears fr'ir lines in length, each having, in front, an inner valve, or
secondary ear, slender, pointed, and minute. Eyes so small as to ap-
pear like minute black points. No teeth immediately in front of the
upper jaw.
Extremity of the muzzle blackish, and, on the upper part, almost
naked. Colour of the fur, which is very thick and soft, nearly the
same as that of the common mouse, but with a slightly reddish tinge.
Wing membranes semi-transparent, of a blackish colour, and naked.
Smell not fetid. W. B.
Common in ruinous buildings. Flies about in shady lanes, &c.
during the evenings of summer and autumn.
Vespertilio caudatus, naso oreque simplici, auriculis
capite minoribus. Vespertilio murinus. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. i. p. 48.
Vespertilio naso oroque simplici 9 auriculis longitudine
capitis. Vespertilio murinus. Erxleben, Syst. regn. ani-
mal, gen. 16, sp. 2, p. 143.
Vespertilio murinus. Common Bat. Kerr's Animal King-
dom, p. 94.- Turton i. p. 2.
Vespertilio
PRIMATES. THE BAT TRIBE. 5
Vespertilio major. Brisson, Syst. regn. animal, p. 224.
Vespertilio minor vulgaris. Klein, quad. disp. p. 61.
Vespertilio. Gesner, hist. av. p. 76(). Ruysch, theat.
animal, i. pa. 2. p. 34, tab. 20 Raii Syn. quad. p. 243.
La chau-ce Souris. Buffon par Sonnini, xxv. p. 310, pi.
13. f. 1,2.
La chaitre Souris ordinaire. Cuvier's Tab. Element,
de Phist. nat. p. 105.
Common Bat. Pennant's British Zoology, i. p. 148, No.
41. Shaw's General Zoology, i. p. 123. Smellie's Buffon,
iv. p. 322, tab. 18, fig. 1, 2.
Short-eared English Bat. Edwards's Birds, tab. 201,
fig. 2. Bewick's Quadrupeds, 5th edition, p. 510.
Little Bat. White's Works in Natural History, i. p. 130.
2. THE LONG-EARED BAT. Tailed, no membrane on
the nose, ears with inner valves, and larger than the head.
Vespertilio auritus. Linn.
Lengthy to the tip of the tail, in different individuals, from 1| to
3& inches ; and breadth of the expanded membranes from 7 to 1 1
- inches. Weight of the largest about 190 grains. Ears about half the
length of the body, each having, in front, a large inner valve, or se-
condary ear. Along the inner sides of the external ears there is a
fold, about a line in breadth at the bottom, which extends almost to
the tip ; and near the bottom of each fold is a small angular process.
External ears of considerable width, rounded, and broad at the, tip.
These are entirely naked, except along their inner edges, and along
the edges of the folds, which have each a row of scattered and ex-
tremely slender hairs. Eyes large and brilliant, comparatively with
those of the common bat. Muzzle long: orifices of the nostrils
large, and somewhat shaped like an S. No teeth immediately in
front of upper jaw.
Fur of a brownish grey colour, but much darker on the upper than
the under parts of the body. Smell not fetid. W. B.
A 3 Common
6 PRIMATES. THE BAT TRIBE.
Common in ruinous buildings; and flies about in shady lanes, &c.
during the evenings of summer and autumn.
Vesperlilio caudatus, ore nasoque simplici, auriculis du-
plicatisy capite majoribus. Vespertilio auritus. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Grael. i. p. 47. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen.
16, sp. 1, p. 141.
Vespertilio auritus. Long-eared Bat. Turton i. p.
25. Kerr, p. 93.
Vespertilio minor. Brisson. regn. animal, p. 226.
Vespertilio vulgaris, auriculis duplicibus. Klein, quad,
desp. p. 61.
Vespertilio auritus quaternis. Ruysch. theat. animal,
i. pa. 2, p. 34.
Voreillar. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 320. pi. 13, fig. 4.
L'ordllard. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 104.
Long-eared Bat. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 147 3 tab. 40.
Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 123, tab. 40. Bingley's Animal
Biography, 3d edit. i. p. 97. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 322,
tab. 90, fig. 2.
Common Bat. Bradley's Phil. Account of the Works
of Nature, p. 122, tab. 13.
Great-eared Bat. Speculum Linneanum, tab. 7.
Long-eared English Bat. Edwards's Birds, tab. 201,
fig. 2. Bew. Quad. 5th edit. p. 512.
3. THE NOCTULE OR GREAT BAT. Tailed, no mem-
brane on the nose, ears oval, with small inner valves.
Vespertilio noctula. Linn.
Length, to the tip of the tail, about 5| inches; and breadth of the
expanded membranes, 14| inches. Head large. Nose slightly
bilobated. Ears short, broad, and rounded ; each with a small but
conspicuous inner valve. Shoulders broad and muscular ; and whole
body.
PRIMATES. THE BAT TRIBE. 7
body plump and fleshy. Upper part of wing membranes slightly
hairy on the inside. No teeth immediately in front of the upper jaw.
Fur extremely soft and Iseek ; in some individuals of a bright
chesnut colour, but in others considerably darker, so as even to be
cinereous.
ITing membranes black. Smell fetid. W. B.
Uncommon. Flies high in the air; and seldom seen except from
the beginning of May to about the end of July. It has been observed
in Hampshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Surrey.
Vespertilio caudatus, naso oreque simplici^ auriculis
ovalibus operculatis, operculo exili. Vespertilio noctula.
Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 48.
Vespertilio naso oreque simplici, auriculis capite brevi-
oribusy corpore cano. Vespertilio noctula. Erxleben,
Syst. regn. animal, gen. 16, sp. 3, p. 146.
Vespertilio noctula. Great Bat. Turton i. p. 25.
Kerr, p. 95.
La Noctule. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 321, pi. 14, f. 1.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 105.
Noctule Bat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. ISO.Kerr's
anim. King. p. 95. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 322, tab. 91,
fig.l.
Great Bat. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 146. T-- White's
Works, i. p. 130.
4. THE BARBASTELLE BAT. Tailed, cheeks full or
turgid, and bearded, ears large and angulated at the lower
part. Vespertilio barbastellus. Linn.
Length, to the tip of the tail about 2 inches; and breadth of the
expanded membranes 10 inches. On the upper part of the muzzle
a naked, hollow, or sunken mark, of singular shape, which extends
to the ears, and in front of which are situated the nostrils. Ears
large, rounded at the extremity, and so broad that their inner edges
A 4 touch
8 PRIMATES. THE BAT TRIBE.
touch each other over the nose, and thus conceal the upper part of
the face: towards their lower part they are angulated. Inner valves
conspicuous. Cheeks hairy, and full or turgid. Muzzle very short:
nose much flattened. Eyes so situated as to be within the bases of
the ears. No teeth immediately in front of either jaw.
Fur of the upper parts of the body much longer than below, and
of a blackish brown oolour. Fur of the belly of a mixed grey and
brown. W.B.
A single individual was caught in one of the gunpowder-mills, at
Dartford, in Kent.
Vespertilio caudatus, buccis elatis pilosis, auriculis mag-
nis inferius angulatis. Vespertilio barbastellus. Lynn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 48.
Vespertilio buccis barbatis, auriculis longioribus, frontem
tegentibus. Vespertilio barhastellus. Erxleben, Syst.
regn. animal, gen. 16, sp. 4, p. 140.
Vespertilio Barbastellus. Barbastelle Bat. Turton, i.
p. 2.5. Kerr, p. 95.
La Barbastelle. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 324, pi. 14,
fig. 3.
Barbastelle Bat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 133 Smel-
lieVBuffon, iv. p. 323, tab. 92, fig. 1. Sowerby's British
Miscellany, tab. 5.
5. THE HORSE-SHOE BAT. Tailed ; on the nose a mem-
brane, somewhat resembling in shape a horse's shoe ; ears as
long as the head, without inner valves ; tail half the length
ofthe.body. Vespertilio fer rum equinum. Linn.
Length, to the tip of the tail, 3 inches ; and breadth of expanded
membranes J4 inches. The face, has a singular appearance, from a
me mbranaceous appendage, somewhat in form of a horse's shoe, which
surrounds the nose and uptper lip: this is pointed at the extremity,
and its lower part forms deep furrows on the nose, bordered by a
narrow
PRIMATES. THE BAT TRIBE. 9
narrow and very thin flap of skin. Teeth, and particularly the canine-
teeth, much larger and more strong in this than in any others of the
British bats. Ears about the length of the head, broad at the base,
and at their tips sharp-pointed : they incline backward, and have
no inner valves. The females have each four nipples, of Which two
are seated on the breast, and two betwixt the hinder legs.
Fur long, thick, and very soft; of deep cinereous colour 4 above,
and whitish below. Ears, tail, and membranes nearly black. W. B.
Found about the gunpowder-mills, at Dartford, in Kent.
Vespertilio caudatus, naso ferro equino simuli, auribus
caput cequantibus non operculatis, cauda dimidia corporis
longitudine. Vespertilio ferrum-equinum. Linn* Sjst.
Gmel. i. p. 50.
Vespertilio naso foliato ferri equini cemulo. / espertilio
ferrum-equinum. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 16,
sp. 13, p. 154.
Vespertilio ferrum-equinum. Horse-shoe Bat. Tur-
ton, i. p. 27. Kerr, p. 99.
La Chcwve-souris a fer-a-cheval. Buff. Sonn. xxv.
p. 324, pi. 15, fig. 1,2. pi. 13. fig. 3.
La fer-a-cheval. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 105.
Horse-shoe Bat. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 14T, tab. 14,
fig. 1,2,3. Shaw's Gen.Zool. i. p. 131. Smellie's Buf-
fon, iv. p. 324, tab. 90, fig. 1 and 93, fig. 1.
With
10 pEILE. THE SEAL TRIBE.
* With Nails or Claws.
2. Two, six, or ten front-teeth, and two canine-teeth in each jaw,
ORDER II. FERJE.
None of the animals of the second Liniiean order, BRUTA, are native
inhabitants of the British islands.
Upper front teeth six in number, and somewhat sharp-
pointed : one canine- tooth on each side of both jaws.
THE SEAL TRIBE. Upper front-teeth six, sharp-
pointed, parallel to each other, the two outermost larger
than the rest : lower front teeth somewhat blunt, parallel,
distinct, and equal : tusks, one on each side of both jaws,
twice the length of the front teeth, the upper ones distant
from the front teeth, the lower ones from the grinders:
grinders five on each side above, and six below, narrow
and tricuspidate : no external ears : hind-feet extending
backwards, and connected together or fettered. PHOCA.
Linn. Syst. Nat. GmeL gen. n. i. p. 62.
Head., generally short, and muzzle broad . Body thickest
about the shoulders, and from thence tapering gradually to
the tail. W.B.
6. THE COMMON SEAL. No external ears, neck smooth,
the body dark colourecj. Pho'ca vitulina. Linn.
Length
FERJE. THE SEAL TRIBE. 11
Length from 4 to 6 feet. Head large and round, the anterior part
much like that of the otter. Muzzle broad and flat : nose somewhat
prominent. Whiskers very strong, each bristle waved through its
whole length. No external ears ; but the place of each auditory
hole marked by slight elevation of the border of the orifice. Eyes
nearer the ears than the muzzle; and each furnished with a winking
membrane. Tongue bifid at the tip. Neck short. Feet so short as,
in some positions of the animal, to be scarcely perceptible. Toes
enveloped in a membrane; and each having a strong, and somewhat
cylindrical nail or claw, black above and whitish beneath. Of the
toes of the fore-feet, the first or innermost are the longest; and the
rest diminish gradually to the outer ones, which are the shortest of
the whole. Toes of the hind feet enveloped in a membrane con-
siderably longer and wider than the membranes of the other feet:
toes themselves also larger. Of these, the first is the biggest and
longest: the fifth somewhat smaller: the second and fourth are
shorter than the fifth, and longer than the third, which is the shortest
of the whole. Nails of the hind-feet not so large as those of the fore-
feet. Tail very short.
Body clad with short hair, at roots of which is a fine and close
down. Colour of hair different in different individuals. Sometimes
it is grey, sometimes brown or blackish, and sometimes blotched or
spotted with brown or yellow. W. B.
Not uncommon about the sea-shores of the north of Scotland and
Ireland ; but rare about those of the southern counties of England.
Phoca capite inauriculato et cervice Icevi, corpore fus-
co. Phoco wtulina. Linn. Syst. Nat. Grael. i. p. 63.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 64, sp. 4 5 p. 583.
Phoca capite laevi, cervtce retusiuscula, naso mediocri,
corpore sub cylindrico^ vibrissis undulatis medulla conco-
lori. Phoca ifitulina. Fabricii, Fauna Groenlandica.
p. 9.
Phoca vitulina. Sea Calf. Turton, i. p. 39. Kerr,
p. 123.
Phoca. Gesner. aquat. p. 702. -Ruysch, i. pa. 156.
Raii. syn. quad. p. 189.
UPhoque
12 FERJE. TITE SEAL TRIBE.
Le Phoque commun. Buff. Sonn. xxxiv. p. 68, tab. C 2.
fig. 2. Cuv. tab. Element, p. 171.
Common Seal. Perm. Brit. Zool. i. p. 137, tab. 37.
Shiw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 257, tab. 70. Kerr, p. 123.
Smellie's Buffon, vii. p. 336, tab. 148. Bing. Anim.
Biog. 3d Edit. i. p. 184.
7. THE PIED SEAL. No external ears, neck smooth,
middle toe of each fore-foot shorter than any of the others,
hind-teet lunated, body dark variegated with white. Phoca
bicolor. Shaw.
The length of a Pied Seal described by M. de Buffon, in one of the
supplementary volumes of his work, was 7 feet: thegirth round the
shoulders 5 feet; and at the tail 1| feet. The eyes were large, and
of a brown colour. The auditory holes were each about a line in
diameter. The whiskers were very thick and strong, somewhat re-
sembling the softer bones of fish. Of the five toes of the fore-feet y the
middle one was the shortest, and the two outer ones were the
longest. The nails were black and somewhat curved. Of the
hind-feet the middle toe was likewise the shortest. These feet were
thick and fleshy by the sides of the animal, slender towards the mid-
dle, and jagged along their edges. The nails had been all chafed
off. The tail was about four inches long, and at the upper part
about three inches in breadth.
The luiir was very short, thick, and bright, of a brown colour, mix-
ed with grey, particularly on the head and neck, which appeared
almost as if spotted. On the belly there was a large white mark,
extending from the flanks, and terminating behind in a point.
BUFFON.
A Pied Seal described by Mr. Pennant had its nose taper and
lengthened. The toes of the fore-feet were very distinct; and the
nails of the hinder ones extended to the margin of the membrane,
which, when stretched out, was somewhat crescent shaped.
The general colour of this animal was black, with the hind part of
the
FERJS. THE SEAL TRIBE. IS
the head, the throat, and neck white, and a white spot behind each
fore-leg. PENNANT'S QUADRUPEDS.
This, the only individual ever remarked in Great-Britain, was
caught in the river Dee, near Chester, in 1766.
Phoca nigra inauriculata, albo vana, naso elongate^
pedibus posterioribus lunatis. Phoca bicolor. Shaw's Gen.
Zool. i:p. 254, tab. 70.
Le Phoque a 'centre bltonc. BufF. Sonn. xxxiv. p. 54,
tab. 1, fig. 1.
Pied Seal. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 273. Shaw's Gen.
Zool. i. p. 254, tab. 70, 71.
The Seal. Bew. Quad. 5th edit. p. 505.
8. THE GREAT SEAL. No external ears, head smooth,
body blackish. Phoca barbata. Linn.
Length, from ten to twelve feet. Weight sometimes exceeding
SOlb. Head somewhat elongated and smooth. Muzzle broad ;
lips loose. Whiskers long ; the bristles strong, horny, . flexile, pellu-
cid, and not waved, as in the Common Seal. Auditory holes large.
Eyes large, but not prominent : pupils blackish and circular: irides
brown. Tongue bifid at the tip. Fore-feet long, the middle toe
longer, and the inner toe shorter than any of the rest* Skin extremely
thick.
The young animals have tolerably close set hair; but the old ones
are generally naked. The colour varies with their age. The young
ones are dark on the upper parts, and white below : they next be-
come blackish all over: the back then attains a lighter celour; and
in old age they are entirely black. FAUNA GROENLANDICA.
Not very uncommon about the northern coast ef Scotland.
Phoca capite Icevi inauriculato, corpore nigricante.
Phoca barbata. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 65.
Erxleben. Syst. regn. animal, gen. 64, sp. 8, p. 590.
Phoca pedibus anticis manus hominis referentibus pollice
breviore
14 FERJE. THE DOG TRIBE.
breviore, vibrissis longis albis integris, apice curcis.
Phoca barbata. Fabricii, Fauna. Groenl. p. 15.
Phoca barbata. Great Seal. Turton. 1. p. 39.
Kerr, p. 126.
Le grand Phoque. Le Phoque de M. Parson. BufF.
Sonn. xxxiv. p. 50, tab. 1, fig. 3.
Great Seal. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 136. Shaw's Gen.
Zool. i. p. 259, tab. 74.
Long-bodied Seal. Parsons in Phil. Tran. No. 469,
p. 383, tab. 1.
Large Seal of the Northern Ocean. Smellie's Biiffon,
vii. p. 342.
THE DOG TRIBE. Upper front-teeth six, those at
the sides longer than the intermediate ones, which are
lobated: lower front-teeth six, the lateral ones lobated:
canine-teeth curved, on each side in both jaws : grinders,
six in the upper, and seven in the lower jaw, (or more than
in any other animals of the same order.) CANIS. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 12. i. p. 65.
Tongue smooth ; toes, five on the fore and four on the
hind feet, the claws blunt, not hooked, nor retractile ; the
feet rest upon the toes only. Females have ten teats, four
on the breast, and six on the belly. W. B.
9. THE COMMON DOG. Tail recurved, leaning towards
the left side. Canis familiarus. Linn.
Canis caudd sinistrorsum recurvatd. Cams familiaris.
Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 65. Erxleben, Syst. regn.
animal, gen. 45, sp. 1, p. 531.
Canis
FERjE. THE DOG TRIBE. 15
Cams familiaris. Faithful Dog. Turton i. p. 41.
Kerr, p. 129.
Canis Domesticus. Brisson. regn. animal, p. 235.
Canis proprie dictus. Klein, quad. desp. p. 68.
Canis. Gesner, hist. quad. 160. 249. 250. Ruysch,
i. p. 1. p. 22. Raii, Syn. quad. p. 175.
Le Chien. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 163. Cuv. tab. ele-
ment, p. 120.
Faithful Dog. Penn. Quadr, i. p. 235. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 59.
Common Dog. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 273. Smellie's
Buffon, iv. p. 1. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 203.
VAR. 1. The Shepherd's Dog. Ears erect, tail covered
underneath with long hair. Canis familiaris domesticus.
Linn.
General form and appearance rude and inelegant. Ears, in some
individuals, only half erect. Tail long, bushy, and somewhat curled
at the end. Varies in colour. W. B. *
Canis auriculis erectis, cauda subtus, lanata.-~Canis
(familiaris) domesticus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 12,
sp. 1, var. S. 1. p. 66.
Cams Pastor alisy or Shepherd's Dog. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 67.
Canis &***& Domesticus. A Curre or House Dog.
Raii. Syn. quad. p. 177. No. 82.
Le Chien de berger. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 203. tab.
10, fig. 1.
Shepherd's Dog. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 277, tab. 75.
Kerr. p. 120. Turton. i. p. 41, n. 1. ---Smellie's Buffon,
iv. p. 20, tab. 27. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 238. Bew. Quad.
5th edit. p. 327.
VAR.
16 FERJE. THE DOG TRIBE.
VAR. 2. The Water Dog. Hair long and curled, like
the fleece of a sheep. Canis familiaris aquaticus. Linn.
Of this variety thei^ are two kinds; but they differ only in size,
the one being learly as large again as the other. Muzzle somewhat
short. Feet more webbed than in most other dogs. Vr. B.
Canis familiaris minor. Size small, hair long and curled,
and about (he ears longer than elsewhere, and 'hangs down-
wards. Linn.
Canis pilo crispo longo instar Otis.* -Cams (familiaris)
aquaticus. Linn. SysL Nat. Gmel'. gen. 12, sp. i. var. *.
i. p. 66.
Canis minor pilo crispo longo, circa auriculas longiore et
recta propendente. Canis (familiaris) minor. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. gen. 13, sp. 1, var. . i. p. 66.
Cants aquaticus^ or FYNDER. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 67.
Canis aviarius aquaticus y a WATER SPANIEL. Raii.
Sjn. quad. p. 77, n. 6.
Le Grand Barbel. Le Petit Barbet. Buff. Sonn.
xxiii. p. 209, pi. 16, 17.
Water Dog. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 279. Turton,
i. p. 41, n. 5, 6.
Great Water Dog. Lesser Water Dog. Kerr. p.
131. Smellie's Buftbn, iv. p. 20, tab. 36, 37. Penn.
Quadr. i. p. 240. Bew. Quad. 5th edit. p. 360.
Water Spaniel. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 60.
VAR. 3. The Spaniel. Ears pendulous and woolly,
Canis familiaris extrarius. Linn.
Hair
FER^E. THE DOG TRIBE. 17
Hair long on all parts of the body, but particularly on the breast,
beneath the belly, and at the back of the legs. Ears of considerable
length. W. B.
Canis auriculis longis lanatis pendulis. Cams (fami-
liaris) extrarius. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 12, sp. 8,
var. $. i. p. 66.
Canis aviarius sen Hispanicus campestris, a LAND
SPANIEL. Rail Syn. quadr. p. 177. n. 5 ?
Canis Hispaniolus, or SPANIEL. Penn. Brit. Zool.
i. p. 66.
UEpagneul Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 209, tab. 17, fig. 1.
Spaniel. Kerr, p fift. Turton, 1. p. 41, n. 8.
Daniel's Rural Sports, '8vo. edit. ii. p. 2, tab. p. 294.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 20, tab. 37, fig. 1. Penn. Quadr.
1. p. 240.~Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 127.
VAR. 4. The Setter. Canis familiaris index.
Index or Setter. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 66.
Canis 'cenaticus aviarius . Raii. Sjn. Quad. p. 177?
English Spaniel.
Setter. Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo. edit. ii. pa. 2 3 p.
287, tab. p. 144.
Old English Setter. Daniel ii. pa. 2, tab. p. 287.
VAR. 5. The Pointer. Canis familiaris avicularis.
Tail truncated, or appearing as if part had been cut off.
Linn.
Canis caudd truncatd. Canis (familiaris) avicularis,
Linn. Syst. Nat. Grael. gen. 12, sp. 1, var. v. i. p. 68.
B Pointer.
18 FERJE. THE DOG THIBE. :
Pointer. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 282. Kerr,p. 134.
Turton, i. p. 42, n. 19. Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo. edit.
ii. pa. 2, p. 292; four excellent figures.
VAR. 6. The Hound. Ears smooth and pendulous;
on each hind -foot a spurious claw, called a dew-claw.
Canis f. miliaris sagax. Linn.
Canis auriculispenduliS) dtgito-spurio adtibias posticas.
Canis (familiaris) sagax. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen.
12j sp. 1, var. ^. i. p. 67.
Canis venaticus sagax, ferarum indagator et sectator,
qui duplex est> major, AN HOUND dictus, et minor A BEAGLE.
Ran. Syn. quad. p. 177.
Le Chicn Courant. BufF. Sonn. xxiii. p. 209, pi. 11.
Canis Leverarius, or HARRIER. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 61.
Hound. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 280. Turton, i. p.
41, n. 17. Smellie's Buffon, iv. ,p. 20, tab. 31, 32.
Penn. Quadr, i, p. 239. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i.
p. 220.
German Hound. Kerr, p. 133.
Harrier. Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo. edit. i. tab. p.
379. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 240.
Beagle. Daniel, i. tab. p. 397.
Foxhound. Daniel, i. tab. p. 56, and 213; all excellent
figures.
;
VAR. 7. The Bloodhound. Canis familiaris sangui-
narius.
Size of a very large Hound. Snout more pointed than that of the
hound, but widening considerably towards the after part of the jaw.
Ears erect.
Colour
FEFLE. THE DOG TRIBE. 19
Colour generally deep tan or reddish, with a black spot over each
eye.
"* A % '' ' ' '
Canis sanguinarius^ or BLOODHOUND. Perm. Brit,
Zool. i. p. 61. Rail. Syn. quadr. p. 177.
Canis Scoticus. \ Bloodhound. Kerr, p. 133.
Bloodhound. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 281. Turton, i*
p. 41, n. 18. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p.
VAR. 8. The Irish Greyhound. Larger than a
Mastiff, body arched, snout slender. Canis familiaris
Hibernicus. Linn.
Colour generally brown and white, or black and white.
Canis Uvinarius orlorarius: THE LEVINER or LYEMMER,
Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 65.
Canis Hibernicus, THE IRISH GREYHOUND. Raii. Syn,
quadr. p. 176, n. 3.
Le Grand Danois, Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 202, pi. 9?
Irish Greyhound. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 282. tab.
77. Linn. Tran. iii. p. 16. Kerr, p. 134. Turton, i.
p. 42, n. 22. Smeliie's Buffon, iv. p, 19, tab. 24. Penn.
Quadr. i. p. 241.
VAR. 9. The Common Greyhound. Size of a wolf,
body curved, snout slender. Canis familiaris grajus.
Linn.
Canis magnitudine lupi, trunco curvato, rostra attenu-
ate. Canis (familiaris) grajus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
gen, 12, sp. 1, var. *. i. p. 68.
B 2
20 FEILE. THE DOC TRIBE.
Cants LeporariuS) or GRE-HOUND. Penn. Brit. ZooL
i. p. 63.
Cams venations grains seu grcecus nonnullis Scoticus, a
GREYHOUND. Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 176, n. 2.
LeLevrier. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 202, tab. 10.
Common Greyhound. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 283.
Kerr, p. 134 Turton, i. p. 42, n. 24. Daniel's Rural
Sports, 8vo. edit. i. tab. pp. 437, 439, 460; excellent.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 19. tab. 26. Penn. Quadr. i. p.
241.
VAR. 10. The Mastiff. Of large size, body robust,
lips pendulous at the sides. Canis familiaris Anglicus.
Linn.
Canis maximus labiis ad latera pendulis, corpore toro-
so. Canis (familiaris) Anglicus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
gen. 12, sp. 1, var. o. i. p. 67.
Canis villaticus, or catenarius; THE MASTIFF, or BAND-
DOG. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 60.
Canis mastivus, nonullis mastinus y A MASTIFFE. Raii.
Syn. Quadr. p. 176, n. 1.
Le Dogue de forte race. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 225,
tab. 23.
Mastiff. Shaw'sGen. Zool. i. p. 284. Kerr, p. 133.
Turton, i. p. 41, n. 15. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 242. Smel-
lie's Buffon, iv. tab. 44. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit.
L223.
VAR. 11. The Bull-dog. Size of a wolf, body robust,
lips pendulous at the sides. Canis familiaris molossus.
Linn.
In
FERJ5. THE DOG TRIBE. ^1
In size somewhat smaller than the mastiff, but in form .nearly
.allied to it. Snout somewhat flatter, and general aspect much more
ferocious. W. B.
Canis magnitudine lupi, labiis ad latera penduUs, cor-
pore toroso. -Canis (familiaris) molossus. Linn. Syst-
Nat. Gmel. gen. 12, sp. 1, var. |. i. p. 67.
Le Dogue. BufF. Sonn. xxiii. p. 211, tab. 18, fig. 1.
Bull-dog. Shaw's Gen. Zoo}, i. p. 284 Kerr, p.
132. Turton, i. p. 41, n. 14. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 242.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p- 21, tab. 42. Bing. Anim. Biog.
3d edit. i. p. 242.
VAR. 12. The Terrier. Canis familiaris terrarius.
Canis terrarius, or TERRIER, Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 61.
Terrier. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 284. Daniel's Rural
Sports, 8vo. edit. i. tab. p. '122. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d
edit. i. p. 226.
VAR. 13. The Lurcher. Canis familiaris laniarius.
Canis vertagus, or TUMBLER. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 66. Raii. Syn. Quadr. p. 177, n. 7.
Lurcher. Kerr, p. 135. Turton, i. p. 42.
VAR. 14. The Turnspit. Legs short, body long, and
often variegated. Canis familiaris vertagus. Linn.
Legs usually crooked. Colour generally dusky grey, spotted with
Hack, or entirely black, with the under parts whitish. W. B.
B 3 Canis
22 FEIUE. THE DOG TRIBE.
Canis pedibus brexibus^ trunco longo s&pius variegato.*
Cants 'familiaris) vertagus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen.
12, sp. 1, var. $$. i. p. 69.
Canis versator, or TURNSPIT. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 70.
Le Basset. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 209, tab. 15.
Turnspit. Shaw's Gen. Zool. Kerr, p. 135. Turton,
i. p. 42, n. 32. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 20, tab. 34, fig.
1,2.
10. TnECoMMONFox. Tail straight, tipped with white.
Canis wipes* Linn.
Head broad at the back, and sharpened towards the muzzle.
Ears erect, and sharp-pointed. Eyes hazel colour, very brilliant,
and expressive; and situated obliquely in the head. Tail strait,
bushy, and somewhat pointed.
General colour yellow brown: forehead, shoulders, kind part of
the back, as far as the beginning of the tail, and outsides of the legs
mixed with whitish or ash colour. Lips, cheeks, and throat white.
A white stripe on the under side of each leg. Breast and belly whitish
grey. Tips of ears and feet black. Tip of tail milk white. W. B.
Canis caudd recta, apice albo. Canis wipes. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel., i. p. 73. Erxlelben, Syst. regn. animal,
gen. 55, sp. 5, p. 61.
Canis wlpts. Fox. Turton, i. p, 45. Kerr, p- 14L
Cants futons, pilis cinereis intermixtis. Brisson, regn.
animal> p 239.
Vulpes vittgaris. Klein, quatlr. desp<'p. 71.
Vulpes. Geener, p. 966. Ruysch, i. pa. 1. p. 92jtab.
56. Raii. Syn. quadr, p. 177.
LeRenard. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 313, pi. 13.--Cuv.
Tab. Element, p. 12L
Fox.
FER/E. THE CAT TRIBE. 23
Fox. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 251. Perm. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 7 L -Shaw's fen. Zool. i. p. 314. Daniel's Rural
Sports, 8vo. edit. i. p. 220, tab. pp. 101, 220. Church's
Cabinet of Quadrupeds, art. Fox. Smellie's Buffon, iv.
p. 214, tab. 68.---Bin. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 253.
VAR. 1. The Greyhound-fox. Of large size.
VAR. 2. The Mastiff-fox. Smaller, but more strongly
formed.
VAR. 3. The Cur-fox. The smallest of the three, tail
tipped with black.
Is the latter of these the
Canis cauda recta, apice nigro? Cards alopexf Linn.
Syst. Gmel. i. p. 74? and Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal,
gen. 56, sp. 6, p. 565 ?
.
... .
THE CAT TRIBE. .'Front-teeth in each jaw six, the
intermediate ones equal : grinders three on each side:
tongue rough, with sharp prickles that point backwards
claws retractile. FELTS. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen,
13, i. p. 71.
. . .
Head round, and visage short. Toes five 90 the fore, and four on
the hind feet; the claisx hooked and sharp. The feet rest upon the
toes only. The females have eight teats, four on the breast and four
on the belly. W. B.
.
11. THE COMMON CAT. Tail long and annulated. 'FeKs
catus. Linn.
Felis cauda elongatd annulatd. Felis catus. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 80.
1. The
FERjE. THE CAT TRIBE.
1. The wild Cat. Tail with dusky rings, body marked
with dusky stripes, of which three on the top of the back
are disposed longitudinally, whilst those on the sides are
transverse, and somewhat curved. Felis catus ferus.
Linn.
Size about four times as large as that of the Common Cat. Head
proportionally more thick: face flatter; and all the limbs much
more strong. Teeth and claws of tremendous size.
Colour generally pale yellowish grey, with dusky stripes; those on
the back extending lengthwise, and those on the sides being trans-
verse and somewhat curved. In different parts of Europe, the co-
lours of the Wild Cat somewhat vary; but all the animals are more
or less striped, and in no instance have been seen spotted, like many
of the domestic kinds.
Tail thick, not of great length, and marked throughout with
dusky rings: the end always tipped with black. Lips, tip of nose,
and hinder part of lower joints of legs black. Fur always soft and
fine. W. B.
Not uncommon in the woods of Scotland and Ireland, and of some
of the northern parts of England.
Felis caudd elongatd, fusco annulatd, corpore fasciis
nigricantibus, dorsalibus longitudinalibus tribus, lateralibus
$piralibus.~~ Felis (catus) ferus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
gen. 13, sp. 6, var. . i. p. 80. Erxleben, Syst. regn. ani-
mal, gen. 44, sp. 12, p. 518.
Felis silvestris. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 265.
Catus silvestris ferus, velferalis, eques arborum. Klein,
quad. desp. p. 75.
Felis catus. Wild Cat. Turton, i. p. 49. Kerr,
p. 153.
Felis silvestris. Gesner. p. 325. Ruysch, i. pa. JL
p. 127. tab. 72.
Le Chat sauvage. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 18, pi. 2, fig. 1.
Wild
FERJE. THE CAT TRIBE. 25
Wild Cat. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 295. Penn. Brit. Zool.
i. p. 80. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 49, tab. 46. Bing.
Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 304.
Common Cat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 363.
2. The Domestic Cat. Less than the wild cat, hair
shorter and thicker. Felis catus domesticus. Linn.
The FEMALE domestic cats are very various in colour. Some are
entirely black, others variegated with black and white, and others
(from which they have the name of tortoise-sheil cats,) with black,
fulvous, and white. Some again are altogether white ; others fulvous
and tawny ; others tabby, or like the wild cat, but with much more
vivid variegations ; and others dun coloi r o'r tawny, either plain or
with deeper stripes. These variations in colour are, however, con-
fined to the females, the MALES being nearly all marked with grey
stripes. A tortoise-shell male cat is considered a great rarity in the
species. W. B.
1 * '
Felis catus minor, pilis brevioribus, et crassioribus.
Felis (catus) domesticus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen.
13, sp. 6, var. ft. i. p. 80. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal,
gen. 44, sp. 12, var. b. p. 520.
Felis domestica. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 191.
Klein, quad. desp. p. 75. Gesner, p. 317. Ruysch, i.
pa. 1. p. 126, tab. 72. Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 170.
Felis catus. Domestic cat. Turton, i. p. 49. Kerr,
p. 154.
Le Chat domestique. Buff. Sonn, xxiv. p. 5. pi. 1.
Domestic Cat. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 82. Smellie's
Buffon, iv. p. 49, tab. 47. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit, i,
p. 305.
Common Cat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 163.
THE
26 FERJ. THE WEESEL TRIBE.
THE WEESEL TRIBE. Front-teeth in each jaw six,
sharpish: canine-teeth longer: tongue in some smooth,
in others rough, with prickles that point backwards : body of
a lengthened form. VIVERRA. Shaw's Gen- Zool. i. p.
378.
Head small ; and muzzle generally somewhat slender. Of the six
front-teeth in each jaw two are placed interiorly, within the line of
the rest. Ears short. Legs very short: toes five on each foot, both
before and behind. The feet rest upon the toes only. W. B.
Obs. I have followed the example of Mr. Pennant and Dr. Shaw,
in uniting under one tribe the two Linnean genera of Mustela and
Viverra, and in rejecting, (with Erxleben and Shaw,) the Otters from
the genus Mustela.
12. THE COMMON OR WHITE BREASTED MARTIN.
Body dusky, throat white. Viverra foina. Shaw.
Length^ to the origin of the tail, about 18 inches; and of the tail
about 10 inches. Head small: muzzle pointed, eyes prominent and
lively. Ears broad, rounded, and open. Legs, and particularly
the fore-legs, so short that the animal seems rather to creep than to
walk, feet broad, and covered, even on their toes, with a thick
down. Claws white, large, and sharp.
Fur of blackish tawny colour on the upper parts ; dusky brown on
the belly, and white on the throat and breast. Hair of the tail very
long, especially towards the end, where it is both thicker and more
dark, than near the origin. W. B.
Not very uncommon in some of the southern parts of Great Britain
and Ireland. It inhabits woods in the neighbourhood of villages
and farm yards: in Wales it resides also amongst rocks.
Mustela pedibus jissis, corpore fulvo nigricante, guld
alba. Mustela foina. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 95.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 42, sp. 5, p. 458.
Mustela
FERJE. THE WEESEL TRIBE. 27
Mustela foina. Common Martin. Turton, i. p. 59.
Kerr, p. 176.
Mustela foyna. Brisson, rega. animal, p. 246.
Maries saxorum non fagorum, seu domesticus. Klein,
quadr. disp. p. 64.
Martes domestica. Gesner, p. 97. Ruysch, i. pa. 1.
p. 108.
Martes aliis foyna. Rail Syn. quadr. p. 200.
Viverra foina* Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 409
La Fouine. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 356, tab.- 16, fig. 3.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 115.
Martin. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 41. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 92, taB. 6, m 15. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 409.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 239, tab. 70. Daniel's Rural
Sports, 8vo. edit. i. p. 502, tab. opp.
13. THE PINE, or YELLOW-BREASTED MARTIN.
yiverra Martes. Body dusky, throat yellow. Viverra
martes. Shaw.
Length, to the origin of the tail, a,bout 18 inches; and of the tail
10 inches. In every respect, except its having a yellow throat, and
its fur being somewhat darker, and more brilliant, the Pine Martia
answers precisely the description given of the last species. W. B.
Rare. Found only in a few of the thickly wooded districts of
Scotland, Wales, and the north of England.
.
Mustela pedibus Jissis^ corpore fulvo nigricante, guld
favd.Mustda Martes. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p.
95. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 42, sp. 4, p. 455.
Mustela martes* Pine Martin * Turton, i. p. 59.
Kerr, p. 177.
Mustela martes* Brisson, regn. animal, p. 247.
Klein, quadr. desp k p 64.
Martes
S8 FERflL THE WEESEL TRIBE.
Maries sihestris. Gesner, p. 99. Ruysch, i. pa. 1,
p. JOS.
Maries abietum. Raii, Syn. quadr. p. 200.
Vixerra Maries. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 410.
La Marie. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 99, tab. 1, fig. 1.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 115.
Pine Martin. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 42. Perm. Brit.
Zoo\. i. p. 94. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 410. Bing.
Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 332.
Pine Weasel, or yellow-breasted Martin. Smeliie's
Buffon, iv. p. 245, tab. 73.
14. THE POLECAT. Viverra putorius. Body blackish
yellow, or chocolate; muzzle and ears white. Vvcerra
putorius. Shaw.
Length, to the origin of the tail, 1 7 inches ; and of the tail 6 inches.
Muzzle sharpened. Legs short : toes long, each furnished with a
tolerably sharp claw. Tail covered with longish hair, but not, (as
in the two preceding species,) particularly bushy towards the end.
Ears short, rounded, and tipped with white. The space round
the muzzle is also whitish ; but darker in the female than the male,
and has a yellowish tinge. Head, throat) breast, legs, and thighs of a
deep chocolate colour, almost black. W. B.
Too common in most parts, both of Great Britain and Ireland.
Mustela pedibusfasis, corpore Jlavo nigricante, ore auri-
culisque albes. Mustela putorius. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. i. p. 76.
Mustela Jtavo-nigricans, auricularum que apicibus al-
bis. Mustela putorius. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal,
gen. 42, sp. 7, p. 463.
Mustela putorius. Polecat, Turton, i. p. 60. Kerr,
p. 179.
Mustela
FER^E. THE WEESEL TRIBE. 29
Mustda putorius. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 249.
Mustela foetida. Klein, Quad. disp. p. 63.
Putorius. Gesner, p. 767. Ruyscb, i. pa. 1, p.
107. Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 199.
Viverra putorius. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 415, tab. 98.
Le Putois. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 108, tab. 1, fig. 3..
Cuv. Tab, Element, p. 116.
Fitchet. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 37. Penn. Brit. Zool.
i. p. 89, tab. 6, n. 14.
Polecat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 415, tab. 98.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 248, tab. 74.
15. THE COMMON WEESEL. Body tawny ; brown above,
white beneath : tail similar in colour to the body. Viverra
vulgaris. Shaw.
Length, to the origin of the tail, 7 inches ; and of the tail 2 inches.
Ears larger, in proportion to the size of the animal, than those of most
other Weesels. Tail somewhat pointed, and not bushy toVrards its
extremity.
All the upper parts of the body, vrith the tail, legs, and feet, of a
beautiful yellowish brown colour : whole under side, from the chin
to the tail, white. On each side of the head, a little below the cor-
ner of the mouth, there is a spot of brown. Ears whitish on the
edges. At the posterior angle of each eye there rs a white spot.
Tips of ihefeet and the claws white: the latter have each a red line
extending along them. W. B.
Common in all parts of Great Britain and Ireland.
Mustela pedibus Jissis, corpore ex fusco~rufo, subtus
albo caudd concolore. Mustela vulgaris. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. i. p. 99. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen.
42, sp. 12, p. 471.
Mustela vulgaris. Common, Weesel. Turton, i. p.
61. Ken, p. 182.
Mustda
30 FEPLE. THE WEESEL TRIBE.
Mustela vulgaris. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 242.
Klein, quadr. disp. p. 62. Rail. Syn. quadr. p. 195.
4 Viverrd vulgaris. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 420, tab. 98,
La Belette. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 125, tab. 3, fig. l.~.
Cub. Tab. Element, p. 116.
Common PFeesel. Penn. quadr. ii. p. 33. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 95, tab. 7; bad figure. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i,
p. 420, tab. 98. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 257, tab. 77.
Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 337.
16. THE STOAT, or ERMINE. Tail black at the tip.
Viverra erminea. Shaw.
Length, to the origin of the tail, about 10 inches; and of the Jail
5 inches. Muzzle short, and rounded. Ears large, and round ; the
opening very wide, and the lowest part of the opening nearly in a
line with, the angle of the mouth. Eyes large, of a dark colour, and
equi-distant from the ears and extremity of the nose. Whiskers very
long. Toes long, and furnished with sharp claws.
Upper parts of the body, and outsides of the legs brown; darker
on the muzzle and top of the head than elsewhere. Under parts,
from the muzzle to the base of the tail, white in the male, and yel-
lowish in the female, Edges of the ears, extremities of the toes, and
claws white. Longest hairs of whiskers whitish, the rest brown.
In the northern parts of Scotland entirely white in winter, except
the tip of the tail. W. B.
Common,
Mustela pedibus Jisfis, caudce apice atro. Mustela er-
minca. Linn. Syst. Nat. Grael. i. p. 98.
Mustela auricularum marginibus albis, caudce apice
nigro. Mustela erminea. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal,
gen. 42, sp. 13, p. 474.
Mustela erminea. Stoat or Ermine. Turton, i. p. 61.
Kerr,p. 18L
Mustela
THE OTTER TRIBE. 31
Mustela hieme alba, cestate supra rutila infra alba;
caudce apice nigro. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 243.
Mustela armellina. Klein, quad. desp. p-, 63.
Mustela alba. Gesner, p. 753.
Mustela Candida, s. animal ermineum. Raii. Syn. quadr.
p. 198.
Viverra erminea. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 426, tab. 99.
H ermine ou Roselet. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 153, tab. 3,
fig. 2, tab. 4, fig. 2.
Stoat or Ermine. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 35. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 89, tab. 7, n. 18. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p.
426, tab. 99. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 262, tab. 77, 79.
THE OTTER TRIBE. Front teeth in each jaw six,
sharpish: canine-teeth larger: feet webbed. LUTRA.
Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 378, 437.
i
Head short, and muzzle broad. Front-teeth of the lower jaw not in
an even line, but two of them situated somewhat within the rest:
tongue smooth. Ears very short. TOC.S five on each foot, both be-
fore and behind. The feet rest upon the toes only. W. B.
17. THE COMMON OTTER. Body brown, feet naked, tail
half the length of the body. Lutra vulgaris. Shaw.
Length, to the origin of the tail, about 2 feet; and of the tail 16
inches. Weight of the male usually from 18 to 261b. and of the fe-
male from 13 to 22lb. An otter snared in October 1794, in the river
Lea, betwixt Ware and Hertford, weighed upwards of forty pounds.
}fead short and oval. Muzzle broad. Neck very short, and nearly
equal in thickness to the head. Eyes small and brilliant, and situated
towards the front of the face. Ears rounded and very short : the
orifices straight, Mouth small. Legs short, but remarkably strong,
broad t
32 FERJE. THE OTTER TRIBE*
broad and muscular ; and the joints so loosely articulated, that the
animal is able, at pleasure, to turn them quite back, and to bring
them into a line with the body, so as to make them perform the
office of fins. Toes likewise exceedingly strong, and connected
together by narrow but stout webs. All the toes on the same foot
are nearly of equal length, and the spaces betwixt them are also
equal. The extremities of the toes above, and the whole under parts
of the feet, are naked. The otter has no heel; but under the sole of
the foot there is a round ball, by which, and the impression of the
claws, its track in the mud is easy to be distinguished. Tail very
thick, particularly towards its origin.
Colour of body deep brown, except a small white patch on each
side of the nose, and another under the chin. W. B.
Not uncommon in Great Britain or Ireland, particularly in dis-
tricts which border upon the sea.
Mustela plantis palmatis nudis caudd corpore dimidio
breviore. Mustela lutra. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel, i.
p. 93.
Lutra plantis nudis^ cauda corpore dimidio^ breviore.
Lutra vulgaris. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 41,
sp. 2, p. 448. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 437.
Mustela lutra. Otter. Turton, i. p. 57.
Mustela lutra piscatoria. Common Otter, Kerr, p. 172.
Lutra castanei colons. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 277.
Lutra. Klein, quad. disp. p. 91. Gesner, p. 684.--.
Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 104. Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 187.
La Loutre. Buff. Sonn. xxir. p. 346, tab. 16, fig. 1, 2.
La Loutre ordinaire. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 115.
Common Otter. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 437, tab.
100. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 232, tab. 68, fig. 1, 2.
Bing. Anim. Biog. . 3d edit. i. p. 344.
Otter. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 77. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 92, tab. 8, fig. 19. Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo. edit. i.
p. 514, tab. opp.
THE
FERJE. THE BEAR TRIBE. 33
THE BEAR TRIBE. Upper front teeth six, alternately
hollowed within : lower front-teeth six, the two lateral ones
longer than tne rest, and lobed with smaller or secondary
teeth at their internal bases : canine-teeth solitary : grinders
five in the upper, and six in the lower jaw, the former ap-
proximating to the canine-teeth : tongue smooth : eyes fur-
nished with winking membranes: snout prominent. URSUS.
Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 16, i.'p. 100.
Toes five on each foot, both before and behind. The
whole sole of the foot applied to the ground in walk-
ing. W. B.
18. THE BADGER. Tail of the same colour as the body,
which is grey above, and black below : a longitudinal black
band through the ears and eyes. Ursus meles. Linn.
Length, to the origin of the tail, about 2 feet ; and of the tail 6
inches. Weight from 15 to 25, and sometimes even 30lb. Head some-
what like that of a dog. Eyes small. Ears short and rounded. Neck
short, and closely covered with hair. Whole body thick and clumsy,
covered with long and coarse hairs that almost resemble bristles.
Legs very strong, but so short that the belly seems to touch the
ground. Each foot has five toes armed with claws, of which those
on the fore feet are longer and more stout than those of the hinder
ones, immediately below the tail there is a narrow transverse orifice,
which opens into a kind of pouch : from this is exuded a white sub-
stance, of very fetid smell.
Nose, chin, lower sides of the cheeks, and middle of the foreltead
white. Along each side of the head runs a black, pyramidal mark,
which includes the ears and eyes. Each ef the long hairs of the body
is of three colours : dirty yellowish white at the bottom, black in the
middle, and cinereous or grey at the ends. The hair that covers the
tail is very long, and of the same colour as that of the body. The
throat, and- all the under parts, as well as the legs and feet, are
black, W. B.
c Occasionally
34 FEl. THE MOLE TRIBE.
Occasionally found in most of the wild and uninclosed parts of
Great Britain and Ireland.
Ursus cauda concolore, corpore supra cinereo, subtus
ni%ro, fascia longitudinal per oculos auresque nigrd.~
Ursus meles. Linn. Syst. Nat. Grael. i. p. 102. Erxle-
ben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 17, sp. 3, p. 161.
Ursus meles. Common Badger. Turton, i. p. 63.
Kerr, p. 186.
Coati caudd brevi. Taxus, meles. Coatigriseus. Klein,
quad, (lesp, p. 73.
Meles. Brisson, regn* animal, p. 253. Gesner. p. 86.
Taxus $ive Meles Rail. Syn. quadr. p. 185.
Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 101.
LeBlaireu. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 334, tab. 14, 15.
Le Blaireu proprement dit. Cuv. Tab. Element, p.
112.
Common Badger. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 14. Penn.
Brit. Zoo\. i. p. 85, tab. 8.
Badger. Shaw's Gen. Zoo!, i. p. 467, tab. 106.
Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo. edit. i. p. 508, tab. opp. p.
514. Smeilie's Buffon, iv. p. 226, tab. 67. Bing. Anim.
Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 388.
THE MOLE TRIBE. Front-teeth unequal, six in the
upper, and eight in the lower jaw : canine-teeth solitary,
the upper ones largest: grinders seven above, six below.
TALPA. Linn.
No external ears. Snout long, and slender towards the
end. Fore-feet much broader than the hind ones, their
under sides turned outwards. Toes with broad and short
nails. Tail very short. W.B.
19.
FERJE. THE MOLE TRIBE. 35
19. THE COMMON MOLE. Tail short : five toes on each
foot. Talpa Europcea. Linn.
Length about five inches and three quarters, exclusive of the tail,
which is about an inch long. Head large, and terminating in a
slender, strong, and cartilaginous snout Neck so thick and short
that the head seems externally to be joined immediately to the
shoulders. Eyes so minute as scarcely to be perceptible. No ex-
ternal ears. Fore-feet short, but excessively strong and broad : they
are situated outwards, and furnished with large claws. Hind-feet
much smaller. Fore part of the body very thick and muscular.
Skin so tough as not easily to be cut, except by a very sharp knife.
Fur short, close set, and softer than the finest velvet.
Colour generally glossy black. W. B.
Talpa caudd brevi, pedibus pentadactylis. Talpa Eu-
ropcea. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 110. Erxleben,
Syst. regn. animal, gen. 13, sp. 1, p. 114.
Talpa Europcea. European Mole. Turton, i. p. 69.
Kerr, p. 200.
Talpa vulgaris. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 280.
Talpa nostras, nigra communiter. Klein. Quadr. disp.
p. 60.
Talpa. Gesner, p. 951. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 118.
Raii. Syn. Quadr. p. 236.
La Taupe. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 258, tab. 11, fig. 1,2.
La Taupe ordinaire. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 110.
Common Mole. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 515, tab. 1 17.
Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 399.
European Mole. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 229. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 128.
Mole. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 309, tab. 87.
THE
36 FERJE. THE SHREW TRIBE.
THE SHREW TRIBE. Upper front-teeth two; long,
and cleft at the extremities : lower front-teeth two or four, the
intermediate ones the shortest : canine-teeth on each side in
both jaws two or more : grinders knobbed. So REX. Linn.
Syst. Nat. GmeL gen. 19, i. p. 112.
Upper front-teeth extend forward. Nose long and
slender. Ears small. The whole sole of the feet applied
to the ground in walking. W. B.
20. THE FETID SHREW. Tail of middle length, under
parts of the body dirty white. Sorex araneus. Linn.
Smaller than the common mouse. Length, from the nose to the
origin of the tail, about 2| inches; and of the tail 1 inch, fffight
three drams. Snout long and slender. Ems very small, and almost
concealed in the fur. Ears short and rounded. In each jaw two
slender front-teeth, pointing forward, and somewhat bifid at their
extremities. The rest of the teeth are so closely united as to appear
on each side like a serrated bone. Legs short ; and the under ones
very far back. The female has six teats.
Colour ferruginous or dusky red above, and white beneath. Tail
clad with shortish dusk} hairs. W. B.
Usually found at the bottoms of hedges. Common.
Sorex caudd mediocri, corpore subtus albido. Sorex
araneus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 114. Erxleben.
regn. anim. gen. 14, sp. 17, p. 125.
Sorex araneus. Fetid Shrew. Turton, i. p. 71. Kerr f
p. 205.
Mus venenosus. Klein, quad. disp. p. 58.
Mus araneus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 178. Gesner,
p. 239. Ruysch, i. pa. i. p. 116. Raii. Syn. Quadr. p.
239.
La
FERJE. THE SHREW TRIBE. 37
La Musaraigne. Buff. Sonn. xxr. p. 246, tab. 10,
fig. 1.
La Musaraigne ordinaire, ou Musette. Cuv. Tab. Ele-
ment, p. 109.
Fetid Shrew. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 224. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 125.
Common Shrew. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 527, tab. 1 18.
Shrew Mouse. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 303, tab. 86 ?
fig.l.
21. THE WATER SHREW. Tail of mid die length: body
blackish above, cinereous below: toes fringed. Sorer
fodiens. Linn.
Length, to the origin of the tail, about 3$ inches; and ofthe/otf
2 inches. Muzzle broader at the extremity than iivthe last species:
it is somewhat flat both above and below. Ears minute, their place
being chiefly marked by a small tuft of white hairs, proceeding from
their upper edge. Eyes situated near the corners, of the mouth, and
so small as to be almost hidden by the fur. The female has ten
teats.
Colour of the upper parts glossy black: throat, breast, and belly
cinereous. Hairs of the whiskers black at the base, and cinereous at
their extremities. Legs and feet whitish. Teeth orange-coloured of
red at their extremities. W. B.
Found about the banks of ditches and streams. Uncommon.
Sorer cauda mediocri subnudd, corpore nigricante subtus
cinereOy digitis ciliatis. Sorex fodiens. Linn. Syst. IS at.
Gmel. i. p. 113. Sorer Daubentonti. Erxleben, Syst.
regn. animal, gen. 14, sp. 5, p. 124.
Sorex fodiens. Water Shrew. Kerr, p. 204.
Sorer bicolof. Water Shrew. Shaw's Naturalist's
Miscellany, tab. 55. Turton, i. p. 71.
La Musaraigne d'eau. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 252, tab.
10, fig. 2. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 109. ,
c 3 Water
38 FEFLE. THE URCHIN TRIBE.
Water Shrew. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 225. Perm. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 126, tab. 11, n. 23. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p.
424, tab. 118.
Water Shrew, or blind Mouse. Sraellie's Buffon, iv. p.
308, tab. 86, fig. 2.
22. THE FRINGE-TAILED WATER SHREW. Tail of
middle length; body blackish brown, above and below;
toes and tail with a white fringe underneath . Sorex Ciliatus.
Sowerby's British Miscellany, i. p. 103, tab. 49.
Length, to the origin of the tail, 4| inches ; and of the tail 2| inches.
In size somewhat larger than either of the preceding species. Ears
tipped with wnite hairs. Eyes small. Tail of middle length, fringed
with white underneath, and tipped with white. Legs and toes fringed
also underneath with white.
Colour of the upper parts blackish brown, mixed with cinereous
hairs ; of the throat, breast, and belly, nearly the same. W. B. from
Mr. Sowerbys specimen.
A single specimen discovered in a ditch near Norwich.
THE URCHIN TRIBE. Upper front-teeth two, dis-
tant : lower front-teeth two, approximated : canine-teeth
five on each side above, and four below : grinders four on
each side, both above and below : upper parts of the body
covered with spines. ERINACEUS. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel gen. 20, i. p. 115.
The whole of the sole of the feet is applied to the ground
in walking. Tail short. W.B.
23. THE HEDGEHOG. Ears rounded, nostrils crested.
Erinaceus Europasus. Linn.
Length^ td the origin of the tail, about 10 inches: tail seldom more
than an inch lon. Muzzle somewhat lengthened and slender, ter-
minating
FERJE. THE URCHIN TRIBE. 39
fninating in a black and rounded cartilage, not much unlike the snout
of a nog. Upper lip divided. Nostrils bordered on each side with
a loose flap of skin. Ears erect, broad, short, and hairy. Eyes small,
of a black colou r , and situated high in the head. Legs short, and
almost naked Five toes on each foot, the inner toe shorter than the
others. Claws long, but weak. All the upper parts of the body
closely covered with strong and sharp spines, each about an inch in
length: interspersed amongst these are stilf hairs or bristles. Tail
generally so concealed amongst the spines as to be scarcely visible.
Hair of a yellowish ash-colour, mixed with white. Spines whitish
at each end, with a black bar in the middle. W. B'.
Not uncommon in thickets, hedges, &c.
Erinaceus auriculis rotundatis, naribus cristatis.
Erinaceus Europceus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Grnel. i. p.
11.5. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 18, sp. i. p. 169.
Erinaceus auriculis erectis. Erinaceus. Brisson, regn.
animal, p. 181.
Erinaceus Europceus. Common Urchin. Hedgehog.
Turton, i. p. 27 Kerr, p. 209.
Acanthion vutgaris nostras, herinaceus 9 echinus. Klein,
quad. desp. p. 66.
Echinus terrestris. Gesner, p. 368. Ruyscb, i. pa. 1,
p. 110.
Echinus sen erinaceus terrestris. Rail. Syn. quadr.
p. 231.
Le Herisson. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 232, tab. 9, fig. 1, 2.
Le Herisson ordinaire. Cuv. tab. element, p. 109.
Common Hedgehog. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 542, tab.
121. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 300, tab. 85, fig. 1, 2L
Bing. Anira. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 408.
Common Urchin. Perm, quadr. i. p. 234. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 133.
- c 4 With
40 GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE.
* With Nails or Claws.
3. Two front-teeth in each jaw, and no canine-teeth.
ORDER IV. GLIRES.
Front-teeth two in each jaw, standing close together, but
at a distance from the grinders. No canine-teeth in either
jaw.
THE RAT TRIBE. Upper front-teeth wedge-shaped :
grinders generally three, but sometimes only two on each
side of both jaws : collar bones perfect. M us. Linn. Si/st.
Nat. Gmel. gen. 24, i. p. 125.
Front-teeth long. Tail scaly or annulated; naked or
thinly clad with hair. Five toes on each of the hind-
feet. W. B.
24. THE NORWAY OR BROWN RAT. Tail very Jong
and scaly, hairs stiff, grey on the upper parts of the body,
whitish beneath. Mus decumanus. Linn.
Length, to the origin of the tail, 9 inches ; and of the taik 8 inches.
The tail consists of about two hundred rings. Weight from ejght
ounces to a pound. Ears dark-coloured and nearly naked. Eyqs
large, black, and prominent. All the upper parts of the body are of
a tawny grey colour: the belly, insides of the thighs, neck, and end
of muzzle whitish. Legs and feet almost naked, and of a dirty flesh-
colour. Fore-feet have each four very distinct toes, and a claw in
place
GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE. 41
place of the fifth. Tail covered with minute dusky scales, disposed
round it in circular bands, and mixed with a few scattered hairs.
The female has twelve teats, of which six are situated on the breast,
and six on the belly. W. B.
Common every where about buildings.
Mus cauddlongissimd squamatd) corpore setose, griseo,
subtusafbido. Mus decumanus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
i. p. 127.
Mus caudd efangatd, palmis tetradactylis unguiculo pol-
licari, corpore rufo. Mus Norvegicus. Erxleben, Syst.
regn. animal, gen. 37, sp. 1, p. 381.
Mus Silvestris. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 170.
Mus decumanus. Norway Rat. Brown Rat. Turton,
i. p. 80. Kerr, p. 128.
Mus Norvegicus. Klein, quadr. desp. p. 56.
Le Surmulot. Buff. Sonn. xxri. p. 27, tab. 3, fig. 1.
Cuv. tab. element, p. 139.
Norway Rat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 51, tab. 130,
fig 2. Penn. Brit. Zooi. i. p. 115, n. 26.
Brown Rat. Penn. quadr. ii. p. 178. Smellie'sBuffon,
iv. p. 275, tab. 71, fig. 1. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i.
p. 437.
25. THE BLACK RAT. Tail very long and scaly, body
blackish above, cinereous below. Mus rattus* Linn.
This species is considerably smaller than the last. Length, to the
origin of the tail about 7 inches; and of the tail 8 inches. Weight
from six to ten ounces. Head somewhat elongated ; and nose sharper
than that of the last species. Eyes rather large. Ears broad and
naked. Fore-feet have each a claw in place of a thumb or interior
toe. Tail very small and slender, almost naked of hair, and covered
with annular scales.
Colour of th^e upper parts deep iron grey, bordering on bladk.
Belly
42 GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE.
Belly cinereous. Legs dusky, and very slightly covered with
hair. W. B.
By no means so common as the last species.
Mus caudd fongissima squamosa y corpore atro subtus
canescente. Mus rattus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p.
127.
Mus caudi elongatd^ palmis tetradactylis cum unguiculo
pollicari) corpore griseo Mus rattus. Erxleben, Syst.
regn. animal, gen. 37, sp. 2, p. 382.
Mus rattus. Black Rat. Turton, i. p. 80. Kerr, p.
228.
Rattus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 168.
Mus rattus domesticus. Klein, quad. desp. p. 57.
Mus domesticus major, sive rattus. Rail. Syn. quad. p
217. Gesner, p. 731.
Le Rat. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 184, tab. 6, fig. 1.
Le Rat ordinaire. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 138.
Black Rat. Penn. Quad. ii. p. 176. Penn. Brit
Zool. i. p. 113. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 52, tab. 130,
fig. 1.
Rat. SruelhVs Buffon, iv. p. 275, tab. 71, fig. 1.
26 THE WATER RAT. Tail (hairy) about half the length
of the body ; ears scarcely projecting above the fur ; fore-feet
each with three foes, and the rudiment of a fourth. Mm
amphibius. Linn.
Length, to the origin of the tail, 7 inches ; and of the tail about 3$
inches. Weight 9 ounces. Body thicker in proportion than either of
the preceding species: head shorter; and nose more blunt. Eyes
small and black. Ears wide, short, rounded, almost hidden in the
fur, and hairy on the insides near the edge. Teeth large, strong, and
yellow, Tail covered with short, scattered hairs. Fur of the body
thick
GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE. 43
thick and less sleek than that of the preceding rats. None of the feet
are webbed. There is a claw on each of the fore-feet, in place of a
thumb or inner toe. All the claws are sharp. The female has eight
teats, four on the breist and four on the belly.
Upper parts of the body blackish, or dark brown, mixed with
reddish hairs: under parts dirty white, or cinereous. Tail tipped
with a few white hairs. W. B.
Common about the banks of ditches, ponds, and streams.
Mus caudd longitudine dimidid corporis, auribus viz
vellere prominulis, pedibus subtetradactylis.-Mus amphi-
bius. JLinn. Sjst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 132.
Mus caudd mediocri, palmis tetradactylis cum unguiculo
pollicari, corpore nigricante. Mus amphibius. Erxleben,
Syst. regn. animal, gen. 37, sp. 3, p. 385.
Mus amphibius. Water Rat. Turton, i. p. 83.
Kerr, p. 235.
Mus aquaticus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 175. Ges-
ner, p. 732.
. Mus rattus aquatilis. Klein, quad. disp. p. 57.
Le Rat d'eau. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 214, tab. 7, fig. 2.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 138.
Water Rat. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 182. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 218. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 73, tab. 129,
fig. 1. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 290, tab. 82, fig. 2.
27. THE COMMON MOUSE. Tail long and nearly naked,
fore-feet with four toes, thumb without claw. Mus mus-
culus. Linn.
Length of the body 3| inches ; and of the tail nearly the same.
This little animal is so common, and so well known, as to need no
particular description.
Mus
44 GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE.
Mus caudd elongatd subnudd, palmis tetradactyltS) plan-
tis pentadactyliS) pollice mutico. Mus musculus. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 128.
Mus caudd elongatd) palmis tetradactylis absque ungui-
culo pollicari) corpore griseo.Mus musculus. Erxleben,
Syst. regn. animal, gen. 37, sp. 5, p. 391.
Mus musculus. Common Mouse. Turton, i. p. 80.
Kerr, p. 229.
Mus mino^ musculus vulgaris domesticus, caudd tereti
longd. Klein, quadr. disp. p. 57.
Mus domesticus vulgaris, seu minor. THE MOUSE.
Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 218.
Mus. Gesner, p. 714. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 115.
La Souris. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 199, tab. 6, fig. 3.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 139.
Common Mouse. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 184.- Penn.
Brit. .Zool. i. p. 122, tab. 11, n. 30. Shaw's Gen. Zool.
ii. p. 56, tab. 131, ng. 2, 3.
Mouse. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 282, tab.' 81, fig. 2.
28. THE LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE. Tail long and
scaly ; body greyish brown above > whitish below ; the co-
lours abruptly separated on the sides. Mus sylvaticus.
Linn.
Length, to the origin of the tail, from 3 to 4 inches; and of the
tail from 3 to 4 inches. Head thicker, and somewhat more clumsy,
than that of the common mouse: eyes larger and more prominent:
ears also more large, and nearly naked. /TAwforslong. Tail slightly
covered with hair. The females have six teats, two on the breast,
and four on the belly. These are so minute-as not to be visible ex-
cept about the time of parturition.
Colour of the upper parts of the body greyish brown; and of the
under parts whitish. On the breast there is an oblong, rufous, or
ochrey mark. Hair on the tots, and beneath the tail> silvery. Claws
*?hite. Teeth yellowish. W. B.
Common
GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE. 45
Common in dry, elevated grounds, particularly such as are woody,
or covered with thickets.
Mus caudd longd squamosd, corpore griseo lutescente
subtus lateribusque abrupte albo. Mus sylvaticus. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Grnel. i. p. 129.
Mus caudd mediocri^ corpore cano pilis nigris, pectore
JlavescentC) abdomine albido.Mus sylvaticus. Erxleben,
Syst. regn. animal, gen. 37, sp. 4, p. 388.
Mus st/lvaticus. Field Mouse. Turton, i. p. 80.
Kerr, p. 230.
Mus caudd longd supra jlavescens, infra ex albo cine-
rascens. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 174.
Mus domesticus medius. Rail. Syn. quadr. p. 218.
Le Mulot. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 204, tab. 7, fig. 1.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 139.
Field Mouse. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 184. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 120. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 441.
Wood Mouse. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 58, tab. 132.
Long-tailed Field Mouse. Smellie'e Buffbn, iv. p. 285.,
tab. 82, fig. 1.
29. THE HARVEST MOUSE. Tail long, and slightly
hairy ; ears somewhat longer than the fur of the head ; body
ferruginous brown above, white below. Mus messorius.
Shaw.
Length, to trie origin of the tail, seldom more than 2J inches; and
of the tail about 2 inches. ff r eight about the sixth part of an ounce.
Much smaller and more slender than the Field Mouse, to which it
has a considerable alliance both in colour and appearance; ears by
no meaos so large in proportion as those of that animal ; and eyes less
prominent.
The colour of the head and upper parts of the body is likewise a
much fuller red, being nearly the same as that of the Squirrel or Dor-
mouse,
46 GLIRES. THE RAT TRIBE.
mouse. Belly white; and the division of the colours of the upper
and under parts so abrupt, as to appear almost like a line. W. B.
In corn-fields, corn-ricks, and barns, in Hampshire, Sussex, Wilt-
shire, and Dorsetshire.
Mus syfaaticus, var. 12. Harvest Rat. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. i. p. 129.
Mus supra ferrugineus, subtus albus, caudd longd sub-
pilosd, auriculis vellere longioribus. Mus messorius.
Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 62.
Mus messorius. Harvest Mouse. Turton, i. p. 81.
Kerr, p. 230.
Harvest Mouse. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 185. Penn.Brit.
Zool. i. p. 121. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 62, frontisp.
Bing. Anira. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 443.
Harvest Rat. First and second editions of Pennant's
Quadrupeds.
30. THE MEADOW MOUSE. Tail short and somewhat
hairy, ears projecting above the fur, fore-feet each with
three claws, thumb without a claw, body dusky. Mus
arvalis. Linn.
This animal differs very much in size in different countries. In
England it is generally known to measure, from the nose to the
origin of t)ie tail, about 6 inches; whilst in France, M. Daubenton
speaks of it as measuring only three inches. Tail seldom more than
an inch and a half in length. Head large, and thick; and muzzle
broad and blunt. Eyes dark and prominent. Ears wide, but scarce-
ly longer than the fur. Legs, and particularly the fore-legs, very
short, and slender. Tail thin, covered with short hair, and generally
terminating in a little tuft. The female has six teats, of which four
are situated on the belly, and two on the breast.
Fur, on the upper parts, very close and compact, and of a dusky
ferruginous colour : that of the under parts cinereous. Teeth orange-
coloured.
Common about corn-fields and hederes, W. B.
Mus
GLIRES. THE SQUIRREL TRIBE. 47
Mus caudd unciali, auriculis vet/ere promimtlis, palmis
mbtetradactyliS) corpore fusco.Mus arvalis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. i. p. 134.
Mus caudd mediocri, auriculis vellere brevioribtts, cor-
pore sup a ferrugineo, subtus cinereo.Mus terrestris.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 37, sp. 7, p. 395.
Mus arvalis. Meadow Mouse. Turton, i. p. 84.
Kerr, p. 238.
Mus campestris minor. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 176.
Mus capite grandi. Klein, quad. desp. p. 57.
Mus agrestis minor. Gesner, p. 733.
Mus agrestis capite grandly brachyuros. Rail. Syn.
quad. p. 218.
Le Campagnol. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 222, tab. 8, fig.
2. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 137.
Meadow Mouse. Penn. Quad. ii. p. 205. Shaw's Gen.
Zool. ii. p. 81, tab. 136.
Short-tailed Field-Mouse. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 123.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 293, tab. 83.
THE SQUIRREL TRIBE. Front-teeth in each jaw
two, the upper ones wedge-shaped, the lower sharp : grinders
five on each side above, and four below : collar bones per-
fect : hairs of the tail spreading towards each side : whiskers
long. SCIURUS. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 25, i. p.
145.
Toes long, four on the fore, and five on the hind-feet.
Claws strong and sharp. W. B.
31. THE COMMON SQUIRREL. Ears ending in tufts, or
pencils of hair ; tail of same colour as the back. Sciurus
vulgaris. Linn.
Length,
48 GLIRES. THE SQUIRREL TRIBE.
Length, to the origin of the tail, about 9 inches ; and of the tail
about 8 inches. Weight about three quarters of a pound. Head
short and thick. Ears terminating in long tufts or pencils of hair.
Eyes large, black, and lively. Front-teeth of deep orange-colour,
very sharp and strong. Legs and thighs, but particularly the hinder
ones, exceedingly stout and muscular. Toes very long, and divided
to their origin: those of the hind-feet, when expanded, will extend
nearly two inches. Claws strong, somewhat hooked, and extremely
sharp. On the fore-feet only four toes ; but in place of the fifth, or
inner toe, there is a very short thumb, having a horny lump upon it,
the rudiment of a nail.
Colour of the upper parts, of the tail, and the outsides of the legs,
reddish brown : neck, breast, and belly white. W. B.
Common in woods
Sciurus auriculisapicebarbatis, raudd dorso concolori.
Sciurus vulgaris. Linn. Syst. Nat. Ginel. i. p. 145.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 39, sp. 1, p. 411.
Sciurus vulgaris. Common Squirrel. Turfon, i. p.
90. Kerr, p. 255.
Sciurus vulgaris. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 150. Raii.
Syn. quadr. p. 214.
Sciurus vulgaris rubicundus. Klein, quad, disp. p. 53.
Sciurus. Gesner, p. 845. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 113, tab.
116.
L'ecureuil. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 165, tab. 3, fig. 3.
L'ecureuil commun. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 135.
Common Squirrel. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 138. Penn.
Brit. Zooi. i. p. 107. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 134.
Bing Anim. Biog. i. p. 464.
Squirrel. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 268, tab. 80.
THE DORMOUSE TRIBE. Front-teeth in each jaw
two, the upper ones wedge-shaped, the lower compressed at
the sides: whiskers long: tail round, hairy, and thickest
towards the end : fore and hind legs nearly of the same
length,
GLIRES. THE DORMOUSE TRIBE. 49
length, the former with four and the latter with five toes.
MYOXUS. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 155.
32. THE COMMON DORMOUSE. Body tawny red, with
white throat: inner toes of the hind feet without claws.
Myoxus Muscardinus. ^ Linn.
Size about that of the common mouse. Eyes large, black, and
prominent. Ears broad, rounded, thin, and semi-transparent.
Fore-feet with four toes, and hind-feet with five; the interior ones of
the latter destitute of nails. Tail about 2 inches in length, and
covered on every side with hair. In general appearance this animal
is not much unlike the Field Mouse ; but it is at first sight distin-
guishable by its hairy tail.
Head, back, sides, belly, and tail, of a tawny red colour. Throat
white. W. B.
Not uncommon in thickets and woods, in the southern counties of
England.
Myoxus rufuS) guld albicante, plantarum potticibus
muticis. Myoxus Muscardinus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
i. p. 156.
Mus caudd elongatd pilosd, corpore rufo, guld albi-
cante, pollicibus posticis muticis. Mus avellanarius.
Linn. Syst. Nat. edit. xii. vol. i. p. 83.
Sciurus corpore rufo guld albicante, pollicibus posticis
muticis. Sciurus avellanarius. Erxleben, Syst. regn. ani-
mal, gen. 39, sp. 16, p. 433.
Myoxus muscardinus. Common Dormouse. Turton,
i. p. 97. Kerr, p. 272.
Glis supra rufus, infra albicans. LE CROQUE Noix.
Brisson, regn. animal, p. 162.
Mus avellanarum minor. THE DORMOUSE OR SLEEPER.
Raii. Syn. quad. p. 220.
D Xe
50 GLIRES. THE HARE TRIBE.
Le Muscardin. Buff. Sonn. xxvi. p. 23, tab. 2, fig.
2. Cuv. Tab. Element, 141.
Common Dormouse. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 167,
tab. 154. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. i. p. 477.
Dormouse. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 110.
Dormouse or Sleeper. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 336,
tab. 95.
THE HARE TRIBE. Front-teeth in each jaw two,
the upper ones double, having two small interior teeth
standing behind the others. LEPUS. Linn. Syst. Nat.
Gmel. gen. 22, i. p. 160.
Grinders appearing as if formed of vertical plates. Toes
five on the fore, and four on the hind feet. Tail short and
turned upward, or entirely wanting. W. B.
33. THE COMMON HARE. Tail short; ears tipped with
black, and longer th,an the head. Lepus timidus. Linn.
Length about 2 feet. Weight from 7 to lOlb. Head oblong, some-
what egg-shaped. Eyes large, black, and prominent, situated out-
wards, and furnished with a winking membrane. Ears very large,
and generally tipped with black. Hind-legs so long, that, measured
from the uppermost joint to the toe, they are equal to half the length
of the back, from the rump to the nose. Feet clad with 'hair, both
above and below. Tail very short.
Colour of the upper parts a kind of brown, which approaches so
nearly to the colour of dead leaves, that when the animal is in its
usual haunts, about thickets or the bottoms of close hedges, it is ge-
nerally concealed from sight. Each of the hairs is white at the root,
black in the middle, and tawny red at the point. Throat, breast,
and belly white. W. B.
Lepus
GLIRES. THE HARE TRIBE. 51
Lepus caudd abbreviatd, auriculis apice nigris, capite
longioribus. --'Lepus timidus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel, i.
p. 160. Fabricius Fauna Groenlandica, p. 25.
Lepus caudd abbreviatd, pedibus posticis longitudine
corporis dimidii, auriculis apice nigris. Lepus timidus.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 32, sp. 1, p. 325.
Lepus timidus. Common Hare. Turton, i. p. 100.
Kerr, p. 277.
Lepus vulgaris, cinereus. Klein, quad. disp. p. 51.
Lepus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 138. Gesner, 165.
Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 109.
Lepus. THE HARE. Raii. Syn. quad. p. 204.
Le Lie-ore. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 194, tab. 9, fig. 1,
Le Lievre commun. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 131.
Common Hare. Penn. Quad. ii. p. 98. Shaw's Gen.
Zool. ii. p. 197, tab. 162, fig. 2. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d
edit. i. p. 484.
Hare. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 198. Smellie's Buffon,
iv. p. 137, tab. 58.
34. THE VARYING HARE. Tail short, ears shorter than
the head; the whole of the fur white in the winter, except
the tips of the ears, which are always black. Lepus variabi-
Us. Linn.
The size of the Varying Hare, in Scotland, is considerably less
than that of the Common Species ; the former weighing only about
six pounds and a half, and the latter from eight to twelve pounds.
But in Russia and Siberia it greatly exceeds the Common Hare in
size. Ears shorter, and legs more slender than those of the latter ani-
mal. Fur soft and thick, and extends over the soles of the feet.
Edges and tips of the ears, and the soles of the feet black. In
summer the head is of a greyish tawny colour; and the ear* and
back are tawny, but somewhat mixed with black. The sides become
gradually whiter from the back downwards ; and the belly is white.
D2 In
52 GLIRES. THE HARE TRIBE.
In winter, the fur of every part of the body changes to a snowy
whiteness, except the ears and feet, which still retain their black
colour.
Found only in the alpine parts of Scotland.
Lepus caudd abbreviatd, excepto auricularum capite
bre'doribus apice nigro hieme totus albus. Lepus variabi-
lis. Linn. Syst. Nat. Grael. i. p. 161.
Varietas alpina alba, minor, auriculis bre'doribus apice
nigris, cruribus gracilioribus.'*~Lepus timidus alpinus.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 32, sp. 1, var. *. p.
328.
Lepus varialibis. Varying Hare. Turton, i. p. 101.
Kerr, p. 278.
Lepus (albus) caudatus plane candidus. Brisson, regn.
animal, p.
Lepus albissimus. Klein, quad. disp. p. 51.
Lepus hieme albus. ALPINE HARE. Forster in Phil.
Tran. Ixii. p. 375.
Varying Hare. Penn . Quad . ii . p . 1 00. Shaw's Gen .
Zool. ii. p. 201.
Alpine Hare. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 102, tab. 10.
35. THE WILD RABBET. Tail short, and nearly of
the same colour as the body ; ears tipped with black ; hind
legs shorter than the body. Lepus cuniculus. Linn.
Size somewhat smaller than that of the Hare ; and ears and hind-
legs shorter in proportion. The latter, measured from the uppermost
joint to the toe, are only about one third of the length of the back,
from the rump to the nose.
Colour dusky brown, paler or whitish on the under parts. Tail
black above, whitish beneath. W. B.
Lepus
GL1RES. THE HARE TRIBE. 53
Lepus caudd abbreviatd, subconcolore, auriculis apice
atris, cruribus postids trunco brevioribus. Lepus cuni-
culus. Linn. Sjst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 162.
Lepus caudd abbreviatd, pedibus postids corpore dimi-
dio brevioribus. Lepus cuniculus. Erxleben, Syst. regn.
animal, gen. 32, sp. 3, p. 381.
Lepus cuniculus. Rabbet. Turton, i. p. 101. Kerr ?
p. 281.
Cuniculus nostras. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 140.
Cuniculus. Gesner, p. 362. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 111.
Cuniculus, A RABBET OR CONEY. Raii. Syn. quadr.
p. 205.
Le Lapin. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 225, tab. 9, fig. 2.
Cuv. Tab. Element, p, 131.
Rabbet. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 140. Penn. Brit. Zool.
i. p. 104, tab. 10. Shaw's Gen. JZool. ii. p. 204, tab
162, fig. 1. Bing. Anim. Biog. i. p. 488,
VAR. 1. The Domestic Rabbet.
The head of this variety is somewhat more elongated than that of
the Wild Rabbet, which is short and very round.
Colour various, sometimes black, black and white, silvery grey,
or white. White Rabbets have generally red eyes. Hair under the
feet, lighter yellow in the domestic than the wild Rabbet, W. B.
a 3 *Wtth
PECORA. THE DEER TRIBE.
** With Hoofs.
1. No front-teeth in the upper jaw.
ORDER V. PECORA.
No front-teeth in the upper jaw ; in the lower jaw six or
eight, at a distance from the grinders. Feet hoofed. The
females have their teats situated in the groin.
THE DEER TRIBE. Horns solid, covered while
young with a hairy skin, naked, branched, and annual :
front-teeth in the lower jaw eight : most of the species are
destitute of tusks, but in a few there is one tusk on each
side of the upper jaw. CERVUS. Linn. Syst. Nat. GmeL
gen. 29, i. p. 175.
Males only horned. Body covered with short hair.
Tail short. W. B.
36. THE RED DEER. Horns with several branches,
and rounded through their whole length. Cervus elaphus.
Linn.
Heiglri, at the shoulder, about 3 feet. The Stag, or male, differs
from the male Fallow deer principally, in having its horns rounded
through their whole length ; whilst those of the latter are flat, and,
in some parts, of the breadth of more than a hand. The greatest
known weight of a British Stag, exclusive of the entrails, head, and
skin, has been 31 41b.
These
PECORA. THE DEER TRIBE. 55
These animals vary considerably in colour. They are generally of
a reddish brown, on their upper parts, and white beneath. Sometimes
dark or blackish brown ; sometimes pale or yellow brown ; and
instances have occurred of Stags being perfectly white. W. B.
Found in the mountainous parts of Scotland, in the Forest of Mar-
tinclale, Cumberland, the New Forest, Hampshire, in the woods on
the river Tamar in Derbyshire, and amongst the mountains of
Kerry, in Ireland.
Cervus cornibus ramosis totis teretibus recurvatis.
Cervus elaphus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 176.
Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 30, sp. 3, p. 301.
Cervus elaphus. Stag Turton,i. p. 108. Kerr,p. 298.
Cervus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 86. Gesner, p.
326. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 58. Raii. Syn. quad. p. 84.
Cervus nobilis, ramis teretibus, omnibus notus. Klein,
quad. disp. p. 23*
Le Cerf. Buff. Sonn. xxiy. p. 66, tab. 4,
Le Cerf commun. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 160.
Stag. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 86. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p.
41. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 276, tab. 177.- Bing,
Anim. Biog. 3d edit. ii. p. 36.
37. THE FALLOW DEER. Horns branched, recurved,
compressed, summits palmate. Cervus dama. Linn.
In size smaller than the Stag. Horns flatted, m some parts, to the
breadth of more than a hand, and divided into processes only down
their outside. An antler, or simple slender process, rises from the
base of each horn ; and there is a similar one at some distance above
the first ; both pointing forward. In general form of body, the Fal-
low and the Red Deer have a great resemblance to each other.
Colour brownish bay, more or less deep on the upper parts; and
whitish beneath, on the insides of the limbs, and under the tail, which
is generally bounded, on each side, by a descending streak of black.
D 4 Sometimes
56 PECORA. THE DEER TRIBE.
Sometimes the animals are spotted with white or grey; and some-
times, though very rarely, they are entirely white. \V. B.
Not now found in a wild state in any part of Great Britain or Ire-
land : kept in most noblemen's and gentlemen's parks.
Cerous cornibus ramosis recur^atis compressis : summi-
tate palmata. Cerous dama. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
i. p. 178. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 29, sp. 5,
p. 309.
Cervus dama. Fallow Deer. Turton, i. 109. Kerr,
p. 298.
Cervus palmatus, dama cercus. Klein, quadr. disp-
p. 25.
Dama vulgaris. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 91. Gesner,
p. 307. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 52, tab. 31.
Cervus plati/ceros. Raii. Synn. quadr. p. 85.
Le Daim. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 134, tab. 7. Cuv.
Tab. Element, p. 160.
Fallow Deer. Penn. quadr. i. p. 113. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 41. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 282, tab. 178.
Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 113, tab. 54, 55. Bing. Anim.
Biog. 3d edit. ii. p. 43.
38. THE ROF. Horns erect, and divided towards their
extremity into two or three points, or branches ; body of a
reddish brown colour. Cervus capreolus. Linn.
ffeight, at the shoulder, not more than 2 feet; and weight not
more than from fifty to sixty pounds. Tail about an inch long.
Horns six or eight inches in length, strong, upright, rugged, and
divided towards their extremity into three points or branches. Ears
long. On the outside of each hind-leg, below the joint, there is a tuft
of long hair*
In summer the hair is short and smooth, and of a bright reddish
colour; but in winter it is very long and thick, Each hair is cine-
reous
PECORA. THE GOAT TRIBE. 57
reous at its lower part ; near the end there is a bar of black, and the
point is yellow. Ears covered with long hair, and pale yellow in the
inside. Hairs on the face black, tipped with ash-colour; and the
spaces bordering on the eyes and mouth black. Chest, belly, and
insides of thighs of yellowish white. Rump perfectly white.
Found in a wild state in seyeral of the mountainous districts of
Scotland.
Cervus cornibus ramosis teretibus erectis: summitate 6i~
jida; corpore fusco-rufo. Cervus capreolus. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. i. p. 180. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen.
30, sp. 7, p. 313.
Cervus capreolus. Roe. Turton, i. p. 110. Kerr, p*
302.
Capreolus.* Brisson, regn. animal, p. 89.
Cervus minimus, capreolus, cervulus caprea, cornibus
brevibus ramosis, annuatim deciduis. Klein, quadr. disp.
p. 24.
Capreolus vulgo. Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 89.
Caprea, capreolus, sive dorcas. Gesner, p. 296.
Le Chevreuil. Buff. Sonn. xxiv. p. 156, tab. 8. Cuv,
Tab. Element, p. 160.
Roe. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 120. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p.
49, tab. 4.
Common Roe. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 291.
Roe Deer. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 120, tab. 56, 57.
THE GOAT TRIBE. Horns hollow, turning up-
wards and backwards, compressed, rough : front-teeth in
the lower jaw eight: no tusks : chin bearded. CAPJRA.
Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 30, i. p. 193.
Horns unbranched, transversely wrinkled, permanent,
standing almost close at the base. W. B.
39. THE
58 PECORA. THE SHEEP TRIBE.
39. THE COMMON GOAT. Horns arched and carinated.
Capra cegagrus hircus. Linn.
Not known in a wild state in any part of Great Britain or
Ireland.
Capra cornibus carinatis arcuatis. Capra (cegagrus)
hircus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 30, sp. 1, var. /?. p.
193. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 28, sp. I, var. .
p. 256.
Capra cegagrus, var. 2. Domestic Goat. Turton, i.
p. 116.
Capra hircus @. Common Goat. Kerr, p. 321.
Hircus et capra domestica. Brisson, regn. animal, p.
52.
Tragus domesticus, hircus, capra, caper si castratus.
Klein, quadr. disp. p. 15.
Capra domestica. THE GOAT. Raii. Sya. quadr. p.
77. J
Capra, hircus, hcedus. Gesner, p. 268.
La Chevre. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 91, tab. 4, fig. 1, 2.
Le Bouc, et la Chevre domestique. Cuv. Tab. Element,
p. 164.
Common Goat. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 369, tab.
199. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. ii. p. 58.
Domestic Goat. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 35, tab. 3.
Goat. Smellie's Buffon, iii. p. 486, tab. 16, 17.
THE SHEEP TRIBE. Horns hollow, transversely
wrinkled, turning backwards, and spirally intorted : front-
teeth in the lower jaw eight : no tusks. Ovis. Linn. Syst.
Nat. Gmel. gen. 31, i. p. 197.
Horns unbranched, permanent. W. B.
40. THE
PECORA. THE SHEEP TRIBE. 69
40. THE COMMON SHEEP. Horns compressed, and
lunated. Ovis aries. Linn.
Not known in a wild state in any part of Great Britain or Ire-
land.
Ovis cornibus compressis, lunatis. Ovis aries. Linn.
Syst. Nat. Gmel. i. p. 197. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal,
gen. 27, sp. 1, p. 242.
Ovis aries. Common Sheep. Turton, i. p. 117.
Kerr, p. 325.
Ovis domestica. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 74. Rail.
Syn. quadr. p. 73.
Aries, fyc. Klein, quad. disp. p. 13.
Ovis. Gesner, p. 872, &c. Ruyscb, i. pa. 1, p. 38.
La Brebis. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 69, tab. 3, fig. 1, 2.
La Brebis ordinaire, le Belier et leMouton. Cuv. Tab.
Element, p. 165.
Common Sheep. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 74. Shaw's Gen.
Zool. ii. p. 385. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit. ii. p. 65.
Fleecy Sheep. Penn. Brit. ZooL i. p. 27.
Sheep. Smellie's Buffon, iii. p. 462, tab. 14, 15.
* Hornless.
VAR. 1. New Leicester or Dishley Sheep.
Face and legs white. Wool long and fine. Head long and nar-
row; ears soft and thin, standing backward. Back flat, and body
round and barrel-like. Pelt thin, and wool close set ; the staple about
six inches long. Bones slender.
VAR.
60 PECORA. THE SHEEP TRIBE.
VAR. 2. Lincolnshire Sheep.
Face and legs white. Wool long and heavy. Carcase long, thin,
and weak. Pelt thick. Staple from ten to eighteen inches long.
Legs rough, clumsy, and large boned.
VAR. 3. Tees-Water Sheep.
Face and legs white. Wool long and somewhat coarse. Legs
longer and finer boned ; and carcases heavier, more firm, and much
wider on the back and sides, than in the preceding variety. Wool
also shorter, and not so heavy.
VAR. 4. South Down Sheep.
Face and legs grey or speckled. Wool peculiarly fine, close, and
short. Bones small.
VAR. 5. Ry eland or Herefordshire Sheep.
Face and legs white. Wool very fine and short. Animal of small
size.
VAR. 6. Herdwick Sheep.
Face and legs speckled. Wool short, thick, and matted ; but
coarser than any of the other short-woolled breeds. Bones small.
Animal of small size.
VAR. 7. Cheviot Sheep.
Face and legs white. Wool short and fine. Eyes prominent ; and
countenance open. Body long. Legs fine, clean, and small boned.
VAR.
PECORA. THE SHEEP TRIBE. 61
VAR. 8. Shetland Sheep.
Colour various. Wool peculiarly fine, soft, and cottony. Tai
remarkably short and small. The animals are so small, that, when
full grown, they do not exceed the weight of thirty or forty pounds,
Horned.
VAR. 9. Dorsetshire Sheep.
Horns round and small. Face and legs white. Wool short and
fine. Animals tall and light in the body. Head somewhat long.
Shoulders broad at the top, and lower than the hind quarters. Loins
broad. Back tolerably straight ; and carcase deep. Staple about
two inches long.
VAR. 10. Wiltshire Sheep.
.
Horns lying backward, almost close to the neck, and encircling
the ears. Face and legs white. Wool short and close, but not fine:
very little wool under the belly. Face long. Legs long, and large
boned.
VAR. 11. Exmoor Sheep.
Face and legs white. Wool long. Head, neck, and bones pecu-
liarly soft and delicate. Carcase narrow and flat sided.
VAR.
62 PECORA. THE ox TRIBE.
VAR. 12. Norfolk Sheep.
Horns sometimes enormously large. Face and legs black, or dark
grey. Wool short and fine.
VAR. 13. Heath Sheep.
Horns large and spiral. Face and legs black. Wool long, open,
coarse, and shagged.
VAR. 14. Irish Sheep.
Face and legs grey. Head long, with large flagging ears, and
sunk eyes. Legs long, thick, and crooked. Neck long, and set on
below the shoulders. Breast narrow, short, and hollow before and
behind the shoulder. The animals are of great size, flat-sided, with
narrow herring-backs; their hind quarters droop, and the tail is set
low.
THE OX TRIBE. Horns hollow, smooth, bent out-
wards and forwards, so as generally to form the segment of
a circle: front-teeth in the lower jaw eight: no tusks.
Bos. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 32, i. p. 202.
Horns unbrauched, permanent. W. B.
41. THE COMMON Ox. Horns round, and curving out-
wards, loose dew-lap. Bos taurus domesticus. Linn.
Not known in a perfectly wild state in any part of Great-Britain
or Ireland.
Bos
PECORA. THE OX TRIBE. 63
Bos cornibus teretibus extrorsum curvatis, palearibus
(axis. Bos (taurus) domesticus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
gen. 32, sp. 1, var. 0. i. p. 202, 203. Erxleben, Syst.
regn. animal, gen. 26, sp. 1, var. ,3. p. 228.
Bos taurus, var. 2. European Ox. Turton, i. p.
119. Kerr, p. 334.
Bos domesticus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 78. Ges-
ner, p. 25, #c. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 26. Raii. Syn.
quad. p. 70.
Taurus domesticus , cum vacca. Klein, quad. disp.
p. 10.
Le Bceuf. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 1, tab. 1.
Le Bceuf ordinaire, le Taureau, la Vache* le Few, le
Genisse. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 166.
Common Ox. Shaw's Gen. Zooi. ii. p. 397, tab. 206.
Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d edit, ii p. 76.
Domestic Ox. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 18, tab. 2.
Ox. Smellie's Buffon, iii. p. 423, tab. 13.
* Horned.
VAR. 1. Wild Cattle,
Size small. Colour entirely white. Horns white, with black tips,
and very fine. Whole inside of ear, and about j of outside, from tip
downward, red. Head small. Muzzle black.
VAR. 2. Devonshire Cattle.
Size large. Colour red or mahogany. Horns light yellow, and
tapering to a point. Head small. Muzzle of a clear yellow like
horn, Round each eye a light ring. Bones fine. Skin thin,
E VAR.
64; PECORA. THE ox TRIBE,
VAR. 3. Herefordshire Cattle.
Size large. Colour dark red or brown, with a streak of white
along the top of the neck to the shoulder. Bell} and under part of
the throat white. Face bald or spotted. Horns bright and spread-
ing, but not long. Head small.
VAR. 4. Sussex Cattle.
Colour generally red or brown, but sometimes black, black and
white, or red and white. Horns of middle length, usually white,
and somewhat pointing upward. Hair fine. Skin thin. Neck and
head clean. Thighs thin. Bones proportionably larger than in
either of the preceding varieties.
VAR. 5. Northern short-horned, Dutch, or Holderness
Cattle.
Size large. Colour various. Horns short. Body wide or thick.
Hair short, smooth, and thinly set. Hide remarkably thin.
VAR. 6. Lancashire or long-horned Cattle.
Colour various, but invariably a white list or stripe along the
back. Horns long, and either regularly and horizontally extended
to the points, or falling down the cheeks, till the points almost meet
beneath. Hide thick and firm. Hair long, close, and softer than in
most other British cattle.
VAR.
PECORA. THE OX TRIBE. 65
VAR. 7. Alderney Cattle.
Size small. Ground colour red or yellowish, spotted with white.
Horns short, and head small. Bones very fine.
VAR. 8. Highland Stots, or Kiloe Cattle.
Size small. Colour generally black, or deep brown, though some-
times brinded. Horns black at the tip, and very sharp. Hair thick
and furry.
VAR. 9. Welsh Cattle.
Size small. Colour various. Horns large and white. Hide thick ;
and bones large.
VAR. 10. Irish Cattle.
Size small. Colour various. Horns long. Shape in general very
bad.
* * Hornless or polled.
|
VAR. 11. Suffolk Duns.
_ -' -'
Size small. Colour generally dun or pale yellow ; but many of the
animals are red, or red and white. Head and ears rough. Bones,
in general, fine. Hide thin. Body long ; and legs somewhat short,
Belly big ; and hip bones high and ill covered.
B 2 VAB-
68 BELLILE. THE HORSE TRIBE.
Mane short, ears long and slouching.
The Ass, in Great Britain and Ireland, is known only as a domestic
animal.
Equus pedibus solidungulis, caudd extremitate setosd,
crucenigrd (man) supra humeros. Equus (asinus) do-
mesticus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel, gen. 33, sp. 2, var. p.
i. p. 211. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 24, sp. 2,
var. 0. p. 213.
Equus asinusj var. 2. Domestic Ass. Turton, i. p.
123. Kerr, p. 344.
Asinus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 102. Gesner, p. 5.
Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 12. Raii. Syn. Quad. p. 63.
JL' Ane. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 277, tab. 3. Cuv. Tab.
Element, p. 169.
Ass. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 102. Penn. Brit. Zool. i.
p. 13. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 429, tab. 216. Smellie's
Buflfon, iii. p. 398, tab. 12. Bing. Anim. Biog. 3d. edit.
ii. p. 109.
1 . The Mule. The hybrid produce of a male Ass and a
Mare : barren. Equus asinus mulus. Linn.
Head large and clumsy, ears long and erect, mane short, tail
thin.
Equus hybridus ex asino et equa, sterilis. Equus
(asinus) mulus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 33, sp. 2,
var. y. i. p. 212. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 24,
sp. 2, var. y . p. 215.
Equus asinus , var. 3. Mule. Turton, i. p. 123.
Kerr, p. 345.
Mulus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 103. Klein, quad,
disp. p. 6. Gesner, p. 702. Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 15.
Mulus
BELLU^E. THE HOG TRIBE. 69
Mulus. A MULE. ,Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 64.
Le Mulct. Buff. Sonn. xxiii. p. 397, tab. 4, fig. 1.
Cuv. Tab. Element, 16.
Mule. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. p. 16. Smellie's Buffon,
viii. p. 1.
2. The Hmny. The hybrid produce of a Stallion and a
female Ass: barren. Equus asinus hinnus. Linn.
Head long and slender, ears like those of a horse, mane short, tail
well filled with hair.
Equus hybridus ex equo et asina, sterilis. Equus
(asinus) hinnus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 33, sp. 2,
var. S. i. p. 212. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 24,
sp. 2, var. S. p. 216.
Equus asinusj var. 4. Hinny. Turton, i. p. 123.
Hinnus seu hinnulus. Gesner, p. 18. Raii. Syn.
quadr. p. 64.
Le Bardeau. Buff. Sonn. xxii. p. 398. note. tab. 4,
fig. 2. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 169.
Bardeau. Kerr, p. 345.
THE HOG TRIBE. Upper front-teeth four, converg-
ing at the points : lower front-teeth (in most species) six,
projecting forwards : two tusks in each jaw, the upper ones
shorter, and the lower ones standing out of the mouth:
muzzle terminating in a truncated, movable, and prominent
snout: feet double hoofed. Sus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel.
gen. 35, i. p. 217,
44. THE
70 BELLILE. THE HOG TRIBE.
44. THE COMMON HOG. Fore part of the back set
with strong bristles, tail hairy. Ears long, pointed, and
slouching. Sus scrofa domesticus. Linn.
The Hog, in Great Britain and Ireland, is known only as a domes-
tic animal.
Sus dor so antice setoso caudd pilosd. Sus (scrofa)
domesticus. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. gen. 35, sp. 1, var. 0.
i. p. 217. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 19, sp. 1,
var. 0. p. 179.
Sus scrofa, var. 2. Common Hog. Turton, i. p. 125.
Kerr, p. 350.
Sus domesticus. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 106.
Porcus, sus, scrofa, verres. Klein. Quad, clisp. p. 25.
Sus, sen porcus domesticus. Raii. Syn. Quadr. p. 92.
Sus, verres, scrofa. Gesner, p. 872. Ruysch, i. pa. 1.
p. 70.
Le Cochon. Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 113, tab. 5, fig. 1,
tab. 6, fig. 2.
Le Cochon domestique. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 151.
Common Hog. Penn. Quadr. i. p. 140. Penn. Brit.
Zool. i. p. 54. Shaw's Gen. Zool. ii. p. 459, tab. 221,
222. Smellie's Buffon, iii. p. 500, tab. 22, 23. Bing-
Anim. Biog. 3d edit. ii. p. 126.
FINIS.
Printed by W. Darton, and J. and J. Harvey,
Gracechurch-Street, London.
INDEX
Of French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Polish,
Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Lapland, Welsh, and
Russian names.
PAGE.
Aige 174
Aizzo 242
Alg 67
Ane 437
Angel muiis 228
Ariete 368
Armelina 190
Armellino ib.
Armengo ib.
Armenho ib.
Asen-esel 443
Asino ib.
Asna ib.
Asno ib.
Asyn ib.
Azemila 448
Baedd 459
Ballottula 184
Baran 368
Barbastelle 51
Barbet . 94
PAGE.
Bardeau 444
Barsuk 213
Basset ....... 123
Beer 450
Bela graig 165
Belagoed 169
Belier 361
Bellette 175
Benula 184
Berraco 459
Berrao ib.
Bjelka 283
Blaireau 208
Boaid 174
Bock .' 357
Boitta 174
Bok .....: 357
Bousing 174
Borrico . . . ^ 443
Bors 213
Borsuc ib.
Bouc 357
Bourn
INDEX.
PAGE.
141
Ceffyl
PAGE*
436
174
tl/einach
307
Brebis
368
Cerf
323
Brok
213
Cervo
335
184
138
165
Chat domestique . . .
141
Buco
357
Chat haret
141
Buk
ib.
Chauye-souris
38
Bui
397
Chauve-souris a fer-
Buotsing
174
52
Burro
443
Cheval
422
Bustivil . .
243
Chevre
350
Bwch
357
342
Chien
79
Caballa
436
Chien courant ....
102
Cabra
357
283
Cabran
ib.
228
Cabrane
ib.
Ci
90
Cabronzillo roontes .
347
Ciele morski
67
Campagnol
272
335
Caropagrioli
274
283
Cane
90
Cochon .......
450
Capra
357
Coelho
319
347
184
Carlwm
190
319
368
ib.
Carnero cutero . . . .
ib.
Cordpiro ......
368
Carnero cajudo . . . .
ib.
341
Carw
335
CroQUG-floix ....
288
Cath
156
319
Cath-goed
141
436
341
Cavallo
ib.
Daamwad-bak ....
ib.
Dachs
INJ5EX.
Dachs
PAGE.
213
Erdzeist
PAGE.
274
Doini
335
Erinaceo . . .,
242
Do/in o
341
Erizo .......
ib.
Daiii-hirisch
ib
Esel . .....
443
Damhwrt
ib
283
Dar
213
Das
ih.
Faar
368
Dein
341
Feld-rnardcr
169
Dendd
ib.
Ffwlbard ....
174
Dikaja
347
Eisch- otter
205
Dof
341
FJaser-muus
38
Dosfue .
m'
Fleder-tnaus
ib.
Dogue de forte race
1 15
Fcetra
174
Domaschaaja mysch .
261
Foina
165
Doninka . . '
Fouina
ib.
Donnula
ib
Fouine
ib.
Draenog ...
242
Fuchs
133
Draen y coed
ib
Dvfrsfi .
205
Gaatieger
259
Gamo
341
Eber
459
Grarannon .
448
Eckoorn
99
GJ-asti
250
Ecureuil
277
Gatto
156
Edl marder
369
Gatto silvatico ....
141
Eegel-warken
242
Gatto montes
ib.
Eezel
443
Geedebuk
357
Egel .
242
Gibellina
165
Eger
261
Goa
174
Earem
283
ib.
Eiclierrnlyii
ib
190
Eichkatze
ib
213
Eickhoom
ib
ib
Eoafineul
96
Gramselt
75
F2
Grand
INDEX,
PAGE.
Grand Danois 110
Grand rat des champs 266
Gra&kin 283
Grayling 213
Gronostay 190
Gwiware 283
Haas 307
Harda-esquilo 283
Hardilla ib.
Hare . . 307
Has ib.
Hase ib.
Hasel-maus 228
Haus-marder 165
Hazel-rauus 288
Hengst 436
Herisson 237
Hermelin 190
Hermine 184
Hermylin 190
Hermyn ib.
Hert 335
Hies-morski 67
Hingst 237
Hirsch 335
Haest 436
Hond 90
Huis-muis .; 261
Hund 90
Huhss-marder 165
Huus-muus 261
Hwch , 459
PAGE.
Hwrd 368
341
Hydd
Jeffi 243
Ijel 242
Ijelkot 243
Ikora 283
Ikorn ib.
Ilder 174
[Her ib.
Iltnis ib.
Iltis ib.
Inkhoorrt *;.;.. . 283
Iwrch 347
Jase 307
Jasvviec 213
Jaz-welz ib.
Jez 243
Junient 436
Kanin 319
Kanine ib.
Kaninichen ib.
Kat 156
Kater ib.
Katta ib.
Katz ib.
Katze-wild 141
Kleine feldmaus . . . 274
Ko 397
Koe ib.
Kol-dziki 213
Ron
INDEX.
PAGE.
Kon 436
Koniglen 319
Konyn ib.
Kot 156
Kotschka ib.
Kot dziki 141
Koza 347
Kozel 357
Koziel ib.
Kret 224
Krolek 319
Kron-hiort 335
Krot 224
Krysa , . 256
Kuh 397
Kuna 169
Kuniglhaze 319
Kunitza 169
Lachtak :. 75
Laderiap 38
La-kat 184
Lanii 341 ,
Lapin 309
Laschak 448
Laseizka 184
Lasitza 174
Laska 184
Lasmitzki ib.
Lavellan 229
Lebro 307
Leibre ib.
Leivora ib.
PACK.
Lekatt 190
Leure . 205
Levrier ill
Lievre 290
Lepro 307
Lille-maus 261
Liron 288
Lis 133
Liszka ib.
Llwynog ib.
Llygoden 261
ffernig . . 256
ganolig . . 266
goch . . . 288
gwtta'rraaes 274
y dwft .. 258
y maes . . 266
Llyg 228
Lobo de mer 67
Lobo marino ib.
Lodra 205
Lodria , ib.
Loup raarin 67
Loutra 205
Loutre 193
Lubba 90
Maar .. 165, 169
Maarkmuus 274
Macho 248
Maharen 368
Malomeger ....... 256
March 436
Mard
INDEX.
PAGE.
Mard <,. 165
Harder ib.
Marta 165,169
Martaro 169
Marte 166
Marter 165, 169
Martore 169
Martora ib.
Martorello ib.
Martura ib.
Maulesel 448
Maulthier ' ib.
Maulwerf 224
Maus 261
Menjet 165, 184
Meer-wolf 67
Meer-hund 97
Mesk - 448
Miccio 443
Moerder 165
Moelrhon 67
Mol 224
Molle 274
Montone 368
Mookusch 383
Morcego 38
Moru6co 368
Mu 448
Muferhano 228
Miiger ? ib.
Muhlwerf 224
Muis 261
Mul 448
FACE.
Mula ib.
Mulasna ib.
Muldwarp 224
Mulct 444
Mull-Tad 224
Mulo 448
Mulct 262
Mulot a courte queue 274
Murcielago 38
Miirer 228
Murganho ib.
Mus 261
Musaraigne 226
Musaraigne d'eau 229
Muscardin 285
Muscardino 288
Museskiaer *t 228
Muset ib.
Musz 261
Muul-esel 448
Muus 261
Muus-eskier 228
Muyl-eesel 448
Mysch 261
Myss ib.
Myss-wodna 259
IfiQ
90
AQ
Nsebmuus
INDEX.
PAGE.
Naebmuus 228
Nottolo 38
Notula ib.
Nutria < 205
Odder ib.
Oeg 436
Oesna 443
Oreillar 43
Oricocachero 242
Orn 459
Orre 283
Osel 443
Ourizo 242
Oveja 368
Owca ib.
Owen ib.
Oz-bak 347
Paerd 436
Patkaanj 228
Pathew 288
Pecora 368
Pedgmet 190
Perro ... 90
Pes ib.
Pestzowaja-mysch ... 274
Pferd 436
Phoque common ... 57
a ventre blanc 67
grand 72
Pind-swin 243
Porca 459
PAGE
Pouttet
174
Pryfllwyd ....
213
Pryf penfreth
ib.
Psi
90
174
Puerca
459
Putois
170
Putora
174
Puzolo
ib.
Raae-buk
347
Rabok
Raef
-v 133
Raev
ib.
Ram
368
Raposa
133
Rasel
184
Rat
254, 261
couette
274
, .
253
d'eau >
...... 256
d'or
288
sauterelle
266
Rata
256
261
Rato
256
Raton
256, 261
Rato de agua
259
Raton de agua
ib.
Ratte a la grand
queue 266
Ratto di easa
256
307
Rate
INDEX.
PAGE.
Rafz 256
Rehbok . . . . 347
Rehe ib.
Renard 124
Rehe 347
Riccio 242
Rob . . 67
Robbe 67
Roka 133
Ros 436
Roselet 184
Ros-kot ib.
Rot 256
Rothe 288
Rotta 256
Rotte ib.
Rubsok ... 133
Sajonz 307
Saiz ib.
Schaaf 368
Shaaf-bock ib.
Schaep ib.
Scheer 224
Scheermaus ib.
Schiarro , 285
Schirato 283
Schiratolo, ib.
Schirivolo 283
Sczurez 256
See-hund 67
See.calb ib.
Sdchy ib.
Setyr 67
Seal ib.
Skier-muus 274
Skind-vinge 38
Skoss mus 288
Slepz ib.
Sleuter 205
Sobaka 90
Soch 459
Soe ib.
Saelhund 67
Sorgio di casa 261
Sorgo morgange ..^ 258
Sorice 261
Sos dka 224
Soud 368
Souri 259
Spigmuis 228
Spigmus ib.
Spitzmaus ib.
Sporteglione 38
Stepnaja koschka . . 141
Sterna 341
Stein-marder 165
Stier 397
Su 459
Surk 224
Surmulot 248
Suse dka 224
S win-Sax 213
Tacks 213
Taisson ib.
Takkamugak
INDEX.
PAGE.
Takkamugak 75
Talpa 224
Tarw 397
Tasso 213
Tasugo ib.
Taupe 215
Taureau 391
Tauro 397
Taxon 213
Tchorz 174
Texugo 213
Tiur 297
Tjulen 87
Topo 224, 261
Toporagno 228
Toro 397
Toupeira 224
Truye 459
Ty* 397
Twrch-daear 224
Ulk 174
Urksuk 75
Utter 205
i "
Vacca 397
Vache ib.
Vand-rotte 259
Varken's das 213
Vas muus vandskiasr 259
Veau marin 67
Vecchio marino ... ib.
Veld muus 274
PAGE.
Verro 459
Verrat ........... ib.
Vesla '.,. 184
Vildkat . .. 141
Vledermuys ...... 38
Vaedder 368
Vaere 368
Vaesel 184
Volpe 133
Vos ib.
Vydra 174
Wadur 3i8
Wa-kondok 224
Wald rnaus 288
Wasser musz 259
Water rot 259
Watn-rotta ib.
Weezel ; 184
Widder ...... 368
Wijervijorka 283
Wild-marder 169
Wilkare-sial 67
Wisele 184
Weter 205
Wodjanoi krot 259
Wydra 205
Yseren Terchen . .'. . 242
Ysgyfarnog .' 307
Ystlum 38
Yzervarchen . 242
Zaitza
INDEX.
PAGE.
Zaitza 307
Zbik 141, 213
Zeehund 67
Zeigenbock 257
Zemla naja 224
Zhievres 205
Zibac . .
PAGE.
228
ib.
Zorlito
347
Zflconav
243
133
Directions to the Binder for placing the Plates.
PAGE
PACE
Common Bat
38
Common Mouse
259
Long-eared Bat
43
Long-tailed Field Mouse 262
Noctule-Bat
48
Harvest Mouse .
266
Barbastelle'Bat .
51
Meadow Mouse .
272
Horse- Shoe Bat
52
Squirrel
277
Common Seal .
57
Dormouse .
285
Shepherd's Dog
91
Hare
290
Water-Dog
94
Varying Hare .
30S
Spaniel
96
Rabbet
309
Setter
99
Red Deer
323
Pointer
101
Fallow Deer
335
Hound
102
Roe Deer .
342
Bloodhound
107
Goat
330
Irish Greyhound
110
New Leicester Sheep .
3(>9
Greyhound
in
Tees Water Sheep
372
Mastiff .
115
South Down Sheep .
374
Bull-Dog \
118
Herd wick Sheep
37*
Terrier
119
Cheviot Sheep .
380
Lurcher
122
Heath Sheep .
387
Turnspit .
123
Wild Cattle
398
Fox ;..- t
124
Devonshire Cattle
401
WildCat .
138
Herefordshire Cattle .
403
Martin . .
159
Sussex Cattle .
404
Pine Martin
166
Holderness Cattle
406
Polecat .
170
Lancashire Cattle
409
Weesel
175
Alderney Cattle
411
Stoat
184
Highland Stot .
413
Otter
193
Suffolk Duns
417
Badger .
208
Race Horse
425
Mole
215
Hunter . .
426
Fetid Shrew
226
Cart Horse
427
Water Shrew
229
Suffolk Cart Horse .
428
Hedgehog .
237
Ass
437
Brown or Norway Rat
248
Mule
444
Black Rat
254
Swine
44$
Water Rat
256 .;
FOURTEEN DAY USE
RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED
This book is due on the last date stamped below, or
on the date to which renewed.
Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.
JUN fc'58
y
MAY 3 1 1958
LD 21-100m-2,'55
(B139s22)476
General Library
University of California
Berkeley
+