- 

 

 
 V
 
 />/. 1 
 
 A Distinguished Visitor at Supper. 
 
 Page 179.
 
 LINKS IN THE CHAIN; 
 
 OR, 
 
 BY GEORGE KEARLEY. 
 
 VTITE IIXTUOTKATIOKS BY F. W. 
 
 LONDON : JAMES HOGG AND SONS.
 
 : pp.rxTKD nr w. CLOWES AND BOSS, STAMFOUD txitK
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AX UNSEEN WORLD. 
 
 PACl. 
 
 Astonishment at early Disclosures of Microscope. Extraordinary 
 Number and Minuteness of Living Beings it Revealed. Impetus 
 given to Microscopical Research by M. Trembley's Memoir on the 
 Hydra. Infusoria. Ehrenberg's great Work on. Polygastrica 
 and Jtctatoria. Feeding the Animalcules. Discovery of Errors. 
 Classification at Fault. Border-land of Organic World. Monads. 
 Fish Animalcules. Composite Forms. Volvox Globator. 
 Desmids and Diatoms. Infusorial Earths. Protophyta and Pro- 
 tozoa. Amoeba. Actinophrys. Foraminifera. Bell Animal- 
 cules. Stentors. Microscopic Swans. Rotifera. Melicerta. Re- 
 vivification. Life in Atmosphere. Wide Diffusion of Microscopic 
 Life 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 A DISQUISITION ON JELLY-FISH. 
 
 Familiarity. Popular Names. Abundance. Character of Composi- 
 tion. Simplicity of Organization. Rapacity. Pliny on Sea- 
 Nettles. Stinging Powers. A Bathing Companion. Urticating 
 Organs. Medusae. Diversity of Form. British Species. Cy- 
 dippe. Its Elegant Movements. Capture of Food. Tenacity of 
 Life. Transparency. Girdle of Venus. Velella. Floating for a 
 Likeness. Portuguese Man-of-War. Absorption of Food. Veno- 
 mous Powers. A Shipwrecked Fleet. Diphydas. Gemmation. 
 An Elephantine Illustration. Development of Embryos. 
 Polyp. Form of Medusa. Alternation of Generations. Lumi- 
 nosity. Phosphorescence of Sea . .... 
 
 2090834
 
 VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 INSECTS, AND THEIR HUNTERS. 
 
 PACK 
 
 Contempt for Entomological Pursuits. Growing Popularity of Science. 
 Influence of Kirby and Spence's Introduction. Attractions of 
 Entomology. The Model Insect. Metamorphoses of Insects. 
 Misapprehensions. Aphides. Parthenogenesis in Bees and Moths. 
 Classification. The Flea. An Imperial Flea. Honey-Bee. 
 Honey and Wax. Mr. F. Smith's Catalogue of British Bees. 
 Humble-Bees. Bee Tradesmen. Curious Discovery. Th* Glow- 
 worm. Ant's-nest Beetles. Mod* of Collecting. Lepidoptera. 
 The Tineina. Leaf-Miners. Mr. Stainton's Services to Ento- 
 mology. A Butterfly Battle. Eagerness of Collectors. Trapping 
 an Emperor. Devices of the Moth -Collector. Sugaring. Light. 
 Love. Sallows and Ivy. Distribution. Varieties in Flight. 
 Pleasures of Out-Door Study 47 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN APOLOGY FOR SNAILS. 
 
 The Snails worth Attending to. Are Disregarded because Familiar. 
 Belong to an Old and Long-established Family. Have Brilliant 
 Relatives Abroad. Gastropods. Carpet the Ground as they go. 
 Love Revelations. Eyes. -Structure of Tentacles. Sense of Taste 
 and Touch. At Dinner. Remedial Powers. Experimental Mutila- 
 tion. Tender Demonstrations. Eggs of Garden Snail. Hybema- 
 tion. Torpidity in Tropical Droughts. British Species. African 
 and American Species. Mr. Hugh Curaing. A Tropic Picture. 
 Philippine Island Species. Devoured by Various Animals. 
 Ancient Snail Sties. Formerly Eaten in England. Prejudice 
 versus Philosophy . , p . . . . . . .73 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE NAUTILUS AND ITS ALLIES. 
 
 Exploration of Sea-Shore. Ransacking the Deep. A Neglected Race. 
 The Cuttle-Fish. Its General Structure. Pounce-Bone. Respi- 
 ration and Locomotion. Agility of the Cuttle-Fish. Uses of the 
 Ink-bag. Fossilized Ink. Polypus of the Ancients. Its Sucking 
 Discs. Rapacity. Pedestrian Performances. A Tough Encounter. 
 ' Gigantic Cephalopods. Rank and Structure. Ancient Forms. 
 Petrified Snakes. Capture of a Prize. The Pearly Nautilus. 
 Octopods and Decapods. The Sepiola. Its Incessant Change of 
 Colour. Pliny on the Polypus. The Argonaut. Is it a Pirate ? 
 Pro and Con. Madame Power Settles the Dispute. Double Justice 
 done. M. Sunder Rang. Cold Philosophy . . . .. ,91
 
 CONTENTS. yii 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE AQUARIUM AND ITS INMATES. PART I. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Principle of Aquarium. Its Popularity. Zoophytes. Sertulariaii 
 -Polyps. Wonders of Reproduction. Relation between Polyps and 
 Medusae. Star-Fish. Its Organs of Locomotion. In the Aqua- 
 rium. Predacious Character. Oyster-Eating Extraordinary. 
 Voluntary Dismemberment. Sun-Star. Brittle-Stars and Sand- 
 Stars. Luidia frangilissima. Echinus, or Sea-Hedgehog. Its 
 Shell. Tenacity of Life. Sea-Cucumbers. Their Excessive Irrita- 
 bility. Esteemed as Great Delicacies in China. Marine Worms. 
 Serpulae. Brilliant Branchial Plumes. A Bouquet of Worms. 
 The Terebella. Spio ceticornis. Peculiar Movements. Novel 
 System of Traction. The Sea-Mouse. The Sea- Acorns. Beauty 
 of their Movements. Capture of Food. History and Development. 
 Selecting for the Aquarium. Surprises. Moss Corals. Rank 
 and Structure. Interesting Behaviour. Periwinkle at Work. 
 Chitons. Nudibranchs. Extreme Delicacy and Beauty. Coils of 
 Spawn. Behaviour in Confinement. Ferocity of Disposition . Ill 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE ACjUARIUM AND ITS INMATES. PART II. 
 
 The Sea-Anemones. Popularity. Form and Appearance. Common 
 Smooth Anemone. Sensitiveness. Planting Anemones. Resem- 
 blance to Flowers. Feeding. Urticating Organs. Anthea cereus 
 and the Hermit Crab. Kills a Young Conger-eel. Sprightliness 
 of Movements. Anemones are Robbed by Little Crabs. Devour 
 Dead Animals. Gastronomic Feats of T. crassicornis. Refuses 
 an Offered Dainty. Locomotive Powers. Dianthus Likes an Air 
 Bath. Piece-meal Reproduction. Spontaneous Division of Anthea 
 cereus. Double-disked Anemones. Family Groups. The Para- 
 sitic Anemone and the Hermit Crab. Shrimps and Prawns. Clean 
 Feeders and Scavengers. Lobsters at Play. The Hermit Crab. 
 Feeding. Change of Domicile. An Unproven Charge. Porcelain 
 Crab. Crustacean Monkey-cage. Swimming Crabs. Moulting of 
 the Crustacea. Conger. Wrasse. Pipe-fish. Paternal Nursing. 
 " Marine Store " Collecting 137 
 
 CHAFfER VIII. 
 
 THE ANCIENT ORDER OF BATRACHIANS. 
 
 Ill-repute of the Order. Little Understood. Rank. Transitionaiy 
 Character. Development of Tadpole. Irregularities-. Cannibal- 
 ism of Tadpole of Frog. Showers of Frogs. Lepidosiren or Mud-
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 PACK 
 
 fish. Siren. Proteus. Allied Forms. Water-Newts. The Sala- 
 mander. Pliny's Account of it. Incombustible. Surinam Toad. 
 Common Toad. Superstitions Respecting it. Services to Mankind. 
 A Domestic Pet. Common Frog. Its Terror of the Snake. A 
 Frog-Eulogy. Edible Frog. Introduction of Frogs into Ireland. 
 Tree-Frogs. Croakers and Croaking. Toad-in-Hole Question. 
 Ancient Frog Remedies. The Labyrinthodon. An Argument up- 
 set . 161 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 OUB FEATHERED FRIENDS. 
 
 St. James's Park Water-Fowl. Assistance Wanted. Graceful Car- 
 riage of the Swan. The Hooper. Dying Swan Song Story. 
 Black Swan. Importation of English Birds into Australia. Jack- 
 ass Penguin. Probable Extinction of the Great Auk. The Swal- 
 low Tribe. A Railway Colony. Hybernating Swallows. The 
 Cuckoo. Behaviour of Young Cuckoo. Pliny's Account of it. 
 Food. Kingfisher. Dispute as to its Nesting. Mr. Gould's Dis- 
 covery. An Operative Ornithologist. Superstitions. Crow Fa- 
 mily. Magpie is a Favourite in Norway and Sweden. Mis- 
 chievous Propensities. Nesting. Jack at Church. Song of Birds. 
 Mr. Barrington's Experiments. A Talking Canary. Love and 
 Rivalry. Cock Robin and Jenny Wren. Pugnacity of Robiu. 
 The Dipper. Does it Walk or Swim Under Water? The House- 
 sparrow. Its Impudence. Affection for its Young. Feeds a 
 Caged Canary. Hanged at its own Door. Destruction of Small 
 Birds . 189 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " LIVE LIONS," PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. 
 
 The Good Time Coming. Death of a Favourite. The Regent's Park 
 Zoological Gardens. Fish House. Pike. The Tench. Fishing 
 Frog. Musical Fish of the East. Mandarin Duck. Story of a 
 Devoted Couple. Difficult to Obtain. Secretary Bird and Curas- 
 sows. Tongue of Flamingo. Reptile House. Keeper Killed by 
 Cobra. Incubatioof Python. Gigantic Newt of Japan. Scheu- 
 chzer's Homo Dilmii Testis.The Two-toed Sloth. Great Ant- 
 eater. Australia a Laud of Contrarieties. Satin Bower Bird. 
 Brush Turkey. Incubation Extraordinary. Settler's Clock. 
 Bell Bird. Razor Grinder. Coach- Whip Bird. Elephant. 
 Mooruk. Strnthoid Birds. Great Extinct Birds of New Zealand. 
 Egg from Madagascar. The Eland . . . .217
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 CONCERNING BATS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 John Clare. Gnats, Bats, and Owls. Peculiarity of Position. 
 Structure of Wings. Evolutions in Air. Spallanzani's Experi- 
 ments. Exquisite Sensibility of Wing Membrane. Hearing and 
 Smell. Diurnal Retreats. Bat Caves of Jamaica. A Noisy Com- 
 munity. A Pigmy. Check on Insect Life. Winter Sleep. 
 Self-interred. Pipistrelle. Long-eared Bat. Gilbert White's 
 Noctule. Horse-shoe Bats. Vampires. Mode of attack. Kalong 
 of Java. Australian Pteropus. Popular Antipathy. Utility . 237 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A MONOGRAPH OF THIS MONKEY TRIBE. 
 
 Caricatures of Humanity. Monkey Performances. At Home in the 
 Woods. Stay-at-Home Travelling. Glimpses of Monkey Life. 
 Structure of Hands. Characteristics. Galeopithecus. Aye- Aye. 
 Lemurs. American Monkeys. Forest Lite. Douroucouli. 
 Spider Monkeys. An Improvised Bridge. A Sagacious Messenger. 
 Howlers. Baboons. Mandrill. Chacma. A Dram-Drinker 
 Cured. Wanderoo. A Grave and Reverend Seigneur. A Fatal 
 Affray. The Showman's Monkey. Metropolis of Monkeydom. 
 Monkey Shooting. Proboscis Monkey. Sacred Monkey. Is 
 greatly Venerated by the Hindoos. Cheap Revenge. Gibbons. 
 Siamang on Board Ship. Orang-Outang. Life in the Woods. 
 Hunting. A Baby Orang. Chimpanzee. Stories of the Natives. 
 A Nest-Building Ape . . . . . . . . 2.) I 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. * 
 
 THE GORILLA. 
 
 The Lion of the Day. Gorilla Country. Recovered to Science. 
 Rejected by Cuvier. Supposed Reference in Periplus. Andrew 
 Battcl. Mr. T. E. Bowditch. Professor Owen's Account. A 
 Lurking Foe. M. du Chaillu at Royal Geographical Society. His 
 Book. Delusions Dispelled. Native Stones. A Portrait. At 
 Close Quarters. Eaten by Negroes. Master Joe. Perils of the 
 Hunter. Mode of Attack. Conclusion 277 
 
 An Index ivill be found at the end of the Volume,
 
 SUBJECTS OF THE ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 iLLrSTRATED TlTLE-PAGE. " LDTKS IN THE CHAIN." 
 
 SUGARING FOR MOTHS 68 
 
 PETS OF THE AQUARIUM Ill 
 
 A DISTINGUISHED VISITOR AT SUPPER. (Frontispiece.} . 178 
 
 CATCHING THE GREAT AUK ON THE COAST OF NEWFOUND- 
 LAND 190 
 
 THE GREAT-LEAVED HORSE-SHOE BAT IN THE GUDARIGBY 
 
 CAVERNS 246 
 
 THE GOVERNOR'S MONKEY 260 
 
 AN INVETERATE DRAM-DRINKER CURED . . . 263
 
 LINKS IN THE CHAIN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AN UXSEEN WORLD. 
 
 Where the pool 
 
 Stands mantled o'er with green, invisible, 
 Among the floating verdure millions stray." 
 
 IF Dr. Livingstone, in the course of his African explorations, 
 were to light upon some such nation of mannikins as that dis- 
 covered at Lilliput by Mr. Lemuel Gulliver of famous memory, the 
 announcement of the fact could hardly occasion greater surprise 
 and astonishment than was felt by the philosophers of the last 
 century at the remarkable disclosures of the microscope, with 
 respect to the countless multitudes of minute forms of organic 
 life which, unseen by our feeble powers of vision, people the 
 waters of the earth, and swarm around us on every side. 
 
 The microscope has here revealed the existence of a new 
 world of living beings, before unknown and unsuspected. It has 
 shown that the water of our roadside ditches, and stagnant 
 pools, of our lakes and streams, and of the sea itself, teems with 
 various races of microscopic beings, many of which are so incon- 
 ceivably minute, and abound in such amazing profusion, that 
 thousands of them may often be detected in a drop of fluid taken 
 up on the point of a pencil, while, within the narrow dimensions 
 of a lady's thimble, we might easily collect together a number 
 far exceeding that of the entire human population of the globe. 
 
 It rarely happens that important discoveries are made at once 
 in all their completeness, and the discovery of this unseen world 
 of organic life forms no exception to the rule. It will be obvious, 
 indeed, that, as many of these minute beings arc sufficiently largo 
 
 D
 
 2 EARLY DISCOVERIES. 
 
 to be discernible by the unassisted eye, there would be at least 
 some knowledge of their existence even in the earliest times. 
 But it was not until the invention of the microscope had given 
 to man the means of penetrating the mysterious depths of this 
 diminutive creation that any definite knowledge was obtained, 
 either of its vast extent or of the exceeding wonderfulness of the 
 beings which composed it; while almost every improvement 
 which has subsequently been made in the construction of the 
 microscope has largely added to the wonders which the instru- 
 ment has here revealed. 
 
 The earliest microscopical observations of importance on these 
 minute beings were made by Leeuwenhoek in the latter half of 
 the seventeenth century ; but it was not until a much later period 
 that this branch of study excited any great amount of interest, or 
 was prosecuted with anything like persevering zeal. It was 
 towards the middle of the last century that the great stimulus 
 was given to researches of the kind, by the publication of the cele- 
 brated memoir of H. Trembley, of Geneva, on the little Hydra, 
 or fresh-water polyp of our ponds and ditches an animal whose 
 extraordinary history read, and, indeed, still reads, more like 
 an extravagant romance than a sober recital of actual facts. The 
 publication of this work marks one of the most important epochs 
 in the history of microscopical inquiry, and speedily turned the 
 attention of observers in all parts of Europe to the abounding 
 marvels of the waters. 
 
 Nor is it at all remarkable that such should have been the result ; 
 for this same Hydra is one of a race of animals of which, up to 
 that time, naturalists had been almost wholly ignorant, while the 
 details that were given of its habits and economy were such as 
 completely upset most of the prevailing notions as to the dis- 
 tinctive characteristics of animal life. For here was an animal 
 whose young grew out from its sides like buds from the stem of 
 a plant that might not only be cut into pieces without being 
 killed, but would reproduce a perfect animal similar to itself from 
 every fragment of its original substance that might be turned 
 inside out, and yet suffer no detriment to its powers of digestion 
 that might, in fact, be mutilated and operated upon in almost 
 any conceivable fashion, not only without apparent injury, but 
 without, or at all seriously, interfering with the functions of active 
 life. It ia no wonder, therefore, that observers were everywhere
 
 INFUSORIAL ANIMALCULES. 3 
 
 eager to test the accuracy of these astounding assertions, or that 
 a great impetus should thus have heen given to the general 
 study of the minute forms of life with which the waters abound. 
 But many years still passed before this branch of study was at all 
 systematically pursued : and although towards the close of the 
 last, and early in the present, century, it attracted to itself a con- 
 siderable number of able and zealous investigators, it was not 
 until almost our own day that it took its place as a recognized 
 and important department of natural science. 
 
 It was for many years customary to speak of these living 
 atoms indiscriminately as the Infusoria, or as Infusorial Ani- 
 malcules, from the circumstance that they were originally 
 detected in infusions of vegetable substances. More careful 
 investigation, however, has shown that the organisms thus 
 hastily associated together differ widely from each other; and 
 that many of the tribes are, on the whole, more nearly related 
 to the vegetable than to the animal world. Moreover, amongst 
 those whose animal nature is perfectly obvious, the differences 
 which have been observed as to organization are so great, that 
 while roost of the number take rank with the very humblest 
 forms of sentient beings, others, again, present a much more 
 complicated structure, and are now properly classed with the 
 higher divisions of the invertebrate animals, minute though they 
 be, and, in this respect, true animalcules. It would seem, indeed, 
 that the earlier investigators of this invisible world of organic 
 life were so elated with the remarkable discovery they had in 
 charge, that they were disposed to regard everything belonging 
 to it as perfectly unique, quite separate and distinct from all 
 that had previously been known. No matter, therefore, what the 
 objects were that came within the field of their microscopes the 
 eggs and larva? of insects, the germs of embryo polyps, the spores 
 of fungi, and many different forms of mature plants, together 
 with other matters of a still more heterogeneous character all 
 were alike set down as being organisms of the. same general cha- 
 racter, and regarded as equally belonging to this newly discovered 
 world of Infusorial Animalcules. 
 
 It affords a curious illustration of the union of great powers 
 and special aptitude for delicate research with unaccountable 
 proneness to deception, that Ehrenberg, the great microscopist of 
 Berlin, and for many years the almost undisputed authority on,
 
 4 EHRES BERG'S MISTAKES, 
 
 the Infusoria, was beguiled into more errors of the kind above 
 alluded to than almost any other observer. In his great work, 
 " Die Infusionsthierchen," published in 1833, and which, with all 
 its imperfections, is undoubtedly a splendid monument of his 
 industry and genius, there are perhaps a greater number of as- 
 sumed discoveries which no subsequent observer has ever been 
 able to confirm, and a greater number of inferences which are 
 now discarded, although deduced from acknowledged phenomena, 
 than are to be found in any similar work in the whole com- 
 pass of modern science. And yet, when first published, this work 
 seemed so complete and so exhaustive of the subject, that it was 
 some years before any one doubted either the correctness of the 
 observations or the soundness of the conclusions of its author. 
 The name of Ehrenberg was a sufficient guarantee for any state- 
 ment, however marvellous, and his reputed discoveries passed for 
 a time unquestioned. Gradually, however, as the number of 
 observers increased, and as various improvements were made in 
 the construction of the microscope, the views of the great Berlin 
 philosopher were discovered to be in many particulars erroneous, 
 and that one of the two great characters on which he had relied 
 for separating the Infusoria into their main divisions, was alto- 
 gether imaginary. 
 
 According to the classification adopted by Ehrenberg, the Infu- 
 soria formed two principal and well-defined groups. To the first 
 of these he gave the name Polygastrica, from the supposition 
 that all the animalcules composing it possessed several distinct 
 stomachs, united together by a sort of intestinal canal. The 
 second group consisted of the Wheel Animalcules, so named on 
 account of the wheel-like rotation produced by rows of delicate 
 hair-like bodies, resembling eyelashes, and hence termed cilia, 
 which fringe the upper extremity of the bodies of the animal- 
 cules ; and to these Ehrenberg gave the name Hotatoria, or 
 Ilotifera. In these two groups, as the primary divisions, all the 
 Infusoria were included ; and though Ehrenberg was fully sensible 
 of the great dissimilarity between the organization of the Eotifera 
 and that of the various forms included in the other group, he 
 seems to have had no doubt as to the perfect propriety of their 
 being all retained under one and the same general designation. 
 Never, however, have the views of a philosopher, or his supposed 
 discoveries, been more completely set aside by subsequent observa-
 
 THE POLYGASTRICA. 5 
 
 tion than is the case with those of Ehrenberg in this his chosen 
 field of research. 
 
 The Rotifera are now, by common consent, ranked with the 
 lower divisions of the Articulate animals, with which, as Ehren- 
 berg himself had pointed out, their complicated structure evi- 
 dently brings them into close relation ; so that thus, at a stroke, 
 .one of the two great primary groups of the Infusoria has been 
 taken away. Then, with respect to the Polygastrica, although 
 their rejection as a division of the Infusorial Animalcules has 
 been neither so summary nor so complete as that of the Rotifera, 
 their treatment by the most competent observers of the day is, 
 in every respect, far more damaging to the authority and in- 
 fluence of the great microscopist of Berlin. 
 
 In the first place, it is now generally allowed that the term 
 Polygastrica is altogether inapplicable, inasmuch as no such 
 multiplicity of stomachs as was alleged is found to exist in any 
 of the organisms to which it was applied. Ehrenberg was led 
 to the opinion he entertained on this point by a somewhat 
 curious expedient, first adopted, we believe, by Baron Gleichen, 
 and which certainly exhibits his ingenuity and fertility of re- 
 source in a very favourable light. A very general characteristic of 
 these so-called Polygastrica is, that they exhibit, in the interior 
 of their substance, a number of clear spaces, resembling so many 
 minute sacs in some of the species these vacuoles, as they are 
 termed, numbering upwards of a hundred. It occurred to 
 Ehrenberg that possibly these vacuoks were stomachs ; and, in 
 order to test the accuracy of his conjecture, he tried the experi- 
 ment of feeding the animalcules, employing for the purpose 
 coloured substances, such as carmine and indigo, the particles 
 of which, if imbibed, would, he knew, be readily discernible 
 through the gelatinous substance of the animals' bodies. The 
 experiment was perfectly successful. The delighted philoso- 
 pher saw numbers of the minute beings coursing over the field 
 of his microscope, with little specks of colouring matter dis- 
 tinctly visible within them. P^hrenberg had now no longer a 
 doubt that the internal clear spaces were really stomachs ; and, 
 rendered enthusiastic by his singular discovery, he subsequently 
 saw, or rather fancied he saw, distinct traces of a connecting 
 intestinal canal. 
 
 No wonder, therefore, that from characters so marked and
 
 6 DELUSIONS DISPELLED. 
 
 peculiar, Ehrenberg derived a name for the entire class of 
 organisms in which they obtained. But, unfortunately, the 
 ablest observers since then, using the most powerful microscopes, 
 have come to quite different conclusions with respect to the 
 nature of the internal clear spaces, and have to this day failed to 
 discover the assumed connecting canal. It is evident, indeed, 
 that no such structure exists, and the term Polygastrica, there- 
 fore, is totally inadmissible. More than this, however, many tribes 
 that were so designated are now known to be true plants, while 
 others still form the subject of debate between the botanist and 
 the zoologist ; and another large section have been ascertained 
 to be merely active germs, some of aquatic plants, others of 
 worms or various insects. It is not too much to say, therefore, 
 that by far the larger proportion of the organisms which Ehren- 
 berg placed amongst the Infusoria as Polygastric Animalcules, 
 are strictly referable to other and widely different groups ; whilo 
 in none of them is there to be seen that complicated and mar- 
 vellous digestive apparatus from which, the class, as a whole, 
 received its designation. 
 
 The Infusoria, then, viewed as Ehrenberg regarded them 
 that is, as minute animals, and admitting of being arranged in 
 two well-defined and homogeneous groups are blown to the 
 four winds. The classification is altogether at fault. But the 
 various beings thus arbitrarily associated together exist none the 
 less ; and though they are in some respects, perhaps, a little less 
 marvellous than the spurious discoveries of former times had led 
 us to suppose, there is little need to surround them with ima- 
 ginary wonders, in ord*er to their commanding a deep and per- 
 manent interest. Nor is this at all the less true from our now 
 having to regard many of these minute organisms as belonging 
 rather to the vegetable than to the animal world. Plants or 
 animals, it matters little their extreme minuteness, the extra- 
 ordinary abundance in which they swarm around us, the variety, 
 and, in many cases, the great beauty of their structure, all con- 
 duce to render them objects of the greatest interest, and to make 
 the study of them one of the most attractive departments of 
 natural science. 
 
 Let us then without caring much about classification mind- 
 ing only to keep in view the great leading distinctions which 
 recent research has established, look more in detail at the eco-
 
 PLANTS, OR ANIMALS ? 7 
 
 nomy of these microscopic beings, and at the various wonders 
 which they display. 
 
 It may seem an odd way of beginning a volume on the curi- 
 osities of animal life to commence with an account qf objects 
 which belong to the vegetable kingdom ; but all things con- 
 sidered, the proceeding is by no means so Hibernian as may at 
 first sight appear. 
 
 The truth is that, in dealing with these minute forms of life, 
 we are venturing on what has aptly been called the border 
 land of the organic world the frontier territory, so to speak, 
 which lies between the two great kingdoms of animated nature ; 
 and, as in many another case of disputed boundary, the inha- 
 bitants of the debatable region have sometimes been claimed for 
 the one side and sometimes for the other ; and in this case it 
 has so happened that many of them have occasionally been 
 claimed with equal vehemence by both sides at once. The 
 dispute as to what constitutes the essential difference between 
 plants and animals can hardly yet be said to have terminated ; 
 and though there is now a very general concurrence of opinion 
 that the distinction mainly consists, on the one hand, in the 
 dependence of the being for nutriment on organic substances 
 already formed, which in some way or other it takes into the 
 interior of its body, and, on the other hand, in the possession of 
 the power to obtain its nourishment by absorption from the in- 
 organic elements on its exterior ; yet this is a test which, in the 
 nature of the case, is exceedingly difficult of application to these 
 microscopic organisms. The power of spontaneous motion, Avhieli 
 was at one time relied upon as a distinguishing mark of animal life, 
 has long since lost its value in that respect, as it is now well 
 ascertained that not only the early immature forms, but the fully 
 developed individuals of many of the simplest aquatic plants arc 
 endowed with very active powers of locomotion, and, to all ap- 
 pearance, dance as merrily through the water as any of their 
 compeers of the animal series. It has been argued, again, that 
 the presence of what are known as contractile or pulsating 
 spaces in the interior of the body is a proof of animality, but here 
 also the progress of research has gone against the assumption, 
 these contractile spaces being now known to be common to lx>th 
 the animal and the vegetable kingdoms. Owiug to this appa- 
 rent animality of many of these humble plants, it is extremely
 
 8 THE TWILIGHT MONAD. 
 
 difficult, and, in many cases, absolutely impossible, without 
 carefully tracing out the entire life-history of an organism, to 
 determine satisfactorily whether it belongs to the animal or 
 the vegetable kingdom. The proper position of most of these 
 microscopic beings, it is true, is now pretty well ascertained ; 
 but there are still doubtful races which may yet change sides, 
 and pass from amongst the plants, to be henceforth regarded as 
 animals ; or, which is more probable, cease to be ranked with 
 animals, to take their place henceforth with the plants. It will 
 be a quite excusable licence, therefore, to include both sides in 
 our present review, the more especially as, at one time, they 
 were all alike regarded as tine animals, and still equally belong 
 to that unseen world of organic life with which we are now 
 concerned. 
 
 One of the most recent results of the investigation which has 
 been carried on into the history of these minute organisms has 
 been to hand over from the animal to the vegetable kingdom 
 the entire tribe of the so-called Monads, which, both in their 
 simple and in their associated forms, have long attracted the 
 attention of microscopical observers. The simplest and most 
 minute of these organisms is the Twilight Monad (Monas cre- 
 pusculum), which, seen under glasses of the highest magnifying 
 power, is still a mere speck of pellucid matter, which is known 
 to be possessed of life only because of its vigorous and animated 
 movements. It has a diameter of not more than the twenty- 
 four thousandth part of an inch a measure of magnitude, or 
 rather of its opposite, which is easily expressed in words, but 
 of which the mind is utterly unable to form any definite con- 
 ception. But it is not in respect to size alone that these minute 
 beings are so remarkable, their amazing abundance is no less 
 extraordinary. It is no uncommon thing to find them crowding 
 the water in which they occur, to such an extent that they are 
 separated from each other by a space no greater than their own 
 diameter; so that a single drop of the fluid would contain, it is 
 estimated, some hundreds of millions of living beings ! 
 
 When the animal nature of the Monads was generally admitted, 
 this remarkable abundance and minuteness combined invested 
 them with a great degree of interest, and they were not inappro- 
 priately regarded as the starting-point, so to speak, of animal 
 life the point at which its first feeble glimmer became distin-
 
 FISH ANIMALCULES. 9 
 
 guishable from the darkness of nonentity. The Monads are, for 
 the most part, of a round or oval form, and in all the larger kinds 
 a distinct tail-like appendage is discernible, which was supposed 
 to be at once an organ of motion and a means of obtaining food. 
 One tribe, however, which was included in the genus Euglena, 
 bear a close resemblance to fishes in shape, and being provided 
 with a large red eye-spot, they pass very well for " Fish Ani- 
 malcules." It frequently happens that these tiny representatives 
 of the finny tribes are congregated in such vast profusion as to 
 impart to the water in which they occur a very perceptible tinge 
 of colour ; and Ehrenberg fancifully suggests that it was probably 
 by the agency of one of them, which from its colour has earned 
 the name of Euglena sanguined, that the miracle recorded in 
 Exodus, of turning the waters of the Nile into blood, was effected. 
 The commonest of these Fish Animalcules in our own ponds and 
 ditches is E, viridis, which, with its grass-green body and its 
 carmine eye-spot, is a pretty object in the microscope, and one 
 that may be observed with great interest, even tliough we may 
 no longer believe with Ehrenberg that its " eye " is a real visual' 
 organ, or that the clear spaces within its body constitute a lond 
 fide digestive apparatus. 
 
 In the heat of summer, the surface of stagnant pools often 
 becomes covered with a thin film of scum, which looks to the 
 naked eye like a coating of fine dust, but which, on being care- 
 ful ly removed and examined by the aid of a powerful microscope, 
 is seen to consist in great part of various minute organisms, 
 which, when disturbed, move briskly about in the water. A 
 large proportion ef the number are Fish Animalcules of the kind 
 just alluded to ; but, in addition to these, there are others of a 
 larger size, closely allied to the Monads, but presenting some 
 most extraordinary complications of structure. They are in fact 
 compound structures, consisting of Monads grouped together in 
 clusters, and imbedded in the interior of variously shaped gela- 
 tinous masses, which swim about by the united action of their 
 tail-like appendages. One of the most curious of these is the 
 Oonium pectorale, commonly called the High Priest's Breast- 
 plate, which consists of a combination of sixteen monadiform. 
 bodies, disposed regularly in a four-cornered tablet, like the 
 jewels in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest. Another, 
 and still more beautiful variety, is the Pandorina morum, in
 
 10 AN ANIMATED CRICKET-BALL. 
 
 which the investing gelatinous mass is of a globular form, and 
 encloses about thirty Monads of a dark-green colour, which have 
 a peculiarly elegant appearance in the centre of the transparent 
 sphere." 
 
 It is a terrible coming down from the romantic views of 
 Ehrenberg, no doubt, to assign these various bodies, simple and 
 compound alike, to the vegetable kingdom, but such is un- 
 questionably their true position 5 for they are now ascertained, 
 beyond all reasonable doubt, to be nothing more than the suc- 
 cessive stages of a humble plant the Protococcus pluviulis; 
 the so-called simple monads being merely the early " motile " or 
 active germs of the plant, and the compound or associated forms 
 the subsequent phases which the plant assumes by the continued 
 self-division of its original cells. 
 
 But a far more extraordinary example of these composite 
 vegetable structures, formerly ranked with the Monads, is the 
 famous Volvox glolator, which has not unnaturally excited more 
 astonishment than any other member of this most strange 
 association of organisms. The Volvox is by no means uncommon 
 in our ponds and ditches, and as it attains a diameter of one- 
 thirtieth of an inch, it may easily be detected by the naked eye 
 when the drop of water containing it is held to the light. Seen 
 in this manner, the Volvox appears a minute green globule gently 
 moving about in the water ; but when viewed with a moderate 
 magnifying power, the globule is seen to be a hollow pellucid 
 sphere, studded at regular intervals with minute green spots, from 
 each of which proceed two long cilia, by the united action of 
 which the little globe moves through the water. Ordinarily it 
 moves onward with a rolling kind of motion, a sort of self-bowling 
 cricket-ball ; but occasionally it glides along without turning on 
 its axis, and more rarely still, it may be seen twisting round 
 like a top without changing its position. In the interior of the 
 Volvox a number of smaller globes may generally be seen, some 
 adhering to the inner surface of the investing sphere, and others, 
 more advanced, lying freely within the cavity, revolving like 
 satellites, not around, but within the parent sphere. If the ob- 
 servation be continued for a short time, the larger globe will be 
 seen to burst, when the imprisoned globules float freely away to 
 begin an independent existence. 
 
 Long after the Volvos was quite familiar to microscopical
 
 THE VOL VOX GLOBATOR. 11 
 
 observers, the whole exterior globular mass was regarded as a 
 single animal, and the bursting of the globe, and consequent 
 escape of the contained globules, as its ordinary mode of increase. 
 Ehrcnberg, however, was the first to ascertain that the Volvos is 
 really a coniposite structure, made up of an association of or- 
 ganisms in every respect similar to each other ; but then he 
 made the mistake of regarding them as true animalcules, and 
 described them as being each possessed of an eye, a mouth, and 
 several stomachs. 
 
 The truth is that the Volvos has now been ascertained to be a 
 composite vegetable structure closely allied to the Protococcus, 
 and that its growth and development, together with the production 
 of the contained globules, is, as in the case of the various forms of 
 that plant, due to the repeated self-division of its component cells. 
 It can hardly be said, however, that the discovery that the 
 Volvox is a plant rather than an animal at all diminishes the 
 wonderfulness of its structure and history ; for in whatever light 
 we may regard it, it is certainly one of the most extraordinary 
 organisms with which even the microscope has made us acquainted. 
 But there is another wonder to be added to its history even yet : 
 the Volvox, it appears, is sometimes found to be infested with 
 parasites ; and on one occasion a specimen was observed, in the 
 interior of which two minute Wheel Animalcules were distinctly 
 visible. No opening could be perceived by which they could 
 have found entrance, nor did there appear to be anything with- 
 in to impede their movements ; on the contrary, they swam about 
 as freely as fish in a glass globe, to which, indeed, they are said 
 to have had no faint resemblance. 
 
 Mr. Pritchard, in his " History of Infusorial Animalcules," 
 stoutly contends for the animal nature of these beings, and ap- 
 propriately concludes his account of them with the remark, 
 " Who can behold these hollow living globes revolving and dis- 
 porting themselves in their native element, with as much liberty 
 and pleasure as the mightiest monsters of the deep, and not 
 exclaim with the Psalmist, ' How wonderful are thy works, 
 Lord ; sought out of all them that have pleasure therein ' ?" 
 
 Nothing is more remarkable in connection with the Protoplnjta, 
 or simplest forms of plants, with which we arc now dealing, than 
 the extraordinary and altogether unplant-likc shapes which they 
 assume. This is sufficiently striking in the Volvox and its allies
 
 12 DESMIDS AND DIATOMS. 
 
 already noticed, but it becomes still more obvious in the two 
 tribes to which we now pass on, namely, the Desmidiacece and 
 the Diatomacece, or, as we will style them, the Desmids and the 
 Diatoms, in which stars, crosses, triangles, and other graceful 
 geometrical figures take the place of the more ordinary vegetable 
 forms, and give to these tiniest of plants the appearance of so 
 much mimic jewellery. 
 
 The Desmids are green gelatinous bodies, confined exclusively 
 to fresh water. In most cases they consist of a single cell, which 
 is nipped in, in the middle, like a young lady with a small waist, 
 while the outer surface is frequently projected into spines and 
 variously-formed processes, which present a very symmetrical 
 and elegant appearance. It has recently been discovered that a 
 regular circulation of fluid takes place in the interior of these 
 minute organisms ; and it may interest the reader to know that 
 the gentleman to whom we owe most of our information on the 
 subject is no other than the redoubtable S. G. 0. of the " Times ' 
 newspaper, who, it appears, is wont to relieve his severer occupa- 
 tions by an occasional turn to the microscope, or the inmates of 
 the aquarium. The Desmids perpetuate their race in three 
 distinct fashions. In the first place, they multiply themselves by 
 the process of self-division ; secondly, by the breaking up of the 
 " endochrome," or coloured contents of the parent cell, into a 
 multitude of granular particles, which are set free by the rupture 
 of the cell wall, and then start in life on their own account ; and, 
 thirdly, by the process known as "conjugation," which may be 
 regarded as the first foreshadowing of the true sexual union which 
 takes place in the higher plants and animals. 
 
 In many respects the Diatomacecp, have a close affinity to the 
 preceding group ; but they are unmistakably separated from 
 them by the possession of a bivalve shield, of pure colourless 
 silex, which renders their forms indestructible. It is to the posses- 
 sion of this silicious shield that the Diatoms owe all their beauty 
 and importance. There is a wide diversity of form in the shields 
 of the various species ; but in all of them alike the surface is 
 sculptured with a beautiful, well-defined, and more or less com- 
 plicated pattern of lines and points, which afford a ready means 
 of distinguishing the different species, and at the same time 
 places these minute bodies amongst the most elegant of micro- 
 scopic objects. In many of the species the individual Diatoms
 
 RAPIDITY OF INCREASE. 13 
 
 or " frustules," as they are also termed, are entirely disconnected 
 from each other, but in others they are. united together in con- 
 siderable masses in a sort of gelatinous envelope, and in others, 
 again, they are variously united into composite structures, which 
 sometimes present an appearance of great elegance and beauty. 
 In the more simple of these associated tribes, the frustules are 
 merely held together in long filaments, or zigzag chains ; in others, 
 they are arranged, side by side, in flat bauds or beautiful screw- 
 like coils ; while in some very elegant forms they are mounted on 
 slender foot-stalks, and have the appearance of clusters of tiny 
 fans, every ray of each separate fan consisting of a perfect Diatom 
 enclosed in its silicious shield. 
 
 Like their allies the Desmidiaceee, the Diatomacece increase 
 both by self-division and by conjugation, and so rapidly does their 
 multiplication proceed, that one of the most cautious of micro- 
 scopical observers has calculated that, in the course of one month, 
 the progeny of a single Diatom would amount to the amazing 
 number of one thousand millions ! This extraordinary rapidity 
 of increase will readily account for the sudden appearance of vast 
 numbers of these organisms in localities where, only a short time 
 before, they were either not to be found at all, or occurred but 
 sparingly ; it will also help us to account for those vast accumu- 
 lations of their silicious shields which are being formed in various 
 parts of the ocean at the present day, and the still more extensive 
 deposits of similar exuvias which originated in remote geological 
 epochs. It has already been mentioned that the shields of the 
 Diatomaceas are indestructible. Unlike, therefore, to multitudes 
 of higher organisms, which live their day and then disappear, 
 leaving no trace of their existence behind them, every one of 
 these lowly beings deposits in the water it inhabits an imperish- 
 able memento of its brief life, and not unfrequently contributes to 
 the formation of rocky strata, which, in the remote future, may 
 give a distinctive character to countries yet unborn. 
 
 In some places the accumulations of these remains are exerting 
 an important influence in blocking up harbours, and diminishing 
 the depth of channels; and, according to the observations of 
 Professor Bailey of New York, various portions of the bottom ol' 
 the North Pacific Ocean are being covered up by deposits of a 
 similar character, in which the two valves of the shield are 
 frequently found still united, and containing remains of the
 
 14 IKFDSORIAL EARTHS. 
 
 internal soft parts. But the most remarkable of tliese deposits of 
 diatomaceous remains, now in process of formation, is that which 
 Dr. W. J. Hooker has made known in the southern seas. Dr. 
 Hooker states that the waters of the Antarctic Ocean, between 
 the sixtieth and eightieth degrees of latitude, abound with Dia- 
 tornaceas to such a'degree that the sea, over large portions of this 
 wide area, is literally stained with them ; and that their shields 
 ai-e gradually producing a submarine deposit which flanks the 
 Victoria Earner, and covers a surface four hundred miles long by 
 one hundred and twenty miles broad ! This immense mass of 
 diatomaceous remains is in close proximity to Mount Erebus, an 
 active volcano, twelve thousand feet high ; and the circumstance 
 has suggested to Dr. Hooker whether there may not be some 
 direct communication between the ocean- waters and the internal 
 fires of the mountain, such as would account for the curious but 
 well-established fact, of the occurrence of the silicious shields 
 of the Diatomacece in the ashes and pumice of many active vol- 
 canoes. 
 
 These immense submarine deposits of the shields of the 
 Diatomacea? may be said to be rocky strata now in the course of 
 formation. But similar deposits are found in many of the exist- 
 ing rock-formations of the earth's crust, and in some cases they 
 constitute by themselves beds of considerable thickness. The 
 so-called " infusorial earths " of various parts of the globe are 
 all of this description. One of the best known of these earths is 
 the famous berymehl, or mountain meal of Sweden, which, in 
 times of scarcity, the inhabitants are accustomed to mix with 
 their flour in making bread ! The Tripoli or rotten-stone, used 
 in polishing metals, the well-known Turkey-stone, and the 
 Polierschiefer, or polishing slate of Bilin, in Bohemia, are also 
 examples of fossilized remains of the Diatomacefe, the last-men- 
 tioned material occurring in a series of extensive beds averaging 
 fourteen feet in thickness. 
 
 Again, the city of Richmond, in Virginia, is said to be built on 
 a bed of diatomaceous remains, eighteen feet in thickness and 
 of unknown extent ; while in 1839, Ehrenberg astonished the 
 inhabitants of Berlin with the discovery, that just beneath the 
 foundations of their houses there was an immense deposit of a 
 similar character ; excepting that, in this case, to add wonder to 
 wonder, a large proportion of the mass consisted of Diatomacea)
 
 LITTLE CHAH6EABOUT. 15 
 
 still alive and active, sustained, no doubt, by the water which 
 finds its way to them from above ! 
 
 But perhaps the most curious situation in which these remains 
 have yet been found is in the guano which is brought from the 
 coast of Africa and Peru. Great numbers of the frustules have 
 been found in this material ; and it has been conjectured,* with 
 considerable probability, that the peculiar value of guano in the 
 growth of cereals may greatly depend on the presence of these 
 minute organisms, inasmuch as they supply it with that extra 
 amount of silica which all the corn-plants require. Thus, if this 
 conjecture be well founded, these minute beings, after perform- 
 ing their part in the economy of nature while alive, and then 
 lying entombed amidst a feculent mass of animal exuviai for 
 perhaps thousands of years, at length reappear, to add fertility 
 to our fields, and to multiply the means of human subsistence. 
 
 Leaving, now, those sections of these microscopic forms of 
 life which have been handed over to the botanist as properly be- 
 longing to the Vegetable Kingdom, we pass on to the true Animal- 
 cules. We have already seen, however, how vague and inappro- 
 priate is this term, as referring solely to the minute size of the 
 organisms embraced by it, and in no degree marking their grade 
 in the scale of being. The reader will not be surprised, there- 
 fore, to learn that this term is now discarded as of no value, 
 while for the simplest of these truly animal forms which were 
 originally comprehended by it, the name of Protozoa has been 
 adopted ; thus marking their position at the very base of the 
 animal series, as the corresponding name ProtopTiyta expresses 
 the rank of the simplest forms of vegetable life. 
 
 Beginning our survey of the Protozoa with those lowest in the 
 scale, we take the little Amoeba (Amceba dijfluens), formerly 
 known as the Proteus, and famous amongst microscopical obser- 
 vers for its incessant change of form. This little creature is com- 
 monly to be met with at the bottom of ponds of clear water, and 
 to the naked eye appears a mere animated dot of jelly. It is re- 
 markable for the extraordinary simplicity of its structure, consist- 
 ing wholly of a granular gelatinous substance named sarcode, and 
 having neither head, nor mouth, nor stomach, nor special organs 
 of any kind whatsoever. It has not so much even as an investing 
 membrane or skin, its outer surface exhibiting no trace of any 
 structure at all firmer in consistence than the rest of the body.
 
 16 THE ACT1NOPHRYS SOL. 
 
 But although presenting thus scarcely any marks of distinct or- 
 ganization, the Amoeba is by no means the dull and uninterest- 
 ing creature that one would be apt to imagine. Its most obvious 
 peculiarity, indeed, is the facility with which it incessantly alters 
 its form ; long finger-like processes being pushed out first from 
 one part and then from another, the body of the animal mean- 
 while gradually flowing, as it were, into these divergent portions, 
 and so progressing irregularly from point to point of the surface 
 on which it rests. 
 
 One would suppose that an animal so exceedingly simple in 
 structure, and so apparently helpless, would be a very inoffensive 
 neighbour ; but the truth is that, in its small way, the Amceba 
 is quite a terror at the bottom of our ponds and ditches. Its 
 special weakness in the matter of diet appears to be the Diato- 
 macejE ; but nothing comes amiss : and, as it goes shambling 
 along in its uncertain way, over the surface of the mud or the 
 stems aud leaves of the aquatic plants, it DO sooner meets with 
 any object suitable for food than it proceeds very deliberately to 
 wrap its body around it, nor is the prize again relinquished until 
 all its juices have been extracted, the entire surface of the ani- 
 mal taking part in the appropriation of the nutriment. 
 
 In another of these simplest Protozoa, closely related to the 
 Amceba, the finger-like processes, or pseudopodeee, as they are 
 termed, take the form of simple threads, which radiate from the 
 spherical body of the animal, and give it much the appearance of 
 the " Eising Sun," as artistically represented on the signboards 
 of our wayside inns ; whence it is no doubt that the animal in 
 question has received the appropriate name of Actinoplirys sol. 
 The Actinophrys is a far less vivacious creature than its pro- 
 tean ally, and rarely does much in the way of locomotion, 
 while its filamentary pseudopodeaa are usually kept rigidly pro- 
 truded. It is by these threads, however, that the animal secures 
 its provender, and directly one of the number seizes hold of any 
 minute object of a nutritious character, it forthwith begins to 
 retract itself, and is presently joined by the neighbouring fila- 
 ments, which coalesce with each other, and thus actually imbed 
 the prey in their gelatinous substance before it has reached the 
 surface of the captor's body. Once there, however, it is carried 
 by means of an opening improvised for the purpose, into the 
 interior of the body, whence the indigestible portions are in due
 
 MANY-CHAMBEKED SHELLS. 17 
 
 time pushed out, much after the manner in which they werp 
 at first drawn in. 
 
 The class of animals to which, the Amoeba and the Actino- 
 phrys belong, comprise two great divisions, in one of which the ani- 
 mals are simple, and in the other associated together in compo- 
 site structures, forming, as it were, a common body, though it 
 is not improbable that each segment of the composite animal 
 still retains, to a certain extent, an independent existence. 
 Most of the solitary kinds are lodged in a horny capsule or shell, 
 which, in the different species, assumes a flask-like, bell-shaped, 
 or globular form, through a narrow opening in which the enclosed 
 animal projects its gelatinous pseudopeas, whether in search of 
 food or for the purpose of locomotion. The composite species 
 are all enclosed in calcareous shells, which, though in most of 
 the forms exceedingly minute, are yet of a very complicated 
 structure, and exceedingly beautiful objects for the microscope. 
 These shells are divided into a number of distinct chambers, and 
 are perforated with numerous foramen, or holes, from which 
 characters they derive their two technical names of Polytha- 
 lamia, or many-chambered, and Foraminifera, or perforated, 
 shells. The circumstance that these tiny structures consist of 
 several chambers arranged in various spiral forms, like the 
 shells of the Nautilus and its extinct allies, led to the belief at 
 one time that the animals inhabiting them were microscopic 
 members of the Nautilus family. But more accurate examina- 
 tion has shown that, unlike what is seen in the Nautilus, every 
 chamber of these microscopic shells is inhabited ; and that the 
 occupant of each chamber is, in some sort, an independent being, 
 which throws out its delicate filaments through the perforations 
 of its chamber-walls, just as the Amoeba does from the naked 
 surface of its body. 
 
 All the Foraminifera are inhabitants of the sea, and in some 
 1 tarts they abound in such vast profusion as to be gradually 
 producing extensive deposits of calcareous matter by the accu- 
 mulation of their almost invisible shells. The remarkable eleva- 
 tion which stretches across the bed of the Atlantic, between 
 Cape Clear in Ireland and Cape Race in Newfoundland, and 
 which is now well known as the " telegraphic plateau," from the 
 circumstance that it was upon this ridge that the Atlantic telegra- 
 phic cable was laid in the summer of 1858, appears to be thickly 
 
 c
 
 18 MICROSCOPIC GEOLOGY. 
 
 covered with, if it does not in great part consist of, these infi- 
 nitesimal structures. And Professor Baily, who has carefully 
 examined the soundings brought up from this sub-oceanic table- 
 land, states that they consist entirely of microscopic shells, with- 
 out a particle of sand or gravel, and that with the exception of a 
 small number of the silicious shells of the Diatomacese, the 
 entire mass of the soundings consisted of the perfect calcareous 
 shells of the Foraminifera ; a fact which is all the more remark- 
 able from the striking contrast it presents to the deep-sea sound- 
 ings from the Pacific, before referred to, which are chiefly made 
 up of the silicious shields of the Diatomacese. 
 
 But this is not all. In former epochs of the earth's history 
 the Foraminifera existed in even greater profusion than at present : 
 and their remains form the principal constituent of some import- 
 ant geological formations. In many of the tertiary strata they 
 occur in the greatest abundance. " It may even be asserted," 
 says Professor Ansted, " that the capital of France, as well as 
 the towns and villages of the neighbouring department, are 
 almost entirely built of Foraminifera." But it is in the chalk 
 more especially that these minute shells chiefly abound ; recent 
 observations having shown that this material is everywhere, 
 in great part, and in several districts almost wholly, composed 
 of them, either still perfect, or nearly so, or else broken and 
 ground down to a fine powder. Now, let the reader make an 
 effort to realize this fact in respect to the chalk formation, as it 
 is developed in England alone. Let it be remembered that this 
 material occurs over nearly the whole of the south-eastern part 
 of the island, and that in many places it has a thickness of 
 several hundred feet, and then let the reader form an estimate, 
 if he can, of the number of these fragile and delicate shells which 
 lie buried within our far-extending ranges of chalk hills. 
 
 But turning from these vast accumulations of the microscopic 
 life of the ocean of the chalk epoch, let us come back again to 
 our own ponds and ditches, and to the living wonders with which 
 they abound. 
 
 One can hardly characterize as " pets " creatures so exces- 
 sively minute as those with which we are now concerned ; but 
 if there be any one of the number which more than another 
 deserves the name, it is, undoubtedly, the " Bell Animalcule " 
 ( Vorticella), a prime favourite with every owner of a microscope,
 
 THE BELL ANIMALCULE. 19 
 
 and one of the most curious of that restricted group of organisms 
 to which the term Infusoria is now applied. It is a little bell 
 of glassy transparency, with a broad and thick rim or lip, affixed 
 by a sort of nipple to a slender filament or stem, eight or ten 
 times its own length. The mouth of the bell is surrounded by 
 a fringe of cilia, which can be withdrawn at pleasure, but which, 
 when protruded, are kept in rapid play, producing a sort of 
 vortex in the water, by means of which minute particles of 
 alimentary matter are drawn into the mouth of the animal. 
 The long, slender, and flexible stems of these beautiful animals 
 are attached to the stalks or leaves of aquatic plants, where the 
 Vorticella} are frequently crowded together in such numbers as 
 to cover the parts with what looks to the naked eye like a deli- 
 cate white down. 
 
 When not disturbed, the little Vorticella stretches out its 
 slender stern to the full extent, and turns gracefully about in the 
 water, keeping its cilia meanwhile in constant motion. But on 
 the least alarm, the cilia vanish, and the stem, with a rapidity 
 which the eye can scarcely follow, is contracted into a beautiful 
 spiral coil, so as to bring the bell close to the point of adhesion, 
 when it again gradually uncoils to its full length. It is hardly 
 possible to exaggerate the beauty of this spectacle, when a group 
 of the Vorticellse are viewed together by the aid of a powerful 
 microscope. At first the little creatures are seen floating loosely 
 through the water, most of them having their delicate stems 
 fully extended, or showing only slight undulations, and the bells 
 slowly roaming about, now turning the mouth, now the sides, 
 and now the foot, to the eye of the observer : suddenly, however, 
 and at the slightest tap, the entire throng start back, and before 
 the eye is well able to discover what has occurred, the glis- 
 tening bells may be seen closely nestling around the stalk of 
 the plant to which their stems are attached, gently swaying 
 from side to side, and beginning again to uncoil and stretch out 
 as before. 
 
 The history and development of the young Vorticella are 
 fully as curious and interesting as the habits of the mature 
 animal. In all these microscropic beings the ordinary mode of 
 increase is by the parent animal separating into two or more 
 parts, each of which speedily attains to the dignity of a parent 
 itself. In the Vorticcllaj this process of self-division begins in a
 
 20 REPRODUCTION OF VORTICELL^E. 
 
 gradual widening of the bell, which then assumes a globular 
 shape, and next that of a flattened sphere ; at which stage of 
 the process a band-like constriction makes its appearance in the 
 middle, and gradually increasing in depth, it at length separates 
 the original animal into two, both of which still remain attached 
 to the stalk. But as only one of the two is to remain in pos- 
 session of this piece of joint-property, the subsequent develop- 
 ment of the two animals is singularly dissimilar. In the one 
 which is to retain possession of the original stalk, the upper 
 extremity opens out into the regular bell-mouth form, around 
 which the fringe of cilia are speedily seen in active motion : in 
 the other, on the contrary, the upper extremity still remains 
 closed, and the cilia are developed at the lower extremity near 
 the junction with the stalk, from which the young Vorticella 
 now speedily shoots away, a free, swimming animalcule. Its 
 roving life, however, is soon over ; for looking out a convenient 
 spot for its future home, it speedily settles down, and attaching 
 itself by what was at first the upper part of its body, it 
 gradually rises on a stalk of its own, and in due time becomes a 
 fully developed Bell Animalcule. 
 
 Another curious mode of reproduction amongst the Vorticella?, 
 as amongst some other tribes of these minute organisms, is by 
 what is known as the encysting process. In this mode of 
 obeying the injunction to " increase and multiply," the Vorti- 
 cella withdraws the ciliated margin of the bell, and contracting 
 itself into a cyst or purse, secretes a gelatinous covering, whicli 
 gradually solidifies, and forms a sort of capsule within which the 
 animal is completely enclosed. In this state it remains for some 
 time, it may be only a few hoxirs or it may be clays, in the course 
 of which the substance of the original animal becomes broken 
 up, so to speak, into a number of minute oval bodies which 
 move about with great activity within the transparent cyst. 
 At length some portion of the cyst Avail gives way, and the im- 
 bedded embryos suddenly shoot out into the water, where they 
 become diffused, and give rise to a new generation of Vorticellte. 
 
 She power of enclosing themselves in a cyst is sometimes em- 
 ployed by the Vorticella; for the purpose of self-preservation, 
 when the water in which they have been residing dries up. In 
 such cases the enclosed animals are preserved from injury till the 
 falling rain again fills the pool, and calls them back to active life :
 
 TRUMPET ANIMALCULES. 21 
 
 or it may be, they are taken up by the wind with the dust which 
 arises from the parched ground, and conveyed to great distances 
 before they are again brought to the surface of the earth by the 
 descending shower. 
 
 The Vorticellaj form altogether a very considerable family of 
 animalcules, and present several beautiful varieties of structure 
 and arrangement. In one section of the family the animals are 
 grouped together on branched tree-like structures, composed of 
 many individual Vorticella?, each connected at the extremity of 
 its spiral foot-stalk, and maintaining to a certain extent an inde- 
 pendent existence, but all united at the base on one common 
 stem. The members of another group, instead of being affixed 
 to spiral foot-stalks , are seated in elegant crystal vases, attached 
 to the stems and leaves of aquatic plants. The animal is united 
 to his tube or vase only at the base, and can at pleasure protrude 
 himself above its open top, or, in the twinkling of an eye, con- 
 tract himself into a little shapeless ball at the bottom. It is 
 not at all unusual to find two animalcules occupying a single 
 case, this double occupancy being no doubt attributable to some 
 little hitch or misadventure in the process of self-division. It is 
 satisfactory, however, to know that, so far as can be ascertained, 
 the original inhabitant and the half of his former self live very 
 amicably together, and do their best to make each other as com- 
 fortable as may be under the circumstances. 
 
 In close companionship with the Vorticella? we may often find 
 some interesting relatives of theirs which we must now briefly 
 notice. In the first place there are the Stentors or Trumpet Ani- 
 malcules, so called from the trumpet-like form which they 
 assume, and large enough to be seen by the naked eye. There 
 are several kinds of these animals, which are distinguished from 
 each other in part by their colour, one variety being little 
 Ethiopians. They are very common in ponds and ditches, where 
 they attach themselves to duck-weed, decaying reeds, and other 
 floating bodies, around which they form a sort of slimy fringe. 
 In swimming about, the Stentors contract themselves into the 
 form of an egg, and row themselves along by the cilia which 
 clothe the entire surface of the body ; but when they attach 
 themselves, they stretch out, and stand erect, like so many mimic 
 trumpets. If a number of these animalcules be examined in a 
 small quantity of water, they will often be seen to congregate,
 
 22 WHEEL AMIMALCULES. 
 
 and swim about in company, then apparently to take counsel 
 together, select a particular spot, and all of a sudden attach 
 themselves in a group, where they stretch up to their full extent 
 and begin bowing and salaaming to one another. in the most 
 polite and courteous manner imaginable. 
 
 Next we have a division of these animalcules, in which the 
 surface of the body is covered with an array of bristling spines 
 and hooks, by means of which their owners creep and climb about 
 amongst aquatic plants ; in another group we meet with a 
 singular apparatus, consisting of a circlet of bristles -which sur- 
 round the mouth, and has hence received the name of teeth, but 
 which appear to be organs of prehension rather than of any sort of 
 mastication. Another tribe presents us with animalcules having 
 an oval body and a long flexible neck, which the little creatures 
 throw into graceful curves, like so many microscopic Swans, after 
 which, indeed, they are named, one species giving us a veritable 
 representation of that rara avis, the " Swan with two necks !" 
 
 The Rotifera or Wheel Animalcules are, as we have already 
 intimated, much more highly endowed than any of the preceding 
 tribes, and excepting as to size, are not to be classed amongst the 
 animalcules at all. But they are much too curious and interest- 
 ing to be omitted from our survey of the various microscopic 
 forms of life, and are therefore admitted here to the place which 
 they occupied before their true position in the animal series was 
 known. The discovery of the Rotifera was one of the earliest 
 results of the application of the microscope to the study of these 
 minute forms of life, nor is this at all remarkable, seeing that 
 some of the species are as much as the twelfth of an inch in 
 length, and readily descemible therefore by the naked eye. 
 
 It is perhaps even yet premature to assume that the true 
 position of the Rotifera has been satisfactorily ascertained ; but 
 there can be no doubt that their true affinities are with the arti- 
 culate sub-kingdom, in which they are now generally placed. The 
 details of structure vary greatly amongst the different species ; 
 but in all of them it is exceedingly complicated, and shows a 
 great advance upon the simple forms of life with which they 
 were formerly associated. In all there is a more or less distinct 
 head, furnished with eyes and a mouth, from which a passage 
 leads to a powerful masticating apparatus, in close proximity to 
 the stomach, from which, in many species, proceeds an alimen-
 
 AN ANATOMICAL PUZZLE. 23 
 
 tary canal of a wonderfully complex character. The wheel-like 
 organs from which the class takes its name are most character- 
 istically seen in the Common Rotifer (Botifera vulgaris), and 
 in this case consist of two disc-like lobes at the upper extremity 
 of the body, the margins of which are fringed with long cilia, 
 the organs specially concerned in the apparently rotatory move- 
 ment. 
 
 The singular appearance produced by the continued play of 
 the Rotifer's cilia was for a long time a subject of inexplicable 
 mystery to microscopical observers. It was as opposed to all 
 known movements of organic structures as if a man's head should 
 spin round incessantly on the top of his neck ; and yet there 
 seemed to be no possibility of doubting that the two circular 
 organs of the animalcule did thus revolve. After long and careful 
 observation, the source of the illusion became apparent. The sup- 
 posed wheels were found to be mere circlets of delicate cilia, which 
 bending and unbending in rapid succession, like a field of corn on 
 a windy day, gave rise to that wheel-like rotation which had 
 proved such a fruitful source of perplexity and doubt. 
 
 The Common Rotifer and its nearest allies swim freely 
 through the water, rowed along with considerable rapidity by 
 means of their ciliated lobes. They have the power, however, of at- 
 taching themselves at pleasure, and at the lower extremity of the 
 body they are provided, for this purpose, either with a cup-like 
 sucker, or with a pair of minute forceps, by means of which they 
 seize hold of the stems and leaves of aquatic plants, and rest for 
 a time from theii more active exertions. But, fixed or free, it 
 matters little to the Rotifer, for he has but to set those paddle- 
 wheels of his in motion to produce a vortex in the water, which 
 brings him food in abundance ; and yoii can rarely light upon 
 one whose cilia have been long at work in capturing, or rather 
 collecting, prey, without finding that its masticatory apparatus 
 also is busily employed tearing and pounding away at the mass 
 of food with which its exertions have been rewarded. 
 
 Many of the Rotifera are fixed to one spot throughout the en- 
 tire period of their lives, and amongst these sessile forms are to bo 
 found by far the most beautiful species which the race includes. 
 One of the most elegant of these is the Stephanoceros Eichornii, 
 which inhabits a delicate gelatinous tube, like the straight 
 glasses used by the confectioners, to the bottom of which it is
 
 24 BRICK-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY. 
 
 attached by a long pedicle or foot-stalk, above which is the body 
 of the animal, of an oval form, and surmounted by five long 
 tentacles, beset with tufts of bristly cilia. This beautiful Roti- 
 fer is of common occurrence, attached to aquatic plants, in ponds 
 of clear water, and seen with a good light it is an object of which 
 the observer never grows weary. More curious, perhaps, but 
 less beautiful, is another of these sessile Eotifers, which inhabits 
 a tube built up, particle by particle, by its own unwearied industry. 
 The Melicerta ringens is a bom brick-maker, and no sooner starts 
 in life as a respectable stay-at-home member of the great Rotifer 
 family, than he proceeds forthwith to build himself a house in 
 which to spend his days. The first step in the process, it appears, 
 is to exude from the body a delicate gelatinous cylinder to serve 
 as a sort of framework on which the more substantial structure 
 is to be formed. This accomplished, the brick-making skill of 
 the Melicerta is at once in request. Beneath a projection on the 
 animal's head there is a small disc-like organ, which, when 
 the ciliary lobes are in full play, revolves like the circular 
 ventilator of a window. This is the brick-making machine ; 
 and the animal so modifies the direction of the ciliary currents, 
 as to send into it most of the solid particles which are drawn 
 from the surrounding water. Here they are worked up, pro- 
 bably with some peculiar glutinous secretion, and moulded into 
 little globular pellets ; and no sooner is each pellet completed than 
 the animal bends down its head, and applying the pellet-disc to 
 the edge of the tube, deposits the newly-formed brick in its ap- 
 propriate place. The finished tube consists of many hundreds of 
 such bricks, and as each of them usually occupies about three 
 minutes in making, including the collection of the materials, it 
 is obvious that the Melicerta has no small amount of work to 
 get through before it can complete its dwelling. It makes no 
 undue haste, however, and its work is finished off with a neat- 
 ness and regularity which are truly admirable. 
 
 A very extraordinary circumstance connected with the Ro- 
 tifera is their power of becoming revivified, after remaining for a 
 considerable period dried up, and apparently dead, on being again 
 moistened with a few drops of water. This extreme tenacity of 
 life is so truly remarkable, that it has excited much attention, 
 and led to many curious experiments. Fontana, an Italian 
 naturalist, kept a number of the animalcules for two years and
 
 ATMOSPHERIC VOYAGERS. 25 
 
 a half in dried sand ; yet, in two hours after the application of 
 rain-water, the greater part recovered life and motion. Some 
 experimenters have been of opinion that the Rotifera may be 
 really deprived of life, and kept in that state for many weeks, 
 and yet be again restored to animation. Ehrenberg, Humboldt, 
 and all eminent philosophers, however, entirely repudiate this 
 idea ; and, quite apart from such testimony, we may be perfectly 
 assured that the mysterious principle of life, no matter how 
 minute the beings in which it has resided, is never once really 
 extinguished without passing irrecoverably beyond all human 
 means of recall, into the care of Him to whom alone belong " the 
 issues from death." 
 
 Our hasty survey of the microscopic life of the globe would be 
 imperfect without a passing reference to the various minute 
 organisms which are found floating around us, unseen, in the 
 atmosphere. In greater or smaller quantities, the atmosphere 
 always contains these invisible living atoms, their elevation from 
 the earth's surface being sometimes effected by winds, at other 
 times, probably, by ascending vapours. At times vast clouds of 
 these beings are raised into the air, and carried by winds many 
 hundreds of miles from the districts where they originate, 
 rendering the atmosphere thick and heavy, and covering every 
 object on which they fall with what appears to the naked eye a 
 fine impalpable dust. In this manner myriads of forms, both of 
 animal and vegetable life, are dispersed over the earth, and 
 places before sterile and lifeless are converted into abodes of 
 teeming and busy populations. 
 
 And now let us prevail upon those of our readers to whom the 
 subject of this Chapter may be to any extent new, to reflect a little 
 on what has been brought before them. In spring and summer, 
 for example, when they walk out by the sea-shore, and cast their 
 eyes over the broad expanse of waters, let them remember that 
 those mysterious depths are peopled with myriads of these minute 
 beings, each as perfectly formed, and as beautifully adapted to 
 the part it has to perform in the economy of nature, as the most 
 exalted of organisms. In rambling, too, among green and shady 
 woods, by fragrant hedgerows, or out upon the breezy heaths and 
 open commons, everywhere let them recall the same fact, that, 
 wherever they see, if it be only a few drops of standing water in 
 every ditch, and pond, and crystal pool within and beneath all
 
 26 PERFECTION IN MINUTENESS. 
 
 that meets the eye there are multitudes of these tiny creatures, 
 living, as it were, in a world of their own, though equally cared 
 for by Him to whom there is neither great nor small. In view 
 of these facts, we may well say with one of the most eminent of 
 living philosophers, "If the astronomer be led from the con- 
 templation of the countless orbs that traverse boundless space, to 
 the adoration of the Creator in His almightiness, so the observa- 
 tion of the perfection of His minutest works, which, though 
 invisible to ordinary ken, unfold new perfections with every 
 increased power of observing them, ought to impress us with a 
 lively sense of that all-caring-for and all-seeing Providence with- 
 out whom not a sparrow falls to the ground, and by whom every 
 hair of the head is numbered."
 
 27 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A DISQUISITION OK JELLY-FISH. 
 
 "Those living Jellies which the flesh inflame, 
 Fierce as a nettle, and from that its name; 
 Some in huge masses, some that you may bring 
 Iii the small compass of a lady's ring ; 
 Figured by hand divine there's not a gem 
 Wrought by man's art to be compared to them ; 
 Soft, brilliant, tender, through the wave they glow, 
 And make the moonbeam blighter where they flow." 
 
 POETS have rarely deigned to sing the praises of the Jelly-fish, 
 which, perhaps, is one reason why there arc so few popular errors 
 to correct concerning them. It is somewhat strange, certainly, 
 but the bay-leaves and the professor's gown seldom do well 
 together. The silk is almost sure to suffer. Perhaps it is that 
 that " fine freuzy " in which the poet's eye is wont to roll has 
 something to do with the matter. But, be that as it may, the 
 fact is clear, and we seldom even expect to find correct science 
 " done into " verse. In the passage quoted above, however, the 
 amiable author of " The Borough " has given us a noteworthy 
 exception to the rule ; and, in the compass of a few brief lines, 
 has finely epitomized the leading points of Jelly-fish economy. 
 Bear with us, good reader, the while we discourse to you for a 
 brief space on these curious samples of ocean confectionery. 
 
 No one that has paid an occasional visit to the sea-coast can 
 be wholly unacquainted with the Jelly-fish. They are amongst 
 the most familiar objects to be seen in rambling along the shore ; 
 and, after violent winds, may often be met with, thrown upon the 
 beach by the fury of the waves. In the calm bright days of 
 summer, numbers of the commoner kinds may be seen gently 
 flapping their way through the still water skirting the shore, 
 their delicate and graceful forms alternately contracting and di- 
 lating as they propel themselves along, and sometimes only faintly 
 discernible from the water itself.
 
 28 ABUNDANCE OF JELLY-FISH. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say, that the designation " Jelly-fish " 
 is correct only in reference to the apparent nature of their sub- 
 stance, and not at all in respect to any supposed affinity between 
 these animals and true fish. They constitute, in fact, one of the 
 humblest tribes of sentient beings, and appear to come but just 
 within the limits of organic nature. Cast ashore, they exhibit 
 not the slightest sign of life, and often pass amongst fishermen as 
 " sea-blubber." But by far the most general of the popular names 
 under which the Jelly-fish are known, are those which refer to 
 the property which many of them possess, like the nettle, of 
 stinging the hand that touches them. Hence it is that they 
 derive the names of " stingers" " stang-fisJi" and " sea-nettles" 
 amongst ourselves, and that of " Orties de mer " along the coast 
 of France. It was from this circumstance, also, that Aristotle 
 bestowed upon them the term Acalephce, the Greek word for 
 nettle, which is still retained as the scientific designation of the 
 entire class. 
 
 The ocean swarms with these animals, from the equator to the 
 poles ; and in the tropic seas the voyager often falls in with vast 
 shoals of them, through which the vessel has to plough its way 
 for many miles. At certain seasons of the year the Jelly-fish 
 visit our coast in countless profusion, resorting principally to the 
 bays and estuaries, whence stragglers are carried by the tides and 
 currents to every part of the shore. In the year 1846, these 
 animals suddenly made their appearance on several parts of our 
 coast, in such extraordinary abundance as to embarrass the fisher- 
 men in casting their nets ; and, after remaining for a while, they 
 at length disappeared as mysteriously as at first they came. It 
 is only as an occasional haunt, however, that these frail and 
 delicate creatures approach the land ; their proper home is the 
 open sea, where, driven by wind and wave, or wandering at their 
 own sweet will, they roam the pathless waste, basking in the sun- 
 beams by day, and at night lighting up the waves with their 
 brilliant phosphorescent fires. 
 
 One of the most remarkable things in connection with these 
 animals is the extraordinary character of their composition. 
 Nearly all the commoner kinds consist almost wholly of water. 
 The only thing besides water which the most careful examina- 
 tion of their structure reveals, is an exceedingly small quantity 
 of filmy tissue, which, in the living animal, forms an intricate
 
 COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE. 29 
 
 network of cells for the retention of the fluid part of its substance. 
 Constituted in this manner, the Jelly-fish are of the most fragile 
 and evanescent character. No sooner are they removed from the 
 water, and no matter how carefully, than their delicate tissues be- 
 come ruptured, and the contained fluid drains away, so that at 
 the expiration of a few hours, of the whole bulky mass of trem- 
 bling jelly, nothing remains but a thin pellicle of film, scarcely to 
 be distinguished from an ordinary cobweb. It is a common 
 amusement with boys on some parts of the southern coast, where 
 these creatures are generally known as " water-blobs," to catch 
 the smaller varieties, and hold them in the hand, while they 
 thus gradually melt, as it seems, away. Dr. Carpenter states 
 that large specimens, weighing, when first taken from the water, 
 from fifty to sixty pounds, are reduced to a thin coating of filmy 
 web, weighing scarcely as many grains. And what adds to the 
 wonder is, that the fluid which escapes is in no way to be dis- 
 tinguished, even when submitted to chemical analysis, from 
 ordinary sea-water. 
 
 Mr. Patterson, in his " Introduction to Zoology," relates an 
 amusing case of a farmer, who had been in the habit of employing 
 his men and horses in carting away from the sea-shore large 
 quantities of Jelly-fish for the purpose of manuring his fields, and 
 who, happening one day to hear a lecture in which the structure 
 of these animals was explained, was not a little astonished to find, 
 that in every ton of " sea-blubber," which he had been taking so 
 much trouble to obtain, the entire amount of solid matter was 
 scarcely more than he could carry home in one _f his coat-pockets. 
 In none of these animals, so far as is yet known, is there any- 
 thing like a distinct nervous system. Some few investigators 
 have imagined that they could detect the presence of nervous 
 threads or filaments, but the suspicion has never been verified, 
 and the physiologist still ranks the Jelly-fish with the animals 
 whose nervous matter, if they have any, is indistinct and beyond 
 our powers of discovery. Respiration, too, is carried on by means 
 equally obscure ; the probability being, that all the air required 
 for the purpose is separated from the sea-water as it freely passes 
 through the channels of the body. In some species there are 
 some small red spots around the margin of the body, which 
 are regarded as rudimentary eyes, although it is by no means 
 certain that they are endowed with the power of vision. It is
 
 30 BEAUTIFUL, BUT TREACHEROUS. 
 
 said, however, that some of the smaller kinds have been observed 
 to shun a bright light, and to sink into deep water to avoid it ; 
 and our own schoolboy experience assures us that they are quite 
 capable of " dodging " the hand that attempts to grasp them in 
 the water. 
 
 l In all the more typical forms of Jelly-fish, the body is more or 
 less hemispherical in shape, with the margin in some species 
 simple, in others beautifully scolloped ; while in many cases the 
 animals are furnished with numerous long filaments, tubular 
 tentacula or suckers, and a pedicle or proboscis, depending from 
 the under surface. The stomach, in the form of a simple cavity, 
 usually occupies the centre of the body, and has a small aperture 
 immediately below, answering the purpose of a mouth. " In some 
 species, however, the stomach occupies the thickest part of the 
 pedicle ; and, instead of a mouth, the creatures are provided with 
 suckers, having minute orifices at their extremities, through 
 which they imbibe their nutriment, as plants do by means of 
 their roots. Stranger still, there are some of these animals in 
 which neither mouth nor stomach can be detected, the invisible 
 food being absorbed by the countless pores with which the body 
 itself is perforated, and in some mysterious manner, appropriated, 
 it would seem, by all parts of the structure alike, 
 
 Any one unacquainted with the habits of the Jelly-fish would 
 be apt to form a very erroneous idea of their real character and 
 disposition. Possessed of such a singularly delicate and beautiful 
 frame, we should be disposed to credit them with all that is inno- 
 cent and amiable, whereas they are in reality distinguished by 
 qualities of a totally opposite character. Frail and lifeless as 
 they seem when cast upon the shore, in their own proper element 
 the Jelly-fish are powerful and destructive, and, in proportion to 
 their size, may fairly be ranked amongst the most rapacious 
 inhabitants of the ocean. By far the larger number of them 
 subsist on living prey, and many of them upon animals far more 
 highly organized than themselves. Even crabs and fish readily 
 fall victims to their attacks ; the horny mail of the one tribe, 
 and the shelly armour of the other, being alike ineffectual for 
 safety, when once the captive is enfolded in the graceful ma- 
 rauder's soft embrace. 
 
 Nor is it the larger species only which are thus rapacious and 
 destructive. Professor Forbes thus speaks of the truculent
 
 PLINY ON SEA-NETTLES. 31 
 
 behaviour of some specimens of a small Jelly-fisn not larger than a 
 lady's thimble, which occurs around our northern coasts : " Being 
 kept in a jar of salt water with small Crustacea, they devoured 
 these animals, so much more highly organized than themselves, 
 voraciously, apparently enjoying the destruction of the un- 
 fortunate members of the upper classes with a truly democratic 
 relish. One of them even attacked and commenced the swal- 
 lowing of a Lizzia octopunctata, quite as good a Medusa as 
 itself. An animal which can pout out its mouth twice the 
 length of its body, and stretch its stomach to corresponding 
 dimensions, must indeed be a 'triton among the minnows,' 
 and a very terrific one too. Yet is this ferocious creature one 
 of the most delicate and graceful inhabitants of the ocean a 
 very model of tenderness and elegance." 
 
 In worthy Philemon Holland's version of Pliny, there is a 
 passage descriptive of the predaceous habits of the Jelly-fish, 
 which has about it an air of such exquisite drollery that we can 
 hardly help suspecting the dear old fabulist was purposely 
 caricaturing what he professes' to describe : " I verily, for my 
 part, am of opinion," says he, "that those which properly are 
 neither beasts nor plants, but of a third nature between or com- 
 pounded of both (the sea-nettles, I mean, and sponges), haue 
 yet a kinde of sense with them. As for those Nettles, there 
 be of them that in the night raunge too and fro, and likewise 
 change their colour. Leaues they carry of a fieshie substance, 
 and of flesh they feed. Their qualitie is to raise an itching 
 smart, like for all the world to the weed on the land so called. 
 His manner is, when he would prey, to gather in his body as 
 close, streight, and stiffe as possibly may be. He spieth not 
 so soon a silly little fish swimming before him, but he spraideth 
 and displaieth those leaues of his, like wings ; with them he 
 claspeth the poore fish, and so deuoures it. At other times he 
 lies as if he had no life at all in him, suffering himselfe to be 
 tossed and cast too and fro among the weeds, with the wanes of 
 the sea : and look what fish soeuer he toucheth as he is thus 
 floting, hee sets a smart itch vpon them, and whiles they stratch 
 and rub themselues against the rockcs for this itch, hee sets 
 vpon them and eates them. In the night season he lieth. for 
 sea-vrchins and scalops." 
 
 It is amongst the true " s tang-fish," of course those, that
 
 32 A BATHING COMPANION. 
 
 is, which possess the power of stinging that we meet \vith 
 the most formidable animals the class includes. Only a com- 
 paratively small number of the Jelly-fish apparently are en- 
 dowed with this property, although there is good reason to be- 
 lieve that these much-dreaded species are widely spread. The 
 poisonous fluid with which they are armed is so powerful in its 
 effects, as speedily to deprive the prey of every means of escape, 
 torpifying all its faculties, and causing it to lie paralyzed and 
 motionless, completely at the mercy of its destroyer. The long 
 trailing tentacles of some species are endowed with this veno- 
 mous property equally with the body itself, and form a most 
 efficient set of organs for the capture of prey. No, sooner, 
 indeed, does some luckless fish but come in contact with one 
 of these delicate appendages, than it is immediately arrested in 
 its movements, and made to writhe with agony ; the other tenta- 
 cles meanwhile coil and twist around it, emitting.the pungent 
 fluid at each fresh point of contact, and speedily reducing the 
 victim to a state of perfect quiescence, when the tentacles slowly 
 contract, and bring the prize within reach of the mouth. 
 
 It must be obvious that animals of this sort are best known 
 by man himself at a respectful distance. The reader may judge 
 what kind of companions they make at close quarters from 
 the following notice of one of them by Professor Forbes : " The 
 Cyancea capUlata of our seas is a most formidable creature, and 
 the terror of tender-skinned bathers. With its broad, tawny, fes- 
 tooned, and scolloped disc, often a full foot and more across, 
 it flaps its way through the yielding waters, and drags after it 
 a long train of ribbon-like arms, and seemingly interminable tails, 
 marking its course when its body is far away from us. Once 
 tangled in its trailing ' hair,' the unfortunate who has recklessly 
 ventured across the graceful monster's path too soon writhes in 
 prickly torture. Every struggle binds the poisonous threads 
 more closely around his body, and then there is no escape ; for 
 when the winder of the fatal net finds his course impeded by the 
 terrified human wrestling in its coils, he, seeking no contest with 
 the mightier biped, casts loose his envenomed arms, and swims 
 away. The amputated weapons, severed from their parent body, 
 vent vengeance on the cause of their destruction, and sting as 
 fiercely as if their original proprietor itself gave the word of 
 attack."
 
 DIVERSITY OF FORM. 33 
 
 The organs concerned in inflicting this " prickly torture," are 
 threads of extreme tenuity, which are coiled up iu minute 
 capsules that occur in great abundance in the tentacles of the 
 Jelly-fish and in various parts of the body. The slightest pres- 
 sure causes the capsules to burst, when the liberated threads 
 shoot out with amazing rapidity and force, piercing the object 
 of attack, and conveying into the wounds they inflict some 
 subtle poisonous fluid with which the animals are supposed to be 
 armed. 
 
 Most of the Jelly-fish which commonly frequent our own 
 coasts belong to the Medusce, which may be regarded as the 
 most typical division of the class. The animals belonging to it 
 are distinguished, for the most part, by the possession of an. 
 ambrella-shaped disc, by the alternate expansion and contrac- 
 cion of which they propel themselves through the water. From 
 the trivial circumstance that these movements of the disc have 
 a resemblance to the heaving of the chest in respiration, the 
 Medusa} have received the name of pulmonigrades, or lung- 
 movers. It is only in calm weather, however, that the feeble 
 strokes of the disc avail the Medusa? for the purpose of locomo- 
 tion : during the prevalence of high winds the animals either 
 descend to the tranquil depths, or, remaining near the surface, 
 are driven helplessly along, and not unfrequently are cast in 
 myriads upon the shore. 
 
 A considerable diversity of form obtains amongst the Medusse, 
 notwithstanding their general points of resemblance. Mr. Gosse 
 compares them to the glass-shades of the gas-lights which show 
 so conspicuously in the shop windows on a winter evening ; 
 and, so far as it goes, the comparison is a good one, only it does 
 not convey an adequate idea of the great variety of shapes which 
 the Medusae assume. In some species the disc is only slightly 
 convex, and the animal, when seen floating calmly in the water, 
 has the appearance of a mere circular patch of jelly. In others, 
 again, the disc rises proudly in the shape of a beautiful translu- 
 cent dome, or assumes something approaching to the elegant 
 pointed form of the Turkish minaret, while various leaf-like 
 processes hang from the interior, and long thread-like filaments 
 stream from numerous points around the circumference. Many 
 of the smaller species are like thimbles, both in size and form ; 
 while others have the appearance of beads or berries, except 
 
 T)
 
 3-i NAKED-EYED MEDUSA. 
 
 that neither bead nor beny was ever seen of such perfect grace 
 and beauty as these tiny Jelly-fish display. In size the Medusa* 
 differ from one another still more than in form, the group includ- 
 ing the largest as well as the most minute of all the Jelly-fish. 
 A huge creature (Illiizostoma Cuvieri), which is occasionally 
 thrown upon our own shores, measures three or four feet in 
 diameter ; and in the warmer seas, individuals of this size are by 
 no means uncommon. Then, at the other extremity of the scale, 
 there are species so minute as to be truly microscopic, and which 
 swarm in the ocean to an extent perfectly inconceivable. 
 
 The Medusae are separated into two groups or divisions, dis- 
 tinguished from each other by the presence or absence of certain 
 delicate membranes or hoods, which in some of the species are 
 found covering the eye-like spots, already referred to, around 
 the margin of the body. No one has so carefully investigated 
 the structure and habits of the naked-eyed Medusa) as the late 
 Professor Edward Forbes, and, in the splendid work from which 
 we have already quoted, he has given us an elaborate and philo- 
 sophical, though no less popular, account of the British species 
 of this division of the Jelly-fish. Some day, perhaps, a second 
 Edward Forbes may arise to give the world a monograph of the 
 covered-eyed Medusas ; but for the present that work is a desidera- 
 tum, and our knowledge of the animals is somewhat meagre and 
 obscure. One of the members of this group is that unwelcome 
 visitor to bathing-places, whose unamiable qualities have already 
 been referred to ; another is the Medusa aurita, the common Jelly- 
 fish of our coasts, about whose early history we shall have a strange 
 story to tell by-and-by ; and a third is the beautiful Chrysaora 
 hyoscetta, a species by no means uncommon around the southern 
 coast, and one which, with its delicate amber tints, and its long 
 trailing tentacles and elegant furbelowed arms, arrests the atten- 
 tion and excites the admiration of the most incurious of sea- 
 side visitors. 
 
 The naked-eyed Medusas also comprise some very beautiful 
 forms. Few of the species are of large size, and some are ex- 
 tremely small. One little fellow, Oceania ylobitlosu, is not larger 
 than a pea, and, seen in its native element, a very pretty pea 
 it makes. Another of these tiny Jelly-fish is Turris neglecta, 
 not uncommon in the Solent and around the Isle of Wight, 
 and which, sporting in the water, is " brilliant as a bud of
 
 A RAPACIOUS LITTLE DEMOCRAT. 35 
 
 brightest coral." The rapacious little democrat before alluded 
 to, Sarsia tubulosa, is also one of the naked-eyed fraternity, and 
 is not without its beauty. But the very pink of perfection in 
 that line is a little fellow, Modeeria formosa, found around the 
 Hebrides, and which, though scarcely larger than a split pea, ap- 
 pears to have gone a great way towards turning the head of the 
 worthy Professor who chronicles its discovery. It is, without 
 question, a beautiful creature ; but whether its beauty is best 
 indicated by saying that " it is gorgeous enough to be the diadem 
 of the smallest of sea-fairies, and sufficiently graceful to be the 
 nightcap of the tiniest and prettiest of mermaids," may admit 
 of a doubt ; although assuredly the enthusiastic Professor may 
 be allowed to describe his own discoveries in his own style. 
 
 One of the commonest and most characteristic of the Jelly-fish 
 of the next section those, namely, which make their way in the 
 world by means of cilia, and are hence known as ciliogrades~ 
 is the Cydippe pileus, a gay and active little creature, and a 
 great favourite with naturalists, who have appropriately named 
 it after one of the sea-nymphs of old. It is impossible to watch 
 this graceful little rover without being struck with admiration 
 at the vivacity and sprightliness of its movements. Of a glo- 
 bular, but slightly elongated form, and about the size of a large 
 bead, the Cydippe dances gaily through the water, its delicate 
 gelatinous body, faintly blue in colour, glistening in the sun, 
 while the rapid play of its cilia scatters the rays of light in 
 lovely rainbow tints about its path. The apparatus by means 
 of which the Cydippe thus speeds its way along, circled with 
 glory, consists of rows of minute cilia, arranged side by side, 
 in the form of broad flat plates, upon eight firm bands, which 
 run from pole to pole of its body, like the meridian lines of a 
 globe. Each of these bands, with its thirty or forty rows of 
 cilia, one above the other, has an appearance something like 
 that of the paddle-wheel of a steam-boat ; but, unlike what is 
 seen in that cumbrous contrivance of man, locomotion is effected, 
 not by the revolution of the wheel, but by the separate motion 
 of each of the paddles. Every one of these delicate organs is 
 endowed, in fact, with the property of separate and independent 
 motion, and over the whole of them the little Jelly-fish has the 
 most complete control. It can retard or stop their movements 
 at pleasure, and by arresting the play of one or more rows,
 
 36 THE GAY CYDIPPE. 
 
 whilst the remainder continue in rapid vibration, it is enabled 
 instantly to change the direction of its course, and to wander 
 through the waves at will. 
 
 Nor is this all. In addition to its belts of paddles, the Cydippe 
 is furnished with two long tendril-like appendages beset with deli- 
 cate filaments, which issue, at the lower part of its body, from 
 two deep cavities, into which they can be completely withdrawn 
 with great rapidity. Sometimes the little fellow may be seen 
 joyously glancing about in the water with both these organs 
 entirely concealed from view, but only a few moments probably 
 elapse before they are shot out to four or five times the length of 
 the body, and while the delicate processes along their course 
 uncoil and twirl about, the tendrils themselves are flung into an 
 endless variety of beautiful curves, with an air of elegance and 
 grace perfectly indescribable. 
 
 Not the least curious circumstance connected with this inte- 
 resting Jelly-fish, is its odd and very original method of procuring 
 food. It might be thought that with no eyes to see, and no 
 special organs for the capture of prey, it would be hard put to it 
 to obtain a living. But, no ! It seems to have not the slightest 
 care or concern about the matter, and manages to secure a 
 plentiful supply of provender almost without an effort, and when 
 apparently it is intent upon gaiety and pleasure alone. The fact 
 is, the cavity which forms the Cydippe's stomach perforates its 
 body almost from pole to pole, while the orifice at the lower 
 extremity can be opened or shut at pleasure. All the little 
 fellow has to do, therefore, when in want of food, is to incline its 
 body forward, and keep its mouth wide open the while it dances 
 through the water, by which means a continuous stream of the 
 fluid is caused to pass into the stomach, hurrying along with it, 
 of course, whatever spoil it may chance to contain. In this most 
 convenient manner, the tiny shrimps and other Crustaceans upon 
 which the Cydippe feeds are brought within its power, the mouth 
 closing, of course, the moment a prize enters, and securing it as 
 in a living trap. 
 
 It appears from the observations of Mr. Patterson that these 
 
 " Gay creatures of the element, 
 That in the colours of the rainbow live," 
 
 are endowed with a tenacity of life somewhat remarkable for
 
 GIRDLE OF VENUS. 37 
 
 animate of their class. On one occasion this gentleman cut up a 
 Cydippe, that had been cast ashore in a shattered condition, into 
 portions so minute that one piece of skin had but two cilia re- 
 maining attached to it, yet the vibration of these organs continued 
 for nearly a couple of days afterwards. On another occasion he 
 tells us, a Medusa, about as large over as a sixpence, caught hold 
 of a Cydippe confined in the same glass with it, and when at 
 length the little creature had regained its liberty, it was found 
 that the Medusa had cut away a piece fully equal to a sixth of 
 the entire bulk of the body ; yet the Cydippe seemed quite un- 
 conscious of the mutilation, and evinced no diminution of its 
 activity or its enjoyment ! 
 
 The same writer states that he once placed some specimens 
 of a species somewhat larger than the little Cydippe of which 
 we have been speaking, in a glass-jar on the chimney-piece, 
 and that their bodies were so transparent that the blossoms of 
 some flowers, which were also there, were distinctly seen through 
 them. " It was impossible," adds Mr. Patterson, " to look upon 
 these bright-tinted blossoms of earth, and on those colourless, 
 yet not less delicate children of ocean, and not feel that loth 
 must have enjoyed the guardianship of Him from whom all their 
 loveliness was derived ; that He who had for ages preserved the 
 flowers from perishing by frost, or wind, or rain, had likewise 
 saved the Beroe's from destruction amid the wild tempest of the 
 ocean." 
 
 Another example of the Ciliograde Jelly-fish is the rare and beau- 
 tiful CestumVeneris, or Girdle of Venus, a resplendent creature 
 resembling a long flat ribbon of translucent glass, some five or six 
 feet in length, by about as many inches in width. The habits 
 of this remarkable animal are but little known, although its 
 affinity to the present group of Jelly-fish is clearly ascertained. 
 Its body is of a delicate gelatinous consistence throughout, and 
 is fringed at the margins with a double row of countless cilia, 
 which, as in the case of the Cydippe, produce when in motion 
 a succession of the most brilliant colours. At night the Cestum 
 is said to glow in the watery depths with peculiar splendour, 
 and to resemble, as it winds its way along, an undulating belt of 
 flame. 
 
 In the Jelly-fish of the next section we meet with a peculiarity 
 of structure entirely new. The group is but a small one, and all
 
 38 A SHIPWRECKED FLEET. 
 
 the animals belonging to it are distinguished by the possession of 
 a delicate cartilaginous plate, which forms a sort of skeleton or 
 sxipport to the soft gelatinous body. In the majority of this 
 order the body is an oval or circular disc, and has depending 
 from its under surface numerous appendages, termed cirri, by 
 which the animals move through the water, whence the entire 
 order has received the name of Cirrigrades. A far more inte- 
 resting and effective apparatus for locomotion is found, however, 
 in some of these Jelly-fish, in the shape of a thin membrane or 
 sail, which rising from the upper surface of the body, and sup- 
 ported by a sort of mast, is acted on by the wind, and drives the 
 little voyager along, a very "ocean Mab " and " fairy of the sea." 
 Large fleets of these elegant creatures are sometimes met with in 
 the wanner latitudes, gaily scudding before the gentle breeze, in 
 compact order, and presenting a spectacle of singular interest and 
 beauty. 
 
 One of the commonest of these sail-bearing Jelly-fish, and one 
 which, during the prevalence of high winds, is occasionally thrown 
 upon our own shores, is the Velella lata, in which the disc is of 
 a fine blue colour, and has the cartilaginous plate in the form of 
 a dorsal shield, with the delicate sail-membrane rising obliquely 
 from its centre. The sail is set to the dorsal shield, much in the 
 same fashion as the lateen sail of the Malay boat to the deck, 
 and hence the Velella commonly passes amongst sailors as the 
 " Sallee-man." A drawing of this attractive little creature has 
 been made by Professor Allman from the living Jelly-fish, 
 "which sat, or rather floated, for his likeness," says the worthy 
 Professor, and " was one of a fleet of countless multitudes 
 which, in the autumn of 1836, was driven upon the coast of 
 the county of Cork. On the subsidence of the gale, which 
 had been blowing strongly from the south-west, the coast for 
 miles roun\ was strewn with the remains of the shipwrecked 
 fleet." In another division of the Jelly-fish, the crest dr sail is 
 furnished with muscular bands by means of which it can be raised 
 or lowered at pleasure a circumstance which has procured for 
 the entire group the very appropriate designation of " bargemen." 
 One of the number is a curious little fellow, which, by the lofty 
 rounded form of its body, has earned for itself the appellation 
 tnitrata (mitred), although, if it have any ecclesiastical leanings 
 at all in the matter of shape, it approaches most nearly, perhaps,
 
 PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR. 39 
 
 to that of the odd-looking crimson skull-cap of his Eminence the 
 Cardinal. 
 
 All the Jelly-fish of this division have the stomach in the form 
 of an inverted flask, hanging from the under surface of the body, 
 with the mouth at its lower extremity. The cirri immediately 
 surrounding the mouth are adapted rather for prehension than 
 locomotion, and while some of the members are busily employed 
 in seizing the minute prey, others are engaged in holding small 
 shells and stones, the ballast necessary to trim the little vessel as 
 it calmly sails along the surface of the deep. 
 
 The fourth and last section of the Jelly-fish includes the 
 animals which Cuvier termed Hydrostatic acalephce. According 
 to the classification now adopted, they constitute the order Physo- 
 grada, so named from the inflated air-bags with which they are 
 provided, and by means of which, in part at least, they effect 
 locomotion. In this section of the Jelly-fish we entirely lose the 
 circular radiate structure, by which the previous orders are dis- 
 tinguished, and have, instead, a sort of lateral symmetry or corre- 
 spondence between the two sides of the animals composing it. 
 
 A well-known member of this division is the Physalia pelagica, 
 or Portuguese-man-of-war of sailors. The body of this singular 
 Jelly-fish consists of a large pear-shaped air-bladder, beautifully 
 tinted with blue, green, and crimson. It is surmounted by a 
 fringed crest or sail of the richest purple, and has depending from 
 it a cluster of variously-shaped tentacles, some of great length, 
 and employed in the capture of prey ; others short, tubular, and 
 terminated by suckers through which the Physalia, destitute of 
 a true mouth, imbibes its food. This food consists, it is said, 
 principally of small fish ; and the long tentacles by which they 
 are caught are truly formidable implements. According to 
 Dr. Cr. Bennett, they can be coiled up within half an inch of the 
 air-bag, and then suddenly shot out to the length of twelve or 
 eighteen feet, twining round and round the body of the prey, 
 paralyzing it by means of their acrid secretion, and then con- 
 tracting so as to bring it within reach of the tubular suckers. 
 
 On one occasion Dr. Bennett captured some specimens of the 
 Pliysalia, which had several small fish entangled in their ten- 
 tacles ; and by placing them immediately in a large vessel of 
 sea- \vater, the process of feeding by absorption was distinctly 
 observed. The tubular suckers were soon seen to be filled with
 
 40 DOUSING THE SAILS. 
 
 portions of the fish, which imparted to the almost transparent 
 coats of the suckers a distinct silvery hue, as though they had 
 been injected with mercury. Dr. Bennett made several careful 
 dissections to ascertain whether these tubular suckers terminated 
 in any common receptacle, or organ at all analogous to a stomach, 
 but no trace of anything of the sort could be found ; so that there 
 can be no doubt that these suckers form the Physalia's only 
 digestive apparatus. 
 
 With a view to ascertain whether there was any truth in the 
 current opinion as to the stinging powers of the Physalia, Dr. 
 Bennett once seized hold of a specimen by the distended bladder ; 
 but he paid a heavy penalty for his daring. The animal at once 
 drew up its long slender filaments, and, entwining them about the 
 hand and fingers which held it, inflicted severe and pungent pain ; 
 adhering, at the same time, so tenaciously, that it was only with 
 great difficulty they could be torn off piece by piece. The pain, 
 moreover, extended upwards along the arm, and continued to be 
 felt throughout the day. 
 
 As in the case of the Veldla, vast shoals of the Physalia are 
 often encountered in the tropic seas, where the surface of the 
 ocean is frequently crowded with their bright and glittering forms 
 over an area of considerable extent. Mr. Gosse, in his " Letters 
 from Alabama," has an interesting account of an immense fleet of 
 this interesting Jelly-fish, which he encountered at the entrance 
 to the Gulf of Mexico. They were of all sizes, from an inch to a foot 
 or more in length ; and they studded the smooth surface of the 
 sea as far as the eye could reach ; the vessel, indeed, was nearly a 
 whole day in getting clear of them. It often happens that in 
 passing just under the lee of a vessel, the sudden lull, caused by 
 the interposition of the ship between it and the wind, causes it 
 for a moment to lie flat on the water, instantly afterwards re- 
 suming its upright position. The English Jack-tar, it seems, 
 takes this " dousing its sails," on the part of the " foreigner," as 
 a fitting act of homage to the British flag. It is commonly said, 
 that should danger threaten the Physalia while thus wafted 
 along on the bosom of the deep, it can at once contract its sail, 
 expel a portion of the contents of the air-bladder, and descend in 
 security to the depths below. But this seems to be a mistake. 
 All who have examined the animal in a living state concur in the 
 statement that it has no apparent means of discharging the con-
 
 COMPOUND FORMS. 41 
 
 tents of the air-bladder ; nor is it possible, even by the applica- 
 tion of pressure, to force out the contents, excepting by bursting 
 the bladder itself, and producing an explosion. And that the 
 animal has not the power of descending in the water, at pleasure, 
 seems to be proved by the fact that numbers of them are some- 
 times found on the shore, thrown up by the violence of the wayes. 
 Professor Owen mentions that he has seen a whole fleet of them 
 wrecked on the coast of Cornwall, to which iron-bound region they 
 had been buoyed by their air-bladders. 
 
 Naturalists have been sadly puzzled what to make of another 
 section of these animals, known as the Diphydce, or Jelly-fish of 
 a double form. They are diminutive little creatures, and com- 
 posed of two pieces which easily separate, and when detached, 
 will swim about independently for hours together. Hence arose 
 the difficulty whether to regard these compound bodies as two 
 animals united into one, or as one animal which, for a time, 
 might be separated into two. Cuvier, and most zoologists 
 following him, adopted the former opinion, regarding the two 
 pieces as two independent animals. It has lately been very 
 satisfactorily shown, however, that the two pieces do, after all, 
 constitute but one animal, although our knowledge of these sin- 
 gular creatures is still very incomplete. Considerable diversity 
 of form prevails amongst them, and frequently, also, between 
 the two portions of the same animal. They are so beautifully 
 transparent as to be almost invisible in the water, and occur 
 chiefly at great distances from the shore in the seas of warm 
 climates, where they abound in great profusion. 
 
 Nothing connected with the Jelly-fish more truly deserves to 
 be characterized as wonderful than what has of late years been 
 discovered with respect to their mode of reproduction. Two 
 distinct modes of increase have been ascertained to prevail 
 amongst these animals one by the development of eggs, the 
 other by the process of budding, or gemmation. According to 
 the latter mode, which was first observed by Sars, a Swedish 
 naturalist and clergyman, the young Jelly-fish sprout from the 
 bodies of their parents like the leaf-buds of a plant, and after 
 attaining to a certain stage of advancement, become detached, 
 and swim away, to enjoy a free and independent existence. 
 
 The singularity of this mode of increase is apt to be under 
 rated, because of the insignificance of the creatures amongst
 
 42 G1OIMATTON-. 
 
 which it obtains. But Professor Forbes, in his elaborate work 
 before quoted from, helps us to estimate the oddity of the process, 
 by supposing it to be observed amongst animals somewhat more 
 bulky, and higher in the scale than Jelly-fish. " Fancy," he 
 says, " an elephant with a number of little elephants sprouting 
 frorr* his shoulders and thighs, bunches of tusked monsters hang- 
 ing, epaulette-fashion, from his flanks, in every stage of advance- 
 ment. Here a young Pachyderm, almost amorphous ; there one 
 more advanced, but all ears and eyes ; on the right shoulder a 
 youthful Chuney, with head, trunk, toes, no legs, and a shape- 
 less body ; on the left, an infant, better grown, and struggling 
 to get away, but his tail not sufficiently organized as yet to per- 
 mit of liberty and free action ! The comparison seems grotesque 
 and absurd, but it really expresses what we have been describing 
 r.? actually occurring among our naked-eyed Medusse. It is true 
 that the latter are minute, but wonders are not the less wonderful 
 for being packed into small compass." 
 
 No less than four species of Jelly-fish found around our own 
 shores have been observed to reproduce their kind in this manner ; 
 one of the number being the graceful little Sarsia gemmifera, 
 in which the young brood may be seen sprouting from the sto- 
 machal peduncle of the parent. 
 
 It is to the development of the ova of the Jelly-fish, however, 
 that the chief interest pertains, the germs being now ascertained 
 to pass through a series of the most remarkable transformations 
 before assuming their mature form. 
 
 The extraordinary history which follows is that of the common 
 Jelly-fish of our own coast (Medusa aurita) which every visitor 
 to the sea-shore must have often seen, and will at once recognize 
 by the four pinkish rings in the centre of its almost colourless 
 disc. The eggs of this species are produced within the body of 
 the Jelly-fish in regular ovaries the rings above mentioned 
 whence they are transferred to a number of curious pear-shaped 
 sacks, which are developed from the under surface of the arms 
 which surround the mouth. Here they are retained for a time, 
 and then, the sacks bursting, the embryos escape in the form of 
 minute oval bodies, covered with cilia, and, to all appearance, a 
 swarm of infusorial animalcules. In this state the young brood 
 remains for some days, sporting gaily in the water, and subsisting 
 apparently in just the same manner as the creatures they SQ
 
 DKVELOPHENT. 43 
 
 closely resemble. In due course, however, one end of the germ 
 begins to contract, and gradually is developed into a sucker-like 
 base, whereupon each of the little creatures attaches itself to 
 some fixed object, and becomes for a while settled and stationary. 
 
 And now a new character is assumed. The cilia, no longer 
 needed, disappear. A cavity is formed at the upper extremity 
 of the body, and, gradually deepening and enlarging, it becomes 
 at length a capacious mouth ; around this four arms sprout forth, 
 which being soon succeeded by four more, and these by another 
 four, we have at length from the egg of a Jelly-fish an animal, 
 which is to all appearance an ordinary hydra-form Polyp ! 
 
 Nor is it in form alone that the correspondence holds : the 
 disguised Jelly-fish actively discharges all the functions of Polyp 
 life, twirling its arms about to entrap prey, gorging the prey it 
 secures, and ejecting the indigestible parts of its foed through the 
 mouth, precisely as is done by the Hydra itself. It has, more- 
 over, all the Hydra's power of renewing lost parts, and repro- 
 ducing the entire body from a single portion ; and, lastly, it 
 multiplies itself, as do the true Polyps, by buds or gemmules, KO 
 as often to produce a whole colony of similar beings ; add to all 
 which, that the creature has been known to remain in the 
 Polyp state for nearly two years, and no one can wonder that it 
 should often have been mistaken for an animal in its mature 
 form, without the remotest suspicion of its true character. 
 
 After the lapse of a considerable interval, however, important 
 changes take place, and the extraordinary nature of the seeming 
 Polyp gradually becomes apparent. The body lengthens ; its 
 skin begins to shrivel ; ring-like depressions appear around it ; 
 and in a little while the entire Polyp seems as if cut into a 
 number of horizontal sections or slices, which turn up at the 
 ed;j.es, and present the appearance of a pile of watch-glasses 
 standing one within the other. Tentacles now grow out from 
 each of the upturned edges, and the several sections become 
 less and less firmly attached to each other. In one or two days 
 more, the connection between the different sections altogether 
 ceases, and one by one, beginning at the top, they swim off, and 
 become a brood of young Jelly-fish ! 
 
 It is upon these remarkable facts, and others of a like cha- 
 racter, observed in the reproduction of some of the compound 
 zoophytes, that Steenstrup, a Danish naturalist, has founded his
 
 44 ALTERNATION OF GENERATIONS. 
 
 novel doctrine of " Alternation of Generations." According to 
 this doctrine or hypothesis, the successive stages of advancement 
 through which certain of the lower forms of life pass, are to be 
 regarded, not as different phases of a process of metamorphosis 
 or transformation, like that of the caterpillar into a butterfly, or 
 the tadpole into a frog, but as distinct generations, in which the 
 parent animal produces an offspring totally unlike itself, but 
 which begets a progeny that returns in form and nature to that 
 of the original stock ; so that, as the originator of the idea himself 
 puts it, the maternal animal does not meet with its resemblance 
 in its own brood, but in its descendants of the second, third, or 
 fourth degree of generation. 
 
 The question which this hypothesis opens up is a much larger 
 one than can be properly discussed here ; nor is it possible, 
 perhaps, in the present state of our knowledge, satisfactorily to 
 explain all the facts which relate to it. It must be borne in 
 mind, however, that the facts themselves are already fully 
 established, and that whatever interpretation may be put upon 
 them, they must undoubtedly be ranked amongst the most 
 wonderful phenomena which recent investigations in natural 
 history have brought to light. 
 
 Reference has already been made to the luminosity of some of 
 the Jelly-fish. There is reason to believe that all these animals 
 are endowed with the property of emitting light ; and it is 
 mainly to their agency that we owe the beautiful phenomenon 
 known as " the phosphorescence of the sea." " When on a sum- 
 mer's evening," says a writer before quoted, " the waves flash 
 fire as they break upon the shore, or glow with myriads of sparks 
 us they curl and froth around the prow of the moving ship, or 
 under the blade of the striking oar, it is to delicate and almost 
 invisible Medusa? that they chiefly owe their phophorescence." 
 It has never been clearly ascertained what organs are concerned 
 in the production of this phosphoric light, nor has the most 
 careful examination ever availed to detect the secretion itself, al- 
 though there can be but little doubt that the animals are enabled 
 to exhibit the phenomenon at will. In many of the species, the 
 phosphorescence may be evoked when the animals are kept in 
 confinement. " On being touched or otherwise irritated," says 
 Mr. Gosse, " they suddenly become illuminated, the light ap- 
 pearing in rings or circles of luminous points, which alternately
 
 LUMINOSITY. 4u 
 
 flash and die like gas-jets on a festive gala night." The pheno- 
 menon is most frequently witnessed when the surface of the sea 
 is ruffled by some gentle breeze, dead calms and very rough 
 weather being alike unfavourable to its production. 
 
 It is well described, as seen around our own shores, by Sir 
 "Walter Scott in his " Lord of the Isles :" 
 
 " Awaked before the rushing prow, 
 The mimic fires of ocean glow, 
 
 Those lightnings of the wave ; 
 Wild sparkles crest the broken tides, 
 And, flashing round the vessel's sides, 
 
 With elfish lustre lave, 
 While far behind, their livid light 
 To the dark billows of the night 
 
 A gloomy splendour gave." 
 
 Over all parts of the ocean alike the waves are lit up at times 
 with these animated fires ; but in the warmer latitudes the 
 spectacle assumes an aspect of extraordinary sublimity and splen- 
 dour. " Between the tropics," says Humboldt, " the ocean simul- 
 taneously develops light over a space of many thousand square 
 miles. Here the magical effect of light is owing to the forces of 
 organic nature. Foaming with light, the eddying waves flash in 
 phosphorescent sparks over the wide expanse of waters, where 
 every scintillation is the vital manifestation of an invisible 
 animal world/ According to the enthusiastic accounts of voy- 
 agers, the appearance of the ocean on these occasions is grand and 
 beautiful as it is possible to conceive. Far as the eye can reach, 
 the crest of every wave, which during the day is white with 
 foam, becomes transformed by darkness into a swelling ridge of 
 light, while here and there, where the billows dash with greater 
 violence, the spray flies up, sparkling and glittering like a 
 shower of stars, and falling again, is lost in a sea of effulgence. 
 Occasionally, too, while the more minute forms of the Acalepha? 
 produce this diffused luminosity at the surface of the ocean, the 
 larger kinds are seen below, illuminating its m) r stic depths 
 some gleaming through the water with a pale and steady light, 
 like submerged moons, others glowing with dazzling brightness, 
 like balls of molten metal, or shooting by like the fiery meteors of 
 the heavens above.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 INSECTS, AND THEIR HUNTEBS. 
 
 " Is not the earth 
 
 With various living creatures, and the air 
 Replenished, and all these at thy command 
 To come and play before thee? Know'st thou not 
 Their language and their ways? They also know 
 And reason not contemptibly ; with these 
 Find pastime." 
 
 THE readers of the " Tatler" will remember that in one of the 
 famous lucubrations of Isaac Bickevstaff, Esq., the study of 
 the insect tribes is held up to ridicule in the person of a 
 certain virtuoso, one Nicholas Gimcrack, who having spent a 
 large fortune in making a collection of insects and other 
 "natural rarities and curiosities," at his death bequeaths the 
 accumulated treasures to his family and friends. In his lifetime 
 the " whimsical philosopher " is made out to have set a greater 
 value on a collection of spiders than on a flock of sheep, and to 
 have sold his coat off his back to purchase a tarantula ; while in 
 the details of the will, which is given entire, the satire is carried 
 to its height by the absurd gravity with which the poor 
 enthusiast is represented as distributing his trifles in the imme- 
 diate prospect of death. 
 
 It was thus that the wits, in days gone by, made merry with 
 the poor savants who gave their attention to the insect world ; 
 and though many and marvellous changes have taken place since 
 the time when the " Tatler " and the " Guardian " made their 
 appearance, damp from the printing-office, on the breakfast- 
 tables of our forefathers, there has been but little change in the 
 popular estimate of the dignity or advantage of entomological 
 pursuits. The opinion of most men is still pretty much what 
 Addison gives us as his judgment on the subject, that " obser- 
 vations of this kind are apt to alienate us too much from tho 
 knowledge of the world, aiid to make us serious upon trifles ;" a
 
 48 PENALTIES OF ENTOMOLOGY. 
 
 result, he goes on to say, which "exposes philosophy to the 
 ridicule of the witty, and the contempt of the ignorant." 
 
 In one respect the entomologist is no doubt a much more 
 tolerated character now than formerly. He may hoard up the 
 treasures in his cork-lined cabinets with never so much care, and 
 may even make away with a " considerable estate " in getting them 
 together, and yet incur no risk of being exposed to public ridicule 
 as another Nicholas Gimcrack. But this immunity is granted 
 him only so long as he keeps his predilections to himself, without 
 exposing them openly to the eye of the world. The man who 
 would venture abroad, net in hand, in pursuit of his favourites, 
 must still expect to be looked upon by the majority 'of mankind 
 as a sort of lunatic at large, who is allowed to have his own way 
 only because his whim is an innocent one, that does no harm to 
 his neighbours. 
 
 It is given to but few amongst us to bear with equanimity the 
 pity or contempt of our fellow-creatures ; and it is not surprising 
 that many persons have been deterred from the study of ento- 
 mology by a fear of incurring the penalty attached to it. But, in 
 spite of this drawback, the science has long had a devoted band 
 of adherents, and within the last five or sive years their number 
 has considerably increased. It would appear indeed that the 
 study of the insect tribes is at length becoming extremely 
 popular ; for the entomologists are fast growing to be an im- 
 portant body, and now have not only an Annual of their own, but 
 a small weekly newspaper, the " Entomologists' Intelligencer," 
 which is conducted with much spirit, and regularly chronicles all 
 the noteworthy observations and doings of the body. 
 
 This result is in great part, no doubt, attributable to the 
 republication, in a cheap and compact form, of the famous " In- 
 troduction to Entomology," by Kirby and Spence, a book which, 
 for now nearly half a century, has been a standard authority 
 on the. subject. It is almost impossible to read this engaging 
 volume without becoming enamoured of the study of the little 
 creatures whose habits and instincts it details ; and the rapidity 
 with which the new edition has been sown broadcast over the 
 land may reasonably be expected to produce before long an 
 abundant crop of incipient entomologists. But it is not young 
 people merely who are taken captive by the book ; we have 
 lately met with two instances in which it has exerted a similar
 
 INTEREST OF THE SCIENCE. 49 
 
 influence over persons in advanced life, and devoted to pursuits 
 which it would be supposed were little calculated to leave room 
 for any enthusiasm on behalf of insects. la one case an erudite 
 black-letter friend of ours, who has recently been exploring, 
 and with good results, among the Syriac MSS. of the British 
 Museum, was so delighted with the book, on dipping into a 
 copy which accidentally fell in his way, that he straightway pur- 
 chased one for himself, read it with avidity, and has since be- 
 come a most attentive student of insect life. The other 
 instance was that of one of our most popular metropolitan 
 clergymen, who, having had occasion to refer to the book for the 
 elucidation of some passage of Scripture relating to insects, was 
 so deeply interested in what he read, that he publicly recom- 
 mended the work from the pulpit, with a warmth of commenda- 
 tion which somewhat surprised his hearers. The truth is, that, 
 to a person who has never before given attention to the subject, 
 the reading of Kirby and Spence opens the eyes to a new world 
 of interest and beauty, which appears to be only the more won- 
 derful from the circumstance that it has been so long unheeded. 
 
 There can be no doubt that one of the great attractions of 
 entomology lies in the fact, that it thus invests with an attri- 
 bute of wonder the most common and familiar objects. The 
 little creatures that have crossed our path a hundred times, and 
 which we have before regarded merely as so many sources of 
 injury or annoyance, all at once become transformed into objects 
 of great interest, astonishing us by the variety and beauty of their 
 structure, and, at the same time, exciting our admiration by the 
 wonderful instincts with which they are endowed. It is a great 
 advantage, moreover, in the study of this science, that the 
 objects of investigation are everywhere accessible. No one 
 need lack the opportunity of observing and studying the habits 
 and history of some members of the insect tribes. Much may 
 be done without stepping beyond one's own threshold ; and the 
 possession of a garden, even though it be no bigger than the 
 extraordinary six-feet-square enclosures so designated, which 
 one sometimes sees attached to suburban Cockney cottages, 
 opens up to investigation more wonders than most men would 
 be able to explore in half a lifetime. Nor is it merely in verify- 
 ing the observations of others that the beginner in the study 
 may employ himself. There is no branch of natural history in 
 
 E
 
 50 THE MODEL INSECT. 
 
 which there is more room still left for original research, or in 
 which such research is more likely to conduce to the general 
 advancement of the science. It has been said, indeed, that the 
 field of entomology in Britain is already fully explored ; but no 
 idea could be more erroneous. Not only are new tacts in the 
 economy of insects already known continually being discovered, 
 but every year is adding to our list of native species a considera- 
 ble number of insects not previously recognized as indigenous to 
 the British Islands. 
 
 Before proceeding further, it may not be amiss to remind 
 our readers that all are not insects which are insects called. 
 The entomologist takes no heed of a number of little creatures 
 which popular phraseology everywhere assigns to his care. The 
 more precise and discriminating knowledge of the present day 
 cuts off large sections of the animal world, which naturalists 
 themselves, the great Linnteus included, formerly ranked with 
 the insect tribes. The " Model" insect is an animal which, 
 in its mature form, has a body separated into three distinct 
 regions, six legs, two antennas or feelers, and one or else two 
 pairs of wings. Let the reader make prisoner for a time of the 
 first House L'ly that settles on his nose, and he will see that the 
 gentleman corresponds to the description we have given. The 
 Common Wasp, a Cockchafer, or a Butterfly, would answer the 
 purpose equally well, and would also show how wide the range 
 of variation may be, while still preserving the same general 
 typical form. It is only in their mature or perfect state, how- 
 ever, that insects exhibit these distinctive characteristics, and 
 before that mature form is reached, they have, for the most part, 
 to undergo a more or less complete series of transformations. 
 
 Nothing in. the whole range of natural history excites the 
 wonder of the observer more powerfully than these transforma- 
 tions or metamorphoses of the insect tribes. " If," say Kirby and 
 Spence in one of their most frequently-quoted passages, "a 
 naturalist were to announce to the world the discovery of an 
 animal which for the first five years of its life existed in the 
 form of a serpent ; which then penetrating into the earth, and 
 weaving a shroud of pure silk of the finest texture, contracted 
 itself within this covering into a body without external mouths 
 or limbs, and resembling, more than anything else, an Egyptian 
 mummy ; and -which, lastly, after remaining in this state with-
 
 TRANSFORMATIONS. 51 
 
 out food and without motion for three years longer, should at the 
 end of that period burst its silken cerements, struggle through 
 its earthly covering, and start into day a winged bird, what, 
 think you, would be the sensation excited by this strange piece 
 of intelligence ?" What indeed ? And yet the supposed case 
 differs but in matters of detail from the actual history of by 
 far the larger proportion of the members of the insect world. 
 
 In some of the tribes the metamorphosis is only partial, and 
 the insects which belong to them exhibit pretty much the same 
 appearance, and lead an almost identical mode of life throughout 
 the entire period of their existence. Amongst other tribes, the 
 Moths and Butterflies especially, the reverse of this obtains ; 
 and no degree of familiarity with the subject is sufficient to 
 destroy in the mind of a thoughtful person the feeling of wonder, 
 and almost awe, to which the observation of the extraordinary 
 changes which these creatures undergo gives rise. The interest 
 of entomology as a study consists, to a great extent, in noting 
 the endless variety of procedure amongst insects while preparing 
 for, or actually undergoing, these transformations. The history of 
 every individual insect, from the moment when the little cater- 
 pillar or grub makes its escape from the egg, through each 
 subsequent incident and stage in its career, till it finally comes 
 forth from the pupa, a winged denizen of air, is replete 
 with interest to the curious observer, and could hardly fail to 
 impress a devout mind with the sentiment expressed by 
 Bonnet : " It seems to me that I am at a spectacle where 
 the Supreme Artist is hid behind the curtain." 
 
 Much misapprehension prevails as to the precise character 
 of these insect transformations. And strangely enough, an 
 error which was not altogether unnatural when the general 
 subject of the embryonic development of animals was less per- 
 fectly understood than it is at present, is still propagated by 
 some of the leaders in entomological science. The error to 
 which we refer is thus stated by Kirby and Spence : " A 
 caterpillar is not, in fact, a simple but a compound animal, con- 
 taining within it the germ of the future Butterfly, enclosed in 
 what will be the case of the pupa, which is itself included in 
 three or four more skins, one over the other, that will succes- 
 sively cover the larva." According to this notion, which is 
 supported by several great names amongst the naturalists of
 
 52 maoovcsrnom. 
 
 former days, the metamorphosis of an insect is nothing more 
 than.a repeated casting off of its external skin, the perfect insect 
 existing all the while in its proper form, beneath and within its 
 different external wrappers. Bat surely, as Professor Rymer 
 Jones remarks, it can be no more necessary to suppose the pre- 
 existence of so many skins in order to explain the monks of a 
 caterpHar, and its subsequent changes to a chrysalis and a 
 Butterfly, than to imagine that we ourselves have several skins 
 oae beneath the other, because, when the cuticle is removed 
 by the application of a buster, a new layer of epidermis is again 
 and again renewed. The error arises from a mistaken ioea, 
 that the metamorphosis of the insect is something singular and 
 exceptional in the animal world, combined with a misconception 
 as to the true nature of the epidermic investment. The proper 
 explanation of the phenomena appears to be this, that the suc- 
 cessive changes which the insect undergoes are, in principle, Hoe 
 same as obtain amongst most other creatures in the earlier stages 
 of their existence ; and that the repeated moults and changes of 
 form are due to the living skin or cntis beneath the external 
 epidermis gradually developing itself, and expanding into vari- 
 ously-shaped organs, in accordance, in every case, with the law 
 of being, if we may so speak, of each individual species. The 
 popular notion is, no doubt, by far the most attractive of the 
 two ; but, unfortunately, nature and truth do not always square 
 with our ingenious fancies, which injure quite as often as they 
 advance the cause of science. 
 
 Let us pass, however, from this somewhat dry and abstruse 
 topic to the history of an insect familiar to all our readers, and 
 which has long occupied the attention of naturalists. 
 
 The Aphidet, or plant lice, the " green fly " of the gardener, 
 have as wonderful a history as any members of the insect tribes ; 
 and with a small expenditure of trouble our readers may trace 
 the entire wonderful history for themselves. It appears that, 
 in autumn, the swarms of Aphides which infest our plants are 
 composed of both male and female insects, which, after pairing, 
 and the deposition of the eggs by the females for a fresh brood, 
 speedily die. In the following spring, as soon as the sap begins 
 to flow, the eggs which have survived the rigours of winter are 
 hatched, and a brood of fully-formed young lice is produced, which 
 beginning immediately to pump up sap from the tender leaves and
 
 REPRODUCTION EXTRAORDINARY. 53 
 
 shoots, rapidly increase in size, and soon come to maturity. In this 
 state is it found that the whole brood, without a single exception, 
 consists of females, or, let us say, of individuals capable of reproduc- 
 ing their kind. In a short time these animals give birth directly, 
 and without the deposition of eggs, to a second brood of females 
 like themselves, which again produces a third brood in the same 
 way, and of precisely the same description ; and this process goes 
 on throughout the summer without the appearance of a single 
 male insect. In the autumn, however, insects of both sexes are 
 again produced, and the females deposit eggs, to continue the 
 species in the same manner through the next summer. 
 
 Tliis extraordinary mode of reproduction amongst the Aphides 
 was first made known by Bonnet, who traced the development 
 of nine successive generations of the asexual forms. In the same 
 way Duvau subsequently followed the course of eleven genera- 
 tions ; whilst Kyber, by keeping a colony of the insects in a 
 warm room, continued this process of virgin reproduction for no 
 less than four years. 
 
 It is no wonder that circumstances so truly remarkable should 
 have excited great attention amongst naturalists, or that various 
 theories should have been advanced to account for it. Reaumur 
 indeed endeavoured to elude the difficulty altogether by assert- 
 ing that Aphides were androgynous ; while Leon Dufour referred 
 the phenomena to spontaneous or equivocal generation. The 
 true explanation in all probability is that suggested by Steen- 
 strup, who gives the reproductive virgins the curious name of 
 ammen, or wet-nurses, and treats the matter as a case of " alterna- 
 tion of generations." It is quite clear, however, that much has 
 yet to be done before the matter can be regarded as settled, and 
 any enterprising entomologist may, if he will, turn to good 
 account the little vermin which batten on his geraniums and 
 calceolarias, by still farther following up the subject. 
 
 Closely connected, and in many respects, no doubt, identical, 
 with this anomalous mode of reproduction among the Aphides, is 
 the phenomenon which has been designated parthenogenesis, or re- 
 production by virgins, which are indisputably true females. Pro- 
 fessor Siebold, of Berlin, has greatly added to our knowledge of 
 the insect wonders of this kind by his essay " Ou a True Parthe- 
 nogenesis in Moths and Bees," a work which has been given to 
 the English public in a translation by Mr. Dallas, one of our
 
 54 CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS. 
 
 ablest entomologists, and in which this extraordinary mode of 
 reproduction is shown to obtain amongst the Silk-worm Moth, 
 and some others ; and also amongst the Honey-Bees. 
 
 In the classification of insects, the wings, which are the grand 
 and characteristic endowment of the tribe, serve as the basis for 
 their distribution into separate orders. It is not necessary here to 
 go into the details of the classifications generally adopted, though it 
 will not be out of place to mention briefly some of the more pro- 
 minent divisions. The Moths and the Butterflies constitute the 
 order Lepidoptera, or scale- winged insects ; the so-called down or 
 feathers with which the wings of these insects are clothed being 
 nothing less than an almost infinite number of beautiful sym- 
 metrically-formed scales, attached to the membrane of the wing 
 in regular rows, like the slates or tiles covering the roof of a 
 house. " The shard-borne beetle " and his allies form the Co- 
 leoptera, or sheath- winged order ; the said " shards," in all their 
 endless variety, being literally the sheaths or shields under 
 which the real organs of flight are neatly folded up when not 
 on " active service." Bees, Wasps, Ichneumon-flies, and the like, 
 have simple membranous wings, and are therefore the Hymen- 
 optera ; the Dragon-fly with its gauzy wings, the frail Ephe- 
 mera and others of the kind, form the Ncuroptera, or nerve- 
 winged order ; and so on the number, nature, or degree of 
 development of the organs of flight being the guide throughout 
 for the arrangement of the mighty host of animated forms which 
 constitute what is fitly termed " the insect world." 
 
 One of the few insects which do not readily fall into rank and 
 file in the ordinary systems of classification is that little rogue 
 often very well known where his acquaintance is never acknow- 
 ledged, the Common Flea. Pulex irritans is his name, and very 
 irritating fellows they are generally allowed to be ; though that 
 genial old lady, mentioned by Kirby and Spence, who thought 
 them " the prettiest little merry things in the world,"' appears to 
 have regarded them with great favour. It has often occurred to 
 us, by the way, that the old lady in question must be the same that 
 is referred to in another part of the " Introduction," who declared 
 she could always hear when a Flea walked over her nightcap, and 
 that it clicked as it went along, as if walking on pattens ! If we 
 may credit the statement of a very respectable matron of our ac- 
 quaintance, the extraordinary summer of 1857 called forth these
 
 AN IMPERIAL FLEA. 55 
 
 little |- ests in great abundance, and rendered it a difficult matter to 
 dislodge them from their quarters. Any one again afflicted in 
 this manner would do well to remember the advice given by old 
 Tusser in Lis " Points of Goode Husbandry :" 
 
 " While wormwood hath seed, get a handfull or twainc 
 To save against March, to make flea to refraine: 
 Where chamber is sweeped, and wormwood is strown, 
 No flea for his life dare abide to be known." 
 
 But if that remedy should not suffice, it would not be amis-, 
 perhaps, to catch a few of the ringleaders, and make an example 
 of them, by plying then with round shot, in the way Christina, 
 Queen of Sweden, is said to have done with the Lilliputian piece 
 of ordnance still exhibited to the curious in the arsenal of 
 Stockholm. 
 
 Not long since, at one of the meetings of the Entomological 
 Society, Mr, Westwood exhibited what was described as a new 
 species of Flea, of monstrous size, which had just previously 
 been found in a bed at Gateshead. The name proposed for the 
 monster was Pulex imperator, a style and title the perfect pro- 
 priety of which was xinquestionable for a monster twenty times 
 larger than the Common Flea ! It did not appear whether the 
 stranger was a nondescript species imported from abroad, or a na- 
 tive Briton then first brought to light. In either case the prospect 
 was not an agreeable one. The common Bed-Bug was a stranger 
 amongst us once, though in many of our London lodging-houses 
 we will of course assume that it is never seen elsewhere it is 
 now very literally a " terror by night ;" and who was to say 
 that this imperial blood-sucker might not get a footing amongst 
 us ? Fortunately we need be under no anxiety : a few months 
 after the discovery was first announced, Sir. Westwood again 
 brought his gigantic Flea before the Entomological Society : this 
 time, however, it was for the purpose of explaining that Pulex 
 imperator turned out to be no Flea at all, but the mutilated 
 body of a young Cockroach ! The origin of the mistake was 
 satisfactorily accounted for, and the Imperial Flea was erased 
 from the list of British insects a great loss to science, no doubt, 
 but one which, domestically speaking, we can bear very com- 
 placently. 
 
 If there be any one insect which more than another deserves
 
 56 THE HONEY-BEE. 
 
 to be called the universal favourite, it is surely the Honey-Bee. 
 Little children sing about it in the nursery ; it is an everlasting 
 theme with those grown-up children the poets ; and the philo- 
 sophers find in it abundant scope for their profoundest study. 
 It ranges at large over the new world as well as the old, every- 
 where known, and everywhere an object of interest, and even 
 affection. " A bee among the flowers in spring," says Paley, " is 
 one of the cheerfullest objects that can be looked upon. Its life 
 appears to be all enjoyment ; so busy and so pleased." And 
 what a picture there is in that line of Keats' 
 
 " A May busli with the bees about it ;" 
 
 and in that other exquisite touch, humming the very sound, as 
 well as painting the scene 
 
 " The bees bustling 
 
 Down in the blue bells." 
 
 But it would be as impossible to insert here the thousand 
 beautiful allusions to the Honey-Bee to be found in the poets of 
 all time, as to go into the wonderful details of Bee history. Nor 
 is it needful ; for who has not read them again and again ? 
 With one choice and chaste, though seldom-quoted passage from 
 Leigh Hunt, therefore, we will send the little fellow about his 
 business the business our fragment so prettily alludes to : 
 " Wax-lights, though we are accustomed to overlook the fact, 
 and rank them with ordinary commonplaces, are true fairy tapers 
 a white metamorphosis from the flowers, crowned with the 
 most intangible of all visible mysteries, fire. Then there is honey, 
 which a Greek poet would have called the sister of wax a thing 
 as beautiful to eat as the other is to look upon ; and beautiful to 
 look upon too. What two extraordinary substances to be made 
 by little winged creatures out of roses and lilies ! What a sin- 
 gular and lovely energy in nature, to impel those little creatures 
 thus to fetch out the sweet and elegant properties of the coloured 
 fragrancies of the garden, and serve them up to us for food and 
 light ! honey to eat, and waxen tapers to eat it by." 
 
 The proper place for this beautiful passage is surely not the 
 author's "Table Talk," whence we take it, but amongst the 
 other sweet and pleasant thing in that famous " Jar of Honey 
 from Mount Hybla."
 
 BEE BROTHERHOOD. 57 
 
 We have now something to say about the Honey-Bee's nume- 
 rous kinsfolk and acquaintance. Novices in this matter will 
 perhaps be surprised to learn that the Bee brotherhood is a very 
 numerous one, something like two hundred species being found in 
 Britain alone. If anybody desires to cultivate the acquaintance 
 of this large circle, we recommend him to procure at once the 
 " Catalogue of the Bees of Great Britain," by Mr. Frederick 
 Smith, of the British Museum a book which, though published 
 in the official blue, and in fact, no less than in name, a catalogue, 
 is yet so full of interesting facts, the fruits of some twenty years 
 of loving study and observation, that it seems to have a perpetual 
 hum of Bees about it, and sends the mind off perforce to the 
 wide-spreading heaths and commons, all aglow with the " bonny 
 blooming heather," where the air is ever filled with bee melody. 
 
 Next to the Honey-Bee, the best-known members of the tribe 
 are doubtless the Humble-Bees, which are amongst the first to 
 greet us in early spring. In Hampshire these insects are " Dum- 
 bledors ;" in other districts "Bumble-Bees" and "Hummel- 
 Bees ;" while in Scotland the brown species are known as the 
 " Foggie-Bee," no idea apparently existing that there is more 
 than one species of that colour. The Humble-Bees are all social 
 insects, and live in communities, consisting, as in the case of the 
 Honey-Bee, of males, females, and workers, the number of indi- 
 viduals in each nest being small, however, in comparison with 
 the teeming population of the hive, and never exceeding two or 
 three hundred. The nests of these insects are for the most part 
 constructed on the surface of the ground, in meadows, pastures, 
 and open woods, the material employed being moss, when the 
 builders can get it, and when not, any convenient material that 
 comes to hand. Mr. Smith mentions a case in which a knowing 
 " Foggie-Bee," being hard driven for material for her domicile, 
 repaired to a stable, and gathering up little bundles of the short 
 hair which had been curried from the horses, set about composing 
 her nest entirely of horse-hair. In the case of some of the Humble- 
 Bees, the nests are built under ground ; and this difference in 
 habit is marked, it seems, by a great difference in the spirit of 
 the architects, for while the above-ground builders exhibit very 
 little courage or pugnacity, the dwellers below defend their nests 
 with much resolution. 
 
 The Solitary-Bees exhibit great diversity of taste in the matter
 
 58 HA.BITS OF SOLITARY-BEES. 
 
 of house-building. In the pleasant pages of Kirby and Spence 
 they stand arranged as Clothier-Bees, Carpenter-Bees, Llason- 
 Bees, Upholsterer-Bees, and Leaf-Cutting Bees, to which amplo 
 list of Bee tradesmen Mr. Rennie, in his " Insect Architecture," 
 very properly adds the Mining-Bees. These designations arc of 
 course somewhat fanciful, though there is sufficient foundation in 
 fact to allow of their use ; and there is this further resemblance 
 between the human and the bee* worker, that when, from local 
 circumstances, one trade fails, or cannot be followed, the in- 
 dustrious insect can, as easily as the industrious man, turn his 
 hand to another : the carpenter becomes mason, or the mason, 
 miner. In the situations chosen for the construction of the 
 nest, and the manner in which the nest is formed, there is au 
 almost endless diversity. The Mining-Bees form their excava- 
 tions very commonly in the sunny sides of clifis and sandbanks, 
 or in hard and beaten pathways this latter fact having been 
 noticed so long ago as the days of Homer. The Carpenter-Bees 
 tunnel out old posts aud railings, or the decaying trunks of trees. 
 The Masons build their nests in the holes of trees and the cracks 
 of walls, and sometimes in such curious places as the empty shells 
 of snails, that lie half-buried in hedge-banks. Some of the 
 smaller species tunnel out the pith of bramble stems ; while 
 others find a convenient abode in the hollow tubes of straw 
 thatch. No place that can in any way be made available comes 
 amiss ; and he who " loves to hear the wild bees' hum," and 
 follows them in their various haunts to study the details of their 
 history, will often be struck with their strange and wonderful 
 devices in obviating difficulties, and accommodating themselves lo 
 circumstances. 
 
 In the summer of 1857 we discovered a most singular habit 
 in one of the Carpenter-Bees, which, so far as was known at the 
 time, had never before been observed. The Bee in question is a 
 little fellow, with a thin, elongated body, and rejoices in the name 
 Chelostoma florisomne, which, however frightful it may look in 
 entomological Latin, is both pretty and appropriate when rendered 
 into English, as the " lip- mouthed flower sleeper." The first part 
 of this name speaks for itself, and the second is thus explained : 
 Our little Bee is of a convivial turn, and is given to staying out 
 at nights. Occasionally, therefore, of a summer evening, instead 
 of returning home to the old post or rail in which his nest is
 
 CURIOUS DISCOVERY. 59 
 
 tunnelled out, it betakes itself, with some half-dozen boon com- 
 panions, to a capacioufcdandelion, and there makes a night of it. 
 The darkness coming on the flower, of course, shuts up ; and 
 then the boozy company, huddled up together, have to pass the 
 night as best they can. In early morning, when the flowers 
 arc first opening to the sunshine, you may often light upon theao 
 little knots of topers, in that stupid, half-awake condition which 
 plainly warns you they have- had a jovial night. The tiling is 
 of constant occurrence, and hence the name the little tipplers 
 bear. 
 
 Now for our discovery, which relates, indeed, to another and 
 still stranger manner in which this little Bee sometimes passes 
 the midnight hours. In searching along a hedgerow one after- 
 noon, we came upon a spot where a number of small Bees v ere 
 flying about a dead bush of hawthorn, which had been thrust 
 into the hedge to stop a gap. Looking closely at the dead and 
 leafless bush, we were surprised at seeing a considerable number 
 of the Bees impaled, apparently, on the points of the thorns ; 
 but a nearer inspection showed us that the little fellows were 
 voluntarily holding on to the thorn points with their mandibles, 
 their bodies being held out straight and rigid, and their legs 
 folded placidly beneath. Our presence seemed in no way to in- 
 terrupt them, and continual fresh arrivals at the bush came and 
 settled within a few inches of us. It was a curious spectacle, 
 and we watched it intently. The little fellows all assumed their 
 attitude of repose in the same manner, first alighting on a twig 01 
 the bush, then getting on the chosen thorn, with their heads 
 towards the point, and when at the very extremity, turning 
 themselves round, seizing the point with their mandibles, and 
 stretching out their bodies straight and stiff. It was getting late, 
 and suspecting the insects were settling themselves for the night, 
 we visited the place again early the following morning, when, to 
 our astonishment, the thorns were still bristling with Bees, that 
 had apparently remained motionless throughout the night, still 
 holding on by their jaws alone ! We wrenched off a twig with a 
 dozen of the Bees attached to it, and yet not one of them relaxed 
 its hold : we held it up, swung it as we went along, and still they 
 held on, and kept their bodies out as rigid as before ! 
 
 Xcver having seen any record of this singular habit, we wrote 
 to Mr. F. Smith on the subject, and he brought the matter before
 
 60 THE GLOW-WOKM. 
 
 the Entomological Society as a circumstance equally new to 
 himself. Oddly enough, however, a few months later, Mr. Smith 
 received a notice of similar observations on several allied species 
 of these insects from M. Gueinzius at the Cape of Good Hope, 
 and twelve months after these observations of M. Gueinzius were 
 published, and nearly two years after the publication of our own, 
 Mr. Edward Newman inserted in the " Zoologist," a short note, 
 in which he announces that he has been familiar with the fact 
 for nearly thirty years. It seems, therefore, that, curious as it 
 is, there is nothing absolutely new in this discovery of " Bees 
 roosting by the mandibular process." 
 
 No order of insects perhaps exhibits a greater variety of forms 
 and of corresponding habits than the Coleoptera, or Beetle tribe 
 not including, however, the so-called Black-beetle, that pest ot 
 most London houses, and of many country ones to boot, which in 
 reality is not a beetle at all, but a near connection of the cricket 
 and the grasshopper. In exchange for the " Black-beetle," the 
 coleopterist claims the Glow-worm, which is his of right, with a 
 good many of the " fire-flies " of tropic lands. It is now pretty 
 well known that it is the female Glow-worm alone that lights up 
 the little lamp to be seen in our hedgerows in summer, although 
 the poets have very commonly assigned the function to the male, 
 which is only slightly luminous, and is rarely seen. Thus 
 Shakspeare has 
 
 " The glow-worm shows the matin to be near, 
 And 'gins to pale his ineffectual fire." 
 
 Cowper also, in his verses on the insect, does the same 
 
 " Tis power Almighty bids him shine, 
 Nor bids him shine in vain." 
 
 And Eogers, in his verses on the fire-flies of the Tusculan groves, 
 in his poem " Italy," gives us " him " and " his " throughout, in 
 his references to our own Glow-worm. Both Montgomery and 
 Moore, however, give the lady-beetle the credit that is her due, and 
 assign the true reason for the display, when, as the former says, 
 she lights her lamp 
 
 " To captivate her favourite fly, 
 And tempt the rover through the dark." 
 
 The light is most intense in those females which have only re-
 
 HABITS OF THE GLOW-WORM. 61 
 
 cently emerged from the pupa state ; and on calm dewy evenings, 
 in June or July, they may frequently be discovered wandering 
 restlessly about in their favourite haunts mounting the blades o. 
 grass and other slight eminences twisting their bodies right and 
 left and flashing out their light into the darkness of the night, to 
 signalize the roving males of the whereabouts of their situation. 
 
 The two sexes of the Glow-worm differ greatly from each other 
 in appearance ; the female being a wingless, elongated, flat-bodied 
 creature, possessed, however, of six legs, and in other respects 
 very unlike a " worm ;" while the male is a true beetle, endowed 
 with wings and wing-cases, and a pair of immense eyes, which 
 are evidently intended to facilitate the discovery of his morn, 
 brilliant mate. But those fine eyes are apt at times to deceive 
 the gentleman, for he is easily lured by artificial light, and some- 
 times wings his way to swift destruction. We have two of these 
 insects which flew to us one summer night while sitting with a 
 lamp at an open window ; the little rovers having doubtless been 
 attracted by what they mistook for an unusual display on the 
 part of some fair lady. 
 
 It is a pity to say anything ungracious about a little creature 
 so wrapped up in poetical associations and pleasant memories as 
 the Glow-worm, and yet the truth must be told. It feeds, then, 
 good reader, not on violets and primroses, not even on the 
 common greenery of the hedgerows, but on flesh the flesh of 
 enails, and eats it most voraciously ! The Glow-worm strikes at 
 the snail as it crawls along, and by repeated bites speedily para- 
 lyzes and kills its prey, which it then commences devouring, and 
 seldom leaves for more than a few minutes until the whole of the 
 body is consumed. The voracity of the little creature is ex- 
 treme, and one may sometimes see four or five of them together 
 in a snail-shell, feasting and gorging upon their prey, plunging 
 their little heads and erected mandibles into the viscera of the snail, 
 and continuing thus for hours together. And this fierce and rave- 
 nous little creature is the Glow-worm ! "Well may we say with 
 Mr. Douglas, " Let us draw a veil over the scene, and, as with 
 some examples of human genius, be content with the ultimate 
 lustre, without inquiring into the minutiae of its origin and 
 support."* 
 
 * The World of Insects : a Guide to its Wonders. Van Voorst. London
 
 62 ANTS'-NEST BEETLES. 
 
 The attention of coleopterists has been a good deal directed of 
 late years to a tribe of small Beetles, which are found in the 
 nests of various species of Ants, by whom they are watched over 
 and provided for with the greatest solicitude. The loves of the 
 Ants and the Aphides having long been celebrated, and the con- 
 nection between these Beetles and the Ants, in whose nests they 
 are retained, appears to be of a very similar character, and scarcely 
 less remarkable. It is extremely curious to observe the anxiety 
 which the Ants manifest for the safety of the Beetles, when a 
 nest containing any of them is disturbed. Immediately the 
 covering of the nest is removed, the Ants seize the Beetles in 
 their mouths, and run off with them to the interior chambers of 
 the nest in great alarm : and if, in the confusion of the moment, 
 one of the Beetles should chance to escape beyond the boundaries 
 of the nest, some of the Ants, directly it is seen, set off in pursuit 
 of the runaway, and bring him back nor are they at all disposed 
 to part with their burthen to the collector. The subject is by no 
 means fully investigated as yet ; but so far as is at present known, 
 the Ants retain these Beetles, as they attend the Aphides, solely 
 for the sake of the secretion they obtain from them. It appears 
 that the Beetles are for the most part kept quite secluded from 
 the outer world, and are wholly dependent for support on the 
 Ants, who are said rather fancifully we suspect to feed them 
 with the juices of flowers. 
 
 These Ants'-nest Beetles being but sparingly represented in 
 most of our collections at present, the poor Antg have their 
 establishments sadly tumbled about in the eagerness of collectors 
 to secure specimens. The ardour of the search is considerably 
 enhanced by the fact, that some of the species already found here 
 are extremely rare, and that it is quite possible others not yet 
 known as British may turn up in a lucky moment. But if the 
 prizes are great, the expenditure of time and trouble to secure 
 them is not small. The instructions that are given as to the 
 proper mode of securing these pigmy treasures, are rather dis- 
 couraging. In order to go to work successfully, the first business 
 is to convey a supply of large rough stones or bricks to the wood 
 which is to be the scene of action ; that done, three or four ot 
 the stones are to be placed around the sloping sides of every ant's 
 nest, and then your traps are laid. Now visit the nests as often 
 as possible distance of course not to be thought of: tie your
 
 MODE OF COLLECTING. 63 
 
 trouser-legs and coat-sleeves tightly about your ankles and 
 wrists, and turn up the stones. If the objects of your search are 
 to be had, they will be found on the under surface of the stone, 
 or beneath it. If not successful with one stone, or one nest, try 
 another, and another, and still another. In the search after 
 rarities, patience is indispensable, for not more than one nest in 
 twenty contains beetles ; and in the case of special rarities, the 
 collector may have to wait for years before his eyes are gladdened 
 by the sight of the long-desired prize. 
 
 If any reader should fancy he could improve upon this 
 " patient " system by opening tip the Ants' nests, and prying 
 narrowly into their recesses, let him beware. In the first place, 
 the Ants themselves would resent this procedure in a fashion 
 not comfortable to the collector; and, in the second place, so 
 great would be the ire of the whole brotherhood of beetle- 
 catchers, that the innovator, if detected in the act, would be in 
 danger of a ducking in the nearest horsepond. The truth is, 
 that by upsetting the Ants' nests, the Ants themselves are 
 destroyed, and all possibility of future profit from them taken 
 away. It is like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. In 
 France, moreover, this wanton destruction of Ants' nests is now 
 strictly prohibited for another reason. The proprietors of woods, 
 and others interested in the preservation of game, discovered 
 that the reckless proceedings of the entomologists threatened 
 speedily to extirpate the Ants, and thus to deprive the young 
 pheasants and othei game birds of their chief source of subsist- 
 ence. On this account, an interdict has been laid upon all 
 further entomological havoc. Let all collectors, therefore, either 
 adopt the " patient " and " laborious " system described above, or 
 leave the Ants'-nest Beetles alone. 
 
 The great body of the collectors of insects in this country give 
 their attention more or less exclusively to the single order 
 Lepidoptem. The Butterflies and Moths are so much more 
 gaily coloured than most other insects, and make such an attrac- 
 tive display in the drawers of a cabinet, that it is no wonder 
 they hold the first place in popular favour. In the literature of 
 entomology, too, these insects hold the first rank ; the splendid 
 works that are devoted to their illustration more than eclipsing 
 all that are published on all the other orders put together. The 
 grandest book of this sort yet published is Dr. Herrich-Schaffer's
 
 64 MICRO-LEPIDOPTEIIA. 
 
 great work on the " Lepidoptera of Europe," completed only twd 
 or three years since, and now to be had in six quarto volumes for 
 the sum of thirty pounds ! No less remarkable in its way, how- 
 ever, is Mr. Stainton's " .Natural History of the Tineina ;" a work 
 which, though elucidating only one section of small moths those, 
 namely, allied to the Clothes-Moth, and which are for the most 
 part much smaller even than that little depredator is yet pub- 
 lished in four different languages English, French, German, and 
 Latin printed in parallel columns, and in illustrated octavo 
 volumes, of which there will probably be upwards of twenty be- 
 fore the series is complete ! 
 
 The little Moths which are thus being honoured with a 
 polyglot history, and portraits executed in the highest style of 
 art, are amongst the most beautiful, and, in the details of their 
 private lives, the most interesting members of the entire lepidop- 
 terous order. In the larvae state they are very generally what are 
 termed " leaf miners," the minute caterpillars living on the fleshy 
 pulp of leaves, between the under and the upper skin, where, 
 like the students of our Inns of Court, they eat their way, pro- 
 ducing those white blotches and tortuous lines so often seen on 
 the foliage of plants by the way-side. There is, however, an 
 almost endless diversity of habit among these " micro " larva?, 
 some species feeding externally, others in rolled-up leaves, others 
 again patching out for themselves little cases from the old 
 clothes in our cupboards, or the linings of our sofas ; while 
 several species creep, snail-like, over old walls and palings, in 
 cases constructed of bits of grass or particles of earth. Some of 
 these case-bearing larva?, besides eating the soft pulp of the leaf, 
 make use also of the skin itself, out of this constructing their 
 conical teat-like cases, in which they wander about, always in 
 danger, apparently, of having their houses toppling over, and 
 looking the oddest little creatures imaginable. It is wonderful, 
 too, to notice with what careful instinct these little tent-dwellers 
 spin down their cases to the surface of the leaves, when about to 
 moult or pass into the pupa state ; though Messrs. Kirby and 
 Spence, with a love for the marvellous which is always apt to 
 carry them astray, have in one instance singularly misunderstood 
 the nature of this precautionary measure. " The caterpillar of 
 a little moth," we are told, " knows how to imitate the air-pump, 
 producing a vacuum, when necessary for its purpose, without any
 
 HISTORIAN OF TINEINA. 65 
 
 piston beside its own body ;" the simple fact being that the 
 caterpillar in question spins down its case a little firmer than its 
 fellows, though by the same means, and without in any way 
 imitating the action of the air-pump. 
 
 It is due to the historian of the Tineina, before passing away 
 from his protege's, that we should make mention of his eminent 
 services to the cause of entomology. No one living has laboured 
 more arduously than Mr. Stainton on behalf of the science he 
 loves so well ; and though, as we have before intimated, the new 
 edition of the " Introduction to Entomology " has greatly contri- 
 buted to the present increased popularity of entomological studies, 
 it is in a great measure to Mr. Stain ton's previous exertions that 
 the republication of that work is due. In his capacity of editor 
 of both " Annual " and " Intelligencer," Mr. Stainton is exert- 
 ing a wide-spread and powerful influence over the rising race of 
 entomologists ; and though it is very probable he may have 
 amongst his readers many more mere collectors than earnest 
 students of insect economy, it will not be his fault if, with re- 
 peated wise counsels and intelligent advice, they do not all 
 become entomologists worthy of the name. 
 
 One thing which greatly pleases us in Mr. Stainton is, that, while 
 he can be precise and technical when occasion requires, he has yet 
 the knack of infusing a genial pleasantly into all his writings, 
 and with a keen relish for the beauties of nature himself, con- 
 trives very happily to set them forth for the benefit of his 
 readers. In the little volume, "June," most appropriately 
 called " A Book for the Country in Summer Time," there are 
 many passages which bear out what we have said ; and that our 
 readers may judge for themselves, we will insert here a little 
 word-picture from another source, which, though meant for 
 children, has about it a charm that older people will admire. 
 It is one of the passages from the "Educational Sheet of But- 
 terflies" which should find a place in every schoolroom and 
 mirsery : 
 
 " It is the summer-time, the pleasant, happy summer-time. 
 The lattice cottage -window stands open ; the caged thrush sings 
 merrily on the outside, half concealed by the bower of roses and 
 honeysuckle. The good wife comes to the door, to see if her 
 husband is yet returning for his mid-day meal. She glances 
 round the garden, and spies, sitting on a marigold, a butterfly,
 
 66 THE BUTTERFLY BATTLE. 
 
 gorgeous with all the colours of the rainbow in short, a peacock 
 butterfly. 
 
 " Just then John puts his hand upon the gate. ' Oh, John, 
 such a beautiful butterfly !' ' Where ?' says John. ' There,' says 
 Jane, pointing to the marigold, on which something like a leaf 
 of a dull brown-black colour was sitting. ' Call that beauti- 
 ful ?' said John ; and he lifted up a stone to throw at it. ' Yes, 
 John ; see, see !' and as she spoke it opened it wings, and again 
 displayed its glories. It walked across the flower, turning round 
 the while. ' It is beautiful,' said John ; and he let the stone drop, 
 half ashamed. They both stood watching the butterfly for some 
 minutes, and saw it unfold its long spiral tongue to suck the honey 
 from the flower. 
 
 " Presently another butterfly, much smaller, came to the very 
 flower on which the peacock was sitting. The peacock rose to 
 repel the intruder; but the new-comer, which was a small 
 copper, and not a fourth of the size of the original occupier of the 
 flower, was not to be easily intimidated, and fiercely gave battle. 
 ' Eh ! there's pluck for you,' said John. ' True,' said Jane ; ' I 
 wonder at the impudence of the little creature.' But the battle 
 was ended ; the peacock had gone into a neighbour's garden ; and 
 the small copper returned in triumph to the marigold, and dis- 
 played its splendid livery of burnished copper, now seen in all 
 its glory, as the sun shone brightly from behind a cloud. John 
 took more notice of butterflies after that day." 
 
 A small matter, reader, truly ; but is there not a glow of sun- 
 shine upon it ? 
 
 The Small Copper and the Peacock, however, beautiful as they 
 are, belong to the commonalty of the butterfly tribe, and may be 
 had almost everywhere, and without much trouble. It is just the 
 same with some others that are equally pretty, as, for example, 
 the Common Blue, and the dainty Orange Tip, not to forget the 
 showy Alderman or Pied Admiral, which, in their favourite 
 haunts, may be found in abundance throughout the country. 
 
 Not so is it, however, with others of the number ; and great is 
 the flutter amongst the green gauze nets when the season ap- 
 proaches for any of the rarities to appear. The reader may judge 
 of the excitement that obtains amongst collectors when anything 
 particularly ** good " is to be had, by the following announcement, 
 taken just as it stands, from one of the numbers of the " Intel- 
 ligencer :"
 
 TRAPPING AN EMPEROK. 67 
 
 ' LATEST INTELLIGENCE. 
 
 " Colias Hyale and Edusa have both just been captured near 
 Bognor. Further particulars in our next." 
 
 Further particulars in our next! One could almost fancy it 
 was the first intimation of some fearful railway accident ; and it 
 certainly does look like being " serious upon trifles." Still, the 
 Clouded Yellows are fine butterflies, and those who know them, 
 and how difficult they are in some years to obtain, will not be 
 surprised at a little enthusiasm. One of the greatest prizes 
 amongst our native butterflies is Apatura Iris, which occurs 
 in the woods of the south. This is the insect of which Crabbe 
 sings 
 
 " Above the sovereign oak a sovereign skims, 
 The purple emp'ror, strong in wing and limbs ;" 
 
 and, unfortunately for the collector, it is high up above the oaks 
 and quite out of reach that the Emperor is most frequently seen. 
 Like some other imperial personages, however, Iris is said to 
 have a gross appetite, and has at times been captured while feast- 
 ing on garbage by the side of muddy pools ; and a case is re- 
 corded in which a collector captured no less than eighty of these 
 insects, within a few days, by the simple expedient of nailing 
 against the side of a house, in a wood where they occur, a bit of 
 rabbit-skin and the wing of a bird ! One would hardly have 
 thought that such a commonplace device would have so gone 
 to the heart of an emperor. 
 
 In collecting Butterflies, the course is easy enough, the col- 
 lector having the daylight in his favour. But how shall he 
 obtain the Moths, which, for the most part, fly only at night ? 
 Well, in the first place, he can collect the caterpillars, or dig 
 for the pupse, which he can do by daylight, and then rear his 
 specimens, and so obtain them in a much finer condition than 
 any he can get by other means. But the Moths themselves 
 may readily be captured. The ingenuity of collectors has not 
 only overcome the difficulty which the nocturnal habits of most 
 of the tribe interposed, but has rendered it even easier to obtain 
 the night-fliers than those that flit about by day. The first and 
 principal device employed is that of " sugaring." The collector, 
 armed with a mixture of sugar and beer, goes to the woods or
 
 68 SUGARING AXD LIGHT. 
 
 lanes, or stays at home in his own garden, and as the dusk draws 
 on, spreads the tempting mixture in broad patches on posts, and 
 palings, and the trunks of trees ; and, before long, lo ! the sweet 
 aroma has reached the keen sense of the Moth community, who 
 come forth from their secret hiding-places, and flock in troops 
 to the spread-out banquet. But alcohol is alcohol, even to 
 Moths ; and when, after a while, the collector goes his round 
 with his bull's-eye lantern, the lon-vivants who have been lured 
 so easily fo suck his sweets are boxed without resistance. 
 
 The revolution that has been wrought in our collections since 
 this mode of capture came into use, has been extraordinary. 
 Insects which were before accounted rare, are taken in abun- 
 dance ; and new species have been added to our list, which the 
 cunningest collectors before had failed to capture. 
 
 But there is one tribe of Moths, containing some of our largest 
 and most beautiful species, for which the sugared post has no 
 attractions. They practise the most rigid total abstinence, and 
 are never once to be seen amongst the alcoholic revellers. But 
 the collector knows them, and their weak points too. For them 
 he has the open window, and the lamp upon the table. Light 
 now does what sugar failed to do before ; and the collector will 
 sometimes have a levee, in which fresh comers continue to arrive 
 the whole night long. The largest of our native Lepidoptera, the 
 great Death's Head Hawk-Moth (Acherontia atropos'), is some- 
 times taken in this manner, and occasionally pays an unwelcome 
 visit to houses, where his huge form and his ominous squeal spread 
 terror amongst the inmates. In some places the street gas-lamps 
 attract a considerable number of Moths ; and one of Mr. Stain- 
 ton's correspondents has lately been expatiating on the advantages 
 to be gained from " making friends with the lamplighter." 
 
 Another method employed by collectors a method which 
 sometimes does what neither sugar nor light can accomplish 
 shall be given in the words of Mr. Douglas : " In May the Fox- 
 moth careers madly over the fields now close to you, now out 
 of sight ; yet there is ' method in his madness ;' he is fiercely in 
 love, and is in search of his bride, who rests passively expecting 
 his attentions, and good-naturedly or pettishly waiting till her 
 lover's vagaries are over. Observe the spot he most alfects, and 
 by looking carefully, you will probably see his lady-love deep 
 among the heather, or ascending the stems ; then station yourself
 
 SiiL r :irin< for Moth-;. 
 
 Page 68.
 
 SALLOWS AND IVY. 69 
 
 near, and you will soon have a chance of catching the rover ; 
 but, as he conies like a whirlwind, it is most likely you will 
 miss him if you strike too soon : the Fabian policy is the best, 
 and you will succeed by delay." It is a common plan with the 
 collectors in the north, when they have reared a female of the 
 Fox-moth, or any of its allies, to take her to some locality fre- 
 quented by the species, and, by means of her attractive powers, 
 gain possession of many of her gallant admirers. The lady, of 
 course, is safely secured from her suitors, who, with a marvellous 
 power of discovering her whereabouts, come hurrying on from 
 all points of the compass, and crowd about her cage perfectly 
 regardless of their own safety. There are several of these wild, 
 day-flying Moths, including the beautiful Kentish Glory (Endro- 
 mis versicolor") the males of which may be taken by this means 
 far more readily than by any other, though it generally happens 
 that their headlong flight has considerably damaged their ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 In addition to these modes of capture, which the collector 
 devises for himself, twice in the year, at least, he finds a glorious 
 opportunity of adding to his store provided ready to his hands. 
 The first of these comes with 
 
 " The satin-shining palm, 
 
 On sallows in the windy gleams of March," 
 
 and the second, towards the close of autumn, when the ivy puts 
 out its rich clusters of colourless blossoms. " Sallows " and 
 " ivy," therefore, are most suggestive words to the collector of 
 our nocturnal Lepidoptera, reminding him of occasions when, 
 with little trouble, he may gain possession of several much- 
 coveted species, not otherwise easy to obtain. The truth is, that 
 the " palm" of the sallows, and the more ordinary blossoms of 
 the ivy, not only attract the Moths in great abundance, but seem 
 to have the same intoxicating influence over them as the pre- 
 pared " sugar," so that the collector has but to go with his lantern 
 after dark and beat the bushes over his net to make sure of a 
 plentiful supply of incapables, from which he can select the prizes 
 at leisure. 
 
 Nothing is more curious than the striking differences which 
 obtain with respect to the area over which certain insects are
 
 70 DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES. 
 
 distributed. It has already been stated that some of our native 
 Lepidoptera are to be had in almost equal abundance in all 
 parts of the country alike, but there are several species whose 
 range is just as restricted. Thus one of the Skippers a group 
 intermediate between the typical Butterflies and the Moths is 
 confined almost exclusively to a spot on the Dorsetshire coast 
 known as Lulworth Cove ; although it there occurs in such 
 profusion, that Mr. Douglas once caught a hundred in about two 
 hours, frequently taking five or six in his net at one stroke. 
 But a far more curious case is that of a little Moth (Boletobia 
 fuliginaria) that from its colour deserves the name of the 
 chimney-sweep, and which has occurred in this country nowhere 
 but in the metropolis, the only recorded localities for it being, of 
 all places in the world, Blackfriars Bridge, Fleet Street, and a 
 coal-cellar at Chelsea ! 
 
 Between this extreme of restriction in range and the almost 
 universal diffusion of our commoner species, there is every 
 possible variation. The beautiful Hawthorn Butterfly, or Black- 
 veiued White (Aporia cratcegi), is now one of oui most local 
 species ; but some years ago it appears to have been widely distri- 
 buted, and in the neighbourhood of London its caterpillars used 
 every spring to do great damage to the fruit trees. Occasionally 
 it happens that insects, which are usually accounted somewhat 
 rare, make their appearance in great profusion. The Clouded 
 Yellow already noticed is one of these ; so also is the great 
 Death's Head Hawk-Moth, which a few years since occurred in 
 such abundance, that the pupa: were turned up by the hundred 
 in potato-fields in all parts of the country. But a still more 
 remarkable instance is that of the Convolvulus Hawk-Moth 
 (Sphinx convolvuli), which, though almost unknown in the larva 
 state, and generally an insect of rare occurrence, has yet on two 
 or three recent occasions been taken in abundance all over the 
 country ; one specimen which fell in our own way, having been 
 found one morning comfortably settled on the knocker of a 
 street door in the classic region of Shoreditch ! 
 
 The old collectors say that these seasons of profusion come 
 round periodically, and they point to the lovelv Painted Lady 
 (Cynthia cardui) as an insect which swarms in this way every 
 seventh year. Our own experience, however, would lead us to 
 doubt the truth of this assumption ; and, in so far as Cardui
 
 VARIETIES IN FLIGHT. 71 
 
 herself is concerned, who, by-the-way, is a "bonafide " beauty 
 ivithout paint," we have always found her far too coy and uncer- 
 tain to be able to count upon her special appearance with any 
 such regularity. 
 
 Gilbert White states that a little attention would enable an 
 observer to distinguish the different species of birds by the 
 character of their flight ; and the same remark holds good of 
 insects, but more especially of the Butterflies aiid Moths. The 
 Skippers tell the story of their flight in the name they bear ; 
 and in the same way that gay little visitor to our gardens, the 
 Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth has earned its name, its habit of 
 poising itself over flowers, and the vivacity of its movements as 
 it darts from point to point, giving it a striking resemblance to 
 the tiny feathered gems of the American tropical forests. In 
 the dusk of evening, the snowy Ghost-Moth oscillates to and fro 
 over the tops of the long grass, in the fields and churchyards'"; 
 and in broad daylight, in crowded city thoroughfares, the littlo 
 Vapourer-Moth hurries wildly along in its zigzag path, and 
 like that famous pig immortalized by Leigh Hunt, in his essay 
 " On the Graces and Anxieties of Pig-driving," dances " up and 
 down all manner of streets." The insect most famous for the 
 elegance of its flight is the White Admiral, so named from an 
 oblique white band which stretches across the sooty upper 
 surface of its wings; and there is a story told of a veteran 
 collector, who when no longer able to take the field afoot, used 
 regularly to drive out to the woods and take his seat on a gate, 
 where he could feast his eyes in watching the graceful evolutions 
 of his favourite fly. 
 
 One day, perhaps, we shall see this old gentleman on canvas, 
 " happy as a king ;" and the picture will form a capital com- 
 panion to that of the gouty Waltonian, muffled up in his bath- 
 chair, plying the angle in a water-butt. 
 
 But we must pause. Let us say, in concluding, that the 
 pleasures of entomology are only half enjoyed by the stay-at- 
 home student. In order to know what the delights of the 
 science really are, one must go forth afield, and study the busy 
 tribes in their own proper homes ; and there is this additional 
 advantage in so doing, that, besides attaining his special object 
 in observing or collecting insects, the entomologist enjoys, as few
 
 72 GENTLEMAN WAIFE. 
 
 others can, the beautiful scenes amid which he plies his voca- 
 tion. It is quite true, as Gentleman "VVaife puts it, " Fortune 
 and Nature are earnest females, though popular beauties; and 
 they do not look upon coquettish triflers in the light of genuine 
 wooers."
 
 73 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN APOLOGY FOB SNAILS. 
 
 " Aii inadvertent step may crush the snail 
 That crawls at evening in the public path ; 
 Yet, he that has humanity, forewarned, 
 Will step aside, and let the reptile live." 
 
 IT will be better, perhaps, to begin by frankly confessing that 
 we have ourselves a great partiality for Snails. We admire 
 them, make pets of them, and feel rather pleased than otherwise ; 
 therefore, when they make themselves at home in our little back 
 garden, which is very neat and pretty, the neighbours say, 
 notwithstanding. 
 
 The admission we have made will be a very damaging one, 
 no doubt, in the estimation of all grave, sober-minded people ; 
 and we are not sure that it is altogether politic to be so forward 
 with the avowal. But as it is, we openly acknowledge the 
 predilection. Nay, more than that, we are prepared to defend 
 it ; and make bold to assert that there is not one person in a 
 hundred always excepting, of course, market-gardeners and 
 amateur floricultural monomaniacs who, if he (or she) were 
 better acquainted with the Snail fraternity, would not regard 
 them with something more of kindly tolerant feeling, even if 
 they did not go the length that we do, of positively admiring 
 them. 
 
 The truth is, we have been so led away by prejudice and 
 foolish antipathy against the little familiar things that are 
 constantly before our eyes in fields, and gardens, and hedgerows, 
 that we assume, as a matter of course, there can be nothing 
 worth knowing about them ; and if they at all incommode us, or 
 do the slightest harm to our possessions, they are straightway 
 doomed to a pitiless extermination. But surely it is high time 
 that we began to understand these matters a little better. If 
 there be one thing more than another that the researches of our
 
 74: ORIGIN OF THE FAMILY. 
 
 savants and philosophers have taught us of late years in respect 
 to natural history, it is that the're is, so to speak, nothing 
 " common or unclean " in Nature's works ; and that, if we only 
 use our eyes to see it, we may often find more of interest and 
 beauty in the little and unheeded objects at our feet, than in 
 those that men have gone to the ends of the earth to obtain. 
 Who ever dreamed what a world of wonders there is in the 
 strip of shore laid bare by every ebb of the tide, till Johnston, 
 and Forbes, and Gosse pointed it out to us ? And, to go a little 
 further back, could anybody ever have imagined that the insect 
 tribes would furnish the material for such a treasure-house of 
 pleasure and of profit as that dear old " Introduction to Ento- 
 mology " by Kirby and Spence ? And so it is all through the 
 animal series ; in the most familiar and insignificant members . of 
 it there is still much to surprise and gratify to wonder at and 
 admire. 
 
 But, not to deal too much in these generalities, let us return 
 to our subject, and affirm, that the Snails, much despised, he- 
 kicked, and be-crushed as they have been and are, do really 
 deserve more considerate treatment, to be got rid of undoubt- 
 edly, if their rations are of consequence, but still to be looked at 
 and understood. Our partiality for the race has led us to study 
 their history, their curious structure, their habits, and general 
 economy ; and not satisfied with the British representatives of 
 the family, we have tried to pick up some information with 
 respect to the Snails of other lands, and especially those of the 
 " glorious tropics," where the family has its head-quarters, and 
 puts on a very imposing appearance. The reader will bear with 
 us, perhaps, for a brief space, while we discourse to him on these 
 matters in no very serious vein, of course ; but still so as to 
 make good our position, that your little, despised Mollusc is 
 worthy of attentive consideration. 
 
 We will open the case by claiming for the Snails the respect 
 that is always accorded to old and long-established families. 
 There were Snails before the Flood before Adam even in those 
 far-remote eras of the past, when the lower orders of the animal 
 creation had the world all to themselves. The family seems to 
 have " come in " somewhere about the time when the huge 
 Dinotherium wallowed in the rivers of central Europe ; and it is 
 not at all improbable that some of the earliest members of it
 
 THE GARDEN SNAIL. 75 
 
 may have banqueted on the self-same herbage which sustained 
 the enormous bulk of that unwieldy monster. Later down, 
 in the classic days of Greece and Eome, the Snails were not 
 only known, but held in great repute, and regularly had the 
 honour of appearing at the tables of wealthy epicures, fresh from 
 contact with a silver gridiron. It was in those clays, indeed, 
 that the tribe derived the family name by which it has ever 
 since been known Helix, a spiral, being the name that was 
 given to the dainty morsel ; while the same term, metamor- 
 phosed into HeUcidce, new stands, all the world over where the 
 science of Zoology obtains, as the distinctive appellation of the 
 wide-spread family. All that by the way, however : what we 
 want to impress upon our readers is, that if there be any honour 
 attached to long descent and distinguished connections, then that 
 honour can fairly be claimed by the Snail family. 
 
 It may be as well, too, to observe at once, that though the 
 representatives of the family which make themselves at home in 
 our fields and hedges have nothing particularly attractive in 
 their appearance, that is not by any means the case with those 
 branches of the family that reside abroad. In " foreign parts " 
 there are Snails to be found as far exceeding our own in delicacy 
 and beauty of colouring as there are birds and insects that excel 
 in brilliancy the winged tribes of our woods and fields. 
 
 But these gaily-coloured individuals belong, of course, to the 
 rich pastures and the sunny skies of tropic regions ; and we do 
 not mean to call in their aid just yet, in order to make good our 
 position as to the claims of the family. Let us come back, 
 therefore, to the little fellow with the dusky spotted shell that 
 crawls across our garden-path, and to his somewhat prettier 
 companions of the hedgerow. We will introduce them in due 
 form Helix aspersa, the Garden Snail ; Helix nemoralis, the 
 yellow or banded Snail of the wayside banks and hedges. And 
 now observe that they make their way in the world by means 
 of an expanded disc or foot, which, as it is in close contact with 
 the ventral region of the body, has procured for the tribe a place 
 amongst the great class of Gastropods, or belly-footed Molluscs. 
 The foot itselt is a very curious organ, and consists of a nearly 
 uniform mass of muscular fibres, interwoven much in the same 
 way as those of the human tongue. The regular gliding motion 
 with which the common Snails crawl along, is due to a pair of
 
 76 DELICATE REVELATIONS. 
 
 muscles extending along the centre of the foot ; but in eonie of 
 the species the surface of the foot is divided by a longitudinal 
 line along the centre, the muscles on the two sides of which act 
 in rotation, and so cause the animals to progress in a perpetual 
 zigzag. The glistening slimy tracks which they leave behind 
 " the silver-slimy trails," as poor Clare calls them are pro- 
 duced by a discharge of mucus, designed to protect their tender 
 bodies, and smooth the asperities of their way. It must be a 
 very comfortable thing for the Snails to be able to carpet their 
 path in this easy off-hand manner, and we confess we like to see 
 the silvery line on posts and palings or gravelly walks , but 
 when, as happens sometimes, the little fellows pay us a visit, 
 in our parlour, where the place is carpeted beforehand, they 
 might be considerate enough to wipe their feet before coming in. 
 We must not omit to mention in this part of our discourse, 
 the pretty conceit that obtains in some parts of the country as 
 to the power of the Snail to reveal to tender-hearted maidens the 
 names of their destined sweethearts. May-day morning is the 
 auspicious occasion on which the disclosure can alone be made, 
 and never do the entire Snail family meet with so much consi- 
 deration as on that happy day. The poet Gray alludes to the 
 subject in his lines beginning 
 
 " Last May-day fair I search'd to find a snail, 
 That might my secret lover's name reveal ; " 
 
 ana Croker, in his work on "Irish Fairy Legends," informs us 
 that in Ireland it is the common practice of boys and girls on 
 May-day, to place the little soothsayer on a piece of slate lightly 
 sprinkled with flour or fine dust, and to cover it over with a 
 large leaf, when it never fails to describe by its mazy wanderings 
 the initial of the much-desired name. 
 
 A good deal of discussion has taken place amongst naturalists, 
 as to whether Snails have any eyes or not. The popular notion, 
 of course, is that the little knobs at the extremity of their long 
 leelers or horns are eyes ; and though several writers have ques- 
 tioned or boldly denied the truth of this opinion, it seems to be 
 now pretty generally conceded, that the little club-shaped pro- 
 jections are true visual organs, Swammcrdam, indeed, long ago 
 demonstrated the matter to his own satisfaction, and pointed out 
 the five distinct parts of which the eye consists. But then he
 
 EYES AND HORNS. 77 
 
 made the mistake of calling the great nerve of the tentacle, and 
 which is really the nerve of touch, the optic nerve ; and so his 
 statements were all put aside together. Professer Owen speaks 
 veiy confidently on the subject, and in the Museum of the Eoyal 
 College of Surgeons he has one of those wonderful preparations 
 with which he has enriched that noble collection, in which the 
 tentacles of Helix pomat la are extended so as to show the eye at 
 the side of each extremity. In this position the eyes, the pro- 
 fessor very justly observes, although destitute of appropriate 
 muscles, have the advantage of all the mobility with, which the 
 tentacles themselves are endowed ; while, by the admirable con 
 struction of the tentacles, they are securely defended from ex- 
 ternal injury. 
 
 It would be a difficult matter, probably, to find a person any- 
 where who had never seen a Snail draw in its horns on their 
 being touched ; but how many, we should like to know, have 
 ever closely watched the Snail's manner of doing it? Those 
 little horns, as the learned professor above mentioned properly 
 says, are " admirable " contrivances, and the way in which they 
 are so nimbly drawn in is not a little curious. The thing is easily 
 seen, and any schoolboy may ascertain how it is done, the next 
 time he stops a Snail in his travels across the footpath, and 
 admonishes him, in the words of the old doggerel, "to shut up 
 his house and go away home." The secret is, that the tentacle 
 is a hollow tube, and in being withdrawn, it is simply inverted 
 and retracted like the finger of a tight glove ; only that the 
 extremity, with the eye-spot upon it, is always the first part to 
 disappear. The manner of il. is best seen, perhaps, when, after 
 the tentacle has been withdrawn, it is again protruded ; as you 
 can then readily discern that the organ is lengthened, not by 
 being pushed out from its base, but by gradually unfolding itself, 
 or being everted at the extremity till the clubbed point appears, 
 and the tentacle is fully extended. One cannot but admire the 
 wisdom which thus gives the little Mollusc such a ready and 
 effectual means of defending its rather oddly located visual 
 organs. We speak of the wonderful contrivances connected 
 with the human eye, but surely there is something here that is 
 not much less wonderful. 
 
 If we may rely on the experiments of Swammerdam, the Snail 
 tribe have the sense of smell, as well as that of sight. The late
 
 78 STRUCTURE OF MOUTH. 
 
 Dr. Johnston inclines to this opinion, and assigns as his reason 
 the fact, that when the little fellows have been snugly stowed 
 away inside their shells, he has sometimes tempted them out by 
 bringing near to them a little fresh food. But one thing is very 
 certain they have the sense of taste, and are doubtless good 
 judges of flavour. M. Gaspard (a great authority on Snails) 
 disallows the tribe all the senses save those of taste and touch, 
 the latter of which he admits they possess in an extreme degree 
 of delicacy. The sense of taste ought to be well developed ; for, as 
 the whole family are extraordinary eaters, one large source of 
 pleasure would be lost to them if they did not enjoy their food. 
 Mr. Gosse has a very graphic description of the Periwinkle in 
 the act of mowing down his dinner of minute conferva from the 
 glass sides of an Aquarium : the Snail is an equally interesting 
 subject at dinner-time, though his method of feeding is a some- 
 what different one. On the upper side of the opening of his 
 mouth there is a semicircular horny jaw, which, by pressing 
 against a sort of pad on the floor of the mouth, cuts off the frag- 
 ments of its leafy food. But, besides the jaw and its pad, there 
 is a pair of very serviceable lips, and a little membranous tongue, 
 roughened over with minute prickles, all set in regular array, 
 and pointing backwards, so as to retain more securely the food 
 it has to manipulate. A Snail's tongue, by the way, is an 
 object of no little interest ; and if any one doubts the statement, 
 let him ask the opinion of any microscopical observer, and he 
 will say you could hardly have a more interesting object to look 
 at. The little points or prickles above mentioned are arranged 
 so orderly and methodically, and in such pretty patterns more- 
 over, the different sorts of Snails exhibit such a great variety in 
 the shape of the tongue itself that they deserve to be ranked 
 amongst the fairest specimens of Nature's dainty handiwork. 
 
 But we were going to exhibit a Snail in the act of dining. 
 When the little fellow is about to eat, then, it pushes forward its 
 prickly tongue, at. the same tune protruding the lips on each side, 
 till they both come in contact with what is designed to form the 
 first mouthful. The lips then seize hold of the food, and draw 
 it towards the aperture of the mouth, the tongue at the same 
 time keeping it secure by the array of reverted prickles. Brought 
 in this way within range of the horny jaw, the food is pressed 
 upwards, and a small portion a Snail's mouthful detached;
 
 REMEDIAL POWERS. 79 
 
 this portion is then passed along the tongue, is torn and rasped 
 by the sharp prickles, and finally pressed backward to the 
 entrance of the gullet. Having a good deal of work to do in the 
 way of eating, the little fellows manage to get along pretty 
 quickly, and sometimes make a very audible noise while about 
 it. Perhaps some of our curious readers the next tune they 
 meet with a Snail on the look-out for provender, instead of 
 crushing it or flinging it away, will be good enough to present it 
 with a fresh cabbage leaf; in which case it is highly probable 
 that, if they will only listen attentively, they will hear the little 
 Mollusc lustily munching the proffered dainty, and smacking his 
 lips with great satisfaction thereat. 
 
 "We spoke above of flinging a Snail away unfortunately a 
 calamity to the members of the Snail fraternity which they 
 often have to bear; but against all irremediable injury from 
 which they appear to be specially guarded. The consequence to 
 the Snail of such (flinging is, of course, in most cases, a fall that 
 makes a perfect wreck of the shell ; and no humane person, that 
 once sees how painfully the poor creature writhes and sputters 
 after such a crushing fall, would repeat the act. Not even a Snail 
 may be put to needless pain ; kill it, by all means, but do not 
 maim it merely, and doom it for weeks or months to bootless 
 torture. 
 
 The remedial powers of the Snail are truly remarkable. The 
 repair of a broken shell is a small matter that is soon accom- 
 plished ; while, under favourable circumstances, and in course of 
 time, the most serious injuries or losses are made good. The 
 Abbe Spallanzani, who had a strange taste for putting out the 
 eyes of bats, and other scientific cruelties of the kind, cut away 
 the tentacles of H. pomatia and nemoralis, and in about two 
 mouths found them perfectly renewed, even to the eyes at the 
 tips. In other experiments he removed not only the tentacles 
 but the entire head, including the brain, the mouth and its ap- 
 pendages, and a mass of the muscle, and yet the whole of the lost 
 parts were reproduced, and with such perfection that it was im- 
 possible in some cases to distinguish any difference between the 
 newly formed parts and those that had been cut away. The 
 poor Snails that were thus experimented upon retired into their 
 shells the moment the operation was over, and there remained for 
 many weeks and in some cases for months, in perfect quiescence,
 
 80 EXPERIMENTAL MUTILATION. 
 
 The year 1766, in which Spallanzani published the results of 
 his experiments, inaugurated a perfect reign of terror for the 
 Snails. The ardent Abbe, indeed, did for them just what 
 Galvani, some years later, did for frogs and rabbits : he led to 
 their being immolated by thousands upon the altar of science, with 
 the view, apparently, of ascertaining how far it was possible to 
 go in maiming and mutilating the poor Molluscs, without actually 
 destroying life. The first result of these experiments was to 
 throw discredit upon the extreme cases that Spallanzani had 
 mentioned ; but more careful operators, in after-years, fully 
 established the truth of his statements, and demonstrated the 
 existence of those extraordinary powers of reproducing lost parts 
 which he was the first to announce to the world. It is to be 
 hoped that no ambitious young naturalist who may read these 
 pages will be tempted to repeat the above experiments for himself, 
 because we can assure him the facts are well established, and any 
 further snail mutilation to confirm them would be only wanton 
 cruelty. 
 
 It would hardly be suspected that little fellows, with such 
 cold and sluggish natures as the Snails possess, would manifest 
 much warmth of passion. So it is, however ; and the Loves of 
 the Snails has always been an attractive subject with savaitts, 
 from the very singular circumstances connected with it. In 
 reading Professor Rymer Jones's graphic account of the mat- 
 ter, with its curious details of love darts and tender demon- 
 strations the coyness on the one side, and the ardour on the 
 other one is half inclined to think that you are again going 
 over the story of the amours of the Olympian gods. 
 
 In the great majority of the Helicidce, the young are produced 
 in eggs, which are always globular in shape, and in some of 
 the larger kinds enveloped in a hard calcareous shell. The eggs 
 of the common Garden Snail are often exposed to sight on turn- 
 ing up a stone, or slate, or piece of decaying wood, that has been 
 lying long in some dank, unfrequented part of the garden ; and 
 by an inexperienced person they would be very liable to be mis- 
 taken for some out-of-the-way curiosity of Nature's making. 
 They are about the size of small peas, and being of a beautiful 
 pearly white, might be made into a very pretty string of beads, 
 were they only durable enough for the purpose. We have some- 
 times watched both Helix aspersa, and her cousin nemoralis, whea
 
 HYBERNATION. 81 
 
 they have been prying about for a suitable spot wherein to 
 deposit their ova, and have more than once disturbed them in 
 the midst of the operation ; and, despite all their frothy protesta- 
 tions, have been tempted to despoil them of their little pearly 
 globes. The spot selected for the purpose is generally some such 
 an one as we have already mentioned, or else the eggs are buried 
 beneath the soil, or in heaps of decaying leaves ; the particular 
 habit in this respect varying greatly amongst the different 
 species and genera of which the family is composed. The eggs 
 of some of the larger tropical species are deposited in little clus- 
 ters, high up on the foliage of stately trees, the parent Snail 
 managing to curl up two or three of the leaves, one upon the 
 other, so as to form a sort of nest for their protection. 
 
 It is not necessary to do anything in the way of tracing the 
 course of the young Snails from infancy up to old age and they 
 do attain to a venerable age at times since, long as the Snail's 
 life may be, it is by no means an eventful one. The only thing 
 in it that need detain us at all, is the curious winter hybernation 
 in which all the members of the Helicida in temperate, and in 
 some of the warm, latitudes indulge. Almost everybody is 
 familiar with the fact, that in the winter time our common 
 Garden Snails are to be seen, by the dozen or the score, snugly 
 stowed away in the cracks and holes of old walls and trees, 
 under the eaves of barns and outhouses, and in other equally 
 sheltered situations, where they remain, fixed and motionless, 
 till the advent of spring. Other members of the family bury 
 themselves in the banks of the hedgerows, amongst the moss at the 
 roots of trees, or secrete themselves in the chinks and fissures of 
 the naked rocks. Helix pomatia, with very high notions of its own 
 dignity, is satisfied with nothing less than a comfortable hyber- 
 naculum, which it constructs with great art and skill in the sides 
 of ditches, in thickets, and similar places, and in which it sleeps 
 soundly all the winter through, very little concerned as to what 
 may be going on above ground. 
 
 It is curious to observe that this period of inactivity, which 
 in temperate latitudes is rendered necessary by the cold of 
 winter, in the arid regions on the western side of the Andes is 
 equally imperative on account of the terrible droughts which 
 there obtain during the dry season. Heat here acts in one 
 respect just as cold does amongst ourselves : the herbage withers 
 
 a
 
 82 TROPICAL DROUGHTS. 
 
 and disappears, and the land is to a great extent denuded of 
 its vegetable covering. The Snails of these regions, therefore, 
 bury themselves, as the dry season comes on, in the sand or 
 under stones, and covering the mouth of the shell with a sort of 
 parchment epiphragm, like that formed by our own Snails in 
 their winter retreat, remain in a torpid state till the return of a 
 more genial season. 
 
 Mr. Lovell Eeeve, in his great work on shells, the " Concho- 
 logia Iconica," gives a curious anecdote illustrative of the peculiar 
 character of the sterile region west of the Andes, and its effect on 
 the Snail tribes. In 1829, when Mr. Cuming, the famous col- 
 lector of shells, arrived at Copiapo, where the large Bulimi are 
 to be found in considerable numbers, he desired one of the soli- 
 tary inhabitants of the place to obtain for him as many of the 
 living animals as he could get. When the native returned with 
 his Snails, Mr. Cuming was surprised to find that there was 
 scarcely one living specimen amongst them all, and reproved the 
 man accordingly. " Only wait till the dews come," said the 
 man, " and they will be all alive again." And when Mr. Cu- 
 ming rejoined, " The dews ! I suppose you mean the rains," the 
 poor fellow, with a look of astonishment, asked what he meant. 
 He was a sexagenarian, but he had never heard of rain before ! 
 
 In the British Islands there are in all between fifty and sixty 
 species of the Snail family. The largest of our British Snails 
 is the famous Helix pomatia, the Eoman Snail, as it is sometimes 
 termed, from the high estimation in which it was held by the 
 Eoman epicures. It is considerably larger than II. aspersa, more 
 faintly coloured, and confined with us almost exclusively to the 
 chalk districts of the south of England. On the Continent, 
 however, it takes the place of our Common Snail, and in the 
 wine countries does great injury, by its partiality for the buds 
 and tender leaves of the vine. Our prettiest species is, without 
 doubt, H. nemoralis, which is either yellow, chocolate-brown, or 
 flesh-coloured, and abounds in every hedge and ditch-bank, 
 throughout the spring and summer. It is often beautifully 
 variegated in the neighbourhood of the sea. We have a number 
 of the shells of this Snail now before us ; and sure we are there 
 is no young lady living, who, if she were told that these shells 
 were brought by some celebrated naturalist from China or Japan, 
 would not pronounce them beautiful. Another of our widely-
 
 BRITISH SNAILS. 83 
 
 distributed species is H. arbustorum, which is generally found in 
 woods and shrubberies, or amongst the willows on the banks of 
 ditches and rivers. It is rather famous for extending its range, 
 however, high up on the sides of mountains, on the Alps ap- 
 proaching the line of perpetual snow. H. virgata, H. capcrata, 
 H. ericetorum, and one or two others, affect the dry stunted 
 vegetation on heaths and commons. According to Dr. Turton, 
 they go down to the roots of the plants, and come up again after 
 the summer rains, when they are so abundant, that, like the 
 young frogs that leap in thousands over the same sort of places, 
 they are supposed to come down from the clouds with the rain ! 
 Cydostoma elegans, and several little fellows of the genera Pupa, 
 Clausilia, and Bulimus, keep clear of all but initiated concholo- 
 gists, secreted in woods and shady situations, under nettles and 
 other plants not pleasant to handle ; Helix rupestris passes its 
 days between the bricks and stones at the tops of walls, or in 
 the earth on the higher parts of rocks ; the dainty little Pupa 
 marginata, Achatina acicula, and one or two others, bury them- 
 selves alive among the moss at the roots of trees. H. crystalline 
 is a pretty little Snail, with a delicate, glassy shell, to be found 
 under stones in damp places, where also, with sharp eyes, we 
 may find the dusky-coloured H. pygmcea, no bigger than the 
 head of a good-sized pin. Not to extend this list to too great a 
 length, however, let us bring it to a close with the much-prized 
 H. revelata, one of the rarest of our British Snails. It has a shell 
 about a quarter of an inch in diameter, of an olive-green colour, 
 and occasionally gladdens the hearts of collectors at Nottingham, 
 in Cornwall, and in Devonshire, but more especially in the latter 
 county, where, with tme aristocratic predilections, it confines 
 itself to the select society of Torquay. 
 
 We have been thus particular in referring to our British Snails, 
 because studies of this sort, like acts of charity, should always 
 " begin at home." But now that we have attended to the Snails 
 of our own land, let us glance as rapidly as may be at some of 
 their high and mighty relatives abroad especially at those of 
 tropic lands, that go about clothed in gold and purple, and 
 other fine colours, and which, according to some enthusiastic 
 conchologists, look, as they cling aloft amongst the glossy ioliage, 
 like the golden fruits in the Garden of the Hesperides. 
 
 It is as well to know, perhaps, that the common Snail (11. as-
 
 84 AFRICAN AND AMERICAN SNAILS. 
 
 persa") is by no means confined to ourselves. It has, indeed, 
 pretty much of a cosmopolitan turn of mind, and makes itself 
 quite as much at home, though not in such great abundance, in 
 the olive groves of the south of Europe, on the Asian and Afri- 
 can shores of the Mediterranean, in the dense forests of Guayana 
 and Brazil, and at the foot of Chimborazo, as in our own hedges 
 and gardens. Nowhere, however, but amongst ourselves does 
 it hold the rank of the "common" Snail that distinguished 
 position being held in different lands by different members of the 
 family. On the Continent of Europe, Helix pomatia takes the 
 lead, and as we shall find by-and-by, is a much-prized Mollusc. In 
 Africa, very generally the genus Acliatina takes the place of the 
 more typical genus Helix, and presents xis Avith some of the most 
 monstrous creatures belonging to the family. In Liberia there 
 is an immense fellow, A. variegata, which, if it were to make its 
 appearance on the banks of some English road-side ditch, would 
 probably create a panic in all the neighbourhood around. In 
 Guinea and Natal there is another monster, striped with black 
 and brown like a zebra ; while all along that part of the African 
 coast, these immense and richly-coloured Achatince abound, 
 crawling like most of our own Snails on the ground, or on the 
 low herbage in swamps, and in the vicinity of lakes and rivers. 
 Some of the smaller, but still very beautiful, species of this 
 genus occur in Central America and the West Indies ; but in 
 this part of the globe another genus takes the lead, and the 
 reigning monarchs of the Snail world belong to the Bulimus 
 dynasty, which, being a very important one, merits accordingly 
 our special attention. 
 
 Our knowledge of these animals is in a great degree the result 
 of the very extended and careful observations of a gentleman to 
 whom we have already alluded in this Chapter Mr. Hugh 
 Cuming, who for several years past has been in the habit of 
 fitting out a tight little vessel at his own expense, and setting 
 off for a twelvemonth's or a two years' trip to South America, 
 Borneo, the Philippine Islands, or some other far-off part of the 
 world, there to amuse himself in picking up shells, collecting 
 ferns, and suchlike scientific trifles, and also in noting the ways 
 and doings of the thousand things that he comes across, and 
 then returning to this country to dispose of his accumulated 
 spoils, and prepare for a fresh adventure. Mr. Cuming's roaming
 
 A TROPIC PICTURE. 85 
 
 days are pretty well over now, unfortunately ; though we hope 
 he may yet live many years to enjoy the fruits of his labours, 
 not the least agreeable part of which to him, perhaps, is the 
 gratitude of all loving students of natural history for the many 
 valuable additions he has made to their knowledge. 
 
 But the Bulimi ! In the first place, then, in some of these 
 creatures the animal itself is curiously spotted with conspicuous 
 colours, as may be seen by a model of B. rosaceus in one of the 
 cases in the British Museum. The animal is of considerable 
 size, and over every part of its deep-green body there are, closely 
 set, bright-red spots, which give one the idea that the poor Snail 
 has been seized with a violent attack of the measles ! According 
 to Mr. Cuming, this Snail hides itself away in the dry season 
 under stones among bushes, and close at the edge of the sea- 
 shore, where at times it gets sprinkled with the spray. On the 
 hills they live on the leaves of an aloe-like plant, to which the 
 giant humming-bird also comes to sip the honey Irom the bril- 
 liant flowers ; and we are inclined to think that the strange-look- 
 ing plant, with its bright flowers, and the Snails, and the hum- 
 ming-birds together, must make a very attractive tropic picture. 
 Some years ago several of these Snails were brought to this 
 country alive, and were sent to spend their days amongst the 
 palm-trees in Mr. Loddiges' nursery at Hackney, where for eight 
 months they tried to forget the rich juices of their native aloes, 
 by eating greedily of English cabbage-leaves ; but it would not do, 
 and they died miserably at last, within a few days of each other. 
 
 One of the most beautiful of the Bulimi is a species that comes 
 from the Solomon Islands of large size, and clothed with a 
 shell of the purest and most delicate yellow, while the lip, or the 
 rim around the mouth, is of a brilliant orange red. The head- 
 quarters of the tribe appear to be in Venezuela and New Gra- 
 nada, where great warmth and moisture give a wonderful de- 
 velopment to vegetation, and where, accordingly, Snails abound 
 and banquet on the luxuriant pastures. No less than sixty 
 different species of Bulimi alone may be found in these parts ; 
 and at the head of the list there are the monstrous species, 
 maximus, ovatits, valenciennesi, and hcemastoma, big as the 
 clenched hand of a full-grown man, and beautifully coloured 
 Snail giants that cling in bunches to many a splendidly-flowering 
 cactus, eating into the very middle of its spiny leaves and stems,
 
 86 PHILIPPINE ISLAND SNAILS. 
 
 and adding by their own strange appearance to the singular 
 aspect of the ungainly plants on which they feed. 
 
 The pretty pink-mouthed Snail-shell, adorned with broad bands 
 of white and chocolate-brown, that finds a place on many a 
 mantelshelf and sideboard, is a species common in Ceylon, and 
 which, though christened H. haemastoma, the pink-mouthed 
 Helix, is quite as often iZoc^-mouthed as pink, and sometimes, 
 though much more rarely, white-mouthed. Another pretty 
 Cingalese is the dainty H. melanotragus, arrayed in pink or 
 white, with delicate shades of brown; but, as its name may 
 serve to denote, H. elegam carries off the palm for beauty from 
 all the Snails within sight of Adam's Peak. 
 
 In no part of the world, perhaps, do the shells of the Helicidoe 
 present a greater variety of rich and delicate tints than in the 
 luxuriant open forests of the Philippine Islands, which seem to 
 be a sort of Paradise for the terrestrial Mollusca, as the shores of 
 those islands are for such as live upon the borders of the " vasty 
 deep." But we might as well attempt to describe an Italian 
 sunset, or the glories of our autumn woods, as to convey in words 
 an idea of the beauty of these beautiful shells of the far-off islands 
 of the tropic seas, on which nature seems to have lavished her 
 richest wealth of pure and delicate colouring. We are strongly 
 inclined to suspect, that the fact of which Mr. Cuming gives us 
 intimation namely, that none of the birds of the Philippines 
 ever touch the superb Helix polycroa, the many-coloured Helix 
 is no other than the result of a common understanding amongst 
 the feathered tribes there, that, by thus refraining from all mo- 
 lestation of one of the number, they would fitly express their high 
 appreciation of the beauty of the entire Snail family. 
 
 We ought, perhaps, before going further, to caution our 
 wnconchological readers against assuming that all the different 
 sections of the Helicidce carry about the same sort of globular or 
 semi-globular shells as those of the species common in our own 
 gardens and hedges. It is far otherwise, and is indeed somewhat 
 singular, that, while the animals of this family are themselves 
 substantially alike in form and structure, the shelly coverings 
 which they secrete exhibit most remarkable deviations from the 
 typical character. 
 
 Not the least curious part of our subject is that which pertains 
 to the Snail tribe as an article of food. It has already been
 
 ANCIENT SNAIL-STIES. 87 
 
 mentioned that H. pomatia was one of the delicacies that found 
 its way to the table of the Eoman epicure ; but long before 
 Romans or Home, not only H. pomatia, but Snails of all sorts 
 saving and excepting, of course, that one notable case of If. 
 polycroa served as dainty morsels for a variety of birds and 
 quadrupeds, which are now asserted to thrive and fatten on the 
 slimy fare. The hedgehog is well known to make great havoc 
 amongst their ranks during his nocturnal rambles. Vast 
 numbers of the smaller kinds are eaten by the sheep which graze 
 upon the scant herbage of some of our waste lauds ; and there is 
 still a doubt in our mind whether we ought not to attribute to 
 this circumstance the superior flavour of South Down and Dart- 
 moor mutton. Again, what country schoolboy is there who has 
 not seen the thrush and the blackbird a snail-gathering in 
 winter, and cleverly cracking the shells on some convenient 
 stone to get at the dainty morsel within? In the vast forests of 
 South America, the huge Bulimi are roasted and eaten by the 
 natives as a frequent article of food : and one of our own childish 
 recollections is of a terrible goggle-eyed, idiotic sort of white 
 Indian, as we suppose he must have been, whom we often used 
 to come across in the bowery Devonshire lanes, picking Snails 
 and cracking them, and, all frothy and sputtering as they were, 
 bolting them outright, for the benefit of his " chest." 
 
 The Eomans not only ate Snails ; they reared them and 
 fattened them up with as much care as we do our poultry. 
 Pliny, indeed, has immortalized the individual one Fulvius 
 Hirpinus who invented the " cochlearife," or sties in which the 
 dainty fare was fattened for the table. There were several com- 
 partments in the sty, and each compartment had its occupants 
 from some particular district ; so that your cultivated epicure, 
 with his nice discrimination of flavours, could select his Snails 
 pretty much as the modern man of fashion can select his wine. 
 The great perfection to which the Snails were brought under this 
 system of fattening led to a hot competition as to who should have 
 the biggest ; and in the end, as Pliny tells us on the authority of 
 Varro, they were brought to such a size, that some of the shells 
 would hold ten quarts ! The usual method of cooking the over- 
 grown monsters appears to have been that of frying them, or 
 else grilling them on a silver gridiron. In France, and some or 
 the countries of southern Europe, //. pomatia, has been eaten
 
 88 SNA1L-EAT1NO. 
 
 from the time of the Romans to the present day. Only a few 
 years ago the habitue of the inns of Vienna could as easily 
 obtain his dish of Snails as a joint cf mutton or beef ; and in 
 Switzerland they are still regularly fattened for sale, and during 
 the season of Lent become an important article of trade. In 
 former times, indeed, the Snail always of course understanding 
 that H. pomatia is the individual meant was admitted to our 
 own tables : and Kobert May, the Soyer of his time, has left us 
 several receipts for cooking them, amongst the curiosities of his 
 fifty years' experience. Ben Jonson, again, in his " Every Man 
 in his Humour," mentions the dish as a delicacy : 
 
 " Neither have I 
 
 Dress'd snails or mushrooms curiously before him ;" 
 
 while Lister, in his " Historia Animalium Anglia;," refers to 
 the Snail as, in his day, an ordinary article of food. But, for 
 some reason or other, the much-prized delicacy of former days 
 has now lost its repute amongst us, and excepting in the case 
 of the Newcastle glass-blowers, who are said to hold an annual 
 feast, in which the common Garden Snail furnished the central 
 dish is entirely banished, it seems, from our tables, without the 
 remotest prospect of its ever again appearing thereon. 
 
 Once, indeed, two great philosophers, lamenting over the per- 
 verse and unreasonable antipathy of the age in rejecting an 
 article of food at once so abundant and nutritious, determined to 
 set the example of a return to the wiser custom of former days ; 
 and with the story of that patriotic resolve, we must bring to a 
 close this already too extended dissertation. The benevolent 
 individuals in question were the two great chemical philoso- 
 phers of Scotland, Dr. Black and Dr. Hutton particular friends, 
 though extremely opposite in their appearance and manner, and 
 in nothing more than in their style of language. Dr. Black 
 spoke with the English pronunciation, with punctilious accuracy 
 of expression both in point of manner and matter while, on the 
 contrary, Dr. Button's conversation was conducted in broad 
 phrases and expressed with a broad Scotch accent, which often 
 heightened the humour of what he said. The two doctors were 
 agreed that it was the height of folly to abstain from Snails, and 
 would show their superiority to such a vulgar prejudice. Some 
 Snails were accordingly procured, dieted for a time, and then
 
 PREJUDICE FERSVS PHILOSOPHY. 89 
 
 stewed for the benefit of the two philosophers, who had either 
 invited no guest to their banquet, or found none who relished in 
 prospect the piece de resistance. And philosophers are but men, 
 after all. When the huge dish of Snails came to be placed before 
 them, the stomachs of both doctors began to revolt against the 
 proposed experiment. Nevertheless, if they looked with disgust 
 on the Snails, they retained their awe for each other; so that 
 each, concealing the symptoms of internal revolt peculiar to 
 himself, began with infinite exertion to swallow, in very small 
 quantities, the mess which he secretly loathed. Dr. Black at 
 length showed the white feather, but in a very delicate manner, 
 as if to sound the opinion of his messmate : " Doctor," he said, 
 in his precise and quiet way, " doctor, do you not think that 
 they taste a little a very little green ?" Whereupon the other, 
 starting up from the table, and giving full vent to his feelings 
 
 of abhorrence, vociferated, " green, green, indeed! 
 
 tak' them awa' ; tak' them awa' !" prefixing, we are sorry to say, 
 certain epithets which a sense of propriety forbids our inserting 
 here. 
 
 And so ended all hopes of introducing Snails into the modern 
 cuisine; so philosophy gave way and prejudice gained another 
 victory.
 
 91 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE NAUTILUS AND ITS ALLIES. 
 
 " The tender Nautilus who steers his prow, 
 The sea-born sailor of his shell canoe, 
 The ocean Mab, the faiiy of the sea, 
 Seems far less fragile, and, alas ! more free. 
 He, when the light'ning wing'd tornadoes sweep 
 The surge, is safe his port is in the deep 
 And triumphs o'er the armadas of mankind 
 Which shake the world, yet crumble in the wind." 
 
 No department of natural history lias been more fully and 
 assiduously investigated of late years than that which relates to 
 the lower forms of animal life, and especially to such as people 
 the teeming waters of the ocean. The broad tidal belt of the 
 sea-shore, alternately covered by the waves and left bare by the 
 tide, in all its varied aspects of sand-flats and shingles, oozy 
 shallows, and rugged festooned rocks, has in particular been 
 diligently explored ; and the observations which have been made 
 on the structure and habits of the different animals thus ob- 
 tained have made a new and quite wonderful addition to our 
 knowledge of organic life. A multitude of creatures have been 
 brought to light whose existence was previously unsuspected, 
 and amongst those which have long been familiar, but unheeded, 
 the discovery has been made of a world of interest and beauty, 
 which is hardly surpassed throughout the whole extent of the 
 animal creation. In many cases, too, these observations and 
 researches have led to the most important results in correcting 
 and enlarging the current views of natural history, as a philoso- 
 phical study at one time exploding some ingenious and long- 
 cherished theory at another handing over a whole tribe of 
 creatures from one division of nature to another ; now com- 
 pelling a total revision of the accepted systems of classification 
 and now disclosing a fact which has let in, as it were, a flood 
 of light on some obscure point in the animal economy, and gone
 
 92 RANSACKING THE DEEP. 
 
 far to revolutionize and reform the whole compass of zoological 
 science. 
 
 It is not alone in the immediate neighbourhood of the land, 
 however, that these investigations have been carried on, or that 
 important discoveries have been made : the deeper waters at a 
 distance from the shore have not been neglected, nor their inha- 
 bitants allowed to pass unnoticed. On the contrary, the " drag " 
 and the "dredge" have been plied so industriously in groping 
 up the contents of the sea-bottom, and the " trawl " and the 
 " towing-net " in searching the upper waters, that, around our 
 own coasts at least, those coveted prizes, "species new to 
 science," are now becoming exceedingly rare ; although it does 
 still happen occasionally that some indefatigable professor has 
 the good fortune to fish one up from the deep, and so to win for 
 himself a niche in the temple of fame as a discoverer in science. 
 In consequence of this rummaging and ransacking of the deep, 
 and, in great part also, in consequence of the unintentional 
 assistance of Old Ocean himself, in flinging upon the shore, 
 during his angry moods, the spoil which has been washed land- 
 wards from far out at sea, we are rapidly extending our acquaint- 
 ance with the life of the waters, and shall probably soon have 
 the means of becoming almost as familiar with the " sea's abun- 
 dant progeny " as we now are with the more accessible inhabit- 
 ants of the upper worlds of earth and air. 
 
 In so far as it concerns the thousand little creatures which 
 people the shore, nestling in the rock-clefts and tide-pools, the 
 Aquarium and the studies which it has made so popular have 
 done already well-nigh all that could be desired. There is no 
 danger now that they will any longer be passed by in neglect. 
 But there is some reason to fear, that with the enthusiasm that 
 prevails for these " wonders of the shore," others not less 
 interesting, but more seldom seen, will be overlooked and 
 forgotten. On behalf of one of these too much neglected tribes, 
 we now ask for justice justice to the Cephalopods, which have 
 been almost entirely kept out of sight in our popular literature, 
 while other and far less interesting races have been pushed into 
 favour. A Chapter, then, for the CKPHALOPODS, or, in other 
 words, for the Nautilus and its allies. 
 
 But it will be better, perhaps, to begin with one of our native 
 Cephalopods, by far the most familiar of which is the common
 
 THE CUTTLE-FISH. 93 
 
 Cuttle-fish. Come with us, then, good reader, down amongst 
 the rocks at low water, where, half concealed by the weeds in 
 some little hollow, we are pretty sure to find a specimen that 
 will suit our purpose. Precisely ; here is the very one we want 
 dead, it is true, but full grown and in capital condition, 
 evidently as yet undiscovered by any of his agreeable but 
 hungry neighbours, who, greatly as they relish a dead Cuttle- 
 fish, have a wholesome dislike of getting too near a living one. 
 
 Observe, then, that the Cuttle-fish is of a soft, flabby consist- 
 ency, and that its body, o an oval form, is bagged up in a sort 
 of sac* or pouch, something after the manner of those ingenious 
 youths who, tied up in sacks, hop a race, to add to the diversions 
 of a village fair. The Cuttle-fish, however, has this advantage, 
 you perceive, that its arms, or, as they are technically termed, 
 its feet, are ten in number, and quite free; and that, oddly 
 enough, they are arranged in a circle around the top of the 
 head ; thus accounting for the designation of the class as the 
 Cephalopods, or, more properly, the Cephalopoda, which in plain 
 vernacular is simply foot-headed. Turn these arms apart, and 
 two things will be noticed that the mouth of the Cuttle-fish, 
 which is armed with a pair of powerful jaws, shaped like the 
 beak ot a parrot, occupies the centre of the circle formed by the 
 junction of the arras, and that the arms themselves are covered 
 on their inner side with a multitude of little circular discs, 
 slightly raised above the surrounding surface. The eyes, you 
 perceive, are large and prominent, and, though somewhat dull 
 just now, and of a " lacklustre" appearance, had the Cuttle-fish 
 been alive and in the water, instead of lying dead upon the 
 beach, they would have been bright and staring, and expressive 
 of some considerable degree of intelligence. Such, on a hasty 
 glance, is the Cuttle-fish ; and in the main, and allowing for un- 
 important deviations from this the common type of the class, and 
 especially for the shell with which some of the species are 
 protected, such are all the Cephalopods. 
 
 Examine the Cuttle-fish a little more carefully, however, and 
 many curious details of structure are perceived, which, on a 
 mere cursory inspection are unnoticed. Cease poking it, there- 
 fore, with the point of your parasol or the end of your walking- 
 stick, and stoop down to it, or take it up boldly in your hand. 
 Now press your finger against its back. There is something firm
 
 94 RESPIRATION AND LOCOMOTION. 
 
 and hard, you perceive, beneath the skin. That is the dorsal 
 plate or gladius of the Cuttle-fish, the well-known " pounce-bone " 
 that you see about on the sand, and in the druggists' shops. If 
 you are not over fastidious, and have a mind to turn dissector for 
 once, your penknife will readily lay open the Cuttle-fish and 
 show you the " bone " in its natural position, where it protects 
 the vital organs, and at the same time serves, by its light and 
 buoyant character, as a sort of float to aid the animal in its 
 vivacious movements in the water. The common Cuttle-fish is 
 the only Cephalopod that has this internal float, although in the 
 common Calamary, or Squid, there is a thin and flexible cartila- 
 ginous plate in the form of a feather, which equally answers the 
 purpose of defence, and also aids in locomotion. 
 
 Now, look at the mouth of the sack, where the head protrudes, 
 and you will see projecting, just beyond the opening, the end of 
 a tube or pipe, which, if the dissection be proceeded with, will be 
 seen to be the mouth of a funnel-shaped structure, connected, in 
 the interior of the body, with the branchise or breathing organs. 
 These branchiae are lodged in hollow cavities or chambers, and 
 communicate with the surrounding water by valves, through 
 which the fluid is admitted to aerate the blood, by the dilatation 
 of the muscular investment of the body. When, however, the 
 purpose of respiration has been effected, and the water has to be 
 got rid of from the branchial chambers, the valves through which 
 it entered refuse it egress, and it has to be forced out through the 
 funnel smartly or slowly, as the animal may choose. Now, 
 observe : if the Cuttle-fish exerts but little pressure, and ejects 
 the water slowly, all is well the chambers are emptied, again 
 refilled, and respiration goes on without stir or commotion. But 
 if, on the contrary, the muscular investment be suddenly and 
 violently contracted, the water is then made to rush out of the 
 funnel in a violent jet, while the Cuttle-fish, by the mere reaction 
 of the surrounding medium, shoots backward through the water, 
 on the same principle, and with almost as much rapidity, as a 
 rocket mounts into the air. In the same manner all the Cephalo- 
 pods, naked and shell-bearing alike, dart along through the 
 water, repeating the movements at pleasure, with intervals be- 
 tween, or in quick and continued succession ; and thus beauti- 
 fully, by one and the same contrivance, is the double puqxtse 
 effected of respiration and rapid locomotion. Moreover, as these
 
 USE OF THE INK-BACf. 95 
 
 movements arc made with the head directed backwards, the eyes 
 of the Cephalopod are always turned towards the point from 
 which it darts away, a circumstance which, in times of danger, 
 and when pursued by an enemy, is obviously of great advantage. 
 The ease with which the Cuttle-fish can let go its hold, and 
 dart off from threatened danger, is very well shown by the fol- 
 lowing incident mentioned by Dr. Eoget in his Bridgewater 
 Treatise, Once, when a boy, he tells us, he went out with an old 
 fisherman of Dawlish to visit the floating nets which he had 
 laid for Pilchards. On looking down into the clear blue water, 
 they could easily see that the number of fish entangled was great, 
 but, much to the discomfiture of the fisherman, almost every 
 other Pilchard was locked in the embrace of a Cuttle-fish, plying 
 his parrot-like mandibles to some purpose. The old man, who 
 seemed to regard these unbidden guests as an incarnation of all 
 evil, carried a capacious landing-net, but so quick was the sight 
 of the Cephalopods, so ready were they in letting go, and so agile 
 in darting backwards or sideways, clear of the net, that, though 
 the greedy creattires held on to the last moment, not more than 
 three or four were secured out of the crowds that had spoiled the 
 'haul. 
 
 But to come back to our friends on the beach : there is another 
 purpose served by the funnel which we noticed, equally curious 
 with that already referred to. If our dissecting friend were to 
 proceed with his work, and lay open the entire body of the 
 Cuttle-fish, he would come upon a small flask-shaped bag, filled 
 with an inky fluid, and connected by a duct with the funnel afore- 
 said. The use of this ink is very singular. Expert as the 
 Cuttle-fish is in jerking about, and in making off from threatened 
 danger, there are times when he needs have all his wits about 
 him, and exert every means at command to make good his escape. 
 Let us see how he manages. Some hungry Dog-fish, we will 
 suppose, is in hot pursuit. The poor Cephalopod shoots and 
 darts along, but his powerful and ravenous pursuer is rapidly ap- 
 proaching, and in a moment more the monster will be upon him. 
 But just at the nick of time the ink-bag is suddenly compressed, 
 when out through the funnel spirts a jet of the contained fluid, 
 which, mingling with the water in a murky cloud, baffles the 
 pursuer, and gives the Cuttle-fish time to make for the bottom, 
 where he conceals himself, and lies qxiiet till the danger is over.
 
 96 POLYPUS OF THE ANCIENTS. 
 
 The ink which thus plays such an important part in the 
 economy of the Cephalopods, furnishes the well-known " sepia ' 
 of the artist, while it is also believed to constitute the principal 
 ingredient in the Chinese or Indian ink. It is an interesting 
 fact, too, that in the Belemnite (a fossil Cephalopod allied to the 
 Cuttle-fish, whose remains have been entombed in the solid rock 
 for countless ages), the ink-bag has frequently been found in an 
 almost perfect state of preservation, with the ink itself retaining 
 much of its original character. Dr. Buckland once gave some of 
 this fossilized ink, if we may so term it, to the late Sir Francis 
 Chantrey, requesting him to try its power as a pigment. A 
 drawing was made with a portion of the ink, and shown to a 
 celebrated artist, who immediately pronounced the sepia to be of 
 excellent quality, and begged to know by what colourman it was 
 prepared. 
 
 But enough about the funnel, and what pertains thereto ; let 
 us look now at the arms of our Cuttle-fish. 
 
 Observe, then, that two out of the ten arms are much longer 
 than the others, and that, instead of tapering to a point, they 
 are of the same thickness throughout, excepting at the extremity, < 
 where there is a broad flattened expansion, studded on the inner 
 side with similar circular discs to those observed on the other 
 arms. And now examine one of those discs. Look at it at- 
 tentively, for . Stay, though ; there is another Cephalopod 
 
 to be met with on the shore here, in which we may see these 
 discs to greater advantage than in the Cuttle-fish ; and, as it is 
 now dead low-water, we shall probably find one of them lurking 
 somewhere in the tide-pools, or else prowling among the rocks. 
 
 Leave the Cuttle-fish to the Crabs, and let us commence the 
 search. Never mind a few drops of salt water, but turn up the 
 clustering sea-weeds, and look into every hole and cranny, for 
 the gentleman ensconces himself in them sometimes. Here, 
 clamber this way, and but look ! there is one of the fellows 
 under that ledge of rock. Sec how he drags himself over the 
 sand, his great arms twining about as he moves along. What 
 eyes ! what a frightful beast ! Jump down, and let me introduce 
 him to you. Octopus vulgaris, ladies and gentlemen : the com- 
 mon Poulpe or Preke, the famous Polypus of the ancients. Now, 
 sir, move this way, and show yourself. We have here, you 
 perceive, a Cephalopod of a different pattern from the Cuttle-
 
 STRUCTURE OF SUCKING DISCS. 97 
 
 fisli. The body is much smaller in comparison, and almost 
 globular, while the anus arc much longer, only eight in number, 
 all uniform, and united at the base by a thick membrane or web, 
 which greatly aids our friend in his natatory operations. 
 
 And now turn to the inner face of the arms, and look at- 
 tentively at the discs. Observe that they each consist of a 
 muscular membrane with a thick fleshy circumference, pre- 
 senting when expanded a number of radii converging around the 
 circular orifice of an inner cavity. In this cavity is a movable 
 muscular piston, which, when not in action, is on a level with 
 the circular aperture ; but which, when the disc is closely ap- 
 plied to any object, is drawn strongly back, and the cavity it 
 filled converted into a vacuum ; each separate disc being, in fact, 
 an admirably contrived pneumatic apparatus, which firmly ad- 
 heres, wherever it is applied, on the same principle as a surgeon's 
 cupping-glass or a school-boy's sucker. The purpose of these 
 " suckers " is to act of course as agents in seizing prey ; and of 
 so terrible a character are they, says Professor Jones, that, 
 " armed with these formidable organs, the Poulpe becomes one of 
 the most destructive inhabitants of the sea ; for neither superior 
 strength nor activity, nor even defensive armour, is sufficient to 
 save its victims from the ruthless ferocity of such a foe. A 
 hundred and twenty pair of suckers, more perfect and efficacious 
 than the cupping-glasses of human contrivance, crowd the lower 
 surface of every one of the eight flexible arms. If the Poulpe 
 but touch its prey, it is enough ; once a few of these tenacious 
 suckers get firm hold, the swiftness of the fish is unavailing, as 
 it is soon trammelled on all sides by the firmly-holding ten- 
 tacula, and dragged to the mouth of its destroyer. The shell of 
 the lobster or of the crab is a vain protection for the hard and 
 crooked beak of the Cephalopod easily breaks to pieces the frail 
 armour, and even man himself, while bathing has been entwined 
 by the strong arms of gigantic species, and struggled in vain 
 against a grasp so pertinacious." 
 
 It is stated by Dr. Roget, that so long as the muscular fibre of 
 the piston is contracted, it is easier to tear away the substance of 
 the animal's arms than to release the suckers from their attach- 
 ment, and that even after the animal is dead, these organs still 
 retain a considerable power of adhesion. 
 
 We have hitherto spoken of the tentacula of the Cephalophods
 
 98 A TOUGH ENCOUNTER. 
 
 as arms, although they are eqiially entitled to their technical de- 
 signation of feet, as they serve the animals for crawling along the 
 sea-bottom. All the Cephalopods of the genus Octopus, the 
 Poulpe and its cousins, are especially adapted for this kind of 
 progression, and habitually resort to the sea-shore, where, 
 crawling along in an inverted position, they have a very odd 
 and repulsive appearance. They move along, however, with 
 considerable ease, and progress, it has been ascertained, at the 
 rate of about seven feet in a minute. Should they wish to 
 accelerate their pace, it is said that they inflate the body 
 until it resembles a distended bladder, and, then leaving go their 
 hold, and casting themselves forward, they roll over and over 
 with great velocity, and often effect an escape which would 
 otherwise have been impossible. Let the curious reader, how- 
 ever, beware. It is not always prudent to push matters to an 
 extreme, in trying to induce a display of this odd procedure ; for, 
 as the following adventure abundantly proves, your Cephalopod 
 is apt, at times, to turn crusty, and pursue a totally different 
 course of action. 
 
 Mr. Beale, in his " Natural History and Fishery of the Sperm 
 Whale," tells us that on one occasion, while searching for shells 
 upon the rocks of the Benin Islands, he came across one of these 
 animals crawling towards the surf which it had only just left. It 
 was creeping on its eight legs, which bent considerably under 
 the weight of its body, and lifted it only a small distance from 
 the rocks. The animal appeared much alarmed, and tried hard 
 to escape. Mr. Beale, however, endeavoured to stop it, and 
 pressed with his foot on one of its legs ; but the strength of the 
 animal was so great that it several times liberated itself, in spite 
 of all the efforts he could employ on the wet and slippery rocks. 
 Mr. Beale then laid hold of one of its tentacles, and held it so 
 firmly, that it appeared as if the limb would be torn asunder 
 between them, He then gave the animal a violent jerk, wishing 
 to disengage it from the rocks to which it clung so forcibly by 
 its suckers. The Cephalopod, however, kept its hold ; but the 
 tug was too much for its temper ; for, the moment after, the appa- 
 rently enraged animal lifted its head, and, letting go the rocks, 
 suddenly sprang upon its assailant's bare arm, and clung to it, 
 with great power, endeavouring to get its beak in a position to 
 bite. Mr. Beale declares that a sensation of horror pervaded his
 
 GIGANTIC CEPHALOPODS. 99 
 
 frame, when he found that the animal had fixed itself so firmly 
 upon him. He describes its cold slimy grasp as extremely 
 sickening ; and one can well believe him when he says that he 
 loudly called to the captain, who was also searching for shells at 
 some distance, to come to his assistance. The captain, fortu- 
 nately, was soon at hand, and speedily released his companion 
 from the awkward predicament into which he had got himself, 
 by destroying the animal with the boat-knife. The poor Cepha- 
 lopod, however, stuck on to the last, and had to be cut away piece 
 by piece. 
 
 Our readers, probably will think with Mr. Beale, that this 
 affair was sufficiently horrible ; although it sinks into insigni- 
 ficance beside the frightful stories that are told of these animals 
 by some of the early navigators. Modern naturalists, it is true, 
 make short work of these accounts, and set them all down as 
 fabulous ; though it is admitted that Cephalopods of enormous 
 size do exist. It is notorious, indeed, that the pearl-divers of the 
 Indian seas, and the coral-divers of the Mediterranean, are con- 
 stantly liable to be attacked by these monsters, and that occa- 
 sionally they have been carried off in their arms. The largest 
 Cephalopod of which any remains are preserved in our museums 
 was one obtained during Captain Cook's first voyage in the 
 Southern Pacific Ocean. The dead carcass was found floating on 
 the sea, surrounded by aquatic birds, which were feeding on its 
 remains. Comparing the parts of this animal now existing in the 
 museum of the Royal College of Surgeons with those of smaller 
 perfect animals, Professor Owen estimates that its body must 
 have been, at least, four feet long, and its arms three feet more, 
 making seven feet from the end of the body to the points of the 
 tentacles, a length diminutive, indeed, compared with that as- 
 cribed to the fabulous Kraken of Pontoppidan, but still amply 
 sufficient to render a Cephalopod, with its array of suckers, a truly 
 formidable monster. 
 
 In systematic zoology, the Cephalopods stand at the head of the 
 Mollusca, and exhibit many interesting points of analogy to the 
 higher or vertebrate division of the animal world. This advance 
 in organization is much more obvious in one section of the Cepha- 
 lopods than in another, but in both alike it is of a very marked 
 and decisive character. Thus all these animals have the rudiments 
 of a true internal skeleton, and there is a perfect symmetry
 
 100 STRUCTURE AND RANK. 
 
 throughout their animal and vital organs. The muscular system 
 forms a large proportion of the body, with various arrangements 
 and complications unknown in the lower Mollusca. The 
 strong hooked jaws work vertically as in the vertebrate animals, 
 and are accompanied by a thick muscular tongue covered with 
 spines. The respiratory apparatus is enormously developed ; the 
 nervous centres in the head receive a marked increase in bulk, 
 constituting them a tnie brain, which is enclosed in a cartilage, 
 and gives off nervous cords on each side to the organs of vision ; 
 while these, again, arc of an exceedingly complex structure, like 
 those of the vertebrate animals. In the higher Cephalopods 
 there are distinct organs for hearing, and the heart is three- 
 chambered ; while in several of the groups, the external conform- 
 ation of the animals, and many of their habits, bear a strong 
 resemblance to what is observed amongst the superior class of 
 fishes. 
 
 Professor Owen separates these animals into two great divi- 
 sions, according to the number of their branchiae or gills, and 
 christens them respectively the Dibranchiata and the Tetrar- 
 branchiata the two-gilled and the four-gilled Cephalopods. The 
 two-gilled division takes the highest rank, and includes all the 
 naked Cephalopods, together with the little Argonaut, or Paper 
 
 Nautilus 
 
 " The sea-born sailor of his shell canoe," 
 
 which has ever been such a pet with the poets, aud such a 
 puzzle to the philosophers. The four-gilled branch of the family 
 is represented in our existing seas only by the Pearly Nautilus 
 (Nautilus pompilius), and one other closely-related species these 
 two being now the sole survivors of that multitudinous host of 
 Orthocerarites, Ammonites, Hamites, Baculites, Turrulites, and 
 other allied forms, which swarmed in the ancient ocean, and at 
 one time held the undisputed empire of the seas. 
 
 It will be but dealing with our subject after the approved 
 " historical " fashion, if, before entering more into detail on the 
 Cephalophods of our own time, we now glance for a brief space 
 at those ancient representatives of the race whose former ex- 
 istence is known to us from the fossilized remains of their shells 
 alone. 
 
 The Cephalopods were amongst the most numerous and 
 powerful inhabitants of the ancient ocean- It may truly be
 
 PETRIFIED SNAKES. 101 
 
 said, indeed, that, just as there was an " age of reptiles," and, 
 preceding that, an " age of fish," when these two classes of animal 
 life reigned supreme over the rest of the creation, so, at a still 
 earlier period, there was an Age of Cephalopods, when the sea 
 was peopled with monstrous creatures of this class, and there 
 were either no animals of a higher grade in existence, or only 
 such as were feeble and powerless in comparison with these 
 rapacious monsters of the deep. The whole vast variety of early 
 Cephalopods belonged to the inferior or four-gilled division of the 
 group, and were thus closely related to the Pearly Nautilus of 
 the present day. It is not to be understood, however, that they 
 all resembled the Nautilus in form and figure. On the contrary, 
 there is the utmost diversity of form amongst the shells, though 
 all of them consist of a similar succession of chambers, and 
 were once tenanted by animals agreeing no doubt in all 
 essential particulars with the existing Nautilus. The most 
 abundant of the ancient Cephalopods were those of the different 
 species of Ammonites, so called from the fancied resemblance of 
 their shells to the horns of Jupiter Ammon. In the neighbour- 
 hood of Whitby, the lias rocks abound with these shells, which, 
 varying in size from that of a sixpence to that of the fore-wheel of 
 a coach, are popularly known as " Snake stones," the supposition 
 being that they are veritable petrified snakes. The reader will 
 no doubt recall the passage in " Marmion," in which Sir Walter 
 Scott puts a legend to this effect into the mouths of the Whitby 
 nuns, who tell their " stranger sisters :" 
 
 " How, of thousand snakes, each one 
 
 Was changed into a coil of stone, 
 
 When holy Hilda prayed ; 
 Themselves, within their holy bound, 
 Their stony folds had often found." 
 
 It so happens, however, that the petrified snakes are always 
 found minus the head, a circumstance which Sir Walter Scott, 
 in the Notes to his poem, satisfactorily accounts for by stating 
 that, at the abbess's intercession, the snakes were " not only 
 petrified but beheaded." The dealers in such wonders not 
 being aware, apparently, of this part of the miracle, and anxious 
 of course to demonstrate the truth of the current story, always 
 contrive to have on hand a few choice specimens of " perfect " 
 snake stones, in which the head of the snake is either formed of
 
 102 CAPTUKE OP A PRIZE. 
 
 cement and stuck on the shell, or shaped out of the shell itself 
 by means of a file ! 
 
 In the Museum of the Eoyal College of Surgeons there is 
 preserved the solitary specimen of the animal of the Pearly 
 Nautilus which the country can boast, and which enabled Pro- 
 fessor Owen to prepare the admirable "Memoir" on the species, 
 which gives the only recent and certain information we have of 
 the organization of this interesting Cephalopod. It was taken in 
 1829, in a bay on the south-west coast of the Island of Erro- 
 manga, in the South Seas, " where," says Dr. George Bennett, 
 who described its capture in his " Wanderings," " it was seen 
 floating on the surface of the water at some distance from the 
 ship. To many it appeared like a small dead tortoise-shell cat, 
 which would have been such an unusual object to be seen in this 
 part of the world, that the boat, which was alongside the ship at the 
 time, was sent for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of the float- 
 ing object. On approaching near it was observed to be the shell- 
 fish commonly known by the name of the Pearly Nautilus. It 
 was captured and brought on board ; but the shell was shattered 
 from having been struck with the boat-hook in capturing it, as 
 the animal was sinking when the boat approached, and had it 
 not been so damaged it would have escaped." The idea of send- 
 ing off a boat to look after a dead cat may appear somewhat 
 absurd, but locality must be taken into account, and the reader 
 who is at all versed in the geographical distribution of animals will 
 know that, thirty years ago, a dead cat in the South Pacific 
 would have been as much a marvel as a dead elephant in South- 
 ampton Water. 
 
 Nothing very definite appears to be known as to the habits 
 of the Nautilus. It appears to spend its time chiefly at the sea- 
 bottom, where it creeps along with its house upon its back ; 
 occasionally, however, it ascends to the surface and floats upon 
 the water, though, when there, it is totally incapable of directing 
 its course, except by the action of the ordinary respiratory cur- 
 rents expelled through the funnel. 
 
 The shell of the Nautilus, banded with alternate stripes of 
 orange and white, and to be seen in every " naturalist's," that is 
 to say, bird-stuffer's window, is an exceedingly complicated and 
 interesting structure, and has given rise to much discussion 
 among scientific men. Externally it presents nothing remark-
 
 SHELL OF THE PEARLY NAUTILUS. 103 
 
 able in its appearance, and might be mistaken for the domicile 
 of an overgrown snail, only that its sides are considerably flat- 
 tened, and that it is somewhat too artistically finished off at the 
 mouth. Cut into halves, however, and exposed thus in section, 
 it is seen to be divided into a series of chambers, the outermost of 
 which is large and roomy, and contains the body of the Nautilus, 
 whilst the others are occupied only by air, and gradually decrease 
 in size as they approach the inner extremity of the shell. The 
 partitions between the chambers are firm plates of shelly matter, 
 which, as they are continued from the side walls, make every 
 compartment perfectly air-tight, and thus convert the shell into 
 a float, which buoys up the Nautilus in the water. A communi- 
 cation is kept up between the several chambers by means of a 
 membranous tube, termed the sipliunde, which, originating in 
 the body of the Nautilus in the outer chamber, passes through 
 all the partitions in succession, and has been supposed, though 
 apparently without much reason, to be the principal agent 
 actively concerned in that alteration of the specific gravity of 
 the Nautilus, by which it is enabled at will to ascend to the 
 surface from the sea-bottom, or instantly sink again if danger 
 threaten. 
 
 This ascending and descending in the water is an interesting 
 point in the economy of the Nautilus, and one which has abun- 
 dantly shown that philosophers are not exempt from the common 
 failing of preferring novel and fanciful methods of accounting for 
 unusually curious phenomena, even when familiar and common- 
 place explanations would equally answer the purpose. Thus the 
 most ingenious theories have been propounded to explain the 
 modus operandi of these visits of the Nautilus to the sunlight 
 and back, the siphuncle being in all of them alike credited with 
 the chief share in the transaction. 
 
 But there is good reason to believe it has little or nothing to 
 do with the matter, and that the change of place is effected by a 
 simple contrivance, which, any day in summer, may be seen illus- 
 trated by another little Mollusc common in almost every roadside 
 ditch in the country. The fact is, that, as Professor Owen has satis- 
 factorily shown, the Nautilus, contracted within its buoyant shell, 
 is so little heavier than its own bulk of water, that by protrud- 
 ing its body beyond the aperture of the shell, and spreading 
 itself abroad so as to displace a greater volume of the fluid, it
 
 104 OCTOPODS AND DECAPODS. 
 
 reduces its specific gravity considerably below that of the sur- 
 rounding medium, and is able to mount almost without an 
 effort to the surface ; while, when there, the mere act of with- 
 drawing itself within the shell will instantly suffice to send it 
 again to the bottom. 
 
 It is not necessary, therefore, to suppose that the siphon is in 
 any way concerned in these movements ; and in the absence of 
 proof, all theorizing based on the assumption that it is so is a 
 mere gratuitous exercise of ingenuity. By far the most proba- 
 ble function of the tube is, that it helps to maintain the vitality 
 of those portions of the shell which are furthest removed from 
 the body of the animal, and which, if deprived of all vital con- 
 nection with it, would speedily become fractured, and thus totally 
 destroy the hydrostatic balance of the Nautilus, and doom it for 
 ever after to remain at the sea-bottom. 
 
 The two-gilled Cephalopods comprise the Octopods, distin- 
 guished by the possession of eight arms or feet, and the Deca- 
 pods, which boast the possession of an additional pair of those 
 organs. 
 
 Let us glance at the ten-armed gentlemen first. In all these 
 animals two of the ten arms are greatly prolonged, and provided 
 at the extremity with a thick fleshy expansion covered with 
 suckers, and, in one family, with powerful hooked claws, for 
 holding on firmly to their slippery prey. The Common Cuttle- 
 fish may be taken as the type of this division of the Cephalopods, 
 which also includes the Calamaries or Squids, the Spirula, and 
 that engaging little fellow, the smallest of the Cephalopods, the 
 common Sepiola. In many of these animals we meet with the 
 rudiments of an internal shell, as in the " bone " of the Cuttle- 
 fish, and the "pen" of the common Calamary, while in the 
 Spirula there is a true chambered shell, though only partially en- 
 closed in the body. The Cephalopods of this section are fur- 
 nished along each side of the body with a powerful muscular fin, 
 which greatly aids them in their movements through the water ; 
 and, in some of the Calamaries, these lateral fins are so largely de- 
 veloped that the animals can project themselves above the surface 
 of the water, and, like the flying-fish, dart for a short distance 
 through the air. Immense numbers of these " Flying Squid '' 
 annually visit the shores of Newfoundland, where they form the 
 principal bait employed in the Cod-fishery.
 
 A PET CEPIIALOrOD. 105 
 
 Do any of our readers know the little Sepiola ? It will be no 
 disrespect to our readers to assume that not one in ten of them 
 know anything about it. The fact is, this engaging little crea- 
 ture, although by no means uncommon around our southern 
 coast, was all but unknown, excepting by name, even to na- 
 turalists themselves, until Mr. Gosse fished it up from Wey- 
 mouth Bay, and gave us that most entertaining account of its 
 habits in his book on the " Aquarium." 
 
 Hardly an inch in length, with an almost globular body 
 furnished with prominent fins, the Sepiole is described as a 
 sprightly and beautiful little creature, altogether unlike what one 
 would expect in a genuine Cephalopod. It darts about in the 
 aquarium with the greatest vivacity and grace, and occasionally 
 poises itself in mid-water, hovering like a Moth over a flower. 
 As a general rule, it keeps its two long tentacula coiled up out of 
 sight between its shorter arms, but the little Cephalopod can 
 shoot them out to their full length when occasion requires, and 
 make good use of them too, as Mr. Gosse once had proof one of 
 his little pets having seized hold, with these organs, of a poor 
 shrimp, on which the tiny beak was soon seen busily at work. 
 But perhaps the most interesting circumstance connected with 
 the Sepiole is the singular manner in which it perpetually changes 
 its colour; and, as this property is common more or less to all 
 the Cephalopods, we will give in full the passage in which Mr. 
 Gosse refers to it. 
 
 It is almost impossible, -it seems, to name any definite colour 
 as that proper to the animal. " Now it is nearly white or 
 pellucid, with a faint band of brown specks along the back, 
 through which the internal viscera glisten like silver. In an 
 instant the specks become spots that come and go, and change 
 their dimensions and their forms, and appear and disappear 
 momentarily. The whole body arms, fins, and all the parts 
 which before appeared free, display the spots, which, when 
 looked at attentively, are seen to play about in the most singular 
 manner, having the appearance of a coloured fluid injected with 
 constantly varying force into cavities in the substance of the 
 skin of ever-changing dimensions. Now the spots become rings, 
 like the markings of a panther's skin ; and, as the little creature 
 moves slightly, either side beneath the fins is seen to glow with 
 metallic lustre, like that of gold-leaf seen through horn. Again,
 
 106 PLINY ON THE POULPE. 
 
 the rings unite and coalesce, and form a beautiful netted pattern 
 of brown, which colour increasing, leaves the interspaces a series 
 of white spots in the rich dark ground. . . . But here is a 
 change ! One is hovering in quiescence, his colour pale, almost 
 white : one of his fellows shoots along, just over him ; with the 
 quickness of thought the alarmed creature turns from white to a 
 uniform deep brown, the rich full colour suffusing the skin in a 
 second, like a blush on a young maiden's face." 
 
 There can be but little doubt that the power with which the 
 Cephalopoda are endowed, of thus incessantly changing their 
 colour, is designed to serve as an additional means of protection 
 against discovery. The larger species, indeed, are commonly 
 observed to harmonize their colour to that of the surface over 
 which they pass, so as to render their detection at a short distance 
 a matter of some difficulty. 
 
 Octopus vulyaris, the common Poulpe, already introduced to 
 our readers, is the model Cephalopod of the eight-armed group. 
 This animal has been famous from the earliest ages, and the 
 most marvellous stories are told of its habits. Pliny has a long 
 account of its various accomplishments, and amongst other 
 things, credits it with "keeping of house and maintaining a 
 familie," for whose behoof it is said to carry home to its nest all 
 that it can take ; and, he goes on to say, that, " when they have 
 eaten the meat of the fishes, they throw the empty shels out of 
 dores, and lie as it were in ambuscado behind, to watch and 
 catch fishes that swimme thither." He says it is a " meere tale, 
 that they gnaw and eat their own clees and arms ; for they be 
 the congres that do them that shrewd turn ; but true it is, that 
 they will grow againe like as the taile of snakes, adders, and 
 lizards." But the best thing he gives us is a story of our friend's 
 partiality for cockles, which is so particularly good that, he tells 
 us, he "cannot ouerpasse " it. "They are most desirous and 
 greedie of cockles, muscles, and such like shel fishes : and they, 
 againe, on the contrarie side, so soone as they feele themselues 
 touched of the Polypes, shut their shels hard and therwith cut 
 asunder their clawes or armes that were gotten within : and 
 thus fall they to feed vpon those who sought to make a prey of 
 them. These Polypi, foreseeing all this, lie in wait to spie when 
 the said cockles, &c., gape wide open, and put in a little stone 
 between the shels, but yet beside the flesh and bodie of the fish,
 
 THE LITTLE ARGONAUT. 107 
 
 for feare lest if it touched and felt it, she wcmld cast it forth 
 again : thus they theeue, without all daunger, aiid in securitie 
 get out the fleshie substance of the meat to deuoure it ; the poore 
 cockles draw their shels together for to claspe them between (as 
 is aboue said) but all in vaine, for by reeson of a wedg between, 
 they will not meet close nor come neere together." To which 
 story he adds the sage reflection, " See how subtile and craftie 
 in this point these creatures be, which otherwise are most sottish 
 and senselesse." 
 
 By far the most interesting of all the Cephalopods is the little 
 Argonaut, improperly called the Paper Nautilus. This famous 
 little creature has come down to us from antiquity, stigmatized 
 on the one hand as a pirate and usurper that has no right to the 
 shell it inhabits, and lauded, on the other, as an active and 
 skilful voyageur, and the first instructor of mankind in the art of 
 navigation. Both these matters have been thoroughly investi- 
 gated of late years, and on neither of them now is there the 
 slightest doubt remaining. As the character of the little fa- 
 vourite is involved in the former point, we will examine into 
 that first. 
 
 Is the Argonaut a pirate? The point has been a disputed 
 one from the time of_Aristotle downwards, although the majority 
 of voices has always been with the " ayes ;" the assumption 
 being that the Argonaut picks up its shell at the sea bottom, 
 and appropriates it to his own use, just as that crusty little 
 oddity, the hermit-crab, is known to appropriate the shells of 
 the common whelk. 
 
 But on what ground was the assumption made? What is 
 the evidence? 
 
 In the first place, then, the Argonaut is in no way attached to 
 the shell it inhabits, and has often been seen, when alive, to 
 quit the shell of its own accord. Again, it was alleged, that the 
 position of the animal in the shell is by no means regular and 
 constant, the head being sometimes turned towards one extremity 
 of the shell, and sometimes towards the other a circumstance 
 which certainly seemed to show that the shell was not expressly 
 fitted to its occupant. Further, the body of the Argonaut is just 
 as deeply coloured as that of the naked Cephalopods, which 
 would seem to show that it was not permanently covered from
 
 108 A LONG DISPUTE. 
 
 the light. In the last place, the eight-armed Cephalopods were 
 known to be a set of prying, inquisitive fellows, fond of poking 
 their tails into every hole and crevice where they could, by any 
 possibility, manage to squeeze them ; and, on one occasion, one 
 of them was actually taken with its body wedged into a small 
 butter-jar, in which it had, no doubt, gone proudly careering 
 through the water, till at last, attracted by the tempting 
 appearance of a baited hook, it ventured a nibble, and so got 
 caught. 
 
 Evidently the case of the Argonaut was a suspicious one. 
 What had its friends to say on the other side, and to show that 
 the shell it occupied was really of its own fabrication? Two 
 things, and two only they could advance : first, that the shell 
 had never been found on any other animal ; secondly, that the 
 Argonaut had never been found in any other shell. The 
 defence was a meagre one certainly, but it was to the purpose ; 
 and, notwithstanding that the general voice went against it, the 
 Argonaut had many champions on its side, who stoutly main- 
 tained that it was both architect and rightful owner of the grace- 
 ful little bark in which, by general consent, it sailed so proudly 
 on the bosom of the deep. 
 
 Thus had the question stood for centuries, no new facts of any 
 moment being added, and the disputation going on as stoutly as 
 ever, when at length, and only a few years ago, a lady entered 
 the field, and, by a few simple experiments and observations, put 
 the philosophers to open shame, and for ever set at rest the long- 
 disputed question. 
 
 Madame Jeannette Power, a French lady residing on the 
 shores of the Bay of Messina, where the Argonaut is of frequent 
 occurrence, enclosed several of the animals in a sort of cage, 
 fenced off from the sea at the water-side, and there studied their 
 history in all its stages. In this way Madame Power ascertained 
 that the Argonaut is the indisputable fabricator of the shell it 
 inhabits ; that the shell regularly increases with the growth of 
 the animal; and that its first formation, and all subsequent 
 repairs that it may need, are effected by the broad membraneous 
 expansions which the Argonaut was reputed to hoist as sails to 
 catch the breeze. The results of Madame Power's investigations 
 came upon the scientific world as a perfect surprisal ; and, in
 
 DOUBLE JUSTICE. 109 
 
 1839, the lady put the cap of completeness on her labours, by 
 forwarding to the principal learned societies of Europe sets of 
 specimens of the Argonaut and its shell of all sizes ; hoping, no 
 doubt, to teach the disputatious philosophers how much better 
 than theory or argument is a little patient watching and pains- 
 taking examination of actual facts. 
 
 It was enough for a kdy to do, to clear the character of the 
 Argonaut, and to establish its title to the shell in which it had 
 won such renown as a navigator. It would have been an 
 unseemly thing for those fair hands to have stripped the little 
 Cephalopod of its laurels ; and Madame Power was content to 
 believe with the rest of mankind, that, far out at sea, as the poet 
 sang, the Argonaut 
 
 " Put out a tier of oars on either side, 
 Spread to the wafting breeze a twofold sail, 
 And mounted up and glided down the billow 
 In happy freedom, pleased to feel the air, 
 And wander in the luxury of light." 
 
 But there was double justice to be done. The Argonaut had 
 been proved innocent of piracy, and now, by the same stern rule 
 of right, it was to lose its reputation as a sailor. 
 
 Nearly at the same time as Madame Power was attending to 
 her little proteges in the Bay of Messina, M. Sander Piang was 
 carrying on a somewhat similar course of observations on the 
 opposite shores of the Mediterranean at Algiers. The researches 
 of this gentleman are entirely corroborative of those of Madame 
 Power as to the secretion of the shell by the so-called sails ; but 
 they go further, and show, beyond all reasonable doubt, that the 
 Argonaut has no such power, as is commonly supposed, of 
 hoisting these expanded membranes to " catch the driving gale," 
 and so to sail along the deep. The little Cephalopod can 
 certainly raise itself from below, and sport about at the surface 
 of the water, but it does this with its membraneous flaps closely 
 wrapped about its shell, and by precisely the same means as the 
 Cephalopods in general namely, by the forcible ejection of 
 water from the funnel. M. Rang, therefore, completely upsets 
 the Argonaut's reputation as a sailor ; but, then, he makes him 
 known to us in a new character that of a crawler at the sea- 
 bottom, where, it appears, the animal creeps along with its head
 
 110 COLD PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 downwards, and its shell upon its back, much after the manner 
 of the common snail. Most terribly true, therefore, is it here, 
 
 that 
 
 " All charms fly 
 
 At the mere touch of cold philosophy." 
 
 Once we had a little voyageur all elegance and grace 
 " The ocean Mab, the fairy of the sea ;" 
 
 but " cold philosophy " comes and touches it ; and, lo ! the 
 favourite of the poets becomes a mere commonplace crawler at 
 the sea-bottom. 
 
 But let us be consoled. Philosophy has revealed more 
 wonders than it has marred ; and, with all deference to the 
 author of " Lamia," prosaic truths are far better than poetic 
 fictions.
 
 1'et.- nf the Aquarium. 
 
 1'iinf 111.
 
 Ill 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TEE AQUARIUM AND ITS INMATES. 
 PAET I. 
 
 " Pellucid pools, and rocks in miniature, 
 With their small fry of fishes, crusted shells, 
 Rich mosses, tree-like sea weeds, sparkling pebbles 
 
 Enchant the eye 
 
 a fairy paradise." 
 
 THE popularity of the Aquarium has considerably abated of late, 
 but a few years since it was something altogether extraordinary. 
 It may be a harsh way of describing this popularity to speak of 
 it as a " mania," but a passion so prevalent and intense is cer- 
 tainly nothing less. The tendency to these peculiar mental 
 epidemics is one of our national weaknesses, and is sure to 
 exhibit itself again and again at longer or shorter intervals. It 
 is no great while ago that it showed itself in connection with 
 those preposterous bipeds, the Cochin-China fowls ; and before 
 we had well become reconciled to those ornithological oddities, a 
 still more virulent craze broke out, for converting plain glass jars 
 into magnificent specimens of porcelain and pottery ware. It 
 was our fair friends more especially who were affected by this 
 latter mania, and so entirely did it get possession of them, that, 
 for awhile, there was nothing that took so amazingly at fancy 
 faii-s and bazaars, nothing that was in such great request for 
 wedding and birthday presents, as choice samples of this home- 
 made mimicry of the costly wares of Sevres and Dresden. But 
 Potichomania, like other manias that had gone before it, speedily 
 ran its course, and had to give way to the stronger attractions of 
 a rival novelty. The narrow-necked jar gave place to the 
 capacious tank ; the corpulent Chinamen, the landscapes with 
 impossible perspective, and the brilliantly-coloured 1 utterflies, 
 birds and flowers, unknown to science, all disappeared before a
 
 112 PRINCIPLE OF AQUARIUM. 
 
 sudden invasion of Tadpoles, " Tittlebats," and Sea- Anemones ; 
 and Aquarium-keeping became the order of the day. 
 
 The chemical principles involved in this ingenious and beautiful 
 contrivance are now too well known to require any lengthened ex- 
 planation. It is a matter of familiar knowledge, that in the process 
 of respiration, animals consume the oxygen or life- sustaining prin- 
 ciple of the atmosphere, and give back in return a quantity of 
 carbonic-acid gas, which is as deleterious to animal life as the 
 oxygen is healthful and invigorating. It thus happens that 
 when animals are confined by themselves in a limited quantity 
 of air, this double process of deterioration speedily renders the 
 fluid absolutely poisonous and destructive of life. But in 
 respect to plants, a precisely opposite state of things obtains. 
 By a process somewhat analogous to the respiration of animals, 
 though not to be confounded with it, the vegetable world is 
 continually appropriating the carbonic acid of the atmosphere, 
 and giving back oxygen. In their relation to the atmosphere, 
 therefore, the two great divisions of the organic world beautifully 
 balance one another each taking and appropriating to its own 
 use what would be injurious to the other, and each giving back 
 that which the necessities of the other require. 
 
 In respect to the free atmosphere this mutually counteractive 
 influence of the animal and vegetable kingdoms has long been 
 familiar ; we owe the Aquarium to the discovery that it 
 equally holds good with respect to the atmospheric air contained 
 in water. 
 
 The gentleman to whom the world is mainly indebted for this 
 discovery, and for its practical application to natural history 
 purposes, is Mr. Warington, of Apothecaries' Hall, who may 
 fairly claim to be the originator of the Aquarium. 
 
 But about the same time that Mr. Warington was engaged in 
 his experiments, Mr. Gosse was busily carrying on a similar 
 series, and with the same object in view ; and though not quite 
 so successful as Mr. Warington at first, he was so far satisfied 
 of the practicability of the Aquarium as to suggest the establish- 
 ment of a series of them in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's 
 Park. The suggestion was readily adopted, and early in the 
 summer of 1853 the " Fish House," which for more than twelve 
 months previously had been in preparation, was opened to the 
 public. The success of the novel exhibition was extraordinary.
 
 THE AQUARIUM MANIA. 113 
 
 All London was eager to look at the wonderful little creatures 
 from the sea-shore ; and, for some months, the Gardens were 
 daily the scene of as much excitement as followed the arrival 
 of that now enormous beast, Obaysh, the Hippopotamus. 
 
 The publication of Mr. Gosse's elegant volume, " The Aqua- 
 rium," opened up a new source of interest in connection with the 
 subject. It suggested the establishment of the " Parlour Aqua- 
 rium," by means of which private persons might have in their 
 own houses, and under their constant notice, similar collections of 
 animals to those which attracted such attention in places of public 
 resort. The idea was no sooner suggested than it was eagerly 
 caught up, and forthwith the Aquarium was elevated to the first 
 rank amongst the ornaments of the parlour and the drawing-room. 
 The expense, however, was something considerable at first ; and, 
 for a while, it was only in those " desirable residences," as the 
 auctioneers phrase it, the substantial mansions of the people 
 well-to-do in the world, that you had any chance of meeting with 
 the Aquarium. But an increase of dealers, and the competition 
 between them, soon made matters different ; so that before long 
 the man who had only a few shillings to spare could yet have 
 his collection of pet Anemones, and keep, if he would, a whole 
 aquatic menagerie inside his parlour window. Nor did it matter 
 in the least, apparently, where, or at what distance from the 
 coast he might reside ; for like those famous bedsteads one sees 
 announced at the railway stations, the Aquarium, it seems, is 
 expressly adapted to be " sent free by post," and might any- 
 where be had to order by simply addressing a letter to one of the 
 London dealers. In London itself the passion for the Aquarium 
 raged for a while at fever point. The new invention quickly 
 dispossessed the shop windows of all the old-fashioned globes of 
 gold fish, and created such obstructive crowds upon the foot- 
 paths, as to call for a speedy interference of the police. In West- 
 end squares, in trim suburban villas, in crowded city thorough- 
 fares, in the demure houses of little, unfrequented back streets, 
 and inside the flat, sill-less windows of poverty-stricken Spital- 
 fields and Bethnal Green, everywhere you saw the Aquarium in 
 one form or another, and had abundant proof how ardently the 
 cockney of every grade was attached to " the new fancy " which 
 had come into fashion. 
 
 But it is time that we turn our attention from the history 
 
 I
 
 114 ZOOPHYTES. 
 
 of the Aquarium itself to the habits and history of its various 
 inmates the little creatures which all of a sudden became so 
 immensely popular, and which, had they but the gift of speech, 
 might very well say, with a certain bygone celebrity of a higher 
 grade, that they awoke one morning and found themselves 
 famous. 
 
 One or two words here, however, by way of explanation. It 
 is with the marine Aquarium, exclusively, that we propose to 
 deal : furthermore, we shall refer not merely to those animals, 
 which, with proper care and attention may be permanently 
 domesticated, but occasionally also to those more delicate races, 
 which, excepting under the most favourable circumstances, are to 
 be regarded rather as casual and temporary occupants, than as 
 regular and settled inmates of the establishment. 
 
 Let us begin with one of these " casual and temporary " races, 
 the most characteristic of the so-called " zoophytes." The little 
 Hydra of our ponds and ditches is the fresh-water representative 
 of an extremely interesting class of these animals, known as the 
 Hydroid-Polyps, which are in reality neither more nor less than 
 associated Hydras enclosed in little homy cups, and supported on 
 a branched tree-like structure of the same horny consistence, 
 termed the polypidom or Polyps' house. It is to these creatures 
 that Crabbe alludes in the well-known lines : 
 
 " Involved in sea-wrack, here you find a race 
 Which science, doubting, knows not whereto place; 
 On shell or stone is dropt the embryo-seed, 
 And quickly vegetates a vital breed." 
 
 "Science" has long ago settled "where to place" these 
 animals, and has assigned to them a position but a step or two 
 above the very bottom of the animal series. It was long 
 doubted, indeed, whether they could properly be ranked with 
 animals at all ; and the arborescent forms which the polypidom 
 assumes, still leads to their being popularly classed with sea- 
 weeds. 
 
 Individually, these little creatures are far too insignificant in 
 size to make any figure in the Aquarium, where indeed they can 
 seldom be kept alive for more than a few days, and for even that 
 time only when the water is extremely pure. But they arc 
 abundantly worth all the trouble they cost, for however short a
 
 BEAUTY OP APPEARANCE. 115 
 
 period they may remain alive; and if inspected through an 
 ordinary lens their beauty becomes at once apparent. The entire 
 structure then has the appearance of a miniature plant, profusely 
 decked with living flowers ; from which circumstance, indeed, it is 
 that one family of these Polyps derive their name of " Sertula- 
 rian," from sertulo, a little nosegay or chaplet of flowers. The 
 tiny Polyps are seen protruding from their cells, with their ten- 
 tacles fully expanded, now rigidly outstretched, and perfectly 
 motionless, and now suddenly bending and twirling about, as they 
 come in contact with some invisible object floating in the water ; 
 and now, perhaps, taking sudden alarm, they disappear, as if by 
 magic, and shrink to the bottom of their cup-like cells. Very 
 beautiful, too, are the cells themselves ; and in days gone by, 
 when the animal nature of these Polyps was first proclaimed 
 by Ellis, it was these cells which the animals occupied that 
 attracted most attention. " As for your pretty little seed-cups 
 or vases," says Hogarth, in writing to Ellis on the subject, 
 " they are a sweet confirmation of the pleasure Nature seems to 
 have in superadding an elegance of form to most of her works 
 wherever you find them. How poor and bungling are all the 
 imitations of art ! When I have the pleasure of seeing you 
 next, we will sit down, nay, kneel down if you will, and admire 
 these things." 
 
 The number of these Polyps which are sometimes united 
 together in a single polypidom is almost incredible; the 
 occupants of a little feathery tuft attached to the shell of an 
 oyster or a mussel often outnumbering the entire human popu- 
 lation of the largest cities. And every Polyp of the vast 
 multitude has a vital connection with all the rest. It is united 
 at its base to a sort of medullary pith, which runs through the 
 whole extent of the polypidom, and, in reality, connects the 
 entire society into one compound animal, which, althoiigh having 
 an almost infinite number of separate mouths and separate sets of 
 arms to supply them with food, can properly be considered as 
 only a single organism. In one respect, the individual Polyps 
 seem less entitled to the character of independent existences than 
 the blossoms of a plant ; for when one of the number dies and 
 drops out of its little cup the medullary matter at the bottom of 
 the cell speedily buds out afresh, and the vacant cell is soon 
 occupied by a new tenant.
 
 116 WONDERS OF REPRODUCTION. 
 
 But here, as elsewhere, the crowning wonder pertains to the 
 process of reproduction. In all these Polyps the ordinary mode 
 of increase is by the process of gemmation, the medullary pith 
 continually pushing out new buds of the horny polypidom, which 
 eventually become developed into regular cup-shaped cells, from 
 the bottom of which new Polyps make their appearance. But in 
 several species, at certain seasons of the year, peculiar closed cap- 
 sules of a larger size than the ordinary cells are produced, and in 
 these a pulpy mass is gradually developed into a number of minute 
 ova, which ultimately make their escape as tiny Medusae the 
 eggs of the Polyp thus producing a swarm of indisputable Jelly- 
 fish ! But this is only half the wonder. In process of time these 
 Medusae, themselves produce eggs, from which spring, not young 
 Medusae, but Polyps in every respect identical with the original 
 stock. Thus the Polyps produce Medusae, which again produce 
 Polyps; as in a former chapter we saw that the Medusae 
 produced Polyps, which in due time resolved themselves into 
 Medusae. 
 
 It is evident, therefore, that the relation between these two 
 classes of apparently most dissimilar forms of life is of the closest 
 and most intimate nature ; nor is it surprising extravagant as 
 the idea may appear at first that many naturalists should 
 regard the class of Polyps, of which we have been speaking, 
 as nothing more than the early immature forms of bona fide 
 Jelly-fish. 
 
 But marvellous as is the structure and history of these tiny 
 Polyps, they make such an insignificant show in the Aquarium, 
 that by incurious observers they would be passed by as unde- 
 serving of attention. Not so is it, hoAvever, with the Polypes 
 of another order, which are the most conspicuous and attractive 
 objects that the Aquarium contains, and are pre-eminently the 
 pets of the establishment. It would never do, however, to play 
 one's best card thus early in the chapter ; so that merely entering 
 an appearance for them here, we must postpone for a while all 
 that we have to say on those popular beauties, the Sea- Ane- 
 mones. 
 
 Between fish and Star-fish there is a wider interval in nature 
 than the names alone would indicate. The two races, indeed, 
 have very little in common, and stand, in somewhat analogous 
 positions, at nearly the two opposite extremes of the animal king-
 
 STAR-FISH. 117 
 
 dom. The non-zoological reader will understand, therefore, that 
 it is only in the sense of that comprehensive phraseology which 
 makes everything "fish" which lives in the sea, that the 
 Star-fish have any connection with the finny tribes. The Star- 
 fish and their allies constitute the spiny-skinned fraternity known 
 as the Ecliinodermata, a designation, however, which, like many 
 more of our scientific terms, only partially applies to the animals 
 which bear it. The common Star-fish (Uraster rubens) may be 
 taken as the type of its race. It is a well-known creature on 
 most parts of our coast, where it passes under a variety of 
 popular names, as Cross-fish, Star-fish, Five-fingers, and the 
 like, and may often be seen clinging to the half-submerged rocks 
 and boulders at the time of low water, or, dead and partially 
 decomposed, mingled with the line of refuse which marks the 
 highest advance of the tide. People who know the Star-fish 
 only in the form of the stiff and dried specimens of a museum, 
 will be surprised to see them in the Aquarium, clambering over 
 the blocks of stone, bending to all the irregularities of the surface, 
 and moving along with considerable facility. Look attentively 
 and you may see how these movements are effected. From the 
 under surface of each ray protrude a host of minute worm-like 
 suckers, which are seen groping and feeling about, extending and 
 contracting themselves, some fastening on to the surface of the 
 stone, others loosening their hold to stretch forward and attach 
 themselves afresh ; the whole acting, the spectator is apt at first 
 to think, without concert or unity of purpose, and yet, more 
 closely observed, all evidently obeying a common impulse, and 
 enabling the animal by their united efforts to draw itself along. 
 
 By means of these curious organs, the Star-fish mounts the 
 glass sides of its prison-house just as easily as the blocks of 
 stone ; and thus exhibiting itself, the whole of its under surface 
 is exposed, and every movement of the suckers may be watched. 
 The animal has now a very curious appearance. Its mouth is 
 seen in the form of a circular orifice in the centre of the disc 
 from which the rays diverge ; each of these rays is seen to be 
 traversed by a deep groove ; and from alternating rows of minute 
 perforations in these grooves issue the tubular suckers, which 
 form the Star-fish's only organs of locomotion. 
 
 But locomotion is not the only purpose to which these curious 
 members are applied. They are equally serviceable in the
 
 118 OYSTER-EATING EXTRAORDINARY. 
 
 capture of prey ; and, fixed to the shell of any luckless crab, hold 
 him with a firmness of grasp, against which his most violent 
 struggles are totally unavailing. Armed with these formidable 
 appendages, it is no wonder that the Star-fish acts the part of a 
 petty tyrant at the sea-bottom, and makes short work of what- 
 ever shell-fish or Crustacea come in its way. Much of its food, 
 indeed, is derived from animal matter which is already dead and 
 decaying ; but it is equally well pleased to kill its own game ; 
 and sometimes seizes upon a passing neighbour, which, despite all 
 its protestations and entreaties, is relentlessly held fast, the rays 
 of the tyrant bending in upon it meanwhile, pressing it nearer 
 and nearer to the fatal mouth, which, dilating for the purpose, 
 soon engulfs the hapless wretch, and irrevocably seals its doom. 
 
 Amongst fishermen, the Star-fish has the reputation of being 
 extremely fond of oysters ; and it is said that, when it wishes to 
 indulge itself with one of these delicacies, it lies in wait till it 
 sees an oyster gaping, and then adroitly inserting one of its rays 
 between the open valves, literally eats the poor mollusc " out of 
 house and home." Now, there can be no doubt that the Star- 
 fish has a weakness, not merely for oysters, but for shell-fish in 
 general ; though it is equally certain that it does not adopt the 
 above impossible mode of gratifying its predilections. The truth 
 of the matter, however, is even more wonderful than the current 
 fiction. It seems that when inclined for an oyster supper, the 
 Star- fish clasps the mollusc in its arms, and by means, as it is 
 supposed, of some poisonous secretion, speedily reduces it to a 
 state of perfect helplessness, when the valves of the shell gape 
 wide apart. The gourmand now resorts to the very original and 
 ingenious expedient of pouting its stomach out of its mouth and 
 projecting it bodily into the open shell of the oyster, where the 
 digestive apparatus does its work quite as well as in its own 
 proper place. It is no uncommon circumstance to meet with the 
 Star-fish in the vciy act of performing this most extraordinary 
 gastronomic operation ; and occasionally three or four of the 
 animals may be found clustered together about some poor mollusc, 
 whose vitals they are unitedly sucking out, and with which they 
 form a sort of foot-ball, which the waves roll to and fro upon the 
 sand. 
 
 The name of " Five-fingers," by which the common Star -fish is 
 known, sufficiently indicates that five is the normal number of
 
 BRITTLE-STARS AND SAND-STARS. 119 
 
 its rays ; and it is a curious circumstance, in connection with the 
 entire fraternity of Echinoderms, that this same number, five, 
 seems, in almost everything, to reign predominant in the details 
 of their organization. It is not unusual, however, to meet with 
 Star-fish having only four or even three rays ; and not long since 
 there was a specimen of Uraster rubens in one of the tanks in the 
 Regent's Park Gardens which had but two rays, and those on 
 exactly opposite sides of the central disc, so as to give the animal 
 a spindle-form. The truth is, the Star-fish and their allies are 
 endowed with the most extraordinary powers of voluntary dis- 
 memberment ; and when they have the misfortune to injure 
 any of their members they very deliberately fling them away, 
 or rather crawl off and leave them behind. But it is only for a 
 time that the Star-fish goes with less than its full complement of 
 members, as new rays speedily sprout out, and, in due time, the 
 animal regains its normal condition. 
 
 In so far as is known, the habits of all the true Star-fish are 
 pretty much alike, though in form and appearance there is a 
 considerable difference between the various species. One of the 
 most elegant of those found around our own shores is the 
 well-known Sun-star (Solaster papposa), a magnificent fellow, 
 with from twelve to fifteen rays, and which, decked as it is 
 in rich tints of scarlet and purple, has a truly gorgeous appear- 
 ance as it clings to the rocks with the waves curling and playing 
 around it. 
 
 Brittle-stars and Sand-stars are Star-fish with a difference. 
 These animals are distinguished by the greater length and 
 slenderness of the rays, which, possessing neither groove nor 
 suckers, differ essentially from the corresponding parts of the 
 true Star-fish. When the Fish House in the Zoological Gardens 
 was first opened, several of these odd-looking little creatures were 
 exhibited in one of the tanks, and the singularity of their ap- 
 pearance attracted much attention. It was speedily discovered, 
 however, that they were not of a kind to be successfully treated 
 in the Aquarium, and no new supply has been obtained to take 
 their place. The Brittle-stars are extremely abundant around 
 most parts of our coast, most of the species inhabiting deep water, 
 where they appear to spend an active existence, swimming and 
 crawling about with considerable facility, by means of their elon- 
 gated spiny rays their only organs 01 locomotion. The common
 
 120 VOLUNTARY DISMEMBERMENT. 
 
 name of these animals is derived from the extraordinary delicacy 
 of their arms, which break away at the slightest touch, so as to 
 render it a difficult matter to procure specimens in a perfect 
 condition. And what adds to the singularity of the matter is, 
 that this mutilation is a perfectly voluntary act ; for it frequently 
 happens that, when these animals are brought up from the deep, 
 they leap and twist about, snapping off their arms piece by piece, 
 sometimes till there is nothing left but the small central disc. 
 Professor Forbes tells us that he once saw a dredge come up 
 completely filled with specimens of the Common Brittle-star 
 (Ophiocoma rosula"), and that, when they were emptied into the 
 boat, they began creeping about in all directions, writhing with 
 the strangest contortions, flinging their anns about in broken 
 fragments, and putting themselves into a variety of snake-like 
 and threatening attitudes. The boatmen, the Professor says, by 
 no means relished the sight, and begged permission to shovel the 
 little fellows overboard, declaring their belief that the " things 
 weren't altogether right!" 
 
 By far the most famous of these animals for this propensity to 
 voluntary dismemberment, is one of the true Star-fish, an enor- 
 mous fellow nearly two feet in expanse, which bears the most 
 appropriate name of Luidia frangilissima. The graphic pen of 
 Edward Forbes has given us the following racy sketch of the 
 characteristic peculiarity of this prince of Star-fish : " The first 
 time I ever took one of these creatures, I succeeded in getting it 
 into the boat entire. Never having seen one before, and quite 
 unconscious of its suicidal powers, I spread it out on a rowing 
 bench, the better to admire its form and colours. On attempting 
 to remove it for preservation, to my horror and disappointment 
 I found only an assemblage of rejected members. My conserva- 
 tive endeavours were neutralized by its destructive exertions, and 
 it is now badly represented in my cabinet by an armless disc 
 and a discless arm. Next time I went to dredge on the same 
 spot, determined not to be cheated out of a specimen in such a 
 way a second time, I brought with me a bucket of cold fresh 
 water, to which article Star-fishes have a great antipathy. As 
 I expected, a Luidia came up in the dredge, a most gorgeous 
 specimen. As it does not generally break up before it is raised 
 above the surface of the sea, cautiously and anxiously I sank 
 my bucket to a level with the dredge's mouth, and proceeded,
 
 SEA-HEDGEHOGS. 121 
 
 in the most gentle manner, to introduce Luidia to the purer ele- 
 ment. Whether the cold air was too much for him, or the sight 
 of the bucket too terrific, I know not ; but, in a moment, he pro- 
 ceeded to dissolve his corporation, and, at every mesh of the dredge, 
 his fragments were seen escaping. In despair, I grasped at the 
 largest, and brought up the extremity of an arm with its termi- 
 nating eye, the spinuous eyelid of which opened and closed with 
 something exceedingly like a wink of derision." 
 
 The most ambitious owner of an Aquarium will hardly be 
 very sanguine of adding Luidia to his stock of " marine stores ;" 
 but, as Mr. Lloyd, the spirited dealer in aquarian objects, has 
 chosen it as his crest, and has thus "fet to his seal" that the 
 thing may be done, it may be that we shall yet succeed in in- 
 ducing the sensitive beauty to make himself at home in our 
 crystal enclosures. 
 
 If you bend the rays of a Star-fish under the disc, so that the 
 sides may meet, you will form a sort of spherical or orange-shaped 
 box, and see how an ordinary Star-fish is transformed into an 
 Echinus, or Sea-hedgehog, another of the spiny-skinned frater- 
 nity, which belongs to the pets of the Aquarium. Like its 
 namesake of the furze-brake and the hedge-row, the Echinus 
 has its coat thickly beset with prickles, which need be delicately 
 handled, if you would avoid their points. Each of these spines 
 is attached, by a kind of ball and socket-joint, to a little tuber- 
 cle on the shell of the Echinus, and as the whole of them move 
 freely in every direction, they enable the animal to get out of 
 harm's way when it pleases, by burying itself in the sand. They 
 also assist in locomotion ; but for this purpose the Echinus is pro- 
 vided with far more efficient organs in the shape of long tubular 
 suckers, like those of the Star-fish, which issue from minute 
 orifices in the shell, and, extending beyond the spines, enable 
 the Echinus to creep along the shore, or climb the rocks in 
 search of its diminutive crust-covered prey. 
 
 The spherical box which forms the shell of the Echinus is an 
 exceedingly curious structure. It is made up of an immense 
 multitude of five-sided pieces, arranged in regular rows, five pairs 
 of which are pierced with minute orifices for the protrusion of the 
 delicate worm-like suckers, while the remainder are studded with 
 tubercles for the attachment of the spines. The plates all fit 
 together with the greatest accuracy, and give the shell the appear-
 
 122 A FINAL JOURNEY. 
 
 ance of being formed of a single piece ; but, notwithstanding this 
 apparent solidity, a delicate formative membrane everywhere 
 intervenes between the edges of the plates, and by the gradual 
 deposition of calcareous particles to their margins, adds to the 
 size of each in a regular and uniform manner. It matters 
 nothing, therefore, to the Echinus that it is shut up for ever in a 
 hard, unyielding stony box, for, in virtue of this simple but 
 beautiful contrivance, by the same means that it adds to its 
 bodily substance, it also pushes apart the shelly plates of its 
 crusty environment, and makes for itself the additional room it 
 requires. 
 
 There are several species of the Echinus found around our 
 shores, one of the commonest in many parts being the little 
 Purple Egg Urchin (Echinus miliaris), which thrives very well 
 in captivity, and makes an interesting addition to the Aquarium. 
 At large on the sea-shore, it is generally found in holes and 
 crevices of the rocks, not unfrequently taking up its abode in a 
 deserted hole of that rock-boring mollusc, the pholas ; but in the 
 Aquarium it is very fond of covering itself with bits of gravel, 
 which it holds on by means of its suckers, and, thus adorned, it 
 marches about the bottom of the tank. 
 
 Nothing, in relation to these animals, is more extraordinary 
 than the amount of injury they can sustain without being 
 materially affected thereby. A remarkable instance of this 
 insensibility to mutilation is given by Mr. Patterson, who once 
 cut an Echinus horizontally into two nearly equal parts, for the 
 purpose of examining the intestines and ovaries, which nearly 
 fill the shell. These vital portions of the animal's organization 
 were taken out, and the divided shell was thrown aside ; but, being 
 put into a vessel of sea-water some time afterwards, Mr. Patter- 
 son was not a little surprised to see the two portions of the empty 
 shell put out their suckers and walk about, "apparently as 
 unconcerned as if the loss of intestines and ovaries had been an 
 e very-day occurrence." Let there be no mistake, however. It 
 was a mere piece of bravado on the part of Master Echinus to 
 exert his power of locomotion under such circumstances ; and 
 there can be no doubt, though the fact is not mentioned, that 
 before long the poor fellow got to the end of his journey and 
 walked no more. 
 
 If we do not mistake, some ancient erudite somewhere declares
 
 SEA-CUCUMBERS. 123 
 
 that all the manifold productions of the land have their counter 
 parts in those of the mighty deep. In proof, here, we have the 
 tiea-cucumler, which, though, grown upon no hot-bed, and un- 
 recognized in Covent Garden, is yet, if Chinese epicures and 
 needy Neapolitans may be permitted to decide, not unfit to eat 
 The name is not inaptly chosen, for the larger species of these 
 animals the great Sea-cucumber (Cucumaria f random) of our 
 northern coast, for example closely resemble cucumbers in form ; 
 and yet, furnished at one extremity with a gaping mouth, sur- 
 rounded by plumed tentacula which however can be swallowed 
 out of sight at pleasure and dull and disagreeable in colour, 
 they cuuld hardly be mistaken for those cool delicacies, and it 
 would certainly tax the skill of the most accomplished chef do 
 cuisine to make them acceptable to a British palate. 
 
 No one unversed in the classification of animals would suspect 
 for a moment that these elongated flabby creatures belonged to 
 the class of prickly skins ; and yet it is, unquestionably, with 
 that division of the animal world that they are properly to be 
 ranked. The affinity of these animals to the Echinodermata is 
 to be found, however, not so much in the character of the skin, 
 which is only sparingly furnished with calcareous matter, and 
 never in the form of spines, as in that of the organs of locomotion, 
 which are delicate worm-like suckers, similar to those of the 
 Star-fish and Sea-urchins. In the more typical species of the 
 Sea-cucumbers, moreover, these locomotive suckers are so dis- 
 posed as to divide the body into five longitudinal segments, thus 
 affording another indication of the true affinities of these singular 
 creatures. 
 
 The Sea-cucumbers, or the Ifolothuricc, as they are termed by 
 the zoologist, are not uncommon around our coasts, and speci- 
 mens of the smaller species may readily be found at the time of 
 extreme low water, attached by their suckers to the under 
 surface of projecting rocks, and blocks of stone. The species 
 most commonly met with in such situations is the Angular Sea- 
 cucumbers (Cucumaria pentactes), which delights in dark crevices 
 and other obscure retreats close to the low-water mark, where 
 it sometimes occurs in considerable numbers. It is extremely 
 variable in colour, ranging from nearly a pure white to dark pur- 
 ple, or black, the same animal assuming a variety of shades in 
 the course of a few months. Of all the Sea-cucumbers this is by
 
 124 EXCESSIVE IRRITABILITY. 
 
 far the best for the Aquarium, where, with a little care, it will 
 continue to thrive for years and occasionally present its owner 
 with a family of little ones. The common Sea-cucumber (Cu- 
 cumaria communis) is another of our smaller species well 
 adapted for confinement ; although, living for the most part below 
 the tide marks, it is not so easily obtained. It is curious to 
 observe the movements of these animals in the Aquarium, loco- 
 motion being effected partly by means of the tubular sucker- feet, 
 and partly also by the alternate extension and contraction of 
 the body, as in the case of the common earth-worm and its 
 allies. 
 
 This worm-like mode of progression is characteristic of the 
 Holothurice, and shows, more clearly than anything else, the 
 nearness of their approach to the Articulate animals, which stand 
 next above them in the scale of creation. It is mainly owing to 
 the highly contractile nature of their muscular system, which is 
 so strongly developed and complicated as to enable these animals to 
 alter their form and appearance in the most remarkable manner 
 at pleasure. Thus, while the great Sea-cucumber already men- 
 tioned is only about a foot long in a state of rest, it can quickly 
 elongate itself to a length of nearly three feet, and then, it may 
 be, suddenly contracting, it will puff itself out in the form of 
 a globe, when, taking another whim, it nips itself in at the mid- 
 dle, and quickly becomes an animated hour-glass ! Let no 
 humane observer attempt, however, to provoke a display of this 
 singular propensity ; for your Holothuria far from being " as 
 cool as a cucumber" is hot and irritable to an extraordinary 
 degree, and not unfrequently, on the slightest alarm or provoca- 
 tion, will throw itself into such violent contortions as to burst 
 asunder and discharge the whole of its viscera. " But," face- 
 tiously remarks Professor Rymer Jones, " the most wonderful 
 part of the tale is, that the catastrophe, so grievous to the 
 spectator who witnesses such a tragedy, seems to be of very 
 small importance to the actor, as the creatures seem to get on 
 just as well without any bowels as when possessed of such trifling 
 additions to their economy ; and, what is more, can reproduce 
 them in a most convenient manner, so as again to become furnished 
 with a complete set." 
 
 It has already been hinted, that the Sea-cucumbers are used in 
 some parts as an article of food. In China they rank as great
 
 WORMS OF SEA-SHORE. 125 
 
 dainties, and, with sharks' fins, edible birds'-nests, cats, puppies, 
 and similar delicacies, are made into choice dishes, only available 
 to people well-to-do in the world. The great fishing-ground for 
 the trepang, as the animals are termed, is the northern coast of 
 Australia ; and the extent of the traffic, and the annual slaughter of 
 the Holothurice which it involves, may be inferred from the fact, 
 that considerably more than eight thousand hundredweight of 
 trepang annually finds its way to the China market, to gratify 
 the delicate appetites of the celestial epicures. 
 
 The uninitiated reader would hardly have looked to the 
 Worms as a class of animals at all likely to furnish the Aqua- 
 rium with any of its pets ; and yet it is to that humble and 
 despised race that we owe some of its most interesting occupants. 
 The truth is, the Marine Worms are a far more engaging race 
 than most people are aware of ; although, now that the Aquarium 
 has given them an opportunity of showing themselves, they are 
 rapidly rising in public estimation. A plea, then, on behalf of 
 the Worms of the Sea-shore. 
 
 Be it understood in the first place, then, that these Marine 
 Annelids form two distinct groups, in one of which the animals 
 are sedentary in their habits, dwelling in tubes of their own con- 
 struction, while in the other they are unprotected by any such 
 convenient domicile, and roam at large in their native haunts, 
 abundantly provided with organs of locomotion. It is to the 
 tube-makers more especially that the worms adapted for the 
 Aquarium belong, although two or three of the more erratic fra- 
 ternity occasionally share their captivity, one of the number 
 being a gorgeous fellow very well known on some parts of our 
 coast as the Sea-mouse ! 
 
 By far the most attractive of the tube-making worms are those 
 popular favourites, the Serpulas. No less than eight or nine dis- 
 tinct species of these animals are to be found around our shores, 
 and though they all have a certain beauty of their own, it would 
 seem to be a well-understood thing amongst them, that the large 
 and showy species, Contortuplicata, is to take the lead and chief- 
 tainship of the family : for while the rest lie prostrate at its feet, 
 or meekly cling to it for support, attaching their tubes by their 
 entire length to the shell or stone to which they are affixed, this, 
 more ambitious beauty boldly stands erect for full the half of its 
 length, and woos and wins the admiration of all beholders.
 
 126 STRUCTURE OF BREATHING ORGANS. 
 
 In one of the marine tanks in the Eegent's Park Gardens, there 
 stood for a long time a common glass bottle completely encrusted 
 with the tortuous tubes of various species of Serpula?, but chiefly 
 with those of the one just mentioned ; and when the worms were 
 all protruding, and their brilliant plumes displayed abroad, the 
 bottle presented an extremely curious and beautiful appearance, 
 as though it had been overgrown by some strange ungainly plant 
 of ocean, leafless, but decked with gorgeous flowers. 
 
 These flower-like expansions are the Serpula's breathing organs, 
 and consist of a series of stiff threads, arranged in the form of a 
 funnel deeply infolded on one side, and beset on their inner sides 
 with a double row of minute bristles like the teeth of a comb. 
 In the centre of this brilliant array of branchial plumes there is 
 a curious stopper-shaped body seated at the end of a long slender 
 stem, which serves the purpose of a trap-door to the Serpula's 
 domestic establishment, and neatly blocks up the entrance when 
 the little worm finds it convenient to retire out of sight. It does 
 this with wonderful celerity, and at the slightest alarm ; for 
 though the Serpulae belong rather to the " still life" of the Aqua- 
 rium, so long as all things remain quiet, let some eager gazer give 
 the vessel but the slightest shock, and, quick as thought, the 
 little beauties start back into their tubes, leaving their would-be 
 admirer in open-mouthed wonder at their sudden disappearance. 
 
 Notwithstanding that the Large and showy species of Scrpula 
 already named is almost universally regarded as the beauty of the 
 race, we are by no means sure that the quiet, unassuming grace of 
 the little triangular-tubed species (& triquetra) does not entitle 
 it to a higher place in our favour. It is small in size, it is true, 
 and not very gaily coloured, but the rich tints of brown, gray, 
 and ruby with which its branchial plumes are mottled and banded, 
 give it a very elegant appearance when viewed with a lens, while 
 its operculum or stopper is shaped very much like the cup of the 
 well-known toy, the cup and ball. On first looking at a group of 
 these curious Annelids in a well-kept Aquarium, the observer is 
 pretty sure to be struck with the perfect stillness which they 
 maintain, and the idea of a cluster of flowers is instantly sug- 
 gested to the mind. But within a moment or two, in all pro- 
 bability, the long whip-lash extremity of one of the bristles will 
 be seen to give a sudden twitch, then the bristle itself is slowly 
 raised, then another and fnother partakes of the movement, and
 
 THE TEREBELLA. 127 
 
 presently the entire plume is twisted round in the mouth of the 
 tube, and it will be a wonder if, in a moment after, some slight 
 movement of the observer himself do not send the little worms, 
 quick as lightning, out of sight. 
 
 Not unfrequently, groups of Serpula? may be found, in which 
 two or three individuals of the larger species have secreted their 
 tubes in a sort of coil, which stands up nearly erect from some 
 stone or shell, while several of the smaller species cling on to 
 them in various positions, like climbing plants attached to the 
 trunk of a tree. We once had a group of this description, in 
 which the central support was formed by three large specimens of 
 8. contortuplicata lovingly embracing each other, and putting 
 their heads close together at the top, while attached to them, at 
 different points, there were no less than ten individuals of smaller 
 species of Serpulae, and two tube-making worms of another order 5 
 and we can assure our readers that when the entire group were 
 in good humour, and put out to the full their variously-tinted 
 plumes, they formed a spectacle of rare interest and beauty. It 
 was really nothing less than a bouquet of worms. 
 
 In another race of tube-making Annelids, closely allied to the 
 Serpulce, the domicile is formed, not by the secretion of lime 
 from the body of the worm, but by a sort of masonry, the worm 
 regularly building up its tube with particles of sand and frag- 
 ments of shell. By far the best known of these worms is the 
 Terebella (Terebella conchilega), which is extremely abundant on 
 sandy shores between the tide marks, and may often be seen in 
 shallow depressions of the surface, waving about its numerous 
 thread-like tentacles, very busily engaged, apparently, in doing 
 nothing. But it is not at all times that the Terebella is thus 
 idle ; and when the business of house-building is on hand, it has 
 to be its own hodman and bricklayer both. Its tentacles, how- 
 ever, are fully equal to the task, for as they are capable of great 
 extension and contraction, and are also provided with an ad- 
 hesive glutinous secretion, the animal is enabled to sweep the 
 sand for building materials for several inches around its burrow, 
 and to bring them home to the mouth of the tube. Here the 
 selected materials are regularly arranged, and attached to the 
 tube, by means of a kind of cement secreted by the worm, and 
 which forms at once the lining of the tube and the matrix in 
 which the fragments of which it is built are embedded.
 
 128 THE TORE AD-HORNED SPIO. 
 
 Although grains of sand, small pebbles, and shells, or frag- 
 ments of shells, are the materials usually employed in the 
 formation of the tube, the Terebella is by no means indisposed 
 to make use of other substances when they come to hand ; and in 
 one of these tubes now before us, the spine of an echinus, several 
 fragments of sea-weed, and even small portions of wood, have all 
 been worked into the structure. 
 
 We can say nothing as to the behaviour of the Terebella in 
 the Aquarium, having no experience of it in confinement ; but we 
 have somewhere seen it stated that with care it may be kept 
 alive for a considerable period, and that by skilfully managing 
 the supplying of materials, it may be got to construct its tube in 
 bands of various colours. 
 
 One of the most minute of these tube-making worms is the little 
 Spio ceticornis, which may be found in abundance on old shells, 
 and is sure to turn up, if looked for, in any long-established 
 Aquarium. It derives its name from the two long thread-like 
 tentacles, which protrude from the mouth of the tube, and are 
 kept in almost constant motion. The Spio is quite of a social 
 turn, and usually occurs in colonies of several individuals ; and 
 when they are all in full play, twirling about their tentacles 
 together, they make quite a commotion on a small scale. 
 
 These little worms are large enough to be seen in a good light 
 quite plainly with the naked eye, but when viewed through a 
 glass, they have an extremely interesting appearance. The tubes, 
 which stand erect for a good part of their length, are seen to be 
 formed of minute particles of sand and dirt, and terminate in a 
 circular orifice, from which the worms protrude their two long 
 and almost translucent tentacles. The movements of these 
 tentacles are somewhat peculiar ; at one movement they are 
 seen almost erect and but slightly divergent, then one of them 
 suddenly contracts itself with a singular quirk, and makes a 
 flourish at right angles to its fellow, crinkling and twisting 
 in all sorts of curves as it goes ; meanwhile the other tentacle 
 is twitching and jerking itself as it still stands upright, and then, 
 bending down, it joins the first, and the pair sweep through the 
 water together, outstretched to their full extent, when they stand 
 erect again, to twitch and twirl about as before. 
 
 But what has more particularly interested us in watching the 
 movements of this tiny animal, is the singular power which it
 
 AN INVISIBLE RAILWAY. 129 
 
 has of bringing home to its mouth the various matters laid hold 
 of by its outstretched tentacles. These organs are endowed with 
 an adhesive property which enables them by mere contact to 
 hold fast minute particles of matter. They may often be seen 
 stretched out to their full length, pulling and straining at some 
 minute object, which they are endeavouring to dislodge ; pre- 
 sently the object gives way, and is seen adhering to the tentacle. 
 But now, strange to say, the object which has thus been torn off is 
 seen quickly travelling along the surface of the still outstretched 
 tentacle towards the mouth of the worm, which is protruded 
 from the tube, and may be seen distinctly to open to receive the 
 expected morsel. It is just as though the surface of the tentacle 
 was furnished with an invisible railroad, trucks and locomotive 
 all complete. But it is not merely for the conveyance of pro- 
 vender that this curious system of traction is of service ; it is 
 equally available for the conveyance of the materials with which 
 the tube is gradually built up, and the attentive observer will 
 often see the little worm bringing home the minute particles of 
 sand and dirt which lie within the sweep of its tentacles, and 
 then, withdrawing within its tube, employing the tips of its 
 tentacles in adjusting the materials in their proper position. 
 
 The little Spio is minute and altogether unattractive in ap- 
 pearance, but it is extremely hardy, and need never be wanting 
 amongst the inmates of the Aquarium. In every respect a con- 
 trast to this, is the gorgeous Annelid already alluded to, the Sea- 
 mouse (Aphrodita aculeatci), which is the largest of our native 
 worms, being between three and four inches in length, and half 
 as wide as it is long. It is of a flattened oval form, and is 
 covered along the sides on the upper surface with a dense 
 coating of bristles, which are adorned with brilliant iridescent 
 colours, that rival the glowing tints of the Humming-bird. But 
 unfortunately for the Aquarium-keeper the Sea-mouse speedily 
 languishes and dies in confinement, and not only so, it has no 
 idea at all of making the most of itself. Its proper home is in 
 the deep water, and it is no sooner dredged up from its muddy 
 haunts, and honoured with a place in the Aquarium, than it 
 Blinks away into some obscure corner, and there remains apathetic 
 and motionless, without giving one a single glance at its beau- 
 tiful robe of many colours. It is very common on some parts 
 of the coast, and after high winds may constantly he found cast 
 
 K
 
 130 SEA ACORNS. 
 
 up by the waves amongst the line of refuse which marks the 
 highest advance of the tide. 
 
 One of the most insignificant occupants of the Aquarium, but 
 by no means one of the loast interesting, is the little Balanus* 
 the inmate of the small conical shells known as sea-acorns, which 
 oil many parts of our coast thickly stud the rocks and the 
 timbers of our piers and jetties. This little creature can boast of 
 no great beauty, and has nothing to commend it to our attention 
 but its curious movements and its still more curious history. 
 Its thickly clustering shells look like a mere warty excrescence 
 on the objects to which they are attached, and to most sea-side 
 visitors are, no doubt, far better known for their keen and cutting 
 edges than for any more interesting qualities. 
 
 I3ut let any of these incurious personages, the next time they 
 are down upon the sands or the pebbly beach at low water, take 
 the trouble to pick up one of the many stones, or limpet, or 
 mussel-shells they will find encrusted with sea-acorns, and 
 place it in a vessel of sea-water, and then watch the result. In 
 a minute or two the little shells will be seen to open at the top* 
 and immediately thereafter they are wrapped in a sort of misty 
 obscurity, which will very probably tempt the observer to rub 
 his eyes, under the impression that some temporary dimness has 
 impaired his sight. But let him look steadily, and the secret 
 will be explained. The truth is, the Balani, now in active play, 
 are every moment whisking out from their open shells a bunch 
 of beautiful feathery organs, in form not unlike a tiny half-opened 
 hand, and again withdrawing them out of sight ; and it is this 
 perpetual and rapidly executed movement which, to the un- 
 practised eye, gives the blurred and confused appearance of 
 which we have spoken. It is easy to watch these curious move- 
 ments in the Aquarium, and such are the grace and regularity 
 with which, they are executed, that one turns to the spectacle 
 again and again with ever new delight. 
 
 And what, pray, may be the object of this singular procedure ? 
 There is a double purpose to be served, good reader. In the 
 first place, this is the mode the Balanus adopts of getting his 
 "breather" respiration being quite as important to him as to 
 his betters ; and next, it is thus that the little fellow gets his 
 food. That feathery apparatus, indeed, is properly the easting- 
 net of the Balanus, and, at every throw, the tiny fisherman
 
 HISTORY OF BALANUS. 131 
 
 brings home more or less of those invisible atoms of organic 
 matter upon which it feeds. It is in no idle play, therefore, that 
 the Balani are engaged while they thus sweep the water with 
 their feathery plumes : on the contrary, they are doing battle 
 for very life ; and, like many more important people above 
 water, they have to fight hard, or go hungry. 
 
 The history of the inmate of the acorn-shell is one of the 
 wonders of marine natural history. In the first stage of its 
 existence the Balanus is a totally different being from what it 
 becomes in after life. Instead of being immovably fixed to one 
 spot at the sea-bottom, it roams the waters in perfect freedom, 
 impelled by the action of six pairs of swimming legs, which 
 keep stroke like so many oars, and send it along by a succession 
 of bounds, much after the fashion of the water-flea. At this 
 stage the young Balanus is also provided with eyes, and a large 
 pair of prehensile antenna?, which serve the little rover as a 
 means of attachment to submerged bodies, when, at any time, it 
 wishes to rest for a while from its more active exertions. All 
 through the spring and summer months, myriads of these juve- 
 nile Balani may be found disporting themselves in the water, 
 making the most of their temporary powers of locomotion. In 
 due time, however, the young Balanus selects a permanent 
 resting-place, and driving at it head foremost, sticks fast, at first 
 merely by the antennas, but, before long, a sort of cement, which 
 pours out from those organs, securely glues the animal to its 
 home, and it becomes a fixture for life. The eyes and the 
 antenna?, now no longer needed, are cast aside, the feathery arms 
 receive their full development, the shelly covering is gradually 
 secreted, and the inmate of the acorn-shell attains his majority. 
 
 In selecting specimens of the Balani for the Aquarium, they 
 should always be taken from situations in which they are never 
 left wholly uncovered by the retiring tide. On many parts of the 
 coast they cover the rocks by myriads far up towards the high- 
 tide level, and are consequently left bare by the sea, and exposed 
 to the air and burning sunshine for several hours daily. This it 
 appears they bear unharmed; but if a cluster which has been 
 thus exposed be placed in the Aquarium, and constantly.immersed 
 in water, they speedily languish and die ; nor will a daily re- 
 moval from the water for a few hours suffice to keep them long 
 in health and activity. On the other hand, specimens taken from
 
 132 PLEASANT SURPRISES. 
 
 permanent tide-pools or from deep water are very hardy in con- 
 finement, and give no trouble whatever. One may often obtain 
 good specimens on oyster-shells ; and we have now in our pos- 
 session a solitary individual which was procured in that way, and 
 which has now been nearly twelve months at the bottom of a 
 tank, where it still puts forth its beautiful feathery cirrhi with 
 great animation and vigour. 
 
 Not the least of the many pleasures which the Aquarium 
 affords are the agreeable surprises which continually arise from 
 the discovery of some member or other of the aquatic community 
 which has previously escaped observation. It not unfrequently 
 happens that discoveries of this sort are made by the naked eye, as 
 it ranges casually over the interior of the tank ; juvenile Anemones, 
 Annelids, and Crustaceans often turning up in out-of-the-way 
 crevices and corners, where and when they are least expected. 
 But more commonly it is when carefully searching over the en- 
 closure with a lens, that these unsuspected treasures are brought 
 to light ; and great indeed, sometimes, is the joy with which they 
 are greeted. 
 
 It was during one of these investigations, lens in hand, that 
 we made our first acquaintance with living forms of the Bryozoa 
 or Moss Corals, and our delight at the beauty of the spectacle 
 which they presented, combined, of course, with the thought that 
 they formed part of our own live stock, was perhaps a little extra- 
 vagant. Our attention was first arrested by a small patch on an 
 old overgrown shell of what looked like white mucor, but which, 
 on being brought nearer and after a while examined more atten- 
 tively, resolved itself into a crowd of minute creatures standing 
 erect, from little nipple-like prominences, each surmounted by 
 a funnel-shaped coronet of tentacles of pearly whiteness and 
 exquisite beauty. Within a smaller space than would be covered 
 by a split pea, some thirty or forty of these elegant polyp-like 
 creatures were crowded together. And their movements were as 
 curious as their appearance was beautiful. Every moment one 
 or more of the number were twitching and starting, now disap- 
 pearing within their cells, and now again protruding, the stiff 
 bristle-like tentacles being closely appressed, until fully pushed 
 out, and then springing apart into the open-funnel form with a 
 sudden start. It was some time before we could make out what 
 our new-found treasures were ; but before long the beauties were
 
 MOSS CORALS. 133 
 
 identified, and we looked and looked again with increasing plea- 
 sure at our first specimens of Moss Corals. 
 
 It has been usual, until of late years, to rank these animals 
 with the Hydraform Polyps, to which in external form and ap- 
 pearance they have a strong resemblance ; but more careful re- 
 search has shown that they possess a far higher type of organiza- 
 tion than the Polyps, and that their true affinities are with the 
 great Molluscan sub-kingdom. There is a great diversity in the 
 form and arrangement of the cells of the different species of 
 Bryozoa, although there is but little difference in the form and 
 structure of the animals themselves. In all of them alike there 
 is a complicated and highly elaborate digestive apparatus, to 
 which access is had by a sensitive and contractile gullet, situated 
 at the bottom of the funnel or bell-shaped circle of tentacles. 
 These organs are rigid bristle-like bodies, incapable of contraction, 
 and beset on their inner side with a double row of vibratile cilia, 
 upon the action of which, in producing a vortex in the water, and 
 so bringing it food, the animals depend for their subsistence. 
 
 It is an extremely interesting sight to watch the behaviour of 
 these tiny creatures when with a pocket lens and a good light 
 you. get them well into view. We will suppose that on the pro- 
 jecting corner of a block of stone, covered with the delicate lace- 
 work of their clustering cells, a hundred or more of the little 
 funnel-shaped circles of tentacles are seen upstretched. A t first 
 sight all seems still and absolutely motionless ; but in a moment 
 you perceive one and another suddenly starting and half closing 
 their tentacles. In a moment more, and with a steadier look you 
 see the floating atoms in the water above whirling and dancing 
 round, and hurrying towards the bottom of the funnel, where the 
 mouth perceptibly dilates to receive them. But not unfrequently 
 atoms unsuitable for food are brought by the ciliary currents as 
 well as acceptable provender ; against these the mouth keeps reso- 
 lutely closed, while the tentacles twitch and start, and make great 
 efforts to shoot them forth out of the way, sometimes struggling 
 quite convulsively in the endeavour, BO as to suggest to the 
 observer that the little creatures are positively in danger of choking. 
 
 The Mollusca, to which the Bryozoa introduce us, are not, 
 generally speaking, very well adapted for the Aquarium. There 
 are some few species, however, which are extremely useful, and 
 which may be looked upon, indeed, in some sort as the local Board
 
 134 KUDIBRANCHS. 
 
 of Health, Thus small specimens of the Oyster and Mussel are 
 very serviceable in keeping down the number of the spores of the 
 sea-weed, which float in the water, and upon which theso 
 animals mostly subsist. In the same way the Periwinkles, and 
 the Trochi, or Top Shells, do good service in mowing down the 
 confervoid growth, which coats the glass and obscures all that is 
 passing within. The manner in which the Periwinkle sweeps off 
 this minute vegetation is extremely interesting, and has been 
 compared to the action of the tongue of an ox in licking up the 
 grass, or to that of a mower cutting swathe after swathe as he 
 passes along in the hay-field. The work is by no means cleanly 
 done, however ; and as the little Mollusc moves on, bringing the 
 white disc of his foot over the spot where he has been browsing, 
 the small square patches which have been swept by his tongue 
 are rendered very distinct by their contrast to the surrounding 
 parts that have not been touched. The most curious perhaps of 
 the Molluscs which readily accommodate themselves to the Aqua- 
 rium are the Chitons, which, clad in their coats-of-mail, adhere 
 like so many scales to the blocks of stone, although occasionally 
 they mount the glass sides of the vessel and help the Periwinkles 
 in clearing away the growing crops of confervoid plants. 
 
 But by far the most attractive of the Mollusca are certain shell- 
 less animals popularly known as "sea-slugs," which, with a little 
 care and attention, may easily be induced to make themselves at 
 home in the Aquarium. To the naturalist these animals are 
 known as the Nudibranchiata, or naked-gilled mollusca, their 
 branchiae, or breathing organs, being open and exposed, arranged 
 symmetrically along the back in tufts, plumes, or variously-shaped 
 papilla?. The common name the Kudibranchs have won for 
 themselves, sufficiently indicates their general form, and their 
 mode of progression ; but let nobody imagine that these " sea- 
 slugs " have anything like the repulsive aspect of their namesakes 
 of our gardens and hedgerows. On the contrary, they are for the 
 most part more delicate and beautiful than words can well "He- 
 scribe, and when seen in a vase or tank of clear water, wandering 
 over the bright-green fronds of the sea-weeds, they call forth ex- 
 pressions of surprise and admiration from the most phlegmatic 
 and imimpassioned of observers.* 
 
 * The British Nudibranchiata have been made the subject of a splendid 
 monograph by Messrs. Alder and Hancock, and the coloured illustrations of
 
 BEHAVIOUR IN CONFINEMENT. 135 
 
 The favourite haunts of these beautiful creatures are the 
 weed-covered rocks which are laid bare only at the lowest ebb of 
 the tide ; and in such situations one may occasionally find them 
 quietly at rest amongst the dripping alga?, or actively peram- 
 bulating the rock pools. Here, too, the explorer will often como 
 across the curious coils of spawn which they attach to the rocks, 
 and with which, when kept in confinement, they prettily bedeck 
 the sides of the Aquarium, where, by-the-way, it answers the 
 double purpose, first of ornament, and then of provender for tho 
 Nudibranch's companions in captivity. In most cases the spawn 
 is deposited in a loose coil of delicate gelatinous ribbon, standing 
 upright, and attached by its lower edge. But in some species the 
 ribbon form is substituted by a simple waved thread, one pretty 
 little fellow disposing this thread in tortuous undulations, like a 
 succession of figures of 8 ; while Doris pilosa, one of the " Sea- 
 lemous," and some others, deposit the spawn in the form of a 
 little cup or goblet, as delicate and beautiful as the most exquisite 
 of sea-nymphs could desire. 
 
 In the Aquarium these animals are frequently observed to 
 mount the blocks of stone, or the glass sides of the vessel, and to 
 launch themselves out upon the surface of the water, where they 
 float bottom upwards, much after the fashion of the common 
 pond snails in our ditches and stagnant pools. Occasionally they 
 vary the performance, and let themselves down from the surface 
 by a delicate and almost invisible thread of mucus, and so 
 suspend themselves in midwater, as the caterpillars of the little 
 bell-moths are seen suspended from the oak-trees in the summer 
 sunshine. If disturbed, however, when suspended in this 
 manner, unlike the little caterpillars, which forthwith begin to 
 twist themselves about, taking in coil after coil of their silken 
 cables, until they have climbed up out of reach of danger, the 
 Nudibranchs at once let go their hold and sink to the bottom. 
 The whole of these delicate creatures appear indeed to be 
 extremely sensitive to external influences, and become agitated 
 and alarmed at the least suspicion of danger. 
 
 this work are some of the most accurate and beautiful representations ot 
 living beings which have ever been produced ; and yet it is no disparage- 
 ment to say that even these illustrations convey but a very inadequate 
 idea of the transparent delicacy and beauty of the animals themselves.
 
 136 FEROCITY OF DISPOSITION. 
 
 It would bo a great mistake, however, to suppose that the 
 Nudibranchs are at all distinguished for gentleness or amiability. 
 On the contrary they are rather remarkable, like some favourites 
 of a higher grade, for petulance and irritability ; and in the 
 matter of feeding they are not only carnivorous, but guilty at 
 times of positive cannibalism. One beautiful little Nudibranch 
 (Eolis coronata), common on our northern coasts, is perfectly 
 ferocious in its way ; and it is said that, if a number of them are 
 kept together without food for a short time, they set to and 
 battle with each other in the most truculent fashion. In 
 preparing for the attack, they angrily raise and shake their 
 numerous papillae, and then laying back their horns, as a vicious 
 horse lays back his ears, they dash together, and maul and 
 mutilate each other like tiny beasts of prey. The larger ones, 
 in their tussles with each other, seldom do more than tear from 
 each other's backs the gaily-tinted breathing organs ; but if a large 
 one falls upon a weaker brother, the doom of the latter is sealed, 
 as he is pretty sure to make a meal for his more powerful as- 
 sailant. 
 
 One of the commonest of the Nudibranchs, and one of the 
 best for the Aquarium, though by no means one of the most 
 elegant, is Eolis papilosa; it is about an inch and a half iii 
 length, and is very lively in its habits, creeping about very 
 quickly over the weeds and stones, and exhibiting a singular 
 predilection for squeezing its delicate body into every crack and 
 crevice it can discover. But let the owner of the little beauty 
 look well to its provender ; for if there be any remissness on that 
 point, you will find papilosa foraging for himself, and in all 
 probability feasting on some pet Anemone, for which kind of 
 fare the entire race of Nudibranchs have a most inconvenient 
 partiality.
 
 137 
 
 CHAPTER Vll. 
 
 THE AQUARIUM AND ITS INMATES. 
 
 ' Meantime with fuller reach, and stronger swell, 
 Wave after wave advanced ; 
 Each following billow lifted the last foam 
 That trembled on the sand with rainbow-hues. 
 The living flower, that, rooted to the rock, 
 Late from the thinner element, 
 Shrank down within its purple stem to sleep, 
 Now feels the water, and again 
 Awakening, blossoms out 
 All its green anther necks." 
 
 THAT is no imaginary scene, good reader, but a genuine sketch 
 from nature the picture of an every-day fact in sea-side natural 
 history. The " living flower rooted to the rock," is a Sea- Ane- 
 mone ; and so faithfully is the portrait given, that you can pro- 
 nounce unhesitatingly as to the particular species which sat for 
 the likeness. And it is no wonder that the author of Thalaba 
 was wanned up into poetic fervour at sight of the beauty ; for 
 the owner of those " green anther necks " is one of the loveliest 
 of its lovely race, and many a time has roused people, far more 
 unimpressible than poets are wont to be, to a pitch of temporary 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 The Actinias, or Sea- Anemones, are the great ornaments of the 
 Aquarium, and have now become such general favourites, that 
 there are comparatively few well-read observant people who 
 have not to some extent made their acquaintance. It is only 
 a few years since, however, that these animals were all but un- 
 known even to the regular habitues of oxir watering-places ; and 
 so little were they understood by naturalists themselves, that 
 our zoological text-books were full of the most ridiculous blun- 
 ders in reference to their habits and economy. 
 
 The ordinary form of the Anemones is that of a cylinder,
 
 138 SEA-ANEMONES. 
 
 truncated, as the geometrician would say, at both extremities ; 
 the lower extremity being attached to the rock, while the upper 
 extremity, or disc, is perforated with an orifice which forms the 
 mouth, around which are several concentric circles of tapering 
 tubular tentacles or arms. It is mainly on the form, number, 
 colour, and arrangement of the tentacles, that the more obvious 
 difference between the various species of Sea- Anemones depends ; 
 but the foregoing may be taken as a fair general description of 
 the form and appearance of these animals that is to say 
 when in a contented state of mind, they stand erect and properly 
 display themselves. But it is not at all times that they are 
 thus amiably disposed ; and the beauty which at one time you 
 find spread abroad like some full-blown, flower, at another time 
 will be reduced to half its former size, its tentacles all withdrawn, 
 and the body contracted to a fleshy knob or " button." 
 
 The Sea-Anemones are no doubt far better known to the 
 majority of sea-side visitors in this closed-up "button" shape, 
 than in the expanded form of a full-blown flower. It is scarcely 
 possible, indeed, for the most incurious of people to walk along 
 the strip of shore, left uncovered by the tide, without noticing 
 here and there on the rocks and boulders small hemispherical 
 patches of what looks like flesh, of a dull red or liver colour, 
 with probably one here and there of a green colour, or mottled 
 with green and red. These are closed-up specimens of the com- 
 mon Smooth Anemone, which perhaps because it is common 
 is dignified with the tremendous name of Actinia mesembryan- 
 themum. If one of these attached to a pebble be gently taken 
 up and placed in a pool of clear water, it will gradually put out 
 its tentacle and show its mouth, in the shape of a long slit 
 bounded by a pair of pursed-up lips, in the centre of the disc. 
 Two minutes' search in the tide-pools near would probably lead 
 to the discovery of several of the animals fully expanded ; and 
 now, if our explorer likes, having seen the button open out into 
 the flower, he may see the opposite phase of the proceeding, 
 namely, the flower contract into the button. One touch of his 
 walking-stick will be enough. Immediately the outspread ten- 
 tacles are withdrawn and the animal shuts himself up in evident 
 displeasure. It is precisely to use Keats's beautiful simile 
 
 " As though a rose should shut, and be a bud again."
 
 SENSITIVE BEAUTIES. 139 
 
 The tmtton, indeed, of some varieties of this Anemone have no 
 slight resemblance to the bud of a large flower ; though one of 
 them, the pretty Strawberry Anemone, derives its inviting alias 
 from its fancied resemblance in this contracted form to that most 
 luscious of summer fruits. 
 
 The rapidity with which many of the Anemones contract on 
 being disturbed is very great, and has the effect in some situations 
 of instantly withdrawing the animals altogether from view. You 
 are searching along the shore, we will suppose, at low water, 
 and, glancing into a little tide-pool at your feet, you see a 
 beautiful star-like flower spread out at the bottom. You stoop 
 to admire it ; and, eager to secure the prize, you reach out 
 your hand ; but before it has well touched the water, the beauty 
 has vanished out of sight, sinking, as if by magic, down beneath 
 the sand or shingle. The truth is, the animal was attached tc 
 the rocky floor of the pool, and had to stretch itself up through the 
 sand at the bottom to reach the surface where you saw it dis- 
 played abroad ; the moment, therefore, that it contracted itself, 
 it sank out of sight ; and had you searched for it at the bottom 
 you would have felt nothing but a little fleshy mass that un- 
 practised fingers would never recognize as the charming Ane- 
 mone of a moment before. 
 
 Several of the Anemones are in the habit of burying them- 
 selves in the sand in this fashion, not only when at large in their 
 native elements, but also in the Aquarium. This is especially 
 the case with the pretty Cave-dwelling Anemone (Sagartia tro- 
 glodytes) and the huge Thick-horned Anemone (Tealia crassi- 
 cornis), which seem to delight in situations where they can attach 
 themselves at the bottom of a layer of sand, beneath which they 
 can readily shrink out of sight when occasion requires. We 
 have now in our possession five distinct varieties of the Trog 
 (diminutive for troglodytes), which have been attached to the 
 bottom of a vase, beneath a layer of sand nearly three inches 
 thick, for more than twelve months, and without budging a 
 hair's breadth from the spot where they were first placed. The 
 stationary habit of this Anemone may be turned, indeed, to 
 good account by the Aquarium-keeper; for as they readily 
 attach themselves where they are placed, and are very variable 
 in colour, you may regularly " plant" them in your Aquarium, 
 and with the same regard to harmony or contrast of colour, as
 
 140 RESEMBLANCE TO FLOWERS. 
 
 you plant your dahlias, or the anemones, vegetable namesakes, and 
 thus contrive a very pretty submarine parterre of animal flowers. 
 
 The resemblance of the fully-expanded Actiniae to flowers is 
 in many cases very striking ; and Dr. Johnston, in his History of 
 British Zoophytes, mentions, as a curious illustration of the fact, 
 that, on one occasion, a bee wandering near a specimen of cras- 
 sicornis, covered merely by a rim of water, was seen to dart 
 straight at the mouth of the animal, evidently mistaking it for 
 a flower. The poor insect soon discovered its mistake, of course, 
 and struggled hard to get free ; but the Anemone kept fast hold 
 of his prisoner, and speedily swallowed him. No doubt insects 
 are sometimes far from discriminating in matters of this sort, 
 and we have ourselves seen a butterfly knocking itself against a 
 shop window in obvious anxiety to get at some gaily-coloured 
 prints of flowers which were exhibited inside. But the resem- 
 blance of crassicornis to a full-blown flower is certainly very great ; 
 and Mr. Gosse is quite justified in accepting for it the name 
 of the Dahlia, by which it has been christened by some of his 
 fair pupils. In size, beauty, and variety of tints it is more than 
 worthy of the name, though it is by no means singular in this 
 respect, the entire race of Anemones having more or less of the 
 same beautiful and flower-like appearance. 
 
 Let nobody imagine, however, that the Anemones spread 
 abroad their tentacles in vain conceit of their own beauty. It is 
 hunger, not vanity, which prompts the display ; and in the 
 Aquarium one has to be careful with the tit-bits of oyster, or the 
 over-fed beauties will shut up, and turn their backs upon you 
 in sheer indifference. In the matter of feeding, the secret is, a 
 little at a time, and not too often ; your pets will then be almost 
 constantly on the look-out for provender, exhibiting their charms 
 to the greatest advantage. In this condition the animals readily 
 grasp at any small object that may float or fall within reach of 
 the outspread tentacles, and if adapted for food it is immediately 
 drawn towards the mouth, which dilates to receive the expected 
 morsel, and again slowly closes over it. The tentacles have a 
 strongly adhesive power sufficient to retain small objects by 
 mere contact ; but in addition to this the Anemones are possessed 
 of a poisonous property of such potency, that when they choose 
 to put it forth they can easily overpower and retain animals of 
 considerable size.
 
 A FATAL MISHAP. 141 
 
 The agents concerned in this adhesive and poisonous power 
 are thread-cells of the same general character as those of the 
 jelly-fish, which crowd the tentacles and various parts of the 
 body, where they are accumulated in special organs, and from 
 which they are projected at the will of the animal with lightning- 
 like rapidity. 
 
 In none of the Anemones are these organs more potent than in 
 the species whose portrait stands at the head of this chapter, the 
 owner of the " green anther necks," AntJiea cereus. One of these 
 beauties is now before us, twitching and twirling about his long 
 snaky arms, attached to the side of an Aquarium, and it is only a 
 few days since that his poisonous powers deprived us of one of 
 the greatest pets of our marine establishment. The victim was a 
 fine hermit-crab which we had incautiously introduced to the 
 vase at the bottom of which Anthea was then seated. Master 
 Pagurus, as is his wont, began restlessly to promenade the en- 
 closure, and once or twice, before the fatal mishap, had been made 
 to wince by a slight touch from the tentacles of Anthea. But, 
 disregarding these gentle admonitions, at length he backed right 
 upon the Anemone. At first his whelk-shell domicile protected 
 him from all injury ; but presently moving a little on one side, 
 and slightly protruding his body, he brought his sensitive under- 
 surface fairly down upon the tentacles of Anthea. No movement 
 of these organs was seen ; but the poor Pagurus had barely ex- 
 posed himself to the attack before he sprang off from the Anemone 
 with a sudden and convulsive start, which left no room to doubt 
 what had happened. The poor fellow at once sidled away to the 
 shelter of an overhanging block of stone, and the next morning he 
 was found there dead. 
 
 Mr. Gosse gives a still more striking illustration of the 
 venomous power of this lovely Anemone. One day in collecting 
 he dropped a young conger-eel about six inches long, into a jar 
 containing two large Antheas ; and before the fish had reached 
 the bottom of the jar, the tentacles of one of the Anemones were 
 entwined about its head, which was almost instantly dragged to 
 the cavernous mouth, and partially engulfed. The fish was 
 then withdrawn from its assailant by force, and though it had 
 been kept prisoner by the Anemone less than five minutes, it was 
 already flaccid and helpless, and survived its release for only a 
 few moments.
 
 142 FOOD AND FEEDING. 
 
 In the Aquarium, Antbea is ever a great favourite ; the singu- 
 larity of its form, the sprightliness of its movements, and the 
 delicate beauty of its colouring, all contributing to its popularity. 
 It has, moreover, this additional recommendation, in which it has ' 
 no competitor amongst our native Anemones, that its disc is 
 almost constantly open, and its beautiful pea-green tentacles, 
 tipped with pink, habitually displayed abroad. 
 
 Notwithstanding the formidable weapons with which the 
 Anemones are armed, it Is by no means certain that they are such 
 rapacious and destructive creatures as they are commonly repre- 
 sented. It is hardly safe, perhaps, to judge of them by their 
 behaviour in the Aquarium; but there they exhibit, for the 
 most part, no disposition to capture living prey, and will even 
 allow themselves to be hustled and robbed with impunity. We 
 have repeatedly seen food taken, literally, out of their mouths by 
 little rascally crabs, scarcely larger even than split peas ; and 
 the only notice the Anemones have taken of the theft has been 
 to shrink down in the sand, or partially shut themselves up, out of 
 the way of their plunderers. 
 
 On the shore we have often come across them quietly en- 
 gulfing dead and partially decomposed crabs, and we are strongly 
 inclined to suspect that a great part of their food, in a state of 
 nature, is of this description, that is to say, dead animal matter 
 casually floated within their reach. Nothing is more common 
 after returning from a day's hunting than to find that your 
 Anemones have thrown up the claw or shell of a crab in your 
 collecting can ; and from the circumstance that it is generally 
 portions of the animals only which are thus rejected, there is 
 reason to believe that it was in this divided state that it was 
 at first appropriated. 
 
 Not that the Anemones are at all nice as to the size of the 
 mouthfuls they take, or in anywise disposed to forego a dainty 
 because it may require a little exertion to get possession of it. 
 On the contrary, there are few animals whose " maw '' is pro- 
 portionately more capacious, or who are less averse to testing the 
 capabilities of that part of their structure in accomplishing an 
 object on which they have set their hearts. One of Mr. Gosse's 
 correspondents mentions a crassicornis which bolted a sea-urchin, 
 spines and all, and auo'iier which discharged, as the remains of 
 his evening's meal, a whelk shell and a mass of nereids and
 
 MAKING THE BEST OF IT. 143 
 
 shrimps, " which," says the writer, "exhaled such a fearful smell 
 as killed all my tank-ful." 
 
 But those feats are nothing compared to the performance of 
 another Anemone of this species mentioned by Dr. Johnston : 
 " I had once brought to me," he says, " a specimen of Actinia 
 crassicornis, that might have been originally two inches in dia- 
 meter, and that had somehow contrived to swallow a valve of 
 the great scallop (Pecten maximus), of the size of an ordinary 
 saucer. The shell, fixed within the stomach, was so placed as to 
 divide it completely into two halves, so that the body, stretched 
 tensely over, had become thin and flattened like a pancake. All 
 communication between the inferior portion of the stomach and 
 the mouth was of course prevented, yet, instead of emaciating 
 and dying of an atrophy, the animal had availed itself of what 
 undoubtedly had been a very untoward accident, to increase its 
 enjoyment and its chance of double fare. A new mouth, fur- 
 nished with two rows of numerous teotacuk, was opened up on 
 what had been the base, and led to the under stomach ; the 
 individual had, indeed, become a sort of Siamese twin, but with 
 greater intimacy and extent in its union." 
 
 In the Aquarium, crassicornis seems disposed to put up with 
 almost any sort of fare that is offered to it. A magnificent speci- 
 men which graced one of our tanks for some time made his last 
 meal on a piece of uncooked sole, and a day or two before he ap- 
 propriated the greater part of a small mussel. On one occasion, 
 we tried him with a portion of the tender posterior of a hermit- 
 crab which had been lying dead for two or three days ; but that 
 lie positively and very peremptorily refused. He clutched at it, 
 indeed, at first, and dragged it towards his mouth, which 
 partially opened to receive it ; but by this time it seems the 
 flavour of the morsel had become apparent, and the mouth again 
 closed, shortly afterwards pouting itself up so as to roll the of- 
 fensive object off the disc, the tentacles on one side bending down 
 to expedite its progress. It would appear from this incident that 
 crassicornis, at any rate, is careful not to eat his game too high, 
 however much he may prefer it for a little keeping. 
 
 Whatever may be the kind of food swallowed, the undigested 
 portions are always thrown up within about twenty-four hours 
 afterwards, covered with a slimy mucus like the white of an egg. 
 Sometimes, indeed, the most delicate morsels are returned within
 
 144 LOCOMOTIVE POWERS. 
 
 a few minutes after being swallowed, but from what motive it 
 would be difficult to say. 
 
 The locomotive powers of the Anemones are not great. Many 
 of the species, indeed, remain attached for months together to the 
 spot where they are first placed ; though others are comparatively 
 restless and frequently change their position. This is especially 
 the case with Anthea cereus ; and as this species is very fond of 
 attaching itself to the glass sides of the Aquarium, its movements 
 may easily be watched. It glides along upon its base with a 
 slow and equable motion, in the same manner as a slug or snail, 
 but much more slowly ; occasionally, however, it has been seen to 
 progress by a series of somersaults, employing base and tentacles 
 alternately as a means of attachment. The common Smooth 
 Anemone is also of a vagrant disposition ; and on one occasion a 
 specimen of the Strawberry variety, now in our possession, 
 travelled a distance of more than twelve inches in one night. It 
 is said, moreover, that when this species is confined in a tank iu 
 which there are blocks of stone projecting above the sur- 
 face of the water, it will sometimes climb up high and dry to 
 give itself an airing for a few hours, and then descend again to 
 its proper element no doubt intending by this procedure to 
 compensate itself for the loss of that alternate exposure to air and 
 water, which, more than any other species, it obtains by the 
 regular ebb and flow of the tide. 
 
 Dianthus is another of the Anemones which at times seems 
 to take a pleasure in exhibiting its powers of locomotion, being 
 on these occasions almost as fond of wandering over the per- 
 pendicular sides of the Aquarium as Anthea cereus. As a 
 general rule, however, dianthus is rather stationary in its habits, 
 first seeking out a good position, and then, as we shall presently 
 find, veiy literally sticking to it. Its most favourite position, 
 perhaps, is high up on the side of the Aquarium, close to the sur- 
 face of the water, where it stretches itself out horizontally, en- 
 joying in its own fashion the luxury of an air bath. 
 
 We have now in our possession two individuals of this species, 
 which have been seated thus on the sides of a large vase for 
 nearly eight months ; and what is not a little curious, as showing 
 their partiality for being just at the surface of the water, they 
 have two or three times during this period shifted their position 
 up and down as the level of the water has been altered.
 
 PIECE-MEAL REPRODUCTION. 145 
 
 There is one circumstance, however, in connection with the 
 movements of dianthus which is of a very remarkable character, 
 and which conducts us to another branch of our subject, namely, 
 the reproduction of the Anemones. 
 
 It frequently happens that, when a large specimen of dianthus 
 has been attached for any length of time to the same spot in 
 the Aquarium, on moving away it leaves small portions of its 
 extended base still adhering to the glass or stone, as though the 
 animal found it easier to tear its body asunder than to remove 
 these portions from the spot to which they had become so firmly 
 rooted. The fragments thus left behind soon contract, become 
 smooth, and spherical or oval in outline, and in the course of a 
 few weeks may be seen each with a well-developed disk sur- 
 rounded with tentacles, transformed, in fact, into perfect though 
 minute Anemones. Occasionally the larger portions which are 
 torn off from the base of the parent animal gradually separate 
 into two pieces, each of which in due time grows up to be a per- 
 fect dianthus. This mode of reproduction has been observed not 
 only in dianthus, but also, on rare occasions, in the beautiful 
 Segartia venusta, or Orange-disked Anemone. 
 
 The process of reproduction by spontaneous division, of which 
 the above mode of increase is only a phase, obtains more or less 
 amongst all the Anemones. In most cases, however, the divi- 
 sion of the animal is into two parts only, and longitudinally from 
 above downwards ; the separation commencing at the margin of 
 the disk, and gradually extending across and down the column, 
 until the division is complete, when the two portions close, and 
 before long become perfect Anemones. 
 
 We have oiirselves observed this phenomenon in AntJica cereus 
 though from the expedition with which the business was effected, 
 we missed the first stage of the actual process of separation. The 
 animal was attached to the perpendicular side of a tank, against 
 the light, and with its base towards us, so that we had a most 
 favourable opportunity of witnessing its procedure. Not an hour 
 before the separation of the two portions was nearly completed, 
 the only indication to be seen of the approaching change was an 
 unusual lateral elongation and flattening of the body, the tentacles 
 along the two straightened sides being curled in and bent down 
 to the glass, while the base showed a divergence of the dark con- 
 tents of the internal cavity towards the two extremes of ths 
 

 
 146 A. DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP 
 
 elongated body. We had no suspicion of the impending change, 
 and therefore gave but little heed to the animal, notwithstanding 
 the singularity of its appearance. But an hour afterwards the 
 body of the animal was partially separated into two nearly equal 
 semicircular portions, which were connected together by a number 
 of cords, that for the most part were stretched tensely across 
 between the diverging portions. 
 
 Watching the progress of the change with a lens, these cords 
 were seen to be gradually pulled in by one side or the other, until 
 the only ones remaining were the two which connected the upper 
 and the lower edges of the now widely separated portions of the 
 divided animal ; and on each of these there hung a flaccid and per- 
 fectly helpless tentacle, that on the upper cord being suspended 
 midway between the two severed portions of the animal. Half 
 an hour after this the two portions had become entirely discon- 
 nected from each other. A little later, the smaller of the two 
 detached itself from the glass and dropped to the bottom of the 
 tank, where it lay utterly prostrate and helpless, giving no other 
 indication of life than an occasional slight movement of one of 
 the tentacles. In about two hours, however, it had so far re- 
 covered its strength as to be able to attach itself again to the glass, 
 when it slowly crawled up the vertical side of the vessel, atid took 
 its place near the other half of its former self. The other portion 
 maintained its place on the glass, and eagerly caught at a small 
 piece of whiting that was offered it ; but swallowing was out of 
 the question, for they had divided the original mouth between 
 them ; and after holding the fish for a while it let the prize go, 
 and feebly drooped its tentacles, the perfect picture of an invalid. 
 Before many days had passed the sides of both animals had 
 regularly closed up, and within a fortnight the half mouth had 
 in each case become a very efficient swallowing organ, and the 
 animals ate and grew apace quite as well as before the dissolu- 
 tion of their partnership. 
 
 It sometimes happens that specimens of diantlms and the com- 
 mon Smooth Anemone are found, in which two mouths, each with 
 ts own set of tentacles, spring from a common body ; a state of 
 things brought about probably by the self-dividing process having 
 been commenced and then permanently stopped short. In still 
 rarer instances the division of the Anemones has been observed 
 to take place horizontally, the upper half of the animal moving
 
 FAMILY GROUPS. 147 
 
 off and developing a new base, and the lower half forming a new 
 disk and tentacles. 
 
 Ordinarily, however, the reproduction of the Actinias is carried 
 on by the production of germs, or embryos, which, after being 
 partially developed in the spaces between the stomach and the 
 outer wall of the body, known as the interseptal chambers, are 
 discharged from the mouth, frequently with the undigested re- 
 mains of the food, twenty to thirty young Anemones sometimes 
 appearing thus at a single litter. Sir John Dalyell states that an 
 Anemone which he had in his possession for six years gave birth 
 during that time to two hundred and seventy-six young ones in 
 this manner. It is by no means uncommon to see some old 
 patriarchal dianthus surrounded by a numerous colony of his 
 descendants in various stages of growth, children, grandchildren, 
 and great-grandchildren all clustering closely together, and not 
 unfrequently exhibiting an unmistakable family likeness. In an 
 Aquarium, in which some of the more freely propagating kinds 
 have been kept for a time, numbers of these tiny creatures may 
 be seen attached to the shells and blocks of stone ; and with their 
 thin gelatinous bodies tinged with the faintest indication of the 
 distinctive colour of the species, and their disproportionately long 
 tentacles pertly stretched out, they have an extremely curious 
 appearance. 
 
 Another mode in which the increase of these animals is effected 
 is that of budding, the young Anemones sprouting out from the 
 sides of the parent in the manner already described in the chapter 
 on Jelly-fish. 
 
 Most of the Anemones of which we have hitherto spoken are 
 readily to be found by an industrious explorer within the strip 
 of shore laid bare by the ebb of the tide ; dianthus perhaps 
 being the one least likely to be met with, since, for the most part, 
 it is an inhabitant of deep water. But now, in closing our 
 notice of these extraordinary animals, we will introduce to our 
 readers a gentleman which habitually keeps aloof from the shore, 
 in quiet depths, where he can only be reached by the dredge. 
 Sagartia parasitica is one of the largest of our Anemones, and 
 derives its specific name from its habit of attaching itself to the 
 shells inhabited by the Hermit Crab. Occasionally it is found on 
 shells not thus tenanted, and still more rarely on stones ; its 
 proper home, however, is the domicile of Pagttms BernJiardus
 
 148 A CASE OF MUTUAL ATTACHMENT. 
 
 and it would be a difficult matter to find another such an odd- 
 looking couple. 
 
 Mr. Gosse, in his beautiful " Actinologia Britaunica," gives 
 the following humorous sketch of the ways of this loving pair, as 
 furnished by one of his correspondents : 
 
 " The following scene was witnessed by my much lamented 
 friend, Dr. E. Ball. One of the specimens referred to, attached 
 to the shell of a whelk, Buccinum undatum, which had from 
 its appearance been in all probability just deserted by a 
 Pagurus, was placed in a glass Aquarium ; in a short time, the 
 Anemone left the Buccinum and attached itself to the side of the 
 tank ; it next deserted this position and fixed itself on the side 
 of a large stone that filled the centre of the Aquarium. After 
 the lapse of some weeks a Hermit Crab was dropped into the 
 tank. Well, if these Hermits can't live without hiding themselves 
 in the shell of some poor Mollusc, I think it is equally true 
 that they can't live happy until they hide both themselves and 
 their shells in some quiet little hole in the rock-work of an 
 Aquarium, from whence they can look out ; and, thinking that 
 the superimposed stone-work adds vastly to the strength of their 
 fortifications, experience sundry intense feelings of safety. Be 
 this as it may, the Hermit in question was not long ere ho 
 walked up to a little grotto that was in the rock-work of the 
 Aquarium (quite close to Sagartia parasitica), and after a slight 
 survey, to see that all was right, he turned his left shoulder 
 forward, and " backed in ;" then he began to whisk his antenna? 
 and foot-jaws in a dreadful manner, and looked evidently quite 
 content. I suppose this was a state of things the Parasitica 
 perched on the rock above had long been waiting for ; for it 
 was not long in moving its disc over the top of the small whelk, 
 and before the Crab knew where he was, the big Sagartia had 
 pitched his tent on the roof of the Hermit's house. Where the 
 Hermit Crab goes, there goes the Sagartia : a quiet life it led 
 before, a restless one it has to lead now. But doubtless it knows 
 what's best for it." 
 
 Our friend the Hermit Crab having thus been brought upon 
 the scene, we will now turn to him, and to the very entertaining 
 race to which he belongs. 
 
 The lowest members of the series .are the little Balani, dis- 
 coursed of in a previous chapter. Next in order to the Balani
 
 SHRIMPS AND PRAWNS. 149 
 
 amongst the Crustaceans adapted for the Aquarium, come tlie 
 Shrimps and Prawns, which are extremely interesting creatures, 
 and contribute in no small degree to the gaiety aud animation of 
 the pent-up community. Pale and ghostly in appearance, they 
 glide through the water like the dim and shadowy creatures of 
 another world, their beautiful plumed false legs gracefully beating 
 the water as they sweep along. 
 
 But these animals are as valuable in the Aquarium as they 
 are beautiful. Their incessant movements help not a little to 
 produce that constant motion in the water which is so conducive 
 to the health of the establishment. Much more effective, how- 
 ever, is the service which they render in this respect by hunting 
 out and devouring the minute portions of animal matter that 
 lie concealed amongst the sand and gravel at the bottom. It 
 seems that they are guided to these atoms by their sense of 
 smell, which appears to be remarkably acute. Mr. Warington, 
 indeed, states that when either a Shrimp or Prawn cuts with his 
 antennas the column of water through which a piece of food has 
 fallen to the bottom, it becomes immediately cognizant of the 
 fact, and turns to find it ; and we have ourselves seen this 
 gentleman produce quite an interesting display by merely drop- 
 ping a few morsels of food into the centre of a tank containing 
 a number of Shrimps, the little fellows immediately crowding 
 to the spot, and eagerly catching at the food like a flock of barn- 
 door fowls. 
 
 But there is a mistake abroad as to the respective predilections 
 of the Crustacean fraternity, in regard to this matter of feeding. 
 It is commonly stated that the Crab feeds on offal, but that is 
 an error, no animal being more particular in his diet. Piather 
 than devour food which is far advanced in decomposition, the 
 Crab would die of starvation. The fishermen know this fact 
 well, and always bait their crab-pots with fresh meat ; while, for 
 the Lobster, the more highly flavoured the bait, the better it is 
 likely to succeed. It may be received indeed as a general rule, 
 that the short-tailed Crustacea are clean feeders, and that the true 
 depurators, or scavengers, of the waters, are the long-tailed 
 section of the class. 
 
 The common Shrimp (Crangon vulgaris\ for example, is one 
 of the grossest of feeders, and a swarm of them speedily reduces 
 a drowned cat or dog to a skeleton ; a fact which is hardly cal-
 
 150 AN APPETIZING FACT. 
 
 culated, perhaps, to give rise to any very appetizing reflections on 
 the part of those who think with Pennant that the animal 
 affords the " most delicious " fare of all the Crustacea, and yet 
 useful to be known. People who want to get the skeletons of 
 small birds or other animals perfectly freed from the flesh, fre- 
 quently put them into ants' nests, but the end may be gained 
 just as well by mooring them in the sea where the Shrimps are 
 known to congregate. The naturalists of the Arctic expeditions 
 have frequently profited by the knowledge of this fact, and by 
 placing beneath the ice the specimens of which they wished 
 to have the skeletons preserved, have had them rapidly pre- 
 pared as they desired by the myriads of small Crustacea living 
 there. 
 
 Whether the sense of hearing is as well developed in these 
 long-tailed Crustaceans as the sense of smell, it is not so easy to 
 determine ; but in their near allies the Lobsters, there is every rea- 
 son to believe that the one sense is fully as acute as the other. 
 Mr. Belt, in his History of the British Crustacea, says that these 
 animals will sometimes throw off their limbs at the report of a 
 cannou, and in a thunderstorm whole cargoes of them have been 
 known, to do the same, to the great detriment of their marketable 
 value. But the best illustration of the fact is that given in the 
 following story of an old fisherman of Govran Haven in Cornwall, 
 a story, however, which it must be confessed has a somewhat apo- 
 cryphal air, though it certainly deserves to be true : One day, 
 going the round of his crab-pots, the man saw a number of young 
 Lobsters swarming together. He watched them for some time 
 without attracting the attention of an old one which, lodged in a 
 hollow of the rock, seemed to be keeping guard over the young 
 ones at play. No sooner, however, did the old Lobster perceive 
 there was danger near, than it rattled its claws together, as if to 
 sound an alarm, and they all fled to their holes ! 
 
 Intermediate between the long-tailed Crustaceans and those 
 whose caudal extremity is cwr-tailed, there is a group of these 
 animals with tails that are strictly speaking neither long nor 
 short exclusively, and which, therefore, stands christened in the 
 text-books as the Anomura, or irregular tails. 
 
 Let nobody think meanly of these worthies ; they supply the 
 Aquarium with its most amusing occupants. 
 
 Oversights and mistakes or practical jokes are hardly likely to
 
 THE HERMIT CRAB. 151 
 
 occur in the works of Him of whom we speak as the author of 
 Nature, or we might be inclined to suspect that it was to some- 
 thing of that kind that the Hermit Crab owes his peculiar con- 
 formation. In this unfortunate Crustacean the shelly armour 
 which covers as with a coat-of-rnail the claws and the whole of 
 the fore part of the body, is altogether wanting on the extended 
 tail, and the poor Crab, painfully conscious no doubt of his 
 natural defect, resorts to a contrivance of his own to make good 
 the deficiency. His plan is to seek out the empty shell of some 
 defunct Mollusc of convenient size, and into this he thrusts 
 his exposed and most vulnerable posterior, maintaining his hold 
 of the borrowed domicile by means of two or three pairs of 
 rudimentary feet and a pair of terminal clippers. 
 
 The common Hermit Crab of our own shores (Pagarus Bern- 
 Jiardus) is commonly to be found in the tide-pools at low 
 water, and shuffles away with great agility if an attempt be 
 made to capture it. Not unfrequently, however, instead of 
 making off, it quickly withdraws within its shell, and endeavours 
 to escape detection by " shamming dead." 
 
 We have already given some of our Aquarium experience 
 of these worthies. There is something exceedingly grotesque 
 and almost human in the expression of these animals, and in 
 their peculiar movements. The way in which they catch at the 
 food that is dropped upon them, and their mode of holding it 
 firmly in one claw while they pull off piece after piece and carry 
 it to the mouth with the other, is so exactly like the procedure 
 of some hungry urchin eating his dinner in the street, that no 
 one can fail to be struck with the resemblance. And then there 
 is the tremendous stir they make at feeding-time, twiddling tho 
 various organs around the mouth at a great rate, and shooting 
 out fragments of the food sometimes to a distance of several 
 inches ; irresistibly reminding one of the wiy faces and the sput- 
 terings of some over-fastidious epicure who has inadvertently 
 offended his palate. 
 
 A very critical period in the Hermit Crab's history is the 
 time for the important business of house moving ; and though it is 
 tenant at will, yet as the shell it inhabits is incapable of being 
 enlarged to suit its own increasing bulk, the incident is of 
 periodical occurrence. It is always a business attended with a 
 good deal of anxiety to the poor Hermit ; for while it is no easy
 
 152 CHAXGIXG HOUSES. 
 
 matter at times to find an empty house that will suit, it may so 
 happen that when at length the " neat commodious residence " 
 has been hit upon, a rival claimant appears upon the scene, and 
 there is no alternative but to search further or fight for possession, 
 a contigency which sometimes gives rise to most amusing scenes 
 in the Aquarium. The right of the strongest is fully as much 
 acted upon below water as above ; and amongst the fraternity 
 with which we are now concerned it is the only recognized 
 principle of action. If therefore Master Bernhardus major finds 
 Master Bernardus minor in possession of a domicile of more conve- 
 nient dimensions than his own, he very deliberately proceeds to 
 dislodge his weaker brother from his dwelling, and having accom- 
 plished his object, slips his own tail into the vacant habitation. 
 
 But when possession has once been obtained, the mere act of 
 changing houses is very easily performed. We were not a little 
 surprised, indeed, the first time we witnessed the proceeding at 
 the agile off-hand style in which the thing was done. It is true 
 there is a good deal to be done in the way of examination before the 
 old shell is cast aside and the new one occupied, and the care 
 which the Hermit takes to be quite sure there is nothing in the 
 new domicile at all calculated to hurt or irritate his tender 
 posterior is extremely amusing. But when at length the 
 gentleman has satisfied himself on that point, he brings the 
 mouth of the new shell into a suitable position by the side 
 of the old one, and planting his large claws one on each side of it, 
 he whisks out his little bagged-up tail from the old shell and 
 pops it into the new one in the twinkling of an eye. The animal 
 literally jumps out of the one shell and into the other ; and no 
 better illustration can be given of its mode of doing it than that 
 of a person placing his hands on the top bar of a gate and 
 springing over. 
 
 It is not at all times, however, that the Hermit Crab feels at 
 ease in his new house when he has got there, and we have 
 repeatedly seen them within a few minutes after they have taken 
 possession of a new shell, jump back again into the old one, and 
 commence a fresh examination of the too hastily adopted domicile. 
 
 Mr. Bell conjectures that the Hermit Crab sometimes attacks 
 living Molluscs for the purpose of getting possession of their shells. 
 But Mr. Lewes, in his " Sea-Side Studies," denies the charge, 
 and in an attempted disproof tells a story of a Hermit in his own
 
 A CRUSTACEAN MONKKY-CAGE. 153 
 
 keeping, which, having ensconced himself in the shell of a whelk 
 still in occupation of its house, but withdrawn out of reach of the 
 Crab's inquisitive claws, suffered himself to be repeatedly ejected 
 from the premises without making any attempt to kill and eat 
 the proper occupier. It is obvious, however, that a single ex- 
 periment of that sort proves nothing to the purpose. The 
 Hermit Crab may very well decline to play the burglar in a 
 glass case in a gentleman's drawing-room, and yet be nothing 
 loth to act the part when left to himself at the sea-bottom. Mr. 
 Lewes attaches too much importance, therefore, to his solitary ex- 
 periment, when on ' the strength of it ' he tells us that Mr. 
 Bell's conjecture " must be erased from all hand-books." But 
 let us be just to the Hermit Crab ; as nobody appears to have 
 actually witnessed the perpetration of the deed, we may charitably 
 hope that, low as Crustacean morals are, Master Bernhardus is 
 really innocent of the villany imputed to him. 
 
 The little Hairy Porcelain Crab (Porcellana platycheles) is 
 another of the irregular-tailed Crustacea, and forms a true con- 
 necting link between the long tails and the short tails. In its 
 general form and appearance it is altogether Crab-like, although 
 its great hairy nipper claws give it a very distinctive character of 
 its own ; but when you come to examine its structure, you find 
 that, bent in under the broad round carapace, or crust which 
 covers the body, there is a very decided swimming tail, which 
 proclaims its affinity with its long-tailed allies. The habits of 
 this curious little Crab in confinement are extremely interesting, 
 though rather more shy and retiring than one could wish. It is 
 easily preserved, and speedily becomes a favourite. 
 
 When the Fish House in the Regent's Park Gardens was first 
 established, a bold attempt was made to domesticate repre- 
 sentatives of well-nigh the entire fraternity of Crustaceans. Mr. 
 Mitchell even laid hands on a fine Lobster, which did its best to 
 make itself at home in one of the tanks, where, if we do not mis- 
 take, it passed its days for several months. But the best part of 
 this Crustacean exhibition was a tank in which a motley gather- 
 ing of Crabs of all kinds were confined together, some of the most 
 curious of the number being the long-legged Spider Crabs from 
 deep water. A very monkey-cage was this tank for the drollery 
 of the tricks you saw ; some of the little fellows, like pigmy 
 pugilists, saucily squaring at you close to the glass front, others
 
 154 GAMINS OP THE AQUARIUM. 
 
 sparring and scuffling with each other, and scrambling over one 
 another's backs, or stepping daintily about like superfine dandies 
 picking their way in a dirty road. Not even the Anemones, 
 then in the first flush of their popularity, attracted more eager at- 
 tention than these strange yet familiar forms, and great was the 
 loss to the Fish House when this feature of the exhibition could 
 no longer be maintained. 
 
 Amongst the most hardy of the Crustacea, and the best 
 adapted therefore for the Aquarium, are the small Swimming 
 Crabs (Portunidce) which have dilated, oar-like feet, by means of 
 which they are enabled to perform a sort of natatory movement 
 which gives them a very odd appearance. This is best seen 
 at feeding-time, when they pursue each other for the morsels 
 of food, and rush about over the blocks of stone, making the 
 most extraordinary flying or rather swimming leaps, striking 
 out with their feet the while in a very grotesque fashion. 
 These little Crabs are the gamins of the Aquarium, and for cool 
 impudence and clever trickery have no equals. What with 
 their squabbles with one another, and their raids upon the rest of 
 the community, they form a perpetual source of amusement. They 
 rob the Anemones of their food in the most barefaced manner 
 imaginable, taking it out of their very mouths, and even when it 
 has all but disappeared from view. In the winter they very 
 commonly bury themselves in the sand or gravel at the bottom 
 of the tank, usually under some overhanging ledge of stone, and 
 leaving only the front edge of the carapace with the eyes and the 
 ever-jerking antennas above the surface. In this condition they 
 will frequently remain for several days without stirring a limb, 
 although in warm weather they are most troublesomely active. 
 But even during these sluggish seasons a morsel of oyster dropped 
 into the tank will speedily rouse them, for in some way or other 
 they quickly become aware of its presence, and search about until 
 they find it. And then should it so happen that two of them 
 come upon the prize at the same moment, the battle that ensues is 
 something to see such fencing and sparring, and fierce tussles 
 together as would delight the heart of Lord Palmerston himself. 
 
 One of the most interesting circumstances in the economy of 
 these animals is the periodical moulting or throwing off of the 
 shelly armature in which they are encased. In all the Crustacea 
 alike these moults regularly take place at longer or shorter in-
 
 MOULTING. 155 
 
 tcrvals, the removal of the old crust being necessary to admit of 
 the growth of the animal. In the early stages of life, when growth 
 is most rapid, the change takes place at intervals of only a few 
 weeks' duration ; but as the animal advances in age, the shell is 
 cast with less and less frequency, and there is reason to believe 
 that after a certain period the moults cease altogether. All parts 
 of the animal immediately expand on being liberated from the old 
 crust, between which and the new one there is always a very 
 perceptible difference in size. 
 
 The most curious thing in this moulting of the Crustacea is the 
 remarkably perfect condition in which the old crust is thrown 
 off; the covering of every part of the body and its appendages 
 being left whole and entire, so as to give the rejected crust a 
 striking resemblance to the animal itself. In the ordinary Crabs, 
 indeed, no unpractised eye could detect the difference, and the 
 uninitiated observer who finds the empty shells of one of these 
 animals in his Aquarium is pretty sure to look at it regretfully 
 as the dead body of one of his pets ; and very frequently the 
 mistake is not discovered until some hours, or it may be a day or 
 two afterwards, when, to the utter confounding of the owner, the 
 animal which was supposed to be dead and gone is again seen 
 stalking about, a veritable ghost. A similar mistake sometimes 
 occurs with the Hermit Crab ; but in this case, unless there be 
 some other carnivorous inmate of the Aquarium to account for 
 the disappearance of the fleshy tail, the observer is considerably 
 perplexed at the absence of that important part of the Hermit 
 Crab's structure. 
 
 Our own first acquaintance with the moulting of the Hermit 
 Crab was made under circumstances which rendered this disap- 
 pearance of the body doubly perplexing. There were two 
 Hermit Crabs confined by themselves in a dish ; but they were 
 by no means neighbourly, and seldom met in their walks without 
 having a spar, which sometimes took the form of a regular fight. 
 One morning they both lay dead (as it seemed) at the bottom ol 
 the dish ; and most unaccountably, in both alike, the fleshy body 
 was clean gone. It was the tragedy of the Kilkenny cats over 
 again, with the difference that in this case the tails were the only 
 parts eaten. What could it mean? The mystery was soon ex- 
 plained. There, amongst the weeds, at the side of the dish, were 
 the real Hermit Crabs, still alive, winking and blinking ; and
 
 156 A TAME CONGER. 
 
 those tailless forms outstretched on the sand were nothing more 
 than the gentlemen's cast-off clothes. 
 
 But small space now remains in which to speak of the highest 
 class of animals for which the Marine Aquarium is at all adapted, 
 namely, the fishes ; and it is the less necessary that we should 
 dwell upon them, as but few private persons probably will at- 
 tempt their preservation. The Aquarium is not the place for 
 animals of such free and discursive habits as the fish, which 
 require a wider range and the constant stir and motion of the 
 open sea in order to maintain their health and vigour. In the 
 large tanks in the Zoological Gardens, it is true, they are more at 
 home ; and there the Mullet, the Basse, the Flounder, and a 
 variety of other fish have been preserved with great success : a 
 specimen of the Common Conger ( Conger vulgaris) having occu- 
 pied one of the cases for more than seven years. It was only five 
 inches long when first put into the tank ; but it has since then 
 grown to upwards of two feet in length, and has become so far 
 tamed as to come out from its hole to be fed at a signal from the 
 attendant. 
 
 It is only with wide space and various facilities at command, 
 however, that success like this is attainable. But there are some 
 few species of fish which, from being more restricted in their range 
 than the race generally, are tolerably adapted for aquarian pur- 
 poses, and to these we may briefly refer, premising that of the 
 in-door life of none of them can we speak from our own 
 experience. 
 
 The most attractive of the number are the Wrasse or Connors, 
 distinguished by their gay and brilliant tints of green, purple, and 
 gold, and by their thick fleshy lips, which, only partially covering 
 the teeth, give the fish a snarling, surly look, like that of certain 
 ungainly curs. The larger Wrasse are rather too bulky for conve 
 nient management in the Aquarium ; but some of the smaller 
 species may be kept without much difficulty, and make a very 
 attractive addition to one's in-door live stock. The best adapted 
 for the purpose perhaps is the little Corkwing or Goldfinney 
 (Crenildbrus cornubicus), which, though rather of a washed-out 
 appearance in comparison with the bright mail of some of its 
 relations, is yet a fish of some beauty, and a very Paul Pry for 
 its inquisitive habits. 
 
 The Wrasse may often be seen in fine still weather during ebb-
 
 PIPE-FISH. 157 
 
 tide gliding about over submerged rocks close to the shore, their 
 own bright colours beautifully contrasting with the darker hues 
 of the sea-weed. No fish, however, are a greater source of 
 trouble and annoyance to the inexperienced angler. Let him 
 attempt to fish where the water is but shallow, or place his float 
 only a little too high upon the line, and scarcely does he " throw 
 out," before the bait is taken by some hungry Connor ; which, the 
 moment it feels the hook, darts to the nearest cluster of weeds, 
 and nestling amongst the stems, or wedging itself into some hole 
 or crevice ifl the rock, bids defiance to the young sportsman, who 
 might tug till the crack of doom without inducing the rogue to 
 stir. Loss of gear is the invariable consequence, with sometimes 
 the additional penalty of a broken rod. With practised fisher- 
 men of course these mishaps seldom occur, the Wrasse rarely 
 getting hooked without being brought ashore. They are but 
 little valued however, most anglers pronouncing them unfit for 
 the table a dictum we make bold to cw^radict ; and aver that, 
 when taken in the proper season, and judiciously cooked (an opera- 
 tion, be it remembered, on which very much depends), they form, 
 as Cockney epicures are wont to say, " most excellent good eating." 
 No fish adapted for the Aquarium are more curious and 
 interesting than the Pipe-fish, of which five or six different 
 species are to be met with around our shores. The long attenu- 
 ated body and the projecting snout of these fish give them a 
 very singular appearance, which is, however, admirably in 
 keeping with the eccentricity of their behaviour. When first 
 introduced to the Aquarium they are very wild and troublesome 
 and if the tank is not covered they are by no means unlikely tc 
 jump out and commit suicide. After a while, however, they 
 become reconciled to their confinement, and they are then very 
 entertaining. You are perhaps watching one of them prying 
 about inquisitively amongst the weeds and stones at the bottom 
 of the tank, when all of a sudden, as if tired of his work, he 
 mounts towards the surface, but half way up, stops short, and 
 coiling his long tapering tail once or twice round one of the 
 larger sea-weeds, he supports himself thus in mid-water like a 
 miniature acrobat. Occasionally two of them will very amicably 
 twine their tails together in a sort of lover's knot, and attach- 
 ing themselves side by side, stretch up towards the surface 
 together, remaining for hours in the same posture.
 
 158 PATEKNAL NURSING. 
 
 But the point of chief interest in connection with these fish, is 
 the extraordinary circumstance that the male undertakes the 
 principal duties of the maternal office. In summer, when the 
 Pipe-fish commence the business of rearing their young, the 
 female fish, instead of depositing her eggs like other fish mothers, 
 transfers them bodily to the guardianship of her partner, and 
 thenceforth has no further care or responsibility of the family. 
 The gentleman Pipe-fish receives the eggs in a sort of marsupial 
 pouch, which runs along the under surface of the loody, and there 
 the precious burden is retained until the young fry are duly 
 hatched and able to take care of themselves. For some time 
 after their birth the young fish regularly resort to the paternal 
 pouch when danger threatens, and Mr. Yarrel says he has been 
 assured by fishermen, that if when the fish are caught the 
 young ones are removed from the parent and placed in the water, 
 they will keep close to the boat, and again enter the pouch if 
 the old fish is held towards them in a favourable position. 
 
 It has never yet been clearly ascertained how the transference 
 of the ova is effected ; but it is no unusual circumstance at low 
 tides and in shallow water to find these fish seated very amicably 
 in pairs side by side under the shelter of some boulder or pro- 
 jecting ledge of rock, and the probability is that it is on these 
 occasions that the female Pipe-fish makes her partner happy. 
 
 One of these fish is a sort of special favourite of ours, from the 
 circumstance that many years ago, when a youngster still at 
 school, it brought us in a very sudden and unexpected manner 
 into a position of what we thought most flattering notoriety. It 
 happened in this wise. We were exploring one day fur out 
 among the shallows left bare by an unusually low ebb of tide, 
 when, in a snug little pool, we discovered a pair of odd-looking 
 and, to us, unknown fish, searching among the weeds, sailing 
 from side to side, and evidently intending to remain in present 
 quarters till next flood. But as 
 
 " The best laid schemes o' mice an' men 
 Gang aft agley," 
 
 so in this instance it chanced with the scheme of two Pipe-fish, for 
 such they were. Not without some trouble we secured the double 
 prize, and bore it straightway to a distinguished savant we knew, 
 who had often before accepted our living plunder in exchange for
 
 NEW OCCUPATION. 15U 
 
 what we valued far more some of his own deep acquaintance 
 with their habits and economy. Then it was that we first 
 learned the remarkable facts related above, and saw with won- 
 dering eyes the bright orange-coloured ova packed away in 
 triple rows in the pouch of the male fish. Thus we bartered our 
 Pipe-fish, esteeming ourselves richly rewarded by the strange 
 and wonderful history we had had in exchange. But what was 
 our astonishment some months after this, to receive from our sage 
 instructor a handsome little volume he had just published on the 
 natural history of the neighbourhood, in which, when speaking 
 of the Pipe-fish, he referred at length to our gift in a paragraph 
 beginning as follows : " I have a pair of these fish, presented 
 me by my young friend Mr. (and here our name was given at 
 full length, imprint too, and with such a prefix), taken in," &c. &c. 
 It may be a weakness of ours, but from that time forward we 
 always looked upon the little Worm-shaped Pipe-fish as a de- 
 cidedly handsome fellow. 
 
 One of the most conspicuous results of the popularity of the 
 Aquarium is the impetus it has given to the study of seaside 
 natural history. People have become so pleased with what they 
 have seen of the indoor life of Periwinkles, Prawns, and Sea- 
 Anemones, that they are now bent on cultivating an acquaint- 
 ance with them in their own proper homes, in the rock-clefts and 
 tide-pools along the shore. The consequence is, that quite a 
 new element has been introduced into the occupation of the 
 visitors to our fashionable watering-places. There are the same 
 groups of listless dawdlers along the sands, the same boating 
 parties, donkey-drivers, absorbed readers, and enthusiastic young 
 ladies in rapt admiration of " the deep and dark blue ocean," as 
 of yore ; but, in addition to these, there is now another class of 
 visitors, carefully studious of spring-tides and the exact time of 
 low water, whose talk is of " Trogs " and " Gems," Balani and 
 Serpulce, who affect hobnailed boots, dresses that won't spoil, 
 and collecting baskets stored with jam-pots and wide-mouthed 
 doctors' phials, and whom you may see corning landwards with 
 every advancing tide, wet and soppy, and with a saline odour 
 about them, as though they were themselves but metamorphosed 
 sea-monsters of some sort just advanced to the human form, and 
 now first emerging from the deep. 
 
 But let no precise, well-dressed individual think to abash
 
 160 MODERN FA TRY -LAND. 
 
 such collectors of " marine stores " by sidelong glances of affected 
 pity for their weakness. They have been initiated into the mys- 
 teries of the modern fairy-land, and have made the acquaintance 
 of Aphrodita, Eunice, Beroe, and the rest of the sea-nymphs ; 
 and instead of feeling at all ashamed at being seen dabbling 
 amongst the dripping weeds, and groping in the pools and rock- 
 clefts, they only wonder that anybody can still be found indif- 
 ferent to the thousand objects of interest and beauty which there 
 have their home, bearing silent but eloquent testimony to the 
 wisdom and benificence of the great Author of Life.
 
 161 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE ANCIENT ORDER OF BATRACHIANS. 
 
 " The swimming-frog, the toad, the tadpole, the wall-newt, and the 
 water." 
 
 THE Batrachians are not by any means such strangers as some 
 people may imagine. The reader who has forgotten his Greek, 
 or who never had any Greek to forget, may fail to recognize 
 them, but they have amongst them many old familiar faces for 
 all that. 
 
 Let nobody therefore run away with the notion that this 
 same ancient order is some old, broken-up, dead-and-gone fra- 
 ternity, similar to those illustrious orders of Odd Fellows, Green 
 Foresters, Ancient Druids, and the like, which still find coun- 
 tenance and support amongst the children of men. The idea is 
 altogether beside the mark. The Batrachians do not belong to 
 the human family at all. They are a race, not of men, but of 
 reptiles, the best known members of the order being the "small 
 deer " enumerated above, from that extraordinary list of dainties 
 which the banished Edgar palms off upon his father as his " food 
 for seven long year." 
 
 No one will dispute that these little fellows are for the most 
 part familiar enough ; and yet how far removed are they from 
 being familiar friends ! The truth is, the Batrachians have but 
 few admirers. They labour under that direst of misfortunes a 
 bad name. Innocent and inoffensive, and doing no small amount 
 of good iu their way, they are yet misrepresented and maligned, 
 their good qualities denied, and bad qualities from which they 
 are wholly exempt, obstinately laid to their charge. There is 
 perhaps hardly another race of creatures in existence which is 
 BO unanimously hated, and hunted to death, as this poor obscure 
 race of reptiles. It matters not that Homer has sung of their 
 exploits, that Aristophanes lias embellished them with his wit, 
 that their history is one of the most wonderful on record, no-
 
 1G2 THE ANCIENT ORDER OF BATKACHIANS. 
 
 thing avails to overcome the settled antipathy of mankind ; and 
 the Batrachians will probably go on to the end of their days 
 maltreated and maligned, an unoffending but cruelly persecuted 
 race. 
 
 It generally happens that injustice of this sort brings about 
 its own punishment, and this is certainly the case in reference 
 to the hard measure so undeservedly meted out to the Batra- 
 chians. The world looks down upon them, gives them ill names, 
 affects a sort of horror of them, and does its best to kick them 
 out of sight ; and the consequence is that the world knows next 
 to nothing about them, and thus misses one of the most marvel- 
 lous chapters in the whole range of zoological science. The Ba- 
 trachiophobia is at length giving way in one direction, it is true ; 
 for the Aquarium has made it manifest that the Water-Newts, 
 spite of a long-cherished belief to the contrary, are perfectly 
 harmless little creatures, elegant withal in their appearance, and 
 very engaging in their behaviour. If prejudice did not stand in 
 the way, we should be ready to admit that others of the order 
 were equally deserving of our attention, and that "horrid" and 
 " odious " as they are generally voted, it would be well worth 
 the while of the curious in such matters to inquire into the de- 
 tails of their habits and economy. 
 
 We propose, then, to put in a plea on behalf of the Frog and 
 fiis friends, and to show cause why the entire fraternity of Batra- 
 chians should henceforth be dealt with in a more humane and 
 considerate fashion. It will be no difficult task to accomplish, 
 nor will it involve us in anything like a dull and disagreeable 
 discourse ; for however repugnant it may be to the notions pre- 
 valent on this side of the English Channel to introduce any of 
 these little fellows upon the dinner-table, there can be no question 
 as to the excellence of the literary piece de resistance they furnish, 
 if only it be concocted with a little artistic discrimination and 
 care. 
 
 It may be as well, perhaps, to begin by informing such as are 
 disposed to look down upon the Batrachians, that in the estima- 
 tion of some of the first naturalists of the day, these animals are 
 entitled to a considerably higher rank than that to which they 
 are generally supposed to belong. The common idea of course is 
 that they are neither more nor less than reptiles ; the entire group 
 being regarded as one of the " orders " or principal divisions of
 
 RANK OF THE BATRACHIANS. 163 
 
 that class of animals. The opinion, however, is now very gene- 
 rally entertained that they ought properly to be regarded as con- 
 stituting by themselves a distinct class, equal in relative import- 
 ance to each of the other great classes of the animal world, and 
 occupying an intermediate position between the true reptiles and 
 the inferior class of fishes. If this view of the matter be allowed, 
 our little friend the Frog and his allies will part company with 
 their quondam associates of the reptile tribes, the snakes, the 
 lizards, and the tortoises, and, raised to a higher level, will take 
 their place on terms of equality with the other great divisions 
 of the vertebrate animals. The Batrachians themselves are no 
 doubt sublimely indifferent as to which way the decision may go 
 on this very grave question, and would be but little elated, it 
 may be presumed, should their elevation to the dignity of an in- 
 dependent class be ultimately agreed to by a unanimous vote of 
 all the zoological professors of Christendom. But, for all that, 
 the question is not without its interest to the student of nature ; 
 and as the Batrachians do really stand as candidates for this ele- 
 vated post, they ought certainly to be regarded with becoming 
 deference and respect. 
 
 But, whatever may be the true style and title of the Batra- 
 chians whether they continue to be regarded as a subordinate 
 group of the reptile class, or be raised to a class by themselves 
 one thing is quite certain, namely, that they do differ very ma- 
 terially from ordinary reptiles, and approximate in many parti- 
 culars to the class of fishes. The group, as a whole, forms a 
 clear and unmistakable transition from the one class to the other. 
 In the lower divisions of it we meet with creatures so completely 
 fish-like in character, that they can be separated from the fishes 
 only by fixing on some point of distinction which is purely arbi- 
 trary in its nature ; and from these questionable forms we ad- 
 vance, step by step, to the higher divisions, the members of which 
 make a close approach to the character of true reptiles. It is 
 obvious therefore that the Batrachians form a strictly interme- 
 diate and transitionary group ; and so completely do they bridge 
 over the difference between the fishes adapted for a purely aquatic 
 life and the true air-breathing land reptiles, that they obliterate* 
 so to speak, all essential distinction between them. 
 
 If there be any one thing which more than another shows 
 the true character of the Batrachians, it is the remarkable changes
 
 164 DKPOSITION OF SPAWN. 
 
 they undergo in the early period of their history. The trans- 
 formation of a Tadpole into a Frog exhibits, in the successive 
 phases of the life of an individual animal, substantially the same 
 stages of advancement towards a higher type of organization as 
 are marked by the mature forms of the several members of the 
 group as a whole. It will be interesting therefore to notice by 
 what steps this progressive improvement of structure is made ; 
 and as there is no lack of Tadpoles in our ponds and ditches 
 throughout the spring and fearly part of summer, any of our 
 readers who choose to do so may readily verify our statements for 
 themselves. 
 
 In the beginning of March, then, the Frogs which all the 
 winter through have been comfortably " conglobulated " together, 
 as Dr. Johnson said of the swallows, in the mud at the bottom 
 of the ponds and ditches, wake up from their protracted sleep, 
 and make their appearance at the surface of the water. In a 
 little while they are all busily engaged in their nuptial rites, with 
 respect to which the only remark we have to make is, that we 
 wish they were somewhat less obtrusively thrust upon our notice. 
 The eggs are deposited in large masses at the bottom of the 
 water ; but as each egg is surrounded by a covering of glutinous 
 matter, which readily absorbs water, the entire mass speedily 
 swells, and becoming lighter than the surrounding medium, it 
 rises to the surface. In this stage the eggs appear as little black 
 dots, separated from each other by a globular investment of 
 transparent colourless jelly ; and it is only by bearing in mind the 
 extraordinary abundance in which this spawn is to be seen in 
 the water in spring, that one can account for the myriads of tiny 
 Frogs to be found hopping about the margins of the ponds later 
 in the year. For about a month or five weeks the eggs gradually 
 increase in size ; at the end of that period the young Frogs as 
 yet, however, far otherwise than Frogs in form burst the en- 
 velopes of the eggs, eat their way through the gelatinous walls 
 that imprison them, and make their escape into the water. 
 
 In the condition in which the little creature commences its 
 active life, it is known to every village urchin in the land as the 
 Tadpole, or Loggerhead. The Cockney schoolboys give it the 
 more expressive name of Tiddler. The little thing seems all 
 head and tail. " It is provided," says Cuvier, " with a long fleshy 
 tail and a small horny beak, and has no other apparent members
 
 HABITS OP TADPOLE. 165 
 
 but little fringes at the sides of the neck." These fringes are 
 the Tadpole's breathing organs, and one of the earliest changes 
 it experiences is the shrinking of these organs, and their subse- 
 quent disappearance beneath the skin, where they discharge the 
 functions of the gills of a fish. The mouth of the Tadpole is 
 placed low down in the front of the head, so that when the little 
 fellow wishes to seize anything floating on the surface of the 
 watt., he has to throw himself on his back like a shark ; and so 
 nimbly does he execute this manoeuvre, that the eye cannot with- 
 out difficulty follow it. Thus expert in appropriating food, the 
 tadpole rapidly increases in size, the tail acquires greater breadth, 
 and the limbs slowly make their appearance. The hind feet are 
 developed first, increasing by little and little, and then the fore 
 feet also appear. The beak now falls off and exposes the true 
 jaws, whieh were before soft and concealed under the skin ; the 
 tail is gradually absorbed, and the young Frog begins to assume 
 something like his mature form. In a few days more the little 
 fellow, advanced to the dignity of positive froghood, takes his 
 leave of the water, and stops ashore, thenceforth repudiating the 
 shrivelled remnant of his once ample tail, which is now speedily 
 disposed of after the manner in which Lord Monboddo and his 
 disciples would have us believe that our own quadrumanous pro- 
 genitors disposed of theirs. 
 
 While these external changes are in progress, modifications of 
 still more importance are taking place in the whole of the internal 
 organization. 
 
 In the first place, let us look at the development of the spinal 
 column or back-bone. In the newly-hatched Tadpole this part 
 of the structure consists of little more than a simple fibro-cartila- 
 ginous cord. As the little creature grows, this cord begins to 
 ossify, though only in that portion which is to be retained in the 
 future Frog. After the process of ossification has gone on for a 
 short time, the cord becomes converted into a distinct vertebral 
 column ; both faces of the separate vertebra? in this early stage, 
 however, are concave, and between each pair of vertebra there is 
 precisely the same sort of hollow filled with fluid as that which 
 distinguishes the vertebral column of fishes. But ossification 
 proceeds ; and now gradually filling up the hinder cavity of each 
 vertebra, and projecting the newly-formed bone into the front 
 cavity of the vertebra behind, it finally converts the entire series
 
 166 INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 into a vertebral column, connected throughout by the true ball- 
 and-socket joint characteristic of the higher reptiles. 
 
 The changes which take place in the circulatory and breathing 
 apparatus are not a whit less remarkable. In the first instance 
 the condition of these organs is in all essential particulars 
 precisely the same as in the class of fishes. Thus the blood, 
 driven from the arterial bulb through the branchial art/^ies, 
 circulates freely through the gills, and is again collected in the 
 branchial veins, of which two pairs unite in forming the great 
 aorta of the body, whilst the other pair is distributed in the head. 
 The pulmonary arteries first make their appearance in a very 
 rudimentary form, springing from the branchial vessels. But as 
 the lungs are developed and aerial respiration commences, these 
 arteries rapidly increase in size, whilst the branchia and their 
 vessels gradually diminish in the same proportion. The change 
 still proceeding, the branches which unite the branchial arteries 
 acquire a much greater development, and gradually divert more 
 and more of the blood from the branchiae, which now speedily 
 disappear altogether, and leave to the pulmonary arteries the task 
 of carrying on the entire business of respiration. In this way the 
 little fish-like Tadpole, adapted exclusively for an aquatic life, 
 gradually becomes metamorphozed into a being possessing every 
 requisite for a strictly terrestrial existence ; though, whether it be 
 from the strength of early associations, or from some more re- 
 condite cause, the Frog seldom wanders far from his original 
 home, and appears his life through to prefer to either land or water, 
 strictly so called, that convenient compromise between the two 
 afforded by the swamp or ditch. 
 
 The progressive changes related above obtain of course only 
 in the young of the higher grades of Batrachians. In the lower 
 forms the metamorphosis is arrested at various points, so that 
 the mature condition of these animals marks, so to speak, the 
 successive stages in the development of the young of the more 
 advanced members of the order. 
 
 But there are some rather curious and some truly extraordinary 
 circumstances in connection with the early history of some of 
 these higher members which must be referred to here. In the 
 rst place, there is a Toad common enough throughout the 
 Continent, and well known in the neighbourhood of Paris, which 
 has obtained for itself the name of the Accoucheur Toad (Bufo
 
 ACCOUCHEUR FOOD. 167 
 
 obstetricans), from a singular habit which, the male has of as- 
 sisting the female in the exclusion of the eggs, which he after- 
 wards attaches to his own hiud-legs, and carries about with him 
 till the young Tadpoles are ready to escape, when he conveys his 
 charge to the water, where henceforward the young make their 
 way in the world just as Tadpoles that are less highly favoured 
 with parental care. Still more extraordinary is the procedure of 
 the monstrous Surinam Toad (Pipa Americana). The eggs of this 
 species are deposited by the female at the margin of the water, 
 and are then carefully collected by the male and deposited upon 
 the back of his partner in a number of singular pits or cells 
 which stud the skin. A single egg is pressed by the male 
 Toad into each of these cells, which are then closed with a 
 sort of lid. The development of the Tadpole proceeds in these 
 confined spaces in exactly the same way as with those of the 
 other Batrachia which roam at large in the water ; and when the 
 young animal has completed its changes, it comes forth at once a 
 perfect Toad. In the Salamanders, again, the early part of the 
 development of the young takes place within the body of the 
 parent. It is not a little singular, too, that in the conversion of 
 the bi-concave into cup-and-ball vertebrae, in the development of 
 the Tadpole of the Salamander, the newly-formed bone fills up 
 and extends from the front cavity, so that in the adult vertebras 
 the ball is anterior and the cup posterior, as in some of the 
 more reptile-like fishes. The Water-Newt, instead of depositing 
 its eggs in patches or masses like the Frog, or in long chains like 
 the common Toad, doubles them up singly in the leaves of 
 aquatic plants. In the young Newts, again, the development of 
 the fore-legs precedes that of the hind pair, while, as we have 
 already stated, the reverse of this takes place in the young Frog, 
 which, by the way, appears from observations communicated to 
 Mr. Patterson of Belfast, to be in the habit of literally " putting 
 its left leg foremost," the left fore-limb being perfectly developed, 
 while the other is still "nowhere." 
 
 Mr. Bell, in his " History of British Eeptiles," brings a serious 
 charge against the Tadpole of the Frog, accusing it of no less a 
 crime than downright cannibalism ; and what is not a little odd 
 in the matter is, that the horrible propensity is said to manifest 
 itself only when the limbs first make their appearance in any of 
 the Tadpole's companions. Suspecting that this was the case,
 
 168 SHOWERS OF FBOGS. 
 
 Mr. Bell placed in a large glass globe of water several Tadpoles 
 nearly approaching their final change, and he observed that, as 
 surely as one of them acquired its limbs, it would soon afterwards 
 be found dead at the bottom of the water, and the other Tadpoles 
 feeding upon it. This took place with all of them successively, 
 excepting the last, which not being able, or perhaps disposed, to 
 eat himself, lived to complete his change, and doubtless grew fat 
 upon the rum of his fellows. 
 
 One of the popular errors which have come down to us from 
 the remotest times, and one which still has vitality enough to 
 secure an occasional paragraph in its support in provincial news- 
 papers, is the belief in showers of Frogs. The origin of this 
 belief is no doubt to be found in the extraordinary abundance in 
 which young Frogs, just after the completion of their transforma- 
 tion from the Tadpole state, and especially after rain, are seen in 
 the act of migrating from the pond or swamp in which they 
 commenced their career, into the surrounding districts. Enor- 
 mous numbers of these tiny creatures are sometimes to be met 
 with in this manner, the ground being at times literally covered 
 with them over a considerable area ; and as this curious spectacle 
 is most frequently observed after heavy showers, accompanied, as 
 such showers occasionally are about the middle of the year, by 
 thunder and lightning, it is not at all extraordinary that the 
 notion should have arisen that the animals in question came from 
 the clouds. Incidental allusions to this idea are to be found in 
 many of the writers of antiquity ; and Aristotle goes so far as to 
 assert that the Frogs so seen are a peculiar sort, which he terms 
 dioTTtTTjs, " sent by Jupiter." 
 
 In later times, when philosophers were more ambitious of ac- 
 counting for the supposed facts of popular belief than of testing 
 their accuracy, a variety of ingenious reasons were assigned for 
 the phenomenon. The celebrated Cardan, in his book " De Subtili- 
 tate," maintained that it was the violence of the wind which 
 carried the Frogs from the tops of the mountains and bore them 
 to the plains. Another idea was, that the eggs of the Frog were 
 taken up by the winds, and, being hatched in mid-air, the young 
 Frogs fell to the ground ; but against this theory, Scaliger urged 
 very conclusive objections, that the eggs of the Frog produce, not 
 perfectly formed Frogs, but Tadpoles, which no one pretended had 
 ever come down from the clouds.
 
 THE DELUSION DISPELLED. 169 
 
 Bay, in his "Wisdom of God in Creation," fully discusses tLis 
 " shower of Frogs' " question, and shows how entirely groundless 
 is the common opinion on the subject. But, more than this, he 
 gives us, on the authority of his friend Mr. Derham, an account 
 of one of the said "showers," which clearly shows how the 
 popular notion originated. Mr. Derham relates, that one after- 
 noon, while riding in Berkshire, he came upon an immense multi- 
 tude of minute Frogs crossing the road. There had been a 
 shower of rain only an hour or so before, and he immediately 
 thought of what he had heard of the raining of Frogs. But not 
 being a believer in that sort of thing, he determined to search into 
 the matter. On examining the neighbourhood, he found two or 
 three acres of ground nearly covered with a vast " black regiment," 
 which was proceeding all in one direction towards some woods 
 and ditches at a short distance in front, and which he traced back 
 to a large pond that in spring-time, he ascertained, always 
 abounded with Frogs from which circumstances he very pro- 
 perly concludes that the little wayfarers had come, not from the 
 clouds, but from the pond whence they were marching ; that 
 they had been tempted to set out on their journey by the recent 
 shower, and were going bodily in search of fresh provender. 
 
 Let us now glance briefly at some of the less familiar forms of 
 the Batrachia, preparatory to giving our attention more at length 
 to the little fellows with whom we are better acquainted. 
 
 At the very bottom of the series, if in the series at all, and on 
 the very boundary line between the fishes and the Batrachians 
 if such a boundary line be really allowable stands the singular 
 creature first exhibited alive in this country at the Crystal Palace, 
 Sydenham, and now numbered amongst the treasures of the 
 Zoological Gardens as the " Mud-fish " (Lepido&iren annectans). 
 There is a dispute amongst naturalists as to whether the " Mud- 
 fish " should be classed with the fishes or the Batrachians. Dr. 
 Natterer, the discoverer of the animal, regards it as a Batrachian 
 reptile, and in this opinion most of the writers on natural histoiy 
 agree ; but Professor Owen, relying, we believe, chiefly on the 
 peculiar character of the animal's nose, places it amongst the 
 fish. It would be more correct, perhaps, to say placed, for since 
 Professor Owen has had the opportunity of examining the speci- 
 mens recently living in this country, he appears to incline to 
 the opinion that the creature is properly neither fish nor reptile,
 
 170 THE LEPICOSIREN. 
 
 but something strictly intermediate between the two one, in 
 fact, of those " connecting links " in nature which some people 
 laugh at as mere creations of the fancy. The Lepidosiren is 
 extremely fish-like in appearance, having an elongated tapering 
 body covered with scales, and furnished along the back, and both 
 above and below the tail, with a thin membraneous fin, pre- 
 cisely as in some of our commonest fishes. It differs from fish, 
 however, in the broad flattened head and obtuse muzzle, and 
 still more obviously in being furnished with two pairs of rudi- 
 mentary limbs in the shape of long tapering filaments. Three 
 species of this curious animal are known, all of them being con- 
 fined to the tropical rivers of Africa and America, where, at the 
 approach of the dry season, they bury themselves in the mud at 
 the bottom of the water and remain in a state of torpidity for 
 several months. It was in this condition, enclosed in balls of 
 hardened clay, and cut off from all communication with the ex- 
 ternal air, that three of the animals were brought to this country 
 from the Gambia, and presented to the Crystal Palace Company 
 by Captain Chamberlyne. 
 
 In the famous Siren (Siren lacertina), an eel-like creature 
 which inhabits the marshy rice-grounds of Carolina, and several 
 allied forms, a single pair of limbs only is developed, and in 
 addition to true lungs for aerial respiration, they are furnished 
 throughout the entire period of their existence with external 
 tufted gills for respiration in the water. No wonder, therefore, 
 that for a long time these animals were regarded as Tadpoles of 
 higher forms of Batrachia. Cuvier, however, has satisfactorily 
 shown that they are mature animals, though, as he says, they 
 are amongst the most remarkable in the whole range of the 
 animal kingdom. Our information as to the habits of these 
 animals is most meagre. The best known species is the one 
 mentioned above, and which has occasionally been exhibited 
 alive in the Zoological Gardens in the Eegent's Park. It ap- 
 pears to keep pretty much to the mud and muddy waters of the 
 rice-swamps, and feeds upon worms and insects. Dr. Garden, 
 the original discoverer of the animal, circulated wondeuful stories 
 of its feeding habitually on serpents, as also of its extraordinary 
 vocal powers, whence Linnasus gave it the name it bears. 
 
 One step higher in the series than the Siren, and we reach the 
 Proteus (Proteus anguimis^.fhe extraordinary inmate of the
 
 ALLIED FORMS. 171 
 
 subterranean pools in the caverns of Illyria and Carniola. In 
 this animal two pairs of limbs are developed ; the external gills 
 continue in addition to the true lungs, and the creature makes a 
 still nearer approach to the ordinary reptilian form. The Proteus 
 is in its natural state of a flesh-whiteness and transparency of 
 colour, and decked around the neck with the brilliant scarlet 
 fringes of its branchiae, it has a most remarkable appearance. 
 Living perpetually in total darkness, organs of vision would be 
 perfectly useless, and its eyes are accordingly reduced to mere 
 points, and hidden by the skin. Closely allied to Proteus is 
 the curious Axolotl of the Mexican lakes, an animal, it appears, 
 regularly exposed for sale in the Mexican markets, and which, 
 at the time of the invasion of the country by Cortez, is said to 
 have afforded food to his army for some time. In this connec- 
 tion, too, we must mention, though it is barely possible to do 
 more, the Menobranchus of the great North American lakes, the 
 Amphiuma, the Menopome, and the Sieboldia, or Gigantic Newt 
 of Japan, of which several nearly full grown specimens have 
 recently been added to the magnificent collection of animals in 
 the Regent's Park Gardens. 
 
 We come now to those lately adopted pets, the Water-Newts 
 and their allies. These animals belong to the family Salamandridce, 
 which comprehends, besides the Newts, tie true land Salaman- 
 ders, which figure so grimly in the pages of the ancient writers 
 on natural history. Of these redoubtable worthies we will speak 
 in due course ; for the present, let us look at our little Newts, or 
 Aquatic Salamanders. The Newts share not only the name of 
 their more celebrated congeners, but their fame also ; and so 
 widely spread and deep rooted is the belief that they are endowed 
 with poisonous properties, that scarcely a village lad could be 
 found who would venture boldly to grasp them in his hand. 
 We suspect, moreover, that even amongst those who have lately 
 adopted them as household pets, there are very few who would 
 not, like the old lady pictiired in " Punch," prefer the tongs to their 
 fingers if occasion should arise for handling them. 
 
 It appears that we have only two distinct species of Newts in 
 Britain ; though, from the constant variation in their appearance, 
 the number is supposed to be at least double. Our largest 
 species (Triton cristatus) measures, when full grown, about six 
 inches in length, and in colour is brown above and a bright
 
 172 SHAKSPEARE'S WALL NEWT. 
 
 orange beneath. The smaller species (Lissotriton punctatus) is 
 more faintly coloured, and hardly more than half the length of 
 the preceding. In both species alike the males are adorned 
 during the breeding season with a membraneous fin-like crest, 
 which runs along the back and tail, and greatly adds to the 
 beauty of their appearance. It appears from the interesting 
 observations of Mr. Higginbottom, communicated to the Royal 
 Society, that these little creatures are by no means so entirely 
 aquatic in their habits as is commonly supposed. The larger 
 species is undoubtedly the more strictly aquatic of the two, the 
 smaller one, the " Wall Newt " of Shakspeare, having more of 
 a roving disposition, and being particularly fond of the damp 
 moss-grown walls of old buildings. Both species, however, pass 
 a great part of their time on the land, and remain permanently 
 in the water only during the period in which they are engaged 
 in the great business of propagating their kind. If one may 
 judge from the crowds which used to gather around the windows 
 of the Aquarium dealers in which these little fellows were ex- 
 .posed to view, they have hitherto been but slightly known to 
 our town-dwellers, notwithstanding their abundant distribution 
 throughout the country. In Ireland only one species appears 
 to be generally distributed, and according to Mr. Patterson of 
 Belfast, it is well known in that part of the country as the 
 " man-keeper," the ignorant part of the population regarding it 
 with great horror, from the notion that it never [fails to jump 
 down the throat of any body that it finds asleep. 
 
 The true Salamanders are strictly terrestrial in their habits, 
 and differ from the Newts in having a rounded instead of a 
 flattened tail. The body of the Salamander is covered with 
 warty glands, which secrete an acrid, milky fluid, the abundance 
 and the poisonous properties of which have given rise to some 
 of the most marvellous stories that the mind of man ever 
 imagined. 
 
 That the fluid secreted by the Salamander is really poisonous 
 to small animals appears certain from the experiment of Lau- 
 renti, who provoked two lizards to bite one of these animals, in 
 order to ascertain the effects of the supposed poisonous secretion. 
 The Salamander at first attempted to escape, but being still 
 persecuted by the lizards, it ejected some of the fluid into their 
 mouths. One of the lizards died instantly ; the other fell into
 
 PLINY ON THE SALAMANDER. 173 
 
 convulsions for two minutes, and then it expired also. In 
 another case, some of the fluid was introduced into the mouth ol 
 a lizard by the hand of the experimenter, and in this instance 
 the animal first became convulsed, then paralyzed on one side, 
 and soon aftenvards it died. There appears to be no reason there- 
 fore to doubt that the Salamander is really endowed with poisonous 
 properties. 
 
 But now, let us see how this simple fact was magnified and 
 adorned by the ancient philosophers. No better idea can be 
 given of the extravagant opinions of the ancients on this point 
 than that conveyed by the following passage from Pliny. 
 
 " Of all venomous beasts, there are not any so hurtfull and 
 dangerous as are the Salamanders. As for other serpents, they 
 can hurt but one at once, neither kill they many together ; 
 to say nothing how, when they haue stung or bitten a man, 
 they die for very griefe and sorrow that they haue done such a 
 mischiefe, as if they had some pricke and remorse of conscience 
 afterwards ; and neuer enter they againe into earth, as vnworthy to 
 be receiued there : but the Salamander is able to destroy whole 
 nations at one time, if they take not heed and prouide to preuent 
 them. For if he get once to a tree, and either claspe about it, or 
 creepe vpon it, all the fruit that it hears is infected with his venome ; 
 and sure they are to die, whosoeuer eat of that fruit, and that 
 by the meanes of an extreame cold qualitie that his poyson hath, 
 which doth mortifie no lesse than if they had taken the Libard- 
 baine call Aconitum. Moreouer, say that she doe but touch 
 any peece of wood, billet, or hedgestake, wherwith either a 
 loafe is baked, or a shiue of bread tested, as many as eat there- 
 of shall catch their bane by it ; or if one of them chance to 
 fall into a well or pit of water, looke whosoeuer dririke thereof, 
 shall be sure to die vpon it ; and that which is more, if there 
 happen neuer so little of the spittle or moisture which shee 
 yeeldeth, to light vpon any part of the body, though it touched 
 no more but the sole of the foot, it is enough to cause all the 
 haire of the body to fall off." 
 
 It appears, however, that notwithstanding these frightful at- 
 tributes of the Salamander, " swine eat them safely ;" from which 
 fact our author thinks " it soundeth to good reason " that the 
 flesh of the pig should have power to "mortifie" the terrible 
 venom. But more on that point anon. Suffice it to say here
 
 174 THE SALAMANDER INCOMBUSTIBLE. 
 
 that the same race which, furnishes the " bane " affords also the 
 "antidote;" and though in Rome it was a common proverb, "If 
 a Salamander bites you, put on your shroud," it was not from 
 any deficiency of sovereign remedies. 
 
 But the grand absurdity of all was the belief that the Sala- 
 mander was incombustible ; that it not only resisted the action of 
 fire, but could live in the midst of it without inconvenience, and 
 extinguish it at pleasure. It is somewhat remarkable, however, 
 that while some of the ancient writers express themselves with 
 evident reserve and hesitation on this point, the belief appears to 
 have held its ground long after the exaggerated idea entertained 
 by the ancients of the animal's poisonous properties had begun to 
 decline. Aristotle has often been quoted as giving his sanction 
 to the belief which obtained in his time, but the language he 
 employs " For the Salamander (as they say~), walking through 
 the fire, extinguishes it" clearly shows that he had some doubts 
 about the matter. Pliny expresses his doubts still more xm- 
 cquivocally, and this is the more remarkable, since, as a general 
 rule, the more extraordinary the stories he relates, the more 
 ready he is to adopt them. He puts it thus : that if what the 
 magicians report of the Salamander's power to extinguish fire 
 had proved true, it would have been long since put in practice 
 at Rome ; and then he adduces the authority of Sextius, who, as 
 he says, " denieth flatly that it doth extinguish and put out the 
 fire." It seems strange that long ages after this, Lord Bacon 
 should be found, as in his " Sylva Sylvarum," expressing himself 
 as in doubt whether the animal really possessed the extraordi- 
 nary power over the flames that was ascribed to it. But that 
 the popular belief in the incombustible nature of the Salamander 
 still obtained appears evident from a curious reference to the 
 subject in "The Plaine Man's Pathway to Heauen" a book, by 
 the way, to which John Bunyan was probably indebted for the 
 original idea of the " Pilgrim's Progress," and which, in his " Grace 
 Abounding," he mentions as one of the two books that formed the 
 only dowry of his wife where it is said, " As the Salamander 
 is alwaies in the fire and neuer consumeth, so the wicked shall 
 be alwaies in the fire of hell, and neuer consume." The last 
 remnant of this ancient belief appears now to have passed away, 
 its disappearance having, no doubt, been greatly expedited by 
 what, according to the high authority of Sydney Smith, has
 
 INCONGRUOUS ASSOCIATION. 175 
 
 been mainly instrumental in freeing us from the visits of ghosts 
 and hobgoblins, namely, the smell of the printer's ink. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that the Salamander is not a 
 native of Britain ; though several species are found on the 
 Continent. The animal rarely exceeds six inches in length ; 
 and now that it has fallen from its high estate, it receives 
 scarcely as much notice as, from its former fame, it properly 
 deserves. 
 
 : The various members of the Batrachia which we have hitherto 
 ntroduced to the reader in this review of their principal forms, 
 are all distinguished by the possession of the caudal appendage 
 throughout the entire period of their existence ; but we now 
 advance to the highest section of the order, the members of 
 which, with very exalted notions of their own importance, dis- 
 encumber themselves of this badge of inferiority on their first 
 emergence from the water, and ever afterwards walk (or rather 
 hop) the earth, as the Anourous Amphibia or Tailless Batra- 
 chians. 
 
 In the forefront of these Batrachians par excellence stands a 
 race of tongueless, triangular-headed Toads, represented by the 
 monster already alluded to, the Pipa, Americana, or Surinam 
 Toad. Captain Stedrnan, in his "Narrative of the Expedition 
 to Surinam," describes this monster as " the most hideous of all 
 creatures upon earth, covered over with a dark-brown scrofulous 
 skin, very uneven, and marked with irregular black spots," and 
 in size "often larger than a common duck when plucked and 
 pinioned." The reader will please be so good as notice that it is 
 Captain Stedman who is guilty of this horribly incongruous 
 association of " the most hideous of all creatures upon earth " 
 and roast duck. The captain had evidently a " strong stomach," 
 or the mere making of such a comparison would have taken 
 away his appetite for a week. And yet we are bound to state 
 that, after all, the comparison is just; for "tastes differ," and, 
 however incredible it may seem, your genuine Surinamese regards 
 the Pipa as a very " duck " for the table, and, hunting it out 
 from the dark corners of his house, makes a feast of the scrofulous 
 monster. 
 
 It is Voltaire, we believe, who somewhere Bays, that if a 
 Toad were asked his ideal of beauty, he would most likely 
 describe himself, and dwell complacently on a cold clammy
 
 176 COMMON TOAD. 
 
 yellow belly and a brown warty and corrugated back as the 
 very ne plus ultra of a comely presence. In the matter of per- 
 sonal appearance we have all of us a little weakness, and we 
 don't know why, in the supposed case, the Toad should not have 
 the same privilege as ourselves. But assuredly the world at 
 large would not acquiesce in the poor wretch's complacent esti- 
 mate of himself ; for if there be one creature which, beyond all 
 others, is loathed and detested by mankind, it is this poor un- 
 offending reptile. Its very name, indeed, has for ages past been 
 a byword of reproach, associated with all that is hateful and 
 loathsome. The poor frenzied queen in the play, in the wildest 
 fury of her passion, can find no more biting words in which to 
 express her utter detestation of the Duke of Glo'ster than "this 
 poisonous hunch-backed toad ;" and Shakspeare has still more 
 emphatically marked the Toad's pre-eminence in horror, by 
 placing it first amongst the ingredients that are cast into the 
 witches' caldron in " Macbeth " 
 
 " Toad, that under the cold stone 
 Days and nights has thirty-one, 
 Swelter'd venom, sleeping got, 
 Boil thou first i' the charmed pot." 
 
 The only foundation for this old-established belief in the 
 venomous nature of the common Toad (Bufo vulgaris), is the 
 acrid liquid exuded from the skin, which is certainly capable of 
 slightly affecting any very tender or wounded surface, but 
 beyond this is quite destitute of poisonous properties. The truth 
 is, the ungainly aspect of the Toad, more than anything else, 
 has earned him his traditional ill repute ; and so long as the 
 world will look upon the poor creature with such deeply pre- 
 judiced eyes, there is no hope of his winning their good opinion. 
 And yet the Toad has his good points, nor are they difficult to 
 discover. That mild beautiful eye of his, for example, where 
 will you find its equal ? It appears to us that in that placid, 
 gentle expression of the eye, we may find the origin of the 
 popular notion that the Toad carries a jewel in his head : 
 
 " Sweet are the uses of adversity, 
 Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, 
 Wears yet a precious jewel in the head." 
 
 The comparison is apt and beautiful, and we are not sure that 
 the Toad himself does not afford a good illustration of the deep
 
 SERVICES TO MANKIND. 177 
 
 moral truth it contains. Most certainly the poor creature has 
 had no lack of " adversity," and it is no unfair inference that his 
 mild and chastened disposition has in part at least been induced 
 thereby. The Toad repays xis for a reputation for all that is 
 bad, falsely and maliciously put upon him, with a willingness to be 
 of use to us, and a readiness to receive our kindness and to recipro- 
 cate our friendship, which fairly entitle him to a higher place in 
 cur regard. The London market-gardeners know his value well, 
 and we little think that some of their choicest and most dainty 
 productions come to our tables in such good condition as they do, 
 only because this little outcast has been keeping diligent watch 
 and ward over the insect pests that assail them. Moreover, let 
 those fair dames who shudder with disgust at the sight of a Toad 
 on the garden path, remember, that but for its presence, their 
 borders and parterres would often present an appearance not at 
 all to their liking. It ought long ere this to have become uni- 
 versally recognized, that the Toad is not only inoffensive and 
 harmless, but positively and eminently useful ; that in fact it is 
 one of the most efficient members of that great army of re- 
 pressive agents, whose business it is, in accordance with the wise 
 and beneficent arrangements of the great Author of nature, to 
 check and keep under the teeming abundance of the lower forms 
 of animal life. 
 
 But the Toad is not only one of our appointed servants, he is 
 also willing to become an intimate and confiding fr-iend. 
 
 Numerous instances have been recorded of Toads that have 
 been rendered tame and attached to those who have treated them 
 kindly. Mr. Bell mentions that he possessed one which would 
 sit on one of his hands, and eat the food offered to it on the 
 other. And Dr. Lankester speaks of haviag repeatedly seen 
 them made the domestic pets of the children of a naturalist. 
 But perhaps the most interesting case of this kind, is that of the 
 Toad mentioned by Pennent, in his " British Zoology ;" and 
 though the story of this worthy has often been told, it well de- 
 serves to be told again. The animal first made its appearance 
 on the steps before the hall door of a gentleman's residence in 
 Devonshire. The owner of the mansion and his family seeing 
 the creature, frequently gave it food, and, by gentle treatment, 
 gradually rendered it so tame, that, when they came out of an 
 evening with a candle, it would creep out of its hole and look 
 
 N
 
 178 A DOMESTIC PET. 
 
 up, as if expecting to be taken into the house and fed. It was 
 frequently gratified in this way, being carried into the parlour, 
 placed upon the table, and there treated to a supper, in the 
 presence of the assembled household. The favourite food of the 
 pet was the common flesh-maggot, a supply of which was 
 regularly kept for it in bran. In taking its food, it would follow 
 the maggots on the table, and, when within a proper distance, 
 would fix its eyes and remain motionless for a while, apparently 
 preparing for the stroke ; and then, quicker than the eye could 
 follow, it darted out its tongue, and, catching the maggot on the 
 point, the tongue was as rapidly withdrawn, and the maggot 
 swallowed. This sort of exhibition excited, as a matter of 
 course, great curiosity in the neighbourhood, and often brought 
 the Toad a number of visitors. For the long period of thirty-six 
 years the pet continued to occupy his hole under the door-steps 
 of his benefactor and friend ; but one fatal day another pet, in 
 the shape of a tame raven, espied the poor Toad at the mouth of 
 his retreat, and, pulling him out, wounded him so badly that, 
 no great while after, he died : and thus terminated a career, the 
 record of which has probably done more than the most eloquent 
 appeals to the humanity of mankind, to redeem the race from the 
 cruel persecution to which they are exposed. 
 
 The frog stands at the head of his order, the original Batrachos 
 of the Greeks, the type and perfect model of the entire race to 
 which in later times his name has been applied. And as the 
 Frog stands thus at the top of the list, so his family is the most 
 numerous of any of the sections in the order. 
 
 Let us take the common Frog (Sana temporaria) as the re- 
 presentative of his tribe ; and the first thing to be said of him is, 
 that he is lighter and more elegant in form than his cousin the 
 Toad, from which also he differs in having his upper jaw armed 
 with teeth. It is to the former of these features, by which the 
 Frog is distinguished from the Toad, that he no doubt owes in 
 part his exemption from those ill-natured and offensive epithets 
 which are continually launched at the head of that poor unfortu- 
 nate. But though neither " ugly " nor " venomous," the Frog 
 is no more of a favourite with the world at large than his puffy 
 congener. Never, however, was a more innocent, inoffensive, and 
 deserving creature cut off from the protection and favour that he 
 merits. And the misfortune is, that not man alone, but numbers
 
 SNAKE AND FEOG. 179 
 
 of the lower animals as well, conspire to thin the ranks of the Frog 
 fraternity, and to put them in constant peril of their lives. The 
 special terror of the Frog is the common snake, which pursues its 
 victim with relentless perseverance, and will even take the water 
 after it, in the ardour of the chase, and secure the Frog in what 
 may be considered its own element. The Frog appears fully 
 conscious of its danger when pursued in this manner, and utters 
 the most piteous screams during its efforts to escape ; and ac- 
 cording to Mr. Bell, these cries are sometimes continued, not 
 only after the Frog has been captured, but after it has been 
 positively swallowed. 
 
 If any of our readers desire to make proof of the Frog's terror 
 of the snake, they have but to wriggle a walking-stick snake- 
 fashion, after the first of these animals they find in a grass field, 
 and before they have proceeded many yards, the wails of distress 
 that the Frog will raise will abundantly convince them of its 
 alarm. But experiments of this sort are not much to our 
 liking, and we think it is only fair to the Frogs that whoever 
 terrifies them with these imaginary dangers, should hence- 
 forward feel bound to succour them as far as possible from all 
 real ones. 
 
 The great advocate and champion of the Frog family is tne 
 Count de Lacepede ; and certainly they owe a debt of gratitude 
 to this enthusiastic naturalist and true Frenchman for the 
 eloquent defence he has made in their behalf. The only thing to 
 which we take exception in the matter is, the Old Bailey spirit 
 in which it is conducted the disposition, we mean, to revile one 
 poor wretch in order to make out a better case for another in a 
 like predicament. 
 
 M. de Lace'pede is so good as to say, that the prevailing an- 
 tipathy to the Frog is mainly the result of its resemblance to the 
 Toad, and that if this "ignoble being," with its "revolting 
 habits, disgusting qualities, and dangerous propensities," &c 
 &c., had never existed, we should have thought the Frog a very 
 paragon of excellence. Now, besides that all this is not true, it 
 is far too obviously a mere piece of over-strained special plead- 
 ing ; and if the Frogs can only be praised at the expense of 
 their nearest allies, they might as well, we think, be allowed to 
 remain out of favour altogether. It must be borne in mind, 
 however, that M. de Lacepede was a frog-eater, and that in thus
 
 180 A FROG-EULOGY, 
 
 endeavouring to establish a broad and marked difference between 
 the two animals, he was, perhaps, all the while, though uncon- 
 sciously to himself, writing with an eye to the dinner-table. 
 
 But let us see what M. de Lace'pede has to say. In his 
 estimation, then, the Frog is " as agreeable in its conformation 
 as distinguished by its qualities, and interests us by the pheno- 
 mena which it exhibits at the different periods of its career. 
 We behold in it a useful animal from which we have nothing to 
 fear, whose instinct is harmless, which unites an elegant form 
 with supple and slender limbs, and which is adorned with 
 pleasing colours, rendered more vivid from a kind of natural 
 varnish with which the animal is constitutionally provided. And 
 who can regard with pain a being whose form is light, whose 
 movements are nimble, and whose attitudes are graceful ? Let 
 us not deprive ourselves of an additional source of pleasure, and 
 in our walks through the smiling fields, let us not regret to see 
 the banks of the streams adorned by the colours of these harm- 
 less animals, and animated by their lively gambols." French- 
 man-like, M. de Lacepede is particularly emphatic on the subject 
 of movements and attitudes, and thus caps the climax of his 
 frog-eulogy : " When a Frog leaves the water, so far from 
 moving with his face turned towards the earth, and basely wal- 
 lowing in the dirt like the Toad, he advances by lofty leaps. 
 One would say that he desires to associate himself with the air 
 as the purest element ; and when he rests on the ground, he 
 always does so with his head erect, and his body raised upon his 
 forefeet, an attitude which gives him the upright appearance of 
 an animal whose instincts have in them something noble, rather 
 than those which belong to the horizontal position of a vile rep- 
 tile." It is clear, we think, as we have already suggested, that 
 this rhapsodical praise is intended quite as much for the advan- 
 tage of frog-eaters as of Frogs ; for is not the inference irre- 
 sistible, that if an animal really have all these superlatively good 
 qualities, it must be, as the Cockney phrase is, " most excellent 
 good eating !" 
 
 The Edible Frog of the Continent (Rama esculenta) is also a 
 native of this country, although it is by no means generally dis- 
 tributed. It is larger than the common Frog, and is readily dis- 
 tinguished by the presence of a light line along the centre of the 
 back. Our versatile and livelv neighbours across the Channel
 
 INCONGRUOUS ASSOCIATES. 181 
 
 do not, as is generally supposed, eat the whole of the Frog, but 
 its hind-quarters only ; and, dressed with wine and choice sauce, 
 they make a better dish than John Bull with his obstinate pre- 
 ference for the " noble sirloin " would be willing to admit. It 
 appears, however, that our neighbours themselves are losing their 
 relish for their traditional dish ; for though the Frog is still regu- 
 larly exposed for sale in the markets of France, its consumption 
 has greatly diminished, and is still on the decline. 
 
 One of the " things not generally known," is, that the Frog, 
 equally with the Toad, is capable of forming an attachment to 
 its benefactors. A case is mentioned by Mr. Bell, of a Frog 
 which made its appearance in the kitchen of a gentleman's house 
 at Kingston, and which for some years used regularly to come out 
 from its hole in the skirting of the kitchen and lie down to bask 
 in the heat of the fire. It picked up an acquaintance, too, with 
 an old cat, and would frequently nestle under its warm fur, while 
 the cat, on its part, would allow no interference with the comfort 
 of its incongruous companion. 
 
 Ireland, as the reader is probably aware, is singularly free from 
 reptiles. One of our Water Newts, it is true, is generally dis- 
 tributed throughout the island, and the small species of Toad 
 known as the Netter Jack, is also found in some parts ; but the 
 common Toad, the Snake, and the Viper are unknown through- 
 out the country, as was also the case with the common Frog 
 until towards the close of the seventeenth century, when it was 
 introduced from England. According to popular tradition, this 
 exemption of the " sister isle " from " varmint " is due to the 
 malediction pronounced upon them by St. Patrick, in the days of 
 the great King Macdonald the First, when, 
 
 " The frogs went ' hop,' and the toads went ' flop,' 
 
 As they dropt into the water ; 
 And the snakes committed suicide 
 To save themselves from slaughter." 
 
 In one of the later numbers of the Tatter, an amusing account 
 from the pen of Addison is given of the circumstances connected 
 with the introduction of the Frog into Ireland ; and as the paper 
 was intended as a satire upon the proceedings of the Royal 
 Society, the incidents of the affair are made to appear sufficiently 
 ridiculous. The plain facts of the case appear to be, that a 
 number of Frogs were taken over to Dublin, from this country,
 
 182 INTRODUCTION OF PROGS INTO IRELAND. 
 
 and placed in the University Park, and that as the animals al 
 perished, the ditches in the park were afterwards stocked with 
 frog-spawn, several bottles full of which were imported for the 
 purpose. In this way it was, that the Frog became established 
 in the island. But at first it spread very slowly, for so late as 
 the year 1720, the animal was nowhere to be seen in Ireland ex- 
 cepting in the neighbourhood of the spot in which it was first 
 planted the University Park. From about this time, however, 
 its distribution seems to have gone on more rapidly, and to have 
 attracted some little attention, as may be gathered from a curious 
 allusion to the subject in an anonymous pamphlet of Dean 
 Swift's, published about the year 1726, in which, speaking of the 
 habit then becoming common of insuring houses against fire, he 
 says, "The (Insurance) Society marks on our houses (under 
 which might properly be written ' The Lord have mercy upon 
 us') spread faster and farther than the colony of frogs ." At the 
 present day, the Frog is firmly established in almost every part 
 of the country, and it would task the powers of any modern St. 
 Patrick to expel him from his haunts. 
 
 The Tree-Frogs have no representatives amongst our native 
 Batrachians, being confined exclusively to the warmer climes of 
 the south. They are usually smaller in size, brighter in colour, 
 and more elegant in form than their terrestrial allies ; and they 
 live during the summer months almost exclusively on trees. 
 They are distinguished from the ordinary Frogs by having the 
 extremities of their toes dilated into little knobs, which usually 
 exude a sticky secretion, of the greatest service to the animals in 
 their arboreal evolutions. In pursuing their insect prey on the 
 trees and bushes they move about with great activity ; some- 
 times stealing softly towards the intended victim, in the manner 
 of a cat towards a mouse, and then seizing it with a sudden 
 spring. When satisfied with food, and desirous of a little rest, 
 the Tree-Frogs frequently suspend themselves by their hind feet, 
 or, more curious still, attach themselves by means of a glutinous 
 secretion to the under surface of a leaf, and so rest concealed 
 beneath its shade. 
 
 Both Frogs and Toads are regular croakers, as everybody 
 knows, but everybody is not aware how various and diversified in 
 the different species is this vocal performance. The croak of the 
 common Frog is a rather dull and uninteresting affair, but his
 
 VOCAL PERFORMANCES, 183 
 
 cousin, the edible Frog, has a much more sonorous voice, and in 
 our fen counties where they occur, have earned the names oi 
 "Whaddon Organs and Cambridgeshire Nightingales. In France, 
 where, of course, cliis Frog is abundant, it was a common custom 
 up to the time of the first revolution, for the menials belonging 
 to the great castles of the nobility, to lash the water in the 
 ditches and moats every morning, in order to quiet the Frogs and 
 keep them from disturbing my lord and lady. The Tree-Frogs 
 litter a shrill treble note ; and it is probably to one of this 
 kind that Mr. Wallace refers in his " Travels on the Amazon,'' 
 which had, he says, such an agreeable whistle, that could it 
 have been brought into civilized society, it would probably have 
 had as many admirers as the singing mouse, or the still more 
 marvellous whistling oyster described by " Punch." Mr. Darwin 
 mentions one of these American Tree-Frogs, which, he says, sits 
 on a blade of grass about an inch above the surface of the water, 
 and sends forth a pleasing chirp, several of them sometimes 
 getting together and singing in harmony in different notes. At 
 the vocal antipodes of the Tree-Frog, is the Bull-Frog, whose 
 deep hollow voice resembles the bellowing of a bull. In Germany 
 there is the Laughing-Toad, a dapper sort of creature that can 
 leap like a Frog, and utters a noise like that of a man laughing 
 But for this variety of the croak, the most famous of the race is' 
 the Jocular Toad of the desert shores of the Caspian and the 
 Volga, which appears, of an evening, to become so exceedingly 
 hilarious, that the traveller in those solitary regions is apt to 
 fancy he has come unawares upon a company of men and women 
 laughing heartily together, and is not a little surprised to find 
 that the boisterous merriment proceeds from a number of huge 
 Toads celebrating their nuptial rites. 
 
 We have no space now to discuss at proper length the great 
 " toad-in-a-hole " question, which has recently been revived by 
 Mr. Gosse, and which has long attracted the attention of the 
 curious. Is it true that Toads and Frogs have been found alive 
 enclosed within masses of stone and clay, or similar substances, 
 where they have been wholly cut off from air and food, and im- 
 mured for perhaps thousands of years ? That is the question ; 
 and, in spite of all alleged discoveries to the contrary, we must 
 persist in believing that the question answers itself. The thing 
 is impossible. No doubt many remarkable cases have occurred
 
 184 GREAT TOAD-IN-HOLE QUESTION. 
 
 in which these animals have been discovered in situations whera 
 they have been in great part enclosed in solid substances, and 
 more or less deprived of food and air for cor. -iderable periods ; 
 but that any animal can live for a lengthened time wholly and 
 entirely deprived of food and air, is so diametrically opposed to 
 all that we certainly know on the subject, that the supposition is 
 too extravagant to be entertained for a moment. The truth is, 
 the discoveries, curious and remarkable enough, no doubt, on 
 which the popular belief on this subject is founded, have gene- 
 rally been made by persons quite incompetent to decide on a 
 matter requiring such careful and accurate observation. 
 
 Mr. Jesse, in his " Gleanings in Xatural History," argues 
 strongly in favour of the popular notion, and mentions several 
 instances in which not only Frogs and Toads, but Snakes and 
 Eels are said to have been discovered alive enclosed in solid blocks 
 of stone. But, as is almost invariably the case, nothing but 
 " hearsay " evidence is given, and that, too, of the loosest and 
 most unreliable character. In so far as actual experiments have 
 thrown any light upon the subject, those instituted by Dr. 
 Buckland establish conclusively that the Toad, when deprived of 
 food and of all access to the external air, is incapable of subsist- 
 ing, at the longest, for more than about twelve months. What 
 seems thus to be proved with respect to the Toad is no doubt 
 equally true of the Frog ; and we may rest assured all supposed 
 discoveries to the contrary, notwithstanding that no ante-dilu- 
 vian Frog or Toad has ever yet been seen, in our day, alive. 
 There are real wonders enough in nature without our making 
 fictitious ones of our own, and with this latter class must cer- 
 tainly be ranked the popular notion on this subject. 
 
 It has already been hinted, that, as the ancients regarded some 
 of the Batrachia as highly venomous, so also they found amongst 
 them some whose curative powers were no less remarkable. It 
 was to the various kinds of Frogs especially that these extraordi- 
 nary curative powers belonged ; and if we may take the statements 
 of Pliny as our guide, it would appear that these animals were 
 able, in one form or another, like some of our modern panaceas, to 
 remove nearly " all the ills that flesh is heir to." We cannot, of 
 course, go into this matter at any length, and shall, therefore, 
 notice only some of the more curious forms in which the Frog 
 remedy was administered.
 
 ANCIENT FROG REMEDIES. 186 
 
 In the first place, then, there is, in addition to remedies of 
 other kinds, a couple of sovereign Frog remedies against the 
 poison of the Salamander '' the flesh of sea-tortoises, mixed and 
 incorporat with the flesh of frogs," and " the decoction of sea- 
 frogs sodden in wine and vinegrc," which last, it appears, is 
 " soueraine " also for the venom of the " hedge-toad." The 
 " broth " of fresh-water frogs is very good against the prick of 
 scorpions, the poison of the " sea-hare," and the sting of serpents. 
 If any reader should after this suffer from toothache, the following 
 remedies are highly recommended : If the pain proceed from 
 loose teeth, cut off the feet of two frogs, lay the bodies to steep in 
 wine, and then wash the teeth with the infusion ; or which is 
 doubtless still better, apply the frogs " whole as they be, legs and 
 all, outwardly, to the chawes, and keep them fast thereto." If 
 the entire side of the face be affected, " take the hearts of thirty- 
 six frogs, and bake or boile them in one sextar of old oile, vnder a 
 pan or ouen of brasse," and then pour the " grauie or liquour " 
 into the ear of the side affected. If the " grinders and great jaw 
 teeth do ake," a " spcciall medicine " for them may be had by 
 seething frogs in vinegar and then holding the liquor in the 
 mouth. " But," says our author, " because many a man's 
 stomack lothed and abhorred such a medicine, Sallustius 
 Dionysius found the means to hang many of them by the hinder 
 logs ouer a vessell or pan of seething vinegre, that out of their 
 mouth there might fall the humour within their bodies into the 
 said vinegre. But to those who had good stomackes, and were of 
 stronger complexions, he prescribed to eat the very frogs broth 
 and al wherein they were sodden." Oil in which frogs have been 
 boiled is a certain cure for the gout. "The fat of frogs dropt 
 into the cares allaicth their paine presently." But in truth, every 
 /art of the frog would appear to be wonderfully medicinal, and 
 that, too, not only when taken internally, but even when worn 
 about the person. The eye of the frog wrapped in russet cloth 
 and hung round the neck, cures an inflamed or bleared eye ; the 
 heart of a frog hung round the neck, or tied to the arm, 
 diminishes and shortens the cold fit of an ague ; while either frog 
 or toad (" the nails whereof have been clijij-r-d "), hung anywhere 
 about the body of " one that is sicke of a quartan ague, riddeth 
 away the disease for euer." But perhaps the most wonderful 
 cure after all, is that of an ordinary cough, in order to be rid of
 
 186 AN UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE. 
 
 which one has but to catch a certain " little frog that vseth to 
 climb trees, and from thence crieth and croaketh," and having 
 caught it, to spit into its mouth and let it go again ! Our 
 readers will perceive that whatever may be thought of frogs and 
 frog remedies in these days of hydropathy and homoeopathy and 
 universal panaceas, they held a high and distinguished position 
 in the ancient pharmacopoeia. 
 
 No one who has visited the geological restorations in the 
 grounds of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham can fail to recall the 
 ungainly figure of the huge frog-like beast that is represented 
 grimly eyeing the spectators across the water, from the extremity 
 of the first of the three islands in the lake. In this monster, 
 Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins has given us the probable figure and 
 dimensions of the great original and herald of the Batrachian 
 order. For a considerable while, indeed, the Labyrinthodou, 
 as the monster has been christened, was regarded not only as the 
 first introduced of Batrachians, but as the earliest or most ancient 
 form of all air-breathing vertebrated animals. The first-dis- 
 covered traces of the monster occurred in the form of footprints 
 in rocks belonging to the new red sandstone formation, and their 
 discovery astonished the geologists of the day almost as much as 
 the human footprint in the sand astonished our old friepd 
 Eobinson Crusoe. It was a circumstance for which no one was 
 prepared. The universal belief amongst geologists, up to the 
 discovery of these footprints was, that prior to, and during that 
 period of the earth's history represented by the new red sand- 
 stone rocks, no animals higher in the scale of being than fishes 
 had been called into existence ; in other words, that up to that 
 time, the entire life of the globe was confined to the waters of the 
 ancient ocean, and that such portions of the solid crust of the 
 earth as were raised above the waters, and constituted dry land, 
 were altogether desolate and void of life. Here, however, in the 
 newly discovered footprints, was unquestionable evidence that, 
 all unsuspected by the geologists, a large land animal had walked 
 the earth in those early times ; although, so far as was then 
 known, no other memorials remained of it than the impressions 
 of its feet, left in what was once the outspread sands of the 
 ancient sea-shore. Nothing more of course was at first known of 
 the monster than could be gathered from the prints of its large 
 hand-like feet ; but after a while, teeth, bones of the extremities,
 
 AiV ARGUMENT UPSET. 187 
 
 portions of the skull, and other remains were brought to light, 
 and being submitted to a careful scrutiny by Professor Owen, ho 
 demonstrated that they belonged to one and the same creature? 
 an enormous extinct Frog. 
 
 & The strictly Batrachian character of the Labyrinthodon is evi- 
 denced by many structural peculiarities of great importance ; and 
 the fact that an enormous Frog was thus, as it was then supposed, 
 the first of land animals that had appeared on the surface of our 
 planet, gave a weight of evidence to the once-famous " hypothesis 
 of development" of which its advocates were not slow to avail 
 themselves. 
 
 But unfortunately for this ill-starred speculation, the argument 
 it drew from the structure and time of appearance of the Laby- 
 rinthodon has since experienced a double break-down. In the 
 first place, other and higher forms of reptilian life have subse- 
 quently been discovered in formations older by far than the new 
 red sandstone rocks ; and secondly, the Labyrinthodon itself has 
 now been shown to have been, not a Frog pur et simple, as was 
 first supposed, but a Frog of mixed character, so to speak a 
 creature combining with its Frog-like characters, others which 
 give it a close and intimate relationship with the highest order of 
 reptiles. 
 
 It is obvious, therefore, that the man-monkey theory is not 
 only not supported, but sadly discountenanced by this most 
 ancient of the Ancient Order of Batrachians.
 
 189 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS. 
 
 " Birds, the free tenants of the land, air, and ocean, 
 Their forms all symmetry, their motions grace." 
 
 THE Tory Fox Hunter, of whom Addison has given such a 
 racy sketch in the " Freeholder," is a right sensible old gentle- 
 man in some respects after all ; and nowhere does he show to 
 greater advantage than there in the park, " at the side of Rosa- 
 mond's Pond, pulling a handful of oats out of his pocket, and with a 
 great deal of pleasure gathering the ducks about him." It gives 
 one an immense advantage over the crowd of mere lookers-on 
 at such a place to be able to deal out the contents of a well- 
 stored pocket, and with a little skill in the distribution of your 
 favours, you may easily get up a very pretty aquatic entertain- 
 ment in which feathered performers from all the " five " quarters 
 of the globe do their best to amuse the company. 
 
 The water-fowl in St. James's Park are old friends of ours, 
 and have often beguiled us into idling away an hour under the 
 fine old elm-trees which adorn the banks of the lake. The place 
 itself is a very agreeable one, and seated there beside the water 
 on a summer afternoon, with the Club Houses, the Royal Palaces, 
 and the venerable old Abbey, all in view between the trees, 
 the roar of the great city mingles pleasantly with the rustling of 
 the leaves overhead, and gives one a comfortable sense of security 
 against all interruption from the noisy world outside the park 
 
 It sometimes happens, indeed, that what with the comparative 
 quiet and seclusion of the place, the heat, and the glare from the 
 water together, we drop off into a sort of waking dream, and, all 
 unconscious of the human accompaniments round about us, 
 fancy ourselves far away on some distant shore or river bank, 
 attending to one or another of our vivacious friends upon the 
 water in their own proper homes. There is one thing, however,
 
 190 ASSISTANCE WANTED. 
 
 of which we sadly feel the want in these open-eyed excursions 
 into dreamland, namely, some convenient ornithological " Who's 
 Who ?" to supply us with the names and the original geogra- 
 phical whereabouts of the different memhers of the feathered 
 fraternity. With most of the party we can get along pretty 
 well by ourselves, but the appearance of a single strange fowl is 
 enough at times to put a stop to our musings, and to make us 
 feel how acceptable would be a plain, practical "handy-book" 
 of aquatic ornithology. 
 
 " If this should meet the eye " of the Et. Hon. gentleman who 
 is charged with the care of Her Majesty's woods and forests, we 
 would humbly submit to him that this is a matter in respect to 
 which he might very appropriately afford us a little of bis official 
 assistance. That assistance is given in one direction, aud it 
 ought to be given in the other. The case is this : In the park 
 gardens every tree or shrub of any interest is carefully indicated 
 by an iron label,, duly setting forth its scientific and its English 
 name, the family of plants to which it belongs, its native country, 
 and the date of its introduction into Britain ; and yet, from one 
 end of the park to the other, there is not so much as a painted 
 board to guide us to a knowledge of the splendid collection of 
 aquatic birds which disport themselves on the ornamental water. 
 But why should not the birds have their labels as well as the 
 bushes ? If there be any conceivable reason for providing a 
 label specially to tell the world that yonder scrubby-looking bush 
 is " Buxus sempervirens, The Common Evergreen Box, An 
 Euphorbiaceous Shrub, Native of England," surely there is just 
 as good a reason for telling us in the same fashion that the Duck 
 making off from under the said Buxus is no other than Anas 
 mollissima, the Eider Duck which weary heads will never fail to 
 bless, or that those Geese sailing along under the bank there 
 are the famous Bernicle Geese (Anser leucopsis) which, in days 
 gone by, used to grow upon trees, like apples, and when they 
 were ripe for the change, dropped into the water and swam away, 
 true feathered fowl ! 
 
 We do not forget, of course, that our feathered friends are 
 endowed with rather active powers of locomotion, and that unless 
 they were made to wear the labels round their necks which it 
 is highly probable that neither the birds themselves, nor their 
 owners, the Ornithological Society, would very well like a set of
 
 A HETERODOX SUGGESTION. 191 
 
 labels would be of little service in enabling uninitiated people to 
 indentify the different species. That is very true ; but a little 
 help is better than no help at all ; and we are by no means sure 
 but that, properly arranged along by the side of the water, in 
 some suitable and conspicuous position, a series of labels would 
 teach a great deal more than might at first be supposed. It will 
 certainly do no harm to try the experiment ; so, pray Mr. Woods- 
 and-forests, be so good as give us the names of our friends, aud 
 tell us, too, whence they originally came. 
 
 It would open the eyes of a good many of the habitues of the 
 park to see it duly set forth that there are no less than four or five 
 distinct species of those noble birds, the Swans, to be seen upon 
 the ornamental water ; but with eyes open to the fact the points 
 of difference between the different species would soon be recog- 
 nized. The tame Swan (Cygnus olor), distinguished from its 
 congeners by the caruncle or berry on the bill, as also by the 
 graceful carriage of its neck, which, when the spirit of the bird ia 
 up, gives it such an air of grandeur on the water : 
 
 " The Swan with arched neck, 
 Between her white wings mantling, proudly rows 
 Her state with oaiy feet." 
 
 It is commonly said that this graceful peculiarity in the bear 
 irg of the Swan is owing to the fact that it has an unusual 
 number of vertebrae in the neck ; but that explanation, although 
 a true one so far as it goes, is not of itself sufficient. All the 
 Swans are similarly endowed in that respect, and yet none 
 but Cyynus olor knows how to throw its neck into the elegant 
 curve in question. How shall we account for the difference ? 
 It is very heterodox zoologically no doubt, but we are ourselves 
 inclined to think that it is simply the result of good breeding, 
 one of those courtly airs which the bird has caught from its 
 long association with royal and other courtly beauties. But that 
 it early caught the trick we have the most positive evidence ; for 
 in an ancient cameo representing Leda and the Swan, the bird 
 has the same elegant bending carriage as is now observable. 
 
 The ornithologists have revenged themselves upon the ancient 
 and mediaeval writers or their fables respecting the vocal powers of 
 the Swan, by dubbing it the mute Swan. In this, however, they 
 have simply gone from one extreme to another. It was no doubt
 
 192 THE MUSICAL SWAN. 
 
 very absurd in Albertus Magnus to speak of the Swan as the 
 " largest of singing birds," but it is not much wiser to call it a mute. 
 That it is not absolutely voiceless may be ascertained without 
 trouble ; and it is well known to those acquainted with the habits 
 of the bird, that in spring and summer, when leading about its 
 young brood upon the water, it breathes a soft plaintive cry, 
 which, coming from an aquatic bird, is no bad apology for a 
 song. 
 
 It is not at all improbable that the exaggerated notion which 
 formerly obtained on this subject may have originated in part 
 from confounding Cygnus olor with the Hooper or Whistling 
 Swan (Cygnus ferus), and thus attributing to the former the 
 qualities of both. Not that the Hooper can make any great 
 pretensions to song either, though he does constantly make 
 himself heard, " clangingly on sounding pinions," as Homer ex- 
 presses it ; and what is still more to the purpose, is found to this 
 day about " Cayster's flowery side." That the loud trumpeting 
 call of the Hooper is not an unmusical sound is vouched for by 
 Bechstein no mean authority on singing birds who proposed 
 to give it the specific name of musicus. But as priority is 
 everything in the nomenclature of science, Limueus's appellation of 
 ferus is still retained in preference. The main point, however, 
 in the ancient story, is not that the Swan was vocal, but that its 
 vocal powers were greatest, and that it sang most melodiously, 
 just before its death. " It never smokes but there is fire," says 
 the proverb, and though there is no doubt a great deal of poetic 
 dressing in this " Swan song " story, we are yet strongly inclined 
 to suspect that there is truth at the bottom if we could only get 
 at it. 
 
 Let us try. Bechstein's Musical Swan will still help us. 
 
 The Hooper is an occasional winter visitor to the British 
 Islands, and Mr. St. John, in his " Wild Sports and Natural 
 History of the Highlands," gives a very interesting account of its 
 habits. Amongst other things he treats us to a spirited descrip- 
 tion of a Swan-shooting adventure, of which the following is the 
 conclusion : 
 
 " I was not above forty yards from them, so gently raising my- 
 self on my elbow, I pulled the trigger, aiming at a forest of necks. 
 To my dismay the gun did not go off, the wet or something else 
 having spoilt the cap. The birds a herd of between fifty and
 
 ORIGIN OF THE STORY. 193 
 
 sixty Hoopers were slow in rising ; so without pulling the other 
 trigger, I put on another cap, and standing up, fired right and 
 left at two of the largest Swans as they rose from the loch. The 
 cartridge told well on one, who fell dead into the water : the 
 other flew off after the rest of the flock, but presently turned 
 back, and after making two or three graceful sweeps over the 
 body of his companion, fell headlong, perfectly dead, almost upon 
 her body. The rest of the birds, after flying for a short distance 
 away, also returned, and flew for a minute or two in a confused 
 flock over the two dead Swans, uttering their bugle-like and 
 harmonious cries ; but finding that they were not joined by their 
 companions, presently fell into their usual single rank, and went 
 undulating off towards the sea, where I heard them for a long 
 time trumpeting and calling." 
 
 Now it strikes us that in the incidents of this adventure we 
 have all the materials that are necessary to account for the ancient 
 story, and we have little doubt that it really did originate in 
 some such fashion. Eley's cartridge, swan-shot, and double 
 barrels are all modern inventions of course, but there were well- 
 feathered arrows and trusty bows even in Homeric times; and 
 sacred though the Swan was to Apollo, it no doubt often fell a 
 victim to " crack shots " thus primitively equipped. If this be 
 granted, and that the habits of the bird were the same then as 
 now, there is nothing more required. For what would be more 
 natural than that the affectionate solicitude of the birds for their 
 slaughtered companions, prompting them, regardless of their own 
 salety, to linger lovingly about the dead bodies, " uttering their 
 bugle-like and harmonious cries " the while, should strike the 
 attention, and be celebrated in song, and that the story once set 
 going should grow and grow, as stories always do, until at length 
 it assumed the shape in which we know it? It is thus that 
 stories of the kind commonly arise, and we see no reason to doubt 
 that such was the origin and history of the famous story of the 
 dying Swan's song. 
 
 The Black Swan (Oygnus atratus) is an Australian bird, and 
 was first made known by the early navigators who visited that 
 insular continent in the south. Although it was first introduced 
 into England not more than sixty years ago, it has now become 
 BO thoroughly acclimatized and hardy, that it breeds with us even 
 more freely than the common Swan. lu 1858 a pair of these birds 
 
 o
 
 194 EKGLISH BIRDS IS AUSTRALIA. 
 
 in the jx>ssession of Samuel Gurney, Esq., of Carshalton, hatched 
 no less than three broods of cygnets, numbering in all twenty-one 
 young ones, in about ten months. The third brood was produced 
 towards the middle of November, when the weather was in- 
 tensely cold ; and one morning, when the young birds were 
 between three and four days old, they were found actually frozen 
 into the ice, although they did not in any way suffer from it. 
 
 Our Australian colonies have long since sent us their Black 
 Swans and Emeus, and their brilliant Parrots and Cockatoos, 
 and they are now getting back some of our own feathered friends 
 in return. For some time past, great efforts have been made to 
 introduce into Australia not only our ordinary game birds, but 
 many of the little songsters that enliven our woods and fields. 
 A certain yearning after the old home pleasures lies deep in the 
 heart of the emigrant, and it is no doubt with a view to the 
 gratification of this longing that so much spirit and determination 
 is shown in the endeavours to stock the Australian colonies with 
 the common singing birds of this country. Many hundreds of 
 English singing birds, including Larks, Gold6nches, Linnets, 
 Thrushes, and Blackbirds, have been imported for the purpose ; 
 and there is good reason to believe that the Lark, if not one 
 or two other birds as well, is now firmly established in the 
 country. The matter is still being prosecuted with great spirit 
 by the colonists, and large sums of money are subscribed for the 
 purpose. It is by no means improbable, therefore, that before 
 long the Australian " bush " may be vocal with the songs of many 
 of the little choristers which lend such a charm to our own fields 
 and hedgerows. 
 
 The introduction of some of our game birds has already to a 
 certain extent been accomplished. The Pheasant is now bred 
 with ease in several parts of the country ; the Partridge is being 
 attended to with good prospect of speedy success ; and in Tas- 
 mania the Peacock itself already breeds wild in the woods. 
 Before long, therefore, we may expect to hear that the favourite 
 field sports of Old England are being pursued at the antipodes as 
 part and parcel of the ordinary life of the Anglo-Australian 
 people. 
 
 The race of web-footed birds is somewhat remarkable, as com- 
 prising within itself the two extremes of the feathered tribes iu 
 respect to their qualifications for flight. In some of these birds,
 
 THE GREAT AUK. 195 
 
 as the Albatross (Diomedea exulans) and the Frigate-bird (Fre- 
 gata aquilus), the wings receive their highest degree of develop- 
 ment, and become such effective organs of aerial locomotion as to 
 enable these birds to live almost continuously in the air, fre- 
 quently at the distance of a thousand miles or more from the 
 land. In others, as the Penguins, the wings are reduced to mere 
 flippers, which, powerless for the purpose of flight, serve the 
 birds in the water as fins for swimming, and on the land as a fore 
 pair of limbs, by means of which they hobble along on all fours, 
 after the fashion of an ordinary quadruped. The bird which is 
 best known for this quadrupedal procedure is the famous Jackass 
 Penguin (Aptenodytes demersa"), and it has this additional claim to 
 its elegant appellation, that it makes a loud and most discordant 
 noise, very like the braying of its namesake. 
 
 The Penguins belong exclusively to the south, and are repre- 
 sented in the northern hemisphere by the Auks, to one of which the 
 attention of naturalists is now directed in a very especial manner. 
 
 It appears that the Great Auk (Alca impennis) , a noble bird 
 nearly three feet in length, and once an occasional visitant to the 
 British Isles, is on the point of becoming extinct, if, indeed, it be 
 not already a thing of the past. The fact of a large bird thus 
 dying out apparently in our own day, has naturally excited great 
 interest, and has led to a careful investigation of all the circum- 
 stances of the case. 
 
 In early times the principal haunts of the Great Auk appear 
 to have been the eastern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, 
 where they existed in immense profusion. On the Newfoundland 
 fishing-banks the Great Auk was two centuries ago to be found 
 in great abundance. Its appearance was always hailed by the 
 mariner approaching that desolate coast as the first indication of 
 his having reached soundings on the fishing-banks. During the 
 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, these waters, as well as the 
 Iceland and Faroe coasts, were annually visited by hundreds of 
 ships from England, France, Spain, Holland, and Portugal ; and 
 these ships actually were accustomed to provision themselves 
 with the bodies and eggs of these birds, which they found breed- 
 ing in myriads on the low islands oft' the coast of Newfoundland. 
 Besides the fresh birds consumed by the ships' crews, many tons 
 were salted down for future use. In the space of an hour, these 
 old voyagers tell us, they could fill thirty boats with the birds.
 
 196 EXTINCTION OF THE SPECIE8. 
 
 It was only necessary to go on shore, armed with sticks, to kill as 
 many as they chose. The birds were so stupid that they allowed 
 themselves to be taken up on their own proper element by boats 
 under sail ; and it is even said that on putting out a plank it was 
 possible to drive the Great Auks up out of the sea into the boats. 
 On land the sailors formed low enclosures of stones into which they 
 drove the birds, and as they were unable to fly, kept them there 
 enclosed till they were wanted for the table. It is said, too, that 
 as the birds were fat and burnt well, they were actually used for 
 fuel, as the dried bodies of the Auks and Guillemots are still 
 employed on the Westermann Islands.* 
 
 As may be supposed, this wholesale slaughter of the birds 
 speedily reduced their numbers, and there is no certain informa- 
 tion that any individuals of the species have been seen on those 
 coasts during the present century. The last known breeding- 
 places of the bird are two isolated rocks, extremely difficult of 
 access, off the south coast of Iceland ; and at long intervals, 
 sometimes of ten or fifteen years, a few individuals have been 
 obtained thence up to the year 1844:. In that year a pair of the 
 birds, male and female, were shot at their nest on a little islet 
 near to one of the former breeding-places, and since that time, 
 notwithstanding that the most careful search has everywhere 
 been made for it, the Great Auk has nowhere been seen alive. 
 
 It is conjectured that the bird may still be an inhabitant of the 
 inaccessible shores of East Greenland, though none of the vessels 
 passing that way ever come across it, nor has it ever been seen by 
 any of the Arctic exploring expeditions. It may of course yet 
 be discovered on some part of that ice-bound coast ; but it is by 
 no means improbable that the Great Auk has now ceased to exist, 
 and has thus taken the place till now occupied by the Dodo, of the 
 last in the series of extinct birds. 
 
 The most generally diffused, perhaps, of all our birds of pas- 
 sage are the different members of the Swallow tribe, which every- 
 where in northern lands are welcomed as glad harbingers of 
 approaching summer. Of the four species of these birds which 
 regularly migrate to the British isles, two species, the Swift, the 
 largest, and the Sand-Martin, the smallest of the four, are com- 
 
 * On the Great Auk. A Paper by Edward Charlton, M.P., in the 
 Transactions of the Tyneside Natural Histoi-y Society ; and republished in 
 the " Zoologist."
 
 Catchine the GrcHt Auk on the Coant of Newfoundland. 
 
 I'.Wi.
 
 A RAILWAY COLONY. 197 
 
 paratively but little known ; while the other two, the Chimnej'- 
 Swallow and the House-Martin, are very generally confounded 
 with each other. It will not be out of place therefore to say a 
 few words here by way of pointing out to the non-ornithological 
 reader the distinctive marks of these most familiar of our fea- 
 thered friends which come to us from afar with every returning 
 summer. 
 
 Our first visitor is the Swallow (Hirundo rustica), which gene- 
 rally makes its appearance just before the middle of April, pre- 
 ceding the other members of the tribe by a few days. As its 
 name implies, it is somewhat of a rustic in its habits, and seldom 
 ventures to take up its residence in the immediate vicinity of 
 large towns. The Martin (Plirundo urbica), on the other hand, 
 is quite a town dweller, constantly haunting the busiest tho- 
 roughfares of our largest cities, and is almost as familiar in Cheap- 
 side and Fleet Street as the Sparrows themselves. It is not in- 
 sensible, however, to the quiet and the purer atmosphere of the 
 country, and is even there much more commonly seen than the 
 Swallow, for which it is mistaken. There is no difficulty in dis- 
 tinguishing the two birds even on the wing, the Martin being at 
 once recognizable by the snowy white of its throat and breast, and 
 by the conspicuous patch, of the same colour on the back at the 
 base of the tail. The distinctive marks of the Swallow are its 
 forked tail and the patches of rusty red on its forehead, chin, 
 and throat. 
 
 Another point of distinction between the two birds is the 
 place selected for nesting ; the Swallow invariably building in 
 chimneys or against the rafters of bams and out-houses, while 
 the Martin constructs its nest under the caves of houses, the sills 
 of windows, and other similar situations. The boldness and pre- 
 suming confidence of the Martin in selecting exposed and easily 
 accessible situations for its nest has often been noticed ; but we 
 never met with a more remarkable instance of this sort of 
 daring than is displayed by a colony of these birds which, year 
 after year, attach their nests to the pillars that support the roof 
 of the railway station at Worthing. It is a long row of slender 
 iron pillars, about eight or ten feet high, and scarcely more than 
 a yard distant from the rails on which trains are continually 
 passing, and yet almost every pillar in the row has a nest on 
 each side of it, the nests being supported in some cases by pro-
 
 198 HYBERNAT10N OF SWALLOWS. 
 
 jecting pieces of wood which the railway men have fastened up 
 to secure the establishments of their little confiding friends. 
 Notwithstanding the bustle and noise that precedes and follows 
 the stopping of a train, the birds fly backwards and forwards to 
 their young broods without the least hesitation ; stopping only 
 while the trains are at rest at the station, during which time the 
 bright-eyed, white-throated little fellows look out of their door- 
 ways and very composedly survey what is going forward. 
 
 In the four charming letters devoted to the Swallow tribe in 
 White's " Selborne," the manners of these engaging birds are 
 described with a fulness and minute particularity of detail which 
 has left little or nothing for subsequent observers to record, as it 
 gives them little or nothing to correct. On one point, it is true, 
 the historian of Selborne gives his coimteuance to a fallacy re- 
 specting these birds which finds but few supporters at the pre- 
 sent day : we allude, of course, to the opinion once commonly 
 entertained that, at the approach of winter, the Swallows retire, 
 not to the warmer regions of the south, as is now known to be 
 the case, but to the bottom of ponds and streams, there to remain, 
 buried in the mud, in a state of torpidity until the return of 
 spring. 
 
 The aecounts which have from time to time been given of the 
 discovery of Swallows in a state of torpidity, in caves and hollow 
 trees, and such like places, are for the most part of the same 
 apocryphal character as the stories already noticed of showers oj 
 Frogs, and Toads embedded in the solid rocks, and are entitled 
 to about the same amount of credit. 
 
 Some of the most striking cases on record are those mentioned 
 by Bishop Stanley in his " History of Birds ;" but they are in no 
 respect more explicit and reliable than Old Gerard's or Sir Robert 
 Murray's personal testimony to the Goose-bearing qualities of 
 the Barnacle-tree, or to the authorities that could be cited for a 
 dozen other popular delusions of the same character, which are 
 now altogether exploded. 
 
 One of the most amusing of these stories of hybernating Swal- 
 lows is that told by Derham in his Physico-Theology, in which 
 " an ancient fisherman, accounted an honest man," is represented 
 as having discovered at a very low ebb of the tide on the coast of 
 Cornwall, a great number of Swallows and Swifts hanging by 
 their feet to one another, and adhering to the rocks, " where
 
 THE CUCKOO. 199 
 
 they were covered commonly by the sea-waters, but revived in 
 his warm hand and by the fire." It is a great pity that thesa 
 " ancient fishermen " and other fortunate individuals of the sort 
 never come in the way of anybody competent to pronounce on 
 the value of their wonderful discoveries. 
 
 It is not improbable that these stories of hybernating Swallows 
 may have originated in the occasional discovery of individuals 
 which, having been left behind when the autumnal migration has 
 taken place, have retired at the approach of winter to some se- 
 cluded retreat, and there perished with the cold. But there is no 
 reliable evidence that in any single instance have Swallows been 
 discovered in such circumstances alive. 
 
 The Swallows and their nocturnal ally, the Goat-sucker, or 
 Nightjar (Caprimulgus Europceus), form the lowest section of the 
 great order of Perching Birds, which includes by far the largest 
 proportion of our more familiar feathered friends, some of which 
 Shakspeare, anticipating of course our modern classification, 
 has thus lightly strung together : 
 
 " The ousel-cock, so black of hue, 
 
 With orange-tawny bill ; 
 The throstle with his note so true, 
 
 The wren with little quill ; 
 The finch, the sparrow, and the lark, 
 The plain-song cuckoo gray." 
 
 The extraordinary habit of the Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in 
 depositing its eggs in the nests of other birds, and leaving to 
 them the entire care of its offspring, has naturally excited great 
 attention ; and though it would be too much to say that the 
 reason of this strange procedure has been satisfactorily ascertained, 
 yet the examination of the structure of the bird to which it has 
 led, has certainly thrown a good deal of light upon the subject. 
 
 It appears that owing to the peculiar conformation of the 
 Cuckoo, its eggs are not only small for a bird of its size, but that 
 they are developed singly, and at intervals of six or eight days 
 each ; so that if the bird were itself to hatch the eggs it lays, it 
 would be involved in the predicament, supposing such a thing 
 possible, of having the threefold business of oviposition, incuba- 
 tion, and feeding one or more already hatched young, all on its 
 hands at once. The situation of a poor bird so circumstanced 
 would certainly not be an agreeable one, and that no such
 
 200 HABITS OF THE CUCKOO. 
 
 catastrophe may occur, the Cuckoo, wisely taught, relieves her- 
 self of all the trouble and anxiety of nest-building and nursing, 
 and depositing her eggs, each as it is ready, in the nest of some 
 small bird, and never more than one in the nest of the same bird, 
 has her family brought up for her after a fashion not more con- 
 ducive to her own ease and comfort than to the comfort aud 
 safety of her offspring. 
 
 And the same wise instinct which thus leads the Cuckoo to 
 distribute her family in the nests of other birds, leads her un- 
 erringly to select as their foster parents such birds only as subsist 
 on the insect food adapted for her young. The Hedge-sparrow is 
 the one usually selected, but the Eeed-sparrow, the Titlark, the 
 Water-wagtail, the Yellowhammer, and the Linnet, are all of 
 them occasionally pressed into the service, and a case is men- 
 tioned in which the burden was laid upon a poor diminutive 
 Wren. Thus much as to the parent Cuckoo ; but the procedure of 
 the young bird is no less remarkable. It is no sooner hatched 
 than it begins to shoulder out of the nest all the eggs or young 
 birds which may happen to be there, and it is qualified for the 
 ungrateful business in a very peculiar manner. Its back, it 
 appears, is very differently shaped from that of other newly 
 hatched birds, being unusually broad from the shoulders down- 
 wards, with a considerable depression in the middle, which seems 
 specially designed for giving a secure lodgment to an egg or a 
 young bird. No wonder that, being thus specially adapted for 
 the work, the young Cuckoo easily contrives to get the eggs or 
 young birds in the nest on its back, and then raising itself with a 
 sort of jerk, tosses them over. It is a very noteworthy circum- 
 stance, moreover, that the depression in the back, intended as it 
 would seem for the express purpose of aiding the young bird in 
 getting rid of its companions, fills up and disappears in about 
 ten or twelve days, by which time of course the Cuckoo has got 
 the nest to itself. 
 
 Pliny has an entire chapter devoted to the Cuckoo, and as a 
 matter of course he has a good many curious things to say about 
 it, which read none the worse for the quaint dressing of our friend 
 Philemon. The best part of the story is that which relates to 
 the young bird and its hapless foster parent, which it appears 
 pays a terrible penalty for its attention to the young ingrate. 
 But here is the story : " And this young Cuckow being greedy
 
 AN OVER-FOND MOTHER. 201 
 
 by kind, beguiling the other young birds, and intercepting 
 the meat from them, groweth thereby fat and faire-liking ; 
 whereby it conies into speciall grace and favour with the dam of 
 the rest, and nource to it. She joieth to see so goodly a bird 
 toward ; and wonders at her selfe that she hath hatched and 
 raised so trim a chick. The rest which are her owne indeed, she 
 sets no store by, as if they were changelings ; but in regard of 
 that one, counteth them all bastards and misbegotten ; yea, and 
 suffereth them to be eaten and deuoured of the other euen before 
 her face : and this she doth so long, untill the young Cuckow, 
 being once fledge and readie to flie abroad, is so bold as to seize 
 on the old Titling, and to eat her up that hatched her. And by 
 that time there is not another bird again for goodnesse and 
 sweetnesse of meat comparable to the young Cuckow." 
 
 The food of the Cuckoo consists almost exclusively of insects o 
 various kinds, but principally caterpillars, though it appears 
 occasionally to vary its diet by partaking of berries and garden- 
 fruits. It is commonly believed by country people that the 
 Cuckoo occasionally indulges also in the eggs of small birds. 
 Hence the allusion in the well-known rhyme : 
 
 " The Cuckoo's a fine bird, 
 
 She sings as she flies ; 
 She brings us good tidings, 
 
 She tells us no lies. 
 She sucks little birds' eggs 
 
 To make her voice clear ; 
 And when she sings ' Cuckoo ' 
 
 The summer is near." 
 
 There is some reason to believe that this charge is really true. 
 Mr. Jesse mentions the case of one which was kept in a cage, and 
 fed regularly on fresh meat cut small and mixed with soaked 
 bread and raw egg, and which at length killed itself by attempting 
 to swallow a Yellowhammer's egg, at which it eagerly caught. 
 Moreover Audubon says distinctly that the yellow-billed Cuckoo 
 of America (Cuculns Americanus), which, by the way, is an 
 occasional visitor to our own shores, constantly robs the nests of 
 smaller birds of their eggs, which it sucks with great avidity. 
 
 One of the most brilliant of British birds is the Kingfisher 
 (Alcedo ispida), the Haley on of the ancients, which according to 
 Aldrovandi is " the most celebrated and besung " of all feathered 
 fowl, real or imaginary.
 
 202 THE KINGFISHER. 
 
 No words can do justice to the Kingfisher ; and if you would 
 know what he really is, you must make your way cautiously to 
 some quiet stream overhung with bushes, where, on a projecting 
 bough, you may chance to see him as he sits motionless, shining 
 in the sun like a sapphire gem watching for his prey. Be still, 
 and in half a minute you will have proof of his skill as a fisherman. 
 See ! he darts from his station a line of bright green light, at the 
 end of it a splash in the water, and he is gone. But only for a 
 moment, for now he emerges from the stream, and in his bill is 
 a little fish, whose scales glisten in the sun for an instant, when 
 it is beaten to death against a stone and swallowed whole. 
 
 In far less time than it has taken to describe, the fish is 
 caught and swallowed, and the bird is back to its station again, 
 where it sits and waits as before, till another plunge marks the 
 capture of another fish, for the Kingfisher rarely misses its prey, 
 and so on, till perhaps half a dozen are captured in little more 
 than as many minutes. 
 
 It is somewhat strange, considering the high-flown descrip- 
 tion which the ancients have given of the Kingfisher's nest, that 
 it is still an undetermined question with naturalists whether the 
 bird really builds any nest at all. Its general habits are very 
 well known, but there is still a doubt as to its procedure in this 
 one particular. The question at issue, however, is a very narrow 
 one. It is well known that the birds rear their young in the 
 banks of the streams they haunt, either digging a hole them- 
 selves, or taking possession of that of a water-rat, which they 
 afterwards enlarge to suit their convenience. The direction of 
 the hole is always diagonally upwards, and it generally pene- 
 trates from two to three feet into the bank, the end being scooped 
 into a sort of hollow, at the bottom of which there is always a 
 quantity of small fish-bones mixed with earth, on which the 
 bird lays its beautiful transparent pinkish-white eggs. 
 
 The point in dispute is, whether these bones are to be con- 
 sidered in the light of a ~bona fide "nest," or merely as a casual 
 accumulation cast up by the parent birds irrespective of any view 
 to nidification. 
 
 Mr. Gould, who in his " Birds of Europe " advocates the latter 
 view, has recently communicated to the Zoological Society the 
 particulars of a discovery he has made, which leads him to 
 udopt the opposite opinion, namely, that the parent birds pur-
 
 A DISPUTED POINT. 203 
 
 posely deposit the fish-bones " as a nest," to defend their eggs 
 from the damp earth. The discovery which has led to this 
 change, was that of a nesting-place of the Kingfisher in the 
 banks of the Thames, from which a nest and eggs were twice dug 
 out A fortnight after the first nest was taken, the female bird 
 was seen to leave the hole again, as though she had returned to 
 her old breeding quarters : a week later the hole was examined, 
 and the old bird was ascertained to be inside. " I then took," 
 says Mr. Gould, " a large mass of wool from my collecting-box, 
 aiid stuffed it to the extremity of the hole, in order to prevent 
 the eggs and nest from damage during my again laying it open 
 from above. On removing the sod, and digging down as before, 
 I came upon the cotton wool, and beneath it a well-formed nest 
 of fish-bones, the size of a small saucer, the walls of which were 
 fully half an inch thick, together with eight beautiful eggs and 
 the old female herself. This nest and eggs I removed with the 
 greatest care : and I now have the pleasure of exhibiting it to 
 the Society, before its transmission to the British Museum, the 
 proper resting-place of so interesting a bird's nest." 
 
 By the kind permission of Mr. Gray of the British Museum, 
 we have been allowed to inspect this interesting specimen, and 
 we must say, that if it really be a nest in the proper sense of 
 the word, the difference between a bird's nest and a mere mass of 
 fish-bones and loose earth is much less than we had anticipated 
 to find it. But Mr. Gould is not merely an authority ; he is-the 
 ttighest authority on all matters ornithological, and if he is satis- 
 fied that what he has discovered is a nest, nobody else is entitled 
 to say nay. 
 
 The Kingfisher is by no means an uncommon bird, and is 
 very generally diffused over the country. We have met with it in 
 Devonshire and also in Hampshire ; in the latter county, especially 
 in the various creeks and arms of Southampton Water, it is 
 even abundant, although it is never once mentioned, so far as we 
 remember, in White's " Selborne." In the North of England it is 
 also common ; and at Bolton in Lancashire we met with a factory 
 operative, a thorough enthusiast in ornithology, and the owner of 
 a very respectable collection of birds of his own mounting, who 
 assured us that he regularly captured a dozen or more of them 
 every season. His plan is to go early in the morning before day- 
 light to some stream known to be frequented by the bird, and
 
 204 CURIOUS SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 to suspend across it, in a suitable spot, the open mouth of a bag 
 net made of fine silk ; then going along the stream, he beats the 
 bushes to start the bird, which shooting along in the dim light, 
 rushes into the net, and is securely bagged. 
 
 A curious superstition has long obtained that if the stuffed 
 skin of the Kingfisher be suspended by a thread to the ceiling 
 of a room, however closely shut up, it will yet turn its bill 
 weathercock wise to the quarter whence the wind blows. Hence 
 honest Kent, in " King Lear," in his rage against the insolent 
 steward, declares that 
 
 " Such smiling rogues as these 
 * * * * * 
 
 Renege, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks 
 With every gale, and vary of their masters ;'' 
 
 and again Barabas, in Marlowe's " Jew of Malta," says : 
 
 " But now, how stands the wind ? 
 Into what corner peers my halcyon's bill ?" 
 
 It appears that this superstition still keeps its ground in some 
 parts. Charlotte Smith tells us that she has once or twice seen 
 the Kingfisher hanging thus as a weathercock from the beam 
 of a cottage ceiling. It has lately been seen suspended for the 
 same purpose at Botley near Southampton ; where some of the 
 country people also believe that if a dead Kingfisher be sus- 
 pended by its bill, it will regularly turn its breast to show the 
 ebb and flow of the tide. 
 
 The Corvidce, or Crow family, are far better known than liked, 
 although, as we shall find, that much may be said in their 
 favour. 
 
 Very few people, it may be presumed, need the help of good 
 Mrs. Ford " to know Turtles from Jays" of the non-figurative 
 kind, though it is not at all unreasonable to suppose that there 
 are many who would fail to recognize in the gaily-coloured Jay 
 of the ornithologist (Corvus glandarius), a confrere of the sable 
 fraternity above mentioned. One of the Crows, however, the 
 Jay undoubtedly is, and a near ally of the Jackdaw (C'orvus 
 monedula), which, as Cowper reminds us, is 
 
 " A great frequenter of the church, 
 Where, bishop-like, he finds a perch, 
 And dormitory t^o ;"
 
 HABITS OP THE MAGPIE. 205 
 
 but between this zealous church-goer and the wood-haunting 
 Jay, stands that Ishmael of the feathered tribes, the Magpie 
 ( Cor v us pica), which, harassed and persecuted by almost every- 
 body, repays his ill-usage by wholesale depredations and a sort of 
 instinctive love of mischief. It is rather a suggestive circum- 
 stance, however, that in Norway and Sweden, where this bird is 
 extremely common, and is taken great care of by the people, it 
 bears an opposite character. In Norway especially, where it is a 
 great favourite, it has little of the sly cunning and suspicion 
 which it exhibits with us, and lives on the most familiar terms 
 with the inhabitants, picking up its food at their doors and 
 frequently entering inside their houses. 
 
 With us the Magpie has certainly a most unamiable reputa- 
 tion. It seems to be equally fond of animal and vegetable food, 
 now helping itself to the newly-sown grain or the gardener's 
 fruits, and now sharing with the Rooks their grubs and worms. 
 But no sort of animal food comes amiss ; and most ruthlessly 
 does it go to work to gratify its appetite. It storms the nests of 
 small birds, and robs them of their eggs and young ; it carries 
 off the young broods from the poultry yard and the game pre- 
 serves; it attacks young hares and rabbits; and at times will 
 even attempt the destruction of lambs and weakly sheep, first 
 plucking out their eyes. But with all this truculence and 
 rapacity, the Magpie has still a tender place in its heart. Game- 
 keepers know well that when once they are in possession of its 
 young the old birds may easily be lured to their own destruction. 
 
 The nest of the Magpie is a very bulky affair, constructed of 
 small branches and twigs interlaced together, generally placed 
 high up on some tree-top where few people having a regard for 
 their necks care to venture, how light soever they may make of 
 the wise saw which avers that no good ever comes to man or boy 
 who takes a Magpie's nest. It does sometimes happen, however, 
 that where high trees are few and far between, the Magpie will 
 build in low bushes ; and Bishop Stanley tells an interesting 
 story of a pair of these birds, which, in a remote and barren part 
 of Scotland, had for several years built their nest and brought 
 up their young in a gooseberry bush. But perfectly conscious 
 of the dangers to which they were there exposed, they barricaded 
 not only the nest, but the bush itself, all round with briers and 
 thorns firmly entwined together, and nearly a yard in thickness ;
 
 206 JACK AT CHURCH. 
 
 and every spring they carefully repaired their fortress, using for 
 the purpose rough, strong, prickly sticks, which sometimes re- 
 quired the assistance of both the birds together before they could 
 be adjusted in their proper places. In this way the nest was 
 surrounded with such a formidable chevaux-de-frise as to be 
 secure not only against the attacks of foxes, cats, hawks, and 
 other predatory creatures, but even of more important foes, for 
 without a hedge-knife, bill-hook, or something of the sort, even a 
 man would have had great trouble to get at the young. 
 
 We must not conclude our account of the Magpie without 
 some notice of its imitative and loquacious powers, and of the 
 ridiculous use to which it sometimes turns them. A book might 
 be written on the subject ; but one story must suffice for us here. 
 It is pleasantly told by the writer of a series of most agreeable 
 papers on birds in " Eraser's Magazine " for 1857, and pertinently 
 illustrates the truth of Sydney Smith's observation, that what- 
 ever powers of oratory a parson may possess he loses all com- 
 mand over his audience the moment a bird makes its appearance 
 in the church. 
 
 It was certainly the case when Jack, a Magpie well known in 
 
 the village of , in the county of Kent, for his mischievous 
 
 propensities, entered the village church in the afternoon of Sun- 
 day, July 25th, 1852, during the time of divine service. The 
 rogue hopped quietly in at the open door, and for a time sur- 
 veyed the congregation, recognizing many a friend who was wont 
 to greet him with words of kindness and familiarity ; but upon 
 this occasion Jack was surprised at finding that no notice was 
 taken of him. At last he seemed determined that he would not 
 be thus overlooked, and down the middle aisle he marched, knock- 
 ing at the door of each pew, and announcing his presence with a 
 clear, loud " Here am I !" This move had the desired effect, 
 for in a very few moments every eye was turned upon our 
 hero. The worthy parson finding himself in a decided minority, 
 and perceiving broad grins coming over the before solemn faces 
 of his flock, at once stopped the service, and desired the clerk to 
 eject the intruder. But the order was more easily given than 
 executed. Jack was determined not to leave, and so, finding 
 himself pursued, took refuge in a forest of legs belonging to his 
 young friends the school children, who did not appear at all un- 
 willing to give him shelter. The clerk rushed on, intent upon
 
 BIRDS OF SONG. 207 
 
 catching the enemy, and putting an end to this unorthodox pro- 
 ceeding, and over first a bench and then a child he stumbled 
 in his attempts to pounce upon the fugitive, who easily evaded 
 his grasp, and always appeared just where the clerk was not, in- 
 forming him ever and anon of his whereabouts by the old cry 
 " Here am I !" At last, with the help of two or three of the con- 
 gregation who had joined in the pursuit, a capture was effected, 
 and Jack was ignominously turned out and the door closed upon 
 him. After the lapse of a few minutes, order and solemnity 
 were restored in the church, and the prayers were re-commenced 
 and ended without further disturbance. 
 
 The parson in diie time ascended to the pulpit, gave out hia 
 text, and commenced his discourse. But he had not proceeded 
 far when he was interrupted by a loud noise accompanied by 
 rapping at the little window at the back of the pulpit. Turning 
 round to ascertain the cause, he saw friend Jack pecking away at 
 the window, flapping his wings against it, and screaming at the 
 top of his voice " Here am I!" " Here am 1 1" a fact which no 
 one could gainsay or resist laughing at. The worthy parson, 
 finding his own gravity and that of his congregation so entirely 
 upset by what had occurred, brought his sermon to a speedy con- 
 clusion and dismissed the congregation. 
 
 Poor Jack had sentence of death recorded against him, but 
 upon the petition of a number of the parishioners, his punish- 
 ment was commuted to banishment for life from the scene of his 
 crime. 
 
 The family of Finches introduces us at once to the song-birds ; 
 and with them comes that much debated question, what is the 
 special motive that prompts our little feathered friends to the ex- 
 hilirating strains with which they greet us when spring comes 
 round with its blue sky and bright tinted flowers? 
 
 It has very commonly been argued that these bursts of song 
 are due almost entirely to the exercise of the imitative faculty in 
 birds ; but we are inclined to think that this is a veiy insuffi- 
 cient explanation of the matter. No doubt the natural and, as 
 we should say, instinctive notes of birds may be greatly modified, 
 or even altogether changed, by education, especially when man 
 himself directs the process and entirely alters the conditions 
 under which the young birds attain to maturity. The Hon. 
 Paines Ban-in gt on tried several experiments with the view of
 
 203 EXPERIMENTS IN SONG. 
 
 ascertaining how far this change of song might he effected, and 
 the results at which he arrived certainly show that the influence 
 of education is very great. 
 
 Thus he tells us that he educated nestling Linnets under the 
 three best singing Larks, the Skylark, Woodlark, and Titlark, 
 and in each case the young birds adhered entirely not to the song 
 of the Linnet but to that of their instructors. Jn the case of the 
 Linnet that had learned the Titlark's song, he tried if the note 
 could be again changed, for this purpose leaving the bird in 
 a room with two common Linnets which were in full song, for 
 four months ; but not a passage was borrowed from the new in- 
 structors, the Titlark-Linnet continuing steadfastly to the song 
 that it first learned. Other cases are mentioned that of a 
 Linnet which learned the song of an African Vengolina so per- 
 fectly that it was impossible to distinguish the song of the teacher 
 from that of the taught of a Goldfinch that learnt of a Wren 
 of a SparroV that acquired the joint song of the Linnet and the 
 Goldfinch and of a Redcap that studied under a Nightingale. 
 In this last case, however, the learner was not so apt as some of 
 the others ; for after at first breaking down he ultimately sang 
 three parts in four of the song of the Nightingale, and the rest 
 what the bird-catchers call rubbish, or no particular note what- 
 ever. 
 
 Mr. Barrington states that to be certain that a nestling will not 
 have even the call of its species, it should be taken from the nest 
 when only a day or two old, because, though the young birds can- 
 not see till the seventh day, they can hear from the moment they 
 are hatched, and that as the call-note of the parents announces 
 the arrival of food, that would be the first sound the young birds 
 would learn. He also admits " that a great deal depends upon 
 circumstances, and perhaps caprice in the scholar," and that no 
 general rule or inference can be laid down as to the result of such 
 experiments. 
 
 The most remarkable cases of variation as the result of training 
 are those in which the young bird acquires, not the song of 
 another bird, but fragmentary snatches of human speech. A 
 case of this sort is mentioned by Mr. Barrington, in which a 
 Linuet which had been taken from the nest when only two or 
 three days old, learned almost to articulate the words pretty loy, 
 w'thout acquiring either the note or the call of any bird whatever*
 
 A TALKING CANARY. 209 
 
 A far more interesting case of this kind, however, has recently 
 been recorded by Mr. Leigh Sotheby. In this instance the bird 
 was a Canary, the only one hatched out of a nest of four eggs, 
 and which, for some cause or other, was immediately deserted by 
 its parents, who commenced a new nest upon it. On being re- 
 moved from the cage, where it was found half dead, it was care- 
 fully pkced in flannel near the fire ; and after much attention 
 it was fully restored to health and strength, and brought up 
 by hand. It was entirely removed from all other birds, and 
 seldom heard any sounds but those of the endearing epithets 
 that were addressed to it by its fair protector. To the surprise 
 and delight of the household, the first utterances of the little 
 pet were those very expressions of endearment. When only 
 three months old it repeated " Kissie, Kissie," and imitated the 
 sound of kissing ; and after a while it would repeat for hours to- 
 gether, " Dear, sweet Titchie, kiss Minnie ; kiss me then, dear 
 Minnie ; sweet, pretty, little Titchie, Kissie, Kissie, Kissie, dear Tit- 
 chie, Titchie, wee, gee, gee, gee, Titchie, Titchie," frequently string- 
 ing together these particular expressions, and repeated them over 
 and over again in rapid succession. Occasionally it imitated the 
 sound of a dog- whistle used about the house ; and like a loyal 
 subject it learned to whistle the first bar of " God save the Queen.'' 
 The little creature was remarkably tame ; and frequently would 
 hop down from its cage to its owner's finger, shouting and 
 talking the while in the most excited manner. 
 
 Whatever force there may seem to be in facts like those we 
 have given, as tending to show that birds have no innate ideas of 
 the notes which are supposed to be peculiar to each species, their 
 value in the argument is greatly diminished by a consideration 
 of the circumstance, that it is only in exceptional cases, and under 
 what we may call unnatural conditions, that they occur at all. 
 Moreover, it seems difficult on the theory of imitation to under- 
 stand how birds should have any distinctive notes at all, and why 
 it is that the individuals of each species exhibit such a constant 
 general uniformity in their song. But the theory is contradicted 
 by the fact of every-day experience. Nothing is more common 
 than for young Thrushes, Blackbirds, and Larks, not to mention 
 other birds, to be taken from the nest within a few days of 
 their being hatched, and to be brought up by hand in towns 
 far away from the green fields and the songs of their fellows, and 
 
 P
 
 210 LOVE AND RIVALRY. 
 
 yet these birds eventually burst out into song, each in the peculiar 
 notes of its race, so as not to be distinguished from those in a wild 
 state. 
 
 But granting it to be the most reasonable supposition that 
 song in birds is thus instinctive and untaught, it still becomes a 
 question what may be the particular motive which incites to the 
 performance ; and on that point considerable diversity of opinion 
 prevails. The general opinion seems to be that love, and the 
 rivalry to which it prompts, are the two great stimulants to 
 which we owe the concert of sweet sounds with which the air is 
 rilled in spring and early summer. " I lay it down as a maxim 
 in ornithology," says White of Selborne, " that as long as there 
 is incubation going on there is music." Pennant advocates the 
 same view of the subject, and mentions, that as the principal 
 cares of life fall to the lot of the female bird, the male is endowed 
 with the faculty of song that he may alleviate her fatigues, and 
 cheer her with his inspiriting lays the while she is discharging 
 her parental duties. Montagu is another naturalist of eminence 
 who supports the same opinion, and he particularly instances 
 the Nightingale, which in the first place vies with its com- 
 panions, both in song and fight, to win a partner, and then ever 
 after attends her with the greatest assiduity, and constantly 
 regales her with his song. 
 
 That rivalry amongst the males of singing birds has much to 
 do with their outbursts of song, there can be no reasonable doubt ; 
 but whether mere joyousness and gaiety of heart be not a more 
 probable motive than the special one of love may at least, we 
 think, admit of a doubt. It should be borne in mind that the 
 female bird is by no means destitute of song, although her partner 
 always greatly excels her in that accomplishment. Neither is 
 it true that song birds generally sing only during the seasons of 
 pairing and rearing the young. With the hard-billed, seed- 
 eating birds this is no doubt true, but with the soft-billed birds 
 it is far otherwise. Most of these birds leave us in the autumn 
 for the sunnier skies of the south ; although when they nre 
 detained with us in cages or aviaries, they continue in song all 
 the year. Moreover, those which remain with us the year 
 through, the Hobin and the Wren, for example, sing throughout 
 the winter, not even excepting times of severe frost, as we can 
 vouch from our own observation.
 
 COCK ROBIN AND JENNY WREN. 211 
 
 On the whole, therefore, we incline to the opinion that 
 
 " The sound of music sweet 
 From birds among the bowers," 
 
 which greets us in the young prime of the year is called forth, 
 not so much by love, as by a general and all-pervading gladness 
 and gaiety of heart. 
 
 But the Robin and the Wren, those old traditional friends of 
 our childhood, are not to be passed by with the bare mention 
 of their names, familiar though they are, and pretty well known 
 bj everybody. Naturalists may say what they please, but 
 Cock Robin and Jenny Wren are man and wife all the world 
 over, married and made one ages ago, and with a bond so sacred 
 and indissoluble that Sir Cresswell Cresswell, would find that it 
 quite overtopped his capacity to cut it asunder. Hath it not oft 
 been said or sung that 
 
 " The Robin and the Wren 
 Are God's Cock and Hen ;" 
 
 and in awe of the terrible malediction that guards their domicile 
 from violence, does not the truant schoolboy keep his hands off 
 from the nests of both the one and the other ? 
 
 Izaak Walton says that " honest Robin loves mankind, both 
 alive and dead," and if the veracious history of the Babes in the 
 Wood will suffice to verify the latter part of the assertion, we 
 shall be at no loss to find proof of the former. But strangely 
 enough White of Selborne who almost invariably writes in a 
 genial and kindly tone, seems to have a positive antipathy to the 
 Robin, and speaks of it most disparagingly. He notices it but 
 once, and then very curtly ; and concludes what he has to say 
 with the ungracious remark that, " notwithstanding the prejudices 
 in their favour, they do much mischief in gardens to the summer 
 fruits." " Pert and spruce Master Robin," as Graham calls him, 
 was evidently no favourite with the recluse of Selborne ; and it 
 must be confessed that he exhibits at times some very unamiable 
 qualities. His pugnacious and quarrelsome disposition is well 
 known, and we have sometimes seen one of the little fellows 
 i'earlessly attack a crowd of Sparrows that have come to share his 
 daily allowance of crumbs, and fairly drive them off. It is not 
 always, however, that he succeeds in these onslaughts, for occa-
 
 212 THE WATER OUSEL. 
 
 sionally some of the Sparrows show fight in return, and oblige 
 their assailant either to share the provender with them or to 
 retire from the scene altogether and leave them in full possession. 
 True to the life is Thomson's picture of the Robin when he 
 first ventures inside the cottage door to pick up his allowance of 
 crumbs : 
 
 " Then hopping o'er the floor, 
 
 Eyes all the smiling family askance, 
 
 And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is." 
 
 These familiar habits of the Eobin, combined with its sprightly 
 airs, have made it a general favourite wherever it is known, 
 and have thus procured for it in almost every coimtry of Europe 
 some familiar and endearing epithet. The Eobin is in truth the 
 first and most friendly of all our feathered friends. 
 
 One of the most curious of our song-birds is the Dipper, or 
 Water Ouzel (Cinclus aquaticus), which, although closely related 
 to the Thrush and Blackbird, is almost as much an aquatic bird 
 as any of those properly so called. It is always found in the 
 immediate neighbourhood of water, and delights especially in the 
 clear and rapid streams of mountainous districts, where it is 
 commonly to be seen perched upon some block of stone rising from 
 the centre of the current, perpetually dipping its head and jerking 
 its tail much after the fashion of the little Wren. "I do not 
 know," says Mr. St. John, " among our common birds so 
 amusing and interesting a little fellow as the Water-ouzel, 
 whether seen during the time of incubation or during the winter 
 months, when he generally betakes himself to some burn near the 
 sea, less likely to be frozen over than those more inland. In the 
 burn near this place there are certain stones, each of which is 
 always occupied by one particular Water-ousel : there he sits all 
 day with his snow-white breast turned towards you, jerking his 
 apology for a tail, and occasionally darting off for a hundred yards 
 or so, with a quick, rapid, but straightforward flight ; then down 
 he plumps into the water, remains under for perhaps a minute or 
 two ; and then flies back to his usual station." 
 
 There has long been a dispute as to the precise behaviour of 
 the Dipper during the time which it thus passes under water. 
 On the one side it is maintained that the bird nms about at the 
 bottom of the stream, much as it might do on dry ground ; 
 while on the other side it is contended that such a procedure is
 
 AN IMPOSSIBLE PERFORMANCE. 213 
 
 absolutely impossible, and that the bird merely dives and swims 
 xinder water like other aquatic birds. 
 
 In a question of this sort, the point at issue is to be decided 
 not so much by the results of casual observation, in which from 
 the very nature of the case all are liable to error, as by 
 an appeal to the invariable laws of nature. Still, what ought 
 to be, and even what must be, has to give way when con- 
 fronted with a clear and indisputable case of what is; and on 
 this question it must be admitted there is what looks like very 
 reliable evidence of the impossible performance. Here, for 
 example, is Mr. St. John, who affirms in the most positive 
 manner that he has himself seen the Dipper walk deliberately 
 off from his stone down into the water, and walk and run about 
 on the gravel at the bottom, scratching with his feet among the 
 small stones, and pecking aay a t all the small insects and ani- 
 malculse which it could dislodge. " On two or three occasions," 
 he continues, "I have witnessed this act of the Water-ousel, 
 and have most distinctly seen the bird walking and feeding in 
 this manner under the pellucid waters of a Highland burn." 
 
 Against this testimony of Mr. St. John's there is that of 
 Mr. Macgillivray, an equally careful observer, who also speaks 
 from personal observation. He says distinctly that in one or two 
 instances where he has been able to perceive the bird under water, it 
 appeared to tumble about in a very extraordinary manner, with 
 its head downward, as if pecking something, and at the same time 
 making great exertion with both legs and wings. The general 
 direction of the body was obliquely downwards, and the 
 exertions the bird was making were evidently to counteract its 
 natural buoyancy and to keep itself at the bottom. Mr. Mac- 
 gillivray says, indeed, that the movements of the bird under water 
 are precisely similar to those of the Divers, Cormorants, and Mer- 
 gansers, which are effected by the joint action of both wings and 
 legs, and are rather to be described as flying than as bond fide 
 swimming ; and he further states that the bird does not proceed 
 to any great distance under water, but, alighting on some spot, 
 sinks, and soon reappears in the immediate neighbourhood, when 
 it either dives again, or rises on the wing to drop somewhere 
 else in the water, or to take up its favourite position on some in- 
 sulated stone in the middle of the brook. 
 
 In so far as observation is concerned, therefore, there are
 
 214 THE HOUSE SPARROW. 
 
 authorities both for and against the subaqueous pedestrianism of 
 the Dipper. But it is not to be forgotten, that in order to per- 
 form the alleged feat, it is necessary that the Dipper should have 
 the power to overcome the effects of gravitation, which the moment 
 the bird ceased its active exertions to keep below, would force it 
 to the surface of the water ; and as no such power is known to us, 
 it is only reasonable to infer that Mr. St. John, and those who 
 agree with him, are mistaken as to what they saw, and that the 
 Dipper performs no such inexplicable feat as that which they 
 have ascribed to it. 
 
 The Incessores or Perching Birds, with which we are now deal- 
 ing, are also known as the Passerine or Sparrow-like Birds, the 
 common House-sparrow (Fringilla domestica") being thus the 
 model or type of the entire order. A word or two, therefore, for 
 the House-sparrow. " A village without Sparrows," says Mr. 
 Magillivray, " has as desolate an aspect as a house without 
 children," though unfortunately for the world the one is much 
 less rare than the other. 
 
 The boldness and impudence of the Sparrow is familiar to 
 everybody ; and Douglas Jerrold somewhere notices the arch and 
 inquisitive way they have of looking down from the house-tops 
 at people who find their way home to the street-door in tho 
 small hours of summer mornings, when they are themselves 
 just beginning to wake up for the day. There is quite an air of 
 banter about them at such times ; and the hoarse chirp with 
 which they greet you sounds very much as though they said, 
 " Oh, oh ! Mr. Jones ; and where have you been ? and what will 
 Mrs. Jones say ?" One can almost see their elevated eyebrows 
 as they poke their fun at you ; and the fluffy shuffle with which 
 they accompany it shows that they enjoy the joke immensely 
 themselves. 
 
 In affection for its young there are few birds which surpass the 
 Sparrow, and many interesting cases are recorded of its devoted 
 attentions. In one instance a pair of Sparrows continued to bring 
 food to the nest some months after (he young brood had left it ; 
 a ladder was placed against the wall to ascertain the cause of 
 this unusual proceeding, when a full-grown bird was found in the 
 nest, where it was kept prisoner by some thread in which it had 
 got one of its legs entangled. And Mr. Jesse mentions a case in 
 which a farm-servant having placed a nest of young Sparrows iu
 
 A lX)MEStIC TRAGEDY. 215 
 
 a trap cage, caught no less than forty old birds, all coming with 
 food in their mouths to feed the helpless nestlings. But the 
 Sparrow will even go beyond its own species in rendering its 
 kind offices ; and there is a well-known story of one which 
 picked up an acquaintance with a Canary that was hung up in 
 its cage amongst some trees in a garden at Chelsea. The ac- 
 quaintance began one morning with the Sparrow dropping a 
 worm into the cage for the Canary, and after a while it became 
 so intimate that the Canary would take the dainty bits directly 
 from the bill of his generous friend. The fame of this bene- 
 volent Sparrow soon spread abroad, and other Canaries were 
 hung in adjoining gardens to share in his attentions ; nor were 
 they put there in vain ; for he visited them all, though his 
 first and longest visit was always paid to his old acquaintance. 
 
 But that incident of the young bird tied to the nest by its leg 
 reminds us of another and much more serious mishap which 
 once befel a Sparrow, the story of which is quoted by Mr. 
 Yarrell from the " Illustrated London News." Those who know 
 the Rotunda in Sackville Street, Dublin, will remember the 
 richly carved frieze, representing the heads of oxen and festoons 
 of flowers, which runs around the centre building and forms its 
 principal external ornament. In the hollow of the eye of one of 
 the heads a Sparrow built his nest, and amongst the materials 
 composing it there chanced unhappily to be a woollen thread 
 with a noose at one end of it. By some means the poor bird got 
 his head inserted in the noose ; and in his eiforts to extricate 
 himself, he fell from his nest and hung himself by the neck. lie 
 was observed for a while making desperate efforts to escape, but 
 in vain ; the mishap put a period to his career, and for some time 
 his remains were to be seen gibbeted at his own door, and flut- 
 tering in the wind, while the straws of the nest projected from the 
 eye-hole above his head. 
 
 No bird is more familiar than the House-sparrow, though v. e 
 fear there are few persons who would be much disposed to give 
 it a place amongst their feathered friends. But there is reason 
 to hope that better days are coming, not merely for Sparrows, 
 but for the feathered tribes generally. It is beginning to be 
 understood that the entire race of birds have a work to do which 
 is of vast importance even to man himself, and that his interests 
 are best promoted, not by their wholesale destruction, but by their
 
 210 BIRD BENEFITS. 
 
 being allowed, with as little interference as possible, to discharge 
 the various offices for which they are specially designed and 
 qualified. The petition presented some time since to the French 
 Corps Ldgislatif, requesting that steps might be taken to preserve 
 the birds which subsist on insects injurious to agriculture, has 
 excited great attention, not only in France, but throughout 
 Europe, and there can be no doubt that the many striking facts 
 which it contains will open the eyes of our agriculturists to the 
 fact that in slaughtering the insectivorous birds they have really 
 been destroying their best friends. In this instance, as in many 
 others, it will be found that an enlightened self-interest is in per- 
 fect keeping with the most humane and careful regard for what, 
 if we only knew them better, we should universally regard as 
 our Feathered Friends.
 
 217 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 "LIVE LIONS," PAST, PBESEKT, AKD FUTUBE. 
 
 " \Vee have also pai-kes ami enclosures for all sorts of boasts and birds 
 which wee vse, not only for view or rarenesse, but likewise for dissections ; 
 that thereby wee may take light what may bee wrought upon the body of 
 man." 
 
 THE good time coming foreshadowed by Lord Bacon in that re- 
 markable fragment the "Xew Atlantis" is gradually drawing nigh. 
 Our various scientific and philosophical societies give us an 
 almost exact realization of the ideal " Soloman's House," with its 
 different means and appliances for ascertaining the " causes and 
 secret motions of things, and the enlarging of the bounds of 
 Humane Empire, to the effecting of all things possible ;" while 
 the united gatherings of their members at the meetings of the 
 British Association, correspond precisely with those " circuits or 
 visits of diuerse Principall Citties of the Kingdorne" when new 
 inventions and discoveries were made public. In respect to 
 actual achievements we have of course still to discover the 
 " Water of Paradise," " souereigne for health and prolongation Oi 
 life ;" and with all our skill in horticulture we still fall short of 
 making "diuerse plants rise by mixtures of earthes without 
 seeds," and of making one " tree or plant turne into another." 
 But with the exception of conceits like these, which the progress 
 of knowledge has exploded, we have already in a thousand ways 
 far outstripped the boldest imaginings of the great philosopher. 
 
 In respect to the study of Natural History the " preparations 
 and instruments of Soloman's House are pretty much the same 
 as we have ourselves. The " particular pooles, where wee make 
 trialls upon fishes," are fairly represented, no doubt, by the 
 Aquarium, with a little advantage perhaps on our side. And so 
 with respect to " parkes and enclosures for all sorts of beasts and 
 birds," excepting that in this case the end we propose stops short 
 of the lofty purpose suggested by Lord Bacon, and relates mainly
 
 218 DEATH OF A FAVOURITE. 
 
 to the gratification of curiosity and the enkrgement of our know, 
 ledge of the animal creation. It so happens, however, that 
 although none of the animals exhibited in our Zoological Gardens 
 are obtained with a special view to " dissection," there are very 
 few of them, after all, that escape the knife at last. No sooner 
 do they cease to be of service for " view," than there are a dozen 
 or more Fellows and Professors eager to have a hand in them, and 
 sometimes the disclosures which are thus made are not a little 
 curious. For example, there was Tom, the favourite Seal in the 
 Regent's Park Gardens : nobody could conjecture at first what it 
 was that had shortened his days, and deprived the Gardens of 
 cue of their greatest attractions. But when the poor fellow came 
 to be dissected, it was found that the coats of his stomach were 
 bristling with fish-hooks ! The reader may be sure that not only 
 Tom's successor in the Seal pond, but all the icnthyophagi of the 
 establishment h|ive benefited by the discovery, and that no fish 
 arc now served out which have not first been carefully freed from 
 cold steel. 
 
 The Regent's Park Gardens have long been a favourite resort 
 of ours, and there are few places where the student of Natural 
 History can gratify himself with the sight of so many of the 
 living curiosities of animal life. Holiday place as it is, therefore, 
 we may well pay it a visit, and look for a while at some of its 
 more curious and interesting occupants; not confining ourselves 
 to those of the present time merely, but remembering our high 
 distinction of "looking before and after," recalling for a time 
 some of the " lions " of days gone by, and anticipating the pro- 
 bable " lions " of the future. 
 
 The Fish House, which contains more wonders than all the 
 rest of the Gardens together, we may dismiss very summarily. 
 Not a sentence need be spent on the Anemones, Serpulie, Hermit 
 Crabs, and their allies, though the cases containing them are at all 
 times besieged by an eager crowd of visitors anxious to make 
 acquaintance with these little dwellers in the deep. 
 
 In the fresh-water tanks no fish attracts more attention than 
 that ruthless fellow the Pike, which rests so quietly that it 
 looks like a painted fish in a painted Aquarium, although pining 
 apparently for the still shady coverts in which it delights to 
 nestle by the pool or riverside. Not that ths fellow very readily 
 succumbs to the effects of confinement ; for one of them has lived
 
 THE PHYSICIAN OF FISHES. 219 
 
 here in the Fish House for upwards of five years. The Jack are 
 at all times a truculent race, and the specimens here in the tanks 
 fully sustain the character blear-eyed, and sinister-looking as 
 any that ever seized thirsty calf by the nose, ravaged a fish-pond, 
 or made off with an angler's tackle. Neither in spirit nor in 
 appetite do they seem to be much affected by their captivity. It is 
 necessary to cover the tank containing them with a net to keep 
 them from jumping over the sides at night ; and when feeding-time 
 comes round, they are always ready, be the meal fish, or frogs, 
 or birds, or, as is sometimes the case, a hall-grown rat. 
 
 "We have seen it stated somewhere that a young Pike here, in 
 the Fish House, having been maltreated by an elder of its own 
 species, was completely cured of its ailments by the attentions 
 of a couple of Tench. There can be little doubt, however, that 
 it was a made-up story. The Tench has long had the reputation 
 of being " the physician of fishes," as good old Isaak "\Valtuu 
 expresses it, especially of the Pike, although there is no evidence 
 whatever to countenance the wide-spread belief in its healing 
 virtues. Mr. Couch, who is a great authority on all matters ich- 
 thyological, is inclined to the opinion that it has originated from 
 a passage in the " Chronicle " of Hollinshead, who, speaking of 
 the Pike, says that, " when the fishmonger hath opened his side, 
 and laid out his rivet unto the buier, for the better utterance of his 
 ware, and cannot make him away at that present, he laieth the 
 same againe into the proper place, and sowing up the wound, he 
 restoreth him to the pond where Tenches are, "who never cease 
 to sucke and licke his greeved place, till they have restored him 
 in healthe, and made him readie to come again to the stall when 
 his turne shall come about." And so, argues Mr. Couch, this 
 nibbling of the fat of a wound that would have healed as well 
 without it, has in all probability given rise to an opinion which 
 naturalists, content to copy from each other, have perpetuated to 
 the present time. 
 
 Not long ago the Fish House just missed an addition to its 
 live stock which would have proved a wonder of the first mag- 
 nitude. It. was a fine specimen, three foot long, of the famous 
 Fishing Frog or Angler (Lophius jntcatorius), which was 
 captured near Weymouth, and at once sent off to the Gardens ; 
 but unfortunately the journey was too much for it, and it made 
 its appearance in the Fish House, dead. But such a "lion,"
 
 220 ANGLING EXTRAORDINARY. 
 
 even though a dead one, was not to be thought lightly of; 
 and so long as the olfactory nerves of the visitors were able to 
 endure it, the monster was made to display his strange proporiions. 
 The Angler well deserves the name of Wide Gab, by which it is 
 known to the fishermen north of the Tweed, for surely never was 
 another such a mouth seen either in bird or beast or fish. This re- 
 markable fish has much the appearance of a huge Tadpole ; its head 
 being of enormous size, measuring across the widest part more 
 than the entire length of the animal, while its body tapers away 
 to a tail of the most modest dimensions. 
 
 The most remarkable character of the creature, and the one 
 which has suggested the name of " Angler," is the presence of 
 two long, slender, and flexible appendages which spring from the 
 top of the nose, and are dilated at the extremity into a glittering 
 silvery expansion, that acts as the bait with which the monster 
 attracts his unsuspecting prey. It goes to work in a very 
 wary and sagacious fashion, crouching close to the ground, and 
 then by the action of its pectoral fins stirring up the sand or 
 mud. Hidden by the obscurity which it has produced, it 
 elevates its fishing-rods, moves them in various directions, and 
 twiddles about the shining baits at the extremity ; the small fish 
 in the neighbourhood, attracted by the moving objects, come close 
 to examine or seize them, when the monster springs iipwards 
 with his cavernous mouth wide distended, and in a moment they 
 are gone. There is no mistake about it, that if an ogre of this 
 sort could be neatly caged in the Fish House, and induced to go 
 through his performance in presence of the visitors, it would 
 be the most successful "hit" the Zoological Society had ever 
 made. 
 
 And yet not the most successful perhaps after all, for here is 
 another, and withal a more practicable one. What would you 
 say now to a Singing Fish ? It is true we have lately had a 
 " Talking Fish ;" but that was a mere hoax, the so-called " fish " 
 being a seal, and the " talking " a mere unintelligible and only 
 occasional bark or grunt. What we propose is a real bond fide 
 vocalist belonging to the finny tribes. It would take immensely. 
 Singing Mice and Talking Canaries have had their day ; but a 
 Singing Fish ! 
 
 Mr. Edward Newman has an interesting paper on the subject 
 ofthese Mxisical fishes of the East in the " Zoologist " for last year ;
 
 MUSICAL FISHES. 221 
 
 and lie brings together a variety of evidence in proof of the 
 opinion that such piscine vocalists do really exist. Sir Emerson 
 Tennant, Dr. Buist, and other persons who have actually heard 
 the performance are brought forward as witnesses ; and from 
 the accounts they give it would appear that in all probability 
 there are several species of fish that are gifted with these vocal 
 powers. One of them is described as producing a sound like the 
 gentle thrills of a musical chord, or the faint vibrations of a wine- 
 glass when its rim is rubbed with a wet finger, not one sustained 
 note, but a multitude of tiny sounds, each clear and distinct in 
 itself, the sweetest treble mingling with the lowest bass. An- 
 other is said to make long, distinct sounds like the protracted 
 booming of a distant bell, the dying cadence of an .^Colian harp, 
 the note of a pitch-pipe or pitch-fork, or any long drawn-out 
 musical note. A third species produces a loud, monotonous, 
 singing sound, which rises and falls and sometimes dies away, or 
 assumes a low, drumming character. 
 
 There is obviously no lack of variety in the vocal accom- 
 plishments of these oriental fish ; and if the Zoological Society 
 would only set to in earnest to procure a good chorus of them, it 
 would not only put an end to the scepticism with which some 
 old-fashioned people still persist in regarding the story, but 
 afford to the world a new musical entertainment of a character 
 that no one had ever dreamt of before. 
 
 On the banks of one of the ponds devoted to the Water-fowl 
 we come across a fine specimen of that little aquatic beauty, the 
 Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata), which, decked out in his 
 bridal attire, is sitting placidly amongst the grass while Mr. 
 Wolf or one of his brother-artists takes his portrait. It is well 
 worth taking, for this bird is the very prince of ducks, and is 
 celebrated for the elegance and conspicuous beauty of its plu- 
 mage. It is the male alone, however, which is thus adorned, and 
 in this respect it affords a capital illustration of that almost uni- 
 versal law of nature, that when in the matter of adornment 
 there is any difference at all between the sexes, the gaiety and 
 show is all on the part of the males. In respect to the Man- 
 darin Duck this difference is very obvious, for while the lady is 
 plain and unadorned to a fault, the gentleman comes out in flam- 
 ing colours, and is the observed of all observers. But let there 
 be no mistake about it ; this resplendent livery fs put on after
 
 222 A DEVOTED COUPLE. 
 
 all solely with an 63-6 to the lady ; and the love season over, the 
 gentleman at ones begins to doff his gay attire, and soon appears 
 in the same unassuming russets and grays as his bride. 
 
 The manners of this beautiful bird are remarkably gentle and 
 loving. Once mated, they are mated for life ; even in confine- 
 ment they constantly move about together ; and the death of one 
 gives rise to the most obvious and unmistakable signs of grief in 
 the other. Dr. Bennett in his " Wanderings " tells a story of a 
 loving couple, in which this mutual attachment was very strik- 
 ingly exhibited. The beautiful drake was stolen one night, while 
 his less attractive partner was left behind. The following morn- 
 ing the poor duck was seen in a retired part of the aviary brood- 
 ing and disconsolate, evidently sorrowing over her loss. Whilst 
 in this condition a gay and prim drake whose partner had been 
 accidentally killed net long before, made up to the disconsolate 
 duck, and made a thousand endearing overtures. But it was all 
 to no purpose ; the duck refused all his offers, and moped and 
 brooded still ; she neglected her food ; her plumage became 
 ragged and dirty ; and she Avas evidently fast falling a sacrifice 
 to conjugal fidelity and affection. But after about three weeks 
 had passed the stolen drake was recovered and brought back. 
 He no sooner recognized the aviary in which he had previously 
 lived, than he quacked vehemently and clapped his wings with 
 delight. His partner received him with the greatest joy : they 
 quacked in concert, crossed necks, bathed together, and were 
 perfectly happy. But mark the sequel. The happy pair had not 
 long been reunited before the recovered drake furiously attacked 
 the too attentive widower, pecked out both his eyes, and left 
 him so maimed that he died within a few days afterwards ! 
 
 In China the Mandarin Duck is regarded as the symbol of 
 conjugal fidelity, and as such is usually carried in their marriage 
 processions; but whether the newly married couple invariably 
 learn the lesson which is thus emblematically set before them 
 may be open to question. But certain it is that the Chinese 
 attach the highest value to the bird, and it is with the utmost 
 difficulty that specimens can be obtained by foreigners. Not 
 Jong since, indeed, a gentleman, writing to China for a pair of 
 the birds, got as his reply, that in the present disturbed state of 
 the country it would be much easier to procure a pair of Man- 
 darins than a pair of Mandarin Ducks !
 
 THE ANCIENT PHCENICOPTERUS. 223 
 
 Not far off from the green and bowery pond in which these 
 happiest of ducks pass their days is the Old Aviary, in which aro 
 several birds well worth the attention of the visitor to the Gardens, 
 and deserving of at least a passing notice here. In the first 
 place here are the beautiful Curassows from Central aiad South 
 America, which are one day to grace oxir poultry yards and sup- 
 ply us with an additional and most delectable dish for the dinner- 
 table. Here again stalks about, with his quills behind his ears, 
 that singular compound of wader and bird of prey, the Secretary 
 Bird, the Snake-eater of Southern Africa. But more attractive 
 than all besides, here also is a group of those extraordinary 
 birds, the Flamingoes, which form an unmistakable " link" be- 
 tween the waders on the one hand and the true web-footed birds 
 on the other. To the ancients the Flamingo was the Phceuicop- 
 terus, the bird with " wings of flame," the name alluding to the 
 gorgeous meteor-like appearance presented by the birds when 
 winging their way through the air. 
 
 But the acquaintance which the ancients had with the Fla- 
 mingo was by no means con6ned to this far-off knowledge : they 
 were familiar with it on the table, and though the flesh of the 
 bird seems only occasionally to have been eaten, the brains and 
 the tongue were ranked amongst the greatest luxuries. The 
 tongue especially was held in great esteem ; and Pliny preserves 
 the memory of one Apicius, whom he characterizes as " the most 
 riotous glutton and belly -god of his time," as the individual who 
 first taught the world that "the tongue of Phcenicopterns was a 
 most sweet and delicate piece of meat." 
 
 The Keptile House has a peculiar interest from what we know 
 of the frightful powers of destruction possessed by many of its 
 apparently insignificant occupants ; and, inside its doors, one is 
 apt to look with some degree of concern at the glass fronts of the 
 different cases. These slim-looking fellows, at rest upon the sand, 
 or bathing in the troughs of water, are all very well at a safe dis- 
 tance, but we decidedly prefer not to have them at close quarters. 
 One thinks of the terrible occurrence which took place here a 
 few years since, when one of the keepers, a man in the prime of 
 life and full health, perished within an hour from the bite of a 
 Cobra not larger than a common eel. 
 
 But besides these smaller species of the Serpent tribe which 
 kill their prey by means of poison-fangs, there are hero also the
 
 224 AN INCUBATING PYTHON*. 
 
 huge Pythons or Boas, which overcome their prey by mere 
 mechanical pressure, first seizing the victim with wide-spread 
 jaws, and then, witli the rapidity of thought, throwing the folds 
 of their vast bodies round and round it, crushing rib and limb 
 within their terrible embrace, and relaxing the coil only when 
 life is extinct. 
 
 One of these monsters is just now while we write attracting 
 great attention from the novel spectacle it affords of an enormous 
 serpent engaged in the interesting business of incubation. The 
 animal in question is a splendid Eock Snake of India (Python 
 molurus), twenty-two feet in length, and weighing nearly a 
 hundred and thirty pounds. On the night of Sunday, the 12th 
 January, she produced a string of leathery eggs, about the size 
 of those of a goose, numbering in all upwards of a hundred. The 
 Pythons are distinguished from all other reptiles by gathering 
 their eggs into a group and covering them with their bodies, 
 which is precisely what the lady Pythoness here in the Reptile 
 House has done. She has wound herself up in a magnificent coil 
 over her eggs, and there she has lain almost motionless and 
 without food from the night of their extrusion. It is to be hoped 
 that her maternal solicitude will in due time be rewarded by the 
 appearance of a brood of young Pythons ; though as some of her 
 eggs are known to be already putrid, it is much to be feared that 
 her trouble will be all in vain, and her hopes of a family disap- 
 pointed. 
 
 The back of the Reptile House is generally occupied in part 
 by some of the rarer and more valuable animals for which appro- 
 priate accommodation is not to be had elsewhere. Here, for ex- 
 ample, lived the baby Chimpanzees, and the famous Ant -Eater ; 
 and here, at the present time, are specimens of the Lepidosiren, 
 already alluded to, of those huge Bats, the Flying Foxes, and 
 the Sicboldia, the Gigantic Newt of Japan (Sieboldia maxima), 
 which properly should now be playing the part of first " lion," 
 only that it has an unmistakable repugnance to the profession, 
 and persistently hides itself away in a corner of its case. 
 
 With all its faults, however, as a professional character, the 
 Sieboldia is a most interesting fellow, and deserves far more at- 
 tention from the public than he is likely to get. It is the largest 
 of all existing Batrachians, and measures upwards of three feet in 
 length. A native of the mountain-lakes of Japa-n, this is the
 
 GIGANTIC SALAMANDER. 225 
 
 first specimen that has ever reached Europe alive. It is. a most 
 ungainly looking beast, with a broad flattened head, a vertical 
 fin-like tail, and a warty scrofulous skin mottled over with black 
 and brown. The uninitiated public seem to be a little perplexed 
 at finding it in water ; and from hearing it spoken of as a Sala- 
 mander, seem to have a confused notion that the proper place for 
 it would be a good roasting fire. One lady, who was evidently 
 mystified in this fashion, remarked to a companion, as we stood 
 by, that she thought it was " extremely doubtful about its going 
 through the fire," but as she was by no means clear on the 
 point, and would not commit herself, she wisely kept to what 
 she could see, and finished up with the safe position, " It is in 
 water now, at any rate." The tmth is, the Sieboldia is first 
 cousin to our own little Water-Newt, being, like it, an aquatic 
 Salamander, and having nothing to do, therefore, with the re- 
 nowned little fire-eater whose marvellous history has already been 
 given. 
 
 To the geologist the animal is one of unusual interest. It is 
 the nearest existing representative of the famous Homo D-iluvii 
 Testis of Scheuchzer, who, having a kind of monomania on the 
 subject of an universal deluge, was unwearied in collecting organic 
 remains in support of his opinions. The discovery of this fossil 
 Salamander was a perfect godsend to the poor enthusiast. He 
 had no doubt whatever that it was a veritable anthropolite, the 
 petrified remains of one of the accursed race that was swept away 
 by the flood. It seems unaccountable now that such an opinion 
 should have gained any currency amongst men of science, but 
 Scheuchzer's own perfect confidence begat a like faith in others, 
 and for many years this fossil skeleton of a Salamander was an 
 European celebrity, and the great pillar of the popular faith in an 
 universal deluge. It was left to Cuvier to determine the true 
 nature of the animal whose remains had attracted so much atten- 
 tion. The rounded head and the large size of the orbits of the 
 eyes satisfied him that the animal was a Batrachian ; and when, 
 in 1811, he obtained permission to work upon the stone contain- 
 ing the far-famed remains, for the purpose of uncovering any bones 
 which might be still hidden, he placed before the operators the 
 figure of the skeleton of a Salamander ; and he relates with what 
 pleasure they saw the bones corresponding to those in the figure 
 make their appearance as the chisel chipped away piece after 
 
 Q
 
 226 1 CASE OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 
 
 piece of the stone which had previously concealed them from 
 view. 
 
 Poor Scheuchzer's own bones had by that time well-nigh 
 crumbled away, or one can almost fancy they would have 
 rattled in their grave at this terrible exposure of his cherished 
 Homo Diluvii Testis. 
 
 But let us turn from the Gigantic Salamander and his pre- 
 Adamite ally to that most extraordinary case of suspended 
 animation, the Two-toed Sloth (Cholcepus didactylus), which 
 quietly munches a piece of biscuit as he hangs back downwards 
 in the cage close by. The Sloth is the only animal in existence 
 which passes its entire time suspended in this manner from the 
 branches of trees. " The Monkey and the Squirrel," says Mr. 
 Waterton, to whom we are indebted for most of our knowledge of 
 these animals in a state of nature, " seize a branch with their 
 fore-feet, and pull themselves up, and rest or run upon it ; but 
 the Sloth after seizing it still remains suspended, and suspended 
 moves along under the branch till he can lay hold of another." 
 It moves suspended from the branches, it rests suspended from 
 the branches, and it sleeps suspended from the branches, and in 
 fact it is upside down its whole life long. But it is only in that 
 position that it can make itself at all comfortable, for while it is 
 all but helpless on the ground, and is then properly a " sloth," up 
 amongst the branches it is quite at home, and executes its 
 various movements with great rapidity. 
 
 Never, indeed, was misnomer more complete than in the case 
 of the Sloth, having regard, that is, to its proper place and to its 
 natural habits. Here is a picture of the animal in and out of 
 his element, drawn from the life by Mr. Waterton : " One day 
 as we were crossing the river Essequibo, I saw a large Two-toed 
 Sloth on the ground upon the bank. How he got there nobody 
 could tell ; the Indian said he had never surprised a Sloth in 
 such a position before : he could hardly have come there to drink, 
 for above and below the place the branches of the trees touched the 
 water, and afforded him an easy and a safe access to it. Be this as 
 it may, though the trees were not twenty yards from him, he could 
 not make his way through the sand time enough to escape before 
 we landed. As soon as we got up to him he threw himself upon 
 his back, and defended himself in gallant style with his fore legs. 
 ' Come, poor fellow,' said I to him, ' if thoti hast got into a
 
 AT HOME IN THE WOODS. 227 
 
 hobble to-day, tliou sbalt not suffer for it. I'll take no advantage 
 of thee in misfortune. The forest is large enough both for me 
 and thee to rove in. Go thy way up above^ and enjoy thyself in 
 these endless wilds ; it is more than probable thou wilt never 
 have, another interview with man. So fare thee well.' On 
 saying this I took a long stick which was lying there, held it for 
 him to hook on, and then conveyed him to a high and stately 
 mora-tree. He ascended with wonderful rapidity, and in about 
 a minute was almost at the top of the trees. He now went off 
 in a side direction, and caught hold of the branches of another 
 tree, .proceeding in this manner towards the heart of the forest. 
 I stood looking on, lost in amazement at this singular mode of 
 progress. I followed him with my eyes till the intervening 
 branches closed in between us, and then lost sight for ever of the 
 Two-toed Sloth." The Indians, it seems, have a saying, that 
 when the wind blows the Sloth begins to travel ; the interlacing 
 of the branches at such times no doubt making it much easier 
 and safer to proceed from one tree to another. 
 
 Extraordinary as are the structure and habits of the Sloth, it 
 has never been made much of here in -the Gardens, and by the 
 majority of the visitors is passed by as a thing of ordinary every- 
 day experience. Not so was it, however, with his kinsman and 
 near neighbour the Great Anteater, which was exhibited in the 
 same building a few years since, anel which, as a bygone celebrity 
 of the Gardens, merits a passing notice here. 
 
 Being the first animal of the kind which had ever been brought 
 to Europe alive, the Great Anteater naturally attracted much 
 attention, and for a considerable time the anxiety to see it was 
 something bordering on the ludicrous. It was not the easiest 
 thing in the world, however, to get a sight of him, even when 
 you had gone to the Gardens for the purpose. Like all strictly 
 nocturnal animals, it spent the greater part of the day in sleep, a 
 circumstance which the young lady visitors especially pronounced 
 a " shame." It certainly was very provoking, and it is to bo 
 hoped that in the event of another Anteater paying us a visit ho 
 will be taught to comport himself in a more befitting manner. 
 As it was you were pretty sure to find the animal asleep, coiled 
 up upon its bed of straw in a corner of the cage, with a room full 
 of excited visitors waiting its awaking. Everybody put <imit 
 faith, of course, in the label on the front of the cage, and had no
 
 228 GREAT ANTEATER. 
 
 manner of doubt that the shaggy mound iu the corner was 
 truly " Myrmecophaga jubata, the Great Anteater from South 
 America ;" but for all that any one could see, it might have been 
 a goat or a dog, or simply a heap of hair. But at regular in- 
 tervals a keeper entered the cage and roused the animal from his 
 slumbers, and then you had an opportunity of observing its 
 strange ungainly appearance. The two most characteristic parts 
 of it are the head and the tail. The head is remarkably thin and 
 long, covered with short close hair, and slightly curved. At the 
 point of the elongated snout a narrow slit forms the diminutive 
 mouth, from which the animal protrudes its long cylindrical 
 tongue, which hangs down much like a huge black worm. The 
 immense tail has an upward curve, precisely the reverse of the 
 curve of the head ; it almost equals the body in length, and is 
 furnished with a profusion of long flowing hair, which sweeps the 
 ground as the animal walks along, and forms an ample covering 
 for the body when its owner is disposed to coil himself up for a 
 nap. A glance is sufficient to discover that it is the fore 
 limbs which are chiefly em-ployed, whether for work or war. 
 They are extremely thick and muscular, and are armed with 
 large claws, which turn in upon the soles of the feet, so as to 
 give the animal the appearance when in motion of walking on its 
 knuckles. 
 
 ^n a state of nature the Great Anteater lives, so far as is 
 known, exclusively on ants, for the procuring of which its 
 entire organization is beautifully adapted. Standing on its broad 
 hind feet, it breaks through the crust of the ant-hills with its 
 powerful hooked claws, and the moment the insects appear at 
 the breach, it darts its long flexible tongue, covered with a 
 glutinous saliva, into the thickest of the throng, and again draws 
 it into the mouth. By this means a considerable number of 
 ants are speedily obtained, the tongiie being protruded and again 
 drawn in upwards of a hundred times in a minute, and each 
 time of course covered with the insects. 
 
 Like all the Edentate animals, the Great Antcater is natu- 
 rally shy and timid, and endeavours to escape from its assailants 
 by flight. Its pace, however, is slow and awkward, so that it is 
 easily overtaken, and it is said to be so excessively stupid that it 
 may be driven along in whatever direction the driver chooses. 
 f pressed too hard, however, it turns sulky, and sitting up on
 
 BOWER BUILDER. 229 
 
 its hind-quarters, defends itself with great vigour, striking with 
 its powerful claws, and using one arm to support itself, while it 
 strikes with the other. In extreme cases it throws itself upon 
 its back, and endeavours to hug its assailant in a close embrace, 
 when its immense muscular power enables it to overcome the 
 most active of its foes. It is said that even the jaguar has been 
 found dead, locked in its arms. 
 
 The Anteater had been no great while in occupation of its 
 comfortable quarters before it was joined by a companion from 
 its native forests, and for a time they throve so well that hopes 
 were entertained of their surviving the winter, and so becoming 
 established as stock " lions " of the establishment. But these 
 hopes were speedily disappointed, and before long both animals 
 fell to the knife of Professor Owen. 
 
 The Australian continent is scarcely more singular in respect 
 to its native mammalia than in regard to its peculiar birds. It is 
 indeed altogether a land of contrarieties, and the astonishment 
 which years ago greeted the first intelligence of its black swans, 
 and its trees which annually shed their bark instead of their 
 leaves, has been renewed with almost every fresh addition to our 
 knowledge of its natural history. 
 
 In the New Aviary " new," that is, on the same principle 
 that Charlie, a strapping fellow of four years old, is still " baby," 
 because there is no newer there are some of these Australian 
 birds, which, although they have long since ceased to be novelties, 
 are well worthy of attention. In the first place, here is that 
 curious feathered architect, the Satin Bower Bird (Ptilono- 
 rhyncus holosericeus"), which claims kindred with our common 
 crow, and makes good its claim by a strong family likeness. The 
 bowers which these birds construct are formed of two parallel 
 rows of slender twigs, which curve inward, and nearly meet at 
 the top, and which are so artfully arranged that all the projecting 
 points and bifurcations are turned to the outside of the avenue, 
 and a perfectly unobstructed thoroughfare left within. The 
 walls of these curious structures rise from a broad platform of 
 sticks and twigs, closely interwoven and compacted together, 
 which thus forms the floor of the bower, and imparts to it a con- 
 siderable degree of firmness and stability. So far as is yet 
 known, the only purpose for which these bowers are constructed 
 is that of a playground, in which the birds continually amuso
 
 230 ANOMALOUS INCUBATION. 
 
 themselves, chasing each other through the avenue with the 
 greatest glee aud animation, and evidently enjoying the sport. 
 The male bird more especially piits himself into a variety of 
 attitudes, setting his feathers in the most grotesque mauner, and 
 making as many bows as an ancient cavalier in a minuet. But 
 what is still more curious, perhaps, as exhibiting an instinct 
 rarely, if in any other case, observable amongst the lower animals, 
 is, that the birds take great pains to beautify and adorn their 
 bowers, inserting amongst the twigs the gaudiest feathers of the 
 parrot and other birds, and spreading about the platform such 
 conspicuous objects as bleached bones and the shells of snails. 
 
 Another Australian bird of great interest in this aviary is the 
 Wattled Talegalla (Talegalla Lathami), the Brush Turkey of 
 the colonists, which hatches its eggs, not by the ordinary process 
 of incubation, but by placing them in heaps of decaying vegetable 
 matter, and allowing them to remain there undisturbed till 
 brought to maturity by the heat engendered in the process of 
 decomposition. The Talegalla is a gregarious bird, moving about 
 in small companies, much after the manner of our common 
 poultry ; and in the construction of the heaps or mounds, which 
 are of great size, and a pyramidal form, several birds appear to 
 unite their labour. In collecting the materials the birds never 
 use the bill, but grasping a quantity with one foot, throw it 
 back towards the spot where the mound is being formed, and 
 thus make a perfect clearance for some distance around. Some 
 little time is allowed to elapse for the development of heat after 
 the mound is completed, and then the eggs are deposited a few 
 inches distant from each other, and buried between one and two 
 feet deep in the substance of the mound. As soon as the 
 chicken leaves the shell, it excavates a way to light by means of 
 its strong and well-developed feet, when the mother bird, guided 
 by unerring instinct to await this moment, receives her young, 
 and commences the actual duties of parental care. 
 
 The first account of the habits of the Talegalla was given by 
 Mr. Gould in his " Birds of Australia," published in 1842 ; but 
 so extraordinary was the story that, notwithstanding his high 
 authority, it was received with considerable doubt and hesitation. 
 In 1854, however, the entire process of mound-raising, egg- 
 deposition, and hatching was gone through in the Zoological 
 Gardens by a pair of Brush Turkeys which had some time pre-
 
 LAUGHING JACKASS. 231 
 
 viously been added to the collection. On the birds being placed 
 in a large enclosure with an abundance of vegetable material 
 within reach, the male began at once to gather it into a heap, 
 working with his powerful feet precisely as was stated by Mr.. 
 Gould. When the mound had risen to the height of alxwt four 
 feet, and had been brought to an even surface, a depression was 
 made in the centre, and in this the eggs were deposited as they 
 were laid, arranged in a circle about fifteen inches below the 
 summit of the mound, with the smaller end of the egg point- 
 ing downwards. The male bird watched the temperature of the 
 mound very carefully, and an opening was always maintained in 
 the centre of the circle of eggs no doubt for the purpose of 
 ventilation. In about a month after the first egg was laid a 
 young bird was hatched. It appears, however, that for some 
 hours after chipping out of the egg it remains in the mound 
 without making any effort to extricate itself ; and what is still 
 more curious, for the first day or two after it has left the mound 
 it retires there again early in the afternoon, and is carefully 
 covered up for the night by its assiduous father. 
 
 No less than five birds were hatched out of ten eggs which 
 were deposited in the mound in the Gardens ; so that it would 
 appear there is no great improbability of this valuable and 
 interesting bird being ultimately added to our poultry yards. 
 And if it does come amongst us it will hardly come alone, for it 
 has some three or four allies in the Australian bush distinguished 
 by the same remarkable habits, and equally appropriate with 
 itself to adorn the dinner-table. 
 
 One other Australian bird in this aviary remains to be noticed. 
 It is the Gigantic Kingfisher (Dacdo yigantea') zoologically, but 
 popularly it has almost as many aliases as some of its human 
 companions in the bush. Its most usual name perhaps is the 
 very elogant and expressive one of the Laughing Jackass, which 
 it has earned for itself by the peculiar loud gurgling laugh with 
 which it proclaims its whereabouts to the traveller in the bush. 
 This rude and powerful lau^h is the first sound heard in the 
 dawn of the morning, when the woods resound with it on every 
 side ; it rings out again with the same frequency and volume at 
 sunset ; and the regularity with which the bird thus announces 
 the dawn and the decline of day has procured it the appropriate 
 name of the " Settler's Clock."
 
 232 PECULIAR VOCAL PERFORMANCES. 
 
 The Laughing Jackass is a true Kingfisher, although oddly 
 enough it seldom or never goes near the water. It inhabits the 
 dry scrub, feeding like a bird of prey on insects, reptiles, and 
 small mammalia, and differs essentially, therefore, in its habits 
 from the lovely bird which flashes like a jewel along the brooks 
 and rivulets of Europe. At one time it was much persecuted by 
 the settlers, from the idea that it had too great a liking for young 
 poultry ; but the rapid increase of reptiles and vermin of all kinds 
 in the districts where the bird had been destroyed, soon led to a 
 proper estimate of its value ; and it is now a privileged inmate 
 of every farmyard in the Australian colonies. It is a constant 
 attendant about the bush tent, and being of a very companion- 
 able nature, and useful withal, it is regarded with a great deal of 
 favour. 
 
 Dr. Bennett, in his recent " Gatherings of a Naturalist in 
 Australia," says it is no uncommon thing to see ten or a dozen 
 of them perched on the branches of a large gum-tree, and on the 
 traveller exciting them by trying to imitate their peculiar note, 
 instead of flying away, one will immediately commence a gurgling 
 laugh, then another will set up a scream, a third will follow with 
 a loud bark, then they will all chime in with such an extra- 
 ordinary compound of noises as baffles all description. There 
 are three fine specimens of these singular birds in the New Aviary, 
 and every morning they make the place ring again with their 
 boisterous laughter, beginning with a low and gradually rising 
 to a high and loud tone, as though they were highly amused 
 at their own performances. 
 
 The Australian bush has three or four other birds almost 
 equally famous with the Laughing Jackass for the singularity of 
 their notes ; and we may hope that one day they will all be 
 assembled here in the Gardens together. There is first the little 
 Bell Bird, whose tinkling note is a pleasant sound to the thirsty 
 wanderer, always indicating the nearness of water ; then there is 
 the Razor Grinder, which perches on some lofty tree and sends 
 out its rapid scizaring, grinding notes, as though it was driving 
 an excellent business in sharpening up old cutlery ; and lastly, 
 there is the Coach-Whip Bird, which first of all startles the tra- 
 veller with his loud whistle, and then finishes up with a sharp 
 smack like the crack of a coach-whip. Mr. Sclatcr can surely 
 contrive to engage the services of a few of these very original
 
 POOR JACK. 233 
 
 geniuses, and their presence in the Aviary would be a decided 
 attraction. 
 
 In no part of the Eegent's Park Gardens are there so many 
 interesting and imposing looking animals crowded together as in 
 the long narrow strip which lies north of the public drive, and to 
 which we make our way through the tunnel. Here are to be 
 found the huge herbivorous mammalia of Africa, the Elephant, 
 the Rhinoceros, the Hippopotamus, the Giraffe, and the rest of 
 them, with the beautiful series of Antelopes, and the great 
 Struthoid Birds of Africa, Asia, and America. 
 
 A few steps from the tunnel brings the visitor to the fine 
 umbrageous walk in which on bright summer days you are pretty 
 sure to meet Chuny the perambulating Elephant, shuffling along 
 with his howdah filled with delighted and yet half-frightened 
 children. The Zoological Society is under a cloud just at present 
 in respect to elephantine wealth. It has never yet made good 
 the loss it sustained years ago by the death of poor Jack, who 
 was the most good tempered and amusing of elephants ; hardly 
 inferior, one would suppose, to the worthy of which Pliny tells us 
 that, not being " so good of capacity to take out his lesson and 
 learn that which was taught him, and being beaten and beaten 
 again for that blockish and dull head of his, he ivas found study- 
 ing and conning those feats in the night which he had been learn- 
 ing in the daytime." Apropos of " dissection," when poor Jack 
 was cut up, Professor Owen was well-nigh paying a terrible 
 penalty for the zeal with which he prosecuted the work. In en- 
 deavouring to extract the brain whole, he wounded his left hand 
 in two places, and though the larger wound was immediately 
 cauterized, dangerous symptoms began to exhibit themselves, and 
 for a while his friends were greatly concerned for his safety. 
 The elephants hitherto exhibited in the Gardens, as indeed all 
 that have yet been brought to this country, are from India, the 
 African Elephant being one of the good things which the Zoolo- 
 gical Society are hoping to receive from Dr. Livingstone. 
 
 It will appear very disrespectful no doubt to that pre-eminent 
 "lion" of bygone times, the Hippopotamus, to pass him, or 
 rather them, by without a word ; but pass them by we must, for 
 all that : so, too, with their next-door neighbours, the Giraffes, 
 those slim, clean, "young-lady animals," as Leigh Hunt calls 
 them, for the reader is growing tired ; and here at the very ex-
 
 234 GIGANTIC BIRDS. 
 
 tremity of the Gardens are two interesting groups of animals 
 which well deserve all that remains of the present chapter. 
 
 The first of these groups or collections is that formed by the 
 noble series of Struthoid Birds, the Ostrich and its allies, of 
 which nearly all the existing species are here exhibited. The 
 latest addition to this extraordinary race of birds is the Mooruk 
 (Casuarius Bennetti\ which has recently been discovered in the 
 island of New Britain, and whose habits in a state of domestica- 
 tion have been very fully described in the " Gatherings of a 
 Naturalist " by Dr. Bennett, the gentleman who sent the bird to 
 this country, and after whom it is named. The Mooruk is most 
 nearly allied to the Cassowary, from which, however, it may 
 readily be distinguished by the triangular horny crest of the 
 head and the brilliant cobalt blue of the naked skin on the upper 
 part of the neck. The great peculiarity of the Struthoid Birds 
 consists in the extraordinary development which is given to the 
 legs, on which the entire business of locomotion is devolved, and 
 the corresponding diminution in power of the wings, which in no 
 case are adequate to raise the body into the air, and in most of 
 the species are merely rudimentary. The wing-bones are most 
 fully developed in the Ehea or American Ostrich, of which tuere 
 are two or three distinct species here in the Gardens and next 
 in the Ostrich, in both of which the diminished organs of flight 
 render aid in running : while in the Cassowary and the Emeu, 
 and in the curious Apteryx of New Zealand, this characteristic 
 part of the structure in birds generally is reduced to the most 
 rudimentary form. In all the species alike the leg bones are 
 immensely developed, and endowed with enormous strength, so 
 that the birds are enabled to course along with a speed superior 
 to that of the fleetest horse, and to deal out blows, which, at 
 close quarters, render them extremely formidable antagonists. 
 
 By far the most interesting circumstance in relation to these 
 great wingless birds is the discovery of what seems to have been 
 the metropolis of the race. In the two principal islands of New 
 Zealand, wherein, so far as is known, the Struthoid Birds are 
 now represented solely by the Apteryx, the smallest of the race, 
 there have been discovered within the last twenty years the re- 
 mains of no less than twenty distinct species of birds belonging to 
 this family, some of which were not larger than the Turkey, while 
 others were more than double the size of the Ostrich, the largest
 
 MONSTER FXJG. 235 
 
 of existing birds. It is one of the most marvellous facts in 
 Natural History, that within the limited area of New Zealand 
 so many of these huge birds should have been associated to- 
 gether ; and the fact becomes all the more remarkable when we 
 consider how widely the existing species of the family are now 
 separated from each other over the surface of the globe. 
 
 There is reason to believe, however, that New Zealand was not 
 alone in the possession of these huge wingless birds, the egg of an- 
 other species having been discovered in the Island of Madagascar. 
 The size of this monster may be inferred from the fact that its 
 egg would hold the contents of 6 eggs of the Ostrich, 16 eggs of 
 the Cassowary, or 148 eggs of the common Fowl. It is highly 
 probable that these huge birds have lived contemporaneously with 
 man. In New Zealand the natives have a tradition that the bones 
 belong to a bird of the Eagle kind, which has now become 
 extinct, and to which they give the name of Moa : moreover 
 the bones are decidedly recent, being by no means mineralized, 
 and retaining a large proportion of their animal matter. 
 
 Let us pass from these huge birds now dead and gone, unless 
 indeed, some of them should turn up alive by and by in Mada- 
 gascar, which is not altogether improbable to a huge Antelope, 
 still alive and available to good purpose. The Eland is the 
 prince of Antelopes, and stands almost as high as an Ox ; and, 
 what is more to the purpose, he is even better than an Ox in a 
 gastronomic point of view. 
 
 " In shape and general aspect," says Sir Cornwallis Harris, 
 " he resembles a Guzerat Ox, not unfrequently attaining the 
 height of nineteen hands at the withers, and absolutely weighing 
 from fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds ! By all classes in 
 Africa the flesh of the Eland is deservedly esteemed over that of 
 any other animal. Both in grain and colour it resembles beef, 
 but far better tasted and more delicate, possessing a pure game 
 flavour, and exhibiting the most tempting looking layers of fat 
 and lean, the surprising quantity of the former ingredient with 
 which it is interlarded exceeding that of any other game quad- 
 ruped with which I am acquainted. The venison fairly melts 
 in the mouth ; and as for the brisket, that is absolutely a cut for 
 a monarch !" 
 
 This noble and " promising " animal was first imported into 
 England in the year 1840 by the late Earl of Derby, by whom
 
 23(3 THE ELAND. 
 
 a herd was bequeathed to the Zoological Society. They are per- 
 fectly capable it appears of enduring all the vicissitudes of our cli- 
 mate, and are now being established in the parks of many of the 
 nobility in various parts of the country. 
 
 May the princely beast continue to prosper, and at no distant 
 day may he lie in noble sirloins, barons, and briskets among 
 the commonplaces of our butchers' stalls !
 
 237 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 CONCERN ING BATS. 
 
 " The shrieking bat 
 * * * * # 
 
 Would even swoop, and touch us as he flew ; 
 And vainly still our hopes to entertain, 
 Would stint his route and circle us again." 
 
 THE pictures of rural life and scenery which occur in such rich 
 profusion in the simple verses of John Clare, the peasant poet of 
 Northamptonshire, are drawn with such vivid truthfulness and 
 force that no one can fail to be struck with their aptness and 
 beauty. Poor Clare ! The gay world that once petted and 
 caressed him, as a sort of phenomenon that it did well to make 
 much of, little recks that he still lingers out a lunatic life in 
 hopeless darkness and vacuity. Not long since we went to see 
 him in the asylum at Northampton, where for more than 
 twenty years he has been the companion of idiots and lunatics 
 like himself. It was a sad sight to recognize in the dull and 
 heavy countenance of the poor unfortunate of fifty-eight years, the 
 same features that have such a noble aspect in Hilton's portrait 
 of the poet of twenty-seven, prefixed to his "Village Minstrel," 
 but there was no mistaking the face notwithstanding the change. 
 His conversation if conversation it can be called, was sad- 
 dening too, the more saddening from the odd jumble of good 
 sense with the most extravagant absurdities of which it 
 consisted. The " Quarterly Review " had not long before, in an 
 article on the county of Northampton, referred to his uncourtly 
 behaviour when a real, unsophisticated peasant poet, fresh from 
 the country, he was transported all-a-growing into the hot-bed of 
 London life, under the guidance of Lord Radsteck, his chief 
 showman. On our alluding to the matter with an assumed play- 
 fulness, he said, "Yes, they wanted me to talk fine, but I 
 wouldn't." And then in reply to a question as to whether he
 
 238 JOHN CLARE. 
 
 had written anything lately, he said, " No, I haven't written a 
 line for a hundred and fifty years ; and I won't write any 
 more. It has brought me into bondage, and I want my liberty. 
 
 I can plough, and sow, 
 And reap, and mow ; 
 
 and I want to be a farmer's boy. I want to go into Northamp- 
 ton." Pitiful indeed was the tone in which the poor fellow 
 spoke; and soon he wandered away into the wildest extra- 
 vagances of his being a son of George III., and of his not being a 
 man at all, but a spirit, that could stand fire and water ; and of 
 dragons that came and flopped down in the yard with their 
 great wings about them ; and into still wilder and more painful 
 extravagances, till the surgeon stopped him by a touch on the 
 shoulder, and, " Ah ! Mr. Clare, that will do." It appears that 
 until within the last six or seven years he was frequently allowed to 
 leave the asylum and to go into Northampton, where, under the 
 walls of All Saints church, he used to sit giving out verses of 
 his own composition for beer and tobacco. These unwise indul- 
 gences, however, were at length discontinued, and he now remains 
 constantly within the grounds of the asylum, dead to the world 
 outside, and almost forgotten. 
 
 But all this is beside the mark ; and as poor Clare has led us 
 away from our subject, he shall also bring us back. It is evening 
 then, good reader, and now 
 
 " The owl mopes out, and scouting bats 
 
 Begin their giddy round ; 
 While countless swarms of dancing gnats 
 Each water-pudge surround." 
 
 Gnats, Bats, and Owls ! They are very properly associates 
 together ; for they are not only alike, things of the evening, but 
 they stand to each other in the relation of food and feeders the 
 Gnats in the first place helping to fatten the Bats, and these in 
 their turn falling a prey to the Owls. 
 
 There are few animals perhaps which, so familiarly know 
 as the Bat, have at the same time been the subject of such 
 general misconception. Possessing certain obvious character- 
 istics in common with ordinary quadrupeds, and yet organized 
 for flight like birds, it has alternately been ranked with both
 
 POSITION OF THE BAT. 239 
 
 those divisions of the animal world ; while its striking dis- 
 similarity in many respects to both has led again to the resolute 
 denial that it belonged to either. The common English name of 
 "flitter mouse" clearly indicates the position which in the 
 popular estimation the Bat occupies. It is a veritable flying 
 mouse, the descendant, perhaps, of some ancient pilferer of 
 cheese, who, not content with cupboard life, and ambitious of 
 moving in a higher sphere, gradually became endowed with 
 those wonderful organs of flight by which the race are now 
 distinguished. 
 
 The ancients very generally regarded the Bats as aves non 
 av?.s, birds yet not birds ; as though they were, what we some- 
 times still hear them described, " half bird and half beast." In 
 Hebrew the Bat is attaleph, the bird of darkness ; and in the 
 Book of Deuteronomy it is mentioned last in the list of unclean 
 birds prohibited as food. Pliny was evidently in doubt as to the 
 Bat, for though he classes it with birds, he does it as it were 
 under protest. " No flying fowle,"he says, " hath teeth, save only 
 the Bat or Winged Mouse :" and in his tenth book, at the end of 
 his discourse on Birds proper, he gives the Bat a short chapter 
 to itself, and tells us that the Eere-mouse or Bat, alone of all 
 creatures that fly, bringeth forth young alive," and that " she is 
 the only bird that suckleth her little ones with her paps and gives 
 them milk." The oddest notion with respect to the true position 
 of the Bat, is that of Aldrovandi, the celebrated naturalist of the 
 sixteenth century, who boldly struck out in a new path, and 
 classed it with the Ostrich. His idea was that as the Ostrich 
 was a bird, which, while unable to fly, could yet run like a quad- 
 ruped, and the Bat was apparently a quadruped which, unable to 
 walk or run like other quadrupeds, could yet fly like a bird, the 
 two might very properly take their place together as a special 
 class of mongrels or monstrosities. 
 
 The peculiar organs of flight with which the Bats are provided 
 exhibit one of the most singular modifications of animal struc- 
 ture observable in the whole range of animated nature. Unlike 
 the wings of birds, which are formed by the feathery appendages 
 of the fore-limbs, these curious organs consist of a thin and 
 extremely delicate membrane, which is continued from the skin 
 of the body, and connected with all four of the limbs, and in 
 jnost cases with the tail as well. It is owing to the peculiar
 
 240 CONFORMATION OF WINGS. 
 
 conformation of the fore-limbs, however, and especially to that of 
 the bones of the fingers, upon which the wing-membrane is 
 stretched, that the Bat is enabled to make its way through the air 
 by means of this singular structure. These bones are all greatly 
 elongated ; those of the fingers having much the appearance of 
 the ribs of an umbrella, and, like them, serve to expand or fold 
 \\p the covering to which they are attached. The thumb is the 
 only part of the hand which does not partake of the general en- 
 largement. This member remains undeveloped, and is furnished 
 with a powerful hooked claw, by means of which the Bat is 
 enabled to drag itself forward on flat surfaces, and climb about 
 in the dark retreats to which it retires by day. The hind legs, 
 although connected with the wings, and serving in part to 
 support them, exhibit no marked peculiarity of form. The feet 
 have five toes, armed with strong claws, by which the animal 
 usually suspends itself in its seasons of repose, hanging with its 
 head downwards. The entire power of the Bat seems con- 
 centrated upon the fore part of its body and the organs of flight. 
 The principal bones of the wing are all possessed of great 
 strength, and the sternum or breast-bone has the same keel-like 
 projection for the attachment of the muscles which move the 
 wing as is observable in birds. 
 
 Thus expressly organized for an aerial existence, it is not to 
 be wondered at that the Bat is incapable of any but the most 
 awkward and grotesque movements on the ground. In this 
 position, indeed, with its wings folded, and shuffling or jerking 
 itself along, it would scarcely be recognized as the same being 
 which a few minutes before, it may be, was skimming the air 
 with easy graceful movements, wheeling, doubling, and again 
 darting forward with the greatest rapidity. The Bat is greatly 
 aided in these abrupt evolutions by the tail, which acts as a sort 
 of rudder, enabling the animal to regulate and change the 
 direction of its flight, whatever its speed, with the utmost 
 facility. 
 
 The membrane of which the wing is composed is usually 
 entirely naked, both above and below, and endowed with the 
 most exquisite sensibility. It was long since proved by 
 Spallanzaui, indeed, that it is chiefly owing to the extreme 
 delicacy of perception in this membrane that the Bat is enabled 
 to avoid coming into collision with obstacles in its path when
 
 A SIXTH SENSE. 241 
 
 pursuing its flight in the dark cavernous retreats it frequents, or 
 when flying abroad in the dusky air of evening. With a zeal 
 for the advancement of knowledge which apparently rendered 
 him oblivious to the cruelty of his proceedings, that eminent 
 naturalist first deprived the I'ats he experimented upon of their 
 eyes, and then set them at liberty in a large apartment in which 
 were placed lines and rods crossing each other in every direction 
 and from which escape could only be made by apertures barely 
 large enough ta allow the animals to pass without their striking 
 against the sides. And yet we are assured the poor blinded 
 creatures threaded the maze of obstructions without once coming 
 in contact with them, and finally passed out of the apertures, 
 without even brushing the sides with their wings. It has been 
 questioned by many naturalists whether this extraordinary 
 ]K)\ver of ascertaining the proximity of solid bodies should be 
 regarded merely as an extension or refinement of the sense of 
 touch, or as a sixth and unnamed sense peculiar to the Bat tribe. 
 
 It seems, however, that this extraordinary power of ascertain- 
 ing the proximity of solid bodies is in some measure dependent 
 on the sense of hearing, which with that of smell is also 
 developed to an unusual degree in many of the Bat tribe, the 
 organs of those senses being proportionately conspicuous. In tho 
 Long-eared Bat of this country the ears are nearly equal to 
 the body in length, and there is an inner fold of the membrane 
 of the external ears which has the appearance of a second pair 
 of those organs. The nose, again, often partakes of the same 
 singular development, being furnished with curious leaf-like 
 appendages, formed by a prolongation of the skin, which is folded 
 and doubled in various directions, so as frequently to present a 
 most grotesque appearance, as in the Horseshoe Bats. But 
 these peculiarities of structure are confined to that division of 
 the tribe which capture insects on the wing, and are wholly 
 wanting in those species which subsist on fruits and other vege- 
 table food. 
 
 The Bats come abroad almost exclusively during twilight 
 and the darkness of night, remaining concealed by day in hollow 
 trees, caverns, and holes in rocks, the dark recesses of ruins, 
 under the eaves of houses, and other similar situations. 
 
 There are few places, indeed, at all capable of affording the 
 Bat a safe retreat during its daily rest which are not turned tu
 
 242 DIURNAL RETREATS. 
 
 account, and they are sometimes found snugly stowed away in 
 the most unlikely situations. Mr. Crouch of Polperro men- 
 tions that in a church in that neighbourhood some marks of a 
 Bat having been found on the floor, immediately under an iron 
 helmet fixed against the wall at a considerable elevation, a roll of 
 flaming sulphur was held below the helmet, when no less than 
 seventeen Bats made their way out and escaped ; and that some 
 time previously, when the roof of the same church was being 
 repaired, as many Bats were caught as would hav.e filled a wheel- 
 barrow. In favourable situations these animals nestle away 
 durin"' the daytime in great numbers ; and it is no uncommon 
 circumstance in the dusk of a summer evening to find a cat 
 attentively watching the entrance to one of these favourite re- 
 treats, ready to pounce upon the poor Bats the moment they 
 emerge. Moreover, they have no sooner got clear of this enemy, 
 and begun their giddy round, than they are exposed to another 
 and still more dangerous foe, in the shape of the Owl, which 
 seems to have quite as great a partiality for Bats as mice. 
 
 Within the tropics, where the Bat tribe attains its greatest 
 development, both as to size and numbers, the spectacle they 
 afford in the retreats to which they retire by day is often of the 
 most singular character. A writer in the " Zoologist " for 1859, 
 states that in the limestone caves of Jamaica the Bats are found 
 by day in immense numbers, and that when they are disturbed 
 by the entrance of people with lights, the noise of their wings 
 sounds like the murmur of a distant sea. In one case the sides 
 and roof, of a cave half a mile in extent, were crowded with a Bat 
 of large size, which brings into its domicile incredible quantities 
 of the kernels and fragments of large fruits on which it feeds, 
 and which, with the droppings of the animals themselves, form 
 deposits several feet in thickness over the entire floor of the cave. 
 The horror of the scene is greatly enhanced by the fact that a 
 sickly crop of young colourless plants struggle upwards in the 
 darkness, while vast numbers of a large wingless insect, allied to 
 the cockroach, feed on the decaying matter, and themselves form 
 the prey of huge spiders, with formidable jaws, like the claws 
 of the scorpion, which slowly creep along the walls. 
 
 But the most curious scenes of this kind are those afforded by 
 the assemblages of the great fruit-eating Bats of India and the 
 Indian Archipelago the Flying Foxes of Europeans which ma
 
 A NOISY COMMUNITY. 243 
 
 pcnd themselves in the open air from the branches of large trees. 
 Sir Emerson Tennant has given us an interesting account of the 
 habits of one of these animals found in Ceylon. They take pos- 
 session, he says, during the day, of particular trees, upon which 
 they hang like so much ripe fruit. It seems, however, that every 
 morning between the hours of nine and eleven they take it into 
 their heads to have a little exercise, and dropping from the tree?, 
 they go wheeling about in the air, a hundred or more together, 
 and apparently enjoying the sunshine and warmth. On their 
 return from this morning exercise there is always a good deal of 
 chattering and screaming amongst them before they can again 
 get comfortably settled in their places ; but once that is accom- 
 plished, they become quiet and remain so until the evening, 
 when they move off towards their feeding- grounds. 
 
 With respect to size, the tropics seem to have both extremes of 
 the Bat tribe ; for while the great Flying Foxes reach four and 
 five feet in the expaese of their wings, there are other Bats to be 
 found iu the same regions which are the merest pigmies. One 
 mentioned by Sir E. Tennant is not larger than a Humble Bee. 
 It is of a glossy black colour ; and is so familiar that it will 
 alight on the table during dinner, and seldom makes any effort 
 to escape before a wine-glass can be inverted over it. 
 
 In cold and temperate climates the Bats are comparatively 
 small, and the whole of them belong to the insectivorous section 
 of the tribe. Their food consists principally of moths, gnats, arid 
 other late-flying insects ; and considering the great abundance of 
 the tribe, they must act as an important check upon that descrip- 
 tion of insect life. In thus subsisting upon the crepuscular or 
 twilight-flying and nocturnal insects, the Bats discharge a simi- 
 lar office to that of the Swallows with respect to the insects 
 which fly by day ; and, like those birds, they have the gape con- 
 siderably widened and enlarged, to enable them the more readily 
 to capture their prey without pausing in their rapid flight. 
 
 As the season advances, and the heat begins to abate, our 
 native Bats gradually disappear from their accustomed haunts, 
 and retire to their winter quarters, where, huddled together, often 
 in great numbers, and sometimes two or three distinct species in 
 the same retreat, they suspend themselves by their hind feet, and 
 remain in a dormant state until the approach of spring. The dif- 
 ferent species are by no means uniform as to the period of their
 
 244 BURIED ALIVE. 
 
 disappearance. The Noctule, or great High- flying, Bat is the 
 earliest to retire, being seldom seen after July, while the Pipis- 
 trelle, or Common Bat, continues abroad to the end of autumn, 
 and may occasionally be seen flitting about in fine weather in the 
 depth of winter. 
 
 In retiring for their winter sleep they resort to pretty much 
 the same kind of places as those in which they pass the hours 
 of daylight in summer-time. Like the Jackdaws, the Bats seem 
 to be very partial to ecclesiastical retreats, and it is no great 
 while ago that a paragraph appeared in some of the newspapers, 
 to the effect that the verger of Peterborough Cathedral was 
 making a little fortune by exhibiting upwards of two hundred 
 Bats which had quietly hung themselves up for the winter in a 
 dark corner in one of the towers of that venerable edifice. 
 
 It sometimes happens that in its efforts to find out a snug and 
 secure place in which to pass the winter, the Bat insinuates 
 itself into places which seem absolutely closed against it, and 
 thus it has occurred that stories have got abroad of these animals 
 having been found alive in situations where they have been im- 
 mured for many years. A case of this kind is recorded in the 
 " Zoologist " for 1854. It appears that in making some repairs 
 in the pavement of the aisle of a village church, it was found ne- 
 cessary to remove some bricks from the wall of an adjoining 
 vault, and one of the workmen thrusting in his hand, was ter- 
 ribly alarmed at its coming in contact with a Bat suspended from 
 the roof of the vault. 
 
 The vault was formed of solid masonry, and no aperture or 
 even a crack could, it is said, be discovered, by which the Bat 
 could have entered. And to make the marvel greater, there was 
 good reason to believe that the vault had not been opened for a 
 hundred and six years ! The narrator of the discovery is fully 
 persuaded, of course, that the animal had been walled up the 
 whole of that period ; but the fact that it was only half torpid 
 on being taken out of the vault, and that it speedily thereafter 
 recovered the use of its wings and made good its escape, is the 
 best proof that it was not such an ancient as its discoverer sup- 
 posed. 
 
 No less than fifteen or sixteen species of Bats are found in 
 Britain, but the great majority of them are either rare or confined 
 to a fe\v localities, and thus are seldom seen. The little Pipis-
 
 MOTH HUK'iTSG. 245 
 
 trelle (Vespertili pipistrettus\ already alluded to, is at once the 
 most abundant and the smallest of the number, and the one 
 which most frequents the haunts of man. It particularly affects 
 the neighbourhood of ponds and rivers, flying about the trees and 
 over the surface of the water in search of gnats and other small 
 two-winged insects, of which its food principally consists. This 
 little Bat, however, has the reputation, in some parts of the 
 country, of flying down the chimneys of the farmhouses, and 
 feasting on the suspended flitches of bacon, and though the 
 story has often been laughed at, there seems good reason to be- 
 lieve that it is strictly true. Certain it is, the Pipistrelle has a 
 great partiality for cold joints, and not unfrequently finds its way 
 to them in the pantry, and makes a hearty meal. 
 
 Equally abundant with the Pipistrelle in some parts of the 
 country is the Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auritus). 
 
 In the month of October, when the ivy is in full blossom, and 
 much frequented by moths and other insects, this elegant Bat, 
 in company with the Pipistrelle, may constantly be seen in early 
 dusk 
 
 " The moth-time of uight," 
 
 passing and repassing the ivy-covered walls of its hunting- 
 grounds, and eagerly snapping up the moths that come to settle 
 on the blossoms ; and so intent are they on their work, that 
 any one provided with an insect-net may capture them without 
 difficulty. It would appear, indeed, that this same season of the 
 year is the harvest-time of the Bats, for they are then always 
 plump and fat, well provided with that accumulation of substance 
 which is necessary to fepair the waste of the system during the 
 long fast of their winter sleep. 
 
 The largest of our native Bats is the Noctule (Noctulinia 
 aHivolans), the great High-flying Bat of White's " Selborne," in 
 which it was first noticed and described. It is over fourteen 
 inches in the expanse of its wings, the Pipistrelle being but eight 
 or nine inches ; and Mr. Jesse mentions the finding at Hampton 
 Court Palace of the skeleton of a Bat which must have been 
 as large as a pigeon. The historian of Selborne notices the fact 
 that the Noctule ranges very high for its food, exactly as the 
 Swifts do, and furthermore, that they both disappear much 
 earlier than their congeners ; whence he very naturally infers
 
 246 THE VAMPIRE. 
 
 that they both subsist on the same sort of high-flying insects, and 
 that these continuing abroad but a short time limit the period of 
 activity in bat and bird alike. 
 
 The Horse-shoe Bats are so named from certain curious leaf- 
 like appendages which they have to the nostrils, and which, from 
 the singularity of their shape usually that of a horse-shoe and 
 the prominence of their position, give the animals a very odd 
 and repulsive appearance. Two of our native Bats belong to this 
 section of the tribe, the greater and the lesser Horse-shoe Bats, 
 though from their comparative rarity and the peculiarity of their 
 habits, haunting dark secluded caverns, they are seldom seen 
 and but little known. In the warmer parts of the globe, however, 
 these Bats occur in considerable abundance ; and Dr. Bennett in 
 his " Gatherings of a Naturalist," gives an interesting account of 
 one of them which is found in Australia. It is the Great-leaved 
 Horse-shoe Bat {Ehi/ndlopkus megapliyllus), and occurs in the 
 Gudarigby Caverns, on entering which with torches, Dr. B. says 
 he saw them in great numbers, and was much annoyed by their 
 flapping against his face in their eagerness to escape from the 
 lights. But the most interesting point is, that the skeletons of 
 several of these Bats were found suspended from the roof of the 
 cavern, no doubt in the position in which the animals had died. 
 
 In the tropical regions of South America the Bats are large in 
 size and very numerous ; and many of them subsist in part on 
 the blood of animals, which they obtain by puncturing the skin 
 and sucking the wound while their victim is asleep. One of 
 these is the bloodthirsty Vampire Bat ( Vampirus spectrum) so 
 celebrated in fable and romance. The fearful stories which have 
 been circulated with respect to the habits of these Bats are not 
 without some foundation in fact, although the small modicum of 
 fact has been amplified into a vast amount of fiction. But, as in 
 all cases of the kind, there is no want of authorities who are ready 
 to back up the most extravagant statements as to the frightful 
 powers which these animals possess. 
 
 Here, for example, is Captain Stedmau, who is ready to assure 
 us that the Vampire knows by instinct when the person it in- 
 tends to attack is in a sound slumber, and that alighting near 
 the feet, it bites a piece out of the tip of the great toe, very small 
 it is true, so that the head of a pin could scarcely be received into 
 the wound, which is consequently not painful ; but that through
 
 The Great-leaved Horse-shoe Bat in the Gudarigby Caverns. 
 
 Page 2W.
 
 MODE OF ATTACK. 247 
 
 this orifice the animal continues to suck the blood until it ia 
 obliged to disgorge ; that it then begins again, and thus continues 
 sucking and disgorging till it is scarcely able to fly ; the sufferer 
 meanwhile sleeps on, not unfrequently continuing to sleep from 
 time into eternity. The captain further states that on one occa- 
 sion he was attacked himself, and that on waking up from 
 his sleep he observed several small heaps of coagulated blood 
 around the spot where he had lain, and that from these it was 
 estimated that during the night he had lost from twelve to 
 fourteen ounces of blood at least. No wonder that with such 
 circumstantial evidence before them writers on Natural History 
 have striven to keep up the reputation of the Vampire, and "have 
 now and then embellished the story with little additional touches 
 of their own. Thus Mr. Wood in his " Zoography " quotes 
 the account of Captain Stedman, and then goes on : " it is said to 
 perform the operation by inserting its acukated tongue into the 
 vein of a sleeping person with so much dexterity as not to be 
 felt, at the same time fanning the air with its large wings, and 
 thus producing a sensation so delightfully cool that the sleep is 
 rendered still more profound, and the unfortunate person reduced 
 almost to death before he awakes." The picture is well drawn, 
 but unfortunately some of its most striking features are alto- 
 gether imaginary. 
 
 The truth of the matter seems to be that while these Bats do 
 occasionally attack the exposed feet of persons that they find 
 asleep, the injury they inflict is never serious unless, as Cuvier 
 says, the wound becomes envenomed by the climate. It is well- 
 known, however, that they attack horses and cattle and smaller 
 animals, although it is extremely doubtful whether any of these 
 even are ever actually killed from the effects of their bites. 
 
 Between the two great divisions of the Bat tribe the Insecti- 
 vorous and the Frugivorous, or fruit-eating kinds there is an 
 obvious dissimilarity in the conformation of the teeth, in the 
 character of the digestive organs, and in other less important 
 points of structure. In the former division, which includes 
 by far the greatest number of species, the molar teeth are 
 sot with pointed tubercles, adapted to crush the harder parts 
 of their insect prey, while their canines are frequently of 
 large size, and extremely sharp pointed. The intestinal canal, 
 again, is unusually short, and evidently intended for thy
 
 24.8 FLYING FOXES. 
 
 digestion of animal food. On the other hand, in the Frugi- 
 vorous Bats, the molar teeth are furnished with rounded 
 eminences adapted for the mastication of vegetable food, while 
 the stomach is of an exceedingly complex character, and the 
 intestines are many times the length of the body. In these Bats 
 too, there is no unusual development of the nose or ears, and in 
 many cases the tail is considerably shortened, and the meml.rane 
 between the hind limbs greatly reduced, or wholly absent. All 
 these characteristics mark the Bats of this division as being little 
 qualified for the pursuit of living prey, but rather designed to 
 subsist chiefly, if not exclusively, on vegetable food. 
 
 The strictly Frugivorous Bats comprise but one family the 
 Pteropide or Rousette Bats, the Flying Foxes already alluded to. 
 These Bats are confined for the most part to the tropical regions 
 of the Old World, over which, however, they are widely dis- 
 tributed. One of the most remarkable of the number, and one 
 which, as to its habits, may be taken as a representative of the 
 rest, is the Kalong of Java (Pteropus Javanicus), an enormous 
 creature, with a fox-like head, measuring five feet in the expanse 
 of its wings. Our knowledge of this animal is chiefly derived 
 from Dr. Horsfield, who states that it is very abundant in the 
 lower parts of Java, where it lives in troops, often of several 
 hundreds, which frequent large trees like the banyan. The 
 greater part of the day they pass in sleep, hanging motionless, 
 with the head downwards, and the wings wrapped about the 
 body. They have little resemblance to living beings, and by 
 persons not accustomed to them are readily mistaken for a part of 
 the tree, or for fruit of uncommon size suspended from its 
 branches. In general these societies preserve a perfect silence 
 during the day, but if they happen to be disturbed, or a quarrel 
 arises amongst them, they emit sharp piercing shrieks, and 
 shuffle about in such an awkward manner as to present a very 
 ludicrous spectacle. In consequence of the sharpness of their 
 claws, their attachment is so strong that they cannot readily 
 leave their hold without the assistance of the expanded mem- 
 brane, and if suddenly killed in their natural attitude during 
 the day, they continue suspended after death. It is necessary 
 therefore to oblige them to take wing by alarming them, if it be 
 desired to obtain them during the day. Soon after sunset they 
 quit tfieir hold of the tree, and set off in quest of food to the
 
 POPULAR ANTIPATHY. 249 
 
 villages and plantations, where they occasion much mischief by 
 attacking and devouring indiscriminately almost every kind of 
 fruit, from the cocoa-nuts which surround the villages of the 
 peasantry, to the rare and delicate productions which are culti- 
 vated with care by princes and chiefs of distinction. In the 
 lower parts of Java there are few situations where this night 
 wanderer is not constantly observed, and the chase of t,he animal 
 affords occasionally a very agreeable amusement to the inhabit- 
 ants during the beautiful serene moonlight nights of that part o* 
 the globe. 
 
 According to Dr. Bennett there are at least two species of these 
 Bats to be found in Australia. The commonest is Pteropus 
 Edwardsii, which occurs in great abundance about Morton Bay, 
 and the northern districts of New South Wales, where they may 
 be seen in the daytime hanging in dense masses from the upper- 
 most branches of the lofty gum-trees, which bend under the 
 burden as though they would break off and come crashing to the 
 ground. In the neighbourhood of Sydney these Bats are rarely 
 seen, but in the year 1858 a number of them were observed 
 suspended from the topmost branches of the lofty trees in the 
 Sydney Botanic Gardens, where they attracted considerable 
 attention. 
 
 In nearly all the countries where these great fruit-eating Bats 
 occur, they are hunted by the natives as an article of food ; and 
 Leichhardt, the Australian traveller, assured Dr. Bennett that 
 they were by no means unpalatable, notwithstanding that they 
 have when alive a strong and by no means agreeable musky 
 odour. 
 
 It is owing in great part, no doubt, to the peculiarity in the 
 form of the Bats, and to the unnatural character which thus 
 seems to be stamped upon them, that they have always been 
 regarded with more or less of superstition and dread. The poets 
 of almost every age have employed them as the emblems of all 
 that is dark and terrible, and in the popular imagination they are 
 ever ranked with those ill-omened creatures and" chimeras dire " 
 which excite the feelings of loathing and horror. That it is 
 especially the wings of the Bat which have procured for it a place 
 amongst these proscribed and hated creatures may be inferred 
 from xhe fact that those organs are always taken by the artist as 
 the type and model of the winga of the ministers of evil, as thoso
 
 250 OFFICE IN NATUEE. 
 
 of the dove are taken for the wings of the angels of mercy. It is 
 evident, however, that the constant association of the tribe with 
 gloom and darkness, with crumbling ruins and dismal caverns, 
 and their frequent occurrence amongst the abodes of the dead, 
 have all contributed to give strength and permanence to these 
 feelings, and to render the entire race the objects of special 
 aversion to the majority of mankind. 
 
 And yet, with the exception of some of the larger kinds, which 
 were utterly unknown until long after these feelings were current, 
 the whole tribe is not only innocent and harmless, but the means 
 of positive good. They check and keep under the teeming abun- 
 dance of insect life, and thus tend to preserve that balance of 
 nature which the Creator has rendered indispensable to the sus- 
 tentation and enjoyment of the various races of his dependent 
 creatures.
 
 251 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 A MONOGRAPH OF THE MONKEY TKI13E BUSY APE 
 MEDDLING MONKEY. 
 
 SOMEBODY has somewhere said that Monkeys were sent Into the 
 world to correct the follies of men. Exception may be taken to 
 the notion, perhaps, but a great deal may be said in its favour. 
 Our hairy friends are certainly great adepts at all sorts of 
 mimicry, and caricature many of the foibles, failings, and petty 
 villanies of the lords of creation to perfection. We have lately 
 been observing their ways in our favourite haunt, the Gardens of 
 the Zoological Society in the Eegeut's Park ; and after spending 
 some hours among the usual throng of holiday folk, we came 
 away, musing whether, in good truth, an attentive study of 
 Monkey life would not go far to compensate for the want of 
 that great desideratum, the gift 
 
 " To see onrsel's as ithers see us." 
 
 Assuredly 
 
 " It wad fVae mony a blunder free us, 
 And foolish notion ;" 
 
 and, we may wull add, 
 
 " What airs in dress an' gait wad le'e us, 
 And e'en devotion ?" 
 
 Then there is this further to be said, that Monkey moralists 
 administer their reproofs with such perfect temper and so much 
 of drollery, that the most incorrigible offenders would certainly 
 be moved, if not mended, by their dumb-show admonitions. 
 
 AYo have ourselves an especial predilection for the Monkey 
 race. It dates far back, from the time when, as " little Trotty," we 
 were charged with the important trust of carrying the weekly 
 halfpence to the street-door for the organ-man, who regularly 
 came his round with a red-frocked, bespangled Monkey that
 
 252 STAY-AT-HOME TRAVELLING. 
 
 rode in state on a great white dog, and always went through his 
 performance for the special behoof of us youngsters in front of 
 the parlour window. Ah ! what a monkey that was ! there are 
 no such monkeys now-a-days. How he danced, and waved 
 about his plumed cap, and played on a tambourine, and fought 
 his master with a sword, and fired off a pistol ; and how we all 
 laughed when the sly old dog would make a snap at a piece of 
 bread pitched to him, and tumble off the Monkey from his back 
 in the middle of the performance ! But where is that Monkey 
 now? and the organ-man? and the old dog, too? They are all 
 gone. They have been their last round, have finished their last 
 performance, put aside organ, tambourine, frock, and feathered 
 cap, and quitted the scene long ago for ever. 
 
 Italian organ-men with trained Monkeys, travelling mena- 
 geries with well-stocked Monkey-cages, and zoological gardens 
 with commodious and nicely kept Monkey-houses, are all very 
 well ; but properly to appreciate the Monkeys, one has need to 
 see them in their own proper homes, gambolling in merry troops 
 among the wide-spreading branches and the dense foliage of tropic 
 woods, where the peculiarities of their structure beautifully 
 harmonize with the conditions by which they are surrounded. 
 We have never seen them thus ourselves yet ; but of course we 
 mean to do so that is, when we have accomplished a few other 
 little projects of the kind previously determined on, including a 
 summer tour in Iceland, a trip to Lake Ngami, and a voyage 
 with one of the sperm-whalers in the South Seas. Meanwhile, 
 however, we have been acting the part of a stay-at-home 
 traveller, and have made our acquaintance with the Monkey 
 world through the pages of those who have been beforehand with 
 us in the matter of travelling. And really it is no bad way of 
 doing the business after all ; for with the assistance of such 
 writers as Humboldt, Darwin, Waterton, Schomburgh, Wallace, 
 and others of that class, one can travel the world over without 
 budging from his own door, and have this additional advantage, 
 of everywhere seeing things as they are, with the keenest eyes 
 and the most discriminating knowledge. One meets with none 
 of the surprises and the excitement of actual travel, it is true, in 
 this sort of book-wandering ; but neither do you experience the 
 pleasures of sea-sickness, get stung by mosquitoes, shiver with 
 ague, go mad in a raging fever, or stand in dread of being roasted
 
 THE MONKEY WORtfc. 253 
 
 alive, to make a hot supper for some of those horrible " cannibals 
 that each other eat, the anthropophagi." There's a compensation 
 in all things, and in this question of study-table versus steam- 
 ship, buffalo-waggon, mule's back, Indian canoe, palanquin, &c. 
 &c. &c., much may be said on both sides. 
 
 But to return to the Monkeys. We said that we have never 
 seen tbem at home in their own woods. It will be understood 
 that this statement is to be taken in its gross material sense 
 only, not otherwise. Mentally, we have seen them, scores of 
 times, and in very various circumstances. We have seen them 
 sitting languidly in the hot sun, amongst the groves of mango- 
 trees that grow around Buddhist temples and quiet Hindoo 
 villages, where the Monkey is a sacred being, and no man's hand 
 molests it ; we have seen them, wrathful and vindictive, uttering 
 harsh cries, and gnashing their teeth with foaming passion, as 
 they have fled from well-armed hunters, pursuing them with 
 deadly hatred among the steep rocks of their mountain fastnesses 
 in Southern Africa ; we have seen them, huge, hideous, and 
 formidable, sweeping along, with flying leaps, amongst the dense 
 woods and the swampy forests of Malacca and the islands of the 
 Indian Ocean ; swarming in chattering troops amidst the rank 
 and luxuriant vegetation of the Senegal and the Gambia ; and in 
 the gloomy depths of those same forests traversing the ground in 
 formidable gangs, ready to make war on man or beast. We have 
 seen them, again, as we have glided down the great forest rivers 
 of the New World, now peering at us furtively with their bright 
 and searching eyes from behind the broad-leaved plantains on 
 the banks, now bounding off into the thickets from the over- 
 hanging boughs of the mangrove-trees, while toucans and 
 aracaris still yelped and screamed overhead, and bright green and 
 scarlet parrots swung themselves in the sunlight on the topmost 
 branches. In short, we have tried, though maybe we have not 
 succeeded, to get a sight of the Monkeys wherever there were 
 Monkeys to be seen ; and now, having accomplished that part of 
 our task, we propose, with the permission of our readers, forth- 
 with to marshal the tribe in due order before them, and pass it, 
 company by company, in brief review. 
 
 No one needs to be told that the Monkey tribe includes other 
 animals than those popularly known as Monkeys. Apes and 
 Baboons belong to the tribe equally with the Monkeys properly
 
 254 STRUCTURE OF HANDS. 
 
 so called, as well also as another race of animals but little 
 known by most people, named Lemurs. These four races, then, 
 Apes, Monkeys, Baboons, and Lemurs, form together what we 
 have termed the Monkey tribe, but what in the language of 
 zoology, is the order Quadrumana, or animals with four hands. 
 
 Nature, however, is not to be tied down by a name, and breaks 
 out into irregularities quite incompatible with the arbitrary dis- 
 tinctions of her expounders. There is no such order as that of 
 four-handed animals. The hand, that marvellous instrument and 
 ready servant of the will, is the possession of man alone. The 
 most highly developed of the so-called " hands " of the Monkeys, 
 those of the Orang and the Chimpanzee, fall immeasurably short, 
 in point of mobility and variety of endowment, of the human 
 hand, of which Sir Charles Bell has written so eloquently ; while, 
 in one large section of the Monkey tribe, the opposable thumb is 
 entirely absent from the fore pair of limbs. The extremities of 
 the whole tribe are rather to be regarded as more or less perfectly 
 formed grasping feet, instead of hands, and, in accordance with 
 this view, the term Cheiropoda, or hand-footed, has been pro- 
 posed as a more appropriate designation for the order than that 
 by which it is now distinguished. But the terminology of 
 science once agreed upon, is like the laws of the Mcdcs and Per- 
 sians, unalterable ; and, remembering that the term is used witli 
 a licence, we must still speak of the whole Monkey tribe as the 
 Quadrumana. 
 
 Apes stand at the head of their order, and on the "development " 
 principle are to be regarded of course as our own immediate 
 zoological progenitors. And there are these weighty arguments 
 in favour of the doctrine, that, like ourselves, the Apes have no 
 tails ; they can walk almost erect, are addicted to the use of 
 walking-sticks ; and, though amiable and docile enough in youth, 
 are apt to become excessively crusty and perverse in old age. If 
 this be not enough to convince the reader that his remote an- 
 cestors were indubitable Apes, he had better read Mr. Darwin's 
 " Origin of Species," where he will find that the transformation 
 of a Monkey into a man is a mere nothing to the wonders that 
 can be brought about by " natural selection " in the " struggle 
 for existence." Geographically, the Apes have their head-quarters 
 in the extreme south of Asia the peninsula of Malacca, and the 
 great islands of the Indian Ocean ; though two of their number
 
 CHARACTEEISTICS. 2c5 
 
 and tlic most anthropoid or man-like of the whole, are found only 
 on the west coast of Africa. The Monkeys proper of the Old 
 World have long tails, which they use, when coursing along in 
 their forest haunts, as a tight-rope-dancer does the balancing- 
 pole ; cheek-pouches, in which, as who does not know, they can 
 stow away unlimited quantities of nuts and other forest fare ; 
 and hare patches on the posterior portions of the body callosi- 
 ties, as they are termed, not elegant in appearance, and sugges- 
 tive of too great devotion to sedentary occupations. The Baboons, 
 which come next in the descending series, are the churls of the 
 Monkey tribe. They are for the most part morose, unintel- 
 ligent, ill-humoured brutes, vindictive, and ferocious to a degree. 
 They have callosities, cheek-pouches, and short stumpy tails. 
 They go on all-fours, live among rocks and mountains, and are 
 confined almost exclusively to Africa. American Monkeys have 
 neither callosities nor cheek-pouches ; they are, moreover, inva- 
 riably destitute of opposable thumbs on the fore-hands, though 
 they arc very generally compensated for this deficiency by the 
 extraordinary endowments of their well-developed tails, which 
 act as a fifth organ of prehension, and not only assist the animals 
 in their arboreal evolutions, but are also employed in procuring 
 food. The Lemurs are a peculiar race of animals, occurring only 
 in Madagascar, which, though not very Monkey-like in general 
 appearance, are associated with the Monkeys from having oppos- 
 able thumbs on all four of their extremities. They are strictly 
 arboreal in habit, and move about with noiseless sweeping mo- 
 tions only in the dead of night, whence it is that Linnasus be- 
 stowed upon them their alarming cognomen of Lemurs, or ghosts. 
 
 But generalities are apt to deceive : let us take a nearer view 
 of the subject. 
 
 And in the first place it is worth while to note in what a 
 strange and remarkable manner the Monkey tribe arc linked on, 
 so to speak, to the lower sections of the animal world. They are 
 united in this way to two distinct orders on the one hand to 
 the Bats, which stand next below them in the scale of creation, 
 and on the other hand to the Rodents, such as the Squirrel and 
 the Rat. 
 
 The union between the Monkeys and the Bats is marked by 
 that curious animal the Galeopithecus, or Flying Lemur, an 
 animal about the size of a Cat, and which, although now admitted
 
 266 TltE FLYING LEMUfc. 
 
 to be a member of the Monkey tribe, is yet in some respects so 
 Bat-like in form and habits, as to have been ranked with those 
 animals by the illustrious Cuvier himself. In general form and 
 appearance the Galeopithecus does not differ greatly from the 
 rest of the Lemurs ; its peculiarity consists in that its limbs 
 are all connected by a remarkable expansion of the skin between 
 the fore and hind legs and tail, extending completely round the 
 body and forming when expanded a sort of parachute, which 
 enables the animal to take immense flying leaps from branch to 
 branch in its forest haunts. The Flying Fox, Flying Cat, or 
 Flying Lemur, as the animal is indifferently called, is, like the 
 ghostly fraternity to which it belongs, strictly nocturnal in its 
 habits ; but, as if to demonstrate its Bat -like affinities, during 
 the day it hangs itself up by its hind legs and with its head 
 downwards, precisely as is done by the Pteropus, with which it is 
 popularly confounded. There appear to be two distinct species of 
 these singular creatures, natives of the Indian Archipelago, and 
 they form an unmistakable connecting link between the two 
 tribes to which they seem so closely related. 
 
 Let us look now at the link that connects the Monkeys with 
 the Rodents. 
 
 It is an animal about the size of a Hare, found in Madagascar, 
 which from the cry it titters has been named the Aye-Aye 
 (Cheiromys Madagascar iensis), and which until of late years has 
 been known to naturalists from a specimen brought to Europe by 
 Sonnerat towards the close of the last century. The teeth of 
 the Aye-Aye are almost exactly like those of ordinary Rodents, 
 as the rabbit, squirrel, rat, consisting only of molars and incisors, 
 or front and back teeth, with a vacant space between : the incisors 
 moreover being destitute of enamel on the inner surface, so that 
 the natural wear of these teeth always preserves them of the 
 regular chisel form characteristic of the animals to which in this 
 particular it is so nearly allied. On account of this peculiarity 
 of the dentition of the Aye-Aye, Cuvier placed the animal 
 amongst the Rodents as its nearest allies. It is now generally 
 conceded, however, that the shape of the animal's head, the 
 character of its extremities their being furnished with partially 
 opposable thumbs, and the rotatory power of the bones of the 
 ore-arm, alike show that, notwithstanding the aberrant character 
 of its dentition, its proper place, zoologically as geographically, is
 
 HABITS OF THE AYE- AYE. 257 
 
 amongst the Lemurs, and that it is therefore really and truly a 
 member of the Monkey tribe. 
 
 An interesting account of the habits of this hitherto little- 
 known animal has recently been published in the " Proceedings 
 of the Zoological Society," from the pen of Mr. H. Sand with. 
 It appears that the food of the Aye-Aye consists of fruits and 
 insects, particularly of wood-eating larva?, which it exhibits great 
 ingenuity in discovering and withdrawing from their holes. Mr. 
 Sandwith was led to infer that the animal fed on this latter 
 description of food from observing the curious way in which it 
 climbed about the chairs and tables, every now and then pausing 
 to tap the wood with its second ringer, and then listening atten- 
 tively, and carefully observing the spot. On some worm-eaten 
 branches of a tree being put into its cage, the animal climbed 
 upon one of them and began to examine it very carefully ; it then 
 inclined its large round ears forward, and applying its nose to the 
 bark, it struck at the wood repeatedly with its long wire-like 
 second finger, just as the woodpecker strikes the tree, though 
 with much less noise. Occasionally it would introduce the tip 
 of its finger into the worm-holes as a surgeon would his probe. 
 At length, coming to a part of the branch where some sound was 
 evidently heard, it began tearing off the bark with its strong 
 teeth, and then cutting away the wood, it soon exposed the hole 
 of a worm, which it delicately extracted with its wire like-finger 
 and conveyed to its mouth. 
 
 The Aye-Aye is a timid and inoffensive animal, concealing 
 itself by day, and coming abroad only by night. It is covered, 
 like most of the Lemurs, with a thick coating of fur ; and it is 
 furnished with a long bushy tail, like the Squirrel, though, 
 unlike that animal, it seems never to carry its tail erect, but 
 always to keep it trailing behind. 
 
 The true Lemurs need not detain us long. They differ from 
 the Monkeys properly so called in the form and contour of the 
 head and body, which is exceedingly fox-like ; but their true 
 position is shown by their possession of opposable thumbs on all 
 four extremities, in this particular being, as we shall find, more 
 Monkey -like than some of the true Monkeys. 
 
 For example, here next in order above the Lemurs stand the 
 American Monkeys, in which the thumb of the fore-hand is never 
 opposable to the fingers. Our comprehensive term Quadrumana 
 
 8
 
 258 LIFE OF AMERICAN FORESTS. 
 
 is wholly at fault therefore here; these American Monkeys 
 being in so far as hands are concerned not jwadrumanous but 
 Zumanous, that, however, being a designation, which, as a scien- 
 tific term, is restricted exclusively to the human race. The 
 Monkeys of America are all confined to the southern half of 
 the continent, and even there do not extend beyond the twenty- 
 fifth parallel of south latitude, being chiefly restricted to the 
 countries drained by the Orinoco, the Amazon, and their tributary 
 streams. Almost the entire area over which they are thus dis- 
 tributed is covered with dense and almost impenetrable forests, 
 which, we are assured by Humboldt, are in many parts so thick 
 and uninterrupted, that, were it not for the intervening water- 
 courses, the Monkeys, the principal inhabitants of these regions, 
 might pass along the tops of the trees for hundreds of miles 
 together, without touching the ground. 
 
 In these " vast contiguities of shade " the most perfect silence 
 reigns by day, broken only by the occasional scream of a parrot, 
 that rings through the stillness of the forest, or the rustling over- 
 head of some Monkey disturbed in his dreams amongst the 
 crowded foliage. The animated tribes sink to rest, and all nature 
 seems to pant and perspire in the fierce sun-glare, which pours 
 down upon the impervious roof of foliage, and makes the atmo- 
 sphere tremulous with vapoury exhalations. But at nightfall 
 these same forest solitudes are vocal with a " barbarous disso- 
 nance " of sounds, in which the cries of birds, the croaking of 
 frogs, the loud chirping of cicadas and crickets, and the scream 
 of the jaguar, combine in wildest discord ; while, high above all 
 other noises, sound the terrific calls of the Howling Monkeys, 
 than which, according to Mr. Waterton, nothing can sound mora 
 dreadful. 
 
 The nearest approach to the Lemurs among these American 
 Monkeys is seen in a singular little creature discovered by Hum- 
 boldt, known as the Douroucouli (Nyctipithecus trivigratus), and 
 which in some respects is not a little cat-like in its behaviour. 
 It has a large round head, and very large eyes with white eye- 
 lids, which give it a peculiar owl-like appearance. The tail of 
 the Douroucouli is long and covered with hair, but is not pre- 
 hensile. The animal is strictly nocturnal in its habits, hiding 
 itself by day in holes and fissures, where it remains buried in 
 profound sleep till the approach of dusk, when it shakes off all
 
 AN IMPROVISED BRIDGE. 259 
 
 its lethargy, and becoming restless and impetuous, roams about 
 in quest of fruit and insects and small birds. Its nocturnal cry 
 is loud and sonorous, and resembles that of the jaguar, whence 
 the animal is sometimes called the Titi tigre. At other times 
 it mews like a cat, and this resemblance is greatly increased, 
 when in a state of irritation the Douroucouli puffs up its fur like 
 a cat attacked by a dog, hisses and spits, and strikes quickly 
 with its paws. The glossy fur of the animal is in great request 
 amongst the natives of Guiana and Brazil, who make it into 
 tobacco pouches and other articles for sale. 
 
 Foremost amongst the Quadrumana of this wide wilderness of 
 the New World, stand the Spider Monkeys, so called from their 
 being, like the long-legged spiders of our gardens, all legs and 
 arms, to which, however, in the case of the Monkeys, we must 
 add, and tail. From the extraordinary length of the limbs of 
 these Monkeys, their movements on the ground are somewhat 
 sprawling, but amongst the forest branches they are perfectly at 
 home, and by means of their prehensile tails perform their evo- 
 lutions with wonderful ease and rapidity. The tail is in constant 
 requisition, and is coiled round branch after branch as the ani- 
 mals move along. Not unfrequently, indeed, these Monkeys 
 suspend themselves exclusively by the tail, and by this means 
 launch themselves from one branch to another with surprising 
 velocity. They also use it as a feeler in their search after eggs 
 and insects, inserting it into fissures and hollows of trees, and 
 hooking out with it whatever spoil they may chance to find. 
 
 According to Dampier, when a troop of these Spider Monkeys 
 have occasion to cross any of the larger rivers, they select the 
 situation in which the trees are highest and project farthest 
 across the stream ; then mounting to the topmost branches, they 
 grasp hold of one another's tails so as to form a long chain, which 
 hanging loose at the lower end is swung backwards and forwards 
 till it acquires a sufficient impetus to cany the free extremity to 
 the opposite bank, when the Monkey at the bottom catches hold 
 of the first branch that comes within reach, and mounts to the 
 top of the tree, carrying with him the living chain, of which he 
 forms a part, which, when he reaches the top, is detached from 
 the other end, and the whole troop are passed over. 
 
 In captivity the Spider Monkeys are remarkably gentle and 
 docile ; and as they readily assume the erect attitude, and cau
 
 260 SPIDER-MONKEYS AND HOWLERS. 
 
 walk in this position better than any of the other long-tailed 
 Monkeys, they are sometimes turned to account. Acosta, in his 
 " History of the West Indies," mentions a curious case of the 
 sort in one of these Monkeys which belonged to the Governor of 
 Carthagena. The Monkey in question was the Quata (Ateles 
 paniscus), and it had been so thoroughly domesticated that it 
 was regularly sent to the tavern for wine, the pot being put into 
 one hand and the money in the other ; and so well up to his 
 business was the Monkey, that the people at the tavern could 
 never get the money out of his hand until they had given him 
 his potful of wine. Nor was this the only piece of sagacity he 
 displayed on these errands. The children would sometimes 
 throw stones at him on his way home, when, says Acosta, " he 
 would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till 
 he had assured his way, when he would return to carry home 
 his pot." But what is still more to his credit, " although he was 
 a good bibber of wine," he would never touch what he carried 
 till leave was given him. 
 
 Next to the Spider Monkeys come the Howlers, whose contri- 
 butions to the nocturnal concerts of the American woods we have 
 noticed. These animals are distinguished by the robustness of 
 their build, the possession of a thumb, though not opposable, on 
 the fore-hand, and by a peculiar conformation and enlargement 
 of the bone of the tongue, which enables them to utter those loud 
 and discordant bowlings whence they derive their popular name. 
 These peculiar and, to the uninitiated traveller, appalling cries, 
 are not merely uttered at daybreak and evening and throughout 
 the night, but when a thunderstorm is approaching, or any 
 considerable changes are taking place in the electrical condition 
 of the atmosphere ; even at midday they may be heard resounding 
 through the woods. It is during the darkness of night, however, 
 that these dismal howlings strike with such terror on the ear 
 of the traveller, as they are then raised with an extraordinary 
 volume and intonation, so that, as Mr. Waterton remarks, "one 
 would suppose that half the wild beasts of the forest were col- 
 lecting for the work of carnage." The animals themselves are 
 gloomy and morose, and by no means active in their general 
 movements. They are prehensile-tailed, like the preceding group, 
 and when shot among the trees, often remain suspended long 
 after they are dead. The Howlers being more fleshy than the
 
 The Governor's Monkey. 
 
 Page 260.
 
 CHURLS OF THE TRIBE. 261 
 
 other Monkeys, are great favourites with the Indians as an article 
 of food ; but they have so much the appearance of diminutive 
 members of the human family, that Europeans for the most part 
 decline to touch the dainty fare. 
 
 The Howlers are the largest of the American Monkeys, and in 
 some districts they are also the most numerous. On the borders 
 of the Apure, Humboldt frequently counted as many as forty on 
 one tree, and in some parts of the country he says that as many 
 as two thousand may be found in a square mile. 
 
 We now turn to the Baboons, the most sullen, ferocious, and 
 unloveable of all the Monkey tribe. Though belonging properly 
 to Africa, one species extends its range eastward to Arabia, and 
 another northward to the Rock of Gibraltar ; this latter being the 
 only member of the Monkey tribe indigenous to Europe. 
 
 All the Baboons are robust and powerful creatures, and in 
 their form and aspect make an approach to the carnivorous ani- 
 mals ; their generic name, Cynocephalus, or Dog-headed, indi- 
 cating their resemblance to the canine family. They are mostly 
 found in rugged mountainous districts, where they climb about 
 among the rocks and precipices with great facility, and procure 
 their miscellaneous fare of berries, bulbous roots, eggs, insects, 
 and scorpions ; which latter they find in great abundance 
 amongst the loose stones, and, first dexterously nipping off the 
 sting, swallow alive. That modern Nimrod, Captain Gordon 
 Gumming, relates, that, during his wanderings in South Africa, 
 he once entered a rugged mountainous region, where he found 
 whole colonies of Black-faced Baboons, which, astonished to be- 
 hold such novel intruders upon their domain as himself and his 
 party, leisurely descended the craggy mountain sides to have a 
 nearer inspection of them. Having thus satisfied their curiosity, 
 the captain says they seated themselves together upon a broad 
 ledge, and " seemed to hold a council as to the propriety of per- 
 mitting us to proceed further through their territories." What 
 further happened we are not told. The great hunter is evidently 
 as chary of his sentences as of his powder over such mean game ; 
 he will spend them on nothing less than elephants and hippo- 
 potami, and " man-eater " lions. 
 
 The huge Mandrill (Cynocephalus mormon), or ribbed-nose 
 Baboon, the largest and most ferocious of its race, is a native of 
 the western coast of Africa, where it associates in large troops,
 
 262 THE MANDRILL. 
 
 which occasionally make incursions into the vilkges and culti- 
 vated fields, and plunder them with impunity. The male is 
 readily distinguished by its enormously swollen and protuberant 
 cheek-bones, which are marked obliquely with deep furrows, and 
 bright and variegated colours. Some years ago there was a very 
 fine specimen of this Baboon in the travelling menagerie of the 
 late Mr. Womb well ; and on one occasion we remember to have 
 seen it break out into a sudden and ungovernable tempest of 
 passion, foaming and quivering with rage, for no other reason 
 than that one of the keepers made a feint of throwing his arms 
 around a young woman who was standing before its cage. Such 
 exhibitions are characteristic of this animal, and more or less so 
 of all the Baboons. 
 
 Passing by the Gibraltar Baboon, from time immemorial the 
 " ape " of the showman, the Drill, and the Derrias, the Baboon 
 of the ancients, we must say a word or two about the Chacma 
 (Cynocephalus porcarius\ the Blackfaced Baboon of the Cape. 
 These animals are well known to the farmers of South Africa, 
 from the depredations they commit on the cultivated districts, 
 and are not unfrequently tracked home to their mountain retreats 
 by the exasperated boors. When the Chacma is surprised in 
 this manner, the cry of alarm is raised, and the whole troop be- 
 take themselves to the rocky cliffs, which, though often several 
 hundred feet in perpendicular height, they scale with surprising 
 agility, the young ones clinging to their mothers, and the old 
 males bringing up the rear. The old male Chacma is an animal 
 of enormous strength, and is not to be meddled with with impu- 
 nity by either dogs or men. In captivity, it is good-tempered 
 and frolicsome while young, but as age advances it becomes 
 savage and dangerous. It is of one of these Baboons that Le 
 Vaillant has given so amusing an account in his African travels. 
 Kees was a young animal, and was still graced, therefore, with 
 the juvenile amiability of his race. He was a universal favourite, 
 but thoroughly deep and wily, and moreover shockingly ad- 
 dicted to pilfering. Food mysteriously disappeared when meals 
 were being prepared, and of course Kees was either not to be 
 found, or else stood by with elevated eyebrows, wondering with 
 the rest where the missing provender could have gone. He had 
 gained a perfect ascendancy over his master's dogs, and, with the 
 exception of one of them, whose cunning was more than a match
 
 Dram-Drinker Cared.
 
 A DRAM-DRINKER CURED. 263 
 
 for his own, would compel them to carry him for hours together, 
 when he felt himself fatigued, on their frequent hunting and 
 shooting excursions. Like many people of more rational preten- 
 sions, Kees had his taste greatly perverted hy civilization, and 
 could drink off his glass of brandy with the gusto of an accom- 
 plished toper. Of this little weakness, however, his master 
 effectually, though unintentionally, cured him in a very amusing 
 manner. Kees had just received his share of spirits, and was 
 stooping down to drink it out of the plate in which it was usu- 
 ally given to him, when Le Vaillant, who was sealing a letter at 
 the time, adroitly introduced a slip of lighted paper under his 
 chin. Suddenly the whole plate burst into flame, and the terri- 
 fied animal, with a yell of indescribable horror, leaped backwards 
 at least twelve or fifteen feet at a single bound, and continued 
 during the whole time the brandy was burning chattering and 
 gazing intently at a phenomenon which he, no doubt, considered 
 of preternatural occurrence. Kees could never afterwards be 
 prevailed upon to taste spirits of any kind, and the mere sight of 
 a bottle was at all times sufficient to frighten and alarm him. 
 
 In passing to the next section of the Monkey tribe, we are 
 taken to the southern part of the continent of Asia, and to the 
 impenetrable jungles and the wide-spreading woods of Hindostan. 
 The Monkeys of this division are few in number, but of special 
 interest in a zoological point of view, as marking a transition to 
 the Baboons, of which, indeed, they may in part be considered 
 the Asiatic representatives. 
 
 These Baboon-like Monkeys are largo and powerful animals, 
 with stout muscular limbs, low foreheads, heavy, elongated 
 muzzles, and short, stumpy tails, closely resembling the true 
 Baboons of the African continent. One of them the Wanderoo 
 Monkey (Silenus veter), a strange-looking creature, with a black 
 face, surrounded by a flowing mane of long white hairs, and 
 which inhabits the dense woods of Malabar and Ceylon has ac- 
 tually been classed with the Baboons by some writers, while by 
 all it is allowed to occupy a decidedly intermediate position 
 between the two families. 
 
 According to Sir Emerson Tennant the word " wanderoo " or 
 " ouanderoo," is a Cingalese word, signifying Monkey generally, 
 and not any one Monkey in particular ; and it is in great part 
 owing to this ambiguity of the word that so much misconception
 
 264 A FATAL AFFRAY. 
 
 has arisen as to the habits of the Monkeys of Ceylon and the 
 adjacent continent. 
 
 Father Vincent Maria gives a very quaint and amusing ac- 
 count of this Monkey, which he describes as quite black, with 
 glossy hair, and a white beard round the chin. " The other 
 Monkeys," he says, " pay to these so profound a respect that 
 they are humbled in his presence as though they appreciated his 
 superiority. The princes and mighty lords hold him in much 
 estimation for his endowment of gravity, capacity, and the ap- 
 pearance of wisdom above every other Monkey. He is readily 
 trained to enact a variety of ceremonies and affected courtesies, 
 which he goes through with so grave a face, and so perfectly, that 
 it is a most wonderful thing to see them so exactly performed by 
 so irrational a creature." No doubt the gravity of this most 
 grave and sapient of Monkeys is greatly enhanced by his snowy 
 beard and whiskers. 
 
 The Bhunder (Macacus rhesus), another of these short-tailed 
 Monkeys, is a native of India, and is very abundant on the banks 
 of the Ganges, where it is greatly reverenced by the Hindoos. 
 In the district of Cooch Bahar, a large tract of country is con- 
 sidered by the natives as in part the property of these Monkeys ; 
 and therefore when they cut the grain they leave a tenth part 
 piled in heaps for these creatures, which come down from the 
 hills, and carry off their allotted tithes. Mr. Johnson, in his 
 " Indian Field Sports," informs us that at Bindrabun, a town 
 near the holy city of Muttra, there are more than a hundred fruit 
 gardens cultivated at the expense of the wealthy natives exclu- 
 sively for the advantage of these Monkeys ; and, as an illustration 
 of the extreme veneration with which they are regarded, he 
 mentions that on one occasion two young European officers, who 
 had thoughtlessly fired at a Bhunder, were pelted with stones by 
 the incensed natives, and, with the elephant on which they rode, 
 were driven into the river and drowned. 
 
 The group of Baboon-like Monkeys of which we are now 
 speaking is connected with the more typical Monkeys by a 
 species which, while belonging to the group, exhibits but little 
 of its more characteristic marks. This link in the chain is the 
 Toque (Macacus radiatus), one of the commonest inmates of our 
 menageries, and to be seen in every caravan of " wild beasts." 
 Not one of our readers but knows it well, though not perhaps
 
 METROPOLIS OF MONKEYDOM. 265 
 
 by name. It is that wrinkle-browed, old-faced fellow that sits 
 hugging and cuddling its companions with such imperturbable 
 gravity before you, and which may often be seen plying its 
 nimble fingers amongst its neighbour's fur, performing the kindly 
 office of hunting down those dapper little gentlemen which, it 
 would seem, are no less annoying to Monkeys than to men. A 
 very " monkey " for its wickedness and inveterate propensity to 
 mischief is the Toque, and, as a matter of course, a prime fa- 
 vourite with the crowd which in all zoological gardens is sure to 
 gather around the Monkey-house. It is this same fellow, if we 
 do not mistake, that Sir E. Landseer has taken for his admirable 
 picture of " Cat's Paw." 
 
 The continent of Africa may be properly regarded as the head- 
 quarters of the ordinary long-tailed Monkeys, as the south-east 
 of Asia undoubtedly is of the Apes. In no other portion of the 
 world do the Monkeys swarm in anything like the same abun- 
 dance ; and, what is more, with the exception of one small 
 group, the Monkeys of Africa all exhibit in full development the 
 distinctive characters of the Monkey tribe. All along the coast 
 of western Africa these animals occupy the woods in countless 
 numbers, each species having its particular district of the forest, 
 and promptly uniting in strength to expel from its haunts any 
 intrusive members of another tribe. Man himself is no privileged 
 visitor, for, though mostly of small size, and incapable of doing 
 any harm to the traveller, they still collect around him, and by 
 their chattering and grimace and violent passion, endeavour to 
 deter him from penetrating into their territory. Most of these 
 Monkeys are capricious, petulant little fellows, vivacious and 
 restless, and preserving this disposition even in confinement, 
 always being amongst the most active and amusing inmates of 
 the monkey-cage. The Mona ( Cercopithecus mono), whose name 
 is supposed to have been the original of our word " monkey," and 
 the beautiful Diana Monkey ((7. Diana), famous for its silvery 
 " beard of formal cut," and of which it is particularly careful, both 
 belong to this group of monkeys, together with several other less 
 familiar species. By far the most commonly met with, however, 
 is the Green Monkey ((7. soicews), to be seen in every mena- 
 gerie, and a frequent companion of the organ-man. It is a 
 native of Senegal and the Cape de Verde Islands, where they 
 exist in countless multitudes. Our principal knowledge of this
 
 266 QUESTIONABLE SPORT. 
 
 animal in a state of nature is derived from the " Natural History 
 of Senegal," by Adanson, the Scoto-French naturalist, who 
 resided in the country for several years, and diligently studied 
 its productions, both animal and vegetable. At one place, he 
 tells us, he went on shore to divert himself with his gun. " The 
 place was very woody, and full of Green Monkeys, which I did 
 not perceive, but by their breaking the boughs and the tops of 
 the trees, which they tumbled down on me ; for in other respects 
 they were so silent and nimble in their tricks, that it would 
 have been difficult to perceive them. Here I stopped, and .killed 
 two or three of them before the others seemed to be much 
 frightened ; however, when they found themselves wounded, 
 they began to look about for shelter, some by hiding behind the 
 larger boughs, others by coming down upon the ground, others, 
 and by far the greater number, by jumping from one tree to 
 another. Nothing could be more entertaining, when several of 
 them jumped together on the same bough, than to see it bend 
 under them, and the hindmost drop down to the ground, whilst 
 the rest got farther on, and others were still suspended in the 
 air. As this game was going on, I continued to shoot at them ; 
 and though I killed no fewer than three-and-twenty in less than 
 an hour, yet not one of them screeched the whole time, notwith- 
 standing that they united in companies, knit their brows, 
 gnashed their teeth, and seemed as if they intended to attack 
 me." A vivid picture that, and of use here ; but we wonder 
 whether, while engaged in this excellent " sport," than which, he 
 tells us, he does not think " there ever was better," the good 
 easy naturalist ever thought of the fable of the frogs in the 
 pond. 
 
 In the highest group of the Monkeys we find the cheek- 
 pouches absent and the thumb only partially developed. The 
 Monkeys of this division are all natives of India, the peninsula of 
 Malay, and the adjacent islands, and are termed by Cuvier " Slow 
 Monkeys," rather, it would seem, from their listless and apathetic 
 disposition, than from any incapacity for active and vivacious 
 movements. One of the most remarkable Monkeys of the section 
 is the Kahan, or Proboscis Monkey (Semnopithecus larvatus), a 
 native of Borneo, and, without question, the most unlovely of all 
 Sir James Brooke's numerous zoological neighbours. Kahan is 
 its native name, and represents the deep-toned cry with which
 
 A MONKEY BARDOLPH. 267 
 
 it swells the concerts of the Bornean woods. The name Proboscis 
 Monkey is derived from its enormously developed nasal appendage, 
 which, wrinkled and pendulous when the animal is unexcited, is 
 immediately, on the slightest provocation, distended, and made 
 to stand out in a huge facial promontory, which gives its owner 
 an expression at once ludicrous and horrible. These animals 
 climb and walk far more deliberately than other monkeys, and in 
 sleeping squat on their hams, like the Dyaks, and lean the head 
 forward on the breast. They associate in large troops, and 
 morning and evening assemble along the borders of the wooded 
 rivers, to gambol among the higher branches of the trees, holding 
 their noses, if the natives may be believed, the while they leap 
 from branch to branch. The Kahan has never yet been brought 
 to Europe alive ; but the time will come, no doubt, when this 
 veritable Bardolph of the Monkey tribe will find his way to our 
 shores, and figure for a time as first "lion" in the Regent's 
 Park. 
 
 Not less interesting than the Kahan, and belonging to the 
 same t<rccharacteristic section of the Monkey tribe, is the Hoonu- 
 man, or Sacred Monkey of India (Semnopithecus entellus"), which, 
 from the remotest antiquity, has been regarded with extreme 
 veneration throughout a great part of Hindostan. The 
 Hoonuman is one of the largest and most handsome of the 
 Asiatic Monkeys ; its general colour is a pale yellow, while its 
 hands, feet, and face are black, the latter surrounded by a circle 
 of long white hairs. The author of the volume on Monkeys in 
 the " Library of Entertaining Knowledge," tells us that " Splen- 
 did and costly temples are dedicated to these animals ; hospitals 
 are built for their reception when sick or wounded ; large for- 
 tunes are bequeathed for their support ; and the f laws of the 
 land, which compound for the murder of a man by a trifling fine, 
 affix the punishment of death to the slaughter of a Monkey. Thus 
 cherished and protected, the Hoonuman abounds over every part of 
 India, enters the houses and gardens of the natives at will, and plun- 
 ders them of fruit and eatables without molestation ; the visit is 
 even considered an honour, and the Indian peasant would consider 
 it an act of the greatest sacrilege to disturb or drive them away. 
 They generally take tip their residence in the topes or groves of 
 trees, which the people plant round their villages to screen them 
 from the too ardent rays of the sun ; but they are permitted to
 
 268 CHEAP REVENGE. 
 
 occupy the houses in common with the inhabitants, and are 
 described by a late traveller as to be seen by dozens playing on 
 the flat roofs, or perched with much gravity at the open veran- 
 dahs, to observe the passing crowd." 
 
 The natives of India express their veneration for this Monkey 
 in a variety of ways. There is a superstition common amongst 
 them that any one dwelling on a spot where a Hoonuman has 
 been killed, will be sure to die : its bones even are believed to be 
 unlucky ; and it is said that no house erected on the land where 
 any of its bones lie concealed can prosper. Hence when a house 
 is to be built, the greatest care is taken to ascertain whether any 
 of these ill-omened bones are concealed in the neighbourhood. 
 Guarded so carefully when alive, and dreaded so much when dead, 
 it is no wonder that the Hoonuman is extremely abundant and 
 seldom comes to harm. The rarity with which one of these 
 animals is seen dead is expressed by a common proverb, to the 
 effect that "He who has seen a white crow, the nest of a 
 paddy bird, a straight cocoa-nut tree, or a dead Monkey, is 
 certain to live for ever." 
 
 It will readily be believed that Europeans, having no very 
 pious regard for Monkeys, find the Hoonuman a rather trouble- 
 some guest, and sometimes receive his unwelcome visits in a 
 manner which a regard for their own safety prompts them care- 
 fully to conceal from native eyes. It would seem, however, that 
 the Hindoos themselves are by no means averse to employing the 
 Hoonuman as a means of working out their evil purposes upon 
 each other. In Dhuboy, where it is said there are as many 
 Monkeys as human inhabitants, if a man wishes to avenge him- 
 self on his neighbour for any insult or injury, he takes the 
 opportunity, just before the periodical rains set in, of repairing to 
 the offender's roof, and scatters over it a quantity of rice or other 
 grain. This is soon discovered by the Monkeys, who not only 
 devour it, but pull up all the tiles in search of what has fallen 
 through the crevices. At this critical juncture the rains com- 
 mence, and as no one can be found to re-set the tiles, the house 
 is deluged, and the unfortunate occupier effectually punished. 
 
 Next in order to the Slow Monkeys, and constituting the 
 lowest division of the Apes, come the Gibbons, chiefly dis- 
 tinguished by their slenderness of form, and by the great length 
 of their arms, whence, indeed, they are commonly known as the
 
 THE GIBBOXS. 269 
 
 Long-armed Apes. All the details of the structure of these 
 animals point them out as being specially designed for the wide- 
 spreading forests of tropic regions, in which alone they are 
 found, and where they display the most astonishing activity. 
 They spend their time almost wholly upon trees, and sweep from 
 branch to branch with arrow-like velocity, sometimes clearing 
 spaces of from thirty to forty feet at a single swing. Suspending 
 themselves by their long arms, they launch their bodies forward, 
 aiming at some distant branch, which they seize with mar- 
 vellous precision, and again sweep onwards without any pause, 
 and with the slightest perceptible effort. The Gibbons are dis- 
 tributed through Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Malacca, and Siam, 
 associating in herds or troops, occasionally of as many as a 
 hundred or a hundred and fifty individuals ; some species fre- 
 quenting the mountain ranges covered by forests of fig-trees, 
 others keeping to the forests of the plains. 
 
 There are several species of these animals, all of which are 
 more or less timid and gentle, and easily domesticated, though 
 they are by no means destitute of courage when at large in 
 their own woods. One of the most characteristic of the tribe is 
 the Agile Gibbon (Hylobates agilis), a native of Sumatra, 
 where it is termed the Wiigka-puti, from a loud and not un- 
 musical whooping call-note which it utters in the early morning 
 in its native forests. The activity of this Gibbon, and the 
 velocity of its movements, are traly wonderful. It escapes from 
 pursuit almost like a bird on the wing ; rushing on the slightest 
 alarm to the top of a tree, and then seizing some flexible 
 branch, launching itself forward from tree to tree with a precision 
 and rapidity that speedily carries it to a safe distance. 
 
 The largest of the Gibbons is the Siamang, Ilyldbates syndac- 
 tylus, a bold and powerful animal, confined exclusively to Suma- 
 tra, in the forests of which it abounds, making their leafy soli- 
 tudes resound with its loud and discordant cries. It is much 
 less active in its habits than most of the Gibbons, but fully as 
 gentle and affectionate in a state of captivity. It is said that the 
 female Siamang carries its young to the water, and washes their 
 faces with as much care and attention as a human parent ; and 
 further, that the baby-apes are as little fond of the operation, and 
 cry and squeal under its infliction as vigorously, as baby-men. 
 
 Dr. G. Bennett has given an extremely interesting account of
 
 270 AX AMDSINQ PLAYMATE. 
 
 one of these animals, which for some time lived in his possession 
 on board ship. It was gentle, but lively and frolicsome, and 
 occasionally rather apt to get out of temper. It became very in- 
 timate with a little Papuan girl on board, and would often sit 
 with her near the capstan, its long arms round her neck, the 
 two lovingly eating biscuit together. In his gambols with the 
 child, he would roll on the deck with her, push her away with 
 his feet, then entwine his long arms around her, and playfully 
 pretend to bite. With some Monkeys on board he was equally 
 disposed to be on good terms, but they avoided his company, and 
 to revenge himself he took every opportunity of teasing them, 
 and pulling their tails. One feature in the habits of this animal 
 is peculiarly interesting. He invariably left his play when a 
 vessel passed at sea, and taking up a position on the peak-hal- 
 yards, would sit there, gazing intently across the waters at the 
 departing ship, till it could no longer be seen. 
 
 The Orang-Outang (Pithecus satyrus) was long a puzzle to 
 the early naturalists, the great Linnajus himself not exccpted. 
 It figures in all the earlier editions of the " Systema Natura" as a 
 veritable wild man of the woods, and is described as coming 
 abroad only at night, and conversing in a kind of whistling voice. 
 The Orang is a native of Borneo and Sumatra, in the former 01 
 which islands there are two distinct species, one of comparatively 
 small size, timid and gentle, the other a huge beast, standing 
 nearly six feet high, and only found in the deepest parts of the 
 forests. These monsters are much dreaded by the natives, who 
 regard them as having a natural dominion over the secluded depths 
 of the forest, and as being animated by the souls of their own 
 ancestors. Intercourse with Europeans, however, is gradually 
 undermining these superstition.8 ; and it is now no unusual thing 
 to meet with natives nothing loth to go in quest of the Mias, 
 as the Dyaks and Malays name the animal braving all its 
 terrors, natural and supernatural, " for a consideration." 
 
 Since Sir James Brooke has laid his strong hand on Sarawak, 
 Europeans have had comparatively little difficulty in exploring 
 the wilds of Borneo ; and, as a consequence, the habits of the 
 Orang are becoming pretty accurately known. Amongst others 
 Mr. Wallace has been upon the track of the monster, and he has 
 since given us a very full and complete account of the private 
 life of this monarch of the Bornean woods. The Orang, it ap-
 
 HABITS OP THE ORANG. 271 
 
 pears, leads a secluded life, and passes its time chiefly on trees, 
 amidst the higher branches of which it constructs a rude plat- 
 form or seat of interwoven boughs and twigs, which from below 
 looks very like an overgrown rook's nest. On these lofty seats, 
 the old male Orangs sit listless and apathetic for hours together, 
 and when discovered they exhibit but little alarm, often staring 
 down upon the intruder for several minutes, and then moving 
 away to a short distance. The Orang is naturally sluggish and 
 indolent, and all its movements are characterized by great deli- 
 beration. When attacked, the animal climbs rapidly to the 
 higher branches of the loftiest tree near, breaking off quantities 
 of the smaller boughs, and casting them down vertically, appa- 
 rently for the purpose of frightening his pursuers. In one case, 
 Mr. Wallace tells us, a female Mias on a durian-tree kept up for at 
 least ten minutes a continuous shower of branches, and of the 
 heavy shelled fruits as large as thirty-two pounders, which most 
 effectually kept her pursuers clear of the tree she was on. The 
 old lady could be seen breaking them off and throwing them 
 down with every appearance of rage, uttering at intervals a loud 
 pumping grunt, and evidently meaning mischief. 
 
 In making his way through the forest the Orang walks delibe- 
 rately along the branches in a semi-erect attitude, and coming to 
 a spot where the boughs of one of the adjoining trees intermingle, 
 he seizes the smaller twigs, and pulling them towards him, grasps 
 them together with those of the tree he is on, and thus forming 
 a kind of bridge, swings himself onward, and seizing hold of a 
 thick branch with his long arms, is in a moment walking along 
 to the opposite side of the tree. He never jumps or springs, or 
 even appears to hurry himself, and seldom proceeds much faster 
 than a man can follow, pushing his way through the the scrub 
 beneath. Owing to this circumstance, and to the abundance in 
 which they occur in their native forests, there is no great difficulty 
 in procuring specimens, when once a party is organized to hunt 
 them down. Mr. Wallace shot no leas than seventeen indi- 
 viduals during his recent stay in Borneo ; and in 1843 Sir 
 James Brooke shipped, at his own cost, no less than five living 
 specimens for the Zoological Society ; though, unfortunately, tho 
 object which he had in view in making his magnificent contribu- 
 tion was frustrated by the accidents of the voyage, the last of the 
 animals dying within sight of the shores of England.
 
 272 HUNTING THE ORANfi. 
 
 Captain Rodney Mundy, in his work on " Borneo and Celebes," 
 has a good many things to say about the Orang, and amongst 
 the rest, he gives us a spirited account of an Orang shooting 
 adventure. The captain was going up the Sadong river with 
 a party of natives, for the express purpose of seeing the Orang in 
 his own woods. On reaching a part of the stream where the 
 river widens out into a broad forest lake, they suddenly came in 
 sight of one of the gentlemen, quietly seated amid the branches 
 of a tree on the banks of the stream. Startled by the noise, the 
 animal made off before the captain and his party could land ; 
 but, immediately they reached the bank, a hot pursuit was com- 
 menced, the Orang being seen from time to time, as he slowly 
 passed from tree to tree in advance, while his pursuers struggled 
 on through the jungle beneath. Presently, after crossing a 
 slight ridge of elevated land, the sportsmen were brought up by 
 a dark, deep, ugly-looking swamp, over which the Orang, with 
 outstretched arms, swung himself along. Finding that his pur- 
 suers had halted, he stopped too, and from the top of a tree kept 
 up an occasional grunting bark. Not to be daunted, the captain 
 threw off his trousers and shoes, and followed by several of the 
 natives, plunged into the swamp, where he soon found himself 
 struggling up to his shoulders, with the rifle in one hand and 
 the ammunition in the other. As they advanced, the water 
 luckily shoaled to the waist, and they had time to look for the 
 Orang, which was still seated in the position he had at first 
 taken up. The captain and a native chief now fired together at 
 a distance of about forty-five yards, and it was evident that one 
 or both balls had taken effect, for the monster went more and 
 more slowly from one tree to another ; while the sportsmen kept 
 loading and firing as fast as their situation allowed, and, wading 
 here and there, enjoyed the full excitement of the sport. The 
 woods rang with shot and the shouts of the Dyaks, who, waving 
 their spears and brandishing their swords, rushed from one spot 
 to another to catch a glimpse of the devoted brute. At length a 
 fortunate shot from the captain's rifle, through the creature's 
 head, brought him from the top of a lofty tree, crashing through 
 the branches, with a heavy splash into the water, and finished 
 the sport. The animal proved to be one of the smaller species, 
 termed by the natives the Mias rembi, and measured four feet 
 one inch in length.
 
 BEHAVIOUR OF BABY ORANG. 273 
 
 eager science, which fell before the rifle of Mr. Wallace, was a 
 female Orang engaged in nursing a young one, which its captor 
 kept alive, and of which he gives the following racy account : 
 
 " The little animal was probably not more than a month old 
 when I obtained it by shooting its mother, with whom it fell to 
 the ground apparently uninjured. 1 found out afterwards that it 
 had then broken a leg and an arm, which, however, mended so 
 rapidly, that I only noticed it a w r eek or two afterwards, by ob- 
 serving the hard swelling on the limbs where the irregular 
 junction of the bone had taken place. When I first obtained it 
 it was toothless, but a few days afterwards it cut its two lower 
 front, teeth. I fed it with rice-water, given out of a bottle with a 
 quill in the cork, which, after one or two trials, it sucked very 
 well. When, however, a finger was placed in its mouth it would 
 suck at it with remarkable vigour, drawing in its little cheeks 
 with all its might, thinking, no doubt, it had hold of the right 
 thing at last, and wondering that all its exertions could get no 
 milk out of it. It would persevere for a long time, till at last it 
 gave up with despair and disgust, indicated generally by a very 
 baby-like scream." It was soon found necessary to give the 
 little fellow a daily washing. " It winced a little, and made 
 ridiculously wry faces when the cold water was poured over its 
 head, but enjoyed the rubbing dry amazingly. For the first day 
 or two it clung desperately, with its four hands, to whatever it 
 could lay hold of, and having once unawares caught hold of rny 
 whiskers and beard, it clutched them with its little hooked 
 fingers cruelly tight, and I had considerable difficulty in getting 
 free. It doubtless felt quite at home, being accustomed to cling 
 from its birth to the long hair of its mother." 
 
 " When restless, it would struggle about with its hands up to 
 catch hold of something, and might often be seen quite contented 
 when it had some bit of rag or stick grasped in two or three of 
 its hands. At other times it would take hold of its own feet, 
 and, latterly, its constant practice was to cross its arms like a 
 little Napoleon, and with each hand seize hold of the long hair 
 just below its opposite shoulder. I soon found that I could feed 
 my infant Mias with a spoon, and make its food rather more 
 solid. I gave it soaked or chewed biscuit, with a little sugar and 
 egg, and sometimes sweet potatoes. These it liked very much, 
 and it was a never-failing source of amusement to observe the 
 
 T
 
 274 AX ARTIFICIAL MOTHER. 
 
 curious changes of countenance by which it would express its 
 approval or dislike of what was given it. It would lick its lips, 
 draw in its cheeks, and turn up its eyes with an expression of 
 the most supreme satisfaction, when it had a mouthful parti- 
 cularly to its taste. On the other hand, when its food was not 
 sufficiently sweet or palatable, it would turn the mouthful about 
 with its tongue for a moment, as if trying to extract what flavour 
 there was, and then push it all out between its lips. If the same 
 food were continued, it would set up a scream, and kick about 
 violently, exactly like a baby in a passion." 
 
 Mr. Wallace goes on to detail the behaviour of his little Orang 
 Avith a small Hare-lipped Monkey that was given it for a com- 
 panion and playmate. He also mentions his making an " arti- 
 ficial mother " for the little fellow, by wrapping up a piece of 
 buffalo-skin into a bundle, with the long hair outside a con- 
 trivance which succeeded so well that the poor little creature took 
 it for its lost mother, and tried hard to suck. " It would pull 
 itself up close by the strength of its arms, and try everywhere 
 for a likely place, but only succeeded in getting mouthfuls of 
 wool, when of course it would be greatly disgusted, scream 
 violently, and, if not rescued, would soon let itself fall." One 
 day it got so much wool into its throat that it was nigh being 
 choked, and the "dummy " had to be taken away. Mr. Wallace 
 lost his pet, at length, by intermittent fever, after having had it 
 in his possession for nearly three months. 
 
 Next above the Orangs, and, until of late years, regarded as 
 chief of the Apes, and topmost member of the Monkey-tribe, 
 stands the Chimpanzee (Troglodytes niger), whom we herewith 
 introduce. It differs from its allies of the Bornean and Suma- 
 tran forests most obviously in having a broader and flatter skull, 
 in the smaller proportionate size of its incisive and canine teeth, 
 and consequently of the jaws, and in the comparative shortness 
 of the fore-arms and hands ; in all of which particulars it has 
 the advantage of the Orangs in the nearness of its approach to 
 the human form. It is about four feet high, covered with 
 coarse black hair, broad-shouldered, long-armed, somewhat pottle- 
 bellied, and with a wrinkled, semi-human countenance, which is 
 terribly suggestive of some remote affinity to the human family. 
 The name by which the animal is most commonly known amongst 
 the native tribes of Western Africa is Inchego or Engeco, which
 
 THE CHIMPANZEE. 275 
 
 by a slight modification has, no doubt, given us our word Jacko, 
 so commonly applied to the whole Monkey race indiscriminately. 
 
 The habits of the Chimpanzee in a state of nature are very 
 imperfectly known ; and there is good reason to believe that it 
 has been credited, or perhaps it would be more correct to say 
 debited, with many of the exploits of its more terrible and re- 
 cently recovered ally, to be discoursed of in our next chapter. 
 It is a native of the heavy, dismal forests of the west coast of 
 Africa, where it is pretty widely distributed, and in some districts 
 it appears to be of very common occurrence. 
 
 The natives of the country regard them with great dread, 
 and tell the most horrible tales of their ferocious depredations. 
 It is said that their strength is so great, that they break off, with 
 perfect ease, branches of trees that two men could hardly bend ; 
 that they build a rude kind of hut for the females and the young 
 to lie in ; and that on the death of one of their number, they 
 cover up the body with branches and leaves of trees. They are 
 also described as living in troops, and as giving battle to what- 
 ever wild beasts invade their territory: and it is said that 
 even man himself is not safe, venturing into their haunts alone 
 or unarmed. But the most terrible part of the story is that they 
 surprise and carry off young negresses into the woods ; and 
 that cases have occurred in which the wretched women have 
 escaped, and returned to human society, after having been detained 
 for years in this loathsome captivity. Most of these statements, 
 it is true, rest entirely on the testimony of the natives ; but a 
 case of female abduction came under the personal notice of De la 
 Brosse ; and Captain Paine was assured that similar instances 
 had happened on the Gaboon. Lieutenant Savers, who brought 
 a young Chimpanzee to England from the Bullom country, 
 some years since, says, that on that part of the African coast 
 the woods are infested with them in numbers quite equal to 
 the commonest species of Monkey. " They are exceedingly 
 watchful," he says, "and the first one who discovers the ap- 
 proach of a stranger utters a protracted cry, much resembling 
 that of a human being in great distress. The first time I heard 
 it I was much startled ; the animal was apparently not more 
 than thirty paces distant, but had it been but five, I could not 
 have seen it, from the tangled nature of the jungle. The native 
 who was with me laid his hand upon my shoulder, and pointing
 
 276 M. DU CHAILLtl. 
 
 suspiciously to the bush, said, ' Massa, baboo live there,' and in 
 a few minutes the woods appeared alive with them. My guide 
 showed evident fear, and entreated me not to proceed any farther." 
 Our brave lieutenant did proceed farther, however, and secured a 
 young " baboo," though not without first shooting its mother. 
 
 M. du Chaillu, about whom we shall have more to say by-and- 
 by, puts aside the accounts which the natives give of the habits 
 of the Chimpanzee as mere idle stories, and asserts that though 
 the young consort in companies, the adults are always found 
 alone or in pairs ; that the animal builds no sort of shelter for 
 itself, and that it is never known to attack man. He makes 
 known to us, however, two new Apes, which, according to Pro- 
 fessor Owen, are to be regarded as varieties of the Chimpanzee 
 one the Kooloo-Kamba, so called from the peculiar cry which it 
 utters ; and the other, the Nshiego-mbouve, a bald-headed fellow 
 which constructs for itself an umbrella-shaped shelter, of about 
 ten feet in diameter, high up on the lofty trees which it inhabits. 
 Of the Kooloo-Kamba only a single specimen was seen, but the 
 Nshiego-mbouve afforded M. du. Chaillu better opportunities for 
 the observation of its habits, and he gives a very interesting 
 account of a young specimen which he captured, and which he 
 preserved alive for five months. 
 
 The adult Chimpanzee, as may readily be supposed, is no 
 easy matter to capture alive ; but young individuals have fre- 
 quently been obtained and exhibited in this country, though 
 none of them, unfortunately, have reached maturity. We must 
 still look to some Liverpool captain, trading to the Gold Coast, 
 for a full-grown specimen,
 
 277 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE GORILLA. 
 
 " On the third day, having sailed from thence, passing the streams of fire, 
 we came to a bay called the Horn of the South. In the recess was an is- 
 land like the first, having a lake, and in this there was another island full 
 of wild men. But much the greater part of them were women, with 
 hairy bodies, whom the interpreters called gorillas. . . . But pursuing 
 them, we were not able to take the men : they all escaped from us by 
 their great agility, being cremnobates (that is to say, climbing precipitous 
 rocks and trees), and defending themselves by throwing stones at us. We 
 took three women, who bit and tore those who caught them, and were 
 unwilling to follow. We were obliged, therefore, to kill them, and took 
 their skins off, which skins were brought to Carthage, for we did not 
 navigate farther, provisions becoming scarce." 
 
 THE Gorilla is the lion of the day. It may be that long 
 before these pages find their way into the hands of the reader, 
 the interest in the monster will in a great degree have abated, 
 and he may have taken his place amongst the Monkey tribe as a 
 huge ferocious Ape and nothing more. But at the time of this 
 present writing, he is pre-eminently the lion of the day, and has 
 more than a lion's share of public attention a subject of sharp 
 contention amongst learned zoologists, and of wonderment to 
 the public at large. He re-appears week by week in the 
 pages of " Punch ;" is the theme of nobody knows how many 
 populai songs; is lectured on by Mr. Spurgeon in his huge 
 Tabernacle ; and draws crowds of eager sight-seers to inspect 
 his stuffed skin in the British Museum. 
 
 Never before, perhaps, has the mere description of the habits 
 of an animal created so marked a sensation. The Hippopotamus 
 and Ant-eater fevers which prevailed some years ago were 
 produced by the actual presence amongst us of the living 
 animals themselves : but, in this instance, with the exception of 
 a few skulls and stuffed skins, with which zoologists have boon 
 familiar for some years past, there is nothing to account for the
 
 Ji78 THE GORILLA COUNTRY. 
 
 sudden enthusiasm, but the simple narrative * of one who has 
 seen and hunted the monster in his native wilds. It is true, the 
 same narrative opens up to us a portion of the African continent 
 which until now has been covered with the veil of mystery ; and 
 that the region which is thus made known, is alike interesting 
 from the unsuspected nature of its physical features, and the 
 singular character of some of its human inhabitants, who while 
 skilled in some of the arts of civilized life, are at the same time 
 real unmistakeable cannibals, who make no secret of their 
 partiality for human flesh. But these things have contributed to 
 the prevailing interest only as the accessories of the picture. 
 They enable us to see the " Gorilla country ;" and the one thing 
 that stands out in the fore-front, arresting and riveting the 
 attention of all, is the figure of this huge and terrible man-like 
 Ape, beating his breast with rage, and scowling horrible defiance 
 at the white man, who now for the first time has penetrated to 
 his dismal haunts. 
 
 To the student of Natural History there is a peculiar interest 
 attaching to the Gorilla, from the circumstance that it is an 
 animal which has been recently recovered to science, so to speak, 
 after having been rejected as a mere creation of the fancy. 
 
 In the narratives of several of our older travellers there are 
 frequent references to a large and powerful man-like Ape inha- 
 biting the dense forests of Western Africa, which up to the time 
 of Ouvier were generally regarded as indicating the existence in 
 that region of a species distinct from the Chimpanzee, and of a 
 much more formidable character. But the illustrious author of 
 the Regne Animal almost contemptuously puts aside the notion 
 of this second and larger species of Ape, and assumes that all the 
 supposed references to it properly apply either to the Chimpanzee 
 or to the Mandrill, both of which, as we have already seen, are 
 powerful animals, and much dreaded by the African tribes. The 
 high authority of Cuvier settled for the time the question of a 
 second species of African Ape, and the suppositions monster was 
 thenceforth banished from zoological science. In the year 
 1846, however, an American missionary at the Gaboon met with 
 
 " Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa, with Accounts of 
 the Manners and Customs of the People, and of the Chase of the Gorilla, 
 Crocodile, Leopard, Elephant, Hippopotamus, and other Animals. By 
 PAUL B. DU CJIAILLU." Murray, 1861.
 
 REJECTED AND RECOVERED. 279 
 
 a skull, and subsequently a second skull, aud a part of the 
 skeleton, of a large Ape, which, on being forwarded to Dr. Savage 
 of Boston, were ascertained to belong to an animal specifically 
 distinct from the Chimpanzee, and considerably larger in size. 
 At length, therefore, all doubt as to the actual existence of such 
 a monster was set at rest : the rejected species was autho- 
 ritatively re-introduced ; and it was forthwith announced to the 
 world as the Gorilla (Troglodytes gor-illa\ and largest and most 
 powerful of the Apes, the first and foremost member of the 
 Monkey tribe. 
 
 The name which Dr. Savage bestowed upon the animal is 
 explained by the passage at the head of this chapter from the 
 " Periplus " of Hanno, one of the most curious fragments of anti- 
 quity which has come down to our own time. The original, of 
 which only a Greek translation is extant, was written in Punic 
 by Hanno, and is the narrative of a voyage he made, by the order 
 of the Carthaginian Senate, along the African coast, for the 
 purpose of establishing Lybo-Phcenician colonies. This voyage 
 is generally supposed to have been made in the sixth century 
 before Christ, although nothing certain is known, either as to the 
 date of the voyage or the person of the voyager ; but whoever 
 Hanno was, and whenever he made his voyage, that he really 
 discovered the " wild men " of which he speaks, there can be 
 no reasonable doubt ; and although up to the time when the 
 existence of the second gi'eat Ape of Western Africa was clearly 
 demonstrated, it had been customary to regard the Chimpanzee 
 as the animal referred to, Dr. Savage seems to have had no 
 doubt that his newly-recovered monster was the species really 
 concerned; and hence he gave it the name by which it is 
 mentioned in the narrative of the Carthaginian navigator. 
 
 In modern times the earliest and most trustworthy of the 
 travellers who make mention of the great Apes of Western 
 Africa is Andrew Battel, and he distinctly specifies two different 
 kinds, the Pongo and the Eugeco. Battel was a sailor who was 
 taken prisoner by the Portuguese in 1589, and lived many years 
 in Congo, where it would seem the animals were well known. 
 " The Pongo," he says, " is in all proportions like a man, for he 
 is very tall, and hath a man's face, hollow-eyed, with long haires 
 upon his brows. His body is full of haire, but not very thicke 
 and it is of a dunnish colour. He diflereth not from man but in
 
 280 ANDREW BATTEL'S ACCOUNT. 
 
 his legs, for they have no calfe. He goeth alwaies upon his legs, 
 and carrieth his hands clasped on the nape of his necke when he 
 goeth upon the ground. They sleepe in trees and build shelter 
 for the raine. They feed upon the fruit which they find in the 
 woods, and upon ants, for they eat no kind of flesh. They 
 cannot speake, and have no understanding more than a beast. 
 The people of the countrie when they travaile in the woods, 
 make fires whea they sleepe in the night ; and in the morning, 
 when they are gone, the Pongo will come and seat about the fire 
 till it goeth out, for they have no understanding to lay the wood 
 together. They goe many together, and kill many negroe that 
 travaile in the woods. Many times they fall upon elephants 
 which come to feed where they be, and so beat them with their 
 clubbed fists and pieces of wood, that they will runne roaring 
 away from them. The Pongos are never taken alive, because 
 they are so strong ten men cannot hold one of them ; but they 
 take many of their young ones with poisoned arrows. The 
 young Pongo hangeth on his mother's belly with his hands fast 
 clasped about her, so that, when the country people kill any of 
 the females, they take the young which hangs fast \\pon the 
 mother. When they die among themselves, they cover the dead 
 with great heapes of boughs and wood, which is commonly found 
 in the forests." 
 
 It seems not improbable, from some of the circumstances men- 
 tioned in this account of the Pongo, that Battel was acquainted 
 with both the Chimpanzee and the Gorilla ; but it is evident 
 that, if this were so, he has strangely jumbled together the 
 habits of the two animals, and made up a story which, as a whole, 
 is true of neither the one nor the other. 
 
 The supposed references to the Gorilla in the works of 
 travellers of later times are all of such a vague and exaggerated 
 character, that it is impossible to say Avhether they are mere 
 travellers' tales, fabricated for the purpose of exciting the astonish- 
 ment and testing the credulity of the readers, or whether they 
 are the mere reports of native tradition. In either case they are 
 altogether unreliable, nor does there seem to have been any real 
 and veracious account of the animal, however meagre, till the 
 year 1819, when it is first mentioned under its native name in 
 the " Narrative of a Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashan- 
 tee," by T. E. Bowditch. In speaking of a visit to the Gaboon,
 
 PROFESSOR OWEN'S ACCOUNT. 281 
 
 the author says, " The favourite and most extraordinary subject 
 of our conversation on natural history was the Ingena, an 
 animal like the Orang-outang, but much exceeding it in size, 
 being five feet high, aud four across the shoulders. Its paw was 
 said to be even more disproportioned than its breadth, and one 
 blow of it to be fatal." It is also described as lurking in the 
 bush to destroy passengers, and as building a house in rude 
 imitation of the native huts, and sleeping outside on the roof of 
 it. It was said to feed principally on wild honey, with which 
 the country abounds. 
 
 Although this "Narrative" appeared some years later than 
 the Regne Animal, in which, as we have said, the idea of there 
 being a second species of Ape larger than the Chimpanzee in 
 Western Africa was set aside as groundless, it does not appear 
 to have had the least effect in reviving the exploded notion. 
 
 The various accounts of the habits of the Gorilla, which have 
 been published since the fact of its existence as a distinct 
 species has been demonstrated, have all been derived indirectly 
 from the natives themselves ; and not unnaturally, therefore, they 
 have been received with considerable hesitation and distrust. 
 
 One of the most elaborate of these accounts has been compiled 
 by Professor Owen ; and the picture which it gives of the 
 monster is of the most appalling character. It is represented as 
 leading a solitary life, or consorting only with its partner and 
 young the parents being generally seen sitting on a branch, 
 resting the back against the tree trunk arid perhaps munching their 
 fruits, whilst the young are at play, leaping and swinging from 
 branch to branch, hooting, and uttering harsh cries of boisterous 
 mirth. If the old male be seen alone, he is said to be usually 
 armed with a stout stick, with which he attacks his chief enemy, 
 the elephant, stealing down upon him unawares from the upper 
 parts of the trees, and striking the sensitive proboscis of the huge 
 animal a severe blow with his club ; and thus driving off the 
 startled elephant, trumpeting shrilly with rage and pain. 
 
 In passing along the ground from one detached tree to another, 
 he is said to walk semi-erect with the aid of his club, but with a 
 waddling, awkward gait ; when without a stick, he has been seen 
 to walk as a biped, with his hands clasped across the back of his 
 head, instinctively so counterpoising its forward projection. If 
 the Gorilla be surprised and approached while walking on the
 
 282 A LURKING FOE. 
 
 ground, lie drops his stick, betakes himself to all fours, applying 
 the back part of the bent knuckles of his fore-hands to the 
 ground, and makes his way rapidly, with an oblique swinging 
 kind of gallop, to the nearest tree. There he awaits his pursuer, 
 especially if his family be near and requiring his defence. 
 
 The enmity of the Gorilla to the whole negro race is of the 
 most determined character ; and when the young men of the 
 Gaboon make their armed excursions into the forest in quest of 
 ivory, there is no enemy which they dread so much. If they 
 come upon one of them unawares, he does not, like the lion, 
 sulkily retreat, but advances rapidly to the attack, swinging 
 down to the lower branches, and clutching at the nearest foe. 
 The aspect of the monster at such times is described as most 
 hideous ; his green eyes flashing with rage, while the skin over 
 the prominent roof of the orbits, is drawn rapidly backwards and 
 forwards, and the hair erected, causing a horrible and fiendish scowl. 
 
 If fired at, and not mortally wounded, the Gorilla is said to 
 close at once upon its assailant, and to inflict the most dangerous 
 if not deadly wounds, with his sharp and powerful tusks. The 
 commander of a Bristol trader informed Professor Owen that he 
 had seen a negro at the Gaboon w r ho was frightfully mutilated 
 by the bite of the Gorilla ; and he stated that another negro 
 showed him a gun-barrel which was bent and partly flattened 
 by the bite of a wounded Gorilla, in its death struggle. But the 
 most truly terrible part of the story remains to be told. It is 
 said that the negroes, when stealing along through the gloomy 
 shades of the forest, are sometimes first made aware of the 
 presence of one of these frightful creatures by the sudden disap- 
 pearance of one of their companions, who is caught up into the 
 tree, uttering perhaps a short choking cry, and in a few 
 minutes after, dropped to the ground a strangled corpse. The 
 Gorilla, seated on the lower branches of a tree, has been watching 
 his opportunity has reached down his huge hind-hand, seized 
 the passing negro by the neck has drawn him up in his choking 
 grasp, and now that his struggles have ceased, drops him to the 
 ground. A bold negro, the leader of an Elephant hunting 
 expedition, on being offered a hundred dollars if he would bring 
 back a Gorilla alive, replied, " If you gave me the weight of 
 yonder hill in gold coins I would not do it." 
 
 In brief, such is the account which Professor Owen had given
 
 M. DU CHAILLU. 283 
 
 of the habits of the Gorilla ; and it will readily be allowed that, 
 whether reliable or not, it was of a character greatly to stimulate 
 the appetite for farther information on the subject. 
 
 No wonder, therefore, that a great sensation was produced 
 when, in February last year, an American gentleman, who had 
 actually seen and hunted the Gorilla, and who, moreover, was 
 able to display unmistakeable proofs of his prowess in vanquish- 
 ing the terrible beast, made his appearance at a meeting of the 
 Eoyal Geographical Society to tell the story of his adventures. 
 Nor is it at all strange that the appearance of the volume in which 
 these adventures are fully narrated should have excited such a 
 lively interest in all classes of society ; for as it has truly been 
 said, " we must go back to the voyages of La Perouse and 
 Captain Cook, and almost to the days of wonder which followed 
 the track of Columbus for novelties, of equal significance to the 
 age of their discovery." 
 
 In presenting now a brief resum/ of the discoveries of M. du 
 Chaillu, in so far, that is, as they relate to the Gorilla, it may 
 be as well to say at once, that notwithstanding the severe 
 criticism to which his book has been subjected, bringing out, 
 as it undoubtedly has, several discrepancies as to the dates 
 of his journeys, and errors of other kinds, we have yet no 
 reason whatever to doubt the general trustworthiness of the 
 narrative as a whole, or those portions of it in particular which 
 relate to the habits of the monstrous Ape with which we are 
 here alone concerned. Backed by the authoritative approval of 
 men like Sir Roderick Murchison and Professor Owen, M. du 
 Chaillu may well be content to disregard the imputations which 
 have been cast upon him, the more especially as he cannot but 
 know that he does but share the common lot of all who have 
 made any large and important additions to human knowledge. 
 
 It is only what might reasonably have been expected, that the 
 account vvhich M. du Chaillu gives of the habits of the Gorilla 
 contradicts much that has previously been received on the 
 authority of the natives themselves. In the first place, he dispels 
 what he calls the " agreeable delusion," that the huge beast lurks 
 in trees by the road side, and catches up unsuspicious passers-by 
 and chokes them. He admits that this story is universally 
 believed by the natives, but he regards it as one of the extrava- 
 gances into which they have been led by the horror of the monster.
 
 284 THE GORILLA AT HOME. 
 
 It is not true, M. du Chaillu thinks, that the animal lives 
 much or at all on trees, although he believes it often climbs trees 
 to pick the berries or nuts, on which in part it feeds, and for the 
 purpose of breaking which, it is endowed with such enormously 
 powerful jaws and teeth. He almost always found the animal 
 on the ground ; and on several occasions he came upon fresh 
 traces of its bed, and could see that the animal had seated 
 himself with his back against a tree-trunk. This, it appears, is 
 the usual habit of the male, and on the back there is generally a 
 bare patch in consequence. 
 
 M. du Chaillu again disputes such stories, as, that the Gorilla 
 attacks the elephant that it carries off women from the native 
 villages that it builds itself a house of leaves and twigs, and 
 sits on the roof all of which the natives firmly believe, with a 
 good many other stories to boot ; but of the truth of which there 
 is no evidence whatever. 
 
 The Gorilla, as M. du Chaillu presents him to us, is a huge 
 creature whose height, when erect, usually varies from five Jeet 
 two inches to five feet eight inches covered with iron-gray hair 
 living in the loneliest and darkest portions of the jungle 
 preferring nigged heights and wooded valleys, where the surface 
 is strewn with immense boulders. It is a restless nomadic 
 beast, wandering from place to place in search of food, consisting 
 of berries, nuts, pine-apple leaves, and other vegetable matter, of 
 which it eats an enormous quantity, as is shown by its vast 
 paunch, which protrudes before it when it stands upright. 
 Usually, however, the Gorilla walks on all fours; but, the amis 
 being very long, the head and breast are considerably raised, and 
 the animal appears, as he moves along, to be half erect. In 
 walking thus, the back of the fingers, not the palm of the hand, 
 is placed on the ground ; and the leg and arm on the same side 
 move together, so as to give the animal a curious waddle. The 
 first sight M. du Chaillu had of the Gorilla was afforded by four 
 young ones, of which he just caught a glimpse as they were 
 running off in this fashion towards the depths of the forest. He 
 fired without hitting either of them ; but so fearfully like hairy 
 men did they look as they ran their heads down and their 
 bodies inclined forward that M. du Chaillu tells us, he " felt 
 almost like a murderer " in merely attempting to bring them 
 down.
 
 AT CLOSE QUARTERS. 285 
 
 It was not long after this first sight of the Gorilla that the 
 traveller secured his first trophy as the Gorilla Slayer. They 
 came upon the animal in a dense part of the forest, where it was 
 tearing down the branches to get at the fruit and berries ; and 
 while they were creeping along in perfect silence, suddenly the 
 woods were filled with a tremendous barking roar : 
 
 " Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently 
 before us stood an immense male Gorilla. He had gone through 
 the jungle on his all-fours ; but when he saw our party, he erected 
 himself and looked us boldly in the face. He stood about a 
 dozen yards from us, and was a sight I think I shall never 
 forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved four inches shorter), 
 with immense body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with 
 fiercely-glaring large deep gray eyes, and a hellish expression of 
 face, which seemed to me like some nightmare vision, thus 
 stood before us this king of the African forest. 
 
 " He was not afraid of us. He stood there and beat his breast 
 with his huge fists till it resounded like an immense brass 
 drum, which is their mode of offering defiance, meantime giving 
 vent to roar after roar. 
 
 " The roar of the Gorilla is the most singular and awful noise 
 heard in these African woods. It begins with a sharp bark, like 
 an angry dog, then glides into a deep bass roll, which literally 
 and closely resembles the roll of distant thunder along the sky, 
 for which I have sometimes been tempted to take it where I did 
 not see the animal. So deep is it that it seems to proceed less 
 from the mouth and throat than from the deep chest and vast 
 paunch. 
 
 " His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as we stood motionless on 
 the defensive, and the crest of short hair which stands on his 
 forehead began to twitch rapidly up and down, while his power- 
 ful fangs were shown as he again sent forth a thunderous roar. 
 And now truly he reminded me of nothing but some hellish 
 dream creature a being of that hideous order, half-man half- 
 beast, which we find pictured by old artists in some representa- 
 tions of the infernal regions. He advanced a few steps then 
 stopped to utter that hideous roar again advanced again, and 
 finally stopped when at a distance of about six yards from us. 
 And here, just as he began another of his roars, beating his 
 breast in rage, we fired, and killed him.
 
 286 MASTER JOE. 
 
 " With a groan, which had something terribly human in it 
 and yet was full of brutishness, he fell forward on his face. 
 The body shook convulsively for a few minutes, the limbs moved 
 about in a struggling way, and then all was quiet death had 
 done its work, and I had leisure to examine the huge body. It 
 proved to be five feet eight inches high, and the nrascular 
 development of the arms and breast showed what immense 
 strength it had possessed." 
 
 It appears that the negroes, with all their horror of the Gorilla, 
 are yet exceedingly partial to its flesh, and on this occasion, after 
 the first expression of delight that the monster had been killed, 
 they immediately began to quarrel about the division of the 
 spoil. The brain is especially valued, and is carefully saved for 
 the purpose of making charms, which, prepared in one fashion, 
 gives the wearer a strong hand for the hunt, in another, finds 
 him favour with the gentle sex. 
 
 On one occasion, M. du Chaillu's hunters procured him, to his 
 great joy, a young Gorilla alive. It was a little fellow between 
 two and three years old, about two feet six inches in length, and 
 as fierce and stubborn a little rogue as could well be conceived. 
 The hunters had found him in the forest, seated on the ground, 
 eating berries which grew close to the earth, and a few feet 
 farther off sat his mamma, similarly occupied. The mother was 
 killed, and the youngster, taking refuge in a tree, was afterwards 
 secured, though not until one of the men received a severe bite on 
 the hand and another had a piece taken off his leg. " As the 
 little brute, though so diminutive, and the merest baby for age, 
 was astonishingly strong, and by no means good-tempered, they 
 could not lead him. He constantly rushed at them. So they 
 were obliged to get a forked stick, in which his neck was inserted 
 in such a way that he could not escape, and yet could be kept at 
 a safe distance. In this uncomfortable way he was brought into 
 the village. Here the excitement was intense ; as the animal 
 was lifted out of the canoe in which he had come a little way 
 down the river, he roared and bellowed, and looked around 
 wildly with his wicked little eyes, giving fair warning that if he 
 could only get at some of us he would take his revenge." 
 
 A bamboo cage was at once got ready for Master Joe, as the 
 young gentleman was named, and various attempts were made to 
 evoke a little amiability, but he continued to the end of his days
 
 PERILS OF THE HUNTER. 287 
 
 a morose, ill-tempered little beast, and utterly ferocious and 
 intractable. Twice he escaped from confinement, and he died 
 suddenly, at last, chained by the neck, by which means alone he 
 could be kept secure. 
 
 In its untameable ferocity of disposition, the youg Gorilla is 
 a fair type of the full-grown animal ; but in respect to courage 
 and daring, it is just the reverse. The young always run off on 
 all fours, shrieking with fear, as afso do the full-grown females, 
 especially if they have young ; but with the adult male the case 
 is wholly different. When once the hunter has been so fortunate 
 as to come up with his prey, he need have no fear of its running 
 away again. " In all my hunts and encounters with this animal," 
 says M. du Chaillu, " I never knew a grown male to run off." 
 Once the huge beast sees his foe, there is no sign of fear or dis- 
 position to retreat ; on the contrary, he prepares at once to ad- 
 vance to the attack, and the only alternative of the hunter is to kill 
 or be killed. It is idle to think of escape, and if his gun misses 
 fire, or fails to give a mortal wound, his death is certain. One 
 blow of that huge paw, with its nails, and the poor hunter's entrails 
 are torn out, his breast-bone broken, or his skull smashed. And to 
 make the matter more perilous still, if possible, the hunter dare 
 not fire until the monster is within eight or nine yards of him, 
 the usual shot being from fourteen to eighteen feet only. 
 
 The manner in which the Gorilla advances to the attack is 
 very remarkable. Glaring on the hunter with malign eyes, 
 he beats his breast, and lifting up his head, utters his frightful 
 roar, beginning it with several sharp barks, and then rolling out 
 a long deeply guttural roar. M. du Chaillu says, that he has 
 reason tc believe that he has heard this frightful roar at a distance 
 of three miles. The horror of the animal's appearance at this 
 time is beyond description the short hair of the scalp and the 
 skin of the forehead are quickly drawn backwards and forwards 
 his huge teeth are ground violently together, and his wrinkled 
 face is contorted with ferocious excitement. In this way the 
 animal advances a short distance, and then stops again to utter 
 his terrible roar, and to beat his vast breast, which sends forth a 
 hollow reverberation that may be heard at a great distance. At 
 times he seats himself for a few moments still glaring on his as- 
 sailant, and beating his breast ; and thus stage by stage, in the 
 wildest excitement of passion, scowling with fiendish rage, the
 
 288 ATTACK OF THE GORILLA. 
 
 huge beast, erect and defiant, approaches the hunter, who waits 
 in terrible suspense the moment to fire. The vast breast is a 
 mark which, if the hunter is cool, it is not difficult to hit ; and 
 when the time comes the gun is quickly raised, and if the shot is 
 fairly delivered, the Gorilla falls. It is a fortunate thing for the 
 hunter that the beast dies very readily, having nothing of that 
 extreme tenacity of life which characterises many wild animals. 
 
 It is unnecessary here to follow M. du Chaillu into the further 
 details of his adventures with this enormous Ape, nor is it ne- 
 cessary to enter upon any discussion as to the proper place which 
 the Gorilla occupies in the series of Apes, with respect to the 
 nearness of its approach to the human race. The young reader 
 will probably be content to know that Professor Owen, the king 
 of animals, places the monster at the very top of the list, as the 
 one which makes, on the whole, the nearest approach to the 
 genus homo ; but that it is still separated from it by a broad im- 
 passable gulf of organic difference. In fine, the Gorilla is a huge 
 ferocious Ape, and nothing more, and is not for a moment to be 
 thought of as having any ancestral connection with the human 
 family
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ACCOUCHEUR TOAD, the, 1G7. 
 
 Acorn-shell, the, history of the in- 
 mate of, 130. 
 
 Actinias, the, 137, ct seq. See Sea 
 Anemones. 
 
 Actinophrys sol, 1 6. 
 
 Affection of House Sparrow for its 
 young, 214. 
 
 African Monkeys, 265. 
 
 African and American Snails, 81,85. 
 
 Albatross, the, 195. 
 
 Alternation of generations, doctrine 
 of, 44. 
 
 Arnaiba or Proteus, the, 15 Its pre- 
 dacious character, 16. 
 
 American Monkeys, general character 
 of, 255, 257. 
 
 Ancient Frog remedies, 184, 185, 186. 
 
 Ancient Snail-sties, 87. 
 
 Angler, or Fishing-frog, the, 2 1 9. 
 
 Animals anJ plants, distinction be- 
 tween, 7. 
 
 Annelids, marine, 125, ct seq. 
 
 Anomalous incubation, 230. 
 
 Ant-eater, the great, 227, 228, 229. 
 
 Ant's- nest Beetles, 62 Eagerness of 
 collectors for, 62 Modes of cap- 
 ture, 63. 
 
 Anthea cereus, a poet's portrait of, 
 137 Its venomous powers, 141 
 A great favourite in the aquarium, 
 142 Spontaneous division of, 145. 
 
 Apes, general characters of the, 204. 
 
 Apteryx, the, 234. 
 
 Aphides, extraordinary reproduction 
 of, 52. 
 
 Aquarium, the, 111 Principles of, 
 112 Its great popularity, 111, 
 113 Inmates of, 1 14, ct seq. 
 
 Aquarium, the, in Zoological Gar- 
 dens, Regent's Park, opening of, 
 112 Two-rayed Star-fish in, 119 
 Brittle-Stars and Sand-Stars in, 
 119 Serpula3 in, 126 Crustacea 
 in, 153 Various fish in, 156 
 Pike and Tench in, 218 Sug- 
 gested additions to, 219, 220. 
 
 Argonaut, the, 107 Researches of 
 Madame Power on, 108 M. Sander 
 Rang on, 109. 
 
 Argument upset, an, 187. 
 
 Artificial mother, an, 274. 
 
 Atmospheric voyagers, 25. 
 
 Auk, the Great, probable extinction 
 of, 195 Its former abundance, 
 196. 
 
 Australia, importation of EnglL,Ii 
 song and game birds into, 194. 
 
 Australia, Bat caves of, 246. 
 
 Axolotl, the, 171. 
 
 Aye-aye, the, a link between the 
 Monkeys and the Uodents, 256 
 Its habits, 257. 
 
 BABOONS, the, general characters of, 
 255. 
 
 Balanus, the, 130 Its early history, 
 131. 
 
 Barrington, the Hon. Dames, on 
 song of birds, 207. 
 
 Bat, peculiarity of the zoological 
 position of, 238 Structure of its 
 wings, 238, 239 Spallauzani's 
 experiments on, 240 Exquisite 
 sensibility of its wing membrane, 
 241 Its diurnal retreats, 242 
 Its winter sleep, 244 Antipathy 
 of mankind to, 249. 
 
 u
 
 290 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bat caves of Jamaica, 242 
 Australia, 246. 
 
 Bathing companion, an unpleasant 
 32. 
 
 Batrachians/general antipathy to the, 
 161 Are little understood, 162 
 Proper rank of, 163 Tail-less sec- 
 tion of, 175 Vocal performances 
 of, 182. 
 
 Bee, the, and the Sea-Anemone, 140. 
 
 Bees, habits of wild, 58, 59 boost- 
 ing by mandibular process, 59 
 Mr. F. Smith's catalogue of British 
 species, 57. 
 
 Bell Bird, the, 232. 
 
 Beetles in Ants' nests, 62. 
 
 Bell animalcule, the, 18, 19, 20. 
 
 Bhunder Monkey, the, reverence oi 
 Hindoos for, 264. 
 
 Birds of song, 207 Experiments in 
 training of, 208 Peculiar notes of, 
 not the result of education, 209. 
 
 Birds, reckless destruction of small, 
 215. 
 
 Blackbird snail gathering, 87. 
 
 Black-faced Baboons, the, 261, 2G2. 
 
 Black Swan, the, 193. 
 
 Border land of the organic world, 
 the, 7. 
 
 Bower Bird, the, 229. 
 
 British Snails, 82, 83. 
 
 British Bats, 244, 245, 246. 
 
 Brittle Stare, 119. 
 
 Brush Turkeys, the, 230. 
 
 Bryozoa, the, 132 Structure and 
 habits of, 133. 
 
 Buckland, Dr., his experiments on 
 Toad-in-hole question, 186. 
 
 Budding, or gemmation in Jelly- 
 fish, 41. 
 
 Bull-frog, the, 183. 
 
 Butterfly battle, a, 65. 
 Butterflies, eagerness of the collectors 
 of, 67. 
 
 CAMBRIDGESHIRE Nightingales, 183. 
 Canary, a talking, 209 The, and 
 
 the Sparrow, 215. 
 Capture of a prize, 102. 
 Cat, the, and the Frog, 181. 
 
 Cephalopod, a pet, 105. 
 
 Cephalopods, the, 93 Locomotion 
 and respiration of, 94, 98 Struc- 
 ture of sucking discs of the arms 
 of, 97 Of vast size, 99 Zoologi- 
 cal position of, 99 Two great sec- 
 tions of, 100 Ancient forms, 101. 
 
 Chacma Baboon, the, 261, 262. 
 
 Cheap revenge, 268. 
 
 Chimney Swallow, the, 195. 
 
 Chimpanzee, the, 274 Native stories 
 respecting, 275 M. da Chaillu 
 on, 276. 
 
 Chinese delicacies, 125. 
 
 Chitons, the, in the aquarium, 134. 
 
 Clare, John, the peasant poet, 237. 
 
 Coach-whip Bird, the, 232. 
 
 Cobra, death from bite of a, 223. 
 
 Colony of Frogs, the, 182. 
 
 Conger, the, in the aquarium, 156. 
 
 Crasslcornis buries itself in sand, 
 139 Appropriately named the 
 Dahlia, 140 Its extraordinary 
 gastronomic performances, 142 
 Fastidity of, 143. 
 
 Croakers and croaking, 182. 
 
 Crustacea, predilections of, in matter 
 of food, 149 Their carnivorous 
 habits, 150 Motley assemblage 
 of, 153 Their moulting, 154, 
 155. 
 
 Cuckoo, the, 199 Its habits, 200 
 Pliny on, 201. 
 
 Cuming, Mr. Hugh, his collecting 
 voyages, 84. 
 
 Curassow, the, 223. 
 
 Cuttle-fish, the, 93 Its peculiar loco- 
 motive and respiratory apparatus, 
 94 Its agility, 95, 
 !uttle-fish, encounter with a, 95. 
 
 Cyancca capittata, Professor Forbes 
 on, 32. 
 
 'ydippe, structure and habits of, 35, 
 Its belts of paddles, 36 Mode 
 of procuring food, 36 Its remark- 
 able tenacity of life, 37. 
 
 OKATH of a favourite, 218. 
 Defence ofFrogs, 179. 
 Desmids and Diatoms, the, 12.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 291 
 
 Devices of the Moth hunter, 67, 68, 
 69. 
 
 Diatomacece, the, 12 Rapidity of 
 their increase, 13 Remarkable de- 
 posits of, 14 In guano, 15. 
 
 Dipper, or Water Ouzel, the, Mr. St. 
 John on habits of, 212 Dispute 
 whether it walks or swims when 
 under water, 213, 214. 
 
 Dispute, a long, 107 A lady settles 
 it, 108. 
 
 Diurnal retreats of the Bat, 242. 
 
 Domestic tragedy, a, 215. 
 
 Double justice done, 109. 
 
 Douroucouli, the, 258. 
 
 Dram-drinker cured, a, 263. 
 
 ECHINUS, the, 121 Structure of its 
 shell, 121 Its tenacity of life, 
 122. 
 
 Edible Frog, the, a native of Britain, 
 180 Its consumption in Franco, 
 181 Its sonorous voice, 183. 
 
 Eland, the, 235. 
 
 Elephant, a studious, 233. 
 
 Encounter with a Cuttle-fish, 98. 
 
 Entomology, interest of, 49 Kirby 
 and Spence's Introduction to, 48. 
 
 FAIRY-LAXD, the modern, 160. 
 
 Fatal mishap, a, 215. 
 
 Pish animalcules, 9. 
 
 Fish, musical, 220. 
 
 Flamingo, the, its tongue au ancient 
 delicacy, 223. 
 
 Flea, the, in pattens, 54. 
 
 Flea, a gigantic, 55. 
 
 Flying Foxes of Ceylon, the, 242 
 Of Java, 248 Of Australia, 249. 
 
 Flying Lemur, the, 256. 
 
 Flying Squid, 104. 
 
 Foraminifera, the, 17 Recent depo- 
 sits of, 18 Their abundance in 
 chalk, 18. 
 
 Fossil ink, 96. 
 
 Frigate-bird, the, 195. 
 
 Frog, the spawn of, 164 Tadpole of, 
 165 Progressive changes in, 166 
 The model Batrachian, 178 
 Its graceful attitudes, 180 Intro- 
 
 duction of, into Ireland, 181 An- 
 cient belief in its medicinal quali- 
 ties, 184. 
 
 Frogs, showers of, 168 A migration 
 of, 169 An eulogy on, 179 
 Their vocal performances, 182 
 Discovered alive in block of stone, 
 183. 
 
 GALEOPITHECUS, the, 2.~>r>. 
 
 Gemmation in Jelly-fish, 42. 
 
 Gibbons, the, 268 Wonderful 
 agility of, 269. 
 
 GiganticNewt of Japan, the, 171,224, 
 225. 
 
 Girdle of Venus, 37. 
 
 Glow-worm, the. is a beetle, 60 The 
 female is the Glow-worm, 60 Dif- 
 ference between the sexes, 61 
 Devours snails, 61. 
 
 Gorilla, excitement respecting the, 
 277 Recently recovered to 
 science, 278 Supposed reference 
 to, in Pcriplus of Hanno, 277, 
 279 Account of, by Andrew 
 Battel, 279 By Mr. Bowditch, 
 280 Professor Owen on, 281, 282 
 M. du Chaillu's account of, 283, 
 ct soq. 
 
 Great Auk, the, probable extinction 
 of, 195. 
 
 Green Monkey, the, Adansou's ac- 
 count of, 265. 
 
 HEDGEHOG, the, eats snails, 87. 
 
 High Priest's Breastplate, the, 9. 
 
 Hermit Crab, the, and the Sea- 
 anemone, 141 Its behaviour in 
 the aquarium, 151 Ilouse-movii)'-, 
 152 An unproved charge against, 
 153 Its moulting, 155, ],">;. 
 
 Holothurix, the, 123. 
 
 Honey Bee, the, 56. 
 
 Hoonuman Monkey, the, reverence of 
 the Hindoos for, 267. 
 
 Hooper, the, 192. 
 
 Horse-shoe Bats, the, 246. 
 
 Howling Monkeys, the, 260. 
 
 Hunting the Orang-outang, 272. 
 
 Hydra, marvellous character of the, 2.
 
 292 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 IMPORTATION of English birds into 
 Australia, 194. 
 
 Improvised bridge, an, 259. 
 
 Infusoria, the, early views respecting, 
 3 Ehrenberg's great work on, 4 
 His classification of, 4 Experi- 
 ment 1 ; in feeding, 5 Many of, 
 now known to be plants, 6. 
 
 Infusorial earths, 14. 
 
 Ink-bag of the Cephalopoda, 95. 
 
 Insects, common opinion of collectors 
 of, 47 Study of, increasing, 48 
 Kirby and Spence's Introduction to 
 study of, 48 Metamorphoses of, 
 50 Errors respecting, 51 Classi- 
 fication of, 54. 
 
 Ireland, introduction of Frogs into, 
 181. 
 
 JACK at church, 206. 
 
 Jackdaw, the, 204, 
 
 Jackass Penguin, the, 195. 
 
 Jamaica, Bat-caves of, 242. 
 
 Jay, the, 204. 
 
 Jelly-fish, the, 27 Their abundance, 
 28 Simplicity of their structure, 
 29 Their rapacity, 30 Pliny on, 
 31 Their venomous powers, 32 
 Pulmonigrade section of, 33 
 Ciliograde, 35 Cirrigrade, 38 
 Hydrostatic, 39 Compound forms, 
 41 Their reproduction, 41 Their 
 luminosity, 44, 45. 
 
 Jocular Toad, the, 183. 
 
 KAHAN Monkey, the, 260. 
 
 Kalong, the, 248. 
 
 Kees, the story of, 262. 
 
 Kingfisher, the, 201 Dispute as to 
 its nesting, 202 Mr. Gould on the 
 subject, 203 Superstitions re- 
 specting, 204. 
 
 Kingfisher, the Gigantic, 231. 
 
 Kirby and Spence's " Introduction to 
 Entomology," 48. 
 
 LABTRISTTIIODON, the, 186. 
 Lace'pfcde's, M. de, eulogy of the Frog 
 
 tribe, 179. 
 Laughing Jackass, the, 231, 
 
 | Laughing Toad, the, 183. 
 I Lemurs, the, 255. 
 I Lepidoptera, the, illustrated woika 
 on, 64 Distribution of British, 
 70 Varieties in the flight of, 71. 
 Lepidosiren, the, a link between ths 
 
 fish and the reptiles, 169, 170. 
 Life in the American forests, 258. 
 Life in the atmosphere, 25. 
 Light, attracting Moths by, 68. 
 Lobsters at play, 150. 
 Loves of the Snails, 80. 
 Luminosity of the Jelly Fish, 44, 4, r >. 
 
 MAGPIE, the, mischievous propensi- 
 ties of, 205 At church, 206. 
 
 Mandrill, the, 262. 
 
 Mandarin Duck, the, 221 Its aflV- 
 tionate disposition, 222. 
 
 Man-keeper, the, 172. 
 
 " Marine stare " collecting, 1 59. 
 
 Martins, a railway colony of, 197. 
 
 Medusa;, the, related to the Polyp.-;, 
 116 Consist almost wholly of 
 water, 28 Their rapacity, iil 
 Diversity of form, 33 British 
 species of, 34 Eeproduction of, 
 41, et seq. 
 
 Melicerta riiyens, the, 24. 
 
 Metamorphoses of insects, 50, 51. 
 
 Microscopic Swans, 22. 
 
 Migrations of young Frogs, 169. 
 
 Mollusca adapted for the aquarium, 
 134, 135, 136. 
 
 Monads, vegetable nature of the, 8 
 Compound forms, 10, 11. 
 
 Monkeys, the, 251 Hands of, 254 
 United to the Bats by the Galeo- 
 pithecus, 255 United to the Kc- 
 dents by the Aye-aye, 257 
 American species, 258, 259, 260 
 Baboon-like species, 263 African 
 species, 265 Slow Monkeys of 
 India, 266 Reverence of Hindoos 
 for, 267. 
 
 Monstrous eg^ of Madagascar, 235. 
 
 Mooruk, the, 234. 
 
 Moss corals, the, 132. 
 
 Moth collector, devices of the, 67, 68. 
 
 Moulting of the Crustacea, 151, 155.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 293 
 
 Mud-fish, the, 169. 
 
 Musical Fish of the East, 220. 
 
 Mutual attachment, a case of, 148. 
 
 NAUTILUS, the Paper. See Argo- 
 naut, 100, 107, et seq. 
 
 Nautilus, the Pearly, 100 Its cap- 
 ture by Dr. Bennett, 102 Struc- 
 ture of shell, 103. 
 
 Nest-building Ape, the, 276. 
 
 Newts, the Water, 162, 171, 172. 
 
 Newt, the Gigantic, 171 In Zoolo- 
 gical Gardens, Regent's Park, 224, 
 225. 
 
 New Zealand, great extinct birds of, 
 234. 
 
 Nudibranchs, extreme beauty of the, 
 134 Their habits in the aqua- 
 rium, 135 Carnivorous propensi- 
 ties of, 136. 
 
 OUANG-OUTANG, the, 270 At home 
 in the woods, 271 Chase of, 272 
 Mr. Wallace on young of, 273. 
 
 Ostrich, the, 234. 
 
 Oyster-eating extraordinary, 118. 
 
 Our feathered friends, 189, et seq. 
 
 PARTNERSHIP, a dissolution of, 145. 
 
 Paternal nursing extraordinary, 158. 
 
 Penguin, the, 194. 
 
 Periwinkle, the, 134. 
 
 Petrified Snakes, 101. 
 
 Philippine Islands, Snails of the, 86. 
 
 Piece-meal reproduction, 145. 
 
 Pike, the, 218. 
 
 Pipe-fish, the, in the aquarium, 157 
 Ova of, transferred to male, 158. 
 
 Plants and animals, distinction be- 
 tween, 7. 
 
 Physalia, the, 39. 
 
 Pliny on rapacity of Jelly-fish, 31 
 Polypus, 106 Venomous nature 
 of Salamander, 173 Medicinal 
 quality of Frogs, 185 Habits of 
 Cuckoo, 202. 
 
 Poisonous powers of Sea-anemones, 
 141. 
 
 Polygastric Infusoria, 4 Designation 
 inadmissible, 6. 
 
 Polyps, Plydroid, 114 Hogarth on 
 cells of, 115 Composite nature 
 of, 115 Reproduction of, 116. 
 
 Polypus of the ancients, 96 Its rapa- 
 city, 97 Pliny's account of, 106. 
 
 Porcelain Crab, the hairy, 153. 
 
 Portuguese Man-of-war, the, 39 
 Its stinging powers, 40 Errors 
 respecting it, 41. 
 
 Proboscis Monkey, the, 266. 
 
 Proteus, the, 170, 
 
 Protophyta, the, 11. 
 
 Protozoa, the, 15. 
 
 Pteropus, the, 242, 248, 249. 
 
 Pythoness, an incubating, 224. 
 
 QUATA, intelligence and docility of 
 
 the, 260. 
 Questionable sport, 266. 
 
 RAILWAY colony, a, 197. 
 
 Railway, an invisible, 129. 
 
 Ransacking the deep, 92. 
 
 Raven, the, and the Toad, 177. 
 
 Razor-grinder Bird, the, 232. 
 
 Robin, the, and the Wren, 211. 
 
 Roosting, curious method of, in Bers, 
 59. 
 
 Sot if era, the, 4, 22 Apparent rota- 
 tion of ciliated lobes, 23 Tube- 
 making species of, 24. 
 
 SACRED MONKEY, the, 267. 
 
 Satin Bower Bird, the, 229. 
 
 Sagartia dianthus fond of an air- 
 bath, 144 Is reproduced from 
 toin-oft' fragments, 145 Double- 
 disked individuals, 146. 
 
 Sagartia parasitica and the Hermit 
 Crab, 147, 148. 
 
 Saint Patrick and the varmint, 181. 
 
 Saint James's Park Water- fowl, 189 
 Assistance wanted respecting, 
 190. 
 
 Salee-men, 38. 
 
 Salamander, the Gigantic, 171, 221, 
 225. 
 
 Salamander, the, 172 Pliny, on ib 
 venomous powers, 173 Invulne- 
 rability to fire, 174.
 
 294 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Sallows and ivy attractive to 
 Moths, 69. 
 
 Sea-acorns, the, 130. 
 
 Sea-anemones, the, popularity of, 137 
 Form and appearance, 138 
 Sensitiveness, 139 Resemblance 
 to flowers, 140 Poisonous 
 powers, 141 Food, 142 Vora- 
 city, 143 Locomotion, 144 Re- 
 production, 145, 146, 147. 
 
 Sea-cucumbers, the, 123 Their ex- 
 cessive irritability, 124 A Chinese 
 delicacy, 125. 
 
 Sea-hedgehog, the, 121. 
 
 Sea-mouse, the, 129. 
 
 Sea-slugs, 134. 
 
 Scheuchzer's Homodiluvii testis, 225. 
 
 Settler's Clock, the, 231. 
 
 Seal, the, 218. 
 
 Secretary Bird, the, 223. 
 
 Sepiola, the, Mr. Gosse on the 
 changes of colour in, 105. 
 
 Serpents in Zoological Gardens, 223, 
 224. 
 
 Serpulce, the, 125, 126. 
 
 Sheep eat Snails, 87. 
 
 Shrimps and Prawns, acuteness of 
 smell in, 149. 
 
 Showers of Frogs, 168, 169. 
 
 Siamang, the, 269. 
 
 Sieboldia, the, 171. 
 
 Singing Fish, 220. 
 
 Siren, the, 170. 
 
 Slow Monkeys, the, 266. 
 
 Sloth, the Two-toed, 226, 227. 
 
 Snake-stones, 101. 
 
 Snails devoured by the Glow-worm, 
 61 An apology for, 73 Bril- 
 liancy of tropical species, 75 Su- 
 perstition respecting, 76 Horns 
 and eyes, 77 At dinner, 78 
 Remedial powers, 79 Experimen- 
 tal mutilation, 80 Hybernation, 
 81 British species, 82, 83 
 African and American species, 84, 
 
 85 Philippine Islands species, 
 
 86 Reared for the table by 
 Romans, 87 Formerly eaten in 
 England, and attempted reintro- 
 duction, 88 
 
 Song of Birds, discussion icspectintr, 
 210, 211. 
 
 Spallanzani's experiments on Snails, 
 79 On sensibility of Bats, 240. 
 
 Sparrow, the House, its boldness, 
 214 And the Canaries, 215. 
 
 Spawn of the Frog, 164. 
 
 Spider-Monkeys, the, 259. 
 
 Spio ceticornis, its habits in the aqun- 
 rium, 128, 129. 
 
 Stay-at-home travelling, 252. 
 
 Stainton, Mr. H. T., his history of the 
 Tineina, 64 Services to entomo- 
 logy, 65. 
 
 Stentors, the, 21. 
 
 Star-fish, the, 116 In the aquarium, 
 117 Mode of devouring shell-fish, 
 118 Voluntary dismemberment, 
 119, 120. 
 
 Stomach in two stories, a, 143. 
 
 Superstitions respecting the King- 
 fisher, 204. 
 
 Surinam Toad, singular habit of, 167 
 Its hideous aspect, 175. 
 
 Sugaring for Moths, 67. 
 
 Swallow tribe, the, 196 Supposed 
 hibernation of, 198. 
 
 Swan, the mute, elegant carriage of, 
 191. 
 
 Swan, the Hooper, or Whistling, 192 
 Probably the Singing Swan of 
 the ancients, 193. 
 
 Swimming Crabs, habits of, in aqua- 
 rium, 154. 
 
 TADPOLE of the Frog, the, 164, 165, 
 166 A little cannibal, 167. 
 
 Talking Canary, a, 209. 
 
 Tench, the, the physician of Fish, 219. 
 
 Terebella, the, 127, 128. 
 
 Tidal belt, researches in the, 91. 
 
 Tineina, Mr. Stainton's natural his- 
 tory of the, 64. 
 
 Toad, the common, 175 Superstitions 
 respecting, 176 Services to man- 
 kind, 177 As a domestic pet, 
 178. 
 
 Toad-in-hole question, the, 183. 
 
 Tory Fox-hunter, the, in the park, 
 189.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 295 
 
 Tree-Frogs, the, 182 A chorus of, 
 
 183. 
 
 Trapping an Emperor, 67. 
 Trembler, M., on fresh-water polyp, 2. 
 Trepang eating in China, 125. 
 Tropic picture, a, 85. 
 Trochi, or Top-shells, the, 134. 
 Trumpet animalcules, the, 21. 
 Tube-making Worms, 125, 127, 128. 
 Two-toed Sloth, the, 226, 227. 
 
 UNIVERSAL diffusion of minute forms 
 
 of life, 1. 
 Utility of the Toad, 177. 
 
 VOL vox, the, 10, 11, 
 
 Vorticella, the, 18 Its graceful 
 movements, 19 Reproduction of, 
 20 Composite forms, 21. 
 
 Vampire Bats, exaggerated stories re- 
 specting the, 246, 247. 
 
 WANDEROO MONKEY, the, 263, 264. 
 
 Water-Newts, the, 162 Eggs and 
 young of, 167 Supposed to be 
 poisonous, 171 Superstition re- 
 specting, in Ireland, 172. 
 
 Water-Ouzel, the, 212, 213, 214. 
 
 Wax and honey, 56. 
 
 Whistling Frog, a, 183. 
 
 White Admiral Butterfly, graceful 
 flight of, 71. 
 
 World, a new, revealed by the micro- 
 scope, 1. 
 
 Worms, a bouquet of, 127. 
 
 Worms, marine, 125, et seq. 
 
 Wrasse, the, brilliant colours of, 156 
 Annoyance of, to anglers, 157. 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Regent's Park, 
 Seal, 218 Pike and Tench, 219 
 Fishing Frog, 219 Mandarin 
 Duck, 221 Curassows and Secre- 
 tary Bird, 223 Flamingoes, 223 
 Reptile house, 223 Incubating 
 Python, 224 Gigantic Newt of 
 Japan, 224, 225 Sloth, 226 
 Great Ant-eater, 227 Satin Bower 
 Bird, 229 Brush Turkey, 230 
 Gigantic Kingfisher, 231 Ele- 
 phant, 233 Ostrich, Mooruk, &c., 
 234 Eland, 235. 
 
 Zoophytes, 114.
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWKS AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET 
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 BEGINNING ON THE FIRST OF M AY, 1862, 
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 1. WHERE DO WE GET IT, AMD HOW IS IT MADE ? 
 
 A FAMILIAR ACCOUNT OF THE MODES OF SUPPLYING 
 
 OUR EVERY-DAY WANTS, COMFORTS, AND LUXURIES. 
 
 BY GEORGE DODD, 
 
 Author of " The Food of London," " The Curiosities of Industry," " British Manufac- 
 tures,'' &c. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. I. THE SOURCES OF OUR FOOD 
 AND DRINK : Bread, its Materials 
 and Varieties; Dairy Produce; Tea, 
 Groceries, and other Colonial Produce; 
 Malt Liquors and Vinegar ; Wines, 
 Spirits, and Effervescing Drinks. 
 
 CHAP. II. THE MATERIALS OF OUR 
 CLOTHING: Cotton, its Growth and 
 Manufacture; Flax and the Linen 
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 Bricks, Tiles, and Brickwork; Limp, 
 Mortar, Cement, and Plastering ; Tim- 
 ber, Carpentry, and Cabinet Work; 
 Wall and Floor Coverings. 
 
 CHAP. IV. THE SOURCES OF OUR 
 FIRE AND LIGHT: Light-producing 
 Contrivances; Coal and Collieries; 
 Coke, Charcoal, Peat, ana Artificial 
 Fuel; Gas-making and Street Light- 
 Ing; Tallow, Palm Oil, and Candles; 
 Lamps, and the Fuel to feed them. 
 
 CHAP. V. MET ALS AND METAL 
 MANUFACTURES : Jron, Steel, ;:nd 
 Cutlery; Copper, Zinc, and Brass ; Tin, 
 Lead, and Mixed Metals ; Gold, Silver, 
 and Money-making; Quicksilver and 
 Electrotyping. 
 
 CHAP. VI. OUR MINERALS AN'D 
 CHEMICALS: Gtms and Precious 
 Stones ; Pottery, Porcelain, and Karth- 
 enware; Glass and its Manufacture; 
 Acids, Alkalis, and other Chemicals ; 
 Paints, Col jurs, and Dyes. 
 
 2. THE WILD FLOWERS, BIRDS, AND INSECTS OF 
 
 THE MONTHS, 
 
 Popularly and Poetically described: with, numerous Anecdotes. 
 
 A Complete Circle of the Seasons, with Practical Notes on the Collectiny, 
 
 Preserving, and Arranging of Nests and Eggs, Insects, 
 
 and other Objects of Natural History. 
 
 BY H. G. ADAMS, 
 Author of "The Young Naturalist's Library," " Favourite Song Birds," &c. &c. 
 
 3. THE MEN AT THE HELM: 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF GREAT ENGLISH STATESMEN. 
 
 BY W. H. DAVENPORT ADAMS, 
 Author of " The Sea-Kings of England," &c. &c. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Cromwell, Earl of Essex. Sir Robert Walpole. 
 
 The Karl of Strafford. The Earl of Chatham. 
 
 John Hampden. William Pitt. 
 
 Hyde, Earl of Clarendon George Canning. 
 
 Earl Godolphin. Sir Robert Peel. 
 
 Lord Bolingbroke, and Harlcy, Earl of Oxford. .Lord Aberdeen.
 
 'ILLUSTRATED BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS. 
 
 4. THE LINKS IN THE CHAIN ; 
 
 OR, POPULAR CHAPTERS ON THE CURIOSITIES OF ANIMAL LIFE. 
 
 BY GEORGE KEARLEY. 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. 1. 
 ,, 2. 
 
 An Unseen World. 
 
 A Disquisition on Jelly-Fish. " 
 
 Insects and their Hunters. 
 
 An Apology for Snails. 
 
 The Nautilus and its Allies. 
 
 The Aquarium and its Inmates, 
 
 Part I. 
 The Aquarium and its Itimates, 
 
 Part II. 
 
 CHAP. 8. The Ancient Order of Batra 
 
 chians. 
 
 9. Our Feathered Friends. 
 10. " Live Lions," Past, Present, and 
 
 Future 
 
 11. Concerning Bats. 
 12. A Monograph of the Monkey 
 
 Tribe. 
 13. The Gorilla. 
 
 5. THE HELPING HAND : 
 
 A GUIDE TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM 
 
 THE young, and those who have not the 
 opportunity of extensive reading, often 
 mis* much of what they might enjoy, from 
 a want of due information. The object of 
 this little book is to supply just that in- 
 formation, and that only, which shall help 
 the youthful reader to take an intelligent 
 view of the Bible as a whole, and of each 
 book separately. It is a great point to try 
 
 THE PREFACE. 
 
 and give vividness to each Scripture nar- 
 rative, so that the mind shall picture to 
 itself each scene as it really took place. In 
 doing this, a great assistance will be found 
 in a knowledge of the country, of the habits 
 of the people, of the governments under 
 which they were placed, and of the reli- 
 gious ideas which they possessed. 
 
 6. OUR FEATHERED FAMILIES : THE BIRDS OF 
 
 SONG. 
 
 A Popular, Poetical, and Anecdotical Description of tlwse fowid in 
 
 Britain, with Practical Hints for the Breeding, Eearinn, and 
 
 General Management of Song Birds in Confinement. 
 
 BY H. G. ADAMS, 
 Author of " The Young Naturalist's Library," &c. 4c. 
 
 This Volume will lie followed by 
 
 7. OUR FEATHERED FAMILIES : THE BIRDS OF 
 
 PREY. 
 
 AND 
 
 8. OUR FEATHERED FAMILIES : GAME AND 
 WATER BIRDS. 
 
 9. LEAVES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY. 
 
 BY MAY BEVERLEY. 
 
 Author of " Little Estella," " The Moor Cottage," 4c. 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Light in Dark Times; or, How Prior Rahere 
 founded the Hospital of St. Bartholomew. 
 
 The Patriot Earl; or. How the Battle of 
 Kvesham was fought. 
 
 The Royal Bride ; or, How Queen Anne 
 
 loved her People. 
 
 Ludlow Castle, and what befel there. 
 The Last of the Ix>rds High Constable.
 
 NKW SERIES OF ILLUSTRATED BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS. 
 
 10. OUR UNTITLED NOBILITY. 
 
 BY JOHN TILLOTSOX, 
 
 Author of " Lives of Eminent lien," " Bible Stories," " Tales about Animals,' 1 &c. &c, 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 I. William Smith, the Father of Knglish 
 
 Geologists. 
 
 J. Henry Cort, the Story of an Inventor. 
 J. Thomas Dick, the Christian Philosopher. 
 
 4. Marshall Hall, the Physical Enthusiast. 
 
 5. The Two Brunels ; a Study for Young 
 
 Engineers. 
 
 6. George Wilson, the Chemist; or, the 
 
 Power of the Soul over the Body. 
 
 7. William Scoresby, (he Sailor Clergyman. 
 
 8. Thomas Waghorn. the Pioneer of the 
 
 Overland Route. 
 
 9. Thomas Kaikes, the Founder of Sun- 
 
 day Schools. 
 
 10. Captain Coram and the Foundling Hos- 
 
 pital. 
 
 11. Founders of the City Mission, Church 
 
 Missionary Society, Sec. &c. 
 
 11. HALF-HOURS WITH OUR SACRED POETS. 
 
 BY ALEXANDER H. GRANT, M.A. 
 
 65~ This volume aims at being representative of our best Sacred Poetry from the 
 earliest consolidation of the language to the present time; and at giving, in concise 
 notices, particulars of the Lives and Poetical Characteristics of the Authors. The latter 
 purpose stamps it, amongst sacred selections, as well-nigh unique. Whilst in the speci- 
 mens it will offer it will be as fresh and responsible as if it had no predecessor; it will 
 gratefully take advantage ot the labours of former collectors. Excellence is its first con- 
 sideration ; but where poetical claims are equal, it will give a decision in favour of the 
 less known. It relies for distinctiveness and individuality upon the ground of offering, 
 of things equally good and beautiful, not those which are most easy, but those which are 
 most difficult of access of giving specimens of poetical piety from sources which have 
 been unsuspected or overlooked. 
 
 12. THE FLOWER OF CHRISTIAN CHIVALRY. 
 
 BY MRS. W. R. LLOYD, 
 Author of " Pictures of Heroes," &c. &c. 
 
 ff~ This Volume will portray the Character and trace the Lives and Labours of 
 various Pioneers in the field of philanthropy of those whose earnest and well-directed 
 efforts are now at maturity, and bearing rich fruit in the world of to-day. At home the 
 story of the English energy and thoroughness of such a man as Granville Sharp will serve 
 to throw the reader back to the stirring scenes and the gallant band who led " the forlorn 
 hope " in many a social struggle and Christian enterprise now adding lustre to the grace 
 and glory of the records of Christian chivalry. Abroad, the humane and self-sacrificing 
 labours of such men as Abbe de 1'lCpee, Pinel, and Bernard of Menthon, will serve to 
 exhibit phases of life which ennoble our common nature, and cast into the shade all 
 differences of creed. These and other representatives of those who strove to develop 
 some of tlie most beneficent ameliorations which mark the present day, will form the 
 subjects of this work. The few here mentioned will suffice to indicate its scope and 
 spirit. 
 
 ** The Publishers are encouraged to present these carefully-edited Volumes to the 
 Public by the great success which has attended their efforts In the publication of works 
 of a somewhat similar nature at the same price. During the last three years upwards 
 of- Two HUNDRED AND FIFTT THOUSAND COPIES of their miscellaneous 3s. 6d. Juvenile 
 Books have been sold, and the majority of them remain in continuous demand. 
 
 Guided by the suggestions of this experience, the endeavour will be, in the present 
 Series of 
 
 BOOKS WITH A MEANING, 
 
 to unite in a high degree all the excellences, Literary, Artistic, and Mechanical, which 
 can render it at once agreeable and valuable pleasing to the young, and a help to the old. 
 
 LONDON : JAMES HOGG AND SONS.
 
 ILLUSTRATED BOOKS 
 
 PUBLISHED EY 
 
 JAMES HOGG & SONS. 
 
 In small ercwn 8vo. rich gilt binding, 3s. 6d. each. 
 1. Men who have Risen : 
 
 A Book for Boys. With Illustrations printed en Toned paper. 
 
 9. W'nncn of Worth : 
 
 A iiL>.k for Girls. With Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 
 
 3. -Friendly Hands and Kindly "Words : 
 
 Stories Illustrative of the Law of Kindness, the Power of Perseverance, and the Advan- 
 tage:; of Litile Helps. With Illustrations priu'cd on Toned pap^r. 
 
 f,. Roses and Thorns; 
 
 Or, Five Tales of the Start in Life. Whh Illustrations printed cu Toned paper. 
 
 5. The Sea and her Famous Sailors : 
 
 A History of Maritime Adventure, Exploration, and Incidents in the Lives of Distin 
 guishcd Naval Heroes and Adventurers. With Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 
 
 *** This volume, whether viewed as a careful, concise Ocean History, or as a compofj 
 series of Tales and Adventures, possesses many attractive as well os useful features. It 
 embraces the rise and fall of Maritime Greatnen, In connection with the annals of various 
 cation* the enterprise and endurance which won a:id obtained Naval power, and tha 
 inn umerable episodes of brilliant daring which mark the career of our Early Adventurers. 
 
 G. The Leighs ; 
 
 Or, The Discipline of Daily Life. By Miss Palmer. With Illustrations by Walter Uny 
 Woods, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 7. The Busy Hives around Us : 
 
 A Variety of Trips and Visits to the Mine, the Workshop, and the Factory- With 
 Popular Notes on Materials, Processes, and Machines. With Illustrations by Harvey, 
 &c., printed en Tcned paper. 
 
 8. The Vicar of Wakefield. 
 
 By Oliver Goldsmith. A Complete Edition, presenting a clear handsome Text, v.-ith 
 Twelve choice full-page Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 
 
 9. Noble Traits of Kingly Men ; 
 
 Or, Pictures and Anecdotesof European History ; with a Bird's-eye View of the Grandci- 
 Moven.cnts and their Leaders. With Illustrations by S. A. Groves, printed on Tou;i 
 Payer. 
 
 10. Todd's Lectures to Children : 
 
 A Complete Edition of the I'irst and Second Series, with a Memoirof the Author, ;Vo.ii 
 Authentic Sources, and Twelve full-page Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 
 
 11. The Angel of the Iceberg, 
 
 And other Stories nnd Parables, Illustratinc (3 rent IT ral Truths. Designed chiefly fr 
 the Young. To which is added TKUTU MA OK Sl.i: I'i.K : A System of Theology :or 
 Children. With Twelve Illustrations by K. W. Sherwia, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 12. Pictures of Heroes, and Lessons from their Lives. 
 
 With Illustration printed an Toned paper. 
 
 10. The Pilgrim in the Holy Land ; 
 
 Or.Pa'esiine Past and Present. By Rev. Henry S. Osborne, A.M. With Twelve Illui 
 t rations of various Objects of Interest in the Holy Land, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 14. Favourite Passages in Modern Christian Biography. 
 
 With a Group of Portraits. 
 
 15. The Pilgrim's Progress. 
 
 By John Uunyan. A Complete Edition, presenting a clear handsome Text, with Twelve 
 Choice Illustrations, by C. A. Doyle, printed on Toned paper.
 
 PUBLISHED BY JAJIES HOGG AND SONS, LONDON. 
 Three Shilling and Sixpenny Books, in rich gilt binding continued. 
 
 16. The Star of Hope and the Staff of Duty : 
 
 Tales of Womanly Trials and Victories. With Illustrations by Julian Porteh, printed on 
 Toned paper. 
 
 17. Hints on the Culture of Character. 
 
 18. Aunt Agnes ; 
 
 Or, The Why and Wherefore of Life : an Autobiography. With Illustrations printed on 
 Toned paper. 
 
 19. The Long Holidays ; 
 
 Or, Learning without Lessons. By H. A. Ford. With Illustrations by C. A. Doyle, 
 printed on Toned paper. 
 
 20. The Wave and the Battle Field. 
 
 By Mrs. Stewart, Author of " Atheline : or, the Castle by the Sea," " Biadmere Tool," 
 &c. With Illustrations by Henry Saunderson, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 21. The Printer Boy ; 
 
 Or, How Benjamin Franklin made his Mark. An Example for Youth. By William M. 
 Thayer. With Illustrations by Julian Porteh, tne Frontispiece and Vignette Coloured. 
 
 22. The Habits of Good Society ; 
 
 A Handbook of Etiquette for Ladies and Gentlemen . With Thoughts, Hints, and Anec- 
 dotes concerning Social Observances. Nice Points of Taste and Good Manners, and the 
 Art of making One's-self Agreeable. The whole interspersed with Humorous Illustra- 
 tions of S cial Predicaments, Remarks on the History and Changes of Fasiiion, and the 
 Differences of English and Continental Etiquette. With a Frontispiece. 
 
 23. Small Beginnings ; 
 
 Or, the Way to Get On. With ninstrations, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 24. The Popular Preachers of the Ancient Church : 
 
 Their Lives, their Manner, and their Work. By the Rev. William Wilson, M.A. With 
 Illustrations by Henry Anelay, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 25. The Book of Children's Hymns and Rhymes. 
 
 Collected by the Daughter of a Clergyman. Illustrated with numerous Engravings on 
 Wood. 
 This is a comprehensive collection of what may be called the " Children's Favourites." 
 
 2G. The Missionary in Many Lands: 
 
 A Series of Interesting Sketches of Missionary Life. By Erwin House, A.M. With 
 Eight Coloured Illustrations. 
 
 27. The Four Homes. 
 
 By Mrs. Gother Mann. With Illustrations by Horace Pctherick, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 28. The Life of Abraham. 
 
 By A. H. L. Revised by the Rev. Richard Lowndes, Rector of Poole-Keynes, Wilts. 
 
 29. Interesting Chapters in Bible History, and Scripture Illus- 
 tration. With Engravings on Wood, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 30. The Carterets ; 
 
 Or, Country Pleasures. By E. A. R. With Illustrations by T. B. Dalziel, printed on 
 Toned paper. 
 
 31. Scripture Stories for the Young. 
 
 By the Rev. F. Calder, Head Master of the Grammar School, Chesterfield. With Illus- 
 trations by D. H. Friston, printed on Toned paper. 
 
 32. The Story of a Boy's Adventures, and How he Rose in the 
 
 World. By Mrs. Stewart, Author of " The Wave and the Battle-field," " Atheline ; or. 
 the Castle b/ (he S," &c. With Illustrations by H. Sanderson, printed on Toned 
 paper.
 
 PUBLISHED BY JAMES HOGG AND SONS, LONDON. 
 
 In royal 18mo, strongly bound, ornamental side, and Coloured Engravings, 
 
 THE ROSE-BUD STORIES. 
 
 A New and Attractive Series of Juvenile Books, each volume Illustrated with Coloured 
 Engravings. SIXTEEN VARIETIES, uniform in size and style. 
 
 One Shilling and Sixpence each. 
 
 Every Volume contains one or more Tales complete, is strongly bound in cloth boards, 
 with Four Coloured Engravings on Wood, designed and engraved by Dalziel Brothers, acd 
 124 pages of clear, bold letterpress, printed upon otout paper. 
 
 The Tales are written by various Authors, 
 most of them expressly for the Series, and 
 for cheapness, attractiveness, and sterling 
 interest, they present, perhaps, one of the 
 most pleasing and useful collections of 
 Stories iu modern Juvenile Literature. 
 
 1 . Ally and Her School-fellow. 
 
 A Tale for the Young. By Miss 
 M. Betham-Edwards, Author of 
 " Holidays among the Mountains," 
 " Charlie and Earnest," &c. With 
 Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 2. Loyal Charlie Bentham. 
 
 By Mrs Webb, Author of " The 
 Beloved Disciple," " Naomi," " Ido- 
 line," &c. And THE CHILDREN'S 
 ISLAND. A True Story. Bated 
 by L. Nugent. With Four Col- 
 oured Pictures. 
 
 3. Simple Stories for Children. 
 
 By Mary E. Mills. With Four 
 Coloured Pictures. 
 
 4. A Child's First Book about 
 
 Birds. By a Country Clergyman. 
 With Four Cnloured Pictures. 
 
 5. Prince Arthur; or, The 
 
 Four Trials. By Catherine Mary 
 Stirling. And TALES BY THE 
 FLOWERS. By Caroline B. Tern- 
 pier. With Four Coloured Pic- 
 tures. 
 
 6. The Story of Henrietta and 
 
 the Ayah ; or, Do Not Trust to 
 Appearances. And MY LITTLE 
 SCHOOL-FELLOW ; or One Good 
 Turn deserves Another. By Ma- 
 dame de Chatelain. With Four 
 Coloured Pictures. 
 
 7. Stories from English His- 
 tory. For Young Children. Ed- 
 ited by the Rev. Robert Henniker, 
 M.A., Incumbent of South Charl- 
 ton, Northumberland. With Four 
 Coloured Pictures. 
 
 8. Twelve Links of the Golden 
 
 Chain. By Anna J. Buckland. 
 With Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 As the fresh rose-bud needs the silvery shower, 
 The golden sunshine, and the pearly dew, 
 The joyous clay, with all its changes new, 
 
 Ere it can bloom into the perfect flower, 
 
 So with the human rose-bud I from sweet ain 
 Of heaven will fragrant purity be caught, 
 And influences benign of tender thought 
 
 Inform the soul, like angels, unawares. 
 
 JlABV IIOIVITT 
 
 9. Easy Talks for Little Folks. 
 
 By the Author of " A Visit to the 
 Sea-side," " Little Crumbs," &o. 
 And MAY-DAY ; or, Anecdotes of 
 Miss Lydia Lively. Edited by L. 
 Nugent. Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 10. Susan and the Doll; or, 
 
 Do Not be Covetous. And THE 
 LITTLE ORPHAN'S HISTORY; 
 or, Everything for the Best. By 
 Caroline Leicester. With Four 
 Coloured Pictures. 
 
 11. Juvenile Tales for Juve- 
 nile Readers. By Charlotte Eliza 
 beth. Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 12. The Life of Robinson 
 
 Crusoe: In Short Words. By 
 Sarah Crompton, Author of " A 
 Plan to Combine Education with 
 Instruction," " Life of Columbus," 
 " Life of Luther," in Short Words, 
 &c. With Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 13. A Winter's Wreath of 
 
 Illustrative Tales. Edited by Lady 
 Charlotte Law. And SYMPATHY : 
 A Tale. By E. A. M. With Four 
 Coloured Pictures. 
 
 14. Little Paul and his Moss- 
 
 \vToaths ; or, The King and the Boy 
 who kept his Word. By Angelika 
 von LarjcrBtriJm. Together with the 
 STORY OF LITTLE GEORGE 
 BELL. Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 15. Six Short Stories for Short 
 
 People. By the Rer. F. W. B. 
 Bouverie, Author of " Life and ita 
 Lessons." Four Coloured Pictures. 
 
 10. The Captive Sky -Lark; 
 
 or, Do as You Would be Done by. 
 A Tale. By Madame de Chatelain. 
 With Four Coloured Pictures.
 
 PUBLISHED BY JAMES HOGG AND SONS, LONDON. 
 
 LOOKS SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE YOUNG. 
 
 At Two and Sixpence each. 
 
 Post 8vo, strongly bound in cloth, 
 Illustrated. 
 
 1 , The Little Warringtons. 
 
 By Anna J. Buckland, Author oi 
 " Twelve Links of the Golden 
 Chain." With Eight Illustrations 
 by Edward Hull, printed on 
 Toned Paper. 
 
 2. Mama's New Bible-Stories, 
 
 from the Old and New Testaments. 
 By Emily G. Kesbitt. With Illus- 
 trations by D. H. Friston, printed 
 on Toned Paper. 
 
 8. Home Sketches ; or, \Yho 
 
 are the Happy Ones ? By the 
 Author of " Quiet Thoughts for 
 Quiet Hours," and " The Pearl- 
 Fisher's Basket." With Illustra- 
 tions by John Absolon. 
 
 1. The Knights of the Bed 
 
 Cross: Seven Allegorical Stories. 
 By Bjchard John Shields, Incum- 
 bent of Hornby, Lai-caster. With 
 Illustrations by William McConnell. 
 
 5. The Story of Alice Cullis ; 
 
 or, How to Win by Example. By 
 Ellen Brown. With Illustrations 
 by John Absolon. 
 
 G. The Piety of Daily Life. 
 
 Illustrated in a Series of Tales and 
 Sketches, chiefly designed for the 
 Young. By Jane C. Simpson, 
 Author of " Linda," " AVoman's 
 History," " April Hours," &c. 
 With Illustrations by E. Guichard. 
 
 7. A Winter and Summer at 
 
 Burton Hall. A Children's Tale. 
 By Mrs R. J. Greene. With Illus- 
 trations by Kenny Meadows. 
 
 P. Blanche Cleveland; or, The 
 
 Kain and Sunshine of Youth. By A. 
 F. W. With Illustrations by L. 
 Kuu-a. 
 
 At Two Shillings each. 
 Fcp. Svo, strongly bound in cloth, 
 Illustrated, 
 
 1. Agnes Selhy. A Story for 
 
 Children. By Lady Lushingtor.. 
 With Six Illustrations by Thomna 
 B. Dalziel, printed on Toned Paptr. 
 
 2. Elm Grange ; or, a Sum- 
 mer in the Country. By E. A. ?!., 
 Author of " Sympathy," and other 
 Tales. With Six Illustrations by 
 Julian Portch, printed on To::ci 
 Paper. 
 
 3. The Story of Arthur Hun- 
 
 ter and his First Shilling. With 
 other Tales. By Mrs Crowe, 
 Author of " Susan Hopley," &;. 
 With Illustrations by John Absoloa. 
 
 4. Stories from the Bible. 
 
 By Charlotte Elizabeth. With Il- 
 lustrations by William Harvey. 
 
 5. The Mother's Fables : la 
 
 Verse. Designed, through the "Ic- 
 dium of Amusement, to Convey to 
 Children some Useful Precepts of 
 Virtue and Benevolence. By ii. L. 
 Aveline, Author of " Simple Bal- 
 lads," &c. &c. A New Edition, to 
 which is added, (for the Erst time), 
 TALES AND FABLES : in Versa. 
 By the same Author. With Illus- 
 trations by William Harvey. 
 
 6. Philip and his Garden. 
 
 With other Stories. By Cluirlot-.t- 
 Elizabeth. With Illustrations by 
 W. S. Coleman. 
 
 7. The Happy Days at Fern- 
 bank. A Story for Little Girls. 
 By Emma Marshall. With Illus- 
 trations by J. A. Pasquier. 
 
 8. Beatrice Langton ; or, the 
 
 Spirit of Obedience. By Harcl.y 
 Powis. With Illustrations by 
 Thomas B. Dalziel. 
 
 9. The Laird's Return, and 
 
 wkat came of it. A Story for 
 Young People. By Geraldine 
 Stewart. With Illustrations by 
 Thomas Morton.
 
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 NEW JUVENILE BOOKS JUST READY. 
 
 Price Three Shillings and Sixpence each. 
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 THE CARTARETS ; OR, COUNTRY PLEASURES. 
 
 BY E. A.'E. 
 
 With Illustrations by Dalzicl, printed on Toned Paper. 
 
 SCRIPTURE STORIES FOR THE YOUNG. 
 
 BY THE EEV. F. CALDEE, 
 
 Head Master of the Grammar School, Chesterfield. 
 
 With Illustrations by D. H. Friston, printed on Toned Paper. 
 
 * The Publishers have much pleasure In stating, that during the last three ycara 
 
 upwards of Two HUNUP.F.D AND FIFTV THOUSAND COPIES of their Miscellaneous 3s. 6d. 
 
 Juvenile Books have been sold, and the majority of them remain in continuous demand. 
 
 MANUALS FOR LADIES. 
 
 THE ENGLISH GENTLEWOMAN; 
 
 OR, A PRACTICAL MANUAL FOR YOUXG- LADIES ON THEIR 
 
 ENTRANCE INTO SOCIETY. 
 Third Edition. Eevised and Enlarged by the Author. Fcap. 8vo, 
 
 cloth, floral gilt edges, 4s. . 
 
 " This work is intended chiefly for young ladies of the upper classes of English societ y. 
 The object of the writer is, by tha experience of a life passed in those circles which con- 
 stitute what is called ' the world,' to supply those who are entering into a new and busy 
 sphere with some of the practical benefits of observation and reflection, to propound the 
 elements of that species of knowledge which, contrary to other sciences, is usually ac- 
 [uired by blunders and errors, the lessons of which are often received with mortification, 
 ud remembered often with regret. This little book, which pretends to no deeper leurn- 
 iig than that which the heart and the memory can impart, is therefore offered to the 
 ounc; who are destined, not for the happy duties of an humble and narrow sphere, but 
 or the arduous introduction into a career usually deemed mure perilous. It is for those 
 \ho must live, more or less, in communion with the gay and the opulent, but who wish 
 ' t<> live unspotted in the world." It is meant to resemble the warning voice of the nurse 
 who sees the children of her care sporting on the bank of a sedgy pool, all green wi.h 
 aquatic plants, and calls them to beware." Extract from the Preface. 
 
 THE ENGLISH MATRON; 
 
 OR, A PRACTICAL MANUAL FOR YOUNG WIVES. 
 
 By the Author of " The English Gentlewoman." 
 
 Third Edition. Eevised and Enlarged by the Author. Fcap. 8vo., 
 
 cloth, floral gilt edges, 4s. 
 
 "To recall the serious purpose of nn English Matron's life; to warn, advise, inform 
 her; to stimulate her best aims ; to place even In solemn terms the miseries of failure, 
 was the ol.jrrt <>! this work. Its merits, such as they are, were never more needed than 
 now. It is offered with earnest prayers for the well-being of tha young matron ; in all 
 faithfulness, in all sincerity, to her is proffered such counsels as a mother would give to 
 a beloved daughter entering on the all-important career of married life," Extract front 
 ike rrrfuM to the Tkir<l Ktiition,
 
 PUBLISHED BY JAMES HOGG AND SONS, LONDON. 
 
 BOOKS FOR EVENING AMUSEMENT. 
 In cloth, gilt edges, price 2 6d. 
 
 I. DOUBLE ACROSTICS. By Various Authors. 
 
 EDITED BY K. L. 
 
 In cloth, gilt edges, price 3s. Gd. 
 
 II. RIDDLES IN RHYME. A Book of Enigmas, 
 
 Charades, and Conundrums. Selected from those contributed during the last thirty years 
 to " Fulcher's Ladies' Poetical Miscellany." 
 
 EDITED BY EDMUND SYEK FULCHER. 
 
 " Such trifles, although of small practical importance, stimulate ingenuity and sharp- 
 ness of intellect acting in this way like practice at the game of chess, which, according 
 to Franklin, greatly assists a man in playing out the whole game of life." Inverness Ad- 
 vertiser. 
 
 BOOKS FOR HOME TUITION. 
 HUGHES'S GRADUATED READING LESSONS. 
 
 IN FOUR BOOKS : A SERIES OF ADVANCED READING LESSONS. 
 EDITED BY EDWARD HUGHES, F.R.A.S., F.R.G.S., 
 
 Associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers, and late Head Master of the Royal Naval 
 Lower School, Greenwich. 
 
 Embracing Original Contributions to the various branches of Knowledge by Eminent 
 Writers, prolusely illustrated with 430 engravings on Wood. Each Volume is sold sepa- 
 rately, strongly bound in cloth, boards, 3s. 6d., and contains about 450 pages of fcp. 8vo. 
 
 Amongst Educational Works, this carefully-edited Series of Lessons (ibe first, and still 
 the most elaborate of all "Graduated" Series) occupies a conspicuous position, and de- 
 eerves the attention of all who are interested in Tuition. The range of Subjects is com- 
 pn In imive: the various Articles and Treatises are by Authors distinguished in Science, 
 Literature, and Art; the lllusirations are numerous and exact; while the whole has 
 been methodised and arranged for practical use by a Teacher oi acknowledged eminence 
 in his profession. 
 
 Tlir objects have been at once "clearness of explanation, general adaptation to the 
 purposes of sound education, and the closest attention to practical utility." To attain 
 these ends no expense has been spared in securing the assistance of the most competent 
 wriiers in each department, and in the free use of good illustrations to enhance the 
 value of the text. 
 
 The progressive nature of the plan, the compact arrangement and the thoroughness of 
 the information (for which the names of the authors, as given in the work, are a sufficient 
 guarrantee), combinr to afford a systematic body of knowledge, graphic, rtcent, accurate, 
 and well digested. J'aken as a whole, the four volumes may be termed an Elementary 
 Cyclopaedia reduced to a form convenient for daily instruction. 
 
 THE PIANO PRIMER: 
 
 Illustrating the Art of Pianoforte Playing, in a series of Twenty Conversations between 
 Tc'acher and Pupil, and One Hundred Exercises and Recreations. Intended both for 
 Elementary Instruction and to aid Governesses and Parents in utilising to the utmost 
 the Professor's efforts. 
 
 BY EDMUND S. DIXON, M.A. 
 
 The Contents include Specimens of Devotional, Dramatic, Ball-room, and Popular 
 Music, besides Studies, the principal aim of which is to form the Hand, give a Brilliant 
 Touch, and extend tin: Technical Knowledge of the Art. In full music size, elegantly 
 bound in cloth, price 21.
 
 PUBLISHED BY JAMES HOGG AND SONS, LONDON. 
 Just published, price 2s. Gd., with a Frontispiece, 
 
 PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER. 
 
 BELATED BY HEESELF. 
 
 WITH PRACTICAL HltfTS FOR THE ARRANGEMENT AND MANAGE- 
 MENT OF A HOUSEHOLD IN TOWN OR COUNTRY. ' 
 
 The Contents embrace : An Account of my Marriage and Settlement 
 The Arrangement of our Household Town and Country House- 
 keeping Troubles and Eesponsibilities of Housekeepers My 
 Dilemmas Tradesmen's Books The Advantages and Disadvantages 
 of a Change of Servants Cooks and Keceipts Servants and their 
 Education Management of Servants and their Duties Dinner 
 Parties, etc. 
 
 In Two Volumes, cloth, price 21s., 
 
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 BY MKS. THOMSON. 
 
 Author of " Memoirs of the Duchess of Marlborough," " Life of 
 George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham," &c., &c. 
 
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 BELGIAN EPISODES: 
 
 HISTORICAL, LEGENDARY, AND CONTEMPORARY. 
 BY H. G. MOKE, 
 
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 and Atheuee Eoyal of Ghent, Officer of the Order of Leopold 
 
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 ALICE WILMEEE, 
 
 Author of "Life of Champlain," Translator of "Champlain'a Voyage 
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 GRACE AND PHILIP WKARTON'S WORKS. 
 
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 I. THE aTJEENS OF SOCIETY. 
 BY GEACE AND PHILIP WHAETON. 
 
 With Sixteen fine and characteristic Engravings on "Wood, by Charles 
 Altamont Doyle and the Brothers Dalzicl. 
 
 A series of -Memoirs of the most Celebrated Women, who, in virtue 
 of their Wit, Strength of Mind, or Beauty, have taken a lead in the 
 Literary, Political, and Court circles of the last two and present cen- 
 turies, in England and France, who have been the Intimate Friends of 
 Great Men, or taken a prominent part in Great Movements ; with 
 Notices and Anecdotes of their principal Contemporaries, and Eeviews 
 of the Character of the Society in which they moved and shone. 
 
 II. THE WITS AND BEAUX OF SOCIETY. 
 BY GEACE AND PHILIP WHAETON. 
 
 Authors of " The Queens of Society." 
 
 With Fifteen Illustrations from Drawings by H. K. Brown and James 
 Godwin, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel. 
 
 Memoirs of Men who, from the Days of Louis XIV. and Charles II. 
 to the present century, have been celebrated for their Wit, their 
 Manners, their Dress, and their general Social pre-eminence, in England 
 and France ; Anecdotes of their Eccentricities, their Sayings and 
 Doings ; Sketches of their Characters, of the Courts, Clubs, and 
 Coteries they frequented, and of the Phases of Society in which they 
 moved and shone. 
 
 NEW WORK ly GEACE WHAETON, in the Press. 
 
 THE LITERATTJBE OF SOCIETY. 
 
 With an Introductory Chapter on the Origin of Fiction. 
 
 BY GEACE WHAETON, 
 
 One of the Authors of " The Queens of Society," and " The Wits and 
 Beaux of Society." 
 
 With Illustrations by Eminent Artists.
 
 A 000 034 367 3