Nl THE ENTERTAINING NATURALIST, POPULAR DESCRIPTIONS, TALES, AND ANECDOTES OF HOUE THAN FIVE HUNDRED ANIMALS, COMPREHENDING ALL THE Suadruprtiss, ISfrttf, JFtelKg, &q>ttles, Xngcctg, Srr. OF WHICH A KNOWLEDGE 18 INDISPKNSAB LK IN POLITE EDUCATION. WITH INDEXES OF SCIENTIFIC AND POPULAR NAMES, AN EXPLANATION OF TERMS, AND AN APPENDIX OF FABULOUS ANIMALS. ILLUSTRATED BY UPWARDS OF THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ACCURATELY DRAWN FIGURES, FINELY ENGRAVED IN WOOD BY BEWICK, HARVEY, WHIMPER, AND OTHERS. A New Edition, revised, enlarged, and completed to the present state of Zoological Science, BY MRS. LOUDON. LONDON: HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. I.OWDO.V : JOSEPH FTCKERBY, PRINTER, SHERBOUKI* LANE. Stack Armex 5 PREFACE. THE care of preparing a new edition of this long- established work having been confided to me, I have endeavoured to render it as instructive as I could without destroying its popular and entertaining character. For this purpose I have added scientific names to the popular ones at the head of each description, and I have placed all the animals of each genus and all the genera in each order together, that the child who reads the book may have the animals most nearly allied to each other asso- ciated together in his mind. For the same reason, I have used, in most cases, the Linnaean names, as Linnaeus placed a great many animals in one genus, which are now divided into several. At the same time that the child may learn both the Linnaean and the modern name of each animal, I have given both in the Table of Con- tents. I have not arranged the orders quite scientifically ; as I could not persuade myself either to displace the Lion from the situation he has held so long at the commence- 20S1 2O4 VI PREFACE. inent of the book, or to remove the Whales and other Cetacea from the Fishes. I have therefore placed the Monkeys and their allies at the end of the terrestrial Mammalia, instead of at the beginning ; and commenced the book of Fishes with the Cetacea. I have corrected the whole of the descriptions of the animals, adding to or taking from as appeared necessary to bring the whole down to the present state of Zoological knowledge; and in the Introduction I have added a Sketch of Cuvier's Systematic Arrangement of the Animal Kingdom to that of Linnaeus, which was given in the previous editions. J. W. L. Baysicater, May 1st, 1843. INTRODUCTION. ZOOLOGY is that branch of Natural History which treats of ani- mals, and it embraces not only their structure and functions, their habits, instincts, and usefulness to mankind, but their names and systematic arrangement. Various systems have been proposed by different naturalists for the scientific arrangement of the animal kingdom, but that of Cuvier, with some modifications by Lamarck and Latreille, is now thought the best, and a sketch of it will be found under the head of Modern System in this Introduction. As, however, the system of Linnaeus was formerly in general use, and is still often referred to, it has been thought advisable to give a sketch of it first ; that the student may be aware of the difference between the old system and the new one. LINN^AN SYSTEM. ACCORDING to the system of Linnaeus, the objects comprehended within the animal kingdom were divided into six classes: Mammalia or Mammiferous Animals, Birds, Amphibia, or Amphibious Ani- mals. Fishes, Insects, and Worms, which were thus distinguished : CLASSES. C Hnf RinnH /Viviparous I. MAMMALIA. ( With vertebrae? \ Oviparous II. BIRDS. f With vertebrae^ c With lungs 111. AMPHIBIA. Cold red Blood With gill! IV. FISHRS. (Without vertebra, Cold white Bloal{ ft* - y V ; $ Vlll INTRODUCTION. The first class, or Mammalia, consists of such animals as produce living offspring, and nourish their young ones with milk supplied from their own bodies ; and it comprises both the quadrupeds and the cetaeea. This class was divided by Linnasus into seven Orders : viz. primates, bruta, ferae, glires, pecora, lellnx, and cete, or whales The characteristics of these were founded, for the most part, on the number and arrangement of the teeth ; and on the form and con- struction of the feet, or of those parts in the seals, manati, and the Cetaeea, which supply the place of feet. ORDERS OF MAMMALIA. I. PRIMATES. Having the upper front teeth generally four in number, wedge-shaped, and parallel ; and two teats situated on the breast, as the apes and monkeys. II. BRUTA. Having no front teeth in either jaw; and the feet armed with strong hoof-like nails, as the elephant. III. FERJE. Having in general six front teeth in each jaw ; a single canine tooth on each side in both jaws ; and the grinders with conic projections, as the dogs and cats. IV. GLIRES. Having in each jaw two long projecting front teeth, which stand close together ; and no canine teeth in either jaw, as the rats and mice. V. PECORA. Having no front teeth in the upper jaw ; six or eight in the lower jaw, situated at a considerable distance from the grinders ; and the feet with hoofs, as cattle and sheep. VI. BELLU^E. Having blunt wedge-shaped front teeth in both jaws ; and the feet with hoofs, as horses. VII. CETE. Having spiracles, or breathing-holes on the head ; fins instead of fore-feet ; and a tail flattened horizontally, instead of hind feet. This order consists of the narvals, whales, cachalots, and dolphins. The second class, or Birds, comprises all such animals, as have their bodies clad with feathers. Their jaws are elongated, and covered externally with a horny substance called a bill or beak, which is divided into two parts called mandibles. Their eyes are furnished with a thin, whitish, and somewhat transparent membrane, that can at pleasure be drawn over the whole external surface like a curtain. Birds respire by air vessels, which are extended through their body, and which, in the abdominal cavity, adhere to the INTRODUCTION. IX under surface of the bones. Their organs of motion are 'two wings and two legs ; and they are destitute of external ears, lips, and many other parts which are important to quadrupeds. That part of zoology which treats of Birds is called Ornithology. Linnaeus divided this class into six Orders. ORDERS OF BIRDS. 1. L.ind Birds. I. RAPACIOUS BIRDS (Accipitres.) Having the upper mandible hooked, and an angular projection on each side near the point, as the eagles, hawks, and owls. II. PIES (Piece .) Having their bills sharp at the edge, somewhat compressed at the sides, and convex on the top, as the crow. III. PASSERINE BIRDS (Passeres.) Having the bill conical and pointed, and the nostrils oval, open, and naked, as the spar- row and linnet. IV. GALLINACEOUS BIRDS (Gallince.) Having the upper man- dible arched, and covering the lower one at the edge, and the nostrils arched over with a cartilaginous membrane, as the common poultry. 2. Water Birds. V. WADERS (Grallee.) Having a roundish bill, afleshy tongue, and the legs naked above the knees, as the herons, plovers, and snipes. VI. SWIMMERS (Anseres.) Having their bills broad at the top, and covered with a soft skin, and the feet webbed ; as ducks and geese. Under the third class, or Amphibia, Linnseus arranged such ani- mals as have a cold, and, generally, naked body, a lurid colour, and nauseous smell. They respire chiefly by lungs, but they have the power of suspending respiration for a long time. They are ex- tremely tenacious of life, and can repair certain parts of their bodies which have been lost. They are also able to endure hunger, some- times even for months, without injury. The bodies of some of them, as the turtles and tortoises, are pro- tected by a hard and horny shield or covering ; those of others are clad with scales, as the serpents, and some of the lizards ; whilst others, as the frogs, toads, and most of the water-lizards, are entirely a 5 X INTRODUCTION. naked, or have their skin covered with warts. Many of the species shed their skins at certain times of the year. Several of them are furnished with a poison, which they eject into wounds that are made by their teeth. They chiefly live in retired, watery, and marshy places ; and, for the most part, feed on other animals, though some of them eat water-plants, and many feed on garbage and filth. None of these species chew their food ; they swallow it whole, and digest it very slowly. The offspring of all these animals are produced from eggs, which, after they have been deposited by the parent animals in a proper place, are hatched by the heat of the sun. The eggs of some of the species are covered with a shell ; those of others have a soft and tough skin or covering, not much unlike wet parchment ; and the eggs of several are perfectly gelatinous. In those few that produce their offspring alive, as the vipers, and some other serpents, the eggs are regularly formed, but are hatched within the bodies of the females. This class Linnaeus divided into two Orders. ORDERS OF AMPHIBIA. I. REPTILES. Havingfour legs, and walking with a crawling pace, as the tortoises, frogs and lizards. II. SERPENTS. Having no legs, but crawling on the body Fishes constituted Linnseus's fifth class of animals. They are all inhabitants of the water, in which they move by certain organs called fins. These, when situated on the back, are called dorsal fins ; when on the sides, behind the gills, they have the name of pectoral fins ; when below the body, near the head, they are ven- tral ; when behind the vent, they are anal ; and that which forms the tail is called the caudal fin. Fishes breathe by gills, which, in most of the species, are situated at the sides of the head. In some of the flat-fish, however, as the skate and thornback, they are on the under-part of the body. Fish rise and sink in the water, gene- rally by a kind of bladder in the interior of their body, called an air-bladder. Some of them, as the skate and other flat-fish, do not possess this organ, and consequently are seldom found but at the INTRODUCTION. XI bottom of the water. The bodies of these animals are usually covered with scales, which keep them from injury by the pressure of the water. The fishes were divided by Linnaeus into six Orders. ORDERS OF FISHES. I. APODAL. Having bony gills ; and no ventral fins, as the eel. II. JUGULAR. Having bony gills; and the ventral fins situated in front of the pectoral fins, as the cod, haddock, and whiting. III. THORACIC. Having bony gills ; and the ventral fins situated directly under the pectoral fins, as the perch and mackerel. IV. ABDOMINAL. Having bony gills; and the ventral fins on the lower part of the body below the pectoral fins, as the salmon, herrings, and carp. V. BRANCHIOSTEGOUS. Having their gills destitute of bony rays. VI. CHONDROPTERYGEOUS. Having cartilaginous fins, as the stur- geons, sharks, and skate. The fifth class of Linnasus comprised the Insects ; and the branch of zoology which treats of them is called Entomology. Nearly all insects go through certain great changes at different periods of their existence. From the egg is hatched the larva, which is a grub or cater- pillar, and destitute of wings ; this afterwards changes to a pupa, or chrysalis, wholly covered with a hard shell, or strong skin, from which the perfect or winged insect bursts forth. Spiders and their allies, which were included by Linnaeus in the insects, issue from the egg nearly in a perfect state. Linnaeus divided his insects into seven Orders. ORDERS OF INSECTS. I. COLEOPTEROUS. Having elytra, or crustaceous cases covering the wings; and which, when closed, form a longitudinal division along the middle of the back, as the cockchafer. II. HEMIPTEROUS. Having four wings, the upper ones partly crus- taceous, and partly membranous ; not divided straight down the middle of the back, but crossed, or incumbent on each other, as the cock-roacli. III. LEPIDOPTEROUS. Having four wings covered with fine scales, almost like powder, as the butterflies and moths Xll INTRODUCTION. IV. NEUROPTEROUS. Having four membranes and semi-transpa- rent wings, veined like net-work; and the tail without a sting, as the dragon-fly and ephemera. V. HYMENOPTEROUS. Having four membranous and semi-transpa- rent wings, veined like net-work ; and the tail armed with a sting, as the wasp and bee. VI. DIPTEROUS. Having only two wings, as the common house- flies. VII. APTEROUS. Having no wings, as the spiders. The sixth, and last Linnaean class consisted of Worms, or Vermes. These are slow of motion, and have soft and fleshy bodies. Some of them have hard internal parts, and others have crustaceous coverings. In some of the species, eyes and ears are very per- ceptible, whilst others appear to enjoy only the senses of taste and touch. Many have no distinct head, and most of them are destitute of feet. They are, in general, so tenacious of life, that parts which have been destroyed will be reproduced. These animals are prin- cipally distinguished from those of the other classes by having tentacula, or feelers, and they are divided by Linnaeus into five Orders. ORDERS OF VERMES, OR WORMS. I. INTESTINAL. Are simple and naked, without limbs; some of them live within other animals, as the ascarides and tape- worms ; others in water, as the leeches ; and a few in the earth, as the earth-worm. II. MOLLUSCOUS. Are simple animals, without shell, and furnished with limbs, as the cuttle fish, medusae, star-fish, and sea- urchin. III. TESTACEOUS. Are animals similar to the last, but covered with shells, as oysters, cockles, snails, and limpets. IV. ZOOPHYTES. Are composite animals, and appear to hold a rank between animals and vegetables ; though they are in fact true animals, and possess sensation and voluntary mo- tion. In many instances a great number of them inhabit the same stone, but some are soft, naked, and separate. The coral, sponge, and polypes are instances of this order. V. ANIMALCULES Are destitute of tentacula or feelers, and are generally so minute as to be invisible to the naked eye. They are chiefly found in different infusions of animal and vegetable substances. INTRODUCTION. xiii It will be found by reading the following sketch of the Modern System, that the greatest change has taken place in the latter two classes. The others remain nearly the same in effect, though their distinctions are different, and the classes are not arranged in the same order. MODERN SYSTEM. ACCORDING to Cuvier, all animals are arranged in four great di- visions, which are subdivided into classes, and orders, as fol- lows : DIVISIONS. I. VERTEBRATA. l 2 Aves .... . . Six Four Classes. Twenty- > 3 Reptilia . . . . Four. seven Orders. j 4 Pisces .... Nine II. MOLLUSCA. "I Six Classes. Fifteen ! Orders. | j III. ARTICULATA. -, 1 Cephalopoda 2 Pteropoda . . 3 Gasteropoda 4 Acephala . . 5 Brachiopoda 6 Cirrhopodes . . 1 Annelida . . . One. . . One. . . Nine. . . Two. . . One. . . One. . Three. Four Classes. Twenty- I \ ? r fS Seven, fmir Orrlprs I 3 Arachnida .... Two. J 4 Insecta Twelve. IV. RADIATA. ~) 1 Echinoderma . . . Two. I 2 Intestina Two. Five Classes. Eleven > 3 Acalepha Two. Orders. | 4 Polypi Three. J 5 Infusoria Two. THE VERTEBRATED ANIMALS Have a backbone divided into vertebrae or joints, whence they take their name. They have also separate senses for hearing, seeing, tast- ing, smelling, and feeling ; a distinct head, with a mouth opening by two horizontal jaws ; a muscular heart, and red blood. The four classes of Vertebrata and their orders are as follows. I. THE MAMMALIA are all furnished with mammae, or teats, through which they give milk to their young, which they bring forth alive. They have warm blood, which circulates from the heart though the lungs, and returns to the heart before it passes through the body. Their skins are naked, or co- vered with wool or hair, and their mouths are generally XIV INTRODUCTION. furnished with teeth. There are eight orders which are thus distinguished : f Having C I- Bimana, Having hands. II. Quadrumana. nails < f III. Ferae, or claws. [ Quadrupeds, | IV. Rodentia. I or animals <( V. Edentata. Without | with four feet, j VI. Pachydermata. nails or <( ^ VII. Ruminata. claws. L Having fins. VIII. Cetacea. SECTION I. Unguiculated Animals, or Mammalia having nails or claws. I. Bimana, or two handed. This order contains only the human species. II. Quadrumana, or four handed. This order contains the apes, baboons, and monkeys, and the lemurs. III. Ferce, or beasts of prey. This order is divided into the follow- ing four tribes. 1. The Cheiroptera, consisting of the bat family. 2. The Insectivora, consisting of those animals which live upon insects, as the hedgehog, the shrew, and the mole. 3. The Carnivora, consisting chiefly of the cat family, including lions, tigers, and their allies ; the bear family, including the badger, the coati-mundi, the racoon, &c. ; the dog family, in- cluding the wolf and the fox ; the weazel family ; the civet- cats ; the hycena, and the seals and walrus. 4. The Marsupialia, including the opossums, and the kangaroos, though the latter animals live only on vegetables. IV. Rodentia, or gnawing animals The principal of these are the squirrel family, mice and rats, hares and rabbits, the beaver, the porcupine, and the guinea-pig. V. Edentata, or toothless animals, that is, without front-teeth. The principal of these are the sloths, the armadillos, the ant-eaters, and the water-mole, or ornithornynchus. SECTION II. Mammalia without nails or claws. VI. Pachydermata, or thick-skinned animals. The principal of these are the elephant, the hippopotamus, the rhinoceros; the horse family, including the ass, the mule, the zebra, and the quagga ; the wild boar family, and the tapir. VII. Ruminata, or ruminating animals, the principal of which are the camel family, the deer family, the giraffe, the antelope family, the goat family, the sheep family, and the ox family. VIII. Cetacea, or sea mammalia, the principal of which are the whale family, the dolphin family, the manati, the porpoise family, and the narwal, or sea-unicorn. INTRODUCTION'. THE AVES, OR BIRDS, Lay eggs from which their young are hatched by what is called incubation. Their skins are covered with feathers ; and their jaws are horny, without teeth. Their blood is warm, and circulates like that of the mammalia. The six orders of Aves are as follows : 1. Raptores, or birds of prey. These birds are distinguished by a very strong and sharp bill more or less curved, but always hooked at the extremity of the upper mandible, which is co- vered at the base with a kind of skin called the cere. The nostrils are usually open. The legs are very strong, and generally only partially covered with feathers ; the feet are large, and the toes, which are four in number, are armed with very strong, sharp, curved, prehensile claws. The principal raptorial birds are the vultures, including the condor; the fal- con family, including the eagles, hawks, kites, and buzzards ; and the owls. 2. Insessores, or perching birds. These birds have all feet formed for perching, the hind toe springing from the same place as the other toes, which gives them great power of grasping. Their legs are of moderate length, and their claws not sharply curved. This order includes the thrushes, nightingales, and all the finest songsters of our groves, with the robin-redbreast, the sparrow, and other birds seen about dwellings, the swal- lows, the larks, the crow family, the kingfishers, the birds of paradise, and the humming birds. 3. Scansores, or climbers. These birds have two toes before and two behind, or rather they have the power of throwing one of the fore toes back at pleasure. This construction gives them such great power of climbing, that they can ascend the per- pendicular trunk of a tree. The principal birds in this order are the parrot family and the woodpeckers. 4. Rasores, or gallinaceous birds. These birds have the head small in. proportion to the body. The bill is generally short, with the upper mandible somewhat curved, and furnished with a cere. The nostrils have usually a protecting fleshy membrane. The tarsus, or lower part of the leg is long and bare, and there are four toes, those in front being united by a slight mem- brane, while that behind is generally higher up the leg, and smaller than the others. This order comprises nearly all the birds used as food, and it includes the peacock, the turkey, the common cock and hen, the partridge, the pheasant, and the pigeon family. 5. Grallatores, or "Waders. These birds are characterized by their long and slender legs, and generally bare thighs. Their feet have generally three toes, more or less united at the base by XVI INTRODUCTION. a web, and the central toe is often longer and stronger than the rest ; the hind toe is sometimes wanting. This order con- tains the ostrich family, the bustards and plovers ; the cranes, herons, and storks ; and the snipes and woodcocks. 6 Palmipedes, or web-footed birds. These birds have the legs and feet short, and placed behind, with their fore toes united by a thick, and strong membrane. The neck is much longer than the legs, and their bodies are covered with a dense layer of down, beneath the outer plumage, which is close, and im- bued with an oily fluid that repels the water. The principal birds in this order are the coots and grebes, the auks and penguins, the petrels, the pelican and cormorant, and the swans, ducks, and geese. THE REPTILIA, Or Reptiles, have neither hair, wool, nor feathers, and their bodies are either naked, or covered with scales. Some lay eggs, and some bring forth their young alive. Some have gills, and others lungs, but the latter have only a portion of the blood passing through them ; and thus the blood of reptiles is cold, as it is respiration which gives the blood heat. The senses of reptiles are dull, and their move- ments are either slow or laborious. The following are the four orders into which this class is divided : 1. Chelonian Reptiles. These animals have a heart with two auri- cles, and a body with four legs. The body is enclosed in an upper buckler, called the corapace, and an under one, called the plastron. They have lungs which are much expanded ; but they have no teeth, though they have hard horny jaws. The females lay eggs covered with a hard shell. The principal animals belonging to this division are the tortoises, which live on land, and the turtles, which are al- ways found in or near water. 2. The Saurian Reptiles. These animals have also a heart with two auricles, expanded lungs, and generally four legs, but some have only two. Their bodies are covered with scales, and their mouths with teeth. This order includes all the croco- diles and lizards. The crocodiles have broad flat tongues, attached throughout to the jaws, and the lizards have long narrow tongues, which they can extend to a great distance from the mouth. 3. The Ophidian Reptiles, are the snakes and serpents. The body is covered with scales, but it is destitute of feet. The heart has two auricles, and the lungs are generally well developed. Serpents are frequently furnished with poison-bags at the base of their teeth. 4. The Batrachian Reptiles include the frogs and toads. The heart has only one auricle, and the body is naked. The greater INTRODUCTION. XV11 part of these reptiles undergo a transition, as they advance in age, from a fish-like tadpole furnished with gills, to a four- legged animal with lungs. Others never lose their gills, though they acquire lungs, and of this kind are the siren and the proteus. THE PISCES, Or Fishes, are defined by Cuvier to be vertebrated animals with red blood, breathing through the medium of water by means of their branchiae or gills. To this definition may be added, that fishes have no neck, and that the body generally tapers from the head to the tail; that most of the species are furnished with air-bladders which enable them to swim ; and that their bodies are generally co- vered with scales. The heart has only one auricle and the blood is cold. The gills require to be kept moist to enable the fish to breathe, and as soon as the gills become dry, the fish dies. Thus fishes with large gills die almost as soon as they are taken out of the water ; while those with very small gills, like the eel, live a long time. Fishes have no feet, but they are furnished with fins. The scientific knowledge of Fishes is called Ichthyology. Fishes are first divided into two great series, viz., the Bony Fishes, and the Cartilaginous Fishes, and these are again subdivided into nine orders, as follows : OSSEOUS OR BONY FISHES. 1. Acanthropterygii, or fishes with hard fins. 2. Malacopterygii abdominales, or fishes with soft abdominal fins. 3. Mulacopterygii sub-brachiati, or fishes with soft fins under the gills. 4. Malacopterygii apodes, or fishes without ventral fins. 5. Lopobranchii, or fishes with tufted branchiae. 6. Plectognathii, or fishes with the upper jaw fixed. CHONDROPTERYGIC, OR CARTILAGINOUS FlSHES. 7. Cyclostomi, or fishes with jaws fixed in an immoveable ring, and with holes for the gills. 8. Selachii, or fishes with moveable jaws and holes for the gills. 9 Sturiones, with the branchiae in the usual form. Of the bony fishes the Acanthropterygii, or fishes with hard spiny fins, are divided into fifteen families, the principal of which are the perch family, the mailed cheek fishes, including the gurnards, the fly- ing fish of the Mediterranean, and the sticklebacks, or jack banticles ; XVlll INTRODUCTION. the mackerel family, including the tunny, bonito, and sword- fish ; the pilot fish ; the dolphin of the Mediterranean, so celebrated for the beauty of its dying tints, and the celebrated John dory. Among the Malacopterygii Abdominales, or soft-finned fishes, that have their ventral fins suspended from the abdomen, the most inte- resting are the carp family, the pike family, the flying fish of the ocean, the salmon family, and the herring family, including the sprat, pilchard, and anchovy. The Malacopterygii Sub-brae hiati are soft-finned fishes, with the ventral fins beneath the pectorals ; the principal of which are the cod family, including the haddock, whiting, and ling ; the flat-fish family, including soles, turbots, plaice, and flounders ; and the suck- ers or lump-fish. The Malacopterygii Apode are confined to the eel family. The Lopobranchii include the pipe-fish and other fishes of simi- lar form. The Plectoffnothii comprise the very singular forms of the balloon- fish, and sun-fish. The Chondropterygii or Cartilaginous fishes, are divided into only three order s,viz., the Sturiones, or sturgeon family ; the Selachi, or sharks and rays, including the torpedo ; and the Cyclostomi, or lamprey family. THE MOLLUSCOUS ANIMALS Have no bones except their shells. Their sense of feeling appears to be very acute, but the organs for the other senses are either wanting or very imperfect. The blood is cold and white, and the heart often consists of only one ventricle ; a few of them have im- perfect lungs, but the greater number breathe through gills. They have all the power of remaining a long time in a state of rest, and their movements are either slow or violently laborious. Some of them appear incapable of locomotion. They produce their young from eggs, but some lay their eggs on a part of their own body, where the young are hatched. The following are Cuvier's six classes : 1. Cephalopoda, or Head-footed Mollusca. These animals are fur- nished with long fleshy arms or feet, proceeding from the head, which is distinct. There is only one order, which in- cludes the cuttle-fish, nautilus, and belemnites. 2. Pleropoda or Wing-footed Mollusca. These animals have two membranous feet or arms proceeding from the neck. There is only one order, which contains six genera, the best known of which, is hyalsea, the shell of which is commonly called Venus's chariot. 3. Gasteropoda or Body-footed Mollusca. All these animals crawl with the flat part of the body, which acts as a kind of sucker, II1TRODUCTION. XIX There are nine orders ; but the common snail will give an idea of the habits of the class. 4. Acephala, or Headless Mottusca. These animals have two shells united by a hinge, and no distinct head, like the oyster. There are two orders. 5. Brachlopoda, or arm-footed Mottusca. These animals have two shells not united by a hinge. There are two orders. 6. Cirrhopodes, or Fringed-footed Mollusca. These animals are soft and headless, like the oyster, but they are furnished with fringe or hair like tentacula ; as for example, the lepas or barnacle. It must be observed, that the system of Cuvier is not generally adopted in classing shells, as his classes are formed from the animals alone, and we have manyshells, the animals of which are unknown; and that of Lamarck is preferred, as he founds his classes partly on the animals, and partly on the shells. Lamarck divides the species into three classes, viz., Cirrhipeda, Conchiferee, and Mollusca. The first is the same as the sixth class of Cuvier ; the Conchifera are acephalous, or headless, and two-shelled or bivalves, like the oyster; and the Mollusca are univalves and cephalous, that is, they have only one shell, and a kind of head like the snail. THE ARTICULATED ANIMALS Have no back-bone. The covering of the body is sometimes hard and sometimes soft; but it is always divided into segments by a num- ber of transverse incisions. The limbs, when the body is provided with any, are jointed. The senses of tasting and seeing are more perfect than those of the Mollusca, though that of feeling seems much less acute. In other respects the four classes differ consider- ably from each other. I. TheAnnelides, or Red Blooded Wbms, have no heart, properly so called, but they have sometimes one or more fleshy ventricles. They breathe through branchiae. Their bodies are soft, and more or less elongated, being divided into numerous rings or segments. The head, which is at one extremity of the body, can scarcely be distinguished from the tail, except by having a mouth. These animals have no feet, properly so called, but they are furnished with little fleshy projections, bearing tufts of hairs or bristles, which enable them to move. They are gene- rally of carnivorous habits, andlive principally on the blood of other creatures. They lay eggs, but the young are frequently hatched before exclusion, and hence these creatures are said to be oviviporous. Their study is called Helminthology. As examples of the three orders of this class may be men- tioned the serpula or worms often found on shells, the com- mon earth-worm, and the leech family. II. The Crustacea comprise the shell-fish commonly called crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and prawns. They have a distinct head, XX INTRODUCTION. furnished with antennae, eyes, and mouth ; and their bodies are covered with a crust or shell, divided into segments by trans- verse incisions, the segments being united by a strong mem- brane. The crust turns red by boiling, whatever colour it may have borne while the animals were in a living state. Once a year these animals moult, throwing off their old crust or shell, and forming a new one, the animal remaining in a naked, and greatly weakened state, during the intermediate time. The Crustacea swim with great ease, but on land their motions are generally cramped and awkward ; and they are confined to crawling, or leaping by means of the tail. "When a limb is injured they possess the extraordinary power of throwing it off, and forming a new one. Another singular property which they possess is that of emitting light. It is well known that the shell of a lobster, or crab, when begin- ning to decay, emits light ; and there is a smaller kind of crab, called cancerfulgens, which produces a luminous effect when alive. The Crustacea lay eggs, and the young of some of the species undergo a transformation before they attain their full size. The Crustacea were divided into two sec- tions and seven orders by Cuvier, which are as follows : SECTION I. Malacostraca. Shell solid, legs ten or fourteen, foot-jaws six or ten, mandibles two, maxillae four ; mouth with a labrum. Sub-section 1. Podophthalma, eyes on foot-stalks. ORDER 1. Decapoda, legs ten. Sub-order 1. Brachyura, the crabs. Sub-order 2. Macroura, the lobsters. ORDER 2. Stomapoda, legs more than ten. Sub-section 2. Edriophthalma, eyes not on foot-stalks. ORDER 3. Amphipoda, body compressed; mandibles palpigerous. ORDER 4. Lamodipoda, abdomen rudimental, with only the rudi- ments of one or two pairs of appendages. ORDER 5. Isopoda, body depressed; abdominal appendages flat; mandibles not palpigerous. SECTION II. Entomostraca. Shell not solid ; legs variable in number ; mouth variable. ORDER 6. Branchiopoda. Integuments horny, branchiae feathery, forming part of the feet. ORDER 7. Pcecilopoda, mouth suctorial. Sub-order 1. Xiphosura, or king-crabs. Sub-order 2. Siphonostoma, or fish parasites. Lamarck divides the Crustacea, into only the two following orders, viz. 1 The Homobranchia, which have the body covered with an entire INTRODUCTION. Xxi shell, and fringed appendages in the tail to retain the eggs. This order contains the crab family, which have an orbicular body and imperfectly developed tail ; and the lobster family, including the shrimp and the prawn, which have a cylindrical body, and a fully-developed tail. 2. The Heterobranchia, which consist chiefly of the wood-lice, the brine-worm, and the ship-worm. The curious fossil animals, called trilobites, belong to this division. III. The Arachnides are defined by Lamarck to be oviparous animals, provided with six or more articulated legs, not sub- ject to metamorphoses, and never acquiring any new kinds of organs. Their respiraton is either by means of air- sacks, which serve for lungs, or of a kind of tube with circu- lar openings for the admission of air. There is a rudimen- tary heart and circulation in most of the species. There are two orders ; those with lungs, and those without. ORDER I. Pulmanarice. The Arachnides comprised in this divi- sion have air-sacks, which serve for lungs, a heart with dis- tinct vessels, and from six to eight simple eyes. Tnere are two distinct families : viz., Aranides, comprising all the spiders and spinners ; and Pedipalpi, comprising the tareutula and scorpions. ORDER II. Trachearice. These Arachnides are distinguished by their respiratory organs, which consist of radiated or branched tracheae, receiving air by two circular openings. They have no circulation, and their eyes vary from two to four. The principal animals belonging to this division are the long-legged spiders (Phalangium), the book-worms, and the mites (Acarus), including the gardener's pest the little red spider, (Acarus telarius), the cheese mite (Acants Siro) and the harvest bug, (Acarus or Leptus autumnalis.) IV. The Insects form the fourth and last class of articulated ani- mals, and they derive their name from the Latin word insectum, which signifies cut into, in allusion to the distinct divisions of head, thorax, and abdomen in the true insects ; and in contradistinction to the Annelides, the bodies of which present no such divisions. The true insects are de- fined as animals without vertebrae, possessing six feet, with a distinct head furnished with antennae, and breathing through stigmatic openings, which lead to interior tracheae. The Myriopoda have, however, more feet. The following are the twelve orders into which this class is divided. SECTION I. -Insects undergoing Metamorphoses. 1. Coleoptera, (from two Greek words signifying sheathed wings.) These are the beetles, which are all furnished with mem- braneous wings, with which they fly, and which are protected by bony upper wings, or wing-cases, called elytra. They are all masticators, and are all provided with mandibles or pro- jecting jaws, and maxillae. XXII INTRODUCTION. 2. Orthoptera, or straight-winged insects. This order comprises the crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, and similar insects. They have their upper wings of the consistence of parchment, and they have mandibles and maxillae. 3. Hemiptera, or half-winged insects, have frequently half the upper wing membraneous, like the under ones, while the other half is leathery. To this division belong the bugs, the water-scorpions, the cicadce or froghoppers, and the aphides. These insects have neither mandibles nor maxillae, but in their place they have a sheath and sucker. 4. Neuroptera, or nerved-winged insects, such as the dragon-flies, have both pairs of wings membraneous, naked, and finely reticulated. The mouth is adapted for mastication, and fur- nished with mandibles and maxillae. 5. Hymenoptera, membraneous winged insects, such as bees, wasps, ichneumon flies, &c. All the four wings are mem- braneous, but they have fewer nervures, and are not reticu lated like those of the preceding order. The mouth is fur- nished with mandibles and maxillae, and the abdomen is ter- minated either by an ovipositor or a sting. (5. Lepidoptera, or scaly-winged insects. These are the butterflies and moths, and they are characterised by the farinaceous or scaly aspect of their wings, and the tubular or thread-like extension of the parts of the mouth. 7. Strepsitera or Rhipiptera, with twisted wings. These crea- tures resemble the ichneumon, in laying their eggs in the bodies of other insects, though they generally attack wasps and bees. The principal genera are Xenos and Stylops. 8. Diptera, or double-winged insects, including the flies. The mouth is furnished with a proboscis, and there are two small wings called halteres placed behind the true wings, which act as balancers. 9. Suctoria, or sucking insects, such as the flea, which have no wings, but are furnished with an apparatus for sucking blood. SECTION II. Insects not undergoing Metamorphoses. 10. Thysauoura, or spring-tail insects. These creatures are of small size, and without wings ; they are found in crevices of wood- work, or under stones. The principal genera are Leptisma and Podaurus. 11. Parasita, or parasitical insects, such as the louse. They are also without wings. 12. Myriapode. This order is made a separate class by many natu- ralists, as the creatures contained in it are distinguished from the true insects by the great number of their feet ; by the want of distinct divisions into thorax and abdomen ; and by the great number of segments into which the body is divided. The principal insects in this order are included in the Lin- INTRODUCTION. XX111 naean genera Julus and Scolopendra, commonly called centi- pedes. The term larva is applied to the young of all insects included in the first seven orders, when first hatched. The different kinds have, however, other names ; that is to say, the larva of a butterfly, or moth, is called a caterpillar ; that of a beetle, a grub ; and that of a fly, a maggot. The larva changes its skin several times, and at last it goes into the pupa state, when it is called a chrysalis, an aurelia, or a nymph. Sometimes the pupa is wrapped up in a loose outer covering called a cocoon. From the pupa in time bursts forth the imago, or perfect insect. The Apterous, or wingless true in- sects, and the Myriapoda, which are also without wings, do not un- dergo any metamorphosis. Entomology is a very difficult study, from the great number of systems that have been broached by mo- dern naturalists, and from the changes continually making in the names of the insects. THE RADIATED ANIMALS Are so called because their organs of locomotion, and even their in- ternal viscera are generally arranged in a circle round a centre, so as to give a radiated appearance to the whole body, The animals included in this class are the very lowest in the scale; they have scarcely any external senses; their movements are slow, and almost their only sign of life is a craving for food. Some of them, however, have a distinct mouth and alimentary canal, with an anal orifice ; others have a bag-like stomach with a kind of mouth, through which they both take their food and reject their excrements ; while others have no mouth, and only appear to absorb nourishment through pores. In the like manner, though some are oviporous, others may be propagated by division like plants. There are five classes, which are as follows. I. Echinodermata, or sea-urchins. These animals have a leathery skin, or crustaceous skin or shell, commonly covered with numerous tubercles. The mouth is in the centre of the ani- mal, and is armed with five or more pieces of bone, which serve as teeth ; the stomach is a loose bag ; the organs for res- piration are vascular ; and the animals are oviparous. They are furnished with tentacular tubes, which serve as arms or feet, and which they can push out and draw back at pleasure ; and they have yellowish or orange-coloured blood, which appears to circulate. Cuvier divides this class into those with feet, and those without ; but Lamarck, whose arrangement XXIV INTRODUCTION. is now generally followed, divides them into three orders, viz. 1 . The Fistuloides, or Holothurida, which have cylindrical bodies, leathery skins, and mouths surrounded by tentacula, These creatures live in the sea, or in the sands on the sea- shore ; and the trepang, or eatable worm of the Chinese, is one of them. 2. The Echinides. These are the sea-urchins, properly so called, and the shells, when the animals are out of them, are called sea -eggs. The Echinides live in the sea, and they have long arms to secure their prey, and two series of bone-like teeth to crush it. They lay eggs, and the roe, or imperfect eggs, occupy a large portion of the space within the shell when the animal is still alive. 3. The Stetterides, or Asterias, are the star-fish. The mouth in these creatures is in the middle of the lower surface, and it has a membranous lip, capable of great dilation, but furnished with angular projections for capturing and crushing its prey. The skin is soft but leathery, and it is covered on the back with spongeous tubercles or scales. The rays are hollow beneath, and furnished with tentaculae, by the aid of which the star-fish manages to crawl backwards, forwards, or side- ways, as the case may be, any of the rays serving as a leader. These animals are found on the sea-shore, forming large beds, which are washed over by the sea. The Crinoidea, or stone- lilies, of which such curious fossil specimens have been found, are nearly allied to the star-fish. II. The Intestina, or Entozoa. The intestinal worms were divided into two kinds by Cuvier, viz. the Cavitaires, including the worms of children, the botts in horses, and other cylindrical worms ; and the Parenchymateux, or flat worms ; such as the fluke in sheep, and the tape-worm in human beings. III. Acalephee or Sea-Jellies. These creatures are of a soft and jelly-like substance, with a thin skin, and an unarmed mouth. There are two kinds, the Medusides, which have round bodies, and the Acalephes, the bodies of which are of an irregular shape. The Medusides are very numerous, and produce that beautiful phosphorescent light noticed by voyagers in the Australian seas. The most interesting of the Acalephes is the Portuguese man-of-war, or physales; and some naturalists include in it the actinia, or sea-anemone. IV. Polypes, or Anthozoa, according to Cuvier, were arranged in three orders, viz. the Polypes, the Lithophytes, and the Sponges; but to these Larmarck has added the Mol- luscous Polypes, calling the others the Radiated Polypes. The molluscous polypus is a very small animal. The mouth is wide and circular, and it is surrounded by a fringe of tenta- culae. This kind of polypi always dwells in a calcareous cell, which is so connected with its body that it cannot leave it. The crust, or shell, is called the polypidom, and as a number of polypi dwell together their polypidom soon becomes of a great INTRODUCTION. XXV size; particularly as when the first set of polypi die, their cells remain to be increased by the next generation. The sea-mat, or floster, is a specimen of these animals. The ra- diated polypi are divided into three orders, which are thus named and characterised. 1 . HeliantJioida. Some naturalists include in this order the actinia, or sea-anemone ; but all agree that it contains the animals of the madrepores, sea-mushrooms, and brainstones, which live in communities, and possess the power of secreting calcare- ous matters, which they emit to form these stony substances. 2. Asteroida. Some of the animals belonging to this division are called sea-pens, and others form some of the different kinds of coral, particularly that used for necklaces, &c. 3. Hydroida. This order includes the fresh-water polypi, which it is well known, by the experiments that have been tried, may be cut in pieces and even turned inside out with- out destroying life. The Lithophytes are divided into two families, viz., those covered with a thick jointed crust, which are the coral insects, or Corallines of Linnaeus ; and those called by De Blainville Fucoidece, which closely resemble sea-weeds. The Sponges differ so much from the other zoophytes, that they have been formed by De Blainville into a separate class, under the name of Amorphozoa. The sponge, in its native state, appears to be filled with a kind of jelly, but when ex- amined with a microscope, this jelly will be discovered to be full of transparent spherical granules, which are small animals. Sometimes sandy or calcareous particles are found in sponge, as though it were on the point of being changed into a polypidom. V. The Infusoria, or Animalcule, are so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, and they are all inhabitants of liquids. Cuvier arranged them in two orders, one of which he called Les Rotiferes, and the other Les Infusories homogenes, but by Lamarck's system, which is now generally followed, the first of these divisions is now included in the polypi ; and the latter are divided into two orders, one with external organs and the other without. The great number of these animals and their singular forms must be present to the mind of every one who has seen a drop of stagnant water magnified in a powerful microscope. ERRATA. Page 16, the figure is of the Caracal Lynx. 17, for Coitus 29, Lupes 51 , vitellina 63, Marsapalia 66, Fibea 77, decuman* 121, cervicarpa 1I53, mail ISO, chrysoetos 199, Night jor 202, arbores 2(15, hartiilama 212, cardinalis 247, be - - 217, Perdrix 273, domestica 279, Coumba 298, for stellarius 300, lencorodia 343, Dolphinus 345, Delphinius 3fi9, merluccius 378, fluiratUis 407, Orpfiidiam 419, Marina 420, _ Bactrian 446, "itsbody" 449, SECT. III. 450, fluivatilis 455, SECT. IV. read Catus. Lupus. vitulina. Marsupialia. Fiber. decumanus. cervicapra. male. chrysaetos. Nightjar, and for Warnurton read Waterton. arbor ea. hortulana. varduelin. he. Perdix. domegticut. Columba. 289, The birds figured are the Cassowary, or Indian Emu, (Camtarius Emeu,) and not the Australian Emu, Dromaius ater, read stellaris. leiicorodia . Delphinus. Delphinus. merlucius. fluviatilis. ophidian. murina, liatracliian. " their bodies." SECT. II. fluviatUis. SECT. III. and for caterpillar read centipedes. viridisximus. domestims. formicarium. larva. 472, viridissima 476, domestica 480, formlcaleo 497, larvae EXPLANATION TERMS USED IN NATURAL HISTORY. Amphibious. Capable of living both on the land and in the water. Animalcules. Small animals, visible only with the assistance of the microscope. Annulated. Marked with rings. Antenna. The horns or feelers of insects. Antlers, Horns overhanging the brows. Aquatic. Living or growing in the water. Bifid. Divided into two parts. Bimaculated. With two spots, or two series of spots. Bivalve. With two shells or openings. Callosity. A hard lump, an excrescence. Canine. Of the dog kind. Carnivorous. Feeding on flesh. Cere. A skin over the bill of birds ; sometimes moveable, as in parrots. Cetaceous. Of the whale kind. Cinerous. Of the colour of ashes. Columbine. Of the dove or pigeon kind. Cordiform. Heart-shaped. Crustaceous. Covered with a shell or crust; as lobsters, crabs, &c. Digitated. Having the feet divided into toes or fingers ; as in cats and dogs. Dorsal. Belonging to the back. Elytra. The wing-cases of insects of the bee tie- tribe. Exsanguineous. Without red blood, as worms. Entomology. A description of insects. Feelers. The antennae or horns of insects. Feline. Belonging to the cat kind. Ferrugineous. Of an iron or rust colour. Friigivorous. Feeding on seeds. Furcated. Forked. Gallinaceous. Belonging to the hen kind. Gestation. The time of going with young. Granivorous. Feeding on grain. Gregarious. Associating together. Herbivorous. Feeding on grass. Hoof. The horny substance that protects the external part of the foot in some quadrupeds. b 2 XXV111 EXPLANATION OF TERMS. Ichthyology. A description of fishes. Imbricated. Tiled, or lying over each other. Incubation. The act of hatching eggs. Insectivorous. Feeding on insects. Laminated. Covered with, or divided into plates or scales. Larva. The young of insects. Lateral. Belonging to the side, placed sideways. Mandibles. Upper and lower, the two divisions of a bird's beak, or projecting jaws of an insect. Migratory. Coming and going at certain seasons. Multivalve. With many shells or openings. Nictitating. Winking ; applied to a membrane with which birds cover their eyes at pleasure. Obfuscated. Of a darkish colour. Olfactory. Relating to smell. Operculum. A shield or cover. Ornithology. A description of birds. Oviparous. That lays eggs. Parturition. The act of bringing forth young. Passerine. Belonging to the sparrow tribe. Pectoral. Belonging to the breast. Pendulous. Hanging down. Piscivorous. Feeding on fishes. Predaceous. Formed to pursue prey. Prehensile. Capable of laying hold of. Proboscis. The flexible trunk of the elephant, bee, &c. Quadrifid. Divided into four parts. Quadruped. Four-footed. Reptiles. Animals of the serpent tribe, with legs. Ruminating. Chewing the cud. Scabrous. Rough. Scapulars. Shoulders. Semilunar. In the form of a half-moon. Setaceous. Having bristles or strong hairs. Spiral. Winding like a screw. Striated. Streaked or striped. Subulated. Formed like an awl. Tentacula . The feelers of snails and other mollusca. Testaceous. Covered with a shell, as oysters. Trifurcated. Three-forked. Truncated. Appearing as if cut off. Umbrageous. Spreading ; thick, tufted. Univalve. With one shell or opening. Ventral. Belonging to the belly. Vertebrated. Having a jointed spine-bone. Viviparous. Bringing forth the young alive. Webbed. Connected with a membrane, as the claws of aquatic birds. Zoologists. Writers on animated nature. Zoology. The history of animated nature. Zoophite. An animal plant, or sensitive vegetable. TABLE OF CONTENTS. BOOK I.-LAND MAMMALIA. POPULAR AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF THE ANIMALS DESCRIBED. *** Where no synonyme is given, the Linnsean name is the only one in \ise ; and when the synonymes are seldom used, they are marked thus *. When no Linnsean name is given, the animal was not described by Linnaeus. 1. arnibotoug, or eating English Name. Linnaean Name. Synonymes. Page. LION & LIONESS Felis Leo *Leo vulgaris. Leach . 1 & 6 TIGER . Felis Tigris . 8 LEOPARD . Felis Leopardus Felis Pardus. Cuv. . 10 PANTHER . Felis Pardus . Felis Pardus var. . 11 HUNTING LEOP-^) ARD, or CHIT- ) Felis jubata . ! Cynaclurus jubata. 1 ,, TAH . . .J 1 J JAGUAR Felis onc_a li i Felis Puma. Trail . ~] PUMA . Felis concolor *Leo Americanus. Her. > 15 *Puma concolor. Jard. \ LYNX . Felis Lynx *Lynchus vulgaris. ) 1ft Gray . . .} l CAT . Felis Catus . Felis Catus var domes- ) , tica . . . . j DOGS . Canis familiaris 19-27 Fox . Canis Vulpes . ( Vulpes vulgaris. ) ga ' ( Briss. . . .} WOLF. Canis Lupus . *Lupus vulgaris . . 29 JACKAL Canis aureus . 31 XXX CONTENTS. English Name. HYAENA BROWN BEAR . POLAR BEAR . RACOON BADGER COATI-MONDI CIVET CAT . GENNET EGYPTIAN ICH- NEUMON, or MONGOUSTE WEASEL FERRET. . POLECAT . SABLE MARTEN OTTER SEAL . WALRUS Linnsean Name. Canis Hyasna . Ursus Arctos . Ursus Lotor . Ursus Meles . Viverra Nasua Viverra Civetta Viverra Genetta Viverra Pharaonis Mustela vulgaris Mustela furo . Mustela putorius . Mustela Zibellina . Mustela Martes Mustela Lutra Phoca vitulina Trichechus Rosma- rus . . Synonymes. Hyaena vulgaris. Cuv. Ursus maritimus. Gmel. Procyon Lotor Cuv. . Meles vulgaris. Des. . Nasua nasica. F. Cuv. Genetta vulgaris. Cuv. Herpestis Pharaonis Illig. Mangusta Pha- raonis. Cuv. *Viverra furo. Shaw Putorius vulgaris. Cuv Martes fagorum. Ray. Lutra vulgaris. Erxl. *Phoca variegata. Neil, Calocephalus vitulinus, Cuv. Page. 32 33 1 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 44 46 47 48 48 49 51 54 HEDGEHOG MOLE . . SHREW . . SECTION II. 3Ensect=eating Animals. ( Erinaceus Euro- j ' I paeus . Talpa Europcea Sorex araneus 56 Talpa vulgaris. Briss. 58 60 SECTION III Cfdropterous Animals. BAT Vespertilio noctule SECTION IV. JWarsupialia, or ^poucb=6eartng Animals. KANGAROO OPOSSUM Didelphis Viginiana Macropus major. Shaw'} and Cuv. *Halmaturus I Illig. and *Kangurus. [ i)esm. . . .J 63 65 BEAVER HARE . SECTION V. "Sottentia or natoing Animals. . . . Castor Fiber . . ... . . . Lepus timidus . ... 86 CONTENTS. XXXI Erglish Name RABBIT . SQUIRREL . GUINEAPIG MOUSE RAT . WATER RAT MUSK RAT . DORMOUSE . JERBOA . CHINCHILLA PORCUPINE. Linnaean System. Lepus cuniculus Scirus vulgaris Synonyme*. Mus porcellus Mus musculus Mus decumanus Mus amphibius Mus avellanarius Dipus jaculus . Hystrix cristata Arctomys Marmotta. Gmel. Cavia cobaja. Pall. Cavia aperea. Erxl. Hydrochserus aperea. F. Cuv. . Page. 71 72 73 74 Mus Aquaticus. Briss. *Lemnus aquaticus. F. Cuv. Arvicola amphi- bia..-Desm. and Jenyns. Arvicola aquatica. Hem. Fiber zibethecus. DCS. Ondrata zibethecus. Locep. Myoxis muscardinus. Gmel. . Dipus Jerboa Gmel. Mus sagitta. Pall. . Chincilla lanigera 15 77 80 181 . 82 83 SECTIOK VI. lEtfcntata or toothless 'Animal?. SLOTH . ARMADILLO ANT EATER DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS Bradypus tridactylus Dasypus sexcinctus {Myrmecophaga ju- J bata . . .S 84 86 87 Ornithorynchus paradox-') us. Blum. Platypus )> 88 anatinus. Shaw. . j SECTION VIL ^acfjntfermata, or tf>u&=sfcinnetf ELEPHANT . . Elephas Indicus . ... HIPPOPOTAMUS, ) Hippopotamus am- ( or RIVER HORSED phibus 90 RHINOCEROS WILD BOAR TAPIR . . HORSE . Ass . . WILD Ass MULE . ZEBRA Rhinoceros Indicus Sus scofra Tapir Americanus Equus caballus Equus Asinus Equus Zebra Sus aper. Briss. . Asinus vulgaris. Gray 94 95 97 S8 101 103 104 105 XXX11 CONTENTS. SECTION VIIL UUinunating "animals. { .1 English Name. BULL . Cow . WILD BULL . | BUFFALO BISON BRAHMIN BULL,) or ZEBU . . J SHEEP . . RAM . . WALLACHIAN RAM . . ARGALI,OrWlLD> SHEEP OFAsiA$ GOAT IBEX, or BOQUE-> TIN . . 5 ANTELOPE GAZELLE . NYLGHAU . GNU . STAG ROEPUCK . FALLOW DEER . ELK . REINDEER Axis WAPITI GIRAFFE . CAMEL DROMEDARY LLAMA Linntean Name. Bos Taurus, var. do- ] mesticus < Synonymes. var. Bos Taurus, Scoticus Bos Bubalus . Bos Bonasus . Bos Taurus, var. Indicus Ovis Aries Ovis Musmon Ovis Ammon Capra Hircus Capra Ibex Antilope cervicapra Antilope Dorcas . Antilope picta * Capra ovis. Blum. Antilope Gnu. Gmel. Cervus Elephus . Cervus capreolus . Cervus Dama . Cervus Alces . Cervus Tarandus . Cervus Axis . Cervus canadensis-GwieH *Cervus strongyloceros. >133 Schres. . . .J Camelopardis GiraffaT 134 Camelus Bactrianus 137 Camelus Dromedarius 139 Camelus Llacma . Auchenia glama. Illig. 141 Page. . 107 . 108 . 109 . Ill . 113 . 114 . 115 . 117 . 117 . 118 . 119 . 120 . 121 122 123 124 125 127 128 129 130 132 SECTION IX C^uatirumana, or Si- troglodytes Simia inuus . Simia mormon BARBARY APE BABOON PROBOSCIS MON- KEY -) . ) "animals. Troglodytes niger. ) .. Geoff, and Cuv. . . 5 Inuus sylvanus. Cuv. 143 Cynocephalus Mormon- i , .. Desm. and Cuv. . $ Nasalis larvatus. Geoff. 145 CONTENTS. XXX111 English Name. DIANA MONKEY CAPUCHIN MON-, KEY . . < SPIDER MONKEY Linntean Name. Simia Diana Simia capucina .} Si- Jacchus MARIKINA LEMUR & MON- GOOS > Lemur Mongoz Fynonymes. Page. Cercopithecus Diana. > . , - Geoff.. . . .5 14 Cebus capucinus. Des. 147 Ateles araclmoides. ) , A - Geoff. . . .$ 147 Jacchusvulgaris.-Geojf. Ateles hypoxanthus. Kuhl ' . . Lemur nigrifrons and al- bifrons. Geoff. . . 148 148 149 BOOK H-BIRDS. SECTION I RAPTORES. Uiurnal 33trt>s of GOLDEN EAGLE . Falco chrysaetos SEA EAGLE Falco albicaudis . | BALD EAGLE Falco leucocephalus | BLACK EAGLE . Falco melaneotos . CONDOR Vultur Gryphus . | VULTURE . Vultur Papa . . < BUZZARD . Falco Buteo . GOSHAWK . Falco Palumbarius SPARROW-HAWK. Falco Nisus . . | KITE . Falco Milvus . FALCON Falco communis . | MERLIN Falco sesalon . OSPREY, or FISH- } T Am TT t wv Falco haliaetus Aquila chrysaetos . Haliaetus albicilla. Sav Haliaetus leucocepha- lus. Savigny . Sarcorhampus Gryphus. ' Dum. Sarcorhampus Papa. ' Dum i Buteo vulgaris. Bech. . ' Aster palumbarius . Accipiter Nisus. Ray. ] Nisus communis . . j Milvus regalis. Cuv. Falco peregrinus and ) Falco islandicus . HORNED OWL BARN OWL "Nocturnal IStrtts of Strix Otus Strix flammea 173 175 SECTION II. Ensessores, or 3SirtJ. b5 176 XXXIV CONTENTS. English Name. Linnxan Name, Synonymes. Page. LlTTLEBuTCHER \ BIRD . . ) Lanius colurio 178 WATER OUSEL, \ or DIPPER . ) Sturnus Cinclus . < Turdus Cinclus Lath. Merula aquatica.--Briss. Cinclus aquaticus.-ItecA. __ >179 BLACKBIRD Turdus Merula .... 180 THRUSH Turdus musicus 181 MISSEL THRUSH Turdus viscivorus . 181 REDWING . Turdus iliacus 182 FIELDFARE Turdus piliaris 183 REDBREAST Motacilla rubecula Sylvia rubecula. Lath. Ficedula. Bech. . 184 NIGHTINGALE . Motacilla luscinia . Sylvia luscinia. Lath. Curruca luscinia. Bech. 186 BLACKCAP Motacilla atracapilla Sylvia. Lath ; and Cur- ruca. Bech. 190 Sylvia. Lath. Troglo- WREN j Motacilla Troglo- \ dytes . dytes Europoeus.-C'v. Troglodytes vulgaris. .191 Flem. ' Sylvia Trochilus. Lath. WILLOW WREN Motacilla Trochilus < Regulus Trochilus. .192 Cuv WATER WAG- ) TAIL . . ) Motacilla alba 193 SWALLOW . Hirundo rustica 195 MARTIN Hirundo urbica 197 GOATSUCKER . | Caprimulgus Euro- pueus . I 199 SKYLARK . Alauda arvensis 200 WOODLARK Alauda arborea 202 TITMOUSE . Par us major . 203 TOM TIT . Parus Coerulens .... 203 YELLOW HAMMER Emberiza citrinella Emberiza flava 204 ORTOLAN . Emberiza hortulana 205 Sylvia JEnanthe Lath." WHEATEAR MortacillaJBnanthe Saxicola jEnanthe. V205 Bech. . f *Pyrgita domestica. ' SPARROW . ^-i Cuv. . V206 1 Passer domesticus.-.Ray. LINNET CANARY BIRD . Fringilla cannabina { Fringilla Linota.-G^. ' ( Lmaria Linota. Cuv. . Fringilla Canaria . *Serinus canarius.-JBrm. (207 208 BULLFINCH Loxia pyrrhula Pyrrhula vulgaris .- Tern. 211 [" Carduelis communis " \ GOLDFINCH Cw^./Cardueliselegans. V212 (^ Steph. . . .J STARLING Sturnus vulgaris . Sturnus varius. Mey. 214 RAVEN . Corvus corax , 215 CROW Corvus corone 218 ROOK Corvus frugilegus . 219 JACKDAW . Corvus monedula . 222 CONTENTS. English Name. Linnsean Name. MAGPIE . . Corvus pica . JAY . . . Corvus glandarius . CHOUGH . . Corvus graculus SATIN BOWER \ BIRD . . / BIRD OF PARADISE Paradisea apoda NUTHATCH . . Sitta Europeea CREEPER . . Certhia familiaris HUMMING-BIRD Trochilus colubris HOOPOE . . Upupaepops Synonymes. Garrulus glandarius. Briss. and Cuv. . Pyrrhocorax graculus. Tern. . Ptilonorhynchus Holo-* sericeMS.-Kuhl. Kitta. Lesson. Grauculus. Cuv. Page. 223 ^225 226 227 230 231 232 233 234 SECTION III. Scansores, or Umbers. CUCKOO ROLLER K.INGSFISHER WOODPECKER TOUCAN PARROT MACCAW PARROQUET RING PARROQUET COCKATOO . Cuculus canorus Coracias garrula Alcedo ispida . . Picus viridus . . Ramphastos tucanus Psittacus erythacus Psittacus aracanga | Psittacus Nova Hoi- 1 landiae . . ) Psittacus Alcxandri Psittacus galeratus Cuculus hepaticus Macrocercus aracanga.- Viell . Palaeornis torquatus Palseornis Alexandri Plyctolophus galeritus . 236 240 241 243 245 246 248 249 250 251 SECTION IV. Gallinaceous ISirtts. PEACOCK . TURKEY . . < GUINEA FOWL . JUNGLE FOWL,") or BRUSH TUR- > KEY LYRE BIRD PHEASANT Pavo cristatus Meleagris Gallo- ) Pavo . . . ) Numida Meleagris Phasianus Colcliicus ... . 252 . .. .... v. 254 256 Megapodius tumulus . 258 Menura superba . . 261 265 PARTRIDGE Tetrao Perdix Perdix cinerea. Lath. 267 Coturnix major. Briss. ~] Coturnix vulgaris. | QUAIL Tetrao Coturnix Flem. Coturnix Eu- S266 ropaeus.-IFV&. Perdix Coturnix. Lath. CONTENTS. English Name. Linnsean Name. Synonymies. Page < FOWL . . j Tetrao Scoticus Lagopus Scoticus.-Lath. ) , *Bonasa Scotica. Briss. } ' BLACK COCK Tetrao Tetrix . *Uriogallis minor. Ray. 272 PTARMIGAN Tetrao Lagop-.is Lagopus vulg&ris.-Wils. } nyo Tetrao rupestris. Gmel. \ COCK and HEN . Phasianus Gallus . Gallus domesticus.- W^s. \ n-q Gallus Sonati . . . /** Rl s N H G A DOVE ' orCu '} Columba palumbus . - . 275 STOCKDOVE Columba JEnas 277 PIGEON Columba livia 279 TURTLEDOVE Columba Turtur 281 SECTION V. d&rallatores, or <5Hat?crs. OSTRICH Struthio Camelus . 283 CASSOWARY . Struthio Casuarius : Casuarius galeatus.-FeW. ) 986 Casuarius Emeu . ( DODO . Didus ineptus .288 EMEU . . . | Struthio Novae Hoi- 1 landiae . . J Dromaius ater. Viel. . 289 CRANE Ardec Grus Grus cinerea. Cuv. . 291 BALEARIC CRANE Ardea pavonina . j Anthropoides pavonina. ) 090 V 1i. . . . J STORK Ardea Ciconia Ciconia alba. Cuv. . 293 ADJUTANT . Ardea dubia . Ciconia argala. Cuv . 295 HERON Ardea major . . 296 BITTERN . Ardea stellaris Botaurus stellaris.-.Bms. 298 SPOONBILL Platalea leucorodia 300 CURLEW Scolopax arquata . Numenius arquata.-C*wtt. 302 REDSHANK Scolopax calidris . Totanus calidris. Bech. 303 GODWIT Scolopax JEgocephala Limosamelanura.-T'em. 304 SNIPE . Scolopax Gallinago 305 WOODCOCK Scolopax rusticola . 306 LAPWING, or } PEWIT . . } Tringa vanellus Vanellus cristatns.-Mey. 307 RUFF and REEVE Tringa pugnax 310 KNOT . Tringa Canutus Tringa cinerea. Gmel. 311 GREY PLOVER . Tringa squatarola . . 312 DOTTREL . Charadrius Morinellus 313 WATER HEN Falica chloropus Gallinula chloropus . 314 COOT . Fulica atra . . ; . 315 SECTION VI. ^almtpeUes, or JKReb=footeB PELICAN . . Pelicanus onocrotalus . . 316 Corvus aquaticus. Ray. ~ CORMORANT Pelicanus Carbo f .\ (_ Uriss . J CONTENTS . xxxvii English Name. Linnsan Name. Synonymes. Page. f Pelicanus maculatus. ") SOLAN GOOSE, or ) GANNET . . J Pelicanus Bassanus<{ Gmel.-A.nser bassanus. 1 oon -Ray. Sula alba.-Afey. f 6M Sula Bassana. Bris. . J WILD SWAN TAME SWAN Anas Cygnus . Anas olor Cygnus ferus. Ray . 322 Cygnus olor. Ray. . 322 f Anser palustris. Flem. ~| GOOSE Anas anser X Anser ferus. Wils. >325 I Anser sylvestris.-.Bms. J DUCK Anas Boschas . Anas fera. Briss. . . 327 WlGEON Anas Penelope i Mareca fistularis.-Sfep. goo Anatra Mangiana.-Stor. TEAL . . . Anas Crecca . 1 Querquedula Crecca. OOA Step *" STORMY PETREL, "] or MOTHER CA- I KEY'S CHICK- f Procellaria pelagica | Thalassidroma pelagica. ) on, Vigors . . ) 331 ENS . .1 AUK, or NORTH- ) ERN PENGUIN J Alca impennis 333 BOOK TIL FISHES. SECTION I. etacea, or Sea Jttammatta. WHITE WHALE Delphinus leucas . < Beluga leucas. Gray.} Beluga artica. Less. { nog DelphinapterusBeluga f I Lacep. . . . \ COMMON WHALE Balaena mysticetus .... .338 SPERMACETI ~] WHALE, or CA- ; CHALOT . .J Physeter macroce- ) phalus . . / 342 DOLPHIN . Delphinus Delphis . ... . . . 343 PORPOISE . Delphinus Phocaena 345 GRAMPUS . Delphinus orca 346 SEA UNICORN . Monodon monoceros 347 SECTION II. ([Cartilaginous JFisfies. SHARK Squalus Carcharias . 348 SKATE, or MAID Raia batis . . . 352 TORPEDO . Raia Torpedo 354 CONTENTS. SECTION VII. English Name. Linnaean Name. Synonymes. Tage. PILOT FISH Gasterosteus ductor Naucrates ductor. Cuv. 355 REMORA,OrSuCK- \ ING FISH . ) Echeneis Remora. Tur. 356 SEA WOLF . . . Anarrhichas lupus 357 FATHER LASHER Cottus Scorpius 358 SWORD FISH Xiphias gladius 359 STURGEON . Acipenser Sturio . 360 GURNARD . Trigla cuculus 362 JOHN DORY Zeus faber 363 COD FISH . Gadus Morrhua Morrhua vulgaris.-C'M?;. 364 HADDOCK . Gadus ^aSglefinus . | Morrhua ^Eglefinus Cuv. . [366 WHITING . Gadus Merlangus . | Merlangus vulgaris. Cuv [368 f Lota molva .-Cuv. Asel-" LING . Gadus molva . .< lus longus.-Will. Mol- >368 I va vulgarisi Flem. f HAKE . Gadus Merlucius . Merlucius vulgaris.-C'wtJ.' 369 f Scomber Scombrus. " | MACKEREL Scomber Scomber . < Cuv. Scomber vulga- >370 I ris. Flem. GAR FISH . Esox Belone . Belone vulgaris. Cuv. ' 371 HERRING . Clupea Harangus . 372 SPRAT Clupea Sprattus 374 PILCHARD . t Clupea pilcardus . \ Clupea Pilchardus. Block. 375 Engraulis encrasicolus. ANCHOVY Clupea encrasicolus< -Flem. Engraulis vul- 376 I garis. Cuv. WHITE BAIT Clupea latu . . j Clupea alba. Yarrell. * Clupea alosa. Don. . 376 TURBOT . . | Pleuronectes max- ) ( imus . . . J \ Rhombus maximus. Cuv 377 PLAICE Pleuronectes platessa Platessa vulgaris.- JVew. 378 f Platessa flesus. Flem.~} FLOUNDER . Pleuronectes flesus < Pleuronectes fluviati- V378 I Us. Will. . . J SOLE . Pleuronectas solea. Solea vulgaris. Ctiv . 379 SALMON Salmo solar 380 SALMON TROUT . Salmo trutta . 382 TROUT Salmo fario 383 GRAYLING . Salmo thymallus . | Thymallus vulgaris. 1 Cuv I 385 f Osmerus eperlanus.-^ 1 SMELT Salmo eperlanus .< Flem. Eperlamus .386 I Ronderlcttii. Will. } CHAR . Salmo umbla . Salmo alpinus. Pen. . 387 PIKE . . . Esox lucius . 388 CONTENTS. English Name. Linntean Name. Synonymes. Page. FLYING FISH Exocetus volitans . 390 PERCH . Perca fluviatilis 391 CARP . Cyprinus carpio 392 GOLD FISH Cyprinus auratus . 394 TENCH Cyprinus tinea Tinea vulgaris. Cuv. . 395 GUDGEON . Cyprinus gobio Gobio fluviatilis. Witt. 396 CHUB . . Cyprinus cephalus . \ Leuciscus cephalus. Flem. J396 DACE Cyprinus leuciscus . j Leuciscus vulgaris. Cuv J397 ROACH Cyprinus rutilus Leuciscus rutilus. Cuv. 398 BREAM . ..>, Cyprinus brama Abramis brama. Cuv. . 399 MINNOW Cyprinus phoxinus . | Leuciscus phoxinus. Cuv J400 ELECTRICALEEL I Gymnotus electri- V cus . . . ) 401 EEL . Mursena Anguilla . j Anguilla vulgaris. Thun. J403 LUMPSUCKER, or ) SEA OWL .J Cyclopterus lumpus | Lumpus Anglorum. Will 404 CAVALLO MARI- ] NO, or SEA- > HORSE . .J Syngnathus Hippo- 1 campus . . j I Hippocampus breviros- | tris. Cuv. 405 BOOK IV. REPTILES. SECTION I. Serpents, or pfyfttan ^Reptiles. VIPER, or ADDER Coluber Berus . ! v ipera uerus. uaua. \ ^Q HORNED VIPER. Coluber cerastes eras eras. en. ,J^ ASP . ... Coluber Haje 413 SNAKE Coluber natrix Natrix torquata. Ray. 415 RATTLE SNAKE . Crotalus horridus . 416 AMPHISBJENA . J Amphisbsena fuli- ) 417 \ ginosa . . ) BOA . Boa constrictor . 418 FROG . TOAD . SECTION II. 13actrad)tan Jfoptfles. Rana temporaria Rana Bufa Bufo vulgaris. 420 422 xl CONTENTS. English Name. LIZARD CHAMELEON CROCODILE . ALLIGATOR, CAYMAN . TORTOISE TURTLE SECTION III. Saurian IRetjtiles. Linnaean Name. Synonymes. Page. . Lacerta vivipara . \SS^BfS^ . Lacerta Chameleon Ch ^ le l 8 is -- . Lacerta Crocodilus **%**' 1 S*-- I Lacerta Alligator . Alligator lucius. Cuv. SECTION IV. (^Ionian HeptUes. Testudo Grseca Testudo Mydas 426 428 429 . 431 Chelonia Mydas.-.Bms. 433 BOOK V. MOLLUSCOUS ANIMALS. SECTION I. 33tbalbcs, or tljosc Ijabing ttoo xf;clls. PP*TT OVRTPP I Myrtilus Margari- ( Avicula margaritifera. \ R \ tifera . . . \ Lam } OYSTER COCKLE MUSCLE Ostrea edulis . Cardium edule Mytilus edulis SECTION II. ADMIRAL . Conus ammiralis SNIPE SHELL Murex haustellus . WHELK {Buccinum undula- ) turn . . ./ LIMPET Patella vulgata SNAIL . Helix aspersa. CUTTLEFISH Sepia octopodia 436 437 438 439 439 440 440 441 443 BOOK VI. ARTICULATED ANIMALS. SECTION I. 'antulitia, or ringrtJ Animals. EARTHWORMS LEECH Lumbricus terrestris Hirudo medicinalis Sanguisuga officinalis 446 447 CONTEXTS. xli English Name. LOBSTER CRAYFISH . CRAB . SOLDIER CRAB SHRIMP PRAWN SECTION II. (Crustacea. Linnxan Name. Cancer gammarus Cancer astacus Cancer Pagurus Synonymes. Page. Astacus marinus. " Leach. Astacus fluviatilis. Des. ' Potamobius. Leach. Cancer crangon Cancer serrator SECTION III. SPIDER TARANTULA CHEESE MITE Aranea domestica . Aranidea Lum hirsu- ( Phalangium hirsu- ) T * i . < . & > Lycosa tarentula . Acarus domesticus . SECTION IV. Insects. ORDER I. COLEOFTERA, OR BEETLES. EARWIG WALKING LEAF GRASSHOPPER LOCUST MOLE CRICKET . CRICKET ORDER II. ORTHOPTERA. Forficula auricularia Mantis sp. Gryllus viridissimus Gryllus migratorius Gryllus Gryllotalpa Gryllus domesticus 449 450 451 Pagurus Miles. Oliv. . 452 Crangon vulgaris.--.Fad. 453 Palacmonserratus.-Pen. 454 455 *457 458 COCK CHAFER . | Scarabreus Melolon- tha Melolontha vulgaris 462 DOR BEETLE . | Scarabaeus sterco- rarius . . . Geotrupes stercorarius . 463 STAG BEETLE . Lucanus Cervus .... 464 ELEPHANT ( BEETLE . . ( Scarabeus elephan- tis Dynastes elephantis 465 MUSK BEETLE,^ or GOAT CHAFF- > Cerambyx moscha- tus :,-'.. . . .:. 466 ER . . 1 GROUND BEETLE Carabus clathratus. 467 GLOW WORM Lampyris noctiluca 467 DEATH WATCH . Ptinus pulsator Annobium tessalatum . 468 SPANISH FLY . | Can thai is vesicato- 468 ria f .... LADY BIRD . | Coccinella septem . ; . . . 469 punctata Phyllium siccifolium. 470 \ ,. , . . . . | Tetrix viridissima.-La?. 472 Acrydium migratorium. \ Geoff. . . .(473 Gryllotalpa vulgaris. \ ,- Lot ..... J 47b .... 476 xlii CONTENTS. English Name. LANTHERN FLY COCHINEAL IN- SECT GREEN FLY ORDER III. HEMIPTEHA. I.inruran Name. Synonymes. Fulgora lanternaria | Coccus cacti . Aphis rosae . . Page. 477 478 479 ANT LION . DRAGON FLY ORDER IV. NEUROPTERA. Myrmeleon formica- ,. Fab. {Myrmeleon formica- ) rium . . . j Libellula grandis . 480 482 BEE . '. WASP . ICHNEUMON ANT . ORDER V. HYMENOPTERA. Apis mellifica . . ' . ' ""'. Vespa vulgaris Ichneumon mani- ) festator . . j Formica rufa . 483 486 487. 488 ORDER. VI. LEPIDOPTERA, MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. MOTH, with its^l CHRYSALIS and } . . . 490 CATERPILLARS j ToRTOISE-SlIELL 1 BUTTERFLY . j Papilio Vanessa Vanessa urticae . . 491 CABBAGE BUT- j TERFLY . . / Papilio Brassicae . | Pieris Brassicae. Lat. . \ ^nn Pontia Brassicse. Fab. j MAGPIE MOTH . | Phalaena grossulari- V ata . . . | ( Abraxas grossulariata. ) AQA ) Leach. . . ./ 4b WINTER MOTH . Phalaena brumata . Hibernia brumata.-Z,a. 495 BLACK ARCHES . Bombyx monocha . | Liparis monocha. Och. \ . _ Psiluramonocha.-iSYepA. j SILKWORM . Bombyx mori . 496 CLOTHES MOTH . Tinea vestianella . 498 BOOKWORM . . < Crambus pingui- ) . 499 HOUSE FLY GNAT . ORDER VII. DIPTERA. Musca domestica Culex pipiens . 500 501 FLEA ORDER VIII. SUCTORIA. Pulex irritans 502 CONTENTS. xliii BOOK VII. R A D I A T A. English Name. Limiaean Name. Page. STAR FISH . Asterias glacialis 504 SEA URCHIN . Echinus 505 ZOOPHYTES . . 506 CORALS . . 507 POLYPES . . 509 APPENDIX. FABULOUS ANIMALS. SPHINX 513 DRAGON 515 WIVERN, or\ ,. WOLVERINE . ( ' , ? i COCKATRICE, or\ ,,_ BASILISK. ./ 1 ' GRIFFIN . 518 PHCENIX . 519 MERMAID. or) K , n SIREN .} l KRAKEN . 520 DOLPHIN 520 UNICORN . 521 PEGASUS 522 CENTAUR 522 SATYR. , .523 nt*rtainmfl I. I. QUADRUPEDS, OR FOUR-FOOTED BEASTS. I. Carnivorous, or Flesh- eating Animals. THE LION. (FelisLeo.) What if the Lion in his rage I meet ? Oft in the dust I view his printed feet : And, fearful oft when Day's declining light Yields her pale empire to the mourner Night, By hunger roused, he scours the groaning plain, Gaunt wolves and sullen tigers in his train : Before them Death, with shrieks, directs their way, Fills the wild yell, and leads them to their prey. COLLINS. THE LION is called the king of beasts, not only from his grave and majestic appearance, but from his prodigious B 2 A DESCRIPTION OF strength. Zoologists, however, describe the Lion as an animal of the cat kind, distinguished from the other spe- cies of the genus by its uniform colour, the mane which decorates the male, and a tuft of hair at the tip of the tail. Lions were formerly found in every part of the old world ; but they are now confined to Afiica, and some parts of Asia. The African Lion stands four or five feet high, and his body is from seven to nine feet long. The mane is generally thick, and somewhat curly ; and the colour varies in different parts of Africa, but it is gene- rally of a clear dark brown, deepening in some cases almost into black. The Asiatic Lions are all much smaller than those of Africa, and their colour is generally paler. The Bengal Lion is of a light brown, with a long flowing mane; the Persian Lion is of a sort of cream-colour, with a short thick mane; and the Lion of Guzzerat is of a reddish brown, without any mane. All the varieties of Lions agree in their habits ; they lie hid in jungles in the long grass, but when roused they either walk quietly and majestically away, or turn and look stea- dily at their pursuers. The roar of the Lion is terrific ; and in a wild state, the animal generally roars with his mouth close to the ground, which produces a low rumbling noise, like that of an earthquake. The effect of the Lion's roar is described by those who have heard it, as making the stoutest heart quail ; and the feebler animals, when they hear it, fly in dismay, often in their terror falling in the way of their enemy, instead of avoiding him. Serpents, and some of the largest animals will, however, fight with Lions, and occasionally kill them ; and Lions, in their con- tests with men, are sometimes hunted by dogs, but are oftener shot, or speared. Those Lions which are exhibited in menageries have generally been caught in pits. The pit is dug where traces have been discovered of a Lion's path ; and it is covered with sticks and turf. QUADRUPEDS. 3 The Lion is deceived by the appearance of solidity pre- sented by the turf, and attempts to walk over it; but the mo- ment he sets his foot upon the covering of the trap, it breaks beneath his weight, and he falls into the pit. He is then kept without food for several days, shaking the ground with his roaring, and fatiguing himself by vainly attempt- ing to escape ; till, at last, he becomes exhausted, and so tame as to permit his captors to put ropes round him, and drag him out. He is then put into a cage, and removed in a kind of waggon, wherever his captors may wish to take him. The generosity of the Lion has been much extolled ; but the tales related of it appear to have had no other foundation than the fact, that the Lion, like many other beasts, when gorged with food, will not attack a man. As the Lion belongs to the cat tribe, his eyes are incapable of bearing a strong light ; it is therefore generally in the night that he prowls about for prey, and when the sun shines in his face, he becomes confused and almost blinded. Lion hunters are aware of this fact ; and in the day-time they always consider themselves safe, so long as they have the sun on their backs. In the night a h're has nearly the same effect; and travellers in Africa and the deserts of Arabia can always protect themselves from Lions and Tigers, by making a large fire near their sleeping-place. The strength of the African Lion is so great that he has been known to carry away a young heifer, and leap a ditch with it in his mouth. The power that man may acquire over a Lion has been often shown in the exhibitions of Van Amburgh, Carter, and others ; but the attachment which Lions sometimes form for their keepers, was never more strongly exemplified than in the following anecdote. M. Felix, the keeper of the animals in Paris, some years ago brought two Lions, a male and female, to the national menagerie. About the beginning of the following June, he was taken ill, and could no longer attend the B 2 A DESCRIPTION OF Lions ; and another person was under the necessity of per- forming this duty. The male, sad and solitary, remained from that moment constantly seated at the end of his cage, and refused to take food from the stranger, whose presence was hateful to him, and whom he often menaced by bellowing. The company even of the female seemed now to displease him, and he paid no attention to her. The uneasiness of the animal afforded a belief that he was really ill ; but no one dared to approach him. At length Felix recovered ; and, with an intention to surprise the Lion, he crawled softly to the cage, and showed only his face between the bars : the Lion, in a moment, made a bound, leaped against the bars, patted him with his paws, licked his hands and face, and trembled with pleasure. The female also ran to him ; but the Lion drove her back, and seemed angry; and, fearful that she should snatch any favours from Felix, a quarrel was about to take place ; but Felix entered the cage to pacify them. He caressed them by turns ; and was afterwards frequently seen betwixt them. He had so great a command over these animals, that whenever he wished them to separate and retire to their cages, he had only to give the order : when he had a desire that they should lie down, and show strangers their paws or throats, on the least sign they would throw them- selves on their backs, hold up their paws one after another? open their throats, and, as a recompense, obtain the favour of licking his hand. The Lion, like all animals of the cat kind, does not de- vour its prey the moment it has seized it. When the Lions in cages are fed, they generally hide their food under them for a minute or two before they eat it. Thus an instance is known of a man, who was struck down by a Lion, having time to draw his hunting-knife and stab the Lion, who was growling over him, to the heart, be- fore the ferocious beast had seriously injured him. The Lion also resembles a cat in its mode of stealing after, and watching its prey, a long time before seizing if. QUADRUPEDS. 6 Dr. Sparrman mentions a singular instance of the Lion's habits in this respect. A Hottentot perceiving that he was followed by a Lion, and concluding that the animal only waited the approach of night to make him his prey, began to consider what was the best mode of providing for his safety ; and at length he adopted the following : Observing a piece of broken ground with a precipitate descent on one side, he sat down by the edge of it ; and found, to his great joy, that the Lion also made a halt, and kept at a distance behind him. As soon as it grew dark, the man sliding gently forward, let himself down a little below the edge of the steep ; and held up his cloak and hat on his stick, at the same time gently moving them backward and forward. The Lion, after a while, came creeping towards the object ; and, mistaking the cloak for the man himself, made a spring at it, and fell headlong down the precipice. Lions have been sometimes known to attain a great age, as Pompey, a large male Lion that died, in 1760, in the Tower of London, was upwards of seventy years old. The usual life of a Lion, however, seldom exceeds twenty years. The Lion is generally represented as the com- panion of Britannia, as a national symbol of strength, courage, and generosity. In ancient gems, in paintings, and statuary, the Lion's skin is the attribute of Hercules. lit scriptural compositions, he is painted at the side of the evangelist, St. Mark ; and holds the fifth place among the signs of the zodiac, answering to the months of July and August. A DESCRIPTION OF THE LIONESS AND CUBS. THE LIONESS is in all her dimensions about one-third less than the male ; and she has no mane. She has generally two cubs at a time, which are born blind, like kittens, which they greatly resemble, though they are as large as a pug-dog, when born. When quite young, they are striped and spotted, but these marks soon disappear; they also at first mew like a cat, and do not begin to roar till they are about eighteen months old. About the same time, the mane begins to appear on the males, and soon after the tuft of hair on the tail, though the animal is generally five or six years before it attains its full size. The Lioness, though naturally less strong, less cou- rageous, and less mischievous than the Lion, becomes ter- QUADRUPEDS. 7 rible as soon as she has young ones to provide for. From the moment she becomes a mother, the ferocity of her dis- position appears with tenfold vigour ; and woe be to the wretched intruder, whether man or beast, who should un- warily at such a time approach the precincts of her sanctuary/ She makes her incursions for food for her young with even more intrepidity than the Lion himself; she throws herself indiscriminately among men and other animals ; destroys without distinction ; loads herself with the spoil, and brings it home reeking to her cubs. She usually brings forth her young in the most retired and in- accessible places ; and when she fears to have her retreat discovered, often hides her tracks, by running back over the ground, or by brushing them out with her tail. She sometimes also, when her apprehensions are great, trans- ports her young from one place to another like a cat ; and if obstructed, defends them with determined courage, and fights to the last. Mr. Fennel, in his History of Quadrupeds, relates an interesting anecdote of a Lioness kept at the Tower in 1773. This creature had become " greatly attached to a little dog, which was her constant companion. When the Lioness was about to whelp, the dog was removed ; but shortly after her accouchement had taken place, the dog contrived to enter the den, and approached the Lioness with his usual fondness. She, alarmed for her cubs, immediately seized him, and seemed about to kill him ; but, as if suddenly recollecting their former friend- ship, she carried him to the door of her den, and allowed him to escape unhurt" Mr. Fennel also tells us, that the first Lioness ever brought to England, died in the Tower in 1773, after having attained a great age. A DESCRIPTION OF THE TIGER. (Felis Tigrir.) THE Tiger, though very inferior to the Lion in majesty of appearance and deportment, is nearly equal in size and strength. The Tiger is another species of the cat kind, and is indeed very like an enormous cat. The whiskers and the tail are exactly like those of a cat ; and both the Tiger and the Lion resemble the cat in the form of their feet, and the power they possess of drawing in their claws. The Tiger, however, is more cat-like in his habits than the lion. When pleased, he purrs and curves up his back as he rubs himself against the nearest object, exactly like a cat ; and when enraged, he growls rather than roars ; and springs up to a great height before he pounces on his prey. The Tiger has a smaller and rounder head than the Lion ; he has no mane ; his tail is without any tuft at the QUADRUPEDS. 9 extremity, and his body much more slender and flexible. His colour is yellowish on the back and sides, becoming white beneath, with numerous lines of a very dark rich brown, or glossy black, sloping from the centre of the back down the sides, and over the head, being continued down the tail in the form of rings. Tigers are only found wild in Asia ; but they are very abundant, and very de- structive in the East Indies, as from their enormous strength they can carry off a bullock with the greatest ease. The attack of one of these animals upon Mr. Monro, son of Sir Hector Monro, was attended with the most tragical consequences. "We went," says an eye-witness, " on shore on Sangar Island, to shoot deer, of which we saw innumerable tracks, as well as of Tigers. We conti- nued our diversion till near three o'clock, when sitting down by the side of a jungle to refresh ourselves, a roar like thunder was heard, and an immense Tiger seized our unfortunate friend, and rushed again into the jungle, dragging: him through the thickest bushes and trees, everything giving way to his monstrous strength. All we could do was to fire on the Tiger; and our shots took effect, as in a few moments our unfortunate friend came up to us bathed in blood. Every medical assistance was vain, and he expired in the space of twenty-four hours, having received such deep wounds from the teeth and claws of the animal as rendered his recovery hopeless. A large fire, consisting of ten or twelve whole trees, was blazing near us at the time this accident took place ; and ten or more of the natives were with us. The human mind can scarcely form any idea of this scene of horror." B 5 v THE LEOPARD, (Fells Pardus,) Differs from the Tiger in being smaller, and in having the skin spotted instead of striped. His length from nose to tail is about four feet, the colour of the body is a more lively yellow, and the spots of his skin are smaller and closer than those of the panther; they are composed of four or five black dots arranged in a circle, and not imper- fectly representing the print left by the animal's foot upon the sand. There are said to be three varieties of the Leopard ; viz., the Panther, the Ocelot, and the Ounce. Like all animals of the cat tribe, Leopards are com- pounded of ferocity and cunning ; they prey upon the smaller animals, such as antelopes, sheep, and monkeys ; and they are enabled to secure their food with great suc- cess, from the extraordinary flexibility of their bodies. Kolben informs us, that in the year 1708, two of these QUADRUPEDS. 11 animals, a male and female, with three young ones, broke into a sheepfold at the Cape of Good Hope. They killed nearly a hundred sheep, and regaled themselves with the blood ; after which, they tore a carcass into three pieces, and gave one of these to each of their offspring ; they then took each a whole sheep, and, thus laden, began to retire; but having been observed, they were waylaid on their return, and the female and the young ones were killed, while the male effected his escape. They appear afraid of man, and never attack him unless driven by hunger, when they spring upon him from behind. The Leopard is sometimes called the tree-tiger. Is in shape somewhat like the leopard, of which he is generally considered only a variety. His hair is short, sleek, and glossy, and of a bright yellow, beautifully marked with round, annular black spots. He is about the size of a large mastiff-dog, with legs not quite so long; his voice is strong and hoarse, and he growls continually. He is fierce, greedy of blood, swift in the chase, and catches his prey by leaping from some lurking-place, where he squats himself in the manner and shape of a cat, which he resembles in many points. Like all the tribe, his tongue, in licking, grates like a file. 12 A DESCRIPTION OF Some years ago, Mrs. Bowditch brought a tame Panther over with her from Africa. This animal was called Sai. One day, at Cape Coast Castle, he found the servant appointed to attend on him sitting asleep, resting his back against a door ; Sai instantly lifted up his paw, and gave the sleeper a tap on the side of the cheek, which knocked him over, and when the man awaked, he found Sai wagging his tail, and seeming to enjoy the fun. Another day, when a woman was scrubbing the floor, he jumped on her back ; and when the woman screamed with fright, he sprang off, and began rolling over and over like a kitten. When put on board ship, he was first confined in a cage ; and the greatest pleasure he had was when Mrs. Bowditch gave him a little twisted cup or cornet of stiff paper with some lavender-water in it, and with this he was so delighted, that he would roll himself over and over, and rub his paws against his face. At first he used to put his claws out when he attempted to snatch any- thing; but as Mrs. Bowditch would never give him any lavender-water when this was the case, he soon learnt to keep his claws in. This poor Panther died soon after it reached England. The ounce differs from the leopard principally in the shape of its spots, which are sometimes scalloped and sometimes ring-shaped, and which are very irregularly disposed. This animal is a native of the Old World. The ocelot, or tiger- cat, is, on the contrary, only found in South America and Mexico; and it is described by Buffon as the most beautiful of all the animals of the cat tribe. Its colour is grey, tinged with fawn, and it is marked with long compressed rings of black, each enclosing a spot of yellow. The movements of this animal are peculiarly graceful, and it is easily tamed. QUADRUPEDS. 13 THE CHITTAH, OR HUNTING LEOPARD. (Felts Jubata.} THE Hunting Leopard seems to form the connecting link between the cat and the dog tribes ; as it has the long tail and flexible body of the cat, with the sharp nose and elongated limbs of the dog. Its claws also resemble those of a dog, and cannot be drawn into the foot, as they can in all animals truly of the cat kind. The Chittah is easily tamed, and Cuvier describes one which was accustomed to go at large in a park, and associated with the children and domestic animals, purring like a cat when pleased, and mewing when he wished to call attention to his wants. In the East the Chittah is used in hunting, and is carried in a carriage, or chained on a pad behind the saddle of a horseman, with a hood over his eyes : when a herd of antelopes is found, the hood is taken off the Chittah, who is let loose, and as soon as he sees the antelopes, steals cautiously along, till he comes within reach, when he springs suddenly upon them; making several bounds with the greatest rapidity, till he has killed his victim, when he begins instantly to suck its blood. The keeper then approaches, and throwing the Chittah some pieces of raw meat, contrives to hoodwink and chain him again to his 14 A DESCRIPTION OF pad behind the saddle, on which he crouches like a dog. If the Chittah is not successful in catching an antelope before the herd takes flight, he never pursues them, but returns to his keeper with a discontented and sullen air. THE JAGUAR. (Felis Onga.) THE Jaguar is a native of the New World, and it is some- times called the American Tiger. The Jaguar is generally larger and stronger than the Leopard, which it resembles in colour ; but the black ring-like marks have always a spot in the centre, which is not the case with those of the Leopard. The tail is also much shorter, and the head larger and rounder. The Jaguar has great strength, and will kill a horse or an antelope, and carry it off. He is, how- ever, a cowardly animal, always springing upon his prey from behind, and always attacking the last of a herd. His principal haunt is the long grass on the banks of a river, where he subsists chiefly on turtles ; turning them QUADRUPEDS. 15 on their backs, and then insinuating his paw between the shells so as to scoop out the flesh. No instance is yet known of a Jaguar being tamed. THE PUMA. (Felis Concolor.) THE Puma, or American Lion, is smaller than the jaguar, and has a shrill hissing cry, very different from that of other animals of the cat kind. The fur is of a silvery fawn- colour, nearly white below, but becoming black at the head ; the animal has no mane, and its tail is without any tuft at the tip. The cubs are spotted when young. The habits of the Puma are somewhat peculiar ; when attacked, it climbs the nearest tree for safety, and there it is generally shot by its hunters. The flesh is eaten by the Indians, and it is said to be much prized by them. The Puma flies from the sight of man, and seldom attacks any animal larger than a sheep ; but when he can surprise a flock of sheep, he kills as many as he can, only sucking the blood of each. He never devours the whole of his prey at once, carefully covering up what he cannot 16 A DESCRIPTION OF eat with leaves ; but if these should be removed, he will not touch the food again. It was formerly supposed that the Puma could not be tamed ; but this is not correct, as the late Edmund Kean, the tragedian, had one which fol- lowed him about like a dog, and was often permitted to come, at perfect liberty, into the drawing-room when it was full of company. THE EUROPEAN LYNX. (Felis Lynx.) THIS animal is proverbial for his piercing sight : there is no beast existing which is able to discover his prey at so great a distance as the Lynx. He is of the cat kind, and about the size of the fox. The most striking difference be- tween the Lynx and others of the tribe is in his tail, which is at least half as short in proportion, and black at the ex- tremity ; and in his ears, which are erect, with a tuft of long QUADRUPEDS. 17 black hairs at the tip. The fur is long and thick ; the upper parts of the body are of a pale gray colour, with a reddish tinge, the under parts white ; but the upper part is most valuable. This animal prefers cold to temperate climates ; he pursues his prey into the highest branches of trees; neither the wild cat, the martin, the ermine, nor even the squirrel, can escape him ; and such is his native ferocity, that in a state of captivity, on the slightest irrita- tion or insult, he expresses his anger by a kind of snarling scream. THE CAT. (Felis Cattus, var. domestica.) Grimalkin, to domestic vermin sworn An everlasting foe, with watchful eye Lies nightly brooding o'er a chinkey gap Protending her fell claws, to thoughtless mice Sure ruin. JOHN PHILIPS. IT was formerly supposed that the common domestic Cat was nothing more than the wild Cat of the woods, rendered tame by education. This opinion is, however, now doubted, on the ground that the tail of the wild Cat is thick and bushy, like that of a fox, while that of the domestic Cat tapers to the point. The Cat of the Egyptians, of which so many mummies have been found, 18 A DESCRIPTION OP differed still more in this respect, as its tail was long and slender, ending in a kind of tuft. There are four or five distinct varieties of the domestic Cat : the tabby, the tor- toise-shell, the Chartreuse, and the Angora. Of these, the tabby bears most resemblance to the wild Cat, arid the black Cats are from this breed : the tortoise-shell is said to have been brought from Spain, the females of this race being generally of a pure tortoise-shell, and the males butT, with stripes of a darker hue ; all the white, and nearly white Cats are descended from the Chartreuse breed, they have all a blue tinge in their fur, and reddish eyelids, and the tailless cats of Cornwall and the Isle of Man belong to this race : the Angoras are quite distinct, and are well known by their long silky hair. Cats are fond of warmth, and are generally affected by changes in the weather. They are very affectionate, purring at the sight of those who are kind to them ; and they will curve up their backs and rub themselves against a door when it is opened for them, as if to thank the kind friend who has done them this service, before they take advantage of it. The female Cat has generally five or six kittens at a time, which she carries about in her mouth, and hides, when she thinks them in danger. When a Cat is enraged, its hair stands erect, and its tail swells to an enormous size. Cats fight savagely, and often tear the skin off each other's necks. When two Cats are about to fight, they stand for some time looking at each other, and growling ; and then they dart at each other with the greatest fury, yelling with rage. Most cats are good mousers, and some bring everything they kill to their master or mistress, displaying their mice and rats with as much pride as a sportsman would his game. They are very fond of Catmint and Valerian, roll- ing themselves in a kind of ecstasy when they smell the latter plant. They are very cleanly, often sitting stroking their faces with their paws, as if washing themselves. A volume might be filled with the anecdotes that are told of Cats, but most of them are well known. QUADRUPEDS. 10 THE SHEPHERD'S DOG. (Canis familiar is.) To no animal is mankind so much indebted for its ser- vices and affection as to the Dog. Among all the various orders of brute creatures, none have hitherto been found so entirely adapted to our use, and even to our protection, as this. There are many countries, both of the old and new continent, in which, if man were deprived of this faithful ally, he would unsuccessfully resist the foes that surround him, seeking opportunities to encroach upon his property, destroy his labour, and attack his person. His own vigilance, in many situations, could not secure him, on the one hand, against their rapacity, nor, on the other, against their speed. The Dog, more tractable than any other animal, conforms himself to the movements and habits of his master. His diligence, his ardour, and his obedience are inexhaustible ; and his disposition is so friendly, that, unlike every other animal, he seems to re- member only the benefits he receives : he soon forgets our blows ; and instead of discovering resentment while we chastise him, he exposes himself to torture, and even licks the hands from which it proceeds. Dogs, even of the dullest kind, seek the company of 20 A DESCRIPTION OP other animals ; they are naturally disposed to follow and accompany other creatures besides themselves ; and even by instinct take to the care of flocks and herds. The Shepherd's Dog may be considered the primitive stock, from whence those of Siberia, Lapland, Iceland, the Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar, and indeed all others, are derived. He makes the stem of the genealogical tree, which has been branched out into every part of the world. This animal still continues nearly in its original state among the poor in temperate climates : being transported into the colder regions, it becomes smaller, and covered with a shaggy coat. Whatever differences there may be among the Dogs of these cold countries, they are not very considerable, as they all have straight ears, long and thick hair, a savage aspect, and do not bark either so often or so loud as Dogs of the more cultivated kind. The Shep- herd's Dog, transported into temperate climates, and among people entirely civilized, such as into England, France, and Germany, will be divested of his savage air, his pricked ears, his rough, long, and thick hair, though he will still retain his large skull, abundant brain, and con- sequent great sagacity. Many interesting anecdotes are told of the shepherd's tyke or colley, as this kind of Dog is frequently called, particularly of its sagacity in rescuing sheep from snow- drifts. When sheep are missing in a snow-storm, as is frequently the case in Scotland and the North of England, the shepherd arms himself with a spade, and watching the motions of his faithful Dog, digs into the snow wherever the Dog begins to scratch it away, and he is thus sure to find his lost sheep. QUADRUPEDS. 21 THE BLOODHOUND. " Conscious of the recent stains, his heart Beats quick ; his snuffling nose, his active tail, Attest his joy : then with deep opening mouth, That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims Th' audacious felon. " THE Bloodhound is taller than the old English Hound, most beautifully formed, and superior to every other kind in activity, speed, and sagacity. It is commonly of a reddish or brown colour, with long ears. It seldom barks, except in the chase ; and it never leaves its game until it has caught and killed it. Bloodhounds were formerly used in certain districts lying between England and Scotland, which were much infested by robbers and murderers ; and a tax was laid upon the inhabitants for keeping and maintaining a cer- tain number of them. But as the arm of justice is now extended over every part of the country, and there is no secret recesses where villany may lie concealed, these services are no longer necessary. In former times these Dogs were used to hunt renegade negroes and others in the Spanish West Indies, and many surprising anecdotes are told of their wonderful sagacity and power of scent. 22 A DESCRIPTION OF The old English Hound, the original stock of this island, and used by the ancient Britons in the chase, is a most valuable Dog ; though the breed has been gradually declining, and the size studiously diminished by a mixture of other kinds, in order to increase their speed. It seems to have been accurately described by Shakspeare in the following lines : " My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind, So flew'd, so sanded ; and their heads are hung With ears that sweep away the morning dew ; Crook-kneed and dew-lapp'd, like Thessalian bulls ; Slow in pursuit; but match'd in mouth like bells, Each under each." THE SPANIEL Has received from nature a very keen smell, good under- standing, and uncommon docility. He is used in setting for partridges, pheasants, quails, &c. His steadiness in the field, his caution in approaching game, his patience in keeping the bird at bay till the fowler discharges his piece, are real objects of admiration. " When milder autumn summer's heat succeeds, And in the new-shorn field the partridge feeds, QUADRUPEDS. 23 Before his lord the ready Spaniel bounds ; Panting with hope, he tries the furrow'd grounds ; But when the tainted gales the game betray, Couch'd close he lies and meditates the prey ; Secure they trust th' unfaithful field beset, Till hovering o'er them sweeps the swelling net." POPE'S WINDSOR FOREST. THE POINTER Is about the size of a bulldog, and spotted like a spaniel. In disposition it is docile, and when trained, is of the greatest service to the sportsman who delights in shooting. It is astonishing to see to what a degree of obedience these animals may be brought. Their sight is equally acute with their scent ; from which quickness of sight they are enabled to perceive at a distance the smallest sign from their master. When they scent their game, they fix themselves like statues, in the very attitude in which they happen to be at the moment. If one of their fore feet is not on the ground when they first scent, it re- 24 A DESCRIPTION OF mains suspended, lest, by putting it to the ground, the game might be too soon alarmed by the noise. In this position they remain, until the sportsman comes near enough, and is prepared to take his shot; when he gives the word, and the Dog immediately springs the game. This attitude has often been selected by the artist. . THE WATER SPANIEL Is excellent for hunting otters, wild ducks, and other game whose retreat is among the rushes and reeds which cover the banks of rivers, the fens, and the ponds. He is very sagacious, and perhaps the most docile and tractable of all the canine tribe. The Newfoundland Dogs are of this class, and the largest of the family ; their strength and their faithfulness to their masters are well known, and the concurrence of both has often proved most useful to people who were on the point of being drowned. The smaller Water Spaniels partake of the qualities of the others ; they fetch and carry whatever they are bid, and often dive to the bottom of deep water in search of a piece of money, which they bring up in their mouths, and lay down at the feet of whoever sent them ; the best breed has black curly hair and long ears. QUADRUPEDS. 25 THE MASTIFF Is the largest of the whole species ; he is a strong and fierce animal, with short pendent ears and a large head, great and thick lips hanging on each side, and a noble countenance; he is a faithful guardian, and a powerful defender of the house. A curious account is given, by Stow, of an engagement between three Mastiffs and a lion, in the presence of James the First. " One of the Dogs, being put into the den, was soon disabled by the lion, which took him by the head and neck, and dragged him about: another Dog was then let loose, and served in the same manner : but the third, being put in, immediately seized the lion by the lip, and held him for a considerable time ; till, being severely torn by his claws, the Dog was obliged to quit his hold ; and the lion, greatly exhausted in the conflict, refused to renew the engagement ; but taking a sudden leap over the Dogs, fled into the interior part of the den. Two of the Dogs soon died of their wounds ; the last sur- vived, and was taken great care of by the king's son, who said, ' He that had fought with the king of the beasts should never after fight with any inferior creature.' " The following anecdote will show, that the Mastiff, con- c 26 A DESCRIPTION OF scious of its superior strength, knows how to chastise the impertinence of an inferior: A large L)og of this kind, belonging to a gentleman near Newcastle, being fre- quently molested by a mongrel, and teased by its con- tinual barking, at last took it up in its mouth by the back, and, with great composure, dropped it over the quay into the river, without doing any further injury to an enemy so much its inferior. THE BULLDOG Is much less than the mastiff, but the fiercest of all the Dog kind, and is probably the most courageous creature in the world. His short neck adds to his strength. Those of a brindled colour are accounted the best of the kind ; they will run at and seize the fiercest bull without bark- ing, making directly at his head, sometimes catch hold of his nose, pin the animal to the ground, and make him roar in a most tremendous manner, nor can they without difficulty be made to quit their hold. Some years since, at a bull-baiting in the north of England, when this barbarous custom was very common, a young man, confident of the spirit of his Dog, laid a wager that he would, at separate times, cut off all the animal's feet, and that he would continue to attack the QUADRUPEDS. 27 bull after each amputation. The experiment was tried, and the brutal wretch won his wager. THE GREYHOUND Is well known at present, and was formerly held in such estimation, that he was the peculiar companion of a gen- tleman, who, in ancient times, was known by his horse, his hawk, and his Greyhound : it was formerly penal by the law of the land, for any person below the rank of a gen- tleman to keep a Dog of this kind. He is the fleetest of all Dogs, and can outrun every animal of the chase. He has a long body, and is of an elegant shape ; his head is neat and sharp, with a full eye, a good mouth, sharp and very white teeth ; his tail is long, and curls round above his hind part There are several varieties ; as the Italian Greyhound, the Oriental Greyhound, and the Irish Grey- hound, or Wolf-Dog. Greyhounds are used for coursing ; that is, hunting by sight instead of scent; and they are principally employed in chasing hares. Daniel, who wrote a book called Rural Sports, tells us, that a brace of Greyhounds have been known to course a hare four miles in twelve minutes ; turning the hare several times, till the poor creature dropped at last quite dead from fatigue. c 2 28 A DESCRIPTION OF THE FOX. (Canis Vulpes.) THIS well-known animal is produced in most countries, and varies much in size and colour. In the North of Europe some are white, some red, and others black. Their abode is generally on the skirt of a wood, in a hole which some other animal has either voluntarily left or been driven from. Nature, who endowed the fox with sagacity, craft, and cunning, has not, however, allotted him a long life ; and being classed by her among the dog tribe, the duration of his existence does not exceed twelve or fifteen years. His bite is tenacious and dangerous, as the severest blows cannot make him quit his hold ; his eye is most significant, and expressive of every passion, as love, fear, hatred, &c. The Fox is the greatest enemy to the poultry-yard, which he depopulates often in the course of one night. But QUADRUPEDS. 29 when his choice food, the chicken, is not accessible, he devours animal food of all kinds, even serpents, lizards, frogs, toads ; and if his habitation be near the water, he even contents himself with shellfish. In France and Italy he does a great deal of damage in vineyards, being very fond of grapes, and spoiling many for the choice of one bunch : his stratagems are well known, and need not to be related here. The female fox produces but once a year, and seldom has more than four or five cubs at a litter. The first year the young is called a Cub, the second year a Fox, the third year an Old Fox. The tail of the Fox is called the brush. THE WOLF, (Canis Lupes,) When hungry, is an undaunted and most ferocious inha- bitant of the woods, but a coward when the stimulus of appetite is no longer in action ; he delights to roam in mountainous countries, and is a great enemy to sheep and goats; the watchfulness of dogs can hardly prevent his depredations, and he often dares to visit the haunts of men, howling at the gates of cities and towns. His head and neck are of a cinerous colour, and the rest of a pale yellowish brown. He commonly lives to the age of fif- teen or twenty years. He possesses a most exquisite power of smelling his prey at a great distance. Wolves are found nearly everywhere, except in the British Islands, 30 A DESCRIPTION OP where this noxious race has been entirely extirpated. King Edgar first attempted to effect this by remitting the punishment of certain crimes on producing a number of Wolves' tongues ; and in Wales, the tax of gold and silver was commuted for an annual tribute of Wolves' heads. In the reign of Athelstan, Wolves abounded so much in Yorkshire, that a retreat was built at Flixton, to defend passengers from their attacks. They infested Ire- land many centuries after their extinction in England ; the last presentment for killing Wolves was made in the county of Cork about the year 1710. They abound in the immense forests of Germany, and they are also found in considerable numbers in the South of France. Every- where that they are wild, so great is the general detesta- tion of this destructive creature, that all other animals en- deavour to avoid it. In a state of captivity, however, the Wolf is said to be remarkably anxious to attract the at- tention of man, and to rub itself against the bars of its cage when noticed. The Wolf is sometimes affected with madness, in symptoms and consequences exactly similar to that which affects the dog. This disease, as it generally happens in the depth of winter, cannot be attributed to the great heat of the dog-days. In the northern parts of the world, wolves are said, frequently, in the spring, to get upon the fields of ice adjoining the sea, for the purpose of preying upon the young seals, which they there find asleep ; but vast pieces of the ice occasionally detaching themselves from the mass, they are carried with them to a great distance from the land, where they perish amidst the most hideous and dreadful howling. The language of the poet is beautifully descriptive of this creature's in- satiable fury : " By wintry famine roused, from all the tract Of horrid mountains, which the shining Alps, And wavy Apennine, and Pyrenees, Branch out, stupendous, into distant lands, QUADRUPEDS. Cruel as death 1 and hungry as the grave ! Burning for blood i bony, and gaunt, and grim ! Assembling Wolves, in raging troops, descend; And, pouring o'er the country, bear along, Keen as the north wind sweeps the glossy snow . All is their prize." 31 THE JACKAL, (Cams aureus,) Commonly called the lion's provider, is not much larger than the fox, which he resembles in the appearance of the fore part of his body. His skin is of a bright yellow colour. The Jackals often unite to attack their prey, and make a most hideous noise, which, rousing the king of the forest from his slumbers, brings him to the place of food and plunder : at his arrival, the petty thieves, awed by the greater strength of their new messmate, retire to a distance ; and hence the fabulous story of their attendance 32 A DESCRIPTION OF on the lion, to provide for his food. These animals are always seen in large flocks of forty or fifty ; and hunt, like hounds in full cry, from evening till morning. In want of prey, they drag the dead out of their tombs, and feed greedily on putrid corpses ; but notwithstanding the natural ferocity of these animals, it is said that when taken young they may be. easily tamed, and, like dogs, they love to be fondled, wag their tails, and show a considerable de- gree of attachment to their masters. They are common in many parts of the East : and as they act as scavengers, the people do not annoy them in their nocturnal visits. THE HYAENA. (Cams Hyaena,) THIS animal was long supposed to be the most savage, and untractable of all quadrupeds; but it is now found he may be tamed. Histeeth and jaws are so constructed, as to enable QUADRUPEDS. 33 him to crush the largest bones with ease ; and his tongue is as rough as a coarse file. He is covered with long, coarse, and rough ash-coloured hair, marked with long black stripes, from the back downwards ; the tail is very hairy. Like the jackal, he devours the flocks and herds, caring little for the watchfulness or strength of dogs ; and when pressed with hunger, comes and howls at the gates of towns, and violates the repositories of the dead, tear- ing up the bodies from the graves, and devouring them. He is now only found wild in Asia and Africa, but is supposed to have formerly inhabited Europe. When receiving his food, the eyes of this fierce animal glisten, the bristles of his back stand erect, he grins fear- fully, and utters a snarling growl. THE BROWN EUROPEAN BEAR. (Ursus Arctos.) THIS Bear is a native of the North of Europe, and also of the Alps of Switzerland, and the Pyrenees. He is a great sleeper, and passes the whole winter in his den without any particular food ; but if we consider his being at rest, losing little by perspiration, and never retiring to his winter-quarters before he is properly fattened, his ab- stinence will cease to be wonderful. When tamed, this animal appears mild and obedient to his master ; it may be taught to walk upright, to dance, to lay hold of a pole with its paws, and perform various tricks to entertain the c 5 34 A DESCRIPTION OF multitude, who are highly pleased to see the awkward movements of this rugged creature, which it seems to suit to the sound of an instrument, or to the voice of its leader. The discipline Bears undergo in teaching them to dance is so severe that they never forget it ; and an amusing story is told of a gentleman who was pursued by a Bear, and who, when in despair, he turned and raised his stick against his assailant, was astonished to see the Bear rear itself on its hind legs, and begin to dance. It had escaped from captivity, and had been taught to dance when a stick was held up by its keeper. But to give the Bear this kind of education, it must be taken when young, and accustomed early to restraint and discipline, as an old Bearwill not suffer constraint without discovering the most furious resentment: neither the voice nor the menaces of his keeper have any effect upon him ; he equally growls at the hand that is held out to feed, as at that which is raised to correct him. The female Bears bring forth two or three young, and are very careful of their offspring. The fat of the Bear is reckoned very useful in rheumatic complaints, and for anointing the hair ; his fur affords comfort to the inhabitants of cold countries, and ornaments to those of milder climates. It was anciently supposed, that the young Bear, when first brought forth, was merely an unformed mass, till its mother licked it into shape; and hence the expression "he wants licking into shape" was frequently employed by the old dramatists, when speaking of an awkward, clownish man. QUADRUPEDS. 35 THE POLAR, OR GREAT WHITE BEAR. (Ursus Maritimus.) THE Polar Bear is generally from six to eight feet long. The fur is long and white, with a tinge of yellow, which becomes darker as the animal advances in age ; the ears are small and round, and the head long. It inhabits Greenland and Lapland, and is found as far north as eighty degrees. It walks heavily, and is very clumsy in all its motions ; its senses of hearing and seeing appear very dull, but its smell is very acute ; and it does not ap- pear destitute of some degree of understanding, or at least of cunning. Captain King, who visited the shores of the Arctic Ocean in 1835, relates a curious instance of the cunning of this animal. " On one occasion a Polar Bear was seen to swim cautiously to a large piece of ice, on which two female walruses were lying asleep with their cubs. The Bear crept up some hummocks behind them, and with his fore feet loosened a large block of ice. which with the help of his nose and paws, he rolled and carried till it was immediately over the heads of the sleepers, when he let it fall on one of the old animals, 36 A DESCRIPTION OF which was instantly killed. The other walrus, with its cubs, rolled into the water, but the young one of the mur- dered female remained by its dam, and on this helpless creature the Bear rushed, thus killing two animals at once." The ferocity of this kind of Bear is equal to its cunning. A few years since, the crew of a boat belonging to a ship in the whale-fishery, shot at a Bear at a short distance, and wounded it. The animal immediately setup the most dreadful yells, and ran along the ice towards the boat. Before it reached it, a second shot was fired, and hit it. This served to increase its fury. It presently swam to the boat; and in attempting to get on board, reached its fore foot upon the gunnel ; but one of the crew having a hatchet, cut it off. The animal still, however, continued to swim after them till they arrived at the ship ; and several shots were fired at it, which also took effect : but on reaching the ship, it immediately ascended the deck ; and the crew having fled into the shrouds, it was pursuing them thither, when a shot from one of them laid it dead on the deck. THE RACOON. (Procyon, or Ursus lotor THIS animal is a native of America, of the Bear tribe ; in Jamaica they are very numerous, and do incredible mis- chief to the sugar-cane plantations. The Racoon is less QUADRUPEDS. 37 than the fox in size, and has a sharp pointed nose. His fore legs are shorter than the others. The colour of his body is grey, with two broad rings of black round the eyes, and a dusky line running down the middle of the face. Racoons are very easily domesticated, and then be- come very amusing and harmless animals. They are as mischievous as a monkey, and seldom remain at rest. Of ill treatment they are extremely sensible, and never for- give those from whom they have received it. They have also an antipathy to sharp and harsh sounds, such as the bark of a dog, and the cry of a child. They eat of every- thing that is given them, and, like the cat, are good pro- viders, hunting after eggs, fruit, corn, insects, snails, and worms ; and before they eat they dip their food in water. They have another peculiarity which few other animals are found to possess they drink as well by lapping like the dog, as by sucking like the horse. These animals are hunted for the sake of their fur, which is used by the hatters, and is considered next in value to that of the beaver; it is used also in linings for garments. The skins, when properly dressed, are made into gloves and upper leathers for shoes. The negroes frequently eat the flesh of the Racoon, and are very fond of it, though it has a very disagreeable and rank smell. The American hunters pique themselves on their skill in shooting Racoons ; which from the extraordinary vigilance and cunning of the animals, is by no means an easy task. A DESCRIPTION OF THE BADGER. (Ursus Meks.) THIS animal inhabits most parts of the world. The length of the body is about two feet six inches from the nose to the insertion of the tail, which is short, and black like the throat, breast, and belly ; the hair of the other part of the body is long and rough, of a yellowish white at the roots, black in the middle, and greyish at the point : the toes are much enveloped in the skin, and the long claws of the fore feet enable the animal to dig with great effect : under the tail there is a receptacle, in which is secreted a white fetid substance, that constantly exudes through the orifice, and thus gives the body a most unpleasant smell. Being a solitary animal, it digs a hole for itself, at the bottom of which it remains in perfect security ; it feeds upon young rabbits, birds and their eggs, aud honey. The cruel sport of Badger hunting with dogs is still practised ; and the motions of the animal when attacked are so quick, that a dog is often desperately wounded in the first assault. The Badger, when nearly overpowered, falls upon his back, combats with desperate resolution, and seldom dies unrevenged of his enemies. It is indeed not easy to over- come him ; his skin is so thick that it resists the impres- sion of the teeth, and so loose, that even when a doe has ' * O caught hold of it, the Badger is enabled to turn round easily and bite his assailants in the most tender parts. The female has generally three or four young ones at a time. QUADRUPEDS. THE COATI-MONDI. (Viverra nasua.) THIS creature is a native of Brazil, not unlike the Racoon in the general form of the body, and, like that animal, it frequently site up on the hinder legs, and in this position, with both paws carries its food to its mouth. If left at liberty in a state of tameness, it will pursue poultry, and destroy every living thing that it has strength to conquer. When it sleeps it rolls itself into a ball, and remains im- moveable for fifteen hours together. Its eyes are small, but full of life ; and, when domesticated, this creature is very playful and amusing. A great peculiarity belonging to this animal is the length of its snout, which resembles in some particulars the trunk of the elephant, as it is moveable in every direction. The ears are round, and like those of a rat ; the fore feet have five toes each. The hair is short and rough on the back, and of a blackish hue ; the tail is marked with rings of black, like the wild cat ; the rest of the animal is a mixture of black and red. This animal is very apt to eat its own tail, which is rather longer than its body ; but this strange appetite is not peculiar to the Coati alone ; the mococo, or honey-bear, and some of the monkeys, do the same, and seem to feel no pain in wounding a part of the body so remote from the centre of circulation. 40 A DESCRIPTION OF THE CIVET CAT (Viverra Civetta,} Is found throughout India, Guinea, and the Philippine Islands, and is famous for producing the perfume called civet. He is kept for the sake of this perfume, and fed with a kind of soup made of millet, or rice, with a little fish or flesh boiled with it in water. The civet obtained from the male is esteemed the best. It is found in a large double glandular receptacle, situated at a little distance beneath the tail. When a sufficient time for the secretion has been allowed, one of these animals is put into a long wooden cage, so narrow that it cannot turn itself round. The cage being opened by a door behind, a small spoon is introduced through the orifice of the pouch, which is care- fully scraped ; this is done twice or thrice a week, and the animal is said always to produce the most civet after being irritated. The Civet, although a native of the warmest climates, is yet found to live in temperate, and even cold countries, provided it be defended carefully from the in- juries of the air. It is bred in Holland, for the sake of its perfume, which is sold as an article of commerce. The Civet of Amsterdam is considered purer than any other, as people of other countries adulterate it with gums, and other ingredients, to increase its weight. In a wild state, the Civet lives entirely on birds and small quadrupeds ; and at any time a small quantity of salt is said to poison it. QUADRUPEDS. 41 THE GEN NET (Viverra Genetta,) Is in size between a cat and a fox. The skin is spotted and beautiful, of a reddish grey colour. The spots on the sides are round and distinct, those on the back almost close ; its tail is long, and marked with seven or eight rings of black. From an orifice beneath its tail, it yields a kind of perfume, which smells faintly of musk. This little animal is meek and gentle, except when provoked, and is easily domesticated. In Constantinople it strays from house to house, like our cat, and keeps whatever house it is in perfectly free from mice and rats, which cannot endure its smell. This animal is found wild in various parts of Europe, and also at the Cape of Good Hope. Its fur is valuable as an article of commerce. 42 A DESCRIPTION OF THE ICHNEUMON, OR EGYPTIAN MANGOUSTE. (Herpestes PJiaraonis.) AN animal noted in the mythology of ancient Egypt, in which country he has been long domesticated, and where ne was once deified, on account of his great utility in de- stroying serpents, snakes, rats, mice, and other vermin ; he is also fond of crocodiles' eggs, which he digs out of the sand where they have been deposited. It is a very fierce, though small animal, and will fight with dogs, foxes, and even jackals, with great fury. It will not breed in confinement, but may be easily tamed when taken young. The following particulars are related by M. D'Ob- sonville, in his Essays on the Nature of various foreign Animals: "I had an Ichneumon very young, which I QUADRUPEDS. 43 brought up. I fed it at first with milk, and afterward with baked meat mixed with rice. It soon became even tamer than a cat ; for it came when called, and followed me, though at liberty, in the country. One day I brought this animal a small water-serpent alive, being desirous to know how far his instinct would carry him against a being with which he was as yet totally unacquainted. His first emotion seemed to be astonishment mixed with anger, for his hair became erect ; but in an instant he slipped behind the reptile, and with remarkable swiftness and agility leaped upon its head, seized it, and crushed it between its teeth. This essay, and new food, seemed to have awakened in him his innate and destructive voracity, which till then had given way to the gentleness he had acquired from education. I had about my house several curious kinds of fowls, among which he had been brought up, and which, till then, he had suffered to go and come unmolested and unregarded : but a few days after, when he found himself alone, he strangled them every one, ate a little, and, as it appeared, drank the blood of two.". The mode in which the Ichneumon seizes a serpent is thus described by Lucan in his PharsaUa: Thus oft the Ichneumon, on the banks of Nile, Invades the deadly aspic by a wile ; While artfully his slender tail is played, The serpent darts upon the dancing shade ; Then turning on the foe with swift surprise, Full on the throat the nimble traitor flies, And in his grasp the panting serpent dies. 44 A DESCRIPTION OF THE WEASEL. ( Mustela vulgaris.) THE animals belonging to this genus, notwithstanding their small size, are all carnivorous. From their slender and lengthened bodies, short legs, and the very free motion in every direction, permitted by the loose articu- lations of the spine, they are well formed for pursuing their prey into the deepest recesses. Constituted by nature to subsist on animals, many of which have great strength and courage, they possess an undaunted and ferocious disposition. The Weasel has a long and thin body ; its length, with its tail, is only seven inches, and its height not more than an inch and a half. There are some of this species of different colours, as red, brown, black, and some all white. There are two sorts, the do- mestic Weasel, living in bouses, barns, &c. ; the other QUADRUPEDS. 45 wild, living in the woods and mountains. In the northern parts of Europe they are very numerous. This little creature will destroy rats, mice, and moles, nor does it spare hens, chickens, eggs, &c. It was formerly supposed that the Weasel was un- tamable ; but Buffon, in a supplementary volume, corrects this error, and from a letter of a female correspondent, shows that it may be rendered as familiar as a cat or a lapdog. It frequently eat from his correspondent's hand, and seemed fonder of milk and fresh meat than of any other food. " If I present my hands," says this lady, "at the distance of three feet, it jumps into them without ever missing. It shows a great deal of address and cun- ning, in order to accomplish its ends, and seems to dis- obey certain prohibitions merely through caprice. During all its actions it seems solicitous to divert and be noticed, looking at every jump and at every turn to see whether it be observed or not. If no notice be taken of its gam- bols, it ceases them immediately, and betakes itself to sleep ; and when awaked from the soundest sleep, it in- stantly resumes its gaiety, and frolics about in as sprightly a manner as before. It never shows any ill humour, un- less when confined or too much teased, in which case it expresses its displeasure by a sort of murmur, very differ- ent from that which it utters when pleased." Weasels and ferrets are used by rat-catchers to drive the rats out of their holes. 46 A DESCRIPTION OF THE FERRET (Musteiafuro,) Is a small, yet bold animal, and an enemy to all others but those of his own kind. He is made somewhat like the weasel, and breeds in all countries of Europe. His eyes are remarkably fiery. The tame ones live on milk, bread, barley, &c. ; the wild ones on the blood of rabbits, hares, &c. It is much used to drive rabbits from their holes, and for this purpose the Ferret is always muzzled, for it is such an inveterate enemy to the rabbit, that if a dead one be presented to a young Ferret, it in- stantly bites it with an appearance of rapacity ; or if it be living, the Ferret seizes it by the neck, winds itself round it, and continues to suck its blood till it be satiated ; indeed, its appetite for blood is so strong, that it has been known to attack and kill children in the cradle. It is very soon irritated ; and its bite is very difficult to be cured. 47 THE POLECAT ( Mustela putorius, ) Has so strong and disagreeable a smell that it is become proverbial ; his skin is stiff, hard, and rugged, and when well prepared, lasts long in garments. His tail is not above three inches long. The breast, tail, and legs are of a blackish colour, but the belly and sides yellowish. He keeps in secret corners at tops of houses, and is a disas- trous pest to the poultry-yard. Some of these animals frequent the woods and destroy a great quantity of birds ; and some others, forsaking the haunts of man, retire to the rocks and crevices of the cliffs on the sea-shore, pre- ferring a meagre and scanty diet with security, to the daintiness of chicken-flesh and eggs, attended with trouble and fear. Rabbits, however, seem to be their favourite prey, and a single Polecat is often sufficient to destroy a whole warren ; for with that insatiable thirst for blood which is natural to all the weasel tribe, it kills much more than it can devour ; and twenty rabbits have been found dead, which one Polecat had destroyed, and that by a wound which was hardly perceptible. The Polecat is the same with the Fitchct or Foumart, the hair of which is made into fine brushes and pencils for the use of painters. This small animal is fierce and bold. When attacked by a dog, it will defend itself with great spirit, attack in its turn, and fasten upon the nose of its enemy with so keen a bite, as frequently to oblige him to desist. 48 A DESCRIPTION OF THE SABLE. (Mustela, or Martes Zibellina. ) THIS animal is a native of North America, Siberia, Kamtschatka, and Asiatic Russia; it frequents the banks of rivers, and the thickest parts of the woods. It lives in holes under the ground, and especially under the roots of trees ; but it sometimes makes its nests, like the squirrel, in the hollows of trees. The skin of the Sable is more valuable than that of any other animal of equal size. One of these skins, not more than four inches broad, has sometimes been valued at as high a rate as fifteen pounds; but the general price is from one to ten pounds, according to the quality. The Sable's fur is different from all others, in the hair turning with equal ease either way ; and it is on this account that fur dealers sometimes blow the fur of any article they may be selling, to show that it is really the fur of the Sable. The tails are sold by the hundred, at from four to eight pounds. The common, or Beech Marten, (Mustela Martes,) like the Sable, boasts the honour of adorning with his fur the rich and the beautiful ; as princes, ladies, and opulent people of all nations pride themselves in wearing his spoils. He is about as big as a cat, but the body is much longer proportionally, and the legs shorter. His skin is of a light brown, with white under the throat, and yellow- on the back. The fur of the Marten fetches a good price, QUADRUPEDS. 49 and is much used in European countries, though very far inferior to that of the sable : the best, which is called Stone Marten fur by the furriers, is imported from Sweden and Hussia. The Pine, or Yellow-breasted Marten, is another species, the fur of which is nearly equal to that of the sable, though it is much cheaper. THE OTTER. (Mustela Lutra.) Forth from his den the Otter drew, Grayling and trout their tyrant knew, As between reed and sedge he peers, With fierce round snout and sharpened ears, Or, prowling by the moonbeam cool, Watches the stream or swims the pool. SCOTT. As the Otter lives principally on fish, the formation of his body is such as will enable him to swim with the greatest facility. His body is flattened horizontally ; his tail is flat and broad ; his legs are short, and his toes webbed. His teeth are very strong and sharp ; and his body, besides its fur, has an outer covering of coarse shining hair. The Otter is a perfect epicure in his food ; he seldom eats an entire fish, but beginning at the head, he eats that, and about half the body, always rejecting D 50 A DESCRIPTION OP the tail. When the rivers and ponds are frozen so that the Otter can get no fish, he will visit the neighbouring farm-yards, where he will attack the poultry, sucking- pigs, and even lambs. An Otter may be tamed, and taught to catch fish enough to sustain not only himself, but a whole family. Goldsmith states that he saw an Otter go to a gentleman's pond at the word of command, drive the fish into a corner, and seize upon the largest of the whole, bring it off, and give it to his master. Bewick, in his History of Quadrupeds, states, that a person of the name of Collins, who lived at Kilmerston, near Wooler, in Northumberland, had a tame Otter, which followed him wherever he went. He frequently took it to fish in the river; and, when satiated, it never failed to return to him. One day, in the absence of Collins, the Otter, being taken out to fish by his son, in- stead of returning as usual, refused to come at the accus- tomed call, and was lost. The father tried every means in his power to recover the animal ; and, after several days' search, being near the place where his son had lost it, and calling it by name, to his inexpressible joy it came creeping to his feet, and showed many marks of affection and attachment. The female Otter produces four or five young ones at a birth, and these in the spring of the year. Where there have been ponds near a gentleman's house, instances have occurred of their littering in cellars or drains. The male utters no noise when taken, but the females sometimes emit a shrill squeak. Otters are generally caught in traps placed near their landing-places, and carefully concealed in the sand. When hunted by dogs, the old ones defend themselves with great obstinacy. They bite severely, and do not readily quit their hold. Otter hunting is a favourite sport in many parts of Great Britain ; particularly in the midland counties of England, and in Wales. QUADRUPEDS. 51 THE SEAL. (Phoca vitellina.) THE amphibious flesh-eating animals, though nearly allied to the Otter in their habits, are yet very different in the construction of their bodies. Their feet are so short and so enveloped in skin, that they are of scarcely any use in assisting the animal on dry land ; so that the Seal's pro- gress on solid ground is only effected by a sort of half tumbling, jumping, and shuffling motion, excessively ridiculous to a looker-on. The feet, however, which are furnished with strong claws, are of use in enabling the animal to climb out of the water over a rocky shore. For swimming, the Seal is admirably adapted; its long flexible body is shaped like that of a fish, tapering to the tail ; and it is furnished with strong webs between the toes, so as to make the fore feet act as oars, and the hind D 2 52 A DESCRIPTION OF feet, which the animal generally drags behind it like a tail, to serve as a rudder. The Seal lives generally in the water, and feeds entirely on fish ; only coming to shore occa- sionally to bask on the sands, and to lie there to suckle its young. The usual length of a Seal is five or six feet. The head is large and round ; the neck small and short ; and on each side of the mouth there are several strong bristles. From the shoulders the body tapers to the tail, which is very short. The eyes are large : there are no ex- ternal ears ; and the tongue is cleft or forked at the end. The body is covered with short thick-set hair, which in the common species is generally grey, but sometimes brown or blackish. There are, however, several species ; and one of them, which is called the sea-leopard, has the fur spotted with white or yellow. Seals are hunted by the Greenlanders for the sake of their oil, and also for their skins, which are used for making waistcoats and other articles of clothing, and are much prized by the fishermen for their great warmth. As the Seals cannot breathe below water, they are obliged to swim with their heads as much above the waves as a dog would, and thus they are easily seen by the fisher- men. When attacked, they fight with great fury ; but when taken young, they are capable of being tamed ; they will follow their master like a dog, and come to him when called by the name given to them. Some years ago a young Seal was thus domesticated. It was taken at a little distance from the sea, and was generally kept in a vessel full of salt water : but sometimes it was allowed to crawl about the house, and even to approach the fire. Its natural food was regularly procured for it ; and it was carried to the sea every day, and thrown in from a boat. It used to swim after the boat, and always allowed itself to be taken back. It lived thus for several weeks, and probably would have lived much longer, had it not been sometimes too roughly handled. The females in this cli- QUADRUPEDS. 53 mate bring forth in winter, and rear their young upon some sand-bank, rock, or desolate island, at some distance from the main land. When they suckle their young, they sit up on their hinder-legs, while the little Seals, which are at first white, with woolly hair, cling to the teats, of which there are four in number. In this manner the young continue in the place where they are brought forth, for twelve or fifteen days ; after which the dam brings them down to the water, and accustoms them to swim and get their food by their own industry. In Newfoundland the Seal-fishery forms an important source of wealth, and numerous ships are sent out every season among the ice in search of Seals. One ship has been known to catch five thousand Seals, but about half that number is the usual quantity taken. As soon as the Seal is killed, it is skinned, and the pelt, as the skin and blubber together is called, being preserved, the body of the Seal is either eaten by the sailors, or left on the ice for the polar bears. The aboriginal inhabitants of the northern regions have several strange superstitions about Seals. They believe that Seals delight in thunder-storms; and say, that during these times they will sit on the rocks, and contemplate, with apparent pleasure and gratification, the convulsion of the elements. The Icelanders, in particular, are said to believe that these animals are the offspring of Pharaoh and his host, who were converted into Seals when they were overwhelmed in the Red Sea. 54 A DESCRIPTION OF THE WALRUS, MORSE, OR SEACOW. (Trichechus Rosmarus.) THIS very curious animal is nearly allied to the Seal, but is of much greater size, being frequently eighteen feet in length, and from ten to twelve feet in girth. The head is round, tiie eyes are small and brilliant, and the upper lip, which is enormously thick, is covered with pellucid bristles, as large as a straw. The nostrils are very large, and there are no external ears. The most remarkable part of the Walrus is, however, his two large tusks in the upper jaw ; they are inverted, the points nearly uniting, and they sometimes exceed twenty-four inches in length : the use which the animal makes of them is not easily ex- plained, unless they help him to climb up the rocks and mountains of ice among which he takes up his abode, as the parrot employs his beak to get upon his perch. The tusks of the W'airus are equal for durability and whiteness to those of the elephant, and, keeping their colour much longer, are preferred by dentists to any other substance for making artificial teeth. The Walrus is common in some of the northern seas, and often attacks a boat full of men. They are gregarious animals, and are often found in herds, sleeping and QUADRUPEDS. 55 snoring on the icy shores; but when alarmed, they pre- cipitate themselves into the water with great bustle and trepidation, and swim with such rapidity, that it is diffi- cult to overtake them with a boat. One of their number always keeps watch while the others sleep. They feed on shellfish and sea-weeds, and yield a sort of oil equal in goodness to that of the whale. The white bear is their greatest enemy. In the combats between these animals, the Walrus is said to be generally victorious, on account of the desperate wounds it inflicts with its tusks. The females have only one young one at a time, which, when born, resembles a good-sized pig. 56 A DESCRIPTION OF SECTION II. Ingcct=cating &n{mal)S. THE HEDGEHOG. (Erinaceus Europaus.) THIS animal is something like a porcupine in miniature, and he is covered all over with strong and sharp spines or prickles, which he erects when irritated. He is no more than ten inches in length ; and, by rolling himself up in the shape of a ball, he can resist the attack of his strong- est enemies, among which are the cat, the weasel, the marten, and the dog. His common food consists of worms, slugs, and snails ; and thus, far from being a noxious animal in a garden, he is a very useful one, as he feeds upon all the insects he can find. Hedge- hogs inhabit most parts of Europe. Notwithstanding its formidable appearance, the Hedgehog is one of the most harmless animals in the world. While other crea- tures trust to their force, their cunning, or their swiftness, this quadruped, destitute of all, has but one expedient for safety, and from this alone it generally finds protection. The instant it perceives an enemy, it withdraws all its vulnerable parts, rolls itself into a ball, and presents nothing to view but a round mass of spines, impervious on every side. When the Hedgehog is thus rolled up, the cat, the weasel, the ferret, and the marten, after QUADRUPEDS. 57 wounding themselves with the prickles, quickly decline the combat ; and the dog himself generally spends his time in empty menaces rather than in effectual efforts, while the little animal waits patiently till its enemy, by retiring, affords an opportunity for retreat. The female produces from two to four young ones at a birth ; when first born they are blind, and their spines are white and soft, but they become hard in a few days. The Hedgehog is said to suck the milk from cows, but this is impossible, as the mouth of the Hedgehog would not admit the teat of the cow. The Hedgehog, however, some- times destroys eggs, and it has been known to attack frogs, mice, and even toads when pressed by hunger ; it will also occasronally eat the tuberous roots of plants, boring under the root, so as to devour it, and yet leave the stem and leaves untouched. The Hedgehog makes himself a nest of leaves and soft wool for the winter, in the hollow trunk of an old tree, or in a hole in a rock or bank ; and here, having coiled himself up, he passes the winter in one long unbroken sleep. Hedgehogs may easily be tamed, and they are sometimes kept in the kitchens in London houses to destroy the black-beetles. The flesh of the Hedgehog is sometimes eaten ; especially by gipsies, who appear to consider it a delicacy. It is said to be well-tasted, and to have abundance of yellow fat. 58 A DESCRIPTION OF THE MOLE. (Talpa F.uropcea.') THE Mole is a curious, awkwardly shaped animal, with a long flexible snout, very small eyes, and four hand-like feet, armed with very strong claws, with which it scrapes its way through the ground, when it is forming the sub- terranean passages in which it takes up its abode. The Mole, though it is supposed not to possess the advantage of sight, has the senses of hearing and feeling in great perfection ; and its fur, which is short and thick, is set erect from its skin, so as not to impede its progress whether it goes forward or backwards along its runs. These runs are very curiously constructed : they cross each other at different points, but they all lead to a nest in the centre, which the Mole makes his castle, or place of abode. The passages are made by the Mole in his search after the earth-worms and grubs, on which he lives ; and the molehills are formed by the earth he scrapes QUADRUPEDS. 59 out of his runs. These molehills do a great deal of mis- chief to grass lands, as they render the ground very difficult to mow ; and on this account mole-catchers are employed to fix traps in the ground, so that when the Mole is running through one of his passages, he passes through the trap, which instantly springs up out of the ground with the poor Mole in it. The female Mole makes her nest at a distance from the male's castle. She has young only once a year, but she has four or five at a time. The following curious fact respecting a Mole is related by Mr. Bruce. " In visiting the Loch of Glume, I ob- served in it a small island, at the distance of a hundred and eighty yards from the land. Upon this island Lord Airley, the proprietor, had a castle and small shrubbery . I observed frequently the appearance of fresh molehills ; but for some time took it to be the water mouse, and one day I asked the gardener if it was so. He replied it was the Mole, and that he had caught one or two lately ; but that five or six years ago he had caught two in traps, and for two years after this he had observed none. But about four years since, coming ashore one summer's evening in the dusk, he and Lord Airley's butler saw, at a small dis- tance upon the smooth water, an animal paddling to, and not far distant from the island. They soon closed with the feeble passenger, and found it to be the common Mole, led by a most astonishing instinct from the nearest point of land, (the castle-hill,) to take possession of this island. It was at this time, for about the space of two years, quite free from any subterraneous inhabitant : but the Mole has, for more than a year past, made its appearance again." (50 A DKSCRIPTION OF THE SHREW. (Sorex araneus.) THIS curious little animal closely resembles a mouse, ex- cept in its snout, which is long and pointed, to enable it to grub in the ground for its food, which consists of earth- worms, and the grubs of those beetles that undergo their transformation in the earth. Like the mole and the hedgehog, it is soon famished for want of food ; but the hedgehog has the advantage of being able to sleep for several months at a time, which the Shrew does not pos- sess, and, consequently, great numbers of the latter animal die every year in autumn, when their food becomes scarce. The Shrew, like the mole, is very fond of fight- ing ; and when two are seen together, they are generally engaged in a furious battle. The Shrew, like the hedge- hog, has been much scandalized by false reports, as will be seen by the following extract from that most amusing and interesting work, White's Selbome: "At the south corner of the area, near the church, there stood, about twenty years ago, a very old, grotesque, hollow pollard- QUADRUPEDS. 61 ash, which for ages had been looked upon with no small veneration as a shrew-ash. Now a shrew-ash is an ash whose twigs and branches, when applied to the limbs of cattle, will immediately relieve the pains which a beast suffers from the running of a Shrew-mouse over the part affected ; for it is supposed that a Shrew-mouse is of so baneful and deleterious a nature, that whenever it creeps over a beast, be it a horse, or cow, or sheep, the suffering animal is afflicted with cruel anguish, and threatened with the loss of the use of the limb. Against this acci- dent, to which they were continually liable, our provident forefathers always kept a shrew-ash at hand, which, when once medicated, would maintain its virtue for ever. A shrew-ash was made thus : into the body of the tree a deep hole was bored with an auger, and a poor devoted Shrew-mouse was thrust in alive, and plugged in." The cruelty of this, and many other practices of our ancestors, ought to make us thankful that we live in more enlightened days. The female Shrew makes her nest in a bank, or if on the ground, she covers it at the top, always entering on the side ; and she has generally from five to seven young ones at a time. 62 A DESCRIPTION OF SECTION III. fidroptcroug THE BAT. (Vespertilio noctule.) THE Bat has the body of a mouse, and the wings of a bird. Its head has an enormous mouth, and very large ears, which are of a kind of membrane, thin and almost transparent ; and the pinions of its wings are furnished with hooks, by which the Bat hangs to trees or the crevices in old walls during the day, a great number of them together, as they only fly at night. The wings of the Bat are very large ; those of the Great Bat measuring fifteen inches across. The Bat feeds on insects of various kinds, particularly on cock-chafers and other winged beetles, part of which, however, it always throws aAvay. A female Bat that was caught, and kept in a cage, ate meat when it was given to her in little bits, and lapped water like a cat. She was very particular in keeping her- self clean, using her hind feet like a comb, and parting her fur so as to make a straight line down the back. Her wings she cleaned by thrusting her nose into the folds, and shaking them. She had a young one born in the cage. It was blind, and quite destitute of hair, and its mother wrapped it in the membrane of her wing, pressing it so closely to her breast, that no one could see her suckle it. The next day the poor mother died, and the little one was found alive, hanging to her breast. It was fed with milk from a sponge, but it only lived about a week. QUADRUPEDS. 63 There are a great many kinds of Bat, most of which are natives of England. SECTION IV. Wfy JHarssapalia, or THE KANGAROO. (Macropus major.) THIS remarkable animal was first discovered by the cele- brated Captain Cook, in New Holland ; and as it was the onty quadruped discovered on the island by the first settlers, they attempted to hunt it with greyhounds. The astonishing leaps it took, however, quite puzzled the colonists, who found it extremely difficult to catch. At first it was supposed that there was only one kind of Kangaroo, but now thirty or forty have been discovered, some of them not larger than a rat, and others as big as a calf. Kangaroos live in herds ; one, apparently older and larger than the rest, appearing to act as a kind of king over the rest. The ears of the Kangaroo are large, and in almost constant motion ; it has a hare-lip, 64 A DESCRIPTION OF and a very small head. The fore legs, or rather paws, are short and weak, with five toes, each ending in a strong curved claw. The hind legs, on the contrary, are very large and strong, but the feet have only four toes, and much weaker claws. The tail is very long and tapering, but it is so thick and strong near the body, that it forms a kind of third hind leg, and wonderfully assists the animal in making its extraordinary leaps, which are often from twenty to thirty feet in length, and six or eight feet high. When the animal is attacked, it uses its tail as a powerful instrument of defence, and it also scratches violently with its hind feet. It generally sits upright, but it brings its fore feet to the ground when it is grazing. It lives entirely on vegetable substances. The most curious part of the Kangaroo is the pouch which the female has in front for carrying her young. It is just below her breasts, and the young ones sit there to suck. Even when they are old enough to leave the pouch, they fly back to it for safety whenever they are alarmed. The Kangaroo is easily tamed, and there are many in a tame state in England. In Australia, Kangaroo beef, as it is called, is eaten, and found very nourishing ; but it is hard and coarse. The female has generally two young ones at a time, and they are a year old before they attain their full growth. QUADRUPEDS. 65 ( THE VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. (Didelphis Virginiana.) THIS creature, which is a native of North America, is about the size of a cat, and its fur is of a dingy white, ex- cept the legs, which are brown, and the nose and ears, which are yellowish. There is also a brownish circle round each eye, and the ears are nearly black at the base. This creature generally lives in trees, suspending him- self by his tail, by means of which he swings from branch to branch. In this manner he catches the insects and small birds, on which he generally feeds ; but sometimes he descends from his tree, invades poultry-yards, where he devours the eggs, and sometimes the young fowls. It resembles the kangaroo in its pouch for carrying its young, but in no other particular, as it walks on four feet, which are equal in size, and in the length of the leg ; and it has a long flexible tail, which is of no use to it either in leaping, or as a weapon of defence. The tail 66 A DESCRIPTION OF is, however, of singular use to the young, as when they get too large to be carried in the pouch, they fly to their mother when alarmed, and twisting their long slender tails round hers, they leap upon her back. The female Opossum may be sometimes seen thus carrying four or five at once. The Opossum may be easily tamed, but it is an unplea- sant inmate, from its awkward figure and stupidity, as its very disagreeable smell. The American Indians spin the hair of the Opossum and dye it red, and then weave it into girdles and other parts of their dress. The flesh of these animals is white and well tasted, and is preferred by the Indians to pork : that of the young ones eats very much like the sucking-pig. SECTION V. Motcntta, or (Enafotng Animate. THE BEAVER. (Castor Fibes.) THE Beaver is about the size of the badger ; his head short, his ears round and small, his two fore teeth long, QUADRUPEDS. 67 sharp, and strong, well calculated for the business which Nature has destined him to. The tail is of an oval form, and covered with a scaly skin. Beavers are natives of North America, particularly the north of Canada. Their houses are constructed with earth, stones, and sticks, neatly arranged and worked together by the Beaver's paws. The walls are about two feet thick, and they are surmounted by a kind of dome, which generally rises about four feet above them. The entrance is on one side, always at least three feet below the surface of the water, so as to prevent it from being frozen up. The number of Beavers in each house is from two to four old ones, and about twice as many young. When Beavers form a new settlement, they build their houses in the summer ; and then they lay in their winter provisions, which consist principally of bark and the tender branches of trees, cut into certain lengths, and piled in heaps on the outside of their habitation, and always under the water ; though sometimes the heap is so large as to rise above the surface; and occasionally one of these loads will contain more than a cart-load of bark, young wood, and the roots of the water-lily. Beavers are hunted for the sake of their skins, which are covered with long hairs, and a short thick fur beneath, which is used in making hats, after the long hairs have been destroyed. A great many stories have long been believed respect- ing the Beaver, on the authority of a French gentleman who had resided a long time in North America ; but it is now ascertained that the greater part of them are false. The house of the Beaver is not divided into rooms, but consists of only one apartment ; and the animals do not use their tails either as a trowel or a sledge, but only as an assistance in swimming. Some years ago a Beaver was brought to this country from America, that had been 68 A DESCRIPTION OF quite tamed by the sailors, and was called Bunney. When he arrived in England, he was made quite a pet of, and used to lie on the hearth-rug in his master's library. One day he found out the housemaid's closet, and his building propensities began immediately to display themselves. He seized a large sweeping brush, and dragged it along with his teeth to a room where he found the door open ; he afterwards laid hold of a warming-pan in the same manner ; and having laid the handles across, he filled up the walls of the angle made by the brushes with the wall, with hand-brushes, baskets, boots, books, towels, and anything he could lay hold of. As his walls grew high, he would often sit, propped up by his tail, (with which he supported himself admirably,) to look at what he had done ; and if the disposition of any of his building-materials did not satisfy him, he would pull part of his work down, and lay it again more evenly. It was astonishing how well he managed to arrange the incongruous materials he had chosen, and how cleverly he contrived to remove them, sometimes carrying them between his right fore paw and his chin, sometimes dragging them with his teeth, and sometimes pushing them along with his chin. When he had built his walls, he made himself a nest in the centre, and sat up in it, combing his hair with the nails of his hind feet, QUADRUPEDS 69 THE HARE. (Lepus timidus.) THIS small quadruped is well known on our table as affording a favourite food, notwithstanding the dark colour of its flesh. Its swiftness cannot save it from the search of its enemies, among whom man is the most inveterate. Unarmed and fearful, the Hare appears almost to sleep with open eyes, so easily is it alarmed. Its hind legs are longer than its fore legs, to enable it to run up hills ; its eyes are so prominently placed, that they can encompass at once the whole horizon of the plain where it has chosen its form, for so its seat or bed is called; and its ears so long, that the least noise cannot escape it. It seldom outlives its seventh year, and breeds plentifully. Natu- rally wild and timorous, the Hare may, however, be occasionally tamed. The following is from the entertain- 70 A DESCRIPTION OF ing account given by Cowper, of three Hares that he brought up tame, in his house ; the names he gave them were Puss, Tiney, and Bess. Tiney was a reserved and surly Hare ; Bess, who was a Hare of great humour and drollery, died young. " 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 upon my knee. He was ill three days, during which time I nursed him, kept him apart from his fellows that they might not molest him, (for, like many 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 grate- ful 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 of it unsaluted ; a ceremony which he never performed but once again upon a similar occasion. " Finding him extremely tractable, I made it my cus- tom 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 cud, till evening; in the leaves also of that vine he found a favourite repast. I had not long habituated him to this taste of liberty, before he began to be impatient for the return of the time when he might enjoy it. He would invite me to the garden by drumming upon my knee, and by a look of such expression as it was not possible to misinterpret. If this rhetoric did not immediately succeed, he would take the skirt of my coat between his teeth, and pull at it with all his force. Thus Puss might be said to be perfectly tamed, the shyness of his nature was done away, and, on the whole, it was visible, by many symptoms, which I QUADRUPEDS. 71 have not room to enumerate, that he was happier in human society than when shut up with his natural com- panions." Hares are some of the animals called game, and they are hunted by greyhounds, which is called coursing ; and also by packs of dogs called harriers and beagles. There are white Hares in the northern regions, the change in colour being the effect of cold. THE RABBIT ( Lepuf cuniculus, ) Is not unlike the hare ; its flesh is white and good, but not so much prized ; its head, ears, and tail are shorter than the hare's. The colour of the wild Rabbit is con- stantly the same ; but we have domestic ones of nearly every colour. The female begins to breed when she is about twelve months old, and bears at least seven times a year ; and such is her fertility, that if we should calcu- late the produce of a single pair, in one year, the number would be amazing. They commonly bring forth eight at each time, and on a supposition that this happens regu- larly, at the end of four years, a conple of Rabbits might see a progeny of almost a million and a half! Hence we might justly apprehend being overstocked by their in- crease, did not their destruction by various enemies bear a near proportion to their fecundity. The young of the Rabbit are born blind, and almost destitute of hair ; while those of the hare can see, and are covered with hair. The 72 A DESCRIPTION OF wild Rabbit, although it is less timid than the hare, will fly from man as soon as it sees him ; and will seek for shelter in one of the burrows or passages it has formed in the earth: as one of the dissenting points in the characteristics of these two animals, so like each other in many respects, is that the hare lives above, and the Rabbit under ground. Tame Rabbits are larger than wild ones, from their taking more nourishment, and using less exercise. They are of various colours, and they do not, like wild Rabbits, burrow in the ground. THE SQUIRREL. ( Scirus vulgaris.) ELEGANCE of shape, spiritedness, and agility to leap from bough to bough in the forest, are the principal character- istics of this pretty animal. The Squirrel is of a deep reddish brown colour ; his breast and belly white. He is lively, sagacions, docile, and nimble : he lives upon nuts, and has been seen so tame as to dive into the pocket of his mistress, and search after an almond or a lump of sugar. In the woods, he leaps from tree to tree with surprising agility, living a most frolicsome life, surrounded with abundance, and having but few enemies. His time, however, is not entirely devoted to idle enjoyment, for in the luxuriant season of autumn, he gathers provisions for QUADRUPEDS. 73 the approaching winter, as if conscious that the forest would then be stripped of its fruits and foliage. His tail is to him as a parasol to defend him from the rays of the sun, as a parachute to secure him from dangerous falls when leaping from tree to tree, and as a sail in cross- ing the water, a voyage he sometimes performs in Lap- land on a bit of ice or a piece of bark inverted in the manner of a boat. The American Flying Squirrel, ( Pteromys volucella,j has a large membrane proceeding from the fore feet to the hind legs, which answers the same purpose as the Squir- rel's tail, and enables him to give surprising leaps that almost resemble flying. In the act of leaping, the loose skin is stretched out by the feet ; whereby the surface of the body is augmented, the animal becomes lighter in pro- portion to its bulk, the acceleration of its fall is retarded, and it appears to sail or fly from one place to another. Where numbers of them are seen at a time leaping, they appear like leaves blown off by the wind. THE MARMOT, OR ALPINE RAT, ( Arctomys Marmotta.) THIS is a harmless inoffensive animal, and seems to bear enmity to no creature but the dog. He is caught in Savoy, and carried about in several countries for the amusement of the mob. When taken young, this crea- ture is easily tamed, and possesses great imiscular 74 A DESCRIPTION OP strength and agility. He will often walk on bis hinder legs, and uses his fore paws to feed himself, like the squirrel. The Marmot makes his hole very deep, and in the form of the letter Y, one of the branches serving as an avenue to the innermost apartment, and the other sloping downwards, as a kind of sink or drain ; in this safe retreat, he sleeps throughout the winter, and if dis- covered may be killed without appearing to undergo any great pain. These animals produce but once a year, and bring forth three or four at a time. They grow very fast, and the extent of their lives is not above nine or ten years. They are about the size of a hare or cat, but much more corpulent. When a number of Marmots are feeding to- gether, one of them stands sentinel upon a wall ; and on the first appearance of a man, a dog, an eagle, or any dan- gerous animal, he utters a loud and shrill cry, as a signal for immediate retreat. The Marmot inhabits the highest regions of the Alps; and is likewise found in Poland, Ukraine, and Chinese Tartary. THE GUINEAPIG. fCavia Cobaya.) THIS animal is generally white, with spots of red and black. He is a native of the Brazils, but now domesti- cated in most parts of Europe. This animal is less than the rabbit, and its legs and neck are so short, that tlie former are scarcely seen, and the latter seems stuck upon its shoulders. Guineapigs, though they have a disagreea- QUADRUPEDS. 75 ble smell, are so extremelv cleanly, that the male and female may be often seen alternately employed in smooth- ing each other's skins, disposing their hair, and improving its gloss. They sleep like the hare with their eyes half open, and continue extremely watchful if they apprehend any danger. They are very fond of durk retreats; and previously to their quitting these, they look round, and seem to listen attentively ; then, if the road be clear, they sally forth in quest of food ; but run back on the slightest alarm. The female begins to produce young when only two months old, and as she has young ones every two or three months, and sometimes as many as twelve at a time, a thousand might be raised from a single pair in the course of a year. THE MOUSE. (Mm musculus.) THIS is a lively, active animal, and the most timid in na- ture, except the hare, and a few other defenceless species. Although timid, he eats in the trap as soon as he is caught; yet he never can be thoroughly tamed, nor does he betray any affection for his assiduous keeper. He is beset by a E 2 76 A DESCRIPTION OF number of enemies, among which are the cat, the hawk and owl, the snake and weasel, and the rat himself, though not unlike the mouse in his habits and shape. The mouse is one of the most prolific of animals, some- times producing seventeen at a birth, but it is sup- posed that the life of this small inmate of our habitations does not extend much further than three years. This creature is known all over the world, and breeds wherever it finds food and tranquillity. There are Mice of various colours, but the most common kind is of a dark, cinereous hue : white Mice are not uncommon, particularly in Sa- voy and some parts of France. A remarkable instance of sagacity in a long-tailed Field Mouse, occurred to the Rev. Mr. White, as his people were pulling off the lining of a hot-bed, in order to add somefresh dung. From the side of this bed somethingleaped with great agility, that made a most grotesque appear- ance, and was not caught without much difficulty. It proved to be a large Field Mouse, with three or four young ones clinging to her teats by their mouths and feet. It was amazing that the various and rapid motions of the dam did not oblige her litter to quit their hold, especially when it appeared that they were so young as to be both naked and blind. The same author appears to be the first to describe and accurately examine that diminutive creature the Har- vest Mouse, the least of all the British quadrupeds. He measured some of them, and found that from the nose to the tail they were two inches and a quarter long. Two of them, in a scale, weighed down just one copper half- penny, about the third of an ounce avoirdupoise ! Their nest is a great curiosity. QUADRUPEDS. 77 THE RAT. (Mus decumans.) THE rat is about four times as large as a mouse, but of a dusky colour, with white under the body ; his head is longer, his neck shorter, and his eyes comparatively bigger. These animals are so attached to our common dwellings, that it is almost impossible to destroy the breed, when they have once taken a liking to any particular place. Their produce is enormous ; as they have from ten to twenty young ones at a litter, and this thrice a year. Thus their increase is such, that it is possible for a single pair (supposing food to be sufficiently plentiful, and that they had no enemies to lessen their numbers) to amount, at the end of two years, to upwards of a mil- lion ; but an insatiable appetite impels them to destroy each other; the weaker always falls a prey to the stronger ; and the large male Rat, which usually lives by itself, is dreaded by those of its own species as their most formi- dable enemy. The Rat is a bold and fierce little animal, and when closely pursued, will turn and fasten on its as- sailant. Its bite is keen, and the wound it inflicts is pain- ful and difficult to heal, owing to the form of its teeth, which are long, sharp, and of an irregular form. A gentleman, some time ago, travelling through Meck- lenburgh, was witness to a very singular circumstance 78 A DESCRIPTION OF respecting one of these animals, in the post-house at New Hargare). After dinner, the landlord placed on the floor a large dish of soup, and gave a loud whistle. Immedi- ately there came into the room a mastiff, an Angora cat, an old raven, and a large Rat with a bell about its neck. They all four went to the dish, and without disturbing each other, fed together ; after which, the dog, cat, and Rat lay before the fire, while the raven hopped about the room. The landlord, after accounting for the familiarity which existed among these animals, informed his guest that the Rat was the most useful of the four ; for that the noise he made had completely freed the house from the Rats and mice with which it had been before infested. THE WATER RAT (Arvicola aquatica) Differs very little from the Land Rat, and inhabits the banks of rivers and ponds, where he digs holes always QUADRUPEDS. 79 above the water-mark, and feeds on fish, frogs, and insects. Water Rats live near rivers and ponds in summer, and when winter approaches they frequent the farm-house, burrow in the corn-fields, infest the mows and stacks, at- tack the poultry-yard, and commit vast depredations. THE MUSK RAT (Fiber zibethecus) Is a native of Canada, and resembles the beaver in many of his habits of life. He has a fine musky scent, and makes his holes in marshes, and by the waterside, with two or three ways to get in or go out, and several distinct apartments, in the manner of the beaver: he is said to contrive one entrance to his hole always below the water, that he may not be frozen out by the ice. He lives upon small fish and water insects, as well as vegetables. This animal is called the Musquash in America, and its fur is used, like that of the beaver, in the manufacture of hats, four or five hundred thousand skins being said to be sent to Europe every year for that purpose. Musk Rats are always seen in pairs ; and though watchful, they are not timid, as they will often approach quite close to a boat or other vessel. In spring they feed on pieces of wood, which they peel carefully ; and they are particularly fond of the roots of the sweet flag (Acorus Calamus). In Canada this animal is called the Ondrata. 80 A DESCRIPTION OF THE DORMOUSE, OR SLEEPER. (Myoxisglis.) THESE animals build their nests either in the hollow parts of trees, or near the bottom of thick shrubs, and line them most industriously with moss, soft lichens, and dead leaves. Conscious of the length of time they have to pass in their solitary cells, Dormice are very particular in the choice of the materials they employ to build and fur- nish them; and generally lay up a store of food, consisting of nuts, beans, and acorns: and on the approach of cold weather, they roll themselves in balls, their tail curled up over their head between the ears, and in a state of ap- parent lethargy, pass the greatest part of the winter, till the warmth of the sun, pervading the whole atmosphere, kindles their congealed blood, and calls them back again to the enjoyment of life. Except in the time of breed- ing and bringing up its young, the Dormouse is generally found alone in its cell. This animal is remarkable for the very small degree of heat its body possesses during its torpid state, when it appears actually frozen with the cold, and it may be tossed or rolled about without being roused, though it may be instantly revived by the application of gentle heat, such as that of the hands. If a torpid Dor- mouse, however, be placed before a large fire the sudden change will kill it. The American Dormouse, or Ground Squirrel, is a very beautiful animal striped down the back, and resembling the squirrel in its habits, except that instead of living in trees, it burrows in the ground. QUADRUPEDS. 81 THE JERBOA. (Dipus Jerboa.) THE Jerboas are animals, the principal character of which consists in their having very short fore legs, and very long hinder ones: if we might suppose a bird divested of its fea- thers, and wings, and jumping upon its legs, it might give us some idea of the figure of a Jerboa when pursued. It uses, however, all its four feet, upon ordinary occasions, and it is only when pursued that it presses its fore feet close to its body, and leaps on its hind ones. The ancients called this animal the two-footed rat. This creature is about the size of a rat ; the head resembles that of a rabbit with long whiskers ; the tail is ten inches long, and ter- minated by a tuft of black hair. The fur of the body is tawny, except the breast and throat, and part of the belly, which are white. The Jerboa is very active and lively, and jumps and springs, when pursued, six or seven feet from the ground, with the assistance of its tail; but if this useful member be in any manner injured, the acti- vity of the Jerboa is proportionately diminished ; and one which had been accidentally deprived of its tail, was found unable to leap at all. The Jerboa is supposed to be both the coney and the mouse of the Holy Scriptures. It bur- rows like the rabbit, and feeds like the squirrel: it is a native of Egypt, and all the adjacent countries. 82 A DESCRIPTION OF THE CHINCHILLA. (Chincella lanigera.) THE Chinchilla is a native of America, and its coat pro- duces the beautiful fur known by its name. This animal was but little known to naturalists until Captain Beechey brought home with him a specimen from the north-west coast of America, and presented it to the Zoological So- ciety. The length of the body of this little animal is about nine inches, and its tail nearly five ; its limbs are compa- ratively short, the hind legs being much the longest. The fur is long, thick, close, and woolly, somewhat crisped, and entangled togther ; of a grayish or ash colour above, and paler beneath. The form of the head resembles that of the rabbit ; the eyes are full, large, and black ; and the ears broad, naked, round at the tips, and nearly as long as the head. The whiskers are plentiful and strong, the longest be- ing twice as long as the head, some of them black, others white. Four short toes, with an appearance of a thumb, ter- minate the fore feet ; the hinder have the same number of toes, but have less the appearance of hands : on all these toes the claws are short, and nearly hidden by tufts of bristly hairs. The tail is about half the length of the body, of equal thickness throughout, and covered with long bushy hairs. It resembles in some degree the jerboa, and takes QUADRUPEDS. 83 its food, like that animal, in its fore paws, sitting on its haunches. The temper of the Chinchilla is mild and trac- table. It dwells in burrows under ground, and produces young twice a year, bringing forth five or six at a time. It feeds upon the roots of bulbous plants. THE PORCUPINE (Hystrix cristata) Grows to the height of about two feet and a half, and his body is covered with hair and sharp quills, from ten to four- teen inches long, and bent backwards. When the ani- mal is irritated, they stand erect ; but the story that the Porcupine can shoot them at his enemies, is only one of the many fables formerly related as facts in Natural His- tory. The female has only one young one at a time. It is reported to live from twelve to fifteen years. The Porcu- pine is dull, fretful and inoffensive; it feeds upon fruits, roots, and vegetables of many sorts; and inhabits the south of Europe, India, Persia, and almost every part of Africa ; particularly Barbary. Mr. Bewick, in his History of Quadrupeds, asserts, that, upon the smallest irritation, this animal erects its quills, and shakes them with great violence, directing them to the quarter whence it is in danger of being at- tacked. "We have observed," says he, "on an occasion of this sort, when the animal was moulting or casting its quills, that they would fly out to the distance of a few 84 A DESCRIPTION OF yards, with such force as to bend the points of them against the board where they struck : and it is not impro- bable that a circumstance of this kind may have given rise to an opinion of its power to use them in a more effectual manner." SECTION VI. lEUeutata, or tootftlm Animate. THE SLOTH. (Brady pus tridactylus.} THIS animal, which is sometimes also called Ai, is most curiously formed. The arms or fore legs are nearly twice as long as the hind legs: and consequently when the animal attempts to walk or rather crawl, it can only do so on its hind feet, and the elbows of its fore legs. The claws are also larger than the foot, and bent inwardly, so as to prevent the animal from placing the ball of his foot on the ground. From these peculiarities in its construc- tion the progress of the Sloth on land is extremely slow QUADRUPEDS. 85 and laborious ; but the Sloth is not intended to be a ter- restrial animal. He lives in trees, always hanging below the branch, with his back to the ground : and for a life of this kind, his long arms and hooked claws are admirably adapted ; and Mr. Waterton, whose long residence in the wilds of South America, and whose habits of close obser- vation, render him an excellent authority, observes, that when the Sloth travels from branch to branch of the tree which he inhabits, particularly in windy weather, it is with such rapidity as to make it quite a misnomer to call him a Sloth. " The Sloth," says Mr. Waterton, "in its wild state, spends its whole life in the trees, and never leaves them, but through force or accident ; and what is more extraordinary, not upon the branches, like the squirrel and monkey, but under them. He moves suspended from the branch, he rests suspended from the branch, and he sleeps suspended from the branch. Hence his seemingly bungled composition is at once accounted for; and in lieu of the Sloth leading a painful life, and entailing a melancholy existence upon its progeny, it is but fair to conclude, that it just enjoys life as much as any other ani- mal, and that its extraordinary formation and singular habits are but further proofs to engage us to admire the wonderful works of Omnipotence." The Ai has always three toes ; but there is another kind of Sloth called the Unan, which has only two toes, and much shorter fore legs. The Sloths have only one young one at a time, which hangs to the breast of the mother, and makes a kind of cradle of her body, during her journeys from branch to branch ; in fact it appears never to quit her, till it is able to provide for itself. The female Sloth, when hang- ing from the branch, hides her young one in her thick, matted hair, which resembles in texture and appearance dry withered grass, and indeed is so like the rough bark and moss on old trees, as to render the animal scarcely 86 A DESCRIPTION OF distinguishable. The name of Ai alludes to the noise the Sloth makes when caught. THE ARMADILLO. (Dasypus sexdnctus.) NATURE seems to have been singularly careful in the pre- servation of this animal, for she has surrounded him with a coat of armour to defend him from his enemies. When closely pursued, he turns himself, withdraws his head under the shell, and assumes the shape of a ball ; if he be near a precipice, he rolls from one rock to another, and escapes Avithout receiving any injury. The shell, which covers the whole of the body, is composed of several scales, very hard, and of a square shape, united by a kind of cartila- ginous substance, which gives flexibility to the whole. The Armadillo lives principallyon roots, carrion, and ants; and in a wild state it resides in subterranean burrows, like the rabbit. It is a native of South America. There are several species differing chiefly in the number of their bands. QUADRUPEDS. 87 THE GREAT ANT-EATER. (Myrmecophaga jubata.) THE body of the Great Ant-eater is covered with exceed- ingly coarse and shaggy hair. Its head is very long and slender, and the mouth but just large enough to admit its tongue, which is cylindrical, nearly two feet in length, and lies folded double within it. The tail is of enormous size, and covered with long black hair, somewhat like the tail of a horse. The whole animal, from the end of the snout to the tip of the tail, is sometimes eight or nine feet in length. The food of this very singular animal consists principally of ants, and these he obtains in the following manner: When he comes to an ant-hill, he scratches it up with his long claws, and then unfolds his slender tongue, which much resembles an enormously long worm. This being covered with a clammy matter or saliva, the ants adhere to it in great numbers : then, by drawing it into his mouth, he swallows thousands of them alive ; and he repeats the operation till no more are to be found. He also tears up the nests of wood-lice, which he in like manner discovers; and frequently climbs trees in quest of these insects, and of wild bees or their honey. But should he meet with little success in his pursuit of food, he is able to fast for a considerable time without in- 88 A DESCRIPTION OF convenience. The motions of the Ant-eater are in gene- ral very slow. He, however swims over great rivers with sufficient ease ; and on these occasions, his tail is al- ways thrown over his back. With this extraordinary member, when asleep, or during heavy showers of rain, the animal also covers its back ; but at other times he trails it along and sweeps the ground. The Ant-eater is a native of South America. THE DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS, OR WATER MOLE. (Ornithorhynchus paradoxus.) THIS extraordinary creature has the bill and webbed feet of a duck, united to the body of a mole. It is a native of Australia, where it is found on the banks of rivers, in the sides of which it burrows and forms its nest. It feeds on aquatic insects and small molluscous animals, always, however, rejecting the shells of the latter, after crushing them in its mouth, so as to extract the body. A number of these animals are always found together, but it is very difficult to watch their habits, as their sense of hearing QUADRUPEDS. 89 is so acute, that they disappear at the slightest noise, plunging into the water, in which they swim so low, that they only look like a mass of weeds floating on the sur- face. These curious animals produce their young in eggs, which are hatched the very moment they are laid ; and they nourish them with milk, which oozes through the fur from the chest of the female, though she has no teats. When the animal feeds, he plunges his beak into the mud, just like a duck; and he appears to be equally at home on land and in water. Two young ones that were kept for some time at Sidney, by Mr. Bennet, were very fond of rolling themselves up like a hedgehog, in the form of balls. They often slept in this position, and " awful little growls" issued from them when disturbed. They were fed with worms and bread and milk ; but captivity did not seem to agree with them, and they soon died. The shape of this animal is so extraordinary, that when a specimen was first sent to Europe it was supposed to have been manufactured by fixing the beak of a duck into the head of some small quadruped, with the intention to deceive. Subsequent experience has proved, beyond the possibility of a doubt, the existence of the animal, with- out in the smallest degree diminishing the wonder excited by its first appearance, as it appears to partake in almost equal parts of the nature of quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. 90 A DKSCRIPTON OF SECTION VII. ^at&g&ermata, or tirfe.?sfctm& THE ELEPHANT. (Elephas Indicus.) PROVIDENCE, always impartial in the distribution of its gifts, has given this bulky quadruped a quick instinct nearly approaching to reason, in compensation for the uncouth- ness and ill-shapedness of his body. The Ceylon Elephant, is about thirteen feet high, and seven broad, and is much the largest of all living animals. His skin is in general a mouse colour, but it is sometimes white and sometimes black. His eyes are rather small for the size of his head, and his ears, which are very expanded and of a peculiar QUADRUPEDS. 91 shape, have the flaps hanging down, instead of standing up, as in most quadrupeds. The Elephant is a gregarious animal in his wild state, and when domesticated is suscep- tible of attachment and gratitude, as well as of anger and revenge. Several anecdotes are related of his quick ap- prehension, and chiefly of the vindictive treatment he uses against those who have either scoffed at or abused him. To disappoint him is dangerous, as he seldom fails to be revenged. The following instance is given as a fact, and deserves to be recorded: An Elephant, disap- pointed of his reward, out of revenge, killed his governor. The poor man's wife, who beheld the dreadful scene, took her two infants and threw them at the feet of the enraged animal, saying, " Since you have slain my husband, take my life also, as well as those of my children I" The Ele- phant instantly stopped, relented, and, as if stung with remorse, took the eldest boy in its trunk, placed him on its neck, adopted him for its governor, and would never al- low any other person to mount him. The Elephant's mouth is armed with broad and strong grinding teeth, and two large tusks, which measure some- times nine or ten feet. From these tusks all that ivory can ever produce of fine exquisite workmanship is made. The ivory from the tusks of the female is thought the best, as the tooth, being smaller, admits less porosity in the cellu- lar part of the mass. Becoming tame under the mild treatment of a good master, the Elephant is not only a most useful servant, for the purposes of state or war, but is also of great help in taming the wild ones that have been recently caught. The Hindostan superstition has paid great honours to the white race of this quadruped ; and the island of Ceylon is supposed to breed the finest of the kind. This immense beast, by the wisdom of Providence, has not been placed among the carnivorous animals : and vegeta- ble food being much more abundant than animal, he is 92 A DESCRIPTION OF destined to live on grass and the tender shoots of trees. This noble creature bears in state on his back the poten- tates of the East, and seems to delight in the pompous pageantry of Hindostan : in war he carries a tower rilled with archers ; and in a domestic state lends his assistance to all who require it. The female is said to go a year with young, and to bring forth one at a time. The Elephant lives a hundred and twenty or a hundred and thirty years. The greatest wonder the Elephant presents to the admi- ration of the intelligent observer of nature is his proboscis, or trunk, composed of elastic rings to the extent of six or eight feet, and so flexible that he uses it as dexterously as a man does his hand. It was erroneously said, that the Elephant could receive nourishment through his trunk ; this sort of pipe is nothing but a prolongation to the snout, for the purpose of breathing, into which the animal can, by the strength of his lungs, draw up a great quantity of water or other liquid, which he spouts again, or brings back to his mouth by inverting and shortening his probo- scis for this purpose. Captain Marryat, in his very entertaining work called Masterman Ready, relates a curious instance of the saga- city of an Elephant in India, which had fallen into a deep tank. The tank was so deep that it was impossible to hoist the Elephant up, but when the people threw down several bundles of faggots, the sagacious animal laid one bundle above another, always standing on each tier as he arranged it, till at last he raised the pile high enough to allow him to walk out of the tank. THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, OR RIVER-HORSE. (Hippopotamus amphibus.) THIS animal lives as well on land as in water, and yields in size to none but the elephant : he weighs sometimes be- tween fifteen and sixteen hundred pounds. His skin is very sleek, and covered with short and soft hair, of a mouse colour. The head is tiattish on the top, about four feet long and nine in circumference ; the lips are large, the jaws open about two feet wide, and the cutting-teeth, of which it has four in each jaw, are about a foot long ; he has broad ears, and large eyes, a thick neck, and a short tail, tapering like that of a hog. He grazes and eats the leaves and ycung branches of trees on shore, but retires to the water if pursued, and will sink down to the bottom, as he can remain five or six minutes at a time under water. 94 A DESCRIPTION OF When he rises to the surface and remains with his head out of the water, he makes a bellowing noise which may be heard at a great distance. The female brings forth her young upon land, and it is supposed that she seldom pro- duces more than one at a time. The calf at the instant when it comes into the world, will fly to the water for shelter, if pursued ; a circumstance which has been noticed as a re- markable instance of pure instinct. The Hippopotamus is supposed to be the Behemoth of the Scripture. See Job, chap. xl. (Rhinoceros fndicus,) So called because of the horn on his nose, is bred in India and Africa, is of a dark slate colour, and is nearly as large as the elephant, as he measures about twelve feet in length, but he has short legs. His skin, which is not pen- QUADRUPEDS. 95 etrable by any ordinary weapon, is folded upon his body, in the manner represented in the figure above ; his eyes are small and half closed, and the horn on his nose is attached to the skin only. In confinement he often wears it to a mere stump, by rubbing it against his crib. He is per- fectly indocile and untractable ; a natural enemy to the elephant, to whom he often gives battle, and is said never to go out of his way, but that he will rather stop to de- stroy the obstacles which offer to retard his course, than turn about; he lives on the coarsest vegetables, and fre- quents the banks of rivers, and marshy grounds; his hoofs are divided into four, and it is reported that he grunts like a hog, which he resembles in many points as to shape and habits. The female produces but one at a time, and during the first month her young are not bigger than a large dog. The Rhinoceros is supposed by some to be the Unicorn of holy writ, and it possesses all the proper- ties ascribed to that animal, rage, untameableness, great swiftness, and immense strength. It was known to the Romans in very early times. Augustus introduced one into the shows, on his triumph over Cleopatria. The African Rhinoceros has two horns. THE WILD BOAR (Sus scofra,) Inhabits, for the most part, marshes and woods, and is of a black or brown colour: his flesh is very tender and 96 A DESCRIPTION OF good for food. The Wild Boar has tusks, which are some- times nearly a foot in length, and they have often proved dangerous to men as well as to dogs in the chase. His life is confined to about thirty years ; his food consists of vegetables, but when pressed by hunger, he devours ani- mal flesh. This creature is strong and fierce, and un- dauntedly turns against his pursuers. To hunt him is one of the principal amusements of the grandees in those coun- tries where he is to be found. The dogs provided for this sport are of the slow heavy kind. Those used for hunting the stag, or the roe-buck, would be very improper, as they would too soon come up with their prey, and instead of a chase, would only furnish an engagement- Small mastiffs are therefore chosen ; nor do the hunters much re- gard the goodness of their nose, as the Wild Boar leaves so strong a scent that it is impossible for them to mistake its course. They never hunt any but the largest and the oldest, which are known by their tusks. When the boar is reared, as is the expression for driving him from his covert, he goes slowly and uniformly forward, not much afraid, nor very far before his pursuers. At the end of every half mile, or thereabouts, he turns round, stops till the hounds come up, and offers to attack them. These, on the other hand, knowing their danger, keep off and bay him at a distance. After they have for a while gazed upon each other, with mutual animosity, the Boar again slowly goes on his course, and the dogs renew their pursuit. In this manner the charge is sustained, and the chase continues, till the Boar is quite tired, and refuses to go any further. The dogs then attempt to close in upon him from behind ; those which are young, fierce, and unaccustomed to the chase, are generally the foremost, and often lose their lives by their ardour. Those which are older and better trained are content to wait until the hunters come up, who strike at him with their spears, and after several blows, despatch or disable him. QUADRUPEDS. 97 In former times, the Wild Boar was a native of Britain, as appears from the laws of the Welsh prince, Howell the Good, who permitted his grand huntsman to chase that animal from the middle of November to the beginning of December; and in the reign of William the Conqueror, those who were convicted of killing the Wild Boars, in any of the royal forests, were punished with the loss of their eyes. Our domestic pigs are descended from the wild race ; but the tame Boar has two tusks, though they are much less than those of the wild ones, and the sow has none. THE TAPIR. (Tapir Americanus.) THIS animal bears considerable resemblance to the wild boar, but it is without tusks, and it has its snout prolonged into a small fleshy proboscis or trunk. This trunk, how- ever, has not the flexibility of that of the elephant, and it is incapable of holding anything. The colour of the Tapir is a deep brown, and the male has a small mane on the upper part of his neck. It stands about three feet 98 A DESCRIPTION OF and a half high, and measures nearly six feet in length. It lies in thickets, the thorny branches of which cannot affect it from the thickness of its skin, while they lacerate the skins of its pursuers. It generally feeds on water- melons. It is generally found alone, and always roams for prey at night; but it is easily tamed if taken young. It possesses the same power of remaining under water as the hippopotamus, and when it enters a pond, it can de- scend to the bottom, and remain there five or six minutes. THE HORSE. (Equus caballus.) THE noblest conquest that man ever made on the brute creation was the taming of the Horse, and the engaging him to his service. He lessens the labours of man, adds to his pleasures, advances or flees, with ardour and swift- ness, for attack or defence ; shares, with equal docility and cheerfulness, the fatigues of hunting, the dangers of war, and draws with appropriate strength, rapidity, or grace, the heavy ploughs and carts of the husbandman, QUADRUPEDS. 99 the light vehicles of the rich, and the stately carriages of the great. The Horse is now bred in most parts of the world : those of Arabia, Turkey, and Persia are accounted better proportioned than many others; but the English Race- Horse may justly claim the precedence over all the other European breeds, and he is not inferior to any of the rest in point of strength and symmetry. The beautiful Horses produced in Arabia are in general of a brown colour ; their mane and tail are very short, with the hair black and tufted. The Arabs for the most part use the Mares in their ordinary excursions ; experience having taught them that they are less vicious than the males, and more capable of sustaining abstinence and fatigue. As the Arabs have no other residence than a tent, this also serves for a stable; the husband, the wife, the child, the Mare, and the Foal, lie together indiscrimi- nately, and the youngest branches of the family may be often seen embracing the neck, or reposing on the body of the Mare, without any idea of fear or danger. Of the remarkable attachment which the Arabs have to these animals, St. Pierre has given an affecting instance in his Studies of Nature. "The whole stock of a poor Arabian of the desert consisted of a beautiful Mare : this the French consul at Said offered to purchase, with an intention to send her to Louis XIV. The Arab, pressed by want, hesitated a long time, but at length consented, on condition of receiving a very considerable sum of money, which he named. The consul wrote to France for permission to close the bargain ; and, having obtained it, sent the information to the Arab. The man, so indi- gent as to possess only a miserable covering for his body, arrived with his magnificent courser : he dismounted, and first looking at the gold, then steadfastly at his Mare, heaved a sigh. 'To whom is it,' exclaimed he, ' that I am going to yield thee up ? To Europeans ! who will tie p 2 100 A DESCRIPTION OF thee close, who will beat thee, who will render thee miserable! Return with me, my beauty, my jewel! and rejoice the hearts of my children :' as he pronounced the last words, he sprung upon her back, and was out of sight almost in a moment." The intelligence of the Horse is next to that of the elephant, and he obeys his rider with so much punctuality and understanding, that the Americans, \\ho had never seen a man on horseback, thought, at first, that the Spaniards were a kind of centaurs, a monstrous race, half men and half horses. The Horse, in a domestic state, seldom lives longer than twenty years ; but it is supposed that in a wild state he attains a much greater age. The Mare is as elegant in her shape as the Horse ; and her young is called a foal. From the teeth of the Horse his age is known, and his colour, which varies from black to white, and from the darkest brown to a light hazel tint, has been reckoned a good sign to judge of his strength and other qualities. The Horse feeds upon grass, either fresh or dry, and corn ; he is liable to many diseases, and often dies sud- denly. In the state of nature, he is a gregarious animal, and even when domesticated, his debased situation of slavery has not entirely destroyed his love of society and friendship ; for Horses have been known to pine at the loss of their masters, their stable fellows, and even at the death of a dog which had been bred near the manger. Virgil, in his beautiful description of this noble animal, seems to have imitated Job: " The fiery courser, when he hears from far The sprightly trumpets, and the shouts of war, Pricks up his ears, and trembling with delight, Shifts place, and paws, and hopes the promised fight. On his right shoulder his thick mane reclined, Ruffles at speed, and dances in the wind. His horny hoofs are jetty black and round, QUADRUPEDS. His chine is double ; starting with a bound, He turns the turf and shakes the solid ground. Fire from his eyes, clouds from his nostrils flow ; He bears his rider headlong on the foe. 101 THE ASS. (Equus Asinus.} THE Ass is a beast of burden, and undoubtedly very ser- viceable to mankind. Of greater strength than most animals of his size, he bears fatigue with patience, and hunger with apparent cheerfulness. A bundle of dried herbs, a thistle on the road, will suffice him for his daily meal, and he compensates with the clear and pure water of a neighbouring brook (in the choice of which he is particularly nice,) the want of a better fare. It is pro- bable the Ass was originally a native of Arabia, and other parts of the East: the deserts of Libya and Numidia, and many parts of the Archipelago, contain vast herds of wild Asses, which run with such amazing swiftness, that even the fleetest horses of the country can hardly overtake them. In the time of Elizabeth, we are informed, there were no Asses in this country. Our treatment of this very useful animal is both wanton and cruel, and most ungrateful, considering the great services he renders us at a little expense. The ears of the Ass are of an uncom- mon length ; and he is of a greyish or a dun colour, with 102 A DESCRIPTION OP a black cross on his back and shoulders. When very young, the Ass is sprightly, and even tolerably handsome ; but he soon loses these qualifications, either by age or ill- treatment, and becomes slow, sullen, and headstrong. The female is passionately fond of her young one ; and it is said she will even cross fire and water to protect or re- join it. The Ass is also sometimes greatly attached to his owner, whom he scents at a distance, and plainly distin- guishes from others in a crowd. An old man who, a few years ago, sold vegetables in London, used in his employment an Ass, which conveyed his baskets from door to door. Frequently he gave the poor industrious creature a handful of hay, or some pieces of bread, or greens, by way of refreshment or reward. The old man had no need of any goad for the animal, and seldom, indeed, had he to lift up his hand to drive it on. His kind treatment was one day remarked to him, and he was asked if his beast was apt to be stubborn ? "Ah ! master," replied he, " it is of no use to be cruel, and as for stubbornness, I cannot complain ; for he is ready to do anything, and go anywhere. I bred him myself. He is sometimes skittish and playful, and once ran away from me ; you will hardly believe it, but there were more than fifty people after him, attempting in vain to stop him ; yet he turned back of himself, and he never stopped till he ran his head kindly into my bosom." The ancients had a great regard for this animal. The Romans had a breed which they held in such high esti- mation, that Pliny mentions one of the males selling for a price greater than three thousand pounds of our money ; and he says that in Celtiberia, a province in Spain, a she Ass had colts that were bought for nearly the same sum. The Ass lives nearly to the same age as the horse; and the female's milk has often proved beneficial to consumptive persons. QUADRUPED?. 103 THE WILD ASS. THE Wild Ass is a native of Asia, and it is scarcely pos- sible to imagine a greater contrast than is presented by this noble and spirited animal to the common domestic Ass. The Wild Ass in Persia and Arabia is as large as a horse, and is as fleet and as full of fire. It is used only for riding by the Persian nobles, and is preferred by them to the horse. 104 A DESCRIPTION OF THE MULE. THIS useful and hardy animal is the offspring of the horse and the ass, and partakes of the good qualities of both. The common Mule is very healthy, and will live above thirty years. It is found very serviceable in car- rying burdens, particularly in mountainous and stony places, where horses are not so sure-footed. The size and strength of our breed have been much improved by the importation of Spanish male Asses ; and it is much to be wished that the useful qualities of this animal were more attended to ; for, by proper care in its breaking, its natural obstinacy would in a great measure be corrected ; and it might be formed with success for the saddle, the draught, or the burden. People of the first quality are drawn by Mules in Spain, where fifty and sixty guineas is no uncommon price for them ; nor is it surprising, when we consider how far they excel the horse in travel- ling in a mountainous country, the Mule being able to tread securely where the former can hardly stand. It is much less dainty in its food than the horse, and not so liable to disease ; and it has been known to go a distance of eighty or one hundred miles in one day, with a heavy weight on its back, without much fatigue. .' QUADRUPEDS. 105 THE ZEBRA. (Equus Zebra.) THIS is the most elegantly marked quadruped in nature. He is striped all over with the most pleasing regularity ; in size he resembles the mule, being smaller than the horse, and larger than the ass. The hair of his skin is uncommonly smooth, and he looks at a distance like an animal that some fanciful hand has surrounded with ribbons of white or buff, and jet black. He is a native of southern Africa chiefly of the Cape of Good Hope ; but he is also found in the kingdom of Angola ; and, as we are assured by Lopez, found likewise in several pro- vinces of Barbary. In these boundless forests the Zebra has nothing to restrain its liberty. It is too shy to be caught in traps, and therefore seldom taken alive. Were the Zebra accustomed to our climate, there is little doubt F 5. 106 A DESCRIPTION OP but he might be soon domesticated. The black cross which the ass bears on his back and shoulders, proves the affinity between these two animals. The Zebra feeds in the same manner as the horse, ass, and mule ; and seems to delight in having clean straw and dried leaves to sleep upon. His voice can hardly be described ; it is thought by some persons to have a distant resemblance to the sound of a post horn. It is more frequently exerted when the animal is alone than at other times. In former times, Zebras were often sent as presents to the oriental princes. A governor of Batavia is said to have given one to the emperor of Japan, for which he received, as an equivalent, a present to the value of sixty thousand crowns ; and Teller informs us, that the Great Mogul gave two thou- sand ducats for one of these animals. It is usual with the African ambassadors to the court of Constantinople, to bring Zebras with them as presents for the Grand Signior. Zebras in a wild state live in herds, and they can only be tamed when taken young, or bred in captivity. Four Zebras, bred in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, may often be seen drawing a kind of chaise-cart belonging to the gardens. The Quagga is also a native of Southern Africa. It is more wild than the Zebra, and less beautifully marked ; the stripes, indeed, do not extend over the whole body, but only over the head and neck. The colour is blackish brown, banded with white. The Quagga is less than the Zebra, and not so elegantly formed, the hind quarters being higher than the shoulders. The ears are also much shorter. QUADRUPEDS. 107 SECTION VIII. Ruminating THE BULL. (Bos Taurus.) THERE are, perhaps, no animals more generally useful to mankind than the race of oxen, in all their states of existence. They are all what is called ruminating ani- mals ; that is, after they have eaten their food, they pos- sess the power of returning it from the first stomach into the mouth, to be again masticated before it is finally digested. This is called chewing the cud ; and the ani- mal generally lying down, and looking very thoughtful while the operation is performing, is said to be ruminating ; and hence oxen are called ruminating animals. The Bull is a very fierce creature, and when enraged, runs about, tossing up his tail, and roaring most fearfully. When attacked by men or dogs, he tears up the ground with his feet, and then gallops after his assailants to en- deavour to toss them with his horns ; and very often he pursues in this manner any one he sees, particularly if they appear frightened. The best way for any one to take, who may be attacked by a Bull, is to stand still, and open an umbrella, or flap a shawl, or something of that kind, in the Bull's face ; as with all his fierceness he is a great coward, and only pursues those who fly from him. 108 A DESCRIPTION OF The Ox, or Bullock, which is a kind of Bull, is used in some parts of the country for drawing carts and waggons, and ploughing ; and its flesh is what we call beef. The skin is tanned and made into leather ; the hair is mixed with mortar; the bones are used for knife-handles, chess- men, counters, and other things, as a substitute for ivory; combs, and various other articles are made from the horns ; the fat is used in making candles ; the blood in refining sugar; and, in short, every part has some impor- tant use. THE COW. THE Cow is the female of the ox tribe, and her young is called a calf. A young Cow, when under two years old, is called a heifer. The Cow is as useful to mankind as the ox, except in ploughing and drawing ; but to make amends, she supplies us with milk, from which butter and cheese are made. The Cow gives from six to twenty quarts of milk in a day ; and the faculty of giving it in such abundance, and with so much ease, is a striking peculi- arity, for this animal differs in some parts of its organiza- tion from most others, having a large udder, and longer and thicker teats, than the largest animal we know of; QUADRUPEDS. 109 it has likewise four teats, whilst all other animals of the same nature have but two ; it also yields the rnilk freely to the hand, whilst all other animals, at least those that do not ruminate in the same manner, refuse it, unless their young, or some adopted animal, be allowed to partake it. The age of the Cow is known by her horns ; at four a ring is formed at their roots, and every succeeding year another ring is added. Thus, by allowing three years before their appearance, and then reckoning the number of rings, the creature's age may be exactly known. Calves, when quite young, are helpless creatures, from the great length and weakness of their legs. Sometimes they are killed when young, and then their flesh is called veal. The stomach of the calf when it is killed, is taken out, and cleaned and salted ; it is then hung up to dry, and is called rennet. When it is wished to make cheese, a bit of rennet is soaked in water, and the water is put to milk, which it turns to curd. The curd is then sepa- rated from the whey, and put into a press, when it be- comes cheese. THE WILD BULL. (Bos Scoticus.) IN the Duke of Hamilton's park in Scotland; Lord Tan- 110 A DESCRIPTION OF kerville's park at Chillingham, in Northumberland, and some other places, there is a breed of wild cattle, probably the last remains of those which at one period overrun the island. The colour is invariably white, with muzzle and ears black, or very dark red. At the first appearance of any person near them, these animals set off at full gallop ; and at the distance of two or three hundred yards, wheel round and come boldly up again, tossing their heads in a menacing manner. On a sudden they make a full stop at the distance of forty or fifty yards, and look wildly at the object of their surprise ; but on the least motion they all turn round, and gallop off again with equal speed, but not to the same distance, forming a smaller circle ; and again returning with a bolder and more threatening aspect than before, they ap- proach much nearer, when they make another stand, and again gallop off. This they do several times, shortening their distance, and advancing nearer till they come within a few yards, when most persons consider it prudent to leave them, not choosing to provoke them further, as it is pro- bable that in a few turns more they would make an attack. The mode of killing these animals, as was practised a few years ago, was the only remnant of the ancient mode of hunting that existed in this country. On notice being given that a Wild Bull would be killed on a certain day, the inhabitants of the neighbourhood assembled, some- times to the number of a hundred horsemen, and four or five hundred foot, all armed with guns or other weapons. Those on foot stood upon the walls, or climbed into trees, while the horsemen separated a Bull from the rest of the herd, and chased him until he stood at bay, when they dismounted and fired. At some of these huntings, twenty or thirty shots have been discharged before the animal was subdued. On such occasions the bleeding victim grew desperately furious from the smarting of his wounds, and the shouts of savage joy echoing from every side. QUADRUPEDS. HI When the Cows calve, they hide their young ones for a week or ten days in some sequestered retreat, and go to suckle them two or three times in a day. If any person comes near one of the calves, it crouches close upon the ground, and endeavours to hide itself, a proof of the native wildness of the animals. In one instance where a calf was disturbed, it pawed the ground like a Bull, and attempted to butt with its head, till it fell from weakness. In the Duke of Hamilton's park in the summer of 1841, a calf, which was disturbed by the passing of a carriage near it, bellowed so fearfully, as to rouse the whole herd, though they were at a considerable distance. THE BUFFALO. (Bos Bubalus.) IN its general form the Buffalo has a great resemblance to the ox ; but it differs from that animal in its horns, and in some particulars of its internal structure. It is larger than the ox ; the head is also bigger in proportion, the forehead higher, and the muzzle longer. The horns are large, and of a compressed form, with the exterior edge sharp : they are straight for a considerable length from their base, and then bend slightly upward. The general colour of the animal is blackish, except the fore- head and the tip of the tail, which are of a dusky white. The hunch is not, as many have supposed it, a large fleshy 112 A DESCRIPTION OF lump, but it is occasioned by the bones that forms the withers being continued to a greater length than in most other animals. The Buffalo is a native of most parts of the torrid zone, and almost of all warm climates; always dwelling in moist and marshy places, where he delights to roll in the mire. In a wild state the Buffalo is exceed- ingly fierce ; but in some of the tropical countries he is perfectly domestic, and most useful for many purposes, being an animal of patience and great strength. When employed in the labours of agriculture, he has a brass ring put through his nose, by which means he is led at pleasure. Buffaloes are common in the Pontine Marshes near Rome, where they were brought from India in the sixth century. In India they constitute the riches and food of the poor, who employ them in their fields, and make butter and cheese from their milk. They are much valued for their hides; of which, in several countries, and especially in England, military belts, boots, and other implements of war are made. There are various species of Buffaloes, of which the Cape Buffalo, from South Africa, is the best known, and most valuable. Buffaloes, in their native country, fight so fiercely with each other, that African travellers have remarked that they seldom are found without torn ears, and scars of various kinds on the neck and body. QUADRUPEDS. 113 THE BISON. (Bos Bonamx.) THERE are two kinds of Bison ; one a native of Europe, and the other of America. The European Bison, or Bonasus, is as large as a bull or ox ; maned about the back and neck, like a lion ; and his hair hanging down under his chin, or nether jaw, like a large beard. The fore parts of his body are thick and strong, and the hinder parts are comparatively slender. He has a rising or little ridge along his face from his forehead down to his nose, which is very hairy ; his horns are large, very sharp, and turning towards his back, like those of a wild goat. The American Bison attains a size far superior to that of the largest breeds of our common oxen; and it is met with throughout nearly the whole of the uninhabited parts of North America, from Hudson's Bay to Louisiana arid the frontiers of Mexico. Captains Lewis and Clarke, and 114 A DESCRIPTION OP Dr. James, bear frequent testimony to the almost in- credible numbers in which these animals assemble on the banks of the Missouri. " Such was their multitude," say the first-named travellers, "that, although the river, including an island over which they passed, was a mile in breadth, the herd stretched, as thick as they could swim, completely from one side to the other." And again they say : " If it be not impossible to calculate the moving multitude which darkened the whole plains, we are con- vinced that twenty thousand would be no exaggerated number." Dr. James tells us that, " in the middle of the day, countless thousands of them were seen coming in from every quarter to the stagnant pools ;" their paths, as he informs us elsewhere, being "as frequent, and almost as conspicuous, as the roads in the most populous parts of the United States." THE ZEBU, OR BRAHMIN BULL. (Bos Indicus.) PENNANT describes the Zebu, or Indian Ox, as sometimes surpassing in size the largest of the European breeds, and the hunch on his shoulders as weighing frequently fifty pounds. There are many varieties, with and without horns, differing in size from that above named down to , QUADRUPEDS. 115 the dimensions of an ordinary hog. They are spread over the whole of Southern Asia, and from Abyssinia to the Cape of Good Hope. In all these countries the Zebu supplies the place of the ox, both as a beast of burthen and as an article of food. By the Hindoos they are treated with great veneration, and it is held sinful to de- prive them of life, or eat their flesh. A select number are exempted from all labour, and allowed to wander about, and subsist on the voluntary and pious contributions of the devotees of their faith. THE SHEEP. (Oois Aries.) THE Sheep has been so long subjected to the power of man, that it is not known with certainty from what race our domestic sheep has been derived. It is supposed, however, to be from the Mouflou or Musmon of Sardinia and Crete. This animal is one of the most useful that nature ever submitted to the empire of man : and in patriarchal times, the number of Sheep constituted the riches of kings and princes. It is universally known, its flesh being one of the chief kinds of human food. Its wool is of great use for clothing. Although of a moderate size, and well co- vered, it does not live more than nine or ten years. The 116 A DESCRIPTION OF Ewe has one or two young ones at a time, and the lamb has always been an emblem of innocence. In its domestic state, it is too well known to require a detail of its peculiar habits, or of the methods which have been adopted to improve the breed. No country produces finer Sheep than England, either with larger fleeces, or better adapted for the business of clothing. Those of Spain have confessedly finer wool, and we generally require some of their wool to work up with our own ; but the weight of a Spanish fleece is much inferior to one of Lincoln or Tees Water. Merino, or Spanish Sheep, have of late years been introduced with some success into our English pastures, and the wool of the hybrids, raised be- tween the Merino Sheep and the South Down Sheep, is thought nearly equal to that of Spain. In stormy weather, these animals generally hide them- selves in caves from the fury of the elements ; but if such retreats are not to be found, they collect themselves toge- ther, during the fall of snow, and place their heads near each other, with their muzzles inclined to the ground. In this situation they sometimes remain, till hunger compels them to gnaw each other's wool, which forms into hard balls in the stomach, and destroys them. But in general, they are sought out and extricated soon after the storm has subsided. 3 QUADRUPEDS. ir THE RAM Is the male sheep, and he is so strong and fierce that he will boldly attack a dog, and often come off victorious- he has even been known, regardless of danger, to engage a bull ; and his forehead being much harder than that of any other animal, he seldom fails to conquer; for the bull, by lowering his head, receives the stroke of the Ham be- tween his eyes, which usually brings him to the ground. THE WALLACHIAN RAM. THE singular conformation of the horns, which adorn the head of this breed of Sheep, has induced up to insert a 118 A DESCRIPTION OF figure of the animal in this work, though it is only a va- riety of the common species. The horns of the Ewe are twisted also, but not so much as those of the Ram, which form, near the head, a spiral line. The wool of this spe- cies seems to be much longer than that of the common Sheep, and to resemble the hair of the goat. A fine Ram of this species was presented some years since to the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park, by Dr. Bow- ring. It is there called the Parnassian Sheep, having been brought from Mount Parnassus. THE ARGALI, OR WILD SHEEP OF ASIA, In figure somewhat resembles a ram, but his wool is rather like the hair of a goat. His horns are large and bent backwards, and his tail is short. He is of the size of a small deer, active, swift, wild, and found in flocks in the rocky, dry deserts of Asia, Kamtschatka, Barbary, and Corsica. His flesh and fat are delicious. He is called also the Siberian Sheep or Goat, and he is considered by some to be the parent stock of the domestic Sheep. QUADRUPEDS. 119 THE GOAT. (Caprahircus.} THE Goat, after the cow and the sheep, has been always reckoned, and mostly in ancient and patriarchal times, the most useful domestic animal ; its milk is sweet, nourishing, and medicinal, and better adapted for per- sons of weak digestion than that of the cow, as it is not so apt to curdle on the stomach. The female has generally two young ones at a time; and these young goats are called kids. This animal is admirably adapted for living in wild places ; it delights in climbing precipices, and is often seen reposing in peaceful security on rocks over- hanging the sea. Nature indeed has in some measure fitted it for traversing these eminences ; the hoof being hollow underneath, with sharp edges, so that it can walk as securely on the ridge of a house as on the level ground. The flesh of the Goat is seldom eaten ; but that of the kid is esteemed a very delicate food, and is frequently eaten on the Continent. 120 A DESCRIPTION OF THE IBEX, OR BOQUETIN, Is a Wild Goat, which inhabits the Pyrennean mountains, the Alps, and the highest mountains of Greece. He is of an admirable swiftness, although his head is armed with two long, knotted horns, inclining backwards ; his hair is rough, and of a deep brown colour. The male only has a beard, and the female is less than the male : this animal skips from rock to rock, and often when pursued, jumps down enormous precipices, and it is said to bend its head be- tween its fore legs while springing, so as to break its fall, by alighting partly on its horns. He has been known to turn on the incautious huntsman, and tumble him down the precipice, unless he has time to lie down, and let the animal pass over him. QUADRUPEDS. 121 THE ANTELOPE. (Antilope cervicarpa.) SWIFTNESS and elegance of shape these animals possess to a considerable degree, and they inhabit the temperate re- gions of Asia. The males have horns like those of the goat, and never shed them ; these horns are smooth, long, and twisted spirally or annulated. The general colour of the hair is brown, and, in some species, of a beautiful yellow. Timid animals are of course inoffensive, and the Ante- lopes, like other gregarious creatures, are fond of living together. The eyes are exceedingly bright; and those of a beautiful nymph have often been compared to them by Persian and other poets. Enjoying an unbounded share of liberty, they range in herds, through the deserts of Arabia, and bound from rock to rock with wonderful agility. In disposition they are timid and restless, and their long and slender legs are peculiarly suited to their habits and manners of life. These, in some of the species, are so slender and brittle as to snap with a very trifling blow ; and the Arabs, taking advantage of this circum- stance, catch them by throwing sticks at them, by which their legs are broken. 1-2-2 A DESCRIPTION OF THE GAZELLE. (Antilope Dorcas.) The wild Gazelle, on Judah's hills, Exulting yet may bound, And drink from all the living rills That gush on holy ground. Its airy step and glorious eye May glance in tameless transport by. BYRON. THE Gazelle is the most elegant of antelopes. The Ara- bian poets have applied their choicest epithets to the beauty of this animal, and their descriptions have been adopted into our own poetry. Byron, in speaking of the dark eyes of an eastern beauty, says, " Go look on those of the Gazelle." When the Persian describes his mistress, she is " an ante- lope in beauty," " his Gazelle employs all his soul ;" QUADRUPEDS. 123 and thus, in their figurative language, perfect beauty and Gazelle beauty are synonymous. These animals are spread, in innumerable herds, from Arabia to the river Senegal in Africa. Lions and panthers feed upon them ; and man chases them with the dog, the chittah, and the falcon. The height of the Gazelle is about twenty inches, the skin is beautifully sleek, its body extremely graceful, its head unusually light, its ears flexible, its eyes most brilliant and glancing, and its legs as slender as a reed. THE x\ T YL GHAU, OR BLUE OX. (Antilope picta.) THIS is a kind of antelope, found in India. In the wild state, these animals are said to be ferocious, but they may be domesticated, and in that condition, give frequent tokens of familiarity, and even of gratitude, to those under whose care they are placed. The female, or doe. is much smaller than the male, and is of a yellowish colour, by which she is easily distinguished from the buck, who is of a grey tint. Its manner of fighting is very particular, and is thus de- scribed : Two of the males, at Lord Olive's being put into an enclosure, were observed, while they were at some G 2 124 A DESCRIPTION OF distance from each other, to prepare for the attack, by fall- ing down upon their knees ; they then shuffled towards each other, still keeping upon their knees ; and, at the distance of a few yards, they made a spring, and darted against each other with great force. The following anecdote will serve to show that these animals are sometimes fierce and vicious, and not to be depended upon : A labouring man, without knowing that the animal was near him, went up to the outside of the enclosure : the Nyl Ghau, with the quickness of lightning, darted against the woodwork with such violence, that he dashed it to pieces, and broke one of his horns close to the root. The death of the animal, soon after, was sup- posed to be owing to the injury he sustained by the blow. THE GNU. (Ant'dope Gnu.) THIS very singular animal may be called a horned horse; as it has the shape and mane of a horse, with the addition of a formidable pair of horns, a kind of beard below the chin, and a fringe of hair below the body, along the breast- bone. The habits of the animal also agree in many re- spects with those of the wild horse. The Gnus live toge- QUADRUPEDS. 125 ther in herds, and when alarmed, they fling up their heels and then plunge and rear, tossing their heads and tails, before they gallop off; which they do, the whole herd following their leader singly, like a troop of soldiers. The Gnu inhabits the sandy deserts of South Africa ; and its flesh, which is said to resemble beef, is sometimes eaten by the colonists near the Cape of Good Hope. When caught young, the Gnu may be tamed, but its disposition is always uncertain, and when offended, it throws itself on its knees, like the nyl ghau, and then springing up, butts furiously with its horns. THE STAG. (Cervus Elephas,} THIS animal is the male of the red Deer, and he is gene- rally famed for long life, though upon no certain authority. Naturalists agree, however, upon this point, that his life may exceed forty years : but that his existence, as it has been asserted, reaches to three centuries, is too absurd to be believed. His horns are at first very small, but they increase every year, and become gradually larger and 126 A DESCRIPTION OF larger, as they are yearly shed and renewed, till the stag has completed his fifth year, when they have become very large and branching, and they remain the same size during the remainder of the Stag's life. The Stag is the tallest of the deer kind, and is called a Hart after he has com- pleted his fifth year; the female, called the Hind, is without horns. Every year, in the month of April, when the Stag has lost his horns, he appears conscious of his temporary weakness, and hides himself till his new ones have grown ;md are hardened. This is generally in about ten weeks, even when the Stag is lull grown, and his horns weigh be- tween twenty and thirty pounds. Little need be said of the pleasure taken in hunting the Stag, the Hart, and the Roe- buck, it being a matter well known in this country, and in all parts of Europe. The following fact, recorded in history, will serve to show that the Stag is possessed of an extra- ordinary share of courage, when his personal safety is con- cerned : In tlie reign of George the Second, William, Duke of Cumberland, caused a tiger and a Stag to be enclosed in the same area; and the Stag made so bold a defence, that the tiger was at length obliged to give up. The flesh of the Stag is accounted excellent food, and his horns are useful to cutlers; even their shavings are used to make ammonia, so much esteemed in physic, under the name of hartshorn. The swiftness of the Stag has become proverbial, and the diversion of hunting this creature has, for ages, been looked upon as a royal amusement. In the times of William Rufus and Henry the First, it was less criminal to destroy one of the human species than a full- grown Stag. This animal, when fatigued in the chase, often throws himself in a pond of water, or crosses a river; and, when caught, he sheds tears like a child. To the which place a poor sequestered Stag, That from the hunter's aim had ta'en a hurt, Did come to languish ; and indeed, my lord, The wretched animal heaved forth such groans QUADRUPEDS. That their discharge did stretch his leathern coat Almost to bursting ; and the big round tears Coursed one another down his innocent nose In piteous chase. SHAKSPEARE. 127 THE ROEBUCK (Cervus capreolus) Is one of the least of the deer kind known in these climates, being not above three feet in length, and two in height. His horns are about nine inches long, round, and divided into three small branches. His colour is of a brown shade on the back, his face partly black and partly ash colour, the chest and belly yellow, and the rump white ; his tail is short. The Roebuck is more graceful than the stag, more active, more cunning, and comparatively swifter ; his flesh is much esteemed, and his age does not exceed fifteen years. He is very delicate in the choice of his food, and requires a larger tract of country, suited to the wild- ness of his nature, which can never be thoroughly subdued. No arts can teach him to be familiar with his keeper, nor in any degree attached to him. These animals are easily terrified ; and in their attempts to escape will run with such force against the walls of their enclosure, as some- times to disable themselves : they are also subject to ca- 128 A DESCRIPTION OF pricious fits of fierceness; and, on these occasions, will strike furiously with their horns and feet at the object of their dislike. The only parts of Great Britain where they are found, are the Highlands of Scotland. THE FALLOW DEER. (Cervus dama.) THESE are the Deer kept in parks. They are generally beautifully spotted, and their horns are broad and flat. The male is called a buck, the female a doe, and the young one a fawn. The buck casts his horns every spring, and every year they increase in size till he has attained his fifth year. The vension of the Fallow Deer is very far superior to that of the red deer, which is coarse and tough. The buck-skin and doe-skin are well known, as furnishing a peculiarly soft and warm kind of leather, which is used for gloves, gaiters, &c. The horns are used for the handles of knives, &c., like those of the stag ; and the refuse is, in the like manner, used in the manufacture QUADRUPEDS. 129 of spirits of ammonia. The buck stands about three feet high, and measures about live feet in length. The tail is much longer than those of the stag and the roebuck, being nearly seven inches and a half long. THE ELK (Cervus Alces) Is the largest of all the Deer kind. The antlers, at first simple, and then divided into narrow slips, assume in the fifth year the form of a triangular blade, denticulated on the external edge and very thick at the base. They in- crease with age, so as to weigh fifty or sixty pounds, and to have fourteen branches to each horn. The Elk lives in forests, upon branches and sprouts of trees, and is an in- habitant of Europe, Asia, and America; in the last-named country he is known by the name of moose-deer. There is very little difference between the European Elk and the American moose-deer, they are probably larger in the New World than with us, owing perhaps to the extensive forests they range in. In all places, however, they are timorous and gentle; content with their pasture, and never willing to disturb any other animal. The pace of the Elk is a high, shambling trot, but it goes with great swiftness. For- merly these animals were made use of in Sweden to draw G 5 130 A DESCRIPTION OF sledges, but their swiftness gave criminals such means of escape, that this use of them was prohibited under great penalties. The female is less than the male, and has no horns. THE REIN-DEER (Cervus Tarandus, or rangifer) Is found in most of the northern regions of Europe, Asia, and America. Its general height is about four feet and a half. The colour is brown above and white beneath ; but as the animal advances in age it often becomes of a grayish white. The hoofs are long, large, and black. Both sexes are furnished with horns, but those of the male are much the largest. To the Laplanders this animal is the substi- tute for the horse, the cow, the goat, and the sheep ; and is their only wealth. The milk affords them cheese; the flesh, food ; the skin, clothing ; of the tendons they make QUADRUPEDS. 131 bowstrings, and when split, thread ; of the horns, glue ; and of the bones, spoons. During the winter, the Rein- deer supplies the want of a horse, and draws sledges with amazing swiftness over the frozen lakes and rivers, or over the snow, which at that time covers the whole coun- try. Innumerable are the uses, the comforts, and advan- tages which the poor inhabitants of this dreary climate derive from this animal. We cannot sum them up better than in the beautiful language of the poet : Their Rein-deer form their riches. These their tents, Their robes, their beds, and all their homely wealth Supply, their wholesome fare, and cheerful cups : Obsequious at their call, the docile tribe Yield to the sled their necks, and whirl them swift O'er hill and dale, heaped into one expanse Of marbled snow, as far as eye can sweep, With a blue crust of ice unbounded glazed. The mode of hunting the wild Rein-deer by the Lap- landers, the Esquimaux, and the Indians of North Ame- rica, have been accurately described by late travellers. Captain Franklin gives the following interesting account of the mode practised by the Dog-rib Indians, to kill these animals. " The hunters go in pairs, the foremost man carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin of the head of a Deer, and in the other a small bundle of twigs, against which he, from time to time, rubs the horns, imitating the gestures peculiar to the animal. His comrade follows, treading exactly in his footsteps, and holding the gun of both in a horizontal position, so that the muzzles project under the arms of him who carries the head. Both hunters have a fillet of white skin round their foreheads, and the foremost has a strip of the same round his wrists. They approach the herd by degrees, raising their legs very slowly, but setting them down somewhat suddenly, after the manner of a Deer, and always taking 132 A DESCRIPTION OF care to lift their right or left feet simultaneously. If any of the herd leave off feeding to gaze upon this extraordi- nary phenomenon, it instantly stops, and the head begins to play its part, by licking its shoulders, and performing other necessary movements. In this way the hunters at- tain the very centre of the herd without exciting suspicion, and have leisure to single out the fattest. The hindmost man then pushes forward his comrade's gun, the head is dropped, and they both fire nearly at the same instant. The Deer scamper off, the hunters trot after them ; in a short time the poor animals halt, to ascertain the cause of their terror; their foes stop at the same moment, and hav- ing loaded as they ran, greet the gazers with a second fatal discharge. The consternation of the Deer increases ; they run to and fro in the utmost confusion ; and sometimes a great part of the herd is destroyed within the space of a few hundred yards." THE AXIS, A very beautiful species of the deer found in Africa and the East Indies, of a light red colour, though some of the kind are of a deeper red. He is about the size of a fallow deer, and otten variegated with beautiful spots of bright white. The horns are slender and triple forked. The Axis is a native of Ceylon and Borneo, a timid and harm- less creature, more ornamental to the landscape, where it skips and plays in a wild state, than useful to man. QUADRUPEDS. 133 THE WAPITI Is a native of Canada and the other northern parts of America. He is one of the most gigantic of the deer tribe, growing to the height of our tallest oxen, with great activity and strength of body and limbs. His horns, which he sheds annually, are very large, branching in serpentine curves, and measuring, from tip to tip, upwards of six feet. Wapitis are said to be the most stupid of the deer kind. In the collection of the Zoological Society, in the Regent's Park, are several of these splendid animals, where they continue to form objects of singular interest and attraction. The mail Wapiti is, however, a very fierce animal, always endeavouring to attack those who ap- proach him ; and on one occasion seriously injured one of the visitors to the gardens. 134 A DESCRIPTION OF THE GIRAFFE, OR CAMELOPARD. ( Camelopardis Giraffa.) THE head is the most beautiful part of the Giraffe ; it is small, and the eyes are large, brilliant, and very full. Be- tween the eyes, and above the nose, is a swelling very pro- minent and well-defined. This prominence is not a fleshy excrescence, but an enlargement of the bony substance ; and it seems to be similar to the two little lumps, or horns with which the top of the head is armed, and which, being about three inches in length, spring on each side of the head, just above the ears, and are covered with a thick tuft of stiff upright hairs. The neck is remarkably QUADRUPEDS. 135 elongated, and it is furnished with a very short, stiff mane, which stands out erect from the skin. The height of a full grown Giraffe in a wild state is said to be twenty feet, measuring from the hoofs to the tip of the ears ; but none of those in England exceed thirteen feet. At first sight, the fore legs appear much longer than the hind legs ; but the fact is, that the legs are of the same length, and it is only the height of the withers that occasions the apparent disproportion. The vertebrae of the back are slightly curved. The colour of the Giraffe is a light fawn, marked with spots only a few shades darker. The legs are very slender ; and notwithstanding the length of the Giraffe's neck, it manifests great difficulty whenever it is obliged to take anything from the ground. It puts out first one foot, then the other ; repeating the same process several times ; and it is only after several of these experi- ments that it at length bends its neck, and applies its lips and tongue to the object in question. It willingly accepts fruit and branches of a tree when offered to it; and it seizes the foliage in a very singular manner, thrusting forth, for the purpose, a long, reddish, and very narrow tongue, which it rolls round whatever it wishes to secure. The Giraffe is a native of Africa ; and it was long only known by the descriptions of travellers. It was first sent to Europe in 1829; but since that time many have been introduced, and two young ones have been born in the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park. Vaillant, in his entertaining travels in Africa, gives an animated account of a Giraffe hunt : " After several hours 1 fatigue, we discovered, at the turn of a hill, seven Giraffes, which my pack instantly pursued. Six of them went off together ; but the seventh, cut off by my dogs, took another way. I followed the single one at full speed, but, in spite of the efforts of my horse, she got so much ahead of me, that in turning a little hill, I lost sight of her altogether. My dogs, however, were not so easily put 136 A DESCRIPTION OF out. They were soon so close upon her that she was obliged to stop to defend herself. From the place where I was, I heard them give tongue with all their might ; and, as their voices appeared all to come from the same spot, I conjectured that they had got the animal in a corner, and I again pushed forward. I had scarcely got round the hill, when I perceived her surrounded by the dogs, and endeavouring to drive them away by heavy kicks. In a moment I was on my feet, and a shot from my carbine brought her to the earth. Enchanted with my victory, I returned to call my people about me, that they might assist in skinning and cutting up the animal. On my return I found her standing under a large ebony-tree, assailed by my dogs. She had stag- gered to this place, and fell dead at the moment I was about to take a second shot." The Giraffe has a peculiarly awkward manner of trot- ting, as it appears to move both the legs on one side at the same time, though this is not really the case. The female Giraffe in the Regent's Park was a very bad mo- ther to her first young one, as she would not let it suck, and beat it away whenever it approached. The poor thing was fed with cow's milk, but it soon died, no doubt in a great measure from the unnatural conduct of its mother. The present young one has been more kindly treated, and has in consequence thriven well. THE CAMEL. ( Camelus Bactrianus.) In silent horror, o'er the boundless waste, The driver Hassan with his Camels pass'd : One cruise of water on his back he bore, And his light scrip contain'd a scanty store : A fan of painted feathers in his hand, To guard his shaded face from scorching sand ; The sultry sun had gained the middle sky, And not a tree, and not a herb was nigh : The beasts with pain, their dusty way pursue, Shrill roar'd the winds, and dreary was the view ! COLLINS. THE Bactrian Camel is a native of Asia, and is generally of a brown or ash colour. His height is about six feet. He is 138 A DESCRIPTION OF one of the most useful quadrupeds in oriental countries; his docility and strength, his endurance of hunger and thirst, and his swiftness, on the sands of Arabia, make him a most valuable acquisition to the inhabitants of those desert places. The principal characteristics of the Camel are these : He carries two large and hard bunches on his back, is destitute of horns ; the upper lip is divided like that of the hare; and the hoofs small and undecidious. But the peculiar and distinguishing characteristic of the Camel is, its faculty of abstaining from water for a greater length of time than any other animal ; for which nature has made a wonderful provision, in giving it, be- sides ttie four stomachs which it has in common with all ruminating animals, a fifth bag, serving as a reservoir for water, where it remains without corrupting or mixing with the other aliments. By this singular structure it can take a prodigious quantity of water at one draught, and is enabled to pass as much as fifteen days without drinking again. A large Camel is capable of carrying a thousand, and sometimes even twelve hundred weight. This ani- mal, like the elephant, is tame, tractable, and strong ; but like the elephant he has his periodical tits of rage, and at these times he has been known to take up a man in his teeth, throw him on the ground, and trample him under his feet. Like the horse, he gives security to his rider; and, like the cow, he furnishes his owner with meat for his table, and the female with milk for his drink. The flesh of the young Camel is esteemed a delicacy, and the milk of the female, diluted in water, is the com- mon drink of the Arabians. The hair or fleece, which falls off entirely in the spring, is superior to that of any other domestic animal, and is made into very fine stuffs, for clothes, coverings, tents, and other furniture. The female goes one year with young, and produces but one at a time. The Camel kneels to receive his burthen, and it is said that he refuses to rise, if his master impose upon QUADRUPEDS. 139 him a weight above his strength. He has callosities on his knees, and on his breast, which prevent him from being hurt by kneeling to take up his load ; and he sleeps with his knees bent under him, and his breast on the ground. ^^ : 7L;:;A^%^ : :S5 }V ,,, -a; ^=> v^^^i^aL^JSc^^'-r- ^ THE DROMEDARY, (Camelus Dromedarius,} Another species of Camel, of less stature than the former but much swifter, having but one hard bunch on his back, is domesticated throughout Africa, as well as in Asia. It is said that a Dromedary can travel one hundred miles a day, and carry fifteen hundred weight. Attempts have been made to introduce the Camel and Dromedary into our West India islands, but they have not succeeded. These have, however, been comparatively naturalized near Pisa in Italy. The Camels used as beasts of burthen in Egypt are all Dromedaries ; and the first experiment which an European makes in bestriding one is generally a service of some little danger, from the peculiarity of the 140 A DESCRIPTION OF animal's movement in rising. Denon, the French travel- ler, has described this with his usual vivacity : " During the French invasion of Egypt, a part of Dessaix's di- vision," to which the scientific traveller was attached, " was sent with Camels to a distant post across the desert. The Camel, slow as he generally is in his actions, lifts up his hind legs very briskly at the instant the rider is in the saddle ; the man is thus thrown forward ; a similar move- ment of the fore legs throws him backward ; each motion is repeated ; and it is not till the fourth movement, when the Dromedary is fairly on his feet, that the rider can re- cover his balance. None of us could resist the first impulse, and thus nobody could laugh at his companions." Macfarlane, in his work on Constantinople, tells us that upon his first Camel adventure he was so unprepared for the probable effect of the creature's rising behind, that he was thrown over his head, to the infinite amusement of the Turks, who laughed heartily at his inexperience. Though the name of Dromedary is very generally ap- plied to all the one-humped camels, both in common par- lance and books on Natural history, it is said that the true Dromedary (El Herie) is merely a peculiarly swift camel, which may have either one hump, or two humps, like the common kind. The name of Dromedary, indeed, appears applied in the East to all the higher bred camels, the gene- alogy of which is kept as carefully by the Arabs as that of their horses. QUADRUPEDS. 141 THE LLAMA, OR CAMEL OF AMERICA, (Auchenia glama,) Is a mild, timorous creature, not above four feet and a half in height, and usually of a brown colour. It bears in form a general resemblance to the camel ; but, instead of a protuberance on the back, it has one on the breast. Llamas are used as beasts of burden by the South Ameri- cans, and are so capriciously vindictive, that, if their drivers strike them they immediately squat down, and nothing but caresses can humour them to rise again. They have been known to kill themselves by striking their heads against the ground in their rage, when by blows they have been urged forward against their will. They express their anger by spitting at their adversary. The Alpacas are much smaller than the Llamas, and of different colours in a domestic state. They are used for the same purposes, and differ little in habits and nature. The wool of both these animals is made use of for several purposes, and is a principal ingredient in the composition of hats, in several parts of the new and old continent ; and the flesh of the young Llamas is, in their native country, considered 142 A DESCRIPTION OF a great delicacy ; it is as good as that of the fat sheep of Castile. In Peru, where the animals are found, there are public shambles for the sale of their flesh. SECTION IX. uatinunana, or Jfour=i)antict) THE OURANG OUTANG, OR CH1MPANSEE, (Simla troglodytes.) ANIMALS of the Monkey tribe are furnished with hands instead of paws ; their ears, eyes, eyelids, lips, and breasts resemble those of the human species. For greater facility of description, the animals of this extensive tribe are usu- ally arranged in the three divisions of Apes, Baboons, and MONKEYS. 143 Monkeys. Apes are destitute of tails, and the chief of this kind is the Ourang Outang, or Wild Man of the Woods ; he is found in the interior parts of Africa, in Madagascar. He is a solitary animal, and avoids man- kind. The largest are said to be six feet high, very active, strong, and intrepid, capable of overcoming the strongest man : they are likewise exceedingly swift, and cannot easily be taken alive. When young, however, the Ourang Outang is capable of being tamed : one of them, shown in London some years ago, was taught to sit at table, make use of a spoon or fork in eating, and drink wine out of a glass. It was mild and affectionate, much attached to its keeper, aud obedient to his commands. THE BARBARY APE. THE animal next to the ourang outang, and to be placed in the same class, is the Margot, or Barbary Ape. Cau- basson relates a laughable anecdote of one of these ani- mals, which he brought up tame, and which became so attached to him as to be desirous of accompanying him wherever he went : when, therefore, he had to perform divine service, he was under the necessity of shutting him up. One day, however, the animal escaped, and followed the father to church, where, silently mounting on the top of the sounding board, above the pulpit, he lay perfectly 144 A DESCRIPTION OF quiet till the sermon began. He then crept to the edge, and overlooking the preacher imitated his gestures in so grotesque a manner, that the whole congregation were unavoidably excited to laugh. Caubasson, surprised and displeased at this ill-timed levity, reproved his auditors for their inattention ; and on the obvious failure of his re- proof, he, in the warmth of zeal, redoubled his actions and his vociferations. These the Ape so exactly imitated that all respect for their pastor was swallowed up in the scene before them, and they burst into a loud and con- tinued roar of laughter. A friend of the preacher at length stepped up to him, and on pointing out the cause of this improper conduct, it was with the utmost difficulty he could command a serious countenance while he ordered the Ape to be taken away. THE BABOON. THIS creature is commonly covered with black hair, a little intermixed with yellow. He has a canine face, the lower parts of which are of a bright vermillion ; the snout resembles that of a hog, and the nails are flat, but sharp and very strong. We are told that he follows goats and sheep in order to drink their milk ; partakes considerably MONKEYS. 145 of the human dexterity in getting the kernels out of nuts, and loves to be covered with garments ; he stands upright, and imitates with ease many human actions. Baboons differ from the apes on the one hand, and the monkeys on the other, by having short tails. There was a very large Baboon of this kind, in the Surrey Zoological Gardens, in the summer of 1842. THE PROBOSCIS AND DIANA MONKEYS. THE Proboscis Monkey is so called from its long project- ing and disproportionate nose ; it is an inhabitant of the island of Borneo, where it lives in troops, on trees in the vicinity of its rivers. It is of a savage disposition. The Diana Monkey is called after the goddess of that name, from the crescent of white hair which ornaments its brow. It is very playful, and one of the most graceful of the tribe ; and' it is found in the hottest parts of Africa. Monkeys are less in stature, but more numerous than the apes and baboons. They live almost entirely in trees. Their natu ral food is vegetable, fruit of all sorts, corn, and even grass ; but when domesticated, they learn to eat all that i? served on our tables. There are few persons that are not acquainted with the H 146 A DESCRIPTION OF various mimicries of these animals, and theircapricious feats of activity : anecdotes of this kind are too numerous for selection ; we shall content ourselves by giving the follow- ing affecting account : Captain Stedman, while hunting among the woods of Surinam for provisions, says, that he shot at two of these animals: but that the destruction of one of them was attended with such circumstances, as almost ever afterwards deterred him from going a monkey hunting. " Seeing me nearly on the bank of the river, in the canoe," says he, " the creature made a halt from skipping after his companions, and being perched on a branch that overhung the water, examined me with the strongest marks of curiosity ; while he chattered prodigiously, and kept shaking the boughs on which he rested, with incredible strength and agility. At this time I laid my piece to my shoulder and brought him down from the tree : but may I never again be witness to such a scene ! The miserable animal was not dead, but mortally wounded. I seized him by the tail, and taking him in both my hands, to end his torment, swung him round, and hit his head against the side of the canoe ; but the poor creature still continued to live, and looked at me in the most affecting manner that can be conceived. I therefore knew no other means of ending his murder than to hold him under water till he was drowned : but even in doing this, my heart sickened on his account ; for his little dying eyes still continued to follow me with seeming reproach, till their light gradually forsook them, and the wretched animal expired." The monkey generally brings forth one at a time, and sometimes two. They are rarely found to breed when brought over into Europe; but those that do, exhibit a very striking picture of parental affection. The male and female are never tired of fondling their young one. They instruct it with no little assiduity ; and often severely correct it, if stubborn, or disinclined to profit by their example. They hand it from one to the other, and when MONKEYS. 147 the male has done showing his regard, the female takes her turn in the work of affection. THE CAPUCHIN AND SPIDER MONKEYS Are both natives of South America ; they live in large troops, feeding on roots, fruits, and insects, and are much more gentle than those of the old world. Of the Capuchin there are many varieties, differing from each other in co- lour only ; they are very lively, active, and amusing and about a foot long. The Spider Monkey, like the Ca- puchin, has a long prehensile tail, which it uses like a fifth hand, and even employs it in preference to either its hands or feet. Nature seems by this addition to have more than recompensed them for the want of a thumb. And it is certain that by it, when they are unable to leap from one tree to another, on account of the distance, they form a kind of chain, with their young upon their backs, hanging down by each other's tails ; one of them holding the branch above, the rest swing to and fro like a pendu- lum, until the undermost is enabled to catch hold, when the first lets go his hold, and thus comes undermost in his turn ; in this way they can travel a great distance without ever touching the ground. Curious illustrations H 2 148 A DESCRIPTION OF of this are daily seen at the Zoological Gardens, where there are several of these Monkeys. THE OUISTITI AND MARIKINA MONKEYS. THE OUISTITI, or MARMOZET, is of small size, not measuring more than seven inches ; his tail near eleven ; he weighs about six ounces, inhabits the Brazils, and, as others, lives entirely on vegetables. His face is almost naked, of a swarthy flesh colour, with a white spot above the nose : the tail is full of hair, and annulated with ash colour and black rings alternately ; its nails are sharp, and its fingers like those of a squirrel. .The MARIKTNA is a beautiful little animal, not above nine inches long, and is sometimes called the Lion Mon- key ; his hair is long, soft, and glossy ; his head is round, face brown, and his ears hid under the long hairs which surround his face, and which are of a bright red, while those on his body and tail are of beautiful pale yellow, or gold colour. He is very playful, and of a seemingly robust temperament, for we have seen one which lived five or six years in Paris, without any other particular care, than keeping it during the winter in a chamber in which there was a fire every day. MONKEYS. 149 THE LEMUR AND THE MONGOOS, (Lemur nigrifrons, and Lemur albifrons,) May be considered as the connecting link between the Monkeys and the genuine quadrupeds. Their habits are nocturnal, whence they have been called Lemurs, or ghosts. They pass a considerable portion of the day in sleep, rolled up like a ball, with the large tail passed be- tween the hind legs, and twisted round the neck. They live iu troops, more or less numerous, like the apes and monkeys, on trees, and climb with great quickness, and leap with BO much force, as frequently to rise ten feet at a single bound. They feed on fruit, roots, &c., and carry their food to their mouth with their hands, like the apes ; their voice, when not alarmed, is a quick grunt. They are all inhabitants of Madagascar. Their nocturnal and unobtrusive habits may probably account in some degree for the rarity of their appearance ; they are, however, widely spread, having been also found in Bengal, and other parts of Hindostan, in Ceylon, and Java. The above specimens are from the Zoological Gardens, and are the White-fronted, and the Black and White Lemurs. BIRDS. I. RAPTORES. Diurnal Birds of Prey . THE GOLDEN EAGLE. (Aquila chrysoetos.) But who the various nations can declare, That plough with busy wing the peopled air ? These cleave the crumbling bark for insect food, Those dip the crooked beak in kindred blood : Some haunt the rushy moor, the lonely woods ; Some bathe their silver plumage in the floods ; Some fly to man, his household gods implore, And gather round his hospitable door, Wait the known call, and find protection there From all the lesser tyrants of the air. The tawny Eagle seats his callow brood High on the cliff, and feasts his young with blood. BARBAULD. THE Golden Eagle is the largest and the most powerful of all those birds that have received the name of Eagle. It BIRDS. 151 weighs above twelve pounds. Its length, from the point of the beak to the end of the tail, is about three feet nine inches ; the breadth, when the wings are extended, is eight spans. The beak is horny, crooked, and very strong. The feathers of the neck are of a rusty colour, and the rest nearly black with lighter spots. The feet are feathered down to the claws, which have a wonderful grasp ; the leg is yellowish, and the four talons are crooked and strong. As in all birds of prey, the female is the larger, and more powerful. Eagles are remarkable for their longevity, and their faculty of sustaining a long abstinence from food. Of all birds the Eagle flies highest ; and from thence the ancients have given it the epithet of the bird of heaven. Bird of the broad and sweeping wing, Thy home is high in heaven, Where wide the storms their banners fling, And the tempest's clouds are driven. Thy throne is on the mountain top, Thy fields the boundless air ; And hoary peaks, that proudly prop The skies, thy dwellings are. This formidable animal may be considered among birds as the lion among quadrupeds ; and in many respects they have a strong similitude to each other. Solitary, like the lion, he keeps the wilds to himself alone ; it is as extra- ordinary to see two pairs of Eagles in the same mountain, as two lions in the same plain. The Eagle is found in Great Britain and Ireland, in Germany, and nearly all parts of Europe. He is car- nivorous, and, when unable to obtain the flesh of larger animals, he feeds on serpents and lizards. The story of the Eagle, brought to the ground after a severe conflict with a cat, which it had seized and taken up into the air with its talons, is very remarkable; Mr. Barlow, who 152 A DESCRIPTION OF was an eye-witness of the fact, made a drawing of it, which he afterwards engraved. Two instances are said to have occurred in Scotland, of the Eagle having flown away with infants to its nest : hut in both cases it is added that the children were recovered, without being mate- rially injured. This bird has been often tamed, but in this situation it still preserves an innate love of liberty. The nest of the Eagle is composed of strong sticks, co- vered with rushes, and generally built on the point of an inaccessible rock, whence it darts upon its prey with the rapidity of lightning. The period of incubation is said to be thirty days ; and when the young are hatched, both the male and female exert all their industry to provide for their wants. In the county of Kerry, a peasant is said once to have formed the resolution of plundering an Eagle's nest, built upon a small island in the beautiful lake of Killarney. He accordingly swam to the island while the parents were away ; and, after robbing the nest of the young, he was preparing to swim back, with the Eaglets tied in a string ; but while he was yet up to the chin in the water, the old Eagles returned, and, missing their family, fell upon the invader with such fury, that, in spite of all his resistance, they dispatched him with their beaks and talons. BIRDS. 153 THE SEA EAGLE. (Haliaetus albicilla. ) THIS bird, known also as the White-tailed Eagle, from the inside feathers of its tail being white, differs from the golden eagle in the greater length of its beak, in its sluggish and cowardly habits, and in its coarser taste. It is a native of Great Britain, where it inhabits the high rocks and cliffs that overhang the sea, and whence it pounces on the birds, fish, or seals that it can procure for its prey. It is much smaller than the golden eagle, seldom exceed- H 5 154 A DESCRIPTION OF ing twenty-eight inches in length ; and in young birds the tail feathers are brown. THE WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. (Haliaetus leucocephalus.) THIS bird is about three feet long, and seven feet broad from tip to tip of the wings. The bill resembles that of the golden eagle, and from the chin hang some small hairy feathers like a beard. As it is found alike in regions of excessive cold and in the torrid zone, it is provided for enduring rapid changes of temperament, and its whole body is clothed under the feathers with a kind of down, white and soft like that of the swan. This bird builds its nest on some romantic cliff by the sea-shore, or on the bank of some river or lake, and feeds almost entirely upon fish. It is generally regarded by the Anglo-Americans with BIRDS. 155 peculiar respect, as the chosen emblem of their native land. The great cataract of Niagara is mentioned as one of its favourite places of resort, not merely as a fishing station, where it is enabled to satiate its hunger upon its most congenial food, but also in consequence of the vast quantity of four-footed beasts, which unwarily venturing into the stream above, are borne away by the torrent, and precipitated down those tremendous falls. High o'er the watery uproar silent seen, Sailing sedate in majesty serene, Now 'midst the pillar'd spray sublimely lost, And now emerging, down the rapids toss'd, Glides the Bald Eagle, gazing calm and slow O'er all the horrors of the scene below ; Intent alone to sate himself with blood, From the torn victims of the raging flood. The number of birds of prey of various kinds, which assemble at the foot of the rocks to glut themselves upon the banquet thus provided for them, is said to be incredibly great, but they are all compelled to give place to the eagle when he deigns to feed on dead animals ; and the crow and the vulture submit without a struggle to the exercise of that tyranny, which they know it would be in vain to resist. "We have ourselves," says Wilson, "seen the Bald Eagle, while seated on the dead carcase of a horse, keep a whole flock of vultures at a respectful dis- tance, until he had fully sated his own appetite :" and he adds another instance, in which many thousands of tree squirrels having been drowned, in one of their migrations, in attempting to pass the Ohio, and having furnished for some length of time a rich banquet to the vultures, the sudden appearance among them of the Bald Eagle at once put a stop to their festivities, and drove them to a distance from their prey, of which the Eagle kept sole possession for several successive days. 156 A DESCRIPTION OF THE BLACK EAGLE. SOME ornithologists suppose this to be merely the golden eagle in its young state, but others make it a distinct spe- cies. It is about twice as large as the raven. The parts about the beak and the eye are bare of feathers, and some- what reddish ; the head, neck, and breast, black ; in the middle of the back, between the shoulders, there is a large white spot, dashed with red ; a black streak sweeps along the feathers, and is followed by a white one ; the remain- BIRDS. 157 ing part of the wing, to the tip, is of a dark ash colour. This bird has beautiful hazel eyes, full of animation : his legs are feathered down a little below the tarsial joint, the naked part being red ; his talons are very long. He is found in France, Germany, Poland, and delights in Alpine mountains, where he makes the vales and woods resound with his incessant screamings when in search of prey. The Abbe Spallanzani had an Eagle of this species, so powerful as to be able to kill dogs that were much larger than itself. When a dog was placed before it, the bird would ruffle up the feathers on its head and neck, cast a dreadful look at its victim, take a short flight, and imme- diately alight on his back. It held the head firmly with one foot, and thus secured the dog from biting, and with the other grasped one of his flanks, at the same time driving its talons into the body ; and in this attitude it continued, till the dog expired with fruitless outcries and efforts. The eyes of Eagles are celebrated for their brilliancy and strength, which has given rise to the popular opinion that they can gaze on the sun without shrinking ; though this, from the overhanging eyebrow of the Eagle, would be an extremely difficult feat for the bird to perform. The eyes of all birds are curiously constructed, so as to enable them to see both distant objects and near ones with equal facility ; and for this purpose they are furnished with a membrane placed near the edge of the crystalline or lens of the eye, by which it can be moved at pleasure. The orbit of the eye is also formed of from twelve to six- teen bony plates, which slide over each other when neces- sary. Birds are also furnished with an additional eyelid, of extremely thin texture, with which they occasionally appear to shade their eyes. 158 A DESCRIPTION OF THE CONDOR. (Vultur Gryphus.) THIS bird measures three or four feet long, and its wings, when expanded, from ten to twelve feet. Its bill and talons are exceedingly large and strong ; and its courage is equal to its strength. The throat is naked, and of a red colour. The upper parts in some individuals (for they differ greatly in colour) are variegated with black, grey, and white ; and the body is scarlet. Round the neck it has a white ruff of loose hairy feathers. The feathers on the back are generally quite black, and perfectly bright. These enormous birds, which are inhabitants of South America, breed among the highest and most inacces- sible rocks. The female makes no nest, but lays two white eggs, somewhat bigger than those of a turkey, on the bare rock. Some writers have affirmed that a Condor can carry off a sheep in its claws, and others, that it has BIRDS. 159 carried off children in the same manner ; but these tales are manifestly absurd, as the Condor's feet and talons are not fitted for carrying any great weight. Both the talons and the bill are indeed of extraordinary strength, but they are intended for tearing objects to pieces ; and consequently we find that the Condor feeds chiefly on dead or dying cattle, or horses, which he tears to pieces, and devours where they lie. When the Condor is gorged, the hunters attack him, but his strength and fierceness are so great, that one of Sir Francis Head's companions, who attempted to seize a gorged Condor, said he never had " such a battle in his life ;" though he had been a Cornish miner, and was reckoned an excellent wrestler in his own country. THE VULTURE. (Vultur Papa.) THE first rank in the description of birds has been given to the eagle, though in fact they belong to the falcon 160 A DESCRIPTION OP tribe, and should be placed after the Vultures, because the eagles are nobler in their habits, and more delicate in their appetites. The eagle, unless pressed by famine, will not stoop to carrion ; and only devours what he has earned by his own pursuit. The Vulture, on the contrary, is in- delicately voracious ; and seldom attacks living animals when it can be supplied with dead. The eagle meets and singly opposes his enemy ; the Vulture, if it expects re- sistance, calls in the aid of its kind, and overpowers its prey by'combination. Putrefaction, instead of deterring, only serves to allure it. The Vulture seems among birds what the jackal and hyaena are among quadrupeds, who prey upon carcasses, and root up the dead. Vultures may be easily distinguished from all the eagles by the nakedness of their heads and necks, which are without feathers, and only covered with a very slight down, or a few scattered hairs ; their eyes are more promi- nent; those of the eagle being buried more in the socket, and shaded by an overhanging eyebrow. Their claws are shorter, and less hooked. The inside of the wing is covered with a thick down, which is different in them from all other birds of prey. Their attitude is not so up- right as that of the eagle, and their flight is more difficult and heavy. In this description we may include the Golden, the Ash- coloured, and the Brown Vulture, which are inhabitants of Europe ; the Spotted and the Black Vulture of Egypt ; the Bearded Vulture, the Brazilian Vulture, and the King of the Vultures, of South America. They all agree in their nature ; being equally indolent, yet rapacious and unclean. The Condor also belongs to the Vulture tribe. The King of the Vultures is the species repre- sented in the plate. The head and neck of this bird are without feathers ; the body above, reddish buff, beneath, yellowish white ; quills greenish black ; tail black ; craw pendulous, orange-coloured. It is about the size of a BIRDS. 161 turkey ; but it is chiefly remarkable for the odd formation of the skin of the head and neck ; this skin, which is of an orange colour, arises from the base of the bill, whence it stretches on each side to the head ; the eyes are sur- rounded by a red skin, and the iris has the colour and lustre of pearl. Upon the naked part of the neck is a collar formed by soft longish feathers. Into this collar the bird sometimes withdraws its whole neck, and some- times a part of its head, so that it looks as if it had hidden its neck in its body. THE BUZZARD. (Falco Buteo.) The noble Buzzard ever pleased me best ; Of small renown 'tis true ; for, not to lie, We call him but a Hawk by courtesy. HIND AND PANTHER. THIS is a rapacious bird, of the long-winged hawk kind, and the most common of all in England. It is of a sluggish indolent nature, often remaining perched on the same bough for the greater part of the day ; as if, indiffer- ent either to the allurements of food or of pleasure, it were doomed, like some of the human species, to pass its allotted span of life in passive contemplation. It feeds on 162 A DESCRIPTION OF mice, rabbits, frogs, and often on all sorts of carrion. Too idle to build itself a nest, it generally seizes upon the old habitation of a crow, which it lines afresh with wool and other soft materials. In general this bird, whose colour varies considerably, is brown, varied with yellow specks ; at a certain age its head becomes entirely grey. The female generally lays two or three eggs, which are mostly white, though sometimes spotted with yellow. The common length of this bird is twenty -two inches, and its breadth upwards of fifty. The following anecdote related by Buffon, will show that the Buzzard may be so far tamed as to be rendered a faithful domestic. A Buzzard which had been caught in a snare, was brought to a gentleman, who undertook to tame it. It was at first wild and ferocious, but he suc- ceeded by leaving it to fast, and constraining it to come and eat out of his hand. By pursuing this plan, he brought it to be very familiar ; and, after having shut it up about six weeks, he began to allow it a little liberty, taking the precaution, however, to tie both pinions of its wings. In this condition it walked out into his garden, and returned when called to be fed ; after some time, thinking he might trust to its fidelity, he removed the ligatures, and fastened a small bell above its talon, and also attached to its breast a bit of copper with his name engraved on it. He then gave it entire liberty, which it soon abused ; for it took wing and flew into the forest of Belesme. The bird was given up for lost ; but four hours afterwards, it rushed into the gentleman's hall, pursued by five other Buzzards, which had constrained it to seek its former asylum. After this adventure it preserved its fidelity, coming every night to sleep under the window. It soon became familiar, attended constantly at dinner, sat on a corner of the table, and often caressed its master with its head and bill, emitting a weak, sharp cry, which, however, it sometimes softened. It had a singular pro- BIRDS. 163 pensity of seizing from the head and flying away with the red caps of the peasants ; and so alert was it in whipping them off, that they found their heads bare without know- ing what was become of their caps : it even treated the wigs of the old men in the same way, hiding its booty in the tallest trees. THE GOSHAWK (Falco, or Astur palumbarius ,) Breeds in lofty trees in Scotland, and destroys a great quantity of small game, which he seizes with his sharp and crooked talons, and carries to his nest, He is some- what larger than the common buzzard, of the falcon tribe ; his bill is blue, and there is a white stripe over each eye : there is also a large white spot on each side of the neck. The general colour of the plumage is deep brown ; the breast and belly white transversely streaked with black ; and the legs yellow. Buffon, who brought up two young Goshawks, a male and a female, makes the following ob- servations : " The Goshawk, before it has shed its feathers, that is in the first year, is marked on the breast and belly with longitudinal brown spots ; but after it has had two moultings they disappear, and their place is occupied by transverse bars, which continue during the rest of its 164 A DESCRIPTION OF life." He further observes, " that though the male was much smaller than the female, it was fiercer and more vicious." The Goshawk is found in France and Ger- many ; it is not very common in England, but it is more frequent in Scotland. In former times, the custom of carrying a Hawk or Falcon on the hand was confined to men of high distinction : so that it was a saying among the Welsh, " You may know a gentleman by his Hawk, horse, and greyhound." Even the ladies in those times were partakers of this gallant sport, and have been represented in pictures with Hawks on their hands. At present Hawking is almost entirely laid aside in this country. The expense attending this sport was very considerable, which con- fined it to princes and men of the highest rank. In the time of James the First, Sir Thomas Monson is said to have given a thousand pounds for a cast of Hawks. In the reign of Edward the Third it was made felony to steal a Hawk ; to take its eggs, even in a person's own grounds, was punishable with imprisonment for a year and a day, together with a fine at the king's pleasure. Such was the delight our ancestors took in this royal sport, and such were the means by which they endea- voured to secure it. The Falcons, or Hawks, chiefly used in these kingdoms, were the Goshawk, the Falcon, the Peregrine Falcon, Iceland Falcon, and the Ger Falcon. The game usually pursued were cranes, wild geese, phea- sants, and partridges. The Duke of St. Albans is still hereditary grand falconer of England, but the office is not now exercised, except for the Duke's own amuse- ment. BIRDS. 165 THE SPARROWHAWK. (Falco nisus ) THE Sparrowhawk is a bold-spirited bird, the length of the male is twelve inches, that of the female fifteen ; the beak is short, crooked, and of a bluish tint, but very black towards the tip ; the tongue black, and a little cleft ; the eyes of a middling size. The crown of the head is of a dark brown ; above the eyes, in the hinder part of the head, there are sometimes white feathers; the roots of the feathers of the head and neck are white ; the rest of the upper side, back, shoulders, wings, and neck, of a dark brown. The wings, when closed, scarcely reach to the middle of the tail ; the thighs are strong and fleshy, the legs long, slender, and yellow ; the toes also long, and the talons black. The female, which is, as in other birds of prey, much larger than the male, lays about five eggs, spotted near the blunt end with blood-red specks. When 166 A DESCRIPTION OF wild, they feed only upon birds, and possess a boldness and courage above their size ; but in a domestic state they do not refuse raw flesh and mice. They can be made obedient and docile, and readily trained to hunt quails and partridges. THE KITE. (Falco Milvus.) THIS bird, though it belongs to the falcon tribe, is called ignoble ; because it is never used in hawking. The Kite is easily distinguished from all the other birds of prey by his forked tail, and the slow and circular eddies he de- scribes in the air, whenever he spies from the regions of the clouds a young duck or a chicken which has strayed too far from the brood. When this is the case, the Kite, BIRDS. 167 pouncing on it with the rapidity of a dart, seizes it in his talons, and carries it off to his nest. He is, however, a great coward, and if the hen flies at him, which she always does if she sees him, he will drop the chicken, and fly off. He is larger than the common buzzard ; and, though he weighs somewhat less than three pounds, the extent of his wings is more than five feet. The head and back are of a pale ash colour, varied with longitudinal lines across the shafts of the feathers ; the neck is reddish ; the lesser rows of the wing feathers are party-coloured, of black, red, and white ; the feathers covering the inside of the wings are red, with black spots in the middle. The eyes are large, the legs and feet yellow, the talons black. He is a handsome bird, and seems almost for ever on the wing. He rests himself on the air, and appears not to make the smallest effort in flying, but rather to glide along with the gentlest breeze. THE FALCON. (Falco communis.) THE Falcon is a predaceous bird, of which there are several species. The Gerfalcon is the largest, and it is found in the northern parts of Europe ; and, next to the eagle, it is the most formidable, the most active, and the 168 A DESCRIPTION OF most intrepid of all voracious birds, and is the dearest and most esteemed for falconry. The bill is crooked and yellow ; the irides of the eye dusky ; and the whole plumage of a whitish hue, marked with dark lines on the breast, and dusky spots on the back. The Peregrine Falcon, which is the most common kind, is as large as the moor buzzard. The bill is blue at the base, and black at the point; the head, back, scapulars, and coverts of tlie wings are barred with deep black and blue ; the throat, neck, and upper part of the breast are white, tinged with yellow ; the bottom of the breast, belly, and thighs are of a greyish white ; arid the tail is black and blue. Wilson enumerates no less than ten varieties, dependent chiefly upon age, sex, and country. It is found, more or less abundantly, throughout the whole of Europe, principally in the mountain districts in North, and probably South America, and in New Holland, dwell- ing in the clefts of rocks, especially such as are exposed to the mid-day sun. It breeds upon the cliffs in several parts of England, but appears to be more common in Scotland and Wales. Its food consists principally of small birds ; but it scruples not to attack the larger spe- cies, and sometimes gives battle even to the kite. Falcons rarely take their prey upon the ground, like the more ignoble birds of the class to which they belong; but pounce upon it from aloft, in a directly perpendicular de- scent as it flies through the air, bear it downwards by the united impulse of the strength and rapidity of their attack, and sticking their talons into its flesh, carry it off in triumph to the place of their retreat. Like most pre- datory animals, they are stimulated to action by the pres- sure of hunger alone, and remain inactive and almost motionless while the process of digestion is going on, and until the renewed cravings of their appetite stimulate them to further exertion. In different stages of its growth, the Peregrine Falcon has been known by various English BIRDS. 169 names, Its proper appellation among falconers is the Slight Falcon, the term Falcon Gentle being equally ap- plicable to all the species when rendered manageable. In the immature state, this Falcon is also called a Red Hawk, from the prevailing colour of its plumage. The male is called a Tiercel, to distinguish it from the female, which, in the Falcon tribe, is most commonly one-third larger than the male. In China there is said to be a variety, which is mottled with brown and yellow. These birds are said to be used by the emperor of China in his sporting excursions, when he is usually attended by his great falconer, and a thou- sand of inferior rank. Every bird has a silver plate fastened to its foot, with the name of the falconer who has the charge of it, that, in case it should be lost, it may be restored to the proper person ; but if it should not be found, the name is delivered to another officer, called the guardian of lost birds, who, to make his situation known, erects his standard in a conspicuous place among the army of hunters. In Syria, also, there is a variety of the Gentle Falcon, which the inhabitants call Shaheen, and which is of so fierce and courageous a disposition, that it will attack any bird, however large or powerful, which presents itself. " Were there not," says Dr. Russel, in his Account of Aleppo, "several gentlemen now in England to bear wit- ness to the fact, I should hardly venture to assert that, with this bird, which is about the size of a pigeon, the in- habitants sometimes take large eagles. This Hawk was in former times taught to seize the eagle under the pinion, and thus depriving him of the use of one wing, both birds fell to the ground together ; but the present mode is to teach the Hawk to fix on the back, between the wings, which has the same effect, only that the bird tumbling down more slowly, the falconer has more time to come to his Hawk's assistance ; but in either case, if he be not r 170 A DESCRIPTION OF very expeditious, the Falcon is inevitably destroyed. I never saw the Shaheen fly at eagles, that sport having been disused before my time ; but I have often seen him take herons and storks. The Hawk, when thrown off, flies for some time in a horizontal line, not six feet from the ground ; then mounting perpendicularly, with asto- nishing swiftness, he seizes his prey under the wing, and both together come tumbling to the ground." The Hen Harrier is seen about forests, heaths, and other retired places, especially in the neighbourhood of marshy grounds, where it destroys vast numbers of snipes, woodcocks, and wild ducks. It is about seventeen inches long, and three feet wide; its bill is black, and cere yellow. The upper part of its body is of a bluish grey ; and the back of the head, breast, belly, and thighs are white. The legs are long, slender, and yellow ; and the claws black. THE MERLIN (Falco cesalon,) Is the least of the Falcon tribe, and, as its name implies, is not very different in size from the blackbird ; the word Merlin signifying in French a small merle, or blackbird. Though small, the Merlin is not inferior in courage to any of the other hawks ; it is noted for its boldness and spirit, often attacking and killing at one stroke a full-grown partridge or a quail : but it differs from the falcons and all the other rapacious kinds, in the male and female BIRDS. 171 being of equal size. The back of this bird is party- coloured, of dark blue and brown ; the quill-feathers of the wings black, with rusty spots; the tail is about five inches long, of a dark brown or blackish colour, with transverse white bars : the breast is of a yellowish white, with streaks of rusty brown pointing downwards: the legs are long, slender, and yellow ; the talons black. The head is encircled with a row of yellowish feathers, not unlike a coronet. In the male the feathers on the rump, next the tail, are bluer ; a mark by which the falconers easily discern the sex of the bird. The Merlin does not breed here, but visits us in October ; it flies low, and with great celerity and ease. In the days of falconry, the Merlin was considered the lady's hawk. In ancient days in ancient days, When ladies took a strange delight In hawks and hounds and sporting ways, A Merlin was a pleasant sight. 'T was gentle, when in trappings gay, Upon its lady's wrist it stood ; But its hood was raised when it saw its prey, And its eye betrayed the bird of blood. I 2 172 A DESCRIPTION OF THE OSPREY, OR FISHING HAWK. (Falco, or Pandion Halicetus.) True to the season, o'er our sea-beat shore, The sailing Osprey high is seen to soar With broad unmoving wing ; and circling slow, Marks each loose straggler in the deep below ; Sweeps down like lightning, plunges with a roar, And bears his struggling victim to the shore. THIS bird is always found on the sea-shore, or near rivers or lakes, as it feeds entirely on fish. It is common in Great Britain, and also in America, where large colonies are found of it, the birds living together like rooks. " When looking out for its prey," says Dr. Richardson, "it sails with great care and elegance, in undulating and curved lines," at a considerable height above the water, till it perceives its prey, when it pounces down upon it. " It seizes the fish with its claws, sometimes scarcely appearing to dip its feet in the water, and at BIIiDS 173 other times plunging entirely under the surface with force sufficient to throw up a considerable spray. It emerges again, however, so speedily, as to render it evident that it does not attack fish swimming at any great depth." The Osprey builds a large nest either on trees or rocks, and lays two or three eggs, which have a reddish tinge, and are spotted with brown at the larger end. The old birds feed the young ones even after they have left the nest, and only rear one brood in the year. SECTION II. Nocturnal 33irtjs of THE HORNED OWL (Strix Otus,) Is nearly the largest of all Owls, and has two long tufts growing from the top of its head, above its ears, and composed of six feathers, which it can raise or lay down at pleasure. The eyes are large, and encircled with an orange-coloured iris ; the ears are large and deep, and the beak black ; the breast, belly, and thighs are of a dull yellow, marked with brown streaks ; the back, coverts of the wings, and quill-feathers are brown and yellow ; and the tail is marked with dusky and red bars. It inhabits the north and west of England, and Wales. The organ of sight in this bird, as well as in all other Owls, is so peculiarly conformed, and so much in its nature resembling 174 A DESCRIPTION OF that of the feline kind, that the creature can see much better at dusk than by daylight. The Barn Owl sees in a greater degree of darkness than the others ; and, on the contrary, the Horned Owl is enabled to pursue his prey by day, though with difficulty. Owls are sometimes tamed by persons in the country, who carefully rear them in a domestic state, from their propensity to chase and devour mice and other vermin, of which they clear the houses with as much address as cats. The Owl is a solitary bird, and is said to retire into holes in towers and old walls in the winter, and pass that season in sleep. The solitary bird of night Through the pale shade now wings his flight, And quits the time-shook tower : Where, shelter 'd from the blaze of day, In philosophic gloom he lay, Beneath his ivy bower. CARTER. The Harfang, or great Snowy Owl, (Strix nyctea) is another species which takes its prey occasionally by day- light. It is seldom seen in England, but frequently visits North Britain, particularly the Orkney and Shetland Islands. It is the only kind of Owl that has been known to feed on fish, which it strikes its talons into while in the water, and carries them off to its nest. These Owls are very common in the northern parts of North America, and they are said to be eaten not only by the Indians, but by the Europeans engaged in the fur- trade. 175 THE WHITE, BARN, OR SCREECH OWL. (Strixflammea.) from yonder ivy-mantled tower The moping Owl does to the moon complain Of such as, wandering near hsr secret bower, Molest her ancient solitary reign. Hark ! how the sacred calm that breathes around Bids every fierce tumultuous passion cease ; In still small accents whispering from the ground, A grateful earnest of eternal peace. GRAY. THIS bird is about the size of a pigeon. Its beak, hooked at the end, is more than an inch and a half long. There is a circle or wreath of white, soft, and downy feathers, en- 176 A DESCRIPTION OP compassed with yellow ones, beginning from the nostrils on each side, passing round the eye and under the chin, somewhat resembling a hood that women used to wear ; so that the eyes appear to be sunk in the middle of the feathers. The breast and the feathers of the inside of the wings are white, and marked with a few dark spots ; the upper parts of the body are of a fine pale yellow colour, variegated with white spots. The legs are covered with a thick down to the feet, but the toes have only thin- set hairs around them. In ancient mythology, this bird was consecrated to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom ; in allusion to the lucubrations of wise men, who study in retirement and during the night, in order to improve their knowledge and communicate it to others. Now the Hermit Owlet peeps From the barn, or twisted brake ; And the blue mist slowly creeps, Curling on the silver lake. CUNNINGHAM. SECTION III. Jnse&soreg, or fetching THE BUTCHER-BIRD, OR SHRIKE. (Lanius excubitor.) THE Great Butcher-bird or Shrike is about as large as a BIRDS. 177 thrush; its bill is black, an inch long, and hooked at the end. It is only an occasional visitor to this country, where it is generally found between autumn and spring. "The Shrike," says Mr. Yarell, "feeds on mice, shrews, small birds, frogs, lizards, and large insects. After having killed its prey, it fixes the body in a forked branch, or upon a sharp thorn, the more readily to tear off small pieces from it. It is from their habit of killing and hanging up their meat, that the Shrikes are called Butcher-birds." The head, back, and rump are ash-coloured ; the chin and lower part of the body white ; the breast and throat varied with dark lines, crossing each other; the tips of the feathers of the wings are, for the most part, white ; it has a black spot by the eye ; the utmost feathers of the male are all over white ; the two middlemost have only their tips white, the rest of the feathers being black, as well as the legs and feet. It builds its nest among thorny shrubs and dwarf trees, and furnishes it with moss, wool, and downy herbs, where the female lays five or six eggs. A peculiarity belonging to the birds of this kind is, that they do not, like most other birds, expel the young ones from the nest, as soon as they can provide for themselves, but the whole brood live together in one family. The Butcher-bird will chase all the small birds upon the wing, and will sometimes venture to attack partridges, and even young hares. Thrushes and blackbirds are frequently attacked, and the Shrike will sometimes fix on them with its talons, split the skull with its bill, and feed on them at leisure. On this account Linnaeus classed the Shrikes with the birds of prey ; but modern naturalists have placed them with the insect-eaters, as insects are their principal food . It is easy to distinguish these birds at a distance, not only from their going in companies, but also from their manner of flying, which is always up and down, seldom in a direct line, or obliquely. 178 A DESCRIPTION OF THE LITTLE BUTCHER-BIRD, Called, in Yorkshire, Flusher, is about the size of a lark, with a large head. About the nostrils and corners of the mouth it has black hairs or bristles j and round the eyes a large black longitudinal spot ; the back and upper side of the wings are of a rusty colour; the head and rump cinerous ; the throat and breast white, spotted with red. It builds its nest of grass ; and the female lays six eggs, nearly all white, except at the blunt end, which is encir- cled with brown or dark red marks. The female is some- what larger than the male ; the head is of a rust colour, mixed with grey ; the breast, belly, and sides of a dirty white ; the tail deep brown ; the exterior web of the outer feathers white. Its manners are similar to the last named. It frequently preys on young birds, which it takes in the nest ; it likewise feeds on grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects. Like the larger Butcher-bird, it imitates the notes of other birds, in order the more surely to decoy them. When sitting on the nest, the female soon disco- vers herself at the approach of any person by her loud and violent outcries. BIRDS. 179 THE WATER OUZEL, OR DIPPER (Turdus cinclus,) Is nearly as big as the common blackbird. It is an English bird, and is found in most counties of the island. It feeds upon aquatic insects, and small fish, such as sand eels and minnows. The head and upper side of the neck are of a kind of umber colour, and sometimes black with a shade of red ; the back and coverings of the wings are a mixture of black and ash colour, the throat and breast perfectly white. The Dipper is said to walk along the bottom of a lake or river, as easily as on land ; but this is far from being the case, as though it readily plunges into the water, it appears to tumble about in a very extraordinary manner, with its head downward?. Even on land the bird walks awkwardly, as its feet are best adapted for the slippery stones on which it passes the greater part of its life, watch- ing for the insects which it picks up on the edge of the water. When disturbed, it usually flirts up its tail, and makes a chirping noise. Its song in spring is said to be very pretty. In some places this bird is supposed to be migratory. 180 A DESCRIPTION OF THE BLACKBIRD. (Turdus Mcmla.) The smiling morn, the breathing spring, Invite the tuneful birds to sing ; And, while they warble from each spray, Love melts the universal lay. MALLET. THIS well-known songster does not soar up to the cloud?, like the lark, to make his voice resound through the air ; but keeps steady in the shady groves, which he fills with his melodious notes. Early at dawn, and late at dusk, he continues his pleasing melody ; and when incarcerated in the narrow space of a cage, cheerful still and merry, he strives to repay the kindness of his keeper by singing to him his natural strains ; and beguiles his irksome hours of captivity, by studying and imitating his master's whistle. Blackbirds build their nest with great art, making the outside of moss and slender twigs, cemented together and lined with clay, and covering the clay with soft materials, as hair, wool, and straw. The female lays four or five eggs, of a bluish green colour, spotted all over with brown. The bill is yellow, but in the female the upper part and point are blackish ; the inside of the mouth, and the circumference of the eyelids, are yellow. The name of this bird is sufficiently expressive of the general colour BIRDS. 181 of his body. He feeds on berries, fruit, insects, &c. The species of this bird in Surinam and South America is not of so deep a black ; and the throat and part of the breast are of a crimson colour. THE THRUSH, OR THROSTLE, ( Turdus viscivorus, ) Is one of the best " songsters" of the evening hymn in the grove. His tone is loud and sweet ; the melody of his song is varied, and, although not so deep in the general diapason of the woodland concert as that of the black- bird, yet it fills up agreeably, and bursts through the in- ferior warblings of smaller performers. His breast is of a yellowish white, all over spotted with black or brown dashes, like ermine spots. The Missel Thrush, so called from his feeding on the berries of the misletoe, differs but little from the Song Thrush, except in size. He is larger than the fieldfare, while the Throstle is smaller. The female lays five or six bluish eggs, with a tint of green, and marked with dusky spots. The terms Merle for the Blackbird, and Mavis for the Thrush, are used chiefly by the poets. 182 A DESCRIPTION OF Merry is it in the good green wood, When the Mavis and Merle are singing, When the deer sweeps by, and the hounds are in cry, And the hunter's horn is ringing. SCOTT. Take thy delight in yonder goodly tree, Where the sweet Merle and warbling Mavis be. DRAYTON. THE REDWING (Turdus iliacus,} Is rather less than the song thrush ; but the upper side of the body is of the same colour ; the breast not so much spotted ; the coverings of the feathers of the under side of the wings, which in the thrush are yellow, are of orange colour in this bird; by which marks it is generally dis- tinguished. The body is white, the throat and breast yellowish, marked with dusky spots. It is a migratory bird in this island, builds its nest in hedges, and lays six bluish eggs. Like the fieldfare, this bird leaves us in spring, for which reason its song is quite unknown to us ; but it is said to be very pleasing. It is delicate eating : the Romans held it in such estimation, that they kept thousands of them together in aviaries, and fed them on a sort of paste made of bruised figs and flour, and various other kinds of food, to improve the delicacy and flavour of their flesh. Under this management these birds fat- BIRDS. 183 tened, to the great profit of their proprietors, who sold them to Roman epicures for three denarii, or about two shillings sterling each. THE FIELDFARE (Turdus pilaris,) Is a well-known bird in this country. Fieldfares fly in flocks, together with the redwing and starlings, and shift places according to the season of the year. They abide with us in winter, and disappear in spring, so punctually, that after that time not one is to be seen. The flesh is esteemed a great delicacy. The head is ash-coloured, and spotted with black : the back and coverts of the wings of a deep chesnut colour ; the rump cinereous ; and the tail black, except the lower part of the two middle feathers, which are ash-coloured, and the upper sides of the exte- rior feathers, which are white. They collect in large flocks ; and it is supposed they keep watch, like the crow, to remark and announce the approach of danger. On any person approaching a tree that is covered with them, they continue fearless, till one at the extremity of the bush, rising on its wings, gives a loud and peculiar note of alarm. They then all fly away, except one other, which continues till the person approaches still nearer, to cer- tify, as it were, the reality of the danger, and afterward? he also flies off, repeating the note of alarm. 184 A DESCRIPTION OF THE REDBREAST. (Sylvia rubecula.) The Redbreast oft, at evening hours, Shall kindly lend his little aid, "With hoary moss, and gathering flowers, To deck the ground where thou art laid. COLLINS. THE Redbreast, or Robin, as he is popularly called, seems always to have enjoyed the protection of man, more than any other bird. The prettiness of his shape, the beauty of his plumage, the quickness of his motions, his familiarity with us in winter, and, above all, the melody and sweet- ness of his voice, claim our admiration, and have insured him that security he enjoys among us ; though the aid of fable has also been called in, to guard him from the assaults of thoughtless boys. Little bird, with bosom red, "Welcome to my humble shed ! Courtly domes of high degree Have no room for thee and me ; Pride and pleasure's fickle throng Nothing mind an idle song. Daily near my table steal, While I pick my scanty meal ; BIRDS. 185 Doubt not, little though there be, But I'll cast a crumb for thee ; Well rewarded if I spy Pleasure in thy glancing eye ; ' And see thee, when thou 'st eat thy fill, Plume thy breast, and wipe thy bill. LANGHORNE. In the winter season, impelled by the potent stimulus of hunger, the Redbreast frequents our barns, our gardens, our houses, and often alights, on a sudden, on the rustic, floor; there, with his broad eye incessantly open, and looking askew upon the company, he picks up eagerly the crumbs of bread that fall from the table, and then flies off to the neighbouring bush, where, by his warbling strains, he expresses his gratitude for the liberty he has been allowed. He is found in most parts of Europe, but nowheresocommonly asin Great Britain. His bill is dusky ; the forehead, chin, throat, and breast are of a deep orange- colour, inclining to vermilion ; the back of the head, neck, back, and tail are of ash-colour, tinged with green ; the wings are somewhat darker, the edges inclining to yellow ; the legs and feet are the colour of the bill. The female generally builds her nest in the crevice of some mossy bank, near places which human beings frequent, or in some part of a human dwelling. Robins have been known to build in a saw-pit, where men worked every day, and in various other equally extraordinary places. The elegant poet of The Seasons gives us a very exact and animated description of this bird in the following lines : Half afraid, he first Against the window beats : then, brisk, alights On the warm hearth ; then, hopping on the floor, Eyes all the smiling family askance, And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is, Till, more familiar grown, the table crumbs Attract his slender feet. 186 A DESCRIPTION OF An old Latin proverb tells us, that two Robin Red- breasts will not feed on the same tree ; it is certain that the Redbreast is a most pugnacious bird, and that he does not live in much harmony and friendship with those of his own kind and sex. The male may be known from the female by the colour of his legs, which are blacker. THE NIGHTINGALE. (Sylvia luscinia.) Sweet bird, that shunn'st the noise of folly, Most musical, most melancholy ! Thee, chantress, oft, the woods among, I woo to hear thy even song. MILTON. THE Nightingale has little to boast, if we consider its plumage, which is of a pale tawny colour on the head and back, dashed with a little shade of olive ; the breast and upper part of the belly incline to a greyish tint, and the lower part of the belly is almost white ; the exterior web of the quill feathers is of a reddish brown ; the tail of a dull red ; the legs and feet ash-coloured ; theirides hazel ; and the eyes large, bright, and staring. It is hardly pos- sible to give an idea of the extraordinary power which BIRDS. 187 this small bird possesses in its throat, as to extension of sound, sweetness of tone, and versatility of notes. Its song is composed of several musical passages, each of which does not continue more than the third part of a minute ; but they are so varied, the passing from one tone to another is so fanciful and so rapid, and the melody so sweet and so mellow, that the most consummate musi- cian is pleasingly led to a deep sense of admiration at hearing it. Sometimes joyful and merry, it runs down the diapason with the velocity of lightning, touching the treble and the bass nearly at the same instant ; at other times, mournful and plaintive, the unfortunate Philomela draws heavily her lengthened notes, and breathes a de- lightful melancholy around. These have the appearance of sorrowful sighs ; the other modulations resemble the laughter of the happy. Solitary on the twig of a small tree, and cautiously at a certain distance from the nest, where the pledges of his love are treasured under the foster- ing breast of his mate, the male fills constantly the silent woods with his harmonious strains ; and during the whole night entertains and repays his female for the irksome duties of incubation. For the Nightingale not only sings at intervals during the day, but he waits till the blackbird and the thrush have uttered their evening call, even till the stock and ring doves have, by their soft murmurings, lulled each other to rest, and then he pours forth his full tide of melody. Listening Philomela deigns To let them joy, and purposes, in thought Elate, to make her night excel their day. THOMSON. It is a great subject of astonishment that so small a bird should be endowed with such potent lungs. If the evening is calm, it is supposed that its song may be heard above half a mile. This bird, the ornament and charm 188 A DESCRIPTION Of of our spring and early summer evenings, as it arrives in April, and continues singing till June, disappears on a -sudden about September or October, when it leaves us to pass the winter in the North of Africa and Syria. Its visits to this country are limited to certain counties, mostly in the south and east ; as, though it is plentiful in the neigh- bourhood of London, and along the south coast in Sussex, Hampshire, and Dorsetshire ; it is not found in either Cornwall or Wales. As soon as the young are hatched, the song of the male bird ceases, and he only utters a harsh croak, by way of giving alarm when any one ap- proaches the nest. Nightingales are sometimes reared up, and doomed to the prison of a cage ; in this state they sing ten months in the year, though in their wild life they sing only as many weeks. Bingley says that a caged Nightingale sings much more sweetly than those which we hear abroad in the spring. The Nightingale is the most celebrated of all the fea- thered race for its song. The poets have in all ages made it the theme of their verses; some of these we cannot re- sist giving: The Nightingale, as soon as April bringeth Unto her rested sense a perfect waking, Which late bare earth, proud of new clothing, springeth, Sings out her woes SIR PHILIP SIDNEY. Beast and bird, They to their grassy couch, these to their nests, Were slunk ; all but the wakeful Nightingale ; She all night long her amorous descant sung. MILTON. And in the violet-embroidered vale, Where the lovelorn Nightingale Nightly to thee her sad song mourneth well. MILTON. BIRDS. 189 O Nightingale, that on yon bloomy spray Warblest at eve, when all the woods are still, Thou with fresh hope the lover's heart dost fill, While the jolly hours lead on propitious May, Thy liquid notes that close the eye of day, First heard before the shallow cuckoo's bill, Portend success in love. Oh, if Jove's will Have link'd that amorous power to thy soft lay, Now timely sing, ere the rude bird of hate Foretell my hopeless doom in some grove nigh ; As thou from year to year hast sung too late For my relief, yet hadst no reason why : Whether the muse, or love, call thee his mate, Both them I serve, and of their train am I. MILTON. Now is the pleasant time, The cool, the silent, save where silence yields To the night-warbling bird, that, now awake, Tunes sweetest his love-laboured song. MILTON. How all things listen while thy muse complains, Such silence waits on Philomela's strains, In some still evening, when the whispering breeze Pants on the leaves, and dies upon the trees. POPE. Ah ! why thus abandoned to darkness and woe ? Why thus, lonely Philomel, flows thy sad strain ? For spring shall return, and a lover bestow ; And thy bosom no trace of misfortune retain. Yet, if pity inspire thee, O cease not thy lay ! Mourn, sweetest companion ! man calls thee to mourn : O soothe him whose pleasures, like thine, pass away ! Full quickly they pass, but they never return ! BEATTIE. There 's a bower of roses by Bendemeer's stream, And the Nightingale sings round it all the year long ; In the days of my childhood, 'twas like a sweet dream To sit in the roses, and hear the bird's song. 190 A DESCRIPTION OF That bower and its music I never forget, But oft \vhen alone, in the bloom of the year, I think, Is the Nightingale singing there yet ? Are the roses still bright by the calm Bendemeer ? MOORE. Sweet poet of the woods a long adieu ! Farewell, soft minstrel of the early year ! Ah ! 'twill be long ere thou shalt sing anew, And pour thy music on the " night's dull ear." Whether on spring thy wandering flights await, Or whether silent in our groves you dwell, The pensive muse shall own thee for her mate, And still protect the song she loves so well. CHARLOTTE SMITH. The Nightingale, that sings with the deep thorn, Which fable places in her breast of wail, Is lighter far of heart and voice than those Whose headlong passions form their proper woes. BYRON. THE BLACK-CAP (Sylvia atricapilla,) Is a very small bird, of the warbling tribe, not weighing above half-an-ounce. The top of the head is black, whence he takes his name ; the neck ash-coloured, the whole back a dark green ; the wings of a dusky colour, with green BIRDS. 191 edges; the tail nearly the same; the nether part of the neck, throat, and upper part of the breast of a pale ash- colour; the lower belly white tinctured with yellow. Tlie Black-cap visits us about the middle of April, and retires in September ; it frequents gardens, and builds its nest near the ground. The female lays five eggs of a pale reddish brown, sprinkled with spots of a darker colour. This bird sings sweetly, and so like the nightingale, that in Norfolk it is called the mock nightingale. White ob- serves, that it has usually a full, sweet, deep, loud, and wild pipe, yet the strain is of short continuance, and its motions desultory ; but when it sits calmly, and in ear- nest engages in song, it pours forth very sweet but inward melody ; and expresses a great variety of sweet and gentle modulations, superior perhaps to any of our warblers, the nightingale excepted ; and while it sings, its throat is wonderfully distended. THE WREN. (Sylvia Troglodytes.) Fast by my couch, congenial guest, The Wren has wove her mossy nest ; From busy scenes and brighter skies To lurk with innocence she flies ; Her hopes in safe repose to dwell, Nor aught suspects the sylvan cell. T. WARTON. THK Wren is a very small bird ; indeed, one species, the golden crested, is the smallest in Europe ; but as if 192 A DESCRIPTION OF nature had intended to compensate the want of size and bulk in the individuals, by multiplying them to a greater amount, this little bird is perhaps one of the most prolific of the feathered tribe : its nest contains often upwards of eighteen eggs of a whitish colour, and not much bigger than a pea. The male and female enter by a hole con- trived in the middle of the nest, and which, by its situation and size, is accessible to none beside themselves. The Wren weighs no more than three drachms. The notes of this bird are very sweet, and rival the songs of the robin redbreast, in the middle of winter, when the coldness of the weather has condemned the other songsters to silence ; and, like the redbreast, it frequently approaches the habi- tation of man, enlivening the rustic garden with its song the greater part of the year. It begins to make a nest early in the spring, but frequently deserts it before it is lined, and searches for a more secure place. The Wren does not, as is usual with most other birds, begin to build the bottom of the nest first. When against a tree, its pri- mary operation is to trace upon the bark the outline, and thus to fasten it with equal strength to all parts. It then, in succession, closes the sides and top, leaving only a small hole for entrance. THE WILLOW WREN. (Sylvia trochilus.) The Willow Wren is somewhat larger than the common Wren. The upper parts of the body are of a pale olive- green ; the under parts are pale yellow, and a streak of yellow passes over the eyes. The wings and tail are brown, edged with the yellowish green ; and the legs are inclined to yellow. This bird is migratory, visiting us usually about the middle of April, and taking its departure to- wards the end of September. The females construct their nests in holes at the roots of trees, in hollows of dry banks, and other similar places. These are round, and riot unlike BIRDS. 193 the nest of the Wren. The eggs are dusky white, marked with reddish spots ; and are five in number. A Willow Wren had built in a bank of one of the fields of Mr. White, near Selborne. This bird, a friend and himself observed as she sat in her nest ; but they were particularly careful not to disturb her, though she eyed them with some de- gree of jealousy. Some days afterwards, as they passed the same way, they were desirous of remarking how the brood went on ; but no nest could be found, till Mr. White happened to take up a large bundle of long green moss, which had been thrown, as it were, carelessly over the nest, in order to mislead the eye of any impertinent intruder. The Willow Wren may justly be termed the nightingale of the northern snowy countries of Europe. It settles on the most lofty branches of the birch- trees, and makes the air resound with its bold and melodious song:. THE WATER WAGTAIL. (Motacilla alba.) THERE is not a brook purling along two flowery banks, not a rivulet winding through the green meadow, which is not frequented by this handsomely coloured and ele- gantly shaped little creature. We even see them often in the streets of country towns, following with a quick pace, 194 A DESCRIPTION OF the half-drowned fly or moth, which the canal stream car- ries away. Next to the robin redbreast and the sparrow, they come nearest to our habitations. The Wagtails are much in motion ; seldom perch, and perpetually flirt their long and slender tails, principally after picking up some food from the ground, as if that tail were a kind oflever, or counterpoise, used to balance the body on the legs. They are observed to frequent, more commonly, those streams where women come to wash their linen ; proba- bly uot ignorant that the soap, the froth of which floats upon the water, attracts those insects which are most accep- table to them. There are two species of Wagtails, the common kind, which has somewhat of a proud conceited air, and which is common in Britain only in summer ; and what is called the Winter Wagtail, which is never found after February or March. The first, which is a very lively little bird, and seems always in a bustle, is black, softening into ash- colour and white ; it is also bold, and will take the food thrown to it with as much confidence as a robin redbreast. The Winter Wagtail, on the contrary, is retiring in its habits, and much slower in its motions ; its breast is yel- low, and its wings greyish. The Yellow Shepherdess (Budytes flava) was once in- cluded in the Wagtails. The male is olive-green on the back, and yellow on the lower part of the body, but the breast of the female is nearly white. These birds do not fre- quent the banks of rivers, but are generally found walking among the grass of meadows, and following sheep. They are rare in England ; and are only seen here in spring ; on which account they are sometimes called spring Wag- tails. BIRDS. 195 THE SWALLOW. (Hirundo rustica.) From the low-roof d cottage ridge, See the chattering Swallow spring ; Darting through the one-arch'd bridge, Quick she dips her dappled wing. CUNNINGHAM. SWALLOWS are easily distinguished from all other birds, not only by their general structure, but by their twitter- ing note and mode of flying, or rather darting from place to place. They appear in Britain in April, and building in some out-house, or, in part of a human dwelling, they lay their eggs and hatch their young. About August they disap- pear, and do not return till the following spring. Swal- lows kept in a cage moult about Christmas, and seldom live till spring. 196 A DESCRIPTION OF There are several species of the Swallow : the general characters, a small beak, but large wide mouth, for the purpose of swallowing flying insects, their natural food ; and long forked tail and extensive wings, to enable them to pursue their prey, belong to all of them. The common house Swajl^w builds under the eaves of houses, or in chimneys, near their top : the martin also builds under eaves, and very commonly against the upper corner or side of our very windows, and seems not afraid at the sight of man, yet it cannot be tamed, or even kept long in a cage. The nature of the Swallow's nest is worthy our serious ob- servation : how the mud is extracted from the sea-shores, rivers, or other watery places ; how masoned and formed into a solid building, strong enough to support a whole family, and to face the " pelting storm," are wonders which ought to raise our mind to Him who bestowed that instinct upon them. It is related that a pair of Swallows built their nest for two successive years on the handle of a pair of garden shears, that were stuck up against the boards in an out- house; and, therefore, must have had their nest spoiled whenever the implement was wanted. And what is still more strange, a bird of the same species built its nest on the wings and body of an owl that happened to hang dead and dry from the rafter of a barn, and so loose as to be moved by every gust of wind. This owl, with the nest on its wings, and with eggs in the nest was taken to tho museum of Sir Ashton Lever as a curiosity. That gen- tleman, struck with the singularity of the sight, furnished the person who brought it with a large shell, desiring him to fix it just where the owl had hung. The man did so ; and in the following year a pair of Swallows, probably the same, built their nest in the shell, and laid eggs. Modern poets have not been unmindful of the Swallows ; and our immortal Shakspeare mentions the martin, in Macbeth, in the following manner: BIRDS. 197 This guest of summer, The temple-haunting Marlet, does approve, By his loved masonry, that Heaven's breath Smells wooingly here. No jutting frieze, Buttress, or coignes of 'vantage, but this bird Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle : Where they most breed and haunt, I havV-observed The air is delicate. The chimney Swallow is on the head, neck, back, and rump of a shining black colour, with purple gloss and sometimes with a blue shade ; the throat and neck are of the same colour ; the breast and belly are white, with a dash of red. The tail is forked, and consists of twelve feathers. The wings are of the same colour with the back. Swallows feed upon flies, worms, and insects; and gene- rally hunt their prey on the wing. Away ! away ! thou summer bird ; For Autumn's moaning voice is heard, In cadence wild, and deepening swell, Of winter's stern approach to tell. THE MARTIN, OR WINDOW SWALLOW. (Hirundo urbica.) THESE birds begin to appear about the middle of April, and for some time they pay no attention to the business of nidification, but sport and play about, either to recruit themselves from the fatigue of the journey, or else that 198 A DESCRIPTION OF their blood may recover its true tone and texture, after having been so long benumbed by the severities of the winter. The Martin is something less than the swallow, with a comparatively large head, and a wide mouth ; the colour a bluish black, and bill white; its legs covered with short white down. As this bird often builds against a per- pendicular wall, without any projecting ledge under, its utmost efforts are necessary to get the first foundation firmly fixed, so as to carry the superstructure safely. On this occasion, it not only clings with its claws, but partly supports itself by strongly inclining its tail against the wall, making that a fulcrum; and thus fixed, it plasters the materials into the face of the brick or stone. But that this work may not, while soft, incline down by its own weight, the provident architect has the prudence and for- bearance not to proceed too fast ; but by building only in the morning, and dedicating the rest of the day to food and amusement, he gives it sufficient time to dry and harden. By this method, in about ten days, the nest is formed, strong, compact, and warm, and perfectly fitted for all the purposes for which it is intended. But nothing is more common than for the house-sparrow, as soon as the shell is finished, to seize on it, eject the owner, and line it according to its own peculiar manner. The Martin will return for several seasons to the same nest, where it happens to be well sheltered and secured from the in- juries of the weather. They breed the latest of all our swallows, never being without unfledged young ones even so late as Michaelmas. They arrive in England with the first fine weather in May. Welcome, welcome, feathered stranger, Now the sun bids Nature smile, Safe arrived and free from danger, Welcome to our blooming isle. FRANKLIN. BIRDS. 199 THE GOATSUCKER. (Caprimulgus Europceus.) THIS curious bird is called also the Nightjor, and the Fern Owl, comes to this country from Africa about the middle of May, and it generally leaves by the end of August. These birds are generally found in low bushes, or amongst tufts of large ferns ; and they generally fly at night, hence their name of Fern Owl. The beak of this bird is furnished with bristles, and the middle toe of each foot has a claw toothed like a comb, with which the bird clears and smooths his bristles, when necessary. The female lays her eggs upon the ground, without any nest, and she only lays two. The name of Goatsucker originated in an absurd idea that this bird sucked the goat's milk ; from the habit it has of lying on the ground near cows or she goats, and catching the flies that torment them by fixing on their udders. Mr. Warburton, who is certainly the closest observer of nature who ever wrote on Natural History, states, in one of his very interesting works, that he has frequently seen the Goatsuckers catching insects in this manner, and thus proving themselves the best of friends to the animals they are accused of annoying. 200 A DESCRIPTION OF THE SKYLARK. (Alauda arvensis.) Go tuneful bird, that gladd'st the skies, To Daphne's window speed thy way ; And there on quivering pinions rise, And there thy vocal art display. SHENSTONE. THE Skylark is generally distinguished from most other birds, by the long spur on his back toe, the earthy colour of his feathers, and by singing as he mounts up in the air. The common Skylark is not much bigger than the house- sparrow. These birds generally make their nest in mea- dows among the high gras^, and the tint of their plumage resembles so much that of the ground, that the body of the bird is hardly distinguishable as it hops along. The daisied lea he loves, where tufts of grass Luxuriant crown the ridge : there, with his mate, He founds their lonely house, of withered herbs, And coarsest spear-grass ; next the inner work, With finer, and still finer fibres lays, Rounding it curious with his speckled breast. GRAHAME. Larks breed thrice a year, in May, July, and August, rearing their young in a short space of time. They are BIRDS. 201 caught in great quantities in winter, and are considered a delicate food amongst our best dishes. It is a melancholy observation, than man should feed upon, and indulge his sense of taste with those very birds who have so often de- lighted his sense of hearing with their songs, when they usher to the gladdened creation the return of their best friend, the sun. The instinctive warmth of attachment which the female Skylark bears towards her own species, even when not her nestling is remarkable. " In the month of May," says Buffon, " a young hen bird was brought to me, which was not able to feed without assistance. I caused her to be reared ; and she was hardly fledged, when I re- ceived from another place, a nest of three or four un- fledged larks. She took a strong liking to these new comers, which were but little younger than herself; she tended them night and day, cherished them beneath her wings, and fed them with her bill. Nothing could inter- rupt her tender offices. If the young ones were torn from her she flew to them as soon as they were liberated, and would not think of effecting her own escape, which she might have done a hundred times. Her affection grew upon her; she neglected food and drink; she at length required the same support as her adopted offspring, and expired at last, consumed with maternal solicitude. None of the young ones long survived her. They died one after another ; so essential were her cares, which were equally tender and judicious." The Lark mounts almost perpendicularly, and by suc- cessive springs, into the air ; where it hovers at a vast height. Its descent is in an oblique direction, unless threatened by some ravenous bird of prey, or attracted by its mate ; when it drops to the ground like a stone. On its first leaving the earth, its notes are feeble and in- terrupted ; but, as it rises, these gradually swell to their full tone. As the Lark's flight is always at sun-rise, there is something in the scenery that renders the music of the K 5 202 A DESCRIPTION OF Lark peculiarly delightful : the opening morning, and the landscape just gilded by the rays of the returning sun, and the beauty of the surrounding objects all contribute to heighten our relish for its pleasing song. -Up springs the Lark, Shrill-voiced and loud, the messenger of morn ; Ere yet the shadows fly, he, mounted, sings Amid the dawning clouds, and from their haunts Calls up the tuneful nations. THOMSON. Alas ! it's no thy neebor sweet, The bonnie Lark, companion meet ! Bending thee 'mang the dewy weet ! Wi' spreckled breast, When upwards springing, blythe to greet The purpling east. BURNS. Early, cheerful, mounting lark, Light's gentle usher, morning's clerk, In merry notes delighting. SIR JOHN DAVIS. THE WOODLARK. (Alauda arbores.) THIS species is smaller than the skylark, and its voice deeper; it has also a circle of white feathers encompassing the head, from eye to eye, like a crown or wreath, and the BIRDS. 203 utmost feather of the wing is much shorter than the se- cond, whereas in the common lark they are nearly equal. This bird sometimes emulates the nightingale ; and, when pouring his sweet melody in the grove, during a silent night, he is often mistaken for Philomel herself. These birds sit and perch upon trees, which habit the common lark has not, being always found on the ground. They build their nest at the foot of a bush, near the bottom of a hedge, or in high dry grass. The number of eggs is about four ; these are of a pale bloom colour, beautifully mot- tled, and clouded with red and yellow. Like the skylark, they assemble in large flocks during frosty weather. Their usual food consists of small beetles, caterpillars, and other insects, as well as the seeds of numerous kinds of wild plants. Bright o'er the green hills rose the morning ray, The Woodlark's song resounded on the plain, Fair Nature felt the warm embrace of day, And smiled through all her animated reign. LANGBOURNE THE TITMOUSE, OR TOM-TIT. (Parus major.) THIS small bird presents us with a curious anomaly; namely, its tongue is split at the end into four distinct filaments. The head is curiously coloured ; the beak is generally black, with strong hairs at its base. The head and throat are of the same colour, the body of a yellowish green; the back and coverts of the wings green, and the 204 A DESCRIPTION OF rump inclining to blue ; the tail is black, but touched with blue at its exterior edges. This bird, and all the species related to it, live on insects, as well as on seeds. When kept in a cage, it is really amusing to see with what quickness the Titmouse darts at any fly or moth, which comes imprudently within his reach. If this kind of food be deficient, as generally happens in winter, he then feeds upon several kinds of seed, and particularly that of the sunflower, which he dexterously holds upright between his claws and strikes powerfully with his sharp little bill, till the black covering splits, and yields its white contents to the hammering bird. They build their nest with great ingenuity ; and the female lays seven or eight eggs. THE YELLOWH AMMER, OR YELLOW BUNTING. (Emberiza citrinella.) THIS bird is somewhat larger than the sparrow. Its head is of a greenish yellow, spotted with brown ; the throat and belly are yellow ; the breast and sides, under the wings, mingled with red; and the bird has a pretty note, not unlike that of the linnet. These birds build their nests on the ground, near some bush, where the female lays five or six eggs. The Yellowhammer is said to be sometimes seen perched on the finger of some poor man or woman in the streets of London, in a state of complete BIRDS. 205 tameness ; but that is the transitory effect of intoxi- cation, and that soon after the bird is bought and brought home, it dies, overcome by the power of the laudanum that has been given him. This bird feeds on various sorts of insects, and all kinds of seeds, and is common in every lane, on every hedge throughout the country, flitting before the traveller, and fluttering about the bushes on the side of the road. Hap- pily for him, we have not yet acquired the taste of the natives of Italy, where the Yellovvhammer falls a daily victim to the delicacy of the table, and where its flesh is esteemed very delicious eating. There he is often fat- tened, for the purpose of gratifying the palate of epicures. The Ortolan (Embei-iza hortulama) which is another spe- cies of the same genus, is common in the central and southern provinces of Europe, where it is thought exqui- sitely flavoured as an article of food. When first taken it is frequently very lean, but if supplied with abundance of food, it is said to be so greedy, that it will eat till it dies of repletion. The following lines, addressed to the English Ortolan, or Wheatear, by Mrs. Charlotte Smith, allude to the foolish timidity of that bird. To take you, shepherd boys prepare The hollow turf, the wiry snare, Of those weak terrors well aware, That bid you vainly dread The shadows floating o'er the downs, Or murmuring gale, that round the stones Of some old beacon, as it moans, Scarce moves a thistle's head. And if a cloud obscure the sun, "With faint and fluttering heart you run Into the pitfall you should shun, And only leave when dead. 206 A DESCRIPION OF THE SPARROW. (Fringilla domestica.) THIS bird is, next to the robin redbreast, the boldest of the small feathered tribe which frequent our barns and houses : he is a courageous little creature, and fights undaunt- edly against birds ten times bigger than himself. Spar- rows are accused of destroying a great quantity of corn, and in several counties the landlord or farmer puts a price on a Sparrow's head ; but the farmer is the person most injured by the plan, as the good Sparrows do, in ridding land of caterpillars, more than compensate for the loss of the grain they destroy. Mr. Bradley in his Treatise on Husbandry and Gardening, shows by a calculation, that a pair of Sparrows, during the time they have their young ones to feed, destroy on an average, every week, three thousand three hundred and sixty caterpillars. This bird is easily tamed, and will hop about the house, BIRDS. 207 and on the table, with great familiarity. It will feed on anything, and it is particularly fond of meat cut into small pieces. The song of the Sparrow, if we can so call its chirping, is far from being agreeable : this arises, how- ever, not from want of powers, but from its attending solely to the note of the parent bird. A Sparrow when fledged was taken from the nest and educated under a linnet ; it also heard, by accident, a goldfinch ; and its song was in consequence a mixture of the two. The male is particularly distinguished by a jet black spot under the bill upon a whitish ground. Sparrows are found nearly in every country of the world. THE LINNET (Fringilla Linota) Is about the size of the goldfinch ; and compensates, by a still more melodious voice, the want of variety in its plumage, which, except in the red-breasted species, is nearly all of one colour. Its musical talents are, like those of many other birds, repaid with captivity ; for it is kept in cages on account of its singing. The Red-breasted Linnet, or Redpole, generally builds on the sea-coast in this country, and on the Continent in vineyards ; but that livery of nature, the crimson scarf, that grows so beautifully under his neck, disappears as 208 A DESCRIPTION OF soon as the bird is domesticated. This bird is one of the first whose appearance announces the spring. The Green Linnet is rather larger than the house spar- row. Its head and back are of a yellowish green, the edges of the feathers grayish; the rump and breast more yellow. The plumage of the female is much less vivid, inclining to brown. Its song is trifling, but in confine- ment it becomes tame and docile, and will catch the notes of other birds. THE CANARY-BIRD, (Fringilla Canaria.} As his name imports, this bird is a native of the Canary Islands ; where, in his wild state, he has a dusky gray plumage, and a much stronger voice than when in a cage. In our northern countries his feathers undergo a great al- teration ; and the bird becomes entirely white or yellow. This effect of cold, upon animals of all kinds, is general and progressive, according to the distance of the climate from the equator. Of this bird, Buffbn says, " that if the nightingale is the chantress of the woods, the Canary is the musician of the chamber ; the first owes all to nature, the second something to art. With less strength of organ, less compass of voice, and less variety of note, the Canary has a better ear, greater facility of imitation, and a more BIRDS. 209 retentive memory ; and as the difference of genius, espe- cially among the lower animals, depends in a great mea- sure on the perfection of their senses, the Canary, whose organ of hearing is more susceptible of receiving and retaining foreign impressions, becomes more social, tame, and familiar ; is capable of gratitude and even attachment ; its caresses are endearing, its little humours innocent, and its anger neither hurts nor offends. Its education is easy ; we rear it with pleasure, because we are able to instruct it. It leaves the melody of its own natural note, to listen to the melody of our voices and instruments. It accompanies us, and repays the pleasure it receives with interest, while the nightingale, more proud of its talent, seems desirous of preserving it in all its purity, at least it appears to attach very little value to ours, and it is with great difficulty it can be taught any of our airs. The Canary can whistle; the nightingale despises our airs, and never fails to return to its own wild wood notes. Its pipe is a masterpiece of nature, which human art can neither alter nor improve ; while that of the Canary is a model of more pliant mate- rials, which we can mould at pleasure ; and therefore it contributes in a much greater degree to the pleasures of society. It sings at all seasons, cheers us in the dullest weather, and adds to our happiness, by amusing the young and delighting the recluse, charming the tediousness of the cloister, and gladdening the soul of the innocent and cap- tive." It breeds generally twice a year when domesticated ; and it happens sometimes, that the first brood is not yet fledged, when the female has laid her eggs for the second time. Then the male takes, good-naturedly, the place of the female on the eggs, when she feeds the young ones ; and he feeds them in his turn, when she sits in the nest. They are very easily tamed, when brought up with atten- tion and kindness ; they take their food out of the hand, and often perching on the shoulder of their mistress, feed out of her mouth. The Canary-bird is sometimes, and 510 A DESCRIPTION OF with success, matched with the linnet or the goldfinch ; and the produce is a beautiful mule bird, partaking of the talents and plumage of both. Canary-birds live twelve or thirteen years in our climate, and sing well to the end of their life. The following curious anecdote of one of these birds is related by Dr. Darwin : " On observing a Canary-bird at the house of a gentleman near Tutbury, in Derbyshire, I was told it always fainted away when its cage was cleaned ; and I desired to see the experiment. The cage being taken from the ceiling, and the bottom drawn out, the bird be- gan to tremble, and turned quite white about the root of the bill : he then opened his mouth, as if for breath, and respired quick ; stood up straighter on his perch, hung his wings, spread his tail, closed his eyes, and appeared quite stiff for half an hour ; till at length, with much trembling and deep respirations, he came gradually to himself." A few years ago a Frenchman exhibited in London twenty-four Canary-birds, many of which, he said, were from eighteen to twenty-five years of age. Some of these balanced themselves, head downward, on their shoulders, having their legs and tail in the air. One of them taking a slender stick in its claws, passed its head between its legs, and suffered itself to be turned round, as if in the act of being roasted. Another balanced itself, and was swung backward and forward on a kind of slack rope. A third was dressed in military uniform, having a cap on its head, wearing a sword and pouch, and carrying a firelock in one claw : after some time sitting upright, this bird, at the word of command, freed itself from its dress, and flew away to the cage. A fourth suffered itself to be shot at, and falling down as if dead, was put into a little wheel- barrow, and wheeled away by one of its comrades! BIRDS. 211 THE BULLFINCH. (Loxia jnjrrhula.) THIS is a very docile bird, and will nearly imitate the sound of a pipe, or the whistle of man, with its voice, the mellowness of which is really charming. It is, by bird-fanciers, supposed to excel all other small birds, ex- cept the linnet, in the softness of its tones and in the variety of its notes. In captivity, its melody seems to be as great a solace to itself, as it is a pleasure to its master. By day, and even when the evening has called for the artificial light of candles, the Bullfinch pursues his melodious exertions, and if there be any other birds in the apartment, he awakes them gently to the pleasing task of singing in concert with him. His notes are upon one of the lowest keys of the gamut of birds. Thomson says: The mellow Bullfinch answers from the grove. The plumage of the Bullfinch is beautiful, though sim- ple and uniform, consisting only of three or four shades of colours. In the male, a lovely scarlet or crimson colour adorns the breast, throat, and jaws, as far as the eyes ; the crown of the head is black ; the rump and tail are white : the neck and back grey, or lead-coloured. The name of this bird originates from its head and neck being, like those of the bull, very large in proportion to the 212 A DESCRIPTION OP body. The female does not share with the male the bright- ness of colours in the plumage. Bullfinches build their nests in gardens and orchards, and particularly in places that abound in fruit-trees, as they are passionately fond of young fruit, which they often destroy before it is ripe. THE GOLDFINCH, ( Frinyilla cardinalis.) THIS bird is also called Thistlefinch, from his fondness for the seed of that plant. He is a very beautiful bird ; his plumage is elegantly diversified. His form is small, but pleasing ; his voice not loud, but sweet. He is easily tamed, and often exhibited as a captive, with a chain round his body, drawing up with trouble, but yet with amazing dexterity, two small buckets, alternately, one containing his meat, the other his drink. When caught old, the Goldfinch, after a few weeks, if well attended to, and gently treated, becomes as familiar as if he had been brought up by the hand of his keeper. Some have been taught to fire a small piece of artillery, and go through the drilling exercise, to the great astonishment of the spectators: but the cruel and severe treatment that ani- mals undergo, when taught performances altogether con- trary to their nature, should prevent us from encouraging such exhibitions. This bird, as if conscious of the beauty of his plumage, likes to view himself in a glass, which is sometimes fixed BIRDS. 213 for this purpose in the back of the cage. The art with which this bird composes and builds its nest is really an object of admiration ; it is generally interwoven with moss, small twigs, horsehair, and other pliant materials ; the inside stuffed most carefully with fine down, and tufts of cotton-grass, or cannaeh. There the female deposits five or six eggs, which are whitish, marked at their upper end with purple dots. The Goldfinch weaves, with willow down inlaid And cannaeh tufts, his wonderful abode ; And oft suspended at the limber end Of plane-tree spray, among the broad-leaved shoots, The tiny hammock swings to every gale. Sometimes in closest thickets 'tis concealed ; Sometimes in hedge luxuriant, where the brier, The bramble and the plum-tree branch, Warp through the thorn, surmounted by the flowers Of climbing vetch, and honeysukle wild. GRAHAME. The following lines were written by Cowper on a Gold* finch starved to death in its cage. The Goldfinch speaks : Time was when I was free as air, The thistle's downy seed my fare, My drink the morning dew ; I perched at will on every spray, My form genteel, my plumage gay, My strains for ever new. But gaudy plumage, sprightly strain, And form genteel were all in vain, And of a transient date ; For caught and caged, and starved to death, In dying sighs my little breath Soon passed the wiry grate. Thanks, gentle author of my woes, Thanks for this most effectual close And cure of every ill. Never your cruelty repress ! For I, if you had shown me less, Had been your prisoner still. 2H A DESCRIPTION OF THE STARE, OR STARLING, (Sturnus vulgaris.) Is about the size and shape of a blackbird ; the tips of the feathers on the neck and back are yellow ; the feathers under the tail of an ash colour ; the other parts of the plumage are black, with a purple or deep blue gloss, changing as it is variously exposed to the light. In the hen, the tips of the feathers on the breast and belly, to the very throat, are white; which constitutes a material point in the choice of the bird, as the female is no singer. She lays four or five eggs, lightly tinctured with a greenish cast of blue. Starlings build in hollow trees and clefts of rocks, are very easily tamed, and can add to their natural notes any words or modulation they are taught to learn. In the winter season Starlings collect in vast flocks, and may be known at a great distance by their whirling mode of flight. The evening is the time when they assemble in the greatest numbers, and betake themselves to fens and marshes. Sterne has immortalized the Starling in his Sentimental Journey : " The bird flew to the place where I was at- tempting his deliverance, and thrusting his head through the trellis, pressed his head against it, as if impatient. 'I fear, poor creature,' said I, ' I can't set thee at liberty' BIRDS. 215 ' No,' said the Starling, ' I can't get out, I can't get out.' Disguise thyself as thou wilt, stil 1 , slavery, said I, still thou art a bitter draught!" THE RAVEN. (Corvus Corax.) The Raven sits On the raven-stone, And his black wing flits O'er the milk-white bone ; To and fro, as the night-winds blow, The carcass of the assassin swings : And there alone, on the raven-stone, The Raven flaps his dusky wings. 216 A DESCRIPTION OF The fetters creak and his ebon beak Creaks to the close of the hollow sound : And this is the tune, by the light of the moon, To which the witches dance their round. BYRON'S MANFRED. THE Raven is about two feet in length, and above four in breadth. His weight is about three pounds. The bill is strong, black, and hooked at the tip. The plumage of the whole body of a shining black, glossed with deep blue ; yet the black of the lower part inclines to a dusky colour. He is of a strong and hardy disposition, and inhabits all climates of the globe. He builds his nest in trees ; and the female lays five or six eggs of a palish green colour, spotted with brown. It is said that the life of this bird extends to a century ; and even beyond that period, if we can believe the accounts of several naturalists on the subject. The Raven unites the voracious appetite of the crow to the dishonesty of the daw, and the docility of al- most every other bird. He feeds chiefly on small animals; and is said to destroy rabbits, young ducks, and chickens, and sometimes even lambs, when they happen to be drop- ped in a weak state. In the northern regions, he preys on carrion, in concert with the white bear, the arctic fox, and the eagle. The faculty of scent in these birds must be ver} r acute ; for in the coldest of the winter days, at Hud- son's Bay, when every kind of effluvia is almost instan- taneously destroyed by the frost, buffaloes and other beasts have been killed where not one of these birds was seen ; but in a few hours scores of them have been found collected about the spot, to pick up the blood and offal. The Raven possesses many diverting and mischievous qualities ; he is active, curious, sagacious and impudent ; by nature a glutton, by habit a thief, in disposition a miser, and in practice a rogue. He is fond of picking up any small piece of money, bits of glass, or anything that shines, and conceals it carefully under the eaves of roofs, BIRDS. 217 or in any other inaccessible place. He is easily tamed ; and, like the parrot and starling, he can imitate the human voice, in articulating words. At the seat of the Marquis of Aylesbury, in Wiltshire, a tame raven, that had been taught to speak, used to ramble about in the park ; there he was commonly attended and beset with crows, rooks, and others of his inquisitive tribe. When a considerable number of these were collected round him, he would lift up his head, and with a hoarse and hollow voice shout out Holla ! This would instantly put to flight and disperse his sable brethren ; while the Raven seemed to enjoy the fright he had occasioned. When do- mesticated, the Raven is of great service, both as a scaven- ger and in keeping watch, in the last of which he is more alert and vigilant than almost any other animal. The Raven was the ensign of the invading Danes, and the dislike which that produced is not yet quite forgotten. Of the perseverance of the Raven in the act of incuba- tion, Mr. White relates the following singular anecdote: In the centre of a grove near Selborne, there stood an oak, which, though on the whole shapely and tall, bulged out into a large excrescence near the middle of the stem. On this tree a pair of Ravens had fixed their residence for such a series of years, that the oak was distinguished by the title of " The Raven-tree." Many were the attempts of the neighbouring youths to get at this nest: the difficulty whetted their inclinations, and each was ambitious of surmounting the arduous task ; but when they arrived at the swelling, it jutted out so in their way, and was so far beyond their grasp, that the boldest lads were deterred, and acknowledged the undertaking to be too hazardous. Thus the Ravens continued to build, nest upon nest, in perfect security, till the fatal day on which the wood was to be levelled. This was in the month of February, when those birds usually sit. The saw was applied to the trunk, the wedges were insei ted into the 218 A DESCRIPTION OF opening, the wood echoed to the heavy blows of the mal- let, the tree nodded to its fall ; but still the dam per- sisted in sitting. At last, when it gave way, the bird was flung from her nest ; and though her parental affection deserved a better fate, was whipped down by the twigs, which brought her dead to the ground ! The croaking of the Raven was formerly considered a note of ill omen, The Raven himself is hoarse, That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. SHAKSPEARE. THE CARRION CROW. (Corvus corone.) THIS .. bird is less in size than the raven. The bill is strong, thick and straight. The general colour is blac^k, except the bottom of the feathers, which has a greyishjint. His delight is to feed upon carcasses, and dead anmial*, or malefactors exposed on the gibbet. Like the raven, he has a very acute scent, and is said to smell gunpowder afar off. He roosts upon trees, and takes both animal and vegetable food. Like the rooks, the Crows are gre- BIRDS. 219 garious, and often fly in large companies in the fields or in the woods. On the upland moors, Crows occupy the place which rooks fill in the low country ; and as the Crow has a very coarse and uncouth voice, the Lowlanders of Scotland are in the habit of saying that the Highland rooks " speak Gaelic." They are great destroyers of partridges, as they generally pierce their eggs with their bill, and carry them in that manner through the air, to a great distance, to feed the cravings of their young. The female lays five or six eggs. Mr. Montagu states that he once saw a Crow in pursuit of a pigeon, at which it made several pounces, like a hawk; but the pigeon escaped by flying in at the door of a house. He saw another strike a pigeon dead from the top of a barn. The Crow is so bold a bird that neither the kite, the buzzard, nor the raven can approach its nest without being driven away. When it has young ones, it will even attack the peregrine falcon; and at a single pounce will bring that bird to the ground. THE ROOK. (Corvusfrugilegits.} ffHK cawing of these birds, on the tops of high trees near gentlemen's houses, and in the middle of cities, is not very pleasing ; yet old habits, to which we are reconciled, have as much influence upon us, as if they were productive of 220 A DESCRIPTION OF amusement. Hence it has been seldom attempted to de- stroy a rookery ; although the noise and other inconveni- ences that accompany these birds render their vicinity often troublesome. They feed entirely on corn and insects, and are little bigger than the common crows. In Suffolk and in some parts of Norfolk, the farmers find it their in- terest to encourage the breed of Rooks, as the only means of freeing their grounds from the grub which produces the cockchafer, and which in this state destroys the roots of corn and grass to such a degree, that instances have been known where the turf of pasture land might be turned up with the foot. The farmers in a northern country, a good many years ago, waged a war of extermination against the Rooks, but the very next year the crops were so completely cut up by grubs, that the same proprietors were at considerable expense in getting Rooks back again. Young Rooks are good eating, but they should be skinned before they are dressed. The colour is black, but brighter than that of the crow, which the Rook resembles in shape. The female lays the same number of eggs ; and the male shares with her the trouble of fetching sticks, and interweaving them to make the nest, an operation which is attended with a great deal of fighting and dis- puting with the other Rooks. New comers are often severely beaten by the old inha- bitants, and are even frequently driven quite away ; of this an instance occurred near Newcastle, in the year 1783. A pair of Rooks, after an unsuccessful attempt to establish themselves in a rookery at no great distance from the Exchange, were compelled to abandon the at- tempt, and take refuge on the spire of that building ; and, though constantly interrupted by other Rooks, they built their nest on the top of the vane, and reared their young ones, undisturbed by the noise of the populace below. The nest and its inhabitants were of course turned about by every change of the wind ! They re- BIRDS. 221 turned and built their nest every year on the same place, till 1793, soon after which year, the spire was taken down. A small copperplate was engraved, of the size of a watch-paper, with a representation of the spire and the nest ; and so much pleased were the inhabitants and other persons with it, that as many copies were sold as produced to the engraver a profit of ten pounds. The wood-cut by Bewick, in the title-page to his Select Fables, gives a view of the old Exchange, with the Rook's nest on the vane. It is amusing to see Rooks coming at sunset, as thick as a clond, hovering overa grove, and, after several eddies described in the air, and incessant cawings, each repair- ing to his own nest, and settling in a few minutes to rest, till the dawn calls them up again to their pasture in the neighbouring fields. Dr. Darwin has remarked, that an instinctive feeling of danger from mankind is much more apparent in Rooks than in most other birds. Any one who has in the least attended to them will see that they evidently distinguish that the danger is greater when a man is armed with a gun, than when he has no weapon with him. In the spring of the year, if a person happen to walk under a rookery with a gun in his hand, the inhabitants of the trees rise on their wings, and scream to the unfledged young to shrink into their nests from the sight of the enemy. The country people observing this circumstance so uniformly to occur, assert that Rooks can smell gun- powder. 222 A DESCRIPTION OF THE JACKDAW. ( Corvus monedula ) THIS bird is much less than the crow. He has a large head and long bill, in proportion to the size of his body. The colour of the plumage is black, but on some parts in- clining to a bluish hue ; the fore part of the head is of a deeper black. The Jackdaw feeds upon nuts, fruits, seeds, and insects ; and builds in ancient castles, towers, cliffs, and ail desolate and ruinous places. The female lays five or six eggs, smaller, paler, and marked with fewer spots than those of the crow. Jackdaws are easily tamed, and may with little diffi- culty be taught to pronounce several words. They con- ceal such parts of their food as they cannot eat, and often, along with it, small pieces of money or toys, frequently occasioning, for the moment, suspicions of theft in per- sons who are innocent. In Switzerland there is found a variety of the Jackdaw which has a white ring round its neck. In Norway, and other cold countries, they have been seen entirely white. In a state of nature, Jackdaws and rooks frequently feed together, and the Jackdaws come to meet the rooks in the morning, and also accom- pany them for some distance on their retreat at night. BIRDS. 223 THE MAGPIE. ( Corvus pica.) From bough to bough the restless Magpie roves And chatters as he flies. GISBORNE. THIS bird resembles the daw, except in the whiteness of the breast and wings, and the length of the tail. The black of the feathers is accompanied with a changing gloss of green and purple. It is a very loquacious crea- ture, and can be taught to imitate the human voice as well as any parrot. Plutarch relates a singular story of a Magpie belonging to a barber at Rome; which could imitate, to a wonderful extent, almost every noise that it heard. Some trumpets happened one day to be sounded before the shop ; and for a day or two afterwards the Magpie was quite mute, and seemed pensive and melancholy. This surprised all who knew it ; and they supposed the sound of the trumpets had so stunned the bird as to deprive it at the same time of voice and hearing. This, however, was not the case ; for, says the writer, the bird had been all the time occu- pied in profound meditation, and was studying how to imitate the sound of the trumpets : accordingly, in the 224 A DESCRIPTION OF first attempt, it perfectly imitated all their repetitions, stops, and changes. This new lesson, however, made it entirely forget everything that it had learned before. The Magpie feeds on everything ; worms, insects, meat, and cheese, bread and milk, all kinds of seeds; and also on small birds, when they come in its way : the young of the blackbird, and of the thrush, and even a strayed chicken, often fall a prey to its rapacity. It is fond of hiding pieces of money or wearing apparel, which it car- ries away by stealth, and with much dexterity, to its hole. Its cunning is also remarked in the manner of making its nest, which it covers all over with hawthorn branches, the thorns sticking outward ; within it is lined with fibrous roots, wool, and long grass, and then plastered all round with mud and clay. The canopy above is composed of the sharpest thorns, wove together in such a manner as to deny all entrance except at the door, which is just large enough to permit egress and regress to the owners. In this fortress the birds bring up their brood with security, safe from all attacks, but those of the climbing schoolboy, who often finds his torn and bloody hands too dear a price for the eggs or the young ones. There are many superstitions respecting Magpies ; and it is singular that in all the southern and middle districts of England, two Magpies are thought to betoken good luck ; while in Lancashire, and other northern counties, it is thought very unlucky to see two Magpies together. The chattering of Magpies was formerly supposed to fore- tell the arrival of strangers. BIRDS. 225 THE JAY (Corvus glandarius,) Is less than the magpie, and resembles him more in the habits of his life than in the shape and colour of his body. Talkative, and ready to imitate all sounds, as is the former, yet he can boast of ornamental colours, which the magpie is deprived of. Nothing can, on the palette of the ablest painter, equal the brightness of the chequered tablets of white, black, and blue, which adorn the sides of his wings. His head is covered with feathers, which are moveable at will, and their motion is expressive of the internal affections of the bird, whether he is stimu- lated by fear, anger, or desire. A Jay, kept by a person in the north of England, had learned at the approach of cattle, to set a cur dog upon them, by whistling and calling him by his name. One winter during a severe frost, the dog was by this means excited to attack a cow that was big with calf, when the poor animal fell on the ice, and was much hurt. The Jay was complained of as a nuisance, and its owner was obliged to destroy it. The hen lays five or six eggs, of a dull white colour, mottled with brown. L 5 226 A TjESCRIFTIcm OF THE CORNISH CHOUGH (Corvus graculus,} Is like the jackdaw in shape and colour of body, but somewhat larger in size. The bill and legs are of red colour, and hence the bird is frequently called the red- legged Crow. It is not an inhabitant only of Cornsvall, but also of Wales, and of all the western coasts of England. It is generally to be found among rocks near the sea ; and builds there, as well as in old ruinous castles and churches on the sea-side. The voice of the Chough re- sembles that of the jackdaw, except that it exceeds it in hoarseness and strength. The Crows and Choughs that wing the midway air, Scarce seem so gross as beetles. SHAKSPEARE. 227 THE SATIN BOWER-BIRD. (Ptilonorhynchus Holosericeus.) THIS singular bird was first brought before the notice of the public by Mr. Gould, in his splendid work entitled the Birds of Australia, from which work the following extracts are given by permission of its author. The most re- markable circumstance relating to this bird, is its form- ation of a bower-like structure, for the purpose of being a sort of playing-ground, or hall of assembly. "The Satin Bower-bird," says Mr. Gould, "is not a stationary species, but appears to range from one part of a district to another, either for the purpose of varying the nature, or of obtaining a more abundant supply of food . Judging from the contents of the stomachs of the many specimens I dissected, it would seem that it is altogether granivorous and frugivorous ; or, if not exclusively so, that insects form but a small portion of its diet. Inde- 228 A DESCRIPTION OF pendently of numerous berry-bearing plants and shrubs, the brushes it inhabits are studded with enormous fig- trees, some of them towering to the height of two hun- dred feet ; among the lofty branches of these giants of the forests, the Satin Bower-bird and several species of pigeons find in the small wild fig, with which the branches are loaded, an abundant supply of a favourite food : this species also commits considerable depredation on any ripening corn near the localities it frequents. It appears to have particular times in the day for feeding, and when thus engaged among the low shrub-like trees, I have ap- proached within a few feet without creating alarm ; but at other times I have found this bird extremely shy and watchful, especially the old males, which not unfrequently perch on the topmost branch or dead limb of the loftiest tree, in the forest, whence they can survey all around, and watch the movements of the females and young in the brush below. Besides the loud liquid call peculiar to the male, both sexes frequently utter a harsh, unpleasant, guttural note, indicative of surprise or displeasure. The old black males are exceedingly few in number, as com- pared with the females and young male birds in the green dress, from which and other circumstances I am led to believe that at least two, if not three years, elapse before they attain the rich satin-like plumage, which, when once perfectly assumed, is, I believe, never again thrown off 1 . The extraordinary bower-like structures alluded to above, are usually placed under the shelter of the branches of some overhanging tree in the most retired part of the forest : they differ considerably in size, some being much larger than others. The base consists of an extensive and rather convex platform of sticks firmly interwoven, on the centre of which the bovver itself is built: this, like the platform on which it is placed, and with which it is interwoven, is formed of sticks and twigs, but of a more slender and flexible description, the tips of the twigs BIRDS. 229 being so arranged as to curve inwards and nearly meet at the top : in the interior of the bower the materials are so placed, that the forks of the twigs are always presented outwards, by which arrangement not the slightest ob- struction is offered to the passage of the birds. The inter- est of this curious bower is much enhanced by the manner in which it is decorated at and near the entrance with the most gaily-coloured articles that can be collected, such as the blue tail-feathers of the Rose-hill and Pennantian parrots, bleached bones, the shells of snails, &c. ; some of the feathers are stuck in among the twigs, while others with the bones and shells are strewed about near the en- trances. The propensity of these birds to pick up and fly off with any attractive object, is so well known to the natives, that they always search the runs for any small missing article, as the bowl of a pipe, &c., that may have been accidentally dropped in the brush. I myself found at the entrance of one of them a small neatly-worked stone tomahawk, of an inch and a half in length, toge- ther with some slips of blue cotton rags, which the birds had doubtless picked up at a deserted encampment of the natives. For what purpose these curious bowers are made is not yet, perhaps, fully understood ; they are cer- tainly not used as a nest, but as a place of resort for many individuals of both sexes, which, when there assembled, run through and around the bower in a sportive and playful manner, and that so frequently, that it is seldom entirely deserted." 230 A DESCRIPTION OK THE BIRD OF PARADISE. (Paradisea apoda.) THERE are many species of Birds of Paradise, which have been so called, as it is supposed, on account of their being generally seen on the wing, and flying in the torrid zone at a small distance from the land. Their appearance is there- foremost welcome to the tired sailor and longing passenger, by its foretelling the vicinity of terra firma. The head is small, but adorned with colours which can vie with the brightest hues of the peacock's embellishments j the neck is of a fawn tint, and the body very small, but covered with long feathers of a browner hue, tinged with gold : the two middle feathers of the tail are little more than filaments, except at the point and near the base. This bird has long been esteemed by ladies as a head-dress, and as those sent to Europe for this purpose always had the BIRDS. 231 legs cut off for the convenience of packing, it was reported, and at one time earnestly believed, that the Bird of Para- dise had no legs naturally, and that it lived always on the wing. The native place of these birds is New Guinea and the neighbouring islands; where they are generally found in flocks of twenty or thirty, roosting on teak-trees, or on fig-trees. When they fly it is always against the wind, that it may not ruffle their long and sweeping plumage; which it would do if they fled in the same direction as the wind blew, as, if the wind came from behind, then it would blow their long tails over their backs. They always, however, take shelter from storms in the most dense and sheltered thickets. They feed principally on figs and the berries of the teak, but it is supposed that they also take some insects. The note of the Bird of Paradise is very unpleasant, and resembles the cawing of a raven. THE NUTHATCH, OR NUTJOBBER (Sitta Europcea,) Is less than a chaffinch. The head, neck, and beak are of an ash-colour ; the sides under the wings red ; the throat and breast of a pale yellow ; the chin is white, and the feathers under the tail are red, with white tips. The Nuthatch feeds upon nuts, which he hoards in the hollow part of a tree : and it is pleasing to see him fetch a nut 232 A DESCRIPTION OF out of the hole, place it first in a chink, and standing above it with his head downwards, striking it with all his might, break the shell, and catch up the kernel. He feeds also upon flies and other small insects. The hen is so attached to her brood, that, when disturbed from her nest, she flutters about the head of the depredator, and hisses like a snake. The Nuthatches are shy and solitary birds, and, like the woodpecker, they frequent woods, and run up and down the trees with surprising facility. They often move their tails in the manner of the wagtail. They do not migrate, but during the winter they approach nearer to inhabited places, and are sometimes seen in orchards and gardens. The female lays her eggs in holes of trees, frequently in those which have been deserted by the woodpecker. The young ones are said to afford a very delicate food. THE CREEPER. (Certhiafamiliaris.) THE Creepers form a family in themselves. They are dispersed through most countries of the globe. They feed chiefly on insects, in search of which they run round and round the stems and branches of trees. The Wall Creeper, or Spider Catcher, is larger than a house-spar- row. It has a long, slender, black bill; the head, neck, and back are of an ash colour ; the breast white ; the wings a compound of lead colour and red. It is a brisk BIRDS. 233 and cheerful bird, and has a pleasant note. It builds its nest in the holes of trees. The Ox-eye Creeper is not much bigger than a wren. It has a long, slender, sharp bill. The throat and breast are white ; the head, back, and wings of a fox colour ; the middle parts of the wings whitish ; above the eyes, on each side, there is a white spot. It is commonly seen in England, and builds in hollow trees. The smaller the bird, in general, the greater number of eggs the female lays: the number of the Creeper's eggs is sometimes above twenty. It is curious to see the Creepers climb up the stem of a tree, always going round in a spiral direc- tion, but with the greatest agility, in search of those in- sects, which, while feeding themselves on smaller ones, become the prey of these little birds. In America the Creeper hatches twice during the summer, and has gene- rally from eighteen to twenty eggs at a time. THE HUMMING-BIRDS. ( Trochilus colubris.) THERE are numerous species of Huinming-Birds, but that represented in the plate is one of the most common. Humming-Birds are abundant in South America, parti- cularly in Brazil ; and they are so small and so brilliant in their colours, that when they are seen fluttering about in the brilliant rays of a tropical sun, they look like fly- 234 A DESCRIPTION OF ing gems. They are extremely active, darting about, and thrusting their long beaks and flexible tongues into every flower they see, in search of food. Sometimes they will remain suspended in the air for an hour or two together, vibrating their wings with such velocity, that they cannot be seen distinctly, but appear like a mist round the body of the bird, while they make that curious humming noise from which the bird takes its name. Sometimes they quarrel, when their little throats become distended, their crests, tails, and wings are expanded, and they fight with inconceivable fury, till one of them falls exhausted on the ground. The most common species is Trochilus colubris, and one of them has been kept alive in a cage for more than three months, by feeding itwith sugar and water. THE HOOPOE. (Upupa epops.) THIS is a small bird, measuring no more than twelve inches from the point of the bill to the end of the tail. BIRDS. 235 The bill is sharp, black, and somewhat bending. The head is adorned with a very beautiful, large, moveable crest, a kind of bright halo, the radiation of which places the head nearly in the centre of a golden circle. This pleasing ornament, which the bird sets up or lets fall at pleasure, is composed of a double row of feathers, reach- ing from the bill to the nape of the neck, which is of a pale red. The breast is white, with black streaks tending downwards ; the wings and back are varied with white and black cross-lines. The food of the Hoopoe consists chiefly of insects, with the remains of which its nest is sometimes so filled as to become extremely offensive. This beautifully crested bird is not at all common in this country. It is a solitary bird, two of them being seldom seen together. In Egypt, where Hoopoes are very com- mon, they are often seen in small flocks. The female is said to have two or three broods in the year ; she makes no nest, but lays five or six eggs in the hollow of a tree, without any sort of preparation. The name alludes to the note of the bird, which resembles the word " hoop" repeated several times in a low voice. Though this bird is found occasionally both in England and Scotland, it never breeds with us. It is common in Italy, where its strange startling cry is often heard, with- out the bird being seen, as it keeps itself concealed among trees. 236 A DESCRIPTION OK SECTION III. &tan*ort